Current
Lots of guests coming and going in the next few weeks. I apologize in advance if I lag in posting
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7 yrs ago
Traveling for a week, and may not keep up with RPs. Thank you for your patience.
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8 yrs ago
Been busy and scatterbrained this week, and behind on RPs. Please excuse my delay in posting.
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9 yrs ago
Got back from a two-week vacation overseas. Give me some time to catch up with RPs. Thank you for your patience!
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9 yrs ago
I'll be going on a two week vacation starting tomorrow and don't know how often I'll have Internet access. Thank you for your patience. I'll try to be more regular when I get back.
When I have time, I'm going to edit out the fact that Din know's Roadhog's name, so please also edit your posts to reflect that. I don't want this narrative inconsistency blowing out of proportion.
Whoops. I forgot that Roadhog never introduced himself. There's no way for Din to know otherwise, so I'll change it so she doesn't refer to him by name.
Failed to resist the corruption, SP -1 Mort HP: 2 SP: 2
As Mort throws himself out the window, all within Sharmukh's office panic at his sudden movement, involving several shouts of , "Six preserve us!" before the realization dawns on them of what Mort had actually done. Sharmukh moves to the window to witness the fruit of this madness while several of his retainers attempt to pull him back. His line of questioning was not intended to bring doubt upon Mort's ability to complete the task, rather it was intended to ask what Mort was willing or able to promise to Sharmukh in return for the boon he had demanded.
Sharp metallic spikes pierce their way out of Mort's skin, assaulting him with pain and visiting his mind with several flashing images.
The first is of a humanoid figure clad in a black robe with a long neck and a mask-like head with empty sockets. The image lingers, it's dark gaze demanding and punitive.
It opens its palm at Mort and the palm expands into an infinite, intricate arrangement of golden and bronze geometric shapes.
The vision strains at the limits of Mort's mind before softening into a senseless iridescent mush within which ghosts and motifs of familiar shapes can be seen.
The moment seems to last an uncomfortable eternity but passes in a flash. It has taken a toll on Mort's consciousness, but is not debilitating, and does not affect his flight in the slightest. As for the spikes, Mort's body seems to not have spawned any in such a way as would impede the flapping of his wings, and do not become an impediment. At the window, Sharmukh has been crowded back by his retainers. One loads an arrow into a crossbow while others ready their spells.
"Speak!" One of them calls out, "And state your intention! Is this a demonstration? An attack? Are you still of sound mind? Speak!" Paranoia grips the office as they await Mort's reply.
"Well, my options are this," Din shows Geno Charm Equinox, the keyblade that the Master of Masters pulled from her heart. "I saw the Master of Masters use this to bring that guy in the pig mask back to his senses. I can try doing the same, but from the way he tells, it, it's unlikely I'll succeed. Something about how it's not that easy to wield a keyblade." Din looks back and tries to point out Roadhog, who reminded her of a large moblin to Geno, only to see the Master of Masters and hearing Geno's question. "Yeah, that's the Master of Masters, as he calls himself. Mysterious guy, but he seems to know a lot about this world."
Returning to her previous thought, Din continued, "My other option, you know how we all think that Kirby saved us from being controlled by that thing?" She points up at Galeem hovering menacingly in the sky, "Earlier, I saw Kirby, he's awake now by the way, I saw him demonstrating something. The person he was showing it to, the desert man in the hat and jacket, he wondered if this was how Kirby did it, and I think Kirby was trying to show that we could all do it too, or maybe just the desert man? I guess I could try."
Din held her arms over her body, then lifted them both straight up. She let out a cute βEy!β emulating Kirby, but nothing happened. Fortunately, as a dancer, Din didn't let the embarrassment get to her though she was frustrated and disappointed at her failure. Maybe we should get the man he showed it to to do it," Din wondered, but then Bowser approached, giving Din a better idea, since Courier 6 seemed to be quite injured. When he had finished with his demonstration of 'pure evil', Din ran over to him, "Hey, Lord Bowser, you still have Kirby with you? I don't think the Master of Masters has the strength to save this Mario. He seemed pretty beat after healing the large man. But I'm sure Kirby can. Like, this heart-shaped thing popped out of his hands when he did that and he threw it on the ground. Or maybe you or Geno want to try the thing I just did that I saw Kirby do. Unless you're too embarrassed to try it."
