Sutoratosu

Aurora, Ajax, Mufasa, 1st day of the 1st month, Year of Rebirth. Sometime after 3:00PM "Yet again, not it, Spider..." Mufasa sighed for what had to be the upmthteenth time since they'd started. Aurora said nothing as she tossed the pendant to Ajax just like all the other pieces of jewelry. The squid man feigned ignorance to her growing frustration as he stowed it into the jingling silk sack. The arachni jabbed the water's surface once, her armored leg emerging, though this time there was a ring of sterling silver upon it's apex. Not even the right category of trinket... "Ajax, how many does that make now?" Mufasa asked, rubbing one of his temples. At this rate, they'd be down here all night looking for the damn thing. "Hmmm...well," He rifled through the retrieved possessions, fingers jingling like bells. "About thirty or so, it looks like. Some very nice stuff among it, a shame that someone managed to lose them all to this place really. But, when one get's drunker than a Dire Skunk and parties... such is bound to happen." "This location obviously isn't working..." The lion shook his head, staring into the distance for a moment, then back at the spider. "We need to go deeper. Enough time's been wasted here already." "Deeper?" Aurora Scoffed. "You foolish cat, do you know what even lies deeper into these ugly halls? There's a good reason hardly anyone ever comes down here, Puss." "Bah, and just what would that reason be, huntress? I had assumed it was because they'd have to doubtless spent more than even a mere second in your presence." "Keep up the self-righteous vigor all you like, there are still far worse things than me in this world, even if you refuse to believe it. Things... like the one who lives in the depths. Tell me, Puss, do you believe in-" She stopped, as if lost in thought, grasping for something. "Huh...what were those things called again. I know I heard the name somewhere before..." She actually scratched the back of her head.... Mufasa had heard more than enough. He turned and walked off into darkness. "To hell with your tales of terrors in the dark, I'm going deeper. Whether you two are coming, or not. I don't give a damn what's lurking about...it can eat a length of iron." Where said length of iron would come from though in the case he had to make true on the promise, remained to be seen. "Enough, I'll find it on my own..." "Oh, Dragons!" the spider suddenly blurted, recollection lighting up her eyes. "Dragons, that's what the name is...oh. The idiot's already gone." "Really." Ajax sighed, his stare as disapproving as ever. "Really, old friend? Feigning ignorance just to get him to get frustrated and go off on his own." "Whaaaat? No, no, I'd never..." "I know you, Aurora. You've a far superior memory than what I just witnessed. If there truly is a dragon of all things down here, you only forgot the creature's race because you wanted to... We have to stop him now, you do realize this, yes." "Damn it Ajax," She sighed, arms crossed. "you're taking all the fun out of this... I wasn't gonna let him get too far, just enough to hopefully scare the piss out of him and put him back in his place. House cats shouldn't act so self-righteous anyway. And besides, the fool shouldn't have been so easy to predict, I mean, he just stormed off like it was clockwork." He did not respond. Only slung the sack over his shoulder and walked into darkness himself, muttering. "I knew it. Should've never obeyed the order. Would be far easier and far smoother right now if I hadn't..." Giving a sigh of her own, the spider wasn't too far behind him. She hadn't been lying though, about the beast. It may have been many a year ago, just after the war, but she had once seen it further within the depths herself; that much was certain in her mind, even if only if said sight had been only a mere split second in passing.... she had known what she had seen. Which posed the question in her mind- just how would the Demon from earlier fare down here as he ventured deeper and deeper, closer and closer to a creature both famed and feared for it's raw ability to kill and destroy, far more than even her own kind was? The thought of his mangled and bloodied corpse lying half consumed on the floor, barely even recognizable, if there would even be anything of him left if the serpent found him... It filled her with glee, enough to even chuckle about it with that menacing smirk of hers, ever so softly as she followed.

Yo, shadow, 1 slight issue here. That Shockwave I described actually actually only effected and blew away gomez, rascal, and lara. Both Bingo and Apollo are meant to still be holding their ground and locked into the clash (in turn creating an opportunity for the other three to teak up and finish bingo off with a group back attack while he's busy holding up against the flame wheel)

Bingo's job only got tougher as one after another, the trio began their assault. Rascal had taken a bold move- an incredibly risky move -that much was clear when the rats fist came streaking out of nowhere like a star as he attempted to feint away, not about to fall for the deceit. The only thing that saved the mouse from a KO and allowed their little plan to continue was the sudden impact of Gomez, sending the rodent stumbling off course, just in the nick of time. He was halfway through a quick pivot to strike back when he stopped, golden aura still burning around him as his eyes landed on Apollo... and the monkey's own aura as it charged forward in a hail of ash and flame. He gritted his teeth. Like a storm, again the gold flared like the sun, growing even brighter as his own power kicked in and he dug in with both heels as hard as he could, body bracing itself as the fire type came surging right into him, the two attacks locked there in clashing limbo of fire and soul, heating up the very air itself and setting the surrounding, dust laden earth itself ablaze with smaller fires with the small shockwave the issued out, pushing away the other combatants with it's raw force. The sweat accumulated like rain fall on his brow, though whether from heat or physical exertion, twas unclear. Had it been a normal flamewheel he had contested against, there would've been an easy end to the clash... but this was no ordinary flame wheel. That much, he could feel, in every inch of his body, could see in those rainbow fires gnashing at the air like starved Asps and hungry wolves. He could hold it, it took every ounce of what he had, but he could... What he could not do however, was spare any attention to the three other adversaries, Lara Included. Nor to any final, all-fronts attack to which they may or may not be conspiring. But he smiled, just a bit, as he stood there. These little bastards, these kids... on their own, they were all worthless, weak and green. But together...well, it was seldom anyone ever put Bingo in this type of position, back to the wall. Or, at least anyone not bearing the name Hog. Loam's target meanwhile, whirled in discontent at the pelt of water, taking his eyes off the cat just as she fled. unfortunately, He was just in time to receive a face full of FDA certified, Grade A headbutting action as the glowing Titan blasted forward like a battering ram. The force was great enough to send the rodent on his back. And he stayed there for a while, dazed... but coming to his senses again, slowly, but surely. Leonidas display was met by the rat slapping his own chest with a single open palm before throwing his arms out wide, exposing his belly with a defiant flare of bravado as his eyes glared back at the cub twice as hard. His attempt to prove his masculinity was cut short when Meena pounced and sank her fangs into his shoulder however... the rat beginning to curse and shout as he ran about the clearing, edging close to the brambles and swinging his body about wildly, trying to knock the feline off with everything he had. It probably would've been a nigh funny infact. For anyone who wasn't the rat with a set of sharp jaws in him, that is. Or the cat being repeatedly slammed into a bunch of barbed branches left and right...

