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wanderbornwriting · 7 months

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Prologue

Today I'm dropping the opening three chapters (or prologue and two chapters, whatever) of Wanderborn publicly, while my Patreon shows off everything through chapter 7!

Since I cant drop the Royal Road link yet, I'm just gonna go ahead and drop the opening pieces here! Enjoy!

Prologue

Calliane’s eyes carefully surveyed the silent forest around her and her team. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t spot anything suspicious amongst the bare trees and barely blooming bushes in the area. Spring had only just begun, and the forest lacked the dense foliage it would grow later in the season. There was little place for anything to hide.

Still, her feeling of unease didn’t go away. Calliane was an experienced sentinel, close to reaching Adept at long last. In fact, she was confident that this expedition, her twenty-fifth since she had joined the sentinels three years before, would finally be the one to put her over the edge.

If she made it back alive, that is.

“What’s wrong, Calli?” A gruff voice asked behind her.

She turned back, her eyes still narrowed as she surveyed her surroundings. “I don’t know. There’s just… something wrong.”

Kurrid, her team’s defender, gave her a smile as hard and sure as his platemail. Relax, Calli. There’s nothing out here that can evade your spirits, you know that. And even if there was, you’ve got me to protect you!”

Calliane relaxed a little, giving her old friend a small nod. With his combination of the gifts of the guardian, animist, and metal, Kurrid was essentially the apocryphal immovable object, a living wall no enemy had ever succeeded in breaching.

But still, her stress didn’t fade entirely.

“We should keep moving,” Arla suggested.

“The sooner we find this battalion, the sooner we can leave,” Curtis agreed.

The team’s two primary damage dealers spoke confidently - but Calliane didn’t miss that they held their weapons at the ready, Arla’s bladed whip making soft whispers of sound as it swished back and forth in her hand, while Curtis held an arrow ready to his bow.

So. She wasn't the only one who was nervous.

The Arboreal Wastes were considered the least dangerous of the five great Wastes that sentinels across the Realm guarded against, but Calliane and her team knew well that perception was only due to its relatively recent formation. The small stretch of dense forest wasn’t as ominous as the winding tunnels of the Umbral Waste, or as striking as the massive crater of the Lunar Waste, but it was nonetheless host to innumerable dangers. All Wastes drew in hostile outsiders from the Darkened Worlds, and the stretch of temperate woodlands known as the Arboreal Wastes were no exception.

The fact that the forest seemed to draw in outsiders primarily from the Chained World, known for their ability to organize and fortify if left unchecked, only increased the danger. Nearly fifty sentinel teams just like Calliane’s had to constantly patrol the thick, dangerous forest to root out the dangerous monsters before they could reach a critical mass, while another two score sentinel teams patrolled the edge of the wood in an effort to prevent the outsiders from escaping into the heartlands.

Despite the dangers inherent to the position, sentinels were recognized across the Realm for putting their lives on the line to contain the unending danger of the outsiders, and most of Calliane’s team, like her, were minor nobility in the young bastion city of Elliven, doing their duty to ensure that the Waste remained contained.

“You’re right. Let’s go,” Calliane finally conceded, turning back to the path ahead of them. She felt for the magic engraved in her soul years before by her gift of the sorcerer, and manifested a pair of spirits in the air before her. They were barely visible as wavering shapes in empty space as she sent them both flickering through the trees to search for any threats.

The cadre briskly continued down the narrow path, alert for any sign of the band of gnolls they had been dispatched to handle. The disciplined monsters were common leaders for the lesser creatures of the Chained World, and if the reports were true, these gnolls may have managed to suborn an ogre into their ranks.

Their preferred ambush tactics made a band of gnolls dangerous enough, but if they truly had the raw power of an ogre on their side, only a decisive strike from the sentinels would give them the advantage they needed to seize victory. All of which meant that the team was heavily reliant on Calliane’s abilities to both forewarn them of any danger and to give them the advantage they desperately needed.

Even if they lacked the physical mass to be threatening on their own, the spirits Calliane could summon through her sorcery were nearly invisible and all but intangible, making them ideal scouts for the little band. The immaterial beings had been key to their team gaining their reputation as an efficient strike force, capable of finding and destroying mid-sized groups of outsiders and other monsters before they could bring their own power to bear.

But Calliane only made it a few steps down the path before she was abruptly reminded that nearly invisible and all but intangible did not mean her spirits were actually invulnerable. The sentinel gave a sudden scream of pain and fell to her knees as the sensory feedback of her spirits suddenly terminated in a burst of shrieking static. Not once since she had first passed the Scholar’s test and gained her gift of the sorcerer had something managed to actually destroy her spirits, and the twin sensations of their dissolution were like red-hot needles in her brain.

It took Calliane an unacceptable amount of time to get her bearings after the shock, and nearly half a minute passed before she managed to pull herself together.

Wait, Calliane realized as she collected her thoughts, why didn’t Kurrid help me?

It was the stalwart man’s ability as a healer, through the gift of the animist, that elevated him from a simple defender to the lynchpin of the team. She didn’t know if his spells were sufficient to ease the pain of her spirits’ destruction, but she had expected him to try, at the very least.

Silvery fear shot down Calliane’s spine at the same time a ferocious roar jarred her into motion, and she staggered to her feet - only to see what had become of her team.

Curtis was already down, his body as twisted and broken as the remains of his bow. Even as she watched, Arla’s bladed whip, which could tear through even a gnoll in a single motion, was itself ripped apart, followed shortly thereafter by its wielder.

Kurrid, who should’ve been protecting his team, was fully occupied trying to hold off an abomination unlike anything Calliane had ever seen. The massive man was utterly dwarfed by the monstrosity, his abilities as a healer and defender alike clearly pushed to their limits.

Calliane lifted one hand, reaching into her mana reservoir as she called on her most powerful attack. If she could buy Kurrid even a moment to bring his metal abilities into play, he should be able to make enough space for them to flee.

The gift of the raptor had been Calliane’s first gift, the totem that bore it a present from her father on her sixteenth birthday. Augmented by the sorcery she had gained from her second gift, Calliane could call upon the spirit of the raptor to summon an immense hawk. Whisper had been her closest companion for years, even before she had met Kurrid and the rest of her team, and he had only become more potent when Calliane reached Initiate level and picked up the gift of fire.

She felt her mana reservoir plummet as she pumped every bit of power she had into calling up Whisper, and a snarl crossed her face as the bird, resplendent with plumage of pure flame, appeared on her arm. But before Calliane could command her most potent summon to attack, he gave a brassy shriek of alarm and simply dissipated, just as her simpler spirits had earlier.

The sentinel barely had a moment to gasp in surprise before the sensory feedback seared through her mind, another bolt of shrieking agony that sent her to her knees. Calliane struggled to right herself, managing to look up just in time to see the abomination sink its teeth into Kurrid’s skull and simply rip the man’s head off.

Then a bolt of very cold, very material pain cut through the phantom agony of Whisper’s disappearance. Calliane didn’t have a chance to see who had attacked her from behind. She didn’t even have time enough to shed a tear for her fallen friends before everything went black.

Leagues away from the Arboreal Wastes, sitting under a broad oak tree, a tall, slender man looked up sharply from the book he was reading. His eyes, an eerie shade of yellow, locked on some distant point in the sky. There was a problem, visible to his senses like a knot in a carefully sewn bolt of cloth, though few others in all the Realm would be able to perceive such a thing.

“Something’s changed.”

The empty air around him did not respond. His eyes were a warm hazel when he stood, snapping his book shut with a sigh. He suspected he would not have another chance to read it for a long while.

Then he began to walk.

