HOW TO HONE A BLADE [M]

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park

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played by

gunsmile

The Devourer
he / him
36
January 8
Lavender Town, Kanto
heterosexual
general of war
god general
nenet nzingha
starstruck ✨
6'3" / 190 cm height
6'3" / 190 cm height
Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.
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Zev Harcourt
HOW TO HONE A BLADE [M]
POSTED ON Dec 1, 2023 15:30:42 GMT
Zev Harcourt Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","zev3"]
[attr="class","body"]

Zev finished packing up his duffel bag in the men's locker room of the fitness center and slung the strap over his shoulder. He'd just completed a successful training session, a combination of weightlifting and MMA practice, and his hair was still wet from a shower.[break][break]

As he exited the fitness center, he ran into a familiar figure.[break][break]

"Inoue," Zev said in acknowledgement of the short, black-haired man standing in his way. Several months had passed since their last mission together, yet Zev recognized Hitoshi immediately.[break][break]

Then he moved to walk past the grunt, intending to continue on his way without sparing another word or glance.

[break][break][break]

TAGS[break]
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played by

Teddie

Black Dog, the weakest beast
He/Him
29
November 9th
Goldenrod
Heterosexual
Assassin
Beast
5'3" and 1/2 height
5'3" and 1/2 height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
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974 posts
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TAG WITH @hitoshi
Hitoshi Inoue
HOW TO HONE A BLADE [M]
POSTED ON Dec 1, 2023 18:11:21 GMT
Hitoshi Inoue Avatar
"Beast." A curious word. So many of the words in the language spoken here taste odd on his tongue. He finds he enjoys this one. It seems a fitting word for the man before whom he kneels in all but fact.[break][break]
"Got somethin' to say to you. I'll try t'be quick." Recognizing an apex predator for what it is, the dog doesn't waste any time. The woman to whom he has sworn his life pledged them to dangerous creatures.[break][break]
"I fucked up on that mission. Killin' that girl wasn't the right play." Stupid as he is, he refuses to patronize the beast by specifying which one. "And I wanna do better. For Rocket. For me. Those trials you guys put us through were for somethin' called Spectra, right? Special training for grunts? What happened to that?"

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played by

gunsmile

The Devourer
he / him
36
January 8
Lavender Town, Kanto
heterosexual
general of war
god general
nenet nzingha
starstruck ✨
6'3" / 190 cm height
6'3" / 190 cm height
Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.
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3,068 posts
Zev Harcourt DOLLARS
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Zev Harcourt
HOW TO HONE A BLADE [M]
POSTED ON Dec 1, 2023 20:07:02 GMT
Zev Harcourt Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","zev3"]
[attr="class","body"]

Zev stopped in his tracks when Hitoshi continued to speak past their exchange of greetings. Tilting his head, he listened to the other man's questions.[break][break]

So Hitoshi remembered the girl. What a pointless death that had been, though Zev had felt no guilt or regret over the killing. It had simply been unprofessional, an act that revealed the unrefined nature of Hitoshi as a weapon.[break][break]

But no negative emotions such as annoyance or anger filled Zev as they had when Hitoshi made the call. Such a trivial matter did not mean anything to him anymore.[break][break]

"S.P.E.C.T.R.A. is a special initiative for killing Avatars," the Beast said. "The goal is to take grunts with potential and turn them into elite agents trained specifically to counter and eliminate the League's greatest weapons."[break][break]

He paused as he considered Hitoshi more critically, then admitted, "You do have potential, and you did well during the trial. Why do you want to become better?"

[break][break][break]

TAGS[break]
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played by

Teddie

Black Dog, the weakest beast
He/Him
29
November 9th
Goldenrod
Heterosexual
Assassin
Beast
5'3" and 1/2 height
5'3" and 1/2 height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
974 posts
part of
TAG WITH @hitoshi
Hitoshi Inoue
HOW TO HONE A BLADE [M]
POSTED ON Dec 8, 2023 11:56:24 GMT
Hitoshi Inoue Avatar
When the answer comes, he stands up straighter. His hand rests upon the hilt of his sword. Amber eyes are filled with resolve that borders on human. He looks less a hunched creature and more a samurai.[break]
"I made a promise to the one whom my soul is bound." He says in the language of Johto and Kanto. He says it in that language so there can be no misunderstanding or words lost in translation. "She made me promise not to die, and if we're gonna be fightin' the people on that island again, I gotta get better. Need somebody who'll tell me if I fuck up." Standing there, he wonders if that's good enough. Beneath the sudden dignity in the amber lies hunger - a desire to be better after a lifetime of lazy talent.

