hagroden

Anything Goes (Remake)

Chris

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"No that won't be needed! I uh... I mean... No thank you. I have a private doctor I am going to see now actually. I'll be fine. I do thank you for your concern though."

Chris knew she was lying, no one outside of the skyline could afford a private doctor in this city, and a woman from the skyline wouldn't be caught dead wandering around in the under-city without protection; especially at this time of night. However it was clear that she didn't want to go to a hospital, which in this part of town, was all too common. More often than not a visit to the hospital would mean one of two things, if not both: Debt, and Police. Neither of which appealed all to much to those unfortunate souls unlucky enough to face the harsh world they were living in.

"My name is Maggy by the way. Nice to meet you."

Chris extended his hand as well, about to introduce himself to the girl before she had a sudden coughing fit, causing her to retract her hand to cover her mouth, then wiping some sort of dark fluid he couldn't entirely identify, but assumed to be blood, on her dress. She then extended the opposite hand, saying;

"Sorry about that." "Let's try that again shall we?"

Chris took her hand gently, the look of concern growing greater by the second as he introduced himself to the injured young woman who's name seemed to be Maggy.

"I'm Chris." He replied simply, his look of concern shifting to one of confusion at he looked down on his hand to see a purple fluid with a consistency of blood. Looking back to her hand, he immediately understood the gist of what was happening.

"Stop me if I'm wrong." He said, softly enough that no eavesdropping individual would be able to hear his voice.

"You're a non-human, and you're using illusion magic to hide what you really look like. This illusion magic is the same reason I can't see how badly beat up you are, and you aren't going to see a private doctor, nor a hospital because you fear the backlash of them discovering what you are." He asked quietly, giving a slight pause before continuing.

"You aren't a known race, that much is obvious. Only three humanoid species exist with purple blood, and none of them are capable of using magic as advanced as full-body Illusion. So you've either been in hiding, or you're a new race, and either way you can't risk them taking your blood and figuring this out, right?" He asked, finishing his deductions.

Had she ran into anyone but him, she might have been able to pull off her deception; but it takes more than a couple decent essays to be considered an anthropologist prodigy, and she had been unlucky enough to run into one of the few people alive that could identify nearly every race on the planet from a glance.

Anything Goes (Remake)

Chris

It had been a long, but lovely day for the young grad student.

He had started his day early, around five that morning to go to the nearby soup kitchen to help serve breakfast to the vast number of homeless living in the under-city. He loved the work, but he couldn't stand those he worked with; most of them being middle-aged woman from the middle who only came to feed their egos and cheapen their taxes. What made it even worse was that these woman who had never known poverty or misfortune, or even a hard day's work, would actively mock and belittle those who came to the kitchen in search of a meal. They would tell the needing patrons that if they simply got a job and worked harder they'd be able to move up to the middle, and that the only reason they were homeless was because of a bad attitude and laziness.

What they didn't know was that Carlos, an older transient, worked two full time jobs and sent every penny he earned to his family in Mexico so they could afford to eat and pay off the local gangsters. They didn't know that Dom had spent fifteen years in the military overseas, and was discharged for mental unfitness after being tortured and starved for nearly two weeks as he watched his friends and brothers die. They didn't know that Molly had been forced into marriage with her high-school sweetheart after he poked a hole in his condom and spent years beating her and her daughter. They didn't understand that each and every lost soul forced to swallow their pride for a bowl of eggs and rice had seen trauma and hardships they couldn't even fathom.

But the poor still needed to eat, even if the hands feeding them had souls blacker than the alleyways they slept in and egos greater than the poverty they lived through.

After his shift at the Kitchen, Chris made his way to RCU, a private university he was attending on scholarship for his post-graduate degree. His tuition was covered entirely, with enough left over for him to cover his bills and afford a bit of charity work in tandem with his publication's income. At this point in the semester Chris was nearly halfway through his thesis essay on the history of elemental descendants, however his time at the university itself was primarily occupied as a TA for the anthropology professor; an old, tenured man who decided that Chris was proficient enough to do all of his work for him, sans grading tests and exams.

Chris found the work a bit dull, preferring his research and writing to repeating the same two hour lectures and assigning the same class and home-work three times a day. However the bachelor's program for anthropology was not a particularly populated course, so the classes were close-knit and each had a type of chemistry to them that made his lecturing quite simple. As he was the one leading the course, he encouraged the students to cooperate and use the resources available to them to the fullest of their abilities; which made his job easier, and the classes scores better.

