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jango-fettish · 4 years

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The Ruler and the Killer (Syrena Aster x Sunburst Squadron)

Rating: R or M (I don’t know, yo)

Word Count: 7,376

Warnings: DEATH (there is character death in this you have been warned), canonical-type violence, cursing, the Heretics are meanie butt heads with meanie butt head rules, brief mention of a blowjob (im proud, i only used cock in this once), my possible typos and grammatical errors (please let me know if i should warn about anything else!!!)

A/N: Thanks to @jangofctts again for creating the Sunburst Squadron and letting me use them. And thank you for letting me kILL MAX. Also, thank you to @weebblossom for letting me steal your Heretic personality for Fenn.

Someone once told Syrena, when she was a young girl still surrounded by the loving embrace of her mother, that a person can be brought back to life just by remembering them. If that were true, Syrena had a long list of names she’d like to bring back. Most with a black check next to their name: the people she wanted to bring back just to kill all over again. People who deserved to die for a second time, like her mother who once held her so tightly to her chest and promised to love her till the end of time.

But there were a few she would bring back because, truthfully, they did not deserve to die. She shouldn’t have killed them and she would do anything to turn back the hands of time to fix her mistake...her error that resulted in the blood of an innocent spilled on her behalf. But like Death, Time was a fickle friend to Syrena and once something is done, there wasn’t enough money or praying in the world that she could do to change it.

Syrena frowned to herself, a dark unsettling feeling sinking in the pit of her stomach. It was the type of feeling someone wouldn’t want before they were about to commit a crime against the Republic. She’d had it once before, when she took her first solo job after her training finished. She had just turned sixteen. Three innocent people died that day, three names added to her list that she would bring back. Syrena looked around the ship, wondering if the others had the same feeling, but they were all preoccupied with checking their weapons on last time.

“What’s on your mind?” a sweet voice said, tearing Syrena away from her thoughts.

She looked up to see Nettie, a plucky Rodian that had a knack for getting too involved in other people’s business. Syrena supposed it fit: Nettie was a hacker, a damn good one too, so of course she would try to get as much information out of a person as possible as she did with a computer. Nettie’s bulbous black eyes stared down at Syrena, trying to silently unlock the secrets she held. They looked as if starlight was streaking through them. It made Syrena uncomfortable and only added to the unsettling feeling in her stomach, making it expand upward and try to claw its way out her throat.

Syrena had known Nettie for some time now, probably the most out of anyone on their four person team. They had been roommates during the beginning years of training, spending nearly six year stuck in the same small room together and trying to survive. Nettie was sweet and soft, everything a Heretic wasn’t supposed to be. They spent years whispering secrets and crying to one another, only letting the other person in. They were each other’s rock during those six years. The only reason why they went their separate ways was because they had to choose their speciality, to continue their training and become the deadly weapons the Heretics were known throughout the galaxy as. The Rodian chose technology and hacking, while Syrena stuck with combat and weaponry.

“All this trouble just for some information,” Syrena said, rubbing the palms of her hands on her thighs. The ship they were on lurched to the left again, the various weapons hanging from the walls clinging together. “Seems a little overkill to have four people for this.”

It was rare for there to be a mission that required more than just two Heretics. And even then, one was usually good enough. But for this specific mission, there were two teams of four. They didn’t even know what information they were after.

“Get in, get the information, get out. Kill anyone that gets in your way, if necessary,” the Creator had told them when giving the assignment. The Creator wanted everything, so they would get everything. The other team would take care of the distraction.

“Knowing your enemy from the inside out is the only true way of instilling fear,” Nettie said, slowly sliding into the open seat next to Syrena.

Syrena recoiled at her words, “Since when was the Republic our enemy? We haven’t chosen a side in over a millenia.”

“Perhaps our current Creator wishes to change that,” the Rodian pondered.

“‘Bout time, if you ask me,” another voice said, cutting through their conversation. The melodic tone clashed with Syrena’s patience like loud cymbals being beaten together over and over again. “The Republic has been taking advantage of the Heretics for decades now. Glad we finally have someone in charge that has a clear vision of what we should have always been.”

“Oh, piss off back to Dothomir, Fenn,” Syrena said, rolling her eyes. She leaned back and shut her eyes, barely catching the snarl form on the Zabraks face. “The Heretics shouldn’t take sides. We’re nothing more than the shadows that charge the wealthy bastards of the galaxy a bit too much to do their dirty work.”

“Rich coming from you, snake,” Fenn hissed, stepping closer to Syrena.

“You got something to say, Pointy? Say it.” Syrena’s eyes were still closed, but she could feel the heat and rage radiating off of the Zabrak.

“You’re fucking a clone. We all know it.”

Syrena’s eyes shot open into a glare, “Who I’m fucking isn’t anyone’s business, especially yours.”

“If it clouds your piss poor judgement on a job, then yeah it is my business.”

There was a shock of electricity throughout the cabin of the ship. In an instant, Syrena was on her feet, the blade she kept hidden in her wrist vambrace shot out and pressed against the Zabrak’s neck. Fenn, for all of her faults, was just as quick as Syrena. Her own vibroblade was pointing upwards against Syrena’s stomach. One movement from either of them would result in a painful and bloody death. They were snarling at each other, animalistic noises coming from their throats.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Alyze said.

Alyze was one of the oldest Heretics. They were well respected in the community and had a favorable opinion with the Republic after helping to train the clone ARC Troopers at the beginning of the war. It was a well paying gig, one any Heretic would jump to take. But Alyze was the best choice for the job.

Syrena and Fenn continued glaring at each other. Syrena pressed the knife harder onto Fenn’s skin, satisfied when the Zabrak winced at the sting of the freshly sharpened blade. Alyze finally stepped close to the two, wanting the situation to diffuse. If Alyze was in a worse mood, they would have physically stopped the encounter, but their thoughts and care were focused on the mission.

“I said enough,” Alyze barked, their irritation with the two smaller women growing, “We’re almost at the drop location. Get your heads out of your asses and get ready for deployment.”

Fenn hissed at Syrena before drawing her vibroblade away. Syrena could only laugh to herself as she retracted her blade. It slowly slid back into its secret compartment.

“Unless your mouth is the one on my pussy, shut the fuck up about who I’m sleeping with, got it?” Syrena warned. Fenn went back to her seat, keeping her glare on Syrena.

Syrena approached Nettie again, holding onto one of the overhanging bars. The closer the ship got to the drop point, the bumpier it became.

“Fenn has a point you know,” Nettie said, looking up at Syrena. “Your infatuation with the clone could be detrimental to this and future missions. I give it a 88% chance of failing and resulting in the death of the clone or yourself.”

“Nettie, can you just,” Syrena sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose, “just not be a know-it-all right now.”

“Interesting, though, how they are allowing this relationship to continue.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The powers that be. The Creator. Myrkos.” Syrena frowned at the mention of her old Master. “They stopped Alyze’s relationship with that Jedi on Kamino before it became....a hindrance to the Creator’s objective.”

“Well clearly they don’t think that this is anything more than me screwing around.”

“For now,” Nettie said, her voice sounding far away. “Though, you have been put in their favor since you provided the intel on when the troopers change their shifts, giving us the perfect opportunity to drop in. Does your clone know that you used him for information? Is that the type of bedroom talk you can get out of him? Impressive.”

“Nettie, just...just shut up, please.”

“My apologies, no harm intended,” Nettie said with a smile.

She was beginning to make Syrena feel uneasy, and rather guilty. She had gotten the information out of Bruiser during one of their more...intimate encounters, but he didn’t have to spill the beans. It was his choice to tell her, his choice to trust her even though she had warned him not to.

“Syrena,” Nettie began again, “I don’t know what gods you pray to or if you even believe in any. But you better hope that they are on your side. Who knows exactly what would happen should you lose favor with them. Or worse, lose favor with the Creator.”

“Let’s go,” Alyze interjected before Syrena could fully process what Nettie had said, “we’re at the drop zone.”

Getting into the Republic military outpost on Coruscant was easy, especially with the knowledge Syrena had provided regarding trooper shift changes. In the end, it was an easy drop, with a quick landing on the roof before the four of them got in through the ventilation system. Surely by now the Republic would learn to get smaller vents.

“It changes all the time,” Bruiser had said to her in confidence, his words breathy as her tongue swirled around the head of his flushed leaking cock. “Never know until, oh kriff, never know until we’re called.”

She only hoped that they weren’t stationed there today. She usually warned Bruiser if she was involved in any unsavory Heretic business. Though it was typically only a, ‘Hey I’m arriving in like five minutes to fuck shit up, see you then,’ type of warning. But five minutes was better than nothing.

“Syrena,” Alyze harshly whispered, pulling her out of her memories, “Get your head in the fucking mission.”

“Sorry,” Syrena mumbled, checking the hallway for the third time to see if anyone was coming.

They just needed to clear one more hallway before they made it to the main room containing anything and everything regarding the Republic’s Military Intelligence. Just two more blast doors and then the easy part would come. Nettie was ready, her gear already hooked into the security system and working on encoding the firewalls.

“Their systems are as protected as this building,” Nettie scoffed sarcastically. “Ray shields are down, we can proceed.”

“Good, let's get this shit over with,” Fenn said, walking down the hallway with her blaster drawn.

Alyze and Nettie trailed behind her, their own weapons at the ready. Syrena, however, looked back the way they came, the unsettling feeling rising once again. She could feel the Force stirring ominously, hear the way the electricity cackled throughout the walls. Something was terribly wrong, but Syrena had no idea what it was or if she could do anything about it.

“Syrena,” Nettie said. Syrena turned, almost slamming straight into the Rodian, “Let’s go.”

Syrena nodded shortly, following the shorter woman carefully down the hallway. Her nerves were on high alert and she couldn’t read the energy in the Force anymore.

They got into the room quickly, Nettie making her way to the main computer to set up her gear.

“Syrena, you stay here with Nettie, make sure everything goes alright. Fenn and I will scout the hallways,” Alyze ordered before looking at the spunky Zabrak, “We’re here to incapacitate only. I don’t care what the Creator said, I don’t want any unnecessary deaths.”

“What’s the fun in that?” Fenn whined, “If you ask me, the only good clone is a dead one.”

“It’s a good thing no one asked you,” Alyze snapped before looking to Syrena, “Lock the doors behind us.”

Syrena nodded, sending a seething glare towards Fenn. She truly would not care if something happened to Fenn during this mission. If she had the opportunity to, Syrena was sure she would just step to the side and let blaster fire turn the Zabrak to dust.

She watched as Fenn stalked back into the hallway, putting her brass knuckles on. Syrena had been on the receiving end of one of Fenn’s beat downs. She knew the power and aggression behind Fenn’s hits and only hoped that whoever would be receiving them today truly deserved it. Alyze grabbed Syrena by the arm, pulling her close to their side.

“You need to promise me something,” they said, their dark box braids brushing against Syrena’s forearm, “I need you to be one of us if your clone and his friends are the ones here. I need you to remember who you are.”

Syrena looked up at Alyze, their dark eyes boring into her own pink ones, “You ever regret it? Letting them determine who you could be with or love, like a good little Heretic?”

Syrena’s words cut through the air, her accusatory tone causing Alyze to recoil. They dropped Syrena’s arm, “You’re the reason why we are here, Syrena. Don’t forget that.”

Syrena watched Alyze follow Fenn out the door, a small twinge of regret surging through her bones before she shut and locked the blast doors.

******

“How long until we are back online?” Commander Fox asked into his commlink, his station in a frenzy since they were locked out of the security system. He had taken a small group of troopers, along with Commander Blanche and most of the Sunburst Squadron, to go hall by hall, looking for the intruders. Two of the members were needed elsewhere.

“Won’t know for awhile, sir,” the trooper on the other end responded. “We keep coming across more and more viruses.”

“Can you tell me anything?” Fox asked exasperated.

“Got a good photo of the perps. It’s ‘bout 20 minutes old, can’t confirm where inside they are. Forwarding to you now, sir.”

He looked back to Commander Blanche, signaling for him to come over. With a long stride, Blanche made his way to Fox, speaking once he got close enough, “I think it’s best if we split up, my squad will head to the east while yours goes west. Cover more ground that way.”

“I agree,” Fox said with a nod. In an instant a hologram photo was pinged to his wrist link. “These are who we are dealing with. Their running facial recognition now.”

Blanche took a long look at the hologram, his face dropping into a frown as he recognized one of the faces, “Dank farrik, Heretics. We need more troopers.”

“Well that explains the other attack,”Fox said to himself. “Working simultaneously.”

“Other attack?” Blanche asked.

“Another group of four, what I’m assuming now, Heretics bombed a hospital. Thorn has the rest of my men and the 104th to help with the wreckage. 212th are trying to track them down.” Fox looked back to his wrist link, the blue hued photo flickering as the communication systems surged. He had dealt with Heretics before, lost men to them. They were feral and unyielding beings with no clear allegiance, which made them even more dangerous. “You recognize any of them?”

Blanche took a closer look at the hologram, his face dropping when he did recognize one of the small figures, “Syrena Aster. She’s, uh...helped us a few times, been against us more.”

If that were only the case. Blanche took a quick peek back at the rest of his men, his eyes settling on Bruiser’s large form before looking back at the hologram.

“Do you trust her?”

“I trust her about as far as I can throw her, and even then she’d probably turn around and stab me,” Blanche scoffed.

“Do any of your men trust her?”

Blanche was silent at this. It wasn’t a secret that Bruiser had some sort of relationship with the Heretic. Blanche and the General had both warned him against it, but Syrena had the heavy infantry trooper wrapped around her finger.

“We don’t know what they are after or who paid them to get it. I need to know if any of your men would hesitate at any moment with doing their job.”

“They’ll do their jobs,” Blanche snapped. “It’ll be fine.”

Fox paused for a moment before nodding curtly, “We’ll meet back here in 30 minutes if we don’t find anyone.”

“Got it,” Blanche said.

“And Commander,” Fox said, dropping the informal nature of their conversation, “If they went to where I think they were going, we can’t let them get away with that information. Engage if your team finds them, kill ‘em if necessary.”

Blanche nodded again, his hands clenching and unclenching. He turned away, stalking back to his team. His mind was a mess. It just had to be her with them, couldn’t have been some faceless Heretic that they didn't know. But this was Syrena and although most of the squadron found her just tolerable, there were others that liked her, that needed her.

“We know who we are dealing with, Blanchie?” Max asked. Just his soothing demeanor was enough to calm the Commander down.

“She’s short, blonde, and green,” Blanche said, “and more annoying than a Gungan.”

“Syrena’s not that annoying,” Max argued softly. Blanche could picture the smile on the sergeant’s face under the helmet. “Plus, she makes Bruiser happy.”

Blanche grimaced under his helmet, keeping a rather mean comment about how it was her mouth and cunt that made Bruiser happy, not Syrena herself. “You’re too nice for your own good.”

Max sighed. Maybe he was, but he’d rather believe that Syrena wasn’t as bad as everyone believed than condemn her to be just an evil seductress. He looked over to Bruiser, “You think he knows she’s here?”

“No,” Blanche admitted, watching as Bruiser checked over his Z-6 rotary blaster cannon, “And let's keep it that way for now.”

Max nodded stiffly. He didn’t like keeping things from his team members, especially something like this. Blanche maybe didn’t see it, but Max had noticed the way Bruiser and Syrena were around each other. How they seemed to be each other’s center of gravity. He heard the noises coming from Bruiser’s room and the soft words they whispered to each other. He knew he wasn’t the only one that saw their searing looks and secretive touches. It was like they were making sure that the other was actually real, that they weren’t just some spectral being about to fade into the ether.

The team moved out, Blanche only relaying that there were four possible perps: highly armed and highly dangerous. The hallways had been long abandoned, any officer or staff member told to evacuate the building when the alarms first went off. They went door to door, checking to see if anyone was hidden in the dark corners of unlit rooms.

Blanche realized as they passed another empty set of rooms that they had transitioned into the Naval Intelligence headquarters and were approaching the main intelligence room. All of the GAR’s battle strategies, outpost locations, and other important information was stored there.

“I hear something,” Jaws said, positioning himself behind a large column. He signaled for the others to find cover.

There was a large bang, like the sound of blast doors shut, followed by two bickering voices.

“You egg her on anymore and I’ll let her kill you,” one said.

“You would take that bitches side,” the other voice sneered, “You are both whores for Republic dogs.”

“Fenn,” the first voice dropped low and threatening, “if you speak to me that way again, I will tear your heart out of your chest and eat it before letting her finish you off.”

The troopers were silent as the footsteps of the Heretic’s retreated down another hallway.

“We need to get those blast doors open,” Blanche said.

“I can shoot at it?” Bruiser suggested, lifting the blaster cannon up a little.

Max shook his head, “Takes too long, buddy. I got some detonators, but I need to get closer.”

“Alright,” Blanche said with a nod, “Sweets, Fuse, Blue, you three stay here and watch our backs. They might find a way to circle around. Bruiser, Max, Jaws, and I will approach the doors. Has anyone heard from Kami or Void?”

“Kami said they shot down a ship that tried to escape to the lower levels, but can’t confirm who was in it or if it was even the one they were after,” Max said, “Void’s up in his arms in injuries.”

“Alright, let’s make this quick so we can rendezvous with the General and others,” Blanche ordered, getting his blaster at the ready. He hoped it would be quick and simple. He hoped Syrena would see them and somehow convince her team to just back off and leave.

