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owlwithanapple · 6 months ago

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Bird & Fox

Chapter 8

Fox VS Robin

It had been three days since the incident at drive-in theater and the sudden appearance of Red Hood. After the last carjacking by the bomber, you were very thankful Red Hood arrived in time to save you from that guy.

Red Hood was known as a violent punisher in the city. But he first met you, he treated you so gently and considerately. To be honest, you were overwhelmed by him at the time and didn't know how to react.

You gently pressed your fingers on your lips. That time, there was no direct lip contact between the two of you. Thinking back to the kiss between the two of you through a helmet, he used rough words in his words but all he said were gentle words of love.

You scratched your head, leaned back on the chair, and sighed at the ceiling. You had never experienced these things before, it was so awkward and complicated. Even though you were good at flirting with others, you appeared as a hound, but you were just an ordinary person at that time.

You saw the car keys on the desk, which belonged to Jason. You hadn't seen him since the incident at the drive-in theater. You sent him a message, and the reply you received was he had work to do and temporarily leaving Gotham City.

You wanted to tell him about Red Hood, but he busy at work and you were embarrassed to say it, you didn't want to disturb his work time. You had no choice try to find other things to distract your thoughts.

You looked at Kirin who was sleeping soundly on the bed. It was difficult to ask for comfort from him. You got up left the room and saw the locked room on the opposite side. You knew that the room was full of weapons and equipment.

Night is your moment of freedom. After you put on your equipment, you leave home and travel to various places on the street or even in the air. You stop on top of a building and look down at the beautiful scenery of the city. The dangerous place, the more fascinating it is.

You rub your hands together to warm yourself up. The cold night make your body feel cold. The device on your wrist adjusts the body temperature automatically according the weather. Thanks to these devices, you can always stay in the best condition.

When you swing to a place to rest, you hear the rumbling sound of a motorcycle. You follow the direction see that is little Robin riding a motorcycle. He looks like a minor. Is it legal for him to ride a motorcycle so swaggeringly? Forget it, it has nothing to do with you.

You turn around prepare to leave, but for some reason, you are shrouded in an inexplicable ominous atmosphere. You stop and stand there motionless. What happened to make you so uncomfortable?

The image of little Robin riding a motorcycle appeared in your mind. You immediately turned around and saw that he was already running in one direction. Today he was acting alone, not with Batman. The boy finally acted like an adult.

You scratched your hair, kept turning in circles, and kept muttering to yourself. You couldn't get rid of the uneasiness in your mind. You looked at the direction where little Robin went, you still worried about him. You shot out a rope and moved in the direction of the motorcycle.

When you arrived, you saw him fighting a group of criminals. He was agile, his movements were smooth and neat, and beautiful. Fortunately, you didn't underestimate him. If he was serious, he might be even stronger than he is now.

When Little Robin's attention was focused on the enemy in front of him, someone behind him took the iron rod try to attack him. In fact, you really wanted to see him become stronger, but you still intervened. You shot a rope and pulled the iron rod into your hand.

You landed on the ground, playing with the iron rod with both hands, standing in front of them unscrupulously, with the left hand holding the rod on your shoulder, the right hand on your waist, and your feet kept at the same width as your shoulders.

The group of criminals looked confused. You heard their whispers and planning something, then they surrounded you and Little Robin. You and Little Robin leaned against each other, it seemed they wanted to get rid of both of you completely.

An arm poked your back hard. You turned and saw it was little Robin's arm. He seemed to be complaining something. You ignored it because you knew he would get angry, but he said, "Why are you here? You are interfering in my business."

You laughed out loud. Although little Robin's words were always rude, like a rebellious child, you didn't hate him. You wanted to play with him. After laughing, you raised the stick and pointed at the criminals in front of you, "I'm definitely not here to help you. You think too much."

One of the criminals took out a dagger rushed towards you. You blocked the dagger with iron rod, turned around and hit his hand, then hit the dagger in his hand to the ground with a blow. You kicked him in the face with a roundhouse kick. You picked up the dagger pointed at them, "No need to take turns. Come over at once. I will be your opponent."

Someone was about to hit you in the back of the head. You turned around subconsciously but little Robin blocked you. He kicked the criminal in the face, but the force not strong enough to make the criminal fall to the ground. Seeing this, little Robin kicked the criminal's ankle with a sliding tackle, successfully knocking him to the ground. He leaned on your back, "Leave it to me."

You reached and touched his head. You were very happy because you have always fought alone. Ninjas always die alone. This time is different. Although you are still fighting alone, you have little Robin to rely on. Although he is not strong enough to make a fatal blow, he is one of the best comrades. "I am counting on you, little Robin."

You handed the dagger you just snatched to little Robin, in case of any crisis, at least it would help him. Although the criminals did not make you feel pressured, you must not ignore the sense of crisis. The crisis that suddenly emerged is difficult to resolve, you must have the awareness of cutting off the criminals' retreat.

You knocked your palm with the iron rod and rushed towards the three criminals in front of you. They immediately turned around and ran back. You threw the iron rod forward with all your strength and hit one of them. The other two took out grenades from their pockets and threw them at you. You drew your knife from and chopped them, then the grenade exploded.

Little Robin heard two explosions, turned around with a panicked expression to look in the direction of the black smoke. He did not see you, only a cloud of black smoke and the laughter of the other two criminals, as well as unbearable words. He clenched the dagger and burned a strong hatred.

"Just two grenades?" Your voice came from a cloud of black smoke. Little Robin finally saw your figure coming out from inside. The defense system of the equipment reduced the damage. At least 7 grenades would explode on you, and that level of power would cause you internal injuries.

You stood there, playing with the knife in your right hand. Once you encounter a crisis, you put an indifferent attitude to face it. Doing so can make the criminals completely angry with you. As long as their breathing is disordered, their hearts not be able to calm down. Then it will be the best time.

"You monster!" One of the criminals took out a dagger rushed towards you like crazy. You moved your right foot back to attack him. Suddenly, little Robin jumped above you, put his hand on your shoulder, and kicked the criminal in the face, as if he was performing the skill of a hero saving a beauty.

You thought his strength was not enough, but you were wrong. For some reason, his strength suddenly became stronger. The criminal who was hit took a few steps back, his heels were unstable, head was shaking as he was dizzy, and his nose was bleeding from being kicked. He knelt on the ground, little Robin stepped on his hand, "You lose, trash."

The last criminal saw the situation was not good try to escape. He turned around and saw you behind him. When he was not paying attention, you went around him. You held the knife against his neck with your backhand. At such a short distance, you only need to cut his throat with the knife to kill him. The criminal's expression was so scared that his body was shaking as he was about to pee his pants. He swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva.

Although he can't see your face through the mask, not being able to see the face is the scariest thing. If someone slashes you with a knife, you won't know what expression he used to kill you, whether he was expressionless or excited. You also don't know what expression the dead ninja had.

