Kenso

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE=1]one-off often gruesome ends for people's amusement[/SIZE][/quote] [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]Hey, now. When you put it that way, you make us all sound like demented psychos.[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]On a side note, I've got a different request. It's definitely not sci-fi this time (although I may try my hand at doing that mecha death thing for the hell of it). I want to die horribly at the hands of a dragon (just after having rescued the damsel in distress, of course). Just to add to the morbidness, I want to live just long enough after being mangled, burned, whatever, to watch the dragon kill the damsel I'd just gone through all the trouble of saving.[/SIZE][/FONT]

Raiha, it's no big deal if you'd prefer to leave that one be. I'm sure I can come up with something else. I've just got my head stuck in a sci-fi spot from conversations I've been having with a friend of mine. Didn't mean to put you in the spotlight in such a manner. My most sincere apologies, as I have a great respect for the work you've done so far (I read the entire thread today).

*shrugs* Hey, I don't know. I've actually seen mecha battles done in such a manner they're nearly human to begin with. Don't mean to send you into hysterics. I AM technically new amongst you guys (even if I've been registered here for a long time, I kind of vanished and forget this place existed for a year or two, and I didn't post often originally).

Here's something of a strange request. The person to die will be me (I don't know any of you well enough to be calling for your deaths yet). The scenario would be a futuristic war setting featuring mecha, like Gundam. I want it to be a final desperate battle, with both myself and the other pilot down to our last desperate tactics. The other pilot, by the end, has actually beaten me, but both of our mechs are at their limit. My final action is to grapple the enemy mecha and hit the self-destruct (the mecha is damaged beyond any ability to use an escape pod).

[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][COLOR=black]A mild breeze stirred the sands around Chal'kath's feet, and he could feel the grains settling between his scales, their individually harsh edges poking at the nerves underneath. It was a familiar feeling, one he?d grown long accustomed to, but it still annoyed him on occasion. He was walking just within sight of the outer walls of Argrim?s capital city, having a day to himself from his routine regimen with his group. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][COLOR=black]He hadn?t requested it, but his ?captain?s? manner of bringing it up suggested that the other members of the group had done so for him.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT] [COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][/FONT][/COLOR] [COLOR=black][FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]A slight shrug lifted his shoulders at that thought. That really didn?t surprise him. Few were comfortable for long around a thri-kreen, and the members of Chal?kath?s group were no exception. He looked down at himself, and chuckled mildly. It was a gift and a curse, being what he was. No human could match his feats of strength and agility, and his scaled exoskeleton left him protected to a degree most human armor didn?t keep up with. But to a human, he looked like a monster, and he could not hide that fact. While humanoid, there was no hiding his extra arms, or his overly large head with mandibles that looked as deadly as the claws on his hands. And he was so impossibly tall and thin he could never pass as human, even if he did hide everything else. Well, not without magic anyway, and magic was something Chal'kath was not fond of.[/SIZE][/FONT][/COLOR] [FONT=Verdana][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1][COLOR=black]He glanced back towards the city and stopped in surprise. If he had eyebrows, he would have raised them, though the scales above his left eye shifted noticeably upwards. There was a small group of mounted soldiers, six in number, headed in his direction at a fairly quick pace. Too small to be combat effective, he assumed they bore a message of some sort, though he couldn?t imagine what message required six soldiers. He stopped and waited, adjusting the straps on his backpack, freeing the sand that had settled beneath them.[/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]The soldiers didn?t take long to reach him, though their pace slowed noticeably as they got closer. Most of them did not focus their eyes on him, instead focusing on various parts of the landscape, or just staring past him. Their discomfort was obvious, and he realized they only had so many people because no one was comfortable with him. He shook his head in disgust upon this realization. Cowards. It wasn?t as though he was planning on eating anyone that hadn?t already died, and murder was not his forte.[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]The leader was fairly obvious, with newer armor and a bigger horse. [I]Humans always have to compensate.[/I] He was fairly well-built, of average height, but with a barrel of a chest. The voice that came out of the body was higher than Chal?kath expected. ?The king has issued a request for talented adventurers such as yourself to meet at a preset location in two days to form a small covert group. He plans on using this covert group for a preemptive strike against the Sand Shapers.?[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]Chal?kath?s voice was probably a tenor, but it was distorted by the clicking of his mandibles, something he?d never bothered to try and avoid. ?Any reason that I?m being informed of this when I?m attached to a battle group?? He knew the answer already, but he wanted to make the man say it. Chal?kath did not take kindly to cowards, and was rather fond of making them squirm.[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]The leader was certainly squirming, eyes looking everywhere but at Chal?kath. He cleared his throat nervously before he spoke. ?There was a request for your transfer away from your group.?[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]Chal?kath?s mandibles lifted, the closest he ever managed to a smile, though this held no mirth. ?Your honesty is appreciated. Where am I to meet these people??[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]The leader waved a hand forward, an obvious signal to one of the other men, who stepped forward and held out a scroll to Chal?kath, though he said nothing. Chal?kath took the scroll, but did not open it before looking at the leader again. The leader?s voice was straining when he spoke, his desire to be elsewhere very clear. ?You will find the directions within. We have not been given the exact location.?[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]Chal?kath nodded in acknowledgement. ?Then your services are no longer necessary to me. Good-bye.?[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]The good-bye was not returned as they turned and left as quickly as their horses could take them. Chal?kath waited for the sand to settle before opening the scroll. Skimming over the directions, he chuckled. He already knew the spot well. He wouldn?t even need the full two days to get there. All the same, he turned and started walking in its direction.[/SIZE][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][/FONT] [FONT=Verdana][SIZE=1]Without warning, he stopped. He let his body relax, his arms hanging loosely at his side as he focused his mind inward. Without warning, he was moving again, his steps quicker than they'd been just a moment earlier, and that was before he broke into a run. He'd be there before morning.[/SIZE][/FONT]

