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 Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2017 3:38 pm
 ╔══════════════════A N J A N A══════════════════╗Pulsing. Writhing. Screams. Silence.
It was not the most uncommon sight in the monochromatic dunes of this corrupted desert, but it called to her all the same. A menos, far away from the lands those mindless creatures often wander, breaking down into it's conglomerate souls in a mass of screaming monsters... and every one of them fought for control. For individuality. She shivered and pulled her shemagh tighter around her face. That must have been me years ago. A pause, as a single roar came from the mass of souls and silenced the rest. Am I even who I think I am? Or am I just the most dominate pieces of the soul chimera I pulled myself out of? She dismissed the rest of the thought, preferring not to venture down that road again. Again the creature before her became a cacophonous combination of voices, appearing to forget the mighty sound from moments before. It's a marathon, not a sprint. He must have put everything he had into overpowering the rest and then had nothing when they all pushed back... unfortunate, it was a fine roar. I would have liked to see what kind of man he was.
Madness
The menos collapsed with a sudden chorus of yelps, sending white clouds of sand up into the air and obscuring it's gigantic form for several seconds. From her vantage point atop an adjacent dune, Anjana watched in disgust as the creature came back into view and the sands settled. It was no longer something you could call a menos grande. If anything, it resembled a painting she remembered... from her life, or what she remembers as her life. Bodies, all fused together, all trying to escape. Clawing. Writhing. The terrified masses. Punished for all eternity. As quickly as she allowed her focus to waiver, it snapped back to the tableau. Something within called to her. Pulled her against her will. She untucked her hands from her jacket pockets and began to descend the dune with eyes fixed on a single point. There were no more sounds from the menos, and even the movement became lazy. Blue. A single point of silvery blue sat motionless within the mass of souls. The strength of the single point called her to, Anjana was unsure if she was even in control of her legs anymore.
And another
A second point pierced through the darkness, right next to the first. Are those... eyes? She was only steps away now, cautiously standing before the eyes. They shift, seeming to turn slightly and focus on her. Once more she shivers, chilled to the core. It wasn't obvious from her previous vantage point, but standing in the valley with the menos... It's so cold. Anjana's gloved hands creaked as she clinched her fists until the gloved knuckles turned white. The eyes seemed to forget about her for a few moments, and they appeared to push closer to the surface. As they made their way closer to the world, the movement of everything else ceased all at once. A dominant spirit has emerged. A body began to form around the eyes, a featureless black mass of energy becoming more a man every moment.
A smile split it's way across the formerly featureless face. In that moment, Anjana's hands struck forward. Grabbing the face from either side, she let out a primal scream as she ripped the would-be individual in half. The two silvery blue twinkles of light fluttered in opposite directions, as if carried by two separate gusts of wind, and disappeared into the desert. Separated once more. Panting from the sudden moment of madness, Anjana lowered her hands and slowly backed away from the broken menos.
Never wake up ╚════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Word Count - 613
Garganta [Learned]
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Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2017 7:23 pm
It was rare that an actor as fine as Jack had the opportunity to observe the grim work of another so proficient in the craft. Her character work was dreadful, but in a way that made acquiescence to madness all the more gutteral, more primal, more relatable.
In that moment she was acting out the grizzly crisis that faced everyone in this place. The resistance burning away like the morning mist, giving way to feral killer instinct. This drama had played out in the lives of everyone around with the self-awareness to know it.
A tear came to jacks eye then, glistening in the pale reflection of his bone-white mask, despite the mad smile that it bore. His intentions were clear, his mind set. He had to meet this angel, this muse sent from the heavens to play out this masterpiece before him. It was destiny that had crossed their paths so that they should meet here, in this place, at this time.
Deep within the dark and twisted recesses of Jack's mind, a dim light of recognition flashed, but was soon extinguished by the darkness. Only one thought remained.
Jack's ink-black shapeless form twisted and writhed, forming itself into a humanoid shape. Two arms, two legs, one head, not too tall, not too short. Even the pale surface of his mask shifted into a scowling theatre mask, or at least half of one. On the side that remained, a pained frown dominated the features, it's eyes drooping in despair. On the other side (the side that was Jack's face), a madman's grin dominated it. His eyes were searching, hungry, always moving, wide and hungry. He looked to be the happiest person in Hueco Mundo, and that was because he was. This was the shape of the premier actor of the twilight wastes, Grinning Jack!
