[hider=Alternate Universe Ashe] [center][color=708090][u][b]Name:[/b][/u][/color] Ashe Blackwood [color=708090][u][b]Age:[/b][/u][/color] 18 [color=708090][u][b]Gender:[/b][/u][/color] Female [color=708090][u][b]Race:[/b][/u][/color] Faunus - Mountain Ibex [color=708090][u][b]Nationality:[/b][/u][/color] Mistrali / Menagerian [color=708090][u][b]Weapons:[/b][/u][/color] [u][i]White Carapace[/i][/u] A suit of Hotoke Dou style Mistrali armor. The breastplate is smooth and well machined to match Ashe's physique. The armor itself isn't particularly special, though it is [i]exceptionally[/i] protective and is surprisingly lightweight for its design. The metals used are the same as those used in weapons by professional Huntsmen, granting it a far greater toughness than most similarly designed armor. Ashe can't help but wonder why these materials aren't used in Atlesian robots and mechs more often, with the exception of the new Paladin model. While the breastplate is a single pair of smooth plates that fully house the upper torso and ribcage, most of the rest is similar to traditional Mistrali armor, with the exception that rather than bamboo and leather, it is made using rods of lightweight weapons grade alloys coated in kevlar, with a coating of lacquer to give it a similar texture to traditional armor. The shoulderpads and thigh skirts are of similar size and engulf the arms and legs in a protective coat that only modestly impedes movement, and heavy greaves and vambraces of smooth metal almost seem to merge into her gauntlets and boots, which are of a more "western" style, as the traditional Mistrali designs are woefully underprotected. Of particular note is the helmet, which is similar to a traditional Mistrali kabuto, save for a highly detailed goat mask covering the face, and armor designed to cover and protect Ashe's horns. The horn armor is made up of triangular segmented plates, padded with soft pipe insulation, with a kevlar fixture sock hidden behind the Haven Academy crest resting upon the forehead, and is designed so that Ashe may add more plates as she ages and her horns grow. The tip segments of the horn armor are effectively speartips with a socket placed over the tips of her horns and wicked triangular cast tips. The White Carapace is, as its name implies, almost all white, save for a golden trim. [u][i]Iridescence[/i][/u] Once again, a traditional Mistrali design. Or, rather, [i]two[/i] traditional Mistrali designs, as Iridescence is at its core a long ōdachi with a variable-length grip, which extends upwards to shift the weapon into something more resembling a traditional nagamaki, giving it a dual use as both a field sword and a polearm. The blade is slightly straighter than traditional weapons due to modern blade forging techniques. Cold-hammered by forging machinery and sharpened via belt sander, the blade is higher quality if more generic than traditional weapons forged out of low-grade ores with a soft core and hardened edge. It is also somewhat more forgiving in that parrying a blow with the flat or reverse edge of the blade is less likely to shatter the sword. The overall length is six feet, with a two-part grip, the top of which can be slid and locked in and out of place at either quarter-length or half-length points. Its sheath is designed with the intent of Iridescence being sheathed as an ōdachi rather than as a nagamaki. Of note, though, there are small holes drilled into the sides and rear of the blade, facing towards the tip at 20 to 45 degree angles, with a singular inner tube running the length of the blade. Holes are smaller near the hilt and larger near the tip, ranging from 1mm to 3mm in diameter, and the holes end roughly 10cm from the top of the grip when functioning as a nagamaki. Embedded in the tridentlike crossguard (chosen for its blade-locking potential over the smaller, rounder traditional tsuba) is a small cylinder of dust cartridges and a thumb-operated trigger. It's a rugged and durable design that relies on mechanical means of igniting Dust rather than utilizing Aura like other, "fancier" weapons might use, and when depressed, the selected cartridge spews ignited Dust throughout the blade, forcefully ejecting it through the series of twelve drilled holes near the end of the blade. Pressurized cartridges of non-Dust substances can also be used, such as teargas and smoke generating chemicals, so long as they have the same "priming cap" design. Ashe uses this primarily for dangerous obscuring clouds in combat, disrupting the opponent's view of her as she advances to melee range. Some types of Dust can, due to their more "fluid" operation, be used as a ranged option - in particular, cyan and orange Dust cartridges can be used for simple laserlike energy bursts and liquid flamethrower roles, though the arrangement of holes in the blade's end gives them less of a directed feel and more of an area of effect. [color=708090][u][b]Specialty:[/b][/u][/color] Tank, Assassin [color=708090][u][b]Semblance:[/b][/u][/color] [i]The Unnoticed[/i] Ashe's personality is somewhat different from the normal Beacon timeline, and as such, her Semblance is different as well, though still in roughly the same illusionist category. Her preference to remain unnoticed and avoid social contact when possible has manifested itself through her Semblance, and she is capable of simply disappearing - or at least, seeming to disappear. Essentially, Ashe drops off of a person's radar if she hasn't already done something to catch their attention, and twists their perception such that it's much more difficult to know that she's there, and if she is present, [i]where[/i] she is. This isn't a surefire way of avoiding