Currently, I'm listening to the radio at work. I'm not fond of the station, but they play some good stuff. "Hotel California" by the Eagles is playing right now.

I'm currently watching Bleach religiously, but I think that's the only current show I'm watching. However, I'm also watching Outlaw Star and Mobile Fighter G Gundam with my gf (she hasn't seen either), and I just got Louie the Rune Soldier, and we've watched the first episode of that. I'm probably going to start watching Cowboy Bebop after Outlaw Star (as I still haven't seen the entirety of it in the proper order). I'm going to start reading the Bleach manga and see how much it differs from the show. I've got to try and find a manga called Free Runner. ((Found Volume 1 in Waldenbooks the one day and read that, but I haven't seen any more of it.)) There's a couple of other manga I've read in Waldenbooks that I'm interested in checking out, but I can't remember names (I'm horrible about that - need to start carrying a notebook so I can write them down).

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial]I find that this method allows for massive amounts of creativity, since one isn't hog-tied to a single person. Think of it as writing from third-person limited?from a stuffy classroom sense. =P[/FONT][/quote] While I'm finding that I do agree with you on that, in a sense, a lot of my creativity in RPing has been forced simply because in the RPs I've been on, you're usually still required at least a paragraph or two in a post. Granted, many of the posts here are significantly longer than that (I know some of my Sinister Nation posts were insanely long, for example), but 2 sentences of dialogue into 2 paragraphs really makes you think about the little mannerisms your character might have while speaking, etc.

I've been pulled over twice. The first time was for running a stop sign. I didn't actually run it, but I didn't stop as long as I probably should have. It was one of those annoying places where opposing traffic DOESN'T stop, and I needed to make a left, so I kind of gunned it when I could. I got out of that one thanks to my brother. The cop noticed that the inspection stickers were months overdue, and brought that up too. However, I explained that I'd just bought the car from my brother (after it should have already been inspected) and had to pay to get the transmission fixed, on top of getting the brakes done so they'd pass, and he was kind enough to let me go, figuring I didn't really need the extra costs of a ticket. (The brake system went entirely 4 days later, and I got rid of the car.) The second one was for having NO inspection stickers. Again, I'd just bought the car, and the friend I bought it from managed to go an entire year with no stickers and never got pulled over. I had it for ONE MONTH and got nailed. It wasn't even transferred into my name yet. That was expensive, as I got forced to transfer it within a week and get it on my insurance, and had to pay the ticket for $100. NOTE: The number of times I should've been pulled over are MUCH higher than this. I like my gas pedal. I only keep the speeds low in the car I have now because it has an oil leak and doesn't shift into overdrive (meaning I can barely afford the gas to do 55, let alone 75-85).

OK, I'm not giving advice on beating your friend, as it strikes me as unfair and dishonorable (but that's just me). As for the ex....Well, I can see a whole boatload of problems arising from that one that I won't get into. However, don't take the beating. That's just stupid and pointless. But you don't have to hit her either. Simply dodging, getting behind her, and simply pinning her arms down (even if it's with a bear hug), tends to be fairly effective, especially if you can lift her. Just watch for flailing legs.

It's rather amusing that you talk about musicals like that. My brother and I have actually had that conversation more than once, at just how ridiculous a concept it seems. And without fail, within the next 15 minutes, someone would say something that would trigger a song and we'd start singing. It's the choreographed dancing that's unrealistic. That said, I'm not a musical person. I can't stand Sound of Music, no matter how much of a classic it's supposed to be. The only musicals I've seen AND liked so far are Rent and Sweeney Todd. Amazing how different they are. I just love Burton's touch in Sweeney Todd. I don't think anyone else could have done it, period. And I love how out of sync with one another Johnny Depp and Alan Rickman are during their 'duet'. It's just a wonderful thing.

