Greetings, <@name>! Codename Diver here, and very pleased to extend you an invitation to submit a dossier to our recruiting department here at Retra Corporation! We are excited to announce an opening of eight Entry Global Operator positions at our headquarters, as part of our new Community & Policy Enforcement team. We have discovered your profile through several notable headhunting agencies, and would like for you to consider enlisting your services with our team! We have limited spots available, but want to have as many opportunities as possible to consider who will be a good fit for the family we want to make.
Want to know what to expect? Let me give you a taste of what Retra can offer you!
You might already know us, but in case you've never looked up a day in your life, we're Retra Corporation, a globally-operated research and engineering business with a focus on the protection, maintenance, and repair of countless mobile cities across the world. We pride ourselves in supplying the most up-to-date technologies and services, always ready and waiting to ensure the safety of assets and citizens in these trying times. Catastrophes are no joke, and that's why we are proud to call ourselves the leading innovators in Catastrophe-prediction technologies and services. In fact, that's how we got our start!
Retra was founded by our one and only Jane Solveig. Born in Kjerag and herself a Herald of Catstrophe, her vision of expanding the power her Herald status gives her to as many people as possible is what prompted the formation of Retra Weather Services, which soon grew into the multi-national corporation we are today!
Our headquarters, the grandiose Vindsvalr and jewel of the company, is our headquarters in the sky, and the host of our most famous Catastrophe-prediction technology. This is where you'll be stationed should we decide to bring you aboard. It has everything you could need for operators of your caliber; lavish dorms, recreation facilities, and excellent meal plans that we constantly cycle through according to our regional location. You'll never want for variety and dynamic days.
As an Entry Global Operator, you'll be joining our newly-founded Community & Policy Enforcement Team. What you'll be doing includes the general maintenance of Vindsvalr facilities and functions according to your areas of expertise, but most importantly, you'll be facilitating Retra's new C.A.L. Protection initiative. That's C, A, L! Citizen-and-Asset-Level Protection! Retra is expanding its services to include physical and electronic protection for cities, business, and otherwise. As if Catastrophes weren't enough to worry about, the world is a chaotic place sometimes, and Retra wants to ease the worries and fears that many groups have, whether it be about bandits, national opposition, or the rising Oripathy-infected movements threatening the stability of various cities. Retra wants to be there with a hand to ensure business as usual between us and our dearest customers!
So what do you say? Send your attached resume as a reply to this email, and I'll get started right away discussing your potential onboarding with Retra Corporation. I hope to hear from you soon!
*Please send attached image of yourself. Advise shoulder-up shot. Name: [Disclosing legal name not required. At your request, legal name can be made redacted if supplied.] Codename: Age: Sex: Race:
-Include a psychological assessment utilizing Columbia form H-P-2a (форма здоровья 5X), written by licensed medical professional. Costs for the assessment will be reimbursed by Retra if submitter is not medically insured. -IMPORTANT: Include a physical health assessment utilizing Columbia form H-O-15c.X (зараженная форма оценки) written by licensed medical professional. Operators infected by oripathy are not declined from potential service according to the Columbian Reasonable Accessibility law, but proper preparations must be made for Operators on board the Vindsvalr prior to hiring. -Why should we consider you a new member of the CPE Team? -List any relevant combat skills: -List any relevant non-combat/operational/service skills:
Notes:
Your are free to style your character sheet any way you wish.
Real names are not required when submitting a character sheet.
Psychological assessment should be your character's personality. Feel free to include as much or as little info about personality, but try to give something at least useful.
Physical health assessment should include any signs/symptoms/degrees of Oripathy infection. Your character is not required to be infected.
Please include an icon indicating your character's "Class" for pure flavor purposes.
If you are unfamiliar with the Arknights mobile game, worry not! There's not too much you need to know to be filled in on what's-what. Check out some bits of Arknights lore to get an initial idea.
Expect to post at least once a week. Any slower than that (consistently) and it'll be grounds for eviction.
