baskets

Anima (Sci-fish story) {Superhuman Experiments}

I'm interested!

Secrets of Kehema

Coriana gave a low chuckle, putting out the flame immediately. "Trust me when I say I'd rather avoid a battle entirely. Violence should be a last resort, if possible. Besides, while my power to destroy is great, it's so taxing. I'd much rather use my magic to bolster others' abilities, you know." From the corner of her eye, Coriana spotted a dark object plummeting towards the earth where she and Raoul stood. In an instant, Coriana whipped her staff from her side to her direct front; from the head of the staff Coriana formed a small shield, effectively catching whatever was falling towards them. The force of the impact drove Coriana's staff a couple inches into the ground.

Intrigued, Coriana released the shield and allowed the dead bird to gentle plop to the ground. She smiled, kneeling to examine the arrow firmly embedded in the bird's body. "A good shot. Impressive," Coriana looked up to Raoul before scanning their immediate surroundings for the source of the arrow. She stood up again, though was caught off guard by the amount of energy she had used recently. Coriana had used just a little bit too much to fuel her antics and games. Dizzy, she leaned slightly against her staff, placing her weight on it. Every spell took a physical toll on the user, and though she was powerful, she had been continuously casting spells for the better part of a day.

After several seconds, however, Coriana fully recovered. She continued her scan for the shooter; with yet another smile, Coriana spotted a lone human with a bow. "He must be our archer, and your kinsman, Raoul. It seems he's trying to grab our attention. Will you oblige?" Coriana began to walk away from Raoul and towards the archer, leaving the bird on the ground before him.

The Shades

don't everybody rush to make a post in the IC, now...

Secrets of Kehema

The harrowing silence was broken by a friendly voice, "That water seems pretty cold. Sort of unsettling too, considering this place is a total ghost town. I haven't seen a single soul other than our group of adventurers." Coriana turned, assessing the man speaking to her. Human, strong stance, well equipped and in shape. Putting everything into context, the pieces quickly fit together. She smiled.

"Ah, you must be Raoul de Costa, the mercenary I've heard is partaking on this journey. I am Coriana Alaros," she spoke slowly and clearly, her voice gentle and warm. Coriana bowed her head slightly and made her way back to land. She put out the fire in her palm; no need to be waving around what could be misconceived as a potential threat. "The water is not as much a worry as the silence. No guards, no townspeople. Fear is a dangerous weapon," Coriana mused. "In all my travels I have never been met by such a silence. The giants are a great threat, indeed, but there looms a greater darkness, I fear." By now she was completely out of the water and a couple feet in front of the human. Now that she was closer to Raoul, she could size him up with greater detail.

His armor was battered and scratched; many would be put off, but in every imperfection Coriana imagined there was a story behind it. His voice and words were friendly, but his eyes seemed to be evaluating her in return. She gave another smile. "There are four men indulging themselves at the inn, presumably our companions. I am surprised; you chose to approach me instead of join them. To tell the truth, I am indulging myself in quiet pleasures just as they indulge themselves in considerably louder ones. What brings you to me? Is it my magical mystique, or the foreign beauty of my elven nature?" Coriana chuckled, signaling that she was not entirely serious in her line of questioning. She pulled her staff by its makeshift leather sling from her back. Coriana channeled some of her energy through it; the staff glowed and began to emanate heat from its crystal at the head. The warmth was comforting.

"So tell me, Raoul. Is there a greater goal, or are you simply curious? As the human saying goes, curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back. Are you satisfied with what you received?" Her warm smile became slightly darker, though still gentle and lighthearted. To add to the drama of her practical joke, she channeled more energy into her staff. A ball of fire began to form around the head of the staff. Coriana enjoyed fire. It was her favorite element, as it held both incredibly destructive and comforting qualities.

"Or will the cat suffer a hot death this morning?"

Secrets of Kehema

if I had to summarize that last post:

Work_U_Dumb said
omg coriana u so hot lemme tap dat doe i aint drunk promiss

:P

The Shades

Having only one record store in the area for miles around had its perks. For one, the store essentially became a closely knit community; the staff knew all of their frequenters, and everybody was on pretty good terms with everyone else. You were pretty much guaranteed a friendly environment could easily spend hours talking the day away with the staff or another customer. Of course, there were downsides as well. The biggest one being that if you couldn't find something that you were looking for here, you were shit out of luck. Sure, the advent of the internet had completely eliminated the need for records and physical copies of music, but for a music nerd like Alysia, records were an absolute must. Nothing sounded better than a vinyl.

Alysia flipped through the records, looking for a name that struck her fancy. It was one of those days where she didn't know what she wanted, and as such she found herself looking for something new. Her search had brought her to the mysterious section that was mysteriously labeled "Because We Feel Like It." Everything had been released in the past few years, but the genres were all over the place; everything from Kanye to Sara Bareilles, from Magic Man to Chet Faker. Big names, small names, it didn't matter. There was a little bit of everything, and if she had to be honest, Alysia wanted it all.

She decided to play it safe with the new Say Anything album. Alysia had heard that Hebrews was a stretch for the typically punk pop band, but a change in musical direction wasn't always a bad thing. Alysia took the record to the counter. As always, the cashier pulled a flash drive from the drawer and handed it to Alysia along with her receipt. The flash drive contained a digital copy of the album; an uncommon practice for most record stores, but Alysia wasn't about to complain. She smiled, stuffing the drive in her pocket and leaving the record store.

She dumped the record into her black backpack, which contained only her laptop, a pair of headphones, and a pack of cigarettes. A bad habit, but immortality had its benefits for a reason, right? Alysia quickly checked to make sure nobody was watching, and ducked into an alleyway. From there, she dropped her façade, spread her wings, and took off. Her butterfly wings weren't built for speed and agility like those Shades with bird wings, but they were faster than walking.