The criminal was so scared, he sat on the ground, covering his face with hands crossed. You took back the knife and squatted in front of him. You heard him begging for mercy. You shook head to show you were speechless. You knew it was a mistake, so why did he continue the mistake? "Sorry, you should get some sleep first." After that, you strangled his neck until he fainted.

"Hey." Hearing little Robin's voice, he threw handcuffs at you. You handcuffed the criminal's wrists, and ensure couldn't remove them, you stood up. You saw several criminals lying on the ground. It was considered a complete capture, so you could leave without worry. Suddenly, a dagger flew from behind, and you kicked the dagger away with a roundhouse kick.

You saw little Robin put his hand down, which made you more certain he was the one who threw the dagger. You wanted to draw the knife but thought for a while l decided not to do it. You didn't know why he did this and what his purpose was. You held your hands at your waist and tilted your head. "Such a bad boy, you threw such a dangerous thing."

He ignored you and turned to the side, his mouth moving as he was saying something. You walked towards him step by step, curious about what he saying, but with every step you took, he took a step back, he was avoiding you. You couldn't stand it anymore grabbed his shoulders to make him face you. "Hey! Little Robin! What the hell you doing?!"

He shook your hand off and gave you another flying kick. You did a backflip to avoid his attack in time. You felt puzzled. Why was he so resistant to you? You guessed maybe you were his enemy so he was disgusted with you. It was indeed a reasonable judgment because you were not a hero under Batman.

You can't play with him tonight, let him have fun on his own. You want to leave here and wander somewhere else. Before leaving, you make sure there is no one around and the criminal is unconscious before you leave with peace of mind. Suddenly, someone pulls you from behind. You hear the voice of little Robin, "Are you hurt?"

You turn around face him. His face looks to the side. Although he has an impatient and indifferent expression, he still cares about people. You can't see his eyes, you can feel his gentleness and thoughtfulness in your heart, but you still want to tease him, "Hey, are you caring about me?"

He shook off your hand in embarrassment and ignored you. You watched him walk away. Under the light of the street lamp, you could see his ears were red. Such a cute, a proud and good boy. You thought he was petite and thin from a distance before, just now when he stood behind you, you could feel he was just a little shorter than you.

The streets were deserted, the night was quiet, the wind was cold, the night was gray, and the streets were lit by street lamps. You walked slowly on the street while humming a song, enjoying every night like this. You liked the night very much. There were not many people around, so you could play as much as you wanted. A motorcycle rushed out of the alley and stopped in front of you, blocking your way. You saw that it was the little Robin just now.

He didn't get off the motorcycle. You tilted your head, curious about what he did. He looked like had something to say but didn't dare to. You sighed walked towards him, because you really didn't like the feeling being dragged and silent. You jumped on his motorcycle and sat on back seat. "Little Robin, give me a ride."

In an awkward situation, he used his arms try to get you off. You hugged his waist with both hands and shamelessly leaned your face on his back. To deal with such a proud and temperamental person, you must bravely take the first step scare him half to death. "Damn it! Let me go!"

Hearing his words of resistance, the more you are motivated to win, you hugged tighter and pressed closer to his back, showing a willpower cling to him. In fact, you wanted to let go him because didn't want to anger him, you just wanted to chat with him, but he held your hand tightly around his waist, "Hold on tight, I won't care if you fall down."

A sudden surprise, today is a good day, he didn't kick you off, he would have scolded you before, it's unbelievable he would let you do whatever you want, is he sick, but being sick doesn't mean his attitude will change, you lean on his back and raise your right hand to the sky "Okay! Go! Little Robin."

You with his through Gotham City at night, look at the sky, you know the earth is round and it rotates every second, little Robin ride with the fastest speed, you enjoy the moment, you and him didn't quarrel, you just sit behind him enjoy the stars and the moon.

You look at his back, he has a body similar to yours, with broad shoulders, black hair blowing in the wind, you are curious the color of his eyes, you lean on his back and close your eyes, quietly listening to the rumbling sound of the motorcycle.

He felt you lying on his back, he turned slightly to glance at you, he was speechless to see you calm down, he was hard to handle your playful personality and fickle attitude, he didn't resist physical contact with you, you thought should be possible to become friends smoothly.

You opened your eyes looked ahead, the moving road, the moving motorcycle, Jason's face appeared in your mind, you don't know where he works, you loosened your hand that was holding little Robin's waist, he noticed something strange and stopped at the side of the road.

You raised your head look at his back, he turned to look at your face, you let go of your hand but he pulled you, you were startled what he suddenly wanted to do, did he want to arrest you, if that was the case, you couldn't show mercy, just knock him out and throw him into the bushes.

"What are you thinking about?" he suddenly asked.

You looked up at the sky, thinking about what to say. It felt awkward and strange to say that you missed your friends. If mentioned someone else, he might take the opportunity to investigate your identity, so you thought of a strange question, "I wonder what color your eyes are."

His shoulders raised slightly, and he turned his head to look at you. You couldn't see his eyes and didn't know what his expression was, but you knew he just staring at you, and your intuition told you he would definitely complain to you many times.

"You, who cover your entire face, have no reason to know." He coldly rejected. You knew he would not give a simple answer to your question. Since you want to know the answer, you must make an exchange. Both of you are people who hide identities. He has his reasons, and you have your ideas.

While he was relaxed, you quickly withdrew your hand and jumped off the motorcycle, wanting to slip away, but he didn't mean to catch up. You were confused. You still wanted to play chase with him. He looked like he was dissatisfied with a hundred thousand kinds of things. It seemed that you two were just temporary friends tonight.

You passed by him without saying anything, nor did you say goodbye to him. You thought since you two were only temporary friends today, you wouldn't stay for long. It would be better for you just leave without disturbing each other. Just treat as passing by tonight.

"Stop!" He suddenly shouted from behind you.

You stopped walking, his tone was like an order to you, you felt very annoyed, you didn't turn around but just stood there quietly waiting for him, just wanting to hear what he would say next, if you heard words that would hurt your ears, you would definitely bully him, until he cries and back to Batman for a hug.

From the reflection on the road, you can see he is standing behind you, because his shadow covers your shadow, a little shorter than your height, there is only two of you in a place where no one is around, you don't know what he is going to do, he starts to reach out to you, you turn around and hold his hand, he steps on your foot to prevent you from leaving.

"You want to attack me, little Robin."

He smiled, showing a proud expression, "If I don't play some tricks on you, I will be bitten back at any time."

"So you let me go and let me tease you, just to make me relax?"

He stepped on your foot harder. "Why do you think so?"

You tilted your head smiled under the mask. He was more scheming than you thought. You said in a very sweet tone, "I thought you liked being hugged by me."

But this guy is not good at hiding his emotions. You can see his ears are red when you get close. Guess you succeeded in teasing him, but he was just shy didn't tell you clearly. The beauty trap seems to have worked on him.

You came up with a crooked idea, you used shoulder to hit him, making him take his feet back, as his feet left you, you pulled his collar threw him to the ground, the moment he tried to get up, you sat on him directly, holding his struggling hands tightly with both hands.

