Things were going about as smooth as Touka expected. With Hikari being a no-show, Alex had opted to leave home early. That would mean the team called Knightfall would have no opponents to face. So much for a fair and balanced tournament, and the prospect of all this left an annoyed grimace upon the president's features. The expression only deepened when she felt someone dare to intrude in their space. Having set up a watchful perimeter around the entire park, it would be easy to find magical properties that were foolish enough to come close to their games. Surpringly enough, this sensation was neither a Nightmare or one of their light counterparts. Trusting she could leave the others to their own devices, she crunched through the park's snow before getting dangerously close to a very familiar presence. "You've got to be kidding me," she grumbled to herself, hot breath sprayed and condensed into the icy air.
"Ah, the good winter cold...Makes you feel a little nostalgic, ya know?" A certain red-haired girl said, though with a distinctly different tone in speaking compared to most Japanese girls. In fact, in comparison to most Japanese people in general. With a rub of her black mittened hands, as if trying to warm herself more when she didn't really need to, Alannah gave a simple cheeky smile and a grin to the ever familiar green-haired lass. Though, afterwards, she gave a more quizzical look in the air. "Wait...You've never been to Ireland, so I guess the nostalgia ain't quite the same is it?" She said, then giving a little laugh at her little bit of forgetfulness. Can't blame a girl for trying to liven the mood up a bit, can you? In her case, you probably could. Despite her being well adjusted to cold, Alannah still decided to dress fairly comfortably, having on a pair of thick black stockings under her skirt and a blue snow jacket that was lined with white fur on the hood. With her ever-present smirk still on her face, she shoved her hands into her jacket pockets as she looked past Touka for a moment. "Seems I got here a bit later than I would've preferred." She said with a shrug as she looked back towards Touka. "What I missed and how much of it do I need to absolutely know?"
"No. I haven't," Touka said. Indeed, she had never been to Ireland; at least, as far as anyone none the wiser knew. She didn't bother trying to stop Alannah from looking over her, partly because it'd be a waste of time and the fact that she was shorter than the other girl. "What are you even doing here. It's not like you take time to show up to the meetings," she said in a frown. Suddenly showing up with her would mean introductions to the girls who didn't know her, especially those who weren't aware the president even had a partner. Aside from Yuno of course, but she was irrelevant at the moment. "A tournament to decide who hosts a Christmas Party," Touka eventually answered, still grumbling. Alannah's presence was bad news, specifically because now the others might rope them into actually joining their tourney. To think, Touka was this close to remaining a spectator...
Alannah gave a slight frown and a pout as her expression soured. "Hey, it's not like I don't want to go to them...Usually. I'm a busy girl just like you." While the others had their own dilemmas, so did she after all! It wasn't her fault that life gave her so much stuff to do...Okay it was slightly, possibly mostly, her fault, but would she ever admit it? Nope. However, Touka spoke the golden words that sparked curiosity. A grin came back on her face, but it was a bit more cat-like curious. "Ohhh...? A tournament you say?" She said in a somewhat singsong voice as she cocked her head to the right to take another glance at what was going on. From the looks of it, it was most certainly magical in nature. And, considering the group, it more than likely meant a battle. With a giggle, she looked back at her partner in magical not-so-much-crime with a raised eyebrow. "Now Touka, not inviting me to a competition that you know we would steamroll? Tsk, tsk. For shame, for shame..." She said, shaking her head, still keeping that infectious smile. It was written all over her face whether she liked it or not. Lil Miss Ink wanted in.
"You're going to make us join, aren't you." It wasn't even a question and Touka was already sighing. She really, really didn't want to get involved tonight. But she knew there was little stopping Alannah when she wanted something unless it was the equivalent of a bulldozer. And then some. "Better idea. You don't need my help to beat them right? I'll hang back and watch you strut your stuff," said Touka. This time she was the one flashing a grin, sharp, almost shark-like teeth gleaming in the winter snow. "If you need any help, just holler. Surely the almighty Scatha needs no backup when dealing with kittens throwing around claws too big for their paws, right~?"
The once perky girl opened her mouth, eyes closed like she was about to drop either encouragement or wise words to their vict-What did she say? Words caught in her throat and her eyes now jolted back open, her mouth hung open but couldn't find a single word to actually say in response, instead just staring as she stammered for a second. "What-But you-We should-I just...Ehem." She let out a throat clear to try and find proper, actual sentences to say. She decided to pump her chest out and give a smirk back, though it wasn't quite as happy as it once was. "Well, of course I can take them! Why are you even asking something that dumb?" There really wasn't a single doubt in her mind that she could win against those girls, but a team match just sounded so much more...Interesting? Fun? Not as humiliating for the two inevitable losers? Something around those lines. Her eyes went left to right quickly, like they were looking for a sign that had what she should say next conveniently written on it. Then the figurative light bulb went off as she regained her smirk. Stepping over to Touka and putting her right arm around the girls shoulder, she pointed up high with the other hand. "Of course, but what partner would the mighty Stained Scatha be if she let you stay on the sidelines? I mean, still pretty mighty, no duh, but noooowhere near as good a buddy as she should be, mhm?" She said...Before looking right back at Touka and deciding to break reality to her. "We both know that I'll go all day with this otherwise." She narrowed her eyes as she gave a slighter bigger smirk. "Then all week."