[B]Name: [/B]Chal'kath Vedrinu [B]Gender:[/B] Male [B]Age:[/B] 42 [B]Appearance: [/B]Chal'kath appears to be a very bulky bipedal praying mantis. His exoskeleton is a sandy yellow color, and appears to be scaled when up close. He is bulkier than most others of his kind, his exoskeleton abnormally thick thanks to his draconic nature, a fact for which he is grateful. His large, multi-faceted eyes are pure black, his range of vision nearly unparalleled amongst most humanoids. Unlike many half-dragons, Chal'kath does not possess wings, having been born from an unwinged variety. [B]Race/Racial traits:[/B] Half-fang dragon Thri-Kreen [B]Personality: [/B]Chal'kath is simple and to the point in most things, pretty much to a fault. He does not tolerate stupidity, and will leave anyone he determines to be a hindrance behind to die of their own inadequacy. This is not to say that he is cruel, but he lives in a harsh environment, where keeping yourself alive is enough of a struggle without carrying someone else's weight. Chal'kath is currently separated from his clan, most of whom believe that the Sand Shapers will make for a better life (he's certain a few of them have deals of some sort going for power with various sand shapers). As such, he is often alone, though he technically works with the Argrim soldiers. He is a bit withdrawn and a little bit aloof much of the time because of this, struggling internally with his built-in clan mentality. While not actively searching for a new 'clan', any adventuring party he ends up with that manages to prove their salt would end up with the undying loyalty due to a clan member. Chal'kath avoids eating with other people. This isn't due to any problems on his part, but Chal'kath has no issues with eating sentient beings (although he doesn't hunt them down), and most other sentient beings are a bit uncomfortable with that. [B]Kingdom:[/B] Argrim, sort of. While on Argrim's payroll, Chal'kath is a denizen of the desert, only assisting against the Sand Shapers because he feels they threaten his people's way of life. [B]Class:[/B] Soulknife/soul bastion multi (In another words, Chal'kath creates his own weapons and armor through his own mental abilities) [B]Abilities:[/B] A hunter by trade, Chal'kath is quite skilled in the areas of tracking and stealth. He is also adept with various thieving skills (lockpicking, pickpocketing, etc.), though he does not negotiate well. He's also nearly incapable of swimming, though like all of his kind, his jumping abilities are nearly unparalleled. Chal'kath's weapons and armor are both generated through his own mental energy, but he has no other 'mystical' abilities of any sort. As a half-fang dragon, he doesn't even have a breath weapon, although his claws and teeth are just as hard as the metal in most swords. [B]Spells and Spell-like abilities: [/B]Chal'kath has no direct spells or spell-like abilties of his own. [B]Items:[/B] Chal'kath has a number of rather curious items, all of them a deep purple crystal of some sort. He has four 'hilts' of crystal that have no blades of any sort. They serve as focuses for his mind blade, allowing him a few extra options with them. He also has two crossbow-looking crystal devices, which serve as a focus for using his mind 'blade' at range. Aside from that, he has a belt with a very large number of pockets and a backpack, both seemingly ordinary. However, both are extradimensional storage spaces, though neither are near full. He just likes having the space to keep things. Both items have additional enhancements to keep anything put within them from rotting, but that's about it. Within the backpack, he has an excellent set of thieves' tools (looted from a rogue he best in combat), an extra-long sleeping bag (for those cold desert nights), and at the moment, that's about it. He usually stocks up at least two pockets fairly well with rations and other such things before going out with the army. ((So if this starts with him out 'deployed', then the contents of the backpack will be quite a bit longer.)) [B]Bio:[/B] For Chal'kath, life has never been simple. Born part dragon, he had problems as a young thri-kreen that others of his kind could never face. He was kept away from other children of his race, as his claws were far more deadly than any of theirs, and even their tough hides wouldn't consistently turn his blows away when playing rough. But the adults saw potential in him. He wasn't being kept to the side as punishment. It was merely a safety precaution. Chal'kath's heritage is apparent, and all were surprised when he developed at nearly the exact same rate as the other children, only falling a few months behind them. When he come of age, his clan immediately starting training him to hunt and survive in the desert lands. Hunting was more difficult at some times than at others, and Chal'kath taught himself to 'relieve' humans of items they might not need. While the clan elders didn't necessarily approve, they did not admonish him for his behavior either. When the Sand Shapers started to grow more in power, Chal'kath's clan began to worry. It was at that time when the clan started to fall apart. The elders disagreed on how to handle the situation. Some believed that siding with the Sand Shapers would be best, others encouraged the clan to just hide away in the desert until the warring had passed, and still others thought it would be best to side with one of the nations and support them. By this time, Chal'kath was quickly working on becoming the oldest member of the clan, his draconic blood extending his life span to a point far beyond what any normal thri-kreen could expect. Many looked to him for the final decision, but he could not make it. Knowing his clan was already in pieces, he did not believe they had the strength to hold together if he forced any one decision. So he told each and every thri-kreen to decide for themselves, and then headed for Argrim. Since that point, he has fought alongside Argrim, never completely comfortable amongst the humans, but certain he had made the wisest choice. [B]FINISHED[/B]

I have a marked preference for character-driven RPGs. I don't like seeing characters bent to work with the plot when their personality says they'd obviously move in a different direction. For me, it's a toss-up between free-form and collaborative. I really, really like free-form, and that's actually what I'm used to for the most part, but collaborative has its benefits. I tend to RP in something of a middle ground between the two, running free-form for the most part, but collaborating with one or two others when I end up in a group of some sort. One thing that has taken getting used to for me on OtakuBoards is that most of the RPGs on here grant some form of character control to everyone, though messing with anyone else's character is, of course, limited. I usually play in RPGs where you don't have any say in another character's actions, period.

