Infinite Stratos Character Creation and Fanfiction Discussion

[Eratas123]

Half of it is just wangst:/ Kanzashi had the same problem when she was younger. Like Mother like son....well, except she doesn't go vigilante and starts being a loner instead. He's just lucky makeup can hide the wounds.

Anyway, how do I portray siblings with an "Always someone better" relationship while they still have a decent relationship?

[ZeroXSEED]

As long as the better one don't get too cocky or too envious, they can go along just fine, however the wall separated them will exist at any rate unless they break it... or ignore it altogether.

[Eratas123]

Well, since this is Dark Future, they're going to ignore it A lot of problems would be solved if he just said what he was doing rather than making contrived excuses as to why he comes home bruised and bleeding every night.

How long would it take to heal if you were impaled with extreme prejudice with a spear?

[ZeroXSEED]

Iw on't heal naturally of course.

Even treated, it'll take at least three weeks, and roughly two months to perfectly heal.

[Eratas123]

How bad will movement be impaired in the meantime?

[ZeroXSEED]

It's impossible to run, not only the pain but musculature movement as well. Even walking is frowned for the first two week or so.

EDIT: going to sleep.

[Eratas123]

Saito doesn't stop taking jobs even after he gets impaled. The dialogue I posted earlier is him consulting with Yukari (Utsuho and Dan's daughter and his Childhood friend) on how to lure out a high school rapist who somehow leaves no trace. Since he's handicapped, he has to rely on her to do most of the legwork.

Anyway, I need a set of skills good for a mcgyverist/combat pragmatist. Any suggestions? All I have so far is tech knowledge and street fighting.

[ZeroXSEED]

It's kinda self explanatory, it's the ability to improvise and treat damn near everything as an asset.

[Eratas123]

How long does it take to mimic or copy the basics or a fighting style?

[blitz1/2]

Originally Posted by Eratas123

Not as detailed, since I'm kinda rushing.

Spoiler:

She sat there, staring at him. Her demeanor hadn't changed at all, not even when she saw him look at her with hatred in his eyes.

"So, you made it out alive after all?" Her smile was patronizing, looking down at him as if she was superior in every way, "Well then, I suppose you're going to arrest me now? I suppose that's what your family does, capture the lawless criminals so they can face justice." She held out both her hands, as if waiting to be handcuffed. Even when she was cornered, when she had nothing left to fight with, her smug sense of betterment hadn't left her.

Saito looked at the scene around him, with some difficulty. His vision was blurred, blood stained everything that he saw. Dead bodies, their faces locked into anguished screams, stared at him with their soulless eyes. He couldn't stomach to look at them. Their eyes were gouged out, rendering them permanently blind. The remains of burnt skin surrounded their eyes, as if showing that they had seen the depths of hell. Even their body's were decayed, being abnormally thin and looking like they hadn't been fed for days or even weeks at a time. The blood around their lips and molars said it all.

This woman, Justine, she had been responsible for everything. Using her beauty and riches to entice men to her. When they were desperate enough to give everything they had, to give up anything they ever possibly had to make her theirs, that's when she would strike. She would play her sick games, torture them for long periods of time for her own amusement, play her perverse games for whatever her reason was. She would make them fight against each other, try to survive brutal conditions, all while they were barely alive themselves and had nothing else to give. No food came for them, so they turned on each other.

And all the while she watched them, intrigued and amused.

This was the only time she felt something. When she played her games, when she toyed with their lives, it was the only time emotion would finally come out. Happiness, sadness, anger, none of these were familiar to her. It was only when she did these that emotions finally came: Happiness, a perverse pleasure when she saw them struggle, and a curiosity as she watched their actions. There was no remorse, no sadness, only that.

Saito himself had nearly been another victim. He had been caught like a mouse in a trap. He wasn't one of her intended victims, far from it. But he had found out the truth about her and he survived. He saw others die with nothing he could do to save them, he watched the base evil of humanity, but he survived.

