Afro Samurai

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

What are days but a construct of a subjective calender? All goes to dust, and none return.

Heroes Reborn - A DCAU Roleplay (Always open!)

---

7:30 p.m., November 30th, 2019

---

After the speedbag, it was a full circuit rotation: jump rope, mittens, 100 sits ups 100 push ups, chin ups, heavybag, squats, knees to elbows, laps around the gym. Repeat. Since becoming the champion of the Middleweight division barely three weeks earlier, his training had intensified sevenfold. Unlike past champions, and unlike many of his peers, Hayes hadn't been part of the public eye. Aside from immediate post-fight interviews following his KO over Chris Ives, Hayes had gone completely silent which was uncharacteristic of the man who's mouth was near big as his left hook. He had another fight coming up February-- a mandatory defense against the No. 1 contender, Jerome Whittaker: someone who was fast as Hayes and the best counter-puncher in the division. Odds were in Whittaker's favor 9:1. Hayes only hoped he would be around long enough to see the day when it came.

While Marvin worked on the heavybag, the gym's proprietor of 25 years--Archie "Uncle Red" Gaines, a creole man and New Orleans native who, for as long as Marvin could remember, had no variance in fashion and often dressed in soft tan silk shirts and sharply pressed slacks, watched his third pupil work on the bag from afar. Uncle Red, who was blind in one eye, felt it a good time to antagonize the first champion his small gym ever had. Unaware of Archie's approach, Marvin continued hammering the side of the bag at different angles and he threw each new punch while acquiring a new position whenever he loaded up to spring the hook into the bag. The heavybag's chain rattled with a persistent iambic beat in tune with the sequence of Hayes' punches.

Archie made his approach and sauntered to the back of the bag where his wrinkled hands held each side of the bag as Marvin hit it.

"Mo' smack in that thang, babeh", Archie rifled off in hard Louisiana drawl.
"I can't go no harder, Red! All'ese workouts killin' me!" Hayes retorted.
"I used to wrassle big ass thuteen foot alligatas, you gon' sit up in my yell'ass face an' tell me you can't punch a muhfuckin' heavybag wit' a li'l mo' pop? Soun' like ya bullshittin', nigga." Red doused Hayes' rebellious flame.

Marvin gave one final heave into the bag's side, enough power to snap the entire heavybag from its hanged position. Both Hayes and Gaines went eyes wide! Either Uncle Red's stringent training regimen was beginning to pay off, or the strange tingling in his body was indicative of something else. It was probably the former.

"Well gahtdammit boy, y'un got a good ole thang neh", one could feel pride's pulse against Red's golden-yellow teeth. Marin stroked sweat from his forehead. His hands were still fitted with white tape, his hoodie soaked in sweat.

"Think I'm gon' hit the showers and get on up outta here, Unc'."
"You be safe out deh, bo'" Red's reply was riddled with worry, though he seldom expressed such a feeling. He was a man of a different time, where a man had to handle his problems with stoic silence and closed fists.

---

Marvin left the gym, drenched hoodie and all and headed to a hole-in-the-wall diner. Luckily, not many people frequented this old and rugged retro diner much anymore. It was the perfect place for a mild celebrity like Hayes to eat and relax.

Until the black vans pulled up outside.

Heroes Reborn - A DCAU Roleplay (Always open!)

*rubs hands together* hehhehehehehehhheh.

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

You all have no idea what I've got planned for your characters clearly. Mwahaha...

@BlueSky44

I think my son Oshea has already had enough torture, si? Si, si, si, si.

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

But why would you wanna torture Allison? She's so sweet and nice and bubbly and pink! Come on...

@FantasyChic

Hahahahhaahhahaahahhaahahahaahahaha. Translation: She is prime prey.

X-Men: Cosmic Crusades 👽

Oshea Jackson

"Never asked myself what my purpose was, it done dawned on me that I don't know at all."

---

Location: Hanson Power Plant

---

Oshea sat with his back against the wall, the searing heat of anguish rifled up his knee without cease. His heart still smashed against hi chest, he could almost feel the thick of his blood slogging through the walls of his veins as he lie there, face still bloodied and nose still broken. His breath remained shallow as he couldn't breathe out of it at all. He thought about wiping the blood from his face but all of his energy and all of his desire had been sapped away. Remarkable as his confidence normally is, being brought this low morphed confidence into doubt. To be helpless was weakness where he came from, it made you prey to carrion of all kind.

No matter his determination, no matter his impeachable facade, he was now more vulnerable than he had ever been. And frigid reality lay itself before him with a flash of thought; it would be a long time before he ever ran again, let alone a speed at which he could be a useful member to the team. He stared at the jutting bone, it laughed back. His future, his team, his entire life stymied at once. What would he do now? What life did he have outside of the X-Men? He was sure as the high heavens he was not returning to Baltimore! Oshea had seen many tragedies in his short life, little did he ever think he might be close to becoming one himself.

Heroes Reborn - A DCAU Roleplay (Always open!)

Let's keep the train chuggin'.

Heroes Reborn - A DCAU Roleplay (Always open!)