OH my god shit's finally going down! HYPE HYPE HYPE Ahem... I mean, I'll have a post up tomorrow.

Update coming later today. Hopefully we can have this wrapped up by the end of the month, now that I can finally catch a literal god damn break.

OH dear god it's a fucking dragon....Like... an actual, fucking dragon... well Hukuna, I was expecting something big when you first talked to me about it, and... damn, I definitely was not disappointed here XD

Yo, my work here is done. The new sheet is finished

Alright, so I've made my decision. I will be bringing Arya back, but as a consolidated character of sorts taking traits both from the Rame variation ((created for Aqui's Idol RP... which I am 90% sure at this point is almost certainly dead...)) and the original Wraith. Forum Name: Stratos Character Name: Arya Wisteria Wraith Age: 16 (December 12, 1023) Personality: An INFJ. with a will and determination strong enough to stand by her convictions nigh to the point of pure stubbornness, often leaving her vulnerable to criticisms and challenges given her tendency to take such things more personally than she should. Aside from her strong-willed nature however, Arya's greatest strength by far is her level of perceptiveness and insight, able to easily see through dishonesty and manipulation, as well as notice the subtle details and patterns by which people and events are entwined, making her more than capable of peeling back the mere surface in order to reveal the true heart of the matter; however, this great attention to minute detail also manifests itself in the form of perfectionism: a trait most easily noticeable whenever she's busy working furiously on a sketch, constantly tweaking and trying to improve things until she feels it's finally "Just right", to the point where she'll even start to grow more and more frustrated at herself if she feels the final product still isn't up to maximum par despite her best efforts. Though she is more than willing to listen to and help others solve their own issues, she is ironically an incredibly private individual, finding it difficult to open up about personal matters even in the presence of those she's come to know and trust. Appearance: A petite girl with a minkin bust and a pale complexion, standing approximately 5'5" and 47Kg. Locks of hair whiter than virgin snow drape her shoulders and down to her mid back, interrupted only by the shock of raven black hair forming her bangs and framing her heart shaped face. Her monolid eyes are a deep, dark grey reminiscent of a storm cloud, while her nose is small and snub. Her typical attire consists of warm colored clothing contrasted by black, most often in the form of a light blouse beneath a simple, black cotton jacket and a similarly dark, ruffled skirt and black leggings coming up to about mid-thigh along with black boots. When transformed, her Hair loses it's black shock and becomes a more ashen shade of white; Her eyes meanwhile become a shimmering crimson with a glittering radiance like embers off of great flame. Grey Ballistic plates and Black Kevlar mesh forms body armor over her torso, biceps and lower body while metal bracers cover the top of her fore arms, leaving the tell-tale markings of a Time Eye visible on her wrist. Her nails are painted storm grey, though they are hidden from sight by a pair of black tactical gloves. A tattered, hooded midnight grey poncho covers her body and drapes down to just above her knees. Line of Belief: Practicing Nayrist Modifier: Eye Element: Time Chant: Memory of lost paradise betrayed. Visions, dying in life. Mother of my father, I repair the world. Other: She has a photographic memory, along with an incredible amount of talent and skill with a sketchpad and writing utensil; to the point where she's even been outright called a prodigy by those who've managed to catch glimpses of her work. Her white hair (and the swath of fading black) is the result of a genetic mutation that runs in the family, causing the body to gradually stop producing melanin after puberty begins, eventually resulting in full albinism. The loss of pigment usually begins with skin and hair first, then finally the eyes.

