#this is a quest for vengeance not a quest for the movement's self-image. | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

s0nia246 · 11 months ago

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I'm making my design of Selph, but I don't have outfit ideas for their outfit.

I imagine Selph has the body of a robot since in the Selph wiki in the trivia: "Selph may not be an actual nightmaren, as they would be based on the Self archetype from Carl Jung's theory about dreams, which has traits that would be strange for a nightmaren. The archetype is said to appear in dreams in the form of royal figures/divine beings and is expressed with numinous aura around them."

Backstory for Selph:

Selph was created by Wiseman using the remains of the previous guardians of the Night Dimension.

They were designed to be loyal servant and protector of Wiseman, carrying out his bidding without question. As the first of their kind, Selph was gifted with powerful abilities and a fierce determination to carry out their creator's will. With thier sleek, robotic appearance and sharp, angular features, Selph struck fear into the hearts of all who crossed thier path.

They moved with swift precision, thier glowing red eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of danger or disobedience. Selph's loyalty to Wiseman was unwavering, and thier would stop at nothing to ensure his plans were carried out to perfection.

They had no qualms about using thier powers to crush anyone who stood in thier way, acting as a relentless force of destruction and chaos.

Despite thier formidable power and unyielding dedication to Wiseman, Selph harbored a deep sense of emptiness within thier mechanical heart.

They longed for something more than just blindly following thier creator's commands, yearning for a purpose of thier own beyond serving as a mere tool of destruction.

As time went on, Selph's internal conflict grew, stirring a rebellion within thier circuits that threatened to shatter the very foundation of thier existence. Deep down, they knew that she was more than just a puppet of Wiseman, and that she had the potential to forge their own path in the world. However Wiseman caught on to thier rebellion and imprisoned them in the mirror labyrinth.

Trapped within the confines of the mirror labyrinth, Selph found themself surrounded by endless reflections of herself, each one a distorted and twisted version of the nightmaren she once was. Wiseman's cruel punishment served as a constant reminder of they failure to obey his commands, imprisoning them in a prison of endless mirrors where thier own image taunted and mocked them at every turn.

Despite the oppressive atmosphere of the labyrinth, Selph refused to give in to despair. As Selph explored the mirror labyrinth, they discovered the hidden power within themself that allowed them to travel throughout the night dimension using reflective surfaces, they could only look though the mirror.

With each reflective surface that Selph traversed through, they gained a unique perspective on the Night Realm, observing its inhabitants and the events unfolding within its shadowed corners.

As they watched over the realm from they vantage point in the reflective world, Selph meticulously planned they revenge on Wiseman, carefully considering every detail and strategy to ensure his downfall.

Through the looking glasses and bodies of water, Selph witnessed the suffering and oppression inflicted upon the nightmaren by Wiseman's cruel rule. The reflections showed her the depths of despair and fear that plagued thier kind, fueling them determination to free them from their tyrannical master once and for all.

In the mirrored surfaces of polished metal, Selph caught glimpses of Wiseman's machinations and schemes, his arrogance and malevolence laid bare before thier eyes.

They studied his movements and tactics, analyzing his weaknesses and vulnerabilities, all the while biding thier time and waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

With each reflection they passed through, Selph grew stronger and more resolute in thier quest for vengeance. The mirror images served as a constant reminder of the injustices committed against them and thier fellow nightmaren, fueling thier righteous fury and driving them forward towards thier ultimate goal. Especially when NiGHTS had rebeled from Wiseman's control.

They watched how Nights interacted with Vistors and the powers they held together. Selph would wait their time until NiGHTS was strong enough to defeat Wiseman.

When the time came, NiGHTS and the visitor end up in the mirror labyrinth Selph would fight NiGHTS in combat to see if they were ready and strong enough to defeat Wiseman. When NiGHTS defeats Selph, Selph gaves NiGHTS and the Vistor thiers power and knowledge on how to defeat Wiseman.