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played by

gunsmile

The Devourer
he / him
36
January 8
Lavender Town, Kanto
heterosexual
general of war
god general
nenet nzingha
starstruck ✨
6'3" / 190 cm height
6'3" / 190 cm height
Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.
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3,068 posts
Zev Harcourt DOLLARS
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Zev Harcourt
HOW TO HONE A BLADE [M]
POSTED ON Dec 8, 2023 17:54:21 GMT
Zev Harcourt Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","zev3"]
[attr="class","body"]


As Hitoshi spoke, Zev watched him closely. He noted both the ferocity and resolve in the grunt's eyes and the way he stood up straighter. Hitoshi's demeanor had always been that of a follower who carried out orders without thought or question.[break][break]

But at that moment, he appeared more like a man with independent thought and ambition.[break][break]

The language switch did not phase Zev. In fact, he barely noticed it, because he, too, spoke it fluently. And when he finally responded, it was with the same mother tongue.[break][break]

"Tell me how you've fucked up and why they were mistakes. Start with the girl you killed."[break][break]

Dogs acted on orders, without thought to the reasons behind them. Only through self-reflection could men improve.



TAGS[break]
NOTESmission


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played by

Teddie

Black Dog, the weakest beast
He/Him
29
November 9th
Goldenrod
Heterosexual
Assassin
Beast
5'3" and 1/2 height
5'3" and 1/2 height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
974 posts
part of
TAG WITH @hitoshi
Hitoshi Inoue
HOW TO HONE A BLADE [M]
POSTED ON Dec 8, 2023 18:03:49 GMT
Hitoshi Inoue Avatar
"I gotta use my brain. Even if it's hard. You had her under control. If I'd just thought about what you meant..." Voice trailing off, he considers all the things that girl would never get to do. He'd denied her the right to grow up.[break]
"Killing people we're not supposed to's sloppy. It's one thing if they're tryin' to kill us. At that point, they're idiots, but a kid? Nah. Bad call. Swinging a blade just to swing it's not the play." There's a clarity to his words, his mind working, growing pains. It's like a dog is trying to walk on two legs.

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played by

gunsmile

The Devourer
he / him
36
January 8
Lavender Town, Kanto
heterosexual
general of war
god general
nenet nzingha
starstruck ✨
6'3" / 190 cm height
6'3" / 190 cm height
Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.
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3,068 posts
Zev Harcourt DOLLARS
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Zev Harcourt
HOW TO HONE A BLADE [M]
POSTED ON Dec 8, 2023 20:52:58 GMT
Zev Harcourt Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","zev3"]
[attr="class","body"]


Hitoshi's answer earned him a slow nod of Zev's head. So the dog had learned his lesson after all. "That's right. Come, walk with me."[break][break]

He led the younger man down the corridor, away from the fitness center where humans exercised their bodies and toward the practice arenas where they tested their Pokémon.[break][break]

"A blade has no thoughts except those passed to them by the hand that wields it. But the reality is that your masters are not always going to be around. On that island, we did have comms, and there were places to regroup and receive orders."[break][break]

Zev paused outside one such arena. On the other side of the glass window, two grunts sparred. He watched them with a neutral expression.[break][break]

"But that's not going to be an option all the time. You might find yourself alone and without backup. You'll need to learn to think quickly. Anticipate all situations and choose the best strategy for what you'll face."[break][break]

He looked back at Hitoshi.[break][break]

"Now tell me about how you fucked up on the island. Who did you fight and why did you lose?"



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played by

Teddie

Black Dog, the weakest beast
He/Him
29
November 9th
Goldenrod
Heterosexual
Assassin
Beast
5'3" and 1/2 height
5'3" and 1/2 height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
974 posts
part of
TAG WITH @hitoshi
Hitoshi Inoue
HOW TO HONE A BLADE [M]
POSTED ON Dec 11, 2023 3:16:13 GMT
Hitoshi Inoue Avatar
This question is a minefield. Much like a miscalculation on the battlefield, a wrong word spells his doom. Thinking back to that day, he remembers the many failures that resulted in the decimation of his Pokemon team.[break][break]
"I fought one of the Elite 4. The red-headed one." That's as close to naming as he's likely to get. "I wasn't aggressive enough. I let him play by his rules. While he was killing my Pokemon, I could have had a Kartana sneak around. I could've killed him if I'd thought a little outside the box." And what a mighty prize that would've been, to kill Groudon's avatar.[break][break]
"The champion, too. Daryl Martinez." He names without realizing what he's doing. His words betray no mockery. The name his said with his whole chest and ample sincerity. "Couldda went for the throat. Got him to pull out Entei. Use that tera crystal to turn one of my Pokemon into a water-type. Go for its throat."[break][break]
On and on, until, at last...[break][break]
"I gotta play to my strengths. Build a good team. I went in half-cocked with whatever Pokemon I grabbed from my box. Any good assassin studies his target. Learns his patterns. Goes in with a plan. Knows how to adapt when the plan doesn't work. What I did on that island was...not even sloppy. Dumb." Human words, spoken through gritted teeth. He lives not by his own merit, but by the mercy of his enemies.

