Gavin

[SIZE="1"]I suppose I should point out then, with the destruction of the rest of the Underdog fleet, there's only going to be more "rain" heading towards the cities. Gruesome indeed. Now Josh, you can go and finish off the day. I imagine Dwalish and Harrison will be disembarking the Sentinel the moment the 1st Fleet returns to base, which will probably be soon, given the level of damage she's suffered.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]A little more personal this time, one about Raiha, my better half. [INDENT]Wife Friend, partner, muse As I write you're always with me I'm still a hopeless romantic D'Ann[/INDENT][/SIZE]

[CENTER][IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/dawlish-chronicle.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/harrison-chronicle.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/meredyne-avatar.jpg[/IMG] [img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee132/Runaway511/almagest/jackavatar.jpg[/img][/center] [indent][size=1]He felt dizzy... and sick... and lonely... and hurt. All these sensations had hit Dwalish the moment his father had closed the heavy bridge door behind him. In retrospect, it was just like when he had been a child, and his father had left for a mission... Dwalish had been proud of what his father did, at least, as proud as a five year old child could be when he had absolutely no comprehension of what exactly his father's job had involved. "Your father protects us all." That was how his mother had put it, and he'd simply accepted it. His entire life he'd tried to emulate his father, or at least, tried to do things he believed would make his father proud of him. If Dwalish had any one major flaw to his character, it was his worship of his father, as far as he'd ever been concerned, no problem was too difficult for him to overcome, and nothing, nothing could ever kill him... In some respects, even the latter belief had endured even when Dwalish was an adult... Strange that it had only been in the last few weeks that he'd ever considered his father's mortality... sitting with him there in Eshe Rehema as he fought death, he'd genuinely believed that nothing could kill him... But in that moment, when his father had promoted him to Commander and left the bridge... Dwalish knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that his father would not be coming back, and it had felt like someone had torn all the hope he'd had inside him away. Memories had flooded back, the day his father had been made Commander, the day Dwalish had graduated from the High Academy and entered the Fleet, the day he'd been made Captain, the day he'd been made Colonel.... When mother had asked him why he'd chosen to enter the Fleet...Dwalish hadn't been sure what answer to give her, he'd graduated top of his Academy class with perfect marks... just like his father and uncle. In the days afterwards, he'd received dozens of offers from businesses looking to employ him... His godfather Gaul had personally spoken to him about joining the Royal Police Guard, citing that with his skills and personality, there was no reason why he shouldn't even replace Gaul himself as it's Commander on day. Hero worship though. is an incredibly difficult thing to break... and when Dwalish had asked his father what he believed he should do, he'd simply responded for Dwalish do to what he thought best... less than an hour later, he'd finished and mailed his application to the Air-Fleet Academy. Why had he chosen to enter the Air-Fleet ? Simple, he'd wanted to be just like his father, his mentor, his hero. At the time, he was something that had made him laugh nostalgically, when his father had revealed he'd be training Harrison... Dwalish had recalled his own training, and Jacob's training, and Helen's training. Unconsciously he could remember almost every bruise his father had given him, and as he'd gotten older, every bruise that they'd traded, until finally, he'd beaten him. It was a sad, and proud moment for both of them, his father had admitted he had no more that he could teach Dwalish... Yeah, Dwalish supposed he'd just been waiting for the day when his father would repeat the same words to Harrison, but now, that day would never come... Now, Dwalish would have to be the one to say them. Slowly, almost painfully, he'd turned from facing the doorway, and taken his father's seat at the centre of the room. Major, no, Colonel Gast, he corrected himself, continued to issue intra-ship orders at a steady pace, filling Dwalish's own shoes far more comfortably than Dwalish could fill his father?s. The battle continued at a frantic pace, the Underdog fleet taking more, and more damage from the longer ranged, more powerful guns of the Sentinel. Fighter bays emptied with haste, the military craft?s occupants eager to bring down the final curtain on the rebellion. Then he?d heard his father?s voice, ordering the remaining eleven squads of fighters, eighty-eight men to await orders from Dwalish as he assaulted the Liberator with only thirty-two. As tempted as Dwalish had been to order the rest to follow his father to ensure the flagship?s destruction, he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt they could not be spared without placing the rest of the fleet in danger. Quietly he?d examined the radar screen in front of him, before assigning his targets, and watched, equally silently as they split further and further from his father. The cheer that had run through the bridge, as the Liberator buckled under the barrage of missiles of the Sentinel?s fighters had not had included Dwalish?s voice. He?d sat there, eyes closed, absolutely still, praying that his father had pulled off a miracle, and would be returning unharmed... Instead, the comm. channels had flooded with Litheway?s final mad proclamation, as he directed what remained of his ship, like some