In between lectures Chris had managed to break away to the expansive Library, where he could happily conduct his research and work on his thesis in peace; aside from the occasional sneeze or cough.

After his day at the university was finished, he grabbed a quick burrito from a food-cart on the way to the under-city animal shelter, which he finished as he walked into the worn and under-funded shelter. He then began his rounds of taking the dogs for jogs, each one getting a good 30-45 minutes of exercise, depending on the traffic. He had brought a pair of shorts and some track shoes with him, which he changed into at the Shelter, and he took four dogs on each jog. After five rounds, he had finished, and quickly fed and watered the pups before jogging to the gym nearly half a mile away.

There he spent an hour, swimming laps in the decently sized pool before leaving. His hair was still dripping as he walked to his favorite dinner for a quick meal and a milk-shake before going to bed, that is until he spotted a young woman in a dress limping out of an alley.

It seemed this day was going to be even longer than expected.

"H-Hey!" He called out to her, jogging to catch up to her. "Hey, you look like your hurt, do you want me to get you an ambulance or something?" He asked, a look of genuine concern spreading across his face as he pulled his phone from his pocket and began dialing the emergency hotline for the local EMT's.

Anything Goes (Remake)

Bubblegum Boy

Christian Marcus Ridge

Bubblegum

Age
23

Gender
Male

Species
Human

Appearance

Chris is tall, standing at about 6'2 and very well built. As a runner and a swimmer, he has extremely toned muscles, although he keeps himself lean through plenty of diet and exercise. Aside from his height and rather attractive face, the only part of him that stands out is his bright pink hair. Surprisingly, ever since he developed his abilities, all of his facial hair has grown different shades of pink naturally, although he does claim it's been colored.

Personality
Unsurprisingly, Chris is a somewhat bubbly young man; always doing everything he can to be a positive and wholesome person. He's extremely charitable, opting to volunteer at the local animal shelter and food kitchen rather than work well-paying jobs that he is more than qualified for. His optimism is relentless, and he always seems to have more energy and charisma than humanly possible.

However, should one get to know him a bit more intimately, they will find that he suffers from severe depression and anxiety, both of which he masks brilliantly to avoid others expressing concern about him. However, he refuses to let these illnesses limit him, nor prevent him from doing what he can to be a force for good.

Power

Bubble Manipulation: The ability to Generate, Shape, and Manipulate bubbles, a substance that is formed by trapping pockets of gas in a liquid or solid.

Bubble Generation: Chris is capable of generating bubbles from the palms of his hands. However, each bubble he produces limits the amount of accurate control he has over a bubble's property, so he is restricted to using aprox. 5 bubbles at a time.

Bubble Shaping: Chris can manipulate the durability and size of bubbles as he sees fit, however doing so requires concentration, so he is limited to creating five bubbles the size of the average person, with enough durability to withstand multiple knife or blunt force attacks.

Bubble Manipulation: Chris is able to telekineticly control the movement and speed of his bubbles, however doing so safely requires different levels of focus at different speeds, limiting him to control of only one bubble at speeds of 50mph or higher, and up to three bubbles between 25mph and 50mph.

Likes
Running,
Swimming,
Artwork,
Music,
Cooking,
Boys,
Girls, and
Lending a helping hand.

Dislikes
Those who prey upon or take advantage of those in poor standing,
Those who are capable of helping, but refuse to out of inconvenience or selfish nature,
Opening up emotionally, and
Bland foods.

Skills

Chris has exceptionally high stamina and endurance, as well as a very flexible body, making him quite fast for a human.

Other
Chris is in Grad school, studying racial anthropology. (The history, culture, and anatomy of non-human races.) His income comes from the money he makes off of various publications, and he is considered a young prodigy in the world of anthropology.

Anything Goes (Remake)

Smoke

Location: Middle Shopping Center

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Smoke smiled behind his black mask as she spoke, his eyebrows raising as he began to ask if he would kill her, before glancing to her human friend and quickly ending the question. Smoke thought over what she had said before responding, addressing each thing in order.

Firstly; If someone had told her that no-elemental would be here, it was likely a knowing lie, and that person was also likely aware of how Smoke tended to respond to Elementals, or their descendants, entering his city unannounced. With that assumption in play, it seemed like someone out there was hoping Smoke would do their dirty-work for them and get rid of her.

Secondly; if she we aware of who he was, and that he was inside Ring City, she likely would have done whatever it took to stay far, far away from the man who slayed her 'Father' as if he were nothing more than a pest. So it wouldn't make much sense for her to be here if she was aware of him or his presence.