Got this at the midnight release, then got home and went to sleep, go figure. My gf and I had it going five minutes after we woke up though, and played for 12 hours. We've got almost everyone unlocked. Subspace Emissary mode is great for that. Speaking of SSE, some of that stuff is INSANE. Not the battles, as we haven't really lost one yet, but some of the sidescrolling sections that get really crazy to get through. We're 80% through SSE mode now, and I'm hoping we can finish it tonight so that darn near everyone will be unlocked (only 2 or 3 more will need to be unlocked).

[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Arial] (In fact, how'd this thread get rezzed, anyway?).[/FONT][/quote] I'm responsible. It was here, and I was going to make such a topic, but searched first, so I figured it couldn't hurt. On a very on-topic and very serious note, for those who are players, today is a sad day in gaming. Gary Gygax, the man most responsible for D&D, passed away at his home earlier this morning.

[quote name='Retribution'][FONT=Arial]Please understand that censorship, while not bulletproof or without its own pitfalls, should certainly be used in select instances where the content is not suitable for the environment (and yes, I'm aware this is a relativistic judgment).[/FONT][/quote] The very fact that it is a relativistic judgment is what makes censorship such a problem. Who gets to determine who should see what? What gives any one person or any one group of people the right to decide what any other responsible adult should be able to view? Yes, kids need things blocked, but that's what parents are supposed to be for (which is a whole other argument, that I simply won't bother with). And the very offense that those people feel is a knowledge in and of itself. I have met people who denied such things have ever occurred, that people still think in that matter, and I've seen pictures along those lines change their minds rather quickly. It is all relative to who is seeing it, and that very relativity is what causes problems with censorship to begin with.

Ah, censorship...It will never fail to amaze me how something that so very many people have relatively similar opinions on can cause so many issues. As for my views, the simple answer is that censorship is bad, period. I do not agree with it in any way. Now I'll move on to the lengthy answer. EDIT: Note that the rest of this is written on the assumption that ratings are NOT censorship, but merely means of warning people that they may find something they don't want to deal with inside. The ultimate pursuit of mankind has been, and always will be, greater knowledge, for no advancements can be made without the knowledge to work with. Censorship, at its most basic use, is a way to restrict access to knowledge. This is inherently opposed to human nature (that is, to pursue knowledge), and it is nearly always decided upon by a small group that has no real right to interfere with the majority's right to gain knowledge (i.e., a government agency that is supposed to represent the majority of people, not protect themselves). Some things are censored to avoid 'offending' people. Even offensive material is knowledge. The very fact that it is potent enough to offend means you have something to learn from it. If you did not, you would simply blow it off as inconsequential (sp?) and move on. As an example, not long after the 9/11 attacks, a decision was made to stop showing footage of the towers because it made people angry, etc. In my mind, there is no better reason to continue to show it. Such knowledge, and such reminders of said knowledge, are exactly what spur humankind to action. Perhaps not always intelligent action, but humans are prone to mistakes. If enough people are spurred, something WILL be done, because you can't really ignore the demands of a loud enough voice. It is offensive because it must be responded to, and to hide that knowledge is to plug its response. Other censorship takes place because someone, somewhere, feels that some sort of problems would arise were it to get to the general public, that media of some sort could generate issues that weren't there before. I'll use Fahrenheit 9/11 as an example, as I know instances where they would not show it. Though I have not seen it, I do have an idea of what it is. The problem with Fahrenheit 9/11 is that it was something with a very strong political message, that presented data in an admittedly biased, but still technically accurate manner. People felt it shouldn't be shown because it would somehow detract from America's 'sense of unity' after the 9/11 attacks. But therein lies the problem of censorship to begin with. Assuming it could have that effect, it merely means that the potential was there, and people were merely lacking the knowledge. Media does not create strife (unless with outright lies), it merely brings it to a head. If people starting doubting, it was only because they had new data to work with, data that people were attempting to hide from them. Even censorship on a less extreme basis, such as the Americanization of anime and other intercontinental media (including Monty Python and the Holy Grail), detracts from knowledge on a more basic level. Many anime that people believe are for kids were not designed that way. But somehow, in someone's mind I do not know, a decision was made that animation is supposed to be for kids. Therefore, all swearing is removed, and when someone is cut or shot, they do not bleed. Because such general principles of life that even children are familiar with (if I'm cut, I bleed), are somehow bad influences for children. Now I won't get into exactly how I think that's effecting (affecting? - I can never keep them straight) the world, but if you want to hide something from kids, leave that to the parents to decide. So, yes, I think censorship is a very large problem, and I believe censorship should be straight-up gotten rid of.

