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50,802 | 1,366 | 1 | 972 | 961 | Dawn upon them, the strong morning sun shinng into Valon's eyes, waking him up. He opened his eyes just in time to see the contour of one of his companions, Setheran, drop down from a tree. "About that time again..?" He thought and felt a great yawn come over him, no use fighting it. After stretching for a second or two he sat up, grabbed his staff and poked it into what remained of the fire. Only a few small black pieces of charcoal remained. And he wanted a warm breakfast. He could get up and search for firewood, but that would take time and it would probably be wet anyway... Cold breakfast? No! He was a wizard damnit, he could command a whole legion of kitchen appliances to make him a feast worthy of a king, or at least he had read a spell about it once...
With a grunt he closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. There was a flame-spell that would solve his problem perfectly. He could focus it through his staff and just put the fire down where he wanted it, and then cook breakfast. How did that thing go again? Aah, right.
He opened his eyes again and gave each of his companions a look, just to check that they weren't doodling with the fireplace. Youngsters, they probably didn't appreciate a warm breakfast yet, they could live on stale bread and water... Aah, to be young and stupid again.
He muttered the spell under his breath and gathered the energy in the hand holding the staff. Now all he needed to do was lead it down the length of the wood... | Name: Valon Almecci.
Title/Nickname: Wizard of the third circle.
Age: 37.
Gender: Male.
Race: Human.
Profession: Wizard.
Equipment: Clothes: wizards robe (yellow and red), matching pointy hat, pointy shoes. Staff/walking stick and a book of magic.
Background: Valon is the son of a rather successful merchant and was thanks to this able to study magic. his studies began at age 17 and during his second year he met Leyling (se “other”) hiding in a dusty corner of the library. Magic is a hard subject to study as it isn’t one thing, everyone has to find and define his or her own magic. At age 30 Valon had only managed to advance to the third level and was utterly bored. He dropped out, but stole a book of spells and has been travelling the world ever since.
Pros: Can see things others can't, being a wizard carries some respect,
Cons: Soft and squishy, terribly afraid of spiders.
Other:
Valon is not the best wizard in the world, nor can he ever claim that title. Although he has studies magic for almost twenty years he still has trouble with anything over the basic level. He can perform the basics (hurling a fireball, levitate, opening a door from afar) without too much trouble if he can take his time, but if he is under stress or have to perform a more advanced spell then things can go… weird.
Pet: Even in a world as strange and magic as this one a Leyling is a strange sight indeed. It is a small… Animal, about as large as a fist. It is covered in bright blue fur, about an inch long. It has no visible arms, legs, ears or tails. but there are eyes, surprisingly big for such a small creature, and a mouth that has two perfect rows of herbivore teeth (strangely enough) and a smooth tongue.
The presence of teeth is a strange one indeed because the Leylings doesn’t seem to eat anything. Later research has determined that the little blue dust bunnies live off of residual magical energy, which would explain why most of them are attracted to mages and their study halls. They are extremely rare, and even a well-educated man such as Valon thought they were only myth until he actually met one.
There is a collection of stories going around the desert about a man who was hungry enough to try and eat 12 Leylings on different days… Let’s just say you shouldn’t.
Valon simply calls his little friend “Leyling” and the blue menace spends most of its time hidden away within his clothes or (if it feels safe) on his shoulder. During his adventures Valon fancies himself to have met men and women of every variant of magical ability, but Leyling has never left his side.
Valon isn’t nearly as incompetent as he thinks he is. He might even hold enough talent to become a Primagus (master within his order, or wizard of the ninth circle). The thing is, Leyling’s appetite is many hundred times bigger than it itself is (Although, where it puts it all is a question for the gods) and it tends to leave Valon with very little magical energy or at least with the energy in great chaos. Valon has no idea, and would probably not believe anyone if they told him.
Leyling doesn't cling to Valon because of his "hidden potential", it just likes how Valons magic tastes. |
50,803 | 1,366 | 2 | 2,184 | 251 | Krea had emerged from dreamland a good few moments before Valon had, but chose to take a lavish half-asleep, half-awake slumber behind closed eyelids. Only after her senses had picked up the muffled thud of Seth's drop from the branches above their little campfire, she tossed and turned a little bit more, before sitting up - fully awake. Not that she wasn't capable of waking up on mornings. She simply chose to take her time, since her former master had forbidden willy-nillying before breakfast.
As per her usual morning routine, Krea surveyed the campsite, her eyes resting on Valon who seemed to be up to one of his usual magician antics. A grin crossed her face as she shifted to a more comfortable position, arm propped against her knee.
"Another fire spell, Valon?" Krea cocked her head. The wizard declined to reply, quite evidently focused on his task.
"You know, bread and water ain't gonna kill you," she continued. "Besides-"
There was a splutter, followed by a hacking cough. Krea traced her eyes to the source of the sound, only to find that Valon's staff was spurting out... water. The complete opposite of what he had intended to do. On top of that, most of it had trickled straight down into the fireplace, causing the dying embers to fully extinguish. They smoldered for a little while, leaving the scent of burning ash lingering in the air, before all signs of activity ceased.
Silence assumed its position in their cosy campsite - only to be broken abruptly by Krea's unceremonious roar of laughter.
"Well done!" was all she could manage, then doubled up yet again. | Name: Krea Estrielle
Title/Nickname: Phoenix, after her auburn hair.
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Race: Hoooman.
Profession: Fighter. Former-gladiator.
Equipment: The spear as shown in the picture, as well as a handy-dandy light dagger she hangs on her belt for emergencies (her skill with it is questionable).
Background
Kidnapped and sold as a slave to a noble at the age of 10, Krea had been promptly deposited in one too many gladiator rings after a brief three years of training imposed on her by her master. While (obviously) not dead yet, Krea decided that she had enough after seven years of grueling, bloody battles and barely scraping through them alive. Besides, she was certain that her greedy master had reaped enough profits from all her wins. But most importantly? After years of experience, handling various sorts of weapons and augmenting her battle wits and reflexes, she was more than ready to make a break for it. Which she did, and succeeded. Krea had been wandering around alone ever since, until she bumped into an odd wizard by the name of Valon Almecci, taking a liking for his peculiar little creature. They have been travelling together ever since - mostly Krea persistently following him around out of boredom, finding him an amusing companion. She relishes watching Valon's fantastic spell failures when they occur, making it a point to remind him about them every now and then.
Strengths
- Krea has impressive strength for a female, and great stamina. A result of her past experiences.
- Able to wield several weapon types - spears, swords, polearms.
- Hosts quick battle reflexes and wits, a skill sharpened and honed over time.
Weaknesses
- Regarding bullet point two under 'strengths': jack of all trades and master of none applies here. Having to switch between different weapon types as dictated by circumstances in the gladiator rings did not allow for perfection in any one of them.
- Clueless about close-ranged or hand-to-hand combat, since her combat style revolves around keeping her opponent at a comfortable distance, using weapon techniques to defeat stronger, male opponents who would otherwise overpower her in an unarmed duel. Take away her weapons, and she'll be krea-ing. (Ahem pun intended).
- She can't swim.
Other: |
50,804 | 1,366 | 3 | 2,677 | 6,563 | Setheran joined them by the campfire as he watched water spray from the mage's staff like a broken wellpump. He smirked, and chuckled along with the Phoenix's great burst of boisterous laughter, dryly commenting, "If you want something to drink, just ask. No need to use the campfire as a wineskin, methinks." He paused for a moment, before added, "You could've at least filled it up before that twig of yours gave out."
Then he muttered a curse as some of it splashed on his outfit, from a burned branch collapsing in the little campsite, sending a small, but for Seth, and deadly volley of water droplets. Showing up with a half-soaked outfit is hardly the way to go, when coming up to a town. Hardly good to keep up appearances, OR reputation.
Even though it was just a few droplets.
Either way, his hooded head turned to the laughing Phoenix, and asking, "Well then, why don't you start the fire? I'd say the old man's efforts were admirable, if the opposite what we were looking for. Or assume he was meaning." He took out his wineskin from beneath several folds of clothing, and took a refreshing swig of old, leathery-tasting wine.
Oh dear. A water sprayer... that might soak him. It might even push his cowl back, if he was sprayed directly.
Water was deadly. | Name:
Setheran
Title/Nickname:
Seth
Age:
29
Gender:
Male
Race:
Human
Profession:
Rogue- The Assassin
Equipment:
A set of twin pairs of knives named "Slight" and "Shadow," some little vials of poison, between paralysis, blindness, and just plain painful deadly poison. Has a bag containing some hard bread, and a wineskin filled with... wine. (Water is more uncommon, since alcoholic drinks don't have to be boiled to kill germs and the like) That's about it, besides a bit of cloth for a quick makeshift bandage.
Background:
Growing up in the faraway land known only as the Farlands to all but those who inhabit it, he found himself in the slums of . As he grew older, he adapted to his surroundings and soon found himself in the local Assassin's Guild as an apprentice, due to his sneaky sneak skills. Essentially, one neighboring citystate decided they were tired of the Assassins' Guild constantly getting paid to kill officials in the citystate, and they declared war and destroyed and its Assassins' Guild, who barely got away with the heads of every high-ranking military official in the process.
From there, they dispersed, and at a young age, Seth was thrust in to the greater world, and decided to escape those pursuing him- his smaller stature allowed him to get into many a secure house and kill a very secure and important man- by traveling overseas. And so he met some people along his exporations in the land of the lighter-skinned people, occasionally getting caught (and killing) a man who always declares themselves as a follower of the great "Draven"
Pros:
-Light and athletic- runs fast, jumps high, climbs quickly, etc.
-Reflexes and speed- likely to hit you first, and second. Then dodge.
-Clever and sneakeh- likely to put a knife in your back while you're against a wall
Cons:
-Small and lithe- he ain't very thick, so he won't be able to take much damage.
-Too fast for his own good- used to being faster and untouched- likely to whine if someone's better than him or if he actually gets hit. What another shrugs off, he'll run from and then cry about it- so to speak.
-Loves chocolate- like go-out-of-his-way-to-steal-or-kill-for-chocolate kind of love. A bar of chocolate=one man dead.
Other:
Nay! |
50,805 | 1,366 | 4 | 972 | 961 | Contain yourself, woman! Valon snapped with perhaps a bit more aggression than was really needed. Then he looked at his staff, amazed and surpriced at the same time. As he raised it, the water went from a serene pouring to a more nope-kind of speed. Before it died out completely a few drops of the liquid had reached his hand. It wasn't even warm.
"This isn't right... This isn't right at all." He said and dug through his pack, searching for his book of magic. He found it and immediately started to serch through the pages for the spell.
Spellbokks are, contrary to popular belief, not written with words or dancing letters that rearrange themself if they're read by someone "unworthy" They are written with colours, and shapes. Magic cannot be captured with words, but with emotions and feelings. To describe the finer points of magic with mere words would be like explaining the history of the universe using drums.
No idea how long he sat there, Valon finally laid eyes on the correct spell. He went through it in his head amd found the mistake, but couldn't figure out how it had gone so horribly wrong. He leafed through the book into the section about water magic and had one of those aha-moments. "Al Fehru, you lazy bastard" he whispered as he read the spell of water. It was the exact same spell, but with a small, tiny, change. In text, you could say that he forgot to change "lot" to "not". The grand mage Al Fehru had belinged to the desert people, and as such found water to be much more valuable than fire, but had discovered both spells, and had written them down on the same day. He made a mental note of this, to prevent the same mistake happening again.
Suddenly his ears picked up a sound and forced him to break concentration. He looked up and tried to pinpoint the source of the sound while his brain tried to figure out what kind of sound it was. His head jerked violently to the side when the signal finally came. A screm of fear, and uncomfortably close. | Name: Valon Almecci.
Title/Nickname: Wizard of the third circle.
Age: 37.
Gender: Male.
Race: Human.
Profession: Wizard.
Equipment: Clothes: wizards robe (yellow and red), matching pointy hat, pointy shoes. Staff/walking stick and a book of magic.
Background: Valon is the son of a rather successful merchant and was thanks to this able to study magic. his studies began at age 17 and during his second year he met Leyling (se “other”) hiding in a dusty corner of the library. Magic is a hard subject to study as it isn’t one thing, everyone has to find and define his or her own magic. At age 30 Valon had only managed to advance to the third level and was utterly bored. He dropped out, but stole a book of spells and has been travelling the world ever since.
Pros: Can see things others can't, being a wizard carries some respect,
Cons: Soft and squishy, terribly afraid of spiders.
Other:
Valon is not the best wizard in the world, nor can he ever claim that title. Although he has studies magic for almost twenty years he still has trouble with anything over the basic level. He can perform the basics (hurling a fireball, levitate, opening a door from afar) without too much trouble if he can take his time, but if he is under stress or have to perform a more advanced spell then things can go… weird.
Pet: Even in a world as strange and magic as this one a Leyling is a strange sight indeed. It is a small… Animal, about as large as a fist. It is covered in bright blue fur, about an inch long. It has no visible arms, legs, ears or tails. but there are eyes, surprisingly big for such a small creature, and a mouth that has two perfect rows of herbivore teeth (strangely enough) and a smooth tongue.
The presence of teeth is a strange one indeed because the Leylings doesn’t seem to eat anything. Later research has determined that the little blue dust bunnies live off of residual magical energy, which would explain why most of them are attracted to mages and their study halls. They are extremely rare, and even a well-educated man such as Valon thought they were only myth until he actually met one.
There is a collection of stories going around the desert about a man who was hungry enough to try and eat 12 Leylings on different days… Let’s just say you shouldn’t.
Valon simply calls his little friend “Leyling” and the blue menace spends most of its time hidden away within his clothes or (if it feels safe) on his shoulder. During his adventures Valon fancies himself to have met men and women of every variant of magical ability, but Leyling has never left his side.
Valon isn’t nearly as incompetent as he thinks he is. He might even hold enough talent to become a Primagus (master within his order, or wizard of the ninth circle). The thing is, Leyling’s appetite is many hundred times bigger than it itself is (Although, where it puts it all is a question for the gods) and it tends to leave Valon with very little magical energy or at least with the energy in great chaos. Valon has no idea, and would probably not believe anyone if they told him.
Leyling doesn't cling to Valon because of his "hidden potential", it just likes how Valons magic tastes. |
50,806 | 1,366 | 5 | 2,677 | 6,563 | (cut because wow) | Name:
Setheran
Title/Nickname:
Seth
Age:
29
Gender:
Male
Race:
Human
Profession:
Rogue- The Assassin
Equipment:
A set of twin pairs of knives named "Slight" and "Shadow," some little vials of poison, between paralysis, blindness, and just plain painful deadly poison. Has a bag containing some hard bread, and a wineskin filled with... wine. (Water is more uncommon, since alcoholic drinks don't have to be boiled to kill germs and the like) That's about it, besides a bit of cloth for a quick makeshift bandage.
Background:
Growing up in the faraway land known only as the Farlands to all but those who inhabit it, he found himself in the slums of . As he grew older, he adapted to his surroundings and soon found himself in the local Assassin's Guild as an apprentice, due to his sneaky sneak skills. Essentially, one neighboring citystate decided they were tired of the Assassins' Guild constantly getting paid to kill officials in the citystate, and they declared war and destroyed and its Assassins' Guild, who barely got away with the heads of every high-ranking military official in the process.
From there, they dispersed, and at a young age, Seth was thrust in to the greater world, and decided to escape those pursuing him- his smaller stature allowed him to get into many a secure house and kill a very secure and important man- by traveling overseas. And so he met some people along his exporations in the land of the lighter-skinned people, occasionally getting caught (and killing) a man who always declares themselves as a follower of the great "Draven"
Pros:
-Light and athletic- runs fast, jumps high, climbs quickly, etc.
-Reflexes and speed- likely to hit you first, and second. Then dodge.
-Clever and sneakeh- likely to put a knife in your back while you're against a wall
Cons:
-Small and lithe- he ain't very thick, so he won't be able to take much damage.
-Too fast for his own good- used to being faster and untouched- likely to whine if someone's better than him or if he actually gets hit. What another shrugs off, he'll run from and then cry about it- so to speak.
-Loves chocolate- like go-out-of-his-way-to-steal-or-kill-for-chocolate kind of love. A bar of chocolate=one man dead.
Other:
Nay! |
50,807 | 1,366 | 6 | 2,184 | 251 | “Alright Valon, alright, I shall contain myself.” Krea, in an attempt to pacify their wizardly wizard, slipped into passivity, yet it was undeniably evident that a fond half-smile still lingered on her face. Like how the scents of breakfast linger in kitchens long after the meal has been kept – except for our group of friends, well, a warm breakfast seemed far out of reach.
And so was a nice, lovely, uneventful morning.
The ear-piercing screech that had sounded off in the near vicinity jolted Krea’s senses, yanking unceremoniously on her personal built-in alarm system. Ding ding ding went the alarm bells in her head, following which tingling arrows were sent shooting through her limbs. Ooh,tingly.
Waitameenute, that sounds familiar, she thought, furrowing her brows in concentration. She hadn’t seen the spiral of flames break through the treetops a distance away. However, her train of thoughts was broken by Seth’s impatient – and excited – urges to ‘help the old man find his feet’. For a moment, her thoughts derailed into the amusing fact that Seth never failed to call Valon ‘old man’, although he was, quite clearly, merely in his late thirties.
Realizing that she was dawdling with Seth already sprinting off and disappearing into the brush, Krea reached for her spear and followed suit. She didn’t look to see if Valon was close behind her, neither did she ensure that he had even begun to get to his feet as per instructed by Seth. The old man can handle himself, or at the most, pull out a miraculous teleporting spell if he lost his way there. Maybe he might even end up on a different continent.
Krea, after a few moments of noisily bulldozing through semi-dense undergrowth and the foliage of trees which they were camping in the middle of (leave the sneaking to the rogue, she thought), she emerged to where a river flowed before her. Spanning approximately four meters, the currents of the river were rapid, swift and strong, the depths of which Krea hoped she wouldn’t have the opportunity to find out in the near future. Far on the opposite bank of the river, a fair maiden crouched behind a large rock, paralyzed. And behind her, what she couldn’t see yet glaringly obvious to Krea, was that a young drake was stealthily making his way towards her having emerged from the sparse forest bordering the river. Soon, it would encircle the rock to find dinner waiting.
“A drake, huh?” Krea muttered, finally connecting the screech which she had found familiar earlier, to the creature across the river. Back in her gladiator days, she had encountered multiple drakes during those pesky ‘special events’ hosted monthly. She hated those. On top of that, the drake that they were about to encounter, unfortunately, had two heads. | Name: Krea Estrielle
Title/Nickname: Phoenix, after her auburn hair.
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Race: Hoooman.
Profession: Fighter. Former-gladiator.
Equipment: The spear as shown in the picture, as well as a handy-dandy light dagger she hangs on her belt for emergencies (her skill with it is questionable).
Background
Kidnapped and sold as a slave to a noble at the age of 10, Krea had been promptly deposited in one too many gladiator rings after a brief three years of training imposed on her by her master. While (obviously) not dead yet, Krea decided that she had enough after seven years of grueling, bloody battles and barely scraping through them alive. Besides, she was certain that her greedy master had reaped enough profits from all her wins. But most importantly? After years of experience, handling various sorts of weapons and augmenting her battle wits and reflexes, she was more than ready to make a break for it. Which she did, and succeeded. Krea had been wandering around alone ever since, until she bumped into an odd wizard by the name of Valon Almecci, taking a liking for his peculiar little creature. They have been travelling together ever since - mostly Krea persistently following him around out of boredom, finding him an amusing companion. She relishes watching Valon's fantastic spell failures when they occur, making it a point to remind him about them every now and then.
Strengths
- Krea has impressive strength for a female, and great stamina. A result of her past experiences.
- Able to wield several weapon types - spears, swords, polearms.
- Hosts quick battle reflexes and wits, a skill sharpened and honed over time.
Weaknesses
- Regarding bullet point two under 'strengths': jack of all trades and master of none applies here. Having to switch between different weapon types as dictated by circumstances in the gladiator rings did not allow for perfection in any one of them.
- Clueless about close-ranged or hand-to-hand combat, since her combat style revolves around keeping her opponent at a comfortable distance, using weapon techniques to defeat stronger, male opponents who would otherwise overpower her in an unarmed duel. Take away her weapons, and she'll be krea-ing. (Ahem pun intended).
- She can't swim.
Other: |
50,808 | 1,366 | 7 | 2,677 | 6,563 | Setheran was the first to be off. Not feeling charitable or patient, the first moment of danger and excitement, he jumped up, said, "C'mon Phoenix, pick up the old one and let's go!" And then he bolted into the shadows to see what's going on.
Setheran looked at the river with a dread unmatched by even what the warrior might be feeling. She couldn't swim- he could. But he hated the water, like a cat. Absolutely hated it. And it would get his uniform soaking wet- and going into a battle with a drake, what could be worse! A two-headed drake, at that!
Nonetheless, he resolved his mind and spirit (it may or may not have been helped by the appearance of the damsel in distress), and took off his pack and unneeded extra things. He glanced at Phoenix, and said, "Please don't lose my stuff, I don't want to swim back across. Bring it across when you can, okay?"
And with the anxiety and nervousness common among one that might be jumping off a 30-foot cliff into the ocean of questionable depths for the very first time, he jumped into the swirling waters with an elegant dive.
That alone got him more than a meter across, and he barely even slipped under the surface of the water. A good thing, too- had he tried to wade across, the riverbed likely would've given way and he would've fallen in anyways. The cold was a shock; he felt his cowl get yanked off his head, and his entire body was thrown off. It wasn't like he meant to just swim all the way across- he would have to improvise.
Instead, his ribs smashed against a rock with a painful soundless impact, and then used it to push off and try to reach the other shore. Already, he was half a dozen meters down the river; by the time he emerged from the water, soaked and freezing, he was set to give up.
Then he looked at a very angry drake looking for a very frightened lady, and did the only thing a rogue could do: "HEY RED EARS?! YOUR FIRE GOING OUT?"
The two heads of the wingless dragon snapped up to his eyes, four boring into his two, as if stung by a particularly sharp arrow. One head roared, angry and rather pissed off, and the other just sent a gout of flames his way. With a resigned "bastard" and a dive to the side, he disappeared into the undergrowth just in time to be missed by the flames- mostly. His arm was on fire, and his entire body was steaming and uncomfortably hot, the tree next to him alight with flame.
He could hear it approaching, so he rolled to the side again as the drake's other head sprayed more fire into the forest, randomly, trying to put out his arm in the process. Running and slapping his arm about wildly just about did the trick, and he still managed to get away with bruised ribs and a tattered, burned sleeve.
He loved this outfit. Bastard's going to pay for that. "Hey double snout, you ain't lookin' to hot!" He was met by another roar and the crashing of underbrush as the drake began basing its way through trees and undergrowth, and the rogue did what he did best- he disappeared, leaving the drake utterly confused as it made its way into the forest. | Name:
Setheran
Title/Nickname:
Seth
Age:
29
Gender:
Male
Race:
Human
Profession:
Rogue- The Assassin
Equipment:
A set of twin pairs of knives named "Slight" and "Shadow," some little vials of poison, between paralysis, blindness, and just plain painful deadly poison. Has a bag containing some hard bread, and a wineskin filled with... wine. (Water is more uncommon, since alcoholic drinks don't have to be boiled to kill germs and the like) That's about it, besides a bit of cloth for a quick makeshift bandage.
Background:
Growing up in the faraway land known only as the Farlands to all but those who inhabit it, he found himself in the slums of . As he grew older, he adapted to his surroundings and soon found himself in the local Assassin's Guild as an apprentice, due to his sneaky sneak skills. Essentially, one neighboring citystate decided they were tired of the Assassins' Guild constantly getting paid to kill officials in the citystate, and they declared war and destroyed and its Assassins' Guild, who barely got away with the heads of every high-ranking military official in the process.
From there, they dispersed, and at a young age, Seth was thrust in to the greater world, and decided to escape those pursuing him- his smaller stature allowed him to get into many a secure house and kill a very secure and important man- by traveling overseas. And so he met some people along his exporations in the land of the lighter-skinned people, occasionally getting caught (and killing) a man who always declares themselves as a follower of the great "Draven"
Pros:
-Light and athletic- runs fast, jumps high, climbs quickly, etc.
-Reflexes and speed- likely to hit you first, and second. Then dodge.
-Clever and sneakeh- likely to put a knife in your back while you're against a wall
Cons:
-Small and lithe- he ain't very thick, so he won't be able to take much damage.
-Too fast for his own good- used to being faster and untouched- likely to whine if someone's better than him or if he actually gets hit. What another shrugs off, he'll run from and then cry about it- so to speak.
-Loves chocolate- like go-out-of-his-way-to-steal-or-kill-for-chocolate kind of love. A bar of chocolate=one man dead.
Other:
Nay! |
50,809 | 1,366 | 8 | 972 | 961 | Drakes, being very logical creatures fond of a good crossword puzzle took exception to Setherans sudden disappearence and was, logically, enraged to the point of insanity. The two heads roared as one and began to thrash about, easily knocking trees over and trampling small furry animals with impossibly large eyes and ears. Just when the two women (Krea and the damsel in distress) thought that it couldn't get any worse two things happened at once. The two heads began to spray fire over the landscape, and Valon emerged from within the bushes and trees of the forest. Originally he'd been right behind the feme fatale known as Phoenix, but a short moment of unattentiveness and a low-hanging branch gave her a serious head start.
"Come out, shadow-man, stop hiding like a coward!" The two heads of the drake cried, but which sounded suspiciously like "ROOOOAAAR!" in the ears of Valon's magically retarded companions. Not even stopping to see what was going on, Valon charged the river at full speed. Bright blue energy quickly gathered in his hand and he threw the mysterious ball into the water, which immediately began to freeze. Valon landed on solid ice and used his momentum to glide along the surface, using his staff as best he could for balance. The freezing ice luckily reached the other shore before he did and now formed an exteremly slippery bridge across the water.
With solid ground beneath his feet Valon pointed a finger at his own throat and recited one of the first spells he'd ever learned.
"Stop this madness, foul serpent! Crawl back to whatever dank cave you came from!" The voice that came out of Valon's mouth was that of a hundred Valons, or one Valon one hundred times bigger. His voice boomed over the landscape with such force that it had trancended mere sound, you could feel the words slamming into you like extremely sudden gusts of hurricane winds. | Name: Valon Almecci.
Title/Nickname: Wizard of the third circle.
Age: 37.
Gender: Male.
Race: Human.
Profession: Wizard.
Equipment: Clothes: wizards robe (yellow and red), matching pointy hat, pointy shoes. Staff/walking stick and a book of magic.
Background: Valon is the son of a rather successful merchant and was thanks to this able to study magic. his studies began at age 17 and during his second year he met Leyling (se “other”) hiding in a dusty corner of the library. Magic is a hard subject to study as it isn’t one thing, everyone has to find and define his or her own magic. At age 30 Valon had only managed to advance to the third level and was utterly bored. He dropped out, but stole a book of spells and has been travelling the world ever since.
Pros: Can see things others can't, being a wizard carries some respect,
Cons: Soft and squishy, terribly afraid of spiders.
Other:
Valon is not the best wizard in the world, nor can he ever claim that title. Although he has studies magic for almost twenty years he still has trouble with anything over the basic level. He can perform the basics (hurling a fireball, levitate, opening a door from afar) without too much trouble if he can take his time, but if he is under stress or have to perform a more advanced spell then things can go… weird.
Pet: Even in a world as strange and magic as this one a Leyling is a strange sight indeed. It is a small… Animal, about as large as a fist. It is covered in bright blue fur, about an inch long. It has no visible arms, legs, ears or tails. but there are eyes, surprisingly big for such a small creature, and a mouth that has two perfect rows of herbivore teeth (strangely enough) and a smooth tongue.
The presence of teeth is a strange one indeed because the Leylings doesn’t seem to eat anything. Later research has determined that the little blue dust bunnies live off of residual magical energy, which would explain why most of them are attracted to mages and their study halls. They are extremely rare, and even a well-educated man such as Valon thought they were only myth until he actually met one.
There is a collection of stories going around the desert about a man who was hungry enough to try and eat 12 Leylings on different days… Let’s just say you shouldn’t.
Valon simply calls his little friend “Leyling” and the blue menace spends most of its time hidden away within his clothes or (if it feels safe) on his shoulder. During his adventures Valon fancies himself to have met men and women of every variant of magical ability, but Leyling has never left his side.
Valon isn’t nearly as incompetent as he thinks he is. He might even hold enough talent to become a Primagus (master within his order, or wizard of the ninth circle). The thing is, Leyling’s appetite is many hundred times bigger than it itself is (Although, where it puts it all is a question for the gods) and it tends to leave Valon with very little magical energy or at least with the energy in great chaos. Valon has no idea, and would probably not believe anyone if they told him.
Leyling doesn't cling to Valon because of his "hidden potential", it just likes how Valons magic tastes. |
50,810 | 1,366 | 9 | 2,184 | 251 | Hang on a second there.
Sudden realization dawned on Krea. She had to get across the goddamned river? SHE?
Nope, nope, nope, nope swished around in her head. Slowly, her head creaked downwards to angle her eyes towards Seth’s belongings. She thought she had heard him say something about bringing his stuff over when she could. Krea blinked once, then twice, recognizing that this was one of those moments when her brain chose to indulge in the art of selective hearing.
Already, Seth had propelled himself straight into the river with a courage Krea could only dream of having – when it came to water that is. A hopeless swimmer, Krea had a ridiculous if not firm belief that she was cursed at birth to have properties akin to that of a rock. Whatever she did underwater, her face was bound to get very acquainted with the seabed – or river bed, in this case.
Just as she was about to plonk her butt right on the bank of the river with the intention of watching Seth humor the drake (while providing moral support since it was practically physically impossible for her to get across without drowning thrice), Valon pulled out an impressive wizardly trick from his pointy hat (figuratively, of course) that left Krea stunned. Subconsciously, she drew her hands up and clapped like a mentally defective seal on too much ale.
“THREE CHEERS FOR THE OLD MA-“ She clamped her mouth shut before Valon could twirl around to vaporize her with a nasty fireball. Finding her feet, she untucked her tail, snatched up Seth’s belongings and bolted straight to the nice, convenient bridge of ice that the wizard had summoned over the river.
Slippery ice, at that. Extremely slippery ice.
Acutely aware of the uncomfortable distance between the edges of the ice bridge and her, Krea took a tentative first step onto the shimmering white surface. She steadied herself. The next step followed, and the next. She was now halfway across the bridge and about to reward herself with a proud mental pat on the back, when all of a sudden, the sound waves that erupted from Valon’s being startled and jolted almost everything in the vicinity.
The next moment, Krea found herself diving head first, on her way to commune with the fishes.
Gurglegargleglurggg…
Krea felt the currents tug at her body, pulling her further downstream. Her face barely broke the water’s surface, and she was still clinging desperately onto her weapon and Seth’s items, obstinately refusing to let go. Another rush of water crashed unceremoniously into her face and she went under, feeling the tip of her spear scrape against the river bed. Perhaps the river wasn’t as deep as she had expected it to be. Just as she was about to ditch all their belongings, a sudden loud thud on her back, followed by the subsequent interruption of her abrupt journey down the river, signaled that a large rock had halted her course. | Name: Krea Estrielle
Title/Nickname: Phoenix, after her auburn hair.
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Race: Hoooman.
Profession: Fighter. Former-gladiator.
Equipment: The spear as shown in the picture, as well as a handy-dandy light dagger she hangs on her belt for emergencies (her skill with it is questionable).
Background
Kidnapped and sold as a slave to a noble at the age of 10, Krea had been promptly deposited in one too many gladiator rings after a brief three years of training imposed on her by her master. While (obviously) not dead yet, Krea decided that she had enough after seven years of grueling, bloody battles and barely scraping through them alive. Besides, she was certain that her greedy master had reaped enough profits from all her wins. But most importantly? After years of experience, handling various sorts of weapons and augmenting her battle wits and reflexes, she was more than ready to make a break for it. Which she did, and succeeded. Krea had been wandering around alone ever since, until she bumped into an odd wizard by the name of Valon Almecci, taking a liking for his peculiar little creature. They have been travelling together ever since - mostly Krea persistently following him around out of boredom, finding him an amusing companion. She relishes watching Valon's fantastic spell failures when they occur, making it a point to remind him about them every now and then.
Strengths
- Krea has impressive strength for a female, and great stamina. A result of her past experiences.
- Able to wield several weapon types - spears, swords, polearms.
- Hosts quick battle reflexes and wits, a skill sharpened and honed over time.
Weaknesses
- Regarding bullet point two under 'strengths': jack of all trades and master of none applies here. Having to switch between different weapon types as dictated by circumstances in the gladiator rings did not allow for perfection in any one of them.
- Clueless about close-ranged or hand-to-hand combat, since her combat style revolves around keeping her opponent at a comfortable distance, using weapon techniques to defeat stronger, male opponents who would otherwise overpower her in an unarmed duel. Take away her weapons, and she'll be krea-ing. (Ahem pun intended).
- She can't swim.
Other: |
50,811 | 1,366 | 10 | 2,677 | 6,563 | Seth's view from the forest was troubling, to say the least. Valon, at least, came about to distract the thrashing fire-breathing drake, which was good news, because then it would be easier to slash the underbelly of the drake from behind. But... that was really dangerous, and he was hesitant to do so. On the other hand, what if it killed the mage and did whatever to the maiden? It may take her as a sacrifice, slay her on the spot, or eat her. He didn't know- what he did know was that someone else was in imminently more danger, and was carrying his things.
He didn't like have choices, nope, no choices are much better because then he wouldn't have to deal with having to decide and choose one person over another and save one person or another, but he could just go with "she has my stuff," if anyone asks. Then he can come back and help take down the drake, if it's not already dead or fled. Valon can handle it, he was sure, or at least, hoped so.
He again shot through the forest, angling around and away from the drake so that it couldn't possibly hear him or detect him with its thrashing about, and bolted through the forest to the water's edge. She was already farther downstream- hopefully Valon will stay focused, or see him and focus again on the drake.
Then he tripped and faceplanted, just as he was catching up with her. Being a master assassin, he shrugged off the pain from his rather epic faceplant from running full-speed, and again started running, trying to catch up with Phoenix, the waterlogged warrior lady. He wondered what it'd do to her ego- and his. If he manages to pull her out, she looks heavier than he, taller too.
But no matter! With another dive aimed more or less near Phoenix, he slipped into the water at a particularly rough spot and was jostled about, as he made his way towards her, grabbing a shoulder and the arm connected to it, trying to signal to her to grab onto the rock in the middle of the stream, that was approaching a little faster than he'd like. Either way, he held on and tried steering her into the rock, so that at the very least, she'll be able to get a breath.
And when they did hit, he had the misfortune at NOT being aligned with the rock, and the current began dragging him away, so as much as he wouldn't like to, he tightened his grip on the arm that he had a hold of, and switched his other hand to her other arm, pulling himself behind the rock into it's slightly-calmer water, using Phoenix as a handle and the rock as the anchor to that handle.
So, shivering, he said the only logical thing.
"Fuck, my hood's down." | Name:
Setheran
Title/Nickname:
Seth
Age:
29
Gender:
Male
Race:
Human
Profession:
Rogue- The Assassin
Equipment:
A set of twin pairs of knives named "Slight" and "Shadow," some little vials of poison, between paralysis, blindness, and just plain painful deadly poison. Has a bag containing some hard bread, and a wineskin filled with... wine. (Water is more uncommon, since alcoholic drinks don't have to be boiled to kill germs and the like) That's about it, besides a bit of cloth for a quick makeshift bandage.
Background:
Growing up in the faraway land known only as the Farlands to all but those who inhabit it, he found himself in the slums of . As he grew older, he adapted to his surroundings and soon found himself in the local Assassin's Guild as an apprentice, due to his sneaky sneak skills. Essentially, one neighboring citystate decided they were tired of the Assassins' Guild constantly getting paid to kill officials in the citystate, and they declared war and destroyed and its Assassins' Guild, who barely got away with the heads of every high-ranking military official in the process.
From there, they dispersed, and at a young age, Seth was thrust in to the greater world, and decided to escape those pursuing him- his smaller stature allowed him to get into many a secure house and kill a very secure and important man- by traveling overseas. And so he met some people along his exporations in the land of the lighter-skinned people, occasionally getting caught (and killing) a man who always declares themselves as a follower of the great "Draven"
Pros:
-Light and athletic- runs fast, jumps high, climbs quickly, etc.
-Reflexes and speed- likely to hit you first, and second. Then dodge.
-Clever and sneakeh- likely to put a knife in your back while you're against a wall
Cons:
-Small and lithe- he ain't very thick, so he won't be able to take much damage.
-Too fast for his own good- used to being faster and untouched- likely to whine if someone's better than him or if he actually gets hit. What another shrugs off, he'll run from and then cry about it- so to speak.
-Loves chocolate- like go-out-of-his-way-to-steal-or-kill-for-chocolate kind of love. A bar of chocolate=one man dead.
Other:
Nay! |
50,812 | 1,366 | 11 | 972 | 961 | The drake, obviously not even noticing Valon's valiant attempt at shock and awe kept on thrashing about, throwing both of its heads around as they breathed fire. Valon wondered for a minute if it would be possibe for the fiend to slay itself with this badly constructed technique. "Alright. I'll give him something to look at, and you flank him from the..." He said and turned to where he thought he'd see phoenix, but she was nowhere in sight. Instead the young woman whose scream had drawn the three heroes to the river in the first place. Shestared back at Valon with eyes that told thousands of stories of bravery and courage, and that she wouldn't be capable of any of them.
"Damn it, and Seth is nowhere to be found.... as usual." He thought and threw his arm out, pointing it toward the river.
"Get to the other side, you'll be safe there, I'll handle this!" He said and tried to sound as heroic as he could while at the same time being scared right out of his pants.
The girl made a run for the icy bridge, it was better than nothing after all, while Valon pulled up his pants and tightened his belt. He'd barely had the time to do this before he had to throw himself to the side in oder to avoid a nasty case of Burn-to-death-itis. A squeal behind him confirmed that the fire had hit the icy bridge.
"Damn it. I'm no match for a dragon, not even a youngling. Not alone."
Something had to be done, but magic normally didn't affect drakes anyway.
He looked back to see what had happened to the bridge and the girl. | Name: Valon Almecci.
Title/Nickname: Wizard of the third circle.
Age: 37.
Gender: Male.
Race: Human.
Profession: Wizard.
Equipment: Clothes: wizards robe (yellow and red), matching pointy hat, pointy shoes. Staff/walking stick and a book of magic.
Background: Valon is the son of a rather successful merchant and was thanks to this able to study magic. his studies began at age 17 and during his second year he met Leyling (se “other”) hiding in a dusty corner of the library. Magic is a hard subject to study as it isn’t one thing, everyone has to find and define his or her own magic. At age 30 Valon had only managed to advance to the third level and was utterly bored. He dropped out, but stole a book of spells and has been travelling the world ever since.
Pros: Can see things others can't, being a wizard carries some respect,
Cons: Soft and squishy, terribly afraid of spiders.
Other:
Valon is not the best wizard in the world, nor can he ever claim that title. Although he has studies magic for almost twenty years he still has trouble with anything over the basic level. He can perform the basics (hurling a fireball, levitate, opening a door from afar) without too much trouble if he can take his time, but if he is under stress or have to perform a more advanced spell then things can go… weird.
Pet: Even in a world as strange and magic as this one a Leyling is a strange sight indeed. It is a small… Animal, about as large as a fist. It is covered in bright blue fur, about an inch long. It has no visible arms, legs, ears or tails. but there are eyes, surprisingly big for such a small creature, and a mouth that has two perfect rows of herbivore teeth (strangely enough) and a smooth tongue.
The presence of teeth is a strange one indeed because the Leylings doesn’t seem to eat anything. Later research has determined that the little blue dust bunnies live off of residual magical energy, which would explain why most of them are attracted to mages and their study halls. They are extremely rare, and even a well-educated man such as Valon thought they were only myth until he actually met one.
There is a collection of stories going around the desert about a man who was hungry enough to try and eat 12 Leylings on different days… Let’s just say you shouldn’t.
Valon simply calls his little friend “Leyling” and the blue menace spends most of its time hidden away within his clothes or (if it feels safe) on his shoulder. During his adventures Valon fancies himself to have met men and women of every variant of magical ability, but Leyling has never left his side.
Valon isn’t nearly as incompetent as he thinks he is. He might even hold enough talent to become a Primagus (master within his order, or wizard of the ninth circle). The thing is, Leyling’s appetite is many hundred times bigger than it itself is (Although, where it puts it all is a question for the gods) and it tends to leave Valon with very little magical energy or at least with the energy in great chaos. Valon has no idea, and would probably not believe anyone if they told him.
Leyling doesn't cling to Valon because of his "hidden potential", it just likes how Valons magic tastes. |
50,813 | 1,366 | 12 | 2,184 | 251 | On top of her already heavy spear and Seth’s belongings, Seth now added to her pile of water-drenched baggage.
Miraculously, Krea had barely managed to secure a hold onto the rock and with great effort, swung Seth’s items right on top of it. Then, she embedded her spear tip-down into the river bed, leaving one hand free to haul Seth closer to her. She blinked a couple of times at his exposed countenance, making a mental note to remind herself to prod the guy about it later.
With her head now at a comfortable level above the water’s surface, Krea surveyed what had happened back at Valon’s. Unfortunately, it was not a pretty sight.
The drake’s fire had vaporized the ice bridge almost instantaneously (thanks to Valon lack of foresight. Why ice? Why not stone?), and the maiden that had been attempting to cross it in the slowest way possible had been condemned to a swishy, watery fate.
She disappeared underwater momentarily, before popping up and breaking the surface, followed by splatters and hacking coughs. The currents imposed on her the nasty route which Krea had to take earlier on as well. With each passing moment, the maiden was dragged closer to the warrior and her assassin baggage. Then, Krea had an idea.
“VALON!” She yelled her lungs out. “DO YOU FANCY A SWIM?”
Struggling to get out of the river would be too much of a hassle with everyone but Valon in wet territorities. They could let the stupid river carry them further downstream where the currents were tamer – a one way ticket to safety.
And then, they could come back to settle their scores with the drake. | Name: Krea Estrielle
Title/Nickname: Phoenix, after her auburn hair.
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Race: Hoooman.
Profession: Fighter. Former-gladiator.
Equipment: The spear as shown in the picture, as well as a handy-dandy light dagger she hangs on her belt for emergencies (her skill with it is questionable).
Background
Kidnapped and sold as a slave to a noble at the age of 10, Krea had been promptly deposited in one too many gladiator rings after a brief three years of training imposed on her by her master. While (obviously) not dead yet, Krea decided that she had enough after seven years of grueling, bloody battles and barely scraping through them alive. Besides, she was certain that her greedy master had reaped enough profits from all her wins. But most importantly? After years of experience, handling various sorts of weapons and augmenting her battle wits and reflexes, she was more than ready to make a break for it. Which she did, and succeeded. Krea had been wandering around alone ever since, until she bumped into an odd wizard by the name of Valon Almecci, taking a liking for his peculiar little creature. They have been travelling together ever since - mostly Krea persistently following him around out of boredom, finding him an amusing companion. She relishes watching Valon's fantastic spell failures when they occur, making it a point to remind him about them every now and then.
Strengths
- Krea has impressive strength for a female, and great stamina. A result of her past experiences.
- Able to wield several weapon types - spears, swords, polearms.
- Hosts quick battle reflexes and wits, a skill sharpened and honed over time.
Weaknesses
- Regarding bullet point two under 'strengths': jack of all trades and master of none applies here. Having to switch between different weapon types as dictated by circumstances in the gladiator rings did not allow for perfection in any one of them.
- Clueless about close-ranged or hand-to-hand combat, since her combat style revolves around keeping her opponent at a comfortable distance, using weapon techniques to defeat stronger, male opponents who would otherwise overpower her in an unarmed duel. Take away her weapons, and she'll be krea-ing. (Ahem pun intended).
- She can't swim.
Other: |
50,814 | 1,366 | 13 | 2,677 | 6,563 | Seth's priorities had already shifted away from the equally-as-cold Krea to the maiden being swept down the river, towards them. He gave the Phoenix a reassuring smile- the first she had ever seen, since neither her nor the mage had seen his face- and then pushed off to intercept the waterlogged and flailing damsel in distress.
He had a quick thought- how ironic it was that the thief and assassin was saving lives from the cold liquid that he absolutely hated getting soaked in, and letting someone else hold his non-essential stuff. They owe me so very, very much.
He himself had trouble getting a full lungful of non-waterlogged air, but it didn't affect him quite so much as the others- part of the job was doing whatever was needed to get the job done, and sometimes he had been forced to hide just under the surface of the water, with his nose just barely above to keep breathing. Good training for a moment like this, struggling through the fast-flowing water, swimming diagonal instead of directly against it or straight to the side.
He would've breathed a sigh of relief, had he been able to spare it, when he latched onto the struggling, dress-laden lady, whose exact purpose out in the wilderness could be questioned later. And up ahead, not too far, was a bend in the river, where the entire thing stretched out into a great big curve, and hopefully shallowed out.
A minute of floating and struggling to keep above water with the maiden, he started slowing down, starting to curve and turn, and his feet touched riverbottom. It was loose, and might be a little tricky, but it would have to do. He dragged the fair maiden out of the water, thoroughly unconscious but not looking too worse for the wear. She'd have a couple scars from the cuts on her face, but nothing too bad.
Figuring that her slowly-rising chest meant she was alive, and carefully averting his eyes from leering, he got up, shook himself off, and started trudging back up the bank. He was very much tired and sore from the bashing that he had taken, shivering from the cold and letting the sun's morning heat slowly warm him, but he had a job to do- that robed wizard would probably drown because of all the things he has in his great bag he calls a wardrobe of his. The Phoenix couldn't swim, and he could, and neither could the defenseless one, and his poisons were up there.
He couldn't even think of a response to how crappy his day had already been, though saving the beauty was a thing of duty. So to speak. | Name:
Setheran
Title/Nickname:
Seth
Age:
29
Gender:
Male
Race:
Human
Profession:
Rogue- The Assassin
Equipment:
A set of twin pairs of knives named "Slight" and "Shadow," some little vials of poison, between paralysis, blindness, and just plain painful deadly poison. Has a bag containing some hard bread, and a wineskin filled with... wine. (Water is more uncommon, since alcoholic drinks don't have to be boiled to kill germs and the like) That's about it, besides a bit of cloth for a quick makeshift bandage.
Background:
Growing up in the faraway land known only as the Farlands to all but those who inhabit it, he found himself in the slums of . As he grew older, he adapted to his surroundings and soon found himself in the local Assassin's Guild as an apprentice, due to his sneaky sneak skills. Essentially, one neighboring citystate decided they were tired of the Assassins' Guild constantly getting paid to kill officials in the citystate, and they declared war and destroyed and its Assassins' Guild, who barely got away with the heads of every high-ranking military official in the process.
From there, they dispersed, and at a young age, Seth was thrust in to the greater world, and decided to escape those pursuing him- his smaller stature allowed him to get into many a secure house and kill a very secure and important man- by traveling overseas. And so he met some people along his exporations in the land of the lighter-skinned people, occasionally getting caught (and killing) a man who always declares themselves as a follower of the great "Draven"
Pros:
-Light and athletic- runs fast, jumps high, climbs quickly, etc.
-Reflexes and speed- likely to hit you first, and second. Then dodge.
-Clever and sneakeh- likely to put a knife in your back while you're against a wall
Cons:
-Small and lithe- he ain't very thick, so he won't be able to take much damage.
-Too fast for his own good- used to being faster and untouched- likely to whine if someone's better than him or if he actually gets hit. What another shrugs off, he'll run from and then cry about it- so to speak.
-Loves chocolate- like go-out-of-his-way-to-steal-or-kill-for-chocolate kind of love. A bar of chocolate=one man dead.
Other:
Nay! |
50,815 | 1,366 | 14 | 972 | 961 | Setheran and the girl floated away while Phoenix held on for dear life. The scene was completely unknown to Valon who was busy trying to save his own hide from getting barbecued. In a stroke of genius he took cover behind the same boulder that the frightened woman had used as a hiding place when he'd arrived. The drake had calmed down somewhat, since no one was pushing the attack anymore. It had stopped its chaotic attack and instead started to systematically smell the piles of burning forest and molten rock for burning flesh. "I know you were around here, shadow-man, you stink is all over the place... where did you go..." It said, which sounded like a low growl to anyone not trained in the art of magic.
He stood there in relative safety with the world burning around him so hot he could feel the warmth even though the nearest fire was pretty far away. A gentle tug from within his clothes reminded him that Leyling was caught in there. The little blue menace always hid in his clothes except for when it felt safe. Something told Valon that if he forced Leyling to come out now it would never leave his pockets ever again.
Taking a second to breathe and survey the area, he noticed somethong auburn downstream in the river. He would've dismissed it as a log or something, but the long stick that shot up into the air next to the brownish thing made it look suspiciously like the topmost piece of his comerade, the violent woman. But what was she doing in the river? This was no time for a bath, and he was convinced that at some point she''d told him that she couldn't swim.
The drake had started to turn around toward the river, following the scent trail Seth had left when he'd run off to help Krea. Ironically this now had the exact opposite effect as the drake was heading pretty much straight toward the maiden in need with its nose, figuratively, to the ground.
"Balls" He thought. He was indeed between a rock and a hard place. That hard place would soon be a giant reptilian-ish semi-divine being. Ironically it was still considered tiny, in the same way as a mountain can be described as tiny if viewed from very far away. Valon would also like to see the drake very far away.
”Alright, I can’t stop the thing, but I might be able to get Phoenix out of there.” He thought, and tried to remember the last time he’d taken a swim in full gear. He couldn’t think of a magical way of getting them both to safety, but we was a pretty good swimmer… Anyway, Setheran hadn’t showed himself in a while and if he was out there he’d hopefully see what was going on and retreat. Besides, even if the drake decided to follow them, the river would carry them along faster that it would be able to run through the forest.
”Alright, here it goes, quick dash to the water, ice blast ready if it tries to flame me. Jump in. Swim, swim, swim. Grab the girl. Swim, swim, swim. Yes, that’s exactly what I’ll do.” He thought and peeked out to see what the dragon was up to. Sadly enough it wasn’t looking in his direction and he probably wouldn’t get another chance like this again soon. | Name: Valon Almecci.
Title/Nickname: Wizard of the third circle.
Age: 37.
Gender: Male.
Race: Human.
Profession: Wizard.
Equipment: Clothes: wizards robe (yellow and red), matching pointy hat, pointy shoes. Staff/walking stick and a book of magic.
Background: Valon is the son of a rather successful merchant and was thanks to this able to study magic. his studies began at age 17 and during his second year he met Leyling (se “other”) hiding in a dusty corner of the library. Magic is a hard subject to study as it isn’t one thing, everyone has to find and define his or her own magic. At age 30 Valon had only managed to advance to the third level and was utterly bored. He dropped out, but stole a book of spells and has been travelling the world ever since.
Pros: Can see things others can't, being a wizard carries some respect,
Cons: Soft and squishy, terribly afraid of spiders.
Other:
Valon is not the best wizard in the world, nor can he ever claim that title. Although he has studies magic for almost twenty years he still has trouble with anything over the basic level. He can perform the basics (hurling a fireball, levitate, opening a door from afar) without too much trouble if he can take his time, but if he is under stress or have to perform a more advanced spell then things can go… weird.
Pet: Even in a world as strange and magic as this one a Leyling is a strange sight indeed. It is a small… Animal, about as large as a fist. It is covered in bright blue fur, about an inch long. It has no visible arms, legs, ears or tails. but there are eyes, surprisingly big for such a small creature, and a mouth that has two perfect rows of herbivore teeth (strangely enough) and a smooth tongue.
The presence of teeth is a strange one indeed because the Leylings doesn’t seem to eat anything. Later research has determined that the little blue dust bunnies live off of residual magical energy, which would explain why most of them are attracted to mages and their study halls. They are extremely rare, and even a well-educated man such as Valon thought they were only myth until he actually met one.
There is a collection of stories going around the desert about a man who was hungry enough to try and eat 12 Leylings on different days… Let’s just say you shouldn’t.
Valon simply calls his little friend “Leyling” and the blue menace spends most of its time hidden away within his clothes or (if it feels safe) on his shoulder. During his adventures Valon fancies himself to have met men and women of every variant of magical ability, but Leyling has never left his side.
Valon isn’t nearly as incompetent as he thinks he is. He might even hold enough talent to become a Primagus (master within his order, or wizard of the ninth circle). The thing is, Leyling’s appetite is many hundred times bigger than it itself is (Although, where it puts it all is a question for the gods) and it tends to leave Valon with very little magical energy or at least with the energy in great chaos. Valon has no idea, and would probably not believe anyone if they told him.
Leyling doesn't cling to Valon because of his "hidden potential", it just likes how Valons magic tastes. |
50,816 | 1,366 | 15 | 2,184 | 251 | As Krea watched Seth haul the maiden to safety and dry land further up downstream, she felt a tug of jealously. No fair! She grumbled inwardly. She hated water, and she wanted out. Now.
Then, she caught sight of Valon propelling towards her in what she considered was a record-breaking swim, to which her heart skipped a beat with relief and in anticipation of her return to the dry, homey soils of the earth once more.
However, Valon’s furious swimming had caught the attention of the drake, which promptly pursued the thrashing, splashing trails left by the wizard with a newfound interest. Krea wondered if he took a fascination in the fact that dinner could walk on dry land, cast spells, and swim. Unbeknownst to the girl, that was far from the truth. The drake, being young, brash and proud, merely wanted to test his might against the escaping party – no river could stop it, oh no.
“RAWWWWWRRHHHHH!” their two-headed winged pursuer bellowed. It was then that Krea realized that she ought to get rid of her spear, temporarily, or else Valon could have a hard time trying to get them both to Seth and his damsel-in-distress. Thus, with a powerful, well-aimed throw, the warrior let loose her dangerous, pointy weapon, sending it flying in Seth’s general direction.
“Uh oh,” Krea muttered, before she felt stiff fingers clamp onto her arm for the second time that day. Unceremoniously and without further ado, Valon yanked her off her precious rock and compelled her into the deathly waters.
With the river contributing to their rough-sailing yet speedy descend downstream, soon, they left the drake behind as they had hoped. Moments later, they reached the shallower and calmer bit of the river through which Seth had monopolized to get his fair maiden and himself onto the river’s bank. Krea, upon securing a firm hold onto solid ground, made herself useful for once and hauled herself out, before dragging the water-logged old man onto dry land after her.
“Well, that was maddening,” she concluded. A quick glance around confirmed that they were all utterly, shockingly drenched. | Name: Krea Estrielle
Title/Nickname: Phoenix, after her auburn hair.
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Race: Hoooman.
Profession: Fighter. Former-gladiator.
Equipment: The spear as shown in the picture, as well as a handy-dandy light dagger she hangs on her belt for emergencies (her skill with it is questionable).
Background
Kidnapped and sold as a slave to a noble at the age of 10, Krea had been promptly deposited in one too many gladiator rings after a brief three years of training imposed on her by her master. While (obviously) not dead yet, Krea decided that she had enough after seven years of grueling, bloody battles and barely scraping through them alive. Besides, she was certain that her greedy master had reaped enough profits from all her wins. But most importantly? After years of experience, handling various sorts of weapons and augmenting her battle wits and reflexes, she was more than ready to make a break for it. Which she did, and succeeded. Krea had been wandering around alone ever since, until she bumped into an odd wizard by the name of Valon Almecci, taking a liking for his peculiar little creature. They have been travelling together ever since - mostly Krea persistently following him around out of boredom, finding him an amusing companion. She relishes watching Valon's fantastic spell failures when they occur, making it a point to remind him about them every now and then.
Strengths
- Krea has impressive strength for a female, and great stamina. A result of her past experiences.
- Able to wield several weapon types - spears, swords, polearms.
- Hosts quick battle reflexes and wits, a skill sharpened and honed over time.
Weaknesses
- Regarding bullet point two under 'strengths': jack of all trades and master of none applies here. Having to switch between different weapon types as dictated by circumstances in the gladiator rings did not allow for perfection in any one of them.
- Clueless about close-ranged or hand-to-hand combat, since her combat style revolves around keeping her opponent at a comfortable distance, using weapon techniques to defeat stronger, male opponents who would otherwise overpower her in an unarmed duel. Take away her weapons, and she'll be krea-ing. (Ahem pun intended).
- She can't swim.
Other: |
50,817 | 1,366 | 16 | 2,677 | 6,563 | Seth was quite busy calming the panicking, soaked woman, while still trying to remain some decency by throwing on his cowl and trying to shake himself off, and keep an eye on the drake and the mage/warmaiden at the same time. It worked out semi-well- he managed to get his cowl back up, but also prevented the woman from drying herself any amount by spraying her with some droplets from his own outfit, and at the same time, took note of the angry drake in the distance, roaring and smashing the water with its front legs.
He also passively took note of the sharp pointy spear the Phoenix liked to swing about flying towards him. His eyes widened; a yelp escaped his lips as he jerked to the side. A quick save, too- the edge just brushed his receding shoulder, cutting through his leather/silk/cloth outfit with alarming ease, cutting a somewhat medium deep slice into his shoulder before he could get it out of the way. The spear continued down to pin the water-laden maiden's lower dress to the ground, slicing through it just as easily. Fortunately for her, she had now been spread-eagle on the ground, or losing a leg might have been the more serious event that happened.
No time to think- he had to stop this bloody painful steel-cut. It hurt worse than a papercut! He did pause to yank out the spear and toss it to the side somewhat clumsily- he had no idea how it was to actually be used, heavy as it was.
And in the distance, the drake roared again, sniffed the air and started crashing through the forest, as if it had smelled something tastier. Humans weren't that tasty, right? Maybe deer were more attractive in the tastebuds' eyes, or maybe a boar. | Name:
Setheran
Title/Nickname:
Seth
Age:
29
Gender:
Male
Race:
Human
Profession:
Rogue- The Assassin
Equipment:
A set of twin pairs of knives named "Slight" and "Shadow," some little vials of poison, between paralysis, blindness, and just plain painful deadly poison. Has a bag containing some hard bread, and a wineskin filled with... wine. (Water is more uncommon, since alcoholic drinks don't have to be boiled to kill germs and the like) That's about it, besides a bit of cloth for a quick makeshift bandage.
Background:
Growing up in the faraway land known only as the Farlands to all but those who inhabit it, he found himself in the slums of . As he grew older, he adapted to his surroundings and soon found himself in the local Assassin's Guild as an apprentice, due to his sneaky sneak skills. Essentially, one neighboring citystate decided they were tired of the Assassins' Guild constantly getting paid to kill officials in the citystate, and they declared war and destroyed and its Assassins' Guild, who barely got away with the heads of every high-ranking military official in the process.
From there, they dispersed, and at a young age, Seth was thrust in to the greater world, and decided to escape those pursuing him- his smaller stature allowed him to get into many a secure house and kill a very secure and important man- by traveling overseas. And so he met some people along his exporations in the land of the lighter-skinned people, occasionally getting caught (and killing) a man who always declares themselves as a follower of the great "Draven"
Pros:
-Light and athletic- runs fast, jumps high, climbs quickly, etc.
-Reflexes and speed- likely to hit you first, and second. Then dodge.
-Clever and sneakeh- likely to put a knife in your back while you're against a wall
Cons:
-Small and lithe- he ain't very thick, so he won't be able to take much damage.
-Too fast for his own good- used to being faster and untouched- likely to whine if someone's better than him or if he actually gets hit. What another shrugs off, he'll run from and then cry about it- so to speak.
-Loves chocolate- like go-out-of-his-way-to-steal-or-kill-for-chocolate kind of love. A bar of chocolate=one man dead.
Other:
Nay! |
50,818 | 1,366 | 17 | 972 | 961 | Valon was dragged out of the water in an almost herculean effort of strenght, his robes was soaked through and their wieght sure exceeded his own. As soon as Krea let him go there was little he could do between the slippery mud and his clothes weighing a metric ass-ton, he fell down with a most unceremonious squirt. Something moved within his robes and struggled to find a way out, thinking that Leyling was in trouble, Valon did what he could to find a safe passage for his friend, and was truly amazed when a silvery fich about the size of his foot jumped out, before he could gather his senses the fish had reached the water and escaped. No fish for breakfast this day.
"So, let's review..." He said, and fished his hat out of the water with his staff.
"No breakfast, drake wanting to eat us, damsel in distress half drowned, barely got away with our lives..." He counted out on his fingers. "All in all, better morning than yesterday."
He took in the scene. Seth was cradling his arm, which was leaking at an alarming rate. Their rescuee was on the ground, he had to find out if their troubles would pay off. After all, ladies that were rescued from dragons always turned out to be princesses or something like that...
He fought (against gravity) to stand up, and seemed to manage as long as he remained somewhat upright. The weight displacement would sent him right back down if he leaned over too much. Stiffly he made his way over to Seth and the lady. His first concern was of course Seth, but bandaging wounds and healing spells were never his forté. "You'll have to do something about that, once you run dry you'll be no fun at all" he said, as if Seth hadn't figured that out already.
Standing above the woman, Valon noticed her dress. It wasn't a typical princess dress, although if you are going to be eaten by a dragon there's no point in dressing up. It was actually nothing more than rags, if she hadn't just been rescued from a dragon, one might actually believe that she was an entirely ordinary person. | Name: Valon Almecci.
Title/Nickname: Wizard of the third circle.
Age: 37.
Gender: Male.
Race: Human.
Profession: Wizard.
Equipment: Clothes: wizards robe (yellow and red), matching pointy hat, pointy shoes. Staff/walking stick and a book of magic.
Background: Valon is the son of a rather successful merchant and was thanks to this able to study magic. his studies began at age 17 and during his second year he met Leyling (se “other”) hiding in a dusty corner of the library. Magic is a hard subject to study as it isn’t one thing, everyone has to find and define his or her own magic. At age 30 Valon had only managed to advance to the third level and was utterly bored. He dropped out, but stole a book of spells and has been travelling the world ever since.
Pros: Can see things others can't, being a wizard carries some respect,
Cons: Soft and squishy, terribly afraid of spiders.
Other:
Valon is not the best wizard in the world, nor can he ever claim that title. Although he has studies magic for almost twenty years he still has trouble with anything over the basic level. He can perform the basics (hurling a fireball, levitate, opening a door from afar) without too much trouble if he can take his time, but if he is under stress or have to perform a more advanced spell then things can go… weird.
Pet: Even in a world as strange and magic as this one a Leyling is a strange sight indeed. It is a small… Animal, about as large as a fist. It is covered in bright blue fur, about an inch long. It has no visible arms, legs, ears or tails. but there are eyes, surprisingly big for such a small creature, and a mouth that has two perfect rows of herbivore teeth (strangely enough) and a smooth tongue.
The presence of teeth is a strange one indeed because the Leylings doesn’t seem to eat anything. Later research has determined that the little blue dust bunnies live off of residual magical energy, which would explain why most of them are attracted to mages and their study halls. They are extremely rare, and even a well-educated man such as Valon thought they were only myth until he actually met one.
There is a collection of stories going around the desert about a man who was hungry enough to try and eat 12 Leylings on different days… Let’s just say you shouldn’t.
Valon simply calls his little friend “Leyling” and the blue menace spends most of its time hidden away within his clothes or (if it feels safe) on his shoulder. During his adventures Valon fancies himself to have met men and women of every variant of magical ability, but Leyling has never left his side.
Valon isn’t nearly as incompetent as he thinks he is. He might even hold enough talent to become a Primagus (master within his order, or wizard of the ninth circle). The thing is, Leyling’s appetite is many hundred times bigger than it itself is (Although, where it puts it all is a question for the gods) and it tends to leave Valon with very little magical energy or at least with the energy in great chaos. Valon has no idea, and would probably not believe anyone if they told him.
Leyling doesn't cling to Valon because of his "hidden potential", it just likes how Valons magic tastes. |
50,819 | 1,367 | 0 | 1,027 | 2,965 | The Flurry Forest is a living forest, like all the forests that inhabit Gaea. Like the humans, there are good forests and there are bad ones; however, the Flurry Forest has a warm personality despite it being covered primarily in ice. The Flurry Forest is kind to those who are kind to it and will provide for those it likes. The forest will protect those it likes from evil, and warn them if evil is afoot. Travelers passing through the woods can survive the harshest of blizzards if the forest desires for them to live, while trespassers and the wicked find the forest to be a harsh place to camp.
There exists a spiritual power that keeps the forest alive like blood through veins. The power was granted by what humans believe to be The White God for to them it is the White God that is the good god. The Holy Knights use the name of the White God to command easy passage through the chill of the wood for what the White God giveth, it can taketh away. The Flurry Forest is fearful of this god and yields to the Holy Knight's demands. It can lead them to whoever they seek, but the forest can also lead the one being sought out of the woods if it favored them. The forest is not fond of mages or those sorcerers and witches that would steal its power to channel their selfish and destructive spells. The mana drained from the wood slowly reduces the forest to a frozen waste.
