JonTheArchivist

[Ryke - Dungeon] Languishing Large Loner

The moment the fog cleared, Locke’s eyes went wide. He safeties and lowers his weapon IMMEDIATELY. Then he takes it all in. The condition of the team isn’t great. By the end of this first encounter, armor is sundered, and there are wounded among them.

His heart sinks when he lays eyes on how much blood is leaking from Evie’s wounds. He rushes to her side, holstering his weapon in place above his jump-kit as he does. He takes a knee beside her, checking her over. When he hears her say, “Not my brightest play,” he manages a tiny bemused smirk… but it’s still tinged with deep concern.

He sighs softly and speaks. ”Guess we both learned some important lessons today. Talk to me, Evie. What can I do to help?” His expression conveys a mix of worry and compassion, sapphire pools shimmering with otherwise controlled and managed emotion.

He had almost lost his new friend and teammate here. In any other situation, he might have had a better lid on the raging ache in his heart. But this isn’t the Frontier War… This is a different reality altogether. He’s only got three friends in this world. One is his Lord and Savior, one is silent and in dire need of repair, and one now kneels wounded before him.

He’s praying intensely to the former deep down. They’ll need all the help they can get in this labyrinthian hell… He quickly unpacks the bandages in his pack, prepping them for Evie’s use.

[Ryke - Dungeon] Languishing Large Loner

Locke has to bite down a laugh as Evie damn near let that classic name slip. Seems that timeless classic is a common factor across timelines… Fine by him. Gives them something to talk about. He’d look forward to that. They just had to survive this.

Roscoe’s warning bark had already alerted him. The moment Evie gave her command, he was already moving, darting left with speed, weapon still leveled as his jump-kit flares.

He finds an angle that lets him fire past his allies at the detected threat, his HUD lighting both the mage and Yumi up in the mist, and Evie shortly after, tracking their movements in the fog.

He snaps up his rifle after evading what survives of the shards… and praying to God above that Evie makes it out of this engagement in one piece. Target acquired, the mage is in his sights. He aims to cripple him, slow his movement and make him an easier target for the Pilot’s teammates. Zeroing in on the enemy’s leg, Locke’s breath steadies, and he squeezes the trigger. His rifle barks its signature staccato, the sound echoing through the chamber with a vengeance.

- Locke Darts left/evades attack [Speed D]
- Locke steadies his aim
- Locke fires a basic attack at the enemy Mage’s leg. [Precision - D, Fighting Style - Guns - Gunplay E]

this or that

Dating one person. I’d like to find a meaningful relationship in my lifetime…

Dating One Person or Finding Your Vocation

[Ryke - Dungeon] Languishing Large Loner

Locke lets out a pained grunt as the shards pierce his flesh, but just hearing Evie’s voice… It’s a comfort to know his newest friends had survived that barrage. A quick assessment of their surroundings reveals that most of the team is obscured from their vision. Not ideal, but Evie is not only alive, but lucid again. He lets out a small groan as she works to treat him, followed by a relieved sigh.

Damaged armor. Not great, but it did its job for now. Repair would have to wait. No time. The medic’s warning about the unorthodox tactics of the enemy had not fallen on deaf ears, especially in light of what they had survived just now.

He hefts his rifle and stands, biting back the lingering pain. He turns to cover Evie when his HUD flashes with another notification.

- Defrag progressing…
- Threat Scanner Enabled

He doesn’t waste another damned second. A mental command through the neural interface activates the scanner, and though the system isn’t at full efficiency, he’ll take anything he can get to give them back some battlefield awareness. He sweeps the area ahead with his rifle cautiously, covering Evie as his combat sensors work to provide any data they can. He’s just itching to see that mage’s outline in the fog, finger edging close to the trigger of his weapon.

”HUD Scanner just came back up,”he says quietly to Evie. “Helmet computer is running a defrag and restore… Could get something in a second here. Stay alert, stay mobile.”

- Stands
- Raises Weapon
- Basic Battlefield HUD Scan - Intelligence E, Perception F, Survival F, Appraisal [Isekai] F | 1 Post Cooldown

[Ryke - Dungeon] Languishing Large Loner

Locke can sense the impending danger as the mage speaks… But it’s around that moment that something else appears at the edge of his attention: his helmet HUD lighting up with a message:

- HUD Recalibration complete.
- Armor Automed Function restored.
- Functionality Limited.
- System Defrag and Restore underway.
- Initializing in Safe Mode.

His HUD lights up just in time for it to start scanning the shards as they appear. Locke’s muscles coil to start reacting when he spots Evie and Roscoe curling up not out of logical defense… but fear.

He doesn’t dare hesitate. He uses what information is available to him to identify the lowest density shard barrage and prays his armor and speed will be enough to keep him alive… and surges into motion.

He quickly grabs Evie and Roscoe as he speeds over, snatches up the bat on the way, and uses his momentum to drag them into the selected spot. He then positions his body to shield them from the incoming damage, keeping his head low.

He remembers hearing a whisper of something he overheard her say moments before right then. He smirks softly as he lets out one small quip before the shards arrive. “Wake up Evie. Wanna hear you make more funny wizard references,” he says quietly, with a gentle care and mirth in his voice.

[Vitality E]
[Speed D]
[Perception F]

[Ryke - Dungeon] Languishing Large Loner

Locke’s own mind wandered into dangerous territory… the pain and sorrow he felt when his entire paradigm shattered on Typhon, the moral betrayal of the people he thought were his comrades… the blood on his hands. Bit by bit by bit, the old pains started to claw their way back into his mind.