giant blade directly towards the Mirror Palace, and set his collision course. Having served with the man for so long, it almost didn?t seem like him now, the same voice, but a different speaker. He recalled how the Air-General had always tried to make him feel at ease in his position, how he?d treated his crew like an extension of his own family. He?d been a man Dwalish had been proud to say he?d been able to serve under, Dwalish had wondered, as the battle had went on, how much of his pleasantries had been genuine, and how much of it had been simply his attempts to recruit members of the Underdogs... As much as he didn?t want to admit it, Dwalish felt, in his heart, Litheway was simply fighting for what he believed in, regardless of how far he would have to go to achieve his aims... It made him a traitor yes, a monster even, but still, Dwalish could not hate him abjectly, as he did the other faceless Underdog leaders. With the flash that had followed, that had cleared the sky of Czenovia?s final threat, Dwalish both his father, and Litheway were dead. If he could have allowed himself the weakness of crying in front of his crew, the deck-plates would have been wet with tears. Instead he simply rubbed his forehead and waited to see the results, a torrent of emotions barely withheld. Each of them knew what had just occurred, in one single act, his father had made as big a mark on this crew as Litheway had with years of command, the silence was enough to tell Dwalish that. ?[b]Commander Almagest, we confirm the Liberator destroyed... and... I?m sorry to say sir, we?re not longer tracking General Almagest?s fighter... it seems he...[/b]? ?[b]Thank you Colonel, I already know...[/b]? ?[b]Sir. Fleet reports that two of the Underdog commanders have offered unconditional surrender. The Commanders want to know your orders sir.[/b]? Surrender ? SURRENDER ?!! How dare they ? They had come with every intention of killing everyone who stood in their way with that cannon, and when it went, they had resorted to suicide runs against Fleet vessels, and now, now that their flagship had been destroyed, they expected to be able to tuck tail and expect mercy ? No, there would be no mercy. "[b]Colonel Gast...[/b]" Dwalish's voice was eerily soft. "[b]New orders to the fleet... Any offer of surrender by Underdog forces is to be rejected. All the remaining air-ships are to be destroyed, and any retrieved life-craft to have their occupants executed immediately. If they were willing to kill for their beliefs, let them be equally prepared to die for them...[/b]" ?[b]Yes sir.[/b]? If Colonel Gast had any reservation about the orders, he did not show it. Dwalish knew that none of the other Commanders would hesitate either, in fact, he suspected that he?d just earned himself a medal for the slaughter he?d just ordered. Somewhere inside, he felt a pang of shame, but he pushed it far down below the surface of his feelings to deal with later. Systematically the fleet co-ordinated fire, bloom after bloom formed from the remnants of the Underdog fleet, the 1st Fleet?s fighters forming a net at their rear, leaving them unable to retreat. In less than ten minutes, not a soul of the Underdog fleet remained. The penalty for treason was death, each and every one of the men and women who would?ve surrendered would face it, the Dynast King would ensure it. In reality, all Dwalish had really done was saved the Czenovian courts years of passing sentence and the cost of financing show trials. The thought, however, did not sooth his shame. ?[b]It?s finally over...[/b]? ?[b]Commander sir, one of the repair teams has just located several bodies in one of the outer corridors of the Sentinel...[/b]? As hard hearted as it might?ve seemed, Dwalish wondered why Gast was bringing it to his attention. They?d been in battle, the other corridors taking the most damage, a repair team finding bodies was not something unusual, so why was... ?[b]According to the report sir, they were killed by gunfire...[/b]? Impossible. The shells traded between fleets would have left only a red mist had it hit even near a soldier. That could only mean... ?[b]Colonel Gast, dispatch security teams to that section immediately. Obviously we?ve either got a group of traitors aboard, or a group of intruders managed to get on board during the battle. Lead the teams personally Colonel, and keep in constant contact with the bridge.[/b]? Before the Colonel could even leave his station, Lt. Fullbrook ?s brow furrowed as she relayed a new message. ?[b]Sir, we?ve got another message coming through from the internal comm. system... It?s Jack Deacon sir ! He claims to have Lt. Almagest held hostage and wants to negotiate terms of Ms Artemis? release ! He demands you bring her to the Auxiliary Bay on Deck 4 immediately.[/b]? The level of shock in Jennifer?s voice was not unexpected, nor in the quiet chatter which now moved all around the bridge. As the message settled in, Dwalish found himself out of his seat and heading towards the bridge exit, before turning to issue orders. ?[b]Lt. Fullbrook, contact Deacon, tell him I will bring Ms. Artemis to the Auxiliary Bay in ten minutes, also tell him, if he has laid one hand on my brother, there is nowhere he can run that I will not find him...[/b]? ?[b]I understand sir.[/b]? He paused and turned to the Gast. ?[b]Colonel, take your best squad of sharpshooters and get to that bay, there should be some good firing position on the upper level. When we enter the room, Deacon?s attention should be on us, giving you time to get into position and out of sight. When I give the signal, if you have a clear shot, take him out.[/b]? ?[b]Understood. Sir, where are you going though ?[/b]? ?[b]Obviously to retrieve Ms. Artemis, we can?t make the trade without her.