The fires surged for the shiny rat. Quick as lightning though, rather than jump right into the path of Rascal's waiting onslaught, his foot subtly shifted in the side as he turned his body parallel to the attack. The bolts of flame lit his face with a glow more ghastly than even a Chandelure as he kept those azure orbs of his defiantly on Apollo, seemingly unfazed by the heat radiating off the attack. In that same moment, his body began to burn with the same golden aura as it had before as he redirected his attention to keep both his foes in view. Not even a second after, the aura had become even more intense, filling the air with a nigh-electric sensation as the energy surged around his body like a small storm. His gaze particularly dared Rascal to try him; truly, it would've made his day if the mouse did. That earlier blow may have been a mere grazing shot, but the next time? The two may have gotten lucky with the back attack combo from earlier... but they were gonna have to try a bit harder than that to get the better of him yet again. Gomez's foe wasn't about to be so easily taken advantage of again either. The tackle may have proved to be a blunder, but this time... he was ready. With teeth darker than night, He bit through the growth around his leg quickly, and Those keen eyes of his expertly tracked the vine as it arced across the distance towards him, not letting even the slightest of it's movements evade observation. The moment it was close enough, He shifted his shoulder- and in turn his entire body - to the side as he watched the growth lance past him. In the same motion, his teeth chomped down on the second extension, severing it like a hot knife carving through butter. He was edging closer to the brambles lining the clearing, still keeping those keen eyes on the gecko... now more than aware of just how of an advantage those vines could be. He'd messed up before, yes, but so long as the grass type was still alone, so long as it was one to one... Meena's feint meanwhile, failed to impress the rodent as he tracked her every motion like a hawk. Smirking as she took the bait, he had his shoulder ready, tucking his body in low yet staying right where he was rather than charging. She came in from left field looking to take a bite out of crime, but all she found was herself being body-checked from below as the Patrat shoulder erupted upward with surprisingly violent force, the very wind itself knocked out of her lungs by the strike. The rodent glared down coldly at her. Yes, yes, that's right, grovel. Perhaps when there had been two of them, they could take him, but now that she was alone and that mudfish had gone elsewhere? Well... he looked forward to having a bit of fun with this one. The big Boss proved to be just as fast as he had during the chase. Surpassing all the grace and agility of even a Kanto-raised ninja, he leapt up and over the spread out volley of stones, body twisting in mid air- his lieutenant still in hand -to position himself just right as he landed. When he did, that same golden aura cloaked fist lashed out and burst the spheres of water launched at him on impact, the power and force behind each jab seeming to only become stronger. The next moment, he dropped the patrat to the ground, muttering something to which the underling only nodded, head glaring at the sand in shame before turning his fiery stare to the two assailants. It was beginning to get obvious, with his reflexes and strength... that it was probably going to take more than just merely Titan and Loam on their own to actually make any headway against the striped meerkat. But with everyone else already either engaged in their own fights, or already helping out another party member... Leonidas, in closing, made hard impact with the still dazed Patrat as it struggled to get it's bearings yet again. The world had been spinning, then the next thing it knew, it was again being sent tumbling to the ground, this the stench of burnt ozone accompanying the fall. To his favor however, the coating of dirt from earlier mostly defended against the actual shocking voltage. He'd been hit with only the raw impact force. The attack was enough though. The rodent shook his head clear as he got up again, eyes focused on the lion cub. He tucked in with both knees and leaned himself forward, hands outstretched as if he had watched one too many games of a european soccer broadcast. The look in his eyes practically dared the lion to try it again.

Huh, yeah... I kinda forgot to try get that post up after things went to shit and the faculty started going fucking crazy with assignments. I can see that this is a very nice bit of copypasta though...wait to change nothing...like it is literally the exact same thread made anew with no alteration whatsoever... I honestly can't blame you for just hitting the reset button on this though. Even if we all did try to get back into the swing of the old one after such a long pause, so many people have come and gone and whereabouts are unknown, that it probably would've been difficult to keep going without drawing in replacements for everyone who either went dormant on the forums or lost interest over time. I'll get something up sometime later (Luminous Dawn has been waiting for an update for a while now... had to put it off thanks to bureaucratic bullshit), probably over the weekend. Don't really know if I'll end up reusing Arya or not though...

It was more of an absolutely shameless MGS: Revengence reference than anything else. Solomon honestly gives no damns if his professional name scares people or not.Anyway, I've changed it to one of the alternatives on my list. Still fits just as aptly in its own way

If that's a legit denial and that's the only reason why, I can easily just change the alias to something else, I've got a list of like five or ten potential ones lined up already. I just felt Jack the ripper was the most appropriate given how he goes about the act of combat...

alright, I've finished my sheet. I've done what I can, so... yeah. The personality will probably change a bit though, as I fine tune things and figure it out a bit better, but for the time being what's already present should be more than sufficient enough to give an basic idea of what I'm going for here