Figures. The moment Alannah's arm wrapped around her was the moment Touka decided it wasn't worth wasting more warm breath debating her. Especially when the other Magical Girl felt it was fine to spell it out for her. "Yes, I'm well aware," Touka said, shark's grin quickly flashing into a shark's grimace, quite alright with taking this verbal loss for now. "Ugh, fine. But I'm not going through the effort of setting up a Christmas party." The implication in those words should have been obvious for anyone; the president did not feel too prone to losing in a fight. The message was given with Touka's own stare back to her partner's gaze before leading them back to the group with a sigh. "Let's just get this over with," she grumbled lowly for only the two of them to hear before approaching the laundering Ami and Maiko.
"H-Hey guys, we have a n-new team joining," she said, once they had reached the waiting team.
With a delighted little clap for both the fact she got her way and that they're gonna be kicking some ass, she gave two quick nods to Touka's assertion. Dare she say, it was like her own little Christmas present, being able to make her, the future best magical girl, more known. With a content smile on her face, Alannah followed her back to the group, trailing behind her. As she announced that there was a new team, it seemed the best time to make an entrance. "And that team is the one to watch out for." She said, her smile now filled with far more confidence than previously as she looked at the rest of the group. "I really hope none of you were expecting any easy wins tonight, cause, well. I always do love proving a person wrong and myself right." She folded her arms, not completely realizing how too-appropriate it was after her declaration.
What would be the last thing you’d expect while trying to calmly eat your fruit in the shade? Most likely, it’d be that you were interrupted from doing it or something got in your way of doing it. Well, for Anyon, both of those happened pretty much in quick succession as she found herself on the floor in a way less lit place than she would’ve like. Her clothes got a tad dirtied and her hat fell off, now closer to her neck. The robe was also slightly more opened due to earlier. Rubbing her head for only 3 seconds, she heard footsteps. Loud, very quick footsteps. And ones that, considering the number of them, were most certainly not human. Her eyes popped open and she looked to her side. Sure enough, a giant wolf was barreling in her direction. An annoyed groan came out of her mouth before giving a shrug. This day? Went from bad boring to bad interesting real damn quick. Glaring at her lupine opponent, she nudged a bit back as her hand extended a little bit out, with her right foot in a runner’s position and the other leg in a kneel position. Get ready...Get set.
”Al Hu-!
Her sentence was cut off by a knight stepping in pretty much out of nowhere. The only noise Anyon let out at this was a surprised “Uhhh…” as she saw the girl try and wrestle a giant wolf. The girl that, just by looking at her, she knew she had a solid 2 or 3 heads on in terms of height. Another confused “Uhhh…” escaped her lips as she raised an eyebrow. What the hell is even going on at the moment? Interrupting that thought though, the girl then said “A hero has to protect the weak, right?” which may have been an admirable sentence...if she didn’t say in front of the once confused, now positively pissed monk.
”Are you freaking kidding me with this shit?” She said in her gravely deep-pitched throat, with her voice reeking of resent. She could deal with plenty of insults and other people’s bull. But she will not tolerate being called weak just cause she got caught off-guard. Not in a hundred, thousand, million years.
Anyon stood up quickly from where she previously sat. The entire time she was staring at the large wolf directly at where its red eyes were as she let out her own low, low growl at it. The look of a predator was something she knew, of a creature ready to kill. It was a look she was all too familiar with, from humans and animals and mabeasts. Except, for most, that was a look of survival, usually not so much any emotion. Emotion was on her face, oh you can be sure of that. Her eyes had the distinct “kill or be killed” appearance, but it also had a very different look in it. It had a distinct, pure, unrelenting hate in the pupils and expression. It almost looked like her eyes were even glowing with the sheer anger it was radiating. Her large staff was held up in her other hand, being gripped tighter and tighter. It was this wolf’s fault that her day suddenly got worse and, as it now turned out, she was going to need some form of relief for this new rage. ”Oh, do you want to fight, mutt?” It was still much larger than her overall, if we were to compare it tail to head to her, but at least the height difference was assuredly far less than it was previously now that she was standing completely straight up. She let out a puff from her nostrils as her previous snarling grimace turned into an unquestionable half-smirk. The smirk of a predator was on her face as she stepped a few feet away from where the knight and wolf were wrestling.
She extended her right hand and held it out with her palm opened wide. ”Al. Huma! You lousy fucker!” She practically roared. She brought the fist up and, with it, 3 fairly large icicles, taller than her at the very least, rose up from the ground, behind and to rearest sides of the wolf. Unintentionally or perhaps intentionally, the one behind it was fairly close to its tail, possibly even spearing it through if it was unlucky enough. She had her legs positioned as well, muscles ready. If it decided to come at her, those legs were still ready to get out of the way and just cast shield to brawl with the creature too.
Back alive, sorry about vanishing for a bit. Food poisoning is one of the worst things I've experienced thus far. Also @KoL Don't worry, I ain't gonna go that text heavy all the time. They were just special occasions is all for the length. Lots of stuff I wanted to fit in, you know?