#litrpg #web novel #queer fiction #queer fantasy #prologue #ooo how mysterious

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eveningoftheempires · 3 years

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Evening of the Empires Worldbuilding - Excerpts from "Wonders of Uria" by Levari Karrius

Some claim that Uria is broken; that, shortly after its creation, it was torn to pieces as an act of rage by the Lunar Mother. She swallowed most of the lands and left only scrumbles to the mortal beings. All of them have descended from The Depth, the heart of all creation, born out of Alania’s endless burning love. Scattered among what was left, the countries we know today started forming.

“But those are simply telltales,” you, my dear reader, might claim - and for a good reason. I do specialize in fantastic stories after all, but this time I shall make an exception and reach towards the truth.

And the truth is - despite all the work put into research by various scholars of all origins, we do not know much of our beginnings.

[…]

Previously mentioned Depths are mostly inhabited by dwarves, whose society flourishes despite not having a strong head of the state. They live in numerous cities, each carved in a mountain and one more impressive than another. Many among them work in mines, supplying their trade partners with either the materials or already made equipment - some dwarven merchants proudly claim that their steel is unbreakable.

Since the Depths are commonly assumed to lay above the heart of the world, many dwarves choose the path of knowledge, seeking to learn about the creation of Uria. Their expeditions go far down, to places that would never see the sunlight if it was not for these curious individuals. Most of their discoveries have shaken the very foundations of what we call science - minerals and plants never seen before or ancient underground settlements among those wonders. Gremmal Thernik, the curator of the House of the Forgotten, believes that only the surface has been scratched of what lies beneath.

[…]

Nushkan Congregation gathers numerous smaller countries, led by Nushka, a coastal kingdom ruled by the orcish dynasty of the Unbroken. However, many different races may be found among the Nushkan citizens - including humans, halflings, tieflings, and even a big population of elves. Each state governs itself, but they unite when it comes to foreign politics. The current high king, Xugash V, granted all of his vassals more power than his predecessors ever, all in return for their help in strengthening the army. This fragmentation of power may seem foolish at first glance, but it was a necessary move after a series of revolts in the region.

In the past decade, this western backwater of a country truly grew into an enemy to behold. The Unbroken Dynasty strongly focused on technological advancement, turning away from the ineffective agriculture. The harsh climate no longer stops the economy. Future Units, formed from scholars, mages and generals of all local races, became pioneers in engineering, mixing ages old magics with whole new inventions. Though, these wonders are granted to only the ones that can afford them.

[...]

Karathny Republic, built on remnants of the Ruby Empire, is a place of grand traditions. It is home to some of Uria’s greatest leaders and warriors, a place where many glorious battles occured - and, with all those legends, it should be no surprise that storytellers thrive in such an environment. The art of rhetorics is considered the most noble, which is one of the reasons for local politics being so interesting. The power here is fluid, and the people of the republic choose their representatives every five years.

The culture has always been the most important factor in this hot, deserted region with little to no natural resources. The trade routes are full with caravans transporting breathtaking paintings and sculptures or delicate, hand-woven fabrics. Along with the merchants travel various artistic troupes, lone bards and circuses. Although mostly inhabited by humans, elves and half elves native to this land, other races are seen as well - there are even a few purely orc and tiefling settlements.

[…]

The Free City-State of Ienow can be simply described as a curiosity unlike any other in the world - not only it is a melting pot of all races and cultures of Uria, it is also the smallest country that survived without being ingrained with one of the powers in the region. And the strangeness does not end at that! The politics of Ienow are dominated by the leaders of the most influential guilds in the city - Guild of Traders, Guild of Mages, Guild of Bankers, Guild of Fighters, and even… Guild of Assassins. The coastal islands are a common hideout of the pirates roaming the seas, since the system of justice is nearly non-existent. All of this makes for a rather dangerous - albeit always interesting - place to live.

Everything in Ienow revolves around two things: freedom and money. All is fair when either of those values are involved. Murders of political or economical opponents are a common practice, so are fights between gangs hired by guilds to keep the citizens in check. Those who come here seeking a new start are bound to be disappointed; it is nearly beyond possibility to climb up the social ladder. The poor immigrants are mostly employed in factories.

[...]

Queendom of Lunaris is the cradle of all things magical. This primarily elven, secluded country hosts a great entourage of mages, one more powerful than another. They are gathered in the Sorcerers’ Assembly, and the most influential members rule alongside queens from the Liaquen dynasty. Enchanters and alchemists are the backbone of the country’s economy, providing it with stable income - although the Guild of Mages offers arcane goods as well, it cannot compete with the lunarian quality.

The warm, forested islands are clearly prosperous under the reign of queen Cithren and Grand Sorceress Amarille, and one can see it even through the lense of everyday life. The roads crossing the islands are well maintained and protected, the villages and cities are all truly a sight for sore eyes, and even peasants are hospitable and content people. The only scar on Lunaris’ image is a faction led by a human preacher who calls himself Doom. Those people believe magic to be heresy, and claim that its users will bring doom upon Uria.

[…]

Soleil Hegemony thrives off conquests. What started off as a small northern county is now the grandest of the empires, and it is aiming to eventually be the only one. It was not always this ambitious, though - until recently, its sleazy aristocracy was content being stuck in the previous era, profiting off of peasants’ hard work on the fertile fields. These very devout people put their faith in the kings, believing them to be beloved sons sent by Watchful, the chief of their pantheon. No one dared to rebel against them, until recently.

After a foul murder of king Degarmo IX by a Ienowan assassin, another prominent figure rose to power - that is, General Chastain, a well respected leader of the soleilan army. Once he announced himself a dictator, everyone knew what his next step would be. He started a relentless war with what used to be the Gornorth Kingdom, and then quickly conquered the Lokei Republic. The empire grows, the nobles host decadent parties in order to celebrate victory, and countless soldiers die on the battlefields. The future seems rather unsteady.

[…]

The Monarchy of Sabal is quite a good definition for the word “underestimated”. This small country of seemingly no consequence has been around for too little time to build itself a decent reputation - it was only in the last era when a secessionist group of lunarian citizens, mostly tieflings and half elves, managed to tear them away from the Queendom. The newborn monarchy with still destabilized power attracted (and still attracts) numerous criminals, being a good alternative for the already crowded City-State of Ienow. Others have seen it as a great place for a fresh start and chose occupations of fishmongers and sailors.

The current monarch, Zarramine the Witful, truly lives up to their name. Rumor has it that the web of sabalan spies reaches far beyond the islands, all thanks to the monarch’s quite… liberal approach to outlaws. Many of them are forgiven in the local law’s eyes if they agree to work for the crown. Besides gathering information and manipulating the events from the shadows, Sabal has been building up its navy for quite some time. They would make a good operational base for soleilans if they wished to attack north and west - and many believe that soon General Chastain will turn his focus there...

#evening of the empires #interactive fiction #if wip #cog wip #hosted games #eote #writeblr #worldbuilding

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shiftingpath · 5 years

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To My Exalted Secret Santa

3 characters below the cut. well, two characters. Manus is just there twice.

1) Ledaal Manus, Twilight Caste Solar, Origin Manus is a beautiful, feminine, very privileged young Dynast-turned-mastermind. He acts as spy, diplomat, and advisor to his small Circle as they work to protect and establish themselves in the myriad dangers of Towersong and its neighbors in the North. Manus works hard to appear harmless, despite carrying a silver rapier; he cultivates a soft, pretty look and frames his face with loose strands of his white hair, pulling the rest back in a 4-foot long braid dyed to blue at the end. He dresses extravagantly and loves clothes, though most of them share a sort of fantasy Victorian look in Thorns' romantic duelling style, which he idolizes and imitates. Brocade vests, slim trousers, paired with high Realm collars and wide sleeves. He favours purple, silver, and always wears a token of his loyalty to his Air Aspect father- a cravat, handkerchief, or trim in that same pale icy blue.