"If ever help was needed, one would think us perfectly capable of handling, given what we've handled already," Dawn replied to Violet, composed but wary of their presence. Things had died down well enough, but the whimsies of magical girls was as chaotic as the scene they'd just ended. Dawn kept her eyes upon the Djinn sisters as Leena and FanFan tended to the crumpled Anaya, though her eyes flickered for a moment after Leena's praise for her job. She felt a bit better at that, though a lingering feeling of dissatisfaction came behind it; she was given a light reprimand as well, in the end.
Her armor dismantled partially, dissolving into light as she returned to a more civilian attire. She moved closer to Celia as she handed Anaya's soulgem to FanFan, intrigued by the incapacitated girl's bravado. She'd resolved to be stricken down by that bolt, and did indeed seem fully onboard with ramifications. She'd have to hand her some credit for that, at least.
"If you wish to return with us to base with your friend here, we will not stop you. Know however that you will be kept under strict supervision, as will your friend, no matter her injuries," Dawn said, briefly glancing aside at FanFan. If she was stepping out of line extending that hand to Celia, she didn't seem to be worried. It seemed the just thing to do, and Celia's tender, unassuming behavior thus far gave her no sense of danger.
"And you two... if you have no business with either of these girls, you'd best be off," she said with a stern look for the Djinn Sisters.
No matter the normal strength, Leena effortlessly threw Dawn for FanFan, the power of urgency and desperation on her side. Dawn fell into a roll as her sword burst away into a cloud of twinkling lights. Her skid came to a stop beside FanFan on her knees, and bracing for the onslaught, ducked her head in a minuscule attempt at furthering her defenses. The severe lightning storm crackled about her, and through the bright flashes she could see each zap vaporize the earth, piece by piece. It was as if a divine hand had flensed dirt and stone from the surface of the planet.
When at least the screeching maelstrom subsided, Dawn stood proudly upon a pedestal of rock that had survived thanks to FanFan's shield. It was but the three ladies of the Ascendancy, a charred corpse, and the pitiful remainder that was Celia. Dawn took a step forward towards Anaya's smoking body, and contemplated ending it there and then, despite Celia's plea for help. Still, she was but one of three here. She cast a gaze back to Leena, clearly seeking some guidance.
Was this insolent magical girl, incapable even of saving themselves from their own endeavors, worth sparing in the end?
A tense moment of energized expressions were all that Dawn could manage before their victory was shredded by the presence of another enemy. While FanFan had already begun dealing with the wolves during their fight, Endsinger was no doubt the greater threat, and she did not regret focusing on her.
Dawn had moved to crouch beside Leena as she recoiled in upon herself on the ground, merely comforting for the moment as she had no healing expertise to utilize for another.
The Nullification Field dropped, FanFan screamed, and Leena barked. The revving of an arcane engine rumbled in the background as Dawn once more returned to action. She flipped and spun, angling herself to drop her hammer of a sword onto the skull of the first clone that Leena could block.
Viva's bike surged round the arena, its cracking engine interspersed with the sound of her gun unloading into the clones. The fallen guitar of Endsinger did indeed catch her eye, but the musical weapon was not something she could use, much less wanted to even touch. Besides, her eyes caught a different target.
As Viva barreled for the corpse of Endsinger, Dawn was there to meet her. She launched into the air, slammed into the earth beside the corpse, and was already midway into a spinning slash close to the earth. It was aimed for the bike's wheels, hoping to stop Viva's ride in its tracks, but when it met with a solid object, it was not with rubber and steel.
Dawn's attack crashed through the manifested ramp Viva had formed, all too late; the magical girl already got use out of the ramp, and was well on her way through the air. Dawn paused, watching as the rider screeched off into the city. The sound of Feral clones still mobbing Leena and FanFan ripped her attention back, and she returned to slaying at their sides.
