Grey

Madou: Vivid World

The truck shuddered with every bump in the road and every little stop, shaking the Japanese stowaway from any attempt at getting a good rest. Hiding out in the back corner of some kind of shipping truck probably wasn't the best of ideas, but he'd done it on impulse, he didn't think the whole process through and now he was god-knows-where . Actually, now that Arata though about it, that described his whole adventure so far. A series of stupid decisions leading to lots of regret. Gah, he should've never left Japan in the first place. The truck stopped abruptly for the umpteenth time, as Arata heard words spoken in a language he couldn't much understand. It sounded Asian though, but that was probably to be expected when entering a Chinese shipping truck. The teen listened silently. Upon the sound of footsteps circling around the vehicle, Arata's eyes widened. 'W-Wait. Is-Is this it? What happens if they find me back here? No - gah - that's dumb, I'm a ESPer with a good power, I can deal with it, I can deal with it,' the teen ESPer thought, glancing around his immediate surroundings. Other than the shipments of what seemed to be food items, there wasn't much to work with. No openings to warp or anything. 'That's alright...that's alright,' he reassured himself glancing to the doors on the back, 'I just gotta be quick enough to designate, calc, and run, ne?' A moment after the first ray of light shone into the area, Arata was gone, sprawled on the pavement a several meters from the truck. "Gah..." he groaned, picking himself up off the ground as an announcement blared in the background. Something about foreigners, ESPers, and a C2 building. Unfortunately he didn't really catch it in between the whole 'temporarily shortening the fabric of space as casually as one would solve a simple maths equation' thing. Admittedly one of the more simple applications of his power - just a basic shortening and extension with no significant modification to the space - and very, very useful for quick movement. And if there was one thing he was good at, it was running from responsibilities, which made it useful twofold. Haha. A shame Arata was lost though, maybe then he could have put it to better use. At least he knew he was still in China, based on the surroundings. "Umm... He-Hello, sir?" Arata asked the nearest bystander, stopping from his assault on the laws of physics to inquire about what exactly he was to do, "What did that, uh, announcement say... exactly?" The man looked at the dirty, vagrant-like young man and sighed. "Curfew is in effect, and all foreigners go to the C2 building," he said in shoddy, but understandable Japanese before pointing at a building yonder, "It's that one. It is not far of a walk." He then proceeded to say something in what was probably Chinese. The tone wasn't very nice, so Arata just did his best to laugh it off and think on the positive side. "Thanks, mister," he said before heading to the C2 building. 'I should probably get a change of clothes and a shower when I can... I don't think anyone appreciates my disheveled appearance right now,' Arata thought, 'Hopefully I'll find something at this 'C2 building' place'

Academy of the Arcane Artes [Reboot]

I psoted 10 hours ago. Just post, "Oi lads, got til tomorrow to post"

Jedly but on Skype

It is done.

Academy of the Arcane Artes [Reboot]

Francois Jeannotte

A sound filled the small, immaculate white room. Francois let out a low hum as he read through the final pages of the novel at his desk. He rolled his swivel chair out, turned on the revolving seat, and slid the book back into place on the bookshelf with the rest of the young adult literature graciously granted to him by his guardians. "Good for the mind," they'd told him. Sliding back across the meticulously organized, sleekly designed dormitory to the desk, the French-American checked the clock on his dresser and got off his seat. It was just about time to head out for 'second phase testing', as the labcoats called it. Personally Francois didn't mind the change. He knew that it required him to attend a Gatekeeper's training academy with other individuals working towards the same goal, a far cry from the solitary testing he'd been doing since... Well, ever. But if it was anything like his previous testing, it shouldn't be all that complicated, right? Which meant that there was no need to worry as long as he made himself useful, right? Francois' grip on the back of the chair tightened for a moment as he pushed the seat into place at the desk. ...And besides, now he'd have the opportunity to stop bothering the labcoats and finally interact with people his own age. Hopefully they wouldn't be as professional and aloof as the former. He... really didn't like that possibility. The oddly-haired young man strode to the coat closet and donned his army-green blazer. He glanced at the clock again. He still had some time left until he had to leave. Thus what followed was a quick inspection and cleaning of the white room and its sleek, modern furnishings. Francois would rather not inconvenience the scientists who'd taken him by leaving a mess of the room they'd provided him after all. The experiment in nanotechnology took one last look at his 'home' and sighed. He'd already said his goodbyes the night before - they threw him a party and everything! - which meant all that was left was to wait outside for his transportation. Which, incidentally, was what he was doing right now. Francois took the moments he had left to bask in the utter lack of scenery in the undefined American southwestern desert. His mind pondered the possibilities of what transport awaited him as the slight breeze pushed a tumbleweed across his field of view. Maybe it'd be some kind of marvel of science, like a hover-car or miniaturized jet or a super advanced VTOL. He knew that the other half had capabilities of their own, so maybe he'd be teleported with some kind of magic? A large feather fell from the sky, passing in front of Francois' face. The student glanced upward, mismatched eyes widening a moment later. "That's incredible...!" he exclaimed, expression utterly incredulous as the hybrid lion-eagle descended before him. The young man unconsciously stepped backwards, as the griffin landed with a beat of its mighty wings. The beast stared at him, eyes practically screaming the words "saddle up kid, you're in for a wild ride." Absolutely giddy with excitement, Francois mounted the creature. There was no saddle, but once he settled into the griffin's soft, feathered back, he realized exactly why that was. This bird was really, really comfy. It smelled bird-like, sure, but damn it felt good to be on. However, once he was deemed by the griffin to be sufficiently secured, they flew. Poor Francois didn't even get thirty seconds to bask in its comfortability before he was forced to face the high-speeds of griffin-based flight. Isn't it sad? As they gained altitude, Francois decided to tale a look back at the ground, where the shape of the facility he had left grew smaller and smaller. He'd only flown twice in his life: now, and when he was younger, getting brought over from France. His grip on the griffin tightened, illiciting a squawk that forced him to relax. Even if they were going rather fast, it wasn't prudent to cling too hard to the mount, yeah?

