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Topics - MonsterManic

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16
AMA Section / Rule 63...
« on: February 02, 2018, 07:08:09 AM »
Your character is walking down a street when they accidentally bump into another person. They look up to see a Rule 63 (Genderbent) version of themselves. How do they react?

17
The Vale Region / Mysterious Migrations of Mountain Glenn
« on: January 22, 2018, 05:26:58 PM »
MISSION DETAILS:

The area around Mountain Glenn has always been a perilous one. Grimm are constantly gathering around the area for reasons yet unknown, while the area itself is desolate, ruined and bleak, a reminder that even the most powerful of settlements falls to the Grimm. The underground is no different; non-active train tracks lead directly to Vale, sealed behind the thickest of bulkhead walls that even a Goliath would find hard to break down. The reason mainly attributed to the fall of such a heavily defended area is the lack of natural defences that Vale boasts; it is that same reason that Grimm find easy access to the surrounding areas.

Around a week ago, Hunters sent to cull the numbers of Grimm reported seeing new species of Grimm, believed to not be native to Mountain Glenn. In addition, said Grimm have been migrating to the area en masse, harassing any unprepared Hunters sent to deal with the threat. Casualty rates have risen to unforeseen amounts, enough to warrant an immediate, decisive response from a small strike team.

Selected members of this strike force will be landing just outside the ruined city's borders at the break of dawn, accompanied by a fully trained and capable Huntsman. They will then be proceeding on foot to locate, if any, the source of this strange phenomenon. If any source is found, their objective will be to destroy said source--if none is found, the strike force is to retreat to a safe location for a Bullhead to evacuate them safely. In light of the risk of this mission, the transport provided is a heavily armed Dropship, which is licensed to carry out strafing runs if necessary.

MISSION OBJECTIVES:
-Deploy to mission location and investigate
-Destroy source of migration, if possible




While waking up before the crack of dawn to board a dropship bound for one of the most dangerous areas in Vale was not on Ferus's wishlist, he was quite certain that whatever he felt, the others felt much, much worse. Put him in any one of the student's shoes and he would probably be asleep. Alas, that was not to be for his mind was methodically going through years of protocol, drilled into his mind by teachers before him.

Put before him was a mission unlike any he had undertaken, in addition to his first with Beacon students. They were not to be underestimated, for sure--one of the students picked was a Vytal Festival finalist--while two 3rd year members rounded out the team with their advanced wisdom over the other 1st years. Still, one could not make too many preparations when Grimm were in the equation.

As the familiar skyline of the ruined city came into view and the comforting rays of light peeked over the horizon, the Huntsman turned to wake any lucky soul who had managed to claim a few precious moments of sleep. A long day was ahead of them all, and sleep would soon just be a memory...

18
Plot Zone / Mysterious Migration of Mountain Glenn
« on: January 21, 2018, 08:16:04 AM »
Mountain Glenn. A ever-looming landmark of one of Vale's biggest failures, now converted to one of the largest gathering places for Grimm found anywhere on Remnant. Hunters and Huntresses are constantly sent to keep the Grimm levels down to a manageable amount, with the majority of such missions being successful at culling the monsters. Even Beacon students undertake excursions to the Mountain for both learning and combat practice.

But something has recently gone amiss. Hunters sent to cull the Grimm are returning with increasing losses and sightings of Grimm not normally seen around Mountain Glenn. More concerning is the fact that these non-native Grimm are reported migrating to the area en mass. The new combat professor at Beacon, Ferus Talandar, has been tasked with leading a small strike force of capable Beacon students to investigate the source of this intriguing phenomenon, and if possible, stop the migration.

Any students of any year group participating must be aware of the odds and risks taking this mission, and prepare for a long fight--the mission will most likely not be simple or short. Of course, successfully completing the mission will result in extra credit and potentially further rewards--the areas being investigated have a reputation to contain certain valuables left over the ages.

Sharpen your blades and ready your firearms--this should prove interesting...

Available Slots: Full!
Nathan Eau--1st Year
Gwylan Anwen--1st Year
Mogan Treehouse--3rd Year
Suntalia Lyn Ryker--3rd Year

19
Introductions, birthdays, and departures. / It's been one year...
« on: January 06, 2018, 05:59:38 PM »
And I haven't made one of these.

Can't believe it's been a exact year since I joined the site, and I have to say I don't regret it at all (just look at the time spent). Admittedly joining without a word of greeting was rude of me but I wasn't aware introduction posts existed. I was proven wrong, obviously.

So anyway, my greeting one year late! It's definitely been an entertaining year and I hope it continues!


20
Introductions, birthdays, and departures. / It's been one year...
« on: January 04, 2018, 09:14:42 PM »
And I haven't made one of these.

Can't believe it's been a exact year since I joined the site, and I have to say I don't regret it at all (just look at the time spent). Admittedly joining without a word of greeting was rude of me but I wasn't aware introduction posts existed. I was proven wrong, obviously.

So anyway, my greeting one year late! It's definitely been an entertaining year and I hope it continues!

21
Approved Characters / Prof. Ferus Talandar
« on: January 02, 2018, 09:59:18 AM »
CHARACTER

Name: Professor Ferus Talandar

Nicknames: The Huntsman Who Learns (In certain circles)

Age: 43

Species and Gender: Male Human

Occupation: Teacher at Beacon Academy (Specialties: Grimm Hunting, Grimm Combat Lessons), former Huntsman, Beacon Academy graduate

Appearance-Casual: Clad in a long, slate-grey, double-breasted tailcoat that encompasses Ferus's 6'5 height, naturally black hair and bangs, his predominantly dark-shaded wardrobe of grey, black and off-whites does little to bring out the shine in Ferus's similarly coloured eyes. They do, however, display his heavily toned physique and his wide shoulder width predominantly. While not a detail he likes to bring up, those who like to observe--or are just keen-eyed--will notice the intricate woven patterns and precise stitching that denote the makings of a bespoke tailor. Completing his outfit are a pair of worn jump boots--ideal for the inevitable aerial descent denoting each mission's start in his opinion.

Appearance-Teaching: Reluctantly forgoing his beloved tailcoat, Ferus dons a more simple stiletto-shaded suit with twin cufflinks in the form of his symbol, something he has yet to have to repair due to the rarity of his indoor lessons. A formal, light blue dress shirt is worn inside and a white cravat adorns his neck. While his attire is smart, it is significantly more disheveled than his casual, leading many to believe that his teaching outfit is instead his combat outfit and vice versa. However, the lack of wear and tear proves otherwise.

Appearance-Battle: At first glance, Ferus's various pieces of armor come off more like ceremonial pieces, designed for purposes other than battle. The mixture of vibrant gold shades integrate with carved spirals and patterns on each smoothly curved armor piece, consisting of a breastplate cut off over his abdomen with high arches over the shoulders and a single glass rhombus on each side, twin vambraces and greaves, each piece with an inlaid transparent oval. A single left armored gauntlet follows the same pattern. The overall weight of each piece combined do little to hinder Ferus's movement, and each transparent section is designed to house specific Dust crystals. The breastplate and both vambraces house Gravity Dust for easy attaching and detaching of weaponry, while slits in the greaves allow the Kinetic Dust stored in the armor to be released in small bursts, giving Ferus the ability to sidestep with the additional momentum. All the above is in addition to Ferus's casual outfit.
picture: ShowHide



History: While the saying "Turning over a new leaf" is used to describe someone who resolves to change a certain habit, anyone who had the fortune of knowing both the young Ferus and old Ferus would say that Ferus defines the saying. As a peaceful, inconspicuous young child born in one of the few independent villages away from the mighty Vale, Ferus was already chosen as another to take up the mantle of a Hunter, in the service of their village. And while his father, a prominent Hunter in his prime, was as good a teacher as he was a father, the young Ferus soon grew disenchanted by the constant, rigorous training that he was forced to undertake, day by day. Whenever possible, the boy would find ways to hide from his father and escape from the "confines" of his training, joining up with his friends near the forest just within sight of the village. While the ever-existing threat of the creatures of Grimm lurked within the darkness, the combined force of the Huntsmen in the village was enough to drive them back, time and time again. Or so they thought...

One damp afternoon, on the winter solstice, the 15-year old boy ventured away from his house to meet up with his group of friends, where he was informed they would set off some illegal fireworks, already hidden in the woods. To do this, they needed to delve deeper into the forest, something his father had repeatedly drilled into Ferus not to do. Knowing this but not wanting to look like a coward, Ferus agreed...then while his friends ran off in a group, he silently headed off in another direction, intending on looping back around to the village to avoid his group. But mid-travel, Ferus felt something had changed. The temperature, normally cold as one would expect from it being close to the winter solstice, was oddly warm. And when it started snowing, what came down to Ferus's bewilderment wasn't snow, but soft grey ash. With a rapidly growing sense of dread, he doubled his pace, praying what he thought hadn't happened.

The worst had happened. The view of the village, frustratingly obstructed by the multitude of trees that seemed endless, opened up to reveal the palisade as well as the rest of the village, burning like a blazing bonfire. Flames leaping from the roof of one house to another, likely from something flammable being knocked over, cast shadows on an endless moving swarm of objects. The Grimm had arrived--and they had one thought on their mind: KILL. KILL EVERYTHING. All the Hunters had been celebrating in the town hall by having a fighting tournament, and were caught completely off guard. Even rallying under the shining banner of their village did nothing to stem the endless stream of Grimm washing over each patch of resistance, every Hunter, like tidal waves striking a beach with the momentum of a wrecking ball. Any who turned to flee were trampled underfoot like an ant, gored through the stomach of a charging Boarbatusk, picked off the floor by the cloud of Nevermores, hovering like vultures after a kill. All this done as easily as one draws breath. And Ferus bore witness to it all. He couldn't turn away. He was helpless to stop the massacre unfolding before their eyes. It was an execution, and he had a front seat.

Help came too late for the hapless village. The rat-tat-tat fire of Bullheads from Vale only served the purpose of scattering what remained of the rapidly dispersing Grimm. And when they landed, they might as well have taken straight off again. There was no-one to rescue, no intact bodies to bury. Houses were razed to the ground, worldly possessions burned to a crisp. And as Ferus wandered what remained of the village, he felt sadness. Grief. Fury. But the tears didn't flow. News started trickling in, of the lucky few that made it out thanks to the Huntsmen's valiant effort and sacrifice. Ferus's group of friends were missing, a sign that the boy was wise to listen to an elder's instructions. And after scavenging whatever he could find from his ruined home, Ferus boarded a Bullhead bound for Vale with a clear goal in mind: KILL. KILL EVERY SINGLE GRIMM.

With no family left and nowhere to call home, Ferus enlisted in Signal Academy, paying with every single coin he had left to his name. The city was obliged to provide refugees with a small sum of money to settle the evacuees, but a few teachers took pity on him and supplied Ferus with some leftover clothing that fit him, as well as the rest of the money needed to enlist. In honor of his father who taught him everything he knew about battle, the boy chose to continue his training with the lance, his father's weapon of choice. With the constant knowledge that this was all he had left in life, the boy threw himself into his studies with a level of dedication and determination that shocked teachers. Ruthlessness in sparring matches, scarily attentive in lessons, nothing less than perfection would be acceptable. The performance he was achieving in Signal was rarely heard of, especially from one who had lost his entire family. That fact still remained with Ferus, but simply forcibly quashed in his mind by constant thoughts of revenge. It was the sole thing that kept him going and pushed him to achieve.

When he first started at Beacon Academy two years later, the teenager was nearly unrecognisable from his previous self. Now a person who shunned any social contact and was determined to the point of fanaticism, it wasn't hard to imagine he wouldn't fit well with any team. Nevertheless, the staff at Beacon weren't about to turn away a student of his caliber and dedication, and tried to give him a team that was willing to help each other--the perfect definition of teamwork. Despite this, Ferus had long since thrown up a mental wall between him and outsiders, hardening his shell and continuing to repress his emotions through his work and fighting. Every moment spent in thought of improvement, never a second wasted on useless things such as bonding with his team. But after a series of almost fateful events--one that may or may not have been orchestrated by a few members of staff--that included Ferus being over his head on his own and having his teammates save him from death, the teenager finally started letting his emotions get the better of him. Reluctantly, he admitted that while he kept up his strong and determined demeanour, his soul was crying out in agony and grief over the deaths of his loved ones. Inside, Ferus was broken and torn, his heart shattered as he tried and failed to deal with the mental loss.

By the time they finished their first year, Ferus had since turned over a new leaf. With the help of his fellow teammates who had consoled him and led him through the dark tunnel into the light, he once again regained his previous personality and properly joined the ranks of his team--though not without proper counselling and time. With them, he found that he had been missing out on all the benefits of having friends to share happiness and sorrow with, and a shoulder to cry on when old demons awoke. The three years of Beacon went by in a flash, the new age beckoning the team onwards to further glory. But for all that had happened, Ferus had not lost sight of his original goal. While his methods had indeed changed, he had yet to start. So sadly bidding farewell to his team--for they each had a different goal in mind--Ferus struck out to make a living for himself as a freelance Huntsman. As with Beacon, the years flew equally swiftly, with the Huntsman visiting various parts of Vale, Mistral, Vacuo and even Atlas, wherever his duty beckoned and wherever missions called for his presence. With each trip, Ferus met more and more people of the same profession, almost all more skilled and older than him. And from them he made it his mission to learn, to glean jewels of wisdom from each Hunter he passed. And with each successful hunt, news started spreading in certain circles of "The Huntsman Who Learns"--of the man who seemed in an endless pursuit of knowledge against the forces of the Grimm.

Having successfully (and inadvertently) made a name for himself, Ferus found himself with no lack of both Lien and fellow Huntsmen in need of guidance, similar to how he sought out Hunters who had mastered their own unique craft. Remembering how his "teachers" had treated his request and did the best they could, he attempted to do something similar. It was there he discovered he had a flair for teaching--the reservoirs of knowledge accumulated over the years springing to the mind with natural ease. More than once, Hunters who came to him for advice felt his talent was better spent in a academy, and when he brought the subject up with his old team whom he remained in close contact with, the decision was unanimous. For Ferus, it was yet another step toward his goal, only it wouldn't be him taking up weapons against the Grimm; that job was left to the next generation of Huntsmen and Huntresses. His path now led him to Beacon Academy, the place where he first began anew. Now, his return marked the start of a new chapter in his life, the turning of yet another leaf.
tl;dr for those who cba: ShowHide

Ferus is born. Village is destroyed by Grimm. Ferus seeks revenge and becomes cold-hearted toward everyone. Teammates change his mind. He opens up to them. Graduates and goes solo, travelling all over Remnant. Learns from elder Hunters, earning the alias "The Huntsman Who Learns". Tries his hand at teaching, and has a natural flair for it. Applies for a staff role at Beacon Academy.

Personality: Teachers are the kind of person one turns to when they are stuck on something, require assistance, or simply need an adult to talk to. While Professor Ferus Talandar isn't the person that first comes to mind when such assistance is required, hunters-in-training that undertake his lessons are left with no doubt that the Hunter-turned-teacher is one that is highly dedicated to his job. Ferus spares no effort when it means the student in question improves on his skills as a Hunter--the reason Ferus became a teacher in the first place--and attempts to make his indoor lessons as interesting as possible. Granted, not every student that steps in his classroom will be as willing as he to listen to lessons was back in his Beacon days and Ferus fully understands, instead using his own experience as a student to face any teaching problems.

While Ferus is a capable teacher when using words and diagrams, the outdoors is where his skill both as a teacher and a Huntsman truly shines; after all, the outdoors is where the practical side of being a Hunter comes into play. Ferus highly prefers outdoor lessons with hands-on Grimm combat over the duller lessons indoors, but he fully acknowledges that he is no match for the mental prowess of some of his fellow teachers, and is willing to learn, even now, from his elders, still being a keen student to this day, hence his alias of "The Huntsman Who Learns". Active students that frequent the sparring halls and gyms will oft see the teacher running through years of techniques in his free time, a sight to behold when his true potential is almost always held back. Training must become instinct for those who want to survive on the battlefield; and so Ferus has mastered his abilities, his very body, until his training is in his blood.