Finally; she had been working in the area for a least a period of three years, which was rarely something a public enemy as powerful as her would do. She was invested in this town's prosperity, not destruction.

"No, I don't slaughter Gods and their Children anymore dear." He said with a smile, pausing for a moment before continuing.

"Less you give me reason."

Anything Goes (Remake)

Smoke

Location: Middle Shopping Center

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Smoke gave a soft sort of chuckle as the Skeleton rode away on his skateboard, then turned to face the others as he softly spoke to himself.
"As if I'd die so soo-" Suddenly, he stopped speaking as his eyes caught a girl with a blueish hew of skin who clearly seemed to be having a... hard time seeing things as they were.

Smoke was torn, on one hand, there was the Masked woman who was piquing his interest more and more with each second. He had never met someone quite so defiant of a god, particularly himself. On the other hand, it seemed that a relative was among this small gathering of individuals, not to mention a certain assassin he had known for quite some time. Each one of them called for his attention, and he wasn't completely sure which one to give it to.

Well, after all, Family Comes First.

Smoke dissipated into a trail of smoke that moved almost instantaneously from his position to a mere few feet before the Cirath girl, and as he solidified, a wicked smile was spread across his face underneath of his mask.

"Hello, Niece." He greeted, his eyes completely transfixed on the girl, completely ignoring the other young woman who's wrist she seemed to be holding.

"I couldn't help but overhear, but you weren't thinking about hiding from dear old uncle smoke, were you?" He asked with a bit of a chuckle.

"After all, I'm sure you know how he feels about relatives visiting without notice." He said quietly, taking a step closer to her, his eyes pulsing white ever-so-slightly.

Smoke had long since Established a rule regarding Elemental's and their descendants when it came to Ring City. He was to know the moment one walked onto his home territory, and they were required to come running when he called. He had been attacked by the descendants of his slain brothers and sister far, far too many times to allow them free-roam like some of the other Elementals. Above all else, smoke defended his home of Ring City, and when aggressive people with the blood of Elementals appeared, they rarely did so without causing a fair bit of damage to his home.

This Niece of his was likely no exception.

Anything Goes (Remake)

Smoke v2

Dah'k Rahd

Smoke

Age
26, Sorta. (Actually somewhere around 300 years)

Gender
Male, but subject to change.

Elementals

Elementals

"The Gods of Gaea."

"Okay class, today we'll be discussing a topic I'm sure you're all very well aware of, Elementals!

The Elementals have existed since the dawn of man, and have been proven time and time again to be the some of the strongest beings known to Earth. Each Elemental embodies a single element, of which they have total and absolute control of; along with their Elemental quick, which can be as varied as the number of elements available. In addition to their power over nature, an Elemental does not age, and can not be killed by disease or poison; making them nearly immortal.

Because of these abilities, Elementals are worshiped as Gods on each of their continents, and these Elementals are then ruled by Our continent's Elemental; Smoke. The God of Gods, who was once known as the God killer, but he's become far less aggressive in his old age.

Little is Known of how one becomes an Elemental, or how the Element they control is chosen, but we do know that there are only ever seven Elementals in the world, and we know that they each originate from the continent who's last elemental has died. Now, when an Elemental is killed, two things happen; Firstly, a huge wave of Energy is released, and this energy can span an entire continent before dissipating. Secondly, another Elemental is re-birthed the moment one is killed. We know that Elementals are born human, and only become Elementals after being chosen by Gaea.

Now, our continents Elemental is different than any Elemental that's ever existed; and far stronger than any we know of. His Element is Smoke, which makes it impossible to for him to be hurt by anything that we know of, magic, weapons, nothing seems to so much as touch him. In addition to his practical invulnerability, his elemental quirk allows him to solidify his element. We know from his early years that he can project smoke from his hands, then solidify the projectiles. This, combined with his ability to turn his form entirely into smoke, made him far more powerful than the rest of the Elementals.

Next we'll discuss South America's Elemental..."

Appearance

Smoke tends to stand at 6'1 and weigh about 185 pounds; he is tall and lean, rather close to skinny if it weren't for his slight muscular definition. His skin is a light brown, with nearly glowing white eyes and brown hair worn in short dreadlocks. As for his style, he can rarely be seen without his black face-mask and seems to be heavily influenced by a mix of street-goth and techwear, making him look like a character straight from one of the many anime's he watches. In addition to his style of clothing, he has a variety of tattoos and piercings visible, including (but not limited to) full sleeves on both arms, tattoos on his hands, chest, throat, face, and fingers. He also sports a plug earring on his left ear, and a bar across the top of his right ear, along with a dangling earring of a knife.