Early on in his exalted life, he loses one of his eyes to a surprise Lunar, so his right is his family's pale icy blue, and the left is a darker, warmer blue (the closest a witch could find on short notice). He is slim, average height, and pale (though still recognizably Realm in ethnicity, closest to Chinese). He wears small oval spectacles and looks bookish and short-sighted. He doesn't wear much jewellery now that he's had a brass gear ring nailed through his middle finger, though he does still carry a silver pocket watch.

He is subtle and secretive. Few know he is exalted. He keeps this safe with a strong sense of paranoia and by using his first spell, a clockwork version of Corrupted Words, to seal others to secrecy on the matter. He is nervous and eager to please, and terrified of revealing himself as a person of power for fear of losing everything his father has worked to provide him for- most of all his father himself. He's chock full of anxiety and ill-placed loyalty to the Realm, and he's just really confused and trying to cling to the princely life he's always known while dealing with suddenly being Anathema. Despite this, he can't help applying his new power to ravenously learning, devouring books and practice in swordplay, scouting, society manners, manipulation, theft, art...

His anima banner is gold in the center and fluxes to reds and purples towards the edges. The image is a hand presented like the Vitruvian Man, fingers extended and closed simultaneously. An eye opens wide in the palm. Lines of proportion encircle the fingers and their joints and extend out into the rest of the world to display the symmetry of Creation.

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2) Ledaal Manus, Twilight Caste Solar, Legend Manus is now a powerful Solar in a potent Circle, personally seeing to the running of over half a dozen cities across the North, a diplomat and conciliator adept at making deals, and a prophet and sorcerer of strange and alien powers.

Still pale and white-haired, his blue-dyed braid was shorn off and taken as a trophy by Ligier. It now adorns the starmetal-laced handle of Manus' moonsilver daiklave Silver Riddle like a long tassel. What is left is shoulder length and pure white, caught in a low ponytail at the base of his neck. He still loves purple, but now accents with charcoal and gold to compliment his Queen's colours, and dresses in more of a Karnese (Viking) style, like a Northern adventurer, though he continues to favour high Realm collars. He wears a simple gold circlet on his brow and many significant pieces of small jewellery- a garnet-and-gold necklace, a silver pin of the hand of his anima banner, as well as the gear ring still nailed into his finger. He has a brand around his bicep of a chain sealed with a crown, and a bioluminescent tattoo around one wrist that looks like a glowing blue string of beads.

His other artifacts are the blue jade chain shirt Clarity Shell he now wears openly, and one of a pair of orichalcum-and-blue jade assassin's blades, shared with his father, the Sun-and-Wind Talons, showing a brilliant gold sun in a bright blue sky. He also wears a black jade badge of the mons of House Ledaal, his Air Aspected spouse Niruz wearing a matching Tepet one.

He has sacrificed his eye permanently for occult power, so now has one icy blue eye and one glass, with a pupil of aquamarine like an hourglass severed in the middle. It does not quite look like an eye, though he mitigates the effect slightly by continuing to wear his oval spectacles. He is a very weird sorcerer, initiated into the Solar Circle and replete with odd effects to show it. He carries a brass bell with which to take people's memories; clocks and timepieces run strangely in his presence- sand flowing upward, clock hands functioning as compasses, etc. He can vanish while the world stays still, disappearing into a silent, teal-hued clock realm he moves through like a ghost. Prophecy, controlling the stars, terrible visions in his dreams, Autochthon-styled stigmata, are all par for the course. He is the heir to the Mask of Winters' exaltation, and though he has few memories of being Hidden Hand, still has a unique and personal understanding of the Mask's ways. The two of them are nearly parallel in their strange occult strivings, eye symbolism, and connection to Autochthon.

He is ruthless, resourceful, and cunning, a brilliant bureaucrat and problem-solver. Rivals and enemies begin to fear him most of his Circle, the single member ready to commit atrocities to keep his people safe. Manus can pull the stars from the sky and raise armies of the dead to assault his foes, but he'd really prefer it if his enemies would just chat politely with him over dinner and decide to make friends after all. It's much easier that way. Nonetheless he has lost much of his nervousness and anxiety in the gruelling process of surviving, and has an edge of cool threatening ruthlessness apparent in the sheer amount of power he does not need to lie about bringing to bear.

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3) Tabaq Twin-Faced, No Moon Golden Jackal Lunar

Tabaq is a young person from the Kingdom of the Elephant, a Lunar dominion to the far Southeast on the Dreaming Sea. She is lazy, conniving, sneaky, and often takes the easy way out of any problem. She adores shapeshifting and does it constantly, altering little details on her human form, whimsically making up a new body, or flipping into her animal or demi form.

She is easily bored and pays attention poorly, so her mentor has bedecked her with the Mark of Many Lessons, an addition to her moonsilver tattooing that inks silver stories across her skin for her to learn from and teach to others. Her caste tattoos include a straight silver line down the bridge of her nose, declaring her to be exploring her gender in a shorthand of her home, which she has rendered permanent.

Tabaq's skin is a medium warm brown, her hair black and straight, cropped around her shoulders with a bit in a top knot. Her eyes are brown-gold, the same colour as her spirit shape. She has a few symmetrical ear piercings of gold in each ear, and dresses casually and comfortably, her clothes often stained, dirty, or looking like she's slept in them. Nonetheless she is lovable and charming, championing the poor and lonely and truly enjoying punishing jerks in the most threatening and roundabout methods. Her ankles are thick and her hips are wide, and she appears relatively androgynous.

Her most noticeable feature is her Tell, her always-present smile, a sharp and happily vicious thing. Her canine teeth curve outward in sickles, and she takes great pleasure in her malicious joy. She often snorts when she laughs. Her anima banner is a blue-silver image of the moon held like a pearl in the cracked jawbone of a huge predator.

Tabaq's best friend and darling boy is another golden jackal, her familiar Dish-Eating Dog. Dog is less intelligent than Tabaq but really you can hardly tell. He loves leftovers, garbage, and nosing around into things. Tabaq loves taking jackal form and making the two of them look like a two-jackal team of horrible smug resourcefulness. She also carries him in her backpack with his front paws on her shoulders, where he can snap at passers-by and their food.

I have not played her for long so I haven't gotten all my dream charms for her, but I hope eventually to get a ton of the Stamina poison set and have her half-jackal form leaking neon green ooze from her mouth. (Depictions of this welcome.)

References 1

#exalted #exalted secret santa #secret santa 2019

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showbizprofiling · 3 years

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Top 24 Best Action Anime of All Time to Watch Right Now

Best Action Anime has always been a signature of anime genre from the very starting. Even if it's not ever the primary focus as it once was, in the 1970s and 1980s, most anime displayed scenes or set plays with intense fight scenes. And I would hope that the top action anime world never went too far away. Let's take a look at a couple of action romance anime that ranks the best of all time. Don't miss Thrillist's best action anime list. 'Top Action anime' is an audit quality, so We compiled 24 best action anime, and each anime series had a few notables. Every anime encourages dramatic change or stands out due to a brilliant plot or character. You asked for the best anime action of all times, and we brought a list of romance action anime.