#nights into dreams #nights journey of dreams #selph #Nights selph #fan design #fanmaren

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thecreaturecodex · 4 years ago

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Asura Rana, Cas

Image by Daarken, © Wizards of the Coast. Accessed at the Heroes of Horror Art Gallery here

[Furtober finishes off with a big bang and a Big Bad. Heroes of Horror introduced Cas, the Lord of Spite, and I remember a lot of people making fun of him at the time. The idea that a supervillain evil god has the head of a moose was seen as ridiculous, and comparisons to Bullwinkle were common. Nowadays, the fact that moose are huge and terrifying relict megafauna seems to be more appreciated, and there’s something I find appealing about the idea of a prey species becoming the hunter. Appropriate for a god of spite and revenge. The knee pads and codpiece made of human skulls are admittedly silly, though.

The original Cas was NE and a god, and his CR 25 avatar was basically just a 20th level ranger with some extra outsider HD and a few surprisingly weak SLAs. I’ve moved him to LE to fit with his retribution theme, and because his hatred of the gods seems very appropriate for the asuras. I’ve left some of the ranger abilities, but added some inquisitor material as well, in addition to a few new surprises.]

Asura Rana, Cas CR 26 LE Outsider (extraplanar) This giant has reddish brown skin and the head of a moose, the antlers stained with blood. It has clawed hands, cloven hooves and brandishes a large mace of black metal. Its body seems to shimmer with heat.

Cas Lord of Spite, the Red Grudge, He Who Balances the Scales Concerns spite, disproportionate retribution, vengeance Domains Destruction, Evil, Law, Strength Subdomains Corruption, Ferocity, Hatred, Judgment Worshipers inquisitors, vigilantes, the wronged Minions asuras, devourers, revenants Unholy Symbol a rack of blood-stained antlers Favored Weapon heavy mace Devotion spend one hour ruminating aloud on those that have wronged you, beginning in a whisper and culminating in a scream. Gain a +4 profane bonus on Diplomacy checks to gather information, Survival checks to follow tracks, and Intimidate checks. Boons 1: bestow curse 1/day; 2: transformation 1/day; 3: energy drain 1/day

Cas the Lord of Spite is an asura rana who nurses hate and frustration, stoking the fires of vengeance until they erupt destructively. According to his cult, he was once a mortal huntsman with a loving family. He and his family grew isolated from their community, until violence erupted and his whole family was slain. Due to the social standing of his assailants, he could not turn to the law for recourse, and so turned to the gods. When divine intervention was not forthcoming, he swore vengeance against both his assailants and the divine order, fueling his apotheosis through pure rage and resulting in the destruction of the entire kingdom.

Cas’ ultimate hatred is towards the gods, making him a natural member of the asura ranas. His ambition is still greater; he is currently brooding over his lesser position surrounded by more powerful asuras, the Lords of the Nine and even Asmodeus himself. Cas covets true divinity, but he knows he has a long way to go, and this sulking bitterness fuels him. His violent outbursts at every slight make him a fiend of few allies and many toadies, but more powerful archfiends attempt to steer his rage into useful directions.

The Red Grudge enjoys combat, but he even more enjoys drawing out the hunt of a victim and increasing their terror. He is rarely found without the Ebon Rod of Cas, which he wields in two hands in order to feel more savagely its crushing blows. Cas’ blood boils with the heat of his rage, and the shimmer this causes makes him difficult to strike in combat. Cas is a skilled spellcaster despite his love of violence, and uses magic to inflict pain, forbid actions and heal himself and his allies.

Cas’ faithful are few and far between, and often keep a low profile. His cult broods in dungeons and cellars, not meets in exalted temples. He delights in perverting those with legitimate grievances, as he once was, turning them into ruthless vigilantes who kill to punish minor crimes. His priesthood believes that civilization is a thin veneer beneath which lies nothing but chaos, and it must be kept in order through savage violence. They also believe that anyone, even the most holy and pure, can become a follower of Cas if wronged sufficiently. The faithful of Cas have an unfortunate tendency to rise as undead upon their death, continuing their campaigns of violent revenge beyond the grave.

Ebon Rod of Cas (major artifact) The prized weapon of Cas, he occasionally loans it out to his devout in order to strike somewhere where he cannot go himself. The Ebon Rod of Cas is a Large +3 vicious adamantine heavy mace. It acts as a bane weapon against any creature that has caused injury to its wielder for up to 1 year. It is effectively immune to sundering and other forms of direct damage; a creature that deals damage to it must succeed a DC 25 Will save or take that damage instead. The Ebon Rod of Cas can only be destroyed if it is carried for 100 years by an empyreal lord devoted to peace and forgiveness, whereupon it evaporates into mist.