Just gonna slap up this reserve post here real quick while I work on getting a sheet together. Forum Name: Stratos Character Name: Solomon "Sully" Ryke Alias: The Revenant Age: 25 Gender: Male Sin: Pride Appearance: A dark-skinned male standing at a rough 5'9", bearing a well toned and powerful physique. His hair is darker than the night itself, bound in dreadlocks cascading down around his shoulders and upper back and framing a diamond shaped face with an upturned nose, almond-shaped amber eyes so vibrantly deep they nigh appear the shade of dying embers, and a tightly trimmed goatee. His outfit of choice is a black muscle shirt displaying his thoroughly sculpted arms and the myriad of black tribal tattoos scrawling their way down their length, along with charcoal grey trousers bloused into similarly dark boots at the upper calves. The pair of sleek, silver and neon orange safety glasses resting on his head is aren't an uncommon sight, nor is the charcoal gray jacket tied around his waist Mech Appearance: The Mech is slim and sleek in build, it's armored-form darker than the night itself, accented in the deepest of crimson linework flowing down it's limbs with swirled patterns arcing across it's chest and back. It bears elongated projections on either shoulder, serving as built in pauldrons as well as concealed storage docks, while it's chest armor serves as the centerpiece of the body, bearing a similar elongated form. It's Triangular Helm has a singular, diagonal projection arching forwards from it's center, with a visor burning with the same sinister crimson light as it's intricate accenting work. Numerous small, spherical devices, "Tesla Spheres" as Solomon calls them, lie visibly docked into depressions in it's limbs and body, and exert a constant, electromagnetic field which both powers the mech's needs as well as enhances it's combat abilities, while a large, metallic sheath lies fixed diagonally across it's back, often bearing Solomon's main arm and weapon of choice, the Katana called Ragnarok, though at it's hips there are two smaller sheaths, housing a set of twin plasma sabers. It's sleek arms end in just as sleek fingers the color of fresh blood, Hidden in the palms of the mech's hands are a pair of laser cutter aparati. Personality: ISTP. A friendly yet highly brash fellow, never one to back down from a decent challenge. He's not afraid to admit fair and square when he's been bested however (or, for that matter, to boast and brag about things if the outcome is the otherway around), nor is he afraid to voice his mind without filter, calling shit exactly as he sees it with little concern over whether or not it's exactly "Tactful" to do so at that moment. Having dealt with more than just a few bullies as a boy, he sees the act of actively trash talking or using verbal warfare against an opponent as a cowardly tactic that only signifies the true extent of the hidden weaknesses and insecurities one hides in one's own heart. The only thing worse to him than trash talking is the use of cheating in order to win a challenge. As loud as he often is, the only thing that speaks even louder than his words are his actions, and he won't hesitate to back up the former with the latter if needed... Motivation: A bet he made with his girlfriend (and on-again/off-again rival of sorts) Sasha over a few drinks one late evening at the shop. An advertisement for the tourney played over the airwaves, and after a bit of his typical bragging about how totally sure he was that he could conquer the other competitors with his eyes closed, to which Sasha countered she'd kick his ass long before he ever got that far. Never one to back down from the lady's challenges, he didn't hesitate to accept. The terms were very simple, by the end of the first thirty days of individual conflicts, whoever had the most Favor between the two of them would be the winner. Except they weren't that simple. By the last day of the challenge period, both Solomon and Sasha were evenly tied for the exact same amount. There was only one way to settle it... her guns versus his blades. the victor would go on to the inner circle, the loser would have to swallow their damn pride and stay home. Sasha... didn't talk very much to him that night as she helped him pack. He was nice enough not to brag like an ass for once. Even with the only victory he really cared about under his belt now though, the mechanic didn't see any reason to just take it all the way home, see it all through to the end since he'd already gotten so far, plus he always was one to appreciate a good challenge. If he won the whole thing, then great, if he lost... well, at least he'd go out of the competition with a bang. Mechs Stats: Speed: 6 [The mech was built with speed and maneuverability at the forefront of Solomon's mind, and as such special attention is given to fine tuning the efficiency and power of it's legs, while measures have been taken to reduce the overall weight of the unit. The fact that the electromagnetic fields created by the Tesla Spheres embedded in the mech can be manipulated in battle to further augment their already impressive performance by amplifying any motion Solomon makes only makes the mech that much more of a speed demon.] Melee: 7 [Melee is the unit's strongest claim to fame, affirmed by the high-powered, modified servos granting it mammoth levels of strength, twin plasma sabers lying dormant at it's hip, and the Twin Laser Cutter Aparati concealed in the palms, all of which commonly used to tear, slash, and slice away the opponent's defenses in a frenzied, merciless onslaught of flashing energy. The pride and joy of the unit though, is none other than Ragnarok; the large, circular blade reminiscent of a chakram, bearing three diagonal projections along it's edge and as crimson as blood rain. Outfitted with a high frequency cutting blade, it is far sharper than it's mere appearance might suggest, capable of easily being swung with surprising speed using the momentum of solomon's limbs and using electromagnetic manipulation to greatly augment the force and speed of his movements, as well as even spin the weapon in place like a saw blade or throw it like a high speed projectile whose trajectory can be freely controlled by the Tesla Pulse.] Firepower: 2 [The unit has no true designated ranged weapon, however the Tesla Sphere devices can be used to generate high-power electrical blasts; while such blasts may scorch or mar the surface of armor plating, they are far more likely (and actually intended) to damage and temporarily disrupt the internal wiring and systems of the impacted zone rather than actually managing to penetrate and destroy the opponent's armor. The Laser Aparati in the palms on the other hand, can be used as sweeping, ranged beams if needed, and pack an incredible amount of actual destructive force behind them compared to the electric bursts.] Armor: 2 [solomon's mech employs a specially built dampening field which heavily buffers energy-based damage, sitting over the top of the mech's exterior like a sleek skin of defense. The weight of the generator of this field however, comes at the cost of having to sacrifice quite a bit of physical plating in order to maintain the ratio of speed to mass. As a result, his remaining armor can do little against kinetic attacks, forcing him to largely rely on the Tesla Pulse in order to mitigate this weakness, and even then only being effective at warding off Metallic attacks and projectiles] Special Ability: Tesla Pulse. By manipulating the electromagnetic fields emitted by the Tesla Spheres, Solomon can concentrate their energy to form small scale EMPs as well as powerful repulsion and attraction fields. the EMPs can be fired towards opponent units to temporarily disrupt and damage their electrical systems and interfering with processes such as targeting, visual input, audio feed, movement, etc. to create an opening for him to close in; however, while they are more effective at disrupting systems for longer than the mech's raw electrical blasts, EMPs come at the cost of requiring a significantly higher amount of power to be drawn and diverted from the mech, and overusing them will easily result in Solomon's own mech unit becoming virtually dead in the water for a time as the spheres work to build up a sufficient enough power supply needed to operate it again. The Repulsion and Attraction Fields meanwhile, require very minikin energy to maintain, and can be used for a variety of purposes, from repelling metallic projectiles and even melee attacks by repulsing them, amplifying solomon's motions and strikes by actively propelling his mech's limbs in a desired direction using a repulsing field, to forcing back opponents that draw too close or drawing them in even closer for Solomon to Attack, as well as propelling his own unit in a given direction at incredibly high speed. Character Stats: Observance: 1. Solomon's an incredibly intelligent bloke, that much easily becomes obvious the moment one sees him working on a mech or other piece of machinery, and while he's not about to go out of his way to try to dig up info or lean every little detail about someone like some obsessive stalker (feeling that doing so takes away from the suspense and rush of a fight... plus it's "kinda fucking creepy", as he likes to put it), he is at least observant enough to spot subtle details such as the way one carries themselves, physical stature, body language, etc. when he encounters someone. Reflex: 2. The training with his old man when he was a kid did wonders teaching him the fact that if your reflexes are shit, you're gonna get hit; how can you expect to beat a damn bully if you can't even block or feint out of the way fast enough? Those same training sessions proved more valuable than even gold when he finally became old enough to move up from fist-fights in the school yards and streets, to actual mech-combat. Social: 0. Talk is cheap. That's honestly all Solomon has to say to those who enjoy verbal warfare. "Talk shit, get hit" has always been among his favorite mottos. Other: He's a mechanic, studied under his father and has been working on mechs among other devices and machinery for nearly his entire life. When the man died a few years ago, Solomon was left to run the garage himself. He knows the technology better than the back of his own hand. He's also well versed in the art of how to put away one's liquor...