[/b]? With a small smile, Dwalish turned once again and walked through the door, a pair of guarding falling in step behind him. Deacon. On some levels, Dwalish was glad it was him, after today, everything would be wrapped up, and he could avenge the last injuries to his father and godfather?s pride. The thought of Harrison being captured by the pirate infuriated him, he?d assumed his brother had simply reported to help with the repairs, or with the injured... or, well, at worst, something awful had happened to him. Yes, he?d meant it when he said it, if Deacon had so much as left one mark on his brother, Dwalish would kill him with his bare hands. Consumed by thought, Dwalish had reached Meredyne?s quarters almost without realising it, the two guards on duty briefly saluting before unlocking the door. As he stepped in, he found the rival businesswoman looking rather more composed than she had when she?d arrived, cleaner, less pale, and the red mark on her face having softened significantly. She gave him a somewhat quizzical glance. ?[b]Colonel Almagest ? What?s going on ? Is the battle over ?[/b]? ?[b]Yes, the battle is over, we?ve won.[/b]? His voice was flat before the tone was infused with a measure of regret. ?[b]I?m sorry to say Ms. Artemis, Jack Deacon broke aboard during the battle, kidnapped my brother and is now demanding I turn you over to him, or he will likely kill my brother before trying to escape. Obviously he?s unaware that you?ve had all the charges against you dropped and is attempting some kind of misguided rescue. [/b]? ?[b]Jack ? He what ? Oh the fool. Colonel, please, I?ll go with you right away, I don?t want to see anyone hurt for my sake.[/b]? ?[b]Thank you Meredyne, genuinely.[/b]? Another pang of guilt. He?d had been sincere in his regret she?d been drawn into this mess, but it seemed she assumed Dwalish was going to do his best to arrest Jack without killing him. Quickly she drew herself out of her seat exited the room, Dwalish following behind her after a moment. The walk to the Auxiliary Bay was at best described as measured, no further words were exchanged. A full platoon of men was waiting of whom four were already at the door, operating a pneumatic ram to break it open, the captain in charge gave Dwalish a heavy salute. Dwalish imagined Gast was reading himself and his squad to get into position, if Meredyne had seen them, she?d likely have guessed what he was going to do. With the metallic yawn the doors fell open, troops pouring into the bay, weapons shouldered. Dwalish could here Deacon?s smug voice even before he saw him. Only Harrison?s safety prevented him from immediately ordering his execution. When Dwalish finally caught sight of his brother, with Deacon?s suggestion of an exchange, it took all of his restraint not to beat the man senseless, new automail arm or not, Harrison?s uniform was torn, and by the pained expression on his face, he?d been hurt. Finally after another round of traded barbs, the two prisoners were finally exchanged, Harrison clutching the edge of his brother?s uniform as a pair of soldiers moved to shield him from any reprisal fire. Actually coming face to face with Deacon had left Dwalish? composure fragile, already it had broken with Deacon?s threat to kill Harrison in front of Dwalish, now his knuckles were white and shaking slightly as a sign of immense rage. The signal came silently, a brief nod. After Deacon was killed, Dwalish would execute the other members of his crew, they were all likely Underdogs, they all would face the same penalty. Harrison?s grip did not slacked, Dwalish could feel the shivers running through it, making him even angrier. It melted though, the moment the shot rang out... and Meredyne Artemis fell in Jack?s place. Dwalish had never intended to hurt her, he was a soldier, not a murderer, the blood spilled out of the wound with vigour the floor around the woman becoming slick within seconds. He felt sick for the briefest of moments, as the soldiers turned to him for guidance, and Dwalish tried to understand why she would sacrifice himself for her. He didn?t get the change though, Deacon?s automail arm unloaded rounds and rounds of ammunition into the platoon of soldiers, Dwalish knowing every shot was meant for him. Two fell instantly, as all around fire was exchanged. Quickly he grabbed Harrison and pushed him behind the coverage of supply drums. If Deacon wanted this to be his last stand, Dwalish would happily provide it. Bullets continued to spray from all directions, Dwalish withdrew his side-arm and dispatched the first member of Deacon?s crew with a shot through his left eye, for a moment the man?s body writhed before finally falling still. The sharpshooters picked off the rest, Dwalish had already grabbed his brother and dashed out into the hall, unable to forgive himself on the off-chance that something might happen to him. After less than a second he heard Deacon?s voice again before there was a flash of fire and the deck rumbled, almost throwing Dwalish off his feet. Smoke billowed out into the hallway as the whine of a gunship engine roared before becoming fainter. Slowly walking back into the bay, Dwalish found several more soldiers dead from the blast, as the rest withdrew from their cover... one of the gunships was missing, and Deacon?s body was nowhere to be found, Dwalish?s fingernails dug so hard into the skin of palm that blood actually began to seep in, before dribbling down onto the floor... He?d gotten away again... Gast was already descending down the ladder joining the upper and lower levels of the bay, he face was completely drained of colour. ?[b]...Commander sir... Forgive me, I didn?t think she?d take the shot...[/b]? Ah, so it had been Gast. An immense weight descended down on Dwalish?s shoulders, right now, he needed to talk to Harrison... He?d had enough of fighting, and enough of death... ?[b]It doesn?t matter Colonel... See to the men here... I... I?m going to my father?s quarters....