His movement was confident, with no regard to stealth. He wore a fine dress shirt, the top two buttons left undone, exposing a bare white chest. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. Over this he wore a fine vest, stitched of black leather, worn with use. Here and there on it's surface were the faded remnants of blood, soaked in too deeply for a brush or soap to reach.
He wore finely ironed khacki pants, completely unblemished save for the few crimson specks at his left heel. Around his waste was a fine leather belt, black as knight, cinched closed with a large silver buckle, bearing the masks of theatre. His books were leather as well, fine black italian leather, shined until they glowed. He never let blood sit on these.
The most peculiar thing about Jack's appearance was how armed he was. While blades were common in Hueco Mundo, they did not seem to match his attire, or his cheerful demeanor. He wore three daggers at each hip, two on each thigh, and one at each boot. He had two shortswords crossed behind his back, their hilts at each shoulder.
His smiled never wavered as he approached Anjana.
As he crept closer, he began to clap, the sound echoing throughtout the sands.
"Bravo! Bravo! A finer performance has never been seen in this realm or any other!" Jack toon a knee, his smile never faltering as his eyes became somber, tears glistening upon their surface.
"I must confess, your act has moved me. I am forever changed to have seen it with mine own eyes. My name is Jack. Sweet angel, descended from on high to change the very world in which I live, to forever brighten it with one dazzling display, I pray, what is your name?"
From thin air, above Anjana, rose petals began to form and fall around her. A fitting ovation for such a breathtaking performance.
998 + 620 (interaction) + 628 (this post) = 2246
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Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2017 7:44 am
 ╔══════════════════A N J A N A══════════════════╗ In coming down from her brief moment of mania, she had allowed her focus to falter. It was not until the rhythmic clapping that she noticed the approaching hollow and regained her focus. Like her, he seemed to reject the seemingly standard issue hollow attire of white robes and opt into a more western attire. He still has part of his mask... clawing his way back to sanity it seems, perhaps not a serious threat? It wasn't often that other hollows approached Anjana, much more infrequent were the intelligent ones who did so. She assumed there was a primal air around her that drove the smart ones away. Perhaps he has no such concept of caution...
Anjana turned to face the adjuchas, planting one of her gloved hands on the hip of her black jumpsuit. Her black combat boots (seeming quite large for her frame if one were paying attention to such things) crunched the sand beneath her as she began to walk toward Jack during his interesting introduction. With her other gloved hand (once more, seeming a few sizes too large to suit her frame) she tapped her cheek and smiled, noticeable only by the moving of her cheeks. "Sweet angel huh? Are you sure you don't mean something less flattering? I'm quite unused to compliments these days... Anjana." She called out in a mature and somewhat motherly voice. The vasto lorde stopped just a few feet in front of Jack. "While it's nice to meet you Jack. I must ask... what performance?" Anjana asked, dropping both hands to her hips and furrowing her thick white eyebrows. ╚════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Word Count - 613 + 628 (Jack) + 266 (Anj) = 1507
Garganta [Learned]
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Posted: Sat Apr 01, 2017 9:25 pm
Jack bowed deeply as Anjana approached him, one arm coming out to his side, palm up.
"You sell yourself short, Lady Anjana. There is no struggle more primal than the hollow struggle to regain their... humanity. The resistance to the hunger, the fighting, the suffering, giving way to primal release. The weak becomes the strong, and devours the weak. That is the way of this place, and i daresay you played the part splendidly..."
Jack stood from his kneeling position, taking a few steps closer to Anjana. His movements were awkward and stiff, his eyes always moving, always watching.
His smile did not falter, even as he spoke, his teeth pointed, razor sharp, and pearly white.
His hand went to his hip, to the hilt of a finely-crafted dagger, the handle in the shape of a scantily clad woman. The sound of metal dragging against leather filled the air around them as the light began to dim. The shadow behind jack grew longer, casting itself out into the sands.
A flash of movement, a glint of steel.