"Fuck you! What the hell you doing! Let me go!" He roared at you.

"I'm just teaching you a lesson, if you are not satisfied, hit me~"

"Do you think I can't handle you?" He said confidently.

You twisted your waist said in a sexy and moving voice, "You don't even have the intention to resist, do you enjoy me riding on you, little Robin~"

He shook your hand off with all his strength and broke free from your clutches. In just a few seconds, you were pinned to the ground by him. He held both hands above your head with one hand. Now he was controlling you. He took a breath and smiled wickedly, to tell you that he had won.

"Now it's my turn, little fox." He said it confidently.

You didn't expect there would be a day you would be pinned to the ground by someone. This guy was smarter than you thought. He used the same trick to defeat you. You lost convincingly and considered a defeat to him, unfortunately you can't keep fighting with him.

"What do you want to do to me, little Robin."

"I want to strip you naked. Before that, answer my questions first."

"It depends on your questions and attitude."

"Whose side are you on?"

This question is not right or wrong for you. "I only think and choose from my own perspective."

"What is your position now?"

"I want little Robin to possess all of me."

Your words surprised him greatly, he fell into a state of confusion and bewilderment. This was also one of your goals, to play him around. In the middle of his serious conversation, suddenly forced such tempting lines, and it would not be bad for you to completely control him.

"Really? That's great, I also want to possess all of you, little fox."

His reply means that your plan did not succeed, which is also within your expectations, because you know very well he is weak but terrifyingly strong. If succeeds, it means that little Robin is just a small fry.

However, if you continue to fight, your identity will be exposed. You need to think of a countermeasure to get rid of him. You remembered he was sitting on you. You bent your legs and pushed his back with your knees. He turned his head to look, and you took this opportunity to get ruthless and shook off his hand grabbed his collar.

You just shook head, loosened his collar and pushed him away. He stood up kept his distance from you. You stood there scratching your head. You played with him for a long time today. It felt good. He was smarter than before. Wonder he will bite you back next time when meet.

You brushed off the dust, "I had a lot of fun tonight. Let's play together next time if we are lucky."

"Hey." He walked towards you reached out to touch your fox mask. At such a close distance, he had a chance to take off the mask. You wanted to step back but he didn't take it off. A confident and slightly smug smile appeared on his face.

"Listen to me, it won't be that easy next time. I will definitely hold you tightly. I want to see you begging for mercy then."

"I'm looking forward to it, little Robin."

He let go of your face, you turned around walked away from him. He stood in the distance looked at you until disappeared in the shadows. He left there. You hid in the alley and breathed a sigh of relief. You were wondering you had gone too far. Last time it was Red Hood who flirted with you, now it was you who flirted with little Robin.

You were troubled and kept scratching your head. What should you do if you can't get rid of him next time? To be honest, these tricks are just for you to control people. You didn't expect that one day you would be flirted with and used against "Oh my God~"

You squatted on the ground and sighed "I miss Jason and Red Hood so much."

Chapter 8 End.

Other Chapter

If you have any ideas, don’t be shy. Just leave a comment below. Your opinions would be valuable and will be added in story. ♥️💙

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pianokantzart · 9 months ago

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Reading your most recent post on Movie!Bowser… it does make me quite curious as to how they’ll handle Bowser and Mario’s fighting dynamic in the hypothetical second Mario movie. In terms of physical strength, I mean. Game!Mario is quite capable of taking down Bowser in his original form(as in, can physically take Bowser down without power-ups) but Mario more or less needed the aid of the star power-up to do so. The movie versions of M&L are definitely closer to normal humans in terms of fighting prowess, so it makes me wonder if they’ll try having Mario, and Luigi by proxy, fight in hand-to-hand combat with no power-ups with Bowser at some point?

Maybe that could be a plot point in the second movie? Bowser worms his way out and starts whichever villainous plot his evil little heart desires, and Mario and Luigi start off a journey of sorts to find another star power-up, believing it crucial in obtaining victory? But, unable to find it, they’re more or less thrown into the fray with their wits and only limited power-ups in tow? And thus sustain a significant amount more of injuries without their invincibility from the star? (And perhaps the fabled green mushroom makes its debut that way…) The movies could have an interesting juxtaposition with the first movie bros being inexperienced + power-upped vs. second movie bros being more experienced + ….not-so-power-upped lol. They sort’ve have to earn their hero titles more(though moreso in the eyes of themselves only. Mostly everyone around them is already like ‘Duh. Your heroes with or without them.’ But, alas, character arcs! Potentially!) Sorry, I’m kinda word vomiting, but day by day I grow ever more curious how the second movie could play out….

One thing I like about The Super Mario Bros. Movie is that it's pretty much just an origin story. There is so much room to expand between where the movie left off and the full Mario lore as we know it today, and I for one am interested in the process of Mario and Luigi going from "Haha! We're heroes!" to "Oh f*ck, we're heroes," to "Okay... we're heroes... we can do this."

Like, how would they react to the idea of facing off against Bowser again without a power star to help them? How will their dynamic shake out when they're bouncing from one life-or-death situation to another? How will they balance their protectiveness toward each other with their moral obligations? Where will the new stakes take them? What new powerup/ally/enemy will they encounter? But back to what you're saying. If Mario and Luigi don't use powerups– even small ones– in the fight against Bowser, I predict a combination of the following tactics will be employed:

Reliance on dexterity. Bowser has them beat in terms of speed, strength, and resilience, but being a giant turtle monster he isn't nearly as agile as Mario and Luigi.

Using Bowser's emotions against him. It's his most glaring weakness, so while prodding at his ego is risky it could also make his movements more predictable.

Using their surroundings to their advantage instead of relying strictly on their own physical ability, which is a pretty common thing to do in Mario games (and video games in general.)

Leaning heavily on teamwork, not just with each other but with Peach, Toad, and probably Yoshi given the post-credits teaser.

And maybe a certain green and white mushroom will need to come into play at some point? We'll see. My biggest fear is that the writers will nerf Bowser a little so that he's easier to take on without the aid of the super star, but I really hope that doesn't happen. Speedy, strong, ruthless, unwavering, tactical, durable Bowser with a fire breath powerful enough to destroy civilizations is my favorite Bowser.

#askbox #anon #Mario Movie #super mario bros #super mario brothers #bowser #Mario Headcanons

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ridiasfangirlings · 1 month ago

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who do you think would win in a combat 1v1? (whichever homra alphabet boys x scepter 4 alphabet boys you choose up to kusanagi and awashima)

Just gonna mostly pair up the alphabet squads by letter, since that’s the easiest way. For Akiyama vs Akagi and Benzai vs Bandou I think the S4 boys would win pretty handily, both Akiyama and Benzai are actual trained soldiers and I think they’d have the edge by far here. Akagi and Bandou might be willing to fight a little dirtier but I don’t think that would affect Akiben enough to throw them off, I feel like Homra’s at a distinct disadvantage with these two (particularly when you remember that Akiyama is fourth in command, from a chain of command standpoint he’s really more on par with like Kamamoto than the rank and file Homra guys).