But nothing was ever simple with Syrena.

The four of them slowly approached the blaster doors, their footsteps silent against the shiny floors, their warped reflections inching closer and closer to the intended target with each step. Blanche looked back for a moment, watching as Sweets, Fuse, and Blue’s figures got farther and farther away. The hallway seemed longer, more narrow, than it actually was. Blanche’s heart was racing, he could feel his hands and neck sweating the closer they got to the blast doors.

“Fenn, You hear that?” a voice said. It sounded like it was coming from everywhere as the crisp sound echoed off the hallways. The four troopers quickly took cover behind columns and sections of the wall that jutted out.

“No,” the second voice, Fenn, responded with a giggle, “but I can smell them. Looks like we’re going to have some fun after all, Alyze. Come out, come out wherever you are, boys. We just want to play.”

Fenn’s voice was melodic and sweet, almost like she was singing to them. She was the one to fire first, sending a scalding red blaster shot where Jaws’s head had been seconds before.

It happened all at once, blaster fire coming from both sides, igniting the hallway in angry flurries of red. It was so loud, so aggressive. The hallway flooded with smoke as the blaster fires sizzled and seared into the walls.

“One coming from our end!” Blue called into the commlink. “I repeat, one coming from our end.”

They had been able to find their way through the maze of hallways, with one Heretic approaching from the blast doors, while the other took charge from the other side. Though the Heretics were outmanned, their skills and ferocity made up for it.

Blanche heard a strangled cry before Blue’s voice echoed through the comms again, “Sweet’s been hit. He’s alright, just a shot to the shoulder. Can’t see the perp though.”

“Stop hiding!” Fenn’s teasing voice echoed above the blaster shots, “I want to play!”

Blanche turned to Max, “Are we close enough?”

Max peaked over the side of the wall, a blaster shot narrowly missing his head. It singed the cheek of his helmet, leaving behind a blackened streak of soot, “I can’t tell. Might get the door, might miss it. It’ll be a good distraction though.”

Blanche thought for a moment. They hadn’t seen or heard from Syrena. She was either inside of the room or Blanche had misidentified the person in the holophoto. He secretly hoped for the latter.

“Do it,” he ordered Max, “Get that kriffing door open.”

Max nodded, reaching to his side and taking out two thermal detonators. One was bound to hit the door, right? He pressed the bottoms on the top, making sure the red light was blinking before he crouched down. He swung his arm back, ready to release the detonators before Bruiser’s voice on the other side of the hallway made him hesitate.

“Syrena?” Bruiser called. He ceased fire as he saw Syrena appear from behind the blast doors.

“Wait, wait! Max, wait!” Blanche hurriedly said, looking down at Max.

But, it was too late.

The sudden change in order didn’t catch up fast enough with Max’s hand and one of the detonators was released, rolling down the hallway. He quickly shut off the other, the red light disappearing as it powered down. He let it drop to the ground in a thud. But the other one continued to make its way down the hallway right towards Syrena.

Max and Blanche both looked at each other, before looking back at the detonator. Max attempted to scramble forward to get it, but a blaster shot from Fenn forced him back. Blanche watched as Syrena’s face contorted from confusion to panic and she took in the scene before her. He realized she didn’t know they were the ones that would deal with the intruders.

She didn’t know.

“Oh no,” Max and Blanche whispered at the same time, as Syrena’s expression changed again to horror as the detonator rolled past her foot and into the room.

****

Syrena watched as Nettie continued to shift her way through the Republic firewalls, installing virus after virus so that they wouldn’t be able to stop her, while she simultaneously scoured through the information. It was taking the Rodian longer than expected to get to everything and scramble it to her server the created just for this. The uploading process was the longest, having to go through multiple security systems in order to begin the upload.

The two heard loud blaster shots coming from beyond the blast doors, ricocheting off of the thick metal with a booming twang. They had started only a minute ago, getting louder and louder as whoever was out there closed in.

“How much longer?” Syrena asked, stepping behind Nettie and looking over her shoulder. She scrunched her nose, unable to read the various symbols and numbers that Nettie was typing.

“This one file is giving me some issues,” Nettie said, her teeth gritting. “Go see if they need help.”

“Alyze told me to stay with you,” Syrena argued.

“I know what they said,” Nettie snapped. She clenched her fists once, taking a calming breathe, “Your energy is just too much for me to handle. Just go...I should be done any minute now.”

Syrena bit her lip, leaning back up and stepping away from the workstation. Nettie’s shoulders seemed to relax as the shadow of nervous energy retreated with Syrena.

Syrena clicked her wrist link, “What’s going on out there?”

“We’re taking on heavy fire. Hurry up in there,” Alyze answered.

“I’m opening the blast doors,” Syrena said. “Nettie’s almost done, we can hold up in here until she’s finished.”

“That’s a negative,” Alyze growled, “Don’t open the doors. That’s an order.”

“Oh, bite me,” Syrena quipped back.

She walked to the blast door, clicking the controls for them to open. As they slowly began to unlatch, that unsettling feeling settled in Syrena again. It was painful and tight, slowly swirling through her chest and stomach all the way to her fingers and toes. The door continued to open and Syrena ducked to evade a stray blaster fire.

“Syrena?” a familiar voice said, the booming sound muffled by the blaster fire.

She looked up, recognizing the voice. Realization slowly melted into her bones as she watched Alyze and Fenn fire at the Sunburst Squadron.

“Wait, wait!” a man hurriedly called out, “Max, wait!”

Syrena watched as the clone sergeant rolled a circular thermal detonator towards the opening door. It was like time had turned to cooling lava, thick and heavy and moving slowly, and all she could do was watch. Her breath hitched in her throat as it rolled past her feet and towards where Nettie was seated.

“Almost got it!”

“Nettie, move!”

Syrena and Nettie shouted at the same time, the Rodian not seeing the explosive stop just shy of her feet. Syrena began to rush forward, towards Nettie and the bomb.

The explosive went off and Syrena was launched out of the room in a burst of smoke and flames. Her head slammed against the metal floor and she felt a sharp pain through her side. Syrena could only hear the yells and screams of everyone around her before she succumbed to the darkness.

She woke up to Fenn screaming at someone to stay quiet, followed by a loud crunch. Her eyes shot open, realizing that they were back in the room her and Nettie had been in. Though, it looked nothing like the room anymore. It was like a bomb went off. Syrena slowly remembered that a bomb did go off.

Her eyes followed a body sized streak of blood leading from the blast doors right to where she was located, propped up against a cabinet. She was sure she would have remembered being dragged back into the room, but everything was a blur since the explosion. Syrena tried to take a deep breath, tried to blink away the black spots that clouded the edges of her vision, but her lungs stung. She sputtered out a cough, phlegm and blood dripping onto her chin as she took in her surroundings.

The tightness in her chest and burning in her lungs increased as she saw Nettie’s mangled and charred body lying peacefully on the ground. She was missing an arm and the lower half of her left leg. Syrena blinked away the tears that threatened to spill over as she was overcome with grief. She remembered letting Nettie expertly braid her hair when they were younger and the countless hours they spent consoling each other after a particularly rough day. She remembered her final goodbye as Nettie moved out of the tiny space they shared, the silent words of sisterly love and adoration for one another passed through the Force. And now, nothing. Nothing in the Force was signaling to her that her fellow Heretic...her friend was alive.

Syrena heard another one of Fenn’s engaged screams and she looked to the commotion. Alyze and Fenn, in their rage, had somehow managed to incapacitate every member of the Sunburst Squadron, bringing them to the center of the room and binding their hands together. Not all of them were awake and in her haziness, Syrena couldn’t tell who were the ones that were lying motionless on the ground. She could see the rise and fall of their chests, soothing the panic that rose. They were all alive.

But Nettie was dead.

“Syre, can you hear me? It’s Ja-”

“I said shut the fuck up!” Fenn screamed at the helmet clad trooper, her brass knuckle covered fist slamming to the side of his head. The plastoid cracked under her punch and his helmet was launched off his head.

Jaws.

“That’s enough,” Alyze said, cutting through Fenn’s rage. They were close to Syrena, hurriedly scouring through a medic bag.

Fenn growled something incoherent as a response. She gripped the collar of Jaws’s chest plate, dragging him over with the rest of the members. She wrapped a piece of fabric around Jaws’s mouth, mumbling how tired she was of his pleas and sobs.

As she blinked away the black spots, Syrena could make out the bruised and bloodied faces of those without helmets: Blanche, Max, Jaws, and Bruiser. Her heart clenched and she attempted to get up, but a sharp pain in her side stilled her movements.

Alyze bent down next to Syrena, grabbing the green woman’s face in their scarred hands, “How do you feel?”

“I can’t,” Syrena coughed out, bile rising in her throat, “I can’t fucking breath.”

She touched her chest and her stomach, her breath hitching once again when she felt a piece of smooth metal sticking out the side of her abdomen. She gripped the metal, yelling out in pain as it moved inside of her.

“Syrena,” Bruiser called, trying to break free from the restraints. Fenn hit him across the face, telling him to be quiet. It only caused Syrena to move around more, wanting to wrap her hands around the Zabrak’s throat and squeeze until the bones cracked.

“Calm down” Alyze said softly, their larger hand wrapping around Syrena’s.

“I have a fucking piece of metal sticking out of me, Alyze! I’m not going to be fucking calm,” Syrena growled, “Get this thing out of me so I can kill that bitch!”

“You always were so impatient.” Alyze rolled their eyes, “On the count of five, we’re going to take this out and then I’m going to stuff the wound with bacta and cover it. It’s not going to be pleasant.”

“You know what isn’t pleasant-” Syrena started, glaring at them.

“Will you hurry it up already?” Fenn snapped, interrupting Syrena, “We don’t have the time to diddle daddle around.”

Syrena took a deep breath in before looking at Alyze and nodding stiffly.

“Okay...one, two three-” Alyze ripped the piece of metal from Syrena’s abdomen, a thick river of blood running out of the wound.

“I thought you said on five!” Syrena snarled. She felt like her entire body was on fire as Alyze stuffed the wound with bacta. The pain was almost unbearable.

“You’ll live,” Alyze quipped.

They put one large bacta patch on top, covering the rest of the wound. With careful hands, Alyze wrapped gauze around Syrena’s abdomen and stomach, tying the ends tightly. It was already stained on the edges with her blood, but it would keep her alive until they found a doctor. Alyze slowly helped Syrena up, allowing her to lean against the cabinet. She would need help to get back to the ship, further setting them back. But Alyze couldn’t lose another person.

All three of their wrist links beeped, causing the Heretics to look at the notification, though Syrena’s movements were lethargic and slow. Nettie had done it: the last of the information had been uploaded to their server.

“Let’s go,” Alyze ordered, wrapping their arm around Syrena’s middle, “Leave them here.”

Alyze began to take their first steps forward before Fenn’s growling voice stopped their movements.

“We can’t leave yet. We have rules for situations like this Alyze.”

Alyze shut their eyes tightly and cursed under their breath. They hoped that the surprise of the explosion and the news that they successfully completed their mission would be enough. But Fenn liked to follow the rules and was stubborn enough to risk them getting captured to see them through.

Alyze gazed down at Syrena, expecting her to make some sort of sarcastic remark, but she was silent. They had seen Syrena take worse hits and injuries. Kriff, Alyze had been the one doing the damage to the shorter woman a few times. But here, as she leaned against Alyze’s body, it looked like Syrena was about to fall to the ground dead. She wasn’t even looking at Fenn. Her pink serpent-like eyes were bleak and focused entirely on the clone troopers kneeling by Fenn’s feet.

“This is the one that did it,” Fenn said, standing behind Max and pushing him forward. He fell hard onto his hands.

“We don’t have time for this,” Alyze tried to argue.

“Well, make time!” Fenn yelled, “Nettie is dead because of him. Syrena is injured. He needs to die.”

Blanche, Bruiser, and Jaws all protested at once, Jaws’s voice muffled by the gag.

“Please,” Blanche pleaded, his lip split and left eye swelling from Fenn’s beating, “Please, I’m the one that gave the orders. Leave him.”

“Blanche,” Max said softly.

“No! Just-just shut up, Max.” Blanche looked to Alyze. “Take me instead.”

“We are not as lawless as you might believe, clone,” Alyze said, “We do follow a code. You may have said the orders, but your hand was not the one that released the detonator.”

“I’ll do it,” Fenn said, taking her vibroblade out.

“No.” Alyze looked from Max to Syrena. “Syrena has to be the one to do it.”

“What? No,” Bruiser said harshly, “No she isn’t doing anything. Syre...tell them you aren’t doing anything.”

“You can’t be serious, Alyze,” Fenn scoffed, “She doesn’t have it in her. She’s grown soft. If anything, we should tell Myrkos when we get back and have her sent to the Pit or, better yet, decommissioned.”

Syrena was still silent. Her gaze went from the Sunburst Squadron to Nettie’s body. She wished she had been quicker to realize what was happening, faster on her feet. She was a Heretic for crying out loud, she could have Force pushed Nettie out of the blast area. But she was too focused on the Sunburst Squadron, too focused on worrying about their safety. In that moment, she allowed them to make her forget who she was and it cost her friend her life.

“She is the only survivor of the attack,” Alyze explained, “She knows the rules, a life for a life, and she will follow them.”

“Syrena, please,” Blanche begged.

“I’ll do it,” she whispered, her eyes tearing from Nettie to Max. All she could think of when she saw him was her failures. Her failure to keep Nettie alive and her failure to keep the Sunburst troopers safe and out of Heretic politics. She didn’t want any of this, but it was happening and she couldn’t stop it.

A cacophony of no’s and pleas came from the clone troopers as they all tried to break free of their constraints. Fenn backhanded Blanche, causing him to stagger to the side. He spit out to the side, a mixture of his blood and salvia splattering against the concrete floor.

As Syrena staggered towards Max, Blanche and Bruiser continued to plead with her, offering their life in exchange for his. It was a noble appeal really, but Syrena knew that it wouldn’t meet the most rigid law of the Heretics. And she knew Max wouldn’t allow it to happen; he wouldn’t let one of his brother’s suffer a gruesome fate for something he did. He took a life, so he would pay for it with his own.

Syrena didn’t want him to die. She knew Max, knew the kind of person he was. He was kind, almost to a fault. He was nice and welcoming to her the moment they met, something not even Bruiser had been.

But rules were rules and Syrena was ready to follow them. She would be the one to watch the light leave his eyes, to feel his last breath waft against her face, to add him to her list of lives that she wished she could bring back.

She would be his murderer.

Syrena slowly kneeled in front of Max, ignoring the searing pain in her side. She blocked out the room, shutting out Blanche and Bruiser’s cries and Fenn’s yells for them to be quiet. She focused entirely on Max, taking in how he had sat back on his knees, his shoulders slumped forward and into himself. He hadn’t looked up since Fenn had brought him forward. His eyes were locked on Nettie’s body, and Syrena could see a few tears begin to stain his tanned, flushed cheeks. She reached out and touched one of them, rubbing the tear between her fingers.

“I didn’t mean for this to happen,” he whispered softly to her. “I didn’t mean-I didn’t want to kill anybody.”

“I know,” she replied, her hand moving to rest on his shoulder. “You understand that I have to do this.”

He finally looked up at her, a small warm smile appearing on his face, “Yeah…It’s alright.”

“It’s not alright.” Syrena couldn’t help the way her voice broke, as she settled her other hand on his other shoulder. “Are you afraid?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head, “Are you?”

“Terrified.”

Max nodded back to Bruiser, “Take care of him will you? Take care of all of them. They need someone to keep them on their toes.”

“Can hardly take care of myself,” she replied with a small smile.

“You aren’t as bad as you think you are, you know? I can see it in your eyes.”

Blanche��s broken voice cut through the air, “Please, Syrena. Please don’t kill him. I’m begging you.”

She could hear the sobs he tried to hold back. She wouldn’t look at Blanche or the others. She couldn’t. So instead, she let her pain and anger take over, allowing the Dark Side to wash through her system and act as a crutch. Syrena didn’t want to feel this.

Max turned his head, his sweet smile still on his face as he looked at Blanche, “It’s okay Blanchie, I got this.”

His last syllables were short and stuttered as the hidden knives in Syrena’s wrist vambraces sprung out, sinking deep into his chest. Bruiser and Jaws choked out sobs, their cries flooding the room as they were unable to form words. And Blanche. Blanche was beyond broken.

Max turned his head back to Syrena. She had gotten him in the weak points of his armor, piercing down into his heart. She watched, her face expressionless, as his sweet face, still smiling softly at her, became still as he slumped onto the ground. His wonderfully warm eyes faded into nothingness.

A life for a life.

“NO!” Blanche screamed, trying in vain to get up. All he saw was red, all he felt was pure agony and hatred as Syrena slowly pulled her hands back, revealing the red covered blades. “No!”

Fenn put her vibroblade to his neck, “You clones just don’t know when to shut up do you?”

“Back off Fenn,” Syrena said weakly, unable to tear her eyes from Max’s body. She hurt all over and her side stung.

“Maybe I’ll have to make you shut up,” Fenn laughed, ignoring Syrena.

“I said back off!” Syrena shouted, Force pushing Fenn away from Blanche and the others. She was on her feet in an instant, ignoring the dizzying pain on her side and head. “We got what we came here for, now let’s go.”

