Acanthus

“Now this is trick-or-treating.” Lessa stood amongst a treasure trove of traditional activities. There was a large bonfire, an array of desserts including caramel apples and smores. Horses milled about the pasture, which intrigued an overeager 3ulogy. “I don’t think they’ll like you dressed like that, 3ulogy.” “They’re just horses, Acanthus. You’re such an anxious mess sometimes.” She just shrugged. He was an adult, he could handle himself. Acanthus decided, given her scare at Jomei’s house, could do with something a little more relaxed. She walked to the porch, poured a ta

We’re still safe. We’re still safe. Acanthus tested the comforting words every few minutes with a quick check of her menu. The map indicated they were going to the right place. The next house was not in a safe zone. But neither was hers, and it had never made her nervous before. Whatever was going on here did not feel very safe. Jomei’s (slash whoever put this event on IC) instructions led them to a long-abandoned house on the otherwise restful 28th floor. But the sun had started to set, and wind stirred the fiery leaves into flames that licked at her feet. Faces from the trees offered th

“I don’t think the dancing has started quite yet. I was hoping to chat a little while longer.” A hot pang of realization hit the back of her skull; I’m not her right now. Mari’s talking to a total stranger: just another guy in a bar. “I’m not trying to… I apologize if I sound persistent. Tell me bluntly to leave you alone, and I won’t bother you again.” It turned out that some things—particularly social cues—could not be solved with a mask and a sense of unearned confidence. Orpheus leaned away, giving Mari space while making it clear he was still interested in conversation. Absent an imm

The thought of being here made her homesick. Beautiful crimson gates beckoned her into the estate and along the winding road towards the shrine. At the entrance, she glanced over a collection of objects to offer at the shrine. She spoke with the hosts as she wrote some characters in a delicate, thoughtful script. "I did not realize you would be opting for a more traditional setting. I apologize for my dress. Had I known, I would have worn something more appropriate. I will enjoy walking the path, and I will offer my thoughts at the shrine." She moved quickly, snatching up 3ulogy before he

The sun had barely dipped below the horizon when 3ulogy sent his sixth message for the day. "Hey it's basically dark I want to go trick or treating you promised" Acanthus thought it best to not complain after being the one to request an early start. Besides, she had just returned from Floor 11 with a haul of suits, but still needed some time to put the finishing touches on her costume for the masquerade. Going early was a much-needed break in the process, and would give her plenty of time before the masquerade's late start. She found a simple charcoal suit, styled for a moderate

She wasn’t sure how Oscar had made it rain, but she had learned to stop asking. He was strange enough, and flaunted the rules of Aincrad so often that Acanthus suspected he was part of the game itself. What other reason would he have to throw extravaganza after extravaganza? Assuming he needed a reason at all. Acanthus held the paper warily. The last time she had attended one of his parties, she let herself get blackout drunk, and woke up to her membership in the Tracker’s Alliance guild. She’d gone from trying to kill Morningstar to taking orders from him. As soon as she learned how to n

Attacks were now bouncing off of the boss’s armor with little to no effect. Many of the party members continued the assault. Ara, to her credit, seemed as bloodlusted as ever. Is that what I look like in the heat of battle? She thought to ask Morningstar before concluding that it was perhaps a little too soon to reopen that wound. But they were talking again at least. She was still ashamed of herself and her conduct. And part of her still did not trust herself around players weaker than her. At this point in time, she still regarded herself as a liability instead of an asset. For now

September 2 Crafts Roll: ID# CD: LD: Quality Count Experience Ambition Mod 1 252163 CD: 8 +1 LD: 10 Rare - 10 (+5 Ambition) 2 252162 CD: 9 +1 LD: 10 Rare - 10 (+5 Ambition)

Acanthus couldn’t help but share in Mari’s unenthused question. She had been so ready to find the sword. She had braved Miremore, ventured through dangerous catacombs, and even waded through the criminal underground of Aincrad, all for a chance to locate the fabled Sword of Kings. But after an all-nighter (of fighting Spectral Knights), she felt exhaustion creeping up on her. But Acanthus could feel a deadline looming in her virtual bones, and she knew that it was crunch time. “Morningstar…” Her voice cracked as she rubbed her eyes. “Don’t say that again. Please.” She wanted to say mor

today's crafts Roll: ID# CD: LD: Quality Count Experience Ambition Mod 1 251333 CD: 3 +1 LD: 8 Uncommon - 8 (+5 Ambition) 2 251332 CD: 3 +1 LD: 11 Uncommon - 8 (+5 Ambition)