A shadowy figure stood above the corpse of grinning jack, cloacked in robes of what could only be described as void. They were so dark, the black night sky above them seemed bright against them, and no detail could be discerned about them. The figure turned, It's smiling face locking eyes for the first time with Anjana.
The mask was quite plain, white porcelain, with holes for eyes, and a wide grin that dominated the rest of the space. Against the black of his robes, his mask was all that existed, broken on the left side, grinning porcelain giving way to grinning flesh.
"When you treat every moment as showtime, every act as a performance, then the world becomes your stage, and you can make the show end however you want. Life is a performance, and the curtains don't fall until the moment of death. The lucky ones, like us, get an encore. One in my profession learns to manipulate the emotions of their audience. I made you feel as if I were a threat. Your pulse quickened. Your guard went up. You may have felt fear then, or anger. And then, as soon as those feelings arose in you, I killed them, by killing... me. And now here I stand. This is how I have survived so long here. I am no powerful fighter. I am an actor, and I have taken survivor as my role. I intend to put on a flawless performance."
In this role, the role of grinning jack, nightmare fuel, his speech was manic, fast and frantic. It was the speech of a mad man.
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Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2017 1:10 pm
 ╔══════════════════A N J A N A══════════════════╗I can't tell if he's crazy, or sophisticated... not much of a different when you get down to it, I suppose. She held her position as he rose up from his kneeling position and his body language shifted dramatically. Her large amber eyes widened as the adjuchas reached for a dagger and began to draw it. Crazy it is. I wonder if he sensed a moment of weakness earlier and thought he had a chance, or if he's just mad. Her muscles rippled under the jumpsuit as she shifted her weight in anticipation of the attack. When he went in for his first strike, she was prepared to take his head right off of his shoulders with a powerful kick... but the attack never came.
Anjana didn't quite drop her guard, but was no longer actively planning a counterattack as she witnessed Jacks shadow appear to kill him and take his place. She listened intently as he went on another rant about theatre or whatever it was he was on about. "You are a very strange creature... you know that, right?" She said with a sigh, planting her hands back on her hips. The residue feeling of unease from her earlier dealings with the degrading gillian came back in full force now that Jacks interesting nature had stopped distracting her. "Listen, as interesting as you are... I don't like being here. I feel exposed. Odd coming from someone with only about a third of her face as the only exposed part of her body. "You're free to come with me if you want, just don't try to spook me again if you don't mind."
[Move to GRANDE] ╚════════════════════════════════════════════╝ Word Count - 1507 + 450 [Jack] + 275 [Anj] = 2232
Garganta [Learned]
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Posted: Sun Apr 02, 2017 1:17 pm
Jack laughed, the sound echoing into the sands around them.
"Aren't we all?"
He nodded his agreement as the Vasto Lorde asked him not to scare her again.
"Very well. After you."
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Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 9:58 am
Thunder slipped quietly into Muchos and raising his nose into the air sniffs curiously. He had been hunting a group of weaker hollows or at least unintelligent hollows. He walked on patiently following the trail of his prey. He was not yet hungry enough to actually go for the kill but wanted to keep close to his future meals. Evey now and then he would pause and watch some other hollows who seemed to be training. He did not know what they were training for or why and did not really care. His intended meals were nearly five miles from him now or so he thought. If they had been smarter they would have turned back and gained up on him. Or set a trap or ambush to take him out. In the beginning their had been nearly twenty of them now though their were only six and they kept to the same boring pattern of running. At one point Thunder looked up and growled when he saw a flock of yosuzume. It was their fault that the damn prey had gotten so far from him. "Chi chi chi chi" Thunder dropped down to his belly for a moment as he studied the way the annoying night sparrows flew. He was prepared to run whether to attack or flee he was not certain at the moment. Their chant was pretty quiet at the moment just loud enough to hear them. After watching the annoying little buggers for several minutes he started walking again. He could not remember when the birds had started following him but he saw them as both a blessing and a curse. And over the years he would sometimes try to catch any that flew to close when he was hungry and hunting was poor. "Chi chi chi chi." This time when the yosuzume cried out his stomach growled happily and he started running. He soon saw a worn out hollow walking along a trail. The hollow looked like it had just survived a very difficult battle. When the hollow stumbled and fell Thunder was on it instantly ripping it to pieces and eating it before it was actually dead. After gorging for several minutes Thunder moved aside and then watched the night sparrows swoop down to eat whatever he left for them. After a few minutes he walked off knowing that it would not be long before they caught up with him. The moment they did they set up quite the racket with their "Chi chi chi chi" which had him set to bolt though he hesitated long enough to see which direction this threat was coming from. Quote: word count 444 x 1.5 = 666
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Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 10:40 am
A dark shadow moves silently in the barren tree top above Thunder. A loud "Chi chi ch-!" a flutter and a crunching noise can be heard. A soft purring chuckle and a pair of glowing blue eyes appear. The bloody feathers of a slain night sparrow flutter down around Thunder. The other night sparrows fly around frantically, crying out in their forlorn haunting cries. "Funny little things. Heh," Kantarou comments. He drops down next to the dog wolf hollow thing. "An Okuri Inu. You are not such a common sight these days." The nekomata smirks at him and considers his options. Attempt to prey on the weaker, albeit larger, hollow, or seek entertainment. Decisions decisions. Personal amusement wins out for the time being. "These pathetic yurei, hungry ghosts that they are, are nothing compared to the yokai that we are, is this not true, dog?"
