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 Sanguine, The Bull The strength to pierce through the toughest of barriers. An indomitable spirit that resists all that assails me. Mastery of the killing arts. I wasn't always like this, you know. I used to be normal. Just an average guy. Hell, they picked me up after I won the biggest fighting game tournament in New Arcadia. Red Leaves Falling was the hottest game on the market. We're talking at least triple the players of anything else. So, uh, I was kind of a big deal back then. If you ran in my circles, anyways, not that it meant much outside that. I'm not so normal any more. quote:Who changed you? It was a few years back — like I said, I had just been crowned the King of Red Leaves — and then next thing I knew, these martial artists kidnapped me and took me to this crazy training ground. There was a big song and dance about being the chosen one who would lead the Red Leaves Sect to their rightful place at the head of the world, yadda yadda yadda, I really didn't listen to it all that closely. I mean, it was all so cool. At first. Once I started their training regimen, it wasn't quite as cool. I was a bit of a nerd, right? Not exactly the ideal physical specimen. There were all sorts of weird medicines and techniques they applied to me. After a few months, I didn't even recognize myself. That was weird. Really weird. Not the worst, though, not by a long shot. I could feel myself getting stronger every day, but some of the stuff they were doing was basically brainwashing. Hell, it was brainwashing. They didn't want me to be their chosen savior or whatever, they wanted me to be the vessel for their revenge on the world. What could I do? I was trapped in a place that I had no idea how to escape or, really, where it was in the first place. I just tried to endure. Tried to resist. But how could I? I don't know a lot about psychology, but poo poo gets weird when people try to break you down for so long. Eventually they succeed. This all went on for years. Soon enough, I was ready for whatever they had planned. I had mastered every technique they had shown me. My mind — brainwashed to be their perfect soldier — was the match of any of the Elders. And my body, of course, was as strong as Patriarch Red Leaves himself. There was only one final test. I was to face the Sect in a ceremonial tournament. As I fought my way through the ranks, I would receive the blessings of all of my predecessors. I would become stronger and stronger, even as the last remnants of my will were erased. When I finally defeated the Patriarch, I would be ready. I would be the Red Leaves Sect — the final successor of a martial tradition that spans the millennia. I would shake the world to it's very foundations. quote:How did you escape from them? That all assumed, of course, that the tournament was carried out entirely. I don't know what finally allowed the Justice Alliance to discover the sect, but they did. Just in time. As the battle between myself and the Patriarch heated up, I could feel the last of remnants of myself slipping away. If it wasn't for the mysterious Void Angel, I don't think I'd be here. He stopped the blow that would have completed the ceremony. So, yeah, I owe that guy a lot. They had to rough me up a bit. A lot, actually. I was all hopped up on weird kung-fu magic. Not as strong as I would have been if they had been a few minutes later, but our battle still split the heavens and shook the earth. They won, though, and that's why I'm here. Why I'm still me. The Patriarch escaped in the confusion. I know he's still out there. Know that he wants to finish the ceremony. The Alliance got me in with some of the best minds out there to undo all the damage the sect did to me, but, well, we have a connection. One way or another, we're going to have to finish this. quote:Who, outside the team, tries to take care of you now? Well, I live on campus and my folks think I'm dead — trust me, it's easier that way for everyone, — but it's hard to miss that our guidance counselor, Arcana, is keeping pretty close tabs on me. It's fair. I'm a risky proposition to have in the Academy. I'd keep tabs on me if I were in their position. I'm still not, uh, entirely me. I don't know if I ever will be again. I can feel the Red Leaves Sect inside me. The predecessors whisper to me. It's actually been pretty nice having someone to talk to about that. Someone who won't look at me like I'm crazy. I'm not crazy, right? quote:Why do you try to be a hero? What else can I do? The Patriarch is still out there. He's driven by his need to finish this. Honestly? So am I. Until the sect has been completely destroyed — every last trace of it — there's always going to be a chance that someone else goes through what I do. I'm the last victim. I'm going to make drat well sure of that. And, you know, I'm not going to stop being some kind of badass. I mean, uh, seriously. I stopped training for a while and I'm still in peak condition. I don't know if I can take what they've done to me and own it, but if I can? I could do a lot of good. Maybe make this all worth it. quote:Why do you care about the team? poo poo, where to start? If the Patriarch ever tracks me down, I can't fight him. Not without playing right into his hands. I'm going to need people running interference until the big guns arrive. So there's that. It's been pretty fun having friends again. People who can understand what it's like being different. Some by choice, some by birth, some by circumstance. I don't entirely remember what it's like to be a normal person. But this? This is as close as I've gotten. quote:What made you decide to