If she had been shown up before, then she was being flexed on now. What was mere teamwork had turned out to be full-blown psychic foresight, or perhaps it was simply that they had always thought their little parlor trick would come in hand one day. Nevertheless, Endsinger's disregard for even her own mighty swing had left her feeling increasingly dejected, but no less fervent in her assault. The nature of Leena's parallel attack sparked a moment of creativity in Dawn's mind, and she jumped at the chance to bring some synergy to the team.
Her sword sliced over the guitar strings, drawing out a heavy chord as it was raised high. Dawn pushed off of one foot into the air with her weapon in a wide tow. A fiery circle spun her twice, quickly bringing the greatsword into a powerful swinging crash; she was aiming right for that space between the extended metal of Leena's braces, coming in from behind the lich's skull.
She aimed to send Endsinger's head right back down into it, like pressing meat through a tube.
If but for a moment, Dawn's pride was somewhat dashed. Her Beacon teammates had fully managed to vanquish the spectral bouncer, seemingly by their lonesome. Though she had certainly distracted it with her own magic, the swiftness with which they executed the enemy was something to be... well... envious of. Dawn hoped in that moment she would be able to achieve such a level of teamwork, but for now, she just had to pull her own weight.
With their main adversary out of the way, Dawn followed suit, much more easily capable of navigating the minefield of aggravated souls thanks to her true flight. She dove, ascended, weaved through -Dawn kept apace with FanFan and Leena, never too far above their heads. A few fiery blasts here and there into the walls eased the path for either of her sisters to press on.
She paused in wait of their successive assault, unsure of their initial intents and plan. At the call of Leena's Void Room, things were clear enough. They would strike at the lich where her powerful magic fell short.
With clashing steel.
Dawn descended with a heavy slam upon the ground, her weapon morphing back into the shape of a massive white greatsword, and she charged forward opposite Leena. Together they would dice the dark witch, though it was perhaps more appropriate in Dawn's case to call it crushing.
"Perish, witch!" she shouted in tandem with Leena's final cry.
Even but a single, opening volley of magic was enough to cut this familiar's strength by twenty percent, and that was with their assault being undirected at the entity. Dawn maintained her flight over the cityscape, jets of flame extending from the wings of her armor to keep her aloft. The staff in her hand still sparkled with the remnants of her previous cast, its central gem swirling beneath the crystalline surface. As much as she was one for blasting first, the incessant metaphors from this many-armed giant really urged her on into replying in equal measure.
"Too many souls in too small a space is against the fire code," she quipped back with a dull but projected voice. She hadn't yet a good measure of what this thing could do, but with how many punching bits it had, she erred on the side of guessing it did exactly that. Dawn jetted a good distance further from the hecatoncheir and spun around to face back at it. Dawn threw her armed hand forward, pointing the tip of her crossed staff for the dead heart of her target. A twisting ring of fire orbs circled around the tip before converging into a thin blast, focusing all of its energy into a small point. What good would multiple arms do if the beam was too thin to be impeded by any more than one?
"Understood." Dawn left Hudie with that final affirmation, offering a salute in much the same manner as the rest. She turned to leave, and with eyes drawn across those shaded Ascendancy members lined along the walls, a silent farewell to the nameless. She hurried off with a brisk pace, arms swinging with her sprint to catch up to Leena and FanFan.
She met up and slowed to their pace, having barely broken a sweat. Though Rachel had assured her of Leena's loyalty, she couldn't help but give the diminutive girl a sharp once-over from the side. Nevertheless, Dawn opened up and extended a hand first to Leena as they walked.
"Dawn Astraea, as I'm sure you've realized," she introduced, "Leena and FanFan. I hope for us to work well together," she said before extending another hand for FanFan; she hoped the girl would give her the dignity of not returning the grip with her robotic arm. She wasted no time in planning.
"Which U-type are we headed for first? Or are we to split up evenly?"