In these wastes and barren lands, live a people known as the Ice Folk or the Jotun, the Ice Giants. The Jotun live in tents in the areas of the forest that have been drained of its mana. The giants range from 9 to 12 feet and they believe in their own gods. They ride great beasts and devour what they can in the Flurry Forest--the fauna and the mana. They are a frightening people that travelers avoid. The boundaries of their lands are marked by the skulls of trespassers stacked upon 8 ft spears, warning those not to enter their territory. Travelers still can succumb to feeding time, the time where the Jotun release their pets to hunt in the forest. Many have become food for the Jotun's beasts. Travelers should listen for horns for it is how the Jotun communicate long distances, and at night listen for howls for they are the Songs of Death. The death the beasts bring.
It is in this forest where The Girl begins her journey... | Grimjet Clermont; The Butcher; Glutton of the Sea; The Pirate King
Appears to be in his 30s
5'10" (varies when he eats)
210 lbs (varies when he eats)
White
Blue
Male
Grimjet has stark-white hair and eyes as blue as the sea. They are his most eye-catching quality—intense and penetrating. The pirate king once wore a leather coat with white, downy fur lining the collar. Belts crisscrossed his hips, and dark trousers rode down his legs into boots. His second eye-catching quality is his body—when he isn’t porking out on food and grog. Grimjet can get pretty huge depending on the size of feast he’s partaking in, which disturbs or fascinates others. He carries with him an Arc that he calls simply, His Knife. Others call it The Butcher’s Knife. It is a suitable weapon for a man with such an insatiable appetite. His body is covered in various scars from his numerous battles on the sea. Who knew Holy Knights could swim? (duh dum tish!)
Grimjet’s brand is on his abdomen just below his navel in the form of a shark circled by an ouroboros. The shark represents his ravenous appetite and the serpent that surrounds it, how endless it is.
Grimjet has many pleasures and he enjoys them all in abundance. He loves good food, good grog, and gorgeous women, and he’s rather shameless in his indulgences. Becoming a pirate was only fitting for him. Grimjet is pretty cocky to the point that he thinks everything is a game. In battle, he tends to be the benefactor, slowly devouring his enemies and their powers until there is nothing left. His capacity for devouring abilities seems nearly endless, but food and drink, well, his body has a limited capacity that he likes to exceed every once and in a while. He claims his actual curse is having such a large appetite and not having a body large enough to compensate for it. He also claims that his gluttony is his strength, which is true, but doesn’t make him number one on the guest list at banquets.
The Sin is rather mischievous and is quite the party-goer. Wherever there’s food or drink, he’ll be there—especially if it’s free. His appetite makes him terrible with money, but that’s why he was a pirate because whenever he ran out, he’d just acquire more loot to spend! Mind you, this was all before the banishing.
--
After Grimjet was banished across the globe by the White God’s power, he landed in the sea and drifted, unconscious for several days, before his body washed up on the shore of Fairy Island. The fairies didn’t take too kindly to foreigners and imprisoned him. Having attempted to execute him in countless ways, they eventually discovered his uncanny ability and learned that leaving him alone was the best execution. Starved and unable to satiate his hunger and thirst, Grimjet succumbed to his own appetite. He supposedly died and was found limbless, having eaten his own arms and legs, which made it impossible for him to escape his confinement. His husk remains on Fairy Island, posted as a warning to all visitors to turn back or they’ll end up the same way.
a massive cleaver that is four-feet long and one foot thick. There are three holes near the end of the blade for draining, and draining is what the Arc weapon specializes in. Each cut on an enemy draws life from his foe and gives it to its wielder. While his enemies grow weaker, Grimjet grows stronger, feasting on their vitality.
Grimjet’s trademark skill. He can eat practically anything like a walking black hole, and he will proudly proclaim that there’s nothing out there that he can’t eat. Using devour, Grimjet can consume enemies, their weapons, and their abilities as nourishment for his body, making him stronger. The size of the enemy doesn’t matter and neither does the amount. There’s only one catch. No enemy will allow themselves to be devoured so easily, which is why it can require tact at times. Using his meat cleaver, the vitae that is hacked from his enemies is devoured until his enemies are too weak to run away. When an enemy is placed into such a vulnerable position, then Grimjet takes advantage of the opportunity. Whatever ability he devours does not become his. This isn't a copy cat move. It just makes him physically stronger and even more eager to be satisfied. |
50,820 | 1,367 | 1 | 1,038 | 141 | The Flurry Forest || Looking for shelter || Mood: Cold and desperate
Cold.
It was cold.
She rubbed her palms together, trembling, fingers freezing, barely able to move. The beating of her heart was slow, legs ached, her cheeks and ears numb and cold. Footsteps slowed, legs threatening to give in at any moment. She needed shelter. Warmth; she craved for it. Needed it. Chapped lips nearly bled, face pale and eyes tired; a dark shade of exhaustion settled under them, her usually bright eyes now dim and red from crying.
The forest seemed alive, watching The Girl as she slowly traversed its lands, covered in thick layers of snow. Thin sheets of ice blanketed the trees. Rivers were frozen, reflecting the early morning rays of the sun that seeped through the canopy of trees. It was dead silent, no birds or animals in sight. As if they knew this forest was dangerous—that it smelled of death. They were of afraid of something. Something dangerous. And they avoided it like plague.
Anastasia’s throat felt dry, aching for moisture. She slowed to a halt, leaning against a tree to catch her breath. “Grant me safe passage,” she muttered a soft prayer to whatever God was listening. A pang of desperation and dread clawed at her stomach. She wanted to scream. Cry. Curse. But she swallowed it all down and continued to walk, purpose in her stride. She couldn't stop now. Not after everything.
A pair of hazel eyes bounced back and forth, looking for shelter. The heavens must have been watching her, because just a distance away from her, was a cave. There was a small opening, just enough for her to crawl into. The new-found hope willed her legs to move faster. Faster. Faster. She stepped on her dress and fell to her knees, her face meeting the freezing white snow. She shivered. Her teeth chattered. Slowly, she got up to her feet, her legs shaking and her hands trembling. She was close. So close. Anastasia moved faster, holding her dress up to keep her from falling.
As soon as she reached the cave, she didn't waste another moment. She got to her knees and slowly crawled into the dark opening. She struggled to get inside, and finally, she breathed a sigh of relief as soon as she made it. She allowed herself to lay on the dirt for a moment, too exhausted to even lift a finger. There was more silence. It was almost deafening. Her mind wandered back to the Kingdom she had left. To her family. To her people. Her eyebrows furrowed as tears threatened to fall. She bit her lip, wincing as it bled. They were dry, chapped, and pale. She was sure she looked nothing like the princess that she was.
If it weren't for the fancy dress and beautiful hair ornaments that graced her head, no one would be able to tell she was the princess. Her long black hair was tangled up, her eyes swollen, her flesh now adorned with cuts. She used to sit on chairs made of gold, now she lay on dirt, not even knowing how she was supposed to survive. She did not know how to treat her wounds, start a fire, or even catch fish for food. She never had to worry about these things. Someone had always helped her. Now she was alone, lost and afraid.
"Oh, mother.. you believed in me too much. Now that belief will get me killed. I would be safer in the castle," she sobbed. Her voice trembled as tears sprang down her soft cheeks. She felt weak. Hopeless. Pathetic, most of all. Afraid. Anastasia slowly picked herself up and sat down, her back leaning against the wall. She hugged her knees and stared at the ground, letting the silence consume her. Soon, she will find her strength and continue her journey. For now, she will succumb to her weakness. | "I left with the promise to return."
Anastasia (gr. "ανάσταση") meaning "resurrection"; she who will rise again
Heir of the Winslet Kingdom | 17 years of age
Kingdom of Winslet:
King: Rahgard Van Winslet III
Queen: Evangeline Grace Winslet
Heir(s): Anastasia Winslet (missing)
Appearance:
Long beautiful hair which flows past her hips,
dark as obsidian, beautiful as the night.
Look deep into her eyes,
and you will see flecks of green and amber in hazel color.
I tell you, her eyes seem to turn into a darker shade of green
when she looks pensively at the endless sky,
seeming to be clouded in thoughts and emotions I will never hear of.
Thick, dark lashes frame her almond eyes,
drawing attention against the pale surface of her soft skin,
devoid of any scars and ink.
Alas, beautiful and forbidden.
- Missing journal entry by R.J., a secret admirer
Height and Weight:
Anastasia stands at 5'5, with perfect posture and grace. She is small and delicate like a flower, her form showing no signs of experience in training. Soft hands showed the years devoid of any physical labor. She looks light as a feather, but one will never know.
Beauty is only skin-deep:
P E R S O N A L I T Y:
Anastasia's capacity to love and see the good in everyone is both a blessing and curse. She will repay cruelty with kindness and anger with calm. Unable to decipher who to trust and who to be wary of, one would believe that her naivety will best her one day. However, she does not believe this to be a weakness or naive optimism. After all, everyone was born with a good heart, and those who have been corrupted due to the trials of life could be redeemed if only given the chance. Sins. Another word that was of no relevance to her. Those could be forgiven and washed away in the eyes of a good and merciful god.
Don't fool yourself into thinking, however, that her loving and compassionate nature will drive her to lay down her life for you. She believes that her existence is of great importance to the world. Selfish, you say? No. Of course, she is the princess; heir to the throne and future Queen of Winslet. The rightful ruler. Her title is not merely a name, but holds an important role to be played in the games of fate. Life. Sacrifice is nothing but honorable. Die for her, and she will pray for your soul till the end of her days.
Once upon a time:
B A C K G R O U N D:
Run. Don't look back. Live.
The voice rung in her ears as her feet traversed the grounds of the forest. Twigs crunched under her shoes, darkness swallowing her as the sun disappeared over the horizon. The birds went quiet, replaced by the stridulation of the crickets that hid in the tall grasses. Her breathing sped up, determined to win the race against the ferocious beating of her heart. Bathump. Batuhump. Bathump. It seemed to be the only sound she could hear, along with her ragged breathing. How long had she been running? It felt as if she had been running for miles, but one glance over her shoulder told her otherwise. The castle was still in sight. She was close.
Her dress collected dirt and dry leaves as she ran, one foot over the other. It was hard to see through the darkness, but she willed herself to keep moving. The trees swayed, the pale moonlight allowing her to see details of the dark silhouettes. Anastasia didn't know how long she had to continue running, but a small village would let her know when it was time to stop. Her legs gave in. She fell to her knees, grazing her flesh with the sharp branch that lay on the ground. She winced. Even the task of breathing had proven itself to be hard. She allowed herself a moment to catch her breath before picking herself up and running again, this time slow, as the strength of her legs faltered by each passing second.
Her vision dimmed. Her lungs burned. She met the ground once more, but this time, she did not have the strength to get back up. Could this have been her fateful demise? No. It couldn't end here—it wouldn't. She had a kingdom to return to. A kingdom to rule. A kingdom to save. She would not allow her journey to end here. Silly. That was the word. It didn't matter if she had the mental strength and will to keep going, her body could no longer keep up. But a small voice told her it was not the end. She would live and fulfill her purpose. With that in mind, unconsciousness began to take over. A promise to return settled in her mind before it went blank. And there was complete darkness.
You must fight to survive:
W E A P O N:
A dagger forged with silver and gold. A memento; given to her by the Queen before she escaped the castle. The head of an eagle rests itself on the hilt of the dagger.
A B I L I T I E S:
-Hidden- |
50,821 | 1,367 | 2 | 923 | 5,303 | K I E A M I E R A
How long had it been?
For another individual traveling within the frozen wastes of the Flurry Forest it had felt like a lifetime. Since the green-haired woman had awoken in the shadows of the cold and desolate forest-covered hills some time ago and much like her memories her sense of time seemed hard to assess. She could’ve been traveling in the seemingly endless stream of icy rocks and frozen trees anywhere between days and months. Perhaps the inability to be certain about anything was her punishment for whatever actions she had done that resulted in her exile? That, at least, was how she came to presume she ended up as she did— a fact reinforced that she had little comprehension of her past outside of flashes and murmurs; unsurprisingly, she often wondered what those flashes and murmurs actually meant.
Unlike the other occupant of the forest, the green-haired woman didn’t feel issue to the frozen cold or death-like solitude— either due to her own personal vitality or the living forest’s own will she found herself rarely living in ill comfort and found a sort of eerie peace in the whole stretch of frozen wastes. That is, outside from the discovery of old caverns that littered underneath the frozen soil and unstable tundra that she had found herself in. Littered with old ruins and even older natural passageways underneath the forest itself, the environment that she had been wading through was interestingly alien and bait for her wanton curiosity. Such curiosity that had caused her to explore the underground caverns with eagerness to the point that she had not seen the cold skies of the forest for some time now. It was a curiosity that also led herself forward and towards the path of the other visitor to the forest, though neither of them would know it.
As she moved forward through the current passageway in the caverns with bow in hand a sorrowful cry echoed in the nearly silent cave.
I am not alone?
Out of subconscious habit, the green-haired woman disappeared from full view before moving forward again— even with the darkness of the cave, there had a need instilled in her to not be seen at all which cumulated in vanishing through her uncanny ability to do so. ‘Curious but Cautious’ as the saying went. But who’s saying? Was it her own or something she had picked up from another? A thought for another time, perhaps.
As she moved forward she came to the source of the sorrowful cry that had been uttered only moments earlier; a woman much like her of desperate condition and even more desperate emotions. She had to wonder who she was and what she was doing here in the Flurry Forest— was she lost like she was as well? The green-haired woman pressed her back against the cold stone of the cave as she carefully walked slowly to hide her approach, a look of confusion embracing her expression as she looked at the tattered and fatigued appearance of the female stranger.
There were many questions, but for some reason her instincts told her to not reveal herself.
For now, she would observe. | K I E A M I E R A♢ The Sin of Envy ♢
♢ Lady of Evanesce ♢
“Am I supposed to be afraid of you? You’re kidding, right?”
N A M EKieamiera 'Kiea' Drox
A G ETwenties
G E N D E RFemale
A P P E A R A N C EBehind Kieamiera’s cerulean eyes and forest green hair persists a woman of defiance and confidence, a fact that isn’t just present in her personality but also in her appearance; a fact that is solidified through the natural aura that exudes from the young woman. However, even with this in mind Kieamiera is not an intimidating woman and within the ignorance of man not knowing of what she is many situations have escalated from presumptions about the green-haired woman and her unassuming stature, a fact that should not be all that surprising given her height of five foot four and a relatively athletic build. Beyond that, Kieamiera’s attire is often what she finds economical in addition to the emerald green cloak with golden trim that she awakened in following the state of amnesia she found herself in. Thus it is not uncommon to see simple trappings of leather boots and gloves equipped on Kieamiera’s person alongside rough tunics and free-flowing skirts.
Kieamiera’s brand, the mark of Envy, persists upon the back of her right shoulder often obscured by her clothing and hair from public view.
P E R S O N A L I T YFiercely independent and defiant, Kieamiera has always been described as a hot-headed idealist among her peers; a fact that has always put her at odds among some of the other sins, such as the equally temperamental Shakita Tallborn. Even with her emotional upsets, Kieamiera is not inherently out to pick a fight and before her banishment did not perpetuate that her abilities made her better than anyone else upon the world; a fact that was accented by her strong belief that she needed to protect others from harm even at cost to her own reputation, wealth, or life. How Kieamiera’s amnesia has affected her camaraderie and ideological beliefs is uncertain. However, as moral aligned as she was; she inherited a sinful trait for a reason and it is very much present. The principal sin of Kieamiera’s life has been to yearn for what other people have and to want to be these other people in spite of who Kieamiera is and what she should be proud of. It is abundantly clear that the allure of having things that are or were absent in her life has often controlled her which has in turn caused deeply-seated emotions of sorrow, longing, and doubt.
B A C K R O U N D—
C U R R E N T S T O R YKieamiera awoke much like her counterparts that she had suddenly forgotten due to the events that preceded her— alone, confused, and utterly devastated. The loss of Kieamiera’s memory frustrated her and as she came to in the snow-capped forests she found that nobody would be around to give her enlightenment on what had happened to her and where she was now located. As if on cue, creatures from the depths of the icy woodlands came to give her urgency as much as she was confused they were in equal amount hungry. In the act of survival it was here that Kieamiera discovered that she was stronger and faster than her would-be dinner patrons— a fact that seemed unusual though her memory could not give her the solace she desired. Thus it was here that Kieamiera began travelling like a nomad, trying to understand her inconsistent memory and the world that seemed so familiar yet... strange.
W E A P O NBy Kieamiera’s hands persists a weapon of fantastical power forged in the form of a shortbow by the name of The Banshee’s Cry that is littered with ornate symbols etched into the alloy that it was crafted from; though Kieamiera knows not the language of which is written. The story of how Kieamiera recovered the arcana she came into possession of isn’t a particularly prolific or epic tale— upon her travels, Kieamiera came upon an ancient treasure trove within a ruin in the snow-capped region of pine and oak she had initially found herself within. The discovery was a fluke after finding herself lost and stumbling across the wrong path that collapsed into the ruin that she explored only to sate her contrived sense of curiosity.
A B I L I T YThe hallmark ability of the Sin of Envy descends from the blood that flows within Kieamiera’s veins, but she wouldn’t know it if you asked her in her current state and possibly not even so if she had her memories returned to her. Without over-complicating it, the ability is to shift into a camouflaged state that to the human eye is completely invisible and unlike shapeshifting holds several advantages in the context of combat to hapless fools who do not know the abilities of their opponent. However, such invisibility does not make her movement muted as the more observant enemies will catch cues and find ways to combat it with ease presuming they can keep up with the attributes that make Kieamiera faster and stronger than your standard mortal. |
50,822 | 1,367 | 3 | 1,038 | 141 | A Fateful Encounter
collab between and
She was not alone.
Anastasia could feel it. Another presence. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared into the darkness with wide eyes, listening carefully for signs of another. There was only silence. Anastasia could only hear her own breathing. She scrambled to her feet and kept her back pressed against the wall, afraid of whoever—or whatever was out there. “H-hello?” she called out, her voice breathy. “Is anybody there?” Only the echoes answered back.
A sense of urgency rushed through her body, causing her to tremble in fear. Holy Knights. Have they caught up to her? The thought alone was enough to make her heart beat erratically. Anastasia knew not how to defend herself. Her screams would go unheard. No help would come. She was isolated. Away from her kingdom and her family. A small defenseless girl roaming the frozen forest by herself.
Fear. It ran through her veins like poison in her bloodstream. She was frightened. All she wanted to do was go back home to her Kingdom, back to her loving mother and father. Anastasia blinked back tears, her eyebrows tightly knitting together. She loathed herself for being weak. But weak was all she could be. “Show yourself,” she commanded with her fists clenched, mustering up all the inner strength she could.
For the other individual in the cave, there was a sense of hesitation as the command was uttered; however, there was a calling that urged her to listen.
It had only been a few seconds of reluctance to reveal herself to Anastasia; her camouflage against the elements and the human eye vanishing right before her—the equally tattered and green-haired woman appearing against the adjacent wall across from Anastasia in a sudden magical flicker. Her hand barely grasping the unstrung bow with disinterest; no hostility.
“You are not Jotun.”
Anastasia yelped in surprise. A woman! Was she not alone in the forest, after all? A deep breath left her lips, one from relief and surprise from the woman's sudden appearance."Jotun..?" she asked, still in a state of shock.That subsided, however, when a wave of familiarity washed over her. This woman looked familiar; the green hair and blue eyes were something Anastasia had recognized. "Have we met before?" She asked with a bewildered expression, her eyes squinting as she looked her over with curiosity. Hazel eyes turned green, widening as realization dawned on her.
"You.. I know you."
The woman shook her head, still trying to gauge whatever thoughts she was having. If Anastasia knew her, why couldn’t she herself recall it? There was a sense of familiarity between the two, but for the moment it seemed even the slightest bit of clarity was rather one-sided and minuscule.
“I… don’t know if we have. Who are you? Why are you here?”
Anastasia recognized her face from the many posters that emblazoned the walls and littered the grounds. The faces of the Seven Sins. "Envy," was all she could utter, her voice so low it sounded more like a whisper.
As soon as the name left her mouth, she fell to the ground, clutching her head in agony. Memories flooded her brain in that instant; her skull felt like it would crack. But these memories did not belong to her. Anastasia was seeing them through the eyes of someone else. Envy. Her doubts vanished like a bubble. Anastasia got up to her feet and looked at the green-haired woman, still gasping for air after what had just occurred. One hand was on the wall, afraid she'd lose her balance. Her head was spinning. "Y-you're one of the sins. I've been searching for you and the rest." Without warning, she ran toward the woman and grabbed her hand, squeezing it, her eyes pleading. "You have to help me. Help me find the rest." There was a desperate look in her green eyes as they stared right into her blue ones.
There was a flicker in the green-haired woman’s eyes for a brief moment as Anastasia interacted with her— Envy as she had recognized her. It was hard to tell, but the green-haired woman’s mind had been invigorated from days upon days of confusion, doubt, and speculation. It had only been a few seconds and despite things being likely clearer it did not seem that the Sin particularly grasped everything that had rushed back into her. As Anastasia pleaded with her to help her find the other six it did, however, seem like the blankness in the green-haired woman’s eyes began to clear and become replaced by something else entirely through.
Despite being a little bit flustered, the young woman looked to Anastasia with the emptiness in her voice replaced by energetic sass. “There’s no reason not to. I certainly don’t enjoy wandering aimlessly with no idea of who I am or what happened. I’m bored of this place anyway.”
There was a pause for a moment as she looked down at the cavern floor before back at Anastasia.
“And it’s not Envy. It’s Kieamiera.”
A big smile crept across Anastasia's lips, revealing her perfect white teeth. The fears and doubts she previously had subsided in that instant, replaced by relief and pure bliss."Kiemiera," she acknowlodged her name with a small nod."Fate has brought us together. I know it," she touched the woman's arm lightly, her touch a gesture of kindness. Anastasia felt more determined than ever. She had found her inner strength. A companion. A new resolve.
"We must find the rest—and soon. The Holy Knights are after us," her facial expression darkened, her eyes drifting back and forth, as if afraid they would show up at any given moment. "First we must leave this forest and find a nearby town to get our bearings," Anastasia said, slowly approaching the small opening she had previously entered the cave from. Without wasting another moment, she got down, giving Kiemiera a sideway glance before positioning herself to leave. "Let's go."
Anastasia wasn't sure how she knew, but a small voice told her fate would lead her next to Sloth. | "I left with the promise to return."
Anastasia (gr. "ανάσταση") meaning "resurrection"; she who will rise again
Heir of the Winslet Kingdom | 17 years of age
Kingdom of Winslet:
King: Rahgard Van Winslet III
Queen: Evangeline Grace Winslet
Heir(s): Anastasia Winslet (missing)
Appearance:
Long beautiful hair which flows past her hips,
dark as obsidian, beautiful as the night.
Look deep into her eyes,
and you will see flecks of green and amber in hazel color.
I tell you, her eyes seem to turn into a darker shade of green
when she looks pensively at the endless sky,
seeming to be clouded in thoughts and emotions I will never hear of.
Thick, dark lashes frame her almond eyes,
drawing attention against the pale surface of her soft skin,
devoid of any scars and ink.
Alas, beautiful and forbidden.
- Missing journal entry by R.J., a secret admirer
Height and Weight:
Anastasia stands at 5'5, with perfect posture and grace. She is small and delicate like a flower, her form showing no signs of experience in training. Soft hands showed the years devoid of any physical labor. She looks light as a feather, but one will never know.
Beauty is only skin-deep:
P E R S O N A L I T Y:
Anastasia's capacity to love and see the good in everyone is both a blessing and curse. She will repay cruelty with kindness and anger with calm. Unable to decipher who to trust and who to be wary of, one would believe that her naivety will best her one day. However, she does not believe this to be a weakness or naive optimism. After all, everyone was born with a good heart, and those who have been corrupted due to the trials of life could be redeemed if only given the chance. Sins. Another word that was of no relevance to her. Those could be forgiven and washed away in the eyes of a good and merciful god.
Don't fool yourself into thinking, however, that her loving and compassionate nature will drive her to lay down her life for you. She believes that her existence is of great importance to the world. Selfish, you say? No. Of course, she is the princess; heir to the throne and future Queen of Winslet. The rightful ruler. Her title is not merely a name, but holds an important role to be played in the games of fate. Life. Sacrifice is nothing but honorable. Die for her, and she will pray for your soul till the end of her days.
Once upon a time:
B A C K G R O U N D:
Run. Don't look back. Live.
The voice rung in her ears as her feet traversed the grounds of the forest. Twigs crunched under her shoes, darkness swallowing her as the sun disappeared over the horizon. The birds went quiet, replaced by the stridulation of the crickets that hid in the tall grasses. Her breathing sped up, determined to win the race against the ferocious beating of her heart. Bathump. Batuhump. Bathump. It seemed to be the only sound she could hear, along with her ragged breathing. How long had she been running? It felt as if she had been running for miles, but one glance over her shoulder told her otherwise. The castle was still in sight. She was close.
Her dress collected dirt and dry leaves as she ran, one foot over the other. It was hard to see through the darkness, but she willed herself to keep moving. The trees swayed, the pale moonlight allowing her to see details of the dark silhouettes. Anastasia didn't know how long she had to continue running, but a small village would let her know when it was time to stop. Her legs gave in. She fell to her knees, grazing her flesh with the sharp branch that lay on the ground. She winced. Even the task of breathing had proven itself to be hard. She allowed herself a moment to catch her breath before picking herself up and running again, this time slow, as the strength of her legs faltered by each passing second.
Her vision dimmed. Her lungs burned. She met the ground once more, but this time, she did not have the strength to get back up. Could this have been her fateful demise? No. It couldn't end here—it wouldn't. She had a kingdom to return to. A kingdom to rule. A kingdom to save. She would not allow her journey to end here. Silly. That was the word. It didn't matter if she had the mental strength and will to keep going, her body could no longer keep up. But a small voice told her it was not the end. She would live and fulfill her purpose. With that in mind, unconsciousness began to take over. A promise to return settled in her mind before it went blank. And there was complete darkness.
You must fight to survive:
W E A P O N:
A dagger forged with silver and gold. A memento; given to her by the Queen before she escaped the castle. The head of an eagle rests itself on the hilt of the dagger.
A B I L I T I E S:
-Hidden- |
50,823 | 1,367 | 4 | 1,123 | 982 | Steel blue eyes panning towards every possible direction, Maria's interest in this snow covered woodland began to diminish. Everything sort of just looked the same; branches layered with snow, fallen trees coated in ice, and the certain patches of grass Maria always found herself slipping on. Seeing the same things over and over again got a bit annoying after a while, especially since she didn't know if she was near the end of this never ending forest or far, far from it. Maria unwillingly assumed the latter.
As of now Maria sat on a sturdy branch of one of the many tall trees in the forest, her back against the trunk and her legs dangling off the branch. Her single motivation that she was keen on completing - something that rarely ever came about - was getting out of this dammed forest. She had been walking this land for days. Or weeks perhaps? Maybe even a month? Had she been looking at this mostly white scenery for so long that it caused her sense of time to wash away?
No, that didn't matter now. What mattered was her getting out of this eerie forest of frost. Time wasn't of much concern anymore; what mattered was the present. Getting a clearer view from above the trees would give her some insight on where she was and how far she was from escaping this icy land. And perhaps seeing the frozen forest from the top of a tree would refresh her mind a little bit. This whole snow covered bark thing was getting old real fast.
The cold had not affected her muscles as much as she expected, but that only gave Maria a speedier escape up the tree with her powerful legs. Originally she wasn't far from the top, so reaching it wouldn't take time. Something like this was no trouble for Maria. It actually came as a surprise to how adept she was at the whole tree climbing thing.
As soon as her head popped up from the branches, a chilly rush of wind tousled her unbrushed hair back into an even more tangled mess. The landscape was as she predicted; like the skeletal snow covered remains of a forest. However, the wind from up there felt crisp from the cold yet somewhat fresh, as if the forest was still in its luscious green state. Closing her eyes, she could almost visualize what she felt in this breeze. When was the last time she felt this at peace?
The moment would be short lived though, as the careless movement of her foot ended up in her tumbling down the tree. As if out of pure instinct, Maria reached for her wooden weapon and fell in between two conveniently placed branches, her bō now caught on top of the bark. With a sigh, Maria stayed suspended in the air, not a hint of discomfort on her face; instead, a rather unimpressed expression.
Soon, the woman would let go. The distance between her and the ground wasn't as big anymore, yet the thud that she heard when she fell to the ground was noticeably loud. Her trusty Stick soon followed.
Maria lay there, still, and unmoving. She recalled the sight of the supposedly desoltae land, and sighed. It was clear from the sheer numbers of trees she saw scattered across for miles that she wouldn't be getting out of this place any time soon. Maybe she would try later. Or tomorrow? It wasn't like there was a time limit for her to get out of this eerie woodland; Maria had all the time in the world. But just thinking about the long walks she would have to take to escape made her drowsy.
Not even the low temperatures could stop Maria from slipping into yet another deep slumber, making her totally unaware of anything and everything going on around her. Well, it wasn't like there was anything across this stretch of frosty trees that could possibly disturb her deep slumber. This eerily silent area of snow had the perfect sleeping atmosphere; there wasn't a thing that would, or could wake up Maria now.
Right? | Name:
Maria Didacus
Age:
Appears to be in her early twenties
Sin:
Sloth
Height:
173cm → 5'8
Weight:
63kg → 134lbs
Hair Colour:
Dark Brown
Eye Colour:
Steel Blue
Gender:
Female
Written Appearance:
Although she's not as tall as the other women of the seven sins, Maria is still able to look down at a few people with her 5'8 build. She's one of the darker members of the seven sins, having an olive tone to her complexion; her thick hair is a simple dark brown, borderline black if not shined in the sunlight. Her eyes may be half open most of the time, but they appear to be a striking steel blue in full view. Her entire body seems to be visibly toned, especially her legs and arms. Maria's not too picky with her clothes – as long as she can move and not die in certain weather conditions, she isn't too bothered about how she looks. What she's always seen wearing are the metal bands on her biceps and her light grey cloak.
Brand Appearance:
On Maria's right bicep is a simplistic outline of a half opened eye. It's concealed by her arm band.
Personality:
Much like the sin she was branded with, Maria seems like a rather aloof and lazy person, and is a person who would rather nap under a clear summer sky than get into perilous conflicts (despite having a tendency to get into them with her attitude). She's always seen with this deadpan expression in most situations, and her slumped shoulders and half opened eyes don't exactly scream 'motivated; even her voice sounds very monotone and nonchalant, which has a tendency to actually bore people when she's bothered to keep up a conversation. Maria tends to speak in a very blunt and casual way, whoever it is to, though she can be quite oblivious to other people's feelings when speaking her mind; something she's prone to doing at any time. When irritated enough, Maria sends whoever is unfortunate enough to piss her off into a flurry of sarcastic and snarky comments. While she's not known to be the most lively of the seven sins, Maria is certainly bold enough to speak truthfully with a sharp tongue that isn't afraid to insult strangers. However, although she can act a bit cold towards strangers and even her closer friends at times, Maria isn't as bad as the Holy Knights claim her to be. Being all welcoming and kindhearted isn't something you see from her upon first meeting, but if you're tolerable enough then maybe she'll warm up a bit. It's even hinted that she has a soft spot (which, she tries to conceal most of the time) for the selfless and overly kind.
Background:
———
Current Story:
The first thing Maria had awoken to was the loud, bustling noises of the towns people. She saw that she had ended up in a dark, rather smelly alleyway which got her to immediately stand up upon realisation. While the thought of not being able to remember anything prior to her awakening was a bit haunting to Maria, she eventually came to the conclusion that worrying about it would only slow her down. She wandered from town to town, forest to forest, alleyway to alleyway, and has been doing so since. Somehow, she has been able to live on hunted animals from the forests and stolen food from the town markets. With barely any money to support herself, Maria continues to walk, resting and sleeping in whatever alleyway that seems clean enough.
Weapon:
'The Stick' is a weapon reminiscent of a Bō. It's surprisingly durable despite (supposedly) being just wood, but not as intimidating as some of the things Maria's peers carry. She often combines her ability with The Stick in combat. It was in Maria's possession when she had awoken, but her memory loss and uncreative mind resulted in her merely referring to her weapon as 'The Stick'.
Ability:
Echoing Wind - With a simple command, Maria can create swirls of wind around herself for defence, or towards enemies in attack, usually using her arms or her weapon to gain better control over them. The strength and size of these whirlwinds depends on Maria's current mental state. If she's emotionally stable, so are her whirlwinds; easy to control and able to sweep opponents off their feet and blow them metres away. If she's saddened or scared, the wind becomes weak and easy to counter. If she's angered, the wind becomes uncontrollable, destructive and unstoppable. Only she has the power to control her ability, and only she has the power to refrain herself from getting riled up and destroying everything in her path. |
50,824 | 1,367 | 5 | 1,027 | 2,965 | In this forest, the tales are no longer tales...
At the conclusion of their meet, The Girl and her new companion found that their journey was no longer arduous. The Flurry Forest guided the visitors on a straight path, leading them to another lost in her wood. Little did they know that she also kept an evil at bay.
A horn tore through the sky above the holy knights and their squads. The sound was a low bellow that shook the trees until blankets of collected snow cracked and tumbled from their boughs.
The horn sounded a second time and moments after were the numerous howls of what one would have prayed to be wolves. The howl had been much deeper and ghostly in sound. The creatures swiftly darted between trees and over fallen logs. They were unhindered in their pursuit of their next meal and were all too familiar with the ways of the wood. The Flurry Forest aided them in their hunt.
The beasts resembled dragons and lions. Their bodies were covered in sturdy blue scales that forever remained cold as ice through any temperature and white mystical fur that would keep anyone who wore it warm through any winter. From their snout to their foreheads was a mountain ridge of bone, bone that could break through the trunks of trees. They were quadrupedal with white eyes shrunk in their ferocity. The beasts were hungry, and there were units of mortal knights waiting to be devoured.
The holy knights would notice their units growing fearful as the forest started to rustle with the swift crunch of snow. Snarls and growls surrounded the platoon in a whirlwind as the beasts moved like shadows in the trees, assessing their meal.
“What are those things!?” a knight shouted, trembling and clinging to his sword and shield.
“The forest has set monsters upon us. I told you this forest was cursed!” another shrieked.
In the distance, standing as large as a lonely mountain was an entity told only in tales. Its white, icy eyes gazed in the direction where its pointed ears heard the excited whines of its pet. It resembled a colossal man. His beard blew in the arctic winds as he stood over the forest. Birds circled the massive horns that protruded like towers from his skull. Adorned in fur and steel and wielding a hammer so large and jagged with numerous ice spikes that it could tenderize a field in one swing, was the fabled Jotun—a creature seen by only few men and women and remained as a bar tale in every tavern…until now. | Grimjet Clermont; The Butcher; Glutton of the Sea; The Pirate King
Appears to be in his 30s
5'10" (varies when he eats)
210 lbs (varies when he eats)
White
Blue
Male
Grimjet has stark-white hair and eyes as blue as the sea. They are his most eye-catching quality—intense and penetrating. The pirate king once wore a leather coat with white, downy fur lining the collar. Belts crisscrossed his hips, and dark trousers rode down his legs into boots. His second eye-catching quality is his body—when he isn’t porking out on food and grog. Grimjet can get pretty huge depending on the size of feast he’s partaking in, which disturbs or fascinates others. He carries with him an Arc that he calls simply, His Knife. Others call it The Butcher’s Knife. It is a suitable weapon for a man with such an insatiable appetite. His body is covered in various scars from his numerous battles on the sea. Who knew Holy Knights could swim? (duh dum tish!)
Grimjet’s brand is on his abdomen just below his navel in the form of a shark circled by an ouroboros. The shark represents his ravenous appetite and the serpent that surrounds it, how endless it is.
Grimjet has many pleasures and he enjoys them all in abundance. He loves good food, good grog, and gorgeous women, and he’s rather shameless in his indulgences. Becoming a pirate was only fitting for him. Grimjet is pretty cocky to the point that he thinks everything is a game. In battle, he tends to be the benefactor, slowly devouring his enemies and their powers until there is nothing left. His capacity for devouring abilities seems nearly endless, but food and drink, well, his body has a limited capacity that he likes to exceed every once and in a while. He claims his actual curse is having such a large appetite and not having a body large enough to compensate for it. He also claims that his gluttony is his strength, which is true, but doesn’t make him number one on the guest list at banquets.
The Sin is rather mischievous and is quite the party-goer. Wherever there’s food or drink, he’ll be there—especially if it’s free. His appetite makes him terrible with money, but that’s why he was a pirate because whenever he ran out, he’d just acquire more loot to spend! Mind you, this was all before the banishing.
--
After Grimjet was banished across the globe by the White God’s power, he landed in the sea and drifted, unconscious for several days, before his body washed up on the shore of Fairy Island. The fairies didn’t take too kindly to foreigners and imprisoned him. Having attempted to execute him in countless ways, they eventually discovered his uncanny ability and learned that leaving him alone was the best execution. Starved and unable to satiate his hunger and thirst, Grimjet succumbed to his own appetite. He supposedly died and was found limbless, having eaten his own arms and legs, which made it impossible for him to escape his confinement. His husk remains on Fairy Island, posted as a warning to all visitors to turn back or they’ll end up the same way.
a massive cleaver that is four-feet long and one foot thick. There are three holes near the end of the blade for draining, and draining is what the Arc weapon specializes in. Each cut on an enemy draws life from his foe and gives it to its wielder. While his enemies grow weaker, Grimjet grows stronger, feasting on their vitality.
Grimjet’s trademark skill. He can eat practically anything like a walking black hole, and he will proudly proclaim that there’s nothing out there that he can’t eat. Using devour, Grimjet can consume enemies, their weapons, and their abilities as nourishment for his body, making him stronger. The size of the enemy doesn’t matter and neither does the amount. There’s only one catch. No enemy will allow themselves to be devoured so easily, which is why it can require tact at times. Using his meat cleaver, the vitae that is hacked from his enemies is devoured until his enemies are too weak to run away. When an enemy is placed into such a vulnerable position, then Grimjet takes advantage of the opportunity. Whatever ability he devours does not become his. This isn't a copy cat move. It just makes him physically stronger and even more eager to be satisfied. |
50,825 | 1,368 | 0 | 1,493 | 102 | New Orleans - February 28th, 2022
6 days, 5 hours, and 45 minutes had passes since the moment a strange force wiped out the majority of Earth's human inhabitants. Equipped with a brand new platinum Rolex wristwatch, which Dom took from one of the stores, he felt that time might be now the only thing of true value left. Even the 20,000$ Rolex itself wasn't worth much now, even though it was something Dom wanted to own ever since he was a kid. But time...time was everything. Luckily, the batteries remained unaffected, and since the stores were full of them, there was no worries that they couldn't keep their watches ticking, and thus losing track of time. In the case of days, however, Dom cared to carry along a diary, where he put the notes for every single day that he spent still breathing on this God's forsaken land. He was very meticulous about it, which was something that no one would really expect from him.
Dom was just sitting on the rooftop of a medium sized two-story mall, enjoying his sixth cigarette in a row, when he spotted a moving figure on a street not too far away. He immediately grabbed his newly owned binoculars in order to get a clearer picture on the strange newcomer. Staring through the lens he managed to distinguish a man accompanied by two dogs, who seemed to be headed exactly toward his mall. Yes, his mall. He was the first one there, and he claimed it by spraying a beware, danger! symbol all over the entrance door. He might appeared a bit nuts, but since the day of his arrival he already managed to make friends with a few people, who stumbled upon his 'fortress'. One of those guys was Rory, who turned out to be quite an eater. That could indeed be a problem, since the food had to be used sparingly, but Dom liked him nontheless, and was glad to keep him around.
The man with two dogs by its side was now getting closer to the front of a mall, and by the looks on his face, he didn't quite understand the point of a skull and crossed bones all over the entrance gates. ''Oy!'' Dom screamed at him from the top of the roof. ''Don't go any further. Identify yourself!'' | Name: Dominick O'Conell
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Appearance:
Background: On the day of the Purge Dom was stuck in the jail cell of the local Police station, being charged with a car theft and an assault on the police officer. Of course, he thought he did nothing wrong. So, he stole someone's car, what's the big deal? The town was full of them, anyway. But while he was sitting on the ground of that stinky old cell, whistling a melody of a song he couldn't remember the name of, the weirdest thing happened. The cell door that had an electronic lock on it suddenely opened, and the station was left in complete darkness. The power was off, along with the emergency power system that's supposed to be working during a blackout. Dom didn't think about it twice, and took the opportunity of breaking out, only to find out that he was completely alone. No officers to be found, hell, no sign of anything brutal going on. Just silence. He bursted out on the streets, and faced what seemed to be a ghost town. No pedestrians, no signs of possible apocalypse... it all looked like everybody just disappeared, and he was the only one left. But why him? And where did all the people go? Was it all just a dream?
He decided to head south, boldly stole a police car (although he couldn't really steal anything if there was no one to steal from), and drove 100 miles to the nearest city, hoping its population of 300.000 people was still the same. However, it was not. The once busy city was now another ghost town. Although, taking free gas and free food at all the gas stations was pretty fun, the feeling of isolation soon began to creep in. He wasn't stupid. And as a street thug and common criminal, he knew that power was always in the numbers. Sure he was more of a lone wolf, when it came to socializing, but being alone in the crowd and being literally the only person left on this world were two completely different things. However, as he continued to roam the empty city of New Orleans, he came across a few others, who seemed to survive whatever happened on the February 22th, 2022. His knowledge of living in the streets, stealing stuff, burglaring, picking the locks, and overall enduring the brutal sides of life soon proved to be exactly what a group of confused and terrified souls needed in order to survive the New World. |
50,826 | 1,368 | 1 | 532 | 638 | Josh was in trouble. He knew when he took it out of the freezer the meat wouldn't last long, so he forced himself and his dogs to eat as much as they could stomach before it rotted. Two days ago it had. Since then all he had to eat was granola bar and a handful of trailmix. He still had some dog food and a rather large rat Lucy had caught, but he was burning a lot of energy lugging around the K9 suit in his rucksack. He needed food and a place to stay. Of course he saw the warning signs in front of the mall, but typically people who set those up were all bark and no bite just trying to scare timid city folk of their land. Both Lucy's and Bishops hackles rose as a man on the roof shouted down at them. It was that guy from the police station! He seemed better of then Josh. "Josh Parker, a hungry and lost guy with two extra mouths to feed! Why don't you let me in so we can get acquainted?" Josh shouted back up. | Name:Rory Lamb
Age:22
Gender:m
Background: Rory had always been a fitness buff, and spent most of his days at the gym. On the day of the purge he was at his local gym doing reps with his buddies. Everything was going just fine until something hit Rory's stomach. He had to use the bathroom, and stat. Shortly after he had found his way to the toilet the power suddenly turned off. He cursed under his breath, this meant he would probably have to go home now, and this was how he spent the last of his time at the gym today, on the toilet. It wasn't long before he noticed for a power outage it was awfully quiet. Usually there would be murmurs, and some women who would give a high pitched squeal. He finished up in the restroom and walked back out into the gym. There was nobody around. He was confused as to what was happening and tried calling out for someone. But no one answered. That's when he stepped outside of the gym and looked around. Nobody.
At this point in time more things had raced through Rory's mind than ever had before. Questions about what was happening and how this would be resolved, where did everyone go, when will the power turn back on. He made his way back to his house that day and on the way realized he may be one of the last few people, if any, on earth. When he reached home there was no power. Immediately he began going through his refrigerator. Eating what may be his last refrigerated meal. Rory didn't know what was going on but there were two things he did know. One was how to survive, and the other was fitness. He knew what his body needed to keep it's shape, and what workouts he could do anywhere to maintain his body. With this information he went out searching for supplies. He grabbed a shopping cart and began hitting up all of the health stores in town to get as much non perishable supplements as possible. He knew food would be scarce unless you harvested it yourself now. All the refrigerated food would go bad and there would be nothing left.
At first Rory stayed close to home, creating meals out of dietary supplements and what canned and other non perishable food items he could find. Using filtered water to make powdered milk, and other powdered and dried foods. He managed to maintain but that's all he did. There was no more forward motion, no more progression. It was time to push forward, try to find someone. Because what was the point in doing all of this if he was the only person left?
After a week of not exploring he decided it was time to explore the city and see if he could find anyone else. As he explored he saw no signs of anyone nearby. Eventually he found his way into a group of people who were hiding out in the mall. Which was a smart idea, they have everything you could ever want. When Rory was first introduced it was speculated as to whether or not they should allow him to join their little group. The question of how much this guy ate arose. Men of his size had larger diets, especially as fit as he is. After talking it over they decided to let him stay because of his physical prowess, on the condition that he doesn't eat all of their food. |
50,827 | 1,368 | 2 | 1,970 | 1,259 | Nevermind. | Nevermind. |
50,828 | 1,368 | 3 | 1,493 | 102 | Dom looked down on him warily. Usually, seeing a member of a police force would send him running, but this were no ordinary circumstances. The guy seemed genuinly desperate, and in need of a more human company, which wasn't at all strange. Dom didn't recognize his face, although it could be very well possible, that Josh had once had something to do with one of his many arrests. Anyway, it would be insensitive to send him away, just because they were once on a opposite side of the law. But Dom still needed to be careful.
''Alright, we can talk. But you will leave your dogs outside for the moment, will ya?'' he shouted back, knowing that these dogs could be quite dangerous if their owner would want them to be. He then moved away from the roof fence, and through the door that led back inside the mall. It took him a while to get to the entrance gate, since he had to first descend to the ground floor, and then continue his way to the front. Since the main door could only open with electricity on, Dom strode toward the emergency exit to the side, which could be locked with the good old key. After unlocking, he opened the door widely, and beckoned Josh to come in. | Name: Dominick O'Conell
Age: 30
Gender: Male
Appearance:
Background: On the day of the Purge Dom was stuck in the jail cell of the local Police station, being charged with a car theft and an assault on the police officer. Of course, he thought he did nothing wrong. So, he stole someone's car, what's the big deal? The town was full of them, anyway. But while he was sitting on the ground of that stinky old cell, whistling a melody of a song he couldn't remember the name of, the weirdest thing happened. The cell door that had an electronic lock on it suddenely opened, and the station was left in complete darkness. The power was off, along with the emergency power system that's supposed to be working during a blackout. Dom didn't think about it twice, and took the opportunity of breaking out, only to find out that he was completely alone. No officers to be found, hell, no sign of anything brutal going on. Just silence. He bursted out on the streets, and faced what seemed to be a ghost town. No pedestrians, no signs of possible apocalypse... it all looked like everybody just disappeared, and he was the only one left. But why him? And where did all the people go? Was it all just a dream?
He decided to head south, boldly stole a police car (although he couldn't really steal anything if there was no one to steal from), and drove 100 miles to the nearest city, hoping its population of 300.000 people was still the same. However, it was not. The once busy city was now another ghost town. Although, taking free gas and free food at all the gas stations was pretty fun, the feeling of isolation soon began to creep in. He wasn't stupid. And as a street thug and common criminal, he knew that power was always in the numbers. Sure he was more of a lone wolf, when it came to socializing, but being alone in the crowd and being literally the only person left on this world were two completely different things. However, as he continued to roam the empty city of New Orleans, he came across a few others, who seemed to survive whatever happened on the February 22th, 2022. His knowledge of living in the streets, stealing stuff, burglaring, picking the locks, and overall enduring the brutal sides of life soon proved to be exactly what a group of confused and terrified souls needed in order to survive the New World. |
50,829 | 1,368 | 4 | 532 | 638 | Even before the purge Josh hated leaving his dogs alone in the open. Though both were very well trained and loyal to each other and him. "Bishop Lucy stay!" He said sternly. As a show of good faith Josh deliberately took out his rifle and and pulled out the magazine. Just because the power was out and everyone was gone didn't mean manners should too. Still the stranger didn't need to know about the bullet in the chamber, manners or no Josh wasn't stupid.
As if he was approaching a hound not used to him he entered the mall.
Once inside he smiled, overreaching his hand he said "Josh. Yourself?" | Name:Rory Lamb
Age:22
Gender:m
Background: Rory had always been a fitness buff, and spent most of his days at the gym. On the day of the purge he was at his local gym doing reps with his buddies. Everything was going just fine until something hit Rory's stomach. He had to use the bathroom, and stat. Shortly after he had found his way to the toilet the power suddenly turned off. He cursed under his breath, this meant he would probably have to go home now, and this was how he spent the last of his time at the gym today, on the toilet. It wasn't long before he noticed for a power outage it was awfully quiet. Usually there would be murmurs, and some women who would give a high pitched squeal. He finished up in the restroom and walked back out into the gym. There was nobody around. He was confused as to what was happening and tried calling out for someone. But no one answered. That's when he stepped outside of the gym and looked around. Nobody.
At this point in time more things had raced through Rory's mind than ever had before. Questions about what was happening and how this would be resolved, where did everyone go, when will the power turn back on. He made his way back to his house that day and on the way realized he may be one of the last few people, if any, on earth. When he reached home there was no power. Immediately he began going through his refrigerator. Eating what may be his last refrigerated meal. Rory didn't know what was going on but there were two things he did know. One was how to survive, and the other was fitness. He knew what his body needed to keep it's shape, and what workouts he could do anywhere to maintain his body. With this information he went out searching for supplies. He grabbed a shopping cart and began hitting up all of the health stores in town to get as much non perishable supplements as possible. He knew food would be scarce unless you harvested it yourself now. All the refrigerated food would go bad and there would be nothing left.
At first Rory stayed close to home, creating meals out of dietary supplements and what canned and other non perishable food items he could find. Using filtered water to make powdered milk, and other powdered and dried foods. He managed to maintain but that's all he did. There was no more forward motion, no more progression. It was time to push forward, try to find someone. Because what was the point in doing all of this if he was the only person left?
After a week of not exploring he decided it was time to explore the city and see if he could find anyone else. As he explored he saw no signs of anyone nearby. Eventually he found his way into a group of people who were hiding out in the mall. Which was a smart idea, they have everything you could ever want. When Rory was first introduced it was speculated as to whether or not they should allow him to join their little group. The question of how much this guy ate arose. Men of his size had larger diets, especially as fit as he is. After talking it over they decided to let him stay because of his physical prowess, on the condition that he doesn't eat all of their food. |
50,830 | 1,369 | 0 | 1,570 | 4,043 | February 1st, 2017
"God damn it!" the man yelled, slamming down his fist.
"This is not McDonald's coffee, I can tell, do you think I was born yesterday?"
The young caretaker they had sent for Samson was shaking in his boots, as the old man let out a harsh chuckle. He liked messing with the boy as life was more often than not lonely and boring besides the souls he kept in the house with them. He had offered them all places to rest and dwell in the home. They didn't have really anywhere else to go after all. Only the other souls could see them, and Samson of course. As the caretaker wrapped up his other duties and went home, a young woman was coming up the sidewalk, a look of worry on her face.
As the woman sat down and talked with Samson for a bit, he grabbed her hand and nodded his head. "It's okay, we will take care of it." she scurried away from the home and got into a car and left as quickly as she came. Samson looked over the folder the woman had given him, filled with photos of her husband, where he went to work, what his connections were.
Eventually Samson would ring a small buzzer alerting that all the souls were to report down into the office area where he would speak to them about the next case. "Good morning." she said as he looked around the room. Most were women of lately, which saddened Samson. He had seen so many people come and go through the Rising Sun that patterns eventually shown themselves. "Some of you are new here, so you know I must go over the protocol as per usual." He laid out the paperwork for them to look at and pass around. "He's been abusing his wife and her daughter for the last few years. He works late nights at the shipyard moving boxes and the like. He's strong and smart so he's not going to die stupidly. You know no one can see you, and people can feel you but a floating weapon is suspicious and it might ultimately come back to me, which we can't have. You have to use your wits, and your team work to make this work." Samson nodded, taking a sip from his coffee as he looked around the room.
"You know we have a five strike penalty here, every task you decline you will deteriorate a little bit more until you are nothing more than a pile of ash." he looked around, fresh new faces, everyone at their highest marks. Each person would have to accept this task, and work together as a team if they wanted to continue on with the day. If they declined they would lose a bit of themselves. Thankfully with most cases of abuse, people agreed without hesitation. | Samson Travis
What do you kids say? Do we have a deal? Let's take some souls.
▾ Name:
Samson Travis
▾ Age:
Eighty Three
▾ Gender:
Male
▾ Sexuality:
Heterosexual
▾ Relationship Status:
Widowed
▾ Piercings, Tattoos, Scars:
No piercings or tattoos. Scar on abdomen from a hernia surgery.
▾ Generous ▾ Stubborn ▾ Timely ▾ Insensitive ▾
▾ Skills:
Organized
People Person
Born Salesman
Completionist
▾ Hometown:
Brooklyn, New York
▾ Living Biography:
Samson and Helen had a love that was strong, steady, and true. The two were young high school sweethearts, and had to be married just as soon as Samson found the money to slip a ring on Helen's finger. Together they found the home that soon became Rising Sun. It was in a disheveled state when they first bought it but together with lots of elbow grease and patience the two made it shine. Year after year they had many students, numbers in the 50's the two worked as a team to make the youth of the time into upstanding citizens.
Raising everyone's children brought thoughts of having their own children. Time after time they tried but they did not conceive. Thinking that they might have something wrong, they took to a specialist. Both were healthy and young enough to have a child, the problem was all in their head. Trying once more, Helen finally became pregnant with her one and only son; Jack. Jack had been a tough pregnancy on Helen, she constantly felt ill, and was rushed to the hospital early with a premature child. As they raised the child up to show both the parents; the face that they saw caused them both to gasp in horror.
Their child was dead.
Tensions in the marriage became high. During this time Rising Sun classes dwindled down to small numbers of less than 20 children to a year. The drop in attendance caused money to be tight, but Helen fought for the school, she wanted to give a life to children that she could not give her own.
Helen's death was hard on Samson. Emotionally and physically he became weak, and his age was not helping him. Classes became smaller and smaller, and he knew that he would have to retire soon. Not wanting to leave the home he helped build from the ground up, he refused to go to a nursing home and brought in a caretaker. Though a bit snippy with one another sometime he cares for the boy and enjoys his company in the lonely over sized house.
Eventually death was in Samson's future, on his death bed he was given a deal. A deal with the grim reaper. The reaper told him that he was to be in charge of souls that just didn't make it over to the other side yet, and he would have to take the job of taking souls to the other side. At first this job was very daunting, it caused many morals to be broken and boundaries to be pushed.
However, after a few years Samson had a group of souls underneath him doing the job for him. He quickly was know as the Soul Taker. Fitting for his initials that he signed off every paper on. People would come to the old school house looking for the man, to kill off unwanted people or help save a suffering soul. Each case would be accepted, so that Samson could live on and keep the house him and his beloved once had. |
50,831 | 1,369 | 1 | 2,690 | 2,085 | Danielle Coventry
Location: Nursing Home
Interacting With: No one
Danielle placidly sat by the window sill, looking outwards as she periodically reached up to feel her face. Her fingers felt cool as they brushed against her sickly pale cheeks, or was that just the air from the AC? But still, despite not being able to feel anything, Danielle shuddered. This was for real, no amount of denial or pinching herself was going to wake her up from this unreal nightmare.
She swore she could still feel the poisonous concoction swirling in her, thrashing against her walls trying to come up but Danielle seemed to be incapable of puking and so the feeling remained as a sort of reminder of her stupidy. Danielle flicked her tired eyes at the old man who sat in that oversized chair right after he scared out another nurse, she groaned and slumped further while staring blankly at that man. Was this really purgatory or was this hell just with a smiley sticker on it? So many questions, so little answers.
Time slipped by Danielle's fingers like quicksilver, hours seemed to whizz by while seconds somehow felt like they dragged on for eternity. Danielle was slowly losing her mind as days went by and nurses scurried in and out. Danielle now spent her time passively looking at the world that went by her, feeling sicker every time she thought of everything she was missing out on. She sighed and slumped further.
Her interest was only ever so slightly piqued when she saw a woman walk in, holding what seemed like a folder. Danielle stared at her with the faintest sensation of curiosity as she whispered to the old man in the chair and then hurried out. Danielle watched her leave with dull lifeless eyes before sitting up, her posture still loose and heavily leaning on the wall.
She only barely stayed focused for long enough to hear some snippets of the briefing, but it basically all just distilled down to "obey or die". Danielle squinted her eyes at the man, almost as if to dare him while she continued to judge every inch of his body, she still had no idea what to think of this man. But nonetheless, Danielle nodded and agreed to the mission. She didn't care enough to rebel, she didn't care enough to ask questions, it was a miracle she cared enough to actually show up. | Danielle Coventry
”Here lies Danielle Coventry, a good friend and a reckless bitch,”
☽⬤☾ Name:
Dazza, Danny, and Lollipop
☽⬤☾ Age:
19
☽⬤☾ Gender:
Female
☽⬤☾ Sexuality:
Straight
☽⬤☾ Relationship Status:
Currently single
☽⬤☾ Piercings, Tattoos, Scars:
Single nose ring and small holes from now removed earrings
☽⬤☾ Persistent ☽⬤☾ Bossy ☽⬤☾ Powerful ☽⬤☾ Shut-in ☽⬤☾
☽⬤☾ Skills:
Botany
Able to identify a plant, know its effects, and what it can be used for
Free-runner
Capable of some parkour due to youthful nature.
Wild
In times of great stress or importance, Danielle gains a small boost in physical and mental capabilities
Adept Learner
Able to pick up skills quickly
☽⬤☾ Hometown:
San Jose, CA
☽⬤☾ Cause of Death:
When someone says they died of poison, images of assassinations, foul play, and dramatic murder come to mind. No one expects that you died because from your own stupidity.
Danielle was always a smart-ish girl, a B/C student all her life, capable of handling herself. But sometimes she does overlook some things, for example, forgetting to look up what minerals and gemstones are poisonous to humans and that kill once ingested. So after dipping what she assumed was a harmless mix of azurite and cinnabar (among other things) into her morning drink turned to disaster once she began vomiting all over the coffee table. She would’ve survived had she had the brains and the calm to call emergency services, but as feverish as she was at the moment, all she could do was pass out and die slowly while stewing in her own filth.
The poison circulated through her quickly and took her swiftly, her body wasn’t discovered until a week later when neighbours complained about a foul order.
☽⬤☾ Years Reborn:
1 year
☽⬤☾ Living Biography:
Danielle’s life was as simple as they get. Simple girl with simple needs in a simple school with simple friends. Her life wasn’t something you could make a documentary out of. She went through life with an apathetic demeanor and tight lips, going with the flow with little to no ambition. However, she was very sensitive and artistic, her cold and uncaring outwards appearance was just a facade to hide the person within her that just wanted to sip coffee and sigh about art. And so she just waded through life, taking the classes she needed to take, talking to the people she had to talk to, all with the goal of getting into college in order to get an office job she’ll hate even though she wanted to write instead.
However, this “eh, whatever attitude started to get to her. She felt as if she was losing control over her life and that nothing really mattered, she wanted something to make her feel as if she was in charge again and that’s how she picked up the craft that eventually lead to her death.
Danielle was never really a superstitious or religious person, and she still wasn’t one after picking up the craft, she burnt basil and made good luck jars in the same way someone would tell an actor to break a leg or throw salt over their shoulder. And she did mostly do it for the aesthetic. She kept her practice secret, fearing ridicule or ostracisation, and just did her thing. This would’ve been fine had she not have accidently thrown poisonous materials into her spiritual works and now look at her, she’s dead. Sorta.
☽⬤☾ Postmortem Biography:
Danielle’s “rebirth” was a very special moment for her.
At first she thought that the major religions were right and that she was going to be sent to hell for mixing lavender and tulips, but after a few moments of not burning in an eternal fire, she assumed she was either in purgatory or a ghost, maybe both.
But the transformation from reckless teen to casper did have a toll on her. She grew bitter and regretful, thinking about all the opportunities she has to miss on now, all the times she didn’t tell her parents she loved them, all that sap had cocooned her into her old apathetic and ever so slightly depressed self again. What was there to live for now? Was being able to watch any movie for free now worth the total isolation? Was the fear of passing into the unknown greater?
All these muddled up thoughts that accumulated into an ever buzzing question of “what now?” Until of course a strange person offered her a deal she couldn’t refuse... |
50,832 | 1,370 | 0 | 1,881 | 771 | A new dawn rose, and Wei Junli rose with it, yawning as he sat up in his bed. With a shake of his head, he tried to clear the grogginess from his eyes as he clambered out of bed, shrugging his nightclothes off as he reached for clothes that his servants had laid out the night before. After getting dressed, he stepped out of his bedroom as a servant entered, bowing before setting his morning meal on a small table, as well as a stack of reports from his generals and spies. Sitting down at the table, Junli began to tuck in to a breakfast of pork buns and smoked duck while reading over reports.
Once he was finished with his meal and halfway through his reports, the same servant came back in to take the meal tray away. As the woman left, a goateed man in blue robes walked in, smiling. To any in the imperial palace, he was recognizable as Zhu Xing: the general in charge of the Emperor's elite vanguard and the Emperor's right-hand man.
"Already beginning the day's work during your morning meal, Your Majesty? Truly praiseworthy of you."
At this, Junli only scoffed, smiling at the man. "Enough with that, Xing. We've been friends and companions since we were children. The mockery routine stopped working when I was a teenager."
"Ah, true enough," Zhu Xing chuckled, sitting down across from Junli at his table. "Any reports of note?"
"None so far," Junli murmured as he took a sip of tea before returning to his paperwork. "Seems as if the situation's remained the same. We still lack naval power, despite pouring considerable resources into rebuilding the navy. Ships are coming out of the yards and sailors are being trained, but they will require time. Time we may not have." He sighed, leaning back into his chair as he rubbed his forehead. "Anywhere we land on the mainland will be heavily against us, and Rokon is already heavily competing against us in trade. I'll need to nip that in the bud first."
"And that will require time to contact mercenaries. It seems you're free for the day, my liege." Xing grinned, rising from his chair. "How about we abscond to the training fields? Unless sitting behind a desk reading reports all day has rendered you slow?"
"Very well," Junli grinned back. "I'm still ahead by five bouts. Let's see if you can even that up today."
___
Later that morning, Junli sat alone in an outdoor bath, relaxing his sore muscles after a dozen bouts of sparring. He glanced around the palace gardens, taking the view in for relaxation. He blinked, and opened his eyes to see a shadow with white eyes simply staring at him.
This was...a Primordial? Junli paused, not knowing what to think. The old legends held that seeing a Primordial was a precursor to dangerous adventure. But Junli had already been through a war. Was this a sign, then? That he was fated to fight against Baelwill? He closed his eyes, shaking his head. That had been his goal ever since he'd turned fifteen. He didn't need some old superstition goading him on. When he opened his eyes again, the Primordial had disappeared. Junli sighed, rising from the bath as he made to dry himself off.
___
During the afternoon, Junli sat in his throne room as he received petitioners from across Shen and beyond. The line into the throne room began to die down as the afternoon went on, and Junli found himself facing a robed man who bowed before him.
"To the esteemed Emperor of Shen, I bring a missive from our Supreme Empress of Ju Ren Kyo, addressed for your eyes only."
Junli raised an eyebrow. The Supreme Empress had a direct message for him? Perhaps she was making the first move against him, then. One of the worst possible outcomes he'd been expecting. But one he'd prepared for. Nonetheless, he opened the letter, curious as to what the child ruler, or more likely her ministers, wished to say to him.
The letter read:
To Junli of the house of Wei, Emperor of Shen,
Your deeds in the past years have not escaped Our attention. Neither have your diminishing tributes to Our court. However, We cannot deny your abilities as both a general and warrior. A brutish, direct confrontation will serve no one's interests.
Instead, We propose a compromise. No doubt you are familiar with the ancient prophecy:
"When the Beasts of a nation scorned fall
those children of ability commanding
will lead the World to true peace
lest the wounded God return to rule forever"
Despite Our best attempts to search for any alternative, you are the only candidate in this land that would fit the prophecy, having the skills to utterly destroy your peer in Jushibaki. And so, We propose that you become Ju Ren Kyo's representative in a new alliance among the nations of the world.
Be warned that should you refuse, We will understand your actions as treasonous and vainglorious plotting against Our imperial throne, and your fellow emperors will be informed accordingly.
Well...that was unexpected. Junli was no fool: the Supreme Empress was very clearly on to him. But she'd backed him into a corner. The empires surrounding Shen were all in political opposition to him, and Rokon alone would be very, very eager to plunder their rival. To say nothing of Jushibaki, who were no doubt eager to avenge their late emperor. Despite how much he'd prepared, Shen would be crushed in open warfare against every nation bordering it at once. He had no choice but to acquiesce to the Supreme Empress's demand.