join the academy? It's part of my rehabilitation. The Justice Alliance thinks that I'm finally safe to be around people — more or less — but they want to slowly phase out their support. What better way than the Academy? I mean, I guess I could have just chilled in some sort of isolation unit forever instead. Not exactly the greatest choice, right? It's not that bad, though. I'm almost caught up on the remedial study program and the training is a breeze compared to what I've been through. There's a lot of time to just... live. It's nice. It's really nice. quote:Which hero sponsored your entrance into the academy? What did you do to impress them? Void Angel was the name on the paperwork they submitted. I haven't ever talked to the guy, but I've seen him around. From what I hear, he's kind of a battle junky. He still talks about fighting me — the super-charged, possessed me — with his fellow team members. Honestly? I figure he's hoping I'll catch up to where I was. Become that unstoppable force of nature once more. I'd be game. I owe him a lot, you know? I'll fight him. I just hope I'm me when it happens. That'd be a trip. Fighting the strongest member of the Justice Alliance in front of the world. Hell, even the sect wants that. They may be some weird, evil cult bent on world domination, but there's still that core martial spirit that wants to push the limits and prove who's the strongest. quote:Tell me about that one interesting person in your class! Uh, you must mean the guy who charged over and declared himself to be my destined rival on the first day of class. Pyroclasm. He's... he's a handful. He fights kind of like me — ridiculously powerful martial arts and overwhelming strength — but he claims he's the reincarnation of a dragon or something. Whatever the case, he can shoot fire all over the place. If you ask me, he's kind of lonely. I get it. Even in a place like this, there's a certain degree of loneliness at the peak. People get scared when you're too strong. People ostracize those that are different. He's both of those — and I can see myself in him. More than I'd like, anyways. He can be kind of a jerk to some of our low-powered classmates. Nothing worse than they're sniping behind his back, but pretty dickish all the same. Is that what people think of me? quote:What's your favorite class? What about least favorite? I've been stuck catching up on the years of schooling I missed, but my schedule does have time for an elective. I picked cooking. It's a useful life skill and it seemed better than the alternatives. Like, seriously, who has time for something like Theoretical Multiverse Interactions? That's not going to help you when push comes to shove and it's your turn to cook. It's certainly been fun to discover how much my training helps. My senses are sharp enough to identify the ideal ingredients, my hands are steady enough to ensure precise chopping and mixing every time, and my palate? drat. If I wasn't destined to punch evil, I'd be making a very comfortable living as a professional chef. My least favorite class? Definitely PE. It's all-inclusive, so you're not exactly always working with people in your weight class. It's fine when I get stuck in with those third-year golems, but, uh, it's a real hassle dialing everything as far down as I can go. I don't want to hurt anyone, but it feels like I'm forcing myself to move in slow motion. It's not exactly a fun way to spend time. I understand that they want us to learn how to work with people of different abilities, but... How do some of these people hope to make it as a pro? A lot of villains out there are playing for keeps. I can't imagine why you'd want to do this if you'd break under a stiff breeze. quote:What do you like to do in your free time? You'd think that I'd be done with video games, right? Hell no. I've been out of the scene for ages, so there's a ton to catch up on. Red Leaves Falling 3, for instance, is way better than the last two. It may be some sort of evil cult recruiting tool, but it's a fantastic video game. I'll have to see about getting back into the tournament scene. Other than that, I guess I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Cooking is a pretty time-intensive elective. A lot of our homework is practical projects. It's actually pretty relaxing. Even after a tough day, I can just come back and whip up some curry or something. Delicious results and I can basically meditate while I work. Win-win. quote:New Arcadia’s a pretty sweet place, isn’t it? Tell me about that one cool place you like! It's been a while, but Galaxy Arcade is just like I remember it. They have the latest games — including some that must be borrowing some future-tech from either heroes or some of my fellow students — and it's a pretty cool place to lose myself in the crowd. I don't exactly look too far from baseline — perfect physique aside — and most people are more focused on what you can do over what you look like. It's weird, though. You know the owner, Miss Stella? She hasn't aged a day since the tournament. I mean, seriously. My eyes are great. I can tell. If anything, she's gotten younger. I wonder what her story is? quote:(Optional) Hey, guess what! They’re making a variant cover focusing on you! Please describe the cover to me! Sanguine is square in the middle of the cover, his hand seemingly piercing out through the page and towards the reader. The shades of all the fallen Elders stand behind him. Some seem angry, others seem to be elated. Finally, there are a number of red leaves falling down. quote:(Optional) Suggest a name for the IC thread. In honor of all the weirdo spirit heroes: [Masks!] We have spirit, yes we do! The Bull posted:Name: Suzuki Chiryū Tricky fucked around with this message at 21:19 on Apr 24, 2017 |