[/b]? Leaving the room, he found Harrison huddled down on the floor, he cheeks wet with tears as he sobbed quietly into his hand. Slumping down against the wall next to him, Dwalish grabbed his shoulder and squeezed it reassuring, wondering how in the hell he was going to tell his brother that their father was dead... ?[b]You?re alright Harry, come on, let?s get out of here.[/b]? ?[b]Dw...Dwalish I... I?m sorry.[/b]? ?[b]Don?t be Harry, it wasn?t your fault at all. If you want to blame anyone, blame Deacon.[/b]? Without further word, Dwalish rose to his feet, watching his brother do likewise, his tears having stopped, but his eyes still a distinct shade of red. Squeezing his shoulder again, Dwalish picked up his pace as he marched away from the disaster scene, medical personnel passing him at haste, Harrison still right behind him, the reassuring sound of his footsteps in Dwalish?s ears. Compared with reaching the bay, or Meredyne?s quarters, the walk to their father?s room had seemed almost like a funeral march, Harrison still completely silent, at least until Dwalish went to open the door. ?[b]Dad still on the bridge ?[/B]? He could lie to Harrison, weave a thousand pleasant falsehoods together to reassure his brother the worst was over, but it would be fair to either of them, and in the long run, it would just make his pain that much worse to confront. ?[b]No Harry... I?ll explain inside.[/b]? Dwalish had been in the captain?s quarters only a handful of times, but there were still as spacious as he remembered, even as compared with Dwalish?s own. By comparison to Litheway, his father?s chamber was rather barren, several containers of yet-unpacked personal effect... Just seeing them broke Dwalish?s self-control, his hands rubbing through his hair as he let out a pained breath, and his own tears spilled down his face. ?[b]...Dwalish... what?s happened to dad ?[/b]? Harrison?s voice was soft, the threat of renewed sobs painfully evident. Through sighs, Dwalish somehow found the strength to answer his brother honestly. ?[b]...He?s gone Harry... Died in the battle.... Gave his life to save, gods know how many innocent people from all this...[/b]? His brother offered no response, instead he simply wrapped his arms around his brother?s wide frame, and sobbed quietly into his chest, as Dwalish did likewise, fresh tears streaming down his cheeks... With everything over, after this, all Dwalish could do was to try to rebuild as best as he could... but right now, as childish as it might?ve sounded, he wanted to feel his mother?s embrace, and her soft voice telling him everything was going to be OK...[/size][/indent]

[quote name='Raiyuu']Urahara didn't necessarily leapfrog Soi Fon - in the flashback way back when Soi Fon was in the Onmitsu Kidou, not the Gotei 13, though obviously things may have changed between then and the current flashback. It hasn't been explicitly stated who Yoruichi's Lieutenant is at the current point. Although this confirms that Yoruichi must have a Bankai-capable zanpakuto she hasn't even shown off yet.[/quote] [SIZE="1"]True enough, I was reading through the lines and assumed as much. From the dialogue as well, it seems the 2nd Division are heavily involved with the Omnitsukidou, maybe the more powerful members of the latter join the former ?[/SIZE] [quote name='Raiyuu']To be honest, I'm just happy with all the screen-time Hiyori's getting in these flashbacks ... I can't wait for her to meet up with Urahara again in the present timeline and see how their relationship has matured (or otherwise).[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Yeah, I'm really looking forward to that. Funny though, seems everyone who trains Ichigo has been a Captain of the Gotei 13 at some point. And that boy claims he can't sense power, it's damn subconscious for him is all.[/SIZE] [quote name='Raiyuu'].:EDIT:. and Kensei is either 9th or 10th. Whichever one Kensei isn't, is not present. I'm taking a stab in the dark and saying he's probably 10th, and when he leaves with the rest of the Vizards, Aizen pulls strings to get Hitsugaya bumped (we know he does so, and Kensei leaving would open up the spot).[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]9th, because if you look at the way the captains are arranged, it goes even numbers on the left and odd on the right with Yamamoto in the centre. 10th Captain would be after Shunsui and is apparently dead from what Shunsui said -108. We know the 11th Captain is called a maverick for not showing up to the meeting, so Kensei has to be 9th. Heh sorry if that sounded a little forceful, it wasn't mean to. ^_^; The whole Aizen thing still holds though, 3rd, 7th and 9th Divisions all had their vacant captaincies filled by people Aizen had under him at one point or another. Even if only two of the three stayed loyal to him. Go Komamura.[/SIZE]

[QUOTE][SIZE="1"]?Naomi?!? Reggie?s voice screamed. ?Oh, shit. That?s so pornstar. Fuck, that?s ?I Moan? backwards.?[/SIZE][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]I swear to God Gav, my sides actually hurt after I finished laughing at that line, and I haven't seen Van Wilder, but after this, I'm definitely going to be checking it out. This is just such an awesome piece Gav, you better damn well finish it.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]One inspired by Almagest. [INDENT]Family Alchemical prodigies Growing, loving, parting, dying New future for all Clan[/INDENT][/SIZE]