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Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 11:20 am
Thunder continues to look up at the pesky birds as they frantically fly around and snickers softly as one gets snapped up by a cat hollow. Just like a cat he thinks as bloody feathers drift down to him. He lazily wondered if the night sparrows would attack the black cat or just flutter around like a bunch of silly birds. When the cat jumps down next to him Thunder realizes two things. One was that it was to late to run. And the second was that this cat was a nekomata. Thunder frowns slightly as he weighs his options. Running was no longer an option he thought sizing the cat up. Attacking would be suicidal he could tell as he sniffed the air between them. Besides if the nekomata wanted to eat him he would already be dead. "Chi chi chi chi" the insistent cries of the night sparrows distracted his thought for a moment then he leaps into the air snapping his jaws at one of the low fliers. Though he missed biting it the bird does crash into a tree dragging a laugh out of the wolf. Thunder turns his attention back to the nekomata "maybe cat I have not payed attention to how many of my kind their are. And as for the yurei you may be right but they are quite tasty." Thunder mutters not sure about the cats intentions "Though come to think of it it has been a while since I have seen a nekomata. Or are you some kind of cat hollow, nekomata hybrid? he asks pushing his luck. He did not like being called a dog be much rather be called a wolf or by name though he had no problem with okuri inu. Quote: word count 295 x 1.5 + 666 = 1,109
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Posted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 11:34 am
Kantarou smirks at the impertinence of this dog beast. "You have a strong desire for becoming my scratching post." The cat opens his maw, revealing four sets of fangs, all pointed inwards towards his gullet. A draw of breath, siphoning in as of yet to be transformed human souls that had yet to become holllows on their own or had the misfortune of having been dragged there by some rather unpleasant being for future purposes. He snaps his jaws shut and then licks his whiskers. A few more practice runs like that and he will have a nice, powerful gonzui. A pity it had not be strong enough to take down the hound. "I am Kantarou," he says in his typically friendly tone. While there is not a complete lack of malice to the cat, he is polite enough to entertain a conversation with the wolf thing.
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Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 1:21 pm
Thunder smirked at the cat when he was threatened with becoming a scratching post. He is unfazed by that and by the four sets of fangs. Thunder does not care about the threat that Kantarou actually is. After all the cat is much stronger than he is. The wolf sits on his haunches and studies the cat again not sure of what to make of this nekomata that could easily eat him. Did Kantarou want a companion or a toy and for how long he wondered. "I Am Thunder." He says simply. He then glances up at the night sparrows as they start one of their cries and growls softly at them. He was suddenly reminded of the animal hollows that he had been following. And with a sigh dismisses them he would find them again another day or would just find other prey if kantarou did not eat him first. "So what do you want with me?" Thunder turning his gaze back to Kantarou and wondering if he could stomach having a cat for a master. Or look elsewhere once the little kitty was done with him. Quote: word count 190 X 1.5 + 1,109 = 1,394
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Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 2:44 pm
The cat smirks with amusement and pets the okuri inu. "Good boy, Thunder." He draws in another gulp of souls, reishi, and spiritual particles. A lick of his tongue traces his lips as he continues to get used to using gonzui. "Not bad. Not great, but not bad," he says. His comment is to nobody in particular. Finding a companion who might be a willing minion was a rather pleasant bonus, even if it was a mutt. He hops onto the dog hollow's back and says, "Giddy up, hound boy! We have places to go, and things to do!" This sudden impulse has little purpose other than to pester the dog. A night sparrow flutters foolishly close and Kantarou leaps up off of Thunder's back and brings it down with a sickening crunch. He licks his lips with satisfaction. "Yosuzume are such tasty little snacks." He lazily sharpens his claws on the ruined tree. "Listen, Thunder, you and I could wreck the world and have plenty of prey to split between the two of us. So, what do you say? Contract with me, dog." He manifests a bottle of sake and a bowl. "You and I should certainly take advantage of every opportunity we can."