In terms of height, she is about 5’4’’ or 162 cm. In the heels of her transformed state, she is about 5'8'' Title: Stained Scatha Age: 16 Emblem:
Devil Arm:
Alannah’s magical weapon is a bit more unorthodox than most. Her weapon, originally, was known as the Artist’s Halberd, a pole arm with an inky black tip for the spear and somewhat styled as though it were a fancy pen. It was about 5'11'', or 180 cm, in height, and had a surprising amount of weight to it, though possibly that was from the strength hidden inside it? It was used to help direct her ink magic and, in ways, intensify her magical capabilities. The tattoos happened to appear on only her wrists when she utilized this long weapon and would glow a red color as she used her magic. She rarely used it to actually stab and slash at opponents, but more of just an enhancer and director for her magical attacks and spells.
It tends to vary on just which sleeve is her Standby at a time, but nevertheless they always cover the entirety of her arms. The one on the left is Standby 1. The one in the middle is Standby 2. The one on the right is Standby 3.
This part of Prideful Sleeve covers almost the entirety of her upper back and it's length goes to both her shoulder blades.
After becoming a dark magical girl, she realized that her previous weapon was useless to her if she was seeking more power. Its contents, on the other hand, were exactly what she needed. With that in mind, Artist’s Halberd was broken into pieces with a burst of energy and the ink contained inside was absorbed by her. With her signature tool gone, her new one became something entirely else. It took some time and it sure as hell wasn't a pleasant experience, but eventually she had her new "Devil Arm," Prideful Sleeve. Instead of a sword or a gun or a wand, her Devil Arm is instead a pack of tattoos on her skin, specifically the entirety of her arms, and some spread onto her back as well. The tattoos themselves are almost always shifting when she’s fighting and, when she isn’t actively using magic, hide themselves in her emblem. However, they do have a “standby” state as well. They also no longer glow red as they once did, instead letting out a black trail while they’re active. They're primary purpose is simply to increase her magical power and let her cut a bit more loose.
Magic: Alannah was gifted with the power of ink magic. This magic, while it has changed somewhat from what it once was, was always based on the idea of creating what she deemed necessary and is heavily influenced by her imagination. When she had her halberd, the ink was usually fired at adversaries like a missile or bullet. The other alternative was using it to make shapes and give herself other weapons, like swords and even another spear, made of ink. It could create familiars, such as crows or wolves, and shield her in a bubble of black.
However, after her transformation and breaking it, her magic is now even more powerful than it once was. Her tattoos turn into the shape of whatever she thinks she needs, usually indicating what she might be about to do, and then activates spells from whatever part of her body she desires. They can turn into giant hands of darkness that are incredibly powerful and tough to hit her opponents. Swords, spears, and blunt weapons can be made from it to smash and slash Nightmares to nothing. She even has the capability of making black tentacles to grab others, strike, or even just to defend. They can even grant her flight by giving her giant ink wings, while still giving her her other powers. Firing ink bullets and blasts is still well within her abilities and it can make armor to protect her or even just make large shields. She's seemed to have lost her familiar summoning abilities though. The tattoos even seem to have a mind of their own at this point, willing to protect her if she’s not paying attention.
Due to her large amount of magical potential, she is an incredibly powerful magical girl, but she is not as invincible as she'd like to believe. As one could probably figure out, since she uses ink, direct water contact is pretty much a death sentence for her, washing away her powerful attacks and even her defenses. Extreme heat also tends to make her ink attacks weaker than they'd normal be. However, this isn't even getting into her powers greatest downside. This downside being Alannah herself. Her magic is fantastic, but due to the lack of her own ways to be creative with it or know how to use it in other ways, she can be fairly predictable in her attack patterns. She depends too strongly on her magic and power as well, so if someone can either wait for her to run out of energy or find an opening to get a strong attack in, be it physical or magical, she can be easily taken out. Speaking of energy, she has a tendency to overexert herself and drain her energy faster due to that same potency she has. On top of this, the ink only follows her commands, so if she falters or gets too hot-headed, she can accidentally create even more openings for her opponent to attack or even incapacitate her. Her power is great, but her actual fighting skills, despite her experience as a magical girl, is very basic and barebones when really looking at it. Background:
Alannah has always been rather blessed in life, especially in terms of her birth. Her parents, a fairly upper class Irish man and a smart and shrewd Japanese businesswoman, were already in great positions in life financially. Despite the benefits both had of marrying too, they were even madly in love with one another, despite the occasional squabble or two. Of her 4 siblings, herself included, she was the youngest and was practically pampered by her parents, partially due to her adorable baby smile. No one can help but love a child's smile after all. She adored playing with her brother and sisters, though she could be a tad bit of a bully to her older brother, with him having to reluctantly keep an on eye her. Every Christmas or birthday, every gift she could possible want always came to her, even if it costed a pretty penny. Her life was something most wanted and she herself barely wanted for a thing. Well, except for one thing.
Children like her are always told that they can have anything they want. After some time, those same children take that idea to heart. In Alannah's case, she took that to heart, brain, lungs, and every other cell in her body. At first, it started as just wanting to have better toys than the other kids. Having better stuff bored her though. There was no challenge! Eventually, she tried beating her siblings in whatever activity they did, despite their age gape. Even if they easily could do better than her in most anything, they did occasionally give her a win or two. It didn't hurt to feed a little girl's ego. As she got older, she tried to do the best on the little spelling quizzes and homework she started getting. Anytime she did, she would brag to those around her about her intelligence. And during gym class? Run faster, do more push-ups, dodge more balls! And art was something she put her absolute heart into, even if it when she was finger painting. She wasn't always at the top, but it was never for a lack of trying. At least every school year, she would do first in 4 different activities. Her parents called her a prodigy and her teachers, whether because of their money or they honestly felt it, agreed with them.