The List of Best Action with Romance Anime

24- Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress

Directed By: Tetsurō Araki Release Date: April 8, 2016 Duration: 12 Episodes Rating: IMDb (7.3/10) The "Kabane" are horrible creatures like zombies that can only be killed by piercing their iron-protected hearts. After "Ikoma's" city overran, he boarded a fortified iron train alongside some new allies searching for a safer place. The Good action anime here is its key selling point, with the continuous panning of camera angles accentuating dynamic and rapid combat. There's a flashback: "Ikoma," a professional investor, had told "Mumei" that he would transform her back into a human. Do we feel some kind of romance action anime tension between the two? They're a fine pair of fights, for sure. In the present, Ikoma" is convening with human leaders to formulate a war plan, but humans don't trust him, possibly because of his "Kabane" blood. It doesn't work for him that he's not quite himself. He sweats like crazy, and he falls to his knees. During the Industrial Age, the action romance anime occurs as the virus infects humans and transforms them into "Kabane". 23- Black Lagoon

Directed By: Sunao Katabuchi Release Date: April 8, 2006 Duration: 24 Episodes Rating: IMDb (8.3/10) The squad of the "Black Lagoon" is ragtag of mercenaries in the coin, but their relationships are tied together. When "Rokurou Okajima" (a non-assuming businessman) joins the gang and gives it the name "Rok," he turns away his life, as he flew into a world of crime, corruption, and greed. The Titan assault is terrible, but it's not exactly a horror action anime. You will discover an operation that is heavy on the scheme, creating a character and the environment, if you can stomach the gruesome, inner presence of the titans and the violent intent of how to devote their victims. Since there is possibly more action romance anime than almost any genre, Attack on Titan is indeed the best one since the virtual absence of plot shield means that no one is ever truly safe, and the consequences were genuine. Black Lagoon, the best action anime without our happy trigger Revy, who promises to push the series together, cannot be said about it. 22- Dorohedoro

Directed By: Yuichiro Hayashi Release Date: 1999 Duration: 12 Episodes Rating: IMDb (8.5/10) We find powerless people and strong magicians alike in the abandoned and unhospitable district of Hole. Kaiman is a tall, brooding figure with the head of a crocodile. But he wasn't born that way. And he's looking for the guy who took his body, his memories, and, ultimately, his identity. When this top action romance anime begins, "En", a leading mafia magician, hears a Lizardman murdering his people and sends out the indifferent Shin and his partner, the bubbly (and too muscular) Noi, into the Hole to take care of Caiman, triggering a messy conflict between the two worlds. Although the initial premise would otherwise suggest that the moral world of Dorohedoro is far from black and white, sorcerers' society appears to be one with its internal conflicts and oppressive machines. 21- Gintama

Directed By: Shinji Takamatsu Release Date: April 4, 2006 Duration: 367 Episodes Rating: IMDb (8.6/10) Hundreds of "Gintama" episodes cover many genres. I loved it from the very beginning, but some suggest you must get to the first serious arc to appreciate the value of "Gintama's" setting and characters. "Gintoki" is a samurai who helps people with jobs here and there in Feudal Japan after an alien invasion. Comedy's an anime's hard nut to crack. The funniest series there relies on Japanese phrases that do not translate. "Gintama" is on the thin side, and witches might lose in Western audiences. The Comedy action romance anime is still legally funny, so the award of best comedy anime is taken. Part of this is from jokes that land amid the language barrier. 20- The Tower of God

Directed By: Takashi Sano Release Date: June 30, 2010 Duration: 13 Episodes Rating: IMDb (7.9/10) The Tower of God recently completed is the first action romance anime webtoon! I'm pleased that I Choose a good one. The anime enhanced over the webtoon in every possible way, with the distinct and raw art style and an epic weight for every conflict. This electronic orchestral soundtrack. 25th Bam was a boy who knew only a dark cavern, a filthy cloth, and an inaccessible light all his life. Then the whole of his life changed when a young girl named Rachel came into him by morning. He learned from her some things about the outside world by being close friends with Rachel. Begins "Bam's" journey, a young boy who wasn't selected from the Tower but had his doors opened. They call its kind of "Irregulars" being that each time they put a foot in, it has shaken the very base of the Tower. 19- Akira

Directed By: Katsuhiro Otomo Release Date: July 16, 1988 Duration: 2h 6m Rating: IMDb (8/10) Akira is a classic all-time Anime. Gang wars, psychokinetic conspiracies, and a government effort are situated around Neo-scenery, Tokyo's, which could ruin the city and kill most of the inhabitants. The tale is dense, so let us concentrate on the action. Akira is not just a action anime, and not just great animation, although both are great. It's a beautiful film; it stops absolutely. There is a lot of top action romance anime list, and every year more come out. Akira remains a high watermark. It is a great film, a cool story, and a beautiful, action-packed animation with tremendous attention to detail. 18- Parasyte

Directed By: Bong Joon-ho Release Date: May 30, 2019 Duration: 2h 12m Rating: IMDb (8.5/10) But not his side, now hosting a personality. Oh, his eyes and the mouth. Okay, that's terrible, but you can still change. The horror of the body was never so freely directed into motion. This best action anime will concentrate on Izumi Shinichi, a 17-year-old who lives in Tokyo with his family. One night, an alien Parasyte that looks like a worm enters his body, burrowing on to his arm, which is named Migi. It leads to an unusual connection between the two. 17- Land of the Lustrous

Directed By: Takahiko Kyogoku Release Date: October 7, 2017 Duration: 12 Episodes Rating: IMDb (8.4/10) It's beautiful to watch, featuring many pleasant and well-defined people who each need a demon in an eternal war with the Lunar people who are mobilizing their bodies to harvest their beauty. Some of the settings will leave your jaw between your knees, waiting for the next episode to be clicked. Crystalline creatures called Gems in the unknown future occupy a planet devastated by six meteors. Each Ornament is assigned a role to combat the Lunar people, a species that attacks them to break down their bases and utilize them as decorations. It's dynamic, brilliant and has some of the most pleasant films in best action romance anime TV history. 16- One Punch Man

Directed By: Shingo Natsume Release Date: December 4, 2015 Duration: 12 episodes and 5 special episodes Rating: IMDb (8.8/10) The author of the original webcomics hit it with his first idea, uh, punched it out of the park. Get this all right? Just imagine a standard shounen or even super heroic comic. Although the action anime genre is still spoofing, One Punch Man ventures in a different direction and asks the fundamental question: What if a superhero were so powerful that he could punch all of his enemies? The top action anime series begins with a regular guy called Saitama, who chooses a nonsensical training scheme to become a superhero. He overdoes it, becomes so dominant that his opponents are not in trouble, and as a result, he becomes bored (and bald). This, however, is a cool, funny and good action anime series of bonkers with lots of action - Saitama must take things seriously every once and for a while. 15- Sword of the Stranger

Directed By: Masahiro Andô Release Date: September 29, 2007 Duration: 1h 43m Rating: IMDb (7.8/10) As part of their unprecedented ability and straightforward aim, Sword of the Stranger may very well be the most thoroughly performed entry in the best action anime of all time genre. Young orphan Kotaro and his heroic dog Tobimaru encounter an unnamed swordsman whose adventures need little clarification. It seems to Sword of the Stranger, a great option to start this rundown, precisely because it is the high-octane action with some good action anime choreographed parts that keep you attached to your seat during the film. She would not mislead her narrative characters, incredible sequences of action, stunning art styles, and only the fraternal love between two main characters has a progressing past. If you love the setting of history, that's another justification to give the Stranger's Sword a chance.. 14- Hellsing Ultimate

Directed By: Geneon Release Date: February 10, 2006 Duration: 10 Episodes Rating: IMDb (8.6/10) Hellsing Ultimate incorporates anything from the Hellsing original and lifts it to the extreme. A little less than an hour, ten episodes tell you a macabre and witty tale of vampirism and survival. Very legendary, fabulous, unique, and one of the most sensitive artworks. A lot of vampire amines will occur. The varied best action anime output was understandable, as it had been subject to various animation studios. The animations from Gory were adequate to make you feel disgusted and distressed. The source was faithful, but the production of timing and plot was too quick and choppy for non-manga readers, making plot twists and character development trivial and impressionable. 13- Evangelion

Directed By: Geneon Release Date: November 17, 2012 Duration: 26 Episodes Rating: IMDb (8.6/10) Gurren Lagann brings things in a genre known for excess to another stage with a good action anime breeze, a node, and a screamed alarm. A mecha with sunglasses could turn off visitors who aren't in the giant robot-anime genre. However, what seems to be an embarrassing mess works much better than it does. Crochet, line, plunger, the high-energy opening sequence, and the first episode lead you through some well-designed scenes that are strange but brilliant and amusing best action romance anime for the same time. When each character is introduced, we learn more about the brain, nerve, and soul organizations and why they have been developed. 12- Katanagatari