“Syrena’s right. They’ll be fully online and operational soon,” Alyze said.

Fenn grumbled curses under her breath before putting away her vibroblade. She bent down and picked up Nettie’s body, slinging it over her shoulder with ease. They would need to give her a proper burial, a Heretic’s goodbye.

She stopped by the Sunburst Squadron on her way to the blast doors, sneering at them. She was enjoying their pain. Enjoying how they seemed unable to process what happened. Bruiser and Jaws cried for their fallen brother as Sweets and Void began regaining consciousness. What a sight to wake up to: the body of their beloved sergeant dead in front of them and a seething Blanche.

Fenn grabbed Max’s helmet from the ground, tossing it once in the air before smiling ruefully at Syrena, “A nice trophy, don’t you think?”

Before Syrena had the chance to lunge at her, Alyze wrapped their large arm around Syrena’s middle again to keep her from falling. She hadn’t even realized that she was losing balance. Her wound needed immediate medical attention.

Syrena didn’t look at the Sunburst Squadron as the three Heretics made their way out of the room. She didn’t watch as they scrambled to Max’s side, didn’t see Blanche’s binded hands grab his face. She tried to block out their cries and broken Mando’a, but their words and pleas for Max to wake up invaded her mind. It would be the sounds to haunt her dreams for the rest of time.

Alyze pressed the button on the controls for the blast doors, the heavy metal doors slowly shutting behind them to lock the clone troopers in the room. Syrena, with the last of her fleeting strength, waved her hand, sending a burst of Force energy to the troopers. All at once, their bindings fell to the ground, allowing them to hold each other and hold Max.

The blast doors closed with a loud bang and all Syrena felt was pain and regret.

#pain just pain #im glad to get this out #i couldnt look at it anymore #i hate it #but whatever #syrena aster #sunburst squadron #the clone wars #star wars #the clone wars fanfiction #oc clones

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scaryscarecrows · 4 years

Text

Gaslights Cast

EVERYONE’S HERE GOOD GOD.

Penguin

Oswald Cobblepot/the Penguin: local crime lord. If asked, he’s been lucky with his nightclub and dabbles in imports and exports. This is true. The I&E is, like, 95% illegal. Oswald also has a tight grip on several of the local street gangs, and he absolutely has his fingers in a lot of pies. Rats don’t cross the street without him knowing, but he’s an easygoing sort. Usually. Oswald is a second-gen immigrant from Russia; Mama Penguin speaks very little English and her son spends at minimum one weekend a month making sure her bills are settled and all that. (Usually more. Oswald has no qualms about stabbing a man ten times, but he adores his mother.)

Dove Marquis: on paper, Oswald’s personal secretary. In practice, manages half the business. This is intentional; it’s 1895, in the event that he gets arrested, literally nobody is going to suspect a woman of managing a whole-ass crime syndicate. She can keep things from going up in smoke until he bribes his way out of jail. Dove is also occasionally the Beard; she has a red wig so things don’t get awkward. She is a third-gen immigrant from France.

Olga Bykov: Oswald’s housekeeper on paper and his at-home bodyguard in reality. Do not fuck with her. She has a meat cleaver on her person 90% of the time and will just, like, body slam you otherwise. (He’s scared of her. He should be.) Olga is a first-gen immigrant from Russia-she came over when she was about five-and spent her teenage years robbing graves for the medical students.

Edward Nygma: Technically he works with rather than for; Eddie runs an antiques shop that Oswald’s, er, interestingly acquired goods frequently go through. He’s got buyers all over the place and his own random connections, including a very nice professor interested in chemistry. :p Edward is a Gotham native.

The Cranes

General: They work as a pair; you don’t see one without the other very often, and even then, they’re not far. Scarecrow likes to hear himself talk, while the Grey Lady is dead silent. Both of them work on horseback-easier to run down victims that way-and communicate over long distances via whistles. They don’t come out in the daytime hardly ever.

Jonathan Crane/the Scarecrow: Psychology professor at Gotham University, specializing in phobias. Dabbles in chemistry from time to time. While his modern-day counterpart doesn’t care who gets caught up in his experiments, Gaslights!Scarecrow has a taste for churchgoers on account of his...unfortunate...upbringing. His fear toxin was created by accident, but that started giving him ideas. He is technically local, but after his parents died when he was small, his great-grandmother took him in and as such, he was raised in Georgia. Unfortunate, that, given the war and all.

Scarecrow’s horse is a Friesian; a black mare named Carmilla. He usually paints her up with phosphorus, a la The Hound of the Baskervilles, to give her a more frightening appearance. Apart from his chemical weaponry, he carries a scythe.

Kitty Crane/the Grey Lady: Modern Kitty is not enamored with the alter ego thing. Gaslights!Kitty has dressed up like a Ring Wraith for women’s rights. I’m not even kidding. Jack the Ripper-or, more accurately, the polices’ failure to handle Jack-pissed her off. The public’s lack of care did not help. Kitty is British, though her parents moved to Georgia when she was small; she and Jonathan are childhood friends.

Kitty’s horse is an early relative of the modern-day Thoroughbred; she values speed and agility over pants-browning terror. He is grey and named Verne. She carries a sword and she is good with it, both on and off the horse.

The Robins

General: As kids, they went from being under Penguin’s wing (hahahahaha) to working with Batman. Then Jason died and that was the end of that. :/ As adults, they work as a group, and their methods are closer to the modern-day Red Hood than Batman would like. Jason and Tim are local, Dick is, as he puts it, ‘a citizen of the world’; he was literally born on the circus train.

Dick Grayson/Bluebird: The oldest. Dick considers it his job to take care of the other two whether they want it or not, and Heaven help you if one of them gets hurt and it’s your fault. He’s been the older brother since he was nine, y’all, he’ll destroy you. That said, he’s the charmer of the lot-Olga adores him, which is saying something-and usually the spokesbird when it comes down to it. He retains his circus background, and calling their little trio the Cock Robins was his idea. His current name is actually from the Asian Fairy-bluebird. Look it up. It’s a little birdified Nightwing, I swear. Costume-wise, he’s his usual black and blue (WITH FINGERSTRIPES GODDAMMIT), with multiple nasty surprises included; he does carry batons, but he also carries a crap-ton of throwing knives, studded brass knuckles, and a garrote. He’s not as lethal as Jason can be-usually, anyway-but he is the most unsettling to watch, if only because he’s a fast, flexible bastard. Half the underworld’s convinced he’s not human. Adorable Baby Dickie was a big fan of ‘circus’, which consisted of him screaming, ‘GET READY!’ and hurling himself over the balcony to (hopefully) be caught by whomever was passing by. Dove lost ten years from that. Olga and Bruce usually just snatched him out of the air.

Jason Todd/Shrike: The middle child. Died. Got better. Jason runs a little more supernatural than sometimes; he has a white streak in his bangs, he’s sensitive to ghosts (he hates this) and he’s got two scars from his untimely demise; a roundish one on his ribs from being impaled, and an autopsy scar. Ra’s found him quite by accident post-resurrection, but keeping him proved to be. Futile. He’s furious with Bruce for leaving his brothers to do the right thing (kill the clown) and is, by far, the one you don’t want to meet in a dark alley. He doesn’t prefer guns, because they’re unreliable; instead, he favors the kris blade he stole from Ra’s on his way out. As per usual, he grew up in shoddy circumstances-Catherine died of lung cancer-but he’s got a knack for languages...barring French. He sucks at French. He turns everything into something very inappropriate no matter how hard he tries not to. Costume-wise, he’s dressed in a soldier’s uniform that he’s dyed black (’good soldier’, my ass, Bruce, HERE YOU GO) and while he did attempt to go with a red helmet at first, it was metal, it dented, and he ended up going with a rudimentary gas mask and red goggles instead.

Tim Drake/Finch: The baby. His brothers call him Baby Bird to piss him off. He wonders why he loves them. Tim comes from money; his parents died under mysterious circumstances and his uncle essentially went, ‘fuck this’ and, ah, disappeared him. It was an outright murder attempt, but even though it failed, the public thought otherwise. Good luck proving anything in the 1800s. (Penguin knows. Bruce has his suspicions.) Tim’s the more technical-minded of his siblings, which can lead to bad times for criminals. He has the Sherlock Scan down pat, which means he can and will find weak spots to exploit...and has the knowledge of how to make that excruciating, yet survivable. Costume-wise, Tim’s gone with a variant of the plague doctor look; the nose of his mask is shorter, for practicality, but he carries a staff and wears a long coat (all the better to conceal gadgets in!). He’s the least chatty of the lot, but he has a knack for spouting creative threats. (Usually these are directed at his brothers, because they’re awful.) Interestingly, he’s Penguin’s favorite, though not just because he’s quiet; Tim is honestly good Crime Lord material, and it’s not totally unlikely that he’d end up running the empire.

#gaslights 'verse #Oswald Cobblepot #Dove Marquis #Jonathan Crane #Kitty Richardson #Dick Grayson #Jason Todd #Tim Drake #character list #mostly for me because I NEED IT #but you can look at it

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intuwam · 4 years

Text

world building no one asked for. slightly inspired by legend of zelda. including the ragtag crew [ x ] : june, hyuck, minjae, jaejin, myungsoo, jaehyun, jaejin, junsu ( we have a lot of boys what the fuck ). @urianius

featuring, the knight academy.

the Knight Academy, similar to hogwarts in creation is a school dedicated to producing knights/soldiers/guards/warriors for the Empire ( that will have a name one of these days ). every recruit dreams of being chosen for the princess’ personal guard, the closest most end up is chosen as guards for the castle grounds, or guards for court members, the cosy jobs. others will end up on the front lines. knights are usually chosen from all around the kingdom, no matter the province, however most boys are required to go into the academy if the kingdom is at a shortage by age 11.

if not conscripted as a castle guard then they will be either, frontlines, sent to provinces that need control or work for the official court of knights, and complete missions as ordered. some knights end up straying ( deferring ) from their oath and/or inflicted by magic ( think witcher lore for them ) and have a bounty put on their head.

royal guards.

shadow guards.

castle duty.

town/province detail.

front lines.

knights of seven.

the current war is a war against magic ( go figure ). not because magic was seen as some wild dark arts no one heard of but because magic was once used in the kingdom as a means to conquer but the advisor to the king ended up poisoning him and his mind and using the people as test subjects.

the princess now runs the kingdom, after the king was killed and a war broke out between witches and their enchanted creatures ) minions or dark magic some believed to have been transformed from human subjects. though unlikely to admit it, the knights of seven, well renown and respected are known for their particular affinity for magical elements and though humans don’t like to admit it, the only surefire way to destroy these creatures is with magically enhanced weapons or sometimes extensive training. ( for reference on the types of these creatures, i imagine somewhere between orcs, trolls, cyclops, etc, zelda creatures come pretty close to what i envision actually ).

so the academy was created, a way to harness the body and the mind and forge loyalty to the crown so that a knight may never fall for the temptations of the dark arts.

knights do not use magic that isn’t approved and for the purpose of enhancing clothing or weaponry. they use enchanted blades stolen from witch compounds as well as clothing but apart from that their bodies and minds are honed by extensive and intensive years at the academy. knights with specific affinities ( elemental for instance: water, fire, air, lightning, ice ) are coveted but all are welcome.

the affinities, for clarification aren’t enhancements like waterbenders or airbenders, etc, they’re enhancements for weapons. people with lightning affinities their blades are encased in lightning and their clothes are well making them immune to damage from witches who specialize in that and able to wield and last in areas troubled by that kind of magic.

at the start of the journey, the news comes out that the current knights of seven have gone missing and there was a betrayal, the princess is barricaded in the castle and the war against witches has been a decoy to rid the land of the good magic and spread dark magic throughout the kingdom. the boys - though not exactly graduates, embark on a journey to save their kingdom ( though no one really told them to ) and to maybe see who actually is the fated member of the legend. there are seven of them so - one of them has to be it right? the prophecy says that when the world needs them the most, the knight will emerge.

minjae

so, i think minjae is just good at things, he doesn’t have a particular affinity, though he works best in swordsmanship, that just fits him to me. i think he joined the academy out of boredom yes, but also I never give mina a break so i’m gonna assume in this au she’s been missing ( not kidnapped but missing ). i also think he has nothing against magic because he knows there’s something fishy up, i’ll say that mina was probably accused of dark sorcery as well.

not a day goes by when he isn’t questioning the academy’s orders and the knight’s guards as well as the entire war and the system, often getting him in a shit ton of trouble and punishments.

a third year, a pain in everyone’s behind because he doesn’t pay attention but weaponry comes easy to him, i think minjae just has a lot of steam to let go of and he does so through sword-fighting. he’s charming and uses that to get through everything else, battles, assignments he’s missed, morning duty punishments. i like to think minjae is very clever and good at critical thinking, he’s quick on his feet.

he’s the one who suggested they all go on the adventure together, though he has a knack for seeming selfish. he values each team member’s contribution though he can be a little cocky about his own.

minjae gets into a lot of fights, mainly because of his mouth, so his wit is needed to get out of them, or his speed, his speed is the usual option.

it takes a lot to keep his attention, but the prospect of this adventure seems to be the first time he’s been so readily excited to do something.

( claims to know who the fated knight will be, everyone thinks he’s lying. )

hyuck ( open for changes! )

if there’s anyone more thoroughly uninterested in the gossip about who the next fated knight will be it’s hyuck, though perhaps hyuck has more of an inkling to wonder about it than minjae does. and an even strongest inkling to envy it to avoid his friend’s teasing.

has a good eye, a very good eye and his agility is unmatched except by jaejin, he would have higher marks in stealth if he weren’t so loud all the time but he’s got a better eye than most it’s why he holds the candle in marksmanship, bows and arrows, slingshots and even throwing spears. those are his strengths and it’s something to be proud of really, even minjae can’t match his accuracy. it’s something that comes from survival too and it’s something that the two boys know well. they grew up in provinces affected differently by the war but they still had to survive and for hyuck it was using whatever methods he could to keep the spotlight off him and his family.

it’s the biggest surprise too because while minjae is going in balls to the wall, hyuck always has his back and that’s how the two work together, the same as if hyuck were in unfamiliar territory in a cornered fight, minjae is always watching, always at his side. hyuck probably didn’t expect to have an affinity at all, but minjae often hints that maybe there’s a bit of air affinity with how accurate his shots are ( hyuck just says he thinks too much ).

he doesn’t discuss his reasons for joining the academy, and most people don’t ask as everyone comes from their own walks of life but it’s assumed he wasn’t a volunteer. due to how much he fools around in class he always surprises people with how well he does on his scores, he jokes but he does make sure he knows what’s going on, just because it helps him get around well, and soon it helps them on their journey. it’s the little things, the smaller lessons often left forgotten that hyuck is the one remembering and pointing out when they’re in a pinch.

he doesn’t exactly dislike the idea of them traveling, but he’s well aware of the dangers it poses. still, he and minjae are inseparable.

jaejin

i’m thinking a lightning affinity. i think he’s very fast, and he would have large marks in stealth that only hyuck can rival. i think jaejin doesn’t discuss his abilities much either, tries not to make a big deal of them as he gets his grasp on them, also because it’s a pretty hard affinity to control and no one wants the attention that comes from having a lightning affinity.

because he is the youngest and the smallest. marksmanship is his skill and stealth, he is the smallest one of the boys as well as the youngest and though it benefits them on missions, he gets the short end of the stick in raw power. jaejin is calculating, which is why he can hold a candle to minjae in witty comebacks but he doesn’t speak up much or voice his ideas.

jaejin keeps to himself and his studies and doesn’t like the bloody nature of battle, which is why he prefers the distance granted to him by lightning. he has studied up on lore but not enough to be interested in who would be chosen and why and his calculations are only enough for angles and such, survival tactics they’e read about but not ones that will save him in quick situations. he’s not a quick-thinker but he is decisive where it matters.

jaejin has admiration for the knight court but never expected to be anything other than a front line guard, sent to be destroyed as fodder for the kingdom’s war. it’s why myungsoo spends so much time training him in combat and minjae in swordsmanship, they worry where he lacks will be his downfall.

jaejin isn’t soft though, his appearance in the academy was not by choice, he was the last one available from his village and such he is here. he didn’t expect to have any bit of use but found that all his time reading and studying paid off.

he is the first to oppose the journey, the first to cry when he has to kill a creature and often babied by the group though they can’t help it. he and minjae argue the most on decisions even if their decisions are both focusing on the right thing they have different methods of getting it.

is rather popular around the academy actually.

myungsoo

conscripted and almost immediately, mainly because he comes from a family of knights, a brother who made it to the royal guard, and another who is a leader on the front lines. myungsoo is expected to be picked as the princess’ fated knight but he has no desire of it, as the shoes to fit for his siblings and family are hard enough. though the knight identities are secret there is a rumor his third brother is a member.

a fire affinity which is why most of his family ends up being coveted knights, fire is strong and easily destructive. myungsoo has a short temper though he isn’t a fan of his affinity and is even less of a fan of the expectations everyone has of him. he and junsu are the eldest along with june though they both treat june like a younger brother.

in terms of build he is the biggest muscle wise while junsu is the tallest, both spend a lot of time honing their physical and mental minds because of the toll their affinity can take on them.

myungsoo is always ready for a fight, always, he’s the bravest one amongst them and won’t hesitate to go against the odds. it can be a problem though as he’s sometimes too wiling to rush in without regard to his life, something that they always argue on. he’s also skilled at mending weaponry, and forging it as well, something he’s often spent time teaching minjae about.