As Middle School closed in, she was doing better and better. In truth, her sheer determination and desire to be the best started to make her somehow forget most of the info she was learning. Maybe it was due to her just looking to do the next thing? Who cares, cause all she cared about was doing better anyway. As she went through Middle School, her competitive spirit never ceased but she seemed not quite as motivated as she once was. She knew she was a prodigy, a gift to the world...But it felt like there was more for her to do than this. Sure, she had a few art projects that made it into local exhibits, partially from her parents backing. Sure, when she was older she could do plenty. Sure, she's still young and should just take it easy, but why did she have to be patient for her to reach true greatness? There had to be something she could do now, not later! And one of those days, her prayers were finally answered.
A small cat found her during 7th grade after she tried convincing a tattoo artist to do a small diamond on her ankle, failing utterly. This wasn't an ordinary cat by any stretch of the imagination, with a TV replacing what should've been its head. It was exactly what she wanted. Her excitement could barely be contained...Hell, it wasn't contained! The entire day after she had finally become a magical girl, she was smiling and spinning and practically high on life itself! This was her dream come true and it had only kept getting better. As she began to slay Nightmares, she realized how strong she just might be. It was only a theory until she met those other girls. The sheer power of her magic caught the group of magical girls off guard and they couldn't help but ask how she got such an ability. All she said was that it was natural that she would get something so potent. An older girl, obviously the most experienced of the group, agreed, saying that she must have amazing magical potential. The group began hanging out daily, then weekly. Her best day soon became her best month.
The awe and new found friendships didn't last forever. The other magical girls started to notice how brutal Alannah was with her defeats of the Nightmares. More importantly, it was how single-minded she was. Time and time again, the others were nearly injured by her attacks due to how reckless she was. It wasn't her fault that they couldn't get out of her way...Eventually, they abandoned her, worried that they'd be tainted just by being around her. How dare they. How dare they! If they didn't want her, she didn't mind. She'd become better than them anyways, so they were probably holding her back. As it turns out, they may have been her tether to staying "pure" or as close as she could be to that word. By the time she reached 8th grade, she had finally fallen. She didn't see it as that though. No, it was simply a new way to do an old job, that's all. They could do things her way and she'll do it hers. But, as she started 9th grade, a new realization came to her. She was a magical girl...Where were magical girls' natural habitat?
Japan! How could she have been so blind? If she wanted even more strength, that was the place to go. It wasn't just that, but it was her homeland. She always prided herself on her Irish blood, but she'd been so ignorant of her other bloodline. Her mother had been teaching her Japanese for years too during their free time...She could easily speak and write the language. After some convincing and some of the best grades and projects she had ever done, they reluctantly agreed. She was the only one left in the nest now, so it couldn't hurt. They moved over to their Summer home in Miso City as she started 10th grade. It wasn't quite Tokyo, but it would do. As the semester chugged on by, she continued her Nightmare hunting, before meeting yet another magical girl. The Club President of the Detention Club...It wasn't the best title to associate with her reputation, but it was alright. It'll help to improve her magical strength, so what's a little street cred as a cost? After all, her dream before high school ended was obvious. She was going to, no, she needed to be the best magical girl in Miso City and Ireland. And after that? Become the best magical girl in the world.
Inventory: The only really inventory Alannah keeps on her person, besides a tiny pocketwatch with the Celtic symbol for "family" on the front and the Japanese kanji for "victory" on the back. Sample Post:
Alannah looked up and down at herself as her body finally relaxed. Her vision was still blurry from the sudden outburst of force that came from her corruption. Who knew that literally going to darkness could be so damn blinding? Everything, her face and fingers and even outfit, all seemed like one big blob of color before her eyesight finally settled back to normal. With a few blinks, she looked down at her new outfit and gave a quizzical look at both it and her little TV cat friend. Well, companion. Associate? "Oy, Plasma Screen, what gives? Why'd you put so much red on me? My hair's already the color, why did you think I needed more of it?!" Despite her annoyed complaints at the feline, all it did was stare at her. No expressions or emoticons like it sometimes would do. If the thing had eyes, she's sure it'd just be looking at her all stupid-like...Well, who cares? The deed was done and there wasn't much she could do to change it. Wait, her hair didn't change too, did it?
"Hey, can you point me to the nearest mirror? I want a full body view of this." She asked her mascot. With a nod of its television set, it ran off, probably in the direction of a mirror. Picking up Artist's Halberd and chasing after the cat, the two settled in a tiny alleyway with a slightly cracked full length mirror stood up in the wall, probably about to be thrown away. It really is a shame what people will get rid of.
Looking the new outfit up and down, there was one fact she was happy about when it came to the change. She still had those iconic little frills as part of her dress. The rest of it was a mixed bag. Longer hair was always pretty cute, but wouldn't that get in the way if she's fighting? Nightmares never really tried to pull her hair like girls did in cat fights, but the bigger her "handles" were, it seemed the more like they'd want to. The red and black stockings and long sleeve gloves weren't quite her flavor though. She always enjoyed the dark blues she once had. Why did those have to go? God, the skirt got even shorter too! It would be a total downgrade in her opinion....until she noticed something on her waist and head.
