Consider me interested.
Drifting Pollen
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Lady of War
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Bio
Hello!
I'm Pollen, hope you're not allergic. I like writing a myriad of characters in all kinds of genres, so I'm pretty much down for anything roleplay-wise.
Come talk with me if you want! I'm friendly.
I'm Pollen, hope you're not allergic. I like writing a myriad of characters in all kinds of genres, so I'm pretty much down for anything roleplay-wise.
Come talk with me if you want! I'm friendly.
Most Recent Posts
Master CS:
Interested! I like the idea of the random pairings, could make for some volatile combinations. Will PM character sheets shortly.
This week:
Monday, then Wednesday through Saturday from 8:30 PM to midnight PT.
Monday, then Wednesday through Saturday from 8:30 PM to midnight PT.
This week:
Wednesday through Saturday from 8:30 PM to midnight PT.
Wednesday through Saturday from 8:30 PM to midnight PT.
Barely an instant after the inaccurate barrage, the man in white was at it again. This time he fired off both of his guns, and sent one of his golden fakes into the fray, aiming all at once towards the Shroud in the hopes of doing some damage. Not nearly so impressive as his previous attack, but together they still packed a lot of force.
This time, however, Lyra didn't even bother moving.
The glowing fake struck first, in the form of a bright stream that exploded at the very last moment. In terms of energetic composition it was not unlike the lightning bolt from early in the fight: heat, light, and electricity, just in greater quantities this time. Alas, it would suffer a similar fate to its predecessor. The wider spread of its impact diminished any chances of penetration, and as before the cloud promptly ate it up and shut it down without much trouble. On its own, it stood little chance of pushing through.
On the other hand, the Shroud was still dealing with the flood of energy from the explosion when the cannon attack struck home, and responded to the latter a little less effectively than it might have. This particular method did have some success before, and the field this time would be stronger, more capable of pushing back and damaging the Shroud. Unfortunately for the attacker, whether or not he had realized it, his previous attack with this weapon had been made against the thin, distracting layer Lyra had erected early on, and had accomplished a seeming breakthrough largely because it had only needed to penetrate a fraction of an inch of Shroud. The current projectile would be faced with a great deal more opposition. Both field and round would be swiftly slowed to insignificance, their energies snuffed out by the black miasma's flagrant defiance of conventional physics.
All the same, the Shroud did seem to be having some trouble dealing with this much energy at once. It self-concentrated, bulging near the site of impact while the rest of it shrank and thinned, leaving the way clear for the slower, smaller attacks. These had been well-placed, taking advantage of the Shroud's defensive nature by aiming slightly to one side of the larger hit. While the cannon shot drew the cloud in like a hungry whirlpool, the following rounds struck its weaker fringes. They carried less energy than the larger projectile, and the first would far little better than its larger cousin- but its sibling, the final bullet, striking where and when the Shroud was weak, had better luck. Its field dispersed the Shroud in front of it just enough for the physical round to push through at reduced speed, and for just a fraction of a second, barely long enough for Mitsu to catch, it tore a small hole in that dread veil of darkness to reveal what lay within.
More darkness.
Fair play to the man, he had managed to understand his opponent's defense well enough to put together attacks that could actually have threatened Lyra if she'd dropped her guard. She, however, had anticipated this. The otherworldly fog's tendency to self-concentrate around threats could be turned into a weakness, but Lyra knew this better than anyone. So she'd split her Shroud.
Discounting the little sphere that had been wiped out just a moment ago, she'd made three parts. One was fairly small and served an unrelated purpose, the other two were roughly equal portions of the remaining Shroud: one wrapped around Lyra herself, and one wrapped around the other like a shell, with a thin layer of air in between. This might not have seemed like much of a difference, but as had just been demonstrated, it could yet be used to great effect.
