MMMMm gonna be alot of vampires. Due to the way they spread I highly doubt they will be the last vampire. However last Pure bread vampire I can accept
That's acceptable, I guess. But you've got that backwards on the spreading thing. Vampires in most fiction have cripplingly bad reproductive capabilities. Reproducing through vampirism is simply less efficient and less safe than making whoopie.
I guess if it's not possible, I wont be able tomato after all.
I love Touhou and have a very hard time arranging my favorite characters, eh-heh.
Anyway, um... it really is a matter of... Hmm. The only real "skeleton youkai" that I feel works in the setting is a Gashadokuro, which is... way too big and monstrous for this and is also the physical manifestation of the spirits of people who died from starvation as I recall. ^^;
Gutso was actually based off of the Gashadokuro, I'm surprised you knew about that! I took some liberties with the design in order to humanize it, but the basic traits are still there (Largeness, Durability, Concealment). Also, the whole starvation thing was meant to tie into the fact that hes lived on the streets since he was young.
Youkai(basically any type you could possibly give a human appearance, think Touhou maybe if you're familiar with it?) are totally playable. It's just that with skeletons and stuff the in-setting lore is that it's a formless spirit using that kind of body or an undead of some form. I apologize for not having more information on that yet actually posted.
I'll admit this is a personal thing of not feeling like a skeleton "Race" really fits for the setting. ^^;
I guess I'm pretty boned then. Sorry, tomato.
Would it be possible to give them a human form, and then make then transform into a skeleton ("true form assumption" or something along those lines)? Also, it's cool to see another Touhou fan on the guild! Tewi best girl.
@Queen Tomato: Something that is a skeleton would be a spirit possessing a skeleton or undead.
I mean, most Youkai are spirits. This one just looks like and has the qualities of a skeleton. It's not possessing anything, it has its own form that it interacts with the world using. I'm sorry if this seems confrontational at all, that's not my intent, I just genuinely don't see what's wrong with playing a Youkai Skeleton and I was really excited to be able to play a Youkai...
@Queen Tomato: Okay, have to be honest, this idea doesn't work out much. A walking skeleton would be undead, which requires necromancy and a lot of other more complicated stuff.
Alternatively a possessed skeleton or something like that.
I thought we were allowed to play Youkai, squish? I honestly chose something that was more human-like than most of the other Youkai out there, because you did mention that if we app a Youkai it should be human-like. He isn't an undead or otherwise animated skeleton, he is a supernatural being with the form of a skeleton. It's different.
Appearance: Gutso is quite lanky for a skeleton, standing at approximately six foot eleven at full height, but he typically slouches to the point of appearing much closer to six feet tall. He wears clothes aimed towards helping him blend in with the hip crowd, hoodies and black jeans with plenty of chains and jewelry indicating status. His sunglasses are perpetually on his forehead rather than being worn properly, and it's said that he only brings his sunglasses down when he's truly serious. No hair or eyes to speak of, being a skeleton.
Personality: This pile of bones possesses firstmost the most prevalent traits belonging to all skeletons, his sense of humour (which is in this case quite sarcastic and mellow, as opposed to many of his more eccentric brethren). He could best be described as a hard guy with a soft heart. Protecting the weak comes almost as second nature to him, even if it means putting himself at risk. He doesn't believe there's a challenge in this world he can't overcome, as long as he holds his family in his heart and continues to look forwards. The true hero.
Abilities: Mister Savage's capabilities can be separated into two distinctive categories. One is what we could call his "Street Tech", skills developed by a skeleton living with nothing to rely on except his own guts (ironically). The other are what belongs to him naturally as a member of the skeleton race, innate traits honed by his training and skills to aid him as a little youkai in a big youkai's world.
The first of Gutso's "Street Techs" is nicknamed "First Impression", it is a possibly magical trait of false first impressions and overwhelming initial strength during a fight. Working using a subtle and unconscious self-enchantment and Gutso's many years of carefully training this particular skill, his opponents simply always fail to judge Gutso's true capabilities until after the fight begins. By that point, it is often too late. It could be called psuedo-concealment, but applying only to the ability to sense other's capabilities, and breaking when combat is initiated. Therefore, it is not particularly strong.
His favourite Street Techs are Skeleton Fists and Skeleton Feet, moves that startle opponents with their usage of Gutso's various appendages as blunt weapons. By punching his opponents Gutso activates Skeleton Fists, and his punches are no joke, because they can punch through weaker materials quite easily. Skeleton Feet is a similar technique, but utilizing Gutso's great big feet instead of his hands. Notably weaker than Skeleton Fists, but still a force to be reckoned with.
His signature and strongest technique is Bonehead Barrage. By disjointing his own head, Gutso utilizes the full extent of his street techs and skeletal powers. He throws his own head at his enemy, utilizing the magic of his body to control it, while simultaneously assaulting his foes with a series of Skeleton Fists and Feet. His head should be watched out for, because its bite is deadly and his skull is by far the hardest part of his body.
Super Bones is the inherent trait of Gutso's brand of Skeleton Youkai. While it provides no real offensive benefit besides their bodies, and by extension their fists being harder than normal, Super Bones is useful in that it makes up for the Skeleton's lack of any real mass to their body. It makes their bones incredibly durable and hard, making them if nothing else a pain in the butt to kill. While it provides no resistance to the effects of magic, spells that attempt to directly damage the skeleton's bones will find their output reduced by an equal amount as if it were a physical attack.