easily he and junsu are the parents of the group, the fourth-years. myungsoo is usually the one they all look up to in terms of leadership skills, and just how bright and generous he is, it’s hard to say no to him, if he says to make up they will make up, if he orders an argument to stop it will stop. he is inspiring, has been training to be a knight since he was young and has a very deep sense of honor and commitment.

junsu

ice affinity! the problem being, most people consider ice affinities to be a corrupted form of water. there are rumors, that junsu’s brother who was a knight became cursed and is now on the run ( there’s also a rather dark rumor that half of his clan was transformed into hideous beasts of dark magic by the witches ). he does not talk about his brother and he does not talk about his affinity, he just knows he has a duty now and it’s to prove his family’s loyalty despite the rumors.

that duty, is pretty bitter for him which is why he dislikes the idea of going out to save the kingdom or the knights where it’s offered him nothing but pain. because he’s taught so much about loyalty, he is the first to suggest they do things together or the first to wish to clear up fights or arguments between the boys, as they are stronger together, very clear-headed. his duty is to family and little by little these boys have become that for him.

very often is the one cooking for the team, and reminding them of how many meals they’ve missed and not to go to far with arguments and such. very much a mood settler, partially because of the water element that’s present in ice, he doesn’t like confrontation and likes things to run smooth. he was arguably, the first to suggest this mission is a bad idea.

he is surprisingly one of the calmer members, very keen on noticing things such as shifts in atmosphere or a spell that might lead to an area trapped in illusions. he is a quick-thinker and will yank minjae or hyuck back from doing something stupid whereas jaejin will say they should learn a lesson and myungsoo is ready to jump on in with them.

june

my sunshine. his affinity is hard to place, sometimes it seems like it’s light, other times water, other times air. june just tries his best to be good at what he does and where people need him. he keeps to himself and isn’t particularly the strongest rather he knows how to use his strength and has a strong build from relentless training he’s been put through. he excels in sword-fighting, excels in his studies, remembers his history well and is decent at strategizing.

he is, thoroughly too gentle for the world of knights leading several questions as to what he’s doing in the academy. some say he was the only one in his town old enough to go, some say his father is a noble and sent him there with a spot in the royal guard already waiting for him when he graduates. despite that, there are a multitude of rumors surrounding where june will end up, his achievements in the academy have made him the topic of discussion and as a fourth year, everyone speculates where he’ll end up.

june however just wants to do what he can to protect those close to him, he thus doesn’t open up easily or entertain such rumors, it’s often hard to place where his loyalty is especially when his first reaction to the journey had been no. he always seems to be working towards something bigger than just the academy and he’s always lost in thought, if he talks to anyone it’s jaehyun.

he’s never rude though, always smiling and kind and agreeing to help others, he just seems to prefer being under the radar and nothing about his life seems to want to allow it. a pain because minjae can never really turn anyone on june because june is just - june, lovable to a fault. perhaps the only teenage thing about him is how competitive he can get and how much fun the boys have pulling it out of him.

jaehyun

air? i’m feeling air for the kiddo. or maybe air or water? can’t decide really.

jaehyun is quiet, different from how jaejin might light up around his friends, be playful and somewhat of a pain in his age, jaehyun prefers the shadows. jaehyun prefers to jsut be around and not be seen, he’s not hiding anything really, not in the mysterious way that others are, he just doesn’t have much to open up again. he’s a simple kid, with a fascination with doing something - being something even if it isn’t that grand.

his affinity was seen as something of a blessing, something extraordinary so he cultivates it and takes good care of it but he’s not boastful. he’s also very thankful for it because in his opinion it gives him something to work with as he doesn’t have any other spectacular skills. jaehyun is good at strategizing though, it’s something that the others praise him for and they often seek his advice though he doesn’t voice his opinion often and isn’t too boastful about it. he’s very excellent at record keeping and back-tracking, it’s saved their ass on multiple occasions.

because of his desire to keep to himself it’s a wonder that he joined the boys, but when he’s laughing at a bonfire with them it’s not hard to see he’s found a place he otherwise didn’t have. and something about the adventure, he lights up when he’s discovering things, when he’s been on use, and like any other young knight, the prospect of making a dent in history is thrilling to say the least.

#urianius #( so ive been watching zelda playthroughs )#( and here's a draft )#( of something i've been thinking about after i saw this cool au on tumblr )#au: knights academy.

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dailycharacteroption · 5 years

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Steelbound Fighter (Fighter Archetype)

While they’re an interesting part of the system and offer potential for interesting roleplaying encounters, there’s been very few things that interact with or reference intelligent items and weapons, at least among player options. The few exceptions have been the black blade-wielding archetypes, the bladebound magus and the blade adept arcanist.

Some that have connections to such sentient weaponry don’t necessarily start out with them, or even encountered one directly, but they develop abilities tied to such implements all the same. Enter the steelbound fighter!

It’s a well-established fact that sometimes, when personalities clash, an intelligent item will sometimes try to usurp control over their wielder to achieve their goals. If such control lasts long enough, it can leave psychic impressions on their soul, and sometimes, either that person or one of their descendants learns to harness those psychic impressions in order to empower an intelligent item of their own, the two becoming stronger for the connection they share.

Their association with weapons similar to the one that sparked their awakening is so great that they have trouble focusing when not in possession of such an item, more specifically the one they are currently bonded to once it awakens.

And awaken it does, progressively growing in power as the warrior does, and gaining it’s own intellect and skills, both which also increase with mastery. Additionally, while the weapon itself is not necessarily magical, the weapon does gain access to magical spells that it can cast, as well as a special purpose. Thankfully, even if the weapon is destroyed or lost, the warrior can slowly transfer the consciousness of the weapon over to a new one of a similar type.

A simple archetype, but a useful one for a character that wishes for a weapon that levels up with you without having the GM look up the rules for relic items from War of the Crown or their 3.5 predecessor, weapons of legacy. Still, you can use a lot of builds with this archetype, except perhaps for those that rely upon the advanced weapon training rules, since it replaces the weapon training ability. Regardless of how you build them, be sure to spend your gold in buying upgrades for your weapon, or transferring the consciousness to better weapons you find in loot.

You’re pretty much given free reign here to flavor the exact metaphysics of how and why your steelbound fighter is able to do what they do. Is the intelligence an echo of the original magic weapon, a bit of leftover psychic resonance given life? A secondary ego that the fighter developed to inhabit the weapon? The possibilities are endless.

Also consider how the weapon’s special purpose influences things. Sure, without a dedication power it doesn’t do much but offer some roleplaying fun, but deciding what the weapon intelligence considers its greatest desire can be fun, particularly if they and the wielder have different ideas of how to approach it.

Shattered both physically and spiritually, the sinister blade Kaug-Agsan, was a tool that the alghollthu that they bestowed upon their most powerful thralls. However it’s power was not totally destroyed, and with a rash of young warriors that can inexplicably “feel” what their sword thinks appearing, the underwater mansterminds send their minions to collect, including massive faceless hulks.

Due to a fluke of magic, the Rustblood family have been able to form supernatural bonds with their weapons from time immemorial. Whenever a young scion of the family comes of age, a sample of their blood is taken to be used in the forging of their personal weapon, but in truth, a Rustblood doesn’t need such a ritual to bond with their weapon, as evidenced when Tarku, half-orc bastard child of an exile, comes striding in with his greataxe.

Telepathic resonance being so common in the Deep World, it is not uncommon to see warriors boasting supernatural power, such as the deep gnomes of Val Ungar, the svirfneblin hosting many warriors with an uncanny bond with their war picks and hammers. Some say that this technique can be taught, but if it can, they guard it well.

#pathfinder #archetype #fighter #steelbound fighter #alghollthu #faceless hulk #svirfneblin #Haunted Heroes Handbook

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aureatehound · 6 years

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⚜LFRP: E’phraim Daccaia

--Basics--

Age: 25

Birthday: 9th Sun of the 5th Astral Moon

Race: Highlander / Miqo’te (Seeker of the Sun)

Sexuality: Bisexual

Alias: Golden Hound

Marital Status: Attached to @roseatehound

Server: Mateus (Crystal)

--Physical Appearance--

Hair: Midnight black that fades into a sandy light brown near the fringes. Normally kept short, messy, and a bit wild.

Eyes: Sky blue and a striking gold.

Height: Five fulms, ten ilms.

Build: An athletic frame, a lifetime of use, from quarrying to waging war have left his muscles slender yet strong from constant industrious strain. Much more akin to a panther than a bull.

--Distinguishing Marks--

A large scar traveling from his collarbone down across his midsection and ending at the abdomen.

An intricate Gyr Abanian Griffin tattoo dominates the skin across his back, it’s white wings splayed out between his shoulder blades.

Rich aether presence, though it’s obvious to anyone even slightly aether sensitive that something is off. His aether feels...wild, and almost bestial, in nature.

--Common Items--

An assortment of weaponry including two short knives with blackened blades, a longsword hanging from his belt in a patchwork scabbard, and a long spear or short thrusting spear depending on what’s expected for the day. Fun fact, both of the spears are used as walking sticks.

A full suit of armor complete with full helm, he’s never found outside his gear unless you’re particularly close to him. The armor suit itself has a pair of Gyr Abanian Griffins emblazoned on the right shoulder guard.

A light leather pack hanging from his shoulder or tied to the shaft of his spear, the pack itself seems unremarkable, save for the single Larimar jewel hanging from it’s side.

A few items of interest inside his pack include a set of three small stone dolls. Each is sculpted not by a craftsman’s hand, the quality of each belies that, but the smooth figurines hold a special importance to their owner.

--Personal--

Profession: Resistance fighter and mercenary/vagrant.

Hobbies: Sculpting, writing (simplistic), meditation, beast riding, and cooking (surprisingly enough).

Languages: Eorzean and (very) rudimentary Doman.

Birthplace: Ala Mhigo 🔒 (Find out specifics in RP)

Religion: Faith in the Twelve

Patron Deity: Nymeia, the spinner.

Fears: Being teased about his height, being thrown back into a Garlean Gaol/Science facility, dishonoring the memory of his mother, meeting a pointless end.

--Relationships--

Partner: Yuugao Amanogawa

Children: N/A

Pet/Mount: Izem. A Gyr Abanian true griffin, a proud cloudkin that’s treated more as partner than mount.

Parents: 🔒 (A sensitive topic and one close to his heart, find out more in RP)

Siblings: N/A

Other Relatives: Possible, but unknown even to him at present.

Familiar/s: N/A, but seeking knowledge of weapons that house such.

--Traits--

Extroverted / In Between / Introverted

Disorganized / In Between / Organized

Close Minded / In Between / Open Minded

Calm / In Between / Anxious

Disagreeable / In Between / Agreeable

Cautious / In Between / Reckless

Patient / In Between / Impatient

Outspoken / In Between / Reserved

Leader / In Between / Follower

Empathetic / In Between / Apathetic

Optimistic / In Between / Pessimistic

Traditional / In Between / Modern

Hard-working / In Between / Lazy

Cultured / In Between / Uncultured

Loyal / In Between / Disloyal

Faithful / In Between / Unfaithful

--Additional Info--

Smoking Habit: On occasion.

Drugs: Frequently.

Alcohol: On occasion.

--RP Hooks--

Skyward Warrior: E’phraim’s village, a small settlement nestled among Abalathia’s Spine, has a long and storied history as Griffin handlers and riders. Before the reign of the mad king they provided quite the number of the kingdom’s peerless riders. It’s a tradition E’phraim was raised with, and a symbiotic combat style that he continues to carry with him and honor.

Blood stained resistance: If your character was related to or even part of the resistance they may know his name, and perhaps even his methods. Whispers of attacks and raids on Imperial targets carried out with brutal and unforgiving efficacy still follow him to this day.

Animalistic aether: Born blessed with the echo, albeit a much weaker blessing than most other echo users. After his stint in Imperial captivity however this blessing has become much more ‘unstable’, with fragments of his own memory missing he’s not sure exactly what was done to him but it’s changed him, his body, and his aether permanently.

Enemy of my enemy: There was plenty of time spent on the other side of Baelsar’s wall and E’phraim made every opportunity to make connections with anyone in the Empire’s bad graces.

Warrior in a garden: A complicated upbringing meant that there was very little in the way of education, especially reading and writing. Though he has a rudimentary understanding of written language he could still use help adjusting to more peaceful activities.

--Contact Info--

Discord: Hit me up for that info in the Tumblr DMs.

In Game: You’ll probably see me wandering around Mateus, always up for in game tells! Same name as above, native to the Mateus server.

Tumblr: Message me at any time, anywhere, anyroads, any--yea you get the picture.

OOC: I want to preface this by saying one thing. I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH PEOPLE WHO RP GARLEAN CHARACTERS. That’s not to say that the relationship between E’phraim and said character won’t be antagonistic if he knows, in fact it likely will be antagonistic but I love that dynamic for character development considering how set in his ways he is at this point, I’d love for that to be shaken up!

Other than that big preface I will say that I’m pretty laid back and always down for spinning some story threads. I’m also down to RP plot points in any point of E’phraim’s life, it doesn’t have to be current, they could be childhood friends even. So please feel free to send me any ask or poke me with any tells at any time, my schedule is also pretty nebulous so I can’t promise a good time structure but I can promise that I always check my Tumblr (even if I don’t really reblog or post that much...I promise I’m here).

Well anyhow, hope this wasn’t overtly long, but thanks for reading peeps!

#ffxiv #ff14 #ffxiv rp #Mateus #Mateus rp #E'phraim Daccaia #ffxiv lfrp #mateus lfrp

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broken-clover · 5 years

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ACC Day 5- Freebie (Family)

I messed up!! I went and messed up!! Five days in and I already got off track. I’m really very sorry, my schedule was messy and I was up past two finishing this and then I managed to fall asleep before posting. Hopefully this makes up for it by virtue of 3,000+ words, which is somehow a thing that happened. I don’t get me either.

Well, finally getting into some Blazblue, today with Bang plus some Kagura and Tenjo! Sort of a follow-up to another fic, Lesson Number One, but I don’t think you’d need to read it to understand unless you wanted to.

Just for the sake of being safe, content warnings for ableist slurs and implied emotional abuse.

“Okay, let’s try this again. ‘Mutsuki.’”

“Moot-soo-ki.”

Kagura sat back in his chair, rubbing at his temples. “No. Like ‘Moot-ski.’ Two syllables.”

“Moot-soo-ki.”

“‘Moot-ski.’” His gaze hardened slightly.

“Moot-soo-ki!” Bang giggled, not even glancing up from the shuriken that he was spinning on his finger. “It has su-ki, so moot-soo-ki!”

He sighed, already tired of arguing. “Just...forget it, okay? You can just call me Captain Kagura.”

“Ka-gu-ra-nii!”

“No, Bang…” Kagura covered his eyes. He sorely regretted agreeing to play babysitter for Tenjo. He knew her meetings were very important and she needed to attend, but would it have been difficult to hire an actual babysitter? Or just let the kid wander around the castle on his own? He was a big kid, he could handle himself.

Bang was already distracted with something else, dropping the weapon and rolling over onto the hundred pounds of fluff named Kagemaru.

“Ka-ge-ma-ru, wanna play?”

The akita made a little ‘harrumph,’ stretching a little and licking the boy’s face before immediately curling up and going back to sleep.

“Still tired from the last game?” He scowled, crossing his arms before turning back to Kagura. “Ka-gu-ra-nii, he’s sleepy and doesn’t wanna play. Can we play together instead?”

The man immediately remembered the massive bruise he’d gotten across his abdomen the last time he’d agreed to one of Bang’s games. “Didn’t Tenjo say you needed to practice your suburi more?”

“Ohhh…” Without another word, he hopped to his feet and hurried over to the little rack bolted to the wall of his makeshift room. There was only one sword on it, a wooden practice blade, mounted low enough that Bang could grab it easily. “Help me practice?”

That, at least, seemed like an easy enough request. Kagura stood up and cracked his joints, swiping his massive blade off of where it had been resting against the wall. “Sure, kid. Gonna take your scarf off, first?”

He was expecting a simple (if emphatic) ‘yes’ or ‘okay,’ but all he got in reply was a quiet ‘nope.’

“No?” Kagura paused in place. “It’s gonna get knotted up. You’re gonna get tangled in your own scarf in the middle of a fight.”

“M’not taking it off.” Just for emphasis, Bang shoved his face into the fabric. “You tie your hand to your sword.”

“It’s to keep the grip from slipping off!” He opted not to think about the time he had tried dropping his sword after practice and proceeded to accidentally sprain his wrist when he left the tether on. “Besides, I keep it under control. What happens if someone tries to grab you by the scarf and choke you with it?”

“Toss it at ‘em?”

“Kid…”

A knock came at the door, thankfully sparing Kagura from any more conversation. “Kagura? Bang?”

“Tenjo-sama!” Bang immediately dropped his sword and bounded over as Tenjo let herself in. “Ten-jo-sa-ma!”

A hand reached down to ruffle his hair. “It’s good to see you. I hope you didn’t give Kagura too much trouble?”

“Nothing’s broken, which I count as a success.” The man quipped in reply. “Meeting go over well?”

“No declarations of war, which I count as a success.” Tenjo offered a rare bit of banter back.