Even though Ferus is a Huntsman to the very core, determined to stand forever in combat against the creatures of Grimm, his reason behind it is what empowers him to keep going. All that hatred of the Grimm stoppered within him is turned into Ferus's strength, instead of letting it consume him. What he hates seeing are students in the same situation as him--which is why he tries to get them over it and move on as painlessly as possible. In addition, his way of living and his life lesson have given him one unique ideal: abstaining from non-Grimm fighting. While Ferus does not condone PvP nor has any negative opinions on it, he himself simply does not participate--at least, willingly. When lives are on the line, either his own or others, human or Faunus, and no-one qualified is on the scene, he will step up to intervene. Recent events with the White Fang have given Ferus cause to reconsider his ideals, but so long as the Fang do not intervene with his actions he sees no reason for recourse--in the near future. It is true that Ferus mostly stands alone in this belief, and does not judge anyone who disagrees with his beliefs. If asked, he will respond with something along the lines of "Huntsman's duty". It takes knowledge of Ferus's troubled past and the journey he has been through to fully understand why Ferus feels this way; fighting among humans distracts them from what is important, and doing so results in lives being lost for each moment wasted. Some argue that Ferus still subconsciously retains trauma from his past, others chalk it up to his vow to constantly defend humanity. But it truly is once in a blue moon when Ferus bears arms against another human or Faunus.

Aura: Aura Color--Slate Grey/#708090

Throughout his two years of Signal, four years within Beacon, and his career of being a fully-fledged Huntsman, the name of the game for Ferus has always been strength. Not power in the sense that it would corrupt minds, but rather physical strength that could always be relied on to get you out of a pinch. As such, Ferus has honed and extensively trained his Aura over the course of many years of fighting and training to greatly enhance his physical strength, far beyond what normal strength training could possibly achieve. This didn't mean Ferus ignored all other aspects of what his Aura could achieve; during his years as a junior Huntsman his battles brought him together with other Hunters far more skilled at different Aura techniques. As a result of learning from his superiors, Ferus has grasped the art of Aura Shielding, Aura-infused hand strikes, and Aura Detection, though none reach the level of mastery as his strength from his Aura. And with the unique circumstances required for his Semblance, there's no denying Ferus needs every single advantage his Aura can provide.

Semblance: He Who Stands Alone-- Gaining a sevenfold boost of strength, toughness and stamina to every single muscle, organ and bone in his body, Ferus's physical strength, stamina and speed is exponentially increased up to 7x its original limits. However, this comes at a high risk; in order for the strength boost to take place, there must be no living human or Faunus within 10 meters of Ferus at any given point of time. Failing the requirements results in Ferus's semblance automatically shutting down regardless of how small the intrusion was, leaving Ferus without the power-up of his Semblance.

While He Who Stands Alone is active, a highly visible, translucent circular area of light grey flares up around Ferus, indicating the area in which no-one is to enter. This is a passive effect and does not impair vision, as well as being able to pass through everything. In addition, Ferus's eyes leave behind a trail of grey light, further exposing his location to any Grimm.

With the massive disadvantage of his Semblance holding Ferus down, he has trained to make the positives outweigh the negatives. He Who Stands Alone has been greatly enhanced from his young Beacon days: the effects are instantaneous and can last for up to 5 minutes with no drawback. However, beyond 5 minutes of operating time starts exerting stress on Ferus's heart; overuse can lead to severe heart attacks and in the worst case scenario, death. Knowing this, Ferus refrains from relying on his semblance, choosing mostly not to use it unless the situation warrants it.

Combat Behavior: Ferus views his job as a Huntsman in a different sense: he believes that while children can have their fun fighting each other, the true duty of a proper Hunter is in battle only against the creatures of Grimm. Thanks to that and his endless pursuit of knowledge in order to combat Grimm, Ferus is extremely capable at dispatching almost every type of Grimm. He is very knowledgable about each species of Grimm, be it common or rare, having done extensive research into each existing species known to mankind, as well as years of personal experience locked in battle. While the fighting style he has embraced, as well as his weapon of choice, leave him incredibly vulnerable to attacks from Hunters of his level, he actively avoids combat with humans or Faunus.

While Ferus's combat style varies slightly against each type of Grimm, his main approach is to hit them as hard as possible, over and over, before they can strike back, with every attack calculated to inflict the maximum amount of damage possible, every exploitable opportunity used to its highest potential. This however sometimes backfires as a seemingly harmless opportunity turns into a trap. The long reach of his weapon as well as its three ranged options help deal with both armoured and non-armoured Grimm, single or pack alike. Ferus forgoes elegance, mobility and stealth for a brutally efficient and remarkably fast way of fighting against any grounded foe; while against airborne Grimm like the Nevermore, he employs his grappling spike to bring them to earth, where they are just another Grimm to the slaughter.

Usage of Ferus's Aura is heavy in combat; he relies on the sheer power of the strength boost his Aura provides to swing his weapon around for durations of time other Hunters would not be able to achieve, while unarmed he still poses a distinct threat with his Aura Shielding and Aura strikes. His Semblance is both a blessing and a curse; being unable to use it in a group drags him down when fighting Grimm too dangerous to handle alone, but being able to single-handedly hold the line when protecting unarmed civilians is one of his greatest feats and one that he is immensely grateful for.

Equally as important as his weapon usage and Aura is his reliance on Dust: from subtle utilities in his armor to a straight-up dust-thrower, Ferus expends Dust at a surprising rate considering his role as a non-mage bruiser. Herein lies one of his biggest weaknesses; when prolonged battles leave his Dust reserves running dry and he cannot call in his locker for any reason, Ferus has lost a mobility option (greave thrusters), all three ranged options (shells, dust-throwers, cannon) and the ability to holster anything, including his shield. Another weakness of note is his mobility; while his greaves provide a short burst of movement in one direction, any fast Grimm (or flying, for that matter) that constantly darts in and out not only serves as an annoying target, but a potentially lethal one provided enough swarm Ferus in one go.

WEAPON

Name: Grimm Repertoire

Primary Form: Grimm Repertoire is what Ferus calls a "Gunlance": a hand-held cannon, using a lance handle, with an oversized bayonet attached to the barrel, as well as a oversized 6-shot revolving chamber near the guard. In truth, the entire weapon's frame, as well as all ammunition used, makes it extremely heavy; only with Ferus's extensive strength training, both Aura and body, allow him to use this weapon with his degree of skill. Standing taller than Ferus at full height, the hydraulics that power the gunlance allow it to be folded in half via a hinge, revealing three chambers that make up the weapon's firing tubes. This is also the way how the spike cannon is reloaded.

Grimm Repertoire also boasts three firing options, each with its own specific type of ammunition. Ferus uses this in conjunction with his heavy smashing blows, alternating between melee and point-blank shots. It must be noted that all three options only work at close range, which Ferus learned the hard way when trying to shoot a Nevermore out of the sky.

Firing Chamber 1-Single Shell: Grimm Repertoire discharges one of it's six shells from within its revolving chamber. These shells equal a cannon shot in power, used mostly as a follow-up when Ferus has just smashed his lance down and the barrel is staring a Grimm right in the face. Designed to punch a hole through most Grimm, the shot has negligible range beyond point-blank, and is used mainly against lightly armoured targets or anything that has survived the initial lance blow.

Firing Chamber 2-Dustthrower: From within Grimm Repertoire's second chamber, Dust is discharged in a cone around 15 meters out, corresponding with the type of Dust crystal currently loaded. Ferus uses the Dustthrower when he needs crowd control against multiple light, unarmored targets. Each Dust crystal lasts up to a minute before being spent and ejected to the side.

Firing Chamber 3-Wyrmstake Cannon: The last of Grimm Repertoire's firing options, this forcibly inserts a sharpened metal spike into a Grimm so hard it takes one entire Kinetic Dust crystal to fire. When the armour on a Grimm is so hard a smash from the gunlance doesn't cut it, Ferus discharges the Wyrmstake Cannon, specifically designed to pierce the armour, bone, skin and chitin of even the toughest Grimm, bar a Goliath. Unlike the previous two, the metal stake, aptly named a Wyrmstake, has to be manually rammed back into Grimm Repertoire's firing barrel when reloading. In addition, the recoil is absolutely monstrous and due to the weight of each stake, Ferus only carries a limited number on him (2), often calling in his personal rocket locker to replenish his stores. However, that is not to say each stake is not reusable; if for whatever reason the stake misses, Ferus can recover and reload with the same stake.
picture: ShowHide



Dust Functions:

A point of note is that Grimm Repertoire's Dustthrower, as well as other Dust types used as triggers (Kinetic Dust), only accepts Dust crystals--the weapon was not designed in conjunction with powdered Dust, which was too volatile to use safely.
Spoiler: ShowHide

Fire Dust -- Sprays a stream of flame, like any flamethrower, in a cone. The flame is most potent in the middle, being a blue roaring flame instead of the orange flame near the sides.

Ice Dust -- Fires chunks of jagged ice balls in a random cone at high speeds and a high rate of fire. The ice balls are the size of a fist.

Electric Dust -- Discharges arcs of lightning like a tesla, which prioritise arcing toward metallic objects. Otherwise, discharges in the same cone.

Earth Dust -- When aimed at the ground, erects a curved, cresent wall of rock, stone and mud which acts as temporary cover. The structural integrity of the wall is not strong and will crumble in one strong hit.

Air Dust -- Ejects highly pressurised air in a cone which can knock a person over if hit directly.

Kinetic Dust -- Inserting a Kinetic Dust crystal after any of the above dust types have been loaded results in a massive increase in any projectile velocity and effective range, but horrible recoil and accuracy. Particular types to note are Electric, which do not get affected, and Earth, which makes it a rockslide instead of erecting a wall.

Gravity Dust -- The near opposite of Kinetic, inserting a Gravity crystal after any loaded Dust crystal makes the resulting output far more concentrated and accurate, albeit at a slower fire rate. Electric ignores the effect and Earth creates a solid pillar instead of a wall. The construct is much more durable.

Storage Form: Grimm Repetoire folds in half from its hinged joint and is slung on Ferus's back, "attached" to his breastplate via the subtle use of Gravity Dust.

History: Grimm Repetoire is the result of many, many years of Ferus's fighting and experience. During Ferus's young Beacon years his weapon of choice was a simple lance with built-in gun barrels; as he grew and started undergoing personality changes, his weapon underwent heavy upgrades to become more of a crushing weapon and less of a hit-and-run; as the jobs he took on in his Huntsman career demanded a different weapon, he adapted, upgrading to a lance more suited to ranged combat. Ferus however returns to Beacon Academy with what he considers his magnum opus, the culmination of all those years of experience, weapon changes, and combat.

WEAPON

Name: Voyance

Shield Form: In conjunction with Grimm Repertoire, Ferus carries a grey curved heater shield specially designed to redirect the momentum of any attacks it blocks. The shield has a sharp spike positioned in the middle of the shield, as well as a metal cross-section protruding from the base of the spike. Ferus uses two conflagrations when holding the shield: "attached" to his left forearm bracer via Gravity Dust or "held" in front of his fist. While the forearm is used more for defense, the other setting allows Ferus to access the shield's other modes more reliably. The left corner of the heater shield bears Ferus's symbol, the shape of which is formed with studded nails.

Gauntlet Form: When "held" in front of Ferus's fist, the shield splits in four and folds around Ferus's forearm, encasing his arm in a box of steel and leaving the metal spike in front. Ferus uses this as a brass knuckle-alternative when Grimm get in too close to use Grimm Repertoire.

Grapple Form: When held in shield form, the spike can be fired via Kinetic Dust to act as a grappling spike, capable of bringing small airborne Grimm to the ground. While the winch built in to the shield isn't strong enough to tow Ferus's body weight, the cable is strong enough to hold a Giant Nevermore's pull. 100 meters of cable is built in to the shield, and in the case the mechanism jams or fails, the entire winch can be detached.

History: While a young Ferus would have turned his nose up at the mention of a defensive approach, the now older, more wisely and experienced Huntsman has learnt that there is more to battle than just offence. Starting from his Huntsman graduate days, Ferus has carried this heater shield into battle alongside his gunlance and it has served him well.

EQUIPMENT/UTILITIES

Rocket Locker: Near as essential to Ferus as his weapon itself, the professor's personal rocket locker is something oft seen when on one of his Grimm hunts, especially if going alone. However, since assuming the role of a teacher, the locker has seen some slight changes to the contents of its interior. Occupying the majority of the locker's spacious interior are rows upon rows of Dust crystals of all sorts--exceptionally useful considering every single piece of Ferus's equipment uses some sort of Dust in one way or another. Secured to the wall are spare Wyrmstakes and shells for Grimm Repertoire, and somewhere in the corner will be lying a spare winch for Voyance in case Ferus tries to fish for something out of his league. However, with the addition of the title "Professor" to his name, the teacher has added more essentials to the locker, namely basic first-aid kits (which he has had training with), a flare gun in case something goes really, really awry, and whatever he deems necessary for the mission at hand.

Maelstrom Dust: Borne of Ferus's sweat and tears from days upon days of experimentation as well as help from his old team's resident Dust expert, Maelstrom Dust is comprised of many, many different kinds of powdered and highly volatile Dust, refined, enhanced and polished for use in Grimm Repertoire's shells with extreme care and precision. The result is a highly powerful mixture that could almost be considered acidic in its nature--shells fired with Maelstrom Dust leave the Dust in contact with a Grimm's body, where the mixture starts destroying flesh using a combination of all the elements so carefully aligned with each other, eating away from the point of impact until there is nothing left to destroy, or the Dust burns itself out. While extremely lethal to Grimm, it is also easily capable of doing the same to humans--which is why Ferus has yet to incorporate the Dust into his weapon beyond field tests.

22
WiP Characters / Prof. Ferus Talandar
« on: December 22, 2017, 01:18:10 AM »
CHARACTER

Name: Professor Ferus Talandar

Nicknames: The Huntsman Who Learns (In certain circles)

Age: 43

Species and Gender: Male Human

Occupation: Teacher at Beacon Academy (Specialties: Grimm Hunting, Grimm Combat Lessons), former Huntsman, Beacon Academy graduate

Appearance-Casual: Clad in a long, slate-grey, double-breasted tailcoat that encompasses Ferus's 6'5 height and natural black hair, his predominantly dark-shaded wardrobe of grey, black and off-whites does little to bring out the shine in Ferus's similarly coloured eyes. They do, however, display his heavily toned physique and his wide shoulder width predominantly. While not a detail he likes to bring up, those who like to observe--or are just keen-eyed--will notice the intricate woven patterns and precise stitching that denote the makings of a bespoke tailor. Completing his outfit are a pair of worn jump boots--ideal for the inevitable aerial descent denoting each mission's start in his opinion.

Appearance-Teaching: Reluctantly forgoing his beloved tailcoat, Ferus dons a more simple black suit with twin cufflinks in the form of his symbol, something he has yet to have to repair due to the rarity of his indoor lessons. A white, checkered shirt inside and a light blue tie is also worn, although Ferus keeps the "neck trap" slack all the time. While his attire is smart, it is significantly more disheveled than his casual, leading many to believe that his teaching outfit is instead his combat outfit and vice versa. However, the lack of wear and tear proves otherwise.

Appearance-Battle: At first glance, Ferus's various pieces of armor come off more like ceremonial pieces, designed for purposes other than battle. The mixture of vibrant gold shades integrate with carved spirals and patterns on each smoothly curved armor piece, consisting of a breastplate cut off over his abdomen with high arches over the shoulders and a single glass rhombus on each side, twin vambraces and greaves, each piece with an inlaid transparent oval. A single left armored gauntlet follows the same pattern. The overall weight of each piece combined do little to hinder Ferus's movement, and each transparent section is designed to house specific Dust crystals. The breastplate and both vambraces house Gravity Dust for easy attaching and detaching of weaponry, while slits in the greaves allow the Kinetic Dust stored in the armor to be released in small bursts, giving Ferus the ability to sidestep with the additional momentum. All the above is in addition to Ferus's casual outfit.
picture: ShowHide



History: While the saying "Turning over a new leaf" is used to describe someone who resolves to change a certain habit, anyone who had the fortune of knowing both the young Ferus and old Ferus would say that Ferus defines the saying. As a peaceful, inconspicuous young child born in one of the few independent villages away from the mighty Vale, Ferus was already chosen as another to take up the mantle of a Hunter, in the service of their village. And while his father, a prominent Hunter in his prime, was as good a teacher as he was a father, the young Ferus soon grew disenchanted by the constant, rigorous training that he was forced to undertake, day by day. Whenever possible, the boy would find ways to hide from his father and escape from the "confines" of his training, joining up with his friends near the forest, just within sight of the village. While the ever-existing threat of the creatures of Grimm lurked within the darkness, the combined force of the Huntsmen in the village was enough to drive them back, time and time again. Or so they thought...