Junli rose, throwing the letter back at the messenger.
"Inform the Supreme Empress that her loyal servant shall obey her demands." He murmured, dismissing the man before turning to leave the throne room, his face inscrutable. He had much to think about. | Name: Wei Junli
Age: 23
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Nation: Ju Ren Kyo
Position/Status: Emperor of Shen
History: The island empire of Shen lies to the south of the overall territory of Ju Ren Kyo, in the midst of the White Sea. Being separated from the other empires of Ju Ren Kyo by sea, the people and culture of Shen are somewhat different from their northern neighbors, having kept their traditional names from before Baelwill's unification of the land.
As the thirdborn son of the emperor of Shen, Prince Wei Junli was groomed to be a leader of his people and a general in defense of his future domain. He was trained in combat and strategy from a young age, and excelled in his studies of war. As Junli grew into adolescence, he began to understand the injustice of the world he lived in. The land bowed before a distant kingdom, their sovereignty denied from them, the people powerless before Baelwill's arcane might. But during his fifteenth year, resentment began to give way to hope: Baelwill's mightiest weapon was broken, its warriors weakened. His eldest brother, the crown prince, raised an army to join with various other lords from around the world to assault Baelwill, but fell to their defense network and godlike knights as so many others had. When he had gotten over his grief, Junli returned to his training and studies with a vengeance, determined to become strong enough to strike back against Baelwill.
Five years later, at the age of twenty, Junli had become a full-fledged general in service of his empire. The timing was fortuitous as well, given that as Ju Ren Kyo began to stabilize from Baelwill's wane and the rule of a child empress, a few of her subordinate emperors began to display ambitions of their own. The empire of Shen came under assault from one of its eastern neighbors, the Jushibaki Empire, in a war of conquest. Both Junli and his elder brother took their ailing father's place on the battlefield, but only one emerged from it alive. While Junli repelled the enemy from the coasts of Shen itself, his brother fell at sea, his fleet set ablaze by his foes. Enraged at the loss of his brother at the hands of his fellow countrymen, Junli took his own fleet and ransacked the ports of the east for months, blazing a trail of carnage across the Jushibaki Empire's coast. With their foe's navy in shambles, the armies of Shen disembarked on the continent itself, beginning a march to the capital. Junli's armies were assailed several times on the march inland, but they repelled the Jushibaki each time, with the final assault degenerating into a total rout as Junli slew the Jushibaki Emperor himself in personal combat.
His enemy was broken and their walls were vulnerable, but even as Junli and his forces came within sight of the Jushibaki capital, personal tragedy struck him once more. His father had fallen victim to the ravages of time. Wei Junli was now the Emperor of Shen. He had barely come to terms with the realization that he was the crown prince and heir apparent of his empire. And now he was expected to be its leader in full. With a heavy heart, the Shen emperor halted his forces' advance and forged a peace with the Jushibaki Empire, extracting tribute in gold and supplies as concession for being forced into this war. As soon as the terms were sealed, Junli took his army and sailed for home, intent on keeping his domains stable after his empire's change in leadership.
For the next two years, Junli slowly became accustomed to ruling his domains, gaining experience in the art of governing. But all the while, his ambition grew, as did his plans. First and foremost, Baelwill would fall. They were a threat to the world at large, and had been silent for far too long. But his fellow emperors were not to be trusted. Without Baelwill's influence, Ju Ren Kyo's unity would not last. Some empires continued to profess loyalty to Baelwill, binding themselves to the Supreme Empress that carried the blood of their ages-long rulers. Others began to distance themselves from the Supreme Empress's court, plotting against both her and each other, with the Jushibaki having been among their ranks. For the time being, Junli continued to pay at least nominal homage to the Supreme Empress's court in order to avoid provoking anyone. He continued to build up his armies and fleets, but knew that if he were to have the freedom to strike at Baelwill, he would have to keep his fellow emperors pacified for the time being...
Skills and Abilities:
Martial Lord: In the distant past, the warrior-kings of Shen had been known to wield massive guan dao halberds, and this was the inspiration that lead Junli to pursue mastery of said weapon. He has trained since childhood to wield the guan dao, starting with lesser polearms and smaller halberds to hone his abilities until he could finally wield the fabled weapon of his people's legends. The end result was that Junli was capable of wielding a mighty weapon few warriors possessed the strength or skill to master, making him a force to be reckoned with in combat.
The Phoenix's Legacy: While the emperor himself may have no training in the magical arts, great magics flow within his blood. For ages, the line of Wei has claimed that the blood of the phoenix ran within their veins due to their immense endurance and innate command of fire. Wounds that would fell an ordinary man were ignored as they kept fighting. Immolating flames trailed behind their every swing in battle. A blazing aura could erupt at a moment's thought to repel those that surrounded them. If they were not phoenixes, then the scions of Wei were as close as a human could be to one.
Audacious Command: With a campaign's worth of experience behind him and an intense drive to accomplish his goals, Junli cuts a striking figure. He would not be considered beautiful like many nobles of the East, but instead rather ruggedly handsome. His presence and his appearance combine to lend him the charisma of a heroic warrior, inspiring his people to greater heights.
Prosperous Nation: As the gateway into Ju Ren Kyo by sea, the empire of Shen is rich from trade. Mecrundian merchants sell their wares in the ports of Shen, which are then taken by Shen merchants into Ju Ren Kyo proper. Due to this prosperity, Shen boasts about as large of a population as its fellow empires, despite possessing less land overall. |
50,833 | 1,370 | 1 | 763 | 2,548 | Thunder rolled off the high cliffs of the Margrail Barrier, heavy rains splattering against the windows of Kerenza’s bedroom. Occasionally, the panes rattled as a harsh wind swept through the estate, before the howls were overcome by the roar of lightning. And yet, despite the violent weather, the silver-haired duchess woke up not to the storm, but to the sounds of clashing steel and war chants. On her grounds, there were already knights sparring against each other, sharpening their skills in preparation for the day the knights of Baelwill will march out of their gates.
Yes, this truly was the one sound she liked to wake up to the most.
Opening her eyes, Kerenza pulled her bedsheets to the side, rang the bell, and allowed her morning ritual to commence. Three minutes after the bell had rang, a squad of maids stepped into the room, bowing once to the duchess before they began to dress her up. The corset, the dress, the sash, everything that she wore for ‘everyday’ circumstances was piled on top of her, until the weight of cloth almost felt like the weight of chainmail. Finally, a white cloak, embroidered with blue satin, was draped onto one of her chairs, and breakfast was presented.
It was an exhausting frenzy, and something that wasn’t wholly necessary, but as the Duchess of Tarconis, it was her duty to present only the best side of herself, after all. Enjoying the weather and the sight of her men down below, Kerenza chewed on a morsel of lamb meat, before enjoying the aroma of freshly brewed tea.
A moment later, something black seeped into the room.
Mud-like ichor rose from the far end of her bedroom, and before she even laid her teacup down, Kerenza was moving. Spectral blades flew out of her body, striking mere milimeters away from the bulbous flesh of that anomaly. Eyes alit with moonfire, she said, “Cease and de-”
But it was already gone.
Her brows furrowed, before she sat down once more. Breakfast was getting cold, after all, and answers could be sought at a later time.
“A Primordial?” Kerenza repeated, perplexed.
“Yup. A Primordial that had some disgusting timing,” Aewill replied, before sliding over a letter. “You know how Primordials are supposed to be harbringers of a violent, adventurous fate?”
“No,” she replied, “I don’t believe in such legends…and the seal’s broken.”
“Duchess Kerenza Edelwane, with all due respect, maybe it’d be a good idea to expand your knowledge to more…historical and cultural aspects? I mean, Primordials are pretty well known!”
“Knight Aewill Wolfblood, two points. Superstitions are neither historical nor cultural. And the seal’s broken. Why?”
“A broken seal means that the letter has been read already…” The knight casually slid a letter opener under the table, green eyes still affixed onto Kerenza’s.
The duchess sighed. “Your curiousity is awful, really. One day it’ll lead you to snoop about in the chambers of a maiden, and after that...I’d imagine you’d only have brothers from that day forth. But, seeing how you’ve read it, summarize.”
“Yes ma’am!” Aewill cleared his throat, before straightening his back and saying, “Signed by the majority of the Council of Ten, with one of the exclusions being that cow Duke Pinzomel, the letter speaks of the Prophecy, and how they believe that you may be one of the ‘children’ who are mentioned in it, no doubt due to your position and your achievements in re-establishing Tarconis’s knight order. Therefore, they’d like you to be part of an organization of like-minded individuals, leading armies in collaboration to take down Baelwill.”
“Ok. I’ll note that down,” Kerenza said, “Knight Vaneil’s scouting party arrived last night, yes? Aewill, if you could begin with reporting their findings to me?”
As the knight began to speak once more, Kerenza’s hands slid underneath the table. Balling up into fists over her thighs, the duchess forced herself to calm down. How exciting! To be at the forefront of an army composed of the populations of all, in a concentrated effort to wipe out Baelwill!
She could wait, but she definitely didn’t want to!
“Yeah, Kerenza, if you’re not going to listen, I’ll just come back later…”
“No, stay. I fear I may act disgracefully if left to my own devices.” | Kerenza Edelwane
Duchess of Tarconis | Member of the Council of Ten | Leader of the Lorelettonne Knights
22 / Female / Human / Verdigris
History
Patience was the first virtue that Kerenza Edelwane learned. As the young mistress of the grandest Duchy in Verdigris, Tarconis, her parents told her of stories passed down from generation to generation, of a Verdigris that once stood on its own, unbowed to demonic might of Baelwill, and of the prophecy that had been foretold centuries ago. Each story painted a more beautiful image of Verdigris in her mind, and every night, she went to bed, dreaming of the day the tyrant nation would fall. But her own parents sought that same dream, as with her ancestors before her, and she knew that what she had to do wasn’t slay Baelwill, but to continually sharpen the fangs of those who lived at the base of Lorelettonne, so that when the gates to the Empire did open, they were ready.
She did not expect for the incarnation of death, Baelwill’s Star, to explode on her fourtheeth birthday, the magical nova banishing the night.
She did not expect the immortality of the Baelwill knights to be stripped away when an assassin took the life of their divine priestess.
She did not expect the door to the Empire would be opened in her lifespan, not when she spent so much of her early years studying how to become a great Duchess instead of a great warrior.
Two days after the priestess was slain, her parents marched off with the main force of the Lorelettonne Knights, seeking to rightfully end the tyrant nation along with other eager Knight Orders within Verdigris.
They returned to their homeland all but wiped out. The capital defense system was still online, and, despite their efforts and generations of preparation, the army-decimating magics of the Baelwill elite still ensured that not a single foot was laid upon the capital. In what should have been the entire world's celebration, Kerenza found herself an orphan instead, her parents being some of the first to be vaporized by the golden light that spilled from a single knight’s sword.
She allowed herself to mourn for a month. She allowed herself to sulk for two months. She allowed herself to reflect for three months.
And when the sixth month had passed, Kerenza got to work. She trained more diligently than ever. She spent entire days discussing the future of the duchy with her advisors. She overlooked the recruitment and training of the Lorelettonne Knights. She poured in effort fanatically, her hatred towards Baelwill now put onto a personal scale, and the years flew by.
Kerenza grew up, maturing into the silver-haired Duchess of Tarconis, with eyes of moonlight and a sword of spirits. Though her martial ability was lacking, her friends, her knights, her fallen brethren all stood behind her, supporting her rise into prominence.
The gates to the Empire may still be closed, but it mattered not. The path had been paved by her parents, and, if nothing else, Kerenza was patient.
Skills and Abilities:
Presence of a Noble
Kerenza is beautiful, enough to captivate the eyes of others wherever she appears. She is intelligent, sharp-minded after rigorously applying herself to her studies as a child. Kerenza is influential, her position as Duchess of Tarconis giving her the unwanted boon of receiving letters from countless suitors wishing to become part of the Edelwane household. All this gives her the aura of a blue-blooded noble, one that demands the servitude of others merely by being in their presence.
Knight of Arms
Through her personal training, Kerenza has attained aptitude with every standard weapon within the Verdigris military, from swords to axes to polearms to bows to hand-to-hand. Though she is not prodigiously overpowered in any particular area, she can hold her own with anything, and her ability to understand and exploit the strengths and weaknesses of any weapons has allowed her to overcome more skilled opponents time and time again.
Honor to the Nameless
Verdigrisian magic stems from ancestor worship, in which knights embody the legends that their ancestors had claim to, granting them the ability to perform what could only be considered miracles. Kerenza, however, is not merely a knight. She is the Duchess of Tarconis, the domain that lays claim over the highest mountain on Yismel, and her bloodline stretches across centuries, each individual having some reason for fame. She could have worshipped any of them, and obtained some semblance of god-like power.
But instead, Kerenza paid tribute to millions of nameless knights that fought to protect the sanctity of her lands, granting them immortality through remembrance. Spectral knights from ages past rise out from the lands, pledging their loyalty to her and striking down those that choose to oppose her. They share their strength and knowledge with her, and though each, individually, pale in comparison to the heroic legends, they are more than a match when gathered all together.
Her nameless knights can become her weapons, her strength, her army, and with them at her side, Kerenza knows that she never truly has to fight alone. |
50,834 | 1,370 | 2 | 2,798 | 1,688 | Stars shone brightly in the sky when Willow awoke, though from his position the foliage blocked much of the night sky. From deep sleep to fully awake, he woke without any sense of drowsiness. Birdsongs made him aware of the happenings in his surroundings, and he smiled as he pushed himself to his feet. Balanced on a branch some distance from the ground, he glanced around for a few moments and then stepped forward to fall. From branch to branch, he slowed his descent to the forest floor before he patted his attire smooth and slipped through the underbrush to rejoin his pack.
Without any attempt to hide his approach, he could feel hidden eyes watch him return. Pausing for a moment, he looked up at some of the nearby trees before he raised a hand in greeting. He smiled at the lack of any response, dipping his head slightly, before he continued on towards the camp.
A few dying fires illuminated painted the clearing with flickering shadows, and Willow took the time to admire the varied styles of shelter that made up the camp. Yet another reminder of exactly what had been accomplished and those that had been brought together. It took him a moment to pick out a specific tent among the dozens, but after doing so he quickly made his way towards it. People slept soundly for the most part, even with his passing, but his keen ears picked up slight stirrings as some of the early risers began to wake.
Approaching the tent, Willow’s ears twitched as a hand dropped to grasp a piece of wood hooked onto his belt. The other hand rose to brush aside the tent flap and he took in the surroundings as he stepped inside. It wasn’t too odd to find the place empty at this time, but there was something else that made him uneasy… It took him a few moments to finally notice what set him on edge. A pair of white orbs slinked forth from the folds of the tent’s fabric, shadowy vapors wisping around and coalescing into a vaguely humanoid form. Lightning crackled as the piece of wood rapidly reshaped itself into a bow, but the creature had slipped away by the time the string was drawn.
He held the stance for awhile longer before he allowed his magic to fade away with an uneasy sigh… “That was a Primordial,” he murmured to himself as he wandered about the tent, searching for any hint, beyond those of legends, to why the creature had appeared. A sigh of disappointment at the lack of any results, and he resolved to ask Myra about it later. Perhaps the scholar would know more…
Considering their practice chased away the darkness with bright displays of magic, it wasn’t particularly difficult for Willow to find his two acquaintances. He stopped a fair distance away and returned Myra’s nod before waiting in silence for the pair to finish their lesson. Another werefolk stood at the center of the clearing, arcane sigils and glyphs swirling in the air around him. His expression was one of concentration, but it faltered with each of Myra’s motions. A gesture here would cause a glyph to flicker, and a quick swipe all but erased another as the Werefolk tried to salvage the first. The Neodragon examined and broke apart her student’s arrays without any show of effort, and she simply smiled when he finally collapsed to a knee; unable to keep up any further.
“That’s a new record I believe,” she remarked as she strode over and hauled the boy up onto his feet. Still in the midst of catching his breath, the Werefolk could only nod in response as his posture remained unsteady. Sure he would not collapse once more, the Neodragon ruffled his hair briefly to his annoyance before she turned to Willow. “Morning. You’ve received the message?”
Seeing his raised brow, her expression betrayed a hint of exasperation before she shook her head slightly and gestured flippantly at one his pockets. While Willow busied with unfolding the piece of parchment, she turned her attention back to Elliot for a moment. “I’m sure Willow’s wondering how much you’ve learned. Up for a demonstration?” A hesitant look in his direction by the younger Werefolk wasn’t missed, and he paused his reading briefly to look up.
It was hard to tell if his acknowledgement bolstered or shook Elliot’s resolve, as he tensed, but eventually the young mage nodded. Raising the lantern that served as his focus, Eli blew on the flame gently and numerous tendrils lashed out, burning sigils and marks into the air. They shifted and rotated quickly, arranging themselves before the Werefolk, and a few gestures caused them to glow bright with power. A quiet mutter from Eli released the gathered energy in great gouts of flame that bathed the clearing in a sea of flames, the heat and light so intense that Willow had no choice but to turn away.
Shielded from the conflagration, he whistled in admiration as he folded and pocketed the message. “So when did this arrive?”
“One of the Boars came back from town with it,” Myra replied as she worked to contain the damage from Elliot’s display. Layered barriers isolated the heat and destruction and actively smothering the flames now that the show was over with. “You will respond?”
“Don’t really have a choice now do I?” He scoffed as the barriers fell away and a wave of hot air rushed over him. Irritated expression as he squinted aside, Willow walked forward and reached out towards Elliot. Ignoring the younger boy’s flinch, he pat the kid a few times on the head and nodded before he turned to look back at Myra. “Think you’ll be free to accompany me?”
“Perhaps. I’ll send word ahead?” Once he nodded, she stepped past him towards Elliot. With that taken care of, Willow left the two alone as he faded seamlessly back into the treeline and returned to camp. Preparations needed to be made for travel. | Name: Willow
Age: 20
Sex: Male
Race: Werefolk (Jackal)
Nation: Mecrundyr
Position/Status: Wild Warden & Rising Packlord
TL;DR History:
Born to nomadic pack of Werefolk
Six years to circuit the nation, stopping afterwards at their ancestral home to raise and hone Willow’s burgeoning talents
Another circuit around the nation, this time Willow sneaks off into settlements to hang out with pets and their owners
As they return the arcane cannon explodes and the pack hesitates to restart the journey without more information
Scouts eventually report back that Baelwill has withdrawn much of their forces and that other packs are now on the move
Pack eventually continues their nomadic ways, but naturally things become difficult with conflict between other Werefolk and the Mecrundyr population
No one dies or anything, but eventually Willow gets tired of all the conflict and resolves to do something about it
Making contact with one of the powerful merchant families in the nation, he extends the offer of partnership before disappearing back into the night
After subjugating raiders plaguing the area, his offer is accepted and his position as Wild Warden formally announced
Safeguarding all residents of Mecrundyr, he plans to first unite all Werefolk under him or stop the conflict at the least
Skills and Abilities:
Lay of the Land: Whether forest or plain, Willow’s ability to traverse Mecrundyr’s lands are almost without peer. Beyond that it seems that his skill enhances those that work alongside or beneath him. His raiding party was known to sink into the treeline and leave no trace, or move from one plain to another with unnatural swiftness. The land itself seemed to conspire against efforts to track or catch Willow, and he welcomed pursuers with but a grin as a result.
Bountiful Friends: The lay of the land is not Willow’s only blessing though. He can count on wildlife in the environment to heed his call for aid as well. Beyond a passive empathetic link that he can open up to connect with nearby animals, he can also speak words of power to beseech beings for aid and empower them so they may come to his aid. Naturally, he feels kinship with beasts of the canidae family and interacts with them easiest, but he is not limited to only them.
Druidic Marksman: A deceptively simple piece of wood quickly grows and shapes itself into a magnificent bow. A small twig twists and expands into a deadly arrow, sharp and strong enough to pierce worked steel. The string barely twangs even as arrow after arrow is loosed. A bright glow finally illuminates the archer’s hidden position, but the crackling bolt of lightning is blinding as it streaks forth.
Curator of the Pack: While Willow is typically not the sort to engage in open battle, sometimes it cannot be avoided. In such times, Willow reveals his hybrid form and leads the charge to drive back his foes. Clad in gold as he grows several feet in height, spectral hounds swirl and bay at his feet as he rises and draws forth a halberd from the earth. The head crackles with lightning and he strides forth, a spectral pack at his hide. |
50,835 | 1,370 | 3 | 463 | 546 | The sounds of the sea and the cry of the seagulls that accompanied them echoed off the walls of Cynthia’s bedchamber. Brilliant sunlight streamed through the room’s large bay windows, only partially blocked by a lone maid by the window. From the four-poster bed near the sunlit window, a snugly tucked in girl stirred, rustled by the sound of panes being winched open.
Ultimately, she was roused by the absence of curtains, having been pushed aside by the golden-haired maid. Rolling to the edge of the bed to sit up, she yawned, stretching her arms up high. “Good morning Luna,” she yawned once again, a greeting which was copied and reciprocated in return.
Exchanging a wordless glance with her personal maid and childhood friend, she stood up to be dressed. Cynthia drew no pleasure from formal attire, and accordingly dressed herself in sweaters and loose skirts, comfortable clothing suitable for the north’s frigid climes. Having clothed her mistress, the short-haired maid disappeared.
-
Although freshened and clothed, she was yet to have her breakfast tea, and as such, the pattern of her movements as she made for her meal in hallways looked near aimless. Unusual today, the halls were devoid servants, a fact not lost even on the sleepy girl.
As she raised her finger to wipe an eye, a movement on the royal rugs in front her caught her eye. Billowing upwards as if smoke, a shadowed figure rose from the floor, staring without emotion through two white eyes at a now alert girl. She raised a hand as if to cast, but as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. Her eyes narrowed as she searched her surroundings, but found nothing amiss.
The existence and meaning of such a creature appearing where she was wasn’t lost on her. Fully awake, Cynthia pondered the thought as she arrived at her dining room for her morning meal.
-
“You’re awake today.” She was met with sarcastic, but genuine surprise from her maid, who stood at the ready with a silver tray. “And so she is,” said a male voice seated at side of Cynthia’s long table. Slightly lanky and of silver hair, he was Edmund, another merchant and her right-hand man. In a childish manner, she stuck out her tongue and seated herself at the head of the table.
It was indeed rare for her to be fully awake in the morning, and she and everybody else knew it. Regardless, she had little energy to quip back. Setting a white napkin on her lap, she mixed milk into her black tea, taking a sip before she worked on a breakfast of eggs, sausages, and toast. As was customary in her household, after setting down a package of letters and reports, Luna sat down across from Edmund to join the two at the table for their meal.
“So? How did the business with Lord Barentz go?” Placing a cut piece of meat in her mouth, she looked at her silver-haired associate with a single open eye. “I doubt he’s all smiles after Brilliant Alice was lost.” Cynthia was referring to the third merchant ship out of their port lost in a two-week period to the infamous vessel-devouring leviathan. While it was not one of her own, there was heavy pressure on her to deal with the monster. Barentz, an insurer, was one of many.
“He’s demanded more escorts for his clients, as expected. As I’m sure you’re acutely aware, our own position hasn’t changed, so I politely told him to ‘fuck off’, as you will.”
“Good man. But we’re going to have to do something more about this soon—“
Sipping her tea in one hand, she rifled through the stack of letters before she stopped on one with the seal of the Mecrundyr Federation. Pausing, she shot a glance at her maid who dismissively waved it away. “You were going to see it anyway.”
Raising her own eyebrows, Cynthia unceremoniously opened the envelope with her butter knife. Wordlessly, she scanned the pages within as she finished her tea, refilling it before passing it on to her 2nd and her maid.
“The prophecy, is it?” Luna looked up, having read the document. “That’s presumptuous of them…”
“But it makes sense.”
The brown haired merchant glanced between her two subordinates. “Regardless of what you think, this makes the first formal contact by Neerie. Miguild’s signature is clear. Too bad the timing is inopportune.”
Edmund rubbed his chin. “You will accept, then?”
“I think I will.” | Cynthia Cykes
Chief Executive Officer, Northern Mecrundyr Company | Grand Marshal of Cephalon
23 / Female / Human / Mecrundyr
History:
The Thallasocratic Republic of Cephalon is a nation of middling size lying in the Northern regions of Mecrundyr. Water makes up much of its borders; in the north, it is dominated by coastline, and to the south, a great river forms a natural barrier from the region’s other republics. Like several others, it is a combinations of cultures, ruled by a democratically elected council. The seat of power in this nation lies not in its central government, however, but the large trade company headquartered there, which controls the majority of the military in the nation and has the ear of the ruling council.
Cynthia is the face of that company and its absolute overlord. She was, however, not born a noteworthy individual or to a distinguished family, but rather to a poor mage, an alchemist, whose career she followed in her early years.
Her early successes there boosted an unsustainable ego, and her mind began to fill with grand aspirations. Fueled by such and influenced by the grand trade that was ubiquitous to the region, she looked to break her own way in.
Cephalon was as much a meritocracy as it was a republic. Although not necessary true, this was a thought instilled in Cynthia since her youngest years. Accelerating ahead of her own age, she clawed her way to take the mentorship of the proprietor of a fledgling company. Humored by the man, she was taught social skills, money, and most of all: greed. Greed gave fruit to ambition, and ambition gave claim to power. She took after her mentor; Cynthia was a reckless risk-taker that gambled with her money and her life alike. Fortune favored the bold, and lady luck graced her with kindness.
As with countless others across eons, Cynthia grew up in the shadow of the Baelwill empire. Its people reigned with impunity, fed by its deadly triumvirate of aces. She would never have believed that they would lose two of the three. On the death of its shield and the fall of its star, a Grand Alliance of interested parties was formed in Mecrundyr. Forces from influential companies and several of the fourteen nations assembled, hoping to finally put an end to the oppressive force that so dictated their lives. From Cephalon, an allied force marched on Baelwill and a vast armada sailed around north, intent on bombarding the capital.
Few from both forces returned.
While others thronged for opportunity, she thrived from their loss. Her country was left a shell of its former self, many of its young, able-bodied men and women never to return. Her mentor, leading a division himself, was among them. Having stayed within the nation, she discovered that control of the company that she had since worked for had been willed to her; he had no family. During this time, the nation entered a period of economic recession that saw the collapse of many merchants of the old guard.
Cynthia was not a person to wait. She renamed the business to the Northern Mecrundyr Company, quickly moving to take advantage of the postwar environment. Using her newfound assets, she consolidated the business, buying up the liquidated remains of others, and as affairs stabilized, filled the vacuum in power that the failed campaigns had wrought. Slowly, as she grew her shipping empire, attaining ships, men, arms, and the ears of important politicians, her own ambitions blossomed alongside it. As time passed and the company’s international sphere of influence increased, the uncertainty of Baelwill came to the table time and time again. And uncertainty was bad for business.
Skills and Abilities:
The Blue Water Merchant
–
Despite her age, Cynthia is a true blooded merchant through and through. While she has a small frame and a cute demeanor, she is an individual not to be underestimated, easily holding her own in negotiations against organizations, kings, and queens alike. She has total monopolization in Cephalon, and her impact there is second to none. In her short time, her economic sphere of influence already spans across several nations. To enforce and protect her shipping, Cynthia employs a large professional army of soldiers and armed merchantmen at sea. Chartered by Cephalon, it dwarfs and acts as a second branch of its military under her command.
The Mercury Sea
–
Although she ultimately found another path in life, Cynthia never forgot her origins. Cephalonian magic is an amalgamation of many forms; as a field, it is as diverse as its namesake nation. It is almost always necessary for students of Cephalonian academies to specialize, and Cynthia was no exception. She shows a mastery of liquid and waveform magic. Cynthia carries around a vial of metallic liquid that she can transform and manipulate at will to form objects, weapons, and even autonomous entities. |
50,836 | 1,370 | 4 | 832 | 3,725 | Edwyrd rose with the start of a new day, the pleasant sunshine obscured by the clouds that drifted overhead. The young man had half a mind to sleep in a bit, to try and get some more rest after the long night that had just taken place. But he knew that he couldn't do that, if only because there were things that he needed to do now.
Rising from bed, he took a few minutes to do some stretches, hoping that it would wake him up for the day more than he was already. By the time he had finished his employed servant arrived, an older gentleman named Garcia who was very good at what he did, and not only provided useful council but also knew how to be discreet when times called for it.
“Good morning Signior. Breakfast will be ready soon,” Garcia said as he helped Edwyrd shrug into one of his better suits. He had a part to play after all, and it would be a shame to not look as best as he could for the occasion.
Edwyrd nodded, a smile on his face. “Sounds good. Thank you.” With himself ready, he spun in the mirror before exiting the room, heading towards the dining room to have his breakfast. He had a few meetings planned, but for the moment he could enjoy the day.
This day he went to the dining room that was outside, though admittedly there was a roof to avert any rain that might come. He could have eaten inside, but he didn't feel like sequestering himself away from the people. One had to be open to the public, and so he was. Noise drifted in from the rousing city, a street running nearby and buildings surrounding his home. Sure, there was a bit of space, but if some random laborer had wanted to come up and talk to him, they could. That was the point of being a patrician.
Taking a seat at the table, he looked out over the spread that had been prepared, with Garcia standing nearby, and his associate Victor across from him. “Good morning,” he said to the older man with a nod. “Where are Alexio and Felicia?”
“They're busy, but they should be here shortly,” Victor reassured him as he began to eat, only once Edwyrd had begun. It was his right as the head of the household, but to the both of them it was just natural.
Edwyrd nodded, a hum escaping as he sampled the well prepared food. It was only natural that he would have a good cook. How could a man, or elf, operate without a full stomach and the energy to challenge the day? “So, how are things fairing?”
“Good,” Victor reassured him. “There was a bit of a scuffle down in the factory district regarding pay, but it's been resolved for the moment. Profits are within expected margins though.”
Edwyrd frowned to himself, reflecting on that. “Well, money isn't everything. I'll have to take a trip down there, see if there are some grievances that need addressing. Surely we can prevent violence in the future.” That sort of conflict didn't help anyone, and just cast a bad impression of their fair Republic. If he could fix that, then he had an obligation to.
“I'll let them know to expect you,” Victor agreed with a nod, not trying to convince him otherwise at this point.
Before they could go on, a child ran up, younger than Edwyrd himself by a good span. “Signior, signior! I have a letter for you!” The boy waved around his package, paper fluttering in the breeze, though he was quick to hand it over when Edwyrd offered an open hand.
Edwyrd smiled as he took the letter, glancing at it to see the official looking script upon it, and the seal which indicated that it was from the office of the mayor himself. “Ah, Phillipe. Where's your papa? I was looking forward to talking with him.”
That did not dim the young boys energy as he provided an answer. “He's sick Mister Edwyrd. I'm taking his place until he gets better.”
That earned a slight frown as Edwyrd ran a hand through his hair in consideration. “I see” He ruffled through one of his pockets before producing a couple gold coins, handing them over to Phillipe. “Here, take these and tell your father I hope he gets better soon.”
The boy's eyes widened as he took the coins, examining them in the light before quickly pocketing. “I will. Thank you signior!” With that he ran off, leaving the two of them alone for the moment.
Victor chuckled at the departing backside of the boy, waving to him as he left. “He reminds me of you when you were that age,” he noted at the same time. Perhaps true, but it was a time that had long past. Now Edwyrd had to focus on business.
“I'm sure you were the same way,” the elf noted as he looked at the letter. There'd be time to deal with that later. For now, he should finish breakfast.
After breakfast Edwyrd found himself in his office. It used to be his father's office, and it had shelves of manuscripts and scrolls, an old yet spacious desk that was cluttered with various materials, plenty of chairs, a globe, and a window that allowed him to look out onto the city. All in all it was a pretty nice place, as was expected of someone in his status.
But that was not his focus at the moment. Instead, he was looking towards the letter that he had opened before. The contents weren't what he had expected, though the list of people who had signed on was impressive. It seemed as though there was some sort of organization being formed that was directed against Baelwill, and based on the prophecy. Odd and unexpected, but it was an honor to some extent. Even if he didn't believe in prophecies all that much.
Having read it, he left it in place as he turned towards the window. “Hm, what to do,” he muttered to himself. No one could make this decision but him, but he wasn't sure what to do. He wanted to act and make a mark, but he wasn't sure whether he was willing to stake his future on some prophecy that others thought applied to him.
Sighing, he turned away from the window, only to be struck motionless. Standing there in the middle of the room was a shadowy figure with white eyes, matching Edwyrd's eyes as they widened. Shock merged into worry of a sort, wondering just what this meant. He had never expected that this would happen, not in a hundred years.
Then in the blink of an eye it was gone once again, leaving him alone there. Glancing down, he realized that his hands were trembling, without him even realizing. In a daze he moved over to his desk and sat down, gaze fixed on that spot. That....That had been a Primordial. But they were only supposed to appear underground!
Yet he had seen it, and that left him with little choice. If it had shown up now then that meant that this was important. Reaching out to the letter, he looked it over once again. It seemed he didn't have a choice after all. | Name: Edwyrd Oriwarin
Age: 21
Sex: Male
Race: Elvish
Nation: Federation of Mecrundyr
Position/Status: Merchant Prince of the Republic of Tyre
History: Within the constituent Republics of the Federation of Mecrundyr there are certain individuals, families that have extensive connections and economic ties that far surpass those of the average citizens. They are connected by blood and money, either through familial ties or a patrimonial relationship between the heads of those powerfuls families and the people that they helped put into certain positions within the Federations power structure, as well as the economic system. Edwyrd was a member of one of those families.
Edwyrd was the eldest son of an Elvish family, one that had come to the Federation some time ago. They had managed to cement themselves inside the city through the development of capital, and he was raised to take over the business one day, when his father had retired. They had their hands extended through the Republic of Tyre and into several of the Republics beyond, not the strongest of the families but certainly not the weakest of them. They were involved in trade, government, and had their interests well in hand. He was raised well and learned avidly, proving himself to have a bit of a charismatic talent that would serve him well.
Then everything changed. The arcane cannon of Baelwill was destroyed, the arch priestess assassinated, and the people of that land returned home or simply vanished, leaving everyone to wonder what had happened. The winds of change had started to blow, and even Edwyrd could feel that.
Yet in the Federation things stayed the same. There were some murmurings, some calls for people to march and reclaim the world for themselves, but ultimately nothing came of it. There was no profit in war, in rambunctious change and violent conflict, not with the system that had been set up in the past. And ultimately the people were more concerned with the threat of the Werefolk, now more of a concern than ever since Baelwill is not around to keep them suppressed.
Ultimately Edwyrd came to power in a manner that he would not have liked, his father visiting some of his friends when the village was attacked by Werefolk, and he was killed while assisting in the defense. that left Edwyrd to take up leadership of his family, with the connections and influence that that implies. It has not been so easy settling in, but the transition was managed without significant loss, and now he is ready to go on.
Yet he is not content. Young, ambitious, not content with the status quo. Edwyrd plans to rise to the top of the Federation, and to make his mark on the world. Whatever it takes. And if that means striking against Baelwill, then so be it.
Skills and Abilities:
Tongue of Gold - Practically a necessity for any patrician, Edwyrd is very much a 'people person'. He has been trained in the art of conversation and debate, and how to interact with people. Whether it be talking with a rich aristocrat or a common shoemaker on the street, he knows just how to make a friend and leave a mark, which can be very useful when it comes to negotiations and diplomatic meetings. Not perfect, perhaps, but definitely above the norm
Mind of Money - As one would understand by his occupation, Edwyrd has a keen understanding of finances and the working of business, whether it be the operation of a business, the management of trade, government finances, or what have you. It comes down to knowing how the money flows, the right palms to grease to get things moving your way, and in a system where wealth is the true determinator of the influence that you have in society he is essentially geared towards that sort of lifestyle. Something that will probably come to good use in a military campaign.
Melting Pot of the World - The Republic of Tyre is a part of the Federation of Mecrundyr, a nation renowned for trade and its cosmpolitan nature. This means that the Republic is home to a multitude of people and races, from humans to elves and beyond. It is a nation stewing in ideas and beliefs, meaning that it is a very progressive society, even if it is not the most warlike as it could potentially be. Those who are educated, such as Edwyrd himself, have had some significant contact with other beliefs and ideologies, meaning a greater understanding in learning and places to pursue the development of knowledge
Song of the Sellsword - As a Republic that invests heavily in trade and mercantilism, Tyre relies primarily on the usage of mercenary forces when defending itself. While it can mobilize its population for a conflict if need be, it is much more efficient to use the wealth that many of the patricians have available to hire others to fight for them in their conflicts. While previously this may have been against other Republics in the Federation over various trade disputes that have spilled out of control, now it is primarily directed against the Werefolk. Nonetheless, it allows for a readily available source of military force, without the time, effort, and danger involved in training the populace to fight. |
50,837 | 1,371 | 0 | 2,305 | 2,044 | More than a year ago, the entire citizenry of Horizon underwent a mandatory, mysterious scan. A select few had been contacted, and asked to cooperate. In essence they were being drafted, though the assignment had to be voluntary to a certain degree. Once consent had been given however, there was no turning back. To pull out at this stage of a secret military project was treason. It wasn't mandatory, but the volunteers were encouraged to enlist for basic military training and discipline. However, training and discipline were not stressed as there was an unusual desire to preserve the volunteers 'as they are' as much as possible for reasons of compatibility. At any rate, some already came with military or pseudo-military background, and as far as team composition was concerned, the amount of training and discipline was considered, 'enough to get by'.
The day had finally come. Each volunteer, each prospective 'cog' pilot, was ordered to report to the space elevator on Pythagoras, the capital planet of Horizon. The space elevator was in essence, a space station in geosynchronous orbit that was tethered to the surface of the planet by massive cables. Large elevator trains ran up and down the cables, carrying freight and passengers to and from the surface to the orbital platform. The platform itself was organized like a massive airport, a spaceport to be precise. It included a 'residential district' that operated more or less like a hotel, as well as shopping centers, food courts, service kiosks, etc. The arrival and departure gates connected to short-range shuttles that carried freight and passengers to the actual starships that hovered in orbit in the vicinity of the spaceport. Each pilot was ordered to report to departure gate G3 at 0700 hours universal time to catch shuttle 1543, which will take them to the Horizon Defense Fleet Evolution, the carrier designed specifically for housing the products of this particular military project. | Name: Corina Chun
Appearance: A powerfully built muscular woman at 5’10. She has pale white skin and dark black, military cut hair. Corina has hard, jagged facial features, and is often confused to be scowling when she isn’t. Overall, a quite intimidating appearance.
Rarely found wearing anything other than military wear.
Age: 28
Race: Wildtype
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: A strong willed career soldier that rarely lets her emotions get the best of her. Corina has a great respect for authority and power, and is obedient to a fault. When given a command by a superior, her only thoughts are of the strategic and tactical ramifications of the order. Orders in a morally grey area tend to haunt her, though Corina will carry them out anyways. Over the years she’s developed a reputation as one of the best soldiers around.
Away from the battlefield, Corina is not much different. She is often viewed as cold and mechanical. Many find her difficult to talk to, as she rarely lets personal sentiments get in the way of her role as a soldier. However, those that have been by her side in battle typically find that she is somewhat friendlier towards them, and will occasionally go out of her way to help them if they need help.
History: Corina’s grandfather and great-grandfather fought in the Race Wars for the Federation, starting large military family that has served both the Federation and Horizon. Her mother, a soldier following in Corina’s grandfather’s footsteps, and her father, once a small-time politician within the Federation, defected to Horizon once the Quantums ended their period of slavery, along with other members of her family. Corina’s nuclear family was raised entirely in Horizon.
The youngest of four, Corina was the only sibling to follow the family military tradition. The military life suited her, and Corina quickly became an excellent foot soldier. During her time on the ground, Corina was often stationed in unstable areas within Horizon and tasked with containing those rare racially-charged violent conflicts in the nation.
Theme Song:
This.
Cog: Farfalla
Physical Description:
More or less what you see here, except painted in a black and grey digital camo pattern and minus the “wings” on the back. Maybe they could be thrown on later?
Tactical role: All-around Support
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 7
Pilot Skill: 8
Mental Fortitude: 9
Obedience: 10
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Arm-Mounted Multi-Purpose Weapon System, or the AMMP for short. The AMMP has two parts: the left arm, which deals in Mass Weaponry, and the right arm, which utilizes beam technology.
AMMP-L: The left arm has three firing modes. The first is a high caliber, medium ranged heavy rifle that deals a high damage output. A single round could destroy a moderately armored target, but the drawback of the rifle firing mode is that it has an incredibly slow rate of fire, at just 10 rounds per minute. The second firing mode is a small caliber, extremely high rate of fire machine gun, limited by its short range, relatively weak stopping power, and tendency to overheat if fired continuously. The machine gun fires at almost 2500 rounds per minute, achieved by utilizing four separate barrels firing in tandem. The final firing mode is a grenade launcher that operates at medium range. The travel time of the grenade launcher is very long, so enemy movement must be predictable in order to be used effectively. The grenade launcher can fire standard high explosive grenades, smoke grenades, or incendiary grenades.
AMMP-R: The right arm has only two fire modes, similar to the first two of AMMP-L. The first fire mode is a high caliber cannon, similar to the rifle on AMMP-L, except it fires at 15 rounds per minute. The second is a machine gun similar to that on the AMMP-L as well, firing at 1500 rounds per minute and utilizing three different barrels.
Anti-beam Multi-Mech Field: An anti-beam field that can effectively shield up to two mechs in addition to Farfalla, but they must remain at close range. At full power it has negative effects on Farfalla’s firepower and movement speed, but not much.
Missile defense sytem: Launches high intensity flares in an attempt to redirect missiles.
Heavily armored in order to sustain large amounts of damage. Makes Farfalla somewhat slow moving, but used in tandem with the thrusters allows Farfalla to take hits for allies.
High intensity thrusters that can be used in very short bursts.
Wishlist:
AMMP shield attachment: AMMP-L would be able to lay down a front-facing wall of armor, while AMMP-L would be able to deploy a front-facing anti-beam shield that can be used for additional cover.
Farfalla’s wings: While not strictly “wings,” they would be vertical thrusters that allow Farfalla to take to the air and hover for a period of time.
A reaaaally long list of various upgrades made to AMMP and the thrusters and such. |
50,838 | 1,371 | 1 | 2,532 | 122 | Upon receiving the Volunteer request, Arienne RHD calmly sat down, and calmly pondered.
Space warfare. It was one form of combat she had not done yet and the prospect seemed intriging.
But, she loved the feeling of the ground beneath her feet as she sprinted after a fleeing target...
Loved the intensity of staring down a group of armed mercenaries, waiting, daring someone to flinch first...
Loved the intimate feelings of a death fight with crazy yet skilled murderers...
These things and more are what she loved and did as a bounty hunter for the last 13 years in FAS territory.
She wouldn't have these things in a space fighter, or at least it wouldn't feel the same.
...
But she was Horizon. It was time to expand.
She spent the rest of the night camping next to a peaceful river, watching the embers of the first sculpture she made flying off into the sky...
Into space...
After tying up loose ends, responsibilities, and a few more bounties for old times sake, 6 months before the departure date, Arienne returned to her Horizon homeworld and reunited with her father. She spent the 6 months spending quality time with him, catching up with him and with old friends, and downloading general knowledge concerning military structure, procedure and protocol.
1 hour before departure time, Arienne arrives to an empty gate and mingles far away, but close enough to see when anyone shows up.
She probably didn't need to do this, but scoping out the location and the people involved was a habit she found useful as a bounty hunter, and wasn't about to drop anytime soon. She wanted study the people she would work with for the foreseeable future. To size them up.
She calmly pulls up her hood, calmly turns on some tehcno in her head, and calmly waits... | Name: Arienne RHD (pronounced Rahad)
Appearance: Svelt gymnast body at 5'4". She only has synthetic hazelnut skin from the neck up and cornrows like this that only go down to the base of the neck. Everything below the base of her neck is segmented hard-plastic plating with soft plastic covered joints. She has bright aqua eyes that almost seem to glow. Oddly enough, she has the ability to transform her ears away to be replaced with bare skin (don't ask, something about being more streamlined an' shit).
Her bounty hunter outfit (not that she will have many chances to wear this while enlisted) is a mix of these pants and boots and the whole top portion of this sans skull mask. It still has the loose and floppy collar so she can bring it up to cover her face like in the first picture. In her off time she wears stuff like this and this with either stockings or pants. She always has gloves on except in private.
Age: 43. Looks around 25.
Race: Quantum
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: Quiet, cautious/wary, and sometimes stern. Very observant of her surroundings and minor details. Can make conversation, but is usually not very talkative. In fact, she likes to keep awkward/oppressive silences and is amused by some people's discomfort. Doesn't laugh, but you can get her to smile.
Dislikes oppressive people, or those who try to steal/take/destroy the comfort, daily lives, honor, and rights of those without the means to defend and fight back for themselves. Has a great fondness for all forms of natural water and bodies of water and children except quantums who look like children, but have the voice and/or the mind of an adult. She will nope the hell away from that shit.
After a hard or challenging episode/decision in her life, she may burn/destroy one of her sculptures as a way to commemorate and support her progress.
History: Created with a raw Quantum AI by a 2nd-gen soldier who fought in the Race Wars, she was raised with a militaristic lifestyle for the first 30 years of her life. Then, seeking to expand her skills in wilder environments, she traveled to FAS territory and spent the next 13 years as a bounty hunter going after rapists, murderers, pirates, violent mobs/gangs, anyone with a bounty who disturbs the peaceful lives of civilians. It was during this time that she discovered a calming hobby of making sculptures and carvings using her myriad of blades, and the occasional chainsaw. She started doing this to practice and refine her precision and technique, but the act eventually began to take a life of it's own.
Theme Song: This song but she likes listening to techno and funky music. <-- She is quite amused by the ironic subject matter.
Cog: Askalaphos
Physical Description: Basically looks like this and this. Eventually upgrades to have a backpack.
Tactical role: Stealth assassin/scout, Frontline skirmisher/duelist
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 8
Pilot Skill: 9
Mental Fortitude: 10
Obedience: 7
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Beam Claymore: About as long as a cog is tall, this powerful beam saber has a containment field that can barely keep the energy in control. Thus, when the blade is swung, it leaves behind a beam trail that can block bullets and beams.
Hidden twin Katars: located inside forearm casing.
Complex and comprehensive camera system so the cog can see in ALL directions.
Lots and lots of thrusters for high speed and maneuverability.
ECM base Cloaking system: Physically, the Askalaphos is totally visible. But at long-medium to short range, it is completely invisible to cameras and sensors.
Little to no armor and no long range weapons
Wishlist:
Zulfiqar: Looks like this, but double sided and thinner with a modified handle and guard. The length of this blade is 1.5 times the height of a cog and the even more powerful energy is now better contained for a concentrated effect. The solid middle part of the sword is retractable for storage. The intelligent program of the sword will make it so that the beam part of it stays concentrated in the direction of the swing, but releases the energy on the other side for the beam trails to still happen. Downside, there is actually a flat of the blade, so thus if struck there, the blade can shatter.
Tachyon Harp backpack with more thrusters: Allows for subspace hopping for limited range teleportation (BAMF!) and disappearing, and more maneuverability through Dark-Matter surfing.
Large Shoulder pads that are actually hidden arms with normal beam blade nozzles.
Beam boomerangs?? Either that or my cog will eventually get head mounted Vulcans, pesky missiles... |
50,839 | 1,371 | 2 | 2,532 | 122 | A lone shot resonated through the enclosed firing range.
"Two inches high and three left," a male voice muttered, the owner of the voice peering at the paper target through a pair of binoculars.
Corina Chun adjusted her aim appropriately and took another shot.
"Stop hesitating with your trigger pulls, ma'am. You're three inches high this time," the male voice muttered.
"Screw you, Mitch. I don't need firing tips," Corina shot back, pulling her eye away from the scope of the rifle she held to glare at the man next to her.
"I think you meant, 'Thank you, Sergeant Mitchell, where would I be without you?'" he grinned, not moving away from the binoculars. "Take your damn shot."
Corina only grunted in response. She returned to the assault rifle's scope and took the shot without hesitation.
"There you go. Perfect headshot, right between the eyes. Let’s see three more, loose grouping."
Corina took three rapid shots in succession, all landing on the paper target's head. "So I think I killed it."
"That you did, ma'am. You showed that piece of paper who owns this range," Mitch responded, setting the binoculars down on the tray table in front of the pair. "So Lieutenant, tomorrow's the big day. That secret scan and your extra training is finally gonna pull through or something."
Corina shifted nervously. Typically she was well composed and unmoving, but this project she had joined had kept her in the dark for more than a year. Her lines of questioning had all been stopped past two or three levels of authority, and that made Corina uncomfortable. The most she had been told about was that she had participated in a 'cog' scan, and that she'd be piloting one of her own along with a small team of other ‘notable individuals.’ The goals and motives of the project were unclear to Corina, and she did not like that.
Corina recollected herself quickly, straightening her posture and setting the rifle down on the tray table. “You could say that. All I know is that I’m to report to the elevator tomorrow morning. There’s still a lot being kept secret about this project, and you know how I feel about military secrets,” Corina responded, unloading the rifle and switching the safety on. Range safety was menial and boring, but it kept people alive.
“That I do, ma’am. In any case, good luck. Hopefully you don’t need it, but it doesn’t hurt.” The sergeant smirked at Corina before excusing himself, leaving Corina alone in the firing range.
She checked the time; twelve hours until she was to report to gate G3. She reloaded the rifle before her; another half an hour in the range to destress, then she’d still be able to get a decent amount of sleep before she had to get ready to report.
--
Corina arrived at the space elevator exactly an hour before the report time. She had already been awake for three hours, giving her enough time to take a quick cold shower, eat a light breakfast, and take the elevator up to the platform.
As she neared the departure gate on the platform, Corina slowly began to put her guard up. Being military personnel, Corina was allowed to carry a small personal sidearm, but no extra ammunition other than the clip it was loaded with. Anything else she wanted to carry had to be checked into security, not that she packed anything further than her extra set of black and grey military fatigues and a dress uniform. Regardless, she kept her hand close to the holster on her thigh. Just in case.
Corina arrived at the gate, and she couldn’t help but notice the hooded individual lurking a distance away from the gate. They were far enough to be unnoticeable to most, but Corina was trained to spot anything out of the ordinary. She stopped walking momentarily to stare at the hooded figure for several seconds, making clear that she knew of their presence. Corina then continued into the gate, taking a seat. She checked the time; twenty minutes until 0700. | Name: Arienne RHD (pronounced Rahad)
Appearance: Svelt gymnast body at 5'4". She only has synthetic hazelnut skin from the neck up and cornrows like this that only go down to the base of the neck. Everything below the base of her neck is segmented hard-plastic plating with soft plastic covered joints. She has bright aqua eyes that almost seem to glow. Oddly enough, she has the ability to transform her ears away to be replaced with bare skin (don't ask, something about being more streamlined an' shit).
Her bounty hunter outfit (not that she will have many chances to wear this while enlisted) is a mix of these pants and boots and the whole top portion of this sans skull mask. It still has the loose and floppy collar so she can bring it up to cover her face like in the first picture. In her off time she wears stuff like this and this with either stockings or pants. She always has gloves on except in private.
Age: 43. Looks around 25.
Race: Quantum
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: Quiet, cautious/wary, and sometimes stern. Very observant of her surroundings and minor details. Can make conversation, but is usually not very talkative. In fact, she likes to keep awkward/oppressive silences and is amused by some people's discomfort. Doesn't laugh, but you can get her to smile.
Dislikes oppressive people, or those who try to steal/take/destroy the comfort, daily lives, honor, and rights of those without the means to defend and fight back for themselves. Has a great fondness for all forms of natural water and bodies of water and children except quantums who look like children, but have the voice and/or the mind of an adult. She will nope the hell away from that shit.
After a hard or challenging episode/decision in her life, she may burn/destroy one of her sculptures as a way to commemorate and support her progress.
History: Created with a raw Quantum AI by a 2nd-gen soldier who fought in the Race Wars, she was raised with a militaristic lifestyle for the first 30 years of her life. Then, seeking to expand her skills in wilder environments, she traveled to FAS territory and spent the next 13 years as a bounty hunter going after rapists, murderers, pirates, violent mobs/gangs, anyone with a bounty who disturbs the peaceful lives of civilians. It was during this time that she discovered a calming hobby of making sculptures and carvings using her myriad of blades, and the occasional chainsaw. She started doing this to practice and refine her precision and technique, but the act eventually began to take a life of it's own.
Theme Song: This song but she likes listening to techno and funky music. <-- She is quite amused by the ironic subject matter.
Cog: Askalaphos
Physical Description: Basically looks like this and this. Eventually upgrades to have a backpack.
Tactical role: Stealth assassin/scout, Frontline skirmisher/duelist
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 8
Pilot Skill: 9
Mental Fortitude: 10
Obedience: 7
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Beam Claymore: About as long as a cog is tall, this powerful beam saber has a containment field that can barely keep the energy in control. Thus, when the blade is swung, it leaves behind a beam trail that can block bullets and beams.
Hidden twin Katars: located inside forearm casing.
Complex and comprehensive camera system so the cog can see in ALL directions.
Lots and lots of thrusters for high speed and maneuverability.
ECM base Cloaking system: Physically, the Askalaphos is totally visible. But at long-medium to short range, it is completely invisible to cameras and sensors.
Little to no armor and no long range weapons
Wishlist:
Zulfiqar: Looks like this, but double sided and thinner with a modified handle and guard. The length of this blade is 1.5 times the height of a cog and the even more powerful energy is now better contained for a concentrated effect. The solid middle part of the sword is retractable for storage. The intelligent program of the sword will make it so that the beam part of it stays concentrated in the direction of the swing, but releases the energy on the other side for the beam trails to still happen. Downside, there is actually a flat of the blade, so thus if struck there, the blade can shatter.
Tachyon Harp backpack with more thrusters: Allows for subspace hopping for limited range teleportation (BAMF!) and disappearing, and more maneuverability through Dark-Matter surfing.
Large Shoulder pads that are actually hidden arms with normal beam blade nozzles.
Beam boomerangs?? Either that or my cog will eventually get head mounted Vulcans, pesky missiles... |
50,840 | 1,371 | 3 | 2,305 | 2,044 | Pharazon arrived at the gate 15 minutes before departure time and saw Corina. "Lieutenant Chun; Lieutenant Commander Pharazon CXS, pronounced 'Chess'," Pharazon introduced themself. Pharazon was promoted to lieutenant commander when they were appointed to lead the cog team, while all other cog pilots would start at the rank of ensign except those who had official Horizon military history. In Corina's case, since she served in the Planetary Defense Force instead of the Fleet, she was made lieutenant regardless of her prior PDF rank. Although Pharazon felt awkward around humans, Corina had received professional military training, and that was something Pharazon could trust in. Pharazon also failed to notice Arienne. | Name: Corina Chun
Appearance: A powerfully built muscular woman at 5’10. She has pale white skin and dark black, military cut hair. Corina has hard, jagged facial features, and is often confused to be scowling when she isn’t. Overall, a quite intimidating appearance.
Rarely found wearing anything other than military wear.
Age: 28
Race: Wildtype
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: A strong willed career soldier that rarely lets her emotions get the best of her. Corina has a great respect for authority and power, and is obedient to a fault. When given a command by a superior, her only thoughts are of the strategic and tactical ramifications of the order. Orders in a morally grey area tend to haunt her, though Corina will carry them out anyways. Over the years she’s developed a reputation as one of the best soldiers around.
Away from the battlefield, Corina is not much different. She is often viewed as cold and mechanical. Many find her difficult to talk to, as she rarely lets personal sentiments get in the way of her role as a soldier. However, those that have been by her side in battle typically find that she is somewhat friendlier towards them, and will occasionally go out of her way to help them if they need help.
History: Corina’s grandfather and great-grandfather fought in the Race Wars for the Federation, starting large military family that has served both the Federation and Horizon. Her mother, a soldier following in Corina’s grandfather’s footsteps, and her father, once a small-time politician within the Federation, defected to Horizon once the Quantums ended their period of slavery, along with other members of her family. Corina’s nuclear family was raised entirely in Horizon.
The youngest of four, Corina was the only sibling to follow the family military tradition. The military life suited her, and Corina quickly became an excellent foot soldier. During her time on the ground, Corina was often stationed in unstable areas within Horizon and tasked with containing those rare racially-charged violent conflicts in the nation.
Theme Song:
This.
Cog: Farfalla
Physical Description:
More or less what you see here, except painted in a black and grey digital camo pattern and minus the “wings” on the back. Maybe they could be thrown on later?
Tactical role: All-around Support
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 7
Pilot Skill: 8
Mental Fortitude: 9
Obedience: 10
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Arm-Mounted Multi-Purpose Weapon System, or the AMMP for short. The AMMP has two parts: the left arm, which deals in Mass Weaponry, and the right arm, which utilizes beam technology.
AMMP-L: The left arm has three firing modes. The first is a high caliber, medium ranged heavy rifle that deals a high damage output. A single round could destroy a moderately armored target, but the drawback of the rifle firing mode is that it has an incredibly slow rate of fire, at just 10 rounds per minute. The second firing mode is a small caliber, extremely high rate of fire machine gun, limited by its short range, relatively weak stopping power, and tendency to overheat if fired continuously. The machine gun fires at almost 2500 rounds per minute, achieved by utilizing four separate barrels firing in tandem. The final firing mode is a grenade launcher that operates at medium range. The travel time of the grenade launcher is very long, so enemy movement must be predictable in order to be used effectively. The grenade launcher can fire standard high explosive grenades, smoke grenades, or incendiary grenades.
AMMP-R: The right arm has only two fire modes, similar to the first two of AMMP-L. The first fire mode is a high caliber cannon, similar to the rifle on AMMP-L, except it fires at 15 rounds per minute. The second is a machine gun similar to that on the AMMP-L as well, firing at 1500 rounds per minute and utilizing three different barrels.
Anti-beam Multi-Mech Field: An anti-beam field that can effectively shield up to two mechs in addition to Farfalla, but they must remain at close range. At full power it has negative effects on Farfalla’s firepower and movement speed, but not much.
Missile defense sytem: Launches high intensity flares in an attempt to redirect missiles.
Heavily armored in order to sustain large amounts of damage. Makes Farfalla somewhat slow moving, but used in tandem with the thrusters allows Farfalla to take hits for allies.
High intensity thrusters that can be used in very short bursts.
Wishlist:
AMMP shield attachment: AMMP-L would be able to lay down a front-facing wall of armor, while AMMP-L would be able to deploy a front-facing anti-beam shield that can be used for additional cover.
Farfalla’s wings: While not strictly “wings,” they would be vertical thrusters that allow Farfalla to take to the air and hover for a period of time.
A reaaaally long list of various upgrades made to AMMP and the thrusters and such. |
50,841 | 1,371 | 4 | 2,305 | 2,044 | Corina stood at attention and gave a short salute. She subtly straightened her posture; first impressions were key. "Lieutenant Commander. I assume that your knowledge of who I am means you're going to be the CO for this assignment, then?" Corina asked, hoping that she'd finally be able to get the answers she'd been waiting so long for. Like what exactly they'd be doing and what their purpose was. "Also, you know we're being watched? Hooded figure just outside the gate," Corina dropped her voice slightly, nodding towards Arienne's general direction. "I've been military long enough to know when someone's looking suspicious, and they fit the bill." | Name: Corina Chun
Appearance: A powerfully built muscular woman at 5’10. She has pale white skin and dark black, military cut hair. Corina has hard, jagged facial features, and is often confused to be scowling when she isn’t. Overall, a quite intimidating appearance.
Rarely found wearing anything other than military wear.
Age: 28
Race: Wildtype
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: A strong willed career soldier that rarely lets her emotions get the best of her. Corina has a great respect for authority and power, and is obedient to a fault. When given a command by a superior, her only thoughts are of the strategic and tactical ramifications of the order. Orders in a morally grey area tend to haunt her, though Corina will carry them out anyways. Over the years she’s developed a reputation as one of the best soldiers around.
Away from the battlefield, Corina is not much different. She is often viewed as cold and mechanical. Many find her difficult to talk to, as she rarely lets personal sentiments get in the way of her role as a soldier. However, those that have been by her side in battle typically find that she is somewhat friendlier towards them, and will occasionally go out of her way to help them if they need help.
History: Corina’s grandfather and great-grandfather fought in the Race Wars for the Federation, starting large military family that has served both the Federation and Horizon. Her mother, a soldier following in Corina’s grandfather’s footsteps, and her father, once a small-time politician within the Federation, defected to Horizon once the Quantums ended their period of slavery, along with other members of her family. Corina’s nuclear family was raised entirely in Horizon.
The youngest of four, Corina was the only sibling to follow the family military tradition. The military life suited her, and Corina quickly became an excellent foot soldier. During her time on the ground, Corina was often stationed in unstable areas within Horizon and tasked with containing those rare racially-charged violent conflicts in the nation.
Theme Song:
This.
Cog: Farfalla
Physical Description:
More or less what you see here, except painted in a black and grey digital camo pattern and minus the “wings” on the back. Maybe they could be thrown on later?
Tactical role: All-around Support
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 7
Pilot Skill: 8
Mental Fortitude: 9
Obedience: 10
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Arm-Mounted Multi-Purpose Weapon System, or the AMMP for short. The AMMP has two parts: the left arm, which deals in Mass Weaponry, and the right arm, which utilizes beam technology.
AMMP-L: The left arm has three firing modes. The first is a high caliber, medium ranged heavy rifle that deals a high damage output. A single round could destroy a moderately armored target, but the drawback of the rifle firing mode is that it has an incredibly slow rate of fire, at just 10 rounds per minute. The second firing mode is a small caliber, extremely high rate of fire machine gun, limited by its short range, relatively weak stopping power, and tendency to overheat if fired continuously. The machine gun fires at almost 2500 rounds per minute, achieved by utilizing four separate barrels firing in tandem. The final firing mode is a grenade launcher that operates at medium range. The travel time of the grenade launcher is very long, so enemy movement must be predictable in order to be used effectively. The grenade launcher can fire standard high explosive grenades, smoke grenades, or incendiary grenades.
AMMP-R: The right arm has only two fire modes, similar to the first two of AMMP-L. The first fire mode is a high caliber cannon, similar to the rifle on AMMP-L, except it fires at 15 rounds per minute. The second is a machine gun similar to that on the AMMP-L as well, firing at 1500 rounds per minute and utilizing three different barrels.
Anti-beam Multi-Mech Field: An anti-beam field that can effectively shield up to two mechs in addition to Farfalla, but they must remain at close range. At full power it has negative effects on Farfalla’s firepower and movement speed, but not much.
Missile defense sytem: Launches high intensity flares in an attempt to redirect missiles.
Heavily armored in order to sustain large amounts of damage. Makes Farfalla somewhat slow moving, but used in tandem with the thrusters allows Farfalla to take hits for allies.
High intensity thrusters that can be used in very short bursts.
Wishlist:
AMMP shield attachment: AMMP-L would be able to lay down a front-facing wall of armor, while AMMP-L would be able to deploy a front-facing anti-beam shield that can be used for additional cover.
Farfalla’s wings: While not strictly “wings,” they would be vertical thrusters that allow Farfalla to take to the air and hover for a period of time.
A reaaaally long list of various upgrades made to AMMP and the thrusters and such. |
50,842 | 1,371 | 5 | 2,532 | 122 | Arienne walks over and gives another informal salute in a loose and relaxed posture.
Looking at both Pharazon and Corina in turn, she says "Arienne RHD, pronounced 'Rahad', reporting for duty."
Then turning to Corina, "Glad to see a lance mate who is cautious and vigilant" | Name: Arienne RHD (pronounced Rahad)
Appearance: Svelt gymnast body at 5'4". She only has synthetic hazelnut skin from the neck up and cornrows like this that only go down to the base of the neck. Everything below the base of her neck is segmented hard-plastic plating with soft plastic covered joints. She has bright aqua eyes that almost seem to glow. Oddly enough, she has the ability to transform her ears away to be replaced with bare skin (don't ask, something about being more streamlined an' shit).
Her bounty hunter outfit (not that she will have many chances to wear this while enlisted) is a mix of these pants and boots and the whole top portion of this sans skull mask. It still has the loose and floppy collar so she can bring it up to cover her face like in the first picture. In her off time she wears stuff like this and this with either stockings or pants. She always has gloves on except in private.
Age: 43. Looks around 25.
Race: Quantum
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: Quiet, cautious/wary, and sometimes stern. Very observant of her surroundings and minor details. Can make conversation, but is usually not very talkative. In fact, she likes to keep awkward/oppressive silences and is amused by some people's discomfort. Doesn't laugh, but you can get her to smile.