Kamo vs Chitose I could see going either way, Kamo is a good fighter but he was a chef before he was in S4 so I suspect his skills aren’t to the level of someone like Akiyama. On the other hand I don’t think Chitose is the strongest Homra alphabet boy either, I could really see either one taking this. Dewa vs Doumyouji I tend to lean towards Doumyouji, who’s the heir to a dojo and is kinda implied to be a bit of a prodigy swordsmanship-wise. I think the big issue would be that he probably wouldn’t take this as seriously and also he’s kind of an idiot so Dewa would have the brains advantage, I just don’t know if that would be enough to beat Doumyouji’s skills.

Enomoto vs Eric, I think this one Homra definitely takes. Enomoto is generally implied to be the weakest of the S4 alphabet squad (he doesn’t really fight in the opening episode of ROK and he’s usually in the vans during combat), so I think Eric could defeat him pretty handily. Fuse vs Fujishima I think is another one I could see going either way, Fuse is supposed to be pretty skilled in fighting but I don’t think Fujishima is a slouch either. I feel like either one could be the winner here, it just depends on how the fight goes.

Hidaka and Gotou don’t have letter counterparts so I’ll just pick some Homra guys for them I guess XD Hidaka vs Kamamoto I think I’m leaning towards Kamamoto winning, I feel like he has more raw power than Hidaka and would be able to wear him down. Hidaka is athletic so I could see him kinda looking down on Kamamoto until he’s almost blown away, then he grins and figures it’ll be a good fight. Ultimately though I feel like Kamamoto would be the stronger one here. Gotou….he doesn’t fight anyone, he just spends ten minutes chatting with Totsuka excitedly about cursed statues.

Fushimi and Yata: draw. Always a draw. It’s basically the whole point of their characters, that they’re equal in strength and similar while also mirroring each other. If we had to choose I think it would depend a lot on the fight itself. Fushimi is more cunning and has more weaponry, but Yata’s more agile and I think has much better stamina and endurance. From a fighting game standpoint I would say Fushimi is a glass cannon and Yata’s a tank, so if it was a quick knockout fight I think Fushimi has the advantage but if the fight draws out longer the advantage moves to Yata.

Awashima vs Kusanagi is another close one. My initial thought was Kusanagi but the more I consider it the more I’m moving towards Awashima, for the same reason as most of the S4 wins: she has actual combat training. For Awashima particularly even outside of swordfighting she practices martial arts and hand-to-hand and she’s apparently extremely strong, so if she had to she probably could snap Kusanagi in two like a toothpick. I could see Kusanagi being stronger from a clansman standpoint (like his Red is stronger than Awashima’s Blue) but I think if they had to seriously fight she could honestly just punch him out if needed.

#k project #Talking K #I admit I lean towards S4 just bc of actual training vs street thugs #like Akiben are actual soldiers and Doumyouji is heir to a dojo #they wouldn't be easily beat by 'guys with metal pipes'#Fushimi and Yata are an absolute draw though #Kusanagi vs Awashima I feel like would be close #she could probably snap him in two if she wanted tho

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bonefall · 2 years ago

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I saw someone come up with the idea of shadowclan cats having a tradition where a warrior can choose to have their ears cut by the medicine cat as a cultural difference for their rewrite. I lnow you want to stick closer to canon but what clan cultural differences do you plan on including?

"Close to canon" in my mind is just expanding on the differences they display on the page, in addition to logical conclusions based on the geography of each territory. Of COURSE WindClan is going to be a little craftier than other Clans-- they had a whole alternative warrior path about tunneling. NATURALLY ShadowClan's sense of humor is dour, if the other Clans find them sadistic. Y'know?

WindClan

The death of tunneling has had a big impact on their culture, having quickly gone from a group that values diversity in their Clan to one that prioritizes speed and agility for hunting and combat. I write them as being a bit torn between those things; strength and independence vs art and connection.

They're also particularly religious, largely from being so close to the Moonstone in the Forest and close to the Moonpool in the Lake.

ShadowClan

I'm just gonna admit it; ShadowClan is my favorite Clan lmao I wonder if anyone has caught my barely concealed writer favoritism yet. I try to balance it out and be fair but I love them so much it's unreal.

I see them as actually being very collaborative and witty. They like songs and games, they do a lot of group projects. Other Clans have it totally wrong that ShadowClan is serious and dire; their sense of humor is just very, very dark and dry.

They're also quite resourceful, because of how badly their territory is wracked by winter. The birds, grubs, and frogs that make up their diet go dormant or migrate away, so they suddenly have to rely on a lot of squirrels and stored food.

RiverClan

I really love their vibe of being the Clan that worries the least about food, so they sink their time into crafts and combat. Especially after the death of tunneling, and during the time that Shadow and Wind are engaging in the Mothermouth Moorland conflict. They were able to corner the market on terracotta production.

Very relaxed, crafts a lot of decorations and tools. I rotate them in my head a lot because I really like water and fish.

ThunderClan

Unironically I consider these guys the loudest and most serious of all the Clans. All Clans are structured and share a battle culture based on somewhat arbitrary clan divisions, but these guys debate and argue amongst themselves, care immensely about organizing patrols, and value giving everyone a daily task to do.

That's not to say that they don't have recreation time-- one thing I want to make sure to include that's sorely missing in canon is that these cats CAN relax, nap, explore their own territory... they just emphasize getting something done before that.

You could say I sort of "play up" the basic culture they all share, like ThunderClan is DefaultClan Plus. Funny enough though, socially speaking, they inherit this a lot from cultural diffusion with the original SkyClan, which were once bitter rivals.

SkyClan

I feel like canon doesn't know what to do with them half the time, honestly, but I know what I WANT to see from them... So these guys are the most 'canon divergent' clan, in both my Bonefall Rewrite and my Clan Culture series.

And I say that SkyClan is super influenced by the fact that it was disbanded for several generations. ThunderClan is much closer to Clear Sky's Clan than modern SkyClan, culturally speaking. It's a big mix of Clan traditions, loner sensibilities, and a shameless lack of fear of human beings from kittypet influence. They're infamous for stealing twoleg things, or watching them and trying to figure out why they do what they do.

SkyClan is still trying to define themselves as a Clan, what they want to have in common with the other four, and what they don't. I feel like they lean more towards frustration with mainstream Clan Culture, though, especially after the Sister Debacle. The help of the main Clans can look almost as destructive as their warfare; and neither one is desirable.

