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TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Nov 11, 2023 6:38:16 GMT

"you're going straight to the woods?"

kyle catches up with a player avatar. featureless and bland, they remain similar with the rest of the people caught up in this silly little game.

"oh, i remember you! you died pretty fast last night on your first attempt."

although he did as well, his was pretty much on purpose when he was testing the limits of the 'game'. he's not sure about the other person though.

they have a time limit of seven days, and so kyle has been lax from the beginning. he did also observe other people and their blunders to learn from them, and it did net him a few realizations for this specific challenge.

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played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

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TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON Nov 11, 2023 7:39:52 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","mintemp elisa"]

[attr="class","top"]

She could swear she'd passed the same exact tree about a dozen times now.[break][break]

Navigating this world was more difficult than it had any right to be, really. It was disconcerting seeing how everyone looked identical, running around and combating various creatures as they made their way through.[break][break]

All the more concerning was the way her own Avatar powers had failed her the instant she'd tried to summon them, rendering her utterly powerless.[break][break]

She was all about ready to give up when one of the faceless blobs approached her, talking to her as if offering aid. Suspiciously, she turned to them, unsure of how to take the offer.[break][break]

"I was planning to," she said a bit snippily, "but I can't find them. It's as if I keep walking the same path over and over. I'm not sure how anyone knows how to get anywhere in a place like this."[break][break]

She hadn't discovered how to configure a map view on. It hadn't occurred to her she'd have a map at all.

[attr="class","ooc"] kyle lopez[break][break]
[attr="class","pkmn"]

[attr="class","milkycredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

[newclass=".elisa"] --accent:#D14C4C!important; [/newclass]

[newclass=".mintemp"]--accent:#D14C4C; position:relative; z-index:1; overflow:hidden; [/newclass]

[newclass=".mintemp blockquote"]width:350px; margin:0px auto; font-size:12px; line-height:15px; border-radius:0px 0px 10px 10px; border-top:none; padding:30px 50px; letter-spacing:0.2px; [/newclass]

[newclass=".mintemp blockquote img"]margin:1px 15px 12px 1px; border-radius:10px; [/newclass]

[newclass=".mintemp blockquote b, .mintemp blockquote i"]color:var(--accent) } .mintemp blockquote b { font-size:14px!important } .mintemp blockquote u { font-style:italic; color:var(--accent); text-decoration:underline dotted; border-bottom:none; letter-spacing:1px; [/newclass]

[newclass=".mintemp .top"]background-color:var(--accent); padding:10px; height:15px; background-image:url(https://image.ibb.co/dMFuMc/flower.png); background-repeat:no-repeat;background-position:bottom right; width:430px; margin:0px auto; border:1px solid #232323; [/newclass]

[newclass=".mintemp .ooc"]border-top:1px solid #222; padding-top:15px; text-align:center; margin-top:15px; [/newclass]

[newclass=".mintemp .ooc a"]font:bold 15px 'Poppins';[/newclass]

[newclass=".mintemp .pkmn"] text-align:center;[/newclass]

[newclass=".mintemp .pkmn img"] background:none; border-radius: 0px; box-shadow:none; border:0px; float:none; [/newclass]

[newclass=".mintemp .milkycredit"]font-size:15px; position:absolute; z-index:99; right:95px; bottom:5px; border-radius:100px; color:var(--accent); opacity:0.6; } .mintemp .milkycredit a { transition:0.5s all } .mintemp .milkycredit a:hover { transition:0.5s all; color:var(--accent)!important; [/newclass]

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aero

dog boy

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TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Nov 11, 2023 7:54:16 GMT

she didn't ignore him. that's good.

"i think the ones that are already done didn't stay too far," he tells her. "some just walk in a straight line, and then wait for the pokemon to come to them."

they are aggressive by nature. whether it's by design or not, shadow pokemon are inclined to attack without prejudice, even outside of the dream world. kyle is impressed by the convenience of the setting since it wouldn't need much touching up on if they really got their resources outside the dream.