Dislikes oppressive people, or those who try to steal/take/destroy the comfort, daily lives, honor, and rights of those without the means to defend and fight back for themselves. Has a great fondness for all forms of natural water and bodies of water and children except quantums who look like children, but have the voice and/or the mind of an adult. She will nope the hell away from that shit.
After a hard or challenging episode/decision in her life, she may burn/destroy one of her sculptures as a way to commemorate and support her progress.
History: Created with a raw Quantum AI by a 2nd-gen soldier who fought in the Race Wars, she was raised with a militaristic lifestyle for the first 30 years of her life. Then, seeking to expand her skills in wilder environments, she traveled to FAS territory and spent the next 13 years as a bounty hunter going after rapists, murderers, pirates, violent mobs/gangs, anyone with a bounty who disturbs the peaceful lives of civilians. It was during this time that she discovered a calming hobby of making sculptures and carvings using her myriad of blades, and the occasional chainsaw. She started doing this to practice and refine her precision and technique, but the act eventually began to take a life of it's own.
Theme Song: This song but she likes listening to techno and funky music. <-- She is quite amused by the ironic subject matter.
Cog: Askalaphos
Physical Description: Basically looks like this and this. Eventually upgrades to have a backpack.
Tactical role: Stealth assassin/scout, Frontline skirmisher/duelist
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 8
Pilot Skill: 9
Mental Fortitude: 10
Obedience: 7
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Beam Claymore: About as long as a cog is tall, this powerful beam saber has a containment field that can barely keep the energy in control. Thus, when the blade is swung, it leaves behind a beam trail that can block bullets and beams.
Hidden twin Katars: located inside forearm casing.
Complex and comprehensive camera system so the cog can see in ALL directions.
Lots and lots of thrusters for high speed and maneuverability.
ECM base Cloaking system: Physically, the Askalaphos is totally visible. But at long-medium to short range, it is completely invisible to cameras and sensors.
Little to no armor and no long range weapons
Wishlist:
Zulfiqar: Looks like this, but double sided and thinner with a modified handle and guard. The length of this blade is 1.5 times the height of a cog and the even more powerful energy is now better contained for a concentrated effect. The solid middle part of the sword is retractable for storage. The intelligent program of the sword will make it so that the beam part of it stays concentrated in the direction of the swing, but releases the energy on the other side for the beam trails to still happen. Downside, there is actually a flat of the blade, so thus if struck there, the blade can shatter.
Tachyon Harp backpack with more thrusters: Allows for subspace hopping for limited range teleportation (BAMF!) and disappearing, and more maneuverability through Dark-Matter surfing.
Large Shoulder pads that are actually hidden arms with normal beam blade nozzles.
Beam boomerangs?? Either that or my cog will eventually get head mounted Vulcans, pesky missiles... |
50,843 | 1,371 | 6 | 2,628 | 9,851 | Come on, Chie, you've got to meet the others, said her father, with a good-natured smile.
The tiny blonde girl huffed and folded her arms across her slight chest. Of course, she couldn't be allowed to go on her own. Of course. Her father had to escort her. It's not like that was embarrassing or anything... sure, she was ten years old, but she was going to pilot a mecha! A real mecha! Surely that meant she didn't need to go around with one of her parents guiding her, right? Her father sighed, and gently took her by the shoulder to guide her in. Chie could only resist so much, and she grumbled under her breath as she finally came in and started walking.
Chie entered the room first, her father nearly pushing her in by this point. "Hmph... are all these idiots the ones in the project, too? Do I have to talk to them?"
Her father let out another sigh. Chie had been in a sour mood ever since it turned out her father would be escorting her all the way there. She had complained and been threatened with the removal of her new simulator, and finally told that this kind of attitude would possibly make the people in charge reconsider her position as a pilot. That had definitely been enough to make her agree to be escorted by a parent, as annoyed about it as she was.
"You can't talk to them like that," her father admonished, straightening behind her. Chie didn't respond, instead simply turning to look away. If her father wanted to escort her so badly, he could introduce her, too.
"... Fine," he said. "My name is Doctor Richard Alberton, and this is my daughter, Chie. She'll be a part of this team as well."
Chie spoke up, at this point. "The best part."
Her father sighed, feeling like he had been doing so many times this day. "They're qualified for this, just because you're skilled for your age doesn't mean you're better than anyone else."
"Hmph." | Name: Chie Alberton
Appearance: "I don't have time for you, I'm drawing."
Age: 10
Race: Wildtype
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: Chie has a personality that greatly contrasts her small, childish body. She has a tendency to be deeply sarcastic towards others if she decides they deserve to be treated with sarcasm, and she often quietly teases others. She enjoys greatly drawing, and has a deep interest in various kinds of media, including the current equivalent of interactive entertainment(whatever the video games of the future are) and various visual mediums, which she pursues whenever she is able to. Chie often draws or writes about these things, though her writing is significantly more childish then her art. In spite of her thick layer of sarcasm, she does still have the personality of a child and is surprisingly easily frightened and quite fond of sweets. She retains an absolute fascination with Cogs, in fact it could be called an outright adoration for the massive machines.
History: Chie's family has been present in Horizon for a long time at this point, her family being composed of two nationalities originally from Earth. Prior to learning about Cogs, she was fascinated with extremely old(and new) media featuring gigantic fighting robots, both realistic and less so, as well as various advents in technology. Her father, a scientist working on the Cogs, made a rather large breach in protocol and brought her along with him, where she learned about the Cogs and swiftly became obsessed. While he was reprimanded for this, he was able to push for Chie to become one of the pilots, specifically for a heavy, long-ranged Cog.
Theme Song: WIP
Cog: Chie calls it "Boom".
Physical Description: "Weapons systems online..."
Tactical role: Heavy Weapons
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 10
Pilot Skill: 7(Chie is a prodigy who has done far, far too much research into the subject for her age)
Mental Fortitude: 4
Obedience: 5
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List: I'll need to work on this.
"Boom" has a basic folding knife stored in one chest panel. The mecha itself is generally unsuited to close-range combat, but it will do in a pinch.
"Boom" sports a series of cluster missile launchers, contained all along its upper chest section. These missiles can deal a fairly heavy payload, but shields or thick armor can mitigate the damage.
"Boom" has two long-range missile launchers attached to its shoulders, capable of firing highly damaging explosives, more dangerous then the cluster missiles in its chest.
Finally, "Boom" can be equipped with a point-laser rifle or a rocket rifle.
Basic thrusters.
Heavy armor, to make up for fairly light shielding.
Wishlist: This too.
Improved thrusters for rapid movement?
Incorporating heavy laser systems into the built-in weaponry.
Shielding improvements. |
50,844 | 1,371 | 7 | 2,305 | 2,044 | Glad to have you here, Ensign RHD, Pharazon replied, then turned to Chie and her father, "and you as well, Ensign Alberton, Dr. Alberton." Then, to give Chie a sense of who she'll be answering to, Pharazon added, "I'm Lieutenant Commander Pharazon CXS, pronounced, 'Chess', I'll be your commanding officer." Pharazon had said this while placing their hands on their knees and bending forward to speak to Chie in an almost patronizing fashion. Pharazon wasn't really happy with what they considered Dr. Alberton's 'mistake', which Chie's enlistment was a direct result of. Pharazon hoped that this mistake wouldn't end up giving the entire team trouble, though first impressions certainly led Pharazon to believe that it would. What Pharazon was really trying to hide under their disgruntlement of the current situation was their fear of human children: human adults at least had to attempt to maintain a facade of being reasonable and professional, whereas children had no such restriction, making them unpredictable, uncontrollable, and chaotic. | Name: Corina Chun
Appearance: A powerfully built muscular woman at 5’10. She has pale white skin and dark black, military cut hair. Corina has hard, jagged facial features, and is often confused to be scowling when she isn’t. Overall, a quite intimidating appearance.
Rarely found wearing anything other than military wear.
Age: 28
Race: Wildtype
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: A strong willed career soldier that rarely lets her emotions get the best of her. Corina has a great respect for authority and power, and is obedient to a fault. When given a command by a superior, her only thoughts are of the strategic and tactical ramifications of the order. Orders in a morally grey area tend to haunt her, though Corina will carry them out anyways. Over the years she’s developed a reputation as one of the best soldiers around.
Away from the battlefield, Corina is not much different. She is often viewed as cold and mechanical. Many find her difficult to talk to, as she rarely lets personal sentiments get in the way of her role as a soldier. However, those that have been by her side in battle typically find that she is somewhat friendlier towards them, and will occasionally go out of her way to help them if they need help.
History: Corina’s grandfather and great-grandfather fought in the Race Wars for the Federation, starting large military family that has served both the Federation and Horizon. Her mother, a soldier following in Corina’s grandfather’s footsteps, and her father, once a small-time politician within the Federation, defected to Horizon once the Quantums ended their period of slavery, along with other members of her family. Corina’s nuclear family was raised entirely in Horizon.
The youngest of four, Corina was the only sibling to follow the family military tradition. The military life suited her, and Corina quickly became an excellent foot soldier. During her time on the ground, Corina was often stationed in unstable areas within Horizon and tasked with containing those rare racially-charged violent conflicts in the nation.
Theme Song:
This.
Cog: Farfalla
Physical Description:
More or less what you see here, except painted in a black and grey digital camo pattern and minus the “wings” on the back. Maybe they could be thrown on later?
Tactical role: All-around Support
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 7
Pilot Skill: 8
Mental Fortitude: 9
Obedience: 10
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Arm-Mounted Multi-Purpose Weapon System, or the AMMP for short. The AMMP has two parts: the left arm, which deals in Mass Weaponry, and the right arm, which utilizes beam technology.
AMMP-L: The left arm has three firing modes. The first is a high caliber, medium ranged heavy rifle that deals a high damage output. A single round could destroy a moderately armored target, but the drawback of the rifle firing mode is that it has an incredibly slow rate of fire, at just 10 rounds per minute. The second firing mode is a small caliber, extremely high rate of fire machine gun, limited by its short range, relatively weak stopping power, and tendency to overheat if fired continuously. The machine gun fires at almost 2500 rounds per minute, achieved by utilizing four separate barrels firing in tandem. The final firing mode is a grenade launcher that operates at medium range. The travel time of the grenade launcher is very long, so enemy movement must be predictable in order to be used effectively. The grenade launcher can fire standard high explosive grenades, smoke grenades, or incendiary grenades.
AMMP-R: The right arm has only two fire modes, similar to the first two of AMMP-L. The first fire mode is a high caliber cannon, similar to the rifle on AMMP-L, except it fires at 15 rounds per minute. The second is a machine gun similar to that on the AMMP-L as well, firing at 1500 rounds per minute and utilizing three different barrels.
Anti-beam Multi-Mech Field: An anti-beam field that can effectively shield up to two mechs in addition to Farfalla, but they must remain at close range. At full power it has negative effects on Farfalla’s firepower and movement speed, but not much.
Missile defense sytem: Launches high intensity flares in an attempt to redirect missiles.
Heavily armored in order to sustain large amounts of damage. Makes Farfalla somewhat slow moving, but used in tandem with the thrusters allows Farfalla to take hits for allies.
High intensity thrusters that can be used in very short bursts.
Wishlist:
AMMP shield attachment: AMMP-L would be able to lay down a front-facing wall of armor, while AMMP-L would be able to deploy a front-facing anti-beam shield that can be used for additional cover.
Farfalla’s wings: While not strictly “wings,” they would be vertical thrusters that allow Farfalla to take to the air and hover for a period of time.
A reaaaally long list of various upgrades made to AMMP and the thrusters and such. |
50,845 | 1,371 | 8 | 2,305 | 2,044 | Corina had just begun to relax when Chie and Dr. Alberton showed up. The LC and Arienne seemed decent enough, but a child? Children would not be so easy to work with in any scenario, nonetheless in a military setting. It took everything she had to stifle a deep, exasperated breath. Hopefully this assignment wouldn't turn into a long babysitting job.
On that note, I wonder if I can get some more background info on these people, Corina thought, as she eyed this ragtag team of individuals. Based on first impressions, Corina began a mental assessment of the team members thus far. She knew that they'd all be piloting cogs together, so their physical attributes really wouldn't be a problem. Corina marked that off her list.
First off was the LC. If nothing else, Lieutenant Commander Pharazon CXS knew how to keep up the formalities. There had been no slip in their personality thus far, but at the same time, Pharazon was a Quantum. Who really knew what was going on in their heads? In any case, the LC seemed capable enough to lead a team as of this point. Of course it was impossible to come to a definitive conclusion without the stress of battle in front of them, but first impressions were good.
On to the second Quantum, Arienne RHD. The small Quantum had done her best to stay discreet, and in all fairness, she did a damn good job. To Corina, that simultaneously spoke volumes and posed many questions regarding Arienne's line of thinking. Clearly Arienne was one for the shadows, but for what reason? Corina was sure she'd find out soon.
And then there was Chie. Where did Corina even begin? Chie seemed like she could cause all sorts of problems unless somebody kept her in line. And no disrespect to the good Dr. Alberton, but he did not seem very capable of keeping the girl in check. At least, not to match Corina's standards of military discipline. At this point, however, Corina cut her analysis of the girl short. Just thinking about the mess Chie could cause gave Corina a headache. This was a problem for another time.
However, there was one question she wanted to ask, but she wasn't sure whether or not it was the time or place to ask it. She pursed her lip momentarily as she considered the options, and finally opened her mouth to speak. "With all due respect, what exactly are we doing here? Having just been reassigned from the PDF, it would be comforting to know that our mission here is, in fact, more important than my previous one." | Name: Corina Chun
Appearance: A powerfully built muscular woman at 5’10. She has pale white skin and dark black, military cut hair. Corina has hard, jagged facial features, and is often confused to be scowling when she isn’t. Overall, a quite intimidating appearance.
Rarely found wearing anything other than military wear.
Age: 28
Race: Wildtype
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: A strong willed career soldier that rarely lets her emotions get the best of her. Corina has a great respect for authority and power, and is obedient to a fault. When given a command by a superior, her only thoughts are of the strategic and tactical ramifications of the order. Orders in a morally grey area tend to haunt her, though Corina will carry them out anyways. Over the years she’s developed a reputation as one of the best soldiers around.
Away from the battlefield, Corina is not much different. She is often viewed as cold and mechanical. Many find her difficult to talk to, as she rarely lets personal sentiments get in the way of her role as a soldier. However, those that have been by her side in battle typically find that she is somewhat friendlier towards them, and will occasionally go out of her way to help them if they need help.
History: Corina’s grandfather and great-grandfather fought in the Race Wars for the Federation, starting large military family that has served both the Federation and Horizon. Her mother, a soldier following in Corina’s grandfather’s footsteps, and her father, once a small-time politician within the Federation, defected to Horizon once the Quantums ended their period of slavery, along with other members of her family. Corina’s nuclear family was raised entirely in Horizon.
The youngest of four, Corina was the only sibling to follow the family military tradition. The military life suited her, and Corina quickly became an excellent foot soldier. During her time on the ground, Corina was often stationed in unstable areas within Horizon and tasked with containing those rare racially-charged violent conflicts in the nation.
Theme Song:
This.
Cog: Farfalla
Physical Description:
More or less what you see here, except painted in a black and grey digital camo pattern and minus the “wings” on the back. Maybe they could be thrown on later?
Tactical role: All-around Support
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 7
Pilot Skill: 8
Mental Fortitude: 9
Obedience: 10
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Arm-Mounted Multi-Purpose Weapon System, or the AMMP for short. The AMMP has two parts: the left arm, which deals in Mass Weaponry, and the right arm, which utilizes beam technology.
AMMP-L: The left arm has three firing modes. The first is a high caliber, medium ranged heavy rifle that deals a high damage output. A single round could destroy a moderately armored target, but the drawback of the rifle firing mode is that it has an incredibly slow rate of fire, at just 10 rounds per minute. The second firing mode is a small caliber, extremely high rate of fire machine gun, limited by its short range, relatively weak stopping power, and tendency to overheat if fired continuously. The machine gun fires at almost 2500 rounds per minute, achieved by utilizing four separate barrels firing in tandem. The final firing mode is a grenade launcher that operates at medium range. The travel time of the grenade launcher is very long, so enemy movement must be predictable in order to be used effectively. The grenade launcher can fire standard high explosive grenades, smoke grenades, or incendiary grenades.
AMMP-R: The right arm has only two fire modes, similar to the first two of AMMP-L. The first fire mode is a high caliber cannon, similar to the rifle on AMMP-L, except it fires at 15 rounds per minute. The second is a machine gun similar to that on the AMMP-L as well, firing at 1500 rounds per minute and utilizing three different barrels.
Anti-beam Multi-Mech Field: An anti-beam field that can effectively shield up to two mechs in addition to Farfalla, but they must remain at close range. At full power it has negative effects on Farfalla’s firepower and movement speed, but not much.
Missile defense sytem: Launches high intensity flares in an attempt to redirect missiles.
Heavily armored in order to sustain large amounts of damage. Makes Farfalla somewhat slow moving, but used in tandem with the thrusters allows Farfalla to take hits for allies.
High intensity thrusters that can be used in very short bursts.
Wishlist:
AMMP shield attachment: AMMP-L would be able to lay down a front-facing wall of armor, while AMMP-L would be able to deploy a front-facing anti-beam shield that can be used for additional cover.
Farfalla’s wings: While not strictly “wings,” they would be vertical thrusters that allow Farfalla to take to the air and hover for a period of time.
A reaaaally long list of various upgrades made to AMMP and the thrusters and such. |
50,846 | 1,371 | 9 | 2,532 | 122 | Upon hearing Pharazon's answer to Corina, Arienne finally frowned.
At the mention of strike craft, she remembered her original misgivings about joining this project in the first place.
'I'm going to be piloting a fancy plane' she thought to herself. That just didn't feel right.
Her training and skill set are in close quarters and hand to hand combat. Sure she can aim a pistol really well, but she wanted something more... personal, more intimate.
With a sigh, she pushed her doubts away. Might as well give final judgement after she had seen these 'cogs'. She had other things to worry about right now.
In Arienne's eyes, Chie Alberton was an adorable girl. She liked children with attitude and thought the little bit she'd seen of Chie's was endearing. But Arienne had never had to work with such an attitude on a professional level. And even then, why was a child part of a military project? Arienne loathed the thought of a child getting put into dangerous situations, but this was assuaged by 2 things:
They were gonna be test pilots, so shouldn't see actual combat (this fact also annoyed Arienne). Chie, for the most part, should be safe.
Chie must have gone through the tests so she must be qualified for the job. She probably had the skills and aptitude needed so that the Horizon government would be even willing to recruit a young child in the first place. On this point, Arienne didn't know whether to be impressed or disturbed.
Having sat down in the row in front of Chie, she turned around with a small but sincere smile on her face, piercingly searching blue eyes, and asked Chie in a quiet voice,
"Ms. Chie Alberton, if you'd be so kind as to answer this question. I wanted to know, are you here by your own choice or are you in any way being forced into this?" | Name: Arienne RHD (pronounced Rahad)
Appearance: Svelt gymnast body at 5'4". She only has synthetic hazelnut skin from the neck up and cornrows like this that only go down to the base of the neck. Everything below the base of her neck is segmented hard-plastic plating with soft plastic covered joints. She has bright aqua eyes that almost seem to glow. Oddly enough, she has the ability to transform her ears away to be replaced with bare skin (don't ask, something about being more streamlined an' shit).
Her bounty hunter outfit (not that she will have many chances to wear this while enlisted) is a mix of these pants and boots and the whole top portion of this sans skull mask. It still has the loose and floppy collar so she can bring it up to cover her face like in the first picture. In her off time she wears stuff like this and this with either stockings or pants. She always has gloves on except in private.
Age: 43. Looks around 25.
Race: Quantum
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: Quiet, cautious/wary, and sometimes stern. Very observant of her surroundings and minor details. Can make conversation, but is usually not very talkative. In fact, she likes to keep awkward/oppressive silences and is amused by some people's discomfort. Doesn't laugh, but you can get her to smile.
Dislikes oppressive people, or those who try to steal/take/destroy the comfort, daily lives, honor, and rights of those without the means to defend and fight back for themselves. Has a great fondness for all forms of natural water and bodies of water and children except quantums who look like children, but have the voice and/or the mind of an adult. She will nope the hell away from that shit.
After a hard or challenging episode/decision in her life, she may burn/destroy one of her sculptures as a way to commemorate and support her progress.
History: Created with a raw Quantum AI by a 2nd-gen soldier who fought in the Race Wars, she was raised with a militaristic lifestyle for the first 30 years of her life. Then, seeking to expand her skills in wilder environments, she traveled to FAS territory and spent the next 13 years as a bounty hunter going after rapists, murderers, pirates, violent mobs/gangs, anyone with a bounty who disturbs the peaceful lives of civilians. It was during this time that she discovered a calming hobby of making sculptures and carvings using her myriad of blades, and the occasional chainsaw. She started doing this to practice and refine her precision and technique, but the act eventually began to take a life of it's own.
Theme Song: This song but she likes listening to techno and funky music. <-- She is quite amused by the ironic subject matter.
Cog: Askalaphos
Physical Description: Basically looks like this and this. Eventually upgrades to have a backpack.
Tactical role: Stealth assassin/scout, Frontline skirmisher/duelist
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 8
Pilot Skill: 9
Mental Fortitude: 10
Obedience: 7
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Beam Claymore: About as long as a cog is tall, this powerful beam saber has a containment field that can barely keep the energy in control. Thus, when the blade is swung, it leaves behind a beam trail that can block bullets and beams.
Hidden twin Katars: located inside forearm casing.
Complex and comprehensive camera system so the cog can see in ALL directions.
Lots and lots of thrusters for high speed and maneuverability.
ECM base Cloaking system: Physically, the Askalaphos is totally visible. But at long-medium to short range, it is completely invisible to cameras and sensors.
Little to no armor and no long range weapons
Wishlist:
Zulfiqar: Looks like this, but double sided and thinner with a modified handle and guard. The length of this blade is 1.5 times the height of a cog and the even more powerful energy is now better contained for a concentrated effect. The solid middle part of the sword is retractable for storage. The intelligent program of the sword will make it so that the beam part of it stays concentrated in the direction of the swing, but releases the energy on the other side for the beam trails to still happen. Downside, there is actually a flat of the blade, so thus if struck there, the blade can shatter.
Tachyon Harp backpack with more thrusters: Allows for subspace hopping for limited range teleportation (BAMF!) and disappearing, and more maneuverability through Dark-Matter surfing.
Large Shoulder pads that are actually hidden arms with normal beam blade nozzles.
Beam boomerangs?? Either that or my cog will eventually get head mounted Vulcans, pesky missiles... |
50,847 | 1,371 | 10 | 2,628 | 9,851 | Chie narrowed her eyes at her 'commanding officer'. Folding her arms across her chest, she let out a huff and turned away, shutting her eyes as she did. Bending down like that... she was a pilot, so didn't she deserve to be treated just like all the others? She didn't need someone acting all... all... patronizing like that! She was irritable the whole way onto the shuttle. She sat with her arms still folded across her chest, looking firmly to the side and away from all her fellow team members... at least until one of them spoke to her. And she was talking to her normally! Hah!
... Even if the question was kind of weird. Still, given the chance to talk about how she was here, the blonde little girl couldn't help but give a cheerful and incredibly smug smile in response to the question that had been asked of her.
"Of course I'm here of my own choice!" she said, unfolding her arms to place her palms on either side of her hips where she sat, kicking her feet slightly. "Do you think I'd have to be forced to do something like this?"
Her smile shifted, becoming a rather sarcastic expression as she cast a sideways glance at the other team members. "Maybe they're dumb enough to think that..." | Name: Chie Alberton
Appearance: "I don't have time for you, I'm drawing."
Age: 10
Race: Wildtype
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: Chie has a personality that greatly contrasts her small, childish body. She has a tendency to be deeply sarcastic towards others if she decides they deserve to be treated with sarcasm, and she often quietly teases others. She enjoys greatly drawing, and has a deep interest in various kinds of media, including the current equivalent of interactive entertainment(whatever the video games of the future are) and various visual mediums, which she pursues whenever she is able to. Chie often draws or writes about these things, though her writing is significantly more childish then her art. In spite of her thick layer of sarcasm, she does still have the personality of a child and is surprisingly easily frightened and quite fond of sweets. She retains an absolute fascination with Cogs, in fact it could be called an outright adoration for the massive machines.
History: Chie's family has been present in Horizon for a long time at this point, her family being composed of two nationalities originally from Earth. Prior to learning about Cogs, she was fascinated with extremely old(and new) media featuring gigantic fighting robots, both realistic and less so, as well as various advents in technology. Her father, a scientist working on the Cogs, made a rather large breach in protocol and brought her along with him, where she learned about the Cogs and swiftly became obsessed. While he was reprimanded for this, he was able to push for Chie to become one of the pilots, specifically for a heavy, long-ranged Cog.
Theme Song: WIP
Cog: Chie calls it "Boom".
Physical Description: "Weapons systems online..."
Tactical role: Heavy Weapons
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 10
Pilot Skill: 7(Chie is a prodigy who has done far, far too much research into the subject for her age)
Mental Fortitude: 4
Obedience: 5
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List: I'll need to work on this.
"Boom" has a basic folding knife stored in one chest panel. The mecha itself is generally unsuited to close-range combat, but it will do in a pinch.
"Boom" sports a series of cluster missile launchers, contained all along its upper chest section. These missiles can deal a fairly heavy payload, but shields or thick armor can mitigate the damage.
"Boom" has two long-range missile launchers attached to its shoulders, capable of firing highly damaging explosives, more dangerous then the cluster missiles in its chest.
Finally, "Boom" can be equipped with a point-laser rifle or a rocket rifle.
Basic thrusters.
Heavy armor, to make up for fairly light shielding.
Wishlist: This too.
Improved thrusters for rapid movement?
Incorporating heavy laser systems into the built-in weaponry.
Shielding improvements. |
50,848 | 1,371 | 11 | 2,532 | 122 | Arienne gives Chie a bigger, relieved smile. She says to Chie "That's good then. I look forward to flying with you lance mate." before turning back around.
Settling in her chair, Arienne decides to push the rest of her worries away for now. 'Wait. Watch. Act.' she told herself.
Arienne decided not to turn on her music and kept an ear out for whatever tidbit she could hear. | Name: Arienne RHD (pronounced Rahad)
Appearance: Svelt gymnast body at 5'4". She only has synthetic hazelnut skin from the neck up and cornrows like this that only go down to the base of the neck. Everything below the base of her neck is segmented hard-plastic plating with soft plastic covered joints. She has bright aqua eyes that almost seem to glow. Oddly enough, she has the ability to transform her ears away to be replaced with bare skin (don't ask, something about being more streamlined an' shit).
Her bounty hunter outfit (not that she will have many chances to wear this while enlisted) is a mix of these pants and boots and the whole top portion of this sans skull mask. It still has the loose and floppy collar so she can bring it up to cover her face like in the first picture. In her off time she wears stuff like this and this with either stockings or pants. She always has gloves on except in private.
Age: 43. Looks around 25.
Race: Quantum
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: Quiet, cautious/wary, and sometimes stern. Very observant of her surroundings and minor details. Can make conversation, but is usually not very talkative. In fact, she likes to keep awkward/oppressive silences and is amused by some people's discomfort. Doesn't laugh, but you can get her to smile.
Dislikes oppressive people, or those who try to steal/take/destroy the comfort, daily lives, honor, and rights of those without the means to defend and fight back for themselves. Has a great fondness for all forms of natural water and bodies of water and children except quantums who look like children, but have the voice and/or the mind of an adult. She will nope the hell away from that shit.
After a hard or challenging episode/decision in her life, she may burn/destroy one of her sculptures as a way to commemorate and support her progress.
History: Created with a raw Quantum AI by a 2nd-gen soldier who fought in the Race Wars, she was raised with a militaristic lifestyle for the first 30 years of her life. Then, seeking to expand her skills in wilder environments, she traveled to FAS territory and spent the next 13 years as a bounty hunter going after rapists, murderers, pirates, violent mobs/gangs, anyone with a bounty who disturbs the peaceful lives of civilians. It was during this time that she discovered a calming hobby of making sculptures and carvings using her myriad of blades, and the occasional chainsaw. She started doing this to practice and refine her precision and technique, but the act eventually began to take a life of it's own.
Theme Song: This song but she likes listening to techno and funky music. <-- She is quite amused by the ironic subject matter.
Cog: Askalaphos
Physical Description: Basically looks like this and this. Eventually upgrades to have a backpack.
Tactical role: Stealth assassin/scout, Frontline skirmisher/duelist
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 8
Pilot Skill: 9
Mental Fortitude: 10
Obedience: 7
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Beam Claymore: About as long as a cog is tall, this powerful beam saber has a containment field that can barely keep the energy in control. Thus, when the blade is swung, it leaves behind a beam trail that can block bullets and beams.
Hidden twin Katars: located inside forearm casing.
Complex and comprehensive camera system so the cog can see in ALL directions.
Lots and lots of thrusters for high speed and maneuverability.
ECM base Cloaking system: Physically, the Askalaphos is totally visible. But at long-medium to short range, it is completely invisible to cameras and sensors.
Little to no armor and no long range weapons
Wishlist:
Zulfiqar: Looks like this, but double sided and thinner with a modified handle and guard. The length of this blade is 1.5 times the height of a cog and the even more powerful energy is now better contained for a concentrated effect. The solid middle part of the sword is retractable for storage. The intelligent program of the sword will make it so that the beam part of it stays concentrated in the direction of the swing, but releases the energy on the other side for the beam trails to still happen. Downside, there is actually a flat of the blade, so thus if struck there, the blade can shatter.
Tachyon Harp backpack with more thrusters: Allows for subspace hopping for limited range teleportation (BAMF!) and disappearing, and more maneuverability through Dark-Matter surfing.
Large Shoulder pads that are actually hidden arms with normal beam blade nozzles.
Beam boomerangs?? Either that or my cog will eventually get head mounted Vulcans, pesky missiles... |
50,849 | 1,371 | 12 | 2,305 | 2,044 | Corina gave a short, affirmative nod. "Understood, sir. I look forward to this assignment," she added, as if to reinforce that she did, in fact, appreciate the gravity of this detail. After all, Corina didn't want to come off as if she felt she was above this kind of an assignment. She went where she was most needed, and it sounded like that that place was here.
However, she was not without her doubts. Corina was a foot soldier, after all; piloting ships was never her forte. Of course, Pharazon made clear that they weren't just piloting ships; whatever they would be piloting was just as effective as a surface weapon as it was a strikecraft. That was slightly reassuring, but still, there was a reason Corina was assigned to an infantry unit and not the cavalry.
If Chie's remarks had any effect on Corina, she didn't show it. She maintained her stoic, rigid composure - not out of any active desire to appear composed, but as a result of years of military training and discipline. This was going to be an interesting assignment. Out of the corner of her eye, Corina noticed Arienne getting notably more comfortable than herself; the woman seemed fairly relaxed and easy-going, and while Corina could not understand that kind of behavior, she certainly respected it. | Name: Corina Chun
Appearance: A powerfully built muscular woman at 5’10. She has pale white skin and dark black, military cut hair. Corina has hard, jagged facial features, and is often confused to be scowling when she isn’t. Overall, a quite intimidating appearance.
Rarely found wearing anything other than military wear.
Age: 28
Race: Wildtype
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: A strong willed career soldier that rarely lets her emotions get the best of her. Corina has a great respect for authority and power, and is obedient to a fault. When given a command by a superior, her only thoughts are of the strategic and tactical ramifications of the order. Orders in a morally grey area tend to haunt her, though Corina will carry them out anyways. Over the years she’s developed a reputation as one of the best soldiers around.
Away from the battlefield, Corina is not much different. She is often viewed as cold and mechanical. Many find her difficult to talk to, as she rarely lets personal sentiments get in the way of her role as a soldier. However, those that have been by her side in battle typically find that she is somewhat friendlier towards them, and will occasionally go out of her way to help them if they need help.
History: Corina’s grandfather and great-grandfather fought in the Race Wars for the Federation, starting large military family that has served both the Federation and Horizon. Her mother, a soldier following in Corina’s grandfather’s footsteps, and her father, once a small-time politician within the Federation, defected to Horizon once the Quantums ended their period of slavery, along with other members of her family. Corina’s nuclear family was raised entirely in Horizon.
The youngest of four, Corina was the only sibling to follow the family military tradition. The military life suited her, and Corina quickly became an excellent foot soldier. During her time on the ground, Corina was often stationed in unstable areas within Horizon and tasked with containing those rare racially-charged violent conflicts in the nation.
Theme Song:
This.
Cog: Farfalla
Physical Description:
More or less what you see here, except painted in a black and grey digital camo pattern and minus the “wings” on the back. Maybe they could be thrown on later?
Tactical role: All-around Support
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 7
Pilot Skill: 8
Mental Fortitude: 9
Obedience: 10
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Arm-Mounted Multi-Purpose Weapon System, or the AMMP for short. The AMMP has two parts: the left arm, which deals in Mass Weaponry, and the right arm, which utilizes beam technology.
AMMP-L: The left arm has three firing modes. The first is a high caliber, medium ranged heavy rifle that deals a high damage output. A single round could destroy a moderately armored target, but the drawback of the rifle firing mode is that it has an incredibly slow rate of fire, at just 10 rounds per minute. The second firing mode is a small caliber, extremely high rate of fire machine gun, limited by its short range, relatively weak stopping power, and tendency to overheat if fired continuously. The machine gun fires at almost 2500 rounds per minute, achieved by utilizing four separate barrels firing in tandem. The final firing mode is a grenade launcher that operates at medium range. The travel time of the grenade launcher is very long, so enemy movement must be predictable in order to be used effectively. The grenade launcher can fire standard high explosive grenades, smoke grenades, or incendiary grenades.
AMMP-R: The right arm has only two fire modes, similar to the first two of AMMP-L. The first fire mode is a high caliber cannon, similar to the rifle on AMMP-L, except it fires at 15 rounds per minute. The second is a machine gun similar to that on the AMMP-L as well, firing at 1500 rounds per minute and utilizing three different barrels.
Anti-beam Multi-Mech Field: An anti-beam field that can effectively shield up to two mechs in addition to Farfalla, but they must remain at close range. At full power it has negative effects on Farfalla’s firepower and movement speed, but not much.
Missile defense sytem: Launches high intensity flares in an attempt to redirect missiles.
Heavily armored in order to sustain large amounts of damage. Makes Farfalla somewhat slow moving, but used in tandem with the thrusters allows Farfalla to take hits for allies.
High intensity thrusters that can be used in very short bursts.
Wishlist:
AMMP shield attachment: AMMP-L would be able to lay down a front-facing wall of armor, while AMMP-L would be able to deploy a front-facing anti-beam shield that can be used for additional cover.
Farfalla’s wings: While not strictly “wings,” they would be vertical thrusters that allow Farfalla to take to the air and hover for a period of time.
A reaaaally long list of various upgrades made to AMMP and the thrusters and such. |
50,850 | 1,371 | 13 | 2,532 | 122 | Arienne didn't have time to marvel at the carrier. She saw the black cog and all her doubts went away. Her face broke into a silent and large snarl of a smile.
Before Dr. Alberton could speak, Arienne (having participated in plenty of zero-g hunts through asteroid fields and derelict spacecraft) kicked off towards her 'ideal' cog. She marveled at the sleekness, the stealthiness and speed that the cog seemed to exude.
She steadied herself against the face of the black cog, holding on with both hands and staring at the visor in rapt impatience.
...
"You and I... We are going to have some great hunts together!" | Name: Arienne RHD (pronounced Rahad)
Appearance: Svelt gymnast body at 5'4". She only has synthetic hazelnut skin from the neck up and cornrows like this that only go down to the base of the neck. Everything below the base of her neck is segmented hard-plastic plating with soft plastic covered joints. She has bright aqua eyes that almost seem to glow. Oddly enough, she has the ability to transform her ears away to be replaced with bare skin (don't ask, something about being more streamlined an' shit).
Her bounty hunter outfit (not that she will have many chances to wear this while enlisted) is a mix of these pants and boots and the whole top portion of this sans skull mask. It still has the loose and floppy collar so she can bring it up to cover her face like in the first picture. In her off time she wears stuff like this and this with either stockings or pants. She always has gloves on except in private.
Age: 43. Looks around 25.
Race: Quantum
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: Quiet, cautious/wary, and sometimes stern. Very observant of her surroundings and minor details. Can make conversation, but is usually not very talkative. In fact, she likes to keep awkward/oppressive silences and is amused by some people's discomfort. Doesn't laugh, but you can get her to smile.
Dislikes oppressive people, or those who try to steal/take/destroy the comfort, daily lives, honor, and rights of those without the means to defend and fight back for themselves. Has a great fondness for all forms of natural water and bodies of water and children except quantums who look like children, but have the voice and/or the mind of an adult. She will nope the hell away from that shit.
After a hard or challenging episode/decision in her life, she may burn/destroy one of her sculptures as a way to commemorate and support her progress.
History: Created with a raw Quantum AI by a 2nd-gen soldier who fought in the Race Wars, she was raised with a militaristic lifestyle for the first 30 years of her life. Then, seeking to expand her skills in wilder environments, she traveled to FAS territory and spent the next 13 years as a bounty hunter going after rapists, murderers, pirates, violent mobs/gangs, anyone with a bounty who disturbs the peaceful lives of civilians. It was during this time that she discovered a calming hobby of making sculptures and carvings using her myriad of blades, and the occasional chainsaw. She started doing this to practice and refine her precision and technique, but the act eventually began to take a life of it's own.
Theme Song: This song but she likes listening to techno and funky music. <-- She is quite amused by the ironic subject matter.
Cog: Askalaphos
Physical Description: Basically looks like this and this. Eventually upgrades to have a backpack.
Tactical role: Stealth assassin/scout, Frontline skirmisher/duelist
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 8
Pilot Skill: 9
Mental Fortitude: 10
Obedience: 7
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Beam Claymore: About as long as a cog is tall, this powerful beam saber has a containment field that can barely keep the energy in control. Thus, when the blade is swung, it leaves behind a beam trail that can block bullets and beams.
Hidden twin Katars: located inside forearm casing.
Complex and comprehensive camera system so the cog can see in ALL directions.
Lots and lots of thrusters for high speed and maneuverability.
ECM base Cloaking system: Physically, the Askalaphos is totally visible. But at long-medium to short range, it is completely invisible to cameras and sensors.
Little to no armor and no long range weapons
Wishlist:
Zulfiqar: Looks like this, but double sided and thinner with a modified handle and guard. The length of this blade is 1.5 times the height of a cog and the even more powerful energy is now better contained for a concentrated effect. The solid middle part of the sword is retractable for storage. The intelligent program of the sword will make it so that the beam part of it stays concentrated in the direction of the swing, but releases the energy on the other side for the beam trails to still happen. Downside, there is actually a flat of the blade, so thus if struck there, the blade can shatter.
Tachyon Harp backpack with more thrusters: Allows for subspace hopping for limited range teleportation (BAMF!) and disappearing, and more maneuverability through Dark-Matter surfing.
Large Shoulder pads that are actually hidden arms with normal beam blade nozzles.
Beam boomerangs?? Either that or my cog will eventually get head mounted Vulcans, pesky missiles... |
50,851 | 1,371 | 14 | 2,532 | 122 | Corina had had a little zero-g experience before, but not much. Being a foot soldier, Corina felt out of her element in space; it occurred to her that that was going to have to change quickly or else she would not have a very good time on this assignment. Within moments, she grasped the basics of zero-g movement and maneuvered relatively well.
She did her best to pay attention to Dr. Alberton's briefing, but lost focus as the well-intentioned scientist began to ramble. Her eyes wandered, making contact with the black and grey colossus that was her cog. Like Arienne, Corina moved away from Pharazon and Dr. Alberton, immediately lost in the titan's features; it didn't take her long to identify the various weapons systems and functions of the cog. At a glance, it spoke for itself; two big guns, high intensity shields, and heavy armor. It was a powerful, enduring soldier, just like Corina. And she already had a name for it: Farfalla. The Butterfly. The name exuded the elegance and grace Corina saw within the cog.
Corina managed to avert her gaze long enough to lock eyes with Pharazon and Dr. Alberton. She gave a slight affirmative nod, indicating her approval and commitment to the cog project, and to her own cog. | Name: Arienne RHD (pronounced Rahad)
Appearance: Svelt gymnast body at 5'4". She only has synthetic hazelnut skin from the neck up and cornrows like this that only go down to the base of the neck. Everything below the base of her neck is segmented hard-plastic plating with soft plastic covered joints. She has bright aqua eyes that almost seem to glow. Oddly enough, she has the ability to transform her ears away to be replaced with bare skin (don't ask, something about being more streamlined an' shit).
Her bounty hunter outfit (not that she will have many chances to wear this while enlisted) is a mix of these pants and boots and the whole top portion of this sans skull mask. It still has the loose and floppy collar so she can bring it up to cover her face like in the first picture. In her off time she wears stuff like this and this with either stockings or pants. She always has gloves on except in private.
Age: 43. Looks around 25.
Race: Quantum
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: Quiet, cautious/wary, and sometimes stern. Very observant of her surroundings and minor details. Can make conversation, but is usually not very talkative. In fact, she likes to keep awkward/oppressive silences and is amused by some people's discomfort. Doesn't laugh, but you can get her to smile.
Dislikes oppressive people, or those who try to steal/take/destroy the comfort, daily lives, honor, and rights of those without the means to defend and fight back for themselves. Has a great fondness for all forms of natural water and bodies of water and children except quantums who look like children, but have the voice and/or the mind of an adult. She will nope the hell away from that shit.
After a hard or challenging episode/decision in her life, she may burn/destroy one of her sculptures as a way to commemorate and support her progress.
History: Created with a raw Quantum AI by a 2nd-gen soldier who fought in the Race Wars, she was raised with a militaristic lifestyle for the first 30 years of her life. Then, seeking to expand her skills in wilder environments, she traveled to FAS territory and spent the next 13 years as a bounty hunter going after rapists, murderers, pirates, violent mobs/gangs, anyone with a bounty who disturbs the peaceful lives of civilians. It was during this time that she discovered a calming hobby of making sculptures and carvings using her myriad of blades, and the occasional chainsaw. She started doing this to practice and refine her precision and technique, but the act eventually began to take a life of it's own.
Theme Song: This song but she likes listening to techno and funky music. <-- She is quite amused by the ironic subject matter.
Cog: Askalaphos
Physical Description: Basically looks like this and this. Eventually upgrades to have a backpack.
Tactical role: Stealth assassin/scout, Frontline skirmisher/duelist
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 8
Pilot Skill: 9
Mental Fortitude: 10
Obedience: 7
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Beam Claymore: About as long as a cog is tall, this powerful beam saber has a containment field that can barely keep the energy in control. Thus, when the blade is swung, it leaves behind a beam trail that can block bullets and beams.
Hidden twin Katars: located inside forearm casing.
Complex and comprehensive camera system so the cog can see in ALL directions.
Lots and lots of thrusters for high speed and maneuverability.
ECM base Cloaking system: Physically, the Askalaphos is totally visible. But at long-medium to short range, it is completely invisible to cameras and sensors.
Little to no armor and no long range weapons
Wishlist:
Zulfiqar: Looks like this, but double sided and thinner with a modified handle and guard. The length of this blade is 1.5 times the height of a cog and the even more powerful energy is now better contained for a concentrated effect. The solid middle part of the sword is retractable for storage. The intelligent program of the sword will make it so that the beam part of it stays concentrated in the direction of the swing, but releases the energy on the other side for the beam trails to still happen. Downside, there is actually a flat of the blade, so thus if struck there, the blade can shatter.
Tachyon Harp backpack with more thrusters: Allows for subspace hopping for limited range teleportation (BAMF!) and disappearing, and more maneuverability through Dark-Matter surfing.
Large Shoulder pads that are actually hidden arms with normal beam blade nozzles.
Beam boomerangs?? Either that or my cog will eventually get head mounted Vulcans, pesky missiles... |
50,852 | 1,371 | 15 | 2,628 | 9,851 | Chie mostly tuned out her father's explanations. She had already heard them, read any materials they produced on piloting, and then read them again once more just to be sure. And then seen her COG multiple times by this point. However, as she watched all the other pilots look up at their machines in awe, she couldn't help but feel a bit smug. Not only had she seen the COGs time and time again, but she also had the best out of all of them. In the tiny girl's mind, there was no question that she was piloting the absolute greatest of all the machines. With a rather arrogant smile, she strolled over to take position in front of the large hulk of a machine that was 'Boom'.
"Your COGs are fine, and all," she began, folding her arms over her chest as she spoke in a rather haughty tone, "But there's no question that my Boom is the greatest out of them all. Whatever yours can do, anything she can do is just plain better! She might not be suited towards close combat, but it's not like she'll ever have to fight anyone up close! She's got cluster missile launchers located in her chest, six on each side, and that's not all! Her shoulders are also full of missiles, at a farther range too! And she can use a rocket rifle, or a laser rifle!"
Moving her hands from her chest to her hips, Chie let out a small laugh. The little blond girl was supremely confident in her COG, that was for sure. "Hu hu hu~ You might as well not have bothered showing up, Boom is the best COG here!" | Name: Chie Alberton
Appearance: "I don't have time for you, I'm drawing."
Age: 10
Race: Wildtype
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: Chie has a personality that greatly contrasts her small, childish body. She has a tendency to be deeply sarcastic towards others if she decides they deserve to be treated with sarcasm, and she often quietly teases others. She enjoys greatly drawing, and has a deep interest in various kinds of media, including the current equivalent of interactive entertainment(whatever the video games of the future are) and various visual mediums, which she pursues whenever she is able to. Chie often draws or writes about these things, though her writing is significantly more childish then her art. In spite of her thick layer of sarcasm, she does still have the personality of a child and is surprisingly easily frightened and quite fond of sweets. She retains an absolute fascination with Cogs, in fact it could be called an outright adoration for the massive machines.
History: Chie's family has been present in Horizon for a long time at this point, her family being composed of two nationalities originally from Earth. Prior to learning about Cogs, she was fascinated with extremely old(and new) media featuring gigantic fighting robots, both realistic and less so, as well as various advents in technology. Her father, a scientist working on the Cogs, made a rather large breach in protocol and brought her along with him, where she learned about the Cogs and swiftly became obsessed. While he was reprimanded for this, he was able to push for Chie to become one of the pilots, specifically for a heavy, long-ranged Cog.
Theme Song: WIP
Cog: Chie calls it "Boom".
Physical Description: "Weapons systems online..."
Tactical role: Heavy Weapons
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 10
Pilot Skill: 7(Chie is a prodigy who has done far, far too much research into the subject for her age)
Mental Fortitude: 4
Obedience: 5
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List: I'll need to work on this.
"Boom" has a basic folding knife stored in one chest panel. The mecha itself is generally unsuited to close-range combat, but it will do in a pinch.
"Boom" sports a series of cluster missile launchers, contained all along its upper chest section. These missiles can deal a fairly heavy payload, but shields or thick armor can mitigate the damage.
"Boom" has two long-range missile launchers attached to its shoulders, capable of firing highly damaging explosives, more dangerous then the cluster missiles in its chest.
Finally, "Boom" can be equipped with a point-laser rifle or a rocket rifle.
Basic thrusters.
Heavy armor, to make up for fairly light shielding.
Wishlist: This too.
Improved thrusters for rapid movement?
Incorporating heavy laser systems into the built-in weaponry.
Shielding improvements. |
50,853 | 1,371 | 16 | 2,305 | 2,044 | Pharazon saw Corina's nod of approval and returned an expressionless nod of acknowledgment. Pharazon also noticed Arienne's fascination with her cog, which relieved Pharazon who suspected that Corina and Arienne may have had misgivings about the project. Such misgivings no longer seemed to be a concern.
"Ah, Ch-Chie, e-even if your cog is great, p-please try to be more more respectful of your comrades," Dr. Alberton said in a deflated fashion.
Pharazon tried simply to ignore the Albertons altogether, "If you don't have any questions, then you have twelve hours of free time to unpack, explore the carrier, or catch up on sleep to get a head-start in aligning your biological clocks with Universal Space Time if you didn't get a chance to do so at the Space Elevator. A map of the ship has been sent to your personal drive accounts along with a fleet encyclopedia, which should be useful if you are confused about terminology or protocol. You have free access to all parts of the ship. For the time being, the Bridge and Engine Room are open as well so you may explore those locations if you wish. Usually, you shouldn't go to those places if you have no business being there, but..." Pharazon looked at Dr. Alberton, expecting him to explain why such protocol-breaching levels of freedom had been granted.
Dr. Alberton jumped in, "Ah yes, well since the cogs are based on your personalities, it is hypothesized that if any strong forces were present to change or alter your personality, way of thinking or decision-making processes, your ability to pilot optimally may be negatively impacted. A decision was made to give as much freedom and flexibility to the pilots as possible as long as it did not compromise the mission or jeopardize the safety of others. This is also why you were not subjected to professional military training."
Pharazon's eyes lingered on Chie for a fraction of a second too long when Dr. Alberton said his last remark. "And there you have it," Pharazon concluded, "If you would like to talk to me, I'll be in my office in the Barracks." | Name: Corina Chun
Appearance: A powerfully built muscular woman at 5’10. She has pale white skin and dark black, military cut hair. Corina has hard, jagged facial features, and is often confused to be scowling when she isn’t. Overall, a quite intimidating appearance.
Rarely found wearing anything other than military wear.
Age: 28
Race: Wildtype
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: A strong willed career soldier that rarely lets her emotions get the best of her. Corina has a great respect for authority and power, and is obedient to a fault. When given a command by a superior, her only thoughts are of the strategic and tactical ramifications of the order. Orders in a morally grey area tend to haunt her, though Corina will carry them out anyways. Over the years she’s developed a reputation as one of the best soldiers around.
Away from the battlefield, Corina is not much different. She is often viewed as cold and mechanical. Many find her difficult to talk to, as she rarely lets personal sentiments get in the way of her role as a soldier. However, those that have been by her side in battle typically find that she is somewhat friendlier towards them, and will occasionally go out of her way to help them if they need help.
History: Corina’s grandfather and great-grandfather fought in the Race Wars for the Federation, starting large military family that has served both the Federation and Horizon. Her mother, a soldier following in Corina’s grandfather’s footsteps, and her father, once a small-time politician within the Federation, defected to Horizon once the Quantums ended their period of slavery, along with other members of her family. Corina’s nuclear family was raised entirely in Horizon.
The youngest of four, Corina was the only sibling to follow the family military tradition. The military life suited her, and Corina quickly became an excellent foot soldier. During her time on the ground, Corina was often stationed in unstable areas within Horizon and tasked with containing those rare racially-charged violent conflicts in the nation.
Theme Song:
This.
Cog: Farfalla
Physical Description:
More or less what you see here, except painted in a black and grey digital camo pattern and minus the “wings” on the back. Maybe they could be thrown on later?
Tactical role: All-around Support
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 7
Pilot Skill: 8
Mental Fortitude: 9
Obedience: 10
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Arm-Mounted Multi-Purpose Weapon System, or the AMMP for short. The AMMP has two parts: the left arm, which deals in Mass Weaponry, and the right arm, which utilizes beam technology.
AMMP-L: The left arm has three firing modes. The first is a high caliber, medium ranged heavy rifle that deals a high damage output. A single round could destroy a moderately armored target, but the drawback of the rifle firing mode is that it has an incredibly slow rate of fire, at just 10 rounds per minute. The second firing mode is a small caliber, extremely high rate of fire machine gun, limited by its short range, relatively weak stopping power, and tendency to overheat if fired continuously. The machine gun fires at almost 2500 rounds per minute, achieved by utilizing four separate barrels firing in tandem. The final firing mode is a grenade launcher that operates at medium range. The travel time of the grenade launcher is very long, so enemy movement must be predictable in order to be used effectively. The grenade launcher can fire standard high explosive grenades, smoke grenades, or incendiary grenades.
AMMP-R: The right arm has only two fire modes, similar to the first two of AMMP-L. The first fire mode is a high caliber cannon, similar to the rifle on AMMP-L, except it fires at 15 rounds per minute. The second is a machine gun similar to that on the AMMP-L as well, firing at 1500 rounds per minute and utilizing three different barrels.
Anti-beam Multi-Mech Field: An anti-beam field that can effectively shield up to two mechs in addition to Farfalla, but they must remain at close range. At full power it has negative effects on Farfalla’s firepower and movement speed, but not much.
Missile defense sytem: Launches high intensity flares in an attempt to redirect missiles.
Heavily armored in order to sustain large amounts of damage. Makes Farfalla somewhat slow moving, but used in tandem with the thrusters allows Farfalla to take hits for allies.
High intensity thrusters that can be used in very short bursts.
Wishlist:
AMMP shield attachment: AMMP-L would be able to lay down a front-facing wall of armor, while AMMP-L would be able to deploy a front-facing anti-beam shield that can be used for additional cover.
Farfalla’s wings: While not strictly “wings,” they would be vertical thrusters that allow Farfalla to take to the air and hover for a period of time.
A reaaaally long list of various upgrades made to AMMP and the thrusters and such. |
50,854 | 1,371 | 17 | 2,532 | 122 | Arienne turns to Chie with a smile,
"Yes, Boom does look very strong indeed. I hope you will leave a few enemies for us to deal with or else I'll get bored on the battlefield."
Then she kicks off from Farfalla and lands near Pharazon and Dr. Alberton.
"Lieutenant Commander, when will we be debriefed on our cogs? Can I start now? I wont take it out for a run or anything, but may I sit in the cockpit and familiarize myself with the controls and systems?" | Name: Arienne RHD (pronounced Rahad)
Appearance: Svelt gymnast body at 5'4". She only has synthetic hazelnut skin from the neck up and cornrows like this that only go down to the base of the neck. Everything below the base of her neck is segmented hard-plastic plating with soft plastic covered joints. She has bright aqua eyes that almost seem to glow. Oddly enough, she has the ability to transform her ears away to be replaced with bare skin (don't ask, something about being more streamlined an' shit).
Her bounty hunter outfit (not that she will have many chances to wear this while enlisted) is a mix of these pants and boots and the whole top portion of this sans skull mask. It still has the loose and floppy collar so she can bring it up to cover her face like in the first picture. In her off time she wears stuff like this and this with either stockings or pants. She always has gloves on except in private.
Age: 43. Looks around 25.
Race: Quantum
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: Quiet, cautious/wary, and sometimes stern. Very observant of her surroundings and minor details. Can make conversation, but is usually not very talkative. In fact, she likes to keep awkward/oppressive silences and is amused by some people's discomfort. Doesn't laugh, but you can get her to smile.
Dislikes oppressive people, or those who try to steal/take/destroy the comfort, daily lives, honor, and rights of those without the means to defend and fight back for themselves. Has a great fondness for all forms of natural water and bodies of water and children except quantums who look like children, but have the voice and/or the mind of an adult. She will nope the hell away from that shit.
After a hard or challenging episode/decision in her life, she may burn/destroy one of her sculptures as a way to commemorate and support her progress.
History: Created with a raw Quantum AI by a 2nd-gen soldier who fought in the Race Wars, she was raised with a militaristic lifestyle for the first 30 years of her life. Then, seeking to expand her skills in wilder environments, she traveled to FAS territory and spent the next 13 years as a bounty hunter going after rapists, murderers, pirates, violent mobs/gangs, anyone with a bounty who disturbs the peaceful lives of civilians. It was during this time that she discovered a calming hobby of making sculptures and carvings using her myriad of blades, and the occasional chainsaw. She started doing this to practice and refine her precision and technique, but the act eventually began to take a life of it's own.
Theme Song: This song but she likes listening to techno and funky music. <-- She is quite amused by the ironic subject matter.
Cog: Askalaphos
Physical Description: Basically looks like this and this. Eventually upgrades to have a backpack.
Tactical role: Stealth assassin/scout, Frontline skirmisher/duelist
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 8
Pilot Skill: 9
Mental Fortitude: 10
Obedience: 7
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Beam Claymore: About as long as a cog is tall, this powerful beam saber has a containment field that can barely keep the energy in control. Thus, when the blade is swung, it leaves behind a beam trail that can block bullets and beams.
Hidden twin Katars: located inside forearm casing.
Complex and comprehensive camera system so the cog can see in ALL directions.
Lots and lots of thrusters for high speed and maneuverability.
ECM base Cloaking system: Physically, the Askalaphos is totally visible. But at long-medium to short range, it is completely invisible to cameras and sensors.
Little to no armor and no long range weapons
Wishlist:
Zulfiqar: Looks like this, but double sided and thinner with a modified handle and guard. The length of this blade is 1.5 times the height of a cog and the even more powerful energy is now better contained for a concentrated effect. The solid middle part of the sword is retractable for storage. The intelligent program of the sword will make it so that the beam part of it stays concentrated in the direction of the swing, but releases the energy on the other side for the beam trails to still happen. Downside, there is actually a flat of the blade, so thus if struck there, the blade can shatter.
Tachyon Harp backpack with more thrusters: Allows for subspace hopping for limited range teleportation (BAMF!) and disappearing, and more maneuverability through Dark-Matter surfing.
Large Shoulder pads that are actually hidden arms with normal beam blade nozzles.
Beam boomerangs?? Either that or my cog will eventually get head mounted Vulcans, pesky missiles... |
50,855 | 1,371 | 18 | 2,305 | 2,044 | Why, yes you can, Pharazon replied to Arienne's question. Pharazon came as close to 'beaming' as their generally expressionless demeanor would allow, pleased to see such professional enthusiasm. "You can see catwalks that lead right up to your cogs' cockpits. At the end of the catwalk is a diagnostics console. Consult it for more information on your cogs, and let the console scan your drives to gain entry into your cogs. Now each cog is unique from what I can tell, so what you find inside may differ from mine, but my cockpit lets me run practice simulations, so I'm assuming that yours' will also." | Name: Corina Chun
Appearance: A powerfully built muscular woman at 5’10. She has pale white skin and dark black, military cut hair. Corina has hard, jagged facial features, and is often confused to be scowling when she isn’t. Overall, a quite intimidating appearance.
Rarely found wearing anything other than military wear.
Age: 28
Race: Wildtype
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: A strong willed career soldier that rarely lets her emotions get the best of her. Corina has a great respect for authority and power, and is obedient to a fault. When given a command by a superior, her only thoughts are of the strategic and tactical ramifications of the order. Orders in a morally grey area tend to haunt her, though Corina will carry them out anyways. Over the years she’s developed a reputation as one of the best soldiers around.
Away from the battlefield, Corina is not much different. She is often viewed as cold and mechanical. Many find her difficult to talk to, as she rarely lets personal sentiments get in the way of her role as a soldier. However, those that have been by her side in battle typically find that she is somewhat friendlier towards them, and will occasionally go out of her way to help them if they need help.
History: Corina’s grandfather and great-grandfather fought in the Race Wars for the Federation, starting large military family that has served both the Federation and Horizon. Her mother, a soldier following in Corina’s grandfather’s footsteps, and her father, once a small-time politician within the Federation, defected to Horizon once the Quantums ended their period of slavery, along with other members of her family. Corina’s nuclear family was raised entirely in Horizon.
The youngest of four, Corina was the only sibling to follow the family military tradition. The military life suited her, and Corina quickly became an excellent foot soldier. During her time on the ground, Corina was often stationed in unstable areas within Horizon and tasked with containing those rare racially-charged violent conflicts in the nation.
Theme Song:
This.
Cog: Farfalla
Physical Description:
More or less what you see here, except painted in a black and grey digital camo pattern and minus the “wings” on the back. Maybe they could be thrown on later?
Tactical role: All-around Support
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 7
Pilot Skill: 8
Mental Fortitude: 9
Obedience: 10
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Arm-Mounted Multi-Purpose Weapon System, or the AMMP for short. The AMMP has two parts: the left arm, which deals in Mass Weaponry, and the right arm, which utilizes beam technology.
AMMP-L: The left arm has three firing modes. The first is a high caliber, medium ranged heavy rifle that deals a high damage output. A single round could destroy a moderately armored target, but the drawback of the rifle firing mode is that it has an incredibly slow rate of fire, at just 10 rounds per minute. The second firing mode is a small caliber, extremely high rate of fire machine gun, limited by its short range, relatively weak stopping power, and tendency to overheat if fired continuously. The machine gun fires at almost 2500 rounds per minute, achieved by utilizing four separate barrels firing in tandem. The final firing mode is a grenade launcher that operates at medium range. The travel time of the grenade launcher is very long, so enemy movement must be predictable in order to be used effectively. The grenade launcher can fire standard high explosive grenades, smoke grenades, or incendiary grenades.
AMMP-R: The right arm has only two fire modes, similar to the first two of AMMP-L. The first fire mode is a high caliber cannon, similar to the rifle on AMMP-L, except it fires at 15 rounds per minute. The second is a machine gun similar to that on the AMMP-L as well, firing at 1500 rounds per minute and utilizing three different barrels.
Anti-beam Multi-Mech Field: An anti-beam field that can effectively shield up to two mechs in addition to Farfalla, but they must remain at close range. At full power it has negative effects on Farfalla’s firepower and movement speed, but not much.
Missile defense sytem: Launches high intensity flares in an attempt to redirect missiles.
Heavily armored in order to sustain large amounts of damage. Makes Farfalla somewhat slow moving, but used in tandem with the thrusters allows Farfalla to take hits for allies.
High intensity thrusters that can be used in very short bursts.
Wishlist:
AMMP shield attachment: AMMP-L would be able to lay down a front-facing wall of armor, while AMMP-L would be able to deploy a front-facing anti-beam shield that can be used for additional cover.
Farfalla’s wings: While not strictly “wings,” they would be vertical thrusters that allow Farfalla to take to the air and hover for a period of time.
A reaaaally long list of various upgrades made to AMMP and the thrusters and such. |
50,856 | 1,371 | 19 | 2,532 | 122 | Corina folded her arms, nodding at Arienne. "That's what I do best. Just keep me from being outmaneuvered and I'll keep you from being outgunned," she replied with a slight smirk. She had good feelings about this project, her cog, and even about Arienne. Everything seemed to be falling into place perfectly, and Corina fit right in.
She restrained a wince as Chie rambled on about how she had the best cog. Unfortunately, Corina may have jumped the gun on that one: almost everything fell into place perfectly. The girl was still proving to be a handful, and at some point somebody was going to have to start babysitting her. Pharazon didn't seem remotely interested in the task, and it was Corina's opinion that Dr. Alberton was astoundingly underqualified. Arienne seemed to be handling the girl well enough, but too often Arienne's attempt at light chat with Chie was taken as patronization.
Corina sighed quietly. She had often been an anchor for squads and units she had been assigned to, be it mentally or emotionally. Her mental fortitude and unwavering nature saw to that. More often than not, teammates relied on the consistency of Corina's mechanical personality that allowed her to deliver so well in battle. But how did that combat dynamic play out when a child was involved? There was a lot of work to be done before these four could even begin to call themselves a functioning Lance.
With Pharazon's dismissal, Corina decided she would follow Arienne in the familiarization of her cog. She made her way up to the catwalk leading to Farfalla and began to analyze the various information detailed on the diagnostics console, taking in the information and beginning to turn Farfalla's strengths and weaknesses into tactical strategies in her head. | Name: Arienne RHD (pronounced Rahad)
Appearance: Svelt gymnast body at 5'4". She only has synthetic hazelnut skin from the neck up and cornrows like this that only go down to the base of the neck. Everything below the base of her neck is segmented hard-plastic plating with soft plastic covered joints. She has bright aqua eyes that almost seem to glow. Oddly enough, she has the ability to transform her ears away to be replaced with bare skin (don't ask, something about being more streamlined an' shit).
Her bounty hunter outfit (not that she will have many chances to wear this while enlisted) is a mix of these pants and boots and the whole top portion of this sans skull mask. It still has the loose and floppy collar so she can bring it up to cover her face like in the first picture. In her off time she wears stuff like this and this with either stockings or pants. She always has gloves on except in private.
Age: 43. Looks around 25.
Race: Quantum
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: Quiet, cautious/wary, and sometimes stern. Very observant of her surroundings and minor details. Can make conversation, but is usually not very talkative. In fact, she likes to keep awkward/oppressive silences and is amused by some people's discomfort. Doesn't laugh, but you can get her to smile.
Dislikes oppressive people, or those who try to steal/take/destroy the comfort, daily lives, honor, and rights of those without the means to defend and fight back for themselves. Has a great fondness for all forms of natural water and bodies of water and children except quantums who look like children, but have the voice and/or the mind of an adult. She will nope the hell away from that shit.
After a hard or challenging episode/decision in her life, she may burn/destroy one of her sculptures as a way to commemorate and support her progress.