The Shroud self-concentrated to deal with threats, which left it thinner in places and vulnerable to follow-up attacks. What it didn't do was move to stop things that weren't touching it. While the outer cloud had been deformed and left vulnerable by the initial impacts, the inner cloud surrounding Lyra herself remained untouched, placid and calm. Together, the Shroud might have fallen, but divided it stood firm. Only three projectiles made it through to the second layer, and once there, two were soon slowed to the point of insignificance. The third, the pistol shot that had penetrated with some of its surrounding field intact, would penetrate far enough to score a hit- but unfortunately by that point it was only traveling at a few hundred miles per hour, well below the muzzle velocities of even primitive firearms. Lyra's swift reaction times and her ability to sense anything within her Shroud made it easy enough for her to physically avoid it before it could land. Thus, when it did land, the bullet acted less as a penetrating projectile and more as a blunt one. Even before it hit, Lyra was hardening the frozen fluids within her midsection in response, so that when the blow landed she was able to keep herself in position and hold her body intact. Rather than being crushed or smashed, her flesh *cracked* a little, the ice within her blood vessels breaking in places from the force of the impact. Had she been a living human, she'd have suffered some heavy tissue damage and hemorrhaging, but with most of her blood frozen the latter would hardly be an issue, and she could use her power over said frozen fluids to physically hold herself together, further minimizing the harm done. It surprised her that something had been able to reach this far through her defense, but it'd take more than this to seriously hurt her.
The gap snapped closed as soon as it had opened, and the outer layer of the two-part Shroud swirled into motion, returning to its former shape while pieces of debris dropped out of it in succession, falling to the ground far below. The ice flower, which had been wisely kept away from the part of the Shroud that would be taking impacts, sped out as planned, and Lyra and her cloud continued to ascend in an unpredictably curving path. The interruption, powerful and complex as it had been, had not delayed her plans. Even if Mitsu immediately attacked upon observing what had happened, the Shroud would have largely recovered by the time his next round hit, and the flower would be well en route.
Something else flew out behind the blue flower, though unlike the icy construct it did not travel far. A gas bomb, the one Lyra had primed a short while before. It detonated some distance in front of the Shroud- and then began to spread, carefully directed by the wind. Rather than expanding in all directions, it flattened and swept outwards like a curtain, forming an opaque green veil that hung in the air some distance in front of the Shroud. Rather than using her gas as a weapon, Lyra was using it as cover: with her power over wind she could spread it wide while making sure it never came in contact with her Shroud, and while she kept it between herself and Mitsu he would be unable to track the Shroud's precise location by sight. A girl hid within a cloud, and now a cloud hid behind another, much wider cloud.
Of course, Lyra herself couldn't see through this second miasma either. She didn't need to, however. The key lay in the flower: its stem was hollow, and rather than another bomb it held a far more versatile payload.
The third portion of her Shroud.
This last, smallest part would be effectively invisible in its current state. The dark particles held within and embedded throughout the ice could store and emit light as well as absorb it, and rather than simply sucking up every photon that came near, the Shroud within the ice flower was emitting light in wide bursts at roughly the same rate as it absorbed it, thereby rendering itself almost transparent. It likely wouldn't have been enough to fool Lyra's sharp-eyed opponent were it in the open, but hidden as it was within ice, any minor distortions of light would be impossible to distinguish from those caused by reflection and refraction within the ice's own structure. Lyra, meanwhile, could easily track what light was hitting the Shroud, and had crafted the aforementioned ice herself- she knew exactly how to get a clear view from inside it. The flower acted not only as a weapon, but also as a mobile eye.
As it approached, and glittering particles began to spread around it, the flower changed. The lovely petals split, becoming thinner, sharper, and more numerous. A circle of needles, a vicious variation on the dandelion.
The main body of the flower had slowed down as it drew close, but the threat would come suddenly, and deadly swift. Without warning, the very tip of the pointed stem- opposite the flower shape with all its petals -broke off from the main structure and shot towards Mazono.
As with the initial blood spike, it would likely run into his defensive field. In this case, however, said field only stretched ten feet, and the shard had been crafted from raw ice, which Lyra could toughen much more effectively than frozen blood. It stood to reason that this one would not shatter before reaching its target.
Of course, as the man in white probably knew by now, his opponent always had a card or two up her sleeve. A spike through the head might seem a threat, but for all he knew it could be the least of his worries.
This time, however, Lyra didn't even bother moving.
The glowing fake struck first, in the form of a bright stream that exploded at the very last moment. In terms of energetic composition it was not unlike the lightning bolt from early in the fight: heat, light, and electricity, just in greater quantities this time. Alas, it would suffer a similar fate to its predecessor. The wider spread of its impact diminished any chances of penetration, and as before the cloud promptly ate it up and shut it down without much trouble. On its own, it stood little chance of pushing through.