"you should have received some sort of ability, right? it should be listed on your status screen."

if she's having trouble, then it meant she would be in the same situation as him if he didn't try to team up.

"mine doesn't help at all, so i figured i might as well go with someone else too. do you want to go venture out with me?"

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played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

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TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON Nov 11, 2023 8:10:16 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","mintemp elisa"]

[attr="class","top"]

It hadn't occurred to her she could freely ignore other players in this place. The distinctions of gaming etiquette, and lack thereof, were fully lost on her.[break][break]

"It's a very strange game," she mumbled with distaste, her jealousy at the ease other people seemed to have at achieving it made fully audible in the way she sulked. His questions did nothing to alleviate that insecurity, and she rubbed the back of her neck, realizing she was attempting to fiddle with a strand of hair that wasn't there.[break][break]

She cleared her throat and looked away.[break][break]

"My ability? Uh, that is..." Arceus, she hoped her face remained as nondescript as his. "...Um. What's a status screen?"[break][break]

This was utterly humiliating.

[attr="class","ooc"] kyle lopez[break][break]
[attr="class","pkmn"]

[attr="class","milkycredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

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aero

dog boy

he/him

october 24

verdanturf

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TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Nov 11, 2023 8:18:19 GMT

"um."

how does one explain a feature that seemed like a natural part of a picture? for once, kyle understands the application of being asked 'how would you describe the world to a blind person?' when he was younger.

"you just, uh, open it. like, you just think really hard for it to appear and it should appear." that's how it worked in other vrmmorpg games he's played. "and then everything else should be labeled appropriately."

he opens his own, navigates through the multitude of tabs present, and opens up the description of the only skill on the screen.

phoenix down
nickname: emergent
gain a second try for the night whenever your avatar dies. you respawn back to life open to danger.

kyle is bad at explaining things, and he hopes that showing it instead might work. nervously, he watches the other participant of the game to see if she can handle it.

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played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

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TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON Nov 11, 2023 8:36:17 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","mintemp elisa"]

[attr="class","top"]

Hesitantly she gave him a slow nod, watching him with the questioning look of someone who felt like she was about fail a terrible test after failing to study.[break][break]

"...Alright," she said cautiously, raising a hand to touch... the air? Was that what she was supposed to do? Hm. No, something was supposed to be here, first.[break][break]

She blinked, opening her eyes to see nothing new, then closed her eyes for longer, determined to this time succeed. Enough concentration provided the result she wanted, and when she glanced up, her expression of triumph seemed almost childlike.[break][break]

"Oh! Here it is. Let's see..."[break][break]

[attr="class","rbynote"]

DANDELION WHISPERS[break][break]
nickname: the_florist[break][break]
Ability to speak to flora and plantlife. However, given the nature of conversation, the plants will only comment on what they themselves find interesting. They also have their own personalities and moods, and might not be interested in talking.

[newclass=.rbynote]border-width: 9px 9px 9px 9px;border-style:solid;border-image: url('https://i.imgur.com/UUqNs3l.png') 9 9 9 9 repeat repeat;padding:6px 8px;color:#232323;text-align:justify;font:11px Calibri;letter-spacing:1px; margin-top:20px;background:#aaa;background-clip: padding-box;[/newclass]

[break][break]She read it aloud with a look of incredulity that became all the more confused and mortified with each word she spoke. When finished, she just stared at the screen blankly, unsure how to take this.[break][break]

"How... helpful."

[attr="class","ooc"] kyle lopez[break][break]
[attr="class","pkmn"]

[attr="class","milkycredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

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dog boy

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october 24

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TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Nov 11, 2023 8:44:42 GMT

kyle finds himself stifling a chuckle.

"useful," he comments. "at least you gain another tool in your disposal."

as opposed to dying once, only to get killed again on the spot by the same shadow pokemon.

"you should try it out," he urges. "how bad can it be?"

despite the encouraging words, the nature underneath the supportive facade lies one of curiosity and greed for amusement. he looks around, but only those further the castle would possibly give good information.

to give each flower a mind of its own was genius in terms of novelty, albeit terribly useless. on the other hand, it sounds fun at least.