<<o>>

Francois decided that he rather liked flying. The sensation of wind flowing through his hair, the freedom of being unfettered by the ground, the blurring of surroundings as they dart through swaths of land... It was all just wonderful. Though he could do away with the chill. They'd already crossed into the Black Gale, and already the frigid cold stung his exposed skin, a vast divergence from the warm winds of the southwestern US. He'd take into account the weather discrepancy for next time around. Fortunately his griffin's body heat was sufficient to keep him from losing fingers or toes. Not that his nanobots couldn't deal with that. Because they could. Finally the Academy came into view, it's silhouette like a lighthouse on a stormy cliff. Snow bombarded the young man and his mount, bringing back long dead memories of cold Parisian winters. He gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes to avoid taking a snowflake to cornea. By this point Francois had lost track of the time he'd been clinging to the griffin. Although that was mostly due in part of the fact his griffin thought it a good idea to try and outdo some other unfortunate individual's griffin in the 'give your rider a heart attack' contest. Thank goodness for reinforced gripping ability. Nevertheless, despite that daunting experience, Francois could earnestly say that he still liked flying. Rather, the only change was that he now thought his mount was an asshole. Thankfully the landing was much smoother. The griffin glided down to the landing platform at a nice, smooth, reasonablly consistent speed, which was apparently not the case with certain other individuals. Francois dismounted and nodded at the asshat griffin, as if to say that he accepted that landing as an apology for the griffin's heinous attempt at stunt flying. He retrieved what little luggage he had packed from the griffin and listened to the rather peculiar announcement. He blinked twice. Was this what education among other youths would be like? He shook the thoughts from his head and the gathered snow from his hair. It wasn't his place to judge anyway. And so, snow crunching underfoot, Francois gazed around the surroundings as he made his way to the main hall. Or more accurately, the line of students forming outside the main hall.

Academy of the Arcane Artes [Reboot]

I love how Jed's sig was the "Fucks Given: Zero" one when I loaded the page

Drakenguard

"Bleh, envy is for the weak anyway," Dorian quipped, waving off any of his fellow Lieutenant's concerns, "If I couldn't shoot down a few of the green buggers coming after my men, I shouldn't have been a lieutenant in the first place." The three officers stood at the front of the gate as a silence beset their group, a beacon of calm before an incoming storm of chaos. Dorian's fingers curled tighter around his spear, muscles tensed, body itching to draw goblin blood today. Waiting, it was always the damned waiting. The ticking of the proverbial clock rang loudly in Dorian's mind, counting down the seconds left until the battle began. The gargantuan gates creaked open, revealing an expanse of verdant forest before the veritable army gathered to defend the human capital. There was an unsteady pause in the action following the grand opening of the gates. Eyes, Dorian's and many others, glanced around the surrounding foliage. The air was heavy with anticipation, finally broken by a simple declaration by their commander. The first horde of the green-skinned raiders broke through the trees like water through a dam. At the forefront of the battlefield was Captain Gungneer, leading from the front followed by the wave of steel that was the Assault Troops of the Wallguard. Dorian looked to his group once the front-lines of both sides made contact. "Well? The hell are you all waiting for?" Dorian spat, turning back to the front of the battlefield. He twirled his staff, and thrust it into the air with one hand, a wild grin on his face. "This is it recruits! Time to show these green bastards humanity's resolve!" Dorian crouched low, staff held behind him. The familiar sensation of mana gathering in his legs focused his mind forward, eyes locked in on a point in front of him. Shot forward like a bullet, ending his high-speed dash in a leap that burnt off his remaining momentum. His spear was poised to impale the unlucky bastard he landed on. Mana flowed through his hands, as he shifted his grip to the underside of his spear, ready to lever it forwards and fire off a flurry of spells with his staff upon landing. Blood boiling, the young Lieutenant entered the fray with an extremely prejudiced impalement, following through with the magical blasts from his thrust-forward staff.