Ah yes, the old ellipses problem, I know thee well...in fact, i was wondering when you would start popping up again. ((Eh, just be happy the post is 90% actually content and only 10% ellipses. There have been post I made in past rps where the things were literally everywhere and the split was more of a 60/40 or an even 50/50 XD)) But yeah, ellipses are kinda just a part of the style I use. They were present a lot in my early posting on the site (like literally everywhere, left and right, it was just how I typed out my thoughts and even how I actually talk given how damn introverted I am and the fact that trying to hold a conversation with me is like trying to slowly torture information out of a terrorist operative. Unless I actually have something to say to you, then I'm just gonna stand there all quiet like and you're practically gonna have have to fight for every word you get out of me.) Over time, when I moved from the general forums and started to concentrate more and more of my time into the Role-playing section, that conversation habit integrated itself into my writing style... which, in turn, lead to me using a shit ton of Ellipses everywhere. Eventually though, I began to get a bit more forceful with how I type my mind as I started getting better and realizing that not everything I make is total shit after all (IE, Achievement Get: Confidence Confirmed) and the pauses and trailing off into thought mid-sentence got fewer and fewer in presence. But eh, you did me, so now I'll do you. And I'll use this OP to do it... (well, this really isn't an actual criticism, just a highly recommended change of wording) Now yeah, see, that section in red there. Everything else about this paragraph from the thread's OP is fine, especially the part stressing that criticism should be a two sided coin where both the positives and negatives are presented- in the world of amatuer criticisms, there are times when people do get carried away picking out every little thing that they find wrong and don't bother either noticing or listing the positives or the things they enjoyed about it, so It's definitely important to remind folks that if they got something to say, their thoughts and evaluation had better be more well thought out and crafted than a simple bashing session. But this one paragraph, this one paragraph, bro... it gets to me, see. It gets to me because in brutal honesty, there is no such thing as perfect writing, and by extension, there is no such thing as a perfect writer either. Those things simply don't exist, if they did, the world in it's vast entirety would simply implode from such a monumental anomaly- writing that is universally loved and praised by anyone and everyone who dares to read it, that no one can find anything bad about or that could be improved, even slightly? Sounds like a sign of the end of days to me. Writing is a craft where opinion is a very big factor, that's just the nature of the artform. It's also a craft that is easy enough to learn, but literally impossible to ever truly master. It doesn't matter what skill level you are, how many books or poems or short stories or screenplays you've written, the fact of the matter is that no matter where you are on the path of development, you could be Orson Scott Card or my main man George R.R. Martin, it doesn't matter, there will always be room for improvement, however slight or minikin such improvement may be. There is a reason why if you go to Literary reveiw sites such as Goodreads.com, you never see a book with an average of a perfect, 5/5 score unless it's only got a few reviews. Because for one, like I said, opinion and style are very big parts of writting, some people will like one author's style very much, while others may hate it. And secondly, it's because nothing can ever be perfect, regardless how much we as humans strive for it and try to delude ourselves that such a state of existence is attainable by the hands of mere mortal beings. Yes, I know how utterly depressing and discouraging that sounds to some, but think about it- is a lack of perfection really that much of a bad thing? Lack of perfection leads to variance, and variance leads to variety- it's in the name after all -and Variety in turn leads to diversity. Imagine how boring the world would be if every human being ever born was perfectly, undisputably congruent to each other in both body and soul. Now imagine if every story ever written was so great, so monumentally moving and engaging, that there is nothing wrong with them and no point in authors making the effort to experiment or try something new, to take risks with their storytelling and craft, and instead they all just stick to the cookie cutter story model that virtually guarantees success all day everyday. The literary world would become boring as hell literally overnight. The whole artform would stagnate like fetid pond water that's been sitting for 6 months straight in a pitch black, dank cave full of only the most dank of memes. Imperfection isn't bad, not at all, despite how much perfectionist like myself (yes, the irony of it is not lost on me. In even greater irony though, it is my very nature as a perfectionist that ultimately led me to realize and come to terms with this message, but only after it also got me spiralling into a period of mental turmoil where my confidence in my own writing was at the lowest it had ever been since I started because I could never succeed in satisfying the urge to make it all perfect, and in my attempts to do so only ended up making what I wrote worse.) constantly try to adjust and nudge things so they're just right and we can feel better about ourselves after our OCD stops flaring up. Imperfection isn't bad at all, it's what makes things interesting, it's the spice that keeps life from getting bland. Only when you begin to embrace imperfection, and accept that things can never be perfect, can you begin to truly move forward and, while unable to make them perfect, can start working to make them pretty damn good instead. The point of all this rambling being this: In my humble opinion, given all I have learned and seen over time, would do a far better service if rewritten perhaps someway along the following lines: Also, @Hukuna/Murdoc, could we please get a pin for this