Personality
Many believe that while Smoke is the Elemental of smoke and the God of Gods, he is truly the Patron of Hedonism, Self-Indulgence, and Charity. Smoke believes in indulging in personal pleasure at all times, and will encourage and support others to do the same as well. Unlike in his younger years, Smoke rarely seeks out a fight, and is an extremely laid back and calm individual. However, should one aggress towards something he holds dear, they will be reminded why he was once known as the "God-Killer."

For the most part, he simply enjoys relaxing, doing drugs, and the occasional fling. He tries his best to avoid romance, however sometimes he can't help but get drawn in by a special someone.

Power
Form of Element: Smoke's true form is a shifting mass of smoke that radiates every hue and color imaginable, he often carries the appearance of a male human, but can effectively shape-shift into whatever he likes. In addition to his ability to shape-shift, his form makes physical damage nearly impossible, making him practically invulnerably to weapons, magic, and other forms of attack. After all, how is someone able to damage smoke?

Elemental Quirk: Smoke's quirk allows him to solidify smoke, allowing him to drastically enhance his strength to near super-human levels, as well as turn his smoke into make-shift weapons and projectiles.

Elemental Absorption: Smoke is able to absorb smoke, which he can then in turn control. However, absorbed Smoke dissipates from him slowly, and can not be retained permanently.

Likes
-Rap and Hip-Hop
-Narcotics
-Meeting new people
-Doing drugs with others

Dislikes
-Politicians
-Moralists
-Idealists
-Anyone who tells him or others what they can/can't do
-Authority

Skills
-Cooking
-Driving
-Social Skills
-Breaking and Entering

Other: Given the amount of time Smoke has been around, as well as the power he has amassed, he is absurdly rich. Like, "make-the-Rothchilds-look-broke" rich.

Anything Goes (Remake)

Smoke

Location: Middle Shopping Center

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"There'll be no need for that."

Smoke had been watching the situation unfold, and seeing the masked woman's response encouraged him to approach and attempt to defuse the situation. Although the happenstance before him seemed tense, Smoke retained his casual, carefree demeanor as he walked towards the cashier girl. However, he seemed to be quite a bit taller than he had been moments before, and was now at least half a foot taller than the masked woman.

"Go ahead and get back to the store. And here," He said to the small cashier, producing a stack of fifteen hundred dollar bills and giving them to the girl. "For your troubles." He continued with a smile, waving to the girl as she nervously took the money and left.

He then turned his attention to the masked woman, a glow emanating from his eyes as he stepped closer to her, the two now standing only a few feet apart. He didn't say anything for a few minutes, instead simply gazing into her eyes; the one uncovered at least. Then, with a smile, he spoke.

"So I guess material goods isn't the best way for me to thank you, is it? He asked, casually scratching the back of his neck.

"Sorry about sending the girl, rather than doing it myself. Call me a romantic, but I've always enjoyed the Secret admirer approach." He continued with a soft chuckle.

He then picked up the bag filled with a dozen various dresses, and extended them to her.

"But it'd be a crime to let these good dresses go to waste, that girl did have a nice taste. She's got a knack for fashion. Maybe you'd let me thank you, and apologize, over a nice meal? I've heard there's high expectations from the Chinese place in the food court."

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It seems that Chinese wasn't in the cards for either Smoke or the masked woman as a green outline appeared around them. Smoke knew what was happening, and as they teleported into the train he instinctively stepped forward, keeping himself between the skeleton and the others. Turning to look at the strangers, he noticed that there were quite a few others in the train, and after sizing them up, he spoke.

"Stay behind me. I'll handle this."

Anything Goes (Remake)

Smoke

Location: Middle Shopping Center

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He was wrong.

She was way more fun than she looked.

Smoke was glad he was wearing a mask at this particular moment, for if he wasn't blood would have been trailing down his chin from biting his tongue to avoid laughing quite inappropriately. It was clear that she was unfamiliar with who, or what, he was; as not even another Elemental would have the confidence, or perhaps the stupidity, to speak to him in such a manner. He was, by all intents and purposes, a king among Gods; he had far outlived any other Elemental in History, and his younger years proved that he had been quite the formidable enemy, even to an Elemental's standards.

With such an intimidating History, no one dared to speak to him as she just had; neither friend nor foe.

And fuck was it boring.