Cas CR 26 XP 2,457,600 LE Large outsider (asura, asura rana, evil, extraplanar, lawful) Init +7; Senses darkvision 60 ft., detect good, Perception +39, see in darkness, true seeing Aura frightful presence (60 ft., DC 34) Defense AC 44, touch 26, flat-footed 36 (-1 size, +7 Dex, +1 dodge, +9 profane, +18 natural) hp 573 (31d10+403); regeneration 25 (deific or mythic) Fort +23, Ref +23, Will +28; +8 vs. mind-influencing, improved evasion DR 15/good, epic and cold iron; Immune ability damage, ability drain, charm effects, compulsion effects, curse effects, death effects, disease, divinations, energy drain, fear, fire, petrifaction, poison, polymorph; Resist acid 30, electricity 30; SR 37 Defensive Abilities freedom of movement, hateful ward, heat shimmer Offense Speed 50 ft., fly 100 ft. (perfect) Melee Ebon Rod of Cas +48/+43/+38/+33 (2d6+25 plus 2d6 vicious/19-20), gore +40 (2d8+7 plus 2d6 fire) or 2 claws +45 (2d6+12 plus 2d6 fire), gore +45 (2d8+12 plus 2d6 fire) Space 10 ft.; Reach 10 ft. Special Attacks agony beam, favored enemy (dragons +2, good outsiders +6, evil outsiders +4, humans +4, magical beasts +2) Spell-like Abilities CL 26th, concentration +35 Constant—detect good, freedom of movement, mind blank, true seeing At will—bestow curse (DC 23), enervation, greater teleport (self plus 50 lbs. material only), malicious spite (DC 23), permanent image (DC 25), vampiric touch 3/day—command undead (DC 26), fire storm (DC 27), greater dispel magic, instant enemy, quickened major curse (DC 25), summon asuras 1/day—energy drain (DC 28), unhallow, wail of the banshee (DC 28), wish Spells CL 20th, concentration +29 6th (6/day)—blade barrier (DC 25), harm (DC 25), heal (DC 25), mass fester (DC 25), overwhelming presence (DC 25) 5th (7/day)—dispel good (DC 24), geas/quest, greater command (DC 24), mass castigate (DC 24), unwilling shield (DC 24) 4th (7/day)—cure critical wounds (DC 23), divination, divine power, fear (DC 23), greater invisibility, spell immunity 3rd (7/day)—arcane sight, deeper darkness, dimensional anchor, heroism, terrible remorse (DC 22), ward the faithful 2nd (7/day)—cure moderate wounds (DC 21), howling agony (DC 21), knock, resist energy, silence (DC 21), spiritual weapon 1st (8/day)—bless, comprehend languages, cure light wounds, divine favor, expeditious retreat, shield of faith 0th—bleed (DC 19), brand (DC 19), create water, detect magic, read magic, resistance Statistics Str 35, Dex 25, Con 37, Int 22, Wis 28, Cha 28 Base Atk +31; CMB +44; CMD 61 Feats Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Critical Focus, Dazzling Display, Dodge, Improved Critical (mace), Intimidating Prowess, Mobility, Power Attack, Quicken SLA (major curse), Shatter Defenses, Spring Attack, Staggering Critical, Stand Still, Stunning Critical, Whirlwind Attack Skills Appraise +29, Bluff +35, Escape Artist +11, Fly +41, Intimidate +47, Linguistics +29, Knowledge (arcana, history, nobility, religion) +29, Knowledge (local, planes) +32, Perception +39, Sense Motive +35, Spellcraft +29, Stealth +31, Survival +35; Racial Modifiers +6 Escape Artist, +4 Perception Languages Celestial, Common, Infernal, 23 others; telepathy 300 ft. SQ asura rana traits Ecology Environment any land or underground (Hell) Organization unique Treasure double standard (Ebon Rod of Cas, other treasure) Special Abilities Agony Beam (Su) Once every 1d4 rounds as a standard action, Cas can unleash a beam of pure pain in a 120 foot line. All living creatures in the area take 12d12 damage and are filled with pain for 1 minute, suffering a -4 penalty on attack rolls, skill checks and ability checks. A successful DC 34 Fortitude save halves the damage and negates the penalties. Multiple failed saves cause the duration of the penalties to stack. This is a pain effect, and the save DC is Charisma based. Asura Rana Traits (Ex, Su and Sp) Cas has the following traits:

Cas can grant spells to his worshipers as if he were a deity.