Din had no idea how any of this worked and was desperately trying to put the pieces together, trying to be as helpful as she could. It was obviously magic, which wasn't too foreign a concept for her, just magic she wasn't familiar with.
It was another cold morning in Kirisama as Mari walked from the homeless commune under the bridge towards the post office, dressed in a dirty hoodie, and with all her belongings packed in a duffel bag slung across her shoulder. When she had made her intention to apply to Jigokuraku and 'move' to Kirisama, she had set up a post office box at the nearest post office in town just so she could receive mail. She had enough money saved over, and had made some from recycling litter, that she could continue to pay for the P.O. box for the time being. She wasn't sure if she should put in the effort of finding more permanent lodging, and an actual job, or if she should just skip town, and look for warmer climates.
Mari had expected judgment at the end of the exam, but they didn't even call out the points they had earned (or not earned). The faculty instead had asked the students to wait a few days for a letter. They did at least, tend to her wounded foot. So Mari stuck around, just trying to make ends meet in the chilling fog of Kirisama, among the forgotten. She didn't know why she stayed. Having disappointed herself at the exam, she knew what her result was going to be, yet a shameless corner of her mind still held out hope that she would be accepted. When she left the commune, she had wrapped up everything that was hers and said her final farewells to the others who lived under the bridge, whatever the result, she wasn't likely coming back. Arriving at the post office, she walked up to her box and unlocked it with the key the office had given her, pulling out the letter and tearing it open.
βHaruishi Mari
The sacrifices youβve made for yourself are admirable, as is your level of perseverance. We wouldβve completely understood if you felt unable to continue due to the injuries youβve sustained to your leg, and yet youβve decided to press forward. That said, try not to be so reckless in the future; itβd be unfortunate to lose a good student over something we are more than capable of preventing.
Please make your way to the school hall at precisely 8:00AM tomorrow. Your fellow students and teachers will be awaiting your arrival.β
Mari's knees went weak as, leaning against the wall of P.O. boxes, she slowly slid down into a crouching position, one hand against the wall, the other hand gripping the letter like her life depended on it, her arm covering her eyes as she bawled.
Mari arrived the following day at Jigokuraku at 7:45AM, after making a detour to her gym to shower. Like during the exam, she was dressed in her middle school winter uniform, as it was the nicest set of clothing that she owned, and she didn't want to show up in her worn, dirty, threadbare hoodie. Though she wore a stern look on her face, neither that nor her shower could hide the redness and puffiness around her eyes. She looked around to see if anyone else from the exam had arrived. If they accepted her, then surely most of the others had made it in as well. With deliberate, shaking steps, she walked up the steps, and hoped that feeling of giddy, light-headedness was her past rolling off her shoulders. She would be able to live in a dorm. She would be able to pursue her purpose; to save those without saviors and to prove that her life has meaning. Yet mentally she held herself back. There was no point getting too optimistic only to be disappointed. Joy was for the greedy and indulgent. She needed to mentally keep some weight on her back-foot if it turned out that this place would not accept her and her past. She needed to be prepared for the potential eventuality of returning to the streets.
Mari notices Hiroki, Shiki, and Shun. A flash of streaks of black and white somewhere in her peripheral suggested that Azukina was here too. Did Mari deserve to be here among them? Mari bit her lip, as she thought of her poor performance during the exam. She had rescued one civilian, though she had requested to the exam proctor that the point be 'donated' to the student who helped her retrieve it. And then she botched it hard when she allowed the faux villain to hijack the bus that held all of the precious civilians. She hadn't even successfully stopped him, even getting in Hiroki's way when he attempted to do so. What was effort without results? How many times had she plotted to run from home and failed? Only the last time mattered, only success mattered. Effort without success was failure. Mari was unable to contain herself anymore. Facing Hiroki, Mari straightened up, her arms at her sides, and bowed deeply.