History: Created with a raw Quantum AI by a 2nd-gen soldier who fought in the Race Wars, she was raised with a militaristic lifestyle for the first 30 years of her life. Then, seeking to expand her skills in wilder environments, she traveled to FAS territory and spent the next 13 years as a bounty hunter going after rapists, murderers, pirates, violent mobs/gangs, anyone with a bounty who disturbs the peaceful lives of civilians. It was during this time that she discovered a calming hobby of making sculptures and carvings using her myriad of blades, and the occasional chainsaw. She started doing this to practice and refine her precision and technique, but the act eventually began to take a life of it's own.
Theme Song: This song but she likes listening to techno and funky music. <-- She is quite amused by the ironic subject matter.
Cog: Askalaphos
Physical Description: Basically looks like this and this. Eventually upgrades to have a backpack.
Tactical role: Stealth assassin/scout, Frontline skirmisher/duelist
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 8
Pilot Skill: 9
Mental Fortitude: 10
Obedience: 7
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Beam Claymore: About as long as a cog is tall, this powerful beam saber has a containment field that can barely keep the energy in control. Thus, when the blade is swung, it leaves behind a beam trail that can block bullets and beams.
Hidden twin Katars: located inside forearm casing.
Complex and comprehensive camera system so the cog can see in ALL directions.
Lots and lots of thrusters for high speed and maneuverability.
ECM base Cloaking system: Physically, the Askalaphos is totally visible. But at long-medium to short range, it is completely invisible to cameras and sensors.
Little to no armor and no long range weapons
Wishlist:
Zulfiqar: Looks like this, but double sided and thinner with a modified handle and guard. The length of this blade is 1.5 times the height of a cog and the even more powerful energy is now better contained for a concentrated effect. The solid middle part of the sword is retractable for storage. The intelligent program of the sword will make it so that the beam part of it stays concentrated in the direction of the swing, but releases the energy on the other side for the beam trails to still happen. Downside, there is actually a flat of the blade, so thus if struck there, the blade can shatter.
Tachyon Harp backpack with more thrusters: Allows for subspace hopping for limited range teleportation (BAMF!) and disappearing, and more maneuverability through Dark-Matter surfing.
Large Shoulder pads that are actually hidden arms with normal beam blade nozzles.
Beam boomerangs?? Either that or my cog will eventually get head mounted Vulcans, pesky missiles... |
50,857 | 1,371 | 20 | 2,628 | 9,851 | Corina looked up from the console. She mentally shelved Farfalla and the relevant data she had been going over to focus on the conversation. She turned to Arienne, "I'm no stranger to the sparring ring. If what they say about cogs reflecting our personalities is really true, then it's clear to see that you and I have very different styles, so it'd be an interesting match." Corina caught her tone sounding dismissive; she straightened herself out slightly before apologizing, "Sorry if I seem disinterested. I'm a little distracted right now with everything this console is telling me." Corina motioned awkwardly at the console. "In any case, I could use a sparring partner. People in the PDF were sick of sparring with me. Something about being a wall of muscle." | Name: Chie Alberton
Appearance: "I don't have time for you, I'm drawing."
Age: 10
Race: Wildtype
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: Chie has a personality that greatly contrasts her small, childish body. She has a tendency to be deeply sarcastic towards others if she decides they deserve to be treated with sarcasm, and she often quietly teases others. She enjoys greatly drawing, and has a deep interest in various kinds of media, including the current equivalent of interactive entertainment(whatever the video games of the future are) and various visual mediums, which she pursues whenever she is able to. Chie often draws or writes about these things, though her writing is significantly more childish then her art. In spite of her thick layer of sarcasm, she does still have the personality of a child and is surprisingly easily frightened and quite fond of sweets. She retains an absolute fascination with Cogs, in fact it could be called an outright adoration for the massive machines.
History: Chie's family has been present in Horizon for a long time at this point, her family being composed of two nationalities originally from Earth. Prior to learning about Cogs, she was fascinated with extremely old(and new) media featuring gigantic fighting robots, both realistic and less so, as well as various advents in technology. Her father, a scientist working on the Cogs, made a rather large breach in protocol and brought her along with him, where she learned about the Cogs and swiftly became obsessed. While he was reprimanded for this, he was able to push for Chie to become one of the pilots, specifically for a heavy, long-ranged Cog.
Theme Song: WIP
Cog: Chie calls it "Boom".
Physical Description: "Weapons systems online..."
Tactical role: Heavy Weapons
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 10
Pilot Skill: 7(Chie is a prodigy who has done far, far too much research into the subject for her age)
Mental Fortitude: 4
Obedience: 5
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List: I'll need to work on this.
"Boom" has a basic folding knife stored in one chest panel. The mecha itself is generally unsuited to close-range combat, but it will do in a pinch.
"Boom" sports a series of cluster missile launchers, contained all along its upper chest section. These missiles can deal a fairly heavy payload, but shields or thick armor can mitigate the damage.
"Boom" has two long-range missile launchers attached to its shoulders, capable of firing highly damaging explosives, more dangerous then the cluster missiles in its chest.
Finally, "Boom" can be equipped with a point-laser rifle or a rocket rifle.
Basic thrusters.
Heavy armor, to make up for fairly light shielding.
Wishlist: This too.
Improved thrusters for rapid movement?
Incorporating heavy laser systems into the built-in weaponry.
Shielding improvements. |
50,858 | 1,371 | 21 | 2,532 | 122 | With Chie's new statement, Arienne's usual smile for her faltered and became a serious grin, eyes glazing over in an intense stare at some unseen opponent from the past.
"I don't know what these games are, but it sounds like you are practiced at them and good for you. I practice by pushing my body and mind to the limit, unifying them, making me highly tuned for combat. In my opinion, one has not truly fought, killed, or won without putting their life on the line to face down an opponent, eyes locked in a battle of willpower and skill. And for me, sparring is good enough practice for that."
Throughout her little speech, Arienne had been accidentally oozing out a creeping killing intent that got much stronger by the end. Realizing this, she immediately pulled it back and with a small shake of her head, Arienne comes back to herself and gives Chie a normal smile.
"You'll have to show me these games sometime. They sound interesting."
"Well, I'm off to sort my quarters, and maybe grab some dinner. I'll see you both later." Arienne kicks off, turns around and gives an informal salute before leaving the hanger. | Name: Arienne RHD (pronounced Rahad)
Appearance: Svelt gymnast body at 5'4". She only has synthetic hazelnut skin from the neck up and cornrows like this that only go down to the base of the neck. Everything below the base of her neck is segmented hard-plastic plating with soft plastic covered joints. She has bright aqua eyes that almost seem to glow. Oddly enough, she has the ability to transform her ears away to be replaced with bare skin (don't ask, something about being more streamlined an' shit).
Her bounty hunter outfit (not that she will have many chances to wear this while enlisted) is a mix of these pants and boots and the whole top portion of this sans skull mask. It still has the loose and floppy collar so she can bring it up to cover her face like in the first picture. In her off time she wears stuff like this and this with either stockings or pants. She always has gloves on except in private.
Age: 43. Looks around 25.
Race: Quantum
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: Quiet, cautious/wary, and sometimes stern. Very observant of her surroundings and minor details. Can make conversation, but is usually not very talkative. In fact, she likes to keep awkward/oppressive silences and is amused by some people's discomfort. Doesn't laugh, but you can get her to smile.
Dislikes oppressive people, or those who try to steal/take/destroy the comfort, daily lives, honor, and rights of those without the means to defend and fight back for themselves. Has a great fondness for all forms of natural water and bodies of water and children except quantums who look like children, but have the voice and/or the mind of an adult. She will nope the hell away from that shit.
After a hard or challenging episode/decision in her life, she may burn/destroy one of her sculptures as a way to commemorate and support her progress.
History: Created with a raw Quantum AI by a 2nd-gen soldier who fought in the Race Wars, she was raised with a militaristic lifestyle for the first 30 years of her life. Then, seeking to expand her skills in wilder environments, she traveled to FAS territory and spent the next 13 years as a bounty hunter going after rapists, murderers, pirates, violent mobs/gangs, anyone with a bounty who disturbs the peaceful lives of civilians. It was during this time that she discovered a calming hobby of making sculptures and carvings using her myriad of blades, and the occasional chainsaw. She started doing this to practice and refine her precision and technique, but the act eventually began to take a life of it's own.
Theme Song: This song but she likes listening to techno and funky music. <-- She is quite amused by the ironic subject matter.
Cog: Askalaphos
Physical Description: Basically looks like this and this. Eventually upgrades to have a backpack.
Tactical role: Stealth assassin/scout, Frontline skirmisher/duelist
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 8
Pilot Skill: 9
Mental Fortitude: 10
Obedience: 7
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Beam Claymore: About as long as a cog is tall, this powerful beam saber has a containment field that can barely keep the energy in control. Thus, when the blade is swung, it leaves behind a beam trail that can block bullets and beams.
Hidden twin Katars: located inside forearm casing.
Complex and comprehensive camera system so the cog can see in ALL directions.
Lots and lots of thrusters for high speed and maneuverability.
ECM base Cloaking system: Physically, the Askalaphos is totally visible. But at long-medium to short range, it is completely invisible to cameras and sensors.
Little to no armor and no long range weapons
Wishlist:
Zulfiqar: Looks like this, but double sided and thinner with a modified handle and guard. The length of this blade is 1.5 times the height of a cog and the even more powerful energy is now better contained for a concentrated effect. The solid middle part of the sword is retractable for storage. The intelligent program of the sword will make it so that the beam part of it stays concentrated in the direction of the swing, but releases the energy on the other side for the beam trails to still happen. Downside, there is actually a flat of the blade, so thus if struck there, the blade can shatter.
Tachyon Harp backpack with more thrusters: Allows for subspace hopping for limited range teleportation (BAMF!) and disappearing, and more maneuverability through Dark-Matter surfing.
Large Shoulder pads that are actually hidden arms with normal beam blade nozzles.
Beam boomerangs?? Either that or my cog will eventually get head mounted Vulcans, pesky missiles... |
50,859 | 1,371 | 22 | 2,305 | 2,044 | Leaving the hangar, Arienne had to travel through a short, air-lock-like hallway, a gravity reacclimation chamber, that was specially designed to allow those who passed through the opportunity to reorient themselves in accordance to the gravitational situation they would be entering; in this case, going from the zero-g hangar the the artificial gravity of the rest of the ship's interior.
The barracks were the living space for every single crew member, and was divided into quarters. The pilots' room was in the Officers' Quarter, and would be shared by all four cog pilots. Inside there were two bunk beds, one of the lower bunks having already been assigned to Pharazon, the other three being unassigned. Each of the new pilots' luggage stood in the middle of the room. At the foot of each bed was a steel basket just big enough to fit the regulation luggage cases each pilot was allowed to bring. This way, anyone could simply sit up in their bed and access all their belongings without needing a separate storage area. At the head of each bed was a pull down tray that operated more or less like a night stand for each pilot to place whatever bedside belongings they needed so long as they managed to secure such belongings to prevent them from flying around should the ship get hit, or artificial gravity be deactivated for whatever reason. The bathrooms however, were public and shared among the entire Officers' Quarter, with plenty of toilet stalls and shower stalls to accommodate a good percentage of people using it at the same time.
Within the Officers' Quarter were also office spaces, for various officers to attend to clerical duties. Next to the pilots' room was the Lance Leader's office, where Pharazon sat at their desk, busy with some minor work. The office was big enough to accommodate more desks if need be, as a typical carrier often had multiple lances of strikecraft and thus multiple lance leaders. | Name: Corina Chun
Appearance: A powerfully built muscular woman at 5’10. She has pale white skin and dark black, military cut hair. Corina has hard, jagged facial features, and is often confused to be scowling when she isn’t. Overall, a quite intimidating appearance.
Rarely found wearing anything other than military wear.
Age: 28
Race: Wildtype
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: A strong willed career soldier that rarely lets her emotions get the best of her. Corina has a great respect for authority and power, and is obedient to a fault. When given a command by a superior, her only thoughts are of the strategic and tactical ramifications of the order. Orders in a morally grey area tend to haunt her, though Corina will carry them out anyways. Over the years she’s developed a reputation as one of the best soldiers around.
Away from the battlefield, Corina is not much different. She is often viewed as cold and mechanical. Many find her difficult to talk to, as she rarely lets personal sentiments get in the way of her role as a soldier. However, those that have been by her side in battle typically find that she is somewhat friendlier towards them, and will occasionally go out of her way to help them if they need help.
History: Corina’s grandfather and great-grandfather fought in the Race Wars for the Federation, starting large military family that has served both the Federation and Horizon. Her mother, a soldier following in Corina’s grandfather’s footsteps, and her father, once a small-time politician within the Federation, defected to Horizon once the Quantums ended their period of slavery, along with other members of her family. Corina’s nuclear family was raised entirely in Horizon.
The youngest of four, Corina was the only sibling to follow the family military tradition. The military life suited her, and Corina quickly became an excellent foot soldier. During her time on the ground, Corina was often stationed in unstable areas within Horizon and tasked with containing those rare racially-charged violent conflicts in the nation.
Theme Song:
This.
Cog: Farfalla
Physical Description:
More or less what you see here, except painted in a black and grey digital camo pattern and minus the “wings” on the back. Maybe they could be thrown on later?
Tactical role: All-around Support
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 7
Pilot Skill: 8
Mental Fortitude: 9
Obedience: 10
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Arm-Mounted Multi-Purpose Weapon System, or the AMMP for short. The AMMP has two parts: the left arm, which deals in Mass Weaponry, and the right arm, which utilizes beam technology.
AMMP-L: The left arm has three firing modes. The first is a high caliber, medium ranged heavy rifle that deals a high damage output. A single round could destroy a moderately armored target, but the drawback of the rifle firing mode is that it has an incredibly slow rate of fire, at just 10 rounds per minute. The second firing mode is a small caliber, extremely high rate of fire machine gun, limited by its short range, relatively weak stopping power, and tendency to overheat if fired continuously. The machine gun fires at almost 2500 rounds per minute, achieved by utilizing four separate barrels firing in tandem. The final firing mode is a grenade launcher that operates at medium range. The travel time of the grenade launcher is very long, so enemy movement must be predictable in order to be used effectively. The grenade launcher can fire standard high explosive grenades, smoke grenades, or incendiary grenades.
AMMP-R: The right arm has only two fire modes, similar to the first two of AMMP-L. The first fire mode is a high caliber cannon, similar to the rifle on AMMP-L, except it fires at 15 rounds per minute. The second is a machine gun similar to that on the AMMP-L as well, firing at 1500 rounds per minute and utilizing three different barrels.
Anti-beam Multi-Mech Field: An anti-beam field that can effectively shield up to two mechs in addition to Farfalla, but they must remain at close range. At full power it has negative effects on Farfalla’s firepower and movement speed, but not much.
Missile defense sytem: Launches high intensity flares in an attempt to redirect missiles.
Heavily armored in order to sustain large amounts of damage. Makes Farfalla somewhat slow moving, but used in tandem with the thrusters allows Farfalla to take hits for allies.
High intensity thrusters that can be used in very short bursts.
Wishlist:
AMMP shield attachment: AMMP-L would be able to lay down a front-facing wall of armor, while AMMP-L would be able to deploy a front-facing anti-beam shield that can be used for additional cover.
Farfalla’s wings: While not strictly “wings,” they would be vertical thrusters that allow Farfalla to take to the air and hover for a period of time.
A reaaaally long list of various upgrades made to AMMP and the thrusters and such. |
50,860 | 1,371 | 23 | 2,628 | 9,851 | Corina crossed her arms as Chie spoke, maintaining her composure in the face of the small girl's boasting. Corina had heard of the Steel Soldier Ryoko series and knew that Chie's accomplishments were, to be fair, no small task, but they were no substitute for real combat experience. That was a lesson that Arienne taught hard, Corina soon found.
As the smaller woman - Stop calling people small. This isn't the army any more. This is navy, technically. Almost everyone is going to be smaller than you, Corina reminded herself - lectured Chie, Corina caught Arienne slipping a little bit, allowing her true personality to bleed through the typically patient, kinder character Arienne had previously maintained with the young girl. Corina hoped that Chie didn't catch that slip as she had; while Chie was more than likely going to be exposed to the harshier realities of combat and military life, she felt it best to let the girl see her lancemates as much better examples to look up to.
Fortunately, it seemed that Arienne had also caught herself, and returned to the more benign version of Arienne she had maintained for Chie. As Arienne dismissed herself, Corina crouched down to speak to Chie. "I've heard of these games you play, and those are quite impressive accomplishments. Not many people have the balls to even try New Game plus, nevertheless plus eight. However," Corina adjusted her position, turning her crouch into a kneel on one knee, "our reason for sparring is not for combat training. Arienne and I are professionals; we know how to fight. Think of sparring as a sort of real life video game, one in which two opponents get to know each other.
"Now," Corina got up from her kneeling position, "I'm going to follow Arienne and rest my head for a bit before grabbing a bite. You should join us." Corina forced a small, awkward smile, before turning away from Chie and heading for the Officers' Quarter. That went fairly well, I think, Corina consoled herself, relaxing from the surprising stress she had attained from her small chat with Chie. | Name: Chie Alberton
Appearance: "I don't have time for you, I'm drawing."
Age: 10
Race: Wildtype
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: Chie has a personality that greatly contrasts her small, childish body. She has a tendency to be deeply sarcastic towards others if she decides they deserve to be treated with sarcasm, and she often quietly teases others. She enjoys greatly drawing, and has a deep interest in various kinds of media, including the current equivalent of interactive entertainment(whatever the video games of the future are) and various visual mediums, which she pursues whenever she is able to. Chie often draws or writes about these things, though her writing is significantly more childish then her art. In spite of her thick layer of sarcasm, she does still have the personality of a child and is surprisingly easily frightened and quite fond of sweets. She retains an absolute fascination with Cogs, in fact it could be called an outright adoration for the massive machines.
History: Chie's family has been present in Horizon for a long time at this point, her family being composed of two nationalities originally from Earth. Prior to learning about Cogs, she was fascinated with extremely old(and new) media featuring gigantic fighting robots, both realistic and less so, as well as various advents in technology. Her father, a scientist working on the Cogs, made a rather large breach in protocol and brought her along with him, where she learned about the Cogs and swiftly became obsessed. While he was reprimanded for this, he was able to push for Chie to become one of the pilots, specifically for a heavy, long-ranged Cog.
Theme Song: WIP
Cog: Chie calls it "Boom".
Physical Description: "Weapons systems online..."
Tactical role: Heavy Weapons
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 10
Pilot Skill: 7(Chie is a prodigy who has done far, far too much research into the subject for her age)
Mental Fortitude: 4
Obedience: 5
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List: I'll need to work on this.
"Boom" has a basic folding knife stored in one chest panel. The mecha itself is generally unsuited to close-range combat, but it will do in a pinch.
"Boom" sports a series of cluster missile launchers, contained all along its upper chest section. These missiles can deal a fairly heavy payload, but shields or thick armor can mitigate the damage.
"Boom" has two long-range missile launchers attached to its shoulders, capable of firing highly damaging explosives, more dangerous then the cluster missiles in its chest.
Finally, "Boom" can be equipped with a point-laser rifle or a rocket rifle.
Basic thrusters.
Heavy armor, to make up for fairly light shielding.
Wishlist: This too.
Improved thrusters for rapid movement?
Incorporating heavy laser systems into the built-in weaponry.
Shielding improvements. |
50,861 | 1,371 | 24 | 2,532 | 122 | Inside the Officer's Quarters, Arienne chose the top bunk opposite the one already occupied by Pharazon, and began sorting through her sparse luggage. Stowing away her clothes and favorite laser handgun into her basket, she then fastened a couple of her smaller sculptures and some hanger hooks onto her tray nightstand using a wash-offable but durable sticky putty to securely fasten them all into place.
With the hooks in place, using some leather string, she tied a knife in it's scabbard with the handle facing the direction of the door. This way, she could pull out with a quick swing if need be. Her small sized retractable sword (kind of a mix between a combat baton and a tactical tanto blade) that she wore horizontally on her back, just above her hips was always with her. But she would keep it under her pillow at night.
Satisfied with her sleeping area, Arienne changes into her uniform (not caring if anyone sees), grumbling as she forces herself not to put on her hoodie and stow it in her basket. She gives her mechanical looking body a look over to make sure everything is well maintained before fully dressing herself. Fastening a holster for her gun on her right hip, her trusty sword behind her, and a few hidden throwing daggers here and there, Arienne makes ready to head for the Mess hall. | Name: Arienne RHD (pronounced Rahad)
Appearance: Svelt gymnast body at 5'4". She only has synthetic hazelnut skin from the neck up and cornrows like this that only go down to the base of the neck. Everything below the base of her neck is segmented hard-plastic plating with soft plastic covered joints. She has bright aqua eyes that almost seem to glow. Oddly enough, she has the ability to transform her ears away to be replaced with bare skin (don't ask, something about being more streamlined an' shit).
Her bounty hunter outfit (not that she will have many chances to wear this while enlisted) is a mix of these pants and boots and the whole top portion of this sans skull mask. It still has the loose and floppy collar so she can bring it up to cover her face like in the first picture. In her off time she wears stuff like this and this with either stockings or pants. She always has gloves on except in private.
Age: 43. Looks around 25.
Race: Quantum
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: Quiet, cautious/wary, and sometimes stern. Very observant of her surroundings and minor details. Can make conversation, but is usually not very talkative. In fact, she likes to keep awkward/oppressive silences and is amused by some people's discomfort. Doesn't laugh, but you can get her to smile.
Dislikes oppressive people, or those who try to steal/take/destroy the comfort, daily lives, honor, and rights of those without the means to defend and fight back for themselves. Has a great fondness for all forms of natural water and bodies of water and children except quantums who look like children, but have the voice and/or the mind of an adult. She will nope the hell away from that shit.
After a hard or challenging episode/decision in her life, she may burn/destroy one of her sculptures as a way to commemorate and support her progress.
History: Created with a raw Quantum AI by a 2nd-gen soldier who fought in the Race Wars, she was raised with a militaristic lifestyle for the first 30 years of her life. Then, seeking to expand her skills in wilder environments, she traveled to FAS territory and spent the next 13 years as a bounty hunter going after rapists, murderers, pirates, violent mobs/gangs, anyone with a bounty who disturbs the peaceful lives of civilians. It was during this time that she discovered a calming hobby of making sculptures and carvings using her myriad of blades, and the occasional chainsaw. She started doing this to practice and refine her precision and technique, but the act eventually began to take a life of it's own.
Theme Song: This song but she likes listening to techno and funky music. <-- She is quite amused by the ironic subject matter.
Cog: Askalaphos
Physical Description: Basically looks like this and this. Eventually upgrades to have a backpack.
Tactical role: Stealth assassin/scout, Frontline skirmisher/duelist
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 8
Pilot Skill: 9
Mental Fortitude: 10
Obedience: 7
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Beam Claymore: About as long as a cog is tall, this powerful beam saber has a containment field that can barely keep the energy in control. Thus, when the blade is swung, it leaves behind a beam trail that can block bullets and beams.
Hidden twin Katars: located inside forearm casing.
Complex and comprehensive camera system so the cog can see in ALL directions.
Lots and lots of thrusters for high speed and maneuverability.
ECM base Cloaking system: Physically, the Askalaphos is totally visible. But at long-medium to short range, it is completely invisible to cameras and sensors.
Little to no armor and no long range weapons
Wishlist:
Zulfiqar: Looks like this, but double sided and thinner with a modified handle and guard. The length of this blade is 1.5 times the height of a cog and the even more powerful energy is now better contained for a concentrated effect. The solid middle part of the sword is retractable for storage. The intelligent program of the sword will make it so that the beam part of it stays concentrated in the direction of the swing, but releases the energy on the other side for the beam trails to still happen. Downside, there is actually a flat of the blade, so thus if struck there, the blade can shatter.
Tachyon Harp backpack with more thrusters: Allows for subspace hopping for limited range teleportation (BAMF!) and disappearing, and more maneuverability through Dark-Matter surfing.
Large Shoulder pads that are actually hidden arms with normal beam blade nozzles.
Beam boomerangs?? Either that or my cog will eventually get head mounted Vulcans, pesky missiles... |
50,862 | 1,371 | 25 | 2,305 | 2,044 | The four ships comprising the Destiny Squadron set a course to the edge of Horizon territory, a journey that would take about a day in hyperspace. The ships came together into formation and synchronized their Tachyon Harps. In a flash, the ships were gone, now traveling through hyperspace in a bubble of 'real' space. The bubble would exit hyperspace once they reached their destination. If anyone looked outside a window, they would see the iridescent boundary that encapsulated the four ships.
At the end of their 12 hours of free time, the cog pilots were all ordered to report to the hangar. Pharazon stood before the pilots. "The squadron is currently headed to the border between Horizon and the FAS. As you probably know, the region is very unstable, with militant groups, pirates and rebels, and the FAS is suspected of trying to destabilize the region for political and military gains. Our squadron will be patrolling the area, which should be a good test-bed for our cogs. Though our presence alone should be enough to deter some groups, armed military intervention will be required for others. This will be a great chance to train your skills as pilots, and test the capabilities of your cogs. But before we arrive, we should do some basic training before you see some real action. At the very least, you all should be comfortable with piloting your cogs, and be able to launch via catapult as well as returning to the carrier. We might even do some mock combat training if you all are up for it. Any questions?" | Name: Corina Chun
Appearance: A powerfully built muscular woman at 5’10. She has pale white skin and dark black, military cut hair. Corina has hard, jagged facial features, and is often confused to be scowling when she isn’t. Overall, a quite intimidating appearance.
Rarely found wearing anything other than military wear.
Age: 28
Race: Wildtype
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: A strong willed career soldier that rarely lets her emotions get the best of her. Corina has a great respect for authority and power, and is obedient to a fault. When given a command by a superior, her only thoughts are of the strategic and tactical ramifications of the order. Orders in a morally grey area tend to haunt her, though Corina will carry them out anyways. Over the years she’s developed a reputation as one of the best soldiers around.
Away from the battlefield, Corina is not much different. She is often viewed as cold and mechanical. Many find her difficult to talk to, as she rarely lets personal sentiments get in the way of her role as a soldier. However, those that have been by her side in battle typically find that she is somewhat friendlier towards them, and will occasionally go out of her way to help them if they need help.
History: Corina’s grandfather and great-grandfather fought in the Race Wars for the Federation, starting large military family that has served both the Federation and Horizon. Her mother, a soldier following in Corina’s grandfather’s footsteps, and her father, once a small-time politician within the Federation, defected to Horizon once the Quantums ended their period of slavery, along with other members of her family. Corina’s nuclear family was raised entirely in Horizon.
The youngest of four, Corina was the only sibling to follow the family military tradition. The military life suited her, and Corina quickly became an excellent foot soldier. During her time on the ground, Corina was often stationed in unstable areas within Horizon and tasked with containing those rare racially-charged violent conflicts in the nation.
Theme Song:
This.
Cog: Farfalla
Physical Description:
More or less what you see here, except painted in a black and grey digital camo pattern and minus the “wings” on the back. Maybe they could be thrown on later?
Tactical role: All-around Support
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 7
Pilot Skill: 8
Mental Fortitude: 9
Obedience: 10
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Arm-Mounted Multi-Purpose Weapon System, or the AMMP for short. The AMMP has two parts: the left arm, which deals in Mass Weaponry, and the right arm, which utilizes beam technology.
AMMP-L: The left arm has three firing modes. The first is a high caliber, medium ranged heavy rifle that deals a high damage output. A single round could destroy a moderately armored target, but the drawback of the rifle firing mode is that it has an incredibly slow rate of fire, at just 10 rounds per minute. The second firing mode is a small caliber, extremely high rate of fire machine gun, limited by its short range, relatively weak stopping power, and tendency to overheat if fired continuously. The machine gun fires at almost 2500 rounds per minute, achieved by utilizing four separate barrels firing in tandem. The final firing mode is a grenade launcher that operates at medium range. The travel time of the grenade launcher is very long, so enemy movement must be predictable in order to be used effectively. The grenade launcher can fire standard high explosive grenades, smoke grenades, or incendiary grenades.
AMMP-R: The right arm has only two fire modes, similar to the first two of AMMP-L. The first fire mode is a high caliber cannon, similar to the rifle on AMMP-L, except it fires at 15 rounds per minute. The second is a machine gun similar to that on the AMMP-L as well, firing at 1500 rounds per minute and utilizing three different barrels.
Anti-beam Multi-Mech Field: An anti-beam field that can effectively shield up to two mechs in addition to Farfalla, but they must remain at close range. At full power it has negative effects on Farfalla’s firepower and movement speed, but not much.
Missile defense sytem: Launches high intensity flares in an attempt to redirect missiles.
Heavily armored in order to sustain large amounts of damage. Makes Farfalla somewhat slow moving, but used in tandem with the thrusters allows Farfalla to take hits for allies.
High intensity thrusters that can be used in very short bursts.
Wishlist:
AMMP shield attachment: AMMP-L would be able to lay down a front-facing wall of armor, while AMMP-L would be able to deploy a front-facing anti-beam shield that can be used for additional cover.
Farfalla’s wings: While not strictly “wings,” they would be vertical thrusters that allow Farfalla to take to the air and hover for a period of time.
A reaaaally long list of various upgrades made to AMMP and the thrusters and such. |
50,863 | 1,371 | 26 | 2,532 | 122 | Corina raised a hand. "Two questions, sir. What kind of basic training are we looking at? Movement, weaponry, the like? Tactical training? And for our patrol, what's our ROE?" It was a simple, straightforward question, but rules of engagement were important. In her much younger days, she had commonly made the mistake of not knowing her ROE beforehand, often putting the mission in jeopardy or even blowing it entirely. She had since straightened herself out, making sure she knew the ROE back and forth in order to ensure mission success.
One story she recalled with clarity was a hostage situation, one of her first missions. The directive had clearly stated to use force only as a last resort, but Corina had jumped the gun and taken fire prematurely. Ultimately, the mission had been a success and no hostages were harmed, but she had put all the hostages at risk simply because she ignored the ROE. Rookie mistakes, Corina mused, subconsciously glancing at Chie.
Teaching her to follow an order seemed like it would be a large enough task, but teaching her to operate within a set rules of engagement seemed even larger. To Corina, orders were simple: you're told to do something, you do it. Rules of engagement were less clear - they were set directives, but often came without orders. You had free will to act, but had to do so within your ROE. Chie didn't seem like she would like that very much; she was much more likely to be a loose cannon than to maintain her composure. Corina made it a personal objective to keep an eye on Chie when out in their cogs. | Name: Arienne RHD (pronounced Rahad)
Appearance: Svelt gymnast body at 5'4". She only has synthetic hazelnut skin from the neck up and cornrows like this that only go down to the base of the neck. Everything below the base of her neck is segmented hard-plastic plating with soft plastic covered joints. She has bright aqua eyes that almost seem to glow. Oddly enough, she has the ability to transform her ears away to be replaced with bare skin (don't ask, something about being more streamlined an' shit).
Her bounty hunter outfit (not that she will have many chances to wear this while enlisted) is a mix of these pants and boots and the whole top portion of this sans skull mask. It still has the loose and floppy collar so she can bring it up to cover her face like in the first picture. In her off time she wears stuff like this and this with either stockings or pants. She always has gloves on except in private.
Age: 43. Looks around 25.
Race: Quantum
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: Quiet, cautious/wary, and sometimes stern. Very observant of her surroundings and minor details. Can make conversation, but is usually not very talkative. In fact, she likes to keep awkward/oppressive silences and is amused by some people's discomfort. Doesn't laugh, but you can get her to smile.
Dislikes oppressive people, or those who try to steal/take/destroy the comfort, daily lives, honor, and rights of those without the means to defend and fight back for themselves. Has a great fondness for all forms of natural water and bodies of water and children except quantums who look like children, but have the voice and/or the mind of an adult. She will nope the hell away from that shit.
After a hard or challenging episode/decision in her life, she may burn/destroy one of her sculptures as a way to commemorate and support her progress.
History: Created with a raw Quantum AI by a 2nd-gen soldier who fought in the Race Wars, she was raised with a militaristic lifestyle for the first 30 years of her life. Then, seeking to expand her skills in wilder environments, she traveled to FAS territory and spent the next 13 years as a bounty hunter going after rapists, murderers, pirates, violent mobs/gangs, anyone with a bounty who disturbs the peaceful lives of civilians. It was during this time that she discovered a calming hobby of making sculptures and carvings using her myriad of blades, and the occasional chainsaw. She started doing this to practice and refine her precision and technique, but the act eventually began to take a life of it's own.
Theme Song: This song but she likes listening to techno and funky music. <-- She is quite amused by the ironic subject matter.
Cog: Askalaphos
Physical Description: Basically looks like this and this. Eventually upgrades to have a backpack.
Tactical role: Stealth assassin/scout, Frontline skirmisher/duelist
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 8
Pilot Skill: 9
Mental Fortitude: 10
Obedience: 7
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Beam Claymore: About as long as a cog is tall, this powerful beam saber has a containment field that can barely keep the energy in control. Thus, when the blade is swung, it leaves behind a beam trail that can block bullets and beams.
Hidden twin Katars: located inside forearm casing.
Complex and comprehensive camera system so the cog can see in ALL directions.
Lots and lots of thrusters for high speed and maneuverability.
ECM base Cloaking system: Physically, the Askalaphos is totally visible. But at long-medium to short range, it is completely invisible to cameras and sensors.
Little to no armor and no long range weapons
Wishlist:
Zulfiqar: Looks like this, but double sided and thinner with a modified handle and guard. The length of this blade is 1.5 times the height of a cog and the even more powerful energy is now better contained for a concentrated effect. The solid middle part of the sword is retractable for storage. The intelligent program of the sword will make it so that the beam part of it stays concentrated in the direction of the swing, but releases the energy on the other side for the beam trails to still happen. Downside, there is actually a flat of the blade, so thus if struck there, the blade can shatter.
Tachyon Harp backpack with more thrusters: Allows for subspace hopping for limited range teleportation (BAMF!) and disappearing, and more maneuverability through Dark-Matter surfing.
Large Shoulder pads that are actually hidden arms with normal beam blade nozzles.
Beam boomerangs?? Either that or my cog will eventually get head mounted Vulcans, pesky missiles... |
50,864 | 1,371 | 27 | 2,305 | 2,044 | Pharazon nodded at Corina, acknowledging her question, "The training will cover basic piloting and targeting. Theoretically, it shouldn't take long to get a 'feel' for piloting a cog. Once you can get the cog to move how you want, then we'll have the carrier send out some targets to practice on. As for rules of engagement," here Pharazon paused, they didn't sigh but looked like they wanted to, they did close their eyes for an unusually long time before opening them again and continuing, "due to the 'unconventional' nature of cogs, you will be granted a lot more autonomy than would be typically allowed for normal soldiers. The only things I can say are, 'we sortie when we are ordered to', 'communicate your intended actions to the lance before carrying them out', and 'unless I say, "Commander's orders"...you are allowed to rely on your best judgment'. For the most part, our lance should only be faced up against enemy units, we should never encounter hostage situations or anything of that sort, though fighting in populated urban areas is a high possibility. In such situations...trust your best judgment, but never intentionally endanger civilians." Pharazon concluded. They didn't like these 'rules' but on this ship, the research division's word was law. Pharazon added that last part about not harming civilians intentionally as the research division was ready to give the pilots full permission to do whatever they 'felt' was the 'right thing to do' in combat.
"If there are no other questions, then everyone get in your cogs and prepare to sortie."
once everyone had entered their cogs and initiated the Cog OS boot up, the frames holding the cogs in their places began moving the cogs, sliding them along their backs out towards the compartments that ringed the central body of the carrier. A comm link was established between each cog and the bridge's catapult operator, whose voice could be heard going through the launch sequence while the cogs got situated in the launch compartment and the blast doors opened. "This will be your maiden launch. While the carrier is designed for simultaneous launch of up to six craft, for this time, we will being doing it one at a time so the Lieutenant Commander can catch you if you have trouble braking. Phalanx, you are cleared for take off."
"Lieutenant Commander Pharazon CXS, sortieing." With that, the frame carrying Phalanx shot forward, releasing Phalanx when it reached the end of the launch rail, propelling Phalanx out into the hyperspace bubble.
"Alright," came Pharazon's voice over the comm link, "Send the next one out. Let me know if you're having trouble controlling your cog. Again, the way you control your cog should 'feel right' to you, if you think this lever, or this button, or this pedal brakes, then that's probably the one." | Name: Corina Chun
Appearance: A powerfully built muscular woman at 5’10. She has pale white skin and dark black, military cut hair. Corina has hard, jagged facial features, and is often confused to be scowling when she isn’t. Overall, a quite intimidating appearance.
Rarely found wearing anything other than military wear.
Age: 28
Race: Wildtype
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: A strong willed career soldier that rarely lets her emotions get the best of her. Corina has a great respect for authority and power, and is obedient to a fault. When given a command by a superior, her only thoughts are of the strategic and tactical ramifications of the order. Orders in a morally grey area tend to haunt her, though Corina will carry them out anyways. Over the years she’s developed a reputation as one of the best soldiers around.
Away from the battlefield, Corina is not much different. She is often viewed as cold and mechanical. Many find her difficult to talk to, as she rarely lets personal sentiments get in the way of her role as a soldier. However, those that have been by her side in battle typically find that she is somewhat friendlier towards them, and will occasionally go out of her way to help them if they need help.
History: Corina’s grandfather and great-grandfather fought in the Race Wars for the Federation, starting large military family that has served both the Federation and Horizon. Her mother, a soldier following in Corina’s grandfather’s footsteps, and her father, once a small-time politician within the Federation, defected to Horizon once the Quantums ended their period of slavery, along with other members of her family. Corina’s nuclear family was raised entirely in Horizon.
The youngest of four, Corina was the only sibling to follow the family military tradition. The military life suited her, and Corina quickly became an excellent foot soldier. During her time on the ground, Corina was often stationed in unstable areas within Horizon and tasked with containing those rare racially-charged violent conflicts in the nation.
Theme Song:
This.
Cog: Farfalla
Physical Description:
More or less what you see here, except painted in a black and grey digital camo pattern and minus the “wings” on the back. Maybe they could be thrown on later?
Tactical role: All-around Support
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 7
Pilot Skill: 8
Mental Fortitude: 9
Obedience: 10
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Arm-Mounted Multi-Purpose Weapon System, or the AMMP for short. The AMMP has two parts: the left arm, which deals in Mass Weaponry, and the right arm, which utilizes beam technology.
AMMP-L: The left arm has three firing modes. The first is a high caliber, medium ranged heavy rifle that deals a high damage output. A single round could destroy a moderately armored target, but the drawback of the rifle firing mode is that it has an incredibly slow rate of fire, at just 10 rounds per minute. The second firing mode is a small caliber, extremely high rate of fire machine gun, limited by its short range, relatively weak stopping power, and tendency to overheat if fired continuously. The machine gun fires at almost 2500 rounds per minute, achieved by utilizing four separate barrels firing in tandem. The final firing mode is a grenade launcher that operates at medium range. The travel time of the grenade launcher is very long, so enemy movement must be predictable in order to be used effectively. The grenade launcher can fire standard high explosive grenades, smoke grenades, or incendiary grenades.
AMMP-R: The right arm has only two fire modes, similar to the first two of AMMP-L. The first fire mode is a high caliber cannon, similar to the rifle on AMMP-L, except it fires at 15 rounds per minute. The second is a machine gun similar to that on the AMMP-L as well, firing at 1500 rounds per minute and utilizing three different barrels.
Anti-beam Multi-Mech Field: An anti-beam field that can effectively shield up to two mechs in addition to Farfalla, but they must remain at close range. At full power it has negative effects on Farfalla’s firepower and movement speed, but not much.
Missile defense sytem: Launches high intensity flares in an attempt to redirect missiles.
Heavily armored in order to sustain large amounts of damage. Makes Farfalla somewhat slow moving, but used in tandem with the thrusters allows Farfalla to take hits for allies.
High intensity thrusters that can be used in very short bursts.
Wishlist:
AMMP shield attachment: AMMP-L would be able to lay down a front-facing wall of armor, while AMMP-L would be able to deploy a front-facing anti-beam shield that can be used for additional cover.
Farfalla’s wings: While not strictly “wings,” they would be vertical thrusters that allow Farfalla to take to the air and hover for a period of time.
A reaaaally long list of various upgrades made to AMMP and the thrusters and such. |
50,865 | 1,371 | 28 | 2,532 | 122 | Corina frowned. She didn't exactly like the lack of rules, but fortunately Pharazon didn't seem to either. They had done their best, but Corina could hear the restraint in their words. What they had said made sense, and Corina understood why there was a lack of restraint with the cogs, but at the end of the day she was a soldier, and soldiers liked orders. Short of orders, soldiers liked chemistry among their team in order for a proper dynamic to work itself out, but this lance had yet to develop chemistry. Their interaction since meeting had been limited, though Corina had to place some of that blame on herself. She wasn't exactly the most social of people and had isolated herself for much of the trip.
Corina could only offer a terse, "Understood, sir," before heading towards her cog to prepare. Climbing into the cockpit, Corina immediately understood what Pharazon meant by "feeling right." The interior was simple, organized, and disciplined. Everything was in a matte grey finish, matching the greyscale digital pattern that covered the cog. Corina smirked. This was definitely working for her.
As Phalanx was launched out into the bubble, Corina felt Farfalla being moved for launch. Shit. Shit shit shit shit shitshitshitshitshit, Corina began to panic slightly as the launch quickly became a reality. She was a foot soldier - any type of vehicular warfare was alien to her. That said, she found that she wasn't as nervous as she expected; the comfort and odd familiarity of Farfalla's cockpit was calming.
"Lieutenant Chun, piloting cog Farfalla. Let it be recorded that on this day, you've got a career foot soldier flying around in space," Corina announced nervously, feeling the acceleration of the launch shoot her out into the bubble. Corina braked with no problem, decelerating at a steady, even rate with the depression of the lower left pedal. She quickly asserted herself with Farfalla's movement controls: lower left was stop, lower right was go, upper left was strafe left, upper right was strafe right. Whatever direction she pulled the arm controls in, Farfalla moved to look. She could trigger a powerful burst of speed in any direction by pulling one of the many triggers on either side in combination with a directional control, though it was incredibly taxing on her physically. Corina would have to figure out a way to exercise in order to make the sudden directional changes easier. | Name: Arienne RHD (pronounced Rahad)
Appearance: Svelt gymnast body at 5'4". She only has synthetic hazelnut skin from the neck up and cornrows like this that only go down to the base of the neck. Everything below the base of her neck is segmented hard-plastic plating with soft plastic covered joints. She has bright aqua eyes that almost seem to glow. Oddly enough, she has the ability to transform her ears away to be replaced with bare skin (don't ask, something about being more streamlined an' shit).
Her bounty hunter outfit (not that she will have many chances to wear this while enlisted) is a mix of these pants and boots and the whole top portion of this sans skull mask. It still has the loose and floppy collar so she can bring it up to cover her face like in the first picture. In her off time she wears stuff like this and this with either stockings or pants. She always has gloves on except in private.
Age: 43. Looks around 25.
Race: Quantum
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: Quiet, cautious/wary, and sometimes stern. Very observant of her surroundings and minor details. Can make conversation, but is usually not very talkative. In fact, she likes to keep awkward/oppressive silences and is amused by some people's discomfort. Doesn't laugh, but you can get her to smile.
Dislikes oppressive people, or those who try to steal/take/destroy the comfort, daily lives, honor, and rights of those without the means to defend and fight back for themselves. Has a great fondness for all forms of natural water and bodies of water and children except quantums who look like children, but have the voice and/or the mind of an adult. She will nope the hell away from that shit.
After a hard or challenging episode/decision in her life, she may burn/destroy one of her sculptures as a way to commemorate and support her progress.
History: Created with a raw Quantum AI by a 2nd-gen soldier who fought in the Race Wars, she was raised with a militaristic lifestyle for the first 30 years of her life. Then, seeking to expand her skills in wilder environments, she traveled to FAS territory and spent the next 13 years as a bounty hunter going after rapists, murderers, pirates, violent mobs/gangs, anyone with a bounty who disturbs the peaceful lives of civilians. It was during this time that she discovered a calming hobby of making sculptures and carvings using her myriad of blades, and the occasional chainsaw. She started doing this to practice and refine her precision and technique, but the act eventually began to take a life of it's own.
Theme Song: This song but she likes listening to techno and funky music. <-- She is quite amused by the ironic subject matter.
Cog: Askalaphos
Physical Description: Basically looks like this and this. Eventually upgrades to have a backpack.
Tactical role: Stealth assassin/scout, Frontline skirmisher/duelist
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 8
Pilot Skill: 9
Mental Fortitude: 10
Obedience: 7
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Beam Claymore: About as long as a cog is tall, this powerful beam saber has a containment field that can barely keep the energy in control. Thus, when the blade is swung, it leaves behind a beam trail that can block bullets and beams.
Hidden twin Katars: located inside forearm casing.
Complex and comprehensive camera system so the cog can see in ALL directions.
Lots and lots of thrusters for high speed and maneuverability.
ECM base Cloaking system: Physically, the Askalaphos is totally visible. But at long-medium to short range, it is completely invisible to cameras and sensors.
Little to no armor and no long range weapons
Wishlist:
Zulfiqar: Looks like this, but double sided and thinner with a modified handle and guard. The length of this blade is 1.5 times the height of a cog and the even more powerful energy is now better contained for a concentrated effect. The solid middle part of the sword is retractable for storage. The intelligent program of the sword will make it so that the beam part of it stays concentrated in the direction of the swing, but releases the energy on the other side for the beam trails to still happen. Downside, there is actually a flat of the blade, so thus if struck there, the blade can shatter.
Tachyon Harp backpack with more thrusters: Allows for subspace hopping for limited range teleportation (BAMF!) and disappearing, and more maneuverability through Dark-Matter surfing.
Large Shoulder pads that are actually hidden arms with normal beam blade nozzles.
Beam boomerangs?? Either that or my cog will eventually get head mounted Vulcans, pesky missiles... |
50,866 | 1,371 | 29 | 2,628 | 9,851 | Chie tuned out almost everything else. It was always the same dull, boring questions she had guessed they would ask. No, this was what she was waiting for. She had been in the pilot's seat before, but there was a big difference between simply seeing it and actually piloting the mecha. Excitement swelled up in the tiny girl's heart and she was practically quaking with how eager she was. Her flight suit, a powder blue, was correctly equipped, and she'd done everything properly. All that was left to do was to get going...
"Boom's heading out!"
And moments later... that speed. The sensation of escape as she was launched out into space... this was exactly as she knew it was going to be! She hadn't gotten to really try it yet, but...
"Wah... this is great! It's even better then I thought it would be!"
Boom gently glided through space as she went | Name: Chie Alberton
Appearance: "I don't have time for you, I'm drawing."
Age: 10
Race: Wildtype
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: Chie has a personality that greatly contrasts her small, childish body. She has a tendency to be deeply sarcastic towards others if she decides they deserve to be treated with sarcasm, and she often quietly teases others. She enjoys greatly drawing, and has a deep interest in various kinds of media, including the current equivalent of interactive entertainment(whatever the video games of the future are) and various visual mediums, which she pursues whenever she is able to. Chie often draws or writes about these things, though her writing is significantly more childish then her art. In spite of her thick layer of sarcasm, she does still have the personality of a child and is surprisingly easily frightened and quite fond of sweets. She retains an absolute fascination with Cogs, in fact it could be called an outright adoration for the massive machines.
History: Chie's family has been present in Horizon for a long time at this point, her family being composed of two nationalities originally from Earth. Prior to learning about Cogs, she was fascinated with extremely old(and new) media featuring gigantic fighting robots, both realistic and less so, as well as various advents in technology. Her father, a scientist working on the Cogs, made a rather large breach in protocol and brought her along with him, where she learned about the Cogs and swiftly became obsessed. While he was reprimanded for this, he was able to push for Chie to become one of the pilots, specifically for a heavy, long-ranged Cog.
Theme Song: WIP
Cog: Chie calls it "Boom".
Physical Description: "Weapons systems online..."
Tactical role: Heavy Weapons
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 10
Pilot Skill: 7(Chie is a prodigy who has done far, far too much research into the subject for her age)
Mental Fortitude: 4
Obedience: 5
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List: I'll need to work on this.
"Boom" has a basic folding knife stored in one chest panel. The mecha itself is generally unsuited to close-range combat, but it will do in a pinch.
"Boom" sports a series of cluster missile launchers, contained all along its upper chest section. These missiles can deal a fairly heavy payload, but shields or thick armor can mitigate the damage.
"Boom" has two long-range missile launchers attached to its shoulders, capable of firing highly damaging explosives, more dangerous then the cluster missiles in its chest.
Finally, "Boom" can be equipped with a point-laser rifle or a rocket rifle.
Basic thrusters.
Heavy armor, to make up for fairly light shielding.
Wishlist: This too.
Improved thrusters for rapid movement?
Incorporating heavy laser systems into the built-in weaponry.
Shielding improvements. |
50,867 | 1,371 | 30 | 2,305 | 2,044 | I'm glad to see you all got the hang of it, Pharazon said.
Out here, it was clear that the four ships were in some sort of astrophysical phenomenon. An iridescent, spherical border separated the 'real space' containing the ships, and the surrounding hyperspace. In the front, an image of the destination planet could be seen, as if the ships had already arrived, while behind, an image of the planet they had departed from, as if they had never left. It was as if the Destiny Squadron was the same proximity to both planets, and this was technically true according to space-fold physics. As both planets were visible to the ships in the space-fold, the ships were also visible to both planets. Light, "information", always got through the space-fold faster than matter, resulting in this strange phenomenon.
"Continue learning how to move your cogs. Test your limits to see what kinds of speeds and accelerations you can handle, though some cogs will inherently be slower than others," Pharazon coached, "After a while, I'll ask the Destiny to send out some targets." | Name: Corina Chun
Appearance: A powerfully built muscular woman at 5’10. She has pale white skin and dark black, military cut hair. Corina has hard, jagged facial features, and is often confused to be scowling when she isn’t. Overall, a quite intimidating appearance.
Rarely found wearing anything other than military wear.
Age: 28
Race: Wildtype
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: A strong willed career soldier that rarely lets her emotions get the best of her. Corina has a great respect for authority and power, and is obedient to a fault. When given a command by a superior, her only thoughts are of the strategic and tactical ramifications of the order. Orders in a morally grey area tend to haunt her, though Corina will carry them out anyways. Over the years she’s developed a reputation as one of the best soldiers around.
Away from the battlefield, Corina is not much different. She is often viewed as cold and mechanical. Many find her difficult to talk to, as she rarely lets personal sentiments get in the way of her role as a soldier. However, those that have been by her side in battle typically find that she is somewhat friendlier towards them, and will occasionally go out of her way to help them if they need help.
History: Corina’s grandfather and great-grandfather fought in the Race Wars for the Federation, starting large military family that has served both the Federation and Horizon. Her mother, a soldier following in Corina’s grandfather’s footsteps, and her father, once a small-time politician within the Federation, defected to Horizon once the Quantums ended their period of slavery, along with other members of her family. Corina’s nuclear family was raised entirely in Horizon.
The youngest of four, Corina was the only sibling to follow the family military tradition. The military life suited her, and Corina quickly became an excellent foot soldier. During her time on the ground, Corina was often stationed in unstable areas within Horizon and tasked with containing those rare racially-charged violent conflicts in the nation.
Theme Song:
This.
Cog: Farfalla
Physical Description:
More or less what you see here, except painted in a black and grey digital camo pattern and minus the “wings” on the back. Maybe they could be thrown on later?
Tactical role: All-around Support
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 7
Pilot Skill: 8
Mental Fortitude: 9
Obedience: 10
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Arm-Mounted Multi-Purpose Weapon System, or the AMMP for short. The AMMP has two parts: the left arm, which deals in Mass Weaponry, and the right arm, which utilizes beam technology.
AMMP-L: The left arm has three firing modes. The first is a high caliber, medium ranged heavy rifle that deals a high damage output. A single round could destroy a moderately armored target, but the drawback of the rifle firing mode is that it has an incredibly slow rate of fire, at just 10 rounds per minute. The second firing mode is a small caliber, extremely high rate of fire machine gun, limited by its short range, relatively weak stopping power, and tendency to overheat if fired continuously. The machine gun fires at almost 2500 rounds per minute, achieved by utilizing four separate barrels firing in tandem. The final firing mode is a grenade launcher that operates at medium range. The travel time of the grenade launcher is very long, so enemy movement must be predictable in order to be used effectively. The grenade launcher can fire standard high explosive grenades, smoke grenades, or incendiary grenades.
AMMP-R: The right arm has only two fire modes, similar to the first two of AMMP-L. The first fire mode is a high caliber cannon, similar to the rifle on AMMP-L, except it fires at 15 rounds per minute. The second is a machine gun similar to that on the AMMP-L as well, firing at 1500 rounds per minute and utilizing three different barrels.
Anti-beam Multi-Mech Field: An anti-beam field that can effectively shield up to two mechs in addition to Farfalla, but they must remain at close range. At full power it has negative effects on Farfalla’s firepower and movement speed, but not much.
Missile defense sytem: Launches high intensity flares in an attempt to redirect missiles.
Heavily armored in order to sustain large amounts of damage. Makes Farfalla somewhat slow moving, but used in tandem with the thrusters allows Farfalla to take hits for allies.
High intensity thrusters that can be used in very short bursts.
Wishlist:
AMMP shield attachment: AMMP-L would be able to lay down a front-facing wall of armor, while AMMP-L would be able to deploy a front-facing anti-beam shield that can be used for additional cover.
Farfalla’s wings: While not strictly “wings,” they would be vertical thrusters that allow Farfalla to take to the air and hover for a period of time.
A reaaaally long list of various upgrades made to AMMP and the thrusters and such. |
50,868 | 1,371 | 31 | 2,532 | 122 | Arienne mentally went through Askalaphos' capabilities and reviewed the information on her Beam Claymore and ECM Cloaking system. Only one of them could be active at once and Arienne was fine with this.
Activating her claymore, she did a few practice swings before going through her forms, testing the flexibility and range of motion Askalaphos had. After that, listening to Pharazon, she started flying around at top speed, making sudden and harsh turns and stops, all the while swinging her weapon in practice for rapid disarming and executions.
Switching over to her cloaking (thus turning off the claymore), Arienne flew about equidistant between Boom and Farfalla.
"Hey Corina, Chie. I'm testing Askalaphos' cloaking system right now. Do you still see me? I'm right between the two of you." | Name: Arienne RHD (pronounced Rahad)
Appearance: Svelt gymnast body at 5'4". She only has synthetic hazelnut skin from the neck up and cornrows like this that only go down to the base of the neck. Everything below the base of her neck is segmented hard-plastic plating with soft plastic covered joints. She has bright aqua eyes that almost seem to glow. Oddly enough, she has the ability to transform her ears away to be replaced with bare skin (don't ask, something about being more streamlined an' shit).
Her bounty hunter outfit (not that she will have many chances to wear this while enlisted) is a mix of these pants and boots and the whole top portion of this sans skull mask. It still has the loose and floppy collar so she can bring it up to cover her face like in the first picture. In her off time she wears stuff like this and this with either stockings or pants. She always has gloves on except in private.
Age: 43. Looks around 25.
Race: Quantum
Citizenship: Horizon
Personality: Quiet, cautious/wary, and sometimes stern. Very observant of her surroundings and minor details. Can make conversation, but is usually not very talkative. In fact, she likes to keep awkward/oppressive silences and is amused by some people's discomfort. Doesn't laugh, but you can get her to smile.
Dislikes oppressive people, or those who try to steal/take/destroy the comfort, daily lives, honor, and rights of those without the means to defend and fight back for themselves. Has a great fondness for all forms of natural water and bodies of water and children except quantums who look like children, but have the voice and/or the mind of an adult. She will nope the hell away from that shit.
After a hard or challenging episode/decision in her life, she may burn/destroy one of her sculptures as a way to commemorate and support her progress.
History: Created with a raw Quantum AI by a 2nd-gen soldier who fought in the Race Wars, she was raised with a militaristic lifestyle for the first 30 years of her life. Then, seeking to expand her skills in wilder environments, she traveled to FAS territory and spent the next 13 years as a bounty hunter going after rapists, murderers, pirates, violent mobs/gangs, anyone with a bounty who disturbs the peaceful lives of civilians. It was during this time that she discovered a calming hobby of making sculptures and carvings using her myriad of blades, and the occasional chainsaw. She started doing this to practice and refine her precision and technique, but the act eventually began to take a life of it's own.
Theme Song: This song but she likes listening to techno and funky music. <-- She is quite amused by the ironic subject matter.
Cog: Askalaphos
Physical Description: Basically looks like this and this. Eventually upgrades to have a backpack.
Tactical role: Stealth assassin/scout, Frontline skirmisher/duelist
Evaluation:
Cog Score: 8
Pilot Skill: 9
Mental Fortitude: 10
Obedience: 7
Weapon/Equipment/Special Systems List:
Beam Claymore: About as long as a cog is tall, this powerful beam saber has a containment field that can barely keep the energy in control. Thus, when the blade is swung, it leaves behind a beam trail that can block bullets and beams.
Hidden twin Katars: located inside forearm casing.
Complex and comprehensive camera system so the cog can see in ALL directions.
Lots and lots of thrusters for high speed and maneuverability.
ECM base Cloaking system: Physically, the Askalaphos is totally visible. But at long-medium to short range, it is completely invisible to cameras and sensors.
Little to no armor and no long range weapons
Wishlist:
Zulfiqar: Looks like this, but double sided and thinner with a modified handle and guard. The length of this blade is 1.5 times the height of a cog and the even more powerful energy is now better contained for a concentrated effect. The solid middle part of the sword is retractable for storage. The intelligent program of the sword will make it so that the beam part of it stays concentrated in the direction of the swing, but releases the energy on the other side for the beam trails to still happen. Downside, there is actually a flat of the blade, so thus if struck there, the blade can shatter.
Tachyon Harp backpack with more thrusters: Allows for subspace hopping for limited range teleportation (BAMF!) and disappearing, and more maneuverability through Dark-Matter surfing.
Large Shoulder pads that are actually hidden arms with normal beam blade nozzles.
Beam boomerangs?? Either that or my cog will eventually get head mounted Vulcans, pesky missiles... |
50,869 | 1,372 | 0 | 668 | 1,463 | In the late 90's, collectible Mons were all the rage. There were several games and toy lines attempting to sell their merchandise and entertain audiences, but one stood out among the rest: Digimon. It began as a manga in Japan that was later adapted into an anime. That anime proved successful enough to warrant an international release, and thus Digimon became popular worldwide. From this popularity, a trading card game was born, one where players built a deck with Digimon they could apply power up cards to in an attempt to overpower their opponent. It proved popular enough, and the Cards remained in print for several years.
But soon a gaming company called D-Connect came along. At the time of D-Connects formation, the Digimon trading card game had waned in popularity, and rights to the cards and monsters they represented were purchased by D-Connect for purposes that were soon revealed. D-Connect's enigmatic President, Ken Kuroda, unveiled his brilliant idea: the D-Scanners. Resembling Digivices, D-Scanners came with a Digi-egg pre-installed. It would hatch into a Digital Digimon, able to be raised like previous popular digital pet games, but this one came with a twist. The Digimon in the D-Scanners were programmed to be compatible with the card game, meaning players could apply power ups from the TCG to boost the Digimon's abilities. Coupled with the D-Scanners' ability to connect via WiFi and allow the stored Digimon to engage in battle, this reinvigorated Digimon's popularity, with D-Scanners selling like hot cakes all over the world.
Now, in the present day, Digimon is as popular as it's ever been. Several new manga and anime series have been made since the original, and both the D-Scanners and the TCG have been regularly updated to keep up with them. In fact, battling Digimon through the D-Scanners have become a rather popular sport in and of itself, spawning tournaments in regions around the world complete with rules and regulations, and even ban lists for the TCG aspect of the game. In fact, it's become all too common for Digimon battles to be used as a means of settling disputes. This popularity and widespread play has made the game far more influential in the economy and politics than it ever was at first, and this of course also applied to D-Connect, the company becoming rather enigmatic in its dealings and Ken Kuroda, its president, making only rare public appearances anymore. It's been the cause for some speculation among the populace.
This only increased further when - on November 29, 2016 - a Digital phenomena occurred in an Electronics store in Tokyo, Japan. Several computers and other devices within the store went haywire and suddenly produced a vicious creature made up of digital data that rampaged. It caused substantial damage to the store, but soon after its appearance it vanished back into the circuitry from which it originally came. All eyes were suddenly on D-Connect when the creature was described as looking vaguely like a Digimon. D-Connect found itself under fire both legally and by the media, and as such was quick to ensure the public that the "Cyber Beast" - as it was dubbed - was not their doing, but that they would work to find out the creature's origin and help create a means to prevent such an attack from happening again in the future.
Behind closed doors, D-Connect greenlit "Project Destiny" and on December 6, 2016 a cryptic email was sent out to a select group of players within their gaming database, the email even being signed by Mr. Kuroda personally. This email informed the readers that they had been chosen for a special promotion of an upcoming update for the game, and they would be given an exclusive tour of D-Connect's headquarters in Tokyo, all expenses paid. As if to sweeten the deal even further, the email promised the recipient an actual meet-and-greet with Mr. Kuroda himself as well as early access to the newest set of cards currently in line for a Christmas release. This email, should the chosen players - the Tamers, as they are called within the gaming circuit - accept the invitation, their world would be changed forever.
Because, you see... it's no longer just a game.
D-Connect CEO Office ~ Tokyo, Japan
The sun shone brightly on that lovely December morning. There were some odd clouds in the sky here and there, but otherwise the weather seemed to promise an all around nice day, if a bit chilly due to the winter season. It was the morning of the 13th, exactly one week since Kuroda personally signed and sent each of the email invitations that would begin Phase 1 of Project Destiny. Kuroda was thorough, having made sure he did his homework on each of the recipients. He honestly felt like he knew them about as well as their own parents did. He researched their hobbies, interests, and even career aspirations. In so doing he was able to add a personal touch to each individual invitation, playing to that recipient's personality and attempting to appeal to them on a more personal level to give the impression that he knew who each individual player in his game was and wanted each to feel absolutely comfortable with accepting the offer.
"They should be arriving shortly." announced a woman's voice. Having entered Kuroda's office was the seemingly ice cold Samantha Chase. She wore her usual work attire, which was a slick business suit consisting a short black skirt, a black suit jacket worn over a purple sleeveless shirt, and her usual jet black stilettos. Her blonde hair was tied back into a business knot, and her look was completed by a small pair of glasses that gave her an air of cunning intellect to accompany her confident presence. Chase had formerly worked for an American software company, but realized early on just how well the D-Scanners would skyrocket in popularity and sales. She since moved from her previous station to work at one of D-Connect's American Branch offices, but Kuroda was quick to know talent and skill and when he saw it, so it wasn't long before he had her working in the main office in Tokyo.
Kuroda smiled, looking like nothing less than a grandfather who had just been told he would soon see his grandchildren. Ken Kuroda was a man now pushing fifty years old, but he didn't look it and certainly didn't act like it either. Even in the early days of D-Connect some fifteen to twenty years ago, Kuroda was universally described as the Willy Wonka of the gaming industry. He was cheerful, playful, still very much like a kid at heart. But he was also charismatic, almost inhumanly so. With just his smile and personality alone, he could probably convince a person to buy a house they already owned. Most importantly, Kuroda was a dreamer. Evidenced by the design specs of the D-Scanners, Kuroda put much more priority in ensuring user friendliness and players having fun over cost efficiency. He was very much like John Hammond in his "spare no expense" approach to business. Sure it meant ventures could be more costly, but it also meant that they could turn much greater profits in return.
"Fantastic!" the man exclaimed, clapping his hands together in an excited gesture. Kuroda was practically the polar opposite of Samantha. Where as Samantha was ice cold and pure business, Kuroda was instead instead warm and very informal. Even Kuroda's wardrobe was... not all businesslike. In fact he dressed very casually, in blue jeans and sneakers, even wearing some kind of floral shirt as if he were on vacation. His office was also very eclectic in its decor, reflective of the man himself. There was Digimon memorabilia all around him. He had figurines of WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon on his desk, posters for the various anime on his walls, a bookshelf with some of the mangas kept on it along with some business files. He even had two Digimon arcade cabinets in the corner where he also kept a small refrigerator and coffee machine, sort of a personal break area. Finally there was his pride and joy, a shelf containing plushies of all eight of the original Digimon partners: Agumon, Gabumon, Biyomon, Tentamon, Patamon, Palmon, Gomamon, and of course Gatomon. They were sitting on the shelf in alignment, with Agumon and Gabumon taking the center spots, but with Patamon next to Gabumon and Gatomon next to Agumon. Their human partners were siblings after all.
"I still advise against this." Samantha said coldly, "They're civilians, kids at that. Who are we to-" she stopped when Kuroda put up a hand.
