#-: ✧ :-゜・．(;verse 1) 「„life-fiber hunter“」

[vagabondfromkanto]

PROFILE: MATOI RYUKO

Laid out her core abilities and some design details for the Life-Fiber Hunter post-canon.

Follow under the cut for some relevant canon references.

FIBER ABSORPTION

She and Senketsu used this ability to evolve. Now she does the same alone.

Still requires a finishing move to be performed first.

BLOOD POWER-UP

No canon reference, but stands to reason if she and Senketsu are "the same".

She would, however, gag and likely have a stomachache 'cause the human part of the body protests.

SENJIN BLADES

Made possible by absorbing the hardened Life-Fibers from the Rendering Scissors. Virtually hold the same characteristics, but are costly and painful to summon.

ENFORCING LEGS/HANDS BY BLOOD FOCUSING

Speed and jump height are self-explanatory. Vertical run is seen twice (both times out of sync) — at the election finals and in the 25th episode.

Obviously can't power up both hands and legs at the same time, 'cause. Blood.

HAIR REACTIVITY/CHANGING COLOR

As mentioned: strictly hereditary. And we've seen Ryuko's hair react to her emotions out of sync mode once already, so.

EYE STITCHES

This is just my personal fun explanation for why her eyes look that way, it doesn't do anything. Does not imply they were stitched by someone, it's just a fiber quirk.

REGENERATION

Nuff said. Very much possible even out of sync, as illustrated by Ryuko fighting without Senketsu in ep 24.

For the sake of not making her too invincible (now where's the fun in that) and to keep some differences from Ragyo (Ryuko has far more human left in her, just by percentage), I'm saying it slows down after too much damage and blood loss.

However the damage still must be. Considerable. She kept that up for quite some time even as teenager.

SHINRA-KOKETSU ABSORPTION AFTER-EFFECTS

A fun little tool that might help me later. I have my thoughts about it, but I do not intend to whip it out in a thread unless Ryuko ends up on a verge of death. And even then I'll likely discuss it with whomever I'm writing with.

[vagabondfromkanto]

@vindicta-reliquiae

Now that's a familiar face. Well, yeah, sure, it's her own damn face, but as used as Ryuko had grown to different versions of herself popping up from the depths of some multiverse, this one seemed even more familiar than usual. Like they had crossed paths before, some time, some place.

Narrowing her eyes a bit, just checking one last time to be sure, she couldn't help but smile.

"Well, I'll be damned. You still got that dragon tattoo of yours?" Why settle at a mere 'hello' when casual familiarity feels even better.

[vagabondfromkanto]

@prettyboywarrior asked: "You're better than you tell yourself you are."

"Oh yeah? And what, pray tell, do I tell myself, you think?"

[vagabondfromkanto]

CONTINUED FROM. // @metalheaduo

"Really? Couldn't tell at all." Hard to say if that's flattery or a straight up honesty. Could even be both.

"Yeah, kinda. Think the poor thing is done with having me as its owner for eight years straight. Ripped the chain, as a I said, but it's kinda. Making noises as well." She points over her shoulder at a dusty red bike standing near by.

[vagabondfromkanto]

@matoiharime asked:

" So what's it like being a hunter? Reminds me of the time when me and Nui use to hunt. "

"Less exciting than your hunts, I imagine. I travel all over the place, listen around for rumors — or terrified screams — about weird monsters and what not. Sometimes I find another derp who decided they're the shit 'cause they got a fiber scrap. ...And sometimes I find a fat racoon some old lady got spooked by."

[vagabondfromkanto]

@chopperpirate

"...oi, hey there! Think we met before, no?" He was sort of hard to forget - in a good way. After quickly wracking her brain a bit, Ryuko even recalled the name. "Tony, right? What brings you 'round these parts?"

[vagabondfromkanto]

CONTINUED FROM. // @matoiharime

"...wait-- how am I an asshole--" Ryuko hesitated for all but a second (It's Nui, but it's another Ryuko, but whatever is going on looks horrifying, but they haven't attacked her so--) before deciding that, indeed, fuck it, and following the other her inside.

"Oi, come on, you can hardly blame me for being a bit stumped here, can ya?" A pause to process the question. "Also, uh, yeah. Thanks."

[vagabondfromkanto]

@prettyboywarrior asked: "You okay?"

The question made Ryuko flinch a little, clearly having been deep in thought before that and getting caught by surprise. Upon processing the question and who's asking, however, she gave a reassuring (if a little unconvincing) smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just stargazing, I guess." Well, she certainly had been staring at the sky.

[vagabondfromkanto]

@bxd-kxrma liked for a starter

All in all, it was quite a peaceful night (somewhere around 3 am, mind you), until said peace was suddenly and rudely disturbed by a dark figure appearing from the bushes. Said figure, limping just a bit and cursing under her breath, stomped right to the window of what she hoped would be Karma's bedroom and hesitated for all of two seconds before banging her fist on the frame a couple times.