Academy of the Arcane Artes [Reboot]

You are not the first.

Academy of the Arcane Artes [Reboot]

Alrighty, Jedly is apparently doing the thing right now. So anyone who hasn't posted an intro should probably do that. Though I suppose you could just kill two birds with one stone and handle both the departure and arrival in one post, but eh.

Academy of the Arcane Artes [Reboot]

TL;DR: Experimental Human Nanobot Lightning Bruiser Wannabe

Full Name Francois Jeannotte Fake Name N/A Nickname(s) Gender Male Age 16 Year First Birthday March 23 Astrological Sign Aries Species Human Class

Nanite Bruiser

A melee combat class that utilizes the augmentations granted by nanomachines to become gain an edge over their opponents. Typically seen conducting combat unarmed, these fighters leverage physical attributes far beyond the capabilities of their race, as well as a healing factor that makes them hard to put down. However they lack multiple methods of attack, making them rather inflexible when their three main attack strategies (Strike, Strike Really Hard, and Strike at a Specific Spot) fail.

Weapon

Nanomachines

Francois's "weapon of choice" is that of a series of nanobots dwelling within his body. They are controlled using stimuli from his modified brain or preset commands in response to specific scenarios, acting somewhat like an artificial nervous system. Or, perhaps, a hivemind. These nanobots, shielded against EMPs, are rather versatile in potential applications, although Francois has yet to figure out how to max out their capacities internally or if it's possible to manipulate them externally. Currently the nanobots are used by Francois as a means to passively augment his capabilities beyond human limits and grant himself a strong healing factor. Furthermore, optimization of chemical input results in a hyperactive metabolism of sorts. Not enough to get healed by eating, but enough to purge negative chemicals from his system. Any destroyed or otherwise inactive nanobots are used as materials to make more bots, and any that find themselves separated from the majority will attempt to return to the host. If no command input is received from the vessel, they will execute only repair and disease suppression functions. Currently, Francois physical attribute augmentations max out at punching through a concrete wall; running 40 km/h, peaking at a 50 km/h sprint; jumping up to 3 meters with a running start, 2 meters otherwise; and reacting at peak human levels.

World Earth Biography The sole success in a series of biological-nanotechnology experiments conducted by the American branch of an international scientific think tank. The intent of the American branch's experiments were to develop nanomachines and test their viability in various fields. However, while they did succeed in inventing adequate nanomachines, they were faced with the problem that they were essentially useless without a human operator, and even they had yet to find an individual who could serve as such without violent rejection of the body. So the call was sent out. If you wanted to become a test subject and get paid for your contributions to science, they were willing to take you in. A native Parisian born to a destitute family, Francois was sold off to the French branch of this organization in exchange for the pension, and subsequently shipped to the aforementioned American branch to partake as a subject of these experiments. Fortunately, unlike his predecessors, Francois survived due to the unusual properties of his body and was essentially raised by the scientists who had taken him in from then on. Unfortunately after numerous instances of trial and error, the scientists found that external control was a nonviable goal even after waiting a few years to see if his growth correlated with control of nanobots. As this resulted in the knowledge that nanomachines were suitable only for reinforcing the capabilities of a human, they adjusted the parameters of the experiments to a more militaristic goal: creating a super soldier, preferably one that could surpass the power armored units being trained by the military. His purpose for joining the Academy to become a Gatekeeper is twofold: 1) refine and put his combat skills to work, and 2) use those skills to make both worlds a better place. Personality A chipper young man, albeit an overly casual one that doesn't much understand common adolescent social cues or terminology due to an upbringing of interacting solely with overly professional scientists at least twice his age. Although Francois hasn't much had many - or really any - friends around his age growing up, he cherishes and appreciates the ones he has, even if they don't reciprocate his feelings. He's rather selfish in that sense, a clingy person who grows too attached to his friends and is willing to take on any risk or extreme length to keep them safe and keep them there with him. On a somewhat related note, Francois is a very reliable individual, typically willing to help out simply because it would make him "useful". This trait, as well as his self-worth issues, both likely arise from being sold by his parents for a government pension. Partner TBA Fear(s)/Weakness(es)/Limit(s)

Fear of Abandonment

Did I mention he's a clingy one yet? Because he is. His fear of being left by all his friends and allies can drive him to some drastic measures, and though this can be used for good, it can also be used to manipulate him rather easily. Even then, using this to manipulate him is... probably not the best idea no matter what you're getting from the deal.