Directed By: Hideo Katsumata with Others. Release Date: January 25, 2010 Duration: 12 Episodes Rating: IMDb (8.4/10) In his quest for 12 special blades, Katanagatari is the story of strategist and Martial Artist Shichika. It is also the tale of shifting times when the swords' age was forced to end with the rash of firearms in Japan's Edo-era. The core partnership is just as intense as the realization of its key subjects, which ensures that the bread and butter of this series will keep you in some way amused as you chatter interminably. This isn't to say that this top action romance anime are not entertaining. Still, it is more aimed at fans who might be considering pivoting towards more dialog-heavy anime and, at the same time, retaining a substantial side dish of action. 11- Kill la Kill

Directed By: Hiroyuki Imaishi Release Date: October 3, 2013 Duration: 27 Episodes Rating: IMDb (7.9/10) Revenge is the game story in "Kill la Kill," starting from a basic plot but becoming more complicated and more in-depth, rather than just an anime full of best action anime and beautiful combat scenes than appears in each chapter. Ryuuko Matoi roamed the country in search of his killer after the assassination of her dad. At the renowned Honnouji Academy, she is at high school, unlike any other, with just her lead-the absent half of his innovation, Scissor Blade. The Academy, along with its influential subsidiary elite four, is ruled by the formidable and cold-hearted student council chairman Satsuki Kiryuin. Satsuki offers those in the highest unique clothing called "Goku's Uniforms," which offer the wearer extraordinary superhuman powers in the school's brutally competitive hierarchy. The hits are still entertaining with their characters and the storyline. This is a roller coaster; you will understand when you watch this anime. 10- Devilman: Crybaby

Directed By: Masaaki Yuasa Release Date: January 5, 2018 Duration: 10 Episodes Rating: IMDb (8.1/10) This is numbered as the top 10 action anime of the year, and it sounds incredible to modernize a classic anime, and it demonstrates that it can be significant. The 1972 and 1987 originals are little-known but decent classics. I recommend that you watch the sub or read the manga. Although it's all packed, blood, blah blah blah drugs, it's also emotionally full. It's about who the real demons are with a deep and dark psychological subject. Monsters killing people or people killing people. The fight between Fudo and these malformations is incredible. Although it's full of feelings, tears in your eyes sometimes don't like Naruto, One Piece, and Koe no katachi. 9- JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure

Directed By: Naokatsu Tsuda Yasuhiro Kimura Release Date: January 1, 1987 Duration: 42 Episodes Rating: IMDb (8.7/10) The events of the Joestars, which now take several decades, families, and even timelines, can practically not be summed up. This romance action anime has already seen several bizarre adventures from slaying vampires to defend a small town – and a lot to come! The charming old-school beginning; the following with maybe the most charismatic protagonist; a curious tour with an even better-known Villain, and even a small one clashes with the most inspired path to date. Every season has its attractions. But as the environments, skills, and tones change, two aspects remain the same the unforgettable positions of Hirohiko Araki and the fact that JoJo's battles quickly turn out to be a strategic game. 8- Mob Psycho 100

Directed By: Yuzuru Tachikawa Release Date: July 12, 2016 Duration: 25 Episodes Rating: IMDb (8.5/10) Read the full article

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wizardingaesthetics · 7 years

Text

Scarlet: Fairytale

Written for the TLC Shipweeks prompt Fairytale. Read more on Fanfiction.net where I’ve posted a number of one-sots on the crew and their adventures!

“Maman, how much longer?“

It’s Maha’s fifth time asking since she woke up the morning, and her thousandth time this week. Scarlet’s daughter only has vague memories of the crew but, Stars Above, she seems excited about their arrival.

At five, she’s the oldest of any of the kids, which means that Thorne treats her like royalty and, obviously, Maha love that. Maybe she’s not waiting for the rest of the crew, Scarlet muses, just Thorne and Cress and the gifts that come with.

She crouches on the floor, peering into the oven, at her lemon pie and, within moments, Maha is at her side, face inches away from the tempered glass door. Scarlet likes to think that her daughter already has a love for baking - she insists on mixing the ingredients and takes great pleasure in measuring the ingredients and setting them out for Scarlet. Unfortunately, this ‘love’ does not have her staring at the pie for too long.

"Maman,” she says again. “How much longer?”

Scarlet huffs. “Soon,” she says.

For a moment, Maha seems satisfied with the reply. She nods in approval and has trotted halfway to the door before another thought seems to strike her. “How much is soon?”

“Less than an hour,” Ze'ev announces, appearing at the doorway. He turns to Scarlet. “Kai and Cinder might take a bit longer. They got caught up in some official business.”

Scarlet would be lying if she said she didn’t see it coming. Sometimes it feels as though she and Ze'ev were the only ones who still lead normal lives - not that she regrets the decision.

She loves the familiarity of her grandmère’s home and the hard work that comes with the farm outside. More than that, she’s glad for the stable life they’ve set up for Maha and any other kids that may or may not come in the future.

“Maman,” Maha says again. Ze'ev’s put her on the kitchen stool and she’s dedicatedly eating an apple he’s sliced for her. “Can you tell me a story?”

Scarlet stands, taking the seat next to Maha. “A story?” she echoes caught off-guard by the sudden change of topic. “About what?”

Her daughter’s eyes seem to light up. “Magic,” she whispers, sounding both enthralled and fascinated all at once.

“Magic?” Scarlet questions.

“Mhmm. Like in fairytales.”

It’s strange how Maha and all her classmates love the idea of magic. Fairytales from the second era have become popular again and sometimes Maha insists on being told tales about Mermaids and Sorcerers.

Scarlet usually delegates Ze'ev the task of narrating there. Magic, to her at least, always comes with memories of bioelectricity and manipulation and she doesn’t yet think she can tell Maha stories in which the magic wielders have powers to create things that aren’t there - just like the Lunars.

Maha, of course, knows none of this and continues to stare at Scarlet in anticipation.

“I’ll tell you about a different kind of magic,” she says leaning forward. “The magic of cooking.”

Maha frowns, scrunching up her face and shaking her head. “That’s not magic, silly.”

But Scarlet smiles, pinching her daughter’s nose fondly. If there’s one type of story Maha loves more than any other, it’s the ones based of some reality - from Scarlet’s past, and maybe it’s okay to use that to her advantage right now.

“Your great-grandmère Michelle was an incredibly powerful wizard. She was known for her skill not just in the tiny town of Rieux but in all of France and before she died, she passed down her powers to her granddaughter.” She’s put on a faux accent for dramatic purposes, rushing at some parts and then pausing dramatically at others.

“Once, in a far off land there lived a knight called Iko. She was brave and one every battle she ever fought in, but, she was cursed for she could neither eat nor drink. Any other knight might have angry but Iko was kind and good too. She didn’t mind that she couldn’t eat. She just wanted to cook.

"So, the knight Iko went to a goblin who lived in a cave. His name was Thorne and he was ugly and lazy and very annoying.”

Maha giggles and Scarlet winks at her conspiringly.

“You see, Thorne was lazy and could definitely not cook but he happened to know of the Wizard Maman and he told Iko about her. There was one problem though, they could not just go and ask the Wizard to help them. They needed to make the Wizard’s favourite people convince her to cook.

"So, they went to the farmer Papa who the Wizard loved more than anything else in the world. Papa did not like this plan but the Goblin Thorne told him that the Wizard could give him tomatoes so Papa agreed.

"Next, they went to the Fairy Winter who was the Wizard’s closest friend. She really liked the idea of cooking together so she too agreed and, where the Fairy Winter goes, so does the Healer Jacin.”