"Yo! Psst! Karma! You asleep?!" Welp, that's quite a loud whisper.

[vagabondfromkanto]

@fantasyconcrete asked:

"I'll take the fifty meatheads on the left, can you handle the fifty on the right?"

"Oh betcha I can. Wanna time who's done first? I dunno, loser buys lunch or something?" She's basically yelling that last part on the go, already starting to charge.

[vagabondfromkanto]

@gunslinginnhogtyin

The thing about small bars is — all locals are basically friends with the bartender, and it's not that hard to join them if you're talkative and everyone is sufficiently drunk. If you're a silent stranger, however, that's a whole other story. Sometimes it can be hard to even get noticed, believe it or not. To this bar's credit, the bartender does notice her, but he also gives her a skeptical look before approaching. Well, she supposes that her dusty old jacket with remaining dirt on the elbows and overall ragged appearance does make her look questionable. She's used to it. She currently is a traveling tumbleweed, after all.

She silently produces some money to show, and the man drops the attitude, gives her the drink and promptly forgets about her. That's another thing. Often, a visible foreigner gets much curious, if unwanted, attention in such places. Not this time. This time her natural "Do not mess with me" aura seems to be working well.

For once, though, Ryuko kinda wishes it didn't. She's here fresh post another fight and it still feels like she's trembling with adrenaline from the inside. No one can tell, what with her injuries never sticking around for long (hence the ragged clothes, though), but she can. And usually she's just fine with being a loner, but damn, sometimes after a risky fight you just want a drink to celebrate your stupid ass getting to live another day. And sometimes, even, you'd like to share that drink with someone, but you're stuck alone in the middle of wherever and it's your own damn fault.

Maybe she should just invite someone here. Like, say, this guy in a cowboy getup who just approached the counter. From the looks of it, he's here alone as well, and he definitely seems to be on a chiller side of the "people you meet at a bar" scale. Would it be weird? More importantly, does she care if it would? It's probably already weird enough that she's side-eyeing him like that while hunched over her drink. Speaking of which, he's likely about to order his. Screw it.

"Oi, stranger." Waiting till she has his attention, Ryuko then leans her head to the side with a crooked tired smile and makes a lazy gesture in the general space over the counter. "Whatcha say I buy you a drink?"

Belatedly realizing how that might sound, she straightens up a bit, turning to him more openly. "Not tryin' to hit on you or anything. It's just that drinking alone totally blows today, and you seem like good company."

[vagabondfromkanto]

@fantasyconcrete asked:

"Hey, you wanna go do something stupid?"

"Always, how stupid are we talkin'?"

[vagabondfromkanto]

@pxrifiedmxniac liked for a starter

"..."

"I really fucking hope you're not some Nui-resurrected clone sent after my ass, 'cause jumping people at the line for a metal concert of all places is a low blow."

[vagabondfromkanto]

@cauchemarrose asked:

🎀🪓🎀

Heavy footsteps echoed within the area as the armored super soldier closed in on their target, drawing the bardiche out as their masked visage focused on Ryuko, eyeholes glowing with an ominous bright red color as they slammed the bottom of their weapon down on the ground to get her attention. “Ryuko Matoi…Lady Harime sends her regards.” Chariot Refined would then circle around the hunter, waiting for an opportunity to strike or counterattack what she’ll throw at them.

The footsteps should've honestly been enough of a warning, but the crashing hit on the ground really sealed the deal. Ryuko, now suddenly glad she chose a relatively civillian-less location to chill with her canned drink in hand, was on her feet in a split second.

The thing — a soldier — in front of her was different. Nothing like those dumbasses who just let the Fibers wear them and didn't know a thing about controlling them. Nah, this one was. Purposeful. Carefully sewn, if you will. And their introduction immediately explained why.

"...what, Nui's too chicken to come fight me herself?" Ryuko threw the empty can to the side and cracked her neck. "Fine. A tin can it is, then. More fibers for me."

"Bring it on."

And then, of course, because she's Ryuko, she charged them. Not straight forward, mindful of the brandiche, on an arch, but nevertheless. Cocky enough to believe she can outrun a potential swing even without a kamui, albeit out of sync she always was considerably slower. The goal? To sock them in the stomach, gathering the fiber power in her fist. And try out just how far the armored thing can fly.

[vagabondfromkanto]

@cauchemarrose asked:

🎀💜🎀

“Say hello to the Ghost of Christmas Past, coming to make an in-person visit and haunt your life~!”

Now that's a voice she wouldn't forget in a million years, despite, frankly, having very much tried. There's an urge to yell "what the--?!", but Ryuko really doesn't want to give that satisfaction. So a growl will suffice.

"Nui Harime, huh. Do I even want to know how the hell have you crawled back?"

[vagabondfromkanto]

@fantasyconcrete asked: "I'm not scared of you. It's sad that you seem scared of yourself." (Jess)

"Well, maybe you bloody should be! For real?! You just watched me reattach my fucking head back, and that is your main takeaway!?"