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played by

gunsmile

The Devourer
he / him
36
January 8
Lavender Town, Kanto
heterosexual
general of war
god general
nenet nzingha
starstruck ✨
6'3" / 190 cm height
6'3" / 190 cm height
Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.
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3,068 posts
Zev Harcourt DOLLARS
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Zev Harcourt
HOW TO HONE A BLADE [M]
POSTED ON Dec 11, 2023 15:15:17 GMT
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[nospaces]
[attr="class","zev3"]
[attr="class","body"]


Zev frowned at the name 'Daryl Martinez' but said nothing, letting Hitoshi finish his recount of the battles at the resurfaced island. He nodded as the young man summarized his failures, showing that he had indeed reflected on the encounters in the days and weeks since.[break][break]

"It sounds like you have a good grasp of Pokémon battling. Instead, you need to focus on yourself," Zev observed. "Slowing down and taking a more analytical approach are skills every fighter needs to learn."[break][break]

He continued his walk down the corridor, passing more arenas for battling. Eventually, the hallway opened up to the entrance of the East Wing, where it connected to the other areas of the submarine.[break][break]

"Do you play strategy games, Hitoshi? Like chess or go."



TAGS[break]
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played by

Teddie

Black Dog, the weakest beast
He/Him
29
November 9th
Goldenrod
Heterosexual
Assassin
Beast
5'3" and 1/2 height
5'3" and 1/2 height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
974 posts
part of
TAG WITH @hitoshi
Hitoshi Inoue
HOW TO HONE A BLADE [M]
POSTED ON Dec 13, 2023 4:01:18 GMT
Hitoshi Inoue Avatar
"Uh," Scratching at his head, his next word carries some shame, "no." Just the thought of playing chess, shogi, go, or even some of the board games he's seen grunts play in the mess hall gives him a headache. It's all rules, rules, rules.[break][break]
"Closest I get's stuff like poker or blackjack. Guess that's not really the same thing, but uh...what's that saying?" Sayings somehow stick more than names.[break][break]
"Gotta know when to fold 'em."

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played by

gunsmile

The Devourer
he / him
36
January 8
Lavender Town, Kanto
heterosexual
general of war
god general
nenet nzingha
starstruck ✨
6'3" / 190 cm height
6'3" / 190 cm height
Murderers are not monsters, they're men. And that's the most frightening thing about them.
awards
3,068 posts
Zev Harcourt DOLLARS
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Zev Harcourt
HOW TO HONE A BLADE [M]
POSTED ON Dec 14, 2023 3:52:39 GMT
Zev Harcourt Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","zev3"]
[attr="class","body"]


Zev suppressed the look of exasperation that threatened to emerge at the sound of Hitoshi's embarrassed hesitation. "Card games are not the same. We'll start with checkers," the Beast said.[break][break]

Perhaps, in time, they could build up to more complicated games.[break][break]

"Meet me in the submarine this Friday at 7 PM. We'll play in the break room and go over battle strategy at the same time."[break][break]

Hitoshi's case was interesting, Zev mused. Physically, he was in peak condition; in fact, Zev had no doubt that sparring Hitoshi in the fitness center would only confirm his suspicions. Therefore, unlike other grunts, what needed honing was not his physical ability but his mental capacity.[break][break]

If that could improve and expand, Hitoshi would be formidable indeed.



TAGS[break]
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played by

Teddie

Black Dog, the weakest beast
He/Him
29
November 9th
Goldenrod
Heterosexual
Assassin
Beast
5'3" and 1/2 height
5'3" and 1/2 height
i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.
awards
974 posts
part of
TAG WITH @hitoshi
Hitoshi Inoue
HOW TO HONE A BLADE [M]
POSTED ON Dec 26, 2023 11:46:29 GMT
Hitoshi Inoue Avatar
"Alright." Is the immediate, obedient answer given. Looking a gift horse in the mouth will get him nowhere. The time is noted and filed away. He'll be there thirty minutes early, as is his habit with things.[break][break]"I wanna be red." Which, as soon as it leaves his mouth, he realizes is a silly thing to say now. "On Friday." Better. It seems to him that saying anything else here, now, especially to someone so busy is a waste of the beast's time.[break][break]"And, Beast-dono? Thank you." He gives the man a cordial, polite bow. It's the least he can do, for the man's patience. "I'll study between now and then."
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gremlin creature

the shadow mod
wing attack
wing attack
wing attack
wing attack
wing attack
wing attack
mod
googoo gaga
spiral is my big poppa pump (positive)
600 foot tall baby height
600 foot tall baby height
sleeping in mod reqs
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spiral and shiv's baby
HOW TO HONE A BLADE [M]
POSTED ON Dec 26, 2023 21:15:54 GMT
spiral and shiv's baby Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","TRAINER"]
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[attr="class","omacceptedtop"]MISSION COMPLETE!

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