[quote name='Aaryanna_Mom']And unless you object Gavin, since you indicated that the Liberator was aimed at High Czenoble, I figured that Litheway would have aimed it at the [spoiler]base of the Mirror Palace in an attempt to destroy it and incidentally bury the members of the royal family alive. So that's what my post indicated, that ship that Victoria Ann saw was the Liberator. Good thing Daedalus destroyed it. It's only a pity he won't know that he unknowingly saved the others. [/spoiler][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Nope, no objections A_M, that was exactly what Litheway was planning to do. I really liked how you expanded Daedalus' sacrifice [spoiler]to include him saving the rest of his family in the process, it just seems so like him to do it, even unintentionally.[/spoiler] [strike]I've my post about a quarter written now, so it should be up some time in the next few hours hopefully.[/strike] Ugh, OK, that came out a hell of a lot longer than I originally intended it to be, but for all intents and purposes I'm done until the final lot of posts.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]I'd like to see the Suigetsu/Kisame fight myself, although only if it means Suigetsu gets himself a few limbs chopped off, with Itachi having died against Sasuke, even if it was due to him being poisoned/injured prior to the fight, we've already seen enough of Akatsuki die for the time being, that and I've hated Suigetsu since he was introduced. As Kei said, Kisame may just take off when he realises that Itachi has died, he loves to fight sure but even he's smart enough to realise something like Itachi's death is going to require him to withdraw and wait for orders. I think his pace really does need to pick up, by choosing to focus on Sasuke, Kakashi and Sakura for this year, he's effectively put the manga on hold for another nine months, at least plot-wise seeing as we know things only move forward when Naruto is in the driving seat. Hopefully, even if Naruto isn't the focus of the coming plot, he'll at least be set doing something, like training in preparation for his eventual fight with Pein. That boy needs all of it he can get. Either way, it's as you said Kei, the bar has been set high, and he really needs to reach it this time.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Yeah, I have to admit, when I saw the spoiler pic of Yoruichi in her captain's haori, I thought it was another April Fool's prank. Still, looking back on it, I suppose it was pretty obvious that she was the ex-2nd Division Captain, given that Soifon stepped directly into her shoes after she left Soul Society, which seems to have included her position as the 2nd's captain. Interesting though that Urahara turned out to be ex-2nd Division too, I had him pegged for 12th Division all the way along, explains really why he's such an accomplished one-on-one fighter though. That and that he apparently leap-frogged Soifon to a Captain's position, though we know he achieved Bankai using forced materialisation.[/SIZE] [quote name='Memphis'][COLOR="DarkRed"][SIZE="1"]Now I'm curious about the other old guy that was standing next to Shunsui.[/SIZE][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]6th Division's captain, most of the fan theories have him pegged as Byakuya's father, seeing as the old man is wearing the scarf Byakuya himself wears, which as I recall is said to be handed down from leader to leader of the Kuchiki clan. Also, based on that array of captains, we can tell Kensei is the ex-9th Division captain, as he was after Love but before Ukitake and 11th Divison's captain was missing.[/SIZE]

[FONT=Verdana][COLOR=Black][LEFT][SIZE="1"][b][Edit][/b] Alright, all finished up. [b]Name:[/b] Connor Kelly [b]Gender:[/b] Male [b]Age:[/b] 28 [b]Physical Description:[/b] The first thing that'll strike people about Connor, aside from his fist if the occasion calls for it, is his thick, vivid red hair, held together in a roughish pony-tail. Coupled with this are a pair of bright green eyes, completing a Hibernian stereotype which he has literally killed men for bringing up in a negative way. Although he can well afford to be clean-shaven, a life spent in a near-constant state of movement has left Connor with a preference to a healthy amount of stubble to mark his face, something which is common among men in his trade. In terms of build, the bounty-hunter's both broad and tall, standing a hair above six-feet, more than two foot wide at the shoulders, and weighing a solid two-hundred and five pounds, all and all making him a powerfully strong man. His skin is remarkably free from scars and it's naturally pale, somewhat freckled shade of white, has tanned a bit with exposure to American sun, though it still leaves absolutely no doubt as to Kelly's distinct origins. One of the other most unusual things about Connor is, despite the genuine roughness of the life he leads, he almost always has a wide, some would call it rebellious grin marking his face. Regardless as to whether he's just one a small fortune in a "friendly" saloon game of poker, or killed all the other players in a bloody gun-fight when they fail to pay up afterwards, he's nearly always smiling. Most people would say it's his wife that keeps the smile in it's omnipresent state. Particular to his lifestyle, Kelly arrays himself in a combination of a beige linen duster, army-blue shirt, navy-blue denim jeans, tan leather chaps, brown and tan leather boots with spurs and a typical tan ten-gallon. In addition to this, he wears a standard set of holsters, containing a pair of custom engraved Colt .45s. Although he's plenty capable of fighting with them, he's more notoriously known for using his '76 Winchester, usually slung over his right shoulder for bringing down bounties. [b]Personality Description:[/b] As gunslingers go, Connor could be called a pretty peaceable one. He's got no great love for rules and authority, whether they come in the form of a lawman or a preacher, particularly if they happen to be one of them "Anglo-Saxon" types, but at the same time, he's not the sort of man who goes around shooting up an entire town and it's inhabitants for the sake of a single bounty. Ninety percent of the time, he'll walk into a bar in some small town, play