I'm going to set up a profile later on. I'm at work right now, and this connection sucks, so I don't think I can be patient enough to do it right now (but I have cable at home, so no such problem later on). EDIT: [URL=http://www.goodreads.com/profile/moyaku_keramushe]Here's my profile.[/URL] Right now, sadly, I'm not actually reading anything (unless you count the Bleach manga I'm reading online). I need to pick up a library card so I can start reading again. I'm honestly not sure if my most recent read was [U]A Rush of Wings[/U] by Adrian Phoenix or [U]Fatal Revenant[/U] by Stephen R. Donaldson (part of the Thomas Covenant series, which I HIGHLY recommend). [U]A Rush of Wings[/U] wasn't a bad book by any means, and it did keep my attention (at least long enough to read it in two sessions at Waldenbooks while my gf was at work), but it's not anything spectacular either. I'm horrible for doing summaries, so I'd adivse finding a separate one yourselves. [U]Fatal Revenant[/U], like the rest of the Thomas Covenant series, is an excellent book. Unfortunately, you need to read the seven books beforehand to understand it. Don't get me wrong, I would advise doing so, but it's just a significant investment of time. For those interested, here's the list: The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: [U]Lord Foul's Bane[/U], [U]The Illearth War[/U], and [U]The Power That Preserves[/U]. The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: [U]The Wounded Land[/U], [U]The One Tree[/U], and [U]White Gold Wielder[/U]. The Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant: [U]Runes of the Earth[/U], [U]Fatal Revenant[/U], [U]Against All Things Ending[/U] (not yet released), and [U]The Last Dark[/U] (also not yet released). The last two books also present an odd sort of dilemna for those who end up interested. They won't be released until 2010 and 2013, respectively. That's a long time to wait for a finish. I'm planning on looking into the Left Behind series (found the first four books intriguing, but haven't read the rest), the Dark Tower series (have heard to many good things about it), and the Wheel of Time series. It's a lot of reading, but I need to start reading more again anyway.

Well, considering someone on this topic may actually get the joke.... *casts Locate Object and then True Resurrection* Well, this may be a bit of thread necromancy, but I was about to post such a thread (hence searching for it first). So, how many active users here actually do play DnD? And if you do, what are your thoughts on 4th edition coming out? I'm both a DM and a player, though I do prefer playing. Most players don't care for my DMing style, because I'm very off the cuff. I don't often do player hand-outs or maps, because when you see something, chances are I only saw it in my head 5-10 seconds before. Needless to say, it means I keep a lot of notes as a DM. I like to keep notes as a player too. I've taken to using 1-subject notebooks for characters instead of character sheets. Normally, the first 1-4 pages will be a breakdown of the character's abilities organized in a manner I find easy to navigate, and the pages after that are a 'quest journal'. Were I to ever play a wizard (which is probably the only class besides Paladin I haven't even considered playing), the wizard character would have a mini-notebook that goes with the 1-subject for a spellbook. I have played one wizard, but it was before I started the notebook thing (and the campaign didn't last very long). I'm a psionics player. I love the 3.5 psionics system, and have actually written published material for soulknives through a little company that arose from some members of the WotC psionics boards after the atrocity that was Complete Psionic. I think the Eberron campaign setting was a wonderful breath of fresh air, and is far more what I imagine in a world with low-level magic being relatively common. That, and I like the pulp noir feel of the setting. It's an excellent take on a fantasy world. As for 4th Edition, I'm rather on the fence. A lot of what I've seen intrigues me, but I just have so much 3.5 stuff that I'm not sure I want to move on. I willl probably pick up the core 3 in June and go from there. I'm a little upset that they insist on updating the outdated setting that is the Forgotten Realms first, but it was to be expected. Although I can't complain to much. Some of what I've seen with what they're doing with that looks like it takes care of a few of my issues with Faerûn anyway. On a random side note to past posters: It's GenCon, not JenCon. For those interested in learning about it: [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GenCon"][COLOR=black]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GenCon[/COLOR][/URL]