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Jan 19, 2017 21:49
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Tardzilla posted:Round 1 Questions Mm, well, a lot of it is pretty much what you'd expect. Most of them are a little miffed that I'm not reshaping society in the sect's image. There are a few voices that are more distinct. Elder Kermes and Elder Carmine, especially. Kermes was my main instructor in the martial arts. He's a bit of a hard rear end. I've never heard him grumble about the whole academy bit, but he does get a bit snippy when I'm in a fight. He's certainly of the opinion I should be aiming to finish matters with minimal fuss — which means maximum force. That's great advice and all... but it usually comes up in friendly spars. I'm not exactly an expert on what being a hero means or anything, not like some of these guys, but I don't think I should be going around assassinating my training buddies. Not cool, right? His tips on my form are spot-on, though, which is actually kind of aggravating. If he was just a crazy voice that was wrong about everything, I could tune him out. But he's not. He's got a lot of really helpful tips and then a few extra bits of murder advice that I need to keep a mental eye out for. I don't know what Carmine's deal is. She seems to be getting into arguments with the other elders — I can never really make out what they're saying when they do that, just a low murmur in the back of my mind — and she's just relentlessly cryptic all the time. Like "blah blah blah, the doom of man approaches and only the King of Fallen Leaves will stand before it." What am I supposed to do with that? I mean, even if — and this is a big if — they were right about everything, I'm not about to finish things with the Patriarch and turn into... whatever. Even if things go to poo poo, I want to be me. I'll take my chances with the team, thanks. Tardzilla posted:- You just received a mysterious message. What was it? What does it say? Is it anything you should be concerned about? I did get a message, yeah. It was a jade slip — the same kind they used at the sect. Just kind of showed up in my room. No signs of a break-in or anything like that. Just a slip on my bed. It was keyed to my — the sect's, I suppose, — energy, so when I picked it up everything just flowed into my head. Not so much words, but images and feelings. A tournament. Not unlike the one the Justice Alliance interrupted. I saw... Many martial artists. People from the Justice Alliance. Villains. All coming together for... something. A title? A crown? A weapon? I'm sorry I'm being so vague, it's hard to keep it all straight. I guess it's some sort of invitation, but I don't know much past that. Didn't recognize the place. Hm. Come to think of it, though, there was an eclipse? Guess that might be a clue. I'll have to do a bit of digging and see when the next eclipse is coming up. But, uh, I'm not hugely excited about another tournament. Not exactly been the greatest for me. First I got kidnapped, then I almost stopped being me. What sort of horrifying stuff are they going to try to do to me this time? I'm worried that it's one of the Patriarch's traps. Some sort of scheme to get us in the ring together. I mean, what else could it be? Not like anyone else would be able to key it to the sect's energy. Tardzilla posted:- Boy, things sure got wild during cooking class, huh? People are still talking about it to this day. What happened? Haha. Yeah. I got... a little competitive. It wasn't all my fault, but, uh, yeah. Mistakes were made. So, uh, remember Pyroclasm? He's in cooking too. I think he swapped into my section just to follow me around. We were butting heads like usual and then he challenged me to a cook-off. Some real Iron Chef poo poo. To say that we got a little caught up in the moment would be a a bit of an understatement. He was using his dragon fire — or whatever it is — to supercharge his burners. I mean, we have pretty durable equipment in the kitchen, but it's not that good. But that came later. It started off working fine — fine enough that I was forced to channel some of the sect's energy into mine to keep up. So we were going at it for a while, the room getting hotter and hotter, while we chopped furiously and sauteed meats in pans. I don't really remember which of us noticed first, but we found ourselves just straight-up in the middle of an inferno. Apparently the ambient temperature got high enough from our cooking shenanigans that some of the oil just, uh, ignited. So, yeah, we burned down the kitchen. And a few of the nearby rooms before the staff managed to get things under control. Like, if it had just been regular fire, the sprinklers would have been fine. But not with this magic bullshit. We're talking some Kung-Fu dragon fire. It's pretty drat tenacious. It took at least three of the teachers blasting it with ice, a few future-tech fire extinguishers, and that huge rock guy just rolling all over it to finally beat it down. We got in some serious trouble for that stunt. Property damage happens, but this was apparently a little too dangerous for their tastes. So outside of like three weeks of helping clean up and rebuild, a written apology, and a number of lectures, we also were banned from any more competitive cooking. Some of the other students, especially the rowdier crowd, think it was pretty much the best thing they've seen in a long time. I'm not about to go burning down any more stuff for attention or anything, but it felt pretty good having a bunch of people talking to me.