“It’s lunch time now.” Already bored with the adults talking, Bang hopped back and forth on either foot, rubbing his hands against his scarf.

“Yes, that’s correct.” Tenjo laughed softly, holding the door open for him and Kagura to leave. “I did promise lunch after I finished.”

Wadatsumi Castle was remarkably quiet, despite the meeting that had gone on. The building was rather large, with Tenjo’s bedroom and one of the guest rooms that Bang had been staying in being the only real sources of noise in that wing of the castle. Still, after meetings, diplomats and department heads seemed eager to head on back to where they had come from, presumably to discuss information and decide courses of action (or, as Kagura would quip, ‘gossip like housewives and complain for the sake of complaining.’)

The dining hall was designed to seat a long line of dignified guests, but it was rare that more than a few would sit down at once. Tenjo reached down to nudge Bang towards one of the doors at the other end of the room.

“I’ve got something I need to discuss with Kagura briefly. Why don’t you go tell the cook what you want for lunch? I promise I’ll be finished very soon.”

“O-K!” The reply came with a sharp nod. “Beef stir-fry?”

“That sounds wonderful.”

“Stir-fry, stir-fry, stir-fry~”

As soon as he was out of earshot, Tenjo turned to Kagura. “You seem irritated with something, Kagura, what’s wrong?”

“Just a little worn down after that. He gives off so much energy, I just don’t get it.” He offered a shrug that wasn’t as convincing as he would have liked.

“Children are remarkably energetic. One of the world’s mysteries, but I suppose I find it rather endearing.” Tenjo’s smile thinned into an unreadable line. “I can tell that isn’t what’s bothering you. Is Bang giving you trouble?”

Kagura was still stubborn. “I though the kid would be a better strategist. I don’t think he’s actually looked at a strategy book in his life. He’s still convinced nails are a viable combat weapon.”

That got another little laugh out of her. “He’s nine, Kagura. You weren’t exactly Sun Tzu at his age, either.”

“I guess.” He continued to talk, without really thinking. “Dunno if he’s got any skills for combat in general.”

“Why is that?”

Kagura flinched. He didn’t hear that tone often, but it had just enough coldness to make even him be afraid. “I-I don’t really mean-”

“Just tell me, Kagura.” Tenjo’s voice softened just slightly. “If you’re having issues, I’d like to know.”

“I just can’t get him to act like a proper fighter, no matter what I do.” He pressed the heel of his palm to his forehead. “I dunno how you even got him to try the sword. He doesn’t focus. He keeps getting distracted by everything. Won’t take off the damn scarf ever.” His voice sharpened, growing more irritated. “Half the time I swear he’s never heard a real person talk in his life. He never wants to talk about anything other than heroes or weapons. From what I’ve seen, he’s got no more fighting capability than practically anyone you could pluck off a random street-corner. Absolutely nothing special. He’s a pain, Tenjo, how much longer are you gonna keep this up?”

“He’s my protege, Kagura, just as you are. I’m not sure why you seem so insistent in your dislike of him. He likes you very much.”

“Trust me, I know.” He crossed his arms. “Started calling me ‘Kagura-nii.’”

“Not everyone takes on skills in the same way.”

“I know.”

“You say that, but yet you seem so impatient. You can’t expect him to be a carbon-copy of you. I know it’s going to be a bit difficult working with someone who behaves differently than you, and I’m well aware that Bang is a bit peculiar-”

“‘Peculiar?’ Guy wants to fight people with nails.”

“-But it’s just a matter of adapting.” Continued Tenjo, with just a hint of venom to her tone. “And I truly do appreciate your help with training, Kagura. Even if it is difficult.”

He felt a bit of heat rise in his face. Tenjo always knew just how to make him feel guilty. “I’ll figure something out…”

“You’re so obsessed with trying to make him think like you. Have you tried seeing what happens if you think like him?”

Kagura snorted. “Hey, spare me the philosophy. Was this really what you wanted to talk about?”

Her expression fell, almost imperceptibly so, but he was just as attuned to her emotions as she was for his. “Tenjo?

“You know how Bang never mentions his parents?”

“Yeah? Wasn’t sure if he was an orphan or what. What about ‘em?”

“I think I managed to find them.”

Of all things, he hadn’t been expecting that. “You what? Really?”

“I pruned through the technology reports from a couple of years ago. I thought I recognized a Shishigami from one of them. I managed to find names and a location with some assistance from the registrar. Hana and Kanji Shishigami. They live over in block 3. I’ve summoned them to come visit the castle.”

“So he’s going back with his parents?” Kagura replied, trying not to sound eager at the prospect.

“It appears so.” Tenjo was far more downbeat. “I’m looking forward to meeting with them.”

The swordsman turned to her. “You don’t sound it. Something wrong?”

She was quiet for a moment, as though choosing her words carefully. “They seem...very detached from his life.”

“Huh?”

“It’s been over a month. I’ve never seen any signs of his parents looking for him. It was difficult just to find them. How could they not have noticed he left?”

“Tenjo-sama!” A shout accompanied by the slam of a door interrupted the conversation. Bang reappeared from the kitchen, followed by one of the castle servants. “Lunchtime! I got to help!”

They chose to pause there, finding places to sit at the table and eat. Tenjo was able to find a different discussion, a simple and meaningless chat about finance distribution that only served to occupy space.

Bang merely sat at the table and kicked his legs while everyone else talked. He could be a very talkative child, but unless the conversation was about weaponry, heroics, or fighting styles, he didn’t have much interest in joining it. Instead, he prodded at his lunch, meticulously scraping out the chunks of bell pepper that were mixed in with the rest of it.

Before any of them knew it, another servant entered the dining hall, bowed politely, and spoke.

“Milord, Mr. and Mrs. Shishigami have arrived, and are waiting in the foyer. I had another servant gather the young man’s belongings, and find a leash for the dog. They are all waiting by the front entrance.”

Kagura turned to Bang with a smile. “Isn’t that great? You get to go home to your family again!”

The boy merely pushed his plate away, expression suddenly dull. He dutifully hopped out of his chair, standing stone-still as the two adults got to their feet.

“Our time together has been wonderful, Bang.” Tenjo kept her calm, dignified expression. “I will do my best to see if your lessons can be continued in some way. If your parents allow it, I would be happy to keep you as my protege.”

He offered a noncommittal noise. No eagerly flapping arms or hopping steps. Just quiet, quieter than Kagura had ever seen him before. There weren’t any traces of his overactive cheer. Just a sort of empty nothing where he stood.

When the hallways dumped back out into the front of the building, a small pile of boxes were waiting, just as the servant had said, with Kagemaru leashed to a pole. Alongside them, a pair of unfamiliar figures were waiting.

“My lord!” The woman offered a polite bow. “It’s an honor, Imperator.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” Tenjo reached out a hand. “You are the Shishigamis? It’s wonderful to finally meet with you.”

The man seemed far shier than his partner, but gave his own polite greeting. “You are too kind, Imperator. I’m Kanji, and this is my wife Hana.” Kagura could see the resemblance easily. Especially with the hair, though his mother’s was neat and restrained while his was shaggy and wild.

The woman’s eyes flicked over him, before settling on Bang. She smiled, though it seemed sharper than necessary.

“Hello, Bang! Wonderful to see you again. Have you been good?”

As soon as she started speaking, Kagura felt little fists grip onto his leg.

Mr. Shishigami was already occupied with a conversation with Tenjo. “I can’t begin to say what a relief it is to know that our boy is safe and sound. I do hope he didn’t cause much trouble for you, your eminence.”

“Oh, not at all. Bang has been quite the breath of fresh air here in the castle.”

“Ahh, that’s wonderful!”

In terms of mannerisms, Kagura was puzzled on how they possibly could have been related. Both were polite and soft-spoken, while all that came to mind when he thought of Bang was raucous and half-coherent chatter.

“I do hope you’ll forgive me for this,” the woman continued, “but Bang seemed very interested in swords and combat during his stay with me. I introduced him to some basic techniques, and he’s been making remarkable progress.”

“Swords? With all due respect, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Hana butted in. “I don’t trust him with butter knives! I wouldn’t think giving him a sword would be at all safe.”

With a little bit of pulling, Kagura tried to dislodge the hands grabbing onto him. He hissed under his breath. “Go on! Why don’t you go see your parents?”

Tenjo gave another warm, polite smile to placate them. “Rest assured, I’ve been very careful with what I teach him. My elder protege, Kagura Mutsuki, has also been very helpful.” She gestured to the swordsman. “And as I said, Bang has been making remarkable progress. His tenacity is inspiring, and he has a very strong drive to problem-solve. He’s taken to this with a remarkable amount of enthusiasm, it’s impressive to witness.”

Despite that, Hana seemed firmly unconvinced. “Oh, I doubt he can solve any problems on his own. You’ve probably noticed, but he’s very unintelligent. Trusting him with anything sharp never ends well.”

While Kagura would agree that she had some point, but there was something unnerving about how casually she spoke, especially considering that Bang stood only a few feet away from her. She didn’t even look at him again after saying hello. Like he wasn’t even there with them.

“I beg to differ.” Kagura recognized that smile, just a smidge forced and usually reserved when she was making a point and wanted it to stick. “Little Bang is almost a natural at my lessons. And he’s very well-behaved. I’ve encountered older students that don’t listen as well. He’s shown quite a lot of potential.”

Kanji had long gone quiet, glancing in between Tenjo and his wife. Hana continued to talk, giving him no time to speak if he even wanted to. “Ah. Well, it’s nice to know that there’s some way to finally get him to listen. I know he can be quite the handful. Trust me, I know from experience. No matter how hard I try to teach him, he’s still such a troublemaker.”

Tenjo was not a woman who was quick to anger. Kagura didn’t see anger in her eyes, but he could make out something forceful. “He has been an excellent student. I was going to ask to see if you would be willing to consider allowing him to continue his studies with me- at no charge to you, of course. Given his aptitude, I think he will make a fine warrior if he is allowed to hone his skills with practice and instruction.”

Very few people would say no to the Imperator. Especially when the tone of her words gave off just enough of an impression that her words were an order, rather than a polite suggestion.

Hana Shishigami looked her right in the eyes as she replied. “I appreciate it, but I’m afraid I’m going to decline. Knowing him, he’s probably forgotten everything you’ve taught him already. He never really learns anything. He’s retarded. He doesn’t know how to remember things.”

Kagura felt Bang flinch against him.

“I see. That’s a shame.” Tenjo replied, expression never changing. “I suppose that’s all the questions I had. Unless you have any of your own, we’ll let you take you leave and return home.”

“...Like hell we are.”

“Yes, Kagura?” The Imperator sounded genuinely confused. “Was there something you wanted to say?”

“Yeah. Like hell I’m letting him anywhere near you.” He wasn’t entirely sure why he felt so much hatred at these people all of a sudden, but it was hard not to lash out. “Where have you two been for the last month that was so important?”

“W-we’re researchers.” Kanji replied. “Lots of experiments to attend to-”

“And for an entire month, you didn’t notice your nine-year-old kid was missing?” Kagura’s eyes were shining with anger. “Or were you happy he was gone?”

“How...how dare you! It may not have been the most responsible moment, but you’ve seen him! He’s quiet, he’s easy to lose track of-”

“Bullshit.” He directed his glare at Hana. “Do you not even know your own kid? He loves to talk. You start him on something he’s interested in, and he can go on for hours. Did you just not pay attention? Or did you tell him to shut up every time?” His stare was so sharp, it could practically cut glass. "Did you ever listen to him at all? Was he just another project, instead of a person?"

The woman looked at Tenjo desperately. “Your eminence, can’t you please deal with him?”

“Kagura is his own person. I don’t own him.” She said. “And I’m not particularly inclined to silence him when I agree with what he says.”

“Y-you-...”

He had been expecting shouting, outrage, anything. Instead, she merely leveled a cold glare at the both of them.

“Fine. Keep the little retard if you want him so badly. Just don’t expect him to amount to anything. He’s barely smart enough to breathe.”

Hana stormed out of the castle foyer without another word. Kanji offered another polite, meek bow before hurrying off after her.

“You okay, Bang?” Kagura looked down to see him still clinging onto his leg, sniffling quietly with tears brimming in his eyes.

“It’s alright. They’re gone now.” Tenjo gave him a gentle pat on the head. “If they’re as smart as they claim to be, then they won’t come back.”

Despite the assurance, Bang seemed no more consoled. “P-please don’t be mad.”

“What? Why would we be mad?”

He looked up at Kagura. “Mommy gets mad when I mis-be-have.”

“You haven’t done anything wrong. There’s no reason to be mad at you about anything.”

“‘m sorry…”

“Don’t be.” Tenjo looked up at the boxes by the door. “Let’s put your belongings back in your room.”

It didn’t take long to move things. Kagura carried most of the light boxes in one trip, with Bang carrying the rest while Kagemaru padded behind. Tenjo lead them back to the room, and they set the boxes down on the bare table.

“Need help putting your things away?”

“Nuh-uh.” He shook his head. “I can do it.”

“Alright then. I’ve got some paperwork to handle, will you be alright on your own?” Tenjo asked.

“Okay.”

As soon as Tenjo and Kagura left, Bang wrapped himself up in his scarf, curled up with Kagemaru, and stayed there for the rest of the night.

#autistic creative challenge #writing #Blazblue #Bang Shishigami #kagura mutsuki #tw ableism

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sangriatimes · 6 years

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Nintendo Switch saves Valentines Day

Can you believe that we are almost half-way done with January? Maybe it’s just me and the countless hours I put into reviewing the latest titles for the Nintendo Switch...which is our focus point that can change the tide if you hit a hard spot this V-Day. Maybe you don’t have enough money for that dinner, movie and gift. Maybe you thought that restaurant you made a reservation at is more expensive than you though. Maybe you just started a new relationship but you still have some awkward silences that seem to kill the mood. Whatever the situation may be a Nintendo Switch can get you to second base and home plate...trust me.

So let’s look at some of the titles for switch that are great to play with that special someone. (Games are listed in no particular order; games are not based on “)sales”; Games are mainly hidden gems)

1. Monopoly | 9.5 out of 10

Hear me out. I was one that grew up playing the original board game with my family and the overall appeal of the game was astounding, but I lost interest when I got older and noticed how long it takes to make everyone go bankrupt. ...but this is something...otherworldly. The first awesome thing you will notice when you pick up this title is the use of the Joy-Con controllers to shake the dice and throw them. Though this is still the same mechanic in spirit as its predecessor but with the newly animated boards populated by Mii’s and watching a living city grow as you play and add properties adds an entirely new respect for Money Bags. Our team lost track of time having so much fun with this one and before we knew it, we had seen 5 hours pass. (No one wants to play Monopoly for that long.)

2. Uno | 8.5 out of 10

Uno is another one of those games I grew up playing with family. When I purchased the game, I was expecting some sort of controller mechanic similar to Monopoly’s dice...but with cards instead...but I was let down. None the less, going into this, I didn’t even know that there were so many ways to play Uno besides the normal rules. Once again, I was amazed at how much more fun this was than the physical cards themselves. Rules like “Stacking. Where Player 1 can play a “Blue Draw 2″ card and Player 2 can counter play a “Draw 2″ card as well. ...but if Player 3 doesn’t possess a “Draw 2″ card, Player 3 then has to pick all 4 cards from the previous turns” was so exciting to try and there are many other ways to customize rules and play styles.

3. Super Smash Bros | 9.0 out of 10

I really don’t need to go into detail about this one. My only issue with the Smash series is I would really enjoy a multiplayer adventure mode or campaign. I was quite pleased with the full roster of characters though. Disclaimer: Make sure your partner isn’t a sore loser. We all know about SSB’s steep learning curve for beginners. “Don’t be a butt...”

4. Diablo 3 | 9.0 out of 10

I remember having this title on my old PS4 and being able to enjoy it on my PS Vita while I was in a relationship with someone who liked the game as much as I and we would both take our Vita’s to the restroom with us so we could keep the experience going. This title can definitely be used to understand the mindset your partner has by the way they customize their character and the actions they take in response to events. It’s a top-down action-adventure-role-playing-hack-n-slash (inhale.) It is a port of it’s original released on PS3 & 360...the price tag is still $59.99. That’s a deal breaker in my book.

5. NES Emulator | 7.5 out of 10

I honestly chose this one because of how many gamers I know and how 89% of them are males. This is something for those who don’t game to get their feet wet. The emulator is free on the eShop for a 7-day trial but comes with a subscription cost after. Pretty inexpensive for the titles they have. Legend of Zelda, Super Mario Bros, Metroid, and many more. It even comes with special versions of some of the games which gives the player the experience of playing with Game Genie cheats.

6. 99 Vidas | 7.0 out of 10

Your probably thinking, “ Why is this even listed?” Well, just in case that partner your with doesn’t dig the 8-bit look or the low-res adventures of the NES Emulator and desires a little more action and has a fetish for Streets of Rage and Beat ‘em Up’s. Simply. The available characters are cool enough to get players to find a favorite out of them. ...so...that’s good!

7. Oh Sir...The Hollywood Roast | 8.3 out of 10

After seeing the Samuel Jackson clone named “Bad MotherHugger” who’s personality is totally canon, I had to dig deeper. If you didn’t play the prequel, you don’t need to. I honestly only used the first title to learn how to play. In this installment, you and a co-star face off on a movie set where your scenario is to insult the other the worst. It plays like a fighting game, complete with health bars, special insults, tag team insults and so much more. For the price it is, I was expecting something way less entertaining. Oh, and one point or another you will joke against a Deadpool copy...a less funnier Deadpool but funny enough.