On the other hand, the Shroud was still dealing with the flood of energy from the explosion when the cannon attack struck home, and responded to the latter a little less effectively than it might have. This particular method did have some success before, and the field this time would be stronger, more capable of pushing back and damaging the Shroud. Unfortunately for the attacker, whether or not he had realized it, his previous attack with this weapon had been made against the thin, distracting layer Lyra had erected early on, and had accomplished a seeming breakthrough largely because it had only needed to penetrate a fraction of an inch of Shroud. The current projectile would be faced with a great deal more opposition. Both field and round would be swiftly slowed to insignificance, their energies snuffed out by the black miasma's flagrant defiance of conventional physics.
All the same, the Shroud did seem to be having some trouble dealing with this much energy at once. It self-concentrated, bulging near the site of impact while the rest of it shrank and thinned, leaving the way clear for the slower, smaller attacks. These had been well-placed, taking advantage of the Shroud's defensive nature by aiming slightly to one side of the larger hit. While the cannon shot drew the cloud in like a hungry whirlpool, the following rounds struck its weaker fringes. They carried less energy than the larger projectile, and the first would far little better than its larger cousin- but its sibling, the final bullet, striking where and when the Shroud was weak, had better luck. Its field dispersed the Shroud in front of it just enough for the physical round to push through at reduced speed, and for just a fraction of a second, barely long enough for Mitsu to catch, it tore a small hole in that dread veil of darkness to reveal what lay within.
More darkness.
Fair play to the man, he had managed to understand his opponent's defense well enough to put together attacks that could actually have threatened Lyra if she'd dropped her guard. She, however, had anticipated this. The otherworldly fog's tendency to self-concentrate around threats could be turned into a weakness, but Lyra knew this better than anyone. So she'd split her Shroud.
Discounting the little sphere that had been wiped out just a moment ago, she'd made three parts. One was fairly small and served an unrelated purpose, the other two were roughly equal portions of the remaining Shroud: one wrapped around Lyra herself, and one wrapped around the other like a shell, with a thin layer of air in between. This might not have seemed like much of a difference, but as had just been demonstrated, it could yet be used to great effect.
The Shroud self-concentrated to deal with threats, which left it thinner in places and vulnerable to follow-up attacks. What it didn't do was move to stop things that weren't touching it. While the outer cloud had been deformed and left vulnerable by the initial impacts, the inner cloud surrounding Lyra herself remained untouched, placid and calm. Together, the Shroud might have fallen, but divided it stood firm. Only three projectiles made it through to the second layer, and once there, two were soon slowed to the point of insignificance. The third, the pistol shot that had penetrated with some of its surrounding field intact, would penetrate far enough to score a hit- but unfortunately by that point it was only traveling at a few hundred miles per hour, well below the muzzle velocities of even primitive firearms. Lyra's swift reaction times and her ability to sense anything within her Shroud made it easy enough for her to physically avoid it before it could land. Thus, when it did land, the bullet acted less as a penetrating projectile and more as a blunt one. Even before it hit, Lyra was hardening the frozen fluids within her midsection in response, so that when the blow landed she was able to keep herself in position and hold her body intact. Rather than being crushed or smashed, her flesh *cracked* a little, the ice within her blood vessels breaking in places from the force of the impact. Had she been a living human, she'd have suffered some heavy tissue damage and hemorrhaging, but with most of her blood frozen the latter would hardly be an issue, and she could use her power over said frozen fluids to physically hold herself together, further minimizing the harm done. It surprised her that something had been able to reach this far through her defense, but it'd take more than this to seriously hurt her.
The gap snapped closed as soon as it had opened, and the outer layer of the two-part Shroud swirled into motion, returning to its former shape while pieces of debris dropped out of it in succession, falling to the ground far below. The ice flower, which had been wisely kept away from the part of the Shroud that would be taking impacts, sped out as planned, and Lyra and her cloud continued to ascend in an unpredictably curving path. The interruption, powerful and complex as it had been, had not delayed her plans. Even if Mitsu immediately attacked upon observing what had happened, the Shroud would have largely recovered by the time his next round hit, and the flower would be well en route.