"I'm well aware of the risks. But we also agreed that doing nothing was an even worse move."
"Yes but-"
"Relax. Yes, it could be risky. But that's why they call it a 'gamble'." at about this time, Kuroda peeked out of his office window and saw what could be described as a conga line of limousines, "Ah, they're here! Fantastic!" in addition to providing first class air fare to those that needed it, Kuroda also went to the trouble of arranging limousines for the emails' recipients as well. After all, he spared no expense.
In one of the Limousines pulling into D-Connect, Makoto Houjou had been reading and rereading the email he received. Truth be told he probably should have opted out of the tour, since it would require missing some of his classes. But the words in his emails appealed to him on a surprisingly personal level. It clearly wasn't something the company just copy and pasted several times and Kuroda stamping his signature on them. No, the letter seemed too painstakingly personal for that to be case. Made even more surprising when the invitation flatly referred to Makoto as M quite a few times, meaning whoever wrote these up had certainly done their research. One excerpt in particular stuck out to Emu, though:
I am aware you wish to pursue a medical career. Certainly a worthy aspiration, and I will happily wish you nothing but the best in that pursuit. But if you truly wish to retire the Genius Gamer, then why not play one last great game? Go out with a fantastic bang!
Emu stared at the passage and then smirked to himself, "One last game, huh?" he said to himself softly as his Limousine came to a stop and his door was opened for him by the driver. He closed the email on his phone down and put it away in his pocket. Unlike the other recipients, who probably made sure to bring all their necessary Digimon gear, Emu instead apparently decided to come empty handed. He had no D-Scanners with him, nor any Cards. He just looked like a random student.
"Welcome to D-Connect Headquarters, Mr. Houjou." the driver spoke. Emu looked around and noticed others getting out of their Limos in similar fashion. He then looked to the building to spot a smiling man eagerly awaiting to greet the arrivals, at his side was an American woman tapping silently on an iPad.
"Welcome! Welcome Tamers! To D-Connect!" said Kuroda, making a point to personally greet each arrival, "You're all on time, that's fantastic! Today, you're about to make history!" | Name: Makoto Houjou
Nicknames: M, Emu
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Nationality: Japanese
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills: Emu is a skilled gamer, in more than just the Digimon game. Online he used to play under the moniker of M, the "genius gamer". Beyond his gaming, Emu aspires to become a doctor, and as such has already begun learning medicine.
Card Deck: Emu uses a Deck built around accuracy, precision, and firepower to capitalize on Commandramon's use of Gun- and Cannon-based weaponry through out his forms.
Personality: Emu keeps himself quiet and reserved for the most part, as if intentionally detaching himself from bonding with others. It's a common trait of some surgeons, using that kind of persona to allow them to make the right calls without letting personal investments color their judgement. But that's more of a front than anything, Emu is actually much more kindhearted than he lets himself appear to be. His kinder sides can only be glimpsed when something fires him up, stokes his passion or just outright makes him angry enough to show that side of himself.
Background: Makoto Houjou has been accustomed to fending for himself for as long as he can remember. Both his parents had to work two jobs each just to afford their home, and with no siblings that meant Makoto often turned to toys and games to keep him company. He spent many a Saturday morning watching the first Digimon anime on TV while playing with his Cards and Agumon action figure. Even before D-Connect popularized professional gaming, Makoto was already making a name for himself by topping the charts in several online games of varying genres. When the D-Scanners were released, it became yet another game for Makoto to excel at - having already become well known on the internet as Genius Gamer M. People in real life who knew his online identity started calling him "Emu", a sort of exaggerated annunciation of the letter "M" in reference to his online persona, and the nickname stuck.
Despite such a promising career as a professional gamer, something happened three years ago. The genius gamer seemed to disappear from the internet. M no longer appeared to be logging into any of the gaming networks, most notably that of the Digimon game. In truth, there was an accident - one that severely injured Emu. It was an act of heroism in all honesty, Emu shoved a small kid out of the way of a speeding vehicle only to be hit himself. Emu owed his survival to a kind but brilliant surgeon named Hongo. Dr. Hongo's knowledge and medical skills saved Emu from what could have been a tragic death, and this made the gamer rethink his life. He resolved to focus on school from then on, and become a Doctor like the man who saved him, so that the life Dr. Hongo saved could repay him by saving other lives. Makoto intended to put M and the gaming world behind him, but decided to re-enter it one last time when he received a certain letter of invitation.
Nickname: None
Species: Commandramon
Appearance:
Gender: Male
Evolutionary Line: Bommon -> Missimon -> Commandramon -> Sealsdramon -> Tankdramon -> Darkdramon
~Attacks~
M16 Assassin: Fires rifle for a projectile attack.
DCD Bomb: Throws a small bomb for an explosive grenade attack.
Personality: Commandramon is usually very good at following commands. Not surprising, given his soldier-like appearance and persona. In fact he has a tendency to salute and remain at attention unless told otherwise. He's also a "professional" - in that he prefers going into a battle with a well-thought plan in mind as opposed to "shooting blind" as it were. That's only what he's like in battle though. Outside of combat, Commandramon is easily amazed by human world luxuries, especially the flashing boxes humans call Television. |
50,870 | 1,372 | 1 | 34 | 179 | Time to take it to the next level, I guess.
Zakai inhaled a deep breath, filling his lungs completely before he exhaled.
As his limousine pulled into D-Connect he again began to wonder why someone would spend so much money on getting him here. The flight was understandable, but a limousine for each one of the selected Digimon gamers? Talk about sparing no expense. Zakai should probably just be grateful that he was given this opportunity and enjoy a limousine ride by himself rather than with a group of people he might have nothing in common with. But then, if they're into Digimon maybe they aren't so bad?
Or they're all genius child gamers . . .
Still, that wouldn't be the worst situation.
Ken Kuroda had called him different, which, was nothing new or surprising. But in the message, it wasn't just Digimon that he mentioned. He brought up Zakai's interest in parkour, which is in no way connected to his time spent playing Digimon, and other things that Zakai just wasn't expecting. At first he thought it was cool to be selected to visit D-Connect for something as simple as playing Digimon alone, but then he became suspicious as to why someone with knowledge in his personal life was inviting him to "take it to the next level".
Zakai loved to do some pretty crazy things, but what was so crazy about playing Digimon? At least, that someone else would spend all this time and money into it? It made him think this might be some sort of reality TV show or promotional event for the sake of sales. In the end, his love for Digimon and the fact that someone seemingly knew so much about him from his Digimon experience tempted him to bite and take the chance however. Now those paranoid thoughts were creeping back into his mind, but he was already here in front of D-Connect and there was no turning back now. And he didn't see any cameras so far . . .
As the limousine came to a stop behind another limousine already parked, Zakai opened the door and stepped out slowly. Once on his feet he looked to his left at the other arriving gamer. Not a child after all, though still very young. Hearing the rest of the limousines arriving, Zakai turned his gaze to the right and watched as doors began to open. Before examining the the new arrivals however, his eyes shifted and eventually rested on the man himself, the one who called them all here: Ken Kuroda. He looked nice enough with his floral "forever vacationing" shirt.
History, he says. | Name: Zakai Hidetsugu
Nickname: Zak, Zee
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Nationality: Japanese Father, American Mother
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills: B level parkour athlete.
Card Deck: Utilizes a speed and accuracy based deck to boost Gazimon's natural agility, as well as a few defensive cards to raise Gazimon's low defense in critical situations.
Personality: Zakai appears to be the silent and cool type, but in reality he just speaks few words. Unless he's opening his mouth to explain something of interest, Zakai is usually making short sarcastic comments about how a bad a situation or person could end up. It's not that he has ill intention however, but rather that his humor is off and society usually pegs him as an anti-social weirdo. Once you get to know him, you still may not like him, but you might keep him around anyway because he tends to be loyal and willing to commit acts that no one else would. You just have to learn to deal with no compliments and having to decipher Zakai's at times cryptic language.
Background: Born to a Japanese father and American mother, Zakai already appeared to be a stranger in someone else's land. Growing up he was typically alienated not only due to his heritage but his uncanny interests. For example, as a kid, he was always more enthralled with super villains rather than super heroes. It wasn't that he was a bad kid, he just thought they were cooler and had better stories. It could be because he saw the world as it was, not through rose colored lenses like the other children around him. His father was obsessed with work and his mother never stopped dreaming of home. So naturally, his parents didn't have the best relationship and whether they intended it to or not, it affected the way they treated Zakai. Once he was 17 his parents divorced, his mother returning home and his father continuing to focus on his work. A year later Zakai moved out, having little concern for his parents or any friends. Again, it wasn't that Zakai had ill intention. But he became accustomed to being alone. One thing that really helped him stay happy and entertained throughout his entire life, was his love for Digimon. As a kid he would lose himself to the anime and all the digital figures he could collect. Now he has become quite the Digi gamer, and has an impressive collection of near 1,000 Digimon figures. Perhaps his most colorful and joyful interest, others still look at Zakai strangely for collecting Digimon throughout his adulthood.
Nickname: Gazi
Species: Gazimon
Appearance:
Gender: Male
Evolutionary Line: ? -> ? -> Gazimon -> Devidramon -> Cyberdramon -> Beelzemon/Beelzemon Blast Mode
Attacks: Electric Stun Blast, Pitfall
Personality: Being a virus Digimon and thus seen as a devious character, Gazimon does not trust nor make relationships easily. Embracing his near criminal image, he will work with others but is always looking to benefit the most from every situation. Despite being prideful Gazimon is not a fool as others mistakenly believe; he has street smarts in the Digital World and will not place himself in harm's way easily. |
50,871 | 1,372 | 2 | 1,883 | 2,265 | 15:00 22 October
Flames roared as a troop of Goburimon rushed in against an increasingly smaller number of Hawkmon. Explosions rocked the sky, curbed only by a blinding light. Behind it all, an armored figure glowered to the opponent beyond. A sound like war horns rang out as an angled, crystalline blade was raised to the smokey sky. The armored form's throat seemed to begin to bellow, but not quite. Not yet. It wasn't ready. And the scale of the barrier of light was stifling the crimson glow the armored one could accrue.
Soon...
The ride in the limousine was silent.-
Its arrival in front of his modest home was a bit of a surprise. Of course, his mother made a fuss, from which he encouraged her to calm down before leaving. A tousling of his hair and a 'go get 'em kiddo', met with a nervous wave, and he was off.- The ride in to the center of Tokyo from Saitama was pleasant, if not short. Despite the large aggregate of other limo's- somewhere around five or six- traffic moved smoothly, much to his liking.
He gripped the D-Scanner, which was clipped on the reverse side of his pocket, as his bag rested on his lap. Inside, the screen flashed brightly, the LCD display showing the image of an egg, under it the words 'hatch me' in smallcaps. There was a slight lurch as a concrete median was passed over at low speeds, causing the cylindrical bag to slump, prompting it to be donned upon his back.
As the door was opened, Haruka stepped out, met with the bright view of a marvelously sized business building. His stance shifted almost instantaneously, his feet met together, shoulders wide, bag on his back, the slight breeze fluffing his pink hair as his jacket clung to him tightly. This was it. A jolly, older looking man in bright, informal clothes greeted them rather bombastically, full of hyperbole. It was all he could do to stop himself from rolling his eyes, but the slight sting of cold and the presence of the businessly looking American woman did indeed stop him. A quick eye-dash over the other attendees, and it seemed to be mostly rabble. Still, he'd have expected more to show up at a promotional event such as this. His hand slipping into the top of his bag, he withdrew a rather worn looking hard deckbox and clipped it to the back pocket of his pale slacks, moving fluidly, so as to avoid notice, and appear as cool and collected as his visage. | Mirei Miyamoto
I just needed a hobby...
Nickname: (n/a)
Age: 19
Gender: Female
Nationality: Okinawin
Notable Talents/Skills: Sleeping for long periods of time, Eating junk without gaining weight, Being extremely excitable over everyday things.
Card Deck: Predominantly Dra-type mon cards. She uses cards that switch her enemies into coloured cards weak against her, debuffing her opponents before she beefs up her own mon, getting ready for the killing strike.
Her main tactic is to create a one sided match, Buff, Debuff and heal.
Personality: Mirei is a girl with very low ambition for life. She care snot for outward appearances and dresses in comfortable wear regardless of the season, and enjoys wearing clothes that can perceived as pajyamas.
Rarely caring about major problems Mirei prefers to lounge around at home, spending time reading books halfway through and sleeping her life away. Her drive to live life to it's fullest has almost disappeared. Confused when looking at the future, she turns her back on steering her life and hides in a stagnant state of bordem.
When getting involved with Digimon she becomes more excited and uses it as way to meet new people, a simple hobby that she's extremely good at. Not one to boast or brag she treats it as mere game and encourages people to play with her and have fun. It's rare that she chooses to interact with others outside of a Digi-Game battle, unless they were extremely fun to play with.
Despite her grey visioned sights on life, she does enjoy interacting with others as it makes her feel a little alive to interact with other sentient beings. Her favorite things to do in social gatherings is gossip-monger, tease and chat about mainstream media. In situations of panic, she can be helpful - despite her heart racing at the speed of light, she even knows CPR and know's how to follow orders.
Background:
Mirei was born in an average house hold, to two older parents and a brother that left her in his shadow for the most part of their lives. The siblings were close, as close as competitive siblings could be. The duo were constantly trying to out over-achieve each other. Be it sports, academics or hobbies. It was all the way through her schooling life until her brother graduated. She then had nobody to compete with anymore, her drive died down only a little, she still focused on her studies and other activities, but she was doing them to best her brother in the first place, now she did them because she was stuck with no direction.
After finishing school her drive for living died down as she had no direction to steer herself once she graduated from school, unsure of the subjects she may study during University, assuming she even made it in the first place. Her brother had been off doing his own thing for long enough her Mirei to become uncertain of her future. She avoided it, lounging around at home being a burden on her parents. Pressured into finding some path in life, she one day received a spam email about some dorky card game about digital monsters.
Partner Sukamon
Nickname: (N/A)
Species: Mutant - Virus - Metal Empire
Gender: Male
Evolutionary Line: (Botamon -> Koromon -> Sukamon -> Numemon -> Monzaemon -> Bancholeomon)
Attacks: Poop Throw, Smash, Dappun Pheromone
Personality: A try hard who only wants Mirei to love him. If it weren't for his disgusting appearance she just might. Despite all the abuse he goes through, the neglect that he inevitably experiences, he stubbornly sticks by her side regardless of how he is treated. It's thought he does this in hopes of one day proving himself to her. It's also thought that he stockholm syndrome |
50,872 | 1,372 | 3 | 511 | 3,294 | Houkoushi Koutaigo (皇太后 蜂光子 Koutaigo Houkoushi)
A limousine was a pretty swanky ride. Of all the cars she'd expected to be picked up by when she'd ditched the longass train ride, a limo hadn't even crossed her mind. Sure, the Digimon guys seemed like bigwig rich corporation dudes, but you usually didn't usually connect a game company to fancy expensive cars. She'd even never actually seen a limo before in real life, only on television whenever her pops checked out some entertainment show. They were supposed to carry around celebs, not pick up a girl like her from the station because of some video game promotion thing.
Houkoushi gently squished the padded leather seating.
It was pretty awesome. Wasn't everyday she got to chill in such a fancy ride.
The car turned a corner, slowing down as it parked in front of the company. An impressed "oooh" left the girl's mouth as she gazed out of the windows at the sight. She still wasn't sure why she'd been picked for this promotional thingie (and she wasn't super enthused about it all), nor did she really dig the ten hour trip from Nagasaki all the way to the capital, but the sights were definitely great. Houkoushi knew that Tokyo was a pretty big city, but even when compared to her native metropolis, it was big.
She opened the door with a click, huffing quietly as she heaved out her sports bag (containing her uniform, some clean clothes and other assorted sports gear) and hockey stick from where they had been sitting next to her. It'd been a rush getting to the station from her hockey game because of the time it'd take to get to Tokyo, so she needed to bring the stuff along. And because Ma and Pa threw a lot of extra stuff at her to bring all the way down to Kanto.
And for video games, too!
Shoulda brought her bro along. Kid loved Digimon.
The fifteen year old girl rapidly blinked out the sunlight, silvery eyes adjusting to the outside after so long.
So that was the chief of the D-Connect shebang in the suit then? And the foreign woman ... probably his assistant yeah. Her gaze swept over the others who'd arrived. They all looked way older than her. So even high schoolers or adults played with this Digimon game thing too? Wow, she knew it was big, but getting exposed to it made it seem more real. There was a handsome guy, a foreign-looking dude with a wack hairstyle, and an older girl in a pink sweater and a backpack. A real childish backpack. Man, talk about elementary school aesthetics.
"Ey there fellas," she said with a smile. "Howzit hangin'?"
Her tone was lilting, and very, very clearly accented. | Name:
Houkoushi Koutaigo (皇太后 蜂光子 Koutaigo Houkoushi)
Nickname(s):
Misreadings of her name.
Age:
15
Gender:
Female
Nationality:
Japanese
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills:
While she isn't one to toot her own horn (which is admittedly a lie), Houkoushi is a pretty good field hockey player, and is one of the better members of her middle school's interschool team. Although usually playing as an inner or a half, there are at times where she's been shanghai'd into being the goalie when their usual one isn't available, as her 'hardheadedness' and great reflexes work pretty well in the position. Her grades in school aren't too good, consisting of mostly Bs and a few As, but she still takes the time to take part in extracurricular activities like the debating team instead of studying.
Card Deck:
Houkoushi isn't actually good at card games, hence why her deck is pretty much an eclectic mix of all the cards she's found lying around the house and/or anything she's managed to scrounge up. It's a schizophrenic mess, but there is one recurring theme in her strategies: her love for denying satisfaction to her opponents or stopping them from getting their way. To use the terminology of other TCGs, she's a budding fan of what would be called 'control' decks.
Personality:
Smug and a bit vain, Houkoushi is very much a representative of what the old geezers call the 'disrespectful and unruly youth of today', a demeanour that is only furthered along by her rough and tumble manner of speech (which is helped by the nearly-unintelligible accent that she sometimes has). She's a very casual person by nature, and her actions are reflective of such; she'll talk plainly about whatever is necessary to be said, and easily approaches whoever she meets (to the extent that she may even go ahead with giving them a pet name). That's not to say she isn't without tact or any understanding of others, but she finds that it isn't too necessary to be polite at all times. Of course, this does mean that people perceive her as being pretty rude (especially her teachers, who have to deal with being given the title of 'boss' by her).
Her vanity is strongly associated with her strong self-esteem, which can sometimes edge into what others would immediately denote as arrogant. Indeed, she definitely does have a highly positive opinion of herself, but thanks to her great self-awareness, knows that, no, she isn't the best thing since sliced bread. Especially when her little brother constantly beats her up in video games. Still, it's her powerful confidence and general go-getter attitude thanks to it that allows her to charge into things with little hesitation. She can be rather stubborn at times, but for a fifteen year old girl she has a surprising amount of emotional maturity and self-control. If all the excitement hasn't gotten to her brain, then she can think pretty clearly and logically even when stressed.
She's pretty keen and insightful at times too. If she sees a really good opportunity, she won't hesitate to take advantage of her them (usually through the application of a cutesy face or honeyed words). She doesn't go overboard with it, especially when she has a reputation to uphold (nobody's gonna keep taking you seriously if you put up a front as a blob of cuteness or whatever), but building on her natural air of general amicability helps out a lot. It does however, tend to be a problem for others when she's in one of her pettier moods, because she might know good ways to get under someone's skin.
Please stop complaining about her accent or misreading her name. That tends to irritate her.
Don't diss her family either. She likes her family, especially her little bro. Even if he can be a painful lil' brat.
Background:
Although a resident of Nagasaki in the west of Japan, Houkoushi's family were originally natives of Isahaya, a smaller city elsewhere in the prefecture (hence her tendency to become unintelligible to Tokyoites due to the strong influence of a mix of the Hichiku and Saga dialects). Her parents had moved to the coastal city in search of better work, and following their marriage, chose to stay, giving birth to three children over the years: two girls and a boy. Thus, Houkoushi grew up in a household where she was the big sister, getting herself a little brother when she was seven and a baby sister when she was thirteen.
Indeed, the life lived by Houkoushi was, despite her rather eccentric name, a rather mundane one. Her days were far from dissimilar to the average girl's in a middle-class, first world lifestyle: she woke up every day to go to school, took care of her siblings, complained to her friends about how (surprisingly not) annoying it was to not have a boyfriend, and stood around in the convenience store around the corner to read magazines without paying. She had a D-Scanner like most kids her age, sure, but she wasn't that great at the game; the professional circuit was something that she never even thought about, especially when things like hockey and homework took up most of her time. The card game was more her little brother Hachirou's (蜂郎) thing, and the constant losses to an eight year old were a killer on a teenage girl's self-respect. Still, it was still a part of her life, albeit a barely-existent one outside the odd logon.
Thus it was completely unexpected that she would receive a letter from D-Connect. Initially, Houkoushi had assumed the letter to have been addressed to her little brother, but when a second look revealed that it was her that they wanted, the third-year middle schooler realised that, much to her horror, she would need to take a whole day off for the event. Attempts at getting out of it failed, especially when her parents thought it was a w o n d e r f u l opportunity, and so after her Friday afternoon hockey game, Houkoushi found herself, letter in hand, on a ten-hour train trip to the nation's capital.
At least her travel expenses were paid for already.
Species:
Funbeemon
Appearance:
Gender:
N/A
Evolutionary Line:
Pupumon -> Puroromon -> Funbeemon -> Waspmon -> Cannonbeemon -> Tiger Vespamon
Attacks:Gear Stinger: Rapidly fires tiny barbed stingers.
88 Call: Uses its antennae to summon its allies.
Personality: Funbeemon is a seriously hammy little bugger (hah). Cheerful and energetic, it's strongly devoted to doing its duty every day with a smile on its face. This usually manifests in a very powerful set of digital lungs and an enthusiasm almost unparalleled by few outside the theatre (or William Shatner). It's almost incredibly loyal to whatever cause Houkoushi is flagging down that day; they'd be super tight buddies in their quest for ... whatever, probably honey. Don't diss its loyalty. |
50,873 | 1,372 | 4 | 668 | 1,463 | The young girl had an accent, Makoto noted. Osaka? Didn't quite sound like it. Either way, she wasn't from here. Though the same could be said of all of them, save perhaps for Makoto himself. He did live in Tokyo, though practically on the opposite end of the city. Even so, Tokyo wasn't his birthplace. No, that was Tohoku, Sendai City to be more specific. Makoto also noted the D-Scanners and card decks most of the others sported. He probably would have been wise to bring his own, but it'd been so long since he messed with them that the Digimon on his D-Scanner could very well have starved by now or ran away. The thought of that did make Makoto feel a little guilty, but not anything he would dwell on. It was just data in a game after all.
Mr. Kuroda's wide smile never left him, "Let's say we get out of this cold and head inside, hm?" he suggested with a warm expression. Security escorted everyone in and all the visitors were given keycards of some kind with their names programmed onto them, "These are your Passcards. Consider them like Backstage Passes at a concert. They'll get you into all of our visitor areas as well some exclusive areas normally off limits to visitors. Take care not to lose them, now." at Kuroda's side, Samantha continued tapping away on her iPad. She was either taking notes on what was happening or on the visitors themselves since her ice cold gaze occasionally passed over each visitor. It was possible she was even doing a little of both along with her usual workload of the day.
The tour began with the group being led to one of the building's departments. This one was a room full of computers with people pecking away at the keyboards, the computer screens covered in what may as well have been incomprehensible hieroglyphics, "Our first stop is the programming department." said Mr. Kuroda, sounding a bit scripted but still very much enthusiastic, "In a way, this is the room where Digimon are "born": their appearance, their numerical attributes, all originate from one of these computers before being downloaded into D-Scanners like the very ones you yourselves own." having given the most relevant information about the department, Mr. Kuroda led them to another one nearby.
This one had more computers, but they weren't the same. Instead of the screens being filled with numbers and codes, these were instead filled with sketches and inked in pictures. Beside some of the computers where physical sketch books being drawn in or colored on by artists, "This is our Art Department," said Mr. Kuroda, "this is where the looks and colors of each Digimon are given form. If the Programming Department we were just in gives the Digimon their abilities and functions, this one gives them their forms. Concepts for Digimon's looks, their colors, any weapon or armor they use, it all takes "physical form" here." Kuroda still sounded somewhat scripted, as the tour itself was very much a rehearsed affair. But that wouldn't be the case for too much longer. For now, Kuroda led the group to a third department.
This one was different. It wasn't computers or drawings. This one was a factory floor. This particular factory area was for printing TCG Cards and then packing them for shipping, "Ah, this is one our manufacturing departments, more specifically for the thousands upon thousands of different kinds of Cards that we print and ship out to be bought and used by players like you. We have factory floors for assembling D-Scanners as well that you'll get to glimpse at in due time. For now, however, what if we deviated a bit and did something a little more... interesting?" Kuroda suggested, hinting at what was likely the real reason most of these players came here. They were promised early access to the next set of cards that had yet to be released, after all.
As such, the tour group was taken to one of D-Connect's R&D Departments, where the next line of Digimon Cards were wrapping up production and needed only to be mass produced and shipped, "Here is where some of the magic happens. Where the newest ideas and concepts are tested and their details ironed out, where they are given their first physical forms before going mass production. And it's here where you will have some of your first early access to the next set of cards to be released during the Christmas Promotional Events in the weeks to come. By all means..." Kuroda gestured to some of the display areas where Cards were being showcased and - for this particular special event - could be taken and tested out by the players, "...see for yourself what the future of the game has in store."
Makoto had to admit this was one of the parts he was most curious about. Seeing some of the development and production departments was interesting in its own way, but this part of the tour was what really started to reinvigorate Genius Gamer M's old passions. Makoto approached the displays and picked up one of the Cards. It was a weapon card called "Legendary Cannon", depicting what looked like the plasma cannons normally found on MetalGarurumon, the card apparently allowing the Digimon it was used on to temporarily equip the cannons and use MetalGarurumon's signature technique for a single attack. There were others, such as one that apparently granted temporary access to WarGreymon's shield and another called "Megamorph" which allowed the user to use a single attack from their next digivolved form.
"These will make some interesting decks, alright..." said Makoto to no one in-particular.
"Indeed." said Kuroda with a thoughtful tone, "Hmm, is the genius gamer having second thoughts about his retirement from Digimon?"
Makoto moved as if to answer, but Mr. Kuroda had already turned his attention elsewhere before he could. | Name: Makoto Houjou
Nicknames: M, Emu
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Nationality: Japanese
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills: Emu is a skilled gamer, in more than just the Digimon game. Online he used to play under the moniker of M, the "genius gamer". Beyond his gaming, Emu aspires to become a doctor, and as such has already begun learning medicine.
Card Deck: Emu uses a Deck built around accuracy, precision, and firepower to capitalize on Commandramon's use of Gun- and Cannon-based weaponry through out his forms.
Personality: Emu keeps himself quiet and reserved for the most part, as if intentionally detaching himself from bonding with others. It's a common trait of some surgeons, using that kind of persona to allow them to make the right calls without letting personal investments color their judgement. But that's more of a front than anything, Emu is actually much more kindhearted than he lets himself appear to be. His kinder sides can only be glimpsed when something fires him up, stokes his passion or just outright makes him angry enough to show that side of himself.
Background: Makoto Houjou has been accustomed to fending for himself for as long as he can remember. Both his parents had to work two jobs each just to afford their home, and with no siblings that meant Makoto often turned to toys and games to keep him company. He spent many a Saturday morning watching the first Digimon anime on TV while playing with his Cards and Agumon action figure. Even before D-Connect popularized professional gaming, Makoto was already making a name for himself by topping the charts in several online games of varying genres. When the D-Scanners were released, it became yet another game for Makoto to excel at - having already become well known on the internet as Genius Gamer M. People in real life who knew his online identity started calling him "Emu", a sort of exaggerated annunciation of the letter "M" in reference to his online persona, and the nickname stuck.
Despite such a promising career as a professional gamer, something happened three years ago. The genius gamer seemed to disappear from the internet. M no longer appeared to be logging into any of the gaming networks, most notably that of the Digimon game. In truth, there was an accident - one that severely injured Emu. It was an act of heroism in all honesty, Emu shoved a small kid out of the way of a speeding vehicle only to be hit himself. Emu owed his survival to a kind but brilliant surgeon named Hongo. Dr. Hongo's knowledge and medical skills saved Emu from what could have been a tragic death, and this made the gamer rethink his life. He resolved to focus on school from then on, and become a Doctor like the man who saved him, so that the life Dr. Hongo saved could repay him by saving other lives. Makoto intended to put M and the gaming world behind him, but decided to re-enter it one last time when he received a certain letter of invitation.
Nickname: None
Species: Commandramon
Appearance:
Gender: Male
Evolutionary Line: Bommon -> Missimon -> Commandramon -> Sealsdramon -> Tankdramon -> Darkdramon
~Attacks~
M16 Assassin: Fires rifle for a projectile attack.
DCD Bomb: Throws a small bomb for an explosive grenade attack.
Personality: Commandramon is usually very good at following commands. Not surprising, given his soldier-like appearance and persona. In fact he has a tendency to salute and remain at attention unless told otherwise. He's also a "professional" - in that he prefers going into a battle with a well-thought plan in mind as opposed to "shooting blind" as it were. That's only what he's like in battle though. Outside of combat, Commandramon is easily amazed by human world luxuries, especially the flashing boxes humans call Television. |
50,874 | 1,372 | 5 | 34 | 179 | As the group began to move, Haruka gave a soft, yet distinct, and audible scoff. Whether this was towards the mention of the cold, the manners of the director, or something else- that wasn't as obvious, as he moved with the rest of them. There was a snap of curiosity in his eyes at the explanation of the programming room, but it was silenced quickly. As they were lead past the art room, there was more of an interest, even a moment of wonder in his eyes, though the boy simply flipped his pink hair and reestablished his cool demeanor in a single moment.
"It's.. a printing room," he remarked to himself in the reverse-hush caused by the noise of the whirring machines.
For a half a moment, it seemed as though his face began to flush, but it faded as quickly as it came.
Nageki would love to see this... Wouldn't he?
He'd want you to go see it for yourself, since he couldn't.
Haru's musings were cut short as the group began moving around him. Someone may have even bumped into him, but if they had, he hadn't noticed. Once Koruda had explained the use of the final room, however, the boy looked up, speaking up for probably the first time during the entire tour.
"So this is... some kind of exclusive per-release then?" his tone was a little biting, but reserved, almost to the point of seeming... regal? "You could have put that in the email at least. And why only invite, like, five people?"
The potential tongue-lashing was left as a somewhat impudent question. That was, however, before a rather interesting phrase came from Koruda's mouth, directed at the boy who was already shuffling some cards. With an air of confidence that bordered on intolerably smug, Haruka approached the shaggy looking boy with the mysterious card in his hand.
"So, you're one of the legion of copycats who thinks they look all big and tough by making an account with the same name as someone else. Is that right?" he said in a quiet voice.
He didn't want anyone else to hear, but is was clear the boy in whom Koruda had seemed to take a vested interest was the one being addressed.
"Just admit to being one of those 'M' copycats. There's no use denying it. You're just some account-copy trash who only takes things seriously on an account with someone else's reputation," his voice was quiet, but between a scoff and a sneer.
It was clear that such antics and superstitions- that some 'genius gamer' could really exist- was foolish and wasteful in his eyes, and perpetuating it made you no better than the fools who fell for such drivel. This was, after all, a world where everything could be witnessed. He had seen the copy cat accounts himself. High-ranked players of many different online games, all with the same exact moniker. It was ridiculous to think that one person could have either the time, or the natural ability to maintain such a front. Thus, it was only logical that this 'legendary genius gamer' was only a hoax. In fact, he had known when the accounts stopped appearing, and none had returned since, especially in the online Digimon servers. It was probably because the mods zapped all the duplicate accounts out there, wiping the foolish myth of 'Emu' out with them.
And without so much as another word- only this pseudo warning-to-stay-in-line, Harkua walked to the far end of a different table, and began shuffling slowly, observantly, through the new cards. Almost without noticing, he scratched the pocket in which he usually kept his money as he viewed the set in its entirety, and gazed at the glossy packaging.
It was then that a jingling, repetitive tune began to sound from his backpack. The boy stood almost to attention in surprise, and began to fumble around, fishing the phone out of his tall backpack.
"Nobunaga here!" he answered, his formality coming off as stiff and tense.
A reply came, which, while unheard by others in the room, caused the tension to simultaneously dissipate and recollect in Haruka's body."Nageki here. Hello Haruka"
"Gah! N- Why are you calling?" came the hushed reply, as Haruka cupped his hand over the bottom of his flip phone.
"Just wanted to make sure you were there safe. How is it?"
"I, um..." Haruka was about to go into detail, but he could almost feel the eyes on him, and suddenly the businesswoman's tapping was all-too-real, "I'm sorry. I have to call you back. I'm in the middle of the tour, I think," came the hushed explanation, and, after a few moments, the call was ended, and the small phone stashed once again in the backpack. | Name: Zakai Hidetsugu
Nickname: Zak, Zee
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Nationality: Japanese Father, American Mother
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills: B level parkour athlete.
Card Deck: Utilizes a speed and accuracy based deck to boost Gazimon's natural agility, as well as a few defensive cards to raise Gazimon's low defense in critical situations.
Personality: Zakai appears to be the silent and cool type, but in reality he just speaks few words. Unless he's opening his mouth to explain something of interest, Zakai is usually making short sarcastic comments about how a bad a situation or person could end up. It's not that he has ill intention however, but rather that his humor is off and society usually pegs him as an anti-social weirdo. Once you get to know him, you still may not like him, but you might keep him around anyway because he tends to be loyal and willing to commit acts that no one else would. You just have to learn to deal with no compliments and having to decipher Zakai's at times cryptic language.
Background: Born to a Japanese father and American mother, Zakai already appeared to be a stranger in someone else's land. Growing up he was typically alienated not only due to his heritage but his uncanny interests. For example, as a kid, he was always more enthralled with super villains rather than super heroes. It wasn't that he was a bad kid, he just thought they were cooler and had better stories. It could be because he saw the world as it was, not through rose colored lenses like the other children around him. His father was obsessed with work and his mother never stopped dreaming of home. So naturally, his parents didn't have the best relationship and whether they intended it to or not, it affected the way they treated Zakai. Once he was 17 his parents divorced, his mother returning home and his father continuing to focus on his work. A year later Zakai moved out, having little concern for his parents or any friends. Again, it wasn't that Zakai had ill intention. But he became accustomed to being alone. One thing that really helped him stay happy and entertained throughout his entire life, was his love for Digimon. As a kid he would lose himself to the anime and all the digital figures he could collect. Now he has become quite the Digi gamer, and has an impressive collection of near 1,000 Digimon figures. Perhaps his most colorful and joyful interest, others still look at Zakai strangely for collecting Digimon throughout his adulthood.
Nickname: Gazi
Species: Gazimon
Appearance:
Gender: Male
Evolutionary Line: ? -> ? -> Gazimon -> Devidramon -> Cyberdramon -> Beelzemon/Beelzemon Blast Mode
Attacks: Electric Stun Blast, Pitfall
Personality: Being a virus Digimon and thus seen as a devious character, Gazimon does not trust nor make relationships easily. Embracing his near criminal image, he will work with others but is always looking to benefit the most from every situation. Despite being prideful Gazimon is not a fool as others mistakenly believe; he has street smarts in the Digital World and will not place himself in harm's way easily. |
50,875 | 1,372 | 6 | 511 | 3,294 | Houkoushi Koutaigo (皇太后 蜂光子 Koutaigo Houkoushi)
It was pretty cool seeing how all that Digimon stuff worked behind-the-scenes. She wasn't a big fan and all, but it was a pretty schmancy workplace they had going on. Sorta reminded her of those extras on DVDs where they went into the process behind making a movie. Houkoushi let out the requisite "ooh" as the tour continued through the offices where everyone was working. She wondered how much money they got paid for working here. Maybe if she tried to do some more computer-y stuff, she could get a job here in a decade. It seemed like it was pretty fun.
The idea was discarded as quickly as it came. She wasn't some hot-shot programmer or artist or whatever, and besides, Digimon was really more her lil' bro's jam. Not hers. It was still weird to her why she was chosen instead of him though, but maybe D-Connect just picked some fellas at random.
Still, she was soon forced away from her attempts at taking peeks at computer screens when the group made their way into the print room. This was actually something she was more familiar with. The printing, not the cards. Okay, those were familiar to her too, but that was because her bro kept kicking her butt at the game whenever they played. The sound of printers churning was something she actually heard everyday, because her classroom was right above the school print room.
She pressed a hand against a display, glancing at the cards protected by the cold glass. The ones inside weren't any she'd seen before; maybe she should have tried to get a bit more brains on the entire thing before coming along. If there were any good cards that Hachirou wanted, she'd be able to find them. Without all that know-how, all she could do was gander at the sweet art.
Or maybe he should've been lucky to be chosen himself, hahahaha.
The fifteen year old blinked when somebody's phone went off. Her silvery eyes immediately looked around for the source. It was that handsome-looking high schooler. It was actually totally weird seeing somebody who looked like one of those drama stars hang around Digimon cards, but hey, the world was pretty big. Must've been people like that somewhere. Weird ringtone though, but it sounded sorta familiar.
Houkoushi mentally shrugged.
That didn't really matter.
But man, Digimon really appealed to adults too huh? | Name:
Houkoushi Koutaigo (皇太后 蜂光子 Koutaigo Houkoushi)
Nickname(s):
Misreadings of her name.
Age:
15
Gender:
Female
Nationality:
Japanese
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills:
While she isn't one to toot her own horn (which is admittedly a lie), Houkoushi is a pretty good field hockey player, and is one of the better members of her middle school's interschool team. Although usually playing as an inner or a half, there are at times where she's been shanghai'd into being the goalie when their usual one isn't available, as her 'hardheadedness' and great reflexes work pretty well in the position. Her grades in school aren't too good, consisting of mostly Bs and a few As, but she still takes the time to take part in extracurricular activities like the debating team instead of studying.
Card Deck:
Houkoushi isn't actually good at card games, hence why her deck is pretty much an eclectic mix of all the cards she's found lying around the house and/or anything she's managed to scrounge up. It's a schizophrenic mess, but there is one recurring theme in her strategies: her love for denying satisfaction to her opponents or stopping them from getting their way. To use the terminology of other TCGs, she's a budding fan of what would be called 'control' decks.
Personality:
Smug and a bit vain, Houkoushi is very much a representative of what the old geezers call the 'disrespectful and unruly youth of today', a demeanour that is only furthered along by her rough and tumble manner of speech (which is helped by the nearly-unintelligible accent that she sometimes has). She's a very casual person by nature, and her actions are reflective of such; she'll talk plainly about whatever is necessary to be said, and easily approaches whoever she meets (to the extent that she may even go ahead with giving them a pet name). That's not to say she isn't without tact or any understanding of others, but she finds that it isn't too necessary to be polite at all times. Of course, this does mean that people perceive her as being pretty rude (especially her teachers, who have to deal with being given the title of 'boss' by her).
Her vanity is strongly associated with her strong self-esteem, which can sometimes edge into what others would immediately denote as arrogant. Indeed, she definitely does have a highly positive opinion of herself, but thanks to her great self-awareness, knows that, no, she isn't the best thing since sliced bread. Especially when her little brother constantly beats her up in video games. Still, it's her powerful confidence and general go-getter attitude thanks to it that allows her to charge into things with little hesitation. She can be rather stubborn at times, but for a fifteen year old girl she has a surprising amount of emotional maturity and self-control. If all the excitement hasn't gotten to her brain, then she can think pretty clearly and logically even when stressed.
She's pretty keen and insightful at times too. If she sees a really good opportunity, she won't hesitate to take advantage of her them (usually through the application of a cutesy face or honeyed words). She doesn't go overboard with it, especially when she has a reputation to uphold (nobody's gonna keep taking you seriously if you put up a front as a blob of cuteness or whatever), but building on her natural air of general amicability helps out a lot. It does however, tend to be a problem for others when she's in one of her pettier moods, because she might know good ways to get under someone's skin.
Please stop complaining about her accent or misreading her name. That tends to irritate her.
Don't diss her family either. She likes her family, especially her little bro. Even if he can be a painful lil' brat.
Background:
Although a resident of Nagasaki in the west of Japan, Houkoushi's family were originally natives of Isahaya, a smaller city elsewhere in the prefecture (hence her tendency to become unintelligible to Tokyoites due to the strong influence of a mix of the Hichiku and Saga dialects). Her parents had moved to the coastal city in search of better work, and following their marriage, chose to stay, giving birth to three children over the years: two girls and a boy. Thus, Houkoushi grew up in a household where she was the big sister, getting herself a little brother when she was seven and a baby sister when she was thirteen.
Indeed, the life lived by Houkoushi was, despite her rather eccentric name, a rather mundane one. Her days were far from dissimilar to the average girl's in a middle-class, first world lifestyle: she woke up every day to go to school, took care of her siblings, complained to her friends about how (surprisingly not) annoying it was to not have a boyfriend, and stood around in the convenience store around the corner to read magazines without paying. She had a D-Scanner like most kids her age, sure, but she wasn't that great at the game; the professional circuit was something that she never even thought about, especially when things like hockey and homework took up most of her time. The card game was more her little brother Hachirou's (蜂郎) thing, and the constant losses to an eight year old were a killer on a teenage girl's self-respect. Still, it was still a part of her life, albeit a barely-existent one outside the odd logon.
Thus it was completely unexpected that she would receive a letter from D-Connect. Initially, Houkoushi had assumed the letter to have been addressed to her little brother, but when a second look revealed that it was her that they wanted, the third-year middle schooler realised that, much to her horror, she would need to take a whole day off for the event. Attempts at getting out of it failed, especially when her parents thought it was a w o n d e r f u l opportunity, and so after her Friday afternoon hockey game, Houkoushi found herself, letter in hand, on a ten-hour train trip to the nation's capital.
At least her travel expenses were paid for already.
Species:
Funbeemon
Appearance:
Gender:
N/A
Evolutionary Line:
Pupumon -> Puroromon -> Funbeemon -> Waspmon -> Cannonbeemon -> Tiger Vespamon
Attacks:Gear Stinger: Rapidly fires tiny barbed stingers.
88 Call: Uses its antennae to summon its allies.
Personality: Funbeemon is a seriously hammy little bugger (hah). Cheerful and energetic, it's strongly devoted to doing its duty every day with a smile on its face. This usually manifests in a very powerful set of digital lungs and an enthusiasm almost unparalleled by few outside the theatre (or William Shatner). It's almost incredibly loyal to whatever cause Houkoushi is flagging down that day; they'd be super tight buddies in their quest for ... whatever, probably honey. Don't diss its loyalty. |
50,876 | 1,372 | 7 | 1,883 | 2,265 | BGM
So the group was all invited inside for a tour of the grand facility. This, of course, happened when the remaining group of stragglers showed up. One of them being a girl younger than Mirei. Her hair was clearly dyed, so she must be a trouble maker. To her dismay, the entrance to the place didn't have any wackdonalds to be seen. No burgers stacked as high as the ceiling at all, how despair inducing.
They were handed these flimsy things called 'passcards' they were basically backstage all access VIP E-passes that were the size of a visa card. Figuring she wouldn't have to use it if she was in a group, Mirei brought it out her purse, sliding the card in one of the free slots right next to her debit card.
The group hadn't even started their tour yet but Mirei was already C&TC vibes. She honestly wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of tiny people came out singing about their impending doom. But in this scenario, nobody would be falling into a chocolate river, the tiny people would probably also be dressed up as different Digimon.
Our First Stop Is The Programming Department
'Oh Boy!' thought Mirei, she so totally wanted to go there. She couldn't possibly imagine sneaking away to nap under a table or something. The only thing keeping her going was the hope that there was a light at the end of the tunnel. A paid meal. To the companys' credit, the room was fairly interesting, to somebody who was actually interested in coding and data. There were several workers taping away at keys that flashed upon a monitor with every key pressed. Mirei peered over the shoulder of a worker, resisting the ugre to spook them as she watched them furiously type away in some kind of language she'd never seen before. The one thing she knew about computers is that it uses 0's and 1's so what was this stuff?
Leaving the worker to his device she listened to the jolly man Kuroda talk about Digimon. This room is where they're 'born' Mireis' mind moved to her D-Scanner she left at home. The Digimon inside probably reset by now or something. It didn't particularly bother her, it had happened multiple times already, after all, it's just a toy.
The next stop on their tour was the art department. To Mirei it was the most interesting, she could look and gaze at the amazing designs of old and new Digimon. The colours of some attracted her like a mosquito to a bug zapper. She practically drooled over the dragon-esque Digimon, they looked so awe-inspiring and powerful. There was, of course, the one time only, Burgermon, which of course Mirei had several copies of when they released them with a promotion with Wackdonalds. Unfortunately they had to move along from there and went to where all the cards for the game are produced. It was more interesting than the coding room but not by much, everybody else seemed mildly interested. | Mirei Miyamoto
I just needed a hobby...
Nickname: (n/a)
Age: 19
Gender: Female
Nationality: Okinawin
Notable Talents/Skills: Sleeping for long periods of time, Eating junk without gaining weight, Being extremely excitable over everyday things.
Card Deck: Predominantly Dra-type mon cards. She uses cards that switch her enemies into coloured cards weak against her, debuffing her opponents before she beefs up her own mon, getting ready for the killing strike.
Her main tactic is to create a one sided match, Buff, Debuff and heal.
Personality: Mirei is a girl with very low ambition for life. She care snot for outward appearances and dresses in comfortable wear regardless of the season, and enjoys wearing clothes that can perceived as pajyamas.
Rarely caring about major problems Mirei prefers to lounge around at home, spending time reading books halfway through and sleeping her life away. Her drive to live life to it's fullest has almost disappeared. Confused when looking at the future, she turns her back on steering her life and hides in a stagnant state of bordem.
When getting involved with Digimon she becomes more excited and uses it as way to meet new people, a simple hobby that she's extremely good at. Not one to boast or brag she treats it as mere game and encourages people to play with her and have fun. It's rare that she chooses to interact with others outside of a Digi-Game battle, unless they were extremely fun to play with.
Despite her grey visioned sights on life, she does enjoy interacting with others as it makes her feel a little alive to interact with other sentient beings. Her favorite things to do in social gatherings is gossip-monger, tease and chat about mainstream media. In situations of panic, she can be helpful - despite her heart racing at the speed of light, she even knows CPR and know's how to follow orders.
Background:
Mirei was born in an average house hold, to two older parents and a brother that left her in his shadow for the most part of their lives. The siblings were close, as close as competitive siblings could be. The duo were constantly trying to out over-achieve each other. Be it sports, academics or hobbies. It was all the way through her schooling life until her brother graduated. She then had nobody to compete with anymore, her drive died down only a little, she still focused on her studies and other activities, but she was doing them to best her brother in the first place, now she did them because she was stuck with no direction.
After finishing school her drive for living died down as she had no direction to steer herself once she graduated from school, unsure of the subjects she may study during University, assuming she even made it in the first place. Her brother had been off doing his own thing for long enough her Mirei to become uncertain of her future. She avoided it, lounging around at home being a burden on her parents. Pressured into finding some path in life, she one day received a spam email about some dorky card game about digital monsters.
Partner Sukamon
Nickname: (N/A)
Species: Mutant - Virus - Metal Empire
Gender: Male
Evolutionary Line: (Botamon -> Koromon -> Sukamon -> Numemon -> Monzaemon -> Bancholeomon)
Attacks: Poop Throw, Smash, Dappun Pheromone
Personality: A try hard who only wants Mirei to love him. If it weren't for his disgusting appearance she just might. Despite all the abuse he goes through, the neglect that he inevitably experiences, he stubbornly sticks by her side regardless of how he is treated. It's thought he does this in hopes of one day proving himself to her. It's also thought that he stockholm syndrome |
50,877 | 1,372 | 8 | 668 | 1,463 | ...Copycats? was the only answer Makoto could offer to his fellow tourist who suddenly seemed very irritated with him all of a sudden. Why he was so suddenly frustrated was anyone's guess. Did Makoto have actual copycats on the internet? If he did, he never saw them, but maybe they only cropped up after the accident? He did leave the internet rather suddenly and had been gone for about two years now, so it was highly likely he missed something during that time. Yes, that had to be it, surely. Not that the guy actually gave Makoto any time to respond or defend himself. Instead he turned away with a huff and an instant later was on his phone.
As for Kuroda, who suddenly found himself under fire by questions from Haruka, he offered a smile and a semi-shrug of sorts, "It wouldn't have been much of a contest if everyone won the prize, now would it?" hadn't the letters specifically explained to his guests that they were randomly selected winners of a promotional contest? He was certain he included that information in the invitation, "And yes, my letters specifically promised you early access to this material, did it not? What kind of a businessman would I be if I made promises only to break them?" but then he shook his head and waved his hand in a dismissal gesture.
"But enough about marketing. I think it's about time we get down to the real reason you are all here." at this he picked up a stack of the unreleased cards and started shuffling through it, "Samantha-kun, if I could have some visual aids here?" the woman had been there all along but was so quiet that one would be forgiven for thinking she left the tour group at some point. She pushed a button on a remote and that seemed to lower a projection screen, the projector for which she then switched on so that she could cycle through images as they were needed. The first thing to appear was, of all things, the news about the Cyber Beast incident?
"I'm sure you've all heard of this incident in the news. The Cyber Beast, they call it. And I'm sure you all viewed the press release statement I made a mere two days after the fact, denying my company's involvement but promising to work toward solving the mystery." A security team then entered the room and handed the President a metallic briefcase that looked like it was locked tight. Meanwhile, Ms. Chase updated the projection to depict other locations that appeared to have suffered attacks, "I'm afraid that the attack we all heard about may not have been first, and nor was it the last. Not if these images are anything to go by. Rather, it was the first attack that made it into the public conscious, while I presume the others were kept tightly under wraps in order to prevent a panic. This brings me to here, and now."
Ms. Chase clicked the image forward to the next one. It showed... an image of the Digimon Anime? Well, one of them anyway, featuring a group of the fictional kids standing alongside their Digimon partners. Without Kuroda giving any explanation, she clicked forward again, this time depicting an image of five D-Scanners, the phrase "Project Destiny" shown above them in large print, almost like a fanfare of some kind, "I give you... Project Destiny!" Kuroda gestured to the projected image before opening the locked briefcase and unveiling its contents: a set of five D-Scanners. However, they didn't really look any different from the normal ones, "For the first time in our world, humans and Digimon will be able to fight side by side. And who better to pioneer this trail than the select group of players who have the shown the most exemplary skill in the very game this technology was created from?"
Ms. Chase suddenly cleared her throat and decided to cut into the explanation, "What Mr. Kuroda means to say, is that these D-Scanners are no ordinary ones. They contain the data of "real" Digimon." this probably confused a number of the kids so she spoke further to clarify, "We believe the Cyber Beasts to be physical manifestations of data, possibly from old or rejected Digimon designs infected by some unknown outside virus to give them "life". These D-Scanners were designed to project a physical manifestation of the Digimon within them. We're confident they should have the necessary power to fight the Cyber Beasts and eradicate them before they become any more of a threat. And like any D-Scanner, these are fully functional with the cards, so these Digimon will require human partners to provide the necessary strategy and power ups to deal with the Beasts. Tamers, if you will."
"Exactly!" said Kuroda, cutting back in, "You five have a unique opportunity here. To become like real Digidestined who along with their treasured partner can fight to defend our world from these Cyber Beast monstrosities." he almost anticipated a skeptical response, especially from Haruka. With this foresight in mind he took one of the D-Scanners from the briefcase and pointed away from himself and activated it. It seemed to spill forth pixels of some kind that melted together in the form of a Digimon: Commandramon, the machine dragon Digimon who almost looked to be standing at attention like a soldier of sorts before the D-Scanner sucked him back in. With a confident smirk, Kuroda then held the D-Scanner toward Makoto in an offering gesture.
This? Was this what he meant by "one last great game"? Could something this serious really be just a game to him? Makoto considered turning around and walking away. This seemed like a job for someone in the military or something, not a fledgling medical student. But then he couldn't stop imagining his face. Dr. Hongo. The man who saved Makoto's life and inspired him to study medicine. Would he walk away from this? Makoto wanted to become a doctor so he could save lives as a way of thanking Hongo, but couldn't he do that with this as well? Only here he would be able to use his old gaming skills to do it. Suddenly without warning, Makoto reached forth and snatched the D-Scanner from Kuroda. | Name: Makoto Houjou
Nicknames: M, Emu
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Nationality: Japanese
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills: Emu is a skilled gamer, in more than just the Digimon game. Online he used to play under the moniker of M, the "genius gamer". Beyond his gaming, Emu aspires to become a doctor, and as such has already begun learning medicine.
Card Deck: Emu uses a Deck built around accuracy, precision, and firepower to capitalize on Commandramon's use of Gun- and Cannon-based weaponry through out his forms.
Personality: Emu keeps himself quiet and reserved for the most part, as if intentionally detaching himself from bonding with others. It's a common trait of some surgeons, using that kind of persona to allow them to make the right calls without letting personal investments color their judgement. But that's more of a front than anything, Emu is actually much more kindhearted than he lets himself appear to be. His kinder sides can only be glimpsed when something fires him up, stokes his passion or just outright makes him angry enough to show that side of himself.
Background: Makoto Houjou has been accustomed to fending for himself for as long as he can remember. Both his parents had to work two jobs each just to afford their home, and with no siblings that meant Makoto often turned to toys and games to keep him company. He spent many a Saturday morning watching the first Digimon anime on TV while playing with his Cards and Agumon action figure. Even before D-Connect popularized professional gaming, Makoto was already making a name for himself by topping the charts in several online games of varying genres. When the D-Scanners were released, it became yet another game for Makoto to excel at - having already become well known on the internet as Genius Gamer M. People in real life who knew his online identity started calling him "Emu", a sort of exaggerated annunciation of the letter "M" in reference to his online persona, and the nickname stuck.
Despite such a promising career as a professional gamer, something happened three years ago. The genius gamer seemed to disappear from the internet. M no longer appeared to be logging into any of the gaming networks, most notably that of the Digimon game. In truth, there was an accident - one that severely injured Emu. It was an act of heroism in all honesty, Emu shoved a small kid out of the way of a speeding vehicle only to be hit himself. Emu owed his survival to a kind but brilliant surgeon named Hongo. Dr. Hongo's knowledge and medical skills saved Emu from what could have been a tragic death, and this made the gamer rethink his life. He resolved to focus on school from then on, and become a Doctor like the man who saved him, so that the life Dr. Hongo saved could repay him by saving other lives. Makoto intended to put M and the gaming world behind him, but decided to re-enter it one last time when he received a certain letter of invitation.
Nickname: None
Species: Commandramon
Appearance:
Gender: Male
Evolutionary Line: Bommon -> Missimon -> Commandramon -> Sealsdramon -> Tankdramon -> Darkdramon
~Attacks~
M16 Assassin: Fires rifle for a projectile attack.
DCD Bomb: Throws a small bomb for an explosive grenade attack.
Personality: Commandramon is usually very good at following commands. Not surprising, given his soldier-like appearance and persona. In fact he has a tendency to salute and remain at attention unless told otherwise. He's also a "professional" - in that he prefers going into a battle with a well-thought plan in mind as opposed to "shooting blind" as it were. That's only what he's like in battle though. Outside of combat, Commandramon is easily amazed by human world luxuries, especially the flashing boxes humans call Television. |
50,878 | 1,372 | 9 | 511 | 3,294 | Big deal to make over a pre-release that will happen in every shop in Tokyo within a month, and the rest of the world soon after. he thought to himself, remaining quiet, although his thoughts were mildly betrayed by the folding of his arms, and his purposeful lack of eye-contact.
As the projector lowered, he slid his sharp gaze onto the blank screen, which didn't remain as such for long. The explanation that was given was dubious at best to be sure. Digimon existing in physical space? Impossible. Maybe as some form of hologram, maybe. But being able to interact with objects, especially enough to damage a store, was complete nonsense. And from scrapped concepts no less. Haruka rolled his eyes, scoffing softly at the very idea. It was probably some failed attempt to mask the footage of a robbery, and no one wants to admit that anything was taken- or the thieves failed so badly that they didn't take anything. Either way, it was the only logical reason for the news footage. It wasn't the first time they had gotten something wrong or blown things out of proportion, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.
That being said, however, he was quick to step up to the opened case. His approach was rapid, making sure he was among the first to reach an appropriate distance. There he stood before Mr. Kuroda, waiting to be given one of the colored D-Scanners from the case- hopefully with a Digimon more interesting than Commandramon. And if he got to expose some shoddy criminals along the way, then all the better.
"I'll do it, Haruka declared, raising a clenched fist to around shoulder height rather dramatically, "After all, if anyone deserves to be able to do this, it's clearly me," he added with a smug flip of his hair, "Especially more than some half-rate legion of copycats." | Name:
Houkoushi Koutaigo (皇太后 蜂光子 Koutaigo Houkoushi)
Nickname(s):
Misreadings of her name.
Age:
15
Gender:
Female
Nationality:
Japanese
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills:
While she isn't one to toot her own horn (which is admittedly a lie), Houkoushi is a pretty good field hockey player, and is one of the better members of her middle school's interschool team. Although usually playing as an inner or a half, there are at times where she's been shanghai'd into being the goalie when their usual one isn't available, as her 'hardheadedness' and great reflexes work pretty well in the position. Her grades in school aren't too good, consisting of mostly Bs and a few As, but she still takes the time to take part in extracurricular activities like the debating team instead of studying.
Card Deck:
Houkoushi isn't actually good at card games, hence why her deck is pretty much an eclectic mix of all the cards she's found lying around the house and/or anything she's managed to scrounge up. It's a schizophrenic mess, but there is one recurring theme in her strategies: her love for denying satisfaction to her opponents or stopping them from getting their way. To use the terminology of other TCGs, she's a budding fan of what would be called 'control' decks.
Personality:
Smug and a bit vain, Houkoushi is very much a representative of what the old geezers call the 'disrespectful and unruly youth of today', a demeanour that is only furthered along by her rough and tumble manner of speech (which is helped by the nearly-unintelligible accent that she sometimes has). She's a very casual person by nature, and her actions are reflective of such; she'll talk plainly about whatever is necessary to be said, and easily approaches whoever she meets (to the extent that she may even go ahead with giving them a pet name). That's not to say she isn't without tact or any understanding of others, but she finds that it isn't too necessary to be polite at all times. Of course, this does mean that people perceive her as being pretty rude (especially her teachers, who have to deal with being given the title of 'boss' by her).
Her vanity is strongly associated with her strong self-esteem, which can sometimes edge into what others would immediately denote as arrogant. Indeed, she definitely does have a highly positive opinion of herself, but thanks to her great self-awareness, knows that, no, she isn't the best thing since sliced bread. Especially when her little brother constantly beats her up in video games. Still, it's her powerful confidence and general go-getter attitude thanks to it that allows her to charge into things with little hesitation. She can be rather stubborn at times, but for a fifteen year old girl she has a surprising amount of emotional maturity and self-control. If all the excitement hasn't gotten to her brain, then she can think pretty clearly and logically even when stressed.
She's pretty keen and insightful at times too. If she sees a really good opportunity, she won't hesitate to take advantage of her them (usually through the application of a cutesy face or honeyed words). She doesn't go overboard with it, especially when she has a reputation to uphold (nobody's gonna keep taking you seriously if you put up a front as a blob of cuteness or whatever), but building on her natural air of general amicability helps out a lot. It does however, tend to be a problem for others when she's in one of her pettier moods, because she might know good ways to get under someone's skin.
Please stop complaining about her accent or misreading her name. That tends to irritate her.
Don't diss her family either. She likes her family, especially her little bro. Even if he can be a painful lil' brat.
Background:
Although a resident of Nagasaki in the west of Japan, Houkoushi's family were originally natives of Isahaya, a smaller city elsewhere in the prefecture (hence her tendency to become unintelligible to Tokyoites due to the strong influence of a mix of the Hichiku and Saga dialects). Her parents had moved to the coastal city in search of better work, and following their marriage, chose to stay, giving birth to three children over the years: two girls and a boy. Thus, Houkoushi grew up in a household where she was the big sister, getting herself a little brother when she was seven and a baby sister when she was thirteen.
Indeed, the life lived by Houkoushi was, despite her rather eccentric name, a rather mundane one. Her days were far from dissimilar to the average girl's in a middle-class, first world lifestyle: she woke up every day to go to school, took care of her siblings, complained to her friends about how (surprisingly not) annoying it was to not have a boyfriend, and stood around in the convenience store around the corner to read magazines without paying. She had a D-Scanner like most kids her age, sure, but she wasn't that great at the game; the professional circuit was something that she never even thought about, especially when things like hockey and homework took up most of her time. The card game was more her little brother Hachirou's (蜂郎) thing, and the constant losses to an eight year old were a killer on a teenage girl's self-respect. Still, it was still a part of her life, albeit a barely-existent one outside the odd logon.
Thus it was completely unexpected that she would receive a letter from D-Connect. Initially, Houkoushi had assumed the letter to have been addressed to her little brother, but when a second look revealed that it was her that they wanted, the third-year middle schooler realised that, much to her horror, she would need to take a whole day off for the event. Attempts at getting out of it failed, especially when her parents thought it was a w o n d e r f u l opportunity, and so after her Friday afternoon hockey game, Houkoushi found herself, letter in hand, on a ten-hour train trip to the nation's capital.
At least her travel expenses were paid for already.
Species:
Funbeemon
Appearance:
Gender:
N/A
Evolutionary Line:
Pupumon -> Puroromon -> Funbeemon -> Waspmon -> Cannonbeemon -> Tiger Vespamon
Attacks:Gear Stinger: Rapidly fires tiny barbed stingers.
88 Call: Uses its antennae to summon its allies.
Personality: Funbeemon is a seriously hammy little bugger (hah). Cheerful and energetic, it's strongly devoted to doing its duty every day with a smile on its face. This usually manifests in a very powerful set of digital lungs and an enthusiasm almost unparalleled by few outside the theatre (or William Shatner). It's almost incredibly loyal to whatever cause Houkoushi is flagging down that day; they'd be super tight buddies in their quest for ... whatever, probably honey. Don't diss its loyalty. |
50,879 | 1,372 | 10 | 34 | 179 | Zakai took his attention off the goofy pretty boy when Kuroda mentioned the Cyber Beast story from the news. He learned about the Cyber Beast rumor from online sources and saw the news clip on the internet as well. When he first heard about it he thought it was kind of funny, because he knew quite a bit about how data worked and humans were no where near manifesting data in such a way. But, Zakai was also well aware that there were things humans did not understand. And when Kuroda made an appearance on the news, it was interesting to him.
Why would Kuroda bother making a statement about a rumor; an event that appeared to be caused by a certain something but had no real evidence behind it and was laughable as even a theory. At the same time, this further peaked Zakai's interest for that same reason. The news was gullible and likely to follow any story for the sake of views, but if Kuroda bothered to make a statement then that could mean there was some kind of evidence to incriminate him. Or was he just interested in publicity also? Zakai did not really know anything about the man.
And then Kuroda answered the truth by explaining similar events were happening all over the world and actually being kept secret. Something was happening, at least, something that was causing danger to people. Still, what did that have to with this tour? Why they were all here? Zakai felt his stomach twist a little as he began to wonder if there really was a stronger connection to Kuroda then it seemed.
Moving closer to the projector, Giga Blast card still unconsciously in hand, Zakai kept his eyes locked on Kuroda as he finally was about to explain why he brought them here. He raised an eyebrow as he saw the Digimon cast and then simply blinked as Kuroda told them they were actually to be apart of Project Destiny, become Digidestined. Kuroda was saying this was real. Before Zakai could even begin to form an opinion on the matter, Kuroda took one of the D-Scanners and did the unbelievable.
As pixels emerged from the D-Scanner right before him and formed a Digimon, Zakai could only stare wide eyed and utter, "No way."
He watched as Kuroda handed one of the D-Scanners to the guy named Makoto. There was no time to question things. And was he about to miss out on a chance to see something incredible, experience events no other human had? Not a chance. He would accept the offer for now, see what this was all really about. The world might really be affected by this too. There was no doubt, he was doing this.
Zakai faced Kuroda. "I'm in." | Name: Zakai Hidetsugu
Nickname: Zak, Zee
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Nationality: Japanese Father, American Mother
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills: B level parkour athlete.
Card Deck: Utilizes a speed and accuracy based deck to boost Gazimon's natural agility, as well as a few defensive cards to raise Gazimon's low defense in critical situations.