"Sakimoto-san, I apologize for the altercation before the exam! I was ignorant! I just want to save people, but I know nothing at all about what it means to be a hero! I misread you, made assumptions, and said unkind things! I hope you can forgive my hubris and accept me as a fellow classmate, despite my inadequacies!" Mari declared, and stayed bowed, waiting for a response from Hiroki, despite being in full view of Shun and Shiki, and possibly Azukina.
Mari gets her acceptance letter and cries. The following day, she leaves the homeless community that she had been staying with and ascends to Jigokuraku, emotionally guarded. She feels she doesn't belong here, and regrets her prior disagreement with Hiroki and apologizes.
You can definitely seek out the other players to interact with. Currently, Lans and Ahelair are free, and with some asking about, it won't be too hard to locate them, whether in the Administrative Center or outside.
By raining blows down on the omnics, Din was able to knock away limbs to expose weaker joints, that she took advantage of with her dual wielding to attack. Eventually, with a few lucky strikes, she was able to decapitate and disable the assaulting robots. She turned to the rest of the group to see that they had already more or less finished with their opponents as well, though she did see the Master of Masters channeling an awe-inspiring tornado from his keyblade, making her wonder if the axe-like weapon was more of a wand than a blade. Still, with the arrival of Blazermate to heal what minor wounds the group had suffered, followed by the minor disagreement between a few members of the party, Din was distracted from her previous thought. As the group pushed forward though, Din walked along with them, glad to see Kirby up and about, and seeing its demonstration of generating 'friendship hearts', though she didn't know that that's what they were called, nor what they were for. It was difficult when one's savior was non-verbal, though upon reflection, Link was rather quiet himself. Still, the Courier's explanation seemed to make sense, which was helpful, since Din recalled the Master of Masters mentioning that though he had saved Roadhog, he didn't have energy enough to save another.
Arriving at the bridge to the castle, battle ensued between the party and the one man and one robot military emplacement. Unlike many of her allies, Din cowered behind cover, having never experienced firepower of this magnitude. She was even afraid to stand up to dance, for fear of getting shot. But reckless maneuver after reckless maneuver, the party gained ground, surrounding the enemy formation, distracting turrets, and even getting within the formation itself. Din was torn whether to jump into the fray herself, or stay behind and offer support, when she heard an explosion that drew her eyes upward only to see a blue and red streak shooting out of the castle and into the nearby foliage. The last missing member that Din had been worrying about secretly in her heart due to the long time that he'd spent away from the group. By this time, it seemed that perhaps the group could take the bridge without her, so Din called out to Blazermate, "I think that was Geno! I'm going to go see if he needs any help!" With that, she ran off in the direction of the falling doll.
Since he did not land very far away, it didn't take long before Din arrived at his location, and she found Geno being wary and protecting a midget in red and blue. "Geno! It's me, Din! I'm glad to see your safe. Are you hurt? I can...dance if you need a pick me up." The thought that her dancing had the magical ability to physically heal her allies was still unusual to Din, but at this point she had seen stranger things. "Who is this? A friend you rescued from the castle? Is he hurt?" But then a thought occurred to her. "Is he still...possessed? I...might have a way, two actually, to bring him to his senses. Should I?" She was treading new ground here, but from Geno's eyes and behavior, she could see that he cherished this mustached man.
βThey say if you bring science into a fantasy setting, God kills a catgirl. I hate catgirls.β
Personal Dossier
Name
Eileen Fang
Avatar
Ailanthus Altissima
Age
32
Gender
Female
Visage
Under a dark suit of magical armor is the small, frail frame of Ailanthus Altissima. Though she could have been her ideal self, her PARIAH appearance is (other than being free of blemishes) unremarkable, normal, and bland. That is how she sees herself. She appears slightly younger than she actually is because society reminds her constantly that she hasn't matured because she's not married and still plays games. Her glasses form a very core part of her identity and followed her into PARIAH. When out of armor, she wears a white robe that acts as a closest approximation to a lab coat. She has no desire to 'stay in-character' or preserve 'immersion' for others, intentionally commissioning crafters to make her scientific- and futuristic-looking gear.