He sees his own reflection in the water, but the helmet is blood spattered, hands drenched. His breathing quickens as a lance of fear strikes his heart…

But he knows this pain. He knows this anguish. He’s grappled it before. Evie’s words linger in his mind. He pauses and closes his eyes for a few moments, taking a deep breath. Then, he lets it out slow, and remembers the words of his commander and adoptive mother back in the Frontier:

“We’re always changing and growing,” she had said. “To recognize where you were, and decide where you are going, decide to be better, there is no shame in that. That’s a victory. Embrace it.”

His hold of his rifle firms, and he snaps his attention ahead again, bringing the weapon up to level it at the mage, honed and focused. He heard Evie address the mage, so he waits to fire, but he’s ready… One misstep, one errant water current that so much as looks like an attack, and he’d squeeze the trigger. He has more than enough rounds left in the mag for a kill.

[Ryke - Dungeon] Languishing Large Loner

@Moonberry @supamusu @Novama

Locke’s expression shifts as Aoi steps into the open, softening some as he lowers his rifle further. He recognized some of the non-English dialect. Didn’t completely KNOW it, but the greeting struck a familiar chord. He gives a polite nod and sets the rifle at parade rest for a moment as Evie introduces him and the rest of the group.

Before he can get a word in edgewise though, Evie’s attention shifts. The masks. Damn, that’s way too fucking eerie. Locke’s mind flashed back to the deranged ramblings of the drugged up that Apex Predator merc known as Kane again. The pilot never expected to encounter something out of one of that psycho’s narcotic induced fever dreams…

Per Evie’s recommendation, Locke taps the side of his helmet, and the faceplate slides shut with a quiet hiss. He then raises his rifle again, not leveled at Aoi, but instead directed past Evie. He keeps a reasonable distance from her, but still stays close enough to react quickly should anything wild happen. He says a silent prayer before they reach the threshold, briefly reaching his off-hand under his breastplate and into the pocket containing his rosary as he does so. The moment the prayer ends, his hand snaps back into position on his weapon.

Clean and practiced, head on a swivel. He watches the masks for signs of threatening movement or behavior, nothing yet, but… He glances back at Evie, then Roscoe, then Aoi and the others, to check on each of them. He repeats, scanning the environment, assessing the potential threats, checking on the condition of allies and/or neutral parties…

He’s as ready as he can be for what comes next…

[Ryke - Dungeon] Languishing Large Loner

Locke whips around to snap up his rifle, leveling it in the direction Roscoe was looking without much hesitation at all. He’s monitoring now too, though, Evie already seemed to have an idea of how to handle this. Not keen on disrupting her choices in any way similar to how Biggs had done so earlier, he holds his fire.

But that doesn’t mean he drops his guard. Like a steel cable at max extension, he’s taught and coiled to snap at anything that trips and severs the line. Whoever had appeared would need to play their next move wisely, lest they get a muzzle velocity response.

Even still, his gun does lower just a tad. He had no intention to destroy what was ahead, unlike the dirt he had shot earlier. No sense keeping the rifle completely leveled at the newcomer in that context. Still, it’s just level enough for him to reacquire the target and fire accurately with no real effort.

He sidesteps to Evie’s left carefully, moving with measured caution to get a better angle.

”I’d do as the lady says,” he warns calmly. ”We got enough problems as is. Not willing to put up with further shenanigans today.” That’s the truth… There was already one unnecessary dead body here. He’d rather not make another.

Do You Have RP Pet Peeves?

This is gonna be a little long winded, and maybe a little out there to some, but I have two:

- Creative Suppression
- Ghosting

Creative suppression can take many forms, including argumentative approaches to controlling the other RPer’s/Character’s actions or outcomes, Godmodding, or banishing individuals or projects from a platform without just cause. These are just three of many. RP should be an exercise of collaborative creativity. You shouldn’t feel like you’re being stymied too much by your partners, DMs, or even moderators/admins. If you are, at best, have a conversation to address it. In the most extreme cases, its better to say “I don’t think this is gonna work,” and move on.

Ghosting is not just a personal pet peeve. It’s a documented online phenomenon with potentially damaging psychological effects depending on the context. Studies have been published since 2010 about this one, so it’s a named and documented contributor to a growing global epidemic of psychological distress (THAT IS NOT HYPERBOLE). Long standing RP partners are not exempt from this, especially if strong friendships or other close relationships are involved. Even early ghosting can build frustrations, so maybe we should be reconsidering those actions more thoughtfully.

Relevant PSA: I have the following advice built on experience. In RP, if you have a problem with the story or with someone, be open to discussing and working things out, even if it might get heated at times. Be wary that, when you ghost someone, you’re not doing it to an AI. There are thinking, feeling human beings behind those digital connections. Please try to be mindful when you engage with people online. Yes, be wary of ill intent, but if you forge a strong connection, maybe think twice before severing it, especially if you’re under stress that’s not the fault of the other party. You may cause them more severe distress than you realize… Got personal experience with this one…

Let’s build each other up instead, as much as we can, yea?

Wandering Creative

Hello folks. I’m what you might call a creative spirit with a moral compass. I’ve been searching for a place to settle where I can engage in everything from One-on-One RP to large-group, grand-scale worldbuilding. I’ve got an eclectic mix of interests across genres and fandoms. Come say hi if ya like! Maybe we can forge an adventure across a favorite world or universe, or come up with something entirely new and unexpected.