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Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2017 3:23 pm
Thunder growls at Kantarou when he pets him. He had never been found of being petted. He then opens his maw and sucks in his breath coping the cat. He sucks in some souls reishi and a few of his annoying tag along night sparrows. Thunder then grins finding that he likes gonzui and draws another breath sucking in more goodies. He then growls again at being called 'good boy' "I agree not bad but I think I would rather hunt this method seems rather lazy." The pure bred hell hound then snarls, jumps, rolls, sits and lunges forward and does everything he can think of to get the damn cat off his back. "I Dd not say you could ride fuzzball" When the cat jumps to get a sparrow Thunder moves so that the cat would have to land on the ground hopefully on his head. Though knowing cats Kantarou would probably land on his feet. And then hesitates as the cat suggests a contract. It sounded fun to him but he was still not sure how he felt about an annoying cat being his master. He thought about for several minutes not wanting to rush into it. After trying gonzui again to draw in more of the night sparrows he decides the hell with it "Fine why not but no ridding cat hollow." He says and then surprises them both by licking the nekomata.Quote: word count 238 X 1.5 + 1,394 = 1,751
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Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2017 7:40 pm
A large Cheshire grin flashes into existence on Kantarou's face. "I do what I want." He purrs loudly and returns to cat form and simply floats there in mid air. "We shall have a proper Hyakki Yakō before long," he says with satisfaction. "With that, we shall rise as a powerful clan and show those younger beings what is what." With this comment, he kicks a foot up into the air and scratches behind his ear with a most satisfied expression. This turns into a full blown grooming session, which has the potential of making any other creature a bit uncomfortable watching. That is a cat for you. At least he's not a dog, licking the family jewels in front of company. The cat then stretches out and lays flat, still hovering in mid air. He yawns, and gonzuis what is left of the night sparrows and munches happily. He plays with some of the feathers before they scatter into dust. "Gone far too soon. The prey here is beginning to bore me, Thunder. We should figure out a way to leave this dull litter box and find something a tad more fun to hunt. Don't you think?"
696 training words x 1.5 for interaction = 1044
Gonzui learned
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Posted: Sat Apr 15, 2017 8:14 pm
Thunder sits watching Kantarou float. And can not help his grin as the thought of one strong wind and the little black ball of fur would be sent flying by hueco mundo itself. The wolf bites back a laugh before responding to his companion. "Yes and I also do as I want Kantarou and at this time it is to not let you ride on my back. Hm do you have anyone else for this Hyakki Yakō of yours." He says thinking of the benefits of such a group. Thunder then rolls his eyes as the cat starts to groom. Thunder turns away from the cat even though it is tempting to aim at the grooming cat. He then hardens some spiritual energy around one of his front paws and launches it like a bullet. He spends the next few minutes repeating this action a few times till he is satisfied that he has mastered Bala "You finished off my night sparrows." He says indignantly then grins "Well at least this batch their are many others and they have their uses aside from being annoying." Thunder snickers for a second before Kantarou speaks again. Then the wolfs stomach growls viciously "I am always up to a hunt particular for something tasty." He says then contradicting his earlier statement "As long as you stay in your small form how about a ride when we figure out how to leave this litter box."Quote: word count 243 X 1.5 + 1,751 = 2,116 learned: Gonzui and Bala
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