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played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

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part of

TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON Nov 11, 2023 8:52:25 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","mintemp elisa"]

[attr="class","top"]

"You think so?" she said dubiously, looking around herself for an ideal target. Once more she looked at the tree she'd stumbled into so many times, and heaving a tiny sigh, she walked over to it.[break][break]

How did someone start a conversation with a tree, exactly?[break][break]

"Well. Ahem. Hello..."[break][break]

Her hands knotted together, uncomfortable as she attempted to talk to something without a face. She stared at the trunk long enough that the whorls in the bark started to look something like eyes.[break][break]

"Would you, ah, happen to have any information about the woods nearby?"[break][break]

This felt incredibly ridiculous.[break][break]

All of a sudden, a new screen popped up above the tree, visible to both her and her newfound companion. A cute 'Ya-ha-ha!' chiming sound rang out, startling Elisabeth visibly.[break][break]

[attr="class","rbynote"]

"You ignored me like, a dozen times!! What's wrong with me as a tree, huh? Why do you need the OTHER trees in that OTHER forest? Don't you know I have feelings? Whatever! Just stay lost! I-it's not like I care about you or anything!"

[newclass=.rbynote]border-width: 9px 9px 9px 9px;border-style:solid;border-image: url('https://i.imgur.com/UUqNs3l.png') 9 9 9 9 repeat repeat;padding:6px 8px;color:#232323;text-align:justify;font:11px Calibri;letter-spacing:1px; margin-top:20px;background:#aaa;background-clip: padding-box;[/newclass]

[break][break]She could swear its boughs shifted to look like arms crossing in a visible pout.

[attr="class","ooc"] kyle lopez[break][break]
[attr="class","pkmn"]

[attr="class","milkycredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

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dog boy

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october 24

verdanturf

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TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Nov 13, 2023 14:04:33 GMT

"did it tell you anything we can use?" he asks.

leaves rustle from a distance. kyle turns his head, only to find nothing.

it could be shadow pokemon that weren't theirs, which was the worst case scenario. it could be other participants of the game that were passing by.

realizing that guessing was useless, he turns back to elisa and their only option for direction. this time, he reads what was written on the screen.

"this tree's cute," he comments absentmindedly. "we should ignore it and see if it wants our attention back."

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played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

awards

4,757 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON Nov 14, 2023 7:11:32 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","mintemp elisa"]

[attr="class","top"]

Well, it seemed like as good advice as anything else.[break][break]

Cautiously she began to walk away from the tree, following the other individual who exuded a confidence she didn't feel. One second passed. Two. Three. And then...[break][break]

[attr="class","rbynote"]

"W-wait! Don't leave me! I can help you... Look, um, if you want to go into the forest you should consider this... Just stay longer, okay?"

[newclass=.rbynote]border-width: 9px 9px 9px 9px;border-style:solid;border-image: url('https://i.imgur.com/UUqNs3l.png') 9 9 9 9 repeat repeat;padding:6px 8px;color:#232323;text-align:justify;font:11px Calibri;letter-spacing:1px; margin-top:20px;background:#aaa;background-clip: padding-box;[/newclass]

[break][break]Against all odds, the tree appeared to be capable of offering useful advice.[break][break]

Though perhaps it made more sense to someone with game savvy like kyle lopez. To Elisabeth, it sounded like nonsense.

[attr="class","ooc"] kyle lopez[break][break]
[attr="class","pkmn"]

[attr="class","milkycredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

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aero

dog boy

he/him

october 24

verdanturf

asexual

private investigator

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TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Nov 14, 2023 14:28:12 GMT

once again, he peeks at her screen to find the translation of plant speak to english.

"maybe you can compromise," he throws out as an idea. "do you think we can, like, plant flowers around it as its friends instead?"

if that could work, then it would be such a boring side-quest, if it can even be considered that.

with a system close to how the game blades & bulwark operated, kyle has pretty much experimented with everything. it included filling his inventory with trash, and being surrounded by the forest, flowers were some of those.

he takes some of them out and hands them to elisabeth.