Leena and FanFan were waiting at the teleporters when Dawn arrived. Leena was sitting crosslegged, balancing a throwing knife on her finger, while FanFan was sitting on her mechanical arms like a seat, sipping tea from a teacup and plate set. “Ah, if it isn’t the greenhorn,” FanFan spoke up, and Leena stood up. “About time; we were about to go on without you.” After Dawn introduced herself and stated her intentions, Leena scoffed, and gave the quickest of handshakes before swatting the hand away. “Yeah yeah, whatever.” FanFan on the other hand was pleased by the courtesy Dawn showed, and curtsied after the handshake. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Then, Dawn’s back was suddenly slapped by her giant arm, and she giggled. “But playtime is over. Now we shall proceed with the work.” The two took their positions in the teleporter, and Leena summoned her weapons; a pair of red and blue katanas that left traces as they were unsheathed. “We’re going for the U-type codenamed “Siren”. While they’re all causing collateral damage, that one is our current top priority. Any questions?”
Dawn doubled over as the hand impacted her. She didn’t complain about the gesture, but her cough and reservation said everything she wanted to about it. A hand absently reached around to pat softly at her back as she spoke, clearing her throat. “I’m assuming the U-type was aptly named, and is the one performing the concert?” she asked. Dawn followed suit, stepping into the teleporter without hesitation. She would have summoned her weapon if not for the ramped space; she would save that for when they reached the outside.
Leena nodded silently, while FanFan leaned forward, using her entire body to “nod” while balancing with her mecharms. “Yep yep! We have some agents dealing with the summoner, and a third squad is also going to strike at the third U-type. Anyway, it’s time! DLF is a GO!” And so the three of them felt weightless for a few seconds as they were teleported.
The next moment, they were at a rooftop nearby the one where the lich was performing her song. Before Dawn managed to get her bearings, Leena had already started running. “Do what you can, but stay out of my way, rookie!” She shouted behind her. FanFan giggled. “Show your stuff, greenhorn.” And with that, she sent her mecharms to grab the edge of the rooftop while she walked back until they were stretched as far as they could, before launching herself slingshot-style. “Concert’s over!” Leena shouted, and came in with a super fast whirlwind slash, followed by FanFan slamming her mecharms together in a hammer-like maneuver.
Dawn’s form erupted in a fountain of light, and when it subsided, her body was encased in blue and white armor, white mechanical wings stretching out to the side. Her sword slipped through a crack in reality, and was swiftly snatched with a hand. Dawn Astraea, no… “Justice” was here not merely to destroy the wicked, but to prove herself.
She broke into a sprint off the side of the building, and as her heels left the concrete, a jet of flame rocketed outwards, propelling her through the air. Out of range, her sword folded and creased, morphing into a tall staff with a angrily-glowing red jewel at its center. With hands raised high, she charged a spear of flame, firing it squarely for the so-called “Siren”.
Specialization: [ODDBALL][BLOOD] Annabelle manipulates blood -plain and simple. Drawing it in whipping strands, or flinging it as a crystallized shard, her element is used in much the same way as a Water specialist would. Fortunately for other magical girls and monsters, it seems her purview is limited only to blood which she can see, or her own; she won't be crushing someone's organs simply by looking at them. However, an interesting quality of it is her ability to draw strength from allies who verbally agree to the action, as if welcoming a vampire into their home.
By sacrificing her own health, Anne can bolster her manipulation of blood itself, be it her own or another's. She has never had to test the depths she can take it, but Anne assumes she could put herself on death's door to weave incredibly powerful magicks.
Weapon: [Melee/Ranged - "Red Clouds"] Annabelle's weapon "Red Clouds", appears to any eye as a mere greatsword, but hides within its many folds the ability to transform into a massive arcane firearm -and not in the way you might expect. Red Clouds' power draws upon Anne's own, and that means through her blood. Rather than hosting a menagerie of complex machinery beneath, it holds a reservoir of blood which can at any time burst from its cage and envelop the weapon, turning it into the crystalline red form of a large-caliber cannon.