She now had a crown and a queen's robe...Even little crowns upon the front of her heels. Her frown slowly turned into a large, wicked grin of joy. With a giggle and a laugh, she twirled around once, twice, thrice! The cape itself moved with such flow and elegance. The heels seemed to have a slight glimmer to them. And the crown? Oh, the crown wouldn't even move from her head! Despite all the red, somehow it, with its gold added upon the red and black, looked so much more...triumphant than the rest of her. She let out another laugh before giving out a pleased "hmm..."
"You know...If this is your way to say sorry for changing the color scheme, you definitely know how to win a girl back over." She said as she pet the cat's back, with it giving movements that easily meant it liked the treatment. Aw...She might've been a dog person, but this cat was always such a treat.
But more importantly, it seemed like whatever taint washed over her seemed to know exactly what she was, as all should. The Queen... As she perched Artist's Halberd over her shoulder, she gave another look at the mirror. This time, it was at her treasured weapon. You know...This corruption probably gave her a boost in power, didn't it? She was already considerably more powerful than those other magical girl. And those Nightmares? Child's play. But, could she become stronger? Stupid question, of course she could. A chuckle escaped her lips as she remembered what this "wand" was. All it did was make her ink magic stronger...more precise. Which wasn't bad, but the bigger picture was that these weapons are sure to be filled with magical energy. And from someone like her, it had to practically brimming with it. She looked to her right as she noticed the cat tilting its head to the right, obviously questioning her. Almost forgot about the poor muppet.
"Hey buddy...I wanna know something." She removed the halberd from her shoulders and stood it up next to her, it still dwarfing her despite the newly added centimeters from her heels. She was gripping it much tighter. "This stick...It's got plenty of ink in it, don't it? My ink, right?" The halberd was thrown in the air before she caught it, both of her hands and forearms extended in front of her. The cat's screen had a black thumbs up on it. "Alright, good, good. So since it's my magic, I can take it back right?" Another thumbs up was on the cat's screen. She let out a low chuckle. "And since I just need magic...It's fine if I switched to something more appropriate than Artist's Halberd." No question was necessary this time. The cat already gave its third thumbs up. With a laugh of pure content, she began to squeeze the pole arm tighter and tighter. She could practically feel the energy already flowing at is it started to crack, glowing with white and seeping black. If there was ink magic in there, surely she could control it. Ink magic was hers after all. The pole arm cracked more and more as she forced it out. It was stressful, but something this great? Of course it would be stressful! "Don't worry Artist's Halberd...You're gonna make something great. I promise." With a last groan, it finally exploded into pieces, the metal disintegrating as the pole arm disappeared.
Before she knew it, Alannah was surrounded by spiraling, twisting, spinning waves of black energy. The suddenness of it was surprising, but she had to be strong. She braced herself as she let herself ease up...She wanted the ink magic to more easily go into her, but it seemed the ink was a step ahead of her. In only 5 seconds after it, the halberd's magic flowed directly into her, giving her an immense jolt of things she could barely describe. Happiness, sadness, energy, pain, memories, magic? All of them were felt, yet it felt like something entirely new. She braced herself, closing her hands, with her hands squeezing so tight they were beginning to bleed. Endure it...Just endure it! This is yours! Anything it gives you, you aren't just supposed to be able to take it. You can take this and a hundred times worse THAN ANYTHING IT COULD EVER THROW AT YOU!! As the ripples slowly grew smaller in volume, closing around her, she felt the ink course through her entire body, pulse through it. And suddenly, it felt like it took her little mental challenge seriously. It was flowing so fast in and through her, like lightning...So much...Too much. Her eyes ripped themselves open wide. There was only one thing to do...She needed to cease back control and show it who the master really was.
With a scream and a level of sheer concentration that she'd never been able to attain before, the ink finally started to settle down within her. The upper back of her dress immediately exploded apart as tattoos started to form where the cloth used to be. Both of her sleeves soon experience the same fate as they became shredded to bits too. New bits of ink began to cover her arms, with them transforming into different designs over and over again. The last bits of it slithered into where the transforming tattoos were until there was no more. It took a more concrete shape as what could best be described as a group of knots with clovers inside them. Eventually, the pain and strike of energy started to subside as well. Gasping and panting, she looked at her now bare arms. Well, bare except for the new tattoos that covered them. An exhausted laugh escaped her lips as she stared at her shaking arms.
"Jeez...You sure as hell put up a fight. Making me work for this. Wonder what I should call a stubborn weapon like you..." In response, the tattoos flowed off her body and started to make a new form in the air. The recoil of earlier barely let her react to this new development though. It took about 6 seconds before the sleeve completed they're new name. "Prideful Sleeve? Haha...Little on the nose there, but fine. Prideful Sleeve it is. I think I'm fine with my name though...After all, Stained Scatha and Prideful Sleeve sounds like a pretty cool duo name." With a stretch and a bend, she began to walk out of the alley. Well...What to do now?
Other: Trivia Notes: Her name translates to “darling child” in Irish as her parents considered her smile as a child to be one of the brightest things they’d ever seen. Mijuku, her last name, translates to “unskilled” in Japanese, which should be self-explanatory. “Scatcha” is simply an alternate version of “Scathach,” after the legendary warrior of the Ulster Cycle.