Personality: Zakai appears to be the silent and cool type, but in reality he just speaks few words. Unless he's opening his mouth to explain something of interest, Zakai is usually making short sarcastic comments about how a bad a situation or person could end up. It's not that he has ill intention however, but rather that his humor is off and society usually pegs him as an anti-social weirdo. Once you get to know him, you still may not like him, but you might keep him around anyway because he tends to be loyal and willing to commit acts that no one else would. You just have to learn to deal with no compliments and having to decipher Zakai's at times cryptic language.
Background: Born to a Japanese father and American mother, Zakai already appeared to be a stranger in someone else's land. Growing up he was typically alienated not only due to his heritage but his uncanny interests. For example, as a kid, he was always more enthralled with super villains rather than super heroes. It wasn't that he was a bad kid, he just thought they were cooler and had better stories. It could be because he saw the world as it was, not through rose colored lenses like the other children around him. His father was obsessed with work and his mother never stopped dreaming of home. So naturally, his parents didn't have the best relationship and whether they intended it to or not, it affected the way they treated Zakai. Once he was 17 his parents divorced, his mother returning home and his father continuing to focus on his work. A year later Zakai moved out, having little concern for his parents or any friends. Again, it wasn't that Zakai had ill intention. But he became accustomed to being alone. One thing that really helped him stay happy and entertained throughout his entire life, was his love for Digimon. As a kid he would lose himself to the anime and all the digital figures he could collect. Now he has become quite the Digi gamer, and has an impressive collection of near 1,000 Digimon figures. Perhaps his most colorful and joyful interest, others still look at Zakai strangely for collecting Digimon throughout his adulthood.
Nickname: Gazi
Species: Gazimon
Appearance:
Gender: Male
Evolutionary Line: ? -> ? -> Gazimon -> Devidramon -> Cyberdramon -> Beelzemon/Beelzemon Blast Mode
Attacks: Electric Stun Blast, Pitfall
Personality: Being a virus Digimon and thus seen as a devious character, Gazimon does not trust nor make relationships easily. Embracing his near criminal image, he will work with others but is always looking to benefit the most from every situation. Despite being prideful Gazimon is not a fool as others mistakenly believe; he has street smarts in the Digital World and will not place himself in harm's way easily. |
50,880 | 1,372 | 11 | 34 | 179 | Haruka's gaze slid to the side, locking a cold, acidic glare on the younger girl who had addressed him.
"Yes, it's quite a shame," he replied, a slight lilt to his voice, still not moving his chilly gaze, shifting his D-Scanner to a more natural position in his hand, "That parents would allow such delinquency in children is simply deplorable."
Now, he had turned, and was slowly walking towards the back of the room, his sights now anywhere but on the blond girl, though it appeared he was still addressing her- if you could really call it that with his distant, almost disinterested tone and gait.
"Especially with the birth rate what it is," he remarked again, though it was unclear exactly who could hear, as only the blond girl was likely paying attention, "Abhorrent delinquents like that would never be able to successfully have children," he made as a final, slightly more quiet remark.
Now near the middle-back of the room on the far side from the door, and facing away from the projector, he held out the D-Scanner in his hand. His eyes were caught by the ring and trigger on one end, and he fitted it onto his index finger, finding that it fit rather comfortably. Holding out his hand, he placed his finger on the trigger, pointing the screen towards the open area on the floor.
"Alright, let's see what this has got."
There was the sound of something charging, then a whirring noise, as thin beams of light began to shine out of the screen, hitting near the ground. Soon, more shone out, until they made a strange, shaped grid. Something seemed to be flowing from the device now, filling the free-standing grid, until, with a flash, a brown and white creature floated there.
The Bakumon drifted in the air on its wispy tail for a moment, before turning to look around the room, its expression placid. Haruka, on the other hand, was fighting back a bewildered, dumbfounded expression. | Name: Zakai Hidetsugu
Nickname: Zak, Zee
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Nationality: Japanese Father, American Mother
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills: B level parkour athlete.
Card Deck: Utilizes a speed and accuracy based deck to boost Gazimon's natural agility, as well as a few defensive cards to raise Gazimon's low defense in critical situations.
Personality: Zakai appears to be the silent and cool type, but in reality he just speaks few words. Unless he's opening his mouth to explain something of interest, Zakai is usually making short sarcastic comments about how a bad a situation or person could end up. It's not that he has ill intention however, but rather that his humor is off and society usually pegs him as an anti-social weirdo. Once you get to know him, you still may not like him, but you might keep him around anyway because he tends to be loyal and willing to commit acts that no one else would. You just have to learn to deal with no compliments and having to decipher Zakai's at times cryptic language.
Background: Born to a Japanese father and American mother, Zakai already appeared to be a stranger in someone else's land. Growing up he was typically alienated not only due to his heritage but his uncanny interests. For example, as a kid, he was always more enthralled with super villains rather than super heroes. It wasn't that he was a bad kid, he just thought they were cooler and had better stories. It could be because he saw the world as it was, not through rose colored lenses like the other children around him. His father was obsessed with work and his mother never stopped dreaming of home. So naturally, his parents didn't have the best relationship and whether they intended it to or not, it affected the way they treated Zakai. Once he was 17 his parents divorced, his mother returning home and his father continuing to focus on his work. A year later Zakai moved out, having little concern for his parents or any friends. Again, it wasn't that Zakai had ill intention. But he became accustomed to being alone. One thing that really helped him stay happy and entertained throughout his entire life, was his love for Digimon. As a kid he would lose himself to the anime and all the digital figures he could collect. Now he has become quite the Digi gamer, and has an impressive collection of near 1,000 Digimon figures. Perhaps his most colorful and joyful interest, others still look at Zakai strangely for collecting Digimon throughout his adulthood.
Nickname: Gazi
Species: Gazimon
Appearance:
Gender: Male
Evolutionary Line: ? -> ? -> Gazimon -> Devidramon -> Cyberdramon -> Beelzemon/Beelzemon Blast Mode
Attacks: Electric Stun Blast, Pitfall
Personality: Being a virus Digimon and thus seen as a devious character, Gazimon does not trust nor make relationships easily. Embracing his near criminal image, he will work with others but is always looking to benefit the most from every situation. Despite being prideful Gazimon is not a fool as others mistakenly believe; he has street smarts in the Digital World and will not place himself in harm's way easily. |
50,881 | 1,372 | 12 | 668 | 1,463 | Whilst every one else brought out their Digimon to meet them for the first time, Makoto instead gave his new D-Scanner a closer inspection. It looked very close to the ones you could find in a store, but it had subtle features that made it stand out a bit more to someone with a sharp enough set of eyes. For one thing, this model of D-Scanner was a bit larger than the store-bought variety. That made sense, holding a live Digimon probably required a larger memory space than the store-bought models could provide. Makoto also noticed a small switch on the side opposite of the Trigger-Scanner. Normal D-Scanners didn't possess such a switch, and close inspection the reason became apparent. It seemed the switch could toggle the trigger between two functions. One setting allowed the user to pull the trigger in order to send out and recall the Digimon within, while the other setting made the trigger activate the scanner system as it would on any normal D-Scanner.
"Hmm..." Makoto aimed the D-Scanner like a pistol with the intention of calling Commandramon out of the device once again, but dropped the device to the floor when he suddenly felt a sharp migraine in his head. It made him cry out, but the pain was as brief as it was sudden. He scooped the device off the floor and looked around, "I'm okay... I think." he said, assuming everyone would be curious about what happened. He looked around at Ms. Chase, Mr. Kuroda, Haruka, Zak, and... and...
"Where'd the girls go?" Makoto asked, noticing that Mirei and Houkoushi were no longer present.
"What girls? The only female here is Ms. Chase, you see." answered Kuroda, thoroughly confused.
"No she isn't. There were two girls who came in with us... right?" Makoto shook his head, feeling less certain about this with every passing second. After another moment's thought, he found he couldn't remember these girls he'd insisted were there with them, "I... guess I was just imagining things. Sorry about that..."
With that awkwardness passed, Makoto finally released Commandramon from the D-Scanner. The soldier-like dragon stood at attention and practically saluted its partner, "Commandramon, reporting for duty! Sir!" | Name: Makoto Houjou
Nicknames: M, Emu
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Nationality: Japanese
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills: Emu is a skilled gamer, in more than just the Digimon game. Online he used to play under the moniker of M, the "genius gamer". Beyond his gaming, Emu aspires to become a doctor, and as such has already begun learning medicine.
Card Deck: Emu uses a Deck built around accuracy, precision, and firepower to capitalize on Commandramon's use of Gun- and Cannon-based weaponry through out his forms.
Personality: Emu keeps himself quiet and reserved for the most part, as if intentionally detaching himself from bonding with others. It's a common trait of some surgeons, using that kind of persona to allow them to make the right calls without letting personal investments color their judgement. But that's more of a front than anything, Emu is actually much more kindhearted than he lets himself appear to be. His kinder sides can only be glimpsed when something fires him up, stokes his passion or just outright makes him angry enough to show that side of himself.
Background: Makoto Houjou has been accustomed to fending for himself for as long as he can remember. Both his parents had to work two jobs each just to afford their home, and with no siblings that meant Makoto often turned to toys and games to keep him company. He spent many a Saturday morning watching the first Digimon anime on TV while playing with his Cards and Agumon action figure. Even before D-Connect popularized professional gaming, Makoto was already making a name for himself by topping the charts in several online games of varying genres. When the D-Scanners were released, it became yet another game for Makoto to excel at - having already become well known on the internet as Genius Gamer M. People in real life who knew his online identity started calling him "Emu", a sort of exaggerated annunciation of the letter "M" in reference to his online persona, and the nickname stuck.
Despite such a promising career as a professional gamer, something happened three years ago. The genius gamer seemed to disappear from the internet. M no longer appeared to be logging into any of the gaming networks, most notably that of the Digimon game. In truth, there was an accident - one that severely injured Emu. It was an act of heroism in all honesty, Emu shoved a small kid out of the way of a speeding vehicle only to be hit himself. Emu owed his survival to a kind but brilliant surgeon named Hongo. Dr. Hongo's knowledge and medical skills saved Emu from what could have been a tragic death, and this made the gamer rethink his life. He resolved to focus on school from then on, and become a Doctor like the man who saved him, so that the life Dr. Hongo saved could repay him by saving other lives. Makoto intended to put M and the gaming world behind him, but decided to re-enter it one last time when he received a certain letter of invitation.
Nickname: None
Species: Commandramon
Appearance:
Gender: Male
Evolutionary Line: Bommon -> Missimon -> Commandramon -> Sealsdramon -> Tankdramon -> Darkdramon
~Attacks~
M16 Assassin: Fires rifle for a projectile attack.
DCD Bomb: Throws a small bomb for an explosive grenade attack.
Personality: Commandramon is usually very good at following commands. Not surprising, given his soldier-like appearance and persona. In fact he has a tendency to salute and remain at attention unless told otherwise. He's also a "professional" - in that he prefers going into a battle with a well-thought plan in mind as opposed to "shooting blind" as it were. That's only what he's like in battle though. Outside of combat, Commandramon is easily amazed by human world luxuries, especially the flashing boxes humans call Television. |
50,882 | 1,372 | 13 | 34 | 179 | Haruka was still trying to wrap his head around this. The Bakumon before him looked way too real, but just couldn't be. Waving his hand around the D-Scanner in his hand, he began looking for some sort of hologram projector. With none being found, and no flickering appearing in the image of the Digimon, he waved his hand above it, expecting the projector to be above.
"Register entity name?" the creature asked in a soft, neutral voice.
Haruka was stunned, and incredulous, "Ex-... Excuse me?"
"Potential Partner detected," Bakumon spoke, only now turning its gaze to the boy, "That is you. Please affirm identity to accept partnership."
"Haruka Nobunaga," he replied, still in disbelief.
"Welcome Haruka Nobunaga."
The Digimon's eyes then flashed, and it rotated in the air, its cloudy tail billowing as it did so.
"Unanalyzed Virus Digimon detected. Offer input." | Name: Zakai Hidetsugu
Nickname: Zak, Zee
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Nationality: Japanese Father, American Mother
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills: B level parkour athlete.
Card Deck: Utilizes a speed and accuracy based deck to boost Gazimon's natural agility, as well as a few defensive cards to raise Gazimon's low defense in critical situations.
Personality: Zakai appears to be the silent and cool type, but in reality he just speaks few words. Unless he's opening his mouth to explain something of interest, Zakai is usually making short sarcastic comments about how a bad a situation or person could end up. It's not that he has ill intention however, but rather that his humor is off and society usually pegs him as an anti-social weirdo. Once you get to know him, you still may not like him, but you might keep him around anyway because he tends to be loyal and willing to commit acts that no one else would. You just have to learn to deal with no compliments and having to decipher Zakai's at times cryptic language.
Background: Born to a Japanese father and American mother, Zakai already appeared to be a stranger in someone else's land. Growing up he was typically alienated not only due to his heritage but his uncanny interests. For example, as a kid, he was always more enthralled with super villains rather than super heroes. It wasn't that he was a bad kid, he just thought they were cooler and had better stories. It could be because he saw the world as it was, not through rose colored lenses like the other children around him. His father was obsessed with work and his mother never stopped dreaming of home. So naturally, his parents didn't have the best relationship and whether they intended it to or not, it affected the way they treated Zakai. Once he was 17 his parents divorced, his mother returning home and his father continuing to focus on his work. A year later Zakai moved out, having little concern for his parents or any friends. Again, it wasn't that Zakai had ill intention. But he became accustomed to being alone. One thing that really helped him stay happy and entertained throughout his entire life, was his love for Digimon. As a kid he would lose himself to the anime and all the digital figures he could collect. Now he has become quite the Digi gamer, and has an impressive collection of near 1,000 Digimon figures. Perhaps his most colorful and joyful interest, others still look at Zakai strangely for collecting Digimon throughout his adulthood.
Nickname: Gazi
Species: Gazimon
Appearance:
Gender: Male
Evolutionary Line: ? -> ? -> Gazimon -> Devidramon -> Cyberdramon -> Beelzemon/Beelzemon Blast Mode
Attacks: Electric Stun Blast, Pitfall
Personality: Being a virus Digimon and thus seen as a devious character, Gazimon does not trust nor make relationships easily. Embracing his near criminal image, he will work with others but is always looking to benefit the most from every situation. Despite being prideful Gazimon is not a fool as others mistakenly believe; he has street smarts in the Digital World and will not place himself in harm's way easily. |
50,883 | 1,372 | 14 | 668 | 1,463 | Uh, no need for the military treatment. I'm your partner, not your commanding officer. said Makoto, scratching his head. This at least prompted Commandramon to relax, if only a little bit. Apparently he was programmed with military discipline. Thinking back to the game, Makoto remembered that Commandramon could evolve into forms that specialized in cannons and other forms of high-level firepower. Already ideas for strategies and tactics swam around in the gamer's mind, at least until he remembered that he brought no cards with him. He'd have to obtain some from the company, enough to put together a deck at least.
That was when Commandramon cleared his throat, pointing at someone walking up behind Makoto, "Huh?" he turned around to find one of the other contestants, "Oh, uh... I'm Makoto. Friends call me Emu." he said, having forgotten whether or not he actually introduced himself to the other tamers yet, "That's, well I'm guessing you can tell he's Commandramon."
"Incidentally," Kuroda spoke up with a clearing of his throat, "it may be wise to put the Digimon back in the D-Scanners soon. You see they..." he started to say, but seemed as if he couldn't quite explain it. Thankfully Ms. Chase was there to pick up the slack.
"Even in their physical forms, the Digimon are still made up of data. For this reason, they can't sustain their physical forms for long before it becomes life-threatening to them. Apparently the real world is dangerous for them to stay in for prolonged periods of time. We think that may be one possible origin for the Cyber Beasts: Digimon programs that were somehow brought into the physical world and then stayed for too long, driving them mad." she said all this without even missing a beat or even looking up from her tablet.
"Yes, yes, couldn't have said it better myself!" said Kuroda with a clap of his hands. That was when an employee rushed into the room, looking worried about something, "What is it?" asked Kuroda, seeming a bit more serious for a change.
"We have another sighting. This one's rather close by, only a few blocks away! Police and the Special Assault Team are already en route to form a perimeter." he said, sounding a bit out of breath, probably because he'd run from whatever department he was assigned to to deliver the report.
"Fantastic!" said Kuroda, sounding strangely happy considering the seriousness of the situation, "A perfect chance for us to really put Project Destiny into action. We'll provide you transportation to the hostile site. Once there, the SAT should allow you entry. All the cards we have in print here are at your disposal, as are the upcoming sets we've previewed. Make sure you use them to make a suitable card deck before you go."
That was a relief. The part about the cards, not the Cyber Beast sighting. Truth be told, Makoto was still a bit nervous about this. Still, he was relieved to know he'd be able to construct a new deck for himself before they set out. He'd already come up with an idea for a card load-out, remembering certain cards like Positron Rifle, Rail Gun Shooter, and of course the Giga Blaster and Megamorph cards. He'd be sure to include those in his new deck. Once it was constructed, he pointed the D-Scanner at Commandramon, "Our first mission. Ready?"
The Digimon nodded and gave a short salute before he was drawn back into the D-Scanner. | Name: Makoto Houjou
Nicknames: M, Emu
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Nationality: Japanese
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills: Emu is a skilled gamer, in more than just the Digimon game. Online he used to play under the moniker of M, the "genius gamer". Beyond his gaming, Emu aspires to become a doctor, and as such has already begun learning medicine.
Card Deck: Emu uses a Deck built around accuracy, precision, and firepower to capitalize on Commandramon's use of Gun- and Cannon-based weaponry through out his forms.
Personality: Emu keeps himself quiet and reserved for the most part, as if intentionally detaching himself from bonding with others. It's a common trait of some surgeons, using that kind of persona to allow them to make the right calls without letting personal investments color their judgement. But that's more of a front than anything, Emu is actually much more kindhearted than he lets himself appear to be. His kinder sides can only be glimpsed when something fires him up, stokes his passion or just outright makes him angry enough to show that side of himself.
Background: Makoto Houjou has been accustomed to fending for himself for as long as he can remember. Both his parents had to work two jobs each just to afford their home, and with no siblings that meant Makoto often turned to toys and games to keep him company. He spent many a Saturday morning watching the first Digimon anime on TV while playing with his Cards and Agumon action figure. Even before D-Connect popularized professional gaming, Makoto was already making a name for himself by topping the charts in several online games of varying genres. When the D-Scanners were released, it became yet another game for Makoto to excel at - having already become well known on the internet as Genius Gamer M. People in real life who knew his online identity started calling him "Emu", a sort of exaggerated annunciation of the letter "M" in reference to his online persona, and the nickname stuck.
Despite such a promising career as a professional gamer, something happened three years ago. The genius gamer seemed to disappear from the internet. M no longer appeared to be logging into any of the gaming networks, most notably that of the Digimon game. In truth, there was an accident - one that severely injured Emu. It was an act of heroism in all honesty, Emu shoved a small kid out of the way of a speeding vehicle only to be hit himself. Emu owed his survival to a kind but brilliant surgeon named Hongo. Dr. Hongo's knowledge and medical skills saved Emu from what could have been a tragic death, and this made the gamer rethink his life. He resolved to focus on school from then on, and become a Doctor like the man who saved him, so that the life Dr. Hongo saved could repay him by saving other lives. Makoto intended to put M and the gaming world behind him, but decided to re-enter it one last time when he received a certain letter of invitation.
Nickname: None
Species: Commandramon
Appearance:
Gender: Male
Evolutionary Line: Bommon -> Missimon -> Commandramon -> Sealsdramon -> Tankdramon -> Darkdramon
~Attacks~
M16 Assassin: Fires rifle for a projectile attack.
DCD Bomb: Throws a small bomb for an explosive grenade attack.
Personality: Commandramon is usually very good at following commands. Not surprising, given his soldier-like appearance and persona. In fact he has a tendency to salute and remain at attention unless told otherwise. He's also a "professional" - in that he prefers going into a battle with a well-thought plan in mind as opposed to "shooting blind" as it were. That's only what he's like in battle though. Outside of combat, Commandramon is easily amazed by human world luxuries, especially the flashing boxes humans call Television. |
50,884 | 1,372 | 15 | 34 | 179 | Belay that, he replied, not entirely sure acting on this was the best idea.
Upon hearing that there would be potential damage to the 'real Digimon' if they remained 'in the Real World' long enough, Haruka decided to bite, pressing the button once again, causing the Bukamon to vanish with a flicker. The boy then turned to Kuroda, and gave a skeptical look.
"I suppose we're supposed to say something like 'mission start' and be excited for this then?" he posited. | Name: Zakai Hidetsugu
Nickname: Zak, Zee
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Nationality: Japanese Father, American Mother
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills: B level parkour athlete.
Card Deck: Utilizes a speed and accuracy based deck to boost Gazimon's natural agility, as well as a few defensive cards to raise Gazimon's low defense in critical situations.
Personality: Zakai appears to be the silent and cool type, but in reality he just speaks few words. Unless he's opening his mouth to explain something of interest, Zakai is usually making short sarcastic comments about how a bad a situation or person could end up. It's not that he has ill intention however, but rather that his humor is off and society usually pegs him as an anti-social weirdo. Once you get to know him, you still may not like him, but you might keep him around anyway because he tends to be loyal and willing to commit acts that no one else would. You just have to learn to deal with no compliments and having to decipher Zakai's at times cryptic language.
Background: Born to a Japanese father and American mother, Zakai already appeared to be a stranger in someone else's land. Growing up he was typically alienated not only due to his heritage but his uncanny interests. For example, as a kid, he was always more enthralled with super villains rather than super heroes. It wasn't that he was a bad kid, he just thought they were cooler and had better stories. It could be because he saw the world as it was, not through rose colored lenses like the other children around him. His father was obsessed with work and his mother never stopped dreaming of home. So naturally, his parents didn't have the best relationship and whether they intended it to or not, it affected the way they treated Zakai. Once he was 17 his parents divorced, his mother returning home and his father continuing to focus on his work. A year later Zakai moved out, having little concern for his parents or any friends. Again, it wasn't that Zakai had ill intention. But he became accustomed to being alone. One thing that really helped him stay happy and entertained throughout his entire life, was his love for Digimon. As a kid he would lose himself to the anime and all the digital figures he could collect. Now he has become quite the Digi gamer, and has an impressive collection of near 1,000 Digimon figures. Perhaps his most colorful and joyful interest, others still look at Zakai strangely for collecting Digimon throughout his adulthood.
Nickname: Gazi
Species: Gazimon
Appearance:
Gender: Male
Evolutionary Line: ? -> ? -> Gazimon -> Devidramon -> Cyberdramon -> Beelzemon/Beelzemon Blast Mode
Attacks: Electric Stun Blast, Pitfall
Personality: Being a virus Digimon and thus seen as a devious character, Gazimon does not trust nor make relationships easily. Embracing his near criminal image, he will work with others but is always looking to benefit the most from every situation. Despite being prideful Gazimon is not a fool as others mistakenly believe; he has street smarts in the Digital World and will not place himself in harm's way easily. |
50,885 | 1,372 | 16 | 668 | 1,463 | The site of the latest Cyber Beast incursion was an arcade within a shopping mall district. This meant that civilian risk was high and as such the Police and SAT Officers were prioritizing evacuation over anything else. Police maintained the perimeter while the SAT actually entered the hostile area in order to pull out civilians trapped within. So far only Law Enforcement was involved, so the Self-Defense Force had yet make an appearance. Amidst that chaos, a black van marked as a D-Connect company vehicle drove calmly into the madness. Its driver was Samantha Chase, who kept an eerily calm demeanor even as she was driving into a danger zone. The three tamers sat in the back as passengers.
The van pulled up to the perimeter, where an officer stopped them with the intention of turning them around and detouring the van elsewhere. But then Ms. Chase flashed a security clearance badge, surprising the officer. Confused, he called over a superior who waved the van through upon inspecting the badge for himself, "Police and SAT have already been informed of D-Connect's plan for combating the Cyber Beasts. They should cooperate with us during each incursion."
Makoto, in the meantime, was thumbing through the deck he'd put together, essentially double-checking it to ensure it had everything he needed, "Is that it?" he suddenly asked, pointing to a shadowy shape appearing to stepping out of the shopping mall. It wasn't much taller than adult human, perhaps by a meter, give or take. But it was muscular and carried an oblong-shaped weapon of some kind. It actually looked vaguely familiar, Makoto certain he'd something of that shape before but simply couldn't remember it.
When the van finally stopped, Makoto got out among the other tamers. He gave his D-Scanner a nervous glance and shivered briefly, as if having second thoughts. No, this is it. Don't get scared now. He held out the D-Scanner and released Commandramon. Who seemed to give a brief salute before noticing the Cyber Beast not too far away, "Awaiting orders. Am I clear to fire?" even as he said this, he held his assault rifle and was already taking aim. Makoto just nodded, but still seemed nervous about something.
"M16 Assassin!" Commandramon announced as he opened fire on the Beast. He also began moving forward as he fired as well, since Assault Rifles tended to be more effective at medium range instead of long range. While the shots got the Beast's attention, they didn't seem to affect it. Instead it angrily lunged forward with a swing of its weapon and knocked Commandramon back and flat on his rump, "Ugh! Attack ineffective! Awaiting orders-WHOA!" the Beast wasn't gonna wait around and instead kept swinging its weapon. Commandramon had to take jumps back to avoid the second swing.
"It must Champion-level. No problem, I've got a Digivolution Card that'll help-" Makoto started to say, but was quickly cut off by Ms. Chase's voice.
"We haven't quite figured out how to incorporate Digivolution. For now you have no choice but to keep fighting as you are." she said, still staring down at her tablet as if completely unfazed by all this.
How? If the Cyber Beast is Champion-level then how are our Rookie-level digimon going to put a dent in it? Makoto began to sweat a bit. Maybe he was too far out of practice, too in-over-his-head to do this? He seriously considered running. He briefly closed his eyes, even beginning to feel faint. That was when a breeze seemed to blow over him. He was suddenly standing straight again, slicked his hair back with his hand and when he opened his eyes, there was suddenly a different expression on his face. His eyes were a bit narrower, sharper and more calculating, and his lips curled into a confident smile. It wasn't a drastic change, but certainly noticeable. Whatever hesitance and nervousness he was displaying before was gone completely. In that moment he wasn't Makoto anymore. He was Emu, or M, the Genius Gamer.
"Guess I'll just call this this challenge run, then." he said in an almost cocky tone. He reached for his card deck and, without even looking at it pulled a card from it, "Digi-Modify!" he said with a confident look on his face, even twirling the D-Scanner on his finger briefly as if he were some kind of gunslinger, "Positron Rifle, activate!" after scanning the card, he pointed the device at Commandramon and pulled the trigger. It shot a line of pixelated light that briefly cloaked Commandramon with its glow. After a split second, the light faded and Commandramon's assault rifle was replaced with a more powerful firearm that fired lasers capable of piercing a target's defense.
"Keep your distance and shoot through whatever armor he's wearing! That'll wear him down quick." Emu called, never losing that near-cocky attitude he'd suddenly gained.
"Understood, sir!" Commandramon leveled the weapon to take aim, "Positron Laser, fire!" hopefully Haruka and Zakai had already sprung into action and were also employing some kind of strategy, preferably one that would distract the Cyber Beast so that Commandramon's shot would hit its mark. | Name: Makoto Houjou
Nicknames: M, Emu
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Nationality: Japanese
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills: Emu is a skilled gamer, in more than just the Digimon game. Online he used to play under the moniker of M, the "genius gamer". Beyond his gaming, Emu aspires to become a doctor, and as such has already begun learning medicine.
Card Deck: Emu uses a Deck built around accuracy, precision, and firepower to capitalize on Commandramon's use of Gun- and Cannon-based weaponry through out his forms.
Personality: Emu keeps himself quiet and reserved for the most part, as if intentionally detaching himself from bonding with others. It's a common trait of some surgeons, using that kind of persona to allow them to make the right calls without letting personal investments color their judgement. But that's more of a front than anything, Emu is actually much more kindhearted than he lets himself appear to be. His kinder sides can only be glimpsed when something fires him up, stokes his passion or just outright makes him angry enough to show that side of himself.
Background: Makoto Houjou has been accustomed to fending for himself for as long as he can remember. Both his parents had to work two jobs each just to afford their home, and with no siblings that meant Makoto often turned to toys and games to keep him company. He spent many a Saturday morning watching the first Digimon anime on TV while playing with his Cards and Agumon action figure. Even before D-Connect popularized professional gaming, Makoto was already making a name for himself by topping the charts in several online games of varying genres. When the D-Scanners were released, it became yet another game for Makoto to excel at - having already become well known on the internet as Genius Gamer M. People in real life who knew his online identity started calling him "Emu", a sort of exaggerated annunciation of the letter "M" in reference to his online persona, and the nickname stuck.
Despite such a promising career as a professional gamer, something happened three years ago. The genius gamer seemed to disappear from the internet. M no longer appeared to be logging into any of the gaming networks, most notably that of the Digimon game. In truth, there was an accident - one that severely injured Emu. It was an act of heroism in all honesty, Emu shoved a small kid out of the way of a speeding vehicle only to be hit himself. Emu owed his survival to a kind but brilliant surgeon named Hongo. Dr. Hongo's knowledge and medical skills saved Emu from what could have been a tragic death, and this made the gamer rethink his life. He resolved to focus on school from then on, and become a Doctor like the man who saved him, so that the life Dr. Hongo saved could repay him by saving other lives. Makoto intended to put M and the gaming world behind him, but decided to re-enter it one last time when he received a certain letter of invitation.
Nickname: None
Species: Commandramon
Appearance:
Gender: Male
Evolutionary Line: Bommon -> Missimon -> Commandramon -> Sealsdramon -> Tankdramon -> Darkdramon
~Attacks~
M16 Assassin: Fires rifle for a projectile attack.
DCD Bomb: Throws a small bomb for an explosive grenade attack.
Personality: Commandramon is usually very good at following commands. Not surprising, given his soldier-like appearance and persona. In fact he has a tendency to salute and remain at attention unless told otherwise. He's also a "professional" - in that he prefers going into a battle with a well-thought plan in mind as opposed to "shooting blind" as it were. That's only what he's like in battle though. Outside of combat, Commandramon is easily amazed by human world luxuries, especially the flashing boxes humans call Television. |
50,886 | 1,372 | 17 | 34 | 179 | The deployment ride was... boring, honestly. Despite the mild break of stopping in the D-Connect building, it seemed the whole day had been one giant trip. Out of one car and into another. It was almost sickening to a point. As he sat in the bench seat, Haruka thumbed the trigger of the new D-Connect lightly. A moment later, and a gasp of realization, he withdrew his own D-Connect. There was a moment of shock as he found the screen empty. The egg which had been formed when his Digimon reverted was nowhere to be seen. Had the two D-Connects somehow synchronized? Shaking the thought, he hurriedly returned the v-pet to his pocket, making his deck-holder clip to his pocket for easy reach, while he palmed the new D-Connect in his left hand.
Upon their arrival, Haruka stepped out, taking a strong stance with his left foot forward, "Time to see if these things work out here too," he muttered casually.
Flipping the Digivice on its ring, he aimed his hand out straight, catching it and pulling back the trigger with a soft chunk in a fluid motion. As before, the Bakumon emerged, showing no signs of distortion, nor hologram transmitter in the daylight.
'What? But that means...' his mind raced, and for a moment he froze, quivering in the strange breeze that seemed to pick up.
Haruka's senses were alerted by a strange sound, a shadowy shape looming in the distance. It was rather large, but held a vaguely humanoid shape, and seemed to be carrying a club. With very few Digimon- if this truly was a Digimon- wielding such a weapon, the plan of attack was clear.
"Open fire. Emit Virus Delete," he commanded in a cold, efficient tone.
"Calculating... Estimating RAM Output... Targeting... Virus Delete!"
With that, a misty fractal jetted from the Rookie's open mouth, eyes aglow. The blast careened towards the figure with a satisfying 'woosh', and seemed to be dead-on target for a moment. Shifting his gaze to the side, the boy saw the other partnered with the Commandramon, Makoto, modifying his Digimon with a Mega Class weapon. Haruka scoffed.
"Tch. What an amature move. Relying on such a tactic so early on is positively barbaric. I can see why you'd want to be some copycat legend, 'Emu'," he called out sarcastically, "Stay mid range Bukamon," he continued, now turning to the battle at hand with a casual attentiveness, "Keep your distance, but make sure you can get a hit in.". | Name: Zakai Hidetsugu
Nickname: Zak, Zee
Age: 21
Gender: Male
Nationality: Japanese Father, American Mother
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills: B level parkour athlete.
Card Deck: Utilizes a speed and accuracy based deck to boost Gazimon's natural agility, as well as a few defensive cards to raise Gazimon's low defense in critical situations.
Personality: Zakai appears to be the silent and cool type, but in reality he just speaks few words. Unless he's opening his mouth to explain something of interest, Zakai is usually making short sarcastic comments about how a bad a situation or person could end up. It's not that he has ill intention however, but rather that his humor is off and society usually pegs him as an anti-social weirdo. Once you get to know him, you still may not like him, but you might keep him around anyway because he tends to be loyal and willing to commit acts that no one else would. You just have to learn to deal with no compliments and having to decipher Zakai's at times cryptic language.
Background: Born to a Japanese father and American mother, Zakai already appeared to be a stranger in someone else's land. Growing up he was typically alienated not only due to his heritage but his uncanny interests. For example, as a kid, he was always more enthralled with super villains rather than super heroes. It wasn't that he was a bad kid, he just thought they were cooler and had better stories. It could be because he saw the world as it was, not through rose colored lenses like the other children around him. His father was obsessed with work and his mother never stopped dreaming of home. So naturally, his parents didn't have the best relationship and whether they intended it to or not, it affected the way they treated Zakai. Once he was 17 his parents divorced, his mother returning home and his father continuing to focus on his work. A year later Zakai moved out, having little concern for his parents or any friends. Again, it wasn't that Zakai had ill intention. But he became accustomed to being alone. One thing that really helped him stay happy and entertained throughout his entire life, was his love for Digimon. As a kid he would lose himself to the anime and all the digital figures he could collect. Now he has become quite the Digi gamer, and has an impressive collection of near 1,000 Digimon figures. Perhaps his most colorful and joyful interest, others still look at Zakai strangely for collecting Digimon throughout his adulthood.
Nickname: Gazi
Species: Gazimon
Appearance:
Gender: Male
Evolutionary Line: ? -> ? -> Gazimon -> Devidramon -> Cyberdramon -> Beelzemon/Beelzemon Blast Mode
Attacks: Electric Stun Blast, Pitfall
Personality: Being a virus Digimon and thus seen as a devious character, Gazimon does not trust nor make relationships easily. Embracing his near criminal image, he will work with others but is always looking to benefit the most from every situation. Despite being prideful Gazimon is not a fool as others mistakenly believe; he has street smarts in the Digital World and will not place himself in harm's way easily. |
50,887 | 1,372 | 18 | 668 | 1,463 | Emu largely ignored Haruka's scoffing. He had a strategy in mind and no amount snark from his teammate was going to stop him from implementing it, "Just keep shooting for now." he said, though his hands were almost blindly thumbing through his card deck in the meantime. Of them, Haruka was the only one who opted not to use any of his cards yet. Instead he just ordered his Digimon to attack. This was what finally got Emu to address the guy, "Yeah, just keep going at it with attacks we already saw were useless against it. No way that brilliant strategy could fail..." he said, using a sarcastic tone of his own. Haruka wasn't the only one capable of snark.
As for the Cyber Beast, the sudden shots from the Positron Rifle and Gazimon quickly following those with drill claw attacks seemed enough that they were finally doing some actual damage. The Cyber Beast reeled a bit, but it was far from finished. It lashed out with the weapon it held to keep Gazimon at bay long enough for it to ball up its free hand into a fist and punch it in the general direction of Commandramon and Bukamon. That motion conjured up a small blast of energy that Commandramon had to dive out of the way of just to avoid a direct hit.
"Gazimon won't last in melee against that thing forever... change of plans, Commandramon!" Emu smirked, having chosen his next card. Just as well, the Positron Rifle had spent up all of its shots and was already dissolving away into pixel-like lights. Twirling the D-Scanner again, Emu swiped the card and aimed the device at his partner, "Digi-Modify! Megamorph, activate!" it was one of the new cards, Megamorph. Its effect allowed the Digimon to briefly use attacks from their next stage of evolution without needing to Digivolve.
When the light faded, Commandramon found himself equipped with the Scouter Monoeye of Sealsdramon as well as the sharp combat knife it used for attacks. With the Monoeye, Commandramon was able to scan the Cyber Beasts for weakspots before dashing forward at a high speed. He looked to be lunging straight at the Cyber Beast, but vanished at the last second only to reappear behind it, "Death Behind!" Commandramon struck hard and fast with knife, right into one of the weak spots it scanned for a moment. A Rookie level attack did little to beast, but this was a Champion level attack, so it was significantly more effective. The Cyber Beast reeled from this, looking like it could be close to defeat now.
"Well?" Emu asked Haruka, "You gonna do something useful now or should Zak and I keep doing this on our own?" | Name: Makoto Houjou
Nicknames: M, Emu
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Nationality: Japanese
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills: Emu is a skilled gamer, in more than just the Digimon game. Online he used to play under the moniker of M, the "genius gamer". Beyond his gaming, Emu aspires to become a doctor, and as such has already begun learning medicine.
Card Deck: Emu uses a Deck built around accuracy, precision, and firepower to capitalize on Commandramon's use of Gun- and Cannon-based weaponry through out his forms.
Personality: Emu keeps himself quiet and reserved for the most part, as if intentionally detaching himself from bonding with others. It's a common trait of some surgeons, using that kind of persona to allow them to make the right calls without letting personal investments color their judgement. But that's more of a front than anything, Emu is actually much more kindhearted than he lets himself appear to be. His kinder sides can only be glimpsed when something fires him up, stokes his passion or just outright makes him angry enough to show that side of himself.
Background: Makoto Houjou has been accustomed to fending for himself for as long as he can remember. Both his parents had to work two jobs each just to afford their home, and with no siblings that meant Makoto often turned to toys and games to keep him company. He spent many a Saturday morning watching the first Digimon anime on TV while playing with his Cards and Agumon action figure. Even before D-Connect popularized professional gaming, Makoto was already making a name for himself by topping the charts in several online games of varying genres. When the D-Scanners were released, it became yet another game for Makoto to excel at - having already become well known on the internet as Genius Gamer M. People in real life who knew his online identity started calling him "Emu", a sort of exaggerated annunciation of the letter "M" in reference to his online persona, and the nickname stuck.
Despite such a promising career as a professional gamer, something happened three years ago. The genius gamer seemed to disappear from the internet. M no longer appeared to be logging into any of the gaming networks, most notably that of the Digimon game. In truth, there was an accident - one that severely injured Emu. It was an act of heroism in all honesty, Emu shoved a small kid out of the way of a speeding vehicle only to be hit himself. Emu owed his survival to a kind but brilliant surgeon named Hongo. Dr. Hongo's knowledge and medical skills saved Emu from what could have been a tragic death, and this made the gamer rethink his life. He resolved to focus on school from then on, and become a Doctor like the man who saved him, so that the life Dr. Hongo saved could repay him by saving other lives. Makoto intended to put M and the gaming world behind him, but decided to re-enter it one last time when he received a certain letter of invitation.
Nickname: None
Species: Commandramon
Appearance:
Gender: Male
Evolutionary Line: Bommon -> Missimon -> Commandramon -> Sealsdramon -> Tankdramon -> Darkdramon
~Attacks~
M16 Assassin: Fires rifle for a projectile attack.
DCD Bomb: Throws a small bomb for an explosive grenade attack.
Personality: Commandramon is usually very good at following commands. Not surprising, given his soldier-like appearance and persona. In fact he has a tendency to salute and remain at attention unless told otherwise. He's also a "professional" - in that he prefers going into a battle with a well-thought plan in mind as opposed to "shooting blind" as it were. That's only what he's like in battle though. Outside of combat, Commandramon is easily amazed by human world luxuries, especially the flashing boxes humans call Television. |
50,888 | 1,372 | 19 | 668 | 1,463 | Haruka rolled his eyes at the remark. Rather than gratifying the smarmy coppycat with a response, he simply withdrew one of his own cards.
"Time for another test-" he began, swiping the card, "Initiate: Power Boost!"
With a flip of his finger, he slid the card through the reader of the D-Scanner, and a wave of pixilated arrays spread over the area.
"Okay, let's give this a shot-"
"Nightmare Syndrome!" with that, Bakumon unleashed a bast of ambiguous, nightmarish form. | Name: Makoto Houjou
Nicknames: M, Emu
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Nationality: Japanese
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills: Emu is a skilled gamer, in more than just the Digimon game. Online he used to play under the moniker of M, the "genius gamer". Beyond his gaming, Emu aspires to become a doctor, and as such has already begun learning medicine.
Card Deck: Emu uses a Deck built around accuracy, precision, and firepower to capitalize on Commandramon's use of Gun- and Cannon-based weaponry through out his forms.
Personality: Emu keeps himself quiet and reserved for the most part, as if intentionally detaching himself from bonding with others. It's a common trait of some surgeons, using that kind of persona to allow them to make the right calls without letting personal investments color their judgement. But that's more of a front than anything, Emu is actually much more kindhearted than he lets himself appear to be. His kinder sides can only be glimpsed when something fires him up, stokes his passion or just outright makes him angry enough to show that side of himself.
Background: Makoto Houjou has been accustomed to fending for himself for as long as he can remember. Both his parents had to work two jobs each just to afford their home, and with no siblings that meant Makoto often turned to toys and games to keep him company. He spent many a Saturday morning watching the first Digimon anime on TV while playing with his Cards and Agumon action figure. Even before D-Connect popularized professional gaming, Makoto was already making a name for himself by topping the charts in several online games of varying genres. When the D-Scanners were released, it became yet another game for Makoto to excel at - having already become well known on the internet as Genius Gamer M. People in real life who knew his online identity started calling him "Emu", a sort of exaggerated annunciation of the letter "M" in reference to his online persona, and the nickname stuck.
Despite such a promising career as a professional gamer, something happened three years ago. The genius gamer seemed to disappear from the internet. M no longer appeared to be logging into any of the gaming networks, most notably that of the Digimon game. In truth, there was an accident - one that severely injured Emu. It was an act of heroism in all honesty, Emu shoved a small kid out of the way of a speeding vehicle only to be hit himself. Emu owed his survival to a kind but brilliant surgeon named Hongo. Dr. Hongo's knowledge and medical skills saved Emu from what could have been a tragic death, and this made the gamer rethink his life. He resolved to focus on school from then on, and become a Doctor like the man who saved him, so that the life Dr. Hongo saved could repay him by saving other lives. Makoto intended to put M and the gaming world behind him, but decided to re-enter it one last time when he received a certain letter of invitation.
Nickname: None
Species: Commandramon
Appearance:
Gender: Male
Evolutionary Line: Bommon -> Missimon -> Commandramon -> Sealsdramon -> Tankdramon -> Darkdramon
~Attacks~
M16 Assassin: Fires rifle for a projectile attack.
DCD Bomb: Throws a small bomb for an explosive grenade attack.
Personality: Commandramon is usually very good at following commands. Not surprising, given his soldier-like appearance and persona. In fact he has a tendency to salute and remain at attention unless told otherwise. He's also a "professional" - in that he prefers going into a battle with a well-thought plan in mind as opposed to "shooting blind" as it were. That's only what he's like in battle though. Outside of combat, Commandramon is easily amazed by human world luxuries, especially the flashing boxes humans call Television. |
50,889 | 1,372 | 20 | 572 | 7,201 | Violet was in shock. Meeting Mr. Kuroda, getting a D-Scanner that apparently had a real digimon in it, and access to a brand new set of cards? She finally snapped out of it when she heard a voice introducing itself. Though its English was... less than ideal. She double-checked her new D-Scanner to make sure it didn't have an Angemon sent to bring her to the heaven she had obviously died and gone to, once again seeing the digitama that indicated either a Machine-type to be or a SnowBotamon, depending on the stripes that she didn't take the time to look closely at. She finally registered what the... boy, she now noticed, had said.
"Saikin dō?" What's up?] she replied in Japanese that would pass for coming from a native speaker if the inflection didn't seem a little too perfect to be the relaxed speech that one would have. "Watashi wa V-..." I'm V-...] Violet paused, realizing the potential difficulty in her name for a Japanese speaker. "... Gem desu. Yoroshiku." I'm Gem. Nice to meet you.]
A glance at the boy showed that he was much older than her, but she felt that the possible disrespect from her informality would be worth the risk in order to help him feel less walled off from her. She did arrive late, after all, and was visually foreign. She already felt that Japanese had too much formality in it, so breaking the illusion that she's well-mannered was an added bonus. | Name: Violet North
Nickname: "Metapsychical" (In business) "Gem" (Shorthand in TCG community) "Amethyst" (D-scanner alias)
Age: 13
Gender: Female
Nationality: American
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills:
- General knowledge
- Eidetic memory
- Coding in several languages
- Multilingual
Card Deck:
- Her Digi-Battle TCG circuit deck consists of cards revolving around the twin digimon Victorygreymon and Zeed Garururmon, with a strategy of shooting for a fast victory while preparing for a drawn out battle if her initial onslaught fails. This earned her the nickname of "Gemini" among her local TCG players, who quickly shortened it to simply "Gem," which later on inspired her online username.
- In contrast, her Digimon CCG circuit deck is built around using several Demon Lord and Royal Knight digimon, with support mostly consisting of debuffs for her opponents and digivolving as fast as possible to have an overwhelming and lightning-fast offense.
- However, the deck she uses for D-scanner battles is built around the idea of "no surprises," and has cards that hold no general theme as a result but allow for her to react to nearly any strategy temporarily. Despite the lack of cohesion, this approach combined with her perfect memory has allowed her to keep a loss ratio of under 3%, though her win ratio is in large part made up of connection failures from annoying her opponents into quitting.
Personality:
Due to her love of digimon and her respect for the accomplishments it's made, she dreams of one day working for D-Connect. While she'd prefer to do so in an official capacity, she'd be equally content working with them freelance. She considers her current work as a stepping stone toward that goal.
While she knows it isn't the case, and has been able to replicate the code from scratch in several languages, she pretends that her personal D-Scanner (and her previous generation V-pets) holds an actual living digimon in it and cares for it deeply. Even the replica digimon she makes she can't bring herself to do much experimenting on, as if she were confronted with the prospect of dissecting her own pet hamster.
Background:
Born to a father who works for a large electronics company and a college-professor mother, Violet has never wanted for anything. Being home-schooled by her high-expectation mother, she spent her days sleeping and finding entertainment in cartoons and anime while her nights were spent cramming an entire public school education in semester sized chunks at a time. Having a nearly perfect memory made the process quick and relatively painless, leading her to develop a detached personality, as if life were just something to do for the sake of doing. Her father got her interested in anime at a young age, and digimon quickly became one of her regular interests.
Coming from a family with money, she was able to experience nearly everything digimon as soon as it came out, and went so far as to teach herself several languages just to be able to enjoy the more obscure (often fan-made) material and the original versions of the shows and manga. It was this fascination with digimon that first sparked her desire to learn programming. Her dream of making real digimon became so all-encompassing that she began ignoring her studies entirely despite her mother's insistence.
At age 12, her mother made her a deal that she couldn't help but accept; if she could finish the rest of the schooling that her mother wanted from her in one year, her mother would use her position as a college professor to request an early taking of a GED test, allowing Violet to spend the entirety of her teenage years doing whatever she wanted. And so she consumed everything that she came across, getting not only the equivalent of a high school education, but quite a bit of a college education as well. The day after her thirteenth birthday, she completed the testing for a GED with a perfect score in four of the five categories. (Ironically, it was mathematics that wasn't up to snuff.) She's spent the months since then working under the alias "Metapsychical" as a "white hat hacker," working with companies to find weaknesses in their security for a fee in the hopes that she'll somehow find the inspiration and knowledge she needs to finally create an AI that could be considered truly "alive." All the while she's been alternating between very active and completely off the radar in the card game circuits and the D-Scanner game circuit, usually with an inverse relationship to her inspiration for her attempts at making digital life. She collects illegal D-Scanner cards in an attempt to learn D-Connect's programming language from them, but so far has been largely unsuccessful.
- Runs a Terriermon on her D-Scanner.
- Uses Viral Digivolution, Dark Digivolution, and Slide Digivolution cards in her strategy.
- Won a special non-region locked highest rarity version of the DigiMental of Hope card from a national CCG tournament that her strategies revolve around.
- Used to run a Bancholeomon on the most recent V-Pet before the D-Scanner's release.
- Keeps and continues caring for all her V-Pets since her very first.
- Specially retired Bancholeomon from battling to prevent egg-reversion after getting her first D-Scanner.
- Her first D-Scanner malfunctioned but she was able to transfer Terriermon to her second/current one.
Nickname: Kuro
Species: Lopmon
Appearance: YukiBotamon - Moonmon - Lopmon - BlackGatomon - Andiramon - Valkyrimon
Gender: Female
Evolutionary Line: Yuki Botamon - Moonmon - Lopmon - Black Gatomon - Andiramon - Valkyrimon
Attacks:
YukiBotamon:
Diamond Dust - Fires a small bubble of freezing ice from its mouth.
Moonmon:
Dark Burst - Spits out a ball of dark energy.
Lopmon:
Tiny Twister - Causes a tiny tornado by spinning its ears like propellers.
Blazing Ice - Fires shots of super-cool air from its mouth.
Lop Punch - Slaps the enemy with one of its ears.
Lop Rush - Repeatedly slaps the enemy with its ears.
Spinning Slap - Windmills its ears in midair to slap repeatedly.
Lop Balloon - Spreads its ears, enabling it to fall or glide slowly.
Dash Twister -Spins along the ground, slapping the foe.
BlackGatomon:
Lightning Paw - Punches at the enemy with its powerful claws at lightning speed.
Lightning Kick - A super-fast flying kick attack.
Cat Tail - A tail whip attack.
Cat's Eye - Hypnotizes the enemy with mysterious power from its eyes.
Dangerous Love - Curses the enemy with a heart-like charm.
Andiramon:
Asipatravana - Absorbs the enemy's data from a distance with its hands.
Treasure Axe - Its hands turn into axes to attack.
Bunny Blades - Spins like a tornado and slices at the enemies with its Treasure Axe.
Valkyrimon:
Fenrir Sword - It uses its absolute zero demonic sword to freeze the opponent when slashing at it, completely ending their life activity.
Lightning Arrows - Fires arrows that always hit their targets.
Laser Javelin - Summons a javelin and launches an explosion from its tips.
Sanction Storm - Raises a tornado to chastise its foes.
Saint Lance
Hawk Inferno
Personality: |
50,890 | 1,372 | 21 | 668 | 1,463 | Haruka gazed unblinking as the aberrated beast splattered into bits of data. While it seemed able to interact with solid objects, coming as close as splattering on the boy's face, it was soon absorbed by a device suddenly waved about by Ms. Chase. The boy shot a now standardly skeptical look at the machine in question. A scoff left his lips. Had he really been sucked into this illusion? How pathetic. He rolled his eyes, then took a step towards the Bakumon. Still, it was pretty convincing. This must be a pretty expensive set up. What a waste.
As he gazed at the Digimon, who looked back at him, his expression soured slightly. That superstitious copycat seemed to finish it off, but only by accessing the Dramon Killers. A dry laugh left the boy's lips. Better to win with the cards you're dealt than go as far as cheating or superstitious mimicry, like Mokoto and that other kid with the Gazimon had done. Haruka's eyes shifted about- where had that kid gone?
"So," he casually snarked to Ms. Chase once they were almost at the D-Connect building again, "What is all this actually about? You can't expect me to believe some corporation actually stumbled upon real Digimon," and that was the extent of his communication on the ride.
After that, Haruka was getting very sick of sitting in the backs of cars, bumpy roads or otherwise. However, his mood stayed about level as they returned to the D-Connect building, where they were introduced to some talking spark. Haruka rolled his eyes as he saw the young girl standing, talking to Mokoto. He was rather fed up with most of the situation, but it had to be fake now. Why would they include such a young child in something that involved real Digimon? Kuroda seemed to be an avid Digimon fan, but even Haruka would have to admit to himself that he wasn't soft in the head, for how jovial he always acted. | Name: Makoto Houjou
Nicknames: M, Emu
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Nationality: Japanese
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills: Emu is a skilled gamer, in more than just the Digimon game. Online he used to play under the moniker of M, the "genius gamer". Beyond his gaming, Emu aspires to become a doctor, and as such has already begun learning medicine.
Card Deck: Emu uses a Deck built around accuracy, precision, and firepower to capitalize on Commandramon's use of Gun- and Cannon-based weaponry through out his forms.
Personality: Emu keeps himself quiet and reserved for the most part, as if intentionally detaching himself from bonding with others. It's a common trait of some surgeons, using that kind of persona to allow them to make the right calls without letting personal investments color their judgement. But that's more of a front than anything, Emu is actually much more kindhearted than he lets himself appear to be. His kinder sides can only be glimpsed when something fires him up, stokes his passion or just outright makes him angry enough to show that side of himself.
Background: Makoto Houjou has been accustomed to fending for himself for as long as he can remember. Both his parents had to work two jobs each just to afford their home, and with no siblings that meant Makoto often turned to toys and games to keep him company. He spent many a Saturday morning watching the first Digimon anime on TV while playing with his Cards and Agumon action figure. Even before D-Connect popularized professional gaming, Makoto was already making a name for himself by topping the charts in several online games of varying genres. When the D-Scanners were released, it became yet another game for Makoto to excel at - having already become well known on the internet as Genius Gamer M. People in real life who knew his online identity started calling him "Emu", a sort of exaggerated annunciation of the letter "M" in reference to his online persona, and the nickname stuck.
Despite such a promising career as a professional gamer, something happened three years ago. The genius gamer seemed to disappear from the internet. M no longer appeared to be logging into any of the gaming networks, most notably that of the Digimon game. In truth, there was an accident - one that severely injured Emu. It was an act of heroism in all honesty, Emu shoved a small kid out of the way of a speeding vehicle only to be hit himself. Emu owed his survival to a kind but brilliant surgeon named Hongo. Dr. Hongo's knowledge and medical skills saved Emu from what could have been a tragic death, and this made the gamer rethink his life. He resolved to focus on school from then on, and become a Doctor like the man who saved him, so that the life Dr. Hongo saved could repay him by saving other lives. Makoto intended to put M and the gaming world behind him, but decided to re-enter it one last time when he received a certain letter of invitation.
Nickname: None
Species: Commandramon
Appearance:
Gender: Male
Evolutionary Line: Bommon -> Missimon -> Commandramon -> Sealsdramon -> Tankdramon -> Darkdramon
~Attacks~
M16 Assassin: Fires rifle for a projectile attack.
DCD Bomb: Throws a small bomb for an explosive grenade attack.
Personality: Commandramon is usually very good at following commands. Not surprising, given his soldier-like appearance and persona. In fact he has a tendency to salute and remain at attention unless told otherwise. He's also a "professional" - in that he prefers going into a battle with a well-thought plan in mind as opposed to "shooting blind" as it were. That's only what he's like in battle though. Outside of combat, Commandramon is easily amazed by human world luxuries, especially the flashing boxes humans call Television. |
50,891 | 1,372 | 22 | 572 | 7,201 | It's... It's two syllables away from yours. Violet responded. She looked at the other boy and thought for a moment, before deciding to stay quiet and turn back to her D-Scanner. Now that she was taking a closer look at the egg, she realized that it would wind up being a YukimiBotamon, and began deciding on nicknames. Looking through the new cards could wait until it was safely hatched, and the 'Pixelmon' didn't interest her. As a presumably non-living program, priority went towards the soon to be hatched life in her hand. | Name: Violet North
Nickname: "Metapsychical" (In business) "Gem" (Shorthand in TCG community) "Amethyst" (D-scanner alias)
Age: 13
Gender: Female
Nationality: American
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills:
- General knowledge
- Eidetic memory
- Coding in several languages
- Multilingual
Card Deck:
- Her Digi-Battle TCG circuit deck consists of cards revolving around the twin digimon Victorygreymon and Zeed Garururmon, with a strategy of shooting for a fast victory while preparing for a drawn out battle if her initial onslaught fails. This earned her the nickname of "Gemini" among her local TCG players, who quickly shortened it to simply "Gem," which later on inspired her online username.
- In contrast, her Digimon CCG circuit deck is built around using several Demon Lord and Royal Knight digimon, with support mostly consisting of debuffs for her opponents and digivolving as fast as possible to have an overwhelming and lightning-fast offense.
- However, the deck she uses for D-scanner battles is built around the idea of "no surprises," and has cards that hold no general theme as a result but allow for her to react to nearly any strategy temporarily. Despite the lack of cohesion, this approach combined with her perfect memory has allowed her to keep a loss ratio of under 3%, though her win ratio is in large part made up of connection failures from annoying her opponents into quitting.
Personality:
Due to her love of digimon and her respect for the accomplishments it's made, she dreams of one day working for D-Connect. While she'd prefer to do so in an official capacity, she'd be equally content working with them freelance. She considers her current work as a stepping stone toward that goal.
While she knows it isn't the case, and has been able to replicate the code from scratch in several languages, she pretends that her personal D-Scanner (and her previous generation V-pets) holds an actual living digimon in it and cares for it deeply. Even the replica digimon she makes she can't bring herself to do much experimenting on, as if she were confronted with the prospect of dissecting her own pet hamster.
Background:
Born to a father who works for a large electronics company and a college-professor mother, Violet has never wanted for anything. Being home-schooled by her high-expectation mother, she spent her days sleeping and finding entertainment in cartoons and anime while her nights were spent cramming an entire public school education in semester sized chunks at a time. Having a nearly perfect memory made the process quick and relatively painless, leading her to develop a detached personality, as if life were just something to do for the sake of doing. Her father got her interested in anime at a young age, and digimon quickly became one of her regular interests.
Coming from a family with money, she was able to experience nearly everything digimon as soon as it came out, and went so far as to teach herself several languages just to be able to enjoy the more obscure (often fan-made) material and the original versions of the shows and manga. It was this fascination with digimon that first sparked her desire to learn programming. Her dream of making real digimon became so all-encompassing that she began ignoring her studies entirely despite her mother's insistence.
At age 12, her mother made her a deal that she couldn't help but accept; if she could finish the rest of the schooling that her mother wanted from her in one year, her mother would use her position as a college professor to request an early taking of a GED test, allowing Violet to spend the entirety of her teenage years doing whatever she wanted. And so she consumed everything that she came across, getting not only the equivalent of a high school education, but quite a bit of a college education as well. The day after her thirteenth birthday, she completed the testing for a GED with a perfect score in four of the five categories. (Ironically, it was mathematics that wasn't up to snuff.) She's spent the months since then working under the alias "Metapsychical" as a "white hat hacker," working with companies to find weaknesses in their security for a fee in the hopes that she'll somehow find the inspiration and knowledge she needs to finally create an AI that could be considered truly "alive." All the while she's been alternating between very active and completely off the radar in the card game circuits and the D-Scanner game circuit, usually with an inverse relationship to her inspiration for her attempts at making digital life. She collects illegal D-Scanner cards in an attempt to learn D-Connect's programming language from them, but so far has been largely unsuccessful.
- Runs a Terriermon on her D-Scanner.
- Uses Viral Digivolution, Dark Digivolution, and Slide Digivolution cards in her strategy.
- Won a special non-region locked highest rarity version of the DigiMental of Hope card from a national CCG tournament that her strategies revolve around.
- Used to run a Bancholeomon on the most recent V-Pet before the D-Scanner's release.
- Keeps and continues caring for all her V-Pets since her very first.
- Specially retired Bancholeomon from battling to prevent egg-reversion after getting her first D-Scanner.
- Her first D-Scanner malfunctioned but she was able to transfer Terriermon to her second/current one.
Nickname: Kuro
Species: Lopmon
Appearance: YukiBotamon - Moonmon - Lopmon - BlackGatomon - Andiramon - Valkyrimon
Gender: Female
Evolutionary Line: Yuki Botamon - Moonmon - Lopmon - Black Gatomon - Andiramon - Valkyrimon
Attacks:
YukiBotamon:
Diamond Dust - Fires a small bubble of freezing ice from its mouth.
Moonmon:
Dark Burst - Spits out a ball of dark energy.
Lopmon:
Tiny Twister - Causes a tiny tornado by spinning its ears like propellers.
Blazing Ice - Fires shots of super-cool air from its mouth.
Lop Punch - Slaps the enemy with one of its ears.
Lop Rush - Repeatedly slaps the enemy with its ears.
Spinning Slap - Windmills its ears in midair to slap repeatedly.
Lop Balloon - Spreads its ears, enabling it to fall or glide slowly.
Dash Twister -Spins along the ground, slapping the foe.
BlackGatomon:
Lightning Paw - Punches at the enemy with its powerful claws at lightning speed.
Lightning Kick - A super-fast flying kick attack.
Cat Tail - A tail whip attack.
Cat's Eye - Hypnotizes the enemy with mysterious power from its eyes.
Dangerous Love - Curses the enemy with a heart-like charm.
Andiramon:
Asipatravana - Absorbs the enemy's data from a distance with its hands.
Treasure Axe - Its hands turn into axes to attack.
Bunny Blades - Spins like a tornado and slices at the enemies with its Treasure Axe.
Valkyrimon:
Fenrir Sword - It uses its absolute zero demonic sword to freeze the opponent when slashing at it, completely ending their life activity.
Lightning Arrows - Fires arrows that always hit their targets.
Laser Javelin - Summons a javelin and launches an explosion from its tips.
Sanction Storm - Raises a tornado to chastise its foes.
Saint Lance
Hawk Inferno
Personality: |
50,892 | 1,372 | 23 | 668 | 1,463 | Haruka rolled his eyes, giving a patronizing glance to Mokoto as he passed.
"Well, it looks like this one has some sense after all," the boy muttered as he strolled by, the vaporous form of Bakumon close behind.
There was a stark disinterest in his posture, as he crossed the room, barely seeming to pay any attention to the Digimon following him, nor the somewhat irrational seeming instances of Ms. Chase.
15:01 22 October
Haruka's eyes flickered over the glowing screen, gathering minute changes in various meters and compiling them in his head. The match shouldn't be dragging on this long. More importantly, he had no way to damage the other player's Valdurmon general with his own Gaiomon. The technique meter in the bottom center of the screen had been frozen since very near the beginning of the fight, and the Valdurmon's passive ability, Purge Shine, stopped any direct attacks from connecting. Haruka's teeth gritted in frustration, his fingers hovering over the keys tentatively as he pushed that attack with his Goburimon. However, without any support from high stage Digimon, the grunts would be overwhelmed. | Name: Makoto Houjou
Nicknames: M, Emu
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Nationality: Japanese
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills: Emu is a skilled gamer, in more than just the Digimon game. Online he used to play under the moniker of M, the "genius gamer". Beyond his gaming, Emu aspires to become a doctor, and as such has already begun learning medicine.
Card Deck: Emu uses a Deck built around accuracy, precision, and firepower to capitalize on Commandramon's use of Gun- and Cannon-based weaponry through out his forms.
Personality: Emu keeps himself quiet and reserved for the most part, as if intentionally detaching himself from bonding with others. It's a common trait of some surgeons, using that kind of persona to allow them to make the right calls without letting personal investments color their judgement. But that's more of a front than anything, Emu is actually much more kindhearted than he lets himself appear to be. His kinder sides can only be glimpsed when something fires him up, stokes his passion or just outright makes him angry enough to show that side of himself.
Background: Makoto Houjou has been accustomed to fending for himself for as long as he can remember. Both his parents had to work two jobs each just to afford their home, and with no siblings that meant Makoto often turned to toys and games to keep him company. He spent many a Saturday morning watching the first Digimon anime on TV while playing with his Cards and Agumon action figure. Even before D-Connect popularized professional gaming, Makoto was already making a name for himself by topping the charts in several online games of varying genres. When the D-Scanners were released, it became yet another game for Makoto to excel at - having already become well known on the internet as Genius Gamer M. People in real life who knew his online identity started calling him "Emu", a sort of exaggerated annunciation of the letter "M" in reference to his online persona, and the nickname stuck.
Despite such a promising career as a professional gamer, something happened three years ago. The genius gamer seemed to disappear from the internet. M no longer appeared to be logging into any of the gaming networks, most notably that of the Digimon game. In truth, there was an accident - one that severely injured Emu. It was an act of heroism in all honesty, Emu shoved a small kid out of the way of a speeding vehicle only to be hit himself. Emu owed his survival to a kind but brilliant surgeon named Hongo. Dr. Hongo's knowledge and medical skills saved Emu from what could have been a tragic death, and this made the gamer rethink his life. He resolved to focus on school from then on, and become a Doctor like the man who saved him, so that the life Dr. Hongo saved could repay him by saving other lives. Makoto intended to put M and the gaming world behind him, but decided to re-enter it one last time when he received a certain letter of invitation.