And now he finally met her.

Justine looked at him with a smile, eyes urging him to move forward and get it over with. She was beautiful, he couldn't doubt that, but she was the most cruel and monstrous individual he had ever met. Her long back hair and white dress were pristine, an exact opposite of the mangled room and bodies. She looked like an oasis in the middle of a dessert.

But she held no promises of salvation.

Swallowing his blood, he made his way forward, tightening his grip on the makeshift knife he had made. Blood dripped from the tip; some of it his, some from others. She knew he wouldn't kill her. She knew the Sarashiki's, they were old friends of her family. None of them knew her secret, only he, the unfavored son.

"Come now, must we play this game?" She sighed, as if scolding a child, "I know who you are. Your family, your life. The Sarashiki's have always upheld life and equality, no matter a person's deeds. Do your duty and finish it. We shall see if your heroism shall get you the results you desire."

She would be out of jail in a few months. Her family and connections guaranteed it. She...her family was important. Nothing could touch them.

Saito halted in front of her, looking at her with an expressionless gaze. His eyes looked at hers before making their way to her outstretched hands. She wasn't resisting, she felt she had no need to. It wasn't like this was the first time this kind of thing happened. Without a hint of hesitation, he raised his hands up and held hers.

"......No."

She didn't get the chance to ask what he meant. His hands went past her own and slid to her elbow. The knife pierced her elbow, scattering her blood and staining the immaculate attire. She didn't scream, didn't get a chance to. His grip on her elbow tightened and he pulled it in the opposite direction, using the knife as a sort of makeshift winch. The bone was exposed, stained with the same blood she had been bleeding.

For the first time in her life, she felt something else. Something other than the perverse pleasure and happiness she felt when she watched her toys play her games. As she continued to stare at her exposed injury, she finally understood.

Fear.

He did the same with her right elbow, albeit slightly quicker this time. She still didn't scream, her voice was caught in her throat. The pain was unbearable. She couldn't move her arms anymore, any amount of movement at all sent spasms of pain to shoot up her mangled limbs. They weren't amputated, but maybe it would have been a mercy to her if they were.

"...I'm not a hero..." His voice came out in a breathless whisper, barely audible from the sound of her own rapid heartbeat, "Did you really think that you would get away? That you would be free so soon?" He gave a soft, dry laugh, "I'm not my sister, or my mother. I'm not like them."

She didn't reply. Tears went down the sides of her face, but she didn't reply. Part of her was fascinated why she was acting this way, but it was drowned out by the sinking feeling and dizziness she kept getting. She was afraid of him, afraid that her own self confidence had doomed her.

"You'll be alive, but you'll feel as if you were on of them," He gestured to the numerous corpses that were strewn across the floor, "You'll know what you've put them through, what you've put all of us through." He grabbed the back of of her long hair and pulled down, making her face look up. Her eyes stared at him, in fear of what he might do.

He looked at the corpses one more time before raising the knife to her eyes.

What do you think? Not sure if it's good enough.

Just my kind of read to brighten up my day.

[ZeroXSEED]

If you're accustomed to one style, it would be very difficult.

[Eratas123]

@ Blitz - Why?

@ Senpai - Not memorize it permanently, just enough to trick someone into looking like you know it.

[ZeroXSEED]

Yes, it's easy though won't fool any pro.

[blitz1/2]

Originally Posted by Eratas123

@ Blitz - Why?

@ Senpai - Not memorize it permanently, just enough to trick someone into looking like you know it.

Because I could FEEL the dark emotions in the story just by reading it, which makes it a success in my eyes.

[ZeroXSEED]

Lol the master is pleased

[Eratas123]

Is it dark enough? I don't think it is

Anyway, I' making a new draft. Can you please read it, senpai?

