Noir

Venus Venus raised an eyebrow, unseen from beneath his mask, at the young boy's "translation" of a word with too much syllables even for the artist's own logolepsy. But Katsuo was right -- the group already began to move, and the two would be late if they didn't follow suit. "Right you are," He said, gesturing a hand toward their direction as well. "I'd hate for us to be late as well, so I'd agree that we should follow. Shall we?"

Venus An earring that can talk? Did it truly do so, or was this lad simply deluded? It moved, at least, so perhaps it wasn't entirely derisible. "...A pleasure to meet your friend, then, Katsuo." Curiosity nibbled his mind for a moment on how the boy's earring worked; Venus' interests spanned wide into technology as much as it did art, for his was a craft that was perhaps as signature as Venus' own. "Does it really talk, though? Elaborate your earring to me, if you may?"

Sephtis "Associate not my madness with drunken torpor, my ostentatious officer." It mattered not that he left; his words remained merely to entertain himself. "A surprise you may find of an artist's cogitations when he's mad." And there he had it -- his opportunity. Tilting his head upward, the sight of the swirling mass of wind that formed the gigantic, regal stanchion that reached toward the heavens themselves set the artist's heart aflutter. He failed to keep his eyes off it for quite long, and his footsteps began to progress him ahead, occasionally bumping through other residents -- but Sephtis didn't care. A far walk it may have seemed from such a distance, he would relish every step he took toward the Sky Pillar, and it was there he would begin his debut.

After discussion on Discord about players wanting the locations of characters being more clear Strat, me and a few others decided to make a map/graph pinpointing locations. Think of it as something like this (and I can make it look relatively good, better than this one, and even with limited map space). Here's an example of something I used to pinpoint locations on Lexi's old RPs: http://imgur.com/a/Ll5C0 Zetaark has given me the map that Murdoc approved, people can give me their preferred color of choice by PMing me here or Discord as your representing color like the example given above. 6 players have given me the color, if you want a random color tell me also.

Venus Everyone else seemed too busy to consent a moment of attention to the ever extravagant artist. After exchanging goodbyes with Alexandria, he silently peered his eyes across the gathered group of beings from beneath his mask, noting that not all of them were human; the peculiar, stimulating environment enticed Venus, knowing that it would be a pleasure to acquaint with them all soon -- yet with alliances being formed and business between the seemingly stronger people of the group ensued, perhaps that had to wait. Venus noticed a lone young man, with little to talk to as much as he did at the moment. Surely, he could entertain his cogitations and plans for the performances he would do there, or continue to make more paintings -- they appeased his mind well. The boy looked.....run-off-the mill; insipidly common, if Venus put it in his bluntest terms. Atypically a person who would a first, fail to gather Venus' interests. Yet interaction was important, and, like a pearl beneath the rigid, coarse shell of an oyster, perhaps something deeper resided within that plain exterior that would suffice in assuaging him at the moment. He approached Katsuo, bowing for the third time that day. "But a pleasure to acquaint with you, my boy. I see you and I aren't the most social ones, but perhaps it is such that would bind us together, like birds of a feather. My name is Venus."

Anyways, I've edited Venus's crit to scale with SYN instead of being flat.

The Unnoticed Girl What was that? A midst of moving white against the black shades? Could it be related to the screech she heard? It disappeared too quickly for her to know. Continuing her desperate search along the path, she fixated herself on the particular wall that she assumed where that glimmer of white disappeared, where the ledge was. She didn't know if her notion was entirely correct, but that was the next piece of the puzzle.....one too far too reach, or would it be best if she prayed for a miraculous, successful jump over? She struggled to calm herself on the narrow path, not wanting to look down as she let her hands do the work, only looking back to trace the progress the black influence that continued to haunt her....

The Unnoticed Girl Nothing there, she thought, more distressed at achieving nothing with her frantic endeavor. The screech resounded at a more precise place now, but it was the one risky place she could not reach -- the distant ledge across the corner. It was right and very convincing that something was there -- but would she actually take the risk? The shades growing ever closer, she slowly walked across the path nearing the outer wall, not intending to give up as she hoped she'd find something there......she would jump only if driven into a corner.

The Unnoticed Girl Calm down, Latens..... Maybe this was a puzzle. And unlike the previous location, there was....slightly more space, or at least places to search, from the narrow path to the ceiling, which, despite Latens' size, was relatively easy to reach;maybe there was something there, hidden somewhere that she needed to find.....and the subsequent screech seemed rather convincing of her notion as well.... Knowing she had little time to waste, she scrambled her hands across the floor, forcefully pressing her palms against each section to see if there was anything there, before gathering her strength and leaping upwards, extending an outstretched arm towards portions of the ceiling as well......