social contact or harm, though, as anyone sufficiently aware of her presence may cut through her Semblance with proper focus. In combat, she uses this skill in tandem with Iridescence's obscuring cloud function to approach without giving her opponents a clear concept of where behind the cloud she actually is. Most respond by not attacking, lest they hit bystanders behind her instead. The Unnoticed is essentially the same as A Change of Face is in the Beacon timeline, though it is strongly underdeveloped and the method by which Ashe avoids notice is more self-centered and inwardly focused. It has less utility and is no more than an extension of her nature as an intentional wallflower. [color=708090][u][b]Personality:[/b][/u][/color] Ashe is a strong introvert with a preference for avoiding unnecessary social contact. She prefers being either alone or working with others towards a common objective - be it weapon development, political interests, or other. While she has gone to parties in the past, she dislikes them and tends to stay near the exit without taking part, aside from of course sampling whatever food might be around. When asked personal questions, she deflects them with biting sarcasm and insults, and she tends to have difficulty making friends because of this. This isn't a problem to her though, as she would rather have comrades and coworkers than friends, because the latter simply drains her energy and forces her to think about herself in ways she'd rather not. A deep depression manifests as outwards anger - towards others, towards her country, and towards the world in general. This is probably why her political beliefs are so far off from her core personality, as she still has a strong distaste for strong authority, but latches on to the strongest anti-authority figures in her life: in this case, the White Fang. Thinking about it just agitates her, and she ducks out of political discussions that might lead her towards questioning her choices. An obsession with her body type being too small, weak, and feminine drives her to the gym regularly, and she's grown exceptionally muscular for her size and shape, though this doesn't completely alleviate her distaste for her physical form. [color=708090][u][b]Alternate History:[/b][/u][/color] One simple choice changed Ashe's entire life on a deep level, turning her from the relatively friendly person we all know to someone decidedly less-so. She chose to stay with her family rather than run away when she was 13 years old. Forever a problem child, this decision wore on her family, her community, and herself heavily, as her continual conflicts with her parents over issues of politics and personal responsibility grew louder and more angry with each passing week. Her neighborhood in Kuo Kuana came to know her as "that anarchist girl" and thought of her as an annoyance more than anything, and shouting matches between her and her father became the norm. The old man was at the end of his rope after a few short months and offered her a simple choice: Stay, or go to Sanctum where she could find her own way in life and be what she always seemed to want to be. Papa Blackwood wasn't a cruel man - he was desperately trying to figure out how to help her through her teen years and didn't really know what to do. Ashe's Mother was much the same way, though she was more passive and even grew to avoid speaking to Ashe about personal responsibilities at all. Ashe knew they were trying their hardest, and in the interest of keeping her family from falling apart, she decided to go to Sanctum. Life at Sanctum was more structured than life in Kuo Kuana with her family by a wide margin. Her responsibilities there were right up her alley and completely inside her comfort zone. Unfortunately, she came into contact with more extreme political views while there. A good view of the lives of the underclasses of Mistral and comparison between them, her people in Menagerie, and the upper classes developed her already anti-authority views to an extreme, and she found herself at a White Fang rally when she was 14 years old. It only took a year after that for her to find herself listening to Sienna Khan's every word as gospel, and her local chapter of the White Fang, while initially uneasy about having a child in their ranks, eventually accepted that they needed more Huntresses, even if they were still in training. The gap between Ashe's political activist life and her school life only worsened her nonsocial tendencies, with fear of her involvement being discovered taking over every conversation she took part in. After accidentally blurting out extremist views in class discussions, she simply stopped speaking except for when necessary to convey information or succeed in an objective. Simultaneously, her combat training classes in Sanctum gave her a different view on combat than she would have developed on the lower tiers of Mistral's streets. Repeated failures in hand to hand combat with training equipment against other students taught her a harsh lesson: in a closed arena, she had to eliminate her weaknesses rather than focus on her strengths. With the help of the school's instructors, she slowly whittled away at her tendency to retreat, and pushed herself to relentlessly attack where she would have otherwise stayed on defense. After roughly two years, she was given an assignment to design her equipment, which would determine what kind of Huntress she would eventually be. Eliminating her fear of the enemy had given her a newfound respect for up-close combat - though not [i]too[/i] close - and she knew she wanted to be well protected and well armed. Legends of ancient Mistrali Huntsmen, accompanied by seeing