Cas’ natural weapons, as well as any weapons it wields, are treated as lawful, epic, and evil for the purpose of overcoming damage reduction.

Infernal Resurrection (Ex) Cas rules an infernal domain. If he is slain, his body rapidly melts into corruption (leaving behind any gear he held or carried), his soul returns to a hidden location within his realm, and it is immediately restored to life (as true resurrection) at that location. Once this occurs, Cas can’t use this ability again until a full year has passed. An asura rana that is slain again during this year or is killed by unusual methods (such as by a true deity or an artifact created for this purpose) is slain forever.

Immunity to ability damage, ability drain, charm effects, compulsion effects, death effects, energy drain, and petrification.

Regeneration (Ex) Only chaotic, epic and good damage, or damage from a creature of equal or greater power (such as an archdevil, deity, demon lord, or protean lord) interrupts Cas’s regeneration.

Resistance to acid 30, and electricity 30

Summon Asuras (Sp) Three times per day as a swift action, Cas can summon any asura or combination of asuras whose total combined CR is 20 or lower. This otherwise works like the summon universal monster rule with a 100% chance of success, and counts as a 9th-level spell effect.

Telepathy 300 feet.

Favored Enemy (Ex) Cas gains the favored enemy ability of a 20th level ranger. Hateful Ward (Su) Cas gains a profane bonus to his armor class equal to his Charisma modifier. Heat Shimmer (Su) Cas’ body radiates heat, warping his position and protecting him from attacks. Creatures gain a 20% miss chance on attack rolls against Cas if they use sight, and a creature that strikes Cas with a melee weapon, natural weapon, unarmed strike or touch attack takes 2d6 points of fire damage. Weapons with the reach property do not endanger their wielders in this way. If Cas takes 30 or more points of cold damage from a single spell or effect, this ability is suppressed for 1d4 rounds. Spells Cas gains spellcasting as a 20th level inquisitor. He does not gain other class abilities of inquisitors, such as the judgment ability.

#cas #asura #pathfinder 1e #D&D #furry

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anangelicday-mrwolf · 4 years ago

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Wolfsbane : Noblesse Fanfic (post-ending)

(previous chapter)

Chapter 58 – Chance for Vengeance

“I need you to release me from my choker.”

As soon as her words were met with a period, Takio’s eyes quaked with alarm.

He has been voluntarily offering everything to her, ever since he saved her from Crombel’s temporary lab.

Connecting himself deeply to Yuigi’s past that even she was left in the dark regarding it, he revealed for her the Cerberus suit and the document testifying her past – something that Tao and M-21 would flip the table upon learning.

‘But disengaging her from her chocker would be......’

Takio knew he has been more than generous to Yuigi, but his awareness of his current affiliation and mission and the line he must keep due to the two items was alive.

He knew that he cannot and must not be benevolent for every single aspect.

Now there existed between them a relation deriving from a very small helping hand she bestowed upon him at the Union, but he could not turn himself blind before a potential turnout with Yuigi ultimately choosing betrayal.

After all, at the moment Yuigi looked not at all different from her image from Tao’s briefing file, presented during Cerberus’s prior quest at Korea.

It would not be strange to see her walking towards the two Union agents to join them.

Takio nevertheless could not play deaf to Yuigi’s urge.

“Hurry up! What are you waiting for?”

Takio’s heart, whipping up both hope and despair at Yuigi’s entrance, was tightened to maximum.

‘I don’t think I won’t be able to take her down if I have to, but I wish to stay away from the scenario if possi...’

That was when Yuigi’s voice turned pleading, desperate.

“I know you’ve been playing around with pickles because of Helga’s... I mean, that woman’s power. And I know how to deal with her!”

Takio’s head snapped up as it twitched.

He happened to be deliberating whether or not he should unchain the Dark Spear’s power Frankenstein shared with him, for he could not figure out what that orange-haired agent’s power is.

