Lessa

Here's an odd one for you. I have "Hammer of Dawn." It was given to me by Klein. After the merge, all of his posts went to the Kirito account. In Klein's shop, he crafted the Hammer of Dawn. It was originally +1 CD. For whatever reason, Klein gave the hammer to Lessa in this post. Since I can no longer use +1 CD, I'd like to have this reapproved as Crafting Attempt (+1 crafting attempt per day). Please let me know if you have any concerns!

Lessa slowed before she could follow the man across the bridge, turning back to face her friend. An expression of mingling annoyance and discomfort drifted across her face with the slow laziness of the clouds above. She swiped at the the sweat on her brow, shoving a few damp tendrils of blonde hair back from her flushed face. "I think," she began tartly, "that it is way too hot for autumn. We might as well start with the Temple, since it might be cooler in there." And we're both idiots for climbing a mountain in the middle of the day. I'm an even bigger idiot for wearing my heavy armor. But wh

25,686 9 Tier One 0 Tier Two 0 Tier Three This is a link to the spreadsheet where I keep all of my data. Col and mat transactions are all the way to the right side. You'll also see a column with all of my completed threads and their mat and col gains. I hope that is sufficient!

Instinct took over as Lessa saw the man begin to sway on his feet. In the real world, Alyssa Butler had been more clumsy than anything else. Though her hobbies required balance - shotput, horseback riding, skiing - she was still a naturally clunky mover. She made a fool of herself at yoga class when her friends convinced her to join, and speed had never been her forte. Either her time in Aincrad had made her more physically fit, or the game's mechanics made her more capable. More than likely, it was both that allowed her to slide beside the groundskeeper, drop to one knee, and hammock him in h

Expectant silence fell between them, and Lessa waited nearly a full five seconds before she motioned for him to go on. "The NPC is what?" she demanded. "Trapped in the temple? Protected by a dragon?" Her blue eyes widened with an idea, and she added, "or maybe the NPC is that dragon! That would be cool." Her companion shook his head, then nodded a short distance off. The pair had come around a bend in the trail, and as Lessa had been entirely focused on Genji, she had stopped watching her surroundings. Now, as she zeroed in on the figure in question, she frowned. "Oh," came her reply

Closed to Genji "So here's my dilemma." The blonde paused to take a bite out of a crisp, red apple; she had been tossing it between her hands for the past twenty minutes, and had finally decided that she was hungry enough to eat it. "It is probably way too dangerous for me to be taking you, a level one, into the level seven mountains. We have no idea what's up here, or if I'll be able to handle it on my own." She took another bite, her blue eyes shifting to watch Genji in her peripheral. "But on the other hand, I'm really curious about where this rumor leads, and I'd hate to be left out."

@Shield For the record, I don't think anyone is claiming that there are no players with rich histories. But there are players who are asking for more, as I'm sure you can see in this discussion, and on Discord. I could write a dozen solos and have an awesome story. But how does that tie me to the community? How does that build overarching themes that everyone can benefit from? I'd like to see us open the world to everyone by creating events and stories that can't be wrapped up with a bow in 21 posts.

@Shield I'm not sure if you read my initial post (as long as it was), but I value community over canon. I have for a long time, even during my stint on staff. If we determine an action will benefit the writers, even if canon isn't adhered to 100%, I support it. I know that others don't feel that way, but I don't believe actually being trapped in a virtual game and writing about it with others should be considered identical. If you're actually in SAO, sure, you do things a certain way. On a writing website, you have to worry about member retention, inviting and keeping new members, and

To address this, I don't think it would be all that difficult. Claim there was a glitch and a few people existed in limbo for a while. They come back out of the blue. Nothing else in your story has to change. If you want to meet them and have the "wow you're alive" character development, great. If not, you don't have to write with them. But that's just how I see it playing out. I know a few people might consider this a "cop out," but I still believe the benefits would outweigh any concerns.

Loosely based on SAO? Staff has taken great pains to keep everything canon, for as long as I've been here. If this were a mere "trapped in a game" situation, sure. But we have reflected SAO in every way possible.

Is that enough to settle for a site that could do so much better?

Why would you be against their revival? I'm assuming it is an IC reason, considering the players aren't IP banned (as far as I know). Is it because they are too powerful? I know more than a few veterans would be willing to come back at half or zero experience, without expecting to be given original items. They just want their character back, and that would be incentive enough to reinsert themselves in the writing community.