Transforming is not its only ability, however, and the blood she supplies to Red Clouds can also simply increase the cutting strength of the weapon. Coupled with her Third Eye Power, the mere striking of this weapon upon her foes can instantly reveal useful bits of information to her about the target.
Power: [THIRD EYE] [Utterances of the Crawling Blood] At the temporary expense of her health, Annabelle can saturate the battlefield with nigh-on invisible strands of her blood. Intangible to physical touch, they serve as a kind of arcane, pervasive measurement device which relays all kinds of information to her. From the heart rate of another entity, to the merest increase in magical power, Anne can maintain an incredible level of awareness in the area. One would be hard-pressed to try striking with the intent of being undetected or unexpected. Outside of battle, a weave of these strands is held close to her body. It's power range is diminished in this form, but requires next to no effort for her to maintain.
Perks: [Enhanced Sustenance] - Anne's specialization has trained her body, physically, to be adept in manipulating her own physiology. Her cells run more efficiently, to the point where they both require and spend less energy to do the same things another magical girl would. Useful as it is in a tight and prolonged situation, Anne nevertheless has three meals a day more often than not, and isn't wanting for more. Sometimes you just like to eat, right? [Dual Weapon] - Unusual transformative properties allow her weapon to morph into a fully-functional arcane firearm. [Absolute Direction] - The details of how Anne manages to have such a keen sense for where things are around the city is a closely-kept secret. Regardless of the medium, Anne can be relied on to search for particular objects or people, so long as it's something she understands, of course. [Interdimensional Home] - A well-designed and furnished apartment that Anne likes to call the "Strifeless". She has only one rule for guests; leave behind your troubles before stepping inside. There are plenty of places to crash on, despite it being only a studio. A wall is dedicated to candid photographs she has taken with other friendly magical girls. [Hammerspace Handbag] - Worn as a sidebag, Anne keeps a number of small but useful items for nay occasion. [Ally - 'Big Sis'] - Anne's superior, the experienced magical girl known to her only as "Big Sis", serves as her connection to the deepest, darkest corners of the US government. She is the one who freed her from the shackles of a life serving the Puchuu, and gave her the opportunity to fight for humanity itself. While warm and smiling, Anne is sure that Big Sis hides a lot of skeletons in her closet. [Blood Magic] - Anne's specialization allows her to fuel her magic with her own blood, not just with another's. In fact, she is most potent when sacrificing her own health in battle.
Benefits: [Free agent] - Anne's prime directive is the protection and preservation of innocent human lives. To this end, she has free reign in determining how to best go about doing this, plus or minus some suggestions by her superior. [Supplier] - With the Us government !behind her, Anne can secure almost anything mundane in nature, provided she can convince her superior that it's necessary. Five-star meals every night are unlikely to pass.
Drawbacks: [Alone] - ...But not quite. With the tiny backing of a half-unsanctioned US military body behind her, she is far more alone than those magical girls under the thumb of greater forces, but no less a part of something bigger than herself.
Fighting Style: Annabelle is fast and unrelenting -the nature of her magic is like a ticking clock, and in that doomed nature does she fight with every fiber. As her vitality is drained, things must end quickly before her initial advantage is diminished by a conversely disadvantaged healthiness. Her strikes are brutal, direct, always aiming to thoroughly destroy the target before it can test her dwindling stamina. Close-quarters or at a range, the ferocity of her attacks is never different. Blood is thick, and in the quality her comparisons to water are similarly shifted. Where someone of more graceful design would flow like a river through the battlefield, Annabelle is like a mudslide, rolling over anything and everything, but flowing through nonetheless. To call her a brute would be a mistake -even a mudslide is difficult to avoid if it's already upon you.
Personality: Perhaps reflecting her mission statement, Annabelle is a congenial young lady who loves other people. Making friends is not merely a boon to completing her duty as a NEXT agent, but is what she genuinely loves to do regardless. Her preponderance of smiles and quicker-than-most comfort with hugging makes her someone that is difficult to hate unless you're a grump. Generous and kind to anyone who can muster a measure of respect and friendliness back to her, Annabelle is also a great ally to have, rarely turning down a plea for help. In turn, those she calls friends receive only her utmost effort... and her utmost violence.