In terms of height, she is about 5’4’’ or 162 cm. In the heels of her transformed state, she is about 5'8'' Title: Stained Scatha Age: 16 Emblem:
Devil Arm:
Alannah’s magical weapon is a bit more unorthodox than most. Her weapon, originally, was known as the Artist’s Halberd, a pole arm with an inky black tip for the spear and somewhat styled as though it were a fancy pen. It was about 5'11'', or 180 cm, in height, and had a surprising amount of weight to it, though possibly that was from the strength hidden inside it? It was used to help direct her ink magic and, in ways, intensify her magical capabilities. The tattoos happened to appear on only her wrists when she utilized this long weapon and would glow a red color as she used her magic. She rarely used it to actually stab and slash at opponents, but more of just an enhancer and director for her magical attacks and spells.
It tends to vary on just which sleeve is her Standby at a time, but nevertheless they always cover the entirety of her arms. The one on the left is Standby 1. The one in the middle is Standby 2. The one on the right is Standby 3.
This part of Prideful Sleeve covers almost the entirety of her upper back and it's length goes to both her shoulder blades.
After becoming a dark magical girl, she realized that her previous weapon was useless to her if she was seeking more power. Its contents, on the other hand, were exactly what she needed. With that in mind, Artist’s Halberd was broken into pieces with a burst of energy and the ink contained inside was absorbed by her. With her signature tool gone, her new one became something entirely else. It took some time and it sure as hell wasn't a pleasant experience, but eventually she had her new "Devil Arm," Prideful Sleeve. Instead of a sword or a gun or a wand, her Devil Arm is instead a pack of tattoos on her skin, specifically the entirety of her arms, and some spread onto her back as well. The tattoos themselves are almost always shifting when she’s fighting and, when she isn’t actively using magic, hide themselves in her emblem. However, they do have a “standby” state as well. They also no longer glow red as they once did, instead letting out a black trail while they’re active. They're primary purpose is simply to increase her magical power and let her cut a bit more loose.
Magic: Alannah was gifted with the power of ink magic. This magic, while it has changed somewhat from what it once was, was always based on the idea of creating what she deemed necessary and is heavily influenced by her imagination. When she had her halberd, the ink was usually fired at adversaries like a missile or bullet. The other alternative was using it to make shapes and give herself other weapons, like swords and even another spear, made of ink. It could create familiars, such as crows or wolves, and shield her in a bubble of black.
However, after her transformation and breaking it, her magic is now even more powerful than it once was. Her tattoos turn into the shape of whatever she thinks she needs, usually indicating what she might be about to do, and then activates spells from whatever part of her body she desires. They can turn into giant hands of darkness that are incredibly powerful and tough to hit her opponents. Swords, spears, and blunt weapons can be made from it to smash and slash Nightmares to nothing. She even has the capability of making black tentacles to grab others, strike, or even just to defend. They can even grant her flight by giving her giant ink wings, while still giving her her other powers. Firing ink bullets and blasts is still well within her abilities and it can make armor to protect her or even just make large shields. She's seemed to have lost her familiar summoning abilities though. The tattoos even seem to have a mind of their own at this point, willing to protect her if she’s not paying attention.
Due to her large amount of magical potential, she is an incredibly powerful magical girl, but she is not as invincible as she'd like to believe. As one could probably figure out, since she uses ink, direct water contact is pretty much a death sentence for her, washing away her powerful attacks and even her defenses. Extreme heat also tends to make her ink attacks weaker than they'd normal be. However, this isn't even getting into her powers greatest downside. This downside being Alannah herself. Her magic is fantastic, but due to the lack of her own ways to be creative with it or know how to use it in other ways, she can be fairly predictable in her attack patterns. She depends too strongly on her magic and power as well, so if someone can either wait for her to run out of energy or find an opening to get a strong attack in, be it physical or magical, she can be easily taken out. Speaking of energy, she has a tendency to overexert herself and drain her energy faster due to that same potency she has. On top of this, the ink only follows her commands, so if she falters or gets too hot-headed, she can accidentally create even more openings for her opponent to attack or even incapacitate her. Her power is great, but her actual fighting skills, despite her experience as a magical girl, is very basic and barebones when really looking at it. Background:
Alannah has always been rather blessed in life, especially in terms of her birth. Her parents, a fairly upper class Irish man and a smart and shrewd Japanese businesswoman, were already in great positions in life financially. Despite the benefits both had of marrying too, they were even madly in love with one another, despite the occasional squabble or two. Of her 4 siblings, herself included, she was the youngest and was practically pampered by her parents, partially due to her adorable baby smile. No one can help but love a child's smile after all. She adored playing with her brother and sisters, though she could be a tad bit of a bully to her older brother, with him having to reluctantly keep an on eye her. Every Christmas or birthday, every gift she could possible want always came to her, even if it costed a pretty penny. Her life was something most wanted and she herself barely wanted for a thing. Well, except for one thing.
Children like her are always told that they can have anything they want. After some time, those same children take that idea to heart. In Alannah's case, she took that to heart, brain, lungs, and every other cell in her body. At first, it started as just wanting to have better toys than the other kids. Having better stuff bored her though. There was no challenge! Eventually, she tried beating her siblings in whatever activity they did, despite their age gape. Even if they easily could do better than her in most anything, they did occasionally give her a win or two. It didn't hurt to feed a little girl's ego. As she got older, she tried to do the best on the little spelling quizzes and homework she started getting. Anytime she did, she would brag to those around her about her intelligence. And during gym class? Run faster, do more push-ups, dodge more balls! And art was something she put her absolute heart into, even if it when she was finger painting. She wasn't always at the top, but it was never for a lack of trying. At least every school year, she would do first in 4 different activities. Her parents called her a prodigy and her teachers, whether because of their money or they honestly felt it, agreed with them.