#Clan Culture #Bonefall Rewrite #Clan Differences

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dragimalsdaydreams · 7 months ago

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Dragon Booster Notes: Cladistic Taxonomy

I had to lay out a rough estimate of evolutionary relationships or I'd go insane <3

"narrator" voice starts under the cut:

Dracalia

[image ID: a simple cladistic diagram of the speculative Dracalia clade. the first division from Dracalia leads to, "remains sprawling and ectothermic" traits, resulting in Hydrags (depicted as low-bodied and lizard-like). the other path leads to, "endothermic and erect limb structure" traits, resulting in the rest of the tree. this path then splits into "bipedalism" vs. "remains quadrupedal" traits. bipedalism results in two different lineages: Raptors (depicted much like a prehistoric raptor) and crow-drags (depicted much like a crow). quadrupedalism results in Bulls (depicted as bulky and bull-like), and another path which then splits into Canids (depicted as lean and gangly) and Felids (depicted with a lithe and curving stature). end ID]

Dracalia is the most populous and successful clade in the modern day, due in part to the disastrous Dragon-Human War several centuries previous. few clades survived the subsequent environmental fallout and extinction event of that terrible war, but Dracalia and humans are among the few that clawed our way to survival. humans due to our adaptability and ingenuity, and drakes* due to their high aptitude for Draconium manipulation and (typically) extreme temperature regulation.

(*note that "drake" is the proper name for any member of the clade Dracalia, whereas "dragon" is the layman term for the few clades of race-worthy drakes.)

Draconium manipulation is a core trait of Dracalia, though it has naturally waned in certain sub-clades. other traits include audial fins, heat pits, and complex respiratory systems with associated Mufflers. drake respiratory systems are highly efficient, allowing for constant gas exchange and internal heat regulation, resulting in high adaptability to a wide range of environmental temperatures and high-energy activities.

most researchers believe that the most recent common ancestor of Dracalia likely resembled a modern Hydrag, with a sprawling leg posture, low body, and ectothermic physiology. the rest of Dracalia split off from Hydrags rather early on, developing erect leg posture and an endothermic physiology. this endothermic trait further developed into even more extreme control of internal body heat-- namely, increased sensitivity of heat pits and specialization of the respiratory system.

this sub-clade further split into two sub-clades-- bipedal drakes and quadrupedal drakes. the bipeds took advantage of their already complex, efficient respiratory systems, allowing bipeds to develop powered flight using webbed wings. Raptors are themselves descended from a flighted ancestor, but lost their ability to fly over time, instead specializing in ground stability and speed. their arms still have some vestigial webbing, and their bodies are still short and compact, though they cannot do much more than glide with the help of flight gear. crow-drags, on the other hand, are a fully-flighted clade, having taken over the skies from the extinct avians of the past, flourishing in the absence of other flighted competition.

the rest of the quadrupeds split into two core paths of specialization: bulk and agility. Bulls have made a living being some of the biggest, toughest creatures around, hard to injure and even harder to kill. few creatures seek to challenge such an opponent. Felids and Canids, on the other hand, aim for speed and agility, outrunning pursuers and prey alike. Felids have taken their agility slightly further than Canids, specializing in flexibility over stability.

((as for other creatures we see in the show:

Muhorta: we never see the full body, so I have no fucking clue. they could be some land-based cephalopod with a false dragon face for all I know... wait that sounds really cool actually..

newts: I think they're just regular newts. like, real-ass animal newts, but they evolved some semi-bipedalism in the show. or maybe geckos instead, so the poor lil' guys don't desiccate. I just think it would be funny.))

#dragon booster #notes #db notes

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thecreaturecodex · 2 years ago

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Mind Flayer, Illithid

"Mindflayer" © Steven Bellshaw, accessed at his ArtStation here

[In designing a mind flayer, I wanted to avoid some of the pitfalls of the past. The 3.x mind flayer was very fragile, and the mind blast very disruptive, so that fights with them either resulted in the mind flayer getting pulped before it could do anything, or the entire party stunned long enough for the mind flayer to get halfway to a TPK. So I wanted to give them a bit more bulk. 5e gives them full on breastplate, but I wanted to keep the slick leather look from the 3e era. I did take the save every turn and limited uses for the mind blast from 5e. Although I'm not using the psychic magic ability for my mind flayer (because it sacrifices uses/day for versatility), I did use a couple of occult spells so they have some way to deal damage.]

Mind Flayer, Illithid CR 7 LE Aberration This lean humanoid has slick lilac skin and a head like that of an octopus. Multiple tentacles surround a lamprey-like maw. It wears leather robes decorated with skulls and other macabre accessories.

Illithids are the most common and most widespread of the mind flayers. Although some of them live in colonies close to an elder brain, the better to both share its knowledge and fertilize its eggs, many of them live solitary lives or in small communities more similar to a monastic cell. Every illithid desires power and knowledge, and they all go about obtaining these in different ways. Illithids with the same creed may come together in a circle, or illithids of several creeds may travel together in what is called an inquisition, similar to an adventuring party of humanoids. Many illithids keep multiple charmed or dominated slaves to serve them as physical labor and emergency rations.

Most illithids avoid direct physical confrontation if they can help it, instead sending their slaves to the front lines and fighting with their magical abilities. Illithids are masters of mind-influencing magic, and are capable of turning allies against each other or forcing their enemies into hazardous situations. Their most feared ability is the mind blast, which can incapacitate an entire party long enough for the illithid to close in and bore its tentacles into the brains of a victim or two. Illithids usually flee if combat turns against them, as they value their lives above all else.

Illithids are usually tall and imposing, averaging six feet tall but lean. Their skin is usually in shades of pinks and purples, although green and blue hues are not uncommon. They dress in a fashion suggestive of aristocracy—high collars, fancy robes and jewelry are typical. Their unique language, Qualith, is written only and similar to cuneiform; they speak in hissing, rasping tones when they use their mouths, but usually rely on telepathic communication.

Illithid CR 7 XP 3,200 LE Medium aberration (mind flayer) Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, Perception +12 Defense AC 19, touch 13, flat-footed 16 (+3 Dex, +2 armor, +4 shield) hp 68 (8d8+32) Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +9; +4 vs. emotion effects SR 22 Defensive Abilities affectless; Weakness light blindness, sunlight sickness Offense Speed 30 ft. Melee masterwork light mace +10/+5 (1d6+1), tentacles +4 (4d4 plus grab) or tentacles +9 (4d4+1 plus grab) Special Attacks mind blast, pith (tentacles) Spell-like Abilities CL 8th, concentration +12 (+16 casting defensively) Constant—mental barrier I At will—detect thoughts (DC 16), levitate, mind thrust II (DC 16), suggestion (DC 17) 3/day—charm monster (DC 18), dimension door, dominate person (DC 19) 1/day—fly, plane shift (DC 19) Statistics Str 12, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 19, Wis17, Cha 19 Base Atk +6; CMB +9 (+12 grappling); CMD 20 Feats Agile Maneuvers, Combat Casting, Magical Aptitude, Weapon Finesse Skills Bluff +10, Fly +10, Intimidate +13, Knowledge (arcana) +17, Knowledge (dungeoneering, planes) +14, Perception +12, Sense Motive +9, Spellcraft +15, Stealth +12, Use Magic Device +12; Racial Modifiers +4 Knowledge Languages Aklo, Qualith, Undercommon, telepathy 100 ft. Ecology Environment underground Organization solitary, inquisition (2-4), circle (5-12 plus 0-1 ulitharids) or colony (20-200 plus 1 ulitharid per 10 individuals and 1 elder brain) Treasure double standard (masterwork light mace, masterwork leather armor, other treasure) Special Abilities Mind Blast (Su) As a standard action, an illithid can create a 60 foot cone of mental energy. All creatures in the area must succeed a DC 18 Will save or be stunned for 3d4 rounds. A creature that is stunned may attempt to recover from this condition as a full-round action with an additional DC 18 Will save. Mind flayers are immune to the effects of a mind blast. An illithid can use a mind blast three times per day, and must wait 1d4 rounds between uses. This is a mind-influencing effect, and the save DC is Charisma based. Tentacles (Ex) An illithid attacks simultaneously with all its tentacles, treating them as a primary natural weapon.