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Jan 24, 2017 07:12
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 Team Opinions: Black Rabbit: Yeah, I know it may not look like I'm his biggest fan. I give him a lot of crap. Most of it is good-natured, if you ask me. But, you know, he's not too bad to have around. Helps keep things from getting too heavy. I just wish I wasn't so worried about him when it's time to rumble. Can he really keep up? Maybe if I give him a few fighting tips... Psychosoma: She's a little confusing, you know? A wizard from past Atlantis, I guess, and she's got some seriously funky powers. I look at her and I can't possibly see how she'd end up being some sort of villain like the Phantom. Maybe she's got a dark side that she's buried deep down, but... I don't know. The elders want me to be careful around her. Sammi: Sammi is great. Seriously. I feel like I can talk to her about anything. And I have. I've told her about everything that happened to me at the Red Leaves Sect. I don't know how much of it she really understood, but... Well, it was good getting it off my chest. I'm no magician and I don't pretend to understand what makes her tick or why. All I know is that she's as much of a person as any of us. I'm going to keep her safe. Meeba: If Psychosoma confuses me, Meeba is completely baffling. I don't even know what she's talking about with all this color business and how hard or soft people are. She can hold her own in a fight, though, so I don't need to worry about her too much. Maybe I am too strong. I didn't ask for this, you know? I'm just trying to make something of it. Not really my fault that the most straight-forward path is what I'm best at. X-Calibre: She's pretty interesting. The blade she's got gives me some real bad vibes, but the girl herself? We're cool. I've seen her at the arcade from time to time. Haven't had the chance to challenge her or anything, but I'm itching for someone to game with. Playing fighting games isn't half as fun when you're stuck grinding it out in training mode or dealing with lag online. When our team first came together... quote:We defeated a dangerous enemy. Who or what was it? Right, right. The Scorcher. What kind of lunatic tries to burn down a mall? I mean, it's not like there was a big score to be had or anything, but he was mad as heck and nobody was going to talk him down. Sammi, bless her heart, tried her best. I think he just got more and more angry. Well, that's where the rest of us came in. A bunch of would-be superheros thrust into a crazy situation. I'm not so good when a villain has a good sob story. I mean, yeah, we need to beat 'em up, but it doesn't feel great. This guy, though? Nothing like that. Just a mad dog that needed a reminder that there were people who weren't going to let him do whatever he wanted. Now, I've got some chops. Serious chops. And, for all his faults, sparring with Pyroclasm is pretty good practice for fighting a guy that shoots fire everywhere. That said, The Scorcher isn't a slouch at all. I wasn't making much headway against him alone. That's where I first met Sammi, actually, when I jumped in to block a giant fireball that would have roasted her and the kid she had with her. He definitely had some power to back up his delusions. But, you know, when we started working together? Showing a little teamwork? We put him down. Hard. I've been solo ever since the Alliance pulled me out of the sect, but this? This showed me that I still had a lot to learn. Relationships: Mine quote:Sammi is your love. You’ve opened up to them about the worst parts of your past. After things calmed down at the mall, me and Sammi got to talking. I wanted to make sure that she wasn't hurt or anything, but I guess I didn't have to worry about it. She's a homunculus, apparently, and a lot tougher than she looks. Anyways, tough or not, she seemed real shook up by everything that went down. I'm a pretty good listener. She sounded really worried about getting in trouble for wrecking up the mall. Well, sure, maybe. I think I was the main offender there. You put a villain through a half-dozen walls and people start throwing shade. No gratitude. Anyways, we talked for a long time. Eventually my stuff came up. The sect. The years I spent with them. She even believed me when I told her about the... well, the voices. The elders. It seemed like she could hear them too. It meant a lot that she believed me. She seemed to be pretty confused by a lot of aspects of modern life. I'm not exactly an expert, not anymore, but I offered to show her around. quote:Black Rabbit is your rival. They tried to control you at a crucial