As Middle School closed in, she was doing better and better. In truth, her sheer determination and desire to be the best started to make her somehow forget most of the info she was learning. Maybe it was due to her just looking to do the next thing? Who cares, cause all she cared about was doing better anyway. As she went through Middle School, her competitive spirit never ceased but she seemed not quite as motivated as she once was. She knew she was a prodigy, a gift to the world...But it felt like there was more for her to do than this. Sure, she had a few art projects that made it into local exhibits, partially from her parents backing. Sure, when she was older she could do plenty. Sure, she's still young and should just take it easy, but why did she have to be patient for her to reach true greatness? There had to be something she could do now, not later! And one of those days, her prayers were finally answered.
A small cat found her during 7th grade after she tried convincing a tattoo artist to do a small diamond on her ankle, failing utterly. This wasn't an ordinary cat by any stretch of the imagination, with a TV replacing what should've been its head. It was exactly what she wanted. Her excitement could barely be contained...Hell, it wasn't contained! The entire day after she had finally become a magical girl, she was smiling and spinning and practically high on life itself! This was her dream come true and it had only kept getting better. As she began to slay Nightmares, she realized how strong she just might be. It was only a theory until she met those other girls. The sheer power of her magic caught the group of magical girls off guard and they couldn't help but ask how she got such an ability. All she said was that it was natural that she would get something so potent. An older girl, obviously the most experienced of the group, agreed, saying that she must have amazing magical potential. The group began hanging out daily, then weekly. Her best day soon became her best month.
The awe and new found friendships didn't last forever. The other magical girls started to notice how brutal Alannah was with her defeats of the Nightmares. More importantly, it was how single-minded she was. Time and time again, the others were nearly injured by her attacks due to how reckless she was. It wasn't her fault that they couldn't get out of her way...Eventually, they abandoned her, worried that they'd be tainted just by being around her. How dare they. How dare they! If they didn't want her, she didn't mind. She'd become better than them anyways, so they were probably holding her back. As it turns out, they may have been her tether to staying "pure" or as close as she could be to that word. By the time she reached 8th grade, she had finally fallen. She didn't see it as that though. No, it was simply a new way to do an old job, that's all. They could do things her way and she'll do it hers. But, as she started 9th grade, a new realization came to her. She was a magical girl...Where were magical girls' natural habitat?
Japan! How could she have been so blind? If she wanted even more strength, that was the place to go. It wasn't just that, but it was her homeland. She always prided herself on her Irish blood, but she'd been so ignorant of her other bloodline. Her mother had been teaching her Japanese for years too during their free time...She could easily speak and write the language. After some convincing and some of the best grades and projects she had ever done, they reluctantly agreed. She was the only one left in the nest now, so it couldn't hurt. They moved over to their Summer home in Miso City as she started 10th grade. It wasn't quite Tokyo, but it would do. As the semester chugged on by, she continued her Nightmare hunting, before meeting yet another magical girl. The Club President of the Detention Club...It wasn't the best title to associate with her reputation, but it was alright. It'll help to improve her magical strength, so what's a little street cred as a cost? After all, her dream before high school ended was obvious. She was going to, no, she needed to be the best magical girl in Miso City and Ireland. And after that? Become the best magical girl in the world.
Inventory: The only really inventory Alannah keeps on her person, besides a tiny pocketwatch with the Celtic symbol for "family" on the front and the Japanese kanji for "victory" on the back. Sample Post:
Alannah looked up and down at herself as her body finally relaxed. Her vision was still blurry from the sudden outburst of force that came from her corruption. Who knew that literally going to darkness could be so damn blinding? Everything, her face and fingers and even outfit, all seemed like one big blob of color before her eyesight finally settled back to normal. With a few blinks, she looked down at her new outfit and gave a quizzical look at both it and her little TV cat friend. Well, companion. Associate? "Oy, Plasma Screen, what gives? Why'd you put so much red on me? My hair's already the color, why did you think I needed more of it?!" Despite her annoyed complaints at the feline, all it did was stare at her. No expressions or emoticons like it sometimes would do. If the thing had eyes, she's sure it'd just be looking at her all stupid-like...Well, who cares? The deed was done and there wasn't much she could do to change it. Wait, her hair didn't change too, did it?
"Hey, can you point me to the nearest mirror? I want a full body view of this." She asked her mascot. With a nod of its television set, it ran off, probably in the direction of a mirror. Picking up Artist's Halberd and chasing after the cat, the two settled in a tiny alleyway with a slightly cracked full length mirror stood up in the wall, probably about to be thrown away. It really is a shame what people will get rid of.
Looking the new outfit up and down, there was one fact she was happy about when it came to the change. She still had those iconic little frills as part of her dress. The rest of it was a mixed bag. Longer hair was always pretty cute, but wouldn't that get in the way if she's fighting? Nightmares never really tried to pull her hair like girls did in cat fights, but the bigger her "handles" were, it seemed the more like they'd want to. The red and black stockings and long sleeve gloves weren't quite her flavor though. She always enjoyed the dark blues she once had. Why did those have to go? God, the skirt got even shorter too! It would be a total downgrade in her opinion....until she noticed something on her waist and head.
