Stern Algorithm

Faces In The Shadows [A Fun And Child-Friendly Magical Girl RP]

@banjoanjo-@Stern Algorithm You goin' get a reply up or shall I go ahead?

@TheHangedMan

I'll get one up in a few hours.

@banjoanjo

Same.

Faces In The Shadows [A Fun And Child-Friendly Magical Girl RP]

"Y-yes, thank you," Shakti said to Camila, wishing she had retained enough composure to at least remember to be tactful. As Shakti ran on her own strength, she felt a weakness and wavering in her movements, a sudden coldness and a sharp pain in her side. She felt a warm trickle down her side and saw the wound for the first time, eyes opening wide. The terror and adrenaline had numbed her to the grievous injury she had sustained. She put her hands to her side and kept it there despite the pain and looked around frantically. She wondered if Winnie or Camila had noticed, and if they did, why didn't they tell her? As her blood drained, her delirium turned to paranoia and she began to distrust them.

Then, the shadows attacked Winnie in a horrifying and gruesome spectacle. Shakti was terrified, she knew she would be next. And that was when the voice prompted her to do the unthinkable. Shakti looked around to see if anyone else heard the voice, noticing the Russian obey the voice's commands. Several thoughts ran through Shakti's head, one of which was how she wished she had been the first to eat the flesh of the dead shade. It was a silly thought, but Shakti prided herself as a leader, a pioneer, and never one to take second. Camila jumped in front of her to protect her, but Shakti slinked around Camila and knelt down at the dead shade. Eating this would help her survive; and with her gaping wound, she was desperate. But not only desperate, she somehow knew that this flesh promised not only survival, but something more: power. Strange, seductive, dark thoughts swirled around in her confused mind. Where Katerina had eaten her bit reluctantly, Shakti practically gorged herself on it, taking as many large chunks as she could and desperately trying to hold down as much of it as possible without retching. She did this to keep herself alive, but more than that, right now, she was the Goddess Kali, devouring demons.

Faces In The Shadows [A Fun And Child-Friendly Magical Girl RP]

Shakti was stunned by the costumed girl's attack on the large shadow creature behind her. Before she realized it, Shakti was on the floor too terrified and out of her element to know what to do. The group was commanded to go west, when the South American-looking girl picked Shakti up and started to run. Then the East-Asian-looking girl came to help carry her and introduced herself. Overcoming the shock, Shakti felt first resentment towards Camilla for usurping what Shakti saw as leadership of the group and for supporting her, making Shakti's momentary weakness visible to all. Shakti quickly swatted these thoughts out of her head, survival was more important right now.

"Shakti," she said to Winnie, recovering her composure. Without being rude, Shakti started running as well and pulled herself from the two who supported her since it would be easier and faster if they ran separately. It also made it clear that she could carry her own weight. "What do you think is going on?"

Shine City 3: Summer Sequel (Always Accepting)

Sorry for the doublepost. I just posted in the IC. @Haeo, I hope I did Vern justice. I decided to cut the night short so that we can both move along with the time skip. To everyone else, I'm opening Shizuka up for on-campus interactions later in the day. Not enough students spend enough time at the school, ya slackers.

Shine City 3: Summer Sequel (Always Accepting)

Shizuka was surprised when Vern unconsciously put his hand on hers. She watched as he blinked slowly awake. Thinking it would be rude, Shizuka decided not to pull her hand away, though she did start blushing suddenly. When he apologized, Shizuka said, "Don't worry about it, just get some rest." Shizuka got up and headed to the kitchen, coming back soon after with a piping hot bowl of rice porridge. "I hope it's to your liking. Be careful, it's very hot." Shizuka took a scoop and started blowing on it to cool it down, just as her mother had done for her when she had been sick.

Vern sat up suddenly and reached for the bowl. Though there was a slight look of protest in her eyes, Shizuka obliged and handed him the bowl and let him feed himself. Vern felt that he was being a bit more defensive than he should be, he felt vulnerable, more vulnerable than he thought he had a right to be. Though he wouldn't judge anyone else in this way, he chided himself for showing weakness, but mostly for letting himself get to this point. After his scoop of porridge was cool enough, he put it in his mouth. It was a perfectly good and normal porridge. Good and normal in the way that it was so easy to take for granted, to forget that it was good: plain, but good and consistent. Vern had the discernment to appreciate the subtlety and felt its warmth permeate his body when he swallowed. "Thanks. It's good," he said.

Shizuka watched him take a few more bites in silence. She wondered what he had been doing that would push him to such exhaustion; wondered why he was wearing workman's clothes. But she felt that she had overstayed her welcome, and maybe these questions could be better left for another time. Besides, a man's got his pride and his secrets. He was conscious, so the risk of him not waking up no longer existed. He seemed to be recovering quickly too. "There's more in the pot if you're still hungry afterwards," Shizuka said. "I think the rain has stopped, so I should take my leave. Please, get some good rest, and call me if you need anything."