moment. Like I said, I don't really hate him. He's just got the worst sense of timing. When we were fighting the Scorcher, I had the perfect opportunity to end things. The others had him knocked off balance and he was in a perfect position for me to strike. All I needed to do was puncture a few of his pressure points and he'd be out of the game. Not dead, of course, but he wouldn't be spewing fire any more. That would have made things a lot easier than they ended up. Of course, Mr. Bleeding Heart must have figured I was going in for the kill or something. Bro. Seriously. One of us is a half-step from going through some crazy kung-fu apotheosis. The other wears a goofy rabbit mask. Can you just trust my judgement on this? He hit me with his nullification stuff and it threw me all out of whack. I couldn't follow my strike through, though I still clipped the Scorcher on the shoulder pretty good. I'm just glad I'm tough enough to take one of those fire blasts to the face. If he had done that to someone else... Well, things could have been bad. Others Sammi posted:Sanguine shows you around and tells you how things work. Heck yeah! She's a great listener and always so curious. I've been testing out some of my dishes on her and even been teaching her some of the basics. I'm still a little worried about letting her work with knives, but... Well, she's a hero too. Gotta make that leap at some point. Just... not yet. I've been showing her around some of my favorite spots in town too. I think she likes the arcade. I'm like... 90% sure. She can be a little hard to read from time to time, but I think I'm starting to figure out some of the subtler clues. Anyways, it's a lot of fun spending time with her. X-Calibre posted:You told Sanguine all about your doom and the danger you’re in. You know, I wouldn't have pegged her as the type with a time limit. This curse, the Jabberwocky... Well, I have a lot of sympathy. I've got it bad with the Patriarch, sure, but she's got it worse in every way. Even if she takes this thing out for good, she's not going to make it? What the hell! I'm not about to stand for something like that. She hasn't exactly asked me to figure out a better way or anything, but I'm not going to let someone just sacrifice themselves like that. Maybe Carmine knows something. She's got all sorts of mysterious prophecies, right? What good is a martial arts tradition that spans millennia if you can't save one person? I've got her back. I'll fight anything that comes our way. The Jabberwocky? Let me at him. If she's getting drained by the sword? Tap into me. I've got energy to spare. I'm not about to let someone on this team — one of my teammates, my friends — go without a fight. That's not my style. Psychosoma posted:Sanguine was hurt by my future self once; I've got to make it up to them. Yeah. The Phantom. Or at least I guess it was her. It looked like Arcana, but it couldn't have been. She was supposed to be in meetings all day and had cancelled our usual session. I don't remember the attack much — it's kind of hard when somebody ambushes you and tries to take a metaphorical blender to your soul — but it could have gone a lot worse than it did. She didn't seem surprised by how many extra passengers I had. In fact, I think that may be what drew her out in the first place. Maybe she's worried about what will happen if the ceremony is completed...? Well, not like she was going to tell me or anything. Psychosoma came across me shortly afterwards and was able to repair most of the damage. I think the Phantom could feel her coming and took off. No reason not to finish the job otherwise. The rest just needs a little time. If souls are anything like bodies, this will end up being good training. It'll heal up stronger than it was before. But, man, what happened to her in this timeline? What could take a sweet girl like that and make her so cold? Influence: quote:You’re selective about who you let in. Give your love and rival Influence over you, but that’s it. Also, with Hugzilla's approval, X-Calibre gets to join the club. Marvel as they commiserate over being hunted by wildly powerful foes! Extra Questions quote:Who should be the Team Leader? Tentative vote for X-Calibre. quote:What should the Team Name be? Holding my vote for now. Tricky fucked around with this message at 21:14 on Feb 5, 2017 |
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Feb 4, 2017 20:16
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Sorry to hear it, but I had a great time! Thanks for running a great game!
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May 6, 2017 01:09
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