Consider this the American version of The Office.

8. Oh Sir...The Insult Simulator | 7.8 out of 10

Obviously, this is the European version of The Office. I won’t say this is better than the sequel and I can’t say it’s worse either but I will say “I am an American...” What this game does is teach you how to layer your jokes and how lay the foundation for repetition in your topics to create combo’ s. I like to let the opponent bombard me with little weak jokes and build a super mean and super long insult that grants victory for only one joke. I call it, “The Kamehameha Effect!”

9. No More Heroes: Travis Strikes Back

The third installment to the series hits the eShop and retailers in a few days and I am super excited to get my copy. If you aren’t familiar with the series, let me fill you in:

Travis Touchdown is the protagonist of all three games. In NMH1 we find Travis at his lowest moment in life. Jobless, hopeless and drunk, he runs into a mysterious woman who offers him employment with a sketchy syndicate group he knows nothing about. Luckily he had lost all his money by winning a bid at an online auction for a Beam Katana, his main choice of weaponry. Not long after, you find out you were hired as an assassin in a shady game by her higher-ups. Travis takes the job after being promised some passionate TLC if he can take out all 10 of the already top ranking assassins all over the world. Travis is a pretty simple guy. He likes mecha anime, luchador wrestling, old school video games, porn, sex, and sleeping on the toilet.

In NMH2, Travis finds out that after becoming the #1 ranking assassin in Santa Cruise, he finds out that he actually has hundreds of more assassins in a new ranking system where Travis is the lowest ranking.

This time around, Travis is joined by the father of one the assassins he killed in NMH1, and the co-op option is something that would have been outstanding to have in NMH2 but none the less the developers always deliver great content in their titles and this one will not disappoint. Couples will enjoy the kinky nature of the series for sure. It has been proven many times.

10. Broforce | 9.5 out of 10

Every wanted to play Super Mario Bros on NES but with guns? Ever want to change Mario for, let’s say...any huge action movie star from the 80′s, 90′s, 00′s? Ever wanted it to be a co-op experience with up to 4 players with local and online co-op? As a mercenary for the USA, you are sent to 3rd world contries to liberate them from the evil control of Satan and his hell spawn. Before that, you will have to fight through waves of kamikaze soldiers, war dogs, giant helicoptors, aliens (...from the movie “Aliens”) and much more. Along the way, you will recruit an entire cast of badasses. From Rambo to Robocop, you will find Chuck Norris, Neo, Blade, Bruce Willis, Terminator, Preditor, Machette, Michelle Rodrigez, The Bride (Kill Bill) & so many more including Mortal Kombats Raiden.

Very easy to pick up, very hard to put down.

11. Nidhogg 2 | 8.0 out of 10

2D-Side Scrolling Fighter. You start of with a sword. When you die, you respawn with a dagger. When you die, you respawn with a bow and arrow. Die again and respawn with an ax. Die again and respawn with your fist. This cycle will continue until you our your opponent makes it to the opposing end of the map. Maps are relatively small and consist of about 2 to 3 different frames. Sounds easy on paper right?

Tons of laughs to be had!

12. Tales Of Vesperia

If your looking for an in-depth RPG you both can play while she sits between your legs and you both focus on the Switch screen laying in front of you: this is for you two. The co-op system usually only functions when you enter battle. Player 1 will always be the one running around the world map but this is still fine if you keep an open-mind and communicate on decisions that impact the story and more. (Keep track of your own money.)

side-note: All Tales games are co-op in this sense, even the Super Nintendo picks.

13. Harvest Moon: Light of Hope

I’ve been a Harvest Moon fan since Super Nintendo and got my first copy on the N64. I know a lot of people see this game and hate the thought of a farming simulator but unlike it’s counterpart with the same name-sake; Harvest Moon is so much more. This can easily tame the craving for an adventure-rpg-dating sim with a very rich story and characters that actually grow on you. I have not had the chance to play this particular version yet, but I saw it was multiplayer and that sold me. If you want to try a good yet cheaper version, Harvest Moon: Back to Nature is by far, one of the best, next to Harvest Moon 64.

So there you have it, our picks of love for your love to love with their love! Honestly...I don’ t celebrate Valentines Day (poly-gang), but I love exposing partners to new things that they can enjoy together.

OUT!

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evolutionsvoid · 6 years

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To those who know anything about demons, it is obvious that they have an affinity for fire. The internal flame they claim to possess serves as their soul, which both grants them their immunity to fire and gives them control over it. What is a bit less known about demons, though, is that they are bound to more than just the flame. Much like dryads, who are tied to earth and root, demons are born of fire and stone. These elements, and several others found in the Underworld, are tied to demonkind, which can be learned and wielded with some form of magic. Unlike humans, who are capable of learning any element or magical art, demons are forever bound to the likes of fire, stone and metal. Never shall a demon be able to wield the power of ice or lightening, as their bodies are incapable of understanding them. To man up above, this is seen as a weakness. They can control anything, while the demons are stuck meddling with embers and pebbles. This assumption, though, comes only from those who know very little about magic. For those who have studied in these realms and have witnessed demon magic, such a belief is a joke. Yes, demons are limited in the types of magic they can perform, but due to their natural ties to these elements, and the fact that they have only a short range to work with, they are undeniable masters of this art. One only needs to look at the Fire Dancers, whose flowing moves and twirling spells can summon savage infernos and incinerate legions. Or they can turn to the Stone Weavers, whose control over earth and rock puts any Geomancer to absolute shame. As one should expect from the name, Stone Weavers are demons who have studied and trained in the element of stone. With magic, they can control the rocks and boulders with extreme precision and unbelievable strength. While some may imagine that power over rock is quite simple and blunt, demons have turned this art into something truly remarkable. The first interesting thing about Stone Weavers is how they gain control over these simple stones. For Geomancers, they simply need to focus on a target to control it, allowing them to wield any stony object around them. For Stone Weavers, though, their methods rely on the sense of touch. Odd as it may sound, Stone Weavers need to physically touch the rock and stone in order to "understand it." Whenever they make contact with a rocky surface, they make some kind of connection to the element that allows them to form a powerful bond. To fully explain such a thing is difficult, but some Stone Weavers have tried describing it as "forming familiar memories." With a simple touch, one can feel its textures, sense its energy and truly understand its every piece. They will know that slab of rock, they shall remember that ancient tunnel, and that will give them extraordinary abilities. At first, human mages believed this need for touch and feeling was a weakness of the Stone Weavers. Geomancers could simply use any rock at a whim, while the Weavers needed to "become familiar" with it. It turned out, though, that this bond they formed was much stronger than any could have predicted. When a Geomancer once squared off against one of these magic users, they quickly learned how wrong they were. Indeed they required touch to access their full power, but they still had basic control over stones they had not bonded with. When faced with a hail of granite shards, the Stone Weaver pushed them aside with a crude force. Once the demon touched the granite spikes and understood the slab they came from, the Geomancer immediately lost all control over them. Within moments, the Stone Weaver bonded with the projectiles and the earth around it, and the mage was rendered helpless. No stone or rock would obey their power, as the Stone Weaver had become one with them. What happened after was quite brief and incredibly bloody. After the few pieces of the Geomancer were recovered, man decided it was time to rethink their assumptions. For Stone Weavers, the sense of touch is everything. None shall ever wear full gauntlets that cover their palms and fingers, and their armored foot pieces tend to have sections missing so that their bare flesh may touch the ground. With this, simply walking across the ground allows them to connect with the earthen floor and gain power and knowledge over the entire area. During times of war and battle in the Underworld, Stone Weavers were used to detect enemy movements, as they could interpret the vibrations that resonated through the stone. In calmer times, they are crucial for mining operations and for rescue during cave-ins. By feeling the tunnel walls, they can pinpoint weak spots and faults, which allow them to direct the miners so that they do not cause a collapse. If a cave-in is ever required, Stone Weavers can locate these precise spots and mentally shatter them, creating a rain of stone that is incredibly precise and controlled. If one has ever visited a demon mine in the Underworld before, they may wonder what the purpose is of the one demon who constantly walks the tunnels with their hands on the walls. That individual will most likely be a Stone Weaver, who is assigned to the operation and is keeping an eye on the integrity of the surrounding earth. Any type of digging or cavern carving that is done in the Underworld will have Stone Weavers present, as their senses can prevent catastrophic cave-ins and collapses.

While their touch of stone and rock allows them to form a bond, it is not a permanent one. Much like a memory, as time and distance passes, their connection will fade and weaken. One can remember a texture immediately after touching it, but hours later, it may not be so familiar. As time passes and more bonds are formed, the earlier connections will begin to dim and lose their power. Their control will not be as precise and their power over it will resemble the crude strength of a Geomancer. If they touch this chunk of earth again, though, they may refresh their memory and immediately regain perfect control. To get around this, Stone Weavers will carry small pieces of rock that they carve out of specific slabs or tunnels. For those who are assigned to specific caverns or tunnel networks, they may have a necklace or chain of stone fragments that were collected from all over their territory. With this close at hand, they can always keep the memory fresh and clear, no matter where they go or how much time has passed. Some have been known to carry pieces that were taken from places or slabs that hold special meaning to them. Many Stone Weavers have a bit of rock that was cut from their home, a calming trinket they can hold and clear their mind with. While rocks may seem lifeless and cold to others, Stone Weavers seem to pull a type of energy and emotion from them, as seen with their personal collection of shards. Pieces taken from home and childhood places can calm, while fragments that are associated to loved ones can bring warm feelings and pleasant memories. On the flip side, certain pieces of stone and rock can bring about darker feelings. Those collected from ancient weapons can bring aggression, while mementos of fallen friends and allies can summon forth rage. A famous example comes from the demon tale Walker of the Chasm, which tells of a Stone Weaver who seeks to avenge her husband's death in the war. During her cruel quest, she carried with her a piece of stone that came from his grave, which would throw her into an unstoppable rage whenever she touched it. One may wonder if she chose to carry the cinnabar ring that bound the two lovers instead, that perhaps the sad tale may have ended differently. When it comes to times of peace, Stone Weavers are incredibly valuable workers. Not only do they prevent cave-ins and aid in keeping the integrity of the Underworld intact, but they can also be used to locate special mineral deposits and increase mining efficiency. When it comes to building new structures or pillars, they will be at hand to make sure that they are stable and sturdy. Master carvers and builders in the Underworld will often be trained by Stone Weavers, which allows them to create impressive pieces. On the battlefield, Stone Weavers are just as valuable as warriors. When the fighting takes place in the Underworld, they can seize control of the caverns and tunnels to cause quakes, cave-ins or a rain of boulders. Not only can they cause widespread destruction, but in close combat, they are incredibly deadly to fight. The first is the fact that Stone Weavers will wear armor made of mainly of rock. Specially carved and crafted, this armor is incredibly heavy and cumbersome, but only to those who are not Stone Weavers. With their control over the element, they can make this protective suit light as air and surprisingly flexible. Since the stone plates touch their skin, they will have a permanent bond to it. With the speed and grace they put in their movements, one would find it hard to believe that they are covered in rocks. Their armor gains even more of an advantage when it comes to absorbing blows, as they can move the pieces in minute ways to better block attacks and projectiles. Not only is their speed and agility startling, but Stone Weavers are even capable of using their rock suits to levitate. By lifting the very stones in their armor, they can carry themselves off the ground and into the air. Imagine the confusion and terror that ran through the legions of men when the demons' soldiers of stone took to the air and rained meteors from up above. With such impressive armor and defense, Stone Weavers are incredibly difficult to slay, and even more so with their deadly arsenal. Their power over the element gives them an endless supply of weaponry, and all they need is a simple touch. When unleashed in human cities, Stone Weavers only need to walk down their cobblestone roads in order to gain control over an obscene amount of rocks. They need no blade or bow, only a chunk of stone in order to carve through entire legions. Stone Weavers have been seen ripping entire sections of castle wall out to flatten platoons and grind soldiers to a pulp. Some seize control over a mountain of bricks, and then transform them into lightening fast chain-whips and pulverizing fists. One battle between man and demon spoke of one of these warriors who wielded a section of tower and pushed it down the streets like a massive rolling pin. Though the humans eventually beat back the hordes, the city's streets were permanently stained red and workers spent weeks prying up the chunks of metal embedded in the stone. While they can create weapons out of practically anything, Stone Weavers prefer to carry some on their person. These weapons are made entirely of stone and are fashioned with their magic in mind. Often these tools cannot be wielded by hand, as they are either too heavy or too awkward to use, and can only be controlled through the Stone Weaver's magic. Some of their common designs are: heavy stone orbs, razor sharp blades with no handles or grips, stone cylinders linked by chain, thick discs and other crude looking tools. Just by appearance, one may see them as primitive weapons, but the Stone Weavers wield them with deadly efficiency. The stone orbs they carry can zip around at blinding speeds, crushing skulls and pounding opponents into the earth. A spinning granite disc thrown by them will move in impossible ways, ricocheting off foes in a bizarre bone-breaking dance. Their whips will move like living serpents, sweeping platoons off their feet and crushing enemies in a deadly embrace. Whichever weapon they choose to wield, they will take special care to keep a fragment that was carved from the same slab. With it hanging from their necklace, they will never lose control over this tool and will remain a force to be reckoned with. For Stone Weavers that choose to be warriors, they will often model their armor and weapons after stone beings of myth, like Alauticus, the Core Dwellers and the Tectons. With their duties and abilities, Stone Weavers are invaluable to their communities and caverns, but there is one thing that should be noted. When they are not doing their jobs or fighting in wars, Stone Weavers can come off as quite odd and awkward. This ability of theirs is not so easily turned off, and this affects their personal lives. They will be rather obsessed with the sensation of touch, and will always have some smooth bit of stone that they hold and rub in their hands. Even outside of the element of stone, they are very hands-on with things and will always want to have contact with whatever they are focused on. Those in relationships with Stone Weavers will find them to be in constant need of touch, and can sometimes come off as clingy. The act of holding hands means a lot more to them then a simple romantic gesture, as it is a calming to their mind and helps block out any signals or memories that may come from the surrounding rock. Due to the emotion and energy they receive from stone, they can appear to have severe mood swings at times. By simply touching a certain object that is imbued with emotional energy, they can suddenly, and involuntarily, turn into a different person. Depending on the area and its history, they may even get overwhelmed by a simple walk through town. There are many stories that tell of Stone Weavers that have breakdowns in the middle of the street. Usually this comes from a brutal murder or a tragic event that recently happened on that spot, and its emotional energy soaked into the stone. There are certain caves and tunnels that are forever avoided by Stone Weavers, as they are places that were infected by the war. The earth there forever carries those haunting memories, and it may never let them go. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Humans got magic, dryads got magic, and now we are getting some demon magic! I both love and despise these types of entries, as it is always neat fleshing out this type of stuff, but it usually takes about 2+ hours to write it all and I often feel like I still missed certain details.

#demon #magic #mage #stone mage #monster #creature #art #drawing #geomancer

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sjrresearch · 4 years

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‘Conquer’s Blade’ Season V Takes Inspiration from Byzantine Empire

(This article is credited to Ben Price. For as long as he can remember, Ben has always loved playing, discussing, and writing about video games. Since receiving his B.A. in English, he now writes about them for a living.)

My.Games has just announced the fifth season of the free-to-play game Conqueror’s Blade, entitled Legacy of Fire. The new season introduces a slew of brand new features and content to the online title, including new weapons, rewards, units, and even a brand new region for players to explore.

Conqueror’s Blade is a free-to-play multiplayer tactical siege RTS game with RPG elements. Through the game, the player can command large armies in a massive open-world and attack enemy castles controlled by other players in large PvP battles. Two teams of up to 15 players wage war against one another, striking siege to crush their opposition. First released in 2019, the game has since received regular updates with Legacy of Fire being the fifth main expansion.

Season V introduces the Kingdom of Emopyros, which controls a makeshift militia known as the Symmachean Brotherhood and seeks to make its way across the land of Anadolou. The first brand-new region to be introduced since the title’s initial launch, Anadolou offers plenty of new and exciting possibilities for Conqueror’s Blade players with more room to explore and new castles to siege and conquer.

By exploring this newly introduced region, players will be able to unlock over 200 new rewards, including brand new attire exclusive to Season V and plenty of other content from a new Battle Pass. Both Season V: Legacy of Fire and the Season V Battle Pass will launch together on October 13.

New seasonal units have also been added into the game, which come equipped with newly-developed weapons. The Zykalian Militia, which is armed with throwable earthenware grenades, make for an excellent defensive force. Season V also introduces the Siphonaroi, which are new forces that come armed with flamethrowers.

Additionally, several fan-favorite units have been promoted up to the ranks of the Symmachean Brotherhood. Symmachean Stalwarts are an elite regiment that are based heavily off of the Spear Sergeants; additionally, Symmachean Paladins branch off from the pre-existing Men-at-Arms. These basic units can be promoted up to the Symmachean Brotherhood units via Seasonal Challenges.