“Maman, what’s a Healer?”

“Like a doctor. Anyway, now that the Goblin Thorne had convinced enough people they finally went to Wizard Maman’s house. She said no at first, but Farmer Papa and Fairy Winter reminder her how much she liked to cook So, eventually, Wizard Maman agreed to help them cook.

"They all sat down in a circle now, deciding what to make when the Wizard asked everyone where they would cook. Her house was tiny and the kitchen couldn’t fit so many people. It would become very crowded.

"Luckily, the Iko had an answer. She knew of a Prince with a very big kitchen and it would definitely fit all of them easily. So, now, they all went to Prince Kai’s house.”

“Maman?”

Scarlet stops. “Yes, dear?”

“Why is Maman Wizard not a witch?”

Scarlet shrugs. “Because she wants to be a Wizard.”

“But Maman - ”

“Now, Maha, do you want to tell the story or should I?”

Maha huffs, slouching slightly and staring at the ceiling. “You.”

“Now, where was I? Oh! So they all went to Prince Kai’s house and he said that he would allow everyone to use his kitchens only if Cinder the Dragon said yes.

"Everyone was suddenly very worried. Cinder Dragon was very big and scary and nobody wanted to convince her. But then, after lots of debating, the brave knight Iko said that she would go and, two hours later, she came back with Cinder the Dragon. She had said yes.”

Maha beams.

“Then everyone went down to the kitchens and after a lot of arguing we started to cook. The Goblin Thorne kept misbehaving so he had to sit in a corner and cut the vegetables but everyone else had lots of fun. Especially Knight Iko and Wizard Maman.”

She leans forward now, dropping her voice to a whisper. “Do you want to know a secret?”

Maha nods enthusiastically. “Everything tasted delicious.”

“Did Goblin Thorne get to eat?”

“Excuse me? Goblin Thorne?”

They both look up and Maha’s face immediately breaks into a smile. She slides off her stool and and jumps into Thorne’s arms. Literally. He lifts her up, making Maha squeal, and swings her around before placing Maha on the table. “Maman was telling me a story about Goblin Thorne and Knight Iko.”

“Was there a slug called Scarlet in it?”

Maha shakes her head. “But there was a Wizard called Maman.”

Thorne glares at Scarlet and then deftly lifts the girl so that she’s sitting on his shoulders.

“Well, it’s about time you heard about Scarlet Slug and Handsome Thorne. I’m sure it’s better than any story your Maman could tell you.”

Scarlet leaves them to it, picking up Maha’s now empty plate and dropping it in the sink.

Cress is outside and Winter will arrive soon with her two-year-old. And then Iko and Cinder and Kai and it’ll be all of them, again; One big happy family with a few minor additions.

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overwatchochelp · 7 years

Photo

Overwatch OC Review: Phuong Nguyen, “Phuong”

Sent in by @kokizuki! @chiefpharah! Review under read more.

Appearance: Phuong is 5'3" tall with black hair and near black eyes. her default skin is her stage magicians outfit! she wears a dark violet jacket with tailcoats over a white button up, accompanied with dark violet slacks. her accessories include: a violet + red velvet top hat, a velvet bow tied under her collar, a yellow rose, pearl earrings, and a belt full of canisters.

Effective design! It certainly matches Overwatch’s charm for being thematic and detailed.

she got her gauntlets and leg prosthetics from her former circus to complete her stage outfit. her gauntlets are hard light compatible, and she uses them for her magic acts, including the production of her throwing knives (her standard weapon).

Full name: Phuong Nguyen (both common Vietnamese names)

Callsign: it’s just Phuong! she’s a performing magician, so unless you strongly recommend a stage name, i want her to be addressed by her first name

Judging by how she styles herself, I think she’d be suited for a bold stage name. Performing magicians always present themselves with an air of superiority and awesomeness- it’s how they win the audience.

At least, that’s my understanding of performing magicians. “Phuong” is still fine too.

Age: 29 years old

Sex: female

Sexuality, romance: a lesbian very comfortable in her sexuality! :> i ship her with Tracer and Emily romantically, but it’s not canon in her lore because i simply can’t find a way to connect them story-wise?

Both at once? So it’s a polyamorous lesbian triangle. It will be difficult to pull it off since it’s not confirmed (according to my information) if they are open to polyamory, so if you want it canon you’ll have to push your headcanons on canon characters. The shipping is harmless though.

Nationality: Vietnamese

Ethnicity: Vietnamese, as well!

Language/s: Vietnamese, English, Russian (from her former work)

Base of operations: Saigon, Vietnam (but she travels frequently due to her work)

Occupation: Phuong’s a solo-performing magician! she built up her reputation from her former circus by making acts primarily with hard light, a new practice in the entertainment world. as a very well-known celebrity from both her talent and charm, she often tours to spread as much happiness and hope as she physically can.

Affiliations: Dove’s Eye Circus (formerly)

GAME WISE

Health: 200

Armor: 0

Shields: 0

Role: offense! i picture her as a ★★-difficulty fast-moving player who does well at close combat, due to her higher melee damage, and someone who can easily jump into the fight when a bulk of her team is already there. she’s extremely mobile at a level similar to Genji, especially with her passive. an effective Phuong playing style is using height advantage to use Clapperclaw and getting as close to use melee. (as a lil heads up though, most of my worry about her is her move set being too defense-y, so additional attention would be greatly approached!)

Weapons: her main weapon is knives she rapidly produces with her hard light gauntlets! her primary fire is Light Toss (left mouse), which is long range. its default is throwing 2 knives at a time, but it’s chargeable (like Zenyatta’s secondary fire) to have a set of 2/4/6 knives. the charge time for each stage is .2 seconds, output is 8/14/28 damage, and reload time is 1.7 seconds.

Secondary fire: none

Melee: she slashes with two knives, with an output of 60 damage (that might be too high though?)

Maybe so. I’m not sure about the usual melee damage range of Overwatch heroes, but I believe cutting it down to 45 damage should do it.

Abilities:

Review posted in your updated ability post!

- passive: High Jump (due to her prosthetics, Phuong is able to jump higher distances, accessing heights others may not be able to reach; can also grip walls for .5 seconds)

- shift: Clapperclaw (at a high distance in midair, Phuong directs her fall at her target, damaging them with her claws; 50 damage, 3 second cooldown)

- e key: Bullet Catch (can catch bullets/projectiles with her gauntlets, but does not direct them back, kind of like a half Genji deflect; duration 3 seconds, 8 second cooldown)

- right mouse: Dove’s Ditty (short range, healing for one ally (attaches to closest teammate, prefers teammate with lowest hp), heals 50 health per 3 seconds, 15sec cooldown)

note: i’ve listed three abilities, but i was thinking that the additional ability makes up for her lack of secondary fire (like Doomfist).

Ultimate: Phuong’s ult is Chainsaw Trick, which traps enemies in a radius within hologram boxes she creates with hard light. In the next sequence of her animation, she pulls a chainsaw out of her hat to attack her trapped enemies. The chainsaw has enhanced damage with 95 damage per swing. The enemies that aren’t currently being sliced by her chainsaw are stunned for a 5 second duration.

Signature quote: hostile, self ult line is “Ready for my showstopper?” and friendly ult line is “Tune in for the show!”

Skins: her rare skins are based off suits of cards! she also has two epic skins: Rock Dove (which is based on her dove/magic theme) and Lotus (the national flower of Vietnam).

her legendary skins include: Ao Dai (a traditional Vietnamese dress meant for the Lunar New Year Event), Skvader/Wolpertinger (not yet designed; based off the similar mythological winged rabbits), and Prophetess/Soothsayer (not yet designed; meant to be fantasy sorcerer kind of clothes).

I love the inclusion of Vietnamese cultural elements. Overwatch is a highly culturally diverse organization and it makes me glad to see people make use of that fact.