Aurora, Ajax, Mufasa, 1st day of the 1st month, Year of Rebirth. Approximately 3:00PM The stone expression broke when she saw the flash of that red eye, her own Irises burning their brilliant green and fangs baring yet again as the demon talked down to Ajax. When it was her on the end of the quips, it was one thing, she was used to it, actually enjoyed it, when accompanied by the subtle undertones of desperation and last ditch defiance of fate. But when it was Ajax, it was entirely different. She almost lurched forward after the arrogant bastard, before the wizened Illithid raised a single slicked hand to halt her, shaking his head. "Indeed you are a devil." The squid mused as he watched the hellspawn leave, almost sounding amused. "I can already gather from your demeanor that there is blood on your hands- how long till it lies on your heart?" but the hellspawn was gone. "The rogue has stones, I'll give him that..." Mufasa snarled beneath his breath. "stones bigger than he has right to, but stones nonetheless. May his arrogance be his undoing." He only then bothered looking at the spider again. "Ajax, what about.... her? What skills does she possibly have that we would need her." His scrutinizing gaze was met with one of the Arachni's own. "Ajax, why did you bring your pet cat down here? Don't you know they loathe the water?" "Say that again?" Mufasa edged a little closer. "Stop this, both of you." Ajax cut in. "Gods, you predators and your constant pissing contests... first the demon, and now you two. If you must know, Mufasa, The reason I've sought out her help is because she's found and retrieved literally hundreds of items floating in the channels down here over the years, from jewelry like your amulet to all myriads of stranger things, and she's the only living being I know with better knowledge of this place than even myself. If you want to find what we're after in a timely matter, it will only happen with her aid." "Fine..." Mufasa backed away from her, though his guard remained staunch as ever. "To think though, there would come a day when I'd have to rely on some Spider-born menace to society... shameful." "Please, tell me I can eat him. He's far too annoying, just like the damn rat and that demon-" "No...Aurora." Ajax rubbed his temples by this point. Just like he had thought, this would've been far easier if he had just gone down here alone. "Fiiiine..." she sighed. More of a passive aggressive snarl, really. "What were you talking about earlier then, about needing me and finding things?" "My friend here has a young daughter. She was playing by the fountains during the celebrations and long story shortened, an amulet she was wearing broke off and fell into the fountain. We've come down here to get it before it's lost forever- which is why, as I said earlier, we need you." She thought it over for a minute. But he could tell the mention of the daughter had done something..."What's so important about this piece of jewelry?" She finally said. "I've got probably too many of them to count. I could just as easily hand you a replacement to give to the girl." "It's all either of us have to remember of her mother." The lion finally chimed in. "It's more than just jewelry, it's inheritance, a memento of someone who is now lost. It is heart and memory given solid form and tempered by the fires of time. It is a part of who and what her mother was, even now." There was silence, for a good while. She turned and walked away from him pulling out the small stone hidden in her garbs, the string running along her armored neck nigh impossible to actually spot in the dark. It's runes still burned with their gentle, scarlet light even now after the fight was over. It'd been so long now that she'd had it, hadn't it? She hadn't even earned it, back then, with her training barely even begun. But yet... that hadn't been what mattered to her in the moment she'd taken it. All that had mattered was whose neck it was around, who it once belonged to. She had not cared about their customs or their law in that frozen point of time, only what little she was able to salvage. "Fine..." She finally broke the silence, glancing back at the lion. "I'll help you get it back. But don't expect me to slow down if you fall behind."

Final Stretch The rodent turned his attentions on Rascal the moment the rat dared interfere in his vengeance, so busy lashing out in the normal type's direction that he didn't even notice the fiery wheel of rage that was the monkey Apollo charging towards him. While the surprise attack landed spot on and sent him flying forwards, the damage Rascal had sustained from his bit of heroics wasn't something to just be brushed off. In the time between the interference and the flaming charge, the Lieutenant had managed to graze the gray mouse with a solid haymaker on his cheek, the wind itself whistling past as Bingo cursed at his slight mistake in aim... and then cursing at the one who slammed into the back of him. though now, the patrat lay sprawled in the dirt, glaring at Apollo as he rose to his feet, wiping the spittle from his mouth and flinging the stuff towards the second interloper. Twas a clear insult, if ever there was one. Gomez's tactics worked out favorably meanwhile, sending the patrat off his expected course and crashing into the ground before he could correct himself, glaring hatefully at the vine entwined around his foot as he was reeled in and clocked clean with a blow in between the eyes. He knelt in the sand, eyeing the geeko silently, teeth gritted with dust... Titan's own barrage landed solidly against the rat's chest, the first two stones sending him backwards into the air like a rag doll before something finally reached out and stopped him. The rat opened his eyes to find it was none other than Hog, fist burning with golden aura as he smashed the remaining rock volley with his single, bare fist as if he were swatting mere flies. Except the last one... no, no, the last one, he caught. Before sending it hurtling back to sender like a small meteorite falling from orbit, every bit of might and muscle he had behind the speeding piece of stone as headed right for Titan's Hearing crevice. The Patrat Meena had snuck upon cringed at the loud clap before feeling the baby Loam crash into him. The stunning didn't last for long however, given how quickly the fighter recovered and grabbed hold of the water type as he rolled away from impact, using all the momentum and force her own attack had given him to send the mudkip crashing into the nearest tree before getting back to his feet. His fangs elongated into black sabers as he looked at the Meowth, practically daring her to try and take vengeance for her friend... Lara managed to sink her fangs into the Patrat, but so to had he her. The force from the spinning tackle had sent Lara and her now entangled foe flying into the nearest tree behind them though, with the poochyena taking most of the impact force as her back slammed against solid, rock hard oak. But the Patrat had been knocked away from her by the sudden jolt in motion, falling to the ground and stunned by the shock of impact- just long enough that Leonidas might be able to land a blow, if he proved to be as quick on his feet as an electric type should be.