[FlameSparkZ]

Originally Posted by ZeroXSEED

@Flame
I'm concerned more about Dog Days, so many material dumped on audience, asking to be processed as fanfic

That's another one I'm resisting making a fanfic of

[Eratas123]

Spoiler:

It hurt. Everything hurt. His skin felt cold and clammy, breathing agitated his lungs, and even blinking sent colors spiraling out of control. Vaguely, he could taste the metallic properties of blood on his tongue. It didn't take him long to figure out it was his.

He was in his room right now. Well, his and Aria's shared room. Despite their differences, the two of them were close enough that they could sleep in the same room together with no complaints. Despite all he'd been through today, a look at the clock showed that it was just 7:00 pm; near dinner time, he idly noted. He felt like he could drop dead at any second now.

Part of it was from exhaustion. He didn't know how much blood he lost, but the cuts on his sides didn't exactly inspire confidence in him. Another part of it was that he wanted to curl up and ignore everything that had happened. He was used to seeing brutality and crimes; people weren't as squeaky clean as they liked to pretend they were, and Justine certainly wasn't no matter how much she thought she was justified.

The last part was because laying his head down on his childhood friend's lap was extremely relaxing.

Yukari was in the room with him, and she was the one who helped him apply the make-up to hide the wounds. They'd been doing this for a while now, though he usually didn't tell her about what he did unless he was desperate. The cuts he received were too many and bending to cover them up took too long by himself. Aria would be home soon and he needed help.

".....Why did you stop me?" He looked up at her, willing his voice to manifest clearly. He would've gotten off her lap, but his energy was drained. His eyelids drooped down lazily and the feeling of exhaustion followed not long after, "You know what she did, what she'll do again if she was given a chance. Saving her wasn't worth it."

She stared down at him, her yellow eyes obscured slightly by her large frame glasses, "You went too far...." She unconsciously started to run her hands through his hair, trying to relax him, "If you went through with blinding her, you would've been no better than she was."

He didn't answer her, but it wasn't out of shame. He couldn't believe her, the words coming out of her mouth sounded just like the hypocritical 'justice conquers all' garbage his family followed. Aria, Aunt Tatenashi, and even his own mother and father believed it. They truly believed anyone could redeem themselves and it was only their place to stop them if they strayed.

He couldn't- no, he wouldn't believe it. He'd seen too much. He knew what these people could do given the chance. But even then he couldn't ignore his family teachings. He wouldn't kill anyone unless he was extremely desperate, much to his shame. Even when he stared into Justine's eyes, he couldn't bring himself to slice the knife across her throat and end her life. Maybe he was an idealist and he didn't know it.

He didn't even know why he did these things. It wasn't for the money, that much was certain. If he needed money he could ask his parents, they at least gave him that much when eh asked for it. It wasn't for fame or heroics since he made sure to hide every trace that he was even near an area at all. So why? He didn't know.

"You threatened me earlier." Her tone was flat. No accusations or emotions were tied to the words.

"You tried to stop me." He replied, easily matching her lack of emotion.

"You were going too far," She asserted again, "If you went through with it-"

"Cut me the speech..." He interrupted her, "You know I don't believe in that. If you wanted to, you could just tell my parent's what I've been doing and they'll stop me. It's not like they'd believe me over you." His voice had a light bitterness to it. She flinched slightly at his words, but she didn't deny them.

"What you do with your business is your business. As a servant of the Sarasshiki's, it's only my job to assist-"

"Your job is to help the next Tatenashi, and that's Aria," He interrupted her again, "I'm the replacement in case something happens to her. You're no more obligated to help me than you're obligated to pick up trash you see on the sidewalk." He couldn't help but laugh slightly inside on his choice of analogies. It was extremely accurate given his case.

"....I can help out a friend, can't I?"She looked away, a small blush adorning her cheeks at his somewhat surprised stare, "You're helping people, that much I can tell, and it's not like it's an inconvenience for me to help you. You barely ask me for help, anyway." She took a deep breath and looked back down at him, "But I didn't want you to go too far, so I stopped you. If I got killed for it, then it would have been fine."