She now had a crown and a queen's robe...Even little crowns upon the front of her heels. Her frown slowly turned into a large, wicked grin of joy. With a giggle and a laugh, she twirled around once, twice, thrice! The cape itself moved with such flow and elegance. The heels seemed to have a slight glimmer to them. And the crown? Oh, the crown wouldn't even move from her head! Despite all the red, somehow it, with its gold added upon the red and black, looked so much more...triumphant than the rest of her. She let out another laugh before giving out a pleased "hmm..."
"You know...If this is your way to say sorry for changing the color scheme, you definitely know how to win a girl back over." She said as she pet the cat's back, with it giving movements that easily meant it liked the treatment. Aw...She might've been a dog person, but this cat was always such a treat.
But more importantly, it seemed like whatever taint washed over her seemed to know exactly what she was, as all should. The Queen... As she perched Artist's Halberd over her shoulder, she gave another look at the mirror. This time, it was at her treasured weapon. You know...This corruption probably gave her a boost in power, didn't it? She was already considerably more powerful than those other magical girl. And those Nightmares? Child's play. But, could she become stronger? Stupid question, of course she could. A chuckle escaped her lips as she remembered what this "wand" was. All it did was make her ink magic stronger...more precise. Which wasn't bad, but the bigger picture was that these weapons are sure to be filled with magical energy. And from someone like her, it had to practically brimming with it. She looked to her right as she noticed the cat tilting its head to the right, obviously questioning her. Almost forgot about the poor muppet.
"Hey buddy...I wanna know something." She removed the halberd from her shoulders and stood it up next to her, it still dwarfing her despite the newly added centimeters from her heels. She was gripping it much tighter. "This stick...It's got plenty of ink in it, don't it? My ink, right?" The halberd was thrown in the air before she caught it, both of her hands and forearms extended in front of her. The cat's screen had a black thumbs up on it. "Alright, good, good. So since it's my magic, I can take it back right?" Another thumbs up was on the cat's screen. She let out a low chuckle. "And since I just need magic...It's fine if I switched to something more appropriate than Artist's Halberd." No question was necessary this time. The cat already gave its third thumbs up. With a laugh of pure content, she began to squeeze the pole arm tighter and tighter. She could practically feel the energy already flowing at is it started to crack, glowing with white and seeping black. If there was ink magic in there, surely she could control it. Ink magic was hers after all. The pole arm cracked more and more as she forced it out. It was stressful, but something this great? Of course it would be stressful! "Don't worry Artist's Halberd...You're gonna make something great. I promise." With a last groan, it finally exploded into pieces, the metal disintegrating as the pole arm disappeared.
Before she knew it, Alannah was surrounded by spiraling, twisting, spinning waves of black energy. The suddenness of it was surprising, but she had to be strong. She braced herself as she let herself ease up...She wanted the ink magic to more easily go into her, but it seemed the ink was a step ahead of her. In only 5 seconds after it, the halberd's magic flowed directly into her, giving her an immense jolt of things she could barely describe. Happiness, sadness, energy, pain, memories, magic? All of them were felt, yet it felt like something entirely new. She braced herself, closing her hands, with her hands squeezing so tight they were beginning to bleed. Endure it...Just endure it! This is yours! Anything it gives you, you aren't just supposed to be able to take it. You can take this and a hundred times worse THAN ANYTHING IT COULD EVER THROW AT YOU!! As the ripples slowly grew smaller in volume, closing around her, she felt the ink course through her entire body, pulse through it. And suddenly, it felt like it took her little mental challenge seriously. It was flowing so fast in and through her, like lightning...So much...Too much. Her eyes ripped themselves open wide. There was only one thing to do...She needed to cease back control and show it who the master really was.
With a scream and a level of sheer concentration that she'd never been able to attain before, the ink finally started to settle down within her. The upper back of her dress immediately exploded apart as tattoos started to form where the cloth used to be. Both of her sleeves soon experience the same fate as they became shredded to bits too. New bits of ink began to cover her arms, with them transforming into different designs over and over again. The last bits of it slithered into where the transforming tattoos were until there was no more. It took a more concrete shape as what could best be described as a group of knots with clovers inside them. Eventually, the pain and strike of energy started to subside as well. Gasping and panting, she looked at her now bare arms. Well, bare except for the new tattoos that covered them. An exhausted laugh escaped her lips as she stared at her shaking arms.
"Jeez...You sure as hell put up a fight. Making me work for this. Wonder what I should call a stubborn weapon like you..." In response, the tattoos flowed off her body and started to make a new form in the air. The recoil of earlier barely let her react to this new development though. It took about 6 seconds before the sleeve completed they're new name. "Prideful Sleeve? Haha...Little on the nose there, but fine. Prideful Sleeve it is. I think I'm fine with my name though...After all, Stained Scatha and Prideful Sleeve sounds like a pretty cool duo name." With a stretch and a bend, she began to walk out of the alley. Well...What to do now?
Other: Trivia Notes: Her name translates to “darling child” in Irish as her parents considered her smile as a child to be one of the brightest things they’d ever seen. Mijuku, her last name, translates to “unskilled” in Japanese, which should be self-explanatory. “Scatcha” is simply an alternate version of “Scathach,” after the legendary warrior of the Ulster Cycle.