---

November 3rd, 2019
12: 35, MGM Grand Arena

---

Drips of water danced down his forehead, a windshield to rain. A towel soaked the droplets from his face, and now that he was sitting and adrenaline had worn Marvin could feel the dull aches pulsing through his sides. His entire body throbbed. He knew he had to finish the fight in the next round, because a few more body shots spelled doom for him--and likely his retirement from boxing in general as his ego (in the ring and outside) would not let him live with 'what ifs' and he didn't want to go down as one of those fighters who was almost good enough to acquire the ever elusive gold that has gone around countless other pugilist's waists.

A new gameplan it was; keep moving, make Ives miss, and catch him when he overextends.

The bell rung again; round two had begun.

"Round two!" Lenny spouted.

---

Round 2: 3:00

Both men come ring center once more. Ives hasn't seemed to adjust. He was a freight train, and always was--a staunch power hitter who looked to finish his opponents inside of three rounds, and most of the time he did. Few could weather many of his titanic blows, and the key to beating him was speed; something Hayes still had plenty of even though he had slowed down after the first round. Ives came out swinging hard, a wide arching hook to the body. Hayes left his stance entirely and leapt backward on both feet, his graceful movements deft enough for him to land on his toes, almost too deft. Hayes had stopped letting his hands go and made Ives chase him.

Round 2: 2:15

Some 'boos' erupt from the crowd as people begin shouting epithets and chanting "COWARD!", "STOP RUNNING!"; the denigration fed Ives bloodlust and only served to propel him into Hayes trap. Ives pressed his offensive hard after sharply cutting off the ring and nearly forcing Hayes into the ropes; Ives landed solid hooks and uppercuts, only two had real pop behind them. Hayes twists his body continuously in his shelled up guard to roll the rest off of his shoulder and forearm. Hayes used the ropes to back himself from some of Ives more loaded and short hooks before ducking beneath one of Ives' body-to-head level change jabs and shuffling back on his feet.

Round 2: 1:50

Ives has traded his textbook orthodox stance with a wider base for one more shallow and designed for quick lateral movement and pivots. He uses it to chase Hayes around the ring, throwing jabs while stepping forward. Hayes uses tight slips to evade Ives progressively sloppy punches. Once Ives has opened up and has appeared to expend some stamina, Hayes goes to work--he lands two unnaturally fast jabs: one hits Ives just as he contracts his arm from a cross, the other is a right hand which penetrates the slit of Ives guard. Taking advantage of Ives limited vision, Hayes closes the distance and lets his hands fly. One, two, three, four, five punches all stampede a defensive Ives, who has turtled up. Hayes relents, conserving his energy for what he has planned that will finish the fight for sure.

Round 2: 1:45

A cornered Ives begins to channel his namesake, "The Demon" and returns to his hellish pursuit of the smaller but quicker Hayes around the ring. Hayes begins taunting him again--the same mistake which got him dropped before. This time, however, Ives' freight train power shots had begun to lose their strength, and it was now Ives who had begun slowing down from blowing all of his stamina.

"I'm bad! And YOU know I'm bad, white boy! I'm too fast! Too good! Can't keep up can you?" Hayes wiggled his hips and opened his arms up to extend outward on either side of his body, his tongue out.

Fuming, Ives skipped forward with his patent overhand right--the same move which assured his status as the reigning and defending champion up until now. Hayes left his hands free, and once more he used his superior head movement to slip around the arching punch and he hit Ives with a hook which landed

"RIGHT. ON. THE. BUTTON!" Jim and Lenny roared in unison.

1:40

Ives was clearly hurt, and he stumbled backward on his heels. Hayes could feel more than just the thousands of eyes in the ring watching him, he felt eyes of his hometown, on him, the drunk patrons from the five boroughs rooting for him. Days, months, years of training all came down to this one moment--and Hayes would capitalize. Sweat beaded down his body, the heat from the light's above radiated a soft glow against his ebony skin. They electrified him. Hayes would finish this here and now.

He pounced on a still disoriented Ives and lets his hands go.
Left hook to the body - 1:43
Right hook to the body - 1:43
Left straight to the head - 1:42
Right hook to the head - 1:41
Right uppercut to the body - 1:41
Left uppercut to the body - 1:40

Ives was in trouble. Excitement charged the entire arena as Hayes poured blow after blow into the champ. Ives guard faulted, for no moatter how long one blocked, punches would get through his guard eventually as his arms tired--and Hayes drove his trademark left hook into Ives' temple. Ives went stiff, and toppled as a statue to the canvas. It was over; a new champion had been crowned.

---

"I told you I'm the greatest! I told you!" Hayes boasted inaudibly as he climbed atop the rope's turnbuckles. The entire ring had flooded at the pronouncement of the upset victory. As Ives ring crew tended to him and awoke him from his slumber, the camera focused on Hayes who had come ring center one last time. Michael Huff took the microphone and began,

"Ladies and gentlemen, by way of knockout, and the NEEW MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE WOOOORRRLLDD. . . "MIRACULOUUUSSS" MAARVVIIINN HAAAAAYYYEEEEESSS!" Some boos, some cheers. Mixed crowd reaction phased Hayes none, for he knew a more surreptitious force awaited him--he should have taken the fall like he was told.

Heroes Reborn - A DCAU Roleplay (Always open!)

Will post some time tomorrrow.

Heroes Reborn - A DCAU Roleplay (Always open!)

@Blackstripe Got 'er up.