#mind flayer #illithid #pathfinder 1e #D&D #aberration #tentacles

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micdixart · 2 years ago

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Art question, how do you figure out your armor design? Cormac and sangs armor are both different from eachother and also fitting to their fighting styles/ personalitys. Im asking cause i dont even know where to start looking for refs

Hi! love this question because it's definitely hard to get started, before the witcher ocs i tended to avoid drawing armour full stop haha but they kinda made me and i'm glad they did.

But just to show you i have a huge jumping off reference board when it comes to armour and it's literally just from going through pinterest and adding any and all armour that caught my eye, from practical sense or from a design point. The program i use to is pureref btw which is great for compiling stuff

it gives me a point to at least start when i thinking about the qualities i want in the armour i'm building, these are even sort of sorted into their own categories in my brain. (rogue armour vs knight armour vs a mage that kinda thing, just so i can keep it organized)

But past that point when i have a character and i know their personality, their culture can play a huge influence, this is probably most apparent in Sang where i tried my best to make a lot of nods to Vietnamese culture and their armour so i grabbed a ton of reference from traditional clothing, art, that sorta thing, as well as tried to research as best i could the cultural significance of those pieces of clothing. (and always like to hear if there are corrections to make or suggestions from someone who knows a lot than i do haha) Sang is also my oldest character of the witcher ocs so i've been able to build a lot for his board

When it came to cormac i actually started with his silhouette because i literally went into designing him as like. how can i make the biggest fuck off looking witcher lmao

so from here i went into more specifics, figured out more of cormacs personality and went to my broad range armour board from there and then narrowed down pics and then collected more since i wanted to lean into that highlander warrior vibe. (thats the other thing, you're never done collecting references, there's always more resources to find!) and now these are the go tos for cormacs reference for armour. Way less intence than sangs because there isn't as much as an emphasis put on the culture, hes a big intimidating witcher first and than the highland warrior aspects are like flourishes.

Lastly i just made harley!! Harleys a bit different because i didn't have any specific culture in mind when creating him, his is a lot more rooted in his personality. Harley isnt a big tough warrior, hes honestly more of a pacifist when he can be so i wanted his armour to almost be softer than the others, put more emphasis on agility without making his armour just sleek. His board of armour is smaller than the others since he's newest but i'm sure it'll expand as i draw him more haha.

this was super rambly and i'm not sure how much it helps but basically my advice is just, accumulate a bunch of armour to give yourself a jumping off point, organize it in a way that makes sense to you. then when you have your character you'll be able to look at your choices, narrow down options, and then further explore that style you want and expand on it! I hope this helps haha

#reference #armour

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imkumichan · 2 years ago

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I love Levi. And I love Blue Lock. So this is the result. The only warning is it's not proofread.

Blue Lock player!Levi Ackerman x GF!Reader!

It's been months without any communications which you don't really mind because it's mean he survived in that project. Not that you doubt him of course. And seeing him on the screen was worth it. Levi might the shortest guy and sometimes being underestimated but he was absolutely a monster on the field. And finally, after the match between Blue Lock Eleven vs Japan U-20, they finally have days off from Blue Lock.

And so here you are, drinking a chocolate milkshake alongside him in Shibuya, walking side by side and telling him all about your days when he was in Blue Lock. Levi was silent and attentive, he sometimes asking or giving short response to you. He didn't need to say anything to tell you that he missed you because you could see it from the way his eyes followed you, and the way he pulled you closer to him. And both you and Levi were going to enter a restaurant until someone called his name.

"LEVIIII!!"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" You could hear him murmured to himself. You turned your head to see the person meanwhile Levi just sighed before doing the same.

And there you see them. The Blue Lock's members. Walking jogging towards the both of you. You don't actually really remember all of their names actually. So you just staring at them passively and keep sipping on your chocolate milkshake.

"Hey Levi!! You're out too huh? Who's this pretty lady? Your girlfriend?" The black-yellow haired male asked him, leaned down towards you with a wide grin.

Before you could opened your mouth, Levi answered him,

"fuck off".

Yup, as usual, plain and simple. You're so glad he doesn't change. Then another voice reached your ears. "we're going together to karaoke! Wanna come to join us?"

Honestly, Levi is so blessed to be with a girlfriend like you. If you were a lesser girlfriend, you'd probably pissed if someone trying to crush your date. But you saw how he was on the field with his teammates. They look so close to Levi. Well.. As close as they can get with someone like Levi. You could tell Levi is fond of them with the way he's not dismissing them like how he usually is. You might want to continue your date with Levi, but you know it's not everyday he could have fun with them outside in Blue Lock. And maybe this is the only day that they were gathering together. While you and Levi could go to another date tomorrow. So you turned your head to Levi.

"Why don't you join them Levi? It's not everyday you could have fun with them outside the Blue Lock right? We could meet up again tomorrow" you said. Levi glanced at you briefly as his eyes softened. Then he turned around and pulled you with him.

"No fucking way. I've seen their faces enough" Although his words might sounds rude, but you know they didn't get offended with the way they are laughing at him and saying something to him. They voices were muted in your ears as you're looking at him. His blue-grey orbs meet yours before looking back at the front. Ignoring his teammates who begging him to introduced you.

About Levi Ackerman as a Blue Lock Player

"I want to be with you today."

He's also pretty close with Kunigami and Chigiri.

He always up first in the morning.

Levi's strong suits are his stamina and agility. Since he's not as muscular and big as others, it's make him faster than them.

The most tolerable member for him is Yoichi Isagi. He's not nosy and pretty decent person amongst the other members.

When he and Nagi are in the same room. No sound will come out from them. Not in awkwardness. It's just they don't have something to talk about.

Shidou always tries to rile him up. But Levi won't fall for his traps.

Bachira sometimes talks his ears off. He doesn't get why Isagi could stand him.

Igaguri knows better than sleep beside him.

He is also gets along with Barou though. Only in cleaning part.

#levi ackerman x reader #levi x reader #blue lock x reader #bllk x reader #levi ackerman as Blue Lock Player #Levi ackerman as a striker

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il3x · 1 year ago

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Today's take: the first half of BNHA season 6 has the same flaws as the Slaughterhouse 9000 arc in Worm.