Something else flew out behind the blue flower, though unlike the icy construct it did not travel far. A gas bomb, the one Lyra had primed a short while before. It detonated some distance in front of the Shroud- and then began to spread, carefully directed by the wind. Rather than expanding in all directions, it flattened and swept outwards like a curtain, forming an opaque green veil that hung in the air some distance in front of the Shroud. Rather than using her gas as a weapon, Lyra was using it as cover: with her power over wind she could spread it wide while making sure it never came in contact with her Shroud, and while she kept it between herself and Mitsu he would be unable to track the Shroud's precise location by sight. A girl hid within a cloud, and now a cloud hid behind another, much wider cloud.
Of course, Lyra herself couldn't see through this second miasma either. She didn't need to, however. The key lay in the flower: its stem was hollow, and rather than another bomb it held a far more versatile payload.
The third portion of her Shroud.
This last, smallest part would be effectively invisible in its current state. The dark particles held within and embedded throughout the ice could store and emit light as well as absorb it, and rather than simply sucking up every photon that came near, the Shroud within the ice flower was emitting light in wide bursts at roughly the same rate as it absorbed it, thereby rendering itself almost transparent. It likely wouldn't have been enough to fool Lyra's sharp-eyed opponent were it in the open, but hidden as it was within ice, any minor distortions of light would be impossible to distinguish from those caused by reflection and refraction within the ice's own structure. Lyra, meanwhile, could easily track what light was hitting the Shroud, and had crafted the aforementioned ice herself- she knew exactly how to get a clear view from inside it. The flower acted not only as a weapon, but also as a mobile eye.
As it approached, and glittering particles began to spread around it, the flower changed. The lovely petals split, becoming thinner, sharper, and more numerous. A circle of needles, a vicious variation on the dandelion.
The main body of the flower had slowed down as it drew close, but the threat would come suddenly, and deadly swift. Without warning, the very tip of the pointed stem- opposite the flower shape with all its petals -broke off from the main structure and shot towards Mazono.
As with the initial blood spike, it would likely run into his defensive field. In this case, however, said field only stretched ten feet, and the shard had been crafted from raw ice, which Lyra could toughen much more effectively than frozen blood. It stood to reason that this one would not shatter before reaching its target.
Of course, as the man in white probably knew by now, his opponent always had a card or two up her sleeve. A spike through the head might seem a threat, but for all he knew it could be the least of his worries.
Fueled by bestial fury, the tiger struck its prey again and again with its powerful forepaws, quickly ruining the armor surrounding Anom's torso. The smaller cats, meanwhile, lurked nearby and watched. When the armored hero moved to strike, one of them hissed in warning, and the tiger quickly swiped out with one paw, batting aside the sword-stroke with ease.
It'd be hard to ambush Big Martin or any of his cats. He could watch through their eyes, hear through their ears, and share information with each member of his furry army. Between them, they could see the battlefield from a huge variety of angles, and pick up details that any lone watcher might have missed.
One of these details just so happened to catch Big Martin's attention. By rights, the armored defender should have been focused on the beast right on top of him, but at the moment he seemed to be paying an odd amount of attention to the monstrosity some distance away. The latter seemed the more deadly of the two, to be sure, but something about the man's body language was wrong. Call it a hunch, perhaps. When fighting with and against individuals wielding unknown powers, every clue mattered.
He sent out a mental order to the tiger. Off!
The huge cat growled, somewhat annoyed, but complied, leaping off Anom and out of the way of his daggers. It crouched to one side, ready to leap back into action as soon as its master gave the word.
All of a sudden, Anom would be unimpeded once more- at least mostly. Some sticky web would still be gumming him up, and the armor on his chest would be all but ruined by now, but at least the cats seemed to have let him go for the moment.
As for Big Martin himself, a strange wind surrounded him once again. He was confident enough in their victory against this opponent by now, but this wouldn't be the only hero about, and he'd need more forces ready for when things inevitably escalated.
It'd be hard to ambush Big Martin or any of his cats. He could watch through their eyes, hear through their ears, and share information with each member of his furry army. Between them, they could see the battlefield from a huge variety of angles, and pick up details that any lone watcher might have missed.
One of these details just so happened to catch Big Martin's attention. By rights, the armored defender should have been focused on the beast right on top of him, but at the moment he seemed to be paying an odd amount of attention to the monstrosity some distance away. The latter seemed the more deadly of the two, to be sure, but something about the man's body language was wrong. Call it a hunch, perhaps. When fighting with and against individuals wielding unknown powers, every clue mattered.
He sent out a mental order to the tiger. Off!