"hm, do you know which spot would be best to get these planted?"

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played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

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part of

TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON Nov 14, 2023 14:37:22 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","mintemp elisa"]

[attr="class","top"]

"I'm good at gardening," she started to say, before amending, "or, I used to be." She took the seeds uncertainly, but when she knelt on the ground, a funny thing happened.[break][break]

Each blade of grass seemed to possess a smiley face, beaming up at her as they started to chatter with speech bubbles as she drew near.[break][break]

[attr="class","rbynote"]

"No, not here! There! Yes, yes, plant them there! Good job!!"

[newclass=.rbynote]border-width: 9px 9px 9px 9px;border-style:solid;border-image: url('https://i.imgur.com/UUqNs3l.png') 9 9 9 9 repeat repeat;padding:6px 8px;color:#232323;text-align:justify;font:11px Calibri;letter-spacing:1px; margin-top:20px;background:#aaa;background-clip: padding-box;[/newclass]

[break][break]Little exclamation points popped up indicating the desired plots for planting, the blades of grass shaking vigorously in disagreement if she got near the wrong spot.[break][break]

When they were planted, inexplicably, all the seeds bloomed at once in a cute semicircle of bright daisies around the tree, chiming out in chorus at it:[break][break]

[attr="class","rbynote"]

"Hello, new best friend!"

[newclass=.rbynote]border-width: 9px 9px 9px 9px;border-style:solid;border-image: url('https://i.imgur.com/UUqNs3l.png') 9 9 9 9 repeat repeat;padding:6px 8px;color:#232323;text-align:justify;font:11px Calibri;letter-spacing:1px; margin-top:20px;background:#aaa;background-clip: padding-box;[/newclass][break][break]

Sap began to weep from the joyful tree. Was it... was it crying?! Alarmed, Elisabeth moved to comfort it, before realizing she had no idea whatsoever how to comfort a tree.[break][break]

"Is this normal?" she whispered to Kyle, concerned.

[attr="class","ooc"] kyle lopez[break][break]
[attr="class","pkmn"]

[attr="class","milkycredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

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aero

dog boy

he/him

october 24

verdanturf

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part of

TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Nov 14, 2023 16:07:41 GMT

"haha, i don't know."

despite the joyful occasion of the sparks of friendship being ignited, kyle hasn't forgotten the objective at hand.

"but maybe you can ask it now if it knows anything about your pokemon's whereabouts?"

he steps back a bit away from the planted flowers and the trees, opting to watch elisabeth from afar as opposed to keeping himself busy reading dialogue from plants.

another reason was that he couldn't keep the rustle he heard earlier out of his mind.

his distance gives her enough time to act when kyle gets taken down by a shadow granbull. large fangs fit the miniature avatar in its mouth, dangling kyle's cadaver like a toy.

it takes a moment to busy itself with the corpse before it notices another player in the game in the vicinity.

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played by

Scarlet

Lisa Bortiforte

She/Her

August 30

Camphrier Town, Kalos

Bi/Heteroromantic

Bioterrorist

Underboss

5'9" / 175.26 cm height

Bury me in the roses and rot; I'll come back thorned.

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4,757 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @elisabeth

POSTED ON Nov 15, 2023 2:23:01 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","mintemp elisa"]

[attr="class","top"]

Elisabeth was about to congratulate herself for her short-earned, if bizarre, victory. Alas, not much time elapsed between then and the attack of the SHADOW GRANBULL, which tackled the Champion immediately. His Avatar faded out, a ghost to the digital realm, awaiting respawn.[break][break]

Oh, no. This was how she'd died the previous night, wasn't it?[break][break]

She took a cautious step back, only for the Granbull's menacing expression to darken. Only then did she hear an unexpected sound behind her, like an agitated rustling.[break][break]

[attr="class","rbynote"]

"LEAVE OUR NEW FRIEND ALONE!"