Namely, they're extended battle/action arcs where the antagonists are literal clones of earlier villains (S9k and Nomus). This makes for monotonous fights, exactly what you don't want in an action-focused arc. Take Nomus - they all have the same strengths and weaknesses: big, strong, agile, largely mindless*. The S9k do bring new abilities to the playing field, but they bring nine of each, so later fights face the same boredom issue.

Cue the next problem: using clones as cannon fodder devalues them. When you've defeated one clone, you have precedent for defeating all the others, killing the tension. Take BNHA: the first Nomu carried an arc climax fight alone, and the first ramp-up to three Nomus gave me chills... but after that, there were diminishing returns. By S6 the heroes have defeated multiple nomus (including one smart and upgraded one) with few meaningful losses**, and Nomus no longer feel like a serious threat. In Worm, tension also suffers because each S9 member gets very little setup before being defeated (usually in the same fight). You don't have time to build dread from meaningful losses, or speculate on how the heroes will defeat established threats.***

On top of that, the Nomus and S9k clones aren't really written as people. You miss out on character intrigue, personalised tactics, and any moral weight to killing them. Not that these are required, but they did help to avoid monotony in other arcs.

And, finally, the protagonists. Large-scale battles from the POVs of many heroes, in many different locations, and cutting between these locations - runs the risk of becoming disjointed. Less of an issue in Worm, where we stick with Taylor's POV, but still present if I recall correctly. The heroes' mini-goals (for each section of focus) rarely vary beyond "defeat this lot of clones", adding to the monotony. Plus, both arcs pad out their hero ranks with side characters who the audience doesn't have much reason to be invested in. ([cough] Chicago Wards. [cough])

*Sure, they brought in the "smart Nomus"... and immediately deactivated them. Sigh. Despite supposedly being smarter, the Nomus we do face don't fight differently for it, like using tactics or tricking the heroes - they're still brute force opponents.

**I can only think of Endeavour's scar, and that's positively karmic.

***Similar patterns in Ward. The Vic vs Seir fight is one of my Ward favourites, and I think that's partly because Seir was well-established.

****The most interesting tack I think BNHA could have taken with Nomus is leaning in to "they used to be/are people", and creating moral conflict around killing them... but they introduced "they were people" in an arc where it's open season on ALL villains, so that wouldn't really work.

#Please lmk if I got anything wrong #I'm not about to reread/watch my least favourite arcs even for research so I'm running off memory here #bnha #mha #worm #wormblr #analysis

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rasmus31 · 9 months ago

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Jeanette vs Mei Li

In the bustling gym, the air was filled with excitement and anticipation as a submission wrestling match was about to begin. Jeanette, a busty blond with a confident strut, exuded an air of invincibility. She boasted loudly to her friends, claiming that her victory over Mei Li, a smaller Oriental girl, would be "like a walk in the park." Mei Li, on the other hand, looked worried and fearful as she adjusted her attire nervously, unsure of her own abilities.

The audience eagerly gathered around the wrestling mat, their murmurs growing in volume as the match was announced. The atmosphere was electric, and all eyes were on Jeanette, waiting to see if her arrogance would be justified. In contrast, Mei Li stood quietly in her corner, her eyes darting around, searching for any form of inspiration or support.

Finally, the bell rang, signaling the beginning of the match. Jeanette leaped forward, charging at Mei Li with a barrage of confidence and power. However, to everyone's shock, Mei Li swiftly evaded Jeanette's attack, and with a fluid motion, she countered with a hammerlock submission hold. The audience gasped in unison as Jeanette's confident demeanor crumbled, her face contorting in pain as she screamed her submission.

Unfazed by Jeanette's agonized cries, Mei Li released the hold and gracefully moved onto her next move. She smoothly transitioned into a Camel Clutch, her strength and agility leaving everyone astounded. Jeanette struggled fiercely, her body straining against the submission, but Mei Li's technique was flawless. With a final screech of defeat, Jeanette tapped out, admitting her submission for the second time.

The crowd erupted into laughter, clapping, and cheering, captivated by Mei Li's extraordinary display of skill. Her contrasting calmness blended beautifully with her ability to dominate each grappling exchange. It was as if Mei Li had tapped into her inner warrior, surpassing any expectations that had been set for her.

As the match progressed, Mei Li continued her seamless control over Jeanette, showcasing an impressive range of submission holds. With every maneuver executed flawlessly, her body seemed to flow like water, effortlessly turning her opponent into a helpless puppet. The audience marveled at her undeniable talent, and a sense of admiration filled the air.

Now on her fifth submission, Mei Li's demeanour remained unchanged. She applied a Surfboard hold, her body bending Jeanette's to its limit. Though Jeanette's face was flush with pain, Mei Li's composure was unyielding. A sense of admiration and respect swelled within the audience as they clapped and cheered for Mei Li, acknowledging her indomitable spirit and undeniable victory.

As Jeanette screamed her submission, Mei Li released her hold. After Mei Li's fifth submission, Jeanette lay in defeat on the mat, her pride shattered. Mei Li, exuding an aura of victory, straddled Jeanette, her arms ensnared between Mei Li's powerful legs. She leaned closer to Jeanette's face and commanded, "Admit defeat."

Jeanette's eyes filled with desperation as she struggled, her limbs writhing in futility. The pain and humiliation of defeat became unbearable. Finally, Jeanette succumbed, uttering with a mixture of anger and surrender, "OK! Ok! I submit! I've been defeated!" As Mei Li released Jeanette from her grip, the audience erupted into a sea of jubilant applause. The laughter and cheers echoed throughout the gym, celebrating Mei Li's remarkable triumph. The vision of a busty blond, once overflowing with arrogance, humbled and defeated, was a sight that would be etched into the minds of all present.

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honourablejester · 10 months ago

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Character Concept: Zealot Barbarian Worshipper of Khitim

As I was saying in my earlier post, I’ve been doodling character concepts for worshippers of my homebrew deities, and for Khitim, the neutral evil goddess of survival, I wanted a zealot barbarian. Because survival is Khitim’s first and only law, and ‘I want to live’ is the prayer she answers.

And I was on 5e tools (shh) browsing backgrounds, and there’s a new one from The Book of Many Things called ‘Ruined’, which is where you lost everything, and survived, and it’s shaped you. You get stealth and survival proficiencies, and you get your choice of the Alert, Skilled or Tough feats, depending on how you reacted to your loss. My tabaxi will be taking ‘alert’. She’s never going to be caught off guard again. She’s going to live, and fuck everyone who says different.

So. Kit Rawbone, a lean, scarred tabaxi barbarian, who lost her family to greed and desperation in extremis, and was meant to die herself, and just isn’t going to. Ever. Fuck you. The people who left her and her family to die were living by Khitim’s edicts when they did so, but so does she. She lives by them too, and honestly, she thinks Khitim likes her better. The Lady of the Tooth gave her claws and rage and a burning need to stay alive, and she’s willing to bet she’s better at it than most of you.