LORE WISE

Bio(short): i’m not very confident in my full bio, so i held off from making a short one!

Bio(full): she grew up in the first Omnic Crisis in Saigon, Vietnam. her parents were poor farmers, and she spent her childhood helping them + going back and forth from the city running errands for extra cash. as a young adult in her 20s, she found work in Dove’s Eye Circus after her enthusiasm for their work was reviewed by the ringleader. when she was taken in, she did some maintenance work helping the circus travel (Dove’s Eye performed in a route from Vietnam to Russia).

How did the first Omnic Crisis affect her in Saigon? You can also reason why it didn’t, but you better be good. The global omnic uprising isn’t exactly something anyone can sleep over.

the circus carried and left cargo at certain pit stops which confused Phuong, but she paid no mind to it (the circus was kind enough to gift her a job so why question it?). after receiving a shipment of hard light tech, the circus taught Phuong to create magic acts with it. since hard light was still incredibly new to the public (i estimate this is around the time Vishkar introduced hard light), Phuong became a sensation w the circus’s already existing popularity.

How did a travelling circus acquire such cutting edge technology? If it is around the time hard light technology was unveiled the world, then I don’t believe Vishkar’d let any little bit just slip away from them.

she enjoyed her work immensely, making people smile as she did when she first saw the circus, and developed a very attached loyalty to the circus. in a stop to Russia, while dropping off shipments, her circus was violently attacked by a Talon branch to steal their cargo. in the fight, Phuong got blasted by a grenade and lost her legs from the knee down.

You can probably align this with my earlier point. Instead of a Talon team, it could be criminal mercenaries under the employ of Vishkar.

she had to stay in recovery for weeks under the medical care of the circus staff, and once she was given prosthetics, she fell even deeper in her loyalty to Dove’s Eye.

How so? What drew her closer to Dove’s Eye, seeing replacements of her loss? Or is it the realization of how important Dove’s Eye really is to her? Is it from reeling from the heat of battle did she understand her love for the circus?

when she recovered though, she couldn’t let go of the Talon attack and the shifty business the staff had when transferring goods to and from stops. after some snooping through logbooks and laptops, she learned that the circus was illegally distributing + selling, and even stealing, tech and weapons for money. page after page, screen after screen, she found herself horrified that she was associated with such a corrupt organization. however, her extreme loyalty to the circus made her reluctant to think of resisting. despite her newly-gained knowledge, she not only went along w their illegal activity, but also cooperated with them, as the staff knew of Phuong’s revelations. she helped them transfer their goods through strictly negotiations, though she sometimes got into physical fights in the name of self defense and defense of her coworkers.

Admittedly, it does take a lot for someone’s loyalty and trust in a group that feels like home to them to waver in the face of a terrible truth. However, it doesn’t feel like you adequately established her loyalty. How did she grow to love the circus? Her job? Did her fellow performers feel like family? Did she enjoy the constant moving? What made her so loyal?

What led her to cooperate with something she found so hideous? Did she figure she would get punished? Did the punishment weigh more to her than the morally upright path?

Phuong continued w her magic acts, which gave her comfort in the suddenly unfamiliar environment she placed so much trust in. when the Second Omnic Crisis broke out, Phuong had extreme guilt about how much her circus was contributing to the new war in Russia through their distributions of tech and weapons to both sides. with information she fought for and stole from the ringleader, she exposed the hell out of her circus and was an integral part to their shutdown. from then on, Phuong performed solo and rose to be an international celebrity from her experience and charm

Personality: Phuong is a very coolheaded person who is dedicated to her craft and life mission. her life mission? to spread hope and happiness to those around her, no matter the cause. and she takes it extremely seriously, making her a very altruistic and charitable person. she takes it to the point where her obsession causes her to neglect her own needs and wants (but i’ll save that for later! :>)

like i’ve mentioned before, Phuong’s a successful magician and entertainer, so she’s naturally a charismatic and people pleasing person. what kinda makes her stand out to her fans though is the extent of compassion and exhaustion she’ll push herself for her fans. she’s on tour often and is constantly trying to think of new tricks to satisfy her audience and is always trying to make her fans smile and laugh a lil. she tends to be hands on w her fans, frequently having meet and greets and runs past her own security to high five a fan. maybe two. she’s as involved as she is because she solely believes that her life purpose is to give people hope and happiness. (take note: she feels she’s FATED for this, it’s not just an interest) (also, the repetition of hope comes from her dove theme!)

Beautiful character ;-;

with company, she’s a good conversationalist with the right amount of snark and is pretty chill. she likes to flirt and tease and finds nothing in it, so she doesn’t get flustered by it when other people do the same. she will, however, be very grateful and almost shy if you tell her how much you respect her work and spirit.

Not too shy I hope! A magician’s best quality is their confidence!

Relationships: i don’t mention Overwatch in my bio? i think she could be recruit material due to her knowledge of hard light, so these are possibilities if i decided to add Overwatch to her bio! these would affect in-game interactions too, i suppose

- Tracer and Emily: Phuong very much admires Lena as the embodiment of compassion and determination she is! Phuong also loves Emily for her cheeriness, and the three are just a bunch of big ol lesbians

- Symmetra: Phuong’s paid attention to Satya’s hard light work through media (since Phuong also uses hard light for magician work), and although she admires Satya for her skill, she feels sorry for her. Phuong herself has been tied to a criminal circus she dedicated her life to, so she feels some sympathy to Satya’s misguided loyalty to Vishkar.

Looks like it’s a distant relationship. Which brings to mind: how would Phuong try to approach Satya? Knowing her own troubled past, what would she come up with?

- Zarya: she finds Zarya very admirable due to her strength and how she gave up fame for her country, and Zarya finds Phuong interesting due to her beginnings in a Russo-Viet circus. they could sometimes be found talking about the beauty of Russia or working out together.

- Lúcio and D.va: Phuong is also a celebrity, so she’s sometimes chatting it up with them!

i can list a ton of other interactions, but basically she gets along with most people. in her canon lore, she admires Overwatch for their core motivation to uphold peace (and has a little bit of a crush on Tracer since she’s the poster girl). she also has an opinion on Talon, but in that she absolutely despises the destruction and harm they cause wherever they go and also that y'know. they kind of demolished her legs

Strengths: as previously stated, she’s not only hardworking but also a huge people pleaser to those she respects. because of this, she’s willing to perform to her extent to complete any task given to her, and maybe a lil more if she’s eager. Phuong is also a charismatic person and finds it easy to get along with other people, allowing her to work in a team and to draw people to her. physically, she’s an alert person and is quick on her feet, ready to slice and dice anytime.

Weaknesses: she’s willing to work to her extent, but that commonly means beyond her physical extent. she drives herself to exhaustion if left unattended and can sometimes become paranoid, making her waste more energy and ammo spent on her fear. Phuong is also an easily manipulated person, in that she realizes she’s being manipulated but allows it to go on due to her obsession with pleasing people. though it’s easy for her to focus on tasks, she also finds it hard to commit herself to people themselves, due to her complications with misplaced loyalty in Dove’s Eye. she finds herself distrustful of strangers and coworkers alike at times, tensed for them to reveal some horrible truth harming others. to somewhat cope with this, she tends to tease to feel “unattainable” and play hard to get with people who want to know her past friendly coworkers.

Glad to see the terrible, two-faced aspect of totally giving to others made manifest in this character.

Likes: she absolutely loves birds, especially pigeons and doves! she finds them extremely charming and finds delight in the coincidence that their symbolism corresponds with her life mission. she also takes an interest reading up in modern technology, especially in the realm of hard light (though she isn’t picky). romcoms are also her thing, since she loves the idea of, well, love and how it can make people happy. she also appreciates the comedy and often stores it in her mind to spice up her magic shows.