With a slight pulse in his Eyes, Smoke watched as the girl walked to the woman's restroom with what appeared to be a new dress. With a smirk hidden behind his mask, he entered the store she seemed to have moments ago left and approached the cashier, who nearly doubled over at the sight of him.

Holding up a finger to his mask, he gestured for her to be silent rather than stuttering out some nervous greeting;

"The woman here before, wearing a mask, get me a dozen more dresses in the size and style of the one she purchased."

The girl silently nodded, quickly abandoning her post at the register and completing the task given to her by the Elemental, and before long they were packaged and paid for. He then provided her with a second set of instructions, while placing ten one-hundred dollar bills on the counter before her.

"I'd like you to deliver these to her, and take her to lunch; she should be in the women's restroom nearby, presumably changing." He said, placing his hands in his pockets and turning to leave.

"Oh, and another thing, he began, turning back around, "Give her this?" He asked, placing a black card with silver lettering that simply said "Smoke" on one side, and had his personal phone number on the other.

With an excited Nod, the young girl pocketed the cash and quickly gathered up the few bags of dresses before half-skipping to the woman's restroom, which she would wait outside of patiently. Smoke however, kept his distance, keeping an eye on the girl should she decide to take the money and bounce. Standing a few dozen feet back, he stood silently, tossing a handful of pills and chewing them slowly as he observed.

Anything Goes (Remake)

Smoke

Location: Middle Shopping Center

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The young Elemental's eyes glowed faintly as he watched the masked woman with interest for a few moments, his glowing eyes catching the attention of more than a few passersby. Smoke was the only Elemental currently living in the city, and quite possibly the only one on the continent. Given that there are only seven other elementals at any given point and time, they tend to instinctively flock to separate continents, likely nature preventing the possible clashing of such powerful entities. That being said, his presence anywhere public seemed to amass attention, especially from the more recent generations that were particularly fond of his leanings towards indulgence and pleasure.

Although, he barely noticed the awestruck stares as his focus was entirely on the beautiful girl before him, she had him hook, line, and sinker.

"I'm digging the mask doll, it's a helluva lot cooler than mine." He said with a wink, pointing to the black medical mask he had covering his mouth and nose.

"I'm not so sure how I feel about the dress, but I'm no fashion expert. He continued, giving a raspy chuckle before waiting for the girls response.

Perhaps she'd be as fun as she looked.

Anything Goes (Remake)

Smoke

Location: An unnamed arena

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The Elemental was sat on a bench in the front row of the makeshift arena, his bright white eyes glowing dimly as he watched the battle before him. An orc fighting a revenant, both powerful creatures with strength far surpassing that of the 'young' god's. His eyes followed their movements as he sat silently, a pill under his tongue and a burning cigarette in his hand, which would ever so often be brought to his lips and puffed upon, only to exhale far more smoke than seemed possible for the small drags.

"S-Smoke?" Came a nervous voice, un-befitting of the massive orc whom it belonged to.
"L-Lord Smoke?"

"Ay mate, the one and only." Came the wispy, accented voice of the elemental, turning to look up at the enormous orc with a lazy expression.

"Something I can do for you? I'm trying to get high and watch the fight." He said lazily, gesturing to the fight that he was now missing.

"N-no my lord, I j-just wanted to meet you in person, my family has worshiped you for generations!"

"Yeah? Cool shit mate. Keep the chaos, and embrace the indulgence." He said with a smile before returning his attention to the fight. He had placed quite a sum of money on the revenant winning, about three quarters of a million, and before long he was able to happily see the outcome of his gamble, and it pleased him greatly.

As the fight ended a human approached him, holding a clipboard and a nervous expression.

"M-Mr. Rah-" He began, before Smoke held up his hand to silence the man.

"I'm aware. Your boss can't afford to pay me all the money I won, It's cool mate."

"R-Really sir?"

"Yeah, just give me the three quarters, and give the revenant triple whatever his win was for this fight. Tell him it's an investment from an interested party, or some shit."

"Yes sir, of course."

The young human left, and smoke was once again left alone, staring with softly glowing eyes at the young revenant. As the young man left, Smoke saw him look in his general direction and, as he often does, made a face at the young man by opening his mouth wide, sticking out his tongue, pulling down his eyelids with his middle fingers, and rolling his eyes back into his head. Smoke hoped that the revenant was indeed looking at him, but he couldn't be certain.

With the night's fights over, Smoke vanished from the place he was sitting, and before too long, a cloud of smoke materialized into a man near a young woman wearing a mask.