Character Sheet: Kit Rawbone

Name: Kit Rawbone

Race: Tabaxi

Age: 28

Background: Ruined (Book of Many Things)

Class/Level: Barbarian 3 (Zealot)

Statistics: Strength 16, Dexterity 16, Constitution 16, Intelligence 10, Wisdom 14, Charisma 13 (Rolled 16, 16, 15, 14, 13, 8)

Speed: 30ft walk/climb, AC: 16, Initiative Bonus: +8 (Alert)

Proficiencies & Languages:

Saving Throws: Strength, Constitution

Skills: Animal Handling, Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Perception, Stealth, Survival

Armour/Weapons/Tools: light, medium, shields, simple, martial, playing cards

Languages: Common, Giant, Elven

Traits, Feats and Background/Class Features:

Race: Speed 30ft/Climb 30ft, Cat’s Claws (1d6+Str unarmed strike), Cat’s Talent (Perc & Ste prof), Darkvision (60ft), Feline Agility (can double speed one turn, can’t use again until move 0ft on turn)

Background: Still Standing (choice of Alert, Skilled or Tough feats)

Barbarian: Rage (bonus action, 2/day, 1min, adv on Str checks/saves, +2 to Str melee attacks, resistance to physical damage), Unarmoured Defense (10+Dex+Con, can use shield), Danger Sense (adv on Dex saves if not blinded/deafened/incapacitated), Reckless Attack (on first attack/turn, can get adv on Str melee rolls, but others get adv vs me for round), Divine Fury (while raging, first hit per turn gets extra 1d6+half Barb level radiant damage), Warrior of the Gods (getting returned to life costs no material components), Primal Knowledge (extra Barbarian skill proficiency, Animal Handling)

Feats: Alert (Ruined Background)(+5 to initiative, can’t be surprised while conscious, others don’t get advantage on me by being unseen)

Equipment: travellers clothes, hunting trap, cracked hourglass, playing cards, pouch w/13 gp, greataxe (1d12, 2-handed), 2 handaxes (1d6, thrown 20ft), 4 javelins (1d6, thrown 30ft), explorers pack (backpack, bedroll, mess kit, waterskin, tinderbox, 10 torches, 10 rations, 50ft rope)

Description: A lean, scarred, grey-furred tabaxi with a typically mild, non-committal expression.

Personality: Angry, cynical, determined, maybe the tiniest bit paranoid.

History: My family were part of a travelling caravan of entertainers, a very popular and generally well-received one. Oh, there were always the odd folk who just couldn’t stand strangers hanging around, and who grumbled about riff-raff and thieves, but the class of our show and our friendliness and willingness to pitch in where needed usually outweighed that. Until.

When I was sixteen, we were wintering at a village in the mountains, and the passes had been snowed closed by winter storms. This wasn’t unusual, and wouldn’t normally have been a problem. Everyone who lives in or regularly travels the mountains was used to this. But this year, there was a problem. I still don’t remember who found it or how, but something had blighted a huge portion of the village’s stores. Rotted and spoiled them in the cellars and granaries. Abruptly, in the middle of winter, with no way back down the mountains, we all found ourselves abruptly facing the prospect of a winter without food. And, in such circumstances, relations tend to abruptly become very strained.

We were accused of blighting the stores, of course. My uncle, our spokesman, argued fairly bluntly that that would be an extremely stupid thing to do when we were also in the village and also needed to eat. Some of the ire died down, but others still nursed the thought that we’d done it, that we hadn’t expected the snowstorm, that we’d meant to be away and down by the time the crime was discovered, leaving the village to die behind us. I still don’t know why they thought we’d do that, but the rumblings and mutterings continued. But then. More basic than that. Whether we’d done wrong or not. As the snows kept piling, and the few remaining supplies kept dwindling, the coldest, most basic reasoning of all took sway.

We were strangers. We had no claim to their food. Why should they feed us, when they didn’t have enough to feed themselves?

I can’t remember how long it took to get to that point. Over a week, I think. I have memories of several endless cold nights huddled in our wagons behind the inn. Days of suspicion and sneers. But I can’t remember exactly how long it took. It took, though. It got there in the end.

We were travellers, and thieves, and sorcerers who’d blighted their food. There was no evil in driving us out. There was no food. Yes, it was death to send anyone out into the blizzard, but it was death to stay and starve, too. Everyone for themselves, no? So. We were offered a choice. Leave, now, on foot, with whatever we could carry on our backs. Or they would burn us alive in our wagons in the night. On foot, you understand. Leave the wagons. Our gear. Our homes. All that we owned and loved in the world. Leave it all. A tithe, for the food we had spoiled. Run, with nothing, into the depths of winter. Or they would kill us where we stood.

Sometimes I think we should have taken the latter option. It would have been faster, at least. And we might have taken some of them with us.

We lost each other, in the snow. Or I lost them, at least. My family. I got separated. I don’t know how long I wandered. But I know two things.

I know my younger sister died. I found her body, while I was half-blind and crawling, frozen in the snow. I never found anyone else, alive or dead, but I found her. I know she died.

And I know they burned our wagons anyway. Because I circled, somehow, back around to the village. Lost in the snow. I circled around. And I saw the light. The fire. They looted our wagons, and then they burned them. All that I loved. My home for sixteen years. They burned them.

Rage burned in me then, in that moment. A rage so incandescent, I felt altered. Hollow. Near-divine. Hunger gnawed in my gut. My claws blackened in the cold. I wanted to eat them. Those villagers. Those vicious, horrible, hollow monsters. But I wanted something else more. I wanted to live. To spite them. They’d sent us out to die, and so I wanted to live. I wanted to live forever.

There’s a goddess. You don’t hear her talked about too much. Just on the edges. The hard lands. All those places where death lurks just a little beyond the boundaries, and ruin is only ever one disaster, one unlucky moment away. Her name is Khitim, the Lady of the Tooth. And she says to people, survive. Kill, plunder, eat. Whatever you have to do, you survive. You live.

They were listening to her, those villagers, when they drove us away to die. They lived by her words that day. But so did I. So did I. And so do I still.

I made it down off that mountain. I snuck into that village, and I stole all that I could carry, all of their precious dwindling supply that I could reach and take, and I made it down off that fucking mountain. Maybe some of them died because of what I did, what I stole. I don’t give a flying fuck. My sister died for them. Maybe my whole family. I don’t give a good godsdamn how many of them died. I do know the village never recovered. It’s barely there anymore, a hamlet, nowhere near enough to earn a travelling show’s stop over. But that doesn’t matter. None of it matters now. What matters is, they didn’t kill me. What matters is, I didn’t die.

And I’ve no intention of ever starting now.

Ideal: Live. Just to spite them all. Live.

Bond: It’s been twelve years, but I do still hope someone else from my family survived that horrible mountain. I try to look for them, when I can.

Flaw: Everyone looks after themselves first and foremost. They might say they don’t, they might even believe they don’t, but when it comes down to who lives and who dies, don’t ever expect anyone to make a different choice. Help while you can, sure. But when it comes down to it, help yourself first.

#character concepts #d&d #5e #barbarians #deities #zealot barbarian #tabaxi

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