One damp afternoon, on the winter solstice, the 15-year old boy ventured away from his house to meet up with his group of friends, where he was informed they would set off some illegal fireworks, already hidden in the woods. To do this, they needed to delve deeper into the forest, something his father had repeatedly drilled into Ferus not to do. Knowing this but not wanting to look like a coward, Ferus agreed...then while his friends ran off in a group, he silently headed off in another direction, intending on looping back around to the village to avoid his group. But mid-travel, Ferus felt something had changed. The temperature, normally cold as one would expect from it being close to the winter solstice, was oddly warm. And when it started snowing, what came down to Ferus's bewilderment wasn't snow, but soft grey ash. With a rapidly growing sense of dread, he doubled his pace, praying what he thought hadn't happened.

The worst had happened. The view of the village, frustratingly obstructed by the multitude of trees that seemed endless, opened up to reveal the palisade, as well as the rest of the village, burning like a blazing bonfire. Flames, leaping from the roof of one house to another, cast shadows on an endless moving swarm of objects. The Grimm had arrived--and they had one thought on their mind: KILL. KILL EVERYTHING. All the Hunters had been celebrating in the town hall, and were caught completely off guard. Even rallying under the shining banner of their village did nothing to stem the endless stream of Grimm washing over each patch of resistance, every Hunter, like tidal waves striking a beach with the momentum of a wrecking ball. Any who turned to flee were trampled underfoot like an ant, gored through the stomach of a charging Boarbatusk, picked off the floor by the cloud of Nevermores, hovering like vultures after a kill. All this done as easily as one draws breath. And Ferus bore witness to it all. He couldn't turn away. He was helpless to stop the massacre unfolding before their eyes. It was an execution, and he had a front seat.

Help came too late for the hapless village. The rat-tat-tat fire of Bullheads from Vale only served the purpose of scattering what remained of the rapidly dispersing Grimm. And when they landed, they might as well have taken straight off again. There was no-one to rescue, no intact bodies to bury. Houses were razed to the ground, worldly possessions burned to a crisp. And as Ferus wandered what remained of the village, he felt sadness. Grief. Fury. But the tears didn't flow. News started trickling in, of the lucky few that made it out thanks to the Huntsmen's valiant effort and sacrifice. Ferus's group of friends were missing, a sign that the boy was wise to listen to an elder's instructions. And after scavenging whatever he could find from his ruined home, Ferus boarded a Bullhead bound for Vale with a clear goal in mind: KILL. KILL EVERY SINGLE GRIMM.

With no family left and nowhere to call home, Ferus enlisted in Signal Academy, paying with every single coin he had left to his name. Teachers and other staff, hearing of his predicament and touched by his story, pooled together enough money for him to afford the most barebone essentials of life, as well as the materials to forge a weapon with. In honor of his father, who taught him everything, the boy chose to continue his training with the lance, his father's weapon of choice. With the constant knowledge that this was all he had left in life, the boy threw himself into his studies with a level of dedication and determination that shocked teachers. Ruthlessness in sparring matches, scarily attentive in lessons, nothing less than perfection would be acceptable. The performance he was achieving in Signal was rarely heard of, especially from one who had lost his entire family. That fact still remained with Ferus, but simply forcibly quashed in his mind by constant thoughts of revenge. It was the sole thing that kept him going and pushed him to achieve.

When he first started at Beacon Academy two years later, the teenager was nearly unrecognisable from his previous self. Now a person who shunned any social contact and was determined to the point of fanaticism, it wasn't hard to imagine he wouldn't fit well with any team. Nevertheless, the staff at Beacon weren't about to turn away a student of his caliber and dedication, and tried to give him a team that was willing to help each other--the perfect definition of teamwork. Despite this, Ferus had long since thrown up a mental wall between him and outsiders, hardening his shell and continuing to repress his emotions through his work and fighting. Every moment spent in thought of improvement, never a second wasted on useless things such as bonding with his team. But after a series of almost fateful events--one that may or may not have been orchestrated by a few members of staff--that included Ferus being over his head on his own and having his teammates save him from death, the teenager started, finally, letting his emotions get the better of him. Reluctantly, he admitted that while he kept up his strong and determined demeanour, behind that his soul was crying out in agony and grief over the deaths of his loved ones. Inside, Ferus was broken, his heart shattered as he tried and failed to deal with the mental loss.

By the time they finished their first year, however, Ferus had turned over a new leaf. With the help of his fellow teammates who had consoled him and led him through the dark tunnel into the light, he once again regained his previous personality and properly joined the ranks of his team. With them, he found that he had been missing out on all the benefits of having friends to share happiness and sorrow with, and a shoulder to cry on when old demons awoke. The three years of Beacon went by in a flash, the new age beckoning the team onwards to further glory. But for all that had happened, Ferus had not lost sight of his original goal. While his methods had indeed changed, he had yet to start. So sadly bidding farewell to his team, for they each had a different goal in mind, Ferus struck out to make a name for himself as a Huntsman for hire. As with Beacon, the years flew like an arrow, with the Huntsman visiting various parts of Vale, Mistral, Vacuo and even Atlas, wherever his duty beckoned. With each trip, Ferus met more and more people of the same profession, almost all more skilled and older than him. And from them, he made it his mission to learn, to glean jewels of wisdom from each Hunter he passed. And with each successful hunt, news started spreading in certain circles of "The Huntsman Who Learns"--of the man who seemed in an endless pursuit of knowledge against the forces of the Grimm.

Having successfully (and inadvertently) made a name for himself, Ferus found himself with no lack of both Lien and fellow, younger Huntsmen in need of guidance, similar to how he sought out Hunters who had mastered their own unique craft. Remembering how his "teachers" had treated his request and did the best they could, he attempted to do something similar. It was there he discovered he had a flair for teaching--the reservoirs of knowledge accumulated over the years springing to the mind with natural ease. More than once, Hunters who came to him for advice felt his talent was better spent in a academy, and when he brought the subject up with his old team, who he remained in close contact with, the decision was unanimous. For Ferus, it was yet another step toward his goal, only it wouldn't be him taking up weapons against the Grimm; that job was left to the next generation of Huntsmen and Huntresses. His path now led him to Beacon Academy, the place where he began anew. Now, his return marked the start of a new chapter in his life, the turning of yet another leaf.
tl;dr for those who cant be arsed: ShowHide

Ferus is born. Village is destroyed by Grimm. Ferus seeks revenge and becomes cold-hearted toward everyone. Teammates change his mind. He opens up to them. Graduates and goes solo, travelling all over Remnant. Learns from elder Hunters, earning the alias "The Huntsman Who Learns". Tries his hand at teaching, and has a natural flair for it. Applies for a staff role at Beacon Academy.

Personality: Teachers are the kind of person one turns to when they are stuck on something, require assistance, or simply need an adult to talk to. While Professor Ferus Talandar isn't the person that first comes to mind when such assistance is required, hunters-in-training that undertake his lessons are left with no doubt that the Hunter-turned-teacher is one that is highly dedicated to his job. Ferus spares no effort when it means the student in question improves on his skills as a Hunter--the reason Ferus became a teacher in the first place--and attempts to make his indoor lessons as interesting as possible. Granted, not every student that steps in his classroom will be as willing as he to listen to lessons was back in his Beacon days, and Ferus fully understands, instead using his own experience as a student to face any teaching problems.

While Ferus is a capable teacher when using words and diagrams, the outdoors is where his skill, both as a teacher and a Huntsman, truly shines; after all, the outdoors is where the practical side of being a Hunter comes into play. Ferus highly prefers outdoor lessons with hands-on Grimm combat over the duller lessons indoors, but he fully acknowledges that he is no match for the mental prowess of some of his fellow teachers, and is willing to learn, even now, from his elders, still being a keen student to this day, hence his alias of "The Huntsman Who Learns". Active students that frequent the sparring halls and gyms will oft see the teacher running through years of techniques in his free time, a sight to behold when his true potential is almost always held back. While no longer in his prime, Ferus's determination to keep going is an adequate replacement for his drive.

Even though Ferus is a Huntsman to the very core, determined to stand forever in combat against the creatures of Grimm, his reason behind it is what empowers him to keep going. All that hatred of the Grimm, stoppered within him, Ferus turns into his strength, instead of letting it consume him. What he hates seeing are students in the same situation as him--which is why he tries to get them over it and move on as painlessly as possible. In addition, his way of living and his life lesson have given him one unique ideal: abstaining from non-Grimm fighting. While Ferus does not condone PvP nor has any negative opinions on it, he himself simply does not participate--at least, willingly. When lives are on the line, either his own or others, human or Faunus, and no-one qualified is on the scene, he will step up to intervene. Recent events with the White Fang have given Ferus cause to reconsider his ideals, but so long as the Fang do not intervene with his actions he sees no reason for recourse--in the near future.

Aura and Semblance: Aura Color--Slate Grey/#708090

Throughout his two years of Signal, four years within Beacon, and his career of being a fully-fledged Huntsman, the name of the game for Ferus has always been strength. Not power in the sense that it would corrupt minds, but rather physical strength that could always be relied on to get you out of a pinch. As such, Ferus has honed and extensively trained his Aura over the course of many years of fighting and training to greatly enhance his physical strength, far beyond what normal strength training could possibly achieve. This didn't mean Ferus ignored all other aspects of what his Aura could achieve; during his years as a junior Huntsman his battles brought him together with other Hunters far more skilled at different Aura techniques. As a result of learning from his superiors, Ferus has grasped the art of Aura Shielding, Aura-infused hand strikes, and Aura Detection, though none reach the level of mastery as his strength from his Aura. And with the unique circumstances required for his Semblance, there's no denying Ferus needs every single advantage his Aura can provide.

Semblance: He Who Stands Alone-- Gaining a sevenfold boost of strength, toughness and stamina to every single muscle, organ and bone in his body, Ferus's physical strength, stamina and speed is exponentially increased up to 7x its original limits. However, this comes at a high risk; in order for the strength boost to take place, there must be no living human or Faunus within 10 meters of Ferus at any given point of time. Failing the requirements results in Ferus's semblance automatically shutting down regardless of how small the intrusion was, leaving Ferus without the power-up of his Semblance.

While He Who Stands Alone is active, a highly visible, translucent circular area of light grey flares up around Ferus, indicating the area in which no-one is to enter. This is a passive effect and does not impair vision, as well as being able to pass through everything. In addition, Ferus's eyes leave behind a trail of grey light, further exposing his location to any Grimm.

With the massive disadvantage of his Semblance holding Ferus down, he has trained to make the positives outweigh the negatives. He Who Stands Alone has been greatly enhanced from his young Beacon days: the effects are instantaneous and can last for up to 5 minutes with no drawback. However, beyond 5 minutes of operating time starts exerting stress on Ferus's heart; overuse can lead to severe heart attacks, and in the worst case scenario, death. Knowing this, Ferus refrains from relying on his semblance, choosing mostly not to use it unless the situation warrants it.

Combat Behavior: Ferus views his job as a Huntsman in a different sense: he believes that while children can have their fun fighting each other, the true duty of a proper Hunter is in battle only against the creatures of Grimm. Thanks to that and his endless pursuit of knowledge in order to combat Grimm, Ferus is extremely capable at dispatching almost every type of Grimm. He is very knowledgable about each species of Grimm, be it common or rare, having done extensive research into each existing species known to mankind, as well as years of personal experience locked in battle. While the fighting style he has embraced, as well as his weapon of choice, leave him incredibly vulnerable to attacks from Hunters of his level, he actively avoids combat with humans or Faunus.

While Ferus's combat style varies slightly against each type of Grimm, his main approach is to hit them as hard as possible, over and over, before they can strike back, with every attack calculated to inflict the maximum amount of damage possible, every exploitable opportunity used to its highest potential. This however sometimes backfires as a seemingly harmless opportunity turns into a trap. The long reach of his weapon, as well as its three ranged options, help deal with both armoured and non-armoured Grimm, single or pack alike. Ferus forgoes elegance, mobility and stealth for a brutally efficient and remarkably fast way of fighting against any grounded foe, while against airborne Grimm like the Nevermore, he employs his grappling spike to bring them to earth, where they are just another Grimm to the slaughter.

Usage of Ferus's Aura is heavy in combat; he relies on the sheer power of the strength boost his Aura provides to swing his weapon around for durations of time other Hunters would not be able to achieve, while unarmed he still poses a distinct threat with his Aura Shielding and Aura strikes. His Semblance is both a blessing and a curse; being unable to use it in a group drags him down when fighting Grimm too dangerous to handle alone, but being able to single-handedly hold the line when protecting unarmed civilians is one of his greatest feats and one that he is immensely grateful for.

Equally as important as his weapon usage is his reliance on Dust: from subtle utilities in his armor to a straight-up dust-thrower, Ferus expends Dust at a surprising rate considering his role as a non-mage bruiser. Herein lies one of his biggest weaknesses; when prolonged battles leave his Dust reserves running dry and he cannot call in his locker for any reason, Ferus has lost a mobility option (greave thrusters), all three ranged options (shells, dust-throwers, cannon) and the ability to holster anything, including his shield. Another weakness of note is his mobility; while his greaves provide a short burst of movement in one direction, any fast Grimm (or flying, for that matter) that constantly darts in and out not only serves as an annoying target, but a potentially lethal one provided enough swarm Ferus in one go.

WEAPON

Name: Grimm Repertoire

Primary Form: Grimm Repertoire is what Ferus calls a "Gunlance": a hand-held cannon, using a lance handle, with an oversized bayonet attached to the barrel, as well as a oversized 6-shot revolving chamber near the guard. In truth, the entire weapon's frame, as well as all ammunition used, makes it extremely heavy; only with Ferus's extensive strength training, both Aura and body, allow him to use this weapon with his degree of skill. Standing taller than Ferus at full height, the hydraulics that power the gunlance allow it to be folded in half via a hinge, revealing three chambers that make up the weapon's firing tubes. This is also the way how the spike cannon is reloaded.

Grimm Repertoire also boasts three firing options, each with its own specific type of ammunition. Ferus uses this in conjunction with his heavy smashing blows, alternating between melee and point-blank shots. It must be noted that all three options only work at close range, which Ferus learned the hard way when trying to shoot a Nevermore out of the sky.

Firing Chamber 1-Single Shell: Grimm Repertoire discharges one of it's six shells from within its revolving chamber. These shells equal a cannon shot in power, used mostly as a follow-up when Ferus has just smashed his lance down and the barrel is staring a Grimm right in the face. Designed to punch a hole through most Grimm, the shot has negligible range beyond point-blank, and is used mainly against lightly armoured targets.

Firing Chamber 2-Dustthrower: From within Grimm Repertoire's second chamber, Dust is discharged in a cone around 15 meters out, corresponding with the type of Dust crystal currently loaded. Ferus uses the Dustthrower when he needs crowd control against multiple light, unarmored targets. Each Dust crystal lasts up to a minute before being spent and ejected to the side.

Firing Chamber 3-Wyrmstake Cannon: The last of Grimm Repertoire's firing options, this forcibly inserts a sharpened metal spike into a Grimm so hard it takes one entire Kinetic Dust crystal to fire. When the armour on a Grimm is so hard a smash from the gunlance doesn't cut it, Ferus discharges the Wyrmstake Cannon, specifically designed to pierce the armour, bone, skin and chitin of even the toughest Grimm, bar a Goliath. Unlike the previous two, the metal stake, aptly named a Wyrmstake, has to be manually rammed back into Grimm Repertoire's firing barrel when reloading. In addition, the recoil is absolutely monstrous and due to the weight of each stake, Ferus only carries a limited number on him, often calling in his personal rocket locker to replenish his stores.
picture: ShowHide



Dust Functions:

A point of note is that Grimm Repertoire's Dustthrower, as well as other Dust types used as triggers (Kinetic Dust), only accepts Dust crystals--the weapon was not designed in conjunction with powered Dust, which was too volatile to use safely.
Spoiler: ShowHide

Fire Dust -- Sprays a stream of flame, like any flamethrower, in a cone. The flame is most potent in the middle, being a blue roaring flame instead of the orange flame near the sides.

Ice Dust -- Fires chunks of jagged ice balls in a random cone at high speeds and a high rate of fire. The ice balls are the size of a fist.

Electric Dust -- Discharges arcs of lightning like a tesla, which prioritise arcing toward metallic objects. Otherwise, discharges in the same cone.