Below is her face, 90% of the time:
Personality
Tessa is a single, middle-aged woman whose work- and social-life has her stressed to breaking point, causing her to indulge in escapist behavior with the aid of electronic media. In some circles, she might be called an 'otaku', which would be true; while others might call her a 'fujoshi', which would be technically incorrect. High-strung and irritable, Tessa has difficulty keeping her stress from flowing into her leisure activities, and is often accused of 'spoiling the mood'. Some question why she even plays games as she has a tendency to become frustrated easily, a trait that stems from performance anxiety.
Though Tessa has difficulty enjoying a game if things don't go her way, she is addicted to the rush of things going right. Despite her thorny and at-times belligerent behavior, Tessa has a deep sense of responsibility, a need to not only pull her own weight, but to go above and beyond. However, she not only holds herself to this level of perfectionism, she expects the same from anyone unfortunate enough to be her teammate.
Background
Urban China was all Eileen ever knew, from the robotic and highly-competitive educational system to the robotic and highly-competitive high-tech industrial work environment. She never stood out when it came to academic excellence, but she did stick her neck out just far enough to warrant being bullied and socially sabotaged by her peers. She went through life with jaded bitterness and social awkwardness.
She retreated daily to social media, illegally downloaded anime, manga, and games, becoming addicted to MMO's in particular. She was known as a rage gamer, logging on alone, joining teams of people she didn't know to participate in dungeons and other party activities. She even attempted forum RP once but only ended up arguing with others, pissing people off, and finally, rage-quitting for good.
Living in the high-tech center of ShenZhen, Eileen is an engineer in a bloated company that produces and sells cheap, barely-functional healthcare devices. Her life is a wreck and she was so caught up in securing her place in the world that her nearer relatives are now suddenly concerned that she will never get married and have kids. Her daily routine has not changed since school: wake up, wash up, commute, attend class/work, commute home, eat, leisure, sleep, repeat.
One day, the company's R&D division wanted to play with the idea of therapeutic VR, and got several PARIAH headsets for the researchers to toy around with. But due to lack of a perceivable market, the project was dropped and the headsets were put in permanent storage. Eileen asked to take one home and the lax inventory manager gave her the OK. She wasn't that interested in VR, but figured she'd give it a go. She figured that the worst that could happen was that she'd lose interest and leave it in a corner to gather dust, which it would have done anyways if she didn't take it.
Reputation
Ailanthus Altissima, the scientific name for a plant commonly called the 'tree of Heaven'. It is an invasive species with the ability to clone itself through its roots in a technique called 'suckering', and is, like the mythological hydra, difficult to exterminate. It is considered a noxious weed due to the foul-smelling odor it produces. The tree also resprouts vigorously when cut, making its eradication difficult and time-consuming. In many urban areas, it has acquired the derisive nicknames of "ghetto palm", "stink tree", and "tree of Hell".
No one knows, or cares, why Dr. Eileen Fang chose this name, and most refuse to say it in full, earning Eileen the nickname 'Tessa' from Altissima. Since logging on for the first time, Tessa has been like her namesake, invading parties and raising a stink. Her initial desire had been to party up and quest with others, but her belligerence always got in the way.
Eventually, she turned her focus to enchantments, seeing a need in the community for those who only had access to crafted gear to attain gear that could compete with rare drops. While her enchantments aren't that good, properly crafted and enchanted gear at least had a fighting chance against Rares and Epics, and sometimes, a fighting chance was all some adventurers needed. Tessa found her niche, but still needed to satisfy her urge to actually adventure, so she would take enchanting commissions, find out what materials she needed for her enchantments, and then demand the ones who commissioned her to take her with them when they went to farm said materials.
Due to forcing herself into parties in this way, Tessa adopted a flexible, albeit lazy, playstyle: a confusing, semi-immobile walking disaster area, essentially claiming a large portion of the battlefield as her own and manipulating the positions of her enemies, doing some status effects and some damage, while still survivable enough to hold her own.
Tessa has not achieved fame for her enchantments; she instead draws clients by under-sellng other enchanters, a practice that has gotten her in trouble with guilds on more than one occasion.