cards and drink his sorry ass silly, then Ling will drag him up to their room for a decent night's sleep. Shame is, it's the ten percent of time that something does make him go off always ends up being remembered. He isn't a gentleman by any stretch of the imagination, cursing, drinking and fighting are as natural to him as breathing and riding, but he's cobbled together a sort of code of honour and it's managed to keep him from doing anything real stupid just yet. He's not an educated man, completely illiterate and as such totally reliant on Ling to do their reading, or ask some passer-by, though developed out of this necessity, Connor's become very adept at judging people, and can tell right away if someone's lying to him. Finally, being what you'd call an outsider himself, Connor is pretty comfortable around minority groups, especially the Native Americans, though he can't be certain they say the same, him being obviously white and all that. He sympathises with what's happened to them, seeing on the whole, that independence for the Americans just replaced one set of English Protestant leaders with another set of home-grown ones. [b]Biography:[/b] Kelly's story isn't what you'd call particularly interesting, born in the summer of 1860 about twenty miles or so outside of Cork City in Ireland, he had the distinct pleasure of being part the generation born a decade and a half after the "Great Famine" which halved the Irish population. Hating the English was a national past-time which the boy was quickly inducted into, something which ironically would lead to his eventual flight to the United States when at fifteen Connor got his hands on a rifle and killed two members of the locally stationed British forces as part of a republican attack. His mother, rightly fearing for her son's life in the face of British reprisals, used what little money she had scraped together with Connor's father to send the boy to the States, needless to say, hearing the news of several local male massacres in the aftermath was enough to overrule any objections he might have had. Regardless of the circumstances that brought him to America, something about the country really struck a cord with Connor, of course, this was likely brought about from the fact he wasn't running in fear of his life, and working himself three-quarters into a grave for the sake of a meal. Cities weren't exactly his thing, so he stuck to labouring in small towns and farms, moving further and further west, picking up more and more of the skills that have become second nature to him. His first bounty was practically an accident, a disagreement in a bar over a tab lead to a gunfight, which Connor won. After things had calmed down, the town sheriff, a pudgy bastard who looked like he couldn’t aim straight to save his life managed to find his guts and tell the seventeen year old Irishman that the man he'd killed had had a price on his head, and promptly paid up the handsome sum of $750. Figuring he could make God know’s how many lifetimes of wages picking up bounties, Connor pretty promptly decided a career change was in order. After another six years, he finally found himself on the Pacific coast with no more land to drift through. Funnily enough, it would in what they called the "city of angels" that Connor would meet his wife. Passing through the Chinese district, looking for something for a cold, or a sick-stomach, he doesn't quite remember which, when he happened to see a slender figure tending to horses. Now, Connor isn't an educated man, but he's sharp as a blade, and knew a female build when he saw one, even one nearly perfectly hidden. Needless to say, he sauntered over, put on his best charm, and tipped her hat back to get a better look at the pretty gal. Being twenty three at the time, Connor had had his share of women, mostly fun time gals as a form of recuperation, but Ling Lee, as he would later come to know her name as being, really knocked his socks off. Never had he seen a woman like her, not just because she was Chinese, but because for a brief second, he genuinely did think she was an angel... and an angel who turned out to have a pretty mean open palm when he leaned in fishing for a kiss. Since then, Connor and Ling have never been apart, and have developed something of a name as bounty hunters. Hitting close to thirty, Connor’s been starting to give thought to the idea of settling down and raising a few kids on a farm of his own in the near future, not that he’d say it directly to Ling, seeing as she’d probably kill him for mentioning it, being a “free spirit” and all. Their latest destination is Lore, Arizona, not for the $5,000 on Clark Winslow, but also figuring the Mackenzies will make a showing, and they can collect three bounties without too much travelling.[/LEFT][/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[SIZE="1"]God damn I love this story, Synth and Reggie are definitely two of the funniest characters you've ever written Gav. I just love the way you have Kensley go on complete tangents of thought, it makes everything seem just that much more natural, and yet comedic at the same time.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Wow, so 8-Bit's done a Robocop job has he ? Gonna be interesting to see how Mike deals with this, even if having a gun pointed right between his eyes isn't anything really that new to him. Heh.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Not a bad chapter, although I have to saw, compared to the speed at which Bleach seems to go, Naruto seems almost painfully slow. So Itachi is genuinely dead after all, Madara is about to show his face to Sasuke while revealing everything he didn't know, Hinata can apparently see 10 kilometres away now and apparently the Konoha-nin are right back to stage one now that Sasuke has been kidnapped/rescued by Madara. Guess they'll head for Kisame now, as he's their last link to Akatsuki in the area.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Malkav']To also add, to the arm twisting. Please tell the story from Dawlish's perspective, I know I made him come off as cruel. I originally wanted him to just keep the beam on Jack as a precaution, and the shot to be an accident caused by Meredyne's sudden actions.[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Don't worry about it Malkav, I think the whole combination of whhat occurred would probably make Dwalish considerably more hard-hearted than he's normally appeared. Also, as I believe I hinted, Dwalish isn't nearly as nice in reality as I've made him look, family just brings out that better side. I'll probably write up the post tomorrow evening, as I want to give Beth a chance to finish her post first.[/SIZE]

[quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Also... I'd enjoy seeing a post from Dwalish's point of view. So I hope you post that. :catgirl:[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Alright, alright, twist my arm why don't you Beth ? ^_~ God knows I can't say no to a beautiful woman, no wonder D'Ann and Crys are able to get me to do things so often. Heh, besides, if you're posting that means I'm not going to be holding up anyone in the time it takes for me to get it written.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]I'd actually really like to see another Wild West style RPG in the Theatre, as I recall DragonWarrior made two of them that saw some success, and with the level of interest already expressed here, I wouldn't be surprised if a new one would enjoy similar success. As for whether you want to set it in a town or a larger area, I'd personally recommend maybe having the town as the central rallying point for the characters, but with things going on outside the town itself so characters can be developed more. The sort of compromise Blayze was talking about in his post.[/SIZE]

[quote name='TwistedChick']I'd also thought about the whole "Kurosaki" business. Even if it was simply a fairly common name, surely [I]someone[/I] within the Seireitei would have found Ichigo suspicous if Isshin had gone by that name before. It hasn't been all that long that he's been gone. Quite a few of those officers would have known him, despite all the upheaval within the Shinigami ranks. I can't recall, but has Tite ever let on as to whether 'Isshin' was even his real first name? Changing both could be expected.[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Yeah, that occurred to me as well, but Urahara actually refers to him as Isshin-san, which would seem to indicate at least he hasn't changed his first name. Of course, maybe he has and Urahara has just adapted to referring to him by it. I was just thinking a little more on what might've driven Isshin to leave/be exiled from Soul Society. I mean, he's the only captain we know was exiled who seems to have had nothing to do with the Vizard affair, at least, at first glance. So that's one of the other things I'm really curious about too. Either way, hopefully with this new flashback set of stories, we'll get to see Isshin-taicho.[/SIZE]

[quote name='Aaryanna'][COLOR="DarkGreen"][FONT="Book Antiqua"]And you can all thank Crystia for that since she helped me get the logs. Hehe.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Oh believe me, I already have. ^_~ Seriously though, I think if I could have caught Des at that moment, I would have strangled him for it. I can laugh now looking back at it, and really after about an hour I saw the funny side, but that first sixty minutes was just unmitigated horror. [/SIZE]

[quote name='SunfallE'][COLOR="RoyalBlue"][FONT="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Silly... I told you over AIM yesterday that I would be posting about the battle. *poke* Also, ether Crystia or Gavin mentioned that Gavin has another post relating to the battle so that definitely means we aren't done. :p I'll try to get that up later today. I was going to get that done yesterday, but I got busy doing other stuff and when I was done, I was too tired for a post. But we definitely don't want to skip it... trust me. Heh.[/FONT][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]I don't mind actually, if Josh wants to wrap up the day, I can leave the post from Dwalish's perspective I was going to write. All it was intended to do was give his reaction to Daedalus' death as well as his side of the exchange with Jack, just to develop that whole scene more, as I think it needs it a little. So whichever suits Josh really.[/SIZE]

[quote name='TwistedChick']To be related to Ganju... What would that entail as far as any of the other Shibas being shinigami...?[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]Well you see that's what intrigued me about the theory, it actually does explain a few things. I mean, we know the Shiba clan fell into disgrace at some point in the past, to the point where Ganju and Kuukaku are the only known members and lost their position as one of Seireitei's Five Great Houses. Now that got me thinking, what could actually cause something like that to happen ? Kaien getting killed trying to avenge his wife, and putting a Kuchiki is danger in the process ? Too petty, even for the Kuchiki clan. We know that Kuukaku wanted nothing to do with Shinigami after Kaien's death, and Ganju himself was too young to understand fully those reasons, aside from his big brother's body was dragged back and presented to him without reason by Rukia. But really, is there more to it than that ? The Shihouin Clan were disgraced because their heir Yoruichi committed treason apparently by fleeing with Urahara, so was that the same for the Shiba ? If it was, then obviously, it had to have been someone really high up doing it, and remember what Byakuya said, the noble families