Venus Indulging in the pleasure of satisfying the girl while subtly eluding the sensitive point of conversation earlier, Venus bowed urbanely yet again. "And a pleasure it would always be, my mechanical maiden." The sudden change in her at her response of "political issues" did little to bother him -- and much like a play from it's start to end, it was relatively satisfying for Venus to have made her acquaintance. " I see. To your endeavors to that of you wish to attend to now, the best of luck I wish you."

Venus Quite frankly, Venus couldn't blame the various artists for rejecting Alexandaria's kind. It was rather reasonable, really; no artist would want mindless, emotionless puppets to enjoy their work, and the very news of one acceding to the request of such....substandard species would earn one the reputation of a fool, a laughingstock in the whole industry. Gaining off their incapability would also be the lowest of the low, and and he knew he had much more -- far more -- superior talent than any of the artists she mentioned ever did. He had a reputation, he had prestige; he had clients who paid him well and awaited his compositions and masterpieces. He was the stunning puppeteer and choreographer who pulled the strings and and brought his puppets to life as they sang and danced. He earned the ovation and the cheer of all who watched him perform. He would not sully such reputation under any means. He had to be perfect. The thought of a blunt rejection entered his mind, but alas, he couldn't bring himself to do so; be it the innocent gaze of the android's eyes -- rationally speaking, more unintelligent and uncivilized, moreso -- her kind and her had been rejected all her life for the opportunity for such beauty. And it was his job, his passion, his love, to make everything beautiful, and to make others appreciate the beauty in everything, and that of what he did, as well. For a while, Venus said nothing. A hand with a bullet emerged from his poncho as he opened the contents of the glowing, magically enhanced capsule, letting a portion of the green flow of liquid leak out. Taking a gentle, but sufficing bite off his index finger, he allowed the sanguine to slowly leak from it like a pen, as he tore of a piece of his notebook and began to quickly -- but adroitly -- make a masterpiece out of the blank piece of slightly withered paper. He needed no sketch; his index finger was his paintbrush as he skilfully began to paint and draw on the paper, with no blemish from the stains of his blood, only wonderful shades and beautiful strokes adorning the paper more and more. One moment he used red, and green in the other; he continued to flourish his fingers on the paper for around a few minutes, before he raised the piece in front of him while making sure the mechanical woman did not see it. His wound still bleeding, he simpered in satisfaction on how it turned out. He handed her the finished piece -- a simple, but splendidly drawn and painted bouquet of roses, and smiled from underneath his mask. He did not deserve to compromise his reputation for their needs and desires, but more so, Alexandria didn't deserve to be denied the chance for art forever. "Here -- but a token from me. The simplest, basic examples of my work."

Venus Venus frowned beneath the hem of his mask at Alexandria's forwardness. "If you had any talent at all?" Him, Venus Tireur, lack talent? How farcical. "Take me for what a being you do now, mechanical miss?" He found it difficult to resist the hint of offense he had in his tone. It was brief, however, and he tried to remain polite, albeit refusing the handshake. "My clients expect the best. And my talent gives them the best. A shame for that of your homeland to be spurned of such opportunity. But what a thing would an elegant girl such as yourself require of my services?"

Venus "My gallant garrison," He paused, turning to Edmond as he examined his soldier-like attire. He turned to see another approach him from afar -- admittedly rather flattered by such recognition, but nothing he hadn't experienced before. Granting her the privilege of a greeting wave, his attentions returned to Edmond. "An icon doesn't have to explain himself. Little would it do for my capabilities to divulge themselves through my mouth. To learn best is through one's eyes than one's ears, that of especially in the arts of my own caliber..... that on the battlefield where we are to feud side by side against the shades that plague out there, see what I can do you will. I was paid to put on a killer show."

Venus A new stage, a new audience, a new composition. The artist now found himself in an avant-garde environment --- perhaps too busy, no, rather much too populous for his liking..... Oh, dear me. I love to perform, but I hate crowds. Regardless, the stage would have to do. He withdrew his notebook, and, for a rare moment of time, scribbled a few words on it, perhaps to record the first events of the day, but not without finalizing them with a brief, albeit stunning, sketch of a rose. He would find either interest or contempt in the many idiosyncratic beings gathered here. but it would suffice in entertaining his first experiences in the new setting. He was here for one purpose. To execute what others could not. "Salutations, everyone." Venus first introduced himself with a courteous bow. "My name is Venus. Certified artist."

The Unnoticed Girl Latens opted for heading into the narrow path but only found herself in a more risky space -- extremely limited to that of which the path was so narrow that yet again a careless step proved her downfall, with only a ledge too far for her to provide respite. At least she was slightly ahead of whatever was chasing her -- but she didn't have much time. Why was she alone here? Was it truly so in that she was the only one going through what she was going through right now? "Is anyone there?" Another bout of hope struggled to contain itself within her as she shouted those words, if not to call for help for another, perhaps futile time, but to wake herself up if her meticulous mind was making this nightmare in her sleep.