Skeletons can remove and continue to control any body parts of theirs by disjointing them with their body's own inherent magic. For this reason, while skeletons limbs may seem easily removed when they do it themselves, they do not simply break apart when struck. The range for controlling their body parts is roughly thirty meters, after which the bones revert to a still hard but uncontrollable state. Re-entering range gives back control of one's bones to the original owner.
Skeleton Sense is a power possessed by skeletons, which allows them to see, hear, touch, smell and taste as if they were a living thing with the respective organs needed for those senses. It is a truly fearsome power, despite providing no apparent advantages over what an ordinary human is capable of.
Skills: Life on the streets have toughened Gutso beyond what even his skeletal powers allow. His will is as hard as bone, allowing him to overcome injuries and non-magical mental interference just by trying hard enough. With his fists, Gutso is no stranger, delivering punches relentlessly on anybody who stands in his sights. In particular, the skeleton is known for handing out ruthless sucker punches on unwary foes. Few fighters are as cunning and underhanded as him, but surprisingly, there is a side to him that brings people together around him and strengthens their resolve with his own. He calls it "Charisma of the Weak", and it is a well named skill indeed, affecting mostly those too weak to care for themselves. He can cook, count change and do his taxes, like a mature adult, and his fondness for children gives him all the knowledge needed to raise and nurture a little girl, if the situation calls for it.
Equipment: A pair of Brass Knuckles made of the super-hardened knucklebones of his own father, formed into the words "BONE" and "HEAD".
Brief Backstory: Gutso is a Youkai who lived the hard life right from the start. His father always had high expectations of him, and when Gutso couldn't live up to those expectations, his father beat him savagely. Strangely, Gutso never knew his mother and whenever the topic was mentioned, his pa would sink into solemn silence. Gutso grew up hating his father with every bone in his body, and it wasn't until one fateful day that Gutso finally came to appreciate the man for who he was. When their home was broken into by members of a Youkai gang, and Gutso's dad fought the thugs down to the last bone, Gutso learned what true strength was. Sure, his father was not a strong man all the time. He had his vices, and his temper, and he never could live up to the expectations he had for himself. But when the time came to shine, nothing shined brighter than that old dome of his.
His enemies were too much, but instilled with his father's will and fighting spirit, Gutso dedicated his life to finding the Youkai who defeated his father and taking them down himself. He left his home that night a changed skeleton, and made the rest of his living on the streets, getting by on nothing but his smarts and the strength of his bones.
When he found a little girl, lost and abandoned, he took her in as his little sister and installed her in his dad's old place. Now that he has something to fight for, hes decided he's tired of the street life and has taken it up with the right crowd, trying to go clean after all these years. Maybe this way, he thinks, he'll finally be able to find the monsters who did in his old man. And maybe, he would be able to carve out a place in this bone cold world for his little sister to live peacefully.
And it's finally finished! What do you think of this, squish?
Name: Asma Age: 13 Appearance: She is a dark-skinned young girl, possessing only the ghost of developing womanly features and as of yet not boasting any of the growth she is expected to undergo during puberty. Her small stature is made even more pronounced as a result of her disability, which forces her to utilize a wheelchair for mobility. Her hair is worn long, reaching down to the girl's waist, and is a deep brown colour that compliments her striking, blue eyes and bright demeanor. This is subtracted slightly, though, by the fact that her eyes are often times closed or covered by large sunglasses, a result of her further disabilities.
She prefers girly, but often practical clothing that allows for a free range of upper-body movement without compromising her protection from the elements. Her body is surprisingly well-built, muscle-wise, as a result of the increased use of her upper body muscles after the incident.
Romantic/Sexual Orientation: N/A
Personality: To describe Asma is to personify the essence of sheer determination and will to live life to its fullest. She is a bright girl, in more ways than one, and possesses both a sharp intuition and empathetic ability that allows her to form bonds with others and manage personal relationships, and a strong, rational mindset that grants her incredible problem-solving abilities. She is no academic genius, this is certain given her lack of formal education, but rather she has a thirst for knowledge that allows her to learn and master new concepts very quickly.
She is very independant, liking to do things herself when possible, but when she must she is also perfectly content with using others to achieve her ends. She really doesn't like being babied, not by anyone.
Holds an intense dislike for Homeworld, because of what they've done to her people over the ages.
Biography: This human girl involved in gems has a secretive past, shrouded in darkness and only momentarily lit up with moments of intense, gem-related violence. Her place of origins is well known for having been the site of many gem battles, and her people had been in conflict with gems in that region for many generations before Asma's family came into being. Desert life is harsh on everyone, most so little girls, and by the time she was six she had already grown to possess the survivalism and independence characteristic of her style of living.
That just made it that much harder when the incident occurred.
Suddenly, her anchor to the human world was gone. She was left crippled, unable to even walk on her own two feet. The brilliant desert sun that had once been revered in her heart, was now unbearable to her eyes. Lying in the desert sand, discarded, hopeless, she was picked up by one of the gems as they left the site of the conflict.
It was only right. They had destroyed everything that she was, and in return, they gave her everything back. Now with them for several years, Asma has shown herself to be a valuable asset to the Survivors, in spite of her disabilities. The gems, veterans that they were, grew to respect her sheer determination as well as her bright attitude and pleasant demeanor. She doesn't participate in Gem missions for the time being, for obvious reasons, but she has expressed a willingness to do so in the future once she learns more about the ways of combat.
Relation to the Survivors: Adopted after a Gem-related incident, and taken in as a member of the team. Reasons not known to most of the Survivor Gems.
Member