"....Would you really have died to stop me form killing that monster?" He asked after much hesitation.

"No." She shook her head and cupped the sides of his face, "I would have died to stop you from turning into one."

For Saito, being struck silent was discomforting. The feeling of helplessness that accompanied when he didn't know what to say was something he detested. Thankfully, the clock striking it's bell saved him from that. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that 15 minutes had passed. Aria would be arriving soon and he had to start cooking dinner.

"Hold on...." He raised up both hands and clumsily took her glasses off, exposing her yellow irises for him to see, "I need something to focus on so I don't fall asleep," He cupped the sides her face and forced her to look at his eyes. Red and yellow clashed and he lost himself slightly. The stress from the day passed and he could feel the problems leaving his body. For the first time today, he felt at peace.

"Yukari......thanks."

She blushed and did her best to smile at him, "No problem. I'm your friend, so it's only natural that I help you." The mood was calm and soothing, and Saito looked like he was finally calm. Maybe she could tell him, "Saito......I l-"

"Saito~! What's for dinner!" They heard the door slam open and padding footsteps searching the kitchen. Saito looked at Yukari and gave her a small laugh before getting up and loosening his shirt. The injuries shouldn't get agitated.

"Well, looks like I have to cook dinner. I hope she likes Tempura."

[demino_hellsin]

Inspired but stared dead in the eye by exams... Dear sweet- BLARGH!

[wavehawk]

Aaaargh.

I should spend less time looking at Fb (and all the little soap opera dramas and disasters that everyone else I know blames me for) and go put my back into writing.

...and where the hell is Box?

"You probably shouldn't have caused that mess with Dunois' security troupe a few weeks ago." Tatenashi snapped the fan closed, her cat's smile still evident on her face. "Seriously. Most of the heads of security in Japan, and even a few in other countries think you went overboard with the Cousseran affair. It's raised some concerns over your suitability for this role."

"Suitability." [Ren] forced a laugh that was devoid of all spirit.

"I heard some at Dunois Industries wanted to send a prototype 3rd-gen IS to take Charlotte-san back, but they let Cousseran act first. Hm." Tatenashi tapped the edge of the fan lightly on her full lips, in an almost enticing manner. "Care to tell me what happened?"

"Necessary roughness." was all [Ren] would say.

"What do you call 'Necessary'?" The cat's smile remained, more a shield than the fan was.

"Whatever works. Whatever it takes."

"Hm." The catlike eyes narrowed.

"Watching over Orimura Ichika from the shadows is my duty." [Ren] did not look directly at the seated girl, instead eyeing the surroundings. No one else listened, they were alone in the park. "Not yours, Tatenashi Sarashiki."

"Oh, that will change from today onward."

[Ren]'s own eyes seemed to hiss but she held her tongue.

"The Johohonbu have spoken with the Sarashiki family." Sarashiki began, pausing only to see [Ren]'s reaction. The lack of response was her cue to continue. "As I am already enrolled in IS Academy, it's for the best if I protect and train Orimura Ichika."

"The principal of IS Academy is playing favorites."

"Now, now. We act only at the behest of those in power." Tatenashi replied with a light voice but without her normal cheer. The cat was done playing with the snake. "Your family and mine have been doing this for a long time. Don't take life too seriously.”

"You don't take life seriously enough." [Ren] replied back, with a little more ice in her voice than was normal. "And this has nothing to do with family."

"Correct."

[Ren] crossed her arms. "What are you getting at?"

"Simple." The firm sound of a fan slammed shut accompanied Tatenashi's new tack. "Do you want Tatenashi-onee-chan to pass on your love letters to him?"

"Do that and I'll cut open your throat where you stand."

"Oh, but I'm seated." Sarashiki chuckled again.

"Fine. I'll cut you open before you stand."

"Really, you." The cat's smile finally fell from Tatenashi's face. It was a dance of words, one with serious consequences. "What's a little joke between friends?"

"We're not friends."