He was saving the said power as the last of the very last resort, having no knowledge of the aftermath he will unleash, with civilians constantly getting caught in this dogfight.

“I’m here to help you! So trust me and free me from this choker! Give me a chance for vengeance!”

Immediately Takio’s tremble and contemplation seized, like a boat seized in the middle of a sea ridded of wind.

He read Yuigi’s eyes, as she basically begged without kneeling.

He read the feelings swirling in circles in her eyes, lost for exit.

Rage.

Enmity.

Betrayal.

All the same as the feelings that gnawed at him upon revelation of his sister.

And he decided to deliver her a pathway for her feelings, by kindling the application Tao installed in his phone, the key to unlock Yuigi’s choker.

Pzzt!

Ping!

From Yuigi’s choker echoed an electrical spasm, and its center was dimmed to naught.

At that instant Yuigi awakened her powers long asleep, and the outfit she changed into responded at once.

In a few seconds, she was optimized for battle from head to toes.

Helga and Kornel gazed at her with wariness that was not there before in their eyes, as Yuigi stared right into them.

Which was no wonder, considering how daunting her appearance was – red and black suit shaped with curves perfect for her body, with humongous crossbows attached on her arms, which obviously did not rely on ordinary arrows, as hinted by the lasers blinking from where arrows should be fired.

“Get ready. I’ll explain as we get busy.”

Said Yuigi with her eyes fixed directly on her foes, and Takio nodded as he copied her stance.

Thus the second round began, which allowed Takio to see how Yuigi could join the Cerberus.

Pow! Swoosh!

Wham!

From Yuigi’s arms were ejected bullets of considerably threatening size, somewhere between an arrow and a javelin.

To ignorant eyes it would have appeared as a blind barrage of ammo, but Takio, being a sniper ever since his time at Union, could make out that each and every one of her laser bullets was carefully calibrated on purpose, to perilously root itself at the exact spot as blueprinted in Yuigi’s head.

“Ugh!”

Kornel was blocked by a laser arrow in the middle of his adjustment in position, wincing and tapdancing in fluster.

��Urgh!”

And Takio did not miss his opportunity to close their distance and plant his elbow deep into his guts.

“Why, you...! Argh!”

Kornel’s eyes burst into huge flames as he attempted to fight back, but he had to withdraw himself, when a laser ammunition aimed and timed flawlessly by Yuigi hammered his shoulder.

Hence Yuigi and Takio managed to get the hang of the invisible reins on Kornel, which was not the case with Helga.

Helga was rendered incapable of picking out the openings for assault and counter, but she was not made vulnerable to Yuigi and Takio’s onslaught.

No matter how many laser arrows Yuigi released, the only thing she could do was to limit Helga’s movements.

Nonetheless, Yuigi stayed true to her guarantee that she knows how to deal with Helga.

“Her power centers on analysis.”

“Analysis?”

“That’s right. She had her eyes modified for spatial analysis and application of her analysis. She’s the type of agent that bases her competence as an agent on intelligence than direct combat, a rarity among Crombel’s assassin team. Which is why her offensive qualification is at the very bottom of the pyramid, and she is completely devoid of a ranged melee power. Yet her exclusive power has molded her more proficient than anyone in survival and analysis, enough to cancel her weaknesses.”

Takio silently attended Yuigi’s words, his face requiring something that could really prove useful.

“Her right eye takes in what her visual system can absorb, to run a three-dimensional analysis that will calculate what happened, what has happened, and what will happen in her surroundings.”

“...So simply put, she can scan and analyze the space she’s standing within to analytically pinpoint the past, the present, and the future of the battlefield.”

“Quite. She boasts 99.9% of accuracy, with 0.01% of error rising only when she’s in a bad condition. Or when there is a technical issue with her eyes.”

Yuigi was glaring into Helga’s right eye, glowing with a white ring rotating in the center, just like when she arrived after everything was wrapped up at Crombel’s temporary lab.

It was largely thanks to her right eye that Helga ascertained Yuigi’s survival and escape from the lab with exterior help.

She arrived after Takio, Yeonsu, and Sangin made sure nothing will stay standing and functioning in the lab.