Alysia touched down behind her favorite coffee shop. She put her façade back on and walked back out towards the street. She sat down at an empty table in front of the store, removing the record and her laptop from her backpack. Setting the laptop on top of the record, she pulled the flash drive out of her pocket and inserted it into her laptop. Next, Alysia pulled out the headphones and a cigarette, followed by her lighter in her other pocket. She started up the album and lit a cigarette, leaning back in her chair. She smiled, Max Bemis' always energetic voice and the cigarette bringing her to a place that she could only describe as her happy place.

--

"That looks great. Give me another pose, but with a little more attitude. Attitude looks good on you. Beautiful, I'm loving it, keep it coming, honey. Absolutely beautiful."

The snaps of the shutter and the explosions of light from the flash bulbs dragged on and on as Markus reveled in the perfection of the photoshoot. The model he was working with, a young college student looking to make it in the modeling business, had a natural glow to her that Markus almost felt blessed to capture. Just as he took the last shot he needed, Markus' phone went off. He checked the caller ID; Jessica, his boss. Perfect timing.

"Sup, Jess? Just finished working with that girl you sent my way, Sabrina," Markus set his camera on the small table behind him, waving Sabrina off to the side for a moment. "This'll just be a second," he mouthed to her.

"Really? That sounds wonderful," Jess responded. God, she had such a hot voice. Markus absolutely loved talking to her. "So I'm guessing we're all good for this month's fashion spot?"

"You got it. Just gotta send these pics and a final edit of the article to Alex for formatting and shit. I'll be all done by tomorrow morning."

"Perfect. That's it, Markus, just checking in. Come by the office in a week or so for a print, if you want." Click. Markus smiled. Another job well done, just the way Markus liked it. He turned to the woman waiting behind him.

"Sabrina, baby," Markus spread his arms wide; she took the hint, meeting the hug. They pulled away from each other. "You're absolutely wonderful. I'll definitely call you again if I ever need you for another spot, okay?" Sabrina only smiled in response; she didn't talk much, which Markus regretted. The girl was smarter than she looked, and Markus loved talking to her. "I gotta finish up the article for tomorrow, so I've got to lock up. I'll call you," Markus headed for the door, Sabrina following closely behind. The two stepped out of Markus' studio, Markus locking up behind him. "Thanks for everything, Markus," Sabrina waved, heading off down the street. Markus jumped in his car, a new Honda Civic, heading towards the beach; writing on the beach was so much easier than writing up in his clammy apartment.

When he arrived, he grabbed a blanket, his camera, and his laptop from the backseat. He walked down towards the water, settling down about forty yards from the shoreline. He spread the blanket out wide and sat down cross-legged upon it. He took the SD card from his camera and inserted it into the laptop, pulling up the article for the magazine as he loaded the pictures from the shoot onto his laptop. Nothing like a pleasant afternoon at the beach, Markus thought, smiling.

The Shades

Name: Markus Williams
Age: 23

Appearance:

Markus

Occupation: Photographer and journalist for a local blog

Personality: Markus is a little conceited, and often can be faulted for overreacting when things don’t go his way, but for the most part he’s a good guy. He has a realistic view of things, and rarely lets his emotions cloud his judgment. His primary motivation will always be his work, at any cost.

Bio: Born to an extremely well-off family, Markus had everything he wanted from day one. His family had the big house, the cool swimming pool, the cars and all the fancy new technology. His childhood was sheltered, growing up in a quiet, relatively safe community. During high school, he found his interests in photography and journalism; he asked his parents for a camera and a new laptop and began work right away.

Around junior year, Markus saw his already below average grades take a dip, as he shifted focus from his academic career to his artistic career. This grabbed the particular attention of his mother, who had already been displeased with Markus’ work ethic. But instead of taking immediate action, she struck him a deal: if he could pull off an overall GPA of 3.5 or better (no small task, as his GPA was at a 2.4 at the time) then she would guarantee Markus’ enrollment in college as a journalism major.

For the next year and a half, Markus put down the camera, working intensely on his academics. Of course, he succeeded, attaining his 3.5 and leaving his home town for college as a journalism major. Armed with the very same camera and laptop he started with, Markus tackled college all on his own.

But independence had its own unique challenges. College was a huge wakeup call for Markus; for the first time, he wasn’t handed anything on a silver platter. His dedication to his passion was great, but Markus lacked the real life skills necessary to make it on his own. Once again, Markus found himself struggling, but this time he had no reliable people to fall back on. He got his first job at a coffee shop at 20, working there to sustain his lifestyle as well as develop work experience he knew would be necessary later on.

Once he was back on his feet, Markus breezed his way through college. The academics came naturally to him, and he found the perfect balance between his academic and social life. After graduating with honors, Markus chose not to return home, instead settling into the college town he had become accustomed to living alone in.

Sighted?: No
Other: nah again

The Shades

Wolf said
Emma: Yep, Kiden and Elijah are totally outnumbered at this point XD

face it, we're just better! x) but like Emma, I'd be glad to make a male character if you want? just so there's a little more balance.

Secrets of Kehema

Work_U_Dumb said
Never. The elven bachelor wants the women, and he will somehow get it.

Coriana will have you burned to a crisp before anyone gets near her!

Magnus said
LOL, Cant wait to see how this turns out xD

the rest of the group better watch out, the giants will be the least of their worries with this feud going on..

Secrets of Kehema

Work_U_Dumb said
Before I go I must say this.

It Has Begun

this was a war that you started, and I fully intend to win it! :P