This new expansion is directly inspired by the Byzantine Empire. Also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire, the empire first began in 5th Century AD and continued to exist for a thousand years, until finally falling to the Ottoman Empire in 1453. The Byzantine Empire was the most powerful economic, cultural, and military force in all of Europe. The Symmachean Brotherhood’s new units take direct inspiration from Byzantine Empire’s military and the advanced weaponry from that era that made use of such weapons as Greek fire, an incendiary weapon that could even burn on water.

Conqueror’s Blade is available now to download for PC and play for free through the MY.GAMES App Store. Season V: Legacy of Fire will launch alongside the brand new Season V Battle Pass on October 13. Players will be able to pre-order in-game in the coming days.

At SJR Research, we specialize in creating compelling narratives and provide research to give your game the kind of details that engage your players and create a resonant world they want to spend time in. If you are interested in learning more about our gaming research services, you can browse SJR Research’s service on our site at SJR Research.

#gaming

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daleisgreat · 4 years

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Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge

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A couple weeks ago, the DLC story expansion to the videogame, Mortal Kombat 11 was released and added an additional few hours of narrative that picks up on where the core MK11 plot left off. I finished that up a few days ago, and picked away playing with the new characters and doing online battles with a friend I occasionally duke it out with online. On top of that, several weeks ago Warner Bros. released a straight-to-video animated movie dubbed Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge (trailer). Animated features based on the MK license are nothing new; one is include as a bonus feature on the original live action BluRay I reviewed here a few years ago. That and the other ones released in the previous century varied greatly in quality, and a pivotal difference with Scorpion’s Revenge is that it features some of the brains behind the highly acclaimed DC animated films working on it. Assault of Arkham’s Ethan Spaulding is directing, while Teen Titans Go vs. Teen Titans penned the script. I ate up too many MK comics, movies and videogames over the years so I have an admittedly high familiarity with its canon. With a title like Scorpion’s Revenge I was initially led to believe this would be a side story focusing on Scorpion’s rivalry with Sub-Zero. It initially starts out that way with Scorpion’s origin story where he returns to his village to see his family and fellow villagers slaughtered by a clan headed up by Sub-Zero. Sub-Zero (Steve Blum) ultimately slays him as well, and in hell Scorpion (Patrick Seitz) makes a deal with one Quan Chi (Darin De Paul) to restore his essence to enact revenge while also entering the Mortal Kombat tournament. That opening scene is graphically intense for an animated feature, and Warner Bros. granted the animators a lot of leeway to maximize everything they could out of the R rating. If you have played the recent MK games and are familiar with their ‘X-Ray Attacks’ then a lot of the gore and violence in Scorpion’s Revenge will ring a bell.

After that initial intense setup for Scorpion and Sub-Zero, the rest of the film is essentially a remake of the original live action film, yet has some noticeable differences to switch things up. Liu Kang (Jordan Rodrigues), Johnny Cage (Joel McHale) and Sonya Blade (Jennifer Carpenter) return as the three core protagonists that meet up once again on a boat leading to mysterious location where the Mortal Kombat tournament is emanating from. Sinister sorcerer, Shang Tsung (Artt Butler) is behind the festivities on his own personal island of hell, and has all kinds of trickery to distract the heroes. While the general broadstrokes of the live action film and this animated feature hits similar beats, a lot of it is freshened up. Some of the key battles feature different matchups, and the characters from the second game have varying degrees of supporting roles, and I feel for poor Jax (Ike Amadi) because the filmmakers here found a new way to de-arm him, which is as excruciating as ever to relive again and again. I got into Scorpion’s Revenge style of mixing up the exposition this time around. Sonya Blade has an edge to her and has absolutely zero tolerance for Cage’s nonstop flirting with her. Having Scorpion constantly out for revenge on Sub-Zero in their rivalry is a better use of those two characters instead of as lowly goons for Shang Tsung like in the live action film. Raiden (Dave B. Mitchell) is back as the wise elder with an occasional pun that guides the heroes along their journey and sets them up for an awesome final stretch of battles against Quan Chi, Goro and Shang Tsung. I will re-emphasize the gruesomeness of the violence here as the artists hold nothing back and ensure it matches the pedigree established by the games. It all adds up for a gritting finale as the warriors lay waste to one another.

There is a decent amount of bonuses on the BluRay. Producer, Rick Morales and Writer, Jeremy Adams are on hand for the feature commentary track. They go out of their way numerous times to appreciate Warner Bros. for letting them go all out with the violence and offer up other random insight and production facts throughout. There are four mini-behind-the-scenes extras totaling just over 20 minutes breaking down the characters, lore, weaponry, animation and sound design of the film. All are quick watches with an interesting anecdote or two, but not worth going out of your way to see….except maybe the one on sound design where it was amusing to see how they showcased all the various foods squished for the blood splatters and bone crushing sound effects. Part of me wants to give Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge an easy recommendation because of their excellent use of the license and canon that any MK nut like myself will get a thrill out of, and it is a breezy 80 minute watch to boot. Watching its take on remixing the plot from the heralded live action film for a new generation was something special to immerse myself in to witness how it all unfolded. However, if you are not all that familiar with the near 30 years of MK lore a lot of the characters and general plot beats will either go right over your head or will likely incite many unintentional chuckles. Suffice it to say, only fans of the series should go out of their way to see Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge. Bonus update, upon doing research for this I discovered the long delayed live action reboot film wrapped production at the end of 2019 and is currently slated for a January 2021 theatrical release date. Here is hoping it will up to the legacy of the original as being one of the best live action videogame film adaptations. Other Random Backlog Movie Blogs 3 12 Angry Men (1957) 12 Rounds 3: Lockdown 21 Jump Street The Accountant Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie Atari: Game Over The Avengers: Age of Ultron The Avengers: Infinity War Batman: The Dark Knight Rises Batman: The Killing Joke Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Bounty Hunters Cabin in the Woods Captain America: Civil War Captain America: The First Avenger Captain America: The Winter Soldier Christmas Eve Clash of the Titans (1981) Clint Eastwood 11-pack Special The Condemned 2 Countdown Creed I & II Deck the Halls Detroit Rock City Die Hard Dredd The Eliminators The Equalizer Dirty Work Faster Fast and Furious I-VIII Field of Dreams Fight Club The Fighter For Love of the Game Good Will Hunting Gravity Grunt: The Wrestling Movie Guardians of the Galaxy Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 Hell Comes to Frogtown Hercules: Reborn Hitman I Like to Hurt People Indiana Jones 1-4 Ink The Interrogation Interstellar Jay and Silent Bob Reboot Jobs Joy Ride 1-3 Major League Man of Steel Man on the Moon Man vs Snake Marine 3-6 Merry Friggin Christmas Metallica: Some Kind of Monster Mortal Kombat National Treasure National Treasure: Book of Secrets Not for Resale Pulp Fiction The Replacements Reservoir Dogs Rocky I-VIII Running Films Part 1 Running Films Part 2 San Andreas ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Shoot em Up Slacker Skyscraper Small Town Santa Steve Jobs Source Code Star Trek I-XIII Sully Take Me Home Tonight TMNT The Tooth Fairy 1 & 2 UHF Veronica Mars Vision Quest The War Wild Wonder Woman The Wrestler (2008) X-Men: Apocalypse X-Men: Days of Future Past

#Mortal Kombat #mortal kombat legends scorpions revenge #Scorpion #sub-zero #liu kang #johnny cage #joel mchale #steve blum #patrick seitz #darin de paul #jennifer carpenter #jordan rodriguez #jeremy adams #ethan spaulding

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korffxiv · 5 years

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♖The Three Company Divisions

Division Name: The Fellowship of Strix

Division Commander: Sohmah Yhaazri

Lieutenant Commander: Sotaisa Kalevala

2nd Lieutenant Commanders: Rodney Lionheart, Kazari Iwakora

Rajskan Aegis: Shou Han

Unit Focus: As the RP Division of the Free Company, the Fellowship of Strix look to help promote new players in the role play scene, but also offer a robust experience in lore and working story that other companies don't possess. Continuously innovating the story to fit the working lore of Eorzea and developing the Fellowship into a full fledged RP scene in itself.

Unit Motto: Digna Malorum Improborum (Villains Deserve Nightmares)

Unit Description: Although this division makes up the vast majority of the knights in the organization, not much is known about its activities. Combining the technological advances of the Empire with the magical prowess of the Sharlayans, the Fellowship aims to disrupt Imperial intelligence and military operations through superior technology and battle tactics. Even given its larger number, the division itself is never seen en masse, with most of its sleeper units dispersed across Eorzea and the Far East, as well as a full contingent of spies. Their aim is to instill the same fear into the heart of the Empire that they instill in others, rendering their units helpless in the face of their wrath. The Division's Commander is also a longtime friend of the Lord Commander, an intimidating Monk whose epithet within the Empire is "The Broodfist". Using his extensive background in scouting, espionage, and power politics, he leads the charge against the empire in ways that have not been seen before. Using stolen prototypes from the Empire and using the Free Companies resources, he turns their own weapons against them with infused aether. He is constantly processing reconnaissance from across the world, developing plans that are often two to three steps ahead of his opponents. The only time the Fellowship has ever moved en masse, it was to assassinate an Imperial Pilus Prior. According to the Empire, the Pilus Prior had been ambushed by vastly larger and superior force. In all honesty, the Fellowship had totaled less than a third of the Imperial force. Using the cover of night and previously stolen intelligence to their advantage, the battle lasted less than five minutes. Even though the Empire had brought a newly developed prototype magitek armor suit into the field, they quickly fell to the Fellowship and the help of the elite guard of the KoR, the Jingwei Blades. In order to bring the Garleans to heel, the Fellowship aims to outclass the Empire in both technology and information, and they risk their lives everyday to keep the Knights of Redwall the most well informed organization in Eorzea.

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Division Name: Talon Tradecrafts

Division Commander: Curly Fry

Lieutenant Commander: N/A

2nd Lieutenant Commanders: N/A

Rajskan Aegis: Kaiyran Blackwater

Unit Focus: To make advancements in the field of Magic/Magitek fusion as well as develop business relations across the globe. (OoC Crafting Division)

Unit Motto: Imperii Creativity (Supremacy Through Creativity)

Unit Description: In an effort to become more self-reliant in the fields of commerce and technology, the Knights of Redwall entered into a charter with the city state of Gridania to develop its own crafting firm, Talon Tradecrafts. Having varying degrees of skill in every craft they could lay their hands on, together they can make almost anything they are commissioned to. Although as of late, they have been working to make advancements in a similar field to Aetherchemical research, fusing Sharlayan based magics with Garlean magitek. Along with that, they are working to create long term business investments both across Eorzea and the Far East. While other Divisions in the Knights of Redwall specialize in Espionage or Raiding, the members of Talon Tradecraft are more like high profile dealers in exotic goods, both in military and civilian markets. Using stolen Garlean tech and infusing it with magic to create their own brand of high grade weaponry before selling it to enemies of the empire. For this Division, it is not necessarily all about skill, the key to winning is creativity and ingenuity. They know that in order to make up for the lack of numbers in their fight against the Empire, technology is the key to turning the tide of war. They are also in charge with maintaining and developing the Free Company's fleet of airships, The Freebeast, The Waveblade, The Redhawk, and The Duskqueen. The Freebeast being a long range surveillance vessel, The Waveblade a work-in-progress freighter/gunship, The Redhawk acting as a long range personnel transport, and The Duskqueen rounding out the Command ships as a long range gunship with a large communications array, and currently stands as the Company's Flagship. While still small in size, being able to establish a presence in the skies is the long term focus of the Division. To that end, they provide basic airship piloting training and repair skills to all member of their division. As well as more specialized research training if the Order member so chooses. Using the developments in technology along with air superiority, Talon Tradeworks seeks to remind the Empire that they are not the only power that lurks in the skies.

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Division Name: The Phoenix Strigodae

Division Commander: Eunbi Way

Lieutenant Commander: N/A

2nd Lieutenant Commanders: N/A

Rajskan Aegis: Zipi Gale

Unit Focus: To train and outfit Knights talented in combat in more dangerous high ranking missions. This includes the hunting of cryptids as well as clearing out unknown and deeply infested locales. (OoC Raiding Division)

Unit Motto: Null Misericordia (No Mercy)

Unit Description: While not much is known about the Spy network for the Free Company, The Fellowship of Strix, even less is known about the heavy strike team known as the Phoenix Strigodae. What little documents pertaining to their existence note them as a black ops unit, sent in to the most dangerous locales when other options fall short. Once someone has passed their extensive training regimen, their name gets striked from the official record of the organization. Their work helps keep both the organization and Eorzea safe from some of the bigger threats that are out there. While their number is significantly smaller than the other two divisions, the power levels of each individual member rivals in battle power to multiple members of any other division. Mostly due to their maximum aether pool being grown during their training efforts, as well as the gear given to them for their missions. They also helped the Fellowship of Strix assault the Imperial Pilus Prior in the East Shroud, giving the operation a fearsome vanguard that left no survivors to report in. Apart from that, they have been laying in wait, training new members and gearing up for the next offensive that the Empire may throw at them. Given the Organization's interest in magical fusion research, they may be needed to explore civilizations of eld that haven't been touched in centuries.