Earth Dust -- When aimed at the ground, erects a curved, cresent wall of rock, stone and mud which acts as temporary cover. The structural integrity of the wall is not strong and will crumble in one strong hit.

Air Dust -- Ejects highly pressurised air in a cone which can knock a person over if hit directly.

Kinetic Dust -- Inserting a Kinetic Dust crystal after any of the above dust types have been loaded results in a massive increase in any projectile velocity and effective range, but horrible recoil and accuracy. Particular types to note are Electric, which do not get affected, and Earth, which makes it a rockslide instead of erecting a wall.

Gravity Dust -- The near opposite of Kinetic, inserting a Gravity crystal after any loaded Dust crystal makes the resulting output far more concentrated and accurate, albeit at a slower fire rate. Electric ignores the effect and Earth creates a solid pillar instead of a wall. The construct is much more durable.

Storage Form: Grimm Repetoire folds in half from its hinged joint and is slung on Ferus's back, "attached" to his breastplate via the subtle use of Gravity Dust.

History: Grimm Repetoire is the result of many, many years of Ferus's fighting and experience. During Ferus's young Beacon years his weapon of choice was a simple lance with built-in gun barrels; as he grew and started undergoing personality changes, his weapon underwent heavy upgrades to become more of a crushing weapon and less of a hit-and-run; as the jobs he took on in his Huntsman career demanded a different weapon, he adapted, upgrading to a lance more suited to ranged combat. Ferus however returns to Beacon Academy with what he considers his magnum opus, the culmination of all those years of experience, weapon changes, and combat.

WEAPON

Name: Voyance

Shield Form: In conjunction with Grimm Repertoire, Ferus carries a grey curved heater shield specially designed to redirect the momentum of any attacks it blocks. The shield has a sharp spike positioned in the middle of the shield, as well as a metal cross-section protruding from the base of the spike. Ferus uses two conflagrations when holding the shield: "attached" to his left forearm bracer via Gravity Dust or "held" in front of his fist. While the forearm is used more for defense, the other setting allows Ferus to access the shield's other modes more reliably. The left corner of the heater shield bears Ferus's symbol, the shape of which is formed with studded nails.

Gauntlet Form: When "held" in front of Ferus's fist, the shield splits in four and folds around Ferus's forearm, encasing his arm in a box of steel and leaving the metal spike in front. Ferus uses this as a brass knuckle-alternative when Grimm get in too close to use Grimm Repertoire.

Grapple Form: When held in shield form, the spike can be fired via Kinetic Dust to act as a grappling spike, capable of bringing small airborne Grimm to the ground. While the winch built in to the shield isn't strong enough to tow Ferus's body weight, the cable is strong enough to hold a Giant Nevermore's pull. 100 meters of cable is built in to the shield, and in the case the mechanism jams or fails, the entire winch can be detached.

History: While a young Ferus would have turned his nose up at the mention of a defensive approach, the now older, more wisely and experienced Huntsman has learnt that there is more to battle than just offence. Starting from his Huntsman graduate days, Ferus has carried this heater shield into battle alongside his gunlance and it has served him well.

EQUIPMENT/UTILITIES

Rocket Locker: Near as essential to Ferus as his weapon itself, the professor's personal rocket locker is something oft seen when on one of his Grimm hunts, especially if going alone. However, since assuming the role of a teacher, the locker has seen some slight changes to the contents of its interior. Occupying the majority of the locker's spacious interior are rows upon rows of Dust crystals of all sorts--exceptionally useful considering every single piece of Ferus's equipment uses some sort of Dust in one way or another. Secured to the wall are spare Wyrmstakes and shells for Grimm Repertoire, and somewhere in the corner will be lying a spare winch for Voyance in case Ferus tries to fish for something out of his league. However, with the addition of the title "Professor" to his name, the teacher has added more essentials to the locker, namely basic first-aid kits (which he has had training with), a flare gun in case something goes awry, and whatever he deems necessary for the mission at hand.

Maelstrom Dust: Borne of Ferus's sweat and tears from days upon days of experimentation as well as help from his old team's resident Dust expert, Maelstrom Dust is comprised of many, many different kinds of powdered and highly volatile Dust, refined, enhanced and polished for use in Grimm Repertoire's shells with extreme care and precision. The result is a highly powerful mixture that could almost be considered acidic in its nature--shells fired with Maelstrom Dust leave the Dust in contact with a Grimm's body, where the mixture starts destroying flesh using a combination of all the elements so carefully aligned with each other, eating away from the point of impact until there is nothing left to destroy, or the Dust burns itself out. While extremely lethal to Grimm, it is also easily capable of doing the same to humans--which is why Ferus has yet to incorporate the Dust into his weapon beyond field tests.

23
Approved Characters / Rachel Jonquil
« on: December 10, 2017, 05:04:44 PM »

CHARACTER

Name: Rachel Jonquil

Nickname: Animal Whisperer

Age: 18, 29th of Niege

Species and Gender: Female Axolotl Faunus

Occupation: First Year Haven Academy Student

Appearance: Standing 5'3, Rachel is a small girl with hazelnut hair that drapes down her shoulders, light grey eyes, black irises, a semi-permanent smile and behind her ears, twin sets of 3 axolotl gill stalks, light pink and very obvious. These are wider and larger than her ears with the capability to spread out, fold up, and waggle. They are also quite sensitive. She has very pale skin, comparable to an albino animal's. Other than that, she has no other faunus traits.
 
Rachel wears a yellow crop top under a white, short-sleeve bomber jacket, leaving her midriff completely exposed to the air. Black fitted pants with large pockets and calf-length grey boots with laces of yellow complete the look. An interesting note is that she has no belts, ribbons, or jewellery on her outfit, nor her symbol. There is no space for weapon storage, nor any bag slung over any shoulder. Her outfit itself is noticeably patched up and fixed in several spots.

History: It is said that the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the Faunus, even in Mistral where the harsh words were slung around less frequently than most and the more physical side of things were kept to a minimum. The Faunus in Mistral were shunned and mistreated, given unideal tasks and forced to carry them out, and any pleas for mercy were cut off by words along the lines of "Why are you complaining, your fellow degenerates in Atlas are suffering far worse, you should be thankful that I'm treating you this well".

Such were the living conditions that one suffering young Faunus child was born into--in a zoo, no less. Remarkably similar to that story in a holy book, but remove the manger, the onlookers and the shelter and you have Rachel's birth. These horrible environments and no medical aid left Rachel incredibly weak from birth, and it took all her mother had and more to afford the medicine Rachel needed to even survive. This wasn't helped by the medical staff charging extra simply because her mother was a Faunus like her. With no father to help take care of Rachel, Rachel's mother had to work with her strapped to her back--tending to animals, feeding unruly beasts, cleaning up after them and sweeping the zoo before and after closing hours--which was an agonising job since she was forced straight back to work after childbirth. The first day came close to killing her. It was only the thought that Rachel would have no-one to take care of her that kept her going. And going. And going.

She wasn't superhuman. No person on Remnant could survive the labours of childbirth, the backbreaking work, and the unending torrent of abuse from staff and visitors alike, least of all one exhausted, underfed, and mentally broken mother. When the inevitable happened and her mother collapsed on the job inside the tiger pen, the onlookers stared. Stared. And moved on. It was just another Faunus who had hit rock bottom. Just another unremarkable event in their everyday life.

What happened next was definitely not unremarkable.

A soft noise, almost mistakable for a purr, emitted from the pen. Witnesses to that scene described it as "a young child walking up to a tiger and pulling its tail." Instead of roaring it's displeasure, the tiger looked back at the young Rachel. And sat. Allowed Rachel to climb onto its back, enduring the pinches and yanks at its fur. Moved to stand protectively over Rachel's unconscious mother. Needless to say the staff and Rachel's mother got quite the shock when they arrived and her mother woke up. She nearly fainted again when Rachel waved at her gleefully from atop the tiger's back.

This wasn't a one-time occurrence, either. With every animal in the zoo, including potentially dangerous species, Rachel elicited the same results, every animal becoming docile and allowing her to play with them. Rachel's mother could only attribute this to the long-term contact with the animals, long enough that the animals recognised Rachel as a non-threat. Or, perhaps, the animals secretly sympathised with the Faunus. They certainly weren't about to turn it down, either way. As Rachel grew older, she was able to help her mother with her job and lessen her workload. This was further helped by her bonds with the animals turning what once was a potentially dangerous job into an enjoyable one. Rachel further adopted a cat given to her by a child and quickly fell in love with it.

Despite this, their situation hadn't improved much. More people were visiting the zoo, curious to witness Rachel's "talents" and willing to turn a blind eye to her Faunus heritage. Thanks to this, Rachel's mother was getting paid and treated better, but they were still in a tight spot. Yet, there was still one question left unanswered: Where did Rachel's bonds come from?

This was answered one day when a staff member told Rachel there was a Huntress to see her. At that point Rachel had no clue what a Huntress was, and her reaction was "Is it another animal?" She was half-right--the Huntress was a Faunus like her, and she reckoned she had the answer. It may have been Rachel's Semblance, and she was willing to train Rachel to help her discover it. There was another reason--she, like most of the Faunus who ever saw them in her situation, was sympathetic. However, what separated her from the rest was that she had something that could help. Eager to get her mother out of her horrible predicament, Rachel eagerly accepted. After 5 years of training, Rachel had unlocked her Semblance (It had something to do with her "talents" after all) and was entering Haven with a recommendation from her teacher/Huntress.

Personality: Rachel's almost transparent when it comes to emotions and thoughts. Sure, she'll try and hide her facial expressions, limit her body language, but there's no hiding her Faunus traits. Action speaks a thousand words, they say, and there's no one who fits the bill better than Rachel. Depending on her mood, her axolotl stalks will perform various actions not unlike cat's ears. Feeling happy? Stalks fan out. Sad? They droop visibly. Nervous? Not only do the stalks stand on end, the minuscule hairs on each stalk do as well. Not only are her Faunus features the ones that stand out the most, they're the ones that define her emotions too.

Apart from her Faunus traits showing her emotions even if she doesn't want to, Rachel is a rational thinker. She thinks everything through before carrying them out. This applies to her words and her actions, both in and out of combat. Rachel plans most things ahead and gets flustered if they go awry, though she is not a slow thinker and can usually scramble up a backup plan if the original gets ruined. She does not take this to the extreme, usually just making one precise plan with one backup option.

As an Axolotl Faunus, Rachel cannot stand the heat. She prefers cooler climates such as Mistral, where the high hills provide cool, fresh air. This has influenced her choice of clothing where she exposes as much skin as she feels comfortable to cool herself down. If the temperatures go above the 25's celcius, she starts feeling headaches, ramping up to feeling faint and collapsing. This doesn't affect her health too much, being only a slight negative of being a axolotl Faunus.

Being a Faunus and having lived with animals her whole life, Rachel knows them really well. She can understand specific sounds, facial expressions, movements and cater to their needs. This applies to a very wide range of species, and she has a natural connection to animals, in which she can easily endear herself to other animals. Subsequently, she feels more at ease with animals than with humans. She owns a pet cat called Katniss, which she can summon a copy of using her semblance. Doing so makes her more at ease with her surroundings.

Rachel has had bad experiences with Faunus racism, toward both her and her mother. She is looked at with distrust due to the White Fang's activities within Mistral. This has led to her developing a bad mindset that humans are generally horrible toward Faunus, and disliking the White Fang for giving all Faunus this bad impression. While not agreeing with their methods of violence, she retains a certain degree of respect toward the Fang for having the courage to stand up for them.

Aura and Semblance: Aura Color--Jonquil Yellow/#F4CA16

Being an axolotl Faunus, while cumbersome in normal life circumstances, has carried over a powerful trait in terms of her survival: Axolotls have one of the strongest regeneration capabilities of any animal, and this translates to Rachel's  regeneration too. Her healing rate is vastly stronger than other humans, but healing major wounds still requires the aid of a medic. What this does is allow Rachel to recover from minor wounds faster, even without Aura active. Note that this does not increase the speed at which her Aura regenerates, and is of little help in combat.
Spoiler: ShowHide

To put into perspective, axolotls can have their spinal cords crushed, their limbs cut off at any section, even their brain damaged, and it will regenerate. No scarring, no physical defects, nothing. Every tissue is replaced. Of course, this won't be the case with Rachel, but the point is there.

Semblance: Wild Advent--Rachel can, by means of using her own aura reserves, summon a selection of animals to assist her in combat, or other purposes. She is limited in this regard to animals she has shared a close connection to, and can only have one animal by her side at any given time. In addition, these animal summons have a limited area in which they can exist--20 meters from Rachel at any given point, no direct sight needed. These summons have no time duration, look like Weiss's summons but with yellow, and can be de-summoned at any time. However, any summons active will de-summon if she loses consciousness (eg. fall asleep)

These animal summons can be ordered by Rachel via thought to carry out various actions, and have limited degrees of sentience. They can warn Rachel of enemies inbound, lead her to water or food, but not make decisions on their own. It must be noted that once Rachel has used her aura to summon said animals, they count as separate entities with their own aura reserves, as much as Rachel has sacrificed to summon the animal. She does not take damage if the animal takes damage. Rachel cannot physically control the animal, cannot look through their eyes, does not have their senses, and cannot speak to them. However, if they can carry out an action she orders, they will do it. If a summon is within touch when Rachel de-summons them, she will regain whatever Aura the summon had, up to the maximum summon cost. This helps with survival more than combat.

Rachel has currently forged tight enough bonds with 5 animals to summon them via Wild Advent. These animals all have names and are normally used for more than one purpose. When summoned, the animal summons have an extra 50% aura added on from their summon cost for their "health".

Animals:

Jun--Bengal Tiger (20% Aura) (30% "HP")
-Jun is the first animal Rachel has ever succeeded in summoning with Wild Advent, and the summon she uses most often. Apart from fighting, Rachel uses Jun as a mode of transport, as well as a sort of steed since her weapons are too short to use on horseback. Claws and jaws are Jun's weapons and he uses them well.

Haku--Peregrine Falcon (10% Aura) (15% "HP")
-Haku is mainly used in combat to harass enemies, as well as her method to temporarily distract airborne foes that her weapons lack the range to hit. Haki is also used to fish in rivers from time to time.

Katniss--Cat (3% Aura) (4% "HP")
-Katniss is the only summon that serves no purpose in battle. Instead, she serves as moral support, being cute, being Rachel's favourite animal, and an excellent mousetrap.

Alvis--Boa Constrictor (15% Aura) (22% "HP")
-Used solely for combat, Alvis, as a boa constrictor, can bite (no venom) and coil around a limb, restricting movement. Rachel uses the summon as a landmine of sorts, having Alvis strike and slither away to another position. However, the fact that her summons are glowing yellow don't help.

Nathaniel--Grizzly Bear (20% Aura) (30% "HP")
-Nathaniel fufills the role of a pseudo-tank, being a hulking grizzly bear that can stand on two feet. Nathaniel can also be ridden, and by more than one person at a time unlike Jun.

Combat Behavior: Rachel's fighting style rotates around her Semblance. More specifically, which animal she has currently summoned. However, she is still capable of fighting without any animal summons, but her effectiveness in combat is reduced due to the her reliance on her Semblance.

W/O Semblance: Rachel fights up close with her twin katars, using them the way they were intended to: punching knives. While good at close-quarters, her strength is mediocre, meaning she relies more on agility than power to win her fights. In addition, when alone, she comes up with a combat strategy based upon exploiting the opponent's weakness and goes with it, rarely backing out even if the enemy has caught on. This leads to her own weakness being potentially used against her.

W/ Jun: The most used animal summon, Rachel rides Jun into battle, using her short katars as slashing weapons that can reach enemies due to Jun's proximity to the floor, compared to a horse which would leave her weapons too far away. Jun is more oriented toward striking hard and fast while trying to take as little damage as possible, and Rachel normally creates opportunities for the tiger to get in close and savage his foes. While mounted, Rachel assumes a cavalry charge, singling out an opponent and circling them with repeated charges.

W/ Haku: Haku is chosen when there is an enemy that is out of reach of both Rachel's katars and SMGs. Used mainly as a distraction tool, she creates opportunities for Rachel to slip in under an enemy's guard while they are distracted. Alternatively, Haku can be used to engage airborne enemies and hopefully bring them in range of her dual SMGs. In addition, Haku acts as a scout to warn Rachel of far-off enemies. Due to her small stature, Haku has little bulk and is easily dispatched with one heavy blow.