If anything could break Acanthus of her drive to fight, it would be this boss. The rhythm, once driving, slackened to a monotonous beat. Hit the boss, dodge the boss, boss hits Jomei. Hit the boss, dodge the boss, the boss attempts to annihilate the room. Belregor’s health shrunk slowly but steadily, while the Frontlines remained fresh and undaunted. Undaunted by Belregor, at least—Acanthus noticed Jomei shrinking from Lessa’s stern gaze. I guess that's what you do when you care about someone, right? Don't do this to me. Devastation clouded her face. Acanthus forced the memory back

@Ceres Acanthus’ words melted into one slurred thought. “Oh my god, can I tell you a secret? Me too. I feel like, I don’t know, the part of me that’s supposed to get all warm and melty around boys just isn’t there. Did you know that I got a confession letter in middle school? And everyone told me to write him back. So I ended up writing him back, and I talked about beans the whole time. Well, legumes, actually, but I think you probably don’t care about that. Takumi certainly didn’t.” The memory dampened her attitude for a moment, until she heard music from across the party. Her spirit imm

Mass Fusions Links 6/25 | 6/26 | 7/29 | 7/31 | 8/1 | 8/11 | 8/12 | 8/18 245534 Rare 6/25 245532 Rare 6/25 245677 Rare 6/26 245675 Rare 6/26 248595 Rare 7/29 248591 Rare 7/29 248589 Rare 7/29 248586 Rare 7/29

today's crafts Roll: ID# CD: LD: Quality Count Experience Ambition Mod 1 250890 CD: 10 +1 LD: 16 Perfect (Mast) - 13 (+5 Ambition) 2 250889 CD: 4 +1 LD: 6 Uncommon - 8 (+5 Ambit

THREAD SUMMARY Experience Acanthus | [Word Count: 2571/5 = 514.2] * [True Tier: 10] = 5142 EXP Firefly | [Word Count: 2571/5 = 514.2] * [True Tier: 2] = 1028 + 2500 (quest) = 3528 EXP Col Acanthus | 385 (Laurel Wreath) = 385 col Firefly | 8000 (Quest) = 8000 col Materials Firefly | 15 (Quest) = 15 materials Mon Firefly | 1 Mon Acanthus | 1 Mon Unlocks Firefly | <<Photosynthesize>> Unlocked!

“Thanks, but I think you’re discounting your own abilities. That was a solid hit. Even if… you have a unique way of fighting.” Acanthus found it easier to not linger on the circumstances after having seen them in action. Blind fighting was unorthodox, to save the least. But she was able to handle herself, and more than that, she was able to strike the final blow. Afraid of impoliteness, Acanthus refrained from asking any questions about the blindfold. I can always ask later. I’m sure we’ll go on another quest again soon enough. The pair wandered back home, a little more lazily than they h

“Ha! Four and a half. And that’s withgh a hurimacan. A, hurrincm,a. A drink in my ha nd.” Granted, the system did all the hard work for her, but why ruin the record? It was practice for the frontlines, after all. Never know when four-and-a-half seconds might save your life. Acanthus now sported a light blue floral sarong with a matching bikini top. Fresh out of the digital box, too—she had shoved it back into her inventory in a blind panic when she realized it was half the coverage the merchant had led her to believe. In retrospect, the panic was a little silly. It was just a swimsuit. It

“I hope I don’t slow you down any longer.” Acanthus smiled. “You sound like me when I was your level. Just keep your eyes forward and I’m sure that you’ll be ready in no time. Here, let me start.” Acanthus readied her sword and shield, prepared to square off with the cat one more time. She thought the fight might be a great learning experience for the two of them. Working in teams isn’t something the game can really teach. It was something she learned through trial and error. Mostly error, it felt like. But Firefly had promise. There was a drive Acanthus could sense. Something u