Against evil, or anything that would do harm to the innocent, she is merciless and cruel, savoring in the quashing of things that would disrupt the otherwise warm life she seeks for herself and society at large. To her, monsters and evil-doers deserve nothing but to be turned into a river of flesh sailing down its own blood into the sewer drains. Betrayal is, unfortunately, something she would call 'evil', and one would be careful not to do such a thing to her. It wouldn't be inaccurate to call her a yandere whose obsession clings to friends, rather than a lover.
History: It was a cold afternoon. The park was empty. No one was willing to go out and play, or jog, or eat when the weather was so dreary. Annabelle was out, though. Tucked away in a warm coat, she felt the nip in her thighs dressed in her shorts and thighighs, but didn't seem to mind. Her chin was buried into the collar of the coat, her hands in the pockets.
She was simply traveling from a friend's house back home, unable to get a ride back. There, on the hill, was an odd sight. It looked as if someone had left their stuffed toy beneath a tree, sitting alongside what looked like a... sword. Perhaps one of those foam *ERF toys? The weird structure of it certainly looked comical enough, like a movie prop for some Kamen-type show.
Anne walked up cautiously to the thing, more curious about the weapon than the stuffed animal. But as she reached for it... the toy's head turned to look up at her. She jerked back.
"Aha. Well that was certainly quick. I didn't need to look long. You girls just drop right into our laps like it's destiny. It is destiny, isn't it?" It spoke. At least, she heard it. The small creature's mouth did not move, but she heard it. Anne looked around, thinking at first that this thing was simply stuffed with a walkie-talkie. It turned and walked closer to Anne in a fashion unbecoming of the usual crappy toys she's seen in commercials. It walked... like it was a living breathing thing.
"Tell me, Annabelle, have you ever wanted to have superpowers? To fight real bad guys?"
She was taken aback and speechless. Her hands had long since been removed from her pockets, and were now vaguely shielding herself from the strangeness.
"What kind of robot is this?" she asked to herself.
"Oh, I'm no robot. I'm very real, actually. I'm a puchuu, here to make you a magical girl. Or perhaps... you're here to become one."
"I'm not sure what you mean. Is this part of a TV show?" she asked, still defiant of the supernatural nature of the scene.
"My my. What a bother. Always so oblivious. I suppose it's not your fault. Let's not beat around the bush. I have a magical weapon here without an owner, and it needs to be put into the right hands to fight against evil!"
Anne's eyes followed to the sword. It looked... suddenly quite deadly and genuinely sharp then. Too real to be a toy.
"You want me... to be like one of those anime girls, all cutesy and magical?" she hummed.
"Now you're catching on. It's easy! All you have to do is pick it up, and you'll be well on your way to an amazing adventure."
She was still skeptical, but the bizarre appearance of this little creature, the brazenness with which it spoke, and the dichotomy of the sword all told her this was either a strange choice of reality TV theme, or it was... the truth. Anne approached the sword and hesitated for a few seconds before lifting it up. The blade slid out of the dirt, clean as a whistle. It was heavy, and then it became lighter. It almost felt... weightless, and yet the solid build betrayed that feeling. Cold hard steel.
"What am I suppo-" Anne stopped short as she turned back to the puchuu. Without a sound, a tall girl with long, blonde braids was standing there. In her clenched fist was the small white creature, strangled worse than any creature had the right to survive from. She was smiling at Anne, uncaring of the mangled furball she so violently crushed.
Were the woman instead a more intimidating man, she might have been more inclined to lift her new weapon up, but she was instead perplexed.
"Hello, Annabelle. Nice to meet you. I'm glad I caught you in time," the young lady said. She was dressed in a kind of modified military uniform, looking halfway between a race queen and an officer. Unceremoniously she threw her hand up, tossing the white creature aside before manifesting a handgun out of thin air. Three well-placed shots pelted the creature in its oversized head before it could even hit the ground. It exploded, but there was neither blood nor gore. It fell limply onto the grass.