have a reiatsu which separates them from the commoners, i.e. they're the ones that the Captain-class Shinigami usually come from. Obviously that insinuates that it was a Captain or someone of approximately that status from the Shiba clan who did something to cause that disgrace. Remember when Ganju said that he was part of the Shiba clan to Byakuya, and the Kuchiki heir instantly switch from "be gone irritation" to "I will kill you seriously" mode ? That struck me as odd, and the best explanation I can come up with is that Byakuya was doing his idea of "honourable execution" for another noble, to even go as far as to use his released Zanpakutou. Yet, Byakuya hasn't shown that level of respect for other nobles, namely Yoruichi, so why do it for Ganju, obviously because Kaien was roughly his age, maybe they knew each other and it's because of that. But also, it might have been because it's similar to Ichigo's fight with Ikkaku, Ikkaku goes all-out when he finds out Urahara trained Ichigo, maybe it's the same thing here for a member of the Shiba clan's main family, whom he assumes, are powerful like himself. Isshin is an ex-Captain, I think it can be construed that there is a link there. I know when Ukitake first saw Ichigo, straight away he thought of Kaien and Byakuya gave his whole "No relation, at least not to the man you just thought of" would indicate he knows Ichigo is Isshin's son, but that Isshin himself is not part of the Shiba clan, but to be honest, he doesn't actually outright state who he thinks Ichigo is related to. Added to that, nobody is Soul Society recognises Ichigo or his last name, and he drops it quite a few times. Jidanbou should be one of the most obvious characters to recognise it, as he's been a Shinigami for over 300 years at this point, so if someone dropped the name of a Captain down in front of him, you'd think he'd say something. So obviously that means that Kurosaki is not the name Isshin went by in Soul Society, so that leaves us with the final point, what was his name when he was a Captain ? Mostly the evidence is circumstantial I'll openly admit it, but I think when you take it all together, add the physical and temperamental characteristics of the Kurosaki's and the Shiba's and how similar they are to one another, well it just sort of fits. My own theory is that Isshin is the ex-head of the Shiba Clan, meaning he is also the father to Ganju, Kuukaku and Kaien along with Ichigo, Karin and Yuzu. At some point, he left/was exiled from Soul Society which in turn brought down the Shiba clan due to the disgrace, Kaien was trying to repair that damage when he was killed in the line of duty, leading to the position the Shiba were in up until now. Yes, it's a particularly "fan-ish" theory, I'll admit, more so because of the whole Isshin is the father of two families, but, well, I think it's certainly possible.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]Make of these next two what you will, personally, I think they're just awesome, particularly the first one. [CENTER][IMG]http://www.mangashare.com/forums/signaturepics/sigpic26881_6.gif[/IMG] [IMG]http://motivationalimage.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/ak47.jpg[/IMG][/SIZE][/CENTER] [quote name='Rachmaninoff'][CENTER][YOUTUBE="Star Wars"]N6UdNwqPkhA[/YOUTUBE][/CENTER][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]The. Funniest. Thing. Ever.[/SIZE]

[quote name='indifference'][COLOR="Indigo"]You're such a brat Gavin, you and everyone who was in on that prank.[/COLOR][/QUOTE] [CENTER][IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v21/sun_sea_sand/rofl%20laughs/rofl-doggie.jpg[/IMG][/CENTER] [SIZE="1"]Cuteness aside, Sabrina told me about it literally the same time you and I were talking, so I was tempting to let you in on it, but decided it'd be far funnier if I just waited. Seems I made the right decision. ^_^ On a side note, posting image responses is a hell of a lot of fun, I'm starting to see why Charles got such a kick out of it.[/SIZE]

[quote name='indifference'][COLOR="Indigo"][URL="http://movies.ign.com/dor/articles/863515/legend-of-zelda-movie-trailer/videos/legendofzelda_filmtrailer_040108.html"][U]Legend of Zelda Movie Trailer Debut (HD)[/U][/URL][/COLOR][/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]That was quite the video Crys, well, except for the fact Des looks quite different IRL to the pictures he's been posting here, oh well. Heh heh. Still, after that clip, I'm actually sort of agreeing that a Zelda movie mightn't be such a bad thing, Beowulf didn't [I]completely[/I] suck after all.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]I've been waiting so long for someone else to post here.[/SIZE] [quote name='Raiyuu']But that doesn't mean it isn't very nicely drawn, and a lot of effort to go to for a prank.[/QUOTE] [SIZE="1"]I was just thinking that myself, although I have to say, by comparison to Kensei's and Rose's hollow masks, I just don't like Love's. For just a second there, I thought you were posting an early spoiler pic and I was literally going O_O at the thought that's how Kuukaku lost the arm.[/SIZE]

[SIZE="1"]And here I was just lamenting the fact yesterday Gav you weren't posting any more of your awesome stories. My, my, seems karma felt a little guilty after yesterday. What can I say about that piece ? Well, it was fucking brilliant for one thing, I love your whole style of writing, and your comedy leaves me laughing for solid minutes at a time. Like everyone else, I can't wait to read more of it, reminds me a bit of Lucky Number Slevin, which is one of my favourite movies, so this had instant win-factor. Favourite line of the whole thing: [QUOTE][SIZE="1"]Thank God, ?cause one of them I swear was grabbing my ass.[/SIZE] [/QUOTE] In the context of all the seriousness of what was going on around Kensley, that was just so damn funny.[/SIZE]