W/ Alvis: When stealthy eliminations are needed, Alvis is summoned to sneak up to opponents and bite, before sliding away to wait for another opportunity. Rarely used in a head-on brawl, Alvis can warn Rachel of landlocked enemies approaching.

W/ Nathaniel: If a big, bulky tank is needed, Nathaniel can draw some fire away from Rachel in times of need due to the bear's intimidating build and size. He is normally used in scenarios where time is needed or pressure needs to be relieved. Alternatively, he can transport up to 4 people on his back, whereas Jun can only carry 1 swiftly.

WEAPONS

Names: Navi and Fi

Katar Form: Navi and Fi are twin katars, comprised of two sections: a katar with handle and a shield/gauntlet hybrid.

Like a normal katar, Rachel grips a handle attached to the main section of the punching blade. However, the handle is attached to a small shield placed above her forearm and ending at her knuckles. The shield has a line running through the entire length of the metal. Under the shield is a small box that is hidden from sight, attached to the main katar handle and is the thing holding the shield in place.

SMG Form: During the transformation to her weapon's ranged form, the katar blades split in half and rotate to the sides of her fists like prongs on a crossbow. The shields split in half as well, along the lines running down the shield, and they cover the sides of Rachel's arms creating a 3-sided rectangular cover for her forearms. In the space that the shield has now created, a small, single-barrel SMG locks into place, and can be fired from Rachel's wrists if she tenses her forearms. Weapon magazines can be loaded onto the top of the SMG, but must be unclipped before transformation.

Storage Form: The katar blade fully splits and folds around her wrist, exposing a blunt edge facing outwards. This allows Rachel to wriggle her fingers without dropping the twin weapons, but does not completely free up her hands. Otherwise, she keeps these constantly in her weapon locker or on her arms, making it slightly cumbersome while out on missions.

History: Weapons that could be used on tigerback were limited, so Rachel put the two most affordable weapons together and created Navi and Fi with the help of her teacher/Huntress. Easy enough to learn, these weapons brought her through the combat test in Haven.

24
WiP Characters / Rachel Jonquil
« on: December 04, 2017, 07:55:24 AM »

CHARACTER

Name: Rachel Jonquil

Nickname: Animal Whisperer

Age: 18, 29th of Niege

Species and Gender: Female Axolotl Faunus

Occupation: First Year Haven Academy Student

Appearance: Standing 5'3, Rachel is a small girl with hazelnut hair that drapes down her shoulders, light grey eyes, black irises, a semi-permanent smile and behind her ears, twin sets of 3 axolotl gill stalks, light pink and very obvious. These are wider and larger than her ears with the capability to spread out, fold up, and waggle. They are also quite sensitive. She has very pale skin, comparable to an albino animal's. Other than that, she has no other faunus traits.
 
Rachel wears a yellow crop top under a white, short-sleeve bomber jacket, leaving her midriff completely exposed to the air. Black fitted pants with large pockets and calf-length grey boots with laces of yellow complete the look. An interesting note is that she has no belts, ribbons, or jewellery on her outfit, nor her symbol. There is no space for weapon storage, nor any bag slung over any shoulder. Her outfit itself is noticeably patched up and fixed in several spots.

History: It is said that the greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the Faunus, even in Mistral where the harsh words were slung around less frequently than most and the more physical side of things were kept to a minimum. The Faunus in Mistral were shunned and mistreated, given unideal tasks and forced to carry them out, and any pleas for mercy were cut off by words along the lines of "Why are you complaining, your fellow degenerates in Atlas are suffering far worse, you should be thankful that I'm treating you this well".

Such were the living conditions that one suffering young Faunus child was born into--in a zoo, no less. Remarkably similar to that story in a holy book, but remove the manger, the onlookers and the shelter and you have Rachel's birth. These horrible environments and no medical aid left Rachel incredibly weak from birth, and it took all her mother had and more to afford the medicine Rachel needed to even survive. This wasn't helped by the medical staff charging extra simply because her mother was a Faunus like her. With no father to help take care of Rachel, Rachel's mother had to work with her strapped to her back--tending to animals, feeding unruly beasts, cleaning up after them and sweeping the zoo before and after closing hours--which was an agonising job since she was forced straight back to work after childbirth. The first day came close to killing her. It was only the thought that Rachel would have no-one to take care of her that kept her going. And going. And going.

She wasn't superhuman. No person on Remnant could survive the labours of childbirth, the backbreaking work, and the unending torrent of abuse from staff and visitors alike, least of all one exhausted, underfed, and mentally broken mother. When the inevitable happened and her mother collapsed on the job inside the tiger pen, the onlookers stared. Stared. And moved on. It was just another Faunus who had hit rock bottom. Just another unremarkable event in their everyday life.

What happened next was definitely not unremarkable.

A soft noise, almost mistakable for a purr, emitted from the pen. Witnesses to that scene described it as "a young child walking up to a tiger and pulling its tail." Instead of roaring it's displeasure, the tiger looked back at the young Rachel. And sat. Allowed Rachel to climb onto its back, enduring the pinches and yanks at its fur. Moved to stand protectively over Rachel's unconscious mother. Needless to say the staff and Rachel's mother got quite the shock when they arrived and her mother woke up. She nearly fainted again when Rachel waved at her gleefully from atop the tiger's back.

This wasn't a one-time occurrence, either. With every animal in the zoo, including potentially dangerous species, Rachel elicited the same results, every animal becoming docile and allowing her to play with them. Rachel's mother could only attribute this to the long-term contact with the animals, long enough that the animals recognised Rachel as a non-threat. Or, perhaps, the animals secretly sympathised with the Faunus. They certainly weren't about to turn it down, either way. As Rachel grew older, she was able to help her mother with her job and lessen her workload. This was further helped by her bonds with the animals turning what once was a potentially dangerous job into an enjoyable one. Rachel further adopted a cat given to her by a child and quickly fell in love with it.

Despite this, their situation hadn't improved much. More people were visiting the zoo, curious to witness Rachel's "talents" and willing to turn a blind eye to her Faunus heritage. Thanks to this, Rachel's mother was getting paid and treated better, but they were still in a tight spot. Still, there was one question unanswered: Where did Rachel's bonds come from?

This was answered one day when a staff member told Rachel there was a Huntress to see her. At that point Rachel had no clue what a Huntress was, and her reaction was "Is it another animal?" She was half-right--the Huntress was a Faunus like her, and she reckoned she had the answer. It may have been Rachel's Semblance, and she was willing to train Rachel to help her discover it. There was another reason--she, like most of the Faunus who ever saw them in her situation, was sympathetic. However, what separated her from the rest was that she had something that could help. Eager to get her mother out of her horrible predicament, Rachel eagerly accepted. After 5 years of training, Rachel had unlocked her Semblance (It had something to do with her "talents" after all) and was entering Haven with a recommendation from her teacher/Huntress.

Personality: Rachel's almost transparent when it comes to emotions and thoughts. Sure, she'll try and hide her facial expressions, limit her body language, but there's no hiding her Faunus traits. Action speaks a thousand words, they say, and there's no one who fits the bill better than Rachel. Depending on her mood, her axolotl stalks will perform various actions not unlike cat's ears. Feeling happy? Stalks fan out. Sad? They droop visibly. Nervous? Not only do the stalks stand on end, the minuscule hairs on each stalk do as well. Not only are her Faunus features the ones that stand out the most, they're the ones that define her emotions too.

Apart from her Faunus traits showing her emotions even if she doesn't want to, Rachel is a rational thinker. She thinks everything through before carrying them out. This applies to her words and her actions, both in and out of combat. Rachel plans most things ahead and gets flustered if they go awry, though she is not a slow thinker and can usually scramble up a backup plan if the original gets ruined. She does not take this to the extreme, usually just making one precise plan with one backup option.

As an Axolotl Faunus, Rachel cannot stand the heat. She prefers cooler climates such as Mistral, where the high hills provide cool, fresh air. This has influenced her choice of clothing where she exposes as much skin as she feels comfortable to cool herself down. If the temperatures go above the 25's celcius, she starts feeling headaches, ramping up to feeling faint and collapsing. This doesn't affect her health too much, being only a slight negative of being a axolotl Faunus.

Being a Faunus and having lived with animals her whole life, Rachel knows them really well. She can understand specific sounds, facial expressions, movements and cater to their needs. This applies to a very wide range of species, and she has a natural connection to animals, in which she can easily endear herself to other animals. Subsequently, she feels more at ease with animals than with humans. She owns a pet cat called Katniss, which she can summon a copy of using her semblance. Doing so makes her more at ease with her surroundings.

Rachel has had bad experiences with Faunus racism, toward both her and her mother. She is looked at with distrust due to the White Fang's activities within Mistral. This has led to her developing a bad mindset that humans are generally horrible toward Faunus, and disliking the White Fang for giving all Faunus this bad impression. While not agreeing with their methods of violence, she retains a certain degree of respect toward the Fang for having the courage to stand up for them.

Aura and Semblance: Aura Color--Jonquil Yellow/#F4CA16

Being an axolotl Faunus, while cumbersome in normal life circumstances, has carried over a powerful trait in terms of her survival: Axolotls have one of the strongest regeneration capabilities of any animal, and this translates to Rachel's Aura regeneration too. Her healing rate is vastly stronger than other humans, but healing major wounds still requires the aid of a medic. Note that this does not increase the speed at which her Aura regenerates, and is of little help in combat.
Spoiler: ShowHide

To put into perspective, axolotls can have their spinal cords crushed, their limbs cut off at any section, even their brain damaged, and it will regenerate. No scarring, no physical defects, nothing. Every tissue is replaced. Of course, this won't be the case with Rachel, but the point is there.

Semblance: Wild Advent--Rachel can, by means of using her own aura reserves, summon a selection of animals to assist her in combat, or other purposes. She is limited in this regard to animals she has shared a close connection to, and can only have one animal by her side at any given time. In addition, these animal summons have a limited area in which they can exist--20 meters from Rachel at any given point, no direct sight needed. These summons have no time duration, look like Weiss's summons but with yellow, and can be de-summoned at any time. However, any summons active will de-summon if she loses consciousness (eg. fall asleep)

These animal summons can be ordered by Rachel via thought to carry out various actions, and have limited degrees of sentience. They can warn Rachel of enemies inbound, lead her to water or food, but not make decisions on their own. It must be noted that once Rachel has used her aura to summon said animals, they count as separate entities with their own aura reserves, as much as Rachel has sacrificed to summon the animal. She does not take damage if the animal takes damage. Rachel cannot physically control the animal, cannot look through their eyes, does not have their senses, and cannot speak to them. However, if they can carry out an action she orders, they will do it. If a summon is within touch when Rachel de-summons them, she will regain whatever Aura the summon had, up to the maximum summon cost. This helps with survival more than combat.

Rachel has currently forged tight enough bonds with 5 animals to summon them via Wild Advent. These animals all have names and are normally used for more than one purpose. When summoned, the animal summons have an extra 50% aura added on from their summon cost for their "health".

Animals:

Jun--Bengal Tiger (20% Aura) (30% "HP")
-Jun is the first animal Rachel has ever succeeded in summoning with Wild Advent, and the summon she uses most often. Apart from fighting, Rachel uses Jun as a mode of transport, as well as a sort of steed since her weapons are too short to use on horseback. Claws and jaws are Jun's weapons and he uses them well.

Haku--Peregrine Falcon (10% Aura) (15% "HP")
-Haku is mainly used in combat to harass enemies, as well as her method to temporarily distract airborne foes that her weapons lack the range to hit. Haki is also used to fish in rivers from time to time.

Katniss--Cat (3% Aura) (4% "HP")
-Katniss is the only summon that serves no purpose in battle. Instead, she serves as moral support, being cute, being Rachel's favourite animal, and an excellent mousetrap.

Alvis--Boa Constrictor (15% Aura) (22% "HP")
-Used solely for combat, Alvis, as a boa constrictor, can bite (no venom) and coil around a limb, restricting movement. Rachel uses the summon as a landmine of sorts, having Alvis strike and slither away to another position. However, the fact that her summons are glowing yellow don't help.

Nathaniel--Grizzly Bear (20% Aura) (30% "HP")
-Nathaniel fufills the role of a pseudo-tank, being a hulking grizzly bear that can stand on two feet. Nathaniel can also be ridden, and by more than one person at a time unlike Jun.

Combat Behavior: Rachel's fighting style rotates around her Semblance. More specifically, which animal she has currently summoned. However, she is still capable of fighting without any animal summons, but her effectiveness in combat is reduced due to the her reliance on her Semblance.

W/O Semblance: Rachel fights up close with her twin katars, using them the way they were intended to: punching knives. While good at close-quarters, her strength is mediocre, meaning she relies more on agility than power to win her fights. In addition, when alone, she comes up with a combat strategy based upon exploiting the opponent's weakness and goes with it, rarely backing out even if the enemy has caught on. This leads to her own weakness being potentially used against her.

W/ Jun: The most used animal summon, Rachel rides Jun into battle, using her short katars as slashing weapons that can reach enemies due to Jun's proximity to the floor, compared to a horse which would leave her weapons too far away. Jun is more oriented toward striking hard and fast while trying to take as little damage as possible, and Rachel normally creates opportunities for the tiger to get in close and savage his foes. While mounted, Rachel assumes a cavalry charge, singling out an opponent and circling them with repeated charges.

W/ Haku: Haku is chosen when there is an enemy that is out of reach of both Rachel's katars and SMGs. Used mainly as a distraction tool, she creates opportunities for Rachel to slip in under an enemy's guard while they are distracted. Alternatively, Haku can be used to engage airborne enemies and hopefully bring them in range of her dual SMGs. In addition, Haku acts as a scout to warn Rachel of far-off enemies. Due to her small stature, Haku has little bulk and is easily dispatched with one heavy blow.

W/ Alvis: When stealthy eliminations are needed, Alvis is summoned to sneak up to opponents and bite, before sliding away to wait for another opportunity. Rarely used in a head-on brawl, Alvis can warn Rachel of landlocked enemies approaching.

W/ Nathaniel: If a big, bulky tank is needed, Nathaniel can draw some fire away from Rachel in times of need due to the bear's intimidating build and size. He is normally used in scenarios where time is needed or pressure needs to be relieved. Alternatively, he can transport up to 4 people on his back, whereas Jun can only carry 1 swiftly.

WEAPONS

Names: Navi and Fi

Katar Form: Navi and Fi are twin katars, comprised of two sections: a katar with handle and a shield/gauntlet hybrid.

Like a normal katar, Rachel grips a handle attached to the main section of the punching blade. However, the handle is attached to a small shield placed above her forearm and ending at her knuckles. The shield has a line running through the entire length of the metal. Under the shield is a small box that is hidden from sight, attached to the main katar handle and is the thing holding the shield in place.

SMG Form: During the transformation to her weapon's ranged form, the katar blades split in half and rotate to the sides of her fists like prongs on a crossbow. The shields split in half as well, along the lines running down the shield, and they cover the sides of Rachel's arms creating a 3-sided rectangular cover for her forearms. In the space that the shield has now created, a small, single-barrel SMG locks into place, and can be fired from Rachel's wrists if she tenses her forearms. Weapon magazines can be loaded onto the top of the SMG, but must be unclipped before transformation.

Storage Form: The katar blade fully splits and folds around her wrist, exposing a blunt edge facing outwards. This allows Rachel to wriggle her fingers without dropping the twin weapons, but does not completely free up her hands. Otherwise, she keeps these constantly in her weapon locker or on her arms, making it slightly cumbersome while out on missions.

History: Weapons that could be used on tigerback were limited, so Rachel put the two most affordable weapons together and created Navi and Fi. Easy enough to learn, these weapons brought her through the combat test in Haven.

25
Beacon Academy / Change Amongst The Crew [CLOSED-Team ASTC]
« on: October 03, 2017, 03:36:38 PM »
Sent to: Anna Fall, Setsuna Antiqua, Theodore Williams, Calen Shrike

       Team ASTC:
 Due to unforeseen and unfortunate circumstances, Taro Espada remains incapacitated and deemed unfit for further combat at the time of this message. The school has   considered your team's current situation, and have selected a suitable student, Theodore Williams, to act as the 4th member. The school will expect you to return to normal   studies and combat as a fully-fledged team, having successfully passed your initiation. The four of you are to spend at minimum one lesson's time to associate yourselves with   each other. Once complete, await further instructions.