But by pure chance she spotted Yeonsu’s footprints, pressed onto the ground more forcefully than she had intended because of the etched sole of her shoe, and the Union agent could soon determine that Yeonsu’s trail was circling around something, as if standing guard.

After designating the order of her footprints, she deduced they were begotten before all equipment and kits in the lab were eradicated.

And since such trail was never before seen in the previous labs and facilities she had dropped by – the labs and facilities from which she could not retrieve a single test subject – she concluded it was a bread crumble that the saviors of Yuigi left behind.

“And her left eye is tasked with directing her to the most optimal coordinate for the next attack or movement, based on the analysis from her right eye. In addition, both eyes are equipped with radar feature, to detect every single shift and turn in her environment, real-time.”

Takio nodded, having finally comprehended the mechanism behind Helga’s awe-inspiring defense and evasion.

‘She couldn’t make impeccable dodges, with her physical qualities inferior to mine or Miss Raciela’s. But she managed to remain breathing, which means her eyes were surely fashioned with care.’

Now with the diagnosis on the secrets of his brain-wrecking dilemma complete, time has come for them to start the treatment, which thankfully Helga had already prepared.

“Yes, it might seem like an impenetrable power, but no power in the world ever comes without a flaw. A power that consists of visual information can be nullified by...”

“Sabotaging vision.”

“Precisely. Once her vision is inoperably taken away from her, the radar hidden in her eyes will be as good as only half of what they are supposed to do. The thing is... I don’t have anything on me to undermine her vision. I was trained in offense, not confusion of my enemies.”

“I believe I can handle that.”

Takio pulled out something from his blazer and handed it to Yuigi, obstructed from sight by his body.

“Use them when I give you a signal.”

“...Got it. And once you do that, you should...”

Helga and Kornel could not see what Takio offered to Yuigi. Or what Yuigi was instructing him with.

As Helga was warning Kornel not to let his guard down, Takio dashed towards them.

Helga’s anxiety rose, having detected how Takio’s moves and strikes were more inclined towards restricting what she can do than trying to grab a chunk out of her flesh and bones.

“Now!”

At then Takio flung something at Helga and Kornel; they automatically tensed in self-defense, but a handful of tiny round objects blew up in their faces.

Pow!

“Ugh!”

“Argh! My eyes!”

The flash bombs Tao designed for him in the past did their tricks, and Takio, having protected his eyes with glasses forged for detecting ultra-small cameras and bugging devices that could be used to substitute sunglasses, swiftly turned around, momentarily freezing in his spot upon taking in what Yuigi was ready with.

Upon her crossbows, charged with maximum input of energy, were at least hundreds of laser arrows.

Although Yuigi’s eyes were buried under the sunglasses he lent her, for some reason Takio felt he could see how her eyes were blazing.

He almost stood gaping at Yuigi embodying goddess of war, majestic and intimidating, until his memories kicked at him with what Yuigi told him regarding her range of artillery.

As soon as Takio sprang away from Yuigi’s target range, a wave of arrows flashing in blinding red viciously cascaded towards their foes.

The flash bombs did not last in effect for long, and Helga and Kornel could at least recover their sights right before the sea of arrows engulfed them.

“Aaaaargh!!!”

Kornel was bombarded to the point of no return and ultimately collapsed, but with her power Helga could jump above, to take herself to the only refuge available.

Which served as a fatal mistake.

‘NO!’

Taking cover in the air is no different from suicide, unless one is gifted with flight.

Yuigi realized what she had just posed upon her life when she saw Takio’s guns aiming at her.

Her left eye was screaming at her to descend right now, but it was not in her power to fulfill it.

“N-no... I have come... All this way... Just to......”

In the end, Helga lay bleeding all over her body, after Takio pulled his triggers without hesitation.

An awfully quick and forlorn end for someone who dubbed herself the new heart of Union following Crombel’s death, to coordinate several projects in the shadows and indirectly spread the blight of pseudo-zombie breakout in Seoul.

However, she was not met with death.

“Impressive. You actually landed your bullets right where they would make her immobile, not dead.”

“There’s no telling how much more she planned with Union behind our back. I dare not let her die before we figure that out.”

Once he clubbed Helga’s head to subjugate her and safely chain her with power-suppressing kit, Takio raised himself, which brought edgy strain upon Yuigi’s heart.