@Gaius “Yo, yeah I found it.” A long-haired man casually leaned into view, breaking line of sight to her and the now bickering couple. Their words muted underneath the stranger’s casual stare. I’m supposed to say something right now, I think. There’s clues here. He’s looking at the shovel and back to me, he’s in-between me and the nuclear fallout that’s happening—oh god, did I do that? That was me, wasn’t it… The man was still staring, shovel in one hand and a drink in the other. A drink. That’s what she needed. His face started to contort and his teeth began to show. He wa

Conclusion post (frfr)

Smack 3.3 Recovery. +4 EN. +53 HP Post Action: RAW-A -> Tiniest Little Gremlin (-8 EN) 249812 | BD 9 + 4 | Hit! 476 * 2 = 952 - 160 = 792 damage. Acanthus | Lvl 91 | HP: 868/960 | EN: 96/128 | DMG: 23 | MIT:160 | ACC:3 | AA | FL.AURA: 16 | THORNS:476 | BH:53 | HB: 42 | LD:6 Tiniest Little Gremlin HP: 0/2000 | DMG: 360 | MIT: 160 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 1 Loot rolls when I get home. It's like a reward

Smack 3.2 Recovery. +4 EN. +95 HP Free Action: Lama Sabacthani -> Tiniest Little Gremlin Lullaby 2 | Hypnosis 2 Post Action: RAW-A -> Tiniest Little Gremlin (-8 EN) 249811 | BD 9 + 4 | Hit! 476 * 2 = 952 - 160 = 792 damage. Monster's Turn: Attack -> Acanthus 249811 | MD 3 + 1 | Miss. Acanthus | Lvl 91 | HP: 815/960 | EN: 100/128 | DMG: 23 | MIT:160 | ACC:3 | AA | FL.AURA: 16 | THORNS:476 | BH:53 | HB: 42 | LD:6 Tiniest Little Gremlin HP: 416/2000 | DMG: 360 | MIT: 160 | ACC: 1 | EVA: 1

Smack 3.1 Free Action: Bear Trap -> Tiniest Little Gremlin Evasion set to 0 Post Action: RAW-A -> Tiniest Little Gremlin (-8 EN) 249810 | BD 9 + 4 | Hit! 476 * 2 = 952 - 160 = 792 damage. Monster's Turn: Attack -> Acanthus 249810 | BD 9 | Hit! 400 - 160 = 240 damage. (How do these fuckers always crit me) Acanthus | Lvl 91 | HP: 720/960 | EN: 104/128 | DMG: 23 | MIT:160 | ACC:3 | AA | FL.AURA: 16 | THORNS:476 | BH:53 | HB: 42 | LD:6 Tiniest Little Gremlin HP: 1208/2000 | DMG: 360 | MIT: 160 | ACC: 3 | EVA: 0

Smack 2.2 Recovery. +4 EN Free Action: Bear Trap -> Bigger Gremlin 2 Evasion set to 0 Post Action: RAW-A -> Bigger Gremlin 2 (-8 EN) 249809 | BD 8 + 4 | Hit! 476 * 2 = 952 - 120 = 832 damage. Acanthus | Lvl 91 | HP: 960/960 | EN: 104/128 | DMG: 23 | MIT:160 | ACC:3 | AA | FL.AURA: 16 | THORNS:476 | BH:53 | HB: 42 | LD:6 Bigger Gremlin 2 HP: 0 | DMG: 280 | MIT: 120 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2

Smack 2.1 Recovery. +4 EN Free Action: Lama Sabacthani -> Bigger Gremlin 1 Lullaby 2 | Hypnosis 2 applied. Post Action: RAW-A -> Bigger Gremlin 1 (-8 EN) 249807 | BD 5 + 4 | Hit! 476 * 2 = 952 - 120 = 832 damage. Monster's Turn: Attack -> Acanthus 249808 | MD 1 | Critical Miss. Acanthus | Lvl 91 | HP: 960/960 | EN: 108/128 | DMG: 23 | MIT:160 | ACC:3 | AA | FL.AURA: 16 | THORNS:476 | BH:53 | HB: 42 | LD:6 Bigger Gremlin 1 HP: 0 | DMG: 280 | MIT: 120 | ACC: 0 | EVA: 0 Bigger Gremlin 2 HP: 650 | DMG: 280 | MIT: 120 | ACC: 2 | EVA: 2