Me at the local comicon with my Weeabo "SEA of Japan" Club from school- it's a japanese art and cultural appreciation group basically. ((Okay, well, that's making it sound way more important than it is. Basically all we do every meeting is sit in a darkened classroom after school for an hour watching anime episodes and eating snacks from the local asian market. Occasionally we actually will have a presentation on something actually constructive, such as the japanese language structure and alphabets... but really, it all takes back seat to the anime. eh, at least the official mission statement looks good on paper XD)) I'm on the furthest left, the lone black guy both in this photo and the damn club. You can click on the thumbnail to enlarge it. There's probably a good 15 or 20 folks total in the actual club, though only the 7 of us present in the photo actually bothered showing up.

Updates coming tonight tomorrow.

Aurora, Icarus, Ajax, Mufasa, 1st day of the 1st month, Year of Rebirth. Approximately 3:00PM The lion opened his mouth, but Ajax was faster on the verbal draw. "What, him? Oh please... he ordered me to take him with me down here, I was far more worried about what he might do to Her if the two were to somehow cross paths. I've seen more than enough of what both of them can do, over the years. I know who would win that engagement, and it wouldn't last even a few minutes..." Within that split second, his eyes met Auroras and [Mind Probe: Used] without delay his mind was rushing outward into her own. There was resistance, there always was, but she opened the door easily enough... she always did hate when he did that. Memories, Memories were what he was looking for. And he found them easily enough once his own thoughts had bridged the gap and she'd realized what he wanted to see. He broke off the connection as quickly as it had been made, turning his attention back to the Demon. "But that's besides the point here..." He said. "What you said before, about this being a 'fight for survival', as you put it... well, from what I just saw, you were the one who escalated the situation to what it became... and you were also the one who threw the first blow, not her. I think this fight may be more a petty dispute over pride than anything else. Well, let me tell you, you're wasting your time here. You engaged an arachni, but... how precisely were you planning to kill her and win- because, I can assure you, killing them is the only way you can win against her kind- what, were you going to cut her up, slit her throat? Would you have attempted some complex maneuver with those chains to drag her into the channel and drown her? What would you have done when the injuries only drove her to fight harder and more viciously? What would you have done when she dragged you right in with her? What, pray tell, would you have done... when she freed herself from those chains and struck back?" The rattling of silver hitting stone rang through the air not even a second after he spoke, as if the squid man were a prophet. The Arachni stood surrounded by the now limp silver links, most of them looking worse for wear. The thrashing earlier had easily loosened them enough to where escape had been as simple as pulling her legs in beneath herself and letting them fall away. Rather than attack and give further credence to the Illithids question, the glow emanating from her form slowly died [Mother's Frenzy: Off] as she backed out of the circle of metal, eyes focused on both the soldiers and the rival Predator now, the same stoney expression as before plastered on, an unreadable mask in the darkness. Ajax just kept going like it was nothing. "Look, enough with this. You came down here for a reason, just like my commander here and I did, did you not? I'm fairly certain that whatever it may be, fighting Arachni Acolytes.... probably isn't it. We, on the other hand, need her, so how's this for an idea: you go your way about whatever business you have here, and commander and I will take her and go about our own business. She's stood down already, there's no way you can still claim she's actively threatening your life now. And if she's with us, there's no way she can follow you either." Mufasa's eyes kept glancing back and forth between the Demon and Spider alike all the while, hands still burning with that faint, wispy light and silently sizing up which one it would be most efficient to focus on and cut down first. Ajax could negotiate all he liked, the squid had always been far better at it than him. But the first sign of trouble... he wouldn't bother waiting to sort things out, their need for that... that monster be damned. Though he lacked his physical sword, the [Blade of Dawn] was always at the ready, the beck and call... all he would have to do is manifest it. And there was not even the slightest shadow of a doubt in his mind that it would make short work of both the predators put together, if need be...

At the moment Apollo's volley of searing flame was about to strike the group, one of the patrats broke off from the others without even a single word having to be uttered. As fast as the eye could blank, he was down on the dust laden earth, spinning his body about like a top as a fierce torrent of sand and dirt tore up from the ground, send airborne by his violent breakdancing in a cloud of choking dust. The monkey's embers croaked and died the very moment they came into contact with the smothering sand. The rodent gave Apollo a disturbing grin as he rose from the strange blocking tactic, the gleam in his eye speaking of nothing but the foulest of intentions. The remaining four meanwhile leapt and sprang as they dodged the watergun, some flipping and others combat rolling out of the way as they held the course, in turn not even seeing Gomez's leer as the lizard stared with cold menace towards them. One of them, different from the others, his eyes burning blue and gold rather than red, sprang up near Meena, unexpectant of the slashing claws that almost immediately met his face. The attack seemed to only anger him more than anything else, evident in the pale, golden light that enveloped his very body as he reeled back before surged towards the cat with every ounce of speed and agility he had, lashing out with his own paws in a violent frenzy as he closed in like a bullet. Thanks to the roll earlier, he'd already been too close for comfort, but now... this close, at this speed... dodging would be far easier said than done; even if she did figure out something, chances were... she'd still take a rough grazing in the attempt to get away. One of his companions, in the meantime, came after none other than Loam, fangs burning black as he feinted and zigzagged back and forth like a maniac as he moved towards her, making it far more difficult to predict where or when the blow would finally come... if there was even any pattern to his movement at all as he closed in further with every second. Another closed in on Leonidas, his body low to the ground as he lashed at the very soul itself, scattering his fur with more and more dust and sand as he ran, keeping a solid bead on his target despite the irritating grit thanks to his keen eyes. Once he was finally close enough, rather than attack immediately he feinted hard to the left before pouncing forward with all his might, body beginning to twist in a spiral as launched himself at the lion cub, fully confident the dirt covering him would nullify any lightning the young electric type could possibly dish out. An experienced, seasoned trainer would've easily recognized the move as a highly advanced version of tackle... using the same principles as rifling, twisting and turning the users body about in the air like a spiraling bullet in order to increase the damage. But then again, having started only this morning, Jack wasn't exactly what one could've called a seasoned trainer. None of them there were. The final of the four that kept going was now closing in fast on Gomez, he too pouncing forward like a puma before spiralling his body like a speeding bullet, the difference in the tactic between him and his brother attacking Leonidas being that he had his fangs bared all the while, burning sinister black as he closed in... And Hog did nothing but watch from afar, again beginning to question the intelligence of the human children. They didn't seem to fully understand the advantage of numbers, of attacking from multiple fronts without mercy and without pause, all at once, in order to overwhelm and destroy all who were in one's way... which was perfectly fine by him. If they failed to utilize the power of superior numbers to it's fullest potential, that would just make it all the more easier to beat them senseless and boot them out of his domain. Dumb kids trying to play hero, indeed.