"Don't worry about that thing. It was never your friend. How about you listen to a fellow human instead?" The woman smiled more warmly than anyone had ever smiled at Annabelle before. She was inviting. She wanted to trust her.
Name: Valentine Achill Age: 18 Gender: Female Appearance: Character Sheet
Specialization: [DARKNESS] Valentine's specialization is an all-out offense on her victim's senses and courage. If Darkness is an element used to achieve stealth, then Valentine is so potent in its effects that the very nature of it spread from her own body into the surrounding world. Valentine does not skulk about, dancing from shadow to shadow, she makes everything shadow. Valentine can cause entire rooms to become a void of blackness, or lay curses upon specific individuals to cast them into blindness. Even worse, the realms she creates come chock full of horrors -malignant, skittering monstrosities that give no quarter to the prey stuck in their void.
Weapon: [Ranged - "The Wretched"] A bulky revolver of pure chrome. Utilizing the weapon requires preparation, as is not especially effective for prolonged battles. Valentine can compress her mana into pre-made shells for the gun, but can only fit nine shots into the revolving barrel. Limited in immediately available shots, it makes up for the drawback with utterly devastating firepower.
Power: [TENTACLES] [Razorbath] Unfortunately for others, Valentines writhing tentacles aren't the smooth kind -they're the barbed wire kind. Though they are unlikely to be used as useful extra arms for picking up items or grapple-hooking her to higher spots, they are effective as additional weapons. Razor sharp and flexible, even passing glances by the wires are enough to savage their targets. Woeth be the victim who is snared head to toe in their violence.
Perks: [Sorcery] - Even before becoming a magical girl, Valentine was already unraveling the secrets hidden within reality. It was unfortunate for that said dabbling ended with her own unintended, current predicament. [Flexibility] - Perhaps it is because of the horrific nature of her powers that Valentine quickly found her body to be capable of easily freaking others out with her uncanny flexibility. [Healing Artifact] - A reminder of the power that Big Sis has over her, the artifact contains the imprisoned Horror which had initially give her the powers of a magical girl. Now relegated to the status of a mere utility trinket, Valentine can channel mana into it to forcibly draw out a healing aura from the horror. [Fated] - Valentine can't even begin to understand her task, but she could feel it in the back of her head when the horror first spoke with her. Perhaps it is because the thing is now imprisoned that she can't quite get a grip on what her destiny was supposed to be. [Gifted] - Normally the Darkness element is known to be a domain of stealth and debuffs, but Valentine has managed to channel the nature of fear into the shadows, spawning horrible creatures to assail her enemies within the blackness. [Ally] - Big Sis is Valentine's 'ally' if only because she gives her things and tells her what to do. Valentine knows what lies behind the government official's eyes, and it is not something she truly wants to serve. Nevertheless, she begrudgingly follows orders, never mind that she was given no other choice. [Familiar] - A black doberman dog named "Maskim". Capable of shifting into a human form for short periods of time.
Benefits: [Free agent] - Valentine has been leashed into aiding the US government, though Big Sis will claim it is for humanity as a whole. To this end, anything beneficial to that mission is free for Valentine to take up, though she is still under a stern thumb. [Supplier] - With the US government !behind her, Valentine can secure almost anything mundane in nature, provided she can convince her superior that it's necessary. A million bucks is probably not on the table of options.
Drawbacks: [Alone] - ...But not quite. With the comparatively tiny backing of a half-unsanctioned US military body behind her, she is far more alone than those magical girls under the thumb of greater forces, but no less a part of something bigger than herself.