Attributes & Additional Information
Role
Control Mage
Affiliation
Queon
Profession
Enchanter
Weapon of Choice
Chains
Domain(s)
Metal Auras
Benchmarks (Physical)
Exile's Burden: While Tessa has always veered towards the massive damage and control effects of mages, her poor gaming skills has had her lament her chosen characters' 'squishiness' on more than one occasion. As someone who is easily abandoned by her party members, Tessa decided, for survival reasons, to wear armor that is uncharacteristic of mages. This habit, combined with her tendency to hoard loot alone and overburden her backpack at the end of missions, has led to her being surprisingly strong at carrying heavy weight. On top of that, she has enchanted her armor to feel less heavy, allowing her to move freely in heavy armor despite being a mage who is otherwise not physically strong.
Tough It Out: Tessa has pretty severe body dysphoria and believes that the body is the slave of the mind. If the body fails to obey the mind, then the body must be punished/forced until it complies. In PARIAH, she is even more dissociated from her body because it's virtual. As such, she is much more willing to put herself in harms way or try to force her body beyond its limits, such as climbing and jumping over an impassable mountain because she doesn't want to walk around it (who hasn't tried to do this in a free-roam RPG?). This has given her an innate toughness, especially when it comes to taking blows.
Artisanal Precision: As an enchanter and a perfectionist, (and Gunpla aficionado) Tessa is good at working with minute, tiny details, whether it's inserting magical gems or carving runes. She can thus enhance equipment with high-quality enchantments thanks to her constant practice of the art, and is herself completely decked out in gear she has enchanted.
Paranoid Perception: Having been abandoned and betrayed by her party members on more than one occasion, Tessa is understandably paranoid. Because of this, she has a strong awareness of escape routes, dead ends, and good ambush spots. Initially her paranoia resulted in a million false alarms, but over time she began to recognize the signs better and better. This benchmark makes it very difficult to sneak up on her or ambush her and her party.
Cock Block: When she was younger, Tessa was very socially awkward (well, she still is), and had a tendency to get in people's way, literally and figuratively. As she matured(?), she actively learned a bit better where to stand and where to walk to provide the least resistance to the flow of foot traffic. But in games, and in PARIAH in particular, Tessa has learned to use what once was sheer cluelessness as a weapon. Identifying her opponents' goals and/or targets, Tessa knows to place herself squarely in between and actively body block them, using her natural tendency to be a hindrance and a physical barrier. To her enemies, she always seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Benchmarks (Mental)
Short Spell List: Tessa has restricted herself to learning only a small handful of spells, choosing to go for quality instead of quantity. As such, her familiarity with these spells runs deep, shortening her cast time, increasing the efficacy, and making it more difficult for the casting to be interrupted.
Synergistic Specialization: Tessa's main spell is telekinesis, which she applies mainly to her weapon of choice: chains. The chain links have been inscribed with runes that increase their ability to be controlled and increase their magical affinity. Most of her other spells are conducted through the chains: electricity and vibrations. She has learned how these different spell effects work with one another, allowing unique synergy and a combat style that her opponents are unfamiliar with.
Stacked Auras: Tessa also has a handful of aura spells (areas of effect centered on herself). She learned over time how to cast and maintain multiple auras simultaneously, some offensive, some defensive, making her playstyle come out: area control. This makes her a veritable bunker; difficult to approach and a safe haven for party members.
Spider's Web: Tessa's chains are usually laid out radiating from her in all directions for several meters. She has learned to be extra vigilant of what goes on in her zone of control and can differentiate friend from foe with spells that would otherwise be indiscriminate.
Kick 'Em While They're Down: Tessa doesn't get along easily with people and has been bullied for much of her life. She takes a sadistic pleasure in lashing out, in having the tables turned by becoming the bully. Delighting in 'kicking her enemies while they are down', she focused so many spells on downed, incapacitated, or otherwise helpless targets that she has developed an interesting trait: her spells do higher damage to and ignore the magic resistance of targets who have been affected by any negative state, whether slowed, taunted, rooted, frozen, stunned, etc.
Alias: Commander Hallelujah, Agent Hallelujah, The Fiddler Crab
Appearance:
Full body
Face, condescending
Face, smug
Replace the labcoat with a marine's 'Justice' jacket.