Beacon Academy
Training Arena
Attire: Standard Clothing
Weapons: Discord, Harmony (Sword, Shield)
General Vicinity: Various holographic training dummies and target boards
Immediate Vicinity: Calen Shrike, Anna Fall


The glowing training dummy flickered and faded, leaving only Setsuna holding his blade in mid-slash. The attempt to take his mind off the message left him only with a tired arm and a worried mind. While he knew Taro wasn't recovering, he didn't expect any replacement, only that they would be sidelined for the foreseeable future. While the message mentioned that the student--Theodore, or Teddy--was a suitable replacement, he would still have the responsibility of making sure that he would fit in.

He'd read Teddy's profile, searching for any information that might help them bond as well as they could. While he was confident both he and Anna would have no problem with a Faunus in their team, he couldn't vouch for Calen. The boy was unpredictable and rash, so he'd have to keep Calen in check. Anyway, the message mentioned spending time training, so he'd elected to mix that with socialising, sending a spread message to the team to meet here. While Anna and Calen were both present, the new member was not.

He should be here pretty soon... Setsuna thought, sheathing his sword and looking around, trying to catch a glimpse of a person matching the appearance described in the profile. Around him, training equipment was set up for practice, but Setsuna had no plans of using them. He had something else in mind--not spectacular, but it would do the trick. Something that would kill two birds with one stone. And would only happen if Theodore turned up any second now.

26
Beacon Academy / Mechanical Implants, Natural Regrets [CLOSED]
« on: September 21, 2017, 02:07:05 PM »
~Beacon Academy, Training Arena No. 10~

Lightning flashed, thunder crashed, raindrops drumming a mad beat on the glass roof, covering one of Beacon's many training arenas, oddly quiet despite the weather. The site was lit up by dozens of Dust lights, casting intricate patterns on the steel floor, which time and time again were temporarily covered by blinding flashes from the lightning. The arena was empty, save one lone, silent individual sitting in the shadows cast by the lights, a cylindrical tube of metal leaning against the wall.

Letting out a long, deep sigh of tension, Kei gazed up at the dark sky, waiting for a specific person to arrive. His thoughts were a jumble; his mind twisted and scrambled. He needed a distraction. And an explanation. And...someone to talk to, to let his emotions out. It was too much for himself to handle and not something he wanted to share with his psychiatrist. The recent events had changed his view of a certain few things. So he waited.

Spoiler: ShowHide
Social/Sparring thread for myself/Capta1n_Henry.

27
Approved Characters / Jocelyn Antiqua
« on: September 14, 2017, 06:08:11 AM »

CHARACTER

Name: Jocelyn Thyil Antiqua (Josie)

Age: 17, 6th of Huā

Species and Gender: Human Female

Occupation: First Year Beacon Academy Student, Apprentice Medic

Appearance: Standing 5'6", Jocelyn takes after her mother instead of her father, having inherited her purple irises, light, blonde, long hair that either cascades halfway down her back, or is tied in a single ponytail, and her caring smile. While relatively fit for a person who hasn't undertaken pre-academy training, Jocelyn doesn't put much emphasis on keeping in shape, quite lax for a girl in high school, only enough so she doesn't run out of breath easily. She is quite beautiful but prefers to be modest about it, with the odd blush now and then when complemented.

Although her Aura and eyes are purple, her color scheme leans more toward an Atlas-esque pattern, courtesy of her mother's roots: white and dark blue, with the odd touch of purple from her symbol here and there, in conjunction with her equipment. A short-sleeved white blouse with dark blue, circuit-like lines running down the length of the sides and intercrossing at the chest, a white skirt tinted with light blue lace trim edging the sides, a full first-aid kit and a magnetic belt bordered with light purple holding both ammunition and Dust for equipment round out her mission wear. A metal brooch with her symbol pins a heliotrope purple scarf to the left shoulder of her blouse, which has a tendency to unravel from around her neck by accident.

In combat, Jocelyn carries a sniper rifle and a jump pack: when the latter is active, she "sprouts" wings, giving her the appearance of an angel. Mind you, most people who see her that way are normally delirious, severely injured or both. Still, she doesn't really mind the comparison--it's not everyday someone gets called an angel. It's all part of the job.

History:
Spoiler: ShowHide
Jocelyn's child history is identical to Setsuna's, being related. Hence the familiarity.

For a select unlucky few, having an older brother may have been a nuisance; the older bullying the young and so forth. Jocelyn Antiqua was lucky to not have a brother like that. In fact, quite the opposite.

Living a peaceful life in the island of Patch, Jocelyn spent her childhood growing up with her parents, Marina and Emile Antiqua, and her older brother Setsuna, with as close as an ordinary family life as could be attained in a war-ruined land called Remnant. With Emile and Marina both former Hunters, they kept the family safe from any stray Grimm that might have wandered by, and so neither Jocelyn nor her brother were forced to experience the horrifying reality that was war. Something, unfortunately, both their parents had had enough of a taste for. In a "silver lining" situation, however, that was how they had met: on a battlefield, with Emile severely injured and Marina being his saving grace. They fell in love and the rest is history. While it was obvious over time that Setsuna took after his father with their outgoing, boisterous and energetic personalities, Jocelyn inherited her traits from her mother: soft-spoken, self-conscious--a perfect balance for the other duo: each rounding out the other's personalities. They were the perfect family of four--whole, unbroken, together.

As with any story with a happy start, it had to end someday.

Jocelyn still keeps the story close to her heart. It was just another day in her childhood; they'd gone down together to the woods where they always played with their friends, more often mock fights than anything else. It was no different that day, with cheerful laughter ringing through the air. Children tussling and rolling on the ground, mocking and joking. Setsuna leapt right in, while Jocelyn stayed by herself by a tree stump, playing with her hair and admiring the scenery. It was a beautiful day--clear blue sky, with nary any clouds--she was engrossed enough with what she was doing that she failed to move out of the way of a battling duo, who pushed her off the stump. It was sudden enough that she stumbled and twisted her ankle upon landing. This did not go unnoticed by Setsuna, who started running her way to see if she was alright. But instead of apologising, the pair kept on fighting, ignoring the injured Jocelyn on the floor. An argument broke out between Setsuna and the boy, each of them getting angrier and angrier. There seemed to nothing that could stop a actual tussle breaking out.

The introduction of a Beowolf does wonders to break up a fight, it turned out. The ferocious howl emanating from the Grimm, attracted by all the negative emotions swirling like a tornado, sent all the children scattering, and Jocelyn turned to do the same. In the panic, she'd completely forgotten about her ankle, and only managed to land herself on the floor once again. It was inevitable that someone would be injured in the conflict. She just didn't expect it to be from a Beowolf, nor did she expect the injured person to be Setsuna. The boy crumpled and fell, blood staining the front of his shirt where three weeping gashes had flowered, in front of Jocelyn who had at that point fainted from pure fear. The Beowolf itself seemed confused, looking at its crimson-painted claws in some interest, before raising its claw for the killing blow. That would be the last thing it ever did, as a giant blade decapitated the Beowolf, before the owner hurriedly gathered up the two unconscious children and rushed for home.

Jocelyn would later wake up to a incandescent purple glow: her father had unlocked her Aura to speed up her healing process, and do the same to Setsuna. That night would forever embed itself into Jocelyn's mind: the Beowolf, Setsuna's valiant sacrifice, her Aura--all of those things she had only ever heard in stories. She had never expected that such events would ever come to pass. But in her jumbled thoughts, one thing was crystal clear--as clear as the tears running down her cheeks. Her brother had saved her life.

This series of events brought fresh meaning to Jocelyn's life. She realised she hated seeing anyone hurt, whether mentally or physically. She never wanted to see anyone in the same position as her, helpless to fight back against the creatures of Grimm. So when Setsuna brought up the idea of attending Beacon, a similar idea sprung to life in Jocelyn's mind. Except, when she confronted her parents about it (Setsuna had left to train at Signal at this point in time), her mother refused. As expected, Jocelyn was distraught by the news. Then Marina brought up an alternative: she would train Jocelyn herself. Having been through the equivalent of Signal in Atlas, she knew that they offered little in the way of healing and support. Marina, on the other hand, was both a qualified Huntress and an excellent medic, having saved many a person with her abilities. So while Setsuna was training at Signal, Jocelyn learned how to fight and how to be a medic at the age of 14; the age that after 4 years would allow her to enter Beacon Academy and see her brother again. 

A former Atlas huntress, Marina was trained in the form of sniping enemies from afar, and she taught Jocelyn just that, with her own former rifle issued by the Atlas forces. She also brought her medic training to bear, using her Semblance as an example. However, with all the training, it was soon evident to the two Hunters' eyes that Jocelyn could not attain the level of combat prowess that Setsuna did with his father. Both Marina and Jocelyn accepted this reality, and instead doubled their efforts on medical training. It was during this period that Jocelyn discovered her semblance by accident; completely by random her shots started glowing when fired. After extensive practice and experimentation Jocelyn later managed to control her Semblance to her current point.

Yet, for a prestigious school like Beacon, Jocelyn's lack of skill with a weapon meant this still was not enough. Her lack of combat prowess needed to be backed up by something, or she would never get into Beacon. Thankfully, Marina once again came to the rescue and asked for help from one of her old teammates back in Atlas. Eventually, with some scraping by, they managed to afford the money required to buy the jump-pack custom-designed by Marina's old teammate. Only then did she barely meet the mark required. But still, Jocelyn was confident her skills as a medic would be in high demand. After passing on her well-used rifle to Jocelyn, she attempted the Enrolment Exam, doing well in the academic but only barely passing the rest thanks to her jump-pack.

Now, Jocelyn aims to continue her mother's role as both a Huntress and a medic, to uphold her duties as both, and ultimately, to repay that long-overdue debt to her brother.

Personality: Jocelyn's personality can be best described as a variation of her brother's. While both are caring to a fault, polite and kind, Jocelyn leans toward the more quiet side of the spectrum. Patient but soft-spoken, Jocelyn prefers learning over combat, and will commonly be seen away from any spar where people inevitably get hurt. Still, that does not mean she doesn't learn about combat itself; she is a eager learner. In addition, she is not without a sense of humor; so long as the jokes don't get too offensive she will join in on the banter. However, if the conversation gets cheeky, Jocelyn does also get flustered quite easily, resulting in one cute blushing girl.

As selfless as anyone could ever be, Jocelyn is also emotional--she hates seeing people get hurt, especially if that comes in the form of words--to her, she simply doesn't understand why people go out of their way to be cruel to others, especially Faunus, to whom this happens on a regular basis. With no hesitation, Jocelyn will put herself in harm's way if it means preventing others from being harmed. This has an unfortunate side effect, however--due to her memories of almost losing her brother because of her carelessness, if she somehow causes others harm in any shape or form, she will experience a high amount of guilt and regret at doing so, temporarily incapacitating her ability to function as a human being properly without support.

As a medic, Jocelyn works well even under pressure, does not lose her cool under fire, and does not hesitate to obey orders. She will, however, break off if she sees an opportunity to save/heal others under attack, but generally she is predictable and easy to get along with. Note that she is an apprentice medic who can save Aura-depleted lives, but cannot perform high skill-level tasks like amputation or surgery.

Jocelyn is particularly protective of her brother Setsuna and will always step up to defend him if any situation occurs--which is ironic considering she is both the younger of the two and her brother's ethos to life. She can be surprisingly courageous and brave, much more so than normal if her brother is with her. Past that point, she does feel sometimes that he may be a bit too protective at times, but has come to embrace it as who he is and has accepted it as a result.

Aura: Aura Color--Heliotrope Purple/#DF73FF

Jocelyn's aura is constantly taxed by her semblance, making it rare for her to be at full Aura. However, it's still as strong as any other person, but she is not capable of unlocking further abilities as of yet.

Semblance: Floral Healing--Jocelyn sacrifices a portion of her aura, which is directed into an object she is holding, turning it glowing purple. Upon impact with another living human/faunus, the object turns into purple aura and heals the person it made contact with. Jocelyn uses this semblance in conjunction with her sniper rifle, as she can heal her allies from a distance by simply shooting them in the back. The receiving person will feel varying sensations upon contact, from a slight reinvigorating sensation at low percentages to a completely renewed state at high percents.

Whoever Jocelyn shoots will receive the aura healing, no matter if it was the intended recipient or not. In addition, if the object hits a non-human/faunus being, like a tree or a Grimm, the object will just dissipate. Jocelyn cannot heal a person already healed by this semblance for 10 seconds afterwards. An important note is that Jocelyn cannot heal a person who does not have Aura unlocked, or has completely run out of aura. The object can remain charged with Jocelyn's semblance after one use. There are additional restrictions to her semblance, namely being a size limit (Nothing larger than her fist), and the object cannot be attached to anything.

What truly makes her semblance so powerful and double-edged is that Jocelyn can transfer up to 95% of her existing aura in one shot, with no time in-between uses. Distributing over 15% in one go will physically tax her body with the feeling of pain, with the side effect increasing in strength the more aura is transferred. Notably, Jocelyn can keep sharing her Aura until she herself is at 0%. The recipient will receive as much aura as sacrificed.

After experimentation and training with the help of Professor Budonoki, Jocelyn can now use her semblance in conjunction with elemental Dust crystals for additional secondary effects. This is done with the help of Dust ammunition. Alternatively, she can direct her Aura directly through a Dust crystal for similar effects, but the crystal has to be in contact with both her and the recipient. The side effects range from recovery and healing to assisted offensive capabilities, furthering Jocelyn's support prowess.
Dust Effects: ShowHide

Fire Dust: The recipient feels a comforting warm sensation. Warms the person's internal body temperature to optimal levels if recipient's temperature was lower than usual. Helps patients recover from cold-based symptoms like frostbite. When in effect, the patient's aura gains a light red tint.

Ice Dust: The recipient feels a soothing refreshing sensation. Cools the person's internal body to optimal levels if recipient's temperature was higher than usual. Helps patients recover from heat-based symptoms like fevers and heatstroke. When in effect, the patient's aura gains a light blue tint.

Electric Dust: Imbues the recipient with an electric current that cannot be felt by, and does not damage, the person. This also transfers to any conductors the person may be holding. Upon contact with anything, discharges the current and deals small electrical damage to the target. Alternatively acts as a buffer to prevent others from touching the person.

Earth Dust: "Grounds" the recipient, removing any and all electrical charges from the person. Any damage done to the person is instantly stopped.

Wind Dust: Grants the recipient a small boost in movement speed, gradually fades over a minute.

Combat Behavior: What with being an advocate of peace and her semblance, it's no surprise Jocelyn prefers to stay as far from any close-up tussle as possible, using her sniper rifle to shoot from long-distances and her jump pack to either gain the high ground or retreat. However, she specialises in support, specifically being a medic, and her Semblance helps her do just that. She will opt to heal her teammates over taking a clear shot at any enemy target, and will prefer to evacuate allies instead of eliminating threats, leaving that job to others.

Being compared to other snipers puts Jocelyn to shame; she is no crack shot and prefers to go for easier shots that guarantee hits instead of high-risk, high-reward snipes. Her rifle is shorter range than more recent, higher-tech variants, so she does not go for snipe-outs. Instead, from cover, she uses her semblance to heal any ally in combat, which does not require any precise aiming; all it requires is to hit the ally. She can choose to use her smokescreen and thermal scope in conjunction, provided she knows which is an ally and which is an enemy beforehand.

As a combat medic, while a incredibly helpful asset to a team, it leaves her vulnerable when going solo. She has no other combat option if engaged up close, so she is always forced to retreat if engaged in solo combat, using her jump pack and smokescreen to cloak her movements. Her lack of experience, single weapon mode and slow rate of fire results in a minuscule damage output compared to other Hunters. This is especially prominent when compared to other snipers in her year.

If on a battlefield with wounded, Jocelyn will aim to evacuate the heaviest injured first, or heal them if they still have Aura left. She will jump into the line of fire willingly to rescue other wounded, but will refrain from doing so if she is low on Aura herself. If the person has Aura left, she will use her Semblance; else-wise she uses her first-aid kit to patch up the wounded as best she can with her limited kit.

Jocelyn operates best when in a group; having others do the killing also works out in her best interests. When fighting as a team, Jocelyn stays far back from the group, normally as far as her sniper rifle range allows, and provides long-range cover fire, or distributes healing to people who need it most. If discovered, she drops a smoke cloud and jumps away to a new location, or closer to her teammates. However, in PvP, her Semblance becomes a double-edged blade--she can accidentally heal the opposing team. In single combat, it's a curbstomp--Jocelyn has no training with any other weapon barring a pistol, and has no melee training to speak of either. Get in close and victory is guaranteed.