the school's top student Pyrrha Nikos design her own armor and blade, pushed Ashe to follow suit. In the end she chose an old style of Mistrali armor and blade, which suited her more aggressive personality almost perfectly. All the while, she continued going to White Fang events, and found herself almost disturbingly enjoying them more and more as they grew more and more violent. Her hatred of police forces grew with each assaulted or arrested protester until when she was 17 and moved to Haven Academy, she no longer saw them as being people. And so she put down her signs and designed a second set of equipment - similar to her usual gear at Sanctum and Haven, but more western-style, brutal, and ramshackle, with a Grimm mask in the place of her goat mask and many sets of decorative horns to distract from her own horns. With a borrowed naginata, courtesy of the White Fang, she began going to rallies to more aggressively protect protesters, while using her own Semblance to escape arrest. And her political activism has started creeping up and disrupting her school life. Team LASR - Leon, Ashe, Satin, and Rojo, is crumbling faster than most. Leon and Rojo are traditionally-minded Humans from wealthier families, while Satin and Ashe are working class Faunus with more extremist tendencies. Armed with a quarterstaff, Satin is a Mandrill Faunus almost indistinguishable from humans apart from his having the most incredible ass this side of Remnant, and he has a glorious white mane to match Professor Lionheart's own. Leon Ito is younger than the others and is a child prodigy armed with a javelin and a kama, hailing from a family of mining oligarchs. Rojo is similarly well-off to Leon, with her family owning a chain of upper class restaurants, though she is the seventh daughter with the rest of her siblings focusing on the family business. Satin regularly gets into harsh arguments with Leon and Rojo, while Ashe quietly supports him from the sidelines. Ashe doesn't want a repeat of her familial issues, but Professor Lionheart's shortsightedness in team formation has forced it to happen again. Satin is opposed to the White Fang on principles of violence, but he has discovered Ashe's involvement with them and is slowly rethinking his views and becoming steadily more politically aggressive. Leon and Rojo, meanwhile, take the position that Faunus are [i]already[/i] as well-off as humans are, and need no further concessions. They strongly believe that Menagerie is more than enough to offset centuries of oppression and deny Remnant's corporations' ongoing abuses of Faunus as being any more than "accidents", stating that the Faunus should be [i]grateful[/i] that the Schnee Dust Company, the Ito Mining Group, and other such companies are permitting Faunus to work for them rather than switching to using robotic laborers like the Atlas military has. Naturally, this means that Team LASR fights itself more than it fights Grimm or other teams, leading them to have somewhat of a combat edge over others through constant "practice" (though whether it can be called 'practice' is up for debate, given that more often than not they're trying to genuinely harm eachother). Teamwork is noticeably lacking. [color=708090][u][b]Color:[/b][/u][/color] [color=708090]Slate - 708090[/color] [color=708090][u][b]Emblem:[/b][/u][/color] Ashe's Emblem is, in this timeline, simply the Haven Academy crest with a goat's face in the center, all in bronze. [color=708090][u][b]Appearance:[/b][/u][/color] 5’5” (not including horns), 130lbs. She’s an athletic girl of average height with dark skin and almost completely average proportions. Shallow and wide cheekbones give her a round and short face, with a narrow nose and large, sharp, green eyes. Her honey brown hair is in a long ponytail, and almost matches her skin tone. Notably, there’s a pair of long, slightly curved and ribbed horns sprouting from the top of her head, which she seems to take even better care of than the rest of her appearance and are regularly waxed and buffed to a dull shine. Her fashion preferences are geared more towards the traditional and towards uniformity, and as such she typically wears Mistrali robes on holidays and the male Haven Academy uniform otherwise.[/center][/hider] [hider=The Vanguard Steps In]“You are ordered to disperse!” The calls were shouted over and over again over a megaphone by police forces riding cheap riot wagons, and despite the protesters’ resistance, the crowd was being pushed back in yet another display of aggression against the Faunus Rights movement. Out of the corner of Ashe’s eye, an officer clad in plastic composite armor was struck in the visor by something wrapped in a sock and fell off of his vehicle, prompting his coworkers to move forwards with their shields raised and form a protective line around him as he got back up. Another projectile flew, this time bursting into flames. “Justice for Korrin!”, “Go back to your pen, pigs!”, “Fuck you!”, and the like came from the crowd, and many of the protesters, clad in casual clothes and carrying signs made of wooden dowels and cardstock, shifted their expressions from cheerful indignation to fear. Sure, their protest permit wasn’t accepted by the city council, but they didn’t think it would turn out this way. But they knew what would happen next, just as Ashe did. Ashe glanced one last time out of the black van’s window, then closed the blinds and strapped into her riot armor. This one would be fun.[/hider] [hider=TLDR;]Ashe didn't run away and join a squatter commune in Mistral. She is dramatically different as a result. Ended up going to Sanctum, joining the White Fang, then graduating and moving to Haven.[/hider]