[newclass=.rbynote]border-width: 9px 9px 9px 9px;border-style:solid;border-image: url('https://i.imgur.com/UUqNs3l.png') 9 9 9 9 repeat repeat;padding:6px 8px;color:#232323;text-align:justify;font:11px Calibri;letter-spacing:1px; margin-top:20px;background:#aaa;background-clip: padding-box;[/newclass]

[break][break]Womp! The boughs shook and trembled with the tree's rage, felling the Shadowmon with a kick of it backwards. Elisabeth's hand flew to her mouth in surprise, only for another shadowy figure to emerge in her peripheral vision.[break][break]

She squinted, confused, before she asked timidly, "Prim? Is that you?"[break][break]

Ever since the Ruinous Beast had claimed her, she'd avoided time with her most-cherished, sentimental Pokemon: Primrose, her Roselia, and the only gift from her late husband she'd cared to keep. Given her current anathema to flowers, she'd feared it might fare similar to that of jayden cross's, when her hand had touched it and caused that poor Pokemon to wither and rot.[break][break]

An ominous SHADOW MIST spilled forth from the Pokemon, bringing a palpable sense of distrust and malice to the surrounding forest. Elisabeth's eyes widened, only for a thought to come to mind: Is this how others felt, when I changed from who I used to be?[break][break]

Without a means to properly defend herself, she braced herself for her fate to be the same as before. Until the mist faded out somewhat, and a new bubble entered her screen:[break][break]

[attr="class","rbynote"]

"...Elisa?"

[newclass=.rbynote]border-width: 9px 9px 9px 9px;border-style:solid;border-image: url('https://i.imgur.com/UUqNs3l.png') 9 9 9 9 repeat repeat;padding:6px 8px;color:#232323;text-align:justify;font:11px Calibri;letter-spacing:1px; margin-top:20px;background:#aaa;background-clip: padding-box;[/newclass][break][break]

Was the Roselia talking to her?[break][break]

"It's me, Prim," Elisabeth said softly, and the previous antagonistic Pokemon softened, her black-and-red petals no longer dancing about in a stormy haze.[break][break]

[attr="class","rbynote"]

"I... I missed you!"

[newclass=.rbynote]border-width: 9px 9px 9px 9px;border-style:solid;border-image: url('https://i.imgur.com/UUqNs3l.png') 9 9 9 9 repeat repeat;padding:6px 8px;color:#232323;text-align:justify;font:11px Calibri;letter-spacing:1px; margin-top:20px;background:#aaa;background-clip: padding-box;[/newclass][break][break]

The Shadow Roselia flung herself into Elisabeth's arms, and she blinked rapidly, before cautiously giving into the embrace.

[attr="class","ooc"] kyle lopez[break][break]
[attr="class","pkmn"]

[attr="class","milkycredit"] [attr="class","fas fa-cookie-bite"]

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played by

aero

dog boy

he/him

october 24

verdanturf

asexual

private investigator

champion

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TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Nov 15, 2023 4:22:07 GMT

found you.

on its own, his ability was pretty much useless. having another unit in the field, regardless of value, opens up more branching paths for multiple scenarios once the inevitable has happened.

turn 1: get himself killed

turn 2: shadow pokemon turns its attention to the next victim instead of lingering around, shifting aggro through death.

he now has a choice as opposed to his previous run.

had it not been his pokemon, he can simply use the other player as bait and run away, giving him another chance for the night. that, or if the other player has their pokemon, or if they're lucky, an actual useful ability, they can try beating up the wild shadow pokemon. the keyword is try.

they were scuffed, but they open up opportunities nonetheless.

however, had it been his shadow pokemon, another web of choices is presented to him.

turn 3: straight up just catch it, 4head!

"fuck you, granbull!"

the words were shouted, killing the mood set by the other participant of the game and her pokemon. once the shadow granbull lunges at them, kyle quickly throws the dream ball from his inventory at it.

the system freezes everything in his perspective. branching paths have manifested itself in another form, but kyle cares not for power, but for convenience. the choice is easy when it comes to control.

purify his pokemon? confirmed.