Name: Vincent Drake Nick Name: Vince Gender: Male Genus: Mortal Race: Human Age: 27 Appearance: [IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v389/Maverick_Kossuth/SinisterNationPic.jpg[/IMG] Personality: Vincent is a survivalist, first and foremost, a trait many have developed thanks to the Calamity. His safety comes before that of just about everyone else's, though he has every intention of keeping as many people alive as is possible (can't have the human race dieing off, after all). Incredibly practical, Vincent faces most tasks with a cold logic, calculating as much as possible before any given move. Thankfully, he's a quick thinker, and these calculations will often take place in a split second. Vincent is slow to trust, personal experiences leading him to believe that most people are far too prone to panicking to trust at his back, making them liabilities in a time when he needs assets. Those he does trust are backed up with every ounce of skill Vincent possesses. Having watched the Skrawd in action and seeing just how much they can take, Vincent believes in ensuring something is dead. Should he be forced into combat with anything, he will ensure it does not get back up again, or he doesn't. Vincent is not necessarily street-smart, but is military-trained, making many of his responses to violent situations instinctive and logical. His social skills are somewhat lacking, his cold logic deeming them something that will merely waste time and cause problems. After all, growing attached is bad when anyone around you is likely to die by the end of the day (possibly by your own hand out of necessity). Previous job: Vincent did four years in the military out of high school, picking up a degree in Physical Education as he went through. Upon leaving the military, he got into modeling, wich requires significantly less dealing with other people. Weapon/s: While trained in numerous weapons, Vincent is not known to carry any on him. He is, however, an expert hand-to-hand combatant, and has displayed strength surpassing what may be expected of a normal human being. Vehicle/Animal: [[I'm working on this. Cannot decide exactly what I want yet.]] Skills: Some War-based Medical Skills (CPR, keeping people out of shock from severe injuries, keeping removed limbs 'useable' as long as possible, dealing with protruding bones, etc.) Abilities: Expert hand-to-hand and weapons useage, appears to heal from injuries at a higher rate than normal Magic: Vincent is unaware of his magical abilities. One of the reasons that many believe some amount of the leylines run through all living creatures on Rathe, Vincent does not directly tap the Leylines for power. Vincent's power is subconscious, more often than not coming into play as a part of an adrenaline rush. His body forces the magical energies inherent within him through his muscles to force his body to exceed what his normal physical maximums should be, leading to an increased speed, strength, and endurance (though not of a superhuman level). History: Vincent led a fairly normal life pre-Calamity. While not rich, his parents did well in life, and kept Vincent taken care of, and in good private schools. He was introduced to martial arts in his early years, and has been training in various types since about age 6 (hence his proficiencies). An excellent athlete, Vincent also makes a fairly decent scholar, though by no means is he a scholar of genius levels. He got himself through school well enough, than decided to enlist in the military. He made friends readily while there, but was quickly exposed to the harsh realities of the real world. His only tour was a peacekeeping mission in the Middle East, just the kind of mission where things hadn't happened in a while where they were, but soldiers maintained a presence. Unfortunately, while there, one of his comrades was accused of rape (Vincent is unaware of whether or not the man was guilty). The enraged natives turned on the American soldiers, and car bombs and sniping became common, aimed specifically at the soldiers. While Vincent was lucky enough to go through his tour unscathed, two of his friends were killed by a car bomb, their lives ended prematurely for the mistake of another. And the government made apologies to the foreign country, court-martialing the accused, but never making mention of the number of uninvolved soldiers who were killed by irate citizens who were overreacting on an extreme level. At that point, Vincent knew he was getting out of the military as soon as he was allowed, though he had two more years to go. Those two years were fairly uneventful, and he was kept in the U.S. Upon leaving the military, Vincent found himself jumping between odd jobs until a friend suggested he go check out an ad for models. He did well in the modeling world, though his personality did suffer from all the attention. When the Calamity began, everything changed. As more and more people died, Vincent became more and more sure the world was nearly over, and began to withdraw into himself, afraid anyone else would just make it worse. The near-impossibility that is now being attempted with the Havens has granted him something of a new outlook on life, though he is still world-weary and expecting destruction in the end. Other: Nothing right now