Nickname: None
Species: Commandramon
Appearance:
Gender: Male
Evolutionary Line: Bommon -> Missimon -> Commandramon -> Sealsdramon -> Tankdramon -> Darkdramon
~Attacks~
M16 Assassin: Fires rifle for a projectile attack.
DCD Bomb: Throws a small bomb for an explosive grenade attack.
Personality: Commandramon is usually very good at following commands. Not surprising, given his soldier-like appearance and persona. In fact he has a tendency to salute and remain at attention unless told otherwise. He's also a "professional" - in that he prefers going into a battle with a well-thought plan in mind as opposed to "shooting blind" as it were. That's only what he's like in battle though. Outside of combat, Commandramon is easily amazed by human world luxuries, especially the flashing boxes humans call Television. |
50,893 | 1,372 | 24 | 572 | 7,201 | Still staring at her D-Scanner, it took Violet quite a while before she registered Makoto's question. "The writer, the character, or the hacker?" She thought for a moment, putting her digitama to the back of her mind. "There's a writer by that alias who made a fairly popular digimon comic in America. Of course there's the character from the 'Tamers' manga, and given the newfound existence of actual digimon, I wouldn't totally rule out the possibility of a fictional character suddenly sending people emails. Then there's the hacker who leaks a lot of information from D-Connect. Theories range from it being the 'Best Tamer' M to it being Mr. Kuroda. The idea that it's a stealthy way for D-Connect to leak information they want leaked is fairly plausible, as is the idea that it's someone from some government trying to undermine D-Connect, even more so if they knew about the existence of Digimon before now. I used to think it was most likely an automated program someone made to gather information on D-Connect's coding languages and systems. Now, though, the possibility of it being a digimon or even Yggdrasil seems plausible." She went back to focusing on the egg in front of her. | Name: Violet North
Nickname: "Metapsychical" (In business) "Gem" (Shorthand in TCG community) "Amethyst" (D-scanner alias)
Age: 13
Gender: Female
Nationality: American
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills:
- General knowledge
- Eidetic memory
- Coding in several languages
- Multilingual
Card Deck:
- Her Digi-Battle TCG circuit deck consists of cards revolving around the twin digimon Victorygreymon and Zeed Garururmon, with a strategy of shooting for a fast victory while preparing for a drawn out battle if her initial onslaught fails. This earned her the nickname of "Gemini" among her local TCG players, who quickly shortened it to simply "Gem," which later on inspired her online username.
- In contrast, her Digimon CCG circuit deck is built around using several Demon Lord and Royal Knight digimon, with support mostly consisting of debuffs for her opponents and digivolving as fast as possible to have an overwhelming and lightning-fast offense.
- However, the deck she uses for D-scanner battles is built around the idea of "no surprises," and has cards that hold no general theme as a result but allow for her to react to nearly any strategy temporarily. Despite the lack of cohesion, this approach combined with her perfect memory has allowed her to keep a loss ratio of under 3%, though her win ratio is in large part made up of connection failures from annoying her opponents into quitting.
Personality:
Due to her love of digimon and her respect for the accomplishments it's made, she dreams of one day working for D-Connect. While she'd prefer to do so in an official capacity, she'd be equally content working with them freelance. She considers her current work as a stepping stone toward that goal.
While she knows it isn't the case, and has been able to replicate the code from scratch in several languages, she pretends that her personal D-Scanner (and her previous generation V-pets) holds an actual living digimon in it and cares for it deeply. Even the replica digimon she makes she can't bring herself to do much experimenting on, as if she were confronted with the prospect of dissecting her own pet hamster.
Background:
Born to a father who works for a large electronics company and a college-professor mother, Violet has never wanted for anything. Being home-schooled by her high-expectation mother, she spent her days sleeping and finding entertainment in cartoons and anime while her nights were spent cramming an entire public school education in semester sized chunks at a time. Having a nearly perfect memory made the process quick and relatively painless, leading her to develop a detached personality, as if life were just something to do for the sake of doing. Her father got her interested in anime at a young age, and digimon quickly became one of her regular interests.
Coming from a family with money, she was able to experience nearly everything digimon as soon as it came out, and went so far as to teach herself several languages just to be able to enjoy the more obscure (often fan-made) material and the original versions of the shows and manga. It was this fascination with digimon that first sparked her desire to learn programming. Her dream of making real digimon became so all-encompassing that she began ignoring her studies entirely despite her mother's insistence.
At age 12, her mother made her a deal that she couldn't help but accept; if she could finish the rest of the schooling that her mother wanted from her in one year, her mother would use her position as a college professor to request an early taking of a GED test, allowing Violet to spend the entirety of her teenage years doing whatever she wanted. And so she consumed everything that she came across, getting not only the equivalent of a high school education, but quite a bit of a college education as well. The day after her thirteenth birthday, she completed the testing for a GED with a perfect score in four of the five categories. (Ironically, it was mathematics that wasn't up to snuff.) She's spent the months since then working under the alias "Metapsychical" as a "white hat hacker," working with companies to find weaknesses in their security for a fee in the hopes that she'll somehow find the inspiration and knowledge she needs to finally create an AI that could be considered truly "alive." All the while she's been alternating between very active and completely off the radar in the card game circuits and the D-Scanner game circuit, usually with an inverse relationship to her inspiration for her attempts at making digital life. She collects illegal D-Scanner cards in an attempt to learn D-Connect's programming language from them, but so far has been largely unsuccessful.
- Runs a Terriermon on her D-Scanner.
- Uses Viral Digivolution, Dark Digivolution, and Slide Digivolution cards in her strategy.
- Won a special non-region locked highest rarity version of the DigiMental of Hope card from a national CCG tournament that her strategies revolve around.
- Used to run a Bancholeomon on the most recent V-Pet before the D-Scanner's release.
- Keeps and continues caring for all her V-Pets since her very first.
- Specially retired Bancholeomon from battling to prevent egg-reversion after getting her first D-Scanner.
- Her first D-Scanner malfunctioned but she was able to transfer Terriermon to her second/current one.
Nickname: Kuro
Species: Lopmon
Appearance: YukiBotamon - Moonmon - Lopmon - BlackGatomon - Andiramon - Valkyrimon
Gender: Female
Evolutionary Line: Yuki Botamon - Moonmon - Lopmon - Black Gatomon - Andiramon - Valkyrimon
Attacks:
YukiBotamon:
Diamond Dust - Fires a small bubble of freezing ice from its mouth.
Moonmon:
Dark Burst - Spits out a ball of dark energy.
Lopmon:
Tiny Twister - Causes a tiny tornado by spinning its ears like propellers.
Blazing Ice - Fires shots of super-cool air from its mouth.
Lop Punch - Slaps the enemy with one of its ears.
Lop Rush - Repeatedly slaps the enemy with its ears.
Spinning Slap - Windmills its ears in midair to slap repeatedly.
Lop Balloon - Spreads its ears, enabling it to fall or glide slowly.
Dash Twister -Spins along the ground, slapping the foe.
BlackGatomon:
Lightning Paw - Punches at the enemy with its powerful claws at lightning speed.
Lightning Kick - A super-fast flying kick attack.
Cat Tail - A tail whip attack.
Cat's Eye - Hypnotizes the enemy with mysterious power from its eyes.
Dangerous Love - Curses the enemy with a heart-like charm.
Andiramon:
Asipatravana - Absorbs the enemy's data from a distance with its hands.
Treasure Axe - Its hands turn into axes to attack.
Bunny Blades - Spins like a tornado and slices at the enemies with its Treasure Axe.
Valkyrimon:
Fenrir Sword - It uses its absolute zero demonic sword to freeze the opponent when slashing at it, completely ending their life activity.
Lightning Arrows - Fires arrows that always hit their targets.
Laser Javelin - Summons a javelin and launches an explosion from its tips.
Sanction Storm - Raises a tornado to chastise its foes.
Saint Lance
Hawk Inferno
Personality: |
50,894 | 1,372 | 25 | 572 | 7,201 | Haruka rolled his eyes. This was ridiculous. Who did they take him for that he would believe all this? First real Digimon, then some clandestine selection process, mysterious destructive attacks, now some enigmatic internet message leaker? It was enough to make him laugh at the preposterity of it all.
He strode past the girl who spouted the latest bout of nonsense, his shoulders close and his posture cold.
"While I appreciate the theatrics, I really do, but they fall a little flat, don't you think? Especially going this far. What, is the kid a plant or something?" | Name: Violet North
Nickname: "Metapsychical" (In business) "Gem" (Shorthand in TCG community) "Amethyst" (D-scanner alias)
Age: 13
Gender: Female
Nationality: American
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills:
- General knowledge
- Eidetic memory
- Coding in several languages
- Multilingual
Card Deck:
- Her Digi-Battle TCG circuit deck consists of cards revolving around the twin digimon Victorygreymon and Zeed Garururmon, with a strategy of shooting for a fast victory while preparing for a drawn out battle if her initial onslaught fails. This earned her the nickname of "Gemini" among her local TCG players, who quickly shortened it to simply "Gem," which later on inspired her online username.
- In contrast, her Digimon CCG circuit deck is built around using several Demon Lord and Royal Knight digimon, with support mostly consisting of debuffs for her opponents and digivolving as fast as possible to have an overwhelming and lightning-fast offense.
- However, the deck she uses for D-scanner battles is built around the idea of "no surprises," and has cards that hold no general theme as a result but allow for her to react to nearly any strategy temporarily. Despite the lack of cohesion, this approach combined with her perfect memory has allowed her to keep a loss ratio of under 3%, though her win ratio is in large part made up of connection failures from annoying her opponents into quitting.
Personality:
Due to her love of digimon and her respect for the accomplishments it's made, she dreams of one day working for D-Connect. While she'd prefer to do so in an official capacity, she'd be equally content working with them freelance. She considers her current work as a stepping stone toward that goal.
While she knows it isn't the case, and has been able to replicate the code from scratch in several languages, she pretends that her personal D-Scanner (and her previous generation V-pets) holds an actual living digimon in it and cares for it deeply. Even the replica digimon she makes she can't bring herself to do much experimenting on, as if she were confronted with the prospect of dissecting her own pet hamster.
Background:
Born to a father who works for a large electronics company and a college-professor mother, Violet has never wanted for anything. Being home-schooled by her high-expectation mother, she spent her days sleeping and finding entertainment in cartoons and anime while her nights were spent cramming an entire public school education in semester sized chunks at a time. Having a nearly perfect memory made the process quick and relatively painless, leading her to develop a detached personality, as if life were just something to do for the sake of doing. Her father got her interested in anime at a young age, and digimon quickly became one of her regular interests.
Coming from a family with money, she was able to experience nearly everything digimon as soon as it came out, and went so far as to teach herself several languages just to be able to enjoy the more obscure (often fan-made) material and the original versions of the shows and manga. It was this fascination with digimon that first sparked her desire to learn programming. Her dream of making real digimon became so all-encompassing that she began ignoring her studies entirely despite her mother's insistence.
At age 12, her mother made her a deal that she couldn't help but accept; if she could finish the rest of the schooling that her mother wanted from her in one year, her mother would use her position as a college professor to request an early taking of a GED test, allowing Violet to spend the entirety of her teenage years doing whatever she wanted. And so she consumed everything that she came across, getting not only the equivalent of a high school education, but quite a bit of a college education as well. The day after her thirteenth birthday, she completed the testing for a GED with a perfect score in four of the five categories. (Ironically, it was mathematics that wasn't up to snuff.) She's spent the months since then working under the alias "Metapsychical" as a "white hat hacker," working with companies to find weaknesses in their security for a fee in the hopes that she'll somehow find the inspiration and knowledge she needs to finally create an AI that could be considered truly "alive." All the while she's been alternating between very active and completely off the radar in the card game circuits and the D-Scanner game circuit, usually with an inverse relationship to her inspiration for her attempts at making digital life. She collects illegal D-Scanner cards in an attempt to learn D-Connect's programming language from them, but so far has been largely unsuccessful.
- Runs a Terriermon on her D-Scanner.
- Uses Viral Digivolution, Dark Digivolution, and Slide Digivolution cards in her strategy.
- Won a special non-region locked highest rarity version of the DigiMental of Hope card from a national CCG tournament that her strategies revolve around.
- Used to run a Bancholeomon on the most recent V-Pet before the D-Scanner's release.
- Keeps and continues caring for all her V-Pets since her very first.
- Specially retired Bancholeomon from battling to prevent egg-reversion after getting her first D-Scanner.
- Her first D-Scanner malfunctioned but she was able to transfer Terriermon to her second/current one.
Nickname: Kuro
Species: Lopmon
Appearance: YukiBotamon - Moonmon - Lopmon - BlackGatomon - Andiramon - Valkyrimon
Gender: Female
Evolutionary Line: Yuki Botamon - Moonmon - Lopmon - Black Gatomon - Andiramon - Valkyrimon
Attacks:
YukiBotamon:
Diamond Dust - Fires a small bubble of freezing ice from its mouth.
Moonmon:
Dark Burst - Spits out a ball of dark energy.
Lopmon:
Tiny Twister - Causes a tiny tornado by spinning its ears like propellers.
Blazing Ice - Fires shots of super-cool air from its mouth.
Lop Punch - Slaps the enemy with one of its ears.
Lop Rush - Repeatedly slaps the enemy with its ears.
Spinning Slap - Windmills its ears in midair to slap repeatedly.
Lop Balloon - Spreads its ears, enabling it to fall or glide slowly.
Dash Twister -Spins along the ground, slapping the foe.
BlackGatomon:
Lightning Paw - Punches at the enemy with its powerful claws at lightning speed.
Lightning Kick - A super-fast flying kick attack.
Cat Tail - A tail whip attack.
Cat's Eye - Hypnotizes the enemy with mysterious power from its eyes.
Dangerous Love - Curses the enemy with a heart-like charm.
Andiramon:
Asipatravana - Absorbs the enemy's data from a distance with its hands.
Treasure Axe - Its hands turn into axes to attack.
Bunny Blades - Spins like a tornado and slices at the enemies with its Treasure Axe.
Valkyrimon:
Fenrir Sword - It uses its absolute zero demonic sword to freeze the opponent when slashing at it, completely ending their life activity.
Lightning Arrows - Fires arrows that always hit their targets.
Laser Javelin - Summons a javelin and launches an explosion from its tips.
Sanction Storm - Raises a tornado to chastise its foes.
Saint Lance
Hawk Inferno
Personality: |
50,895 | 1,372 | 26 | 668 | 1,463 | OK, let's try not to start hating each other on the first day, yeah? asked Makoto, somewhat meekly trying to play moderator. Taking charge and going in guns-blazing was something he was good at doing in games, but in real life with actual people? Forget about it. Still, he had say something to prevent a serious argument from happening, especially given how confrontational Haruko had already shown himself to be thus far. A fire alarm sound may have been just the interruption this group needed. Accompanying the loud noise was Pixelmon's shrill voice.
"Cyber Beast! Cyber Beast! It's a Cyber Beast! Right here at D-Connect!" she squealed, her pixelated form bouncing around in a hyperactive manner.
"Can you identify it?" asked Makoto, quick on the draw to get away from the argument-to-be and focusing on something else.
"Sure can! It's Meramon! Try not to touch him or you'll get burned!" Pixelmon's form suddenly darted out of the room toward somewhere outside the building.
"Meramon, huh? Why do I get the feeling there's something she wasn't telling us?" Makoto scooped up his D-Scanner and made for the door himself, "Looks like there's no rest for the wicked, come on let's check it out!"
Outside of D-Connect, there indeed was a Cyber Beast attack in progress. It surely couldn't have been a coincidence that they would target D-Connect almost immediately after Project Destiny was enacted. But that was also impossible, nothing in any of the reports suggested any kind of planning or strategic reasoning for the attacks thus far. Could this one have been the first? At the front of the premises was a tall, fiery humanoid with features that - like the previous Cyber Beast - seemed to be blurred out and hidden in some kind of murky silhouette. Surrounding the perimeter, the Defense Team had already arrived and were in position to cordon off the area while two different firefighting teams were already present to deal with what they suspected would be an inevitable fire breakout.
Among the Defense Team was two men more distinct than the others. Most of the officers were in uniforms reminiscent of American SWAT teams, but not these two. One was formal attire, a dark brown longcoat worn over it to keep himself warm in the cool air, while the other looked a lot more casual, his leather jacket and dark colored pants making him look more like a biker than an officer. But both men had flashed their badges, proving they were indeed genuine officers. They both looked to the Tamers once they emerged from D-Connect and looked to be talking among themselves.
"That's them? They really are just kids." said Officer Honda Owada, the man in the leather jacket. He sounded irritable, his voice deep and gruff. Or perhaps he was just having a bad day? Apparently he wasn't present at the previous Cyber Beast attack. His partner, the other man, was.
"I was surprised, too. But they're the ones Kuroda picked. Not much we can do about it but support them as best we can." he was the man in the long coat, Superintendent Shinnosuke Ichijou, the officer chosen to lead this task force meant to support the Tamers, while Owada was his partner and right hand man. Unlike Owada, Ichijou was calm and seemed to be able to keep his cool even in the midst of a Cyber Beast attack.
The Cyber Beast - Meramon - seemed to sense the arrival of the Tamers and immediately lashed out against them with a gout of flames from his hands. It was a slow enough attack that the Tamers had moments to dive out of the way and safely out of the fire's reach. But something was off about this fire. In fact, all the fires that Meramon set was not a natural fire at all. Small flaming spheres seemed to emerge from the flames and began acting as minions for Meramon.
"What the? Pixelmon, what are they?" it was Makoto, already aiming his D-Scanner and pulling the trigger to release Commandramon.
"DemiMeramon! His fires are summoning DemiMeramon to help him fight!"
"Why can't it ever be easy?" Makoto then took a deep breath before pushing his hair, his demeanor changing again and his tone once more confident and prideful, "Commandramon's rifle should let us handle the small ones, so you two go ahead and focus on Meramon himself!" | Name: Makoto Houjou
Nicknames: M, Emu
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Nationality: Japanese
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills: Emu is a skilled gamer, in more than just the Digimon game. Online he used to play under the moniker of M, the "genius gamer". Beyond his gaming, Emu aspires to become a doctor, and as such has already begun learning medicine.
Card Deck: Emu uses a Deck built around accuracy, precision, and firepower to capitalize on Commandramon's use of Gun- and Cannon-based weaponry through out his forms.
Personality: Emu keeps himself quiet and reserved for the most part, as if intentionally detaching himself from bonding with others. It's a common trait of some surgeons, using that kind of persona to allow them to make the right calls without letting personal investments color their judgement. But that's more of a front than anything, Emu is actually much more kindhearted than he lets himself appear to be. His kinder sides can only be glimpsed when something fires him up, stokes his passion or just outright makes him angry enough to show that side of himself.
Background: Makoto Houjou has been accustomed to fending for himself for as long as he can remember. Both his parents had to work two jobs each just to afford their home, and with no siblings that meant Makoto often turned to toys and games to keep him company. He spent many a Saturday morning watching the first Digimon anime on TV while playing with his Cards and Agumon action figure. Even before D-Connect popularized professional gaming, Makoto was already making a name for himself by topping the charts in several online games of varying genres. When the D-Scanners were released, it became yet another game for Makoto to excel at - having already become well known on the internet as Genius Gamer M. People in real life who knew his online identity started calling him "Emu", a sort of exaggerated annunciation of the letter "M" in reference to his online persona, and the nickname stuck.
Despite such a promising career as a professional gamer, something happened three years ago. The genius gamer seemed to disappear from the internet. M no longer appeared to be logging into any of the gaming networks, most notably that of the Digimon game. In truth, there was an accident - one that severely injured Emu. It was an act of heroism in all honesty, Emu shoved a small kid out of the way of a speeding vehicle only to be hit himself. Emu owed his survival to a kind but brilliant surgeon named Hongo. Dr. Hongo's knowledge and medical skills saved Emu from what could have been a tragic death, and this made the gamer rethink his life. He resolved to focus on school from then on, and become a Doctor like the man who saved him, so that the life Dr. Hongo saved could repay him by saving other lives. Makoto intended to put M and the gaming world behind him, but decided to re-enter it one last time when he received a certain letter of invitation.
Nickname: None
Species: Commandramon
Appearance:
Gender: Male
Evolutionary Line: Bommon -> Missimon -> Commandramon -> Sealsdramon -> Tankdramon -> Darkdramon
~Attacks~
M16 Assassin: Fires rifle for a projectile attack.
DCD Bomb: Throws a small bomb for an explosive grenade attack.
Personality: Commandramon is usually very good at following commands. Not surprising, given his soldier-like appearance and persona. In fact he has a tendency to salute and remain at attention unless told otherwise. He's also a "professional" - in that he prefers going into a battle with a well-thought plan in mind as opposed to "shooting blind" as it were. That's only what he's like in battle though. Outside of combat, Commandramon is easily amazed by human world luxuries, especially the flashing boxes humans call Television. |
50,896 | 1,372 | 27 | 572 | 7,201 | Violet sigh. "Sorry, I have no patience for people who don't treat their digimon well." She barely managed to finish talking before the alarm went off. "Meramon? Poor guy. Always portrayed as a villain."
Hiding behind a wall, Violet looked around at the scene before shouting at Makoto. "What do you mean 'you two!?' I'm sitting here with an egg so unless we can use cards themselves, I'm sort of stuck as tactician!" Not waiting for a reply, she pulled out her deck and the two cards she'd grabbed from the new set. "Too bad I didn't have more time to look through these..." She looked over her makeshift cover at the battle scene before glancing back at her D-Scanner and deck. "Then again, this shouldn't be enough of a problem to need a partner for..." Violet attempted to use a card, intending to find out. "Card Slash, Frost Field!" | Name: Violet North
Nickname: "Metapsychical" (In business) "Gem" (Shorthand in TCG community) "Amethyst" (D-scanner alias)
Age: 13
Gender: Female
Nationality: American
Appearance:
Notable Talents/Skills:
- General knowledge
- Eidetic memory
- Coding in several languages
- Multilingual
Card Deck:
- Her Digi-Battle TCG circuit deck consists of cards revolving around the twin digimon Victorygreymon and Zeed Garururmon, with a strategy of shooting for a fast victory while preparing for a drawn out battle if her initial onslaught fails. This earned her the nickname of "Gemini" among her local TCG players, who quickly shortened it to simply "Gem," which later on inspired her online username.
- In contrast, her Digimon CCG circuit deck is built around using several Demon Lord and Royal Knight digimon, with support mostly consisting of debuffs for her opponents and digivolving as fast as possible to have an overwhelming and lightning-fast offense.
- However, the deck she uses for D-scanner battles is built around the idea of "no surprises," and has cards that hold no general theme as a result but allow for her to react to nearly any strategy temporarily. Despite the lack of cohesion, this approach combined with her perfect memory has allowed her to keep a loss ratio of under 3%, though her win ratio is in large part made up of connection failures from annoying her opponents into quitting.
Personality:
Due to her love of digimon and her respect for the accomplishments it's made, she dreams of one day working for D-Connect. While she'd prefer to do so in an official capacity, she'd be equally content working with them freelance. She considers her current work as a stepping stone toward that goal.
While she knows it isn't the case, and has been able to replicate the code from scratch in several languages, she pretends that her personal D-Scanner (and her previous generation V-pets) holds an actual living digimon in it and cares for it deeply. Even the replica digimon she makes she can't bring herself to do much experimenting on, as if she were confronted with the prospect of dissecting her own pet hamster.
Background:
Born to a father who works for a large electronics company and a college-professor mother, Violet has never wanted for anything. Being home-schooled by her high-expectation mother, she spent her days sleeping and finding entertainment in cartoons and anime while her nights were spent cramming an entire public school education in semester sized chunks at a time. Having a nearly perfect memory made the process quick and relatively painless, leading her to develop a detached personality, as if life were just something to do for the sake of doing. Her father got her interested in anime at a young age, and digimon quickly became one of her regular interests.
Coming from a family with money, she was able to experience nearly everything digimon as soon as it came out, and went so far as to teach herself several languages just to be able to enjoy the more obscure (often fan-made) material and the original versions of the shows and manga. It was this fascination with digimon that first sparked her desire to learn programming. Her dream of making real digimon became so all-encompassing that she began ignoring her studies entirely despite her mother's insistence.
At age 12, her mother made her a deal that she couldn't help but accept; if she could finish the rest of the schooling that her mother wanted from her in one year, her mother would use her position as a college professor to request an early taking of a GED test, allowing Violet to spend the entirety of her teenage years doing whatever she wanted. And so she consumed everything that she came across, getting not only the equivalent of a high school education, but quite a bit of a college education as well. The day after her thirteenth birthday, she completed the testing for a GED with a perfect score in four of the five categories. (Ironically, it was mathematics that wasn't up to snuff.) She's spent the months since then working under the alias "Metapsychical" as a "white hat hacker," working with companies to find weaknesses in their security for a fee in the hopes that she'll somehow find the inspiration and knowledge she needs to finally create an AI that could be considered truly "alive." All the while she's been alternating between very active and completely off the radar in the card game circuits and the D-Scanner game circuit, usually with an inverse relationship to her inspiration for her attempts at making digital life. She collects illegal D-Scanner cards in an attempt to learn D-Connect's programming language from them, but so far has been largely unsuccessful.
- Runs a Terriermon on her D-Scanner.
- Uses Viral Digivolution, Dark Digivolution, and Slide Digivolution cards in her strategy.
- Won a special non-region locked highest rarity version of the DigiMental of Hope card from a national CCG tournament that her strategies revolve around.
- Used to run a Bancholeomon on the most recent V-Pet before the D-Scanner's release.
- Keeps and continues caring for all her V-Pets since her very first.
- Specially retired Bancholeomon from battling to prevent egg-reversion after getting her first D-Scanner.
- Her first D-Scanner malfunctioned but she was able to transfer Terriermon to her second/current one.
Nickname: Kuro
Species: Lopmon
Appearance: YukiBotamon - Moonmon - Lopmon - BlackGatomon - Andiramon - Valkyrimon
Gender: Female
Evolutionary Line: Yuki Botamon - Moonmon - Lopmon - Black Gatomon - Andiramon - Valkyrimon
Attacks:
YukiBotamon:
Diamond Dust - Fires a small bubble of freezing ice from its mouth.
Moonmon:
Dark Burst - Spits out a ball of dark energy.
Lopmon:
Tiny Twister - Causes a tiny tornado by spinning its ears like propellers.
Blazing Ice - Fires shots of super-cool air from its mouth.
Lop Punch - Slaps the enemy with one of its ears.
Lop Rush - Repeatedly slaps the enemy with its ears.
Spinning Slap - Windmills its ears in midair to slap repeatedly.
Lop Balloon - Spreads its ears, enabling it to fall or glide slowly.
Dash Twister -Spins along the ground, slapping the foe.
BlackGatomon:
Lightning Paw - Punches at the enemy with its powerful claws at lightning speed.
Lightning Kick - A super-fast flying kick attack.
Cat Tail - A tail whip attack.
Cat's Eye - Hypnotizes the enemy with mysterious power from its eyes.
Dangerous Love - Curses the enemy with a heart-like charm.
Andiramon:
Asipatravana - Absorbs the enemy's data from a distance with its hands.
Treasure Axe - Its hands turn into axes to attack.
Bunny Blades - Spins like a tornado and slices at the enemies with its Treasure Axe.
Valkyrimon:
Fenrir Sword - It uses its absolute zero demonic sword to freeze the opponent when slashing at it, completely ending their life activity.
Lightning Arrows - Fires arrows that always hit their targets.
Laser Javelin - Summons a javelin and launches an explosion from its tips.
Sanction Storm - Raises a tornado to chastise its foes.
Saint Lance
Hawk Inferno
Personality: |
50,897 | 1,373 | 0 | 2,515 | 575 | Broken Empire
Thirty years ago...
Wu Zhou jabbed the tip of his sword deep into Kang Xu's gut. Kang Xu immediately came to a halt, looking down in disbelief. The ferocity and rage in his eyes vanished as fear filled his irises. The wounded man let out a whimper as he fell to his knees, clutching the blade in his hands. Blood began to gush from the wound, spilling out of his clothes and onto the golden surface beneath him. Kang looked up at his friend with a grieving expression, and Wu looked back with a shaken stare.
"It didn't have to end this way," yelled Wu, trying to make himself heard over the roaring waterfalls and heavy winds. "We were meant to protect our emperor, not kill him! I never wanted to do this to you Kang... but you forced my hand..."
Kang's breathing became steadily agitated and Wu knew his dear friend was taking the last breaths of his life. "You... wouldn't have... understood," Kang's words were shaky and unclear, but he never finished. Blood began gushing from Kang's mouth, flying out onto the Golden Bridge the two had been fighting on. Wu shook his head and pulled the blade from Kang's gut, then drove it through his chest, straight through his heart. For a moment he would see life in Kang's fading eyes, but as the blade pierced the heart Kang instantly died. His limp body toppled over the side of the bridge, plummeting into the bottomless lake below...
Present day...
Master Wu's eyes shot open. His old body ached from tossing and turning all night. He was in his quarters, in Dragon's Peak Temple. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to forget about the dream. It was a horrible part of his life, but it was necessary and the spirits seemed to want the old man to remember it for all time. He pulled the covers from his body and stood up, sliding on his robes and reaching for his walking staff.
Today was an important day. Not only was a fresh batch of new students coming in, but the Five Dragon Generals were returning to discuss important business with Wu, the headmaster of the Dragonguard. A large force of the Dragonguard had also made there way to the temple to report on their findings. The Imperial Empire was at peace and had been at peace for thirty years, and yet Master Wu sensed that these were dark times. A looming threat covered Kin Sun in an invisible shadow, and he could feel the day coming when that shadow would reveal itself and cast the land into darkness forever. He and the Dragonguard had been hard at work trying to uncover whatever they could, but had turned up nothing so far.
He exited the main building of the academy and walked into the courtyard. The courtyard was a stone area in the temple where the students often gathered throughout the day and sometimes sparred; it was filling up with the waking students. Surrounding the courtyard were various buildings in which the students slept in. On the south end of the courtyard, however, was the kitchen, were the temple's cook, Shu Min, lived and fixed food for the students. If one walked a path to the northeast end of the temple they would arrive in the Tranquil Gardens, a place that was quite and perfect for meditation; looking our into the distance one could see a lush river valley that extended from the bottom of the mountain and outwards into the distance. On the west end of the temple was a large square area that extended off the side of the mountain; it was here that Master Wu and his senior teachers taught the newer or less-experienced students; looking southwest from this area one could see the entire Imperial City in all its glory. There was also the scollroom, it was a sort of library with both ancient and new scrolls where students could learn and entertain themselves.
Master Wu caught sight of Zhen Ji, one of his preferred students. She had been at the academy for almost five years now, master the style of the Hidden Lotus. She was a thin, beautiful figure, very graceful in her movements, but she was deadly and quick as well. Zhen's gaze landed on Wu and so he waved over to her. She made her way to his position and bowed in his presence. "Today is going to be a busy day for me Zhen," Wu told the woman.
"I know, Master, I know. I've already woke Shu Min up and he's fixing the breakfast as we speak," Zhen Ji told Wu. "Oh! The Five Dragon Generals arrived just minutes ago, I think they're over in the gardens... I could fetch them-"
"No! I will go to them. You should go get some breakfast; try to clear the students out quickly and get to training, I am sure my generals want a meal as well."
Zhen Ji bowed to her master, "yes Master." She turned and headed off to the kitchens to prepare herself a meal. Master Wu made his way to the northeast end of the temple, towards the Tranquil Gardens. It was located down a small path and through a gate, as it needed to be away from the noise of the temple. He passed through the wooden gates and made his way into the beautiful scene. There were exotic flowers growing in the ground and hanging from pots. In the center was a small pool of water with lily-pads in it.
"Our Master has finally arrived." Xia Min approached Master Wu and bowed before him, as did the other four generals. The Five Dragon Generals were the strongest and wisest of the Dragonguard, personally chosen by Master Wu himself. It was composed of Xia Min, Jen Yun, Huang Li, Gujin Okami, and Zhou Bao Zhong. "Well," Xia Min said, "shall we get started?" | Name: Jen Zi, 'the Hidden Lotus'
Age: 24
Gender: Female
Appearance:
Belongings: Emerald Necklace
Martial Art Style: Hidden Lotus
Chi Abilities:
Personality:
History: |
50,898 | 1,373 | 1 | 1,118 | 4,684 | I woke up in my bed in one of the buildings, although I was tired I quickly got up knowing that I should start my morning routine quickly since I heard from other students that the imperial generals were here today. if I wanted to get my training done I needed to get up and hurry. I quickly changed and got ready soon walking outside to the courtyard inhaling the morning air. I went over to the west side of the school to the square area to start practicing my techniques, although I wasn't as strong as most of the students here I still have pride in the fact that thanks to my constant training in my shaxon preying mantis style that I could counter and stop them in their tracks. I started practicing my movements starting off slow and easy before moving to my harder techniques. I would always practice everyday either by coming to train and spar with the others or by meditation, I usually preferred meditation then to the brute force of sparring but knowing the tranquil gardens were off limits I decided to work on my counter attacks in the west area | Name: angelo lee
Age: 19
Gender: male
Belongings: yami and ya, a green cloak, a gold angel necklace from his father
Martial Art Style: shanxi preying mantis style: they gentle preying mantis style that involves redirecting the attacks of the enemy for pin point strikes and using the preying mantis to sometimes capture or lock opponents from attack further. the shanxi style is more resembling to a flowing stream and concentrates on evasion and counter attacks rather then brute force
Chi Abilities: preying mantis muscle and nerve strikes allowing to use chi to block the nerve centers in the body to either disable muscle movement or even break bones with enough chi
Personality: always uses humor to relieve the tension of a situation. rather then be angry I cant help but try to crack a laugh or two. I usually have a smart mouth that has gotten my opponents angry and try to attack me so I could easily counter them. using my opponents rage and force against themselves
History: my father was a traveling merchant from a Spanish colony, where specifically I don't know. he was a good man or so I have been told from my prostitute mother. my father wanted to make a fortune for himself and he said he had to leave but he did leave me my most treasured possession. my gold angel necklace, it had his name on it and when I was born my mother decided to name me after him so that if he ever came back I knew what his name was and I could have a father again. my mother died when I was very young and I decided I had to leave and grow my fame and make a name for myself no matter what. nobody knew me but by the time my life would end my legend would reach even the heavens one day. |
50,899 | 1,373 | 2 | 1,194 | 434 | Rin gazed up at the morning sky as he sat upon a sturdy branch of a rather large tree that had grown within the temple grounds over several years. His back rested upon the thick trunk and his right leg dangled to the side, whilst his left remained half-bent part-way out on the branch. The sky happened to be gloriously blue due to the lack of clouds and brilliant sunshine that had already begun to grace the Dragon's Peak mountain with its' warmth. Rin thought that he might fall into it at any moment. Which was when a blurred, dark object flashed past his vision. He attempted to track it, but the thing was moving at an incredible rate of speed. He knew what it was instantly; His pet raven, Karasu. Undoubtedly, the bird had spotted some form of prey along the ground and was currently speeding towards it to capture it within his vicious claws, only to rip it apart with his powerful beak moments later. This was a daily occurrence for Rin; Wake up and then accompany his pet as it fed upon the various reptiles and amphibians that inhabited the lands of the temple. As Karasu ate, so did Rin. He brought along with him a few slices of cured cold meat and some mildly salted cashew nuts. It was a meager breakfast compared to most others' but he never ate much in one sitting. He much preferred to graze throughout the day.
When he'd finished eating, Rin washed it all down with cold, fresh water. Being at the top of a mountain, he had almost exclusive access to the greatest source of mineral rich water. Every night he'd take a stroll towards the rushing currents and fill his gourd which he'd leave on a window sill to capture the night's chill. By the time he rose, the water was ice cool and extremely refreshing. A loud Squawk from Karasu brought him back from his daydreaming. The raven was done eating and ready to return to his nest. Master Wu had, at first, prohibited Rin from keeping the raven inside the temple grounds, he argued that it would distract the other students from their practice or meditation. But Rin had insisted that he could control it and, proving Master Wu wrong, Karasu responded to each and every one of Rin's commands. The bird even built his nest further up the mountain so that the students weren't tempted by it at all. Rin whistled a goodbye tone to the bird and without pause Karasu flew off back to his nest.
Jumping down from the branch, Rin landed on both feet in a crouched position and paused. He swore he heard the rustle of grass. Scanning side to side with his eyes but not moving his body an inch, Rin waited for the attack to come. The whistle of metal gave away his assailant's position. In a flash of movement, Rin reached for one of his wakizashi blades. He grasped it quickly and ripped it from its sheathe, just in time to block the incoming katana blade from his left flank. Not pausing for thought, he shifted his weight to his left foot and spun towards his attacker, opening the palm of his right hand and slamming it into their side. A grunt of lost air and slight pain was followed by the stumbling back of the katana wielding opponent. Seeing the person's face, Rin stood up straight and sheathed his blade. "Better. But your attack gave you away, Jinzo." It was his friend, Jinzo Iori, an aspiring Samurai Assassin trying another of his sneak attacks to test Rin's reactions. This one would be the first of many throughout the day.
"Did ya have to hit me so hard, Rin?" He replied, still reeling from his failed attempt. The boy was roughly Rin's age, about a year or two younger. He looked up to Rin as if he was an older brother, he too had been born an only child. The two met on the day they'd entered the temple about a year ago. Jinzo had been mesmerized by Rin using two wakizashi blades instead of a katana/wakizashi combination.
"How else will you learn? This way you won't be in any rush to try that method again." Rin explained. Though, at first he'd have preferred to have been left alone to train, he soon came to enjoy Jinzo's friendship. Plus the constant attacks kept him on his toes.
"Yeah but what did ya think? I nearly tagged you that time." Jinzo said, a smile spreading across his face.
"You need to focus on your footing more, you lost your composure as soon as I landed and I heard your rustle some grass. And then, like I said, your attack was rushed. It was the swing that gave you away. A simple thrust would have worked better, probably would've tagged me too." Jinzo soaked it all in, he was like a sponge. Rin never tried to tell him too much, but just enough so that he'd be better for the next time. It meant that he would have to improve for the next time too.
"That's great and all, but I don't really wanna hit ya, Rin." Jinzo shrugged.
"Well then you should stop trying. The only way you'll do it is if you really want it." Jinzo didn't reply to that, he just furrowed his brow a little as he contemplated actually hurting his friend. Rin then walked over to him and ruffled his hair. "Come on, there's supposed to be something happening in the Tranquil Gardens, I heard some of the other students talking about it last night. Let's see if we can't take a peek." Rin smiled coyly as Jinzo face suddenly brightened, revealing a toothy grin.
"I know the perfect place!" He said before dashing off ahead. | Rin
Age
19
Gender
Male
Belongings
-A Tengu Mask (As seen above)
-His Pet Raven (Named Karasu)
-Two Wakizashi Blades
-A Small Gourd of Water
Martial Arts Style
- Muay Boran: A style that is known as the more traditional, yet more violent, form of Muay Thai. This style, much-like its predecessor form, focuses heavily on hard, punching strikes and even harder kicks to vital areas or key points to overcome the human body. It also incorporates the use of devastating elbows strikes, usually to the facial area, and bone-breaking knees to the torso as well. In terms of defence, a Muay Boran practitioner tends to take most attacks in his stride, often striking as their opponents attack to prevent them from landing a hit and hurting them in the process. An example of this would be defending against a knee-strike by elbowing down against the thigh area or just behind the knee-cap. Overall, Muay Boran is a precise, yet devastating, fighting style. Though it may not allow for a wide range of maneuverability on the battle field, up close, it is fast and powerful.
- Kanpekina Nito: Nito-Ichi is a Kenjutsu style typically known for the use of a katana blade and wakizashi blade combination. Rin's style is a derivative form of that style but instead uses two wakizashi blades. It is known as Kanpekina Nito, which literally means 'Perfect Two-Sword'. The reason being is that Kanpekina does not rely on the main use of the katana with the support of the wakizashi. With Nito-Ichi, if your katana is disarmed then you are severely hindered in your fighting capabilities since your are only taught how to utilize the wakizashi as a support blade. Kanpekina, however, disciplines you to learn how to use a wakizashi blade as the main weapon, so if one of your blades are lost, you still can use the other to its' full effect. This style introduces the ability to perform lightning fast strikes with heavy power behind each attack, due to the blade's shortness. The use of two blades allows the wielder to get inside their opponents guard much easier and unleash deadly strikes towards vital positions. Usually, the dual wakizashi are reinforced to account for the extra use and weight of the attacks being used. Finally, the maneuvers taught to Kanpekina practitioners allow them to maintain both short and long guards at the same time, easily keeping up with, if not surpassing, the original katana/wakizashi combo.
Chi Abilities
- Lord of the Doom Fist Style (Kyouken Ou): The name of this ability was given to Rin by the people of his village, though he usually just shortens it to Doom Fist. This ability allows Rin to imbue his body with Chi resulting in his attacks becoming highly dangerous. Each attack that lands causes several micro cuts that eat away at the struck area, almost like acid. The cuts are due to the sharp nature of his Chi Energy. Rin is currently learning how to focus his Chi at certain specific points of his body to enable even more devastating attacks.
- Piercing Fang of Divine Strength (Senga Jinkei): A technique that Rin hopes to become his ultimate technique. By using extraordinary Chi Energy control, he focuses all his Chi into his needle-like fingertip. Doing so creates a highly destructive technique that allows Rin to thrust his arm through someone's body while also removing their heart. This technique requires a very high amount of concentration and precision. If this attack misses, Rin may become susceptible to exhaustion during a prolonged battle due to the sheer amount of Chi Energy and Chi control required to perform this technique.
Personality
Rin is quite focused. He has clear goals and is quite determined to achieve them. He takes his training seriously and aspires to become the best in his field. Where people are concerned, Rin doesn't shy away from interaction, though he doesn't generally go looking for it either. While, at times, he may prefer to keep himself secluded from everyone else, he always makes sure to join in on missions and objectives. If he has a particular opinion about something, he is more inclined to say it out loud, rather than keep quiet about it. Although not in a way that would seem brash and arrogant but more in an aloof or distant way. He is loyal to his beliefs, in that he will defend them if questioned but not so extreme as to rear up in anger about them. Ever the calm and collected one, Rin prefers to keep a cool head during times of stress.
History
Rin was born and raised in a village called Unabara, also known as Oni no Sou (The Demon's Haunt). It is renowned for its Muay Boran-style of Martial Arts as well as the Nito-Ichi-style of Kenjutsu (Swordsmanship). He lived here with just his Mother and Father as an only child. Growing up, he practiced the Muay Boran-style along with every other kid in his village. It was as if the village were preparing to send them to battle. However, Unabara was known to be blessed with rich and arable lands, perfect for growing crops, which always provided excellent harvests. Many other villages and bandits envied Unabara's fortunes and tried to occupy the village by force. But the village survived many attacks due to the people's belief in their fortune from the gods, however, they lost many lives and even more seasons-worth of crops to the constant raids. Then, as if rewarded by the mighty powers themselves, a single, young man, roughly the age of 18, came to the village. He went solely by the name of Tosen and after hearing of the repeated attacks, he offered to defend the village on his own. The villagers agreed, though they were highly skeptical about whether his claim would bare any truth.
When the next group of raiders came, Tosen challenged each of them to single combat. Stating that if they could slay him, then they would be able to kill each of the villagers freely and completely occupy the village. Outraged at his offer, the villagers nearly slew Tosen themselves, but he persisted and promised that no harm would come to them. The raiders took up his offer and, one-by-one, the men fell to his dual blades and a strange form of Martial Arts until eventually none stood. The villagers were in disbelief but hailed Tosen as a hero and offered him a place to live within the village. In return, Tosen taught the people Muay Boran and Nito-Ichi, the styles he had used to defeat the raiders. Word spread of this lone man's victory and more came to attack the village. However, this time Tosen lead his students into battle against them, refusing to offer any of them single-combat. They prevailed and grew with each battle, until eventually no more raiders would come. News had traveled far about the village of Unabara and soon became known as The Demon's Haunt; related to the fact that Tosen was now being hailed as The Demon Swordsman. Two years after he'd first arrived at the village, Tosen was married and a new father. Although he was barely 20, Tosen's mysterious past had matured him much earlier then most other boys. His young wife gave birth you a healthy boy, who he named Rin.
For the past 19 years, Rin never left the village of Unabara; Being forced to stay within its' boundaries and learn the ways of Muay Boran and Nito-Ichi. His father always refused to talk about his past, stating that "One day, the time will come for you to know, but not today." Rin grew strong and practiced his styles fervently, excelling far beyond the other children of his age. It was soon after his 18th birthday, however, where everything changed. During an intense sparring session with his father, Rin began showing signs of heightened emotion. He wasn't sure why, but he felt angrier the longer the fight went on. His father, Tosen, would not stop the fight, however, demanding that he learnt to control his emotions in battle. But this proved to be worthless, Rin was only growing more distressed. Until eventually something snapped. Rin, foregoing any of his practiced stances or attacks he'd learnt all his life, struck Tosen with a single devastating punch to the chest. Tosen was sent sprawling back, clutching where he'd been hit as blood spilled.
Fortunately, Tosen survived the attack but was left weakened and unconscious by several micro cuts that had eaten into his flesh where he'd been punched and the loss of blood. It was a village elder that explained to Rin that he had had unlocked his Chi Energy. Shocked and confused, Rin waited for his father to wake up so that he could ask him what to do. When Tosen eventually came around, he consoled his son, assuring him that it was completely natural to have Chi Energy. It was then that Tosen explained to his son where he had come from, how his own father had been killed by his best friend and that he was left to be raised by Wu Zhou; The Emperor's personal bodyguard, Grand-master of the Dragon's Peak Temple and Commander of the Dragonguard. Tosen then told Rin that he must travel to Dragon's Peak so that he could develop his Chi Ability under Wu Zhou's tutelage and further perfect his fighting styles. Finally, he told Rin his last name, which also served as Rin's own last name, but he made him swear to keep it a secret. He was not to tell anybody, no matter what.
With a heavy heart and his path set out in front of him, Rin left the village of Unabara. He had so many questions for his father but none that could be answered simply. He focused on meeting Wu Zhou and training at the Dragon's Peak Temple. For the past year he has been training at the Temple, he has gained a decent grasp of his Chi Ability but still has far to go before he masters it. Alongside that, the questions from before still burn deep within his mind. |
50,900 | 1,374 | 0 | 1,640 | 2,701 | "The innocent and the beautiful have no enemy but time."
- W.B. Yeats
Lights blurred to life, flickering briefly as if curiously testing those inside the stowed-away sleeping bags before lighting entirely. Yawns echoed throughout the zero-g environment and the sounds of zips broke the quiet background of whirring machines and beeping computers. "Rise and shine, princesses! You won't get a nick of sleep for the next eighty years but that's life!" The sound of groans followed as a team of astronauts untangled themselves from their sleeping bags and floated through the sleeping quarters into the general living quarter. Their suits were casual reminders of their home, of their mission and of those back on the ground who watched them with bated breath. Different flags were patched to their arms but the symbol of their agency seemed a constant between them.
They joked, shared what appeared to be some sort of breakfast but resembled a dark gruel before they floated off to their individual sectors. It was only a few hours after when the ground finally called up to them. "Argo 5, this is Darmstadt, how are we all feeling this morning?" The ships coms patched it through to the whole ship which was met with a partly-enthusiastic, partly-tired cheer. They were all picked because they cared but it was evident in their eyes that it was for another reason - they didn't have anyone on Earth, no one to live for, no one to cry for them when they never returned. Their's was a one-way trip and a silent ending in some far-flung corner of the Galaxy. To go where no man had ever gone before had its price, after all. "Excellente! We're currently coordinating with the other agencies. In the meantime, prepare the Argo 5's Warp Drive." Once again, they went about their work but now with some urgency behind it. It wasn't long until the voice started up again. "We're patching you through to Houston. Good luck, Argo 5."
At this point, the astronauts were already suiting up, their tasks and final inspections apparently completed as they made their way to the helm of the ship. Strapping in, the five chosen to pave the way for the European Exodus ship watched on, almost nervously as the ship revolved to show the expanse of Earth littered beneath them. A husky, American voice broke the gathering silence. "Morning, Argo ships! Sorry to wake you folks up already but we've all got a job to do! We're running through the preliminary tests now." The voice then proceeded to check off the activity of each of the several Argo ships. When those tests were finally done, the voice was replaced. "Argo Ships, I would give a speech but you must understand, mere words cannot possibly reflect what it is in front of you. Your task is not about exploration, it is not about the aquisition of knowledge, but of the survival of our species. I cannot engineer words to illustrate the sacrifice you all must make. Instead, allow me to use the words of another man, greater than I. 'But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? Why, 35 years ago, fly the Atlantic? Why does Rice play Texas?
We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.'" The astronauts shared looks as the original voice returned and did a final check before beginning a countdown protocol.
As the countdown tore downwards, each of the European craft cast their eyes around the ship and savoured the final glances of their home. The sun was rising and the large landmass of India shone gloriously. "Godspeed, Argo ships, Godspeed."
"Flight Engineer Berger." The commander spoke.
"Yes sir?" Came the almost timid voice.
"Activate the Warp Drive, Jay." And in a moment, the stars rushed towards them and consumed them entirely as they blinked away, their comms falling silent to the quiet Earth.
♪And the night over London lay♪
One by one, the fifty woke but it didn't seem like it was an accident as the lights that had previously lit up the ship when they first entered it were resuscitated. The glass panels still kept them locked away from the main part of the ship but the fact that they were sealed shut with each having their own oxygen supply alluded to something more than just fancy-looking sleeping compartments. Each of the fifty seemed to wake with their own response; some felt trapped by the glass coffin-esque trait to their entrapment and others simply kept quiet and waited until something else happened. It was hard to tell if they had just skipped from the frying pan right into the fire but after a few minutes of angered bangs on the glass and the most of the population of the ship waking up, a familiar voice played through the intercom. He had changed, undoubtedly, which was strange considering much of the fifty remembered only falling asleep for a few hours but he was a voice of reason in an increasingly chaotic situation. "Morning everyone. I apologise for the rude awakening and the pods but we needed to save as much energy as we could. I know you have a lot of questions and they will all be answered in due course but first, we have to ge-"
Without warning, the ship rocked violently and stuttered into a vicious spin as warnings blared throughout the expanse of the visible ship. "Merde! Putain! Fils de pute!" The normally calm voice of J suddenly filled with a nervous stress, as if his plans had been thwarted within an instant. "Listen; stay where you land! I repeat, when you land, DON'T MOVE! Go-" His voice powered down on the intercom and chaos ensued amongst the glass pods that were quickly becoming what most feared they already were. Another vibration reverberated through the ship but instead of the last time, this one felt controlled. Their spinning didn't halt but things became considerably more uncomfortable when the inside of the ship began to heat up quite a lot. Most of the fifty had grown up on Port Hope and never been to a Capital World so falling down to a planet surface was probably a first for them. The rocking only became more violent as thrusters fired off and the ships' velocity was reduced massively. The lights fused then powered down as a red blinking light kicked into action, illuminating the terror.
Almost as soon as it started, it stopped with a heavy thump which caused the most of them to bounce up and hit the roofs of their pods. With a final splutter, the ship gave out and the electrics flicked off entirely. The pods opened with a sigh and each of those who had been prisoners became free. Silence reigned over the fifty young souls as each took in their surroundings. The ship was dark, not a single window lighting their way but somehow, they found their way using the remaining portable lights of the pods. A metal causeway led them to the main bulk of the ship, the place where they had all fled up into when J told them to run back in the Port.
Each took a cautious look, fearing what it would be that they found on the other side of the heavy metal door. It wasn't long until they found the emergency switch for the door and within an instant, light filtered in through the ever-widening opening in the ship. The light blinded them momentarily before it took form, before green pastures and blue skies danced towards those who only knew steel and glass. The ship had crashed in a small creek surrounded by a clutter of trees but that fact was lost on them. Trees. Bugs. Real, painful, air. Party time, maybe? | “It takes two to make an accident.”
– F. S C O T T F I T Z G E R A L D
Princess of the local crime boss and budding-criminal herself, this chaos-eyed brunette could talk her way out of her own funeral and have your best friend turn on you. Master of languages both dead and useful, she's a natural diplomat but best kept at arm's length.
Basic Information
> Name:
Athena Alyssa Valentine
> Nickname:
Valentina, mainly as that's the name she works under but apart from that, nicknames aren't exactly her thing.
> Age:
17
> Ethnicity:
South African
> Sexuality:
Aromantic
Imprisonment
> Crime:
Drug dealing, drug possession, organised crime, resisting arrest and murder
> Years Spent:
1 and a half years
> Prison Elective:
Keeping the peace and any odd bits of translating that was required
> Cell Mate:
TBD
Education & Skills
> Occupation:
Her parents weren't born on Port Hope but came to it as merchants. So mostly the market district but they had some underhand business ventures as well.
> Classes:
English
History
Languages
Psychology
Maths
> Skills:
Athena, to people who generally speak one language the most of their lives, seems to have quite the talent for picking up languages. She's fluent in both useful languages (Mandarin and Spanish) and not so useful languages (German) while having a grasp of other notable languages such as Portugese and some Russian.
She's not very good at much things that involve physical exertion but sit her in front of a crowd and she'll probably rile them up or have them nodding in agreement with her. She'd make for the perfect politician if she just covered up her illegal activities instead of just making it so blatant.
Athena is good with people and due to the fact that she really doesn't care what she does to them, she really doesn't mind working them so they fit cosily around her little finger. This, of course, means using any method to obtain that which she desires.
Mannerisms
> Likes:
Copious amounts of drugs
Partying
Money
Sarcasm
Doing what she likes
Ancient Literature
People
Sleeping
> Dislikes:
Serious people
Animals in general
Douchebags
Inquisitors
Nature
Fire
Doors
> Habits:
Swirling her hair round her finger
Biting her bottom lip
Yawning way too much
> Hobbies:
Ancient Literature (very hard to come by)
Swimming
Bartering
> Fears:
Fire
A long, slow death
People discovering her darkest secrets
Delving Deeper
> Personality:
Figuring Athena out is somewhat equivalent to trying to finding the exact centre of a hurricane, you could probably do it but you'll more than likely end up in a ditch somewhere. She's a blip that bursts into a tempest within a moment's notice and fades to a whisper within the space of a day. It's how she evaded the authorities for so long. She can be deceptively quiet or wonderfully obnoxious and most who meet her think that there's definitely a few screws loose - there is, of course. When you meet her, it won't be very obvious immediately because she can seem quiet and distance but sit her on a pedestal anywhere and she seems to explode into life. She can be kind to those who she values but if you become a non-profit to her, for even a single moment, she will wipe you off entirely. Of course, she's not very good at killing but that's why she pays people who are. Piss her off and you should expect a very harsh treatment, something far worse than death (once again relying on other people to administer said treatment). Basically, you'll never be bored around her but being close to Athena is akin to performing a ballerina recital in a minefield.
> History:
Athena could have had a shitty life, devoid of all happiness and hope but she didn't - she had a brilliant one. She was born to two wealthy merchants who made a living by travelling between Ports and Capital Worlds, selling on their products. Anything she wanted, she typically got and her education was good but countless profressionals had informed her parents, which they fervently denied, that there were a few things wrong with Athena. She didn't seem to consciously care for human life whatsoever and considered people to be puppets that could be cast aside and played with as if they were truly a toy. The Inquisitors never liked the crazy ones - they were prone to mindless violence so her parents hastened to cover it all up.
Her mother was an artist and although she was loving and caring, she was obnoxiously demanding. Perfection was the only thing that ever appeased her and the young Athena jumped to the mark but such things can only last for so long before an unhealthy hatred of authority itself is developed, especially in someone who isn't exactly right. Her father was the one she liked. He was one of those men that treated his family as if they were wonderful little angels but if one person ever crossed him or them, he would break them into small little pieces; maybe that's where she got it from? He was a merchant but he ran an underground smuggling business, bringing rare artifacts out of Inquisitor hands and into the hands of those who paid the most. Their family were fucked up but the type of fucked up that seemed to merge together and bond under extreme conditions. It worked for quite a while then she grew up and it gradually didn't work - she got sick of her mother and started arguing a lot. She turned to heavy drugs and after a number of spats with her father and too many times left feeling way too fucked up, she dropped away from them entirely. Abandoning school as well, she used the fleeting money she had to start her own gang.
It wasn't exactly easy starting out as a teenage girl competing with trained thugs smuggling drugs but eventually people listened and a little after that, they followed. By fifteen, she had her own mafia of sorts, willing to do anything as long as the money was good. Loyalty was centre-seeking and she made sure that she was always a necessity for the gang. They worked, strangely, and she became a big thing in the underworld of Port Hope but almost as soon as it had started, it collapsed. After a little red-haired bitch got locked away, the Inquisitors came knocking and the rest of them got locked up. They knew exactly who she was when they found her, namely due to the fact that she told them everything she had done. Vengeance is a fickle thing.
She functioned pretty well in jail. Her language skills came in handy when dealing with people who couldn't speak English and she seemed to hold some sort of sway over the other prisoners. Things were going alright (apart from the upcoming execution) before J told her what to do and after that, well everything became fifty shades of fucked up then.
> Theme Song:
Moments – Tove Lo
I can get a little drunk, I get into all the don'ts
But on good days I am charming as fuck
I can't be the perfect one
But I'll make you come
And I'm locked in your mind
> Extra Info:
This does not need to be filled out immediately. This is something that can be added on as the RP goes. Mostly random facts will go here |
50,901 | 1,374 | 1 | 373 | 2,294 | Consciousness trickled back to Rae like drops of water from a half-closed faucet. And then all at once she was alert. She jolted in her pod, eyes darting, trying to take in and process everything. Her fellow delinquents were in similar pods, all in varying states of confusion and panic. A familiar voice rang through her ears - J. He sounded… different somehow. Then he sounded frantic.
Rae had been on enough trips with her stuck-up parents to recognize the atmosphere re-entry for what it was – and how it wasn't going the way it was supposed to. The urgency in J's voice rang in time with the pounding of Rae's blood in her ears. She squeezed her eyes shut as the pressure increased its tight hold on her body, forcing her breath to come out in shallow puffs.
Until finally they crashed into the planet's surface.
Rae was still trying to collect herself and her tattered senses when the pod opened like breath. She glanced around at the others as she tried to remember how to move. A shaky foot lifted. Pushed forward. Met the floor of the ship. Then the other. Rae stood in the ship with the others, trying to make sense of everything. Then the door opened.
Light poured into the hull like wine into a cup, intoxicating with its warmth. Rae pushed forward towards it, trying to see what lay beyond the door.
"Whoa," she breathed out.
It was a world, but unlike any she'd seen before. Wild and overgrown with every shade of green and brown, with visible insects crawling this way and that, it was an untamable vision, inviting and frightening. Her mouth was open slightly, a look of pure awe in her eyes. The sky above was as infinite as the view from a shuttle, but so much more blue, solid looking as though she could reach up and hold it in her hand. The air was thicker than she was used to, heavy and filling as she breathed it in.
Rae stretched a leg out. Burnished metal glinted between her prison boots and the thin material of her pants. She took one step out. Then another. A delighted smile lit up her face and she took another testing step. A laugh bubbled up in her chest, spilling out of her lips. Rae turned back to look at her fellow inmates. "Well? You coming out or what?" | “If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.”
– Katharine Hepburn
Rae is a short, skinny teenager who walks too tall and fears too little. With long, wavy, chestnut hair, deep brown eyes, and a smattering of freckles, it's easy to be pulled in by her charm. However, underneath all that lie hard lines of ropey muscle. She has no tattoos or piercings to speak of, but both her legs, starting from her upper thighs, are made up completely of wires and shiny metal paneling. Rae was born without her legs developed. Because she was born to a family of Inquisitors, Rae had the best biotech available to her. Her legs are sleek and lightweight, a dusty gold color in an attempt to match her skin. She leans more towards expensive, high-fashion clothing and overpriced makeup, though she is not above occasionally dressing for comfort.
Basic Information
N A M E
Victoria Rae Katona
N I C K N A M E
Rae – used by everyone. Don't call her Victoria. Ever.
Trooper – used by her parents in rare moments of affection
Quizzy or Quiz – used negatively in reference to her Inquisitor lineage and training by other inmates
G E N D E R
Female
E T H N I C I T Y
Japanese, Chinese, Mongolian, Hungarian, Polish
A G E
16
S E X U A L I T Y
Pansexual
Imprisonment
C R I M E
Convicted for theft, systems tampering, homosexuality, illegal biotech upgrades, drug usage, assaulting an officer, and resisting arrest
Y E A R S S P E N T
<1
P R I S O N E L E C T I V E
Janitorial Duties
C E L L M A T E
None. Up until recently she lived with a quiet girl named Julianne. She turned 18 two weeks ago.
Education & Skills
O C C U P A T I O N
The Katona family is famous for producing generation after generation of high-ranking Inquisitors. Rae was next in line.
C L A S S E S
Computer Science
Anatomy
Advanced Robotics
History
Painting
Remedial English
Planetary Survival
S K I L L S
Mechanical/electrical engineering – those legs need upkeep, repairs, and (illegal) mods
Weapons training – firearms, knives, swords, and staves
Hand-to-hand combat – has four different black belts and will kick your ass
Planetary survival – not her best skill, but a requisite for Inquisitors-to-be
Basic first aid – by no means a medic, but can handle most minor medical issues
Mannerisms
L I K E S
Back talking
Smack talking
Sweet talking
General flippancy
Fashion
Poppy music
Socializing
D I S L I K E S
Being bossed around
Condescension
Asking for help
Animals
People who can't take a hint
Country music
Her family
H A B I T S
Humming
Eye rolling
Doodling
Thinking out loud
H O B B I E S
Painting
Yoga
Being spiteful
F E A R S
Helplessness
Inadequacy
Bugs
Delving Deeper
P E R S O N A L I T Y
To call Rae 'willful' would be an understatement. Stubborn as an ox would be more accurate. Hard headed. Clever and charming to be sure, but the moment you think you can tell Rae Katona what to do is the moment you realize you'd have better luck trying to set fire to the ocean. More spiteful than rational, Rae will often do things completely ignoring any consequences.
Though her childhood was far from blissful, she's grown up with more opportunities and resources than anyone should have any right to – and she knows it. She carries herself with all the swagger and confidence (some might say arrogance) of someone who's only ever had it good. Underneath the teenaged attitude and saccharine charm though is a soldier in the making. Rae is sharper than she'd have you think, and surprisingly disciplined when she wants to be. Not that you'd ever realize, with how she seems to court trouble. In spite of (or more likely because of) the strict discipline instilled in her, she takes any opportunity she can to break the rules with reckless abandon, her disregard for authority clear in every move she makes.
Though impulsive, Rae's a perfectionist and can't help but hold herself to implausibly high standards. She expects too much from herself, but hides her insecurities well.
H I S T O R Y
Victoria Rae Katona was born the second child to Henry and Sabine Katona, a well known Inquisitor family. Their other child, Rae's older brother Jensen, was not an Inquisitor. No, instead of carrying on the proud family legacy, Jensen had gone off to be an entertainer of all things. It was quite the embarrassment. Henry and Sabine promptly cut him off and focused all their attention on their younger child – much to Rae's misfortune.
Her childhood was, in a word, regimented. In another word, stifling. In several words, a massive pain in Rae's ass. She had to always be at attention, practice with firearms, hand-to-hand combat, painting was a 'waste of time,' socializing was a distraction… Rae felt smothered. And bitter.
And so, like any teenager, she acted out. She started to steal things. She messed around with the systems. She made unauthorized modifications to her biotech. Never anything too severe, but enough for her to feel in control, even a little bit. Inevitably, she was caught stealing one day. The Inquisitor was an old friend of her father's, and willing to let the offense slide, much to her parents' relief. It just wouldn't do if they were disgraced by not one, but two unfortunate children. Having a thespian in the family was bad enough. A criminal would be the final nail in the coffin holding their family's pride.
Rae then proceeded to confess to a slew of crimes – only a few of which she was actually guilty of. She sucker punched him in the jaw for good measure.
To her satisfaction – and her parents' collective horror – such a confession was too much for the Inquisitor to ignore, and Rae was promptly thrown in jail. Her parents were mortified. Then, when she finally let the reality of her situation sink in, so was Rae. She'd just confessed to a multitude of crimes. When her trial date arrived, there would be no way she'd be allowed to live. And so, Rae's own pride and bitterness had been her death sentence. At least, until J came along.
T H E M E S O N G
Drama Queen – Green Day
daddy's little bundle of joy
out of a magazine
everyone's drama queen
is old enough to bleed now
E X T R A I N F O
N/A |
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