Age: 30
Gender: Female
Bounty: 60,000,000 Berries, WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE.
Personality:
Handel seems friendly but in a 'get under your skin' sort of way. An eavesdropper at heart, she likes to plant baby den den mushi in private locations to hear other peoples' conversations and ends up knowing more information about people than they expect. She is a bit obsessive compulsive and can be very particular when it comes to the tidiness of her belongings. She is a deep thinker and surprisingly empathetic. She is always wearing a somewhat creepy smile that makes it hard for others to guess her thoughts. Handel hates when a plan doesn't go right.
Powers/Abilities:
Handel is an inventor and a spy, who uses sound vibrations and information on her enemies to deadly effect. She knows navigation, and has some medical knowledge (mostly anesthesiology, pain management and psychosomatics) so she can be an assistant doctor but not the main doctor. She is better as a strategist, infiltrator or assassin.
Techniques:
In close range, she uses a unique sword-and-shield fighting style. The back of her bass is steel-plated, she holds the neck of the bass, planting the spike of the bass in the ground with its back towards the enemy as a massive riot shield. The bow of her fiddle has a blade along its edge which she swings as a short sword. She is also strong enough to lift the bass and swing it around, using the spike at the bottom to impale foes. She has learned how to use vibrations and sound to affect various materials, as long as she tweaks the frequency. Typically, the stiffer and more brittle a material is, the easier it is to damage it with sound. She can imbue her sword/bow with a frequency by running it along the strings of the base and then striking with the sword giving it a property to easily cleave through the specific material it was tuned to. She can also launch out sonic attacks at range, but sound dissipates with distance and is considerably weaker. She often plays on her own turf, scattering Den Den Mushi around to relay sonic attacks and create harmonic/acoustic/cymatic zones where her sonic attacks are much more powerful and less predictable. Handel knows various ways of using sound to affect the human body. She has the ability to infiltrate Marine ships and bases due to her background and intercept communications with her black Den Den Mushi. Handel requires information on the enemy to be most effective. Her most powerful attacks take time or require preparation beforehand. She has limited long range capabilities, and is more defensive than offensive. She is only a decent swordsman at best, and relies more on surprise, advantage, and finesse. She runs the role of 'support mage' for the most part.
Weapons/Items:
String Bass (Shield)
Bass Bow (Sword)
Various other musical instruments
Den Den Mushi Set including several regular ones, a few baby ones, and a black one.
Background:
Handel grew up the daughter of a rich, military family. She learned to play string instruments when she was young and was set to become a great marine as her inevitable future career. She joined the marines, keeping peace and helping take down weak pirates in the name of peace and justice, eventually working her way up to being commander and first mate of a ship, where she supported her captain with brilliant strategies that prioritized the survival of the crew, making as few sacrifices as possible, and even preventing the loss of life of the enemy, earning her captain a reputation for mercy.
These strategies earned Handel a transfer from normal navy service into the intelligence division, where she became an agent of Cipher Pol 1, CP1. Here she utilized her ability to gather and exploit information in preventative schemes that stopped violence and uprisings before they began. Yet more and more, she was being asked to make difficult choices and to prioritize 'efficiency' and secrecy over the lives of her enemies and the soldiers she was responsible for. She went along with the flow, comforting herself with moral justifications until it became too much for her. She realized she had become a woman who no longer saw other humans as people but as numbers in her calculations. She had been numbed to the atrocities she had committed in the name of 'justice'. In the middle of an important government operation, Handel let slip the amount of soldiers that would be sacrificed among the navy as well as spilling information to the enemy, giving them a chance to escape. This saved numerous lives from both sides, but convicted her of high treason. She had prepared for this outcome, and slipped away and went into hiding before the marines came to arrest her. She is currently in hiding from the marines and is plotting some way to change the government but she currently has no solid plans.
Other:
Handel is used to luxury and is a big spender. Her musical inventions are also not cheap, so she'll tend to splurge the crews treasure on extravagant shopping sprees.
Relationships: WIP
Dreams:
Her quest is to bring back a moral and ethical government.
rebornfan320,
Not a Sayan,
ppppppp,
Flamelord,
Neziul,
Eviledd1984,
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