Vern didn't know whether to ask her to stay or let her go. He just remained silent and pondered his current state, though he did squeeze out another, "...thanks..."

As Shizuka stood in his doorway, she looked back, and gave him a gentle smile, "You're welcome," and left.

---

Monday

Shizuka hung up her lab coat. Every morning, she came to check on the status of the animals she was keeping as part of her research assignment. She would have an elective course later in the day, followed by lunch, and another class. She headed towards her classroom. She hadn't made lunch today as she felt like trying what the university had to offer, planning to go to the dining hall nearest the biology building.

Faces In The Shadows [A Fun And Child-Friendly Magical Girl RP]

Sorry for the delay, I just got bumped up to fulltime at work and have been having a hard time finding time to RP. I'll get post up today.

Shine City 3: Summer Sequel (Always Accepting)

Bah... Finally managed to squeeze a post out of my few minutes and it's in the wrong time zone...

@Stern Algorithm Sorry for the massive wait. I'm moving and things sped up really fast. We're actually leaving tomorrow morning and the house we're going to might not have internet for awhile. So, I'm hereby giving you permission to play Vern in the interim. I'll try to get in touch when I can.

@Haeo

Hey, no worries, I saw your status and I totally understand. I used to work part time for my company, but now they're giving me more hours so I've been neglecting my RPs as well (I usually reply between midnight and three, but now I need to wake up at 7 to prepare for work so that schedule's blown). I have some time today, so I'll try to get something up, but the next I time I can reply is probably not until Friday night or Saturday.

Celestial Bonds: The Fateful Few

Still in this, making a character with VarionusNW right now.

Faces In The Shadows [A Fun And Child-Friendly Magical Girl RP]

Shakti adjourned the after-school meeting of the student council and prepared her belongings as the other council members slowly made their way out of the meeting room. As the last to leave, she made sure everything was locked. While her family had considerable wealth, it wasn't anywhere near the point where she had a chauffer or security guards, so she merely walked home for the day as she did everyday. She walked from the area around her school, which was much more ordered and clean since it was a place that had significant British influence, to the surrounding areas that were much more disorganized and showed a juxtaposition of the rural and the urban, where technology and tradition mingled as cultures, old and new, rested, staring each other down in an uneasy alliance. She wandered past marketplaces where a vendor could be seen selling cellphone accessories right next to one who sold fruit. People looked at her and could see her prestige based on her uniform and the way she carried herself. She was educated, she was wealthy, she was destined for greatness, and she was destined to leave this backwards morass behind.

Turning a corner, she found herself surrounded by smoke and dark colors. Believing she had wandered into a hookah bar or opium den on accident, she wandered backwards looking for the exit, seeking the waning afternoon sunlight of the market place. But when the smoke cleared she found herself in a shadowed devestation; no place in India looked like this. Was she hallucinating from second-hand opioid inhalation? Out of the corners of her eyes, shadows stalked her, giving her no clear look at them. She picked up her pace, rubbing her arms furiously to abate the itch of anxiety, as the stench and cold got under her skin, figuratively. As she ran she seemed to converge on the path of other girls like her, but not like her; they looked like foreigners. A voice called out and Shakti turned to see another girl wearing something ridiculous and holding a weapon. Yet the armed girl seemed to be keeping the shadows at bay.

"Wh-what's going on here?" Shakti asked in English with barely an accent; most foreigners knew English. She tried to hide her fear, to show strength and dependability and, if the girl with the spear proved to be unreliable, to take command as necessary.

Faces In The Shadows [A Fun And Child-Friendly Magical Girl RP]

Name: Shakti Subramaniam

Age: 16

Nationality: Indian

Picture/Description:


Abilities: N/A

Personality: Shakti is severe and judgmental, with a tendency to be condescending to those who do not meet her high standards. She is a perfectionist and places high value on individual effort. She doesn't believe that systems, environments, institutions, or fate can truly stop a motivated individual and won't accept that excuse from anyone. Shakti is driven when it comes to her goals and will do whatever it takes to achieve them, though she is too straight-forward to be a schemer.

Likes:

• School
• Trying fancy foods
• Clocks/schedules

Dislikes:

• Tardiness
• Excuses
• Narrow-mindedness/ignorance

Fears: Trypophobia. Invasion of personal space, body, and mind. She hates the idea of something getting under her skin, figuratively and literally. She believes there should be an absolute barrier of fear dividing any two individuals at all times.

Bio: Shakti was raised in India by fairly affluent parents who provided her with the best that could be found. Their expectation of her in return for all this was that she excel in her studies and become a 'global citizen'. She grew up in an educational system that still clung very strongly to the vestiges of British influence, so she learned to speak perfect English and wears a uniform to school. Rising to the top of her class, Shakti became something of a ruthless ice queen. With her whole future ahead of her, her biggest worry in life right now is deciding what field she wants to focus on in higher education.