The huge cat growled, somewhat annoyed, but complied, leaping off Anom and out of the way of his daggers. It crouched to one side, ready to leap back into action as soon as its master gave the word.
All of a sudden, Anom would be unimpeded once more- at least mostly. Some sticky web would still be gumming him up, and the armor on his chest would be all but ruined by now, but at least the cats seemed to have let him go for the moment.
As for Big Martin himself, a strange wind surrounded him once again. He was confident enough in their victory against this opponent by now, but this wouldn't be the only hero about, and he'd need more forces ready for when things inevitably escalated.
This week is same as last week:
Monday and Thursday through Saturday from 8:30 PM to midnight PT.
Monday and Thursday through Saturday from 8:30 PM to midnight PT.
@Lalliman, if he wants to stab through the slit, will he stab through the cat? If Pollen says the cat will move out of the way in time then I'm fine with that.
See what I wrote in the last paragraph of my post:
"The cat on Anom's visor would leap away if and when the warrior fell, leaving the small aperture clear for Obadiah's swords."
So yes, it'll presumably be out of the way.
Here's a term often used to describe people with extraordinary reaction times, those who respond to movement before their peers even register it. They have 'catlike reflexes.' Just a figure of speech, of course, but there is a kernel of truth in it. Namely, the fact that an alert cat can react to a threat really fucking fast, and has the speed and flexibility to make that reaction count.
Even blinded as he was, Anom's strikes were accurate enough to knock the cats away- if they had remained in place. Alas, the moment he began to strike, claws unhooked and small furry bodies jumped aside, the one under his armpit dropping back down to the ground while the one on his shoulder jumped straight over his head and onto his other shoulder, yowling all the way. These weren't mischievous house cats waiting to be picked up, but tiny warriors dead-set on impeding him as much as possible! He'd have to try harder than that to get them off him for good.
Unfortunately, the pesky critters were about to be the least of his worries.
With both sight and hearing under attack by the smaller cats, Anom likely wouldn't sense Big Martin's finishing move until a huge weight slammed into him from the left, suddenly bowling him over. Only the other villains would be able to glimpse what had happened just before. Since arriving, Big Martin had only created a single small cat, relying mainly on the few he'd brought with him while storing mass for something bigger, and now he brought that something out to play.
Once he was out of harm's way, the supervillain extended one hand towards the armored guardian, and at once something massive and orange appeared before him, already charging towards his intended target. Rows of dark stripes marked its sides, a legendary symbol of ferocity. If Anom could not defeat the common Felis catus, then how would he fare against a tiger?
The beast moved swiftly and surprisingly quietly for its size, rearing up as it reached its prey and using its wide paws and formidable weight to push the already unbalanced guardian to the ground. The cat on Anom's visor would leap away if and when the warrior fell, leaving the small aperture clear for Obadiah's swords while the tiger pinned its prey down and tore at his armor with its claws.
Even blinded as he was, Anom's strikes were accurate enough to knock the cats away- if they had remained in place. Alas, the moment he began to strike, claws unhooked and small furry bodies jumped aside, the one under his armpit dropping back down to the ground while the one on his shoulder jumped straight over his head and onto his other shoulder, yowling all the way. These weren't mischievous house cats waiting to be picked up, but tiny warriors dead-set on impeding him as much as possible! He'd have to try harder than that to get them off him for good.
Unfortunately, the pesky critters were about to be the least of his worries.
With both sight and hearing under attack by the smaller cats, Anom likely wouldn't sense Big Martin's finishing move until a huge weight slammed into him from the left, suddenly bowling him over. Only the other villains would be able to glimpse what had happened just before. Since arriving, Big Martin had only created a single small cat, relying mainly on the few he'd brought with him while storing mass for something bigger, and now he brought that something out to play.
Once he was out of harm's way, the supervillain extended one hand towards the armored guardian, and at once something massive and orange appeared before him, already charging towards his intended target. Rows of dark stripes marked its sides, a legendary symbol of ferocity. If Anom could not defeat the common Felis catus, then how would he fare against a tiger?
The beast moved swiftly and surprisingly quietly for its size, rearing up as it reached its prey and using its wide paws and formidable weight to push the already unbalanced guardian to the ground. The cat on Anom's visor would leap away if and when the warrior fell, leaving the small aperture clear for Obadiah's swords while the tiger pinned its prey down and tore at his armor with its claws.
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