Fighting Style: Rather than relying on skill or strength, Valentine relies on casting her targets into a state wherein they are unable to fight back. Once her target is just right -just the right amount of lost, just the right amount of unaware, just the right amount of inundated- Valentine strikes with focused, powerful attacks. Before and after, she is evasive and defensive, always waiting for the right moment. Face-to-face, she is less than capable, and so Valentine actively avoids such confrontations. If she cannot avoid it, she uses everything in her arsenal to break combat and reset.
Personality: Short of temper and patience, Valentine is quick to lash out, and difficult to make friends with. she appears as the kind of young woman who clearly doesn't want to make friends, or else finds it very hard to muster the will to... or perhaps its a lack of courage. If one is around her long enough, they can clue in on her jumpy nature. Despite her specialization, Valentine is easily startled by things she doesn't immediately expect. The veil of toughness collapses during horror movies, or when spooked by hiding individuals looking to prank her.
Valentine definitely tries to hide this part of her, and a few well-placed but undeserved punches usually serves her well in dissuading what few friends she has from trying to pull something on her again. Though she protests a lot, and seems lazy, ultimately a good kick or urging can get her onto her feet. She hates staying in one place for long, anyways.
History: If she had it her own way, she'd just be a sorceress. If she had it her own way, she'd still be learning whatever the hell she wanted. If she had her own way... she wouldn't be tossed about this stormy underworld.
Valentine was once a simply curious, and perhaps devilish young lady who had both a profusion of time and the lack of sense to stay out of trouble, which she spent on diving into that which normal humans weren't supposed to. For her efforts and flagrance, Valentine was rewarded with servitude under a Horror, turning her into a magical girl pawn to be used for whatever alien means her 'patron' prescribed. She nevertheless considered herself fortunate that this was her fate, as opposed to a sudden loss of sanity or life to the cosmic entity.
But even that change in lifestyle was not enough, it seemed, and the universe saw it fit to throw her further astray with a much closer-to-home entity in the form of the US government, and a woman whose eyes never truly looked as friendly as they tried to seem.
Another magical girl by the name of 'Big Sis' approached Valentine and dictated the ultimatum; join her group, or be hunted down for her status as the servant of an evil entity. What an option. Of course, Valentine couldn't complain if but in that she now had to serve such a scary lady and the government, of all things, but ultimately she couldn't care less who it was. It wasn't as if she was living a free life anyways.
Valentine joined the NEXT Shadow Unit begrudgingly. Parts of being a servant to the horror -namely being able to work alone- still appealed to her. The horror that once pulled her strings was summarily 'taken care of' as Big Sis described it, and Valentine did not question things when a strangely familiar sensation came to her after Big Sis placed a peculiar artifact into her hands one day. That was the end of that chapter.
Emergency start [Ally] and [Sorcery] chosen as Emergency start perks, allowing me to shift naturally-rolled Sorcery perk to opposite table, thus gaining [Familiar] as well.
[center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEBNruYiLXM[/youtube]
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[i][color=#e60000]Call me:[/color][/i] Asuras
[i][color=#e60000]I like:[/color][/i] Urban Fantasy, High Fantasy, Anime Aesthetics
[i][color=#e60000]I play:[/color][/i] Anything. Mostly women.
I have a long history of GM'ing, perhaps even more than playing. I like art, and I commission a lot. D&D is my life right now.
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<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;"><div class="bb-center"><iframe src="//youtube.com/embed/yEBNruYiLXM?theme=dark" frameborder="0" width="496" height="279" allowfullscreen></iframe><br><br><hr class="bb-hr"><br><br><span class="bb-i"><font color="#e60000">Call me:</font></span> Asuras<br><br><span class="bb-i"><font color="#e60000">I like:</font></span> Urban Fantasy, High Fantasy, Anime Aesthetics<br><br><span class="bb-i"><font color="#e60000">I play:</font></span> Anything. Mostly women.<br><br>I have a long history of GM'ing, perhaps even more than playing. I like art, and I commission a lot. D&D is my life right now.</div></div>
Kronshi
Estylwen
OwO
Sky Blue
Remram
Half Pint
hanzo
Marik
Izurich