Human Factor

Healing factor aside, Francois still retains the durability and the pain sensitivity of a normal human being. Not to mention the other weaknesses of being a human not covered by his nanotech, like how he needs to breathe and such.

Hyperactive Metabolism

While yes, Francois's augmentations do purge antagonistic chemicals from his system, the method they use to do so results in very strong but very short effects. While the results can be very tame, they can also be severe as well depending on intake. A specific scenario that one should note is that while Francois cannot hold his liquor, he'll get over any drunkenness rather quickly.

Lack of Technique and Training

While Francois does possess physical ability surpassing that of a human's, he lacks any sort of martial arts or specific brawling style to make use of it, relying mostly on "going with the flow" as it were.

Mid-Long Range Combat

As Francois lacks any attack vectors surpassing what he can reach with his hands, having an enemy "kite" him is definitely a rather effective strategy.

Naivete

Yes, he's interacted with people outside his own family, and yes, he knows a good deal of modern pop culture. Nevertheless, he's kind of a doof who doesn't understand people around his age due to living in a lab and interacting with stoic, first rate nerds for most his life.

Skills/Abilities/Traits

Bilingualism

Francois can speak both English and French, with or without accent.

Brain Modification

In addition to the nanobot augmentations, Francois has received modification to his brain in order to provide better control over the legions of nanomachines in his body, as well as his own anatomical functions. Specifically his brain has been compartmentalized into five divisions, each essentially functioning as five different brains working in unison. The primary three are responsible for neurological processing of nanorobotic functions, anatomical functions, and mental/knowledge-based functions, respectively, while the final two are spares for whatever that the primary three can't be bothered to process. In addition to their parallel processing, these partitions allow for a greater memory capacity, giving Francois a knack for analyzing and memorizing all sorts of information. Typically this is blueprints, recipes, instruction manuals, textbooks, and other guides. He's also very proficient in math. On a side note, divisions can be temporarily shutdown and separated from the network, their resources reallocated to one of the spares. Though why one would want to do that is unknown.

Malleable Biology

Francois's body is peculiar in the sense that it doesn't reject transplants. Essentially the reason why the nanotech works on him in the first place. Rather than attack the foreign technology within his body and cause him to be destroyed from the inside out, his immune system just lets them be while targeting internal entities that are actually antagonistic. Or maybe his immune system is just incompetent. Who knows?

Theme Song Other Would undoubtedly not get along well with a certain Chinese geomancer.

Madou: Vivid World

Name: Arata Aoshiki (First name, last name) Age: 18 Gender: Male Class: ESPer Background: A Japanese youth who'd stumbled on to great power. Arata comes from a boring, nondescript family from Kyoto, and was rather unexceptional himself other than his excellent grades in school. He drifted through his education easily, and by the time college rolled around, was pretty much set for some boring desk job, or maybe something in scientific research. However, when he applied and received a scholarship to a university in Shimizu, little did he know that that would all change. He rented an apartment and moved to the city to complete his studies and earn a degree or two. He lived peacefully for a short time, a few months at most, until he decided to participate in the ESPer program after being persuaded to by one of his friends who took up research in that field. After receiving his ability, he used it to flee from Japan to China. Personality: Arata is a rather meek individual, but a reliable and honest one at least. Polite too. He maintains a kind demeanor and apologizes a lot, usually for stuff that's inconsequential to others. Though his heart is in the right place, Arata is often unsure of what he should do or if what he'd already done was the right thing. Not only that, but his aimless and indecisive nature makes him easy to manipulate. On the other hand, it also makes him a rather malleable individual, able to channel what potential he has into quickly picking up skills and traits. However, once he does finally settle on something to do, with or without external assistance, he'll do everything he can to succeed at that goal, and then likely feel bad about it afterwards. Skills/Abilities: ESPer Ability: Dimension Shift The ability to manipulate the properties of space, distance, and shapes. Specific applications of the ability are numerous, making for a powerful and versatile ability. His area of effect is anywhere that can be considered "within his field of vision" and "that which he can perceive", and areas targeted by his power need not be in that range at the same time. Passively, it distorts spatial coordinates on a microscopic scale, unnoticeable to the average person, but enough to throw off teleporters and sufficiently small objects. Naturally, as dimensions and proportions are key to this ability, the owner of this ability can discern them at a glance. Parkour A skill recently picked up. Arata's okay at it, but anything more complicated than hopping a fence or a short wall requires his ability. He's working on remedying that though. Driving Capable of using most cars and motorcycles. Any trucks or other nonstandard vehicles are beyond his ability, however. Misc:

Academy of the Arcane Artes [Reboot]

Ayyyyyyyyyy we got a chat room to discuss stuff in now.