Note: This is modified from a Bleach RP I'm in on Gaia. If I'm missing anything, let me know. [b]Name:[/b] Neratsu Kinaro (In typical Japanese last name first format) [b]Zanpakutou name:[/b] Futagohikage (Literally - Twin Shadows) - Futagohikage is not your typical Zanpakutou, not being a sword at all, even in sealed form. In sealed form, Futagohikage is a set of dark slate-colored bracers, covering but no going past his knuckles. These bracers have tri-bladed boomerangs attached to 5-foot chains (which can actually extend out to 30 feet - further if Kinaro chooses to focus reiatsu into it), which are usually looped around Kinaro's upper body. The boomerangs attach to the gauntlets when not in use. For a picture of the boomerangs, check the lower left corner of this pic: [img]http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/eb_gallery/82109.jpg[/img] Materialization: [img]http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/MM35_gallery/MM35_PG10.jpg[/img] Shikai: There really isn't too much of a change in appearance upon releasing Futagohikage (by saying "Kirekei, Futagohikage!" [Literally "Slice the light, Futagohikage!"]). The gauntlets become a stark black in color, so dark it appears to absorb the light around it as opposed to reflecting it, leaving no shine (and indeed, that is what it does). It also gains six-inch long blades along the outer edges for melee combat, and the boomerangs go from approximately six-inch blades to 10-inch blades. Once released, the chains have no limit on their length, greatly enhancing combat abilities. Bankai: Even Futagohikage's Bankai isn't typical. Instead of appearing as a separate entity from Kinaro, he gains a light, form-fitting 'armor' of sorts, jet black in appearance, with wings. In this form, the weaponry is built directly into the form, as opposed to appearing as equipment. It appears about 3 inches taller and only slightly bulkier than Kinaro in normal form. [b]Zanpakutou Abilities:[/b] [i]Jin'eihaji[/i] - Literally "Man's Shadow Grasp"; though I prefer Grasp of the Man's Shadow as a better translation - The vast majority of Futagohikage's abilities are not overtly offensive in nature, and this ability is a wonderful example of this. This ability allows Kinaro to control an opponent's shadow (or the darkness around them in a particularly dark area). It cannot, however, be used to harm the opponent (which would in turn harm the shadow). Instead, it is usually used to have the shadow restrain the opponent. In a fight with multiple people, it comes in exceedingly handy. Damage to one's shadow damages oneself, and while Kinaro is, for some unknown reason, incapable of harming these shadows, he can send them after opponents who, in attempting to defeat the shadow, are liable to seriously injure their allies. [i]Ohisame Dorobou[/i] - Literally "Sun Thief" - A simple enough ability. Futagohikage simply absorbs the light from surrounding areas and prevents any additional light from entering. Kinaro has accustomed himself to fighting without the use of his eyes, making him an exceedingly dangerous opponent in these conditions. [i]Nigenteki Kagemusha[/i] - Literally "Dual Shadow Warrior" - Bankai Technique Only - This is closest thing to an overtly offensive ability that Futagohikage possesses. It splits the Bankai form into two combat-ready warriors, strengthened in Zanjutsu and Hakudo, but completely incapable of Kidou use. Due to the current lack of Zanjutsu abilities, this is even more limiting, but the tactical advantages of dual warriors and Kinaro's Hakudo abilities make it a dangerous combination. [i]Ankaku Bukigura[/i] - Literally "Darkness Armory" - Bankai Technique Only - A rather handy ability, usable normally or when in Nigenteki Kagemusha form. This ability allows Kinaro to change the form of Futagohikage into any weapon he may deem appropriate to the situation, always in pairs. [b]Gender:[/b]Male [b]Rank:[/b] Vice-Captain - 8th Squad [u][b]~Appearance~[/b] [/u] [URL=http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f385/Arichan16/Mask001.jpg]Click Here For Pic[/URL] [b]Height:[/b] 5'10" [b]Weight:[/b] 174 lbs [b]Hair:[/b] Kinaro has shoulder-length wavy dark-brown hair with red highlights that nearly overpower the brown in the right light. [b]Eye:[/b] Kinaro's eyes are actually multi-colored, and tend to vary based on outfit. When in normal shinigami clothing, his eyes appear to be a very pale grey. ((I snitch the eyes for almost all RP characters off myself.)) [b]Clothing:[/b] Kinaro actually wears a black muscle shirt under his Shinigami outfit. He usually keep the upper half of the Shinigami outfit off, just hanging over the belt. The muscle shirt carries over into real world clothing, generally with a pair of relatively form-fitting jeans and black running shoes with no socks. He prefers blue jeans and is known to wear a plethora of shirt colors (including one pink shirt that he only wears with black pants). His clothing always matches, and if he chooses to wear a full outfit without worrying about battle, his fashion sense is impeccable. [b]Physical Description:[/b] Kinaro was lanky at one time, as anyone who's known him for a while would tell you. Even now, he's only a little above average-sized, but he's very well-toned, lacking body fat entirely, and has long arms and legs that almost look out of proportion with his body. If it weren't for the way he moved, he'd look clumsy, but he carries himself with ease, and instead appears amazing graceful, which he is. To his credit, he has managed to avoid scars from any battle injuries so far, though he has come close once or twice. [b]Background:[/b] In ages past, Kinaro led a pretty crappy life, just like any other peasant would've. He didn't much like his life on Earth, not particularly caring for the constant allegiance to the nobles with no real chance of advancement. When he was struck down by a war party that came charging through his fields, he actually welcomed death with open arms. Even in life, however, he had high spiritual energy, and was capable of seeing ghosts, and caught a fleeting glimpse of a Shinigami once. ((It was fleeting because he immediately passed out from the force of the spirit energy.)) It didn't take long after entering Rokungai for his spiritual force to show itself in his hunger pains. He greatly prefers life in Spirit Society, having a vast amount of appreciation for the ability for even a lowly peasant to advance in ranks. He also has a remarkable love for the education he is now capable of receiving, and spends much of his free time in libraries doing independent studies (always keeping up on the most current news available about the living world). In Soul Society, Kinaro has lived through many different stages, and he is more than a little saddened at his current state. He remembers Soul Society before Aizen, before the Bounto, before Kurosaki Ichigo, when it was prosperous and peaceful, even if living conditions weren't necessarily fair. In those times, he was still a low-ranking member of the 8th Squad, serving under Kyouraku Shunsui, a man whose power Kinaro greatly admired (and still admires). Having seen captains and most of Soul Society fall, Kinaro is very careful to never underestimate an opponent's strength, but is also nearly obsessed with getting to Aizen (though, truth be told, his interest in the matter extends as much to the Hollow-Shinigami hybrid theories as it does to killing Aizen, preferably himself). [b]Personality:[/b] Kinaro is a relatively laid-back guy under normal conditions. While he was as carefree as Shunsui at one point in time, the continually worsening situation within Soul Society has dampered his spirits and his normally bright personality. Though he was at one time overly former, failing to fully adapt to the changes in living style in Soul Society as compared to the Mortal Realm, his relatively short tenure as a Vice-Captain has adjusted him, and he is well aware of people's positions in society, even if he is known to ignore them. In battle, he's deadly serious, and very rarely jokes or taunts, although he does tend to open the battle up with a sarcastic remark or two. [b]Other:[/b] Kinaro has ridiculous amounts of spirit power, even for a vice-captain, but focuses most of it into his speed, making his actual attack power about the same as most vice-captains (perhaps even captains - he simply has no wish to move from where he's at), if not moderately lower. At one point, Kinaro was looking at being deemed unqualified to be a Shinigami, not due to a lack of power, but due to an apparent lack of ability to control it, even after a longer-than-normal stay at the Academy. Having been given a time limit before being branded a hopeless case, Kinaro sat down and began to research with a determination not seen in him before or since (except for getting Aizen). He learned the secrets of how Kurosaki Ichigo's Bankai worked, and realized that the theory might be just what he needed. He trained with various teachers and all the students he could find, barely giving himself time to eat or sleep, and making himself a fairly regular visitor to the Medical Ward, but no one could argue that he should not be a Shinigami by the time he had finished. [b]Zanjutsu Techniques:[/b] "One-Thousand Cuts" - An insanely complicated technique, Kinaro only really uses this as a finishing move. By focusing his reiatsu into his Zanpaku-to, his forces them to full length and sprouts small blades, almost thorn-like, on the outside edges of each link. Kinaro lashes out with the chains, not aiming to hit directly, but to rip the chains along the opponent's skin, allowing the 'thorns' to tear into them, every link biting into them. To finish, he yanks the chains back, looking to do the exact same thing on a different path, but this time also looking to lodge the blades of the 'boomerangs' into his opponent, that he might tear them free, ripping gashes into them. [b]Hakuda Techniques:[/b] [i]Shunpo[/i] - aka "Flash Step" - I don't think I need to describe this one. [i]Shunkou[/i] - "Flash Release" - I don't think I need to describe this one either. [i]Kinkyuubutai[/i] - "Rapid Force" - A modified version of the Shunkou technique, Kinkyuubatai forces a large amount of reiatsu into only a single portion of the body (such as an arm). The resulting attack is not only significantly faster than normal, but has the added force of the reiatsu, which is released in a focused form upon impact. There will be further Hakuda techniques for Kinaro. I just need to work on them. [b]Kidou:[/b] I will be working on kidou techniques for Kinaro in time.