Though I've been a member of the site for three years or so, I've spent considerable chunks of that time on various hiatuses. While many of those "rage quits" can be attributed to staff issues or site disputes, one thing has remained constant for the past two and a half years - a lack of community. Don't misunderstand, I think the OOC community is fantastic. You're some of the funniest, most ridiculous people I've ever met, and that's what keeps drawing me back. But ultimately, the IC aspects fall flat. What I mean when I say community is the sense of belonging and purpose among the

Lines of pain criss-crossed her face as Baldur spoke, her stomach knotting at the words. Were he given a second chance, he might still don the nerve gear? The mere thought of it made her a bit nauseous, but out of respect for her friend, she did not make that fact known. When she did speak, however, her voice was heavy with pent-up emotion. Her face also revealed such things, but in attempt to further disguise it, she kept her gaze on the path ahead. "Of course the real world is better," she replied simply. "That's where our lives are. Our memories. Our childhoods. Our houses, and our pet

"It is, isn't it?" Lessa replied, regarding the holiday season. The thought widened the smile she wore, and she cupped the mug between her palms, relishing the cheery warmth it brought her. "It has always been my favorite time of year," she informed him unabashedly. "Even though I'm twenty-something, Christmas gets me like a little kid again." Her blue eyes twinkled. "I started listening to Christmas music months early. Seriously, I'm talking before Halloween. It drove my brothers crazy." The blonde paused long enough to drink the hot chocolate, and a beat longer to appreciate the rich ta

His answer, mixed parts embarrassed apology and lingering anger, somehow worked to calm me. I had expected a cocky, angst-filled bozo who amused himself by beating up NPCs. Sure, it was a worst-case scenario, but the game had left me a bit jaded. But the man surprised me, demonstrating a concern for all people in Aincrad, even those who were merely strings of code. Had I not been thinking on that same point just a moment before? Sure, I could not relate to everything that the stranger shared with me, but we could at least find common ground in that. "I can't say I have any martial arts ex

The young man's compliment twisted her lips into a wry smile. "I've been told I'm kind," she answered, pausing to spoon more soup, "and I wonder if that's half the trouble." It was a lousy thing to say, Lessa recognized, but the other player's mood was contagious; it settled over her like a dark cloud, and threatened to release more than a bit of thunder were she not to make a change. So, instead, she replaced her humorless smile with a wider, less genuine one. "Nah," she countered simply, shoulder rising and falling in an easy shrug. She anchored her spoon on the side of the bowl, and wi

At the boy's offer, Lessa's eyes widened with surprise. "Oh no," she countered, "I couldn't ask you to give me the hot chocolate for free. Seriously, something that tastes this good is worth the col." She swiveled atop her chair, gaze wandering to the window for a brief moment. It was difficult to see much of anything, as the sky bereft of moon or stars shed little light on their virtual world. But occasionally, the window panes rattled with a particularly wild gust of cold, autumn air. The sight prompted a shiver from the girl, even though she was warmed through by the nearby fire. "Its a ver

Ahahahaha. He's definitely cute enough.

When she spoke, Lessa chose her words carefully. Each word was deliberate, a cautious attempt at relaying her thoughts without offending her friend. "It means a lot that you would place that sort of trust in me." How could she make him, and so many others, understand? The thought of carrying a name back to the real world, or finding someone's parents, terrified her. This task was only necessary if said individual fell victim to Aincrad's cruelties, and that was not something she particularly enjoyed dwelling on. Alkor had never instilled within her this responsibility, and for that, she was gr

The young man's matter-of-fact answer caught the young woman by surprise. "Oh," she breathed, the deflating a bit as the wind left her sails. I had been having such a good day, too. Why it surprised her, Lessa could not say for sure. She should have expected it. Most players who sat at a bar in the middle of the day, watching their ice cubes swirl in their glass, were not in the best of moods. And the way that the boy gripped his head should have been an indication of his poor state; she recognized this as she finally took her first real look at him. The stranger spoke, and Lessa listene

He's awfully friendly, Lessa mused with a quiet appreciation. She imagined that, even if she stayed in Aincrad for the rest of her life, she would never meet every single player. Of course, spending her remaining years in the game was not a pleasant thought, but the fact still stood. Every single day, she could see a new face, or make a new acquaintance. Or, as was the case that evening, stumble into a new tavern. But she was finding that fewer and fewer individuals were exercising even the most basic manners, let alone going out of their way to be especially kind. In truth, she could not blam

The barkeep, a middle-aged brunette with funky bleached bangs, flashed Lessa a winning smile. "You got it," she said, moving to her feet, and taking a couple of steps toward the kitchen. Then, as an afterthought, she turned back to the swordswoman. "Soup's pepperjack crab. Is that alright?" Lessa's expression mirrored the barkeep's. "Honestly," she confessed, "I'm to the point where I'd eat anything. And I mean anything. But pepperjack crab is one of my favorites, so of course it's alright." "Groovy," the woman answered, giving a quick nod. During the exchange, Lessa had hardly notic

There were many unpleasant things within Aincrad. The reality of being trapped. The bosses. The boars. The player killers. The whole "death in-game means death out-of-game" bit. And that list seemed to grow the longer that the game went on. But there were also the less-severe problems, many of which were not unique to the virtual reality world. Exhaustion, especially after a grueling workout, to note one. And hunger. The hunger was real, especially when a player forwent a meal or two for an exceptionally successful material gathering trip. Like a gambler at a hot table, unable to walk away, Le