Aurora, Icarus, Ajax, Mufasa, 1st day of the 1st month, Year of Rebirth. Approximately 3:00PM On the moment of impact, the hard reverberation of the force rang throughout the weapon as hilt clashed with armor and solid clank sounded off into the darkness as it immediately bounced back off as if it were wrought from metal. The onyx black surface showed no outward signs of any failure or stress, and even if it did, not like one would be able to see something so small in detail in this darkness, making it far hard to tell if any damage was done at all. She felt the vibration from it, probably just like the blade's own wielder would feel from the collision, but Aurora gave no sign of acknowledgement any pain derived from it... most likely the Oath at work yet again in her mind (Heart of the Mother). the twin, burning pools of emerald that were her eyes bored down into the Demon's soul from above as low, halting chuckle came from her, as if she had to fight to even produce an intelligible noise against the surge of nigh animalistic aggression. The demon seemed to be a bit dumber than she gave him credit for...as if a knife could ever make an effective bludgeoning tool. Reminded her of the Human ranger from whom she had stolen the very leather she wore, to be honest. He too had thought, in a last ditch moment of desperate struggle, that a mere bash with something as small and pitiful a bludgeoning device as a mere knife handle would be enough to break through that natural defense and shatter the armor...he had been wrong, so, so terribly wrong. Armor so wretchedly weak that it caved in from such an amount of stress that was so comparably minor next to all that it would have to face and defend it's user against in the raw heat of combat, was not fit to be called armor in the first place. It was fit to be called trash, because that's where it would belong. If the Exo skeleton of her race was strong enough to deflect the force of fired arrows, surely... there was no way in deepest reaches of Underdark it would fail against a simple reverse grip strike. "You fool..." She cackled. "You think... your little blade there... can do the job that is meant for a war hammer or a mace, the job those were explicitly created for? If so, then you underestimate my kind. and that... will cost you dearly." The chains wrapping her legs showed greater and greater stress as she spoke, her legs writhing in a thrashing dance of black armor and swimmingly brilliant patterns. Links began to bend, began to pull apart, the rattling growing more and more frenzied... it was obvious they would not hold against the onslaught. and then, just before the chains were about to fail completely, she froze, Her face glazed over with recognition as the sound of footsteps echoed down the tunnel. It was his scent, there were none other like it. Her eyes drifted into the darkness. And then she saw him... saw both of them. "My, what have we here..." Ajax called as he emerged from darkness. Mufasa was not long on his heels. His bleak, onyx black eyes surveyed the scene like a hawk before finally settling on Icarus. The very water flowing in the channels began to writhe and seethe as if possessed by rage as he continued, his tone cam and collected despite the furious torrent behind him "seems we're interrupting something, are we? I must say, I'm surprised she found someone else down here to even get into an altercation with like this. Most are too... put off by the prospect of trudging into the underground." Mufasa, meanwhile, could only stand there and pass a perplexed glance back and forth between Ajax and the giant arachnid staring at them, whispering as he leaned to Ajjy's ear "Wait, you mean...her. That's the one you meant could help? Her? An Arachni? Are you mad, man, how in the seven hells is she going to try to 'help', what, by trying to eat both of us whole?" "Indeed, tis precisely who I meant." He whispered back, eyes still fixed on the demon. " but You can calm down, my friend. She's not like the rest of her kind, that much I can assure you... she's got a far better handle over the killing instincts than any other I've heard of or seen. I can vouch for that much, and so can a certain little were-wolf." Mufasa's eyes widened at that. "No, impossible, you mean to tell me..." He knew which one the squid was talking about, had seen her more than a few times in passing, had even met the girl when she came into the pub one day after their shift had ended and they were having a cold one to ask him for something. But to think, this... spider here, that it could actually restrain itself that much... no. No, with all he knew about their kind, it simply couldn't be. Impossible, surely, the world would sooner end than such a thing occur... "Ludicrous." He breath. "Absolutely ludicrous..." "Call it ludicrous all you like, old friend. It doesn't change the fact that it's the truth...but right now, we have more pressing matters, I beleive." Ajax didn't bother waiting for a response before he called back through the darkness towards Icarus. "Young man, might I ask...just what do you think you are doing to my good friend there?" The channel's waters kept raging all the while.