WEAPON

Name: Hyacinth

Primary Form: Hyacinth is quite a simple weapon for a huntress, being a old Intervention sniper rifle with very little modifications and a white/dark blue paint scheme, originating from old Atlas armaments. Used during older wars, the gun packs a recoil-absorber stock, bolt-action reload, a 7-bullet magazine, a bipod, sling and a new thermal scope, added on by Jocelyn. The thermal scope is linked to her Scroll, showing the current Aura values of any other Hunter nearby, including herself. Apart from the visible wear and tear on the surface, it's a unremarkable old gun which has seen better days. Being a old model, its not the most suited for modern combat. Thankfully Jocelyn doesn't use it mainly for sniping.

Storage Form: Hyacinth's rifle barrel retracts so that the length of the rifle is akin to a assault rifle instead, and the bipod folds up under the main body of the rifle. The rifle is slung over Jocelyn's shoulder and rests at her right hip.

History: An old sniper rifle named and passed down from mother to daughter, Hyacinth was used during Marina's time at Atlas Academy and even a war before being transferred to Jocelyn's hands and acquiring a new thermal scope. Jocelyn prides it on "having saved more lives than taken".

BACKPACK

Name: Steam Flower

Stand-by Form: Steam Flower, unlike Hyacinth, is a high-tech jump pack designed by an Atlas company that enables Jocelyn to gain high ground, cover long distances with one boost, or evacuate any wounded with a dash of speed. Steam Flower takes the shape of a leather harness with an oval-shaped device and a blue glass core in the middle for Dust, with two folded-up wings on each side. and two nozzles on the bottom for expelling the Dust. For propulsion, Steam Flower takes crystals of Kinetic Dust, and each full crystal propels Jocelyn up to a maximum of 10 meters. Note that it does not sustain flight, and cannot hover either: it is several small bursts or one long burst.


Active Form: Steam Flower's wings extend out 4 feet on either sides of the jump pack, revealing a hexagonal semi-transparent mesh--which only serves as visual effect. In this form, if Fire and Ice Dust is inserted, the wings release non-hot steam in a concentrated cylinder around Jocelyn for 15 seconds, giving her a temporary smoke screen. She can shut the steam off and leave it behind as a distraction. The steam acts like normal steam, rising into the air after 10 seconds. With support from wind updrafts, Jocelyn can glide for some distances if the wings are extended, though she cannot fly.


History: Using the money saved from the tuition fee and any other bits and bobs, as well as calling in a favor from one of Marina's old teammates, Jocelyn managed to purchase this high-tech jump-pack to aid her in general combat as well as mobility. Compared to the old sniper rifle, the jump-pack looks like it's from an alternate dimension.

MISC.GEAR

First-Aid Kit: When on missions, Jocelyn prioritises taking her first-aid kit over her sniper rifle if given no other choice. Apart from the common items including basic tools, rolls of gauze, compresses, stitching thread/needles and disinfectant, there's also less common, more intense treatment kit like compression bandages (elastic wrap, pressure dressing, cotton pad), tourniquets, IVs, hemostats and a miniature defibrillator which uses Electric Dust. To round all the equipment off, there's a special section of more kit, but all Dust-infused. These range from Ice Dust-infused burn salve to Fire Dust-infused bandages acting as Deep Heat-replicas. Most of Jocelyn's kit is focused into healing on the move, quick patch-ups, and Dust-infused applications, stuff that takes care of what she cannot heal via her semblance. She has training in using all of the above equipment, but some of the less common stuff she has to buy from outside sources, including all the Dust-infused equipment. Each piece of Dust kit requires a short burst of Aura from any source to trigger the Dust before it takes effect.

28
WiP Characters / Jocelyn Antiqua
« on: September 11, 2017, 04:35:20 AM »
CHARACTER

Name: Jocelyn Thyil Antiqua

Age: 17, 6th of Huā

Species and Gender: Human Female

Symbol: A purple bauhinia carved into a white medical cross. The white cross is outlined with a faint red so the cross takes visual priority over the bauhinia.

Occupation: First Year Beacon Academy Student, Apprentice Medic

Appearance: Standing 5'4", Jocelyn takes after her mother instead of her father, having inherited her purple irises, light, blonde, long hair that either cascades down halfway her back, or is tied in two pigtails, and her caring smile. While relatively fit for a person who hasn't undertaken pre-academy training, Jocelyn doesn't put much emphasis on keeping in shape, quite lax for a girl in high school, only enough so she doesn't run out of breath easily. She is quite beautiful but prefers to be modest about it, with the odd blush now and then when complemented.

Although her Aura and eyes are purple, her color scheme leans more toward an Atlas-esque pattern: white and dark blue, with the odd touch of purple from her symbol here and there, in conjunction with her equipment. A short-sleeved white blouse with dark blue, circuit-like lines running down the length of the sides and intercrossing at the chest, a white skirt tinted with light blue lace trim edging the sides, a full first-aid kit and a magnetic belt bordered with light purple holding both ammunition and Dust for equipment round out her mission wear. A metal brooch with her symbol pins a heliotrope purple scarf to the left shoulder of her blouse, which has a tendency to unravel from around her neck by accident.

In combat, Jocelyn carries a sniper rifle and a jump pack: when the latter is active, she "sprouts" wings, giving her the appearance of an angel. Mind you, most people who see her that way are normally delirious, severely injured or both. Still, she doesn't really mind the comparison--it's not everyday someone gets called an angel. It's all part of the job.

History:
Due to Length: ShowHide
 [spoiler]Jocelyn's child history is identical to Setsuna's, being related. Hence the familiarity.

For a select unlucky few, having an older brother may have been a nuisance; the older bullying the young and so forth. Jocelyn Antiqua was lucky to not have a brother like that. In fact, quite the opposite.

Living a peaceful life in the island of Patch, Jocelyn spent her childhood growing up with her parents, Marina and Emile Antiqua, and her older brother Setsuna, with as close as an ordinary family life as could be attained in a war-ruined land called Remnant. With Emile and Marina both former Hunters, they kept the family safe from any stray Grimm that might have wandered by, and so neither Jocelyn nor her brother were forced to experience the horrifying reality that was war. Something, unfortunately, both their parents had had enough of a taste for. In a "silver lining" situation, however, that was how they had met: on a battlefield, with Emile severely injured and Marina being his saving grace. They fell in love and the rest is history.

While it was obvious that Setsuna took after his father with their outgoing, boisterous and energetic personalities, Jocelyn inherited her traits from her mother: soft-spoken, self-conscious--a perfect balance for the other duo: each rounding out the other's personalities. They were the perfect family of four--whole, unbroken, together.

As with any story with a happy start, it had to end someday.

Jocelyn still keeps the story close to her heart. It was just another day in her childhood; they'd gone down together to the woods where they always played with their friends, more often mock fights than anything else. It was no different that day, with cheerful laughter ringing through the air. Children tussling and rolling on the ground, mocking and joking. Setsuna leapt right in, while Jocelyn stayed by herself by a tree stump, playing with her hair and admiring the scenery. It was a beautiful day...clear blue sky, with nary any clouds--

She was engrossed enough with what she was doing that she failed to move out of the way of a battling duo, who pushed her off the stump. It was sudden enough that she stumbled and twisted her ankle upon landing. This did not go unnoticed by Setsuna, who started running her way to see if she was alright. But instead of apologising, the pair kept on fighting, ignoring the injured Jocelyn on the floor. An argument broke out between Setsuna and the boy, each of them getting angrier and angrier. There seemed to nothing that could stop a actual tussle breaking out.

The introduction of a Beowolf does wonders to break up a fight, it turned out. The ferocious howl emanating from the Grimm, attracted by all the negative emotions swirling like a tornado, sent all the children scattering, and Jocelyn turned to do the same. In the panic, she'd completely forgotten about her ankle, and only managed to land herself on the floor once again. It was inevitable that someone would be injured in the conflict. She just didn't expect it to be from a Beowolf.

Nor did she expect the injured person to be Setsuna. The boy crumpled and fell, blood staining the front of his shirt where three weeping gashes had flowered, in front of Jocelyn who had at that point fainted from pure fear. The Beowolf itself seemed confused, looking at its crimson-painted claws in some interest, before raising its claw for the killing blow. That would be the last thing it ever did, as a giant blade decapitated the Beowolf, before the owner hurriedly gathered up the two unconscious children and rushed for home.

Jocelyn would later wake up to a incandescent purple glow: her father had unlocked her Aura to speed up her healing process, and do the same to Setsuna. That night would forever embed itself into Jocelyn's mind: the Beowolf, Setsuna's valiant sacrifice, her Aura--all of those things she had only ever heard in stories. She had never expected that such events would ever come to pass. But in her jumbled thoughts, one thing was crystal clear--as clear as the tears running down her cheeks. Her brother had saved her life.

This series of events brought fresh meaning to Jocelyn's life. She realised she hated seeing anyone hurt, whether mentally or physically. She never wanted to see anyone in the same position as her, helpless to fight back against the creatures of Grimm. So when Setsuna brought up the idea of attending Beacon, a similar idea sprung to life in Jocelyn's mind. Except, when she confronted her parents about it (Setsuna had left to train at Signal at this point in time), her mother refused. Jocelyn was distraught by the news. Then Marina brought up an alternative.

She would train Jocelyn herself. Having been through the equivalent of Signal in Atlas, she knew that they offered little in the way of healing and support. Marina, on the other hand, was both a qualified Huntress and an excellent medic, having saved many a person with her abilities. So while Setsuna was training at Signal, Jocelyn learned how to fight and how to be a medic at the age of 14; the age that after 4 years would allow her to enter Beacon Academy and see her brother again. 

A former Atlas huntress, Marina was trained in the form of sniping enemies from afar, and she taught Jocelyn just that, with her own former rifle issued by the Atlas forces. She also brought her medic training to bear, using her Semblance as an example. However, with all the training, it was soon evident to the two Hunters' eyes that Jocelyn could not attain the level of combat prowess that Setsuna did with his father. Both Marina and Jocelyn accepted this reality, and instead doubled their efforts on medical training. It was during this period that Jocelyn discovered her semblance by accident; completely by random her shots started glowing when fired. After extensive practice and experimentation Jocelyn later managed to control her Semblance to her current point.

This still was not enough. Jocelyn's lack of combat prowess needed to be backed up by something, or she would never get into Beacon Academy. Thankfully, Marina once again came to the rescue and asked for help from one of her old teammates back in Atlas. Eventually, with some scraping by, they managed to afford the money required to buy the jump-pack custom-designed by Marina's old teammate. Only then did she barely scrape the mark required. But still, Jocelyn was confident her skills as a medic would be in high demand. After passing on her well-used rifle to Jocelyn, she attempted the Enrolment Exam, doing well in the academic but only barely passing the rest thanks to her jump-pack.

Now, Jocelyn aims to continue her mother's role as both a Huntress and a medic, to uphold her duties as both, and ultimately, to repay that long-overdue debt to her brother.
[/spoiler]
Personality: Jocelyn's personality can be best described as a variation of her brother's. While both are caring to a fault, polite and kind, Jocelyn leans toward the more quiet side of the spectrum. Patient but soft-spoken, Jocelyn prefers learning over combat, and will commonly be seen away from any spar where people inevitably get hurt. Still, that does not mean she doesn't learn about combat itself; she is a eager learner.

One of Jocelyn's most important and distinctive traits about her is that she hates seeing people get hurt, or seeing people fight, no matter Grimm or other Hunters in spars. She goes out of her way to prevent fights from breaking out, making her a bona-fide peacekeeper, and will sacrifice her own health to help others. This is also reflected in her equipment and semblance: her sniper rifle is old and is weaker than other weapons, her jump pack allows her to avoid combat, and her semblance heals others at the cost of her own Aura.

As a medic, Jocelyn works well even under pressure, does not lose her cool under fire, and does not hesitate to obey orders. She will, however, break off if she sees an opportunity to save/heal others under attack, but generally she is predictable and easy to get along with. Note that she is an apprentice medic who can save Aura-depleted lives, but cannot perform high skill-level tasks like amputation or surgery.

Jocelyn is particularly protective of her brother Setsuna and will always step up to defend him if any situation occurs--which is ironic considering she is both the younger of the two and her brother's ethos to life. She is surprisingly courageous and brave, much more so than normal if her brother is with her.

Aura and Semblance: Aura Color--Heliotrope Purple/#DF73FF

Jocelyn's aura is constantly taxed by her semblance, making it rare for her to be at full Aura. However, it's still as strong as any other person, but she is not capable of unlocking further abilities as of yet.

Semblance: Healing Sacrifice--Jocelyn sacrifices a portion of her aura, which is directed into an object she is holding, turning it glowing purple. Upon impact with another living human/faunus, the object turns into purple aura and heals the person it made contact with. Jocelyn uses this semblance in conjunction with her sniper rifle, as she can heal her allies from a distance by simply shooting them in the back. The receiving person does not feel any pain upon contact, only a slight reinvigorating sensation. An important note is that Jocelyn cannot heal a person who does not have Aura unlocked, or has completely run out of aura.

Whoever Jocelyn shoots will receive the aura healing, no matter if it was the intended recipient or not. In addition, if the object hits a non-human/faunus being, like a tree or a Grimm, the object will just dissipate. However, she cannot heal a person already healed by this semblance for 10 seconds afterwards. The object can remain charged with Jocelyn's semblance as long as it remains in contact with her, and retains this effect for up to 5 seconds after leaving her hands. Hence, she cannot heal over extremely long distances.

Jocelyn can choose how much of her aura to sacrifice, up to a maximum of 15% at a time, with no time needed between each use. However, if she distributes over 10% in one go, she physically feels as if someone has hit her for that amount, including the feeling of pain, while the intensity increases as she sacrifices more Aura. Notably, Jocelyn can keep sharing her Aura until she herself is at 0%, which is incredibly dangerous. The recipient will receive as much aura as sacrificed. While it is not properly confirmed, Jocelyn has this gut feeling that her semblance has room for improvement, and hopes to be able to either heal more frequently or heal for more each use.
basically...: ShowHide

+ Heals people for as much aura as sacrificed, up to a max of 15%
- Limited duration
- May accidentally heal opponents in PvP
- Overhealing physically taxes Jocelyn


Combat Behavior: What with being an advocate of peace and her semblance, it's no surprise Jocelyn prefers to stay as far from any close-up tussle as possible, using her sniper rifle to shoot from long-distance and her jump pack to either gain the high ground, or retreat. However, she specialises in support, specifically being a medic, and her Semblance helps her do just that. She will opt to heal her teammates over taking a clear shot at any enemy target, and will prefer to evacuate allies instead of eliminating threats, leaving that job to others.

Being compared to other snipers puts Jocelyn to shame; she is no crack shot and prefers to go for easier shots that guarantee hits instead of high-risk, high-reward snipes. Her rifle is shorter range than more recent, higher-tech variants, so she does not go for snipe-outs. Instead, from cover, she uses her semblance to heal any ally in combat, which does not require any precise aiming; all it requires is to hit the ally. She can choose to use her smokescreen and thermal scope in conjunction, provided she knows which is an ally and which is an enemy beforehand.

As a combat medic, while a helpful asset to a team, leaves her vulnerable when going solo. She has no other combat option if engaged up close, so she is always forced to retreat if engaged in solo combat, using her jump pack and smokescreen to cloak her movements. Her lack of experience, single weapon mode and slow rate of fire results in a minuscule damage output compared to other Hunters. This is especially prominent when compared to other snipers in her year.

If on a battlefield with wounded, Jocelyn will aim to evacuate the heaviest wounded, or heal them if they still have Aura left. She will jump into the line of fire willingly to rescue other wounded, but will refrain from doing so if she is low on Aura herself. If the person has Aura left, she will use her Semblance; else-wise she uses her first-aid kit to patch up the wounded as best she can with her limited kit.

Jocelyn operates best when in a group; having others do the killing also works out in her best interests. When fighting as a team, Jocelyn stays far back from the group, normally as far as her sniper rifle range allows, and provides long-range cover fire, or distributes healing to people who need it most. If discovered, she drops a smoke cloud and jumps away to a new location, or closer to her teammates. However, in PvP, her Semblance becomes a double-edged blade--she can accidentally heal the opposing team. In single combat, it's a curbstomp--Jocelyn has no training with any other weapon barring a pistol, and has no melee training to speak of either. Get in close and victory is guaranteed.