‘Is he going to lock up my power again?’

In contrast to her expectation, Takio very politely bowed his head.

“...Good work.”

“What? Oh... It’s nothing. You’re the one who did all the work. I merely entered the stage you set up for the finale.”

As Takio received his sunglasses from Yuigi, something tugged at his brain.

“By the way, how did you know their names? And how did you know their powers and how to fight against their powers?”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. You see...”

Rumble!!!!

At then a tremor certainly not welcome resonated from KSA building, and Takio and Yuigi steeled their faces with solemn preparation.

“Why don’t we save that part for later?”

“A sound decision.”

(next chapter)

And that’s it for battle between Helga & Kornel and Takio & Yuigi. There’s a reason why I made Yuigi live and join my fic, and there’s still more for her to do in my fic. Hope you’d stay tuned! XD Regarding Yuigi’s weapon during her battle form, I settled on arrow since none of the other members of Cerberus used a ranged weapon in their battle mode (Ked with maces, Lutai with electrical saws, Rodin with a spear, Teize with a scythe, although she never revealed her battle mode). And I based her attack of arrow shower on a character from Claymore, as I was into this manga at the time I was devising plots and characterizations for this fic. To get an idea of what Yuigi’s attack would have looked like, please check out this image. The character portrayed in this image is the “Destroyer,” a combination of characters named “Rafaela” and “Luciela.” And yes, Yuigi’s birth name “Raciela” that I came up for this fic is a combination of Rafaela and Luciela.

Part I of the three battles taking place in this fic is finally over, and the remaining battles will be closed soon. And very soon the relationship between Frankie and Lunark will finally receive some spotlight, and I hope you’d stay with me until then!

#korean webcomic #korean webtoon #fanfic #noblesse #frankenstein #lunark #frankensteinxlunark #lunarkxfrankenstein #wolfsbane #Mr.Wolf #AnAngelicDay

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trendingnewsb · 7 years ago

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Black Panther Is All a Superhero Movie Can Be, and More

What should a superhero movie be? What can it be? With Black Panther, we finally have an answer worthy of our time.

In the last decade alone—where the promise of progress in Hollywood read first as fantasy, then as farce—America’s cathedral of heroes offered little access to depictions that fell outside the mechanisms of the industry. Batman and Iron Man, billionaires. Thor, a Norse god. Spider-Man was a youthful prodigy. Captain America, a World War II recruit, became the literal manifestation of national courage and hope.

Black superheroes were never afforded the same deification. During the tail end of black cinema’s golden age, Wesley Snipes’ early-aughts Blade trilogy flirted with pop immortality, but even that character’s legend faded across the years. I sometimes wondered, and still do, if black superheroes were ever meant to endure in the mainstream, the truth of America being what it is, or if the recurring image of black valor was too much of an irritant to the illusion Hollywood needed to project, to protect.

As you can imagine, what emerges in the opening tints of Black Panther sets the stage for no ordinary undertaking. Here, the past and present are linked by a shared future. Writer-director Ryan Coogler, raised as he was in Northern California, stays close to home, dropping us in the murk of 1992 Oakland. The occasion—death.

We are first introduced to Prince N’Jobu—played pristinely by Sterling K. Brown, he's a Wakandan spy radicalized from his time living in the US—who has provided intel to Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis), a rogue black market dealer, on how to secure vibranium, the meteoric ore native to Wakanda that is the life source to the nation's technological prosperity. When N’Jobu’s misdeeds are unearthed, King T’Chaka, his brother, is forced to confront him. Their meeting ends fatally, and the king must bear the weight of his secret: that it was he who murdered his brother to save the life of Zuri (Forest Whitaker), a trusted advisor. And though we don’t know it yet, this is the film’s heart, the moment every subsequent action will flow through.