OK, I hate to do this, but I did warn you that I was not going to be able to post every day. I simply CANNOT keep up with this. There is no opportunity to post for someone who has to worry about their life outside the computer, so I'm going to have to drop. ((On a side note, before anyone says anything about how long I hadn't responded to the fight, if you read back in the Underground thread, I very specifically looked for clarification from Premonition on what Galian was doing with ABSOLUTELY NO response.))

Domsu's blades in the ground I understand. But Galian's post mentions putting blades UNDERground, and that's where I'm getting lost the most.

OK, I really need to make a second chara...I'll probably get on that today. Anywho, I've been going to post, but something kept throwing me off, and I couldn't figure out what. It just hit me now. In the post for Galian, he feints like he's going for Kenso, but then sends the blade at Domsu. Then its mentioned that blade[b]s[/b] (emphasis on plurality here) are underground. Then Domsu gets slammed in his post. My question is: What did Galian actually do? The end of the post sounds like he's gunning for Kenso with multiple blades, but nothing implies he veered the first blade away from Domsu, or that he summoned a second one at all. On a side note: Galian did not get hit with a blade at all. Kenso is in a gunner drive form. Additionally: Do drive forms change our outfits so it's obvious or what?

[size=1][font=Verdana]((OOC: I am overriding a portion of Domsu's last post where it regarded Kenso's actions. Domsu took way too much control of Kenso in that post, and there's no way I'm going to be convinced otherwise.)) Kenso was slightly taken aback as Domsu's blades came up. The kid's eyes were closed! There was no way he could possibly block a shot without so much as looking in the first place. In his distraction, he stupidly pressed the attack, allowing Domsu to easily spin away, though he was not so dumb about it as to allow himself to stumble. He almost laughed as Domsu went for Galian. The kid was still rash and reckless, and thereby stupid. He'd had an open shot at Kenso, one even the agile driver would've had a hard time fully dodging, and instead he'd gone for an entirely separate target. Not an intelligent fighter at all. He turned to see Galian going up on his keyblade. Having dueled the fellow driver before, Kenso knew what was coming, although he was glad there was more than one target this time. But he wasn't allowing it to happen. As Galian went up, a second keyblade, Relkin, appeared in Kenso's hands, a near-exact copy of Delkir, its colors merely reversed. Though they were similar, their strengths were vastly different. They could also merge into a 'dual-barreled' single keyblade that was only good for a gunner form, but it was way too early for that. "Shadow Speed." Kenso muttered quickly, then darted left as the blade went up. In his experience so far, the blade tended to go for whatever moved first, and Kenso planned on doing this his way. As the blade shot for him, he brought both keyblades up in front of him, leaping up and flipping backwards, putting just a little more distance. Mid-jump, he took aim and fired, the shot from Relkin aimed for Oblivion's Oath, a shot that would not miss. Delkir, the much more powerful but slower shot, was aimed for Galian, who would have a hard time dodging it on his descent from his leap. ((OOC: Right now, I'm assuming there's no real outfit changes for drivers, and that was a very specific affect of the clothing Sora was wearing. If otherwise, let me know, so I can add a description.)) [/font][/size]