07.08b School Field Trip

The goings on of courts
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Joshua
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Re: 07.08b School Field Trip

Post by Joshua »

(OOC: This demonstration is unlikely to change when or how Asai arrives at the party, if you want to continue, no problem bwing in two threads.)

"Conservation of mass is a matter of skill. My combat form violates that somewhat, and there are those who can assume the forms of abstract concepts, but they have a deeper connection to the chaos that allows for such change." Odin will make sure no one is around. "It's so uncouth to do this in someone else's home..."

It takes only a few moments for him to assume his form... a black-plated, chitin-covered, horselike monster, with eight legs, rows and rows of sharp teeth and spikes, as well as 8 powerful legs and a tail that ends in a deceptively small barb.
Veyska
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Re: 07.08b School Field Trip

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((My silence in other relevant threads has largely been waiting for others to post so I can respond - at the moment Asai's not driving any plots, at least none that have reached the posting stage. This thread, however, I will admit to having forgotten it still needed wrapping up. Oops.))

Asai circles around Odin's new form, ears perked and eyes bright, seemingly indifferent to the apparent power imbalance. After a single lap, she sits back down in front of him and coils her tail tightly around it (the hindfoot trapping the tip of her tail may be coincidence or it may not, but judging by the occasional stifled twitch most likely not). "Before we ate," she begins, "you mentioned that Oagthach's watery form was a bit more advanced... Was that relative to your basic horse form you'd assumed at the time, or to your form 'set' in general?"
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Joshua
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Re: 07.08b School Field Trip

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There's a subtle shift as the horse's larynx changes, "I mentioned creatures of innate power. His water form draws from them, which is why he melts weapons at a touch. I can do similar, but have not practiced that one. This form, doesn't draw from them innately. He is a little better than I am at shapeshifting, but we are peers."
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Re: 07.08b School Field Trip

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"So to bend most rules, as it were, one must 'copy' an existing creature that by some means is capable of circumventing or modifying them?"
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Joshua
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Re: 07.08b School Field Trip

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"It is by far the easiest way to do that. I think Oagthack is capable of crafting some new ones... I could probably work on one or two from what I have... but that tends to be more trouble than finding something to copy." He smiles in his horse form, showing off row upon row of shark teeth.
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Re: 07.08b School Field Trip

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" 'So long as you cite any quotations, they are permissible within reasonable limits.' " Judging by the shift in accent and somewhat snooty mien Asai adopts as she says this, she is presumably quoting someone she once knew - ironically she does not cite who she is quoting and by the gleam of humor in her eye she's full well aware of this. The gleam fades and she cocks her head at Odin. "I know back in my home shadow it was possible to lose control of shapeshifting, but that was by and large a result of shapeshifting being a subset of that shadow's magic and sharing in many of its vulnerabilities. Does your shapeshifting have similar weaknesses, where it can go rogue or take control?"

(Asai's full well aware that asking someone what their power's handicaps are leaves her open to being "shut down", so to speak, but is asking anyhow. Worst case, she'll learn something from his evasion and go find the actual answer elsewhere. Knowledge is more important than a few ruffled feathers, even if the feathers could potentially become literal.)
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Re: 07.08b School Field Trip

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He sighs, "I may ask you the same... but..." He will slowly shimmer and return to human form. "This takes energy. We normally use food to replace that energy. Those without great endurance can only do it a few times a day... and yes, we can lose control if we push too far and too fast." He thinks... "If I Were to turn into Dworkin, for example... I'd likely have trouble. Also, if I tried to turn into a bird without knowing how to protect my personality... but... that's not that complicated an ability..."

He thinks... "When we're really injured or strained, we rely on our shapeshifting to get us through. If we lean on it too much, it can get out of control. Certain exposure to primal chaos can cause more issues... although those would kill a normal person... so, it just kills us slower and more graphically."
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Re: 07.08b School Field Trip

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"I must confess I've focused more on learning how to walk before I run or leap, and that only when I manage to avoid being distracted by the library or some other fascinating curiosity. The earliest years or seasons are the formative ones, and I grew into my awareness in a smaller - though still vast for its shadow) library, with no pressure of time or even parental guidance and expectations. My species is not natively sentient nor concerned with time the way humanity is and unfortunately my study habits often reflect the fact that temporal awareness is something of a second language to me." She gives a lopsided grin before continuing. "Honestly I think most people put too much emphasis on time as is, but such it is. I don't know how well I'll be able to answer questions, but I will try as best I can."
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Re: 07.08b School Field Trip

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Odin will shift back to human form. "I suppose... well, I know the big thing it allows you to do is to travel through shadows and worlds... surely it can do a lot more than that... Are there any common usages that you'd be willing to share?"
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Re: 07.08b School Field Trip

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"At its simplest it does primarily involve travel, but not just from physical heres to physical theres. By taking a figurative step sideways you could 'rig' the odds in a game of dice or the bridge collapsing under you as you run along it does so a step or two behind you rather than directly underneath or even in front... I suspect those more skilled could take things a step further, rather like your skill's conservation of mass, possibly literally so. It may even be possible to affect a given 'reality' itself, rather than subtly shifting between closely parallel ones."
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