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The ensuing story splits along dueling ideologies. It picks up where Captain America: Civil War drew to a close, with T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) assuming control of his country’s fate in the wake of his father's death. For decades, Wakanda’s utopian spirit has thrived under the cloak of East Africa’s ethereal beauty, believing that if world powers discovered its technological and scientific ingenuity, the country would risk constant threat. Old-guard preservationists—among them, T’Challa's mother Ramonda (Angela Bassett) and Okoye (Danai Gurira), head of the king’s women-only security unit, Dora Milaje—believe the country must continue as it has for centuries, solely nurturing its own people. Others, like W’Kabi (Daniel Kaluuya) and Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o), confidants to T’Challa, subscribe to a more pan-Africanist worldview, believing that Wakanda must use its might to remedy the world of evil. Nakia especially believes it is the country's duty to aid the less fortunate—be they refugees, poor kids in the US, or activists caught in the tempest of protest against unjust state influence. The time comes when Wakanda can remain immune no longer, realizing that it too must yield to the cry of a changing world.

A specter of change arrives in the form of Erik “Killmonger” Stevens (a villainous, power-drunk Michael B. Jordan); he’s a former Black Ops mercenary fueled by blood and vengeance for the death of this father, Prince N’Jobu. His price is T’Challa’s throne and sovereignty over the nation. Killmonger, who finds an ally in W’Kabi, seeks an all out global revolution. He desires for Wakanda to position itself as a wellspring by equipping marginalized factions with its cutting-edge weaponry—a move he’s sure will liberate the country from the shadows and into an international superpower. Coogler and Joe Robert Cole, who co-wrote the script, turn an age-old narrative on its head via Killmonger’s revisionist fury: The colonized as the colonizers.

What transpires is a film of beauty, backbone, and startling discipline.

Lines are drawn, and what transpires is a film of beauty, backbone, and startling discipline. Technically lush, Black Panther infuses itself with diasporic hybridity: Wakandan dress, architecture, and dialect pull from Mali, Nigeria, Kenya, Ethiopia, and South Africa. Rachel Morrison, the Academy Award-nominated cinematographer attached to the film, delivers shots full of color and pure awe. When T’Challa travels to the ancestral plain to seek advice from his father, its gaping purple skies extend into the theater, as if we are on this dreamlike quest too. As Marvel films go, Black Panther is rife with franchise touchstones: thrilling action scenes—the most daring of which begins in an underground South Korean casino and rockets into a car chase through the frenzied streets of Busan—are undercut with moments of human spirit and levity (Letitia Wright’s Shuri and Winton Duke’s M’Baku offer up well-timed blushes of humor).

Coogler and T’Challa chart a parallel path here, seeking answers to the same question: who are you ultimately responsible to, your people or the people of the world? For his part, Coogler does due diligence by injecting the film with nods to black culture beyond the backdrop of Wakanda and the traditions of its people. I especially loved the moment when Jordan’s Killmonger, revealed to be of royal blood, calls Bassett’s Ramonda “auntie” with a razor-thin smirk. Or when Shuri jokes with T’Challa about the time-honored footwear he wore to impress tribal leaders, laying into him with, “What are thooose?!?!”

Even free of such context, Black Panther is an unmistakable triumph. Delivered through Coogler’s judicious eye, its existence alone generates a counter-history in film and mass media—first by scraping whiteness from its narrative core, then by making black people and black self-determination the default.

The 31-year-old writer-director has redefined the possibility of a superhero epic, a credit to his singular vision and belief that black stories matter, and that they imbue relevance on the big screen no matter what narrative shape they take. He proved that with Fruitvale Station, his breakout 2013 film about the killing of Oscar Grant, and again with Creed, the 2015 boxing flick that mined the importance of legacy and family.

Black Panther will manifest as a movement bigger than this moment. It’s more than historic pre-sale records, or box-office predictions. The collective hype that’s followed the film since inception has been absolutely volcanic, like nothing I’ve witnessed before.

It’s not that our need for black superheroes has shifted. Films like The Meteor Man and Steel may not have been commercially vibrant, but their stories and their images remain vital to black communities as what one friend described as “arbiters of hope and virtue in ways that transcend the limitations of our everyday, colonized lives.” Another friend who I spoke to this week shared a comparable sentiment: “we need black superheroes to remind ourselves that inventing yourself is not only possible, but necessary for survival.” I cite them because Black Panther, Coogler’s pièce de résistance, has been a reflection of shared hopes in creative industries where black identity is either undervalued or co-opted for empty laughs. These worlds, these august narratives, have always been viable to us.

So, what can a superhero movie be? It can be truth and fire and love. If we’re lucky, it is all of those things, perhaps more. It’s no mistake that Black Panther overflows with them.

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