WEAPON

Name: Hyacinth

Primary Form: Hyacinth is quite a simple weapon for a huntress, being a old Intervention sniper rifle with very little modifications and a white/dark blue paint scheme, originating from old Atlas armaments. Used during older wars, the gun packs a recoil-absorber stock, bolt-action reload, a 7-bullet magazine, a bipod, sling and a new thermal scope, added on by Jocelyn. The thermal scope is linked to her Scroll, showing the current Aura values of any other Hunter nearby, including herself. Apart from the visible wear and tear on the surface, it's a unremarkable old gun which has seen better days. Being a old model, its not the most suited for modern combat. Thankfully Jocelyn doesn't use it mainly for sniping.

Storage Form: Hyacinth's rifle barrel retracts so that the length of the rifle is akin to a assault rifle instead, and the bipod folds up under the main body of the rifle. The rifle is slung over Jocelyn's shoulder and rests at her right hip.

History: An old sniper rifle named and passed down from mother to daughter, Hyacinth was used during Marina's time at Atlas Academy and even a war before being transferred to Jocelyn's hands and acquiring a new thermal scope. Jocelyn prides it on "having saved more lives than taken".

BACKPACK

Name: Steam Flower

Stand-by Form: Steam Flower, unlike Hyacinth, is a high-tech jump pack designed by an Atlas company that enables Jocelyn to gain high ground, cover long distances with one boost, or evacuate any wounded with a dash of speed. Steam Flower takes the shape of a leather harness with an oval-shaped device and a blue glass core in the middle for Dust, with two folded-up wings on each side. and two nozzles on the bottom for expelling the Dust. For propulsion, Steam Flower takes crystals of Kinetic Dust, and each full crystal propels Jocelyn up to a maximum of 10 meters. Note that it does not sustain flight, and cannot hover either: it is several small bursts or one long burst.


Active Form: Steam Flower's wings extend out 85 centimetres on either sides of the jump pack, revealing a hexagonal semi-transparent mesh--which only serves as visual effect. In this form, if Fire and Ice Dust is inserted, the wings release non-hot steam in a concentrated cylinder around Jocelyn for 15 seconds, giving her a temporary smoke screen. She can shut the steam off and leave it behind as a distraction. The steam acts like normal steam, rising into the air after 10 seconds. The wings do not support her weight, so she cannot glide in this mode. It does, however, balance her in the air somewhat.


History: Using the money saved from the tuition fee and any other bits and bobs, as well as calling in a favor from one of Marina's old teammates, Jocelyn managed to purchase this high-tech jump-pack to aid her in general combat as well as mobility. Compared to the old sniper rifle, the jump-pack looks like it's from an alternate dimension.

29
Introductions, birthdays, and departures. / Hiatus
« on: June 26, 2017, 07:20:37 AM »
Going to be away with no connection for 3 days (currently posting this on the top of a mountain) for those who this concerns. Sorry for the delay and will post ASAP when I have connection again.

30
Approved Characters / Graham Dylandy
« on: June 24, 2017, 05:07:48 PM »
CHARACTER

Name: Graham Dylandy

Age: 17, 6th of Saaral

Species and Gender: Male Human

Symbol:


Occupation: First Year Beacon Student

Appearance: Graham Dylandy stands tall at 5'11. He has a simple complexion, with pale, tanned skin, grey irises and short, messy chestnut brown hair, several locks of which fall across his face. Graham has the facial shape of a slightly flattened oval, not enough to warrant it being a circle. He cuts a fine line between being built and being skinny, having enough of both to confuse people over arguing which description fits him better. Graham is left-handed instead of the usual right.

For everyday clothing, Graham chooses to show his status, opting for a sleeveless electric crimson tailcoat with bright silver linings, which travel the length of the topcoat in ornate patterns. The tailcoat reaches the top of his thighs. An armband with delicate patterns adorns his right forearm. Under the tailcoat, he wears a white and auburn tank top with black and gold trimmings. He also wears, compared to the rest of his outfit, plain white denim shorts with no special features to them, apart from pockets. His footwear of choice is, strangely enough, sandals. However, these are more tight-fitting than usual sandals, allowing Graham to run. His symbol is nowhere to be found anywhere on his clothing, the only visible place being a tiny stamp on his blade.

In combat, he adds on three extra components: a thin metal belt with a movable metal arm and clamp for his weapon; over his tailcoat, a small ammo belt that encircles Graham's right shoulder and armpit, holding dust canisters, and a mechanical combat mask that covers and protects his mouth and nose when in combat. It splits in half and loosely covers his ears when not in use. However, Graham finds the mask a bit too "edgy" and does not wear it in combat with other humans, unless there is a specific reason to (Desert environments and the like).
Spoiler: ShowHide
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yCr4VXO0UhM/maxresdefault.jpg
Without the red circles, link because image is too big to simply fit on page


History: Born in a rich family in Vale, Graham Dylandy was the newest in a line of Hunters who could trace their ancestry all the way back to the Greyed War, where his ancestor fought without the usage of Dust, opting instead to carry a simple tachi into battle. His skill wielding the blade made up for his not using any Dust, and he did not participate in major fights, instead striking the back lines of the enemy and fading away before major conflicts erupted. It was the Dylandy family's decree that at least one descendant should carry on the mantle of being a Hunter, and as Graham was an only child, he was raised with the mindset of being a Hunter capable of impressing his father, who was also a Hunter before him, and passing on their age-old traditions to the next generation.

Every Hunter who had ever come from the Dylandy family had wielded the family heirloom, the same tachi that was used in the Greyed War by their ancestor, passed down with its techniques, kept in near pristine conditions. The techniques were, unlike others, not lost to time and stayed the same, apart from improvements added on by each Hunter. The tachi was the family's most precious possession and was what defined their style. Along with the blade, each generation passed down their gradually expanding knowledge of fighting, a form of martial art based on a iaijutsu/iaido hybrid. Graham was taught this style of combat by his father, who was brought up in the old styles and methods of the Hunters before him, which included his father's father (Graham's grandfather) and his grandfather. At the age of 10, Graham began his iaido training, practicing the movements of the tachi blade, and at night, he would study to catch up on his education. Due to his implanted mindset, however, Graham showed little interest toward that direction.

It would be 3 years before his father deemed him ready to move on to actual sparring, practicing the first instance of
iaijutsu with a blunt steel blade, unlike the wooden practice blade Graham had used during his iaido training. This took some time to get used to, as the transition from a wooden to steel blade was, well, strange. In order to allow Graham to spar more freely, his father unlocked his aura before the transition. However, 3 years of just practicing movements does dull the senses of combat, and to counteract this Graham's father brought him to an arms convention hosted by an Atlas company. There, Graham was treated to a spectacle of fighting with weapons beyond his comprehension, all bolstered with technology at another level that even two years of constant training couldn't hold a candle to. His young mind, exposed to high-tech mechanics for the first time (Apart from scrolls, his family didn't keep with the times) swarmed with ideas as to how the techniques he was learning could be aided with such technology.

Back at home, Graham spent a considerable amount of time researching different companies that offered mechanical upgrades, including prosthetics, Dust systems and launching chambers. He also brainstormed concepts that could possibly improve his combat capabilities further beyond his limits. One example was his cutting speed, where his line of thought went to Kinetic Dust. It would definitely improve the velocity of the cut, while another was to completely reforge the tachi with more modern concepts and designs. This ultimately did not proceed because Graham had zero experience with forging his own weapon. He also stayed clear from completely replacing his arm with a prosthetic, though it would be much more powerful. Being a cyborg didn't align with his interests, though he did purchase a mechanical combat mask that covered his mouth and nose when activated.

He went to his father/mentor with the information he'd gleaned and memorised, expecting to be given praise for his hard work and the green light to start modifications. What he didn't expect was harsh rebuking and what would almost result in physical punishment if not for his mother. It turned out his father didn't believe in the advantages of technology, believing that mixing it with their traditions would ruin the meaning, as well as trusting in their skills alone to carry them through any difficulty. "If it isn't broken don't fix it", basically. On the other side of the spectrum, Graham believed that combining technology with sword techniques could push the boundaries of how far he could improve, redefining his limits with no technical aid. This clearly went against the creed of the family, and his father forbid Graham from further pursuing the topic.

The young Graham was nothing if not determined at this point to prove his father wrong once and for all. He continued his training under his father with the pretense of seeing sense in what his father said, with his aim truly being to learn all he could from his father before taking his own path. At 15, with his father deeming him worthy of wielding the family tachi, he presented Graham with the precious sword, the elaborate patterns and simple yet effective blade being the chosen weapon for every Hunter under their roof. However, Graham threw that concept out the window, secretly approaching an Atlesian weapons modification store to request upgrades to the sword, providing ideas and concepts as to what he wanted done to the blade. The end result was Reformation, complete with a Dust ejection system and modernised design. Alongside the tachi, Graham requested a completely new weapon, Trinity, based off a tanto blade and completely mechanised. To prove his father wrong, Graham enrolled in Beacon Academy, under the guise that he was still using the unmodified sword, relying on his training to tide him through, aiming one day to cross blades with his father and open his eyes to the wide world of opportunities that awaited.

Personality: Graham is your wealthy, old descendant of a traditional family with a twist. He is a vivid believer that technology is the next step to improving the art of combat, even going so far as to modify the old family heirloom, which is considered to be mutilating the sword, at least in his family traditions. Apart from his ideals, which he will fight to defend, he's your average rebellious teenager. Rich and yet not spoiled, he doesn't flaunt his wealth to others, only using money for essentials or enhancements to the tachi blade and sheath (basically, splurging on technology). Graham is practiced at controlling his emotions, capable of showing a good poker face. Otherwise, outside of classes, which he does not do well in (he can't really be bothered to learn stuff that doesn't relate to fighting), and fights, he's pretty easygoing, able to keep his own in a conversation-well, most of the time. In a combat situation, he's confident from the training he's been through, which could be his downfall--overconfidence. It must be noted that Graham does not fight for honor/glory, nor does he fight for the sake of fighting-he will avoid combat if unnecessary.

Graham has a few hobbies, including playing with practice butterfly knives, pen tapping, and magazine-reading, the latter only because he is constantly searching for ways to prove his father wrong, that technology does indeed push the boundaries of combat, and is the way forward if he wishes to improve. He has no skill with actually assembling technology, and relies on outside sources to supply him with the kit he needs. He highly enjoys rock and metal music, and might burst into song if he thinks no-one's looking. If faced with a problem, he has no qualms with spending money to solve it, aka "money isn't a problem". He can be determined if he wants to, even headstrong when challenged. If someone questions his ideals, like his father did, he takes it personally and will not back down until the other person concedes his point.

Aura and Semblance: Aura Color- Electric Crimson / #FF003F

Semblance: Taunt Targeting - Graham looks at a visible living object--human or Grimm--for 2 seconds. The target then gains a deep red glow around it's outline, only visible to Graham, while Graham also gains the same glow, only visible to the target. This makes him feel like he's done a 5-min jog. Graham gains a 1/3 damage boost to his attacks against the designated target; however, the same applies to him, as in he takes 1/3rd more damage from the target as well. The target can dispel this effect by moving out of Graham's view completely. This can be achieved simply by forcing Graham's eyes closed for a duration of time longer than a blink, or by pushing his head so he can not see his target. Or moving behind cover. Only one person can be targeted at a time, and the effects fade after 10-15 seconds. After the effects fade, forcedly or otherwise, Graham must "recharge" for 15 seconds before he can use his Semblance again.

Combat Behavior: Think of Graham as a left-handed high-tech samurai with no code of honor to uphold. Due to Graham being left-handed, any tactics his opponent may have when fighting are mentally thrown off balance. He is very flexible (his body, not his tactics) and can use this to his advantage. Graham can alter his fighting style slightly between one-handed and two-handed, one being the swifter and shorter swings and parries, while two being the heavier slashes and stabs. When using a one-handed grip, his right hand is almost always on the ridged grip of his sheath. He does not dual-wield his tachi and his tanto, only using one at a time. Graham is capable of pulling off butterfly knife tricks with his tanto mid-fight to distract his opponents, though he does run the risk of dropping the blade.

He is proficient in close-quarters dueling, whether it be against swords, axes or hammers, but struggles against brawlers or fighters who get inside his tachi's range, or stay far enough from him that the tachi blade cannot reach them, like spear/glaive users. Graham has no hand-to-hand training, so disarming him will render him basically helpless (he can barely throw a punch). He has based almost all his combat strategies and styles on single combat, and while he excels at it, he is easily overwhelmed if multiple enemies gang up on him. In team fights, he singles out an opponent and focuses them down. It is noted that he does not adapt quickly to unorthodox weaponry like chains, boomerangs, or weapons that aren't normally seen on the battlefield, nor are his movements fast.

During his training, Graham was taught iaijutsu-based techniques as well as iaido, focusing on being aware and quickly responding to attacks. The training resulted in him being able to carry out smooth, controlled movements as well as enhancing his reaction time, and he prominently displays this when fighting, returning his tachi to the sheath after every confrontation, or when he needs to reposition himself. Iaijutsu is also utilised with the tanto. One technique he has practiced often is a Kinetic Dust-enhanced sword strike, straight from the sheath. The increased momentum from the Dust charge allows Graham to carry out highly powerful swings, though this is limited in that he needs to return the tachi to the sheath, and that he only has a limited amount of dust charges (5).

WEAPONS

Name: Reformation

Primary Weapon: Reformation is a renamed and heavily modified tachi blade and sheath. Measuring 30 inches in length, the electric crimson-colored blade of steel itself is relatively unchanged, retaining the traditional signature on the base of the blade, but with an additional symbol, translating to Reformed, etched crudely by Graham, as well as being repainted to his liking. The curve of the blade has been slightly straightened, though unnoticeable by an untrained eye. The two-handed grip of the blade, once adorned with gold tassels, has had the width reduced slightly and the tassels removed, replaced by a modern katana grip. It has also been modified to be left-handed. A slot for Dust canisters on the base of the handle has been added to the tachi.

Dust Functions: Graham only uses two types of Dust for Reformation, Electric and Ice dust. He keeps 3 canisters of each type with him at hand.

Electric (Lightning) Dust charges the blade with a electric current. The next strike that hits any target releases the energy into the target. Can paralyse a limb for a tiny duration of time. When this type of dust is inserted into the blade, there is audible crackling and blue sparks fly from the blade. The energy is only released on contact with a surface.
Ice (Freeze) Dust imbues the blade with a light blue color. The next strike causes any target it comes in contact with to freeze over. Can freeze an entire limb, though the ice is not thick. The ice is only activated if the blade comes in contact with a surface.

Sheath: The once ornate sheath has had many more modifications compared to the tachi. The black curved leather casing with red metal streaks and the original shape remain with the width being thickened, but the first 1/3rd section of the sheath has been removed near the mouth, replaced with a rifle-esque receiver. This device is powered by Kinetic Dust cartridges, with a 5-cartridge clip on the bottom, the modified section looking like a rifle loading chamber. There is also a ridged hand grip and a trigger complete with trigger guard, to fire off the Dust charge. When the tachi is in the sheath and the trigger compressed, the dust charge triggers, blasting the tachi out of the sheath with considerable force. Near the end of the modified section is a indented section for a clamp, replacing the traditional ropes/hangers that allow the blade to be worn horizontally. The clamp is attached to a movable mechanical arm on a belt, allowing the sheath to be extended or retracted away from the waist. The tachi and the sheath hang on the clamp on Graham's right side of his waist, horizontally.
Spoiler: ShowHide


Concept from MGRR: HF Murasama sheath

History: Once the old family heirloom, passed down to wielders in the Dylandy family that sought the mantle of a Hunter, Graham took the tachi and the sheath to a weapons modification store, where he requested for the blade to be customised to his preference, disregarding the blade's history in favor of his own ideals. The result was a mechanised version of the old blade, retaining the tachi's characteristics while simultaneously bolstering the power of the swings.

Name: Trinity

Primary Form: Trinity is a tanto blade that can fold up similar to a butterfly knife. When not in use/sheathed, the blade of the tanto telescopes so it fits the length of the handle. The handle then splits in two, like a butterfly knife, and folds around the blade, concealing it. The full length of the tanto automatically springs out when the two sections of the handle come together and exposes the compressed blade. Trinity is 12 inches long when unfolded, only 4 inches when folded, and Graham normally hides the blade in a pocket instead of displaying it, compared to his tachi.

History: Trinity was one of Graham's steps to proving that technology does improve combat, redesigning a traditional weapon with new styles and technology. It proved to be a useful surprise weapon.

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