♖Ranks

The following are official descriptions for the ranks that are possible to attain in the Knights of Redwall. Once you have achieved the rank in question, it is implied that your character has underwent the appropriate training to attain it, and these qualities can be added to your character's profile for more depth and a little more understanding of what your character is capable of. Without further ado, here are the ranks and their descriptions from Highest to Lowest: Lord Commander: The highest ranking member of the Order, the Lord Commander is in charge of the political standing of the guild as well as coordinating the focuses and operations of the organization. Although it would be easy to say that the Lord Commander is possibly the most powerful member of the Order, it is not through sheer power. The information that the position has to intake on a daily basis allows for the leader of the Knights of Redwall to stay comfortably ahead of the enemies of the Order. With the full power of a spy network, trading company, and black ops division at his finger tips, he combines them with the information of his office to strike decisive blows against the empire. Despite all of this, the Lord Commander himself proves to be one of the more elusive members of the Order, perhaps to keep the Order itself safe. He's known within the Empire as the Crimson Aegolius, for his undercover work in Ala Mhigo, fostering resistance movements within the subjugated city-state while keeping them all decentralized. Making him one of the most wanted men in the Empire's history. Shieldmaiden: The 2nd highest position in the Order, the Shieldmaiden is the one to take charge in the case of the Lord Commander's absence. That being said, the Shieldmaiden is the closest confidant and informant of the Lord Commander, and personally leads the Free Company's integration and training of new members. By keeping the 2nd highest post in command of the Order, the Organization has added multiple plots of land to its possession, and works to build cozy hideouts and covers for the Order to operate in. Rumors have been spread of her previous missions within Garlean held Ala Mhigo during a tour with the Twin Adders, and her work studying and recording the various propaganda techniques of The Empire. The Miqo'te herself has been rumored to be little more than a passing bard before joining their ranks, and is now considered one of the most prevalent threats to the Empire within The Black Shroud, using her knowledge of mass psychology and politics to create a whirlwind of chaos for their foes, and rally the Knights at a moments notice. What adds to her being the 2nd most wanted person in the organization however, is her skill at arms with her bow. During the times before the founding, Eunbi also served under Jaster as his personal sniper, and it was rumored that any time she drew her bow, it's arrow would find its target. Jingwei Blades: While the Pheonix Strigodae may be the Order's most well trained group of Knights by means of combat, the rank of Jingwei Blade is on another level entirely. The small group of men and women that hold this title are well known to be the best warriors in the entire Organization. On top of that, each of them both work on independent assignments to further the interests of the Knights of Redwall, as well as oversee various parts of the Order itself. It would go without saying that in case of an emergency, these hallowed Knights would form the core of the elite guard, as well as the members of the Rajshan Aegist. There is only a singular Knight that holds this rank at the present, a sworn wanderer of his own choosing. Instead of protecting the Monastery from the homefront, he instead wages unending war upon the Knights of Redwall's enemies. For any transgression against the Knights of Redwall, it will be repaid tenfold by a single Knight, and nothing can stop him. Division Commander: The Highest attainable rank within their respective Division, the Division Commanders are fearsome, highly wanted men and women in the eyes of the Empire. Each one being a prodigy in their respective field, they do not simply issue commands to their Divisions, but they lead them in the frontlines of espionage, research, and military operations. Much in the same way that a Garlean officer is not excluded from combat, the Commanders of the Knights of Redwall almost relish in the opportunity to strike a blow against their greatest enemy. One of these is "The Broodfist" Sohmah Yhaazri, the KoR's spymaster, the third most wanted man in the order, and one time personal retainer to Jaster Laenwyn himself before the founding of the Free Company. The Redwall Fleet Admiral, Commander Curly Fry, is not only known to be the fiercest Lalafell fighter in the organization, but her personal Command Ship, "The Waveblade", is the fleet's spearhead and primary gunship. Nothing is known of the current Phoenix Strigodae Commander at the current moment. Most suspect that they are abroad heading war efforts on the front lines. Lieutenant Division Commander: These individuals, each sitting at the 2nd highest position of a company division, are experts in their respective field. Having a large amount of expertise as well as respect within the Order as a whole, these men and women officially hold the 1st rank spot in their respective divisions in the absence of its commander. Possessing uncanny amounts of ambition, wit, and courage, they help train and maintain the largest operational structures within the Knights of Redwall. Being restricted to the various bases more-so than their subordinate commanders, these hardened Knights are only fielded when stakes are exceptionally high. 2nd Lieutenant Division Commander: A newly added rank to the Order, the 2nd Lt. Commanders help provide additional logistical, martial, and morale support to their individual divisions. Each 2nd Lt. Commander is generally paired with a particular Commander or Lt. Commander in their division, creating leadership teams that help direct the Divisions with less personnel. That being said, even as an introductory Brass rank, a 2nd Lt. Commander is nothing to scoff at, generally being on the same level as a Phoenix Strigodae Sergeant at the very lowest in terms of combat prowess. Being the start of the "office" based positions, the only time these units are dispatched are for various high profile missions such as assassinations. Fellowship of Strix Ranks: Sergeant: This rank within the Fellowship acts as squad leaders to individual spy teams, leading the pursuit into enemy territory and making sure that their teammates come out of the situation alive. While the large objectives of a mission is handled by the Lieutenant Division Commanders, a sergeant has the ability to change directives on the fly if the situation calls for it, ending in a higher survivability rate for the Order compared to other espionage organizations. In order to achieve this rank, one will have to successfully complete the specialized training for the Division, as well as show aptitude for leading and survive multiple missions abroad. Sergeants are generally hand picked by Second Lieutenants or a higher up for their potential, so it is important for specialists in the division to show potential when wanting to advance to this rank. Due to their demanding nature and necessity to keep their teams alive, a Strix Sergeant typically garners enough skill and resources to face down an Imperial Pilus without much issue. Specialist: This rank makes up the majority of the Fellowship of Strix, as well as the standard spy team. Each of these Knights have underwent specialized espionage training to survive the dangerous life of subterfuge within a certain environment, and therefor have less combat aptitude than a Pheonix Strigodae, but more than a member of the Talon Tradecrafts. The strength of a Specialist in the Fellowship lies in stealth and numbers, creating a network of information that rivals that of the Empire and the Grand Companies. The downside to a specialist in this order comes from their training itself, being only capable of specializing with one type of environment at a time, certain teams need to pick their members rather carefully. Being the largest group amongst the three divisions, they have an ability for information gathering and coordination that makes them a fearsome standard unit for the Knights of Redwall. Talon Tradecraft Ranks: Sergeant: The mid tier rank of the Tradecraft tend to handle the acquisitioning of technology that the Knights of Redwall deem necessary to further their research. Given their need to be in the field fairly often, the sergeants of the Talon Tradecraft often lead exploratory missions deep into the wilds of Eorzea and beyond in hopes of uncovering something to aid them. Sergeants also tend to make their living off of the extra valuables they find on their missions, giving them plenty of investing power if they so choose. Not only proving themselves in various political dealings, trade contracts, and aerial combat missions, a Talon Sergeant is often the dark horse of any encounter. Something to be wary of, for you never know their true capabilities. Specialist: The specialist of the Talons is the most likely rank you would encounter if you were trying to make a discreet sale with a member of the Knights of Redwall. Being the frontline merchants and fencers for the organization, they make a lot of their money in the everyday hustle of being a war profiteer. Now that the official fleet is built, the Waveblade now acts as the primary freighter to deliver goods for the organizaiton. Traditional means are still made for more discreet missions, but now that The Freebeast, The Redhawk, and Duskqueen are operational, the Waveblade has seen less merchant service and spends more time doing military missions and undergoing research and development. The Talon Specialists themselves are more akin to the smuggler or rogue of a group, being a tricky customer on the ground, and dangerous in the skies. Phoenix Strigodae Ranks: Sergeants: The Sergeant Rank for the Pheonix Strigodae hold some of the most fierce fighters in the Order itself. Having survived enough missions and combat experience, a specialist is given a promotion and a strike team of their own. As a new sergeant, their job is to not only fill their team with people of their choosing, but the individual training is up to the discretion of the Sergeant, with requisitions that can be filled by the Talon Tradecrafts and Fellowship of Strix. These men and women are directly responsible for crafting the finest fighting force the Knights of Redwall have to offer, so the expectations on their shoulders are equally high. Due to their field capacity as leaders of commando units, the reputation at arms of a Phoenix Sergeant can easily match an Imperial Centurion on the field of battle. Specialist: The training members of the Pheonix Strigodae, most of the time spent as a Specialist is used learning combat abilities. Serving as the squadron members for Strike teams, each of them has underwent a good deal more training in their respective jobs or classes, and have also been outfitted with the best armor the KoR can furnish. While some of the serve on dedicated strike teams, it is known that any member of a strike team can be changed out with another, giving the overall Division a greater amount of flexibility. With the help of these weapon specialists, the KoR can clear much tougher targets than some of its competitors. These are the typical commando units for the Knights of Redwall, making them more than a match for any standard Imperial squadron, either alone or in a group. Introductory Ranks: Knight: After a Page has received introductory training, orientation, and recited the Four Precepts of Service, he or she is knighted as an Order Knight for the Knights of Redwall. Along with their training, every Knight is given access to the wares of the Talons for a discount, and without paying taxes. This is the springboard position of the organization, seeing how from this point, a Knight can choose to specialize in one of the three Company Divisions. At the end of their training, a Knight in the organization has a slight edge in martial skill and tactics than a Grand Company regular. Page: The introductory rank of the Knights of Redwall, a page is any member that has been recently recruited by the organization and is undergoing introductory training and outfitting. Even though to most organizations, a page rank would denote their expendibility, due to the nature of the Knights of Redwall, a page is kept from dangerous missions until their training is complete. This is the lifeblood of the Organization, the place where we have all been before, and the birthplace of the next generation's leaders, officers, and lieutenants.

#ffxiv #ffxiv rp #ffxiv roleplay #ffxiv lamia #knights of redwall #kor #primal data center #ffxiv free company #OoC info

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yuudetama · 7 years

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Goodbye, Peter Pan [Chapter 6]

All that we know will someday fall with the crescendo.

CSI!Bangtan AU. Chapter 5 → Chapter 6 → Chapter 7

If it goes boom, burn all evidence and find a new room, is the weaponry division’s unofficial and only marginally macabre motto. The entire department has always struck you as somewhat of an amusement land, filled with exotic contraptions and rows of blank shooting targets and armament specialists who shoot at said targets with far too much enthusiasm than needed. If the Seoul branch was headed by a director of any other name they would likely be put on probation for their “rampant and disorderly conduct,” but Min Yoongi, to put it eloquently, does not give a flying rat’s ass about professional standards and upholding the rules, so long as they get him the results he needs.

The soft tunes of Vivaldi float throughout the room, at utter odds with the array of ammunition scattered over a large table. A single man is seated there, head bent over bullets as he examines them carefully for defects. His left hand is encased in a sleek leather glove, but the form-fitting article does nothing to inhibit his ease as he picks up pellets one after another. The corner of your lip twitches. Of course, classy and conscientious as always. “If that’s how you practice your stealth tactics, I can guarantee you’ll be the first to get killed in battle. I could hear you stomping from down the hall.” The man doesn’t look up as you and Hoseok approach but the grin is as clear as crystal in his voice. “Then it’s a good thing we’ve put the wars behind us, isn’t it?” You come to a halt directly in front of the otherwise preoccupied male, with Hoseok observing just a few steps to the side. “Where’s your team today, Nams?”

Kim Namjoon finally lifts his chin and sends you a closed-eye smile. He’s an impressively lanky man, who, at first glance, appears to be more limb than anything else, with an ever-present twinkle in his eyes and hair that gleams the colour of dusty moonlight. You’re convinced that at least half of his paycheck goes towards hair maintenance, but he continuously insists that he’s never touched a box of dye before in his life. “They’re all off in the shooting range. We just got a new shipment of Springfield XDs and they’ve been making bets all morning about who has the better aim. Apparently the first to get ten bulls-eyes in a row will be exempted from cleaning duty for a week.” “And what, you didn’t want in on the action?” “I am the leader of the weaponry unit,” he says, straightening his spine in a dignified manner. “It wouldn’t do for me to engage in horseplay when there are dangerous criminals to be found. Besides, we all know who really possess the best aim here.” He places the shell down and stands at his full height. “Am I correct in guessing that this is our friend from the head office?” You make the necessary introductions as Namjoon offers his concealed hand. Hoseok looks at it briefly before accepting the handshake. “The gunpowder will stain your glove if you’re not careful,” Hoseok says dryly, but Namjoon only chuckles before turning back to you. “Now, I suppose you’re here about the distillery district corpse? Unless my favourite detective has finally decided to take me out to lunch as promised?” “Okay, one, I never agreed to take you out to anything, and two, favourite detective? Yoongi would be heartbroken if he heard you say that,” you laugh. Next to you Hoseok tilts his head, watching with an air of barely concealed boredom. “Oh please, that man wouldn’t know heartbreak if it shot him in the leg with a Beretta M9,” Namjoon dismisses. He sets the ammunition down and nods at the folder in your hand. “Alright, let’s see it, then. Judging from what I’ve been told I can already guess as to what we’re looking at, and frankly speaking, I’m surprised you even bothered with coming here. You already knew before you came to see me, didn’t you?” “Well, yes,” you admit, “But you know that we always need to confirm it with an expert before we can say for certain.” You flip open the file and set it on the empty space beside the piles of bullets. Photographs begin to appear one by one: detailed eight by twelve prints of limbs resting perfectly still on a stainless steel surface, pale, porcelain skin which lacks the lustre of pumping blood and oxygen. You imagine that if the killer had chosen to leave the head intact, you would perhaps see a picture of listless eyes staring at something that is no longer there. The purpose of cameras is to immortalize moments in life, you think, yet all that this one has managed to capture is an immortality of death instead. You tap on the photograph nearest to you. “Since you know all of the details I’ll get right to it. Look at these marks here, on the neck. I’ve already spoken to our pathologist friend but I’d like to hear your opinion on it, as well. Can you tell me what sort of weapon was used for the strangling?” “I’ll do you one better, I can show you instead what caused it.” The ballistics specialist lopes towards his office, a room strategically hidden in the far corner of the room, leaving you and Hoseok to stand together in silence. Hoseok examines the photos with renewed interest. He’s also been gifted with the endowment of height, you notice, so he chooses to pick them up individually rather than bend down and break his neck. You watch him for a moment and remember that he hasn’t had a chance to read the post-mortem report yet. Recalling the initial conversation you’d had in your office prior, you decide to take a shot at- what will hopefully be- a civil conversation. He’s ‘one of the top,’ was what Yoongi had grudgingly relayed to you. You try to keep this in mind as you point to the photo suspended in mid-air. “What do you think, then?” He doesn’t bother looking up as he answers, “Seeing as we’re about to get the expert’s opinion, I don’t really see the point in asking for mine, do you?” Well, it was a valiant attempt anyway. Thankfully, you’re spared from having to respond as Namjoon reemerges from his office. He rejoins you and the increasingly exasperating man at the table, holding what appears to be a sheet of paper and a twiny rope in his grasp. You do your best to hold back a smile. “Don’t tell me you still air out your pants in there?” During your first month at the station, there had been a time when you’d witnessed the weapons expert hanging up a pair of wet boxers to dry, following an unfortunate but highly entertaining incident that had involved three full water bottles and an overly confident new recruit. “A man must take whatever steps necessary to keep his clothes in a presentable state,” Namjoon answers in a voice that leaves no room for further questions or jests. With mismatching hands he arranges the rope so that it lies in a neat, orderly line. “As you’re both aware, the diagnosis was that the victim was strangled before death occurred,” he begins. “The bruises are fairly difficult to make out, but if you look closely at this picture here you can see that they form a thin, slightly ridged pattern.” He traces the cord with his ungloved hand. “That pattern is consistent with the one we’d get from this piece. You’re looking at a laundry rope, similar to what I have here, or possibly one of those cables used to hold up camping tents.” “Those kinds of ropes are sold and thrown away like lemon candy,” you contemplate aloud. Next to you Hoseok has fallen silent once more, arms folded, eyes boring into the rope with the same indecipherable stare as before. “I wouldn’t bet on finding it, would you? It’s about as traceable as the blade will be.” “More specifically, the hand saw,” Namjoon corrects, pointing to another photograph. “You can tell from the tearings in the flesh. The edges aren’t consistent with a chainsaw’s markings, and a serrated kitchen knife- maybe one used for cutting bread- wouldn’t be strong enough to cut through the bone.” “And hand saws are especially easy to dispose of,” you finish for him. “Throw one into a junkyard and nobody will look twice at it. Almost every hardware store will have them for sale, so it’ll be hard to follow up on this lead.” “If you can even call it a lead at all,” Hoseok finally says. He meets your gaze and jerks his head towards the forensic shots. “I doubt anything useful will come out of tracing the weapons. You said it yourself, Inspector; laundry ropes are common and hand saws are everywhere. Unless we somehow find the original ones used by the killer, how likely are we to get any useful information?” “You’d be surprised at what you can find if you’re thorough enough,” you shrug, although a part of you reluctantly agrees. It’s not as though you’re dealing with highly specialized weapons here. It’s a laundry rope. And a hand saw. Ordinary objects that anybody would have in their basement or garage. As if offering a gesture of consolation, Namjoon holds up a hand. “There may be a chance we can track down the purchase of the saw. Yes, they’re very common but their prints are much more distinct than that of the ropes.” He hands you the paper which he’d retrieved earlier from his office. “I cross-checked the tool imports and distributions records, and there are sixteen types of saws that are available in Korea,” he explains as you scan the paper. True to his word, it contains a list of manufacturers and addresses, all annotated with product names and identification numbers. “Of the sixteen, twelve are capable of cutting through human bone and muscle mass. If I can match the markings on our victim to a specific type of saw, then I can narrow the focus down to a smaller list of manufacturers. Hardware stores rarely carry all twelve types at once. If anything, I may be able to track down the store where the murder weapon was bought.” Hoseok's lips quirk slightly in a caustic grin. “And if the killer happened to pick it up somewhere off the ground?” “Then at least we’ll be more informed, won’t we?” Namjoon laughs. You mirror his satisfied expression. “Now see, this-” you give the paper a little shake “- this is why we came here. If you can actually get something out of this, Nams, then lunch really will be on me.” “Two lunches,” Namjoon corrects. “Don’t think I’m letting you off the hook for the first one.” He takes the list back from you with his gloved hand, but not before giving the fingers a subtle flex. Most people would politely ignore the gesture or simply fail to notice it, but you immediately recognize the telltale signs of twitching leather and stiff wrist movements. “Are your joints bothering you again?” you ask, nodding at his arm. Namjoon knows the meaning behind your question and smiles ruefully. “Unfortunately, yes. I had a checkup yesterday and my doctor insisted we try yet another new gear adjustment. I keep telling him that the old method works perfectly fine, but does he listen?“ As he speaks he tugs off the offending leather garment, exposing five fingers and a palm that are made entirely of polished steel. Hoseok doesn’t say anything but you can see his eyes flicker towards the silver palm. You can only guess as to what he thinks of Namjoon’s hidden prosthetic hand. Most offer immediate sympathy, undisguised curiosity, but in Hoseok’s case, you have absolutely no clue. The armament specialist had lost it twelve years ago, he’d once confided to you during a night at the bar, back when he and Yoongi had been partners out in the field. It had been during an investigation of a toddler’s death (too young to be taken by death, he’d said, knocking back a shot of gin in her memory), eventually leading to a violent altercation between said detective and near-insane murderer. “Don’t worry about me.” Namjoon bends his fingers experimentally before slipping the glove back on. “The pain is nothing I can’t handle, and anyway, you should be more concerned about yourself. From the way I see it, there are two ways that this case will play out- as one, extremely difficult, or two, extremely dangerous. Or perhaps even both. I’m sure you don’t need me to say it, but do be sure to keep an eye out at all times, Detective.” “Whatever you say, Iron Man,” you hum. Namjoon rolls his eyes good-naturedly. “Just once,” he sighs as a phone begins to ring in his office, “I’d like for us to have a meaningful conversation without you referring to me as some kind of robot.” “Now where would be the fun in that?” You smile faintly when he excuses himself to answer the call. He leaves, and for a second time you’re left alone with Hoseok, the man whom you hardly know anything about and don’t even know where to begin studying. The Four Seasons continues to play from the speakers, permeating the silence with violin music that strangely fills you with a sense of sudden inexplicable weariness. “Four years ago, a married couple was found crucified in their bedroom,” you say after a while. Hoseok folds his arms across his chest, but you can tell he’s listening from the way his head tilts slightly at the sound of your voice. “No trace of the killer was found, and there were no distinctive weapons used, either. Just a hammer and a pile of nails. After five months we’d gone through every lead possible, and by then we were almost ready to give up. But then Namjoon noticed that one of the screws was different from the others- it was a tiny, tiny manufacturing difference that the rest of us would have never noticed, but thanks to him we were able to track down the killer before he left the city.” You look at him and soften your voice. “This may seem like a waste of time to you, and you might not agree with my decisions, but I wouldn’t have brought you here if there wasn’t the slightest chance that he could help.” If the two of you are expected to work together, you decide, then the least you can do is have at least a little bit of faith in each other. Hoseok returns your stare without saying a word, and for a minute you think that he’s going to challenge you again. But then he seems to reach a decision of his own, because he merely shrugs and turns away in time with the crash of turbulent crescendo notes. “It’s your call. Like I said before, I’m only here to do my job.”

#bts #bts scenarios #bts fanfiction #reader x bts #namjoon #hoseok #seokjin #yoongi #taehyung #jimin #jungkook #goodbye peter pan

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