Dislikes: she is not a fan of overly authoritative, bossy people. she gets that there needs to be order, but if the person in command doesn’t deserve the respect in her mind, she’s very passive aggressive. on a more material side, she finds dolls uncomfortable in that they’re always in one expression and look kinda fake. and wooden floors. she loves how they look but can’t stand the idea of walking on them and scratching them up with her prosthetics.

Hobbies: as predictable as it is, bird watching! she loves writing down the birds she sees in a lil logbook and feeding them if she can. even when she’s not on a bird watching quest, you can bet she’ll whip out her phone to take a pic of a parakeet in a bird store she just finds adorable. Phuong also likes to dance and collect little things. she just got off her button high and is now collecting rocks

Extra: her general theme is magic and doves, especially their symbolism, so i hope that was apparent in my submission! but other than that, i think that’s it! thank you so so much for reading this in advance!! <3

Verdict:

I find Phuong to be a beautifully fleshed out character! She is exceptionally well designed, especially with the gauntlets and prosthetics. I would recommend you add some gold accents on her suit and hat, because the abrupt change from the golden tech to her dark purple clothing can be a little jarring. Perhaps some gold stripes on her shoulders, pant legs, and hat brim ought to do it.

“Recommend” is probably more in a personal taste here. The design stands on its feet well enough without further changes! (I just realized that might be a backhanded remark at Phuong’s... Uh.)

Her backstory stands well enough too, but some lack of detail makes it falter. See if you can try rewriting the climax of it, where Phuong finds out the Truth. You’ll find you’ll be able to sufficiently establish details this time around, I’m sure.

Her character is absolutely well done! The consistent inclusion of her general theme is a fine touch. Her quality of appearing perfectly amicable and peaceful on the outside while being perfectly not on the inside is quite well established too. It’s good if you put this detail into the conclusion (as it is) of her backstory. Perhaps it should go on to enumerate how her experience with Dove’s Eye changed her being.

Overall, Phuong is an excellent character. I recommend going over this sheet again and try rewriting some of the backstory. It has been the one I considered more thoroughly than the others. Good luck, and thank you very, very much for waiting. I know I’ve taken so much from your patience, and am very thankful you still hit me up after a long, long while.

Cheers.

-Mod Jager

#overwatch oc #oc review #phuong nguyen #chiefpharah #OC development #mod Jäger #submission

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pulpfictionbookstore · 5 years

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Poseidonis by Clark Ashton Smith

https://pulpfictionbook.store/downloads/poseidonis-by-clark-ashton-smith/

Excerpt: The Last Incantation

A poetic and fanciful tale about a king who invoked the aid of magic to summon his lost love

MALYGRIS the magician sat in the topmost room of his tower that was builded on a conical hill above the heart of Susran, capital of Poseidonis. Wrought of a dark stone mined from deep in the earth, perdurable and hard as the fabled adamant, this tower loomed above all others, and flung its shadow far on the roofs and domes of the city, even as the sinister power of Malygris had thrown its darkness on the minds of men.

Now Malygris was old, and all the baleful might of his enchantments, all the dreadful or curious demons under his control, all the fear that he had wrought in the hearts of kings and prelates, were no longer enough to assuage the black ennui of his days. In his chair that was fashioned from the ivory of mastodons, inset with terrible cryptic runes of red tourmalins and azure crystals, he stared moodily through the one lozenge-shaped window of fulvous glass. His white eyebrows were contracted to a single line on the umber parchment of his face, and beneath them his eyes were cold and green as the ice of ancient floes; his beard, half white, half of a black with glaucous gleams, fell nearly to his knees and hid many of the writhing serpentine characters inscribed in woven silver athwart the bosom of his violet robe. About him were scattered all the appurtenances of his art; the skulls of men and monsters; phials filled with black or amber liquids, whose sacrilegious use was known to none but himself; little drums of vulture-skin, and crotali made from the bones and teeth of the cockodrill, used as an accompaniment to certain incantations. The mosaic floor was partly covered with the skins of enormous black and silver apes; and above the door there hung the head of a unicorn in which dwelt the familiar demon of Malygris, in the form of a coral viper with pale green belly and ashen mottlings. Books were piled everywhere: ancient volumes bound in serpent-skin, with verdigris-eaten clasps, that held the frightful lore of Atlantis, the pentacles that have power upon the demons of the earth and the moon, the spells that transmute or disintegrate the elements; and runes from a lost language of Hyperborea, which, when uttered aloud, were more deadly than poison or more potent than any philtre.

But, though these things and the power they held or symbolized were the terror of the peoples and the envy of all rival magicians, the thoughts of Malygris were dark with immitigable melancholy, and weariness filled his heart as ashes fill the hearth where a great fire has died. Immovable he sat, implacable he mused, while the sun of afternoon, declining on the city and on the sea that was beyond the city, smote with autumnal rays through the window of greenish-yellow glass, and touched his shrunken hands with its phantom gold, and fired the balas-rubies of his rings till they burned like demonian eyes. But in his musings there was neither light nor fire; and turning from the grayness of the present, from the darkness that seemed to close in so imminently upon the future, he groped among the shadows of memory, even as a blind man who has lost the sun and seeks it everywhere in vain. And all the vistas of time that had been so full of gold and splendor, the days of triumph that were colored like a soaring flame, the crimson and purple of the rich imperial years of his prime, all these were chill and dim and strangely faded now, and the remembrance thereof was no more than the stirring of dead embers. Then Malygris groped backward to the years of his youth, to the misty, remote, incredible years, where, like an alien star, one memory still burned with unfailing luster—the memory of the girl Nylissa whom he had loved in days ere the lust of unpermitted knowledge and necromantic dominion had ever entered his soul.

He had well-nigh forgotten her for decades, in the myriad preoccupations of a life so bizarrely diversified, so replete with occult happenings and powers, with supernatural victories and perils; but now, at the mere thought of this slender and innocent child, who had loved him so dearly when he too was young and slim and guileless, and who had died of a sudden mysterious fever on the very eve of their marriage-day, the mummy-like umber of his cheeks took on a phantom flush, and deep down in his icy orbs was a sparkle like the gleam of mortuary tapers. In his dreams arose the irretrievable suns of youth, and he saw the myrtle-shaded valley of Meros, and the stream Zemander, by whose ever-verdant marge he had walked at eventide with Nylissa, seeing the birth of summer stars in the heavens, the stream, and the eyes of his beloved.

Now, addressing the demonian viper that dwelt in the head of the unicorn, Malygris spoke, with the low monotonous intonation of one who thinks aloud:”

“Viper, in the years before you came to dwell with me and to make your abode in the head of the unicorn, I knew a girl who was lovely and frail as the orchids of the jungle, and who died as the orchids die. . . . Viper, am I not Malygris, in whom is centered the mastery of all occult lore, all forbidden dominations, with dominion over the spirits of earth and sea and air, over the solar and lunar demons, over the living and the dead? If so I desire, can I not call the girl Nylissa, in the very semblance of all her youth and beauty, and bring her forth, from the never-changing shadows of the cryptic tomb, to stand before me in this chamber, in the evening rays of this autumnal sun?”

“Yes, master,” replied the viper, in a low but singularly penetrating hiss, “you are Malygris, and all sorcerous or necromantic power is yours, all incantations and spells and pentacles are known to you. It is possible, if you so desire, to summon the girl Nylissa from her abode among the dead, and to behold her again as she was ere her loveliness had known the ravening kiss of the worm.”

“Viper, is it well, is it meet, that I should summon her thus ? . . . “Will there be nothing to lose, and nothing to regret?”

The viper seemed to hesitate. Then, in a more slow and measured hiss: “It is meet for Malygris to do as he would. Who, save Malygris, can decide if a thing be well or ill?”

Excerpt From: Clark Ashton Smith. “Poseidonis.”

#atlantis #wizards #pirates #lost world #winelover #Clark Ashton Smith #excerpt

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