The Unnoticed Girl She cried, yet not but a response replied to her. A cornered rat with no way to fight back, all forms of her rationale and intelligence failing her at the moment to scramble for another option, Latens braced herself as she hastened into the narrow passageway.

The Unnoticed Girl Subsequently a chilly screech resounded, though Latens could not pinpoint the source -- it could be the menace of the darkness behind her lunging and gaping toward her, or it could be someone else....Latens hoped it to be the latter. She took more steps toward the door until she was only one step away from the exit, having been driven into that narrow corner by fear of the ever-encroaching darkness -- she had no real option left. That one screech was her only reason to stay in there any longer, to not jump into the other realm of coated whiteness free from the clutches of the dark shade that unrelentingly hounded her still.... "Hello?! Is someone there? Hello?!"

I'm thankful for myself, my capabilities, my ability to persevere and forgive and forget, and for the few people that have been with me throughout my journey of what was mostly a hell in my life.

The Unnoticed Girl Latens widened her eyes in a forceful daze, discovering herself in a secluded, limited vicinity of nothingness but a stark, pure white enveloping every corner; she couldn't make out the situation, but the strait path before her extended into an exit that barely accommodated her size. The path before her threatened to topple her off the seemingly steep road if a careless step would doom her to it. A propagating, minacious dark shade extended behind her, coating the white with its dark hue and influence, approaching her at a swift pace. With the limited time she had for herself, she noticed her change; the absence of the soft feel of her usually elegant hair came first as her hands reached upward to touch her curls -- only to find they were no longer there -- warped into a rough, unkempt mass of gray. As she did so, she noticed her hands, as dark as the black that menacingly approached her with strange, ominous carmine patterns around her limbs, her legs -- she could've guessed that it made her in this nightmare of a situation. Little time did the girl have to decipher the situation for options and take the right course of action, her voice yearning to scream but none of it coming out. With what she knew about herself and with what circumstance such a predicament had landed her in, the repertoire of knowledge that the once resourceful Latens possessed was of little use. As she quivered in fear and hesitation of her next move -- bolting her head back and forth towards the extending mass of darkness and the only exit a stone's throw away -- her body unconsciously faded away into the white, but she could still feel her presence as her body vanished in an instant, the line between black and white ever narrowing even as she did so..... ((This is basically an unconscious/unknown test to see if her invisibility does anything, she doesn't even know she can turn invisible/intangible yet))

I've played two MOBAs and have led to saltiness with the same tactic: Bomb stacking and oneshotting them when they hit their target. As both of them are also long range characters sadly people usually can do little about it but get insta rekted. People obviously wanted revenge, but at the same time, I don't need this tactic to kill them: one has oneshotting basic attacks and the other has high CC and AoE instaburst. This is why you don't feed me when I play these particular characters, it makes me thirsty for tears. I usually also have little to no deaths in these kind of matches, where people also keep gloating that "I'm nub because I hide" when one of these heroes I play is actually a supportive warder, as well, and more often than not I look for fights more than I avoid them. Saltiness at their finest.

Whisper's damage changed to 1d6. Also gib complexity rating pls

I actually really like Toxapex, and have been pretty interested in it for a while now, actually. It's not going to see much use now at a glance with Tapu Koko and Tapu Lele being everywhere, but I don't regret opting it as a temporary Pheromosa check (if not counter) as well as an extremely reliable physical wall and Toxic Spiker. Like, the thing has 50/152/142 defenses with Regenerator and Recover, you don't see that kind of thing every day. A set of Scald/Recover/Baleful Bunker/Toxic Spikes is pretty darn neat, especially considering that after the meta settles down, Toxapex will be good for dealing with things like Keldeo, MegaZard X and pretty much any physical attacker that doesn't have an SE move against it. It is less passive than Alomomola in my opinion and has more mixed bulk, with more utility in Toxic Spikes while sharing the same regenerative qualities. Baleful Bunker is also a middle finger to physical set up sweepers who rely on contact such as Mega Lopunny and the aforementioned Pheromosa (which while going to be banned) as I can block U-Turn and get a free Poison off it, while having Scald to deal with the Steel types it walls such as Scizor. This also distinguishes it from Slowbro who is weak to things like Scizor and Mega Heracross (both of which Toxapex does well against). Mostly the appeal comes from the fact that Baleful Bunker (unless used on double-swtich) heavily disincentivizes U-Turn on one-v-one Scenarios (unless you're Scizor who is pretty much walled by it anyway) even if Poison may not be the most favorable status condition (but still helps). It probably won't see high OU usage and will probably be either UU or RU, but I personally find it to be still be viable as a hazard setter with more longevity than Ferrothorn and the ability to check different things than other setters. You don't see most hazard setters checking Keldeo which this thing can do and much more. And if god willing move tutors for S and M do come out (later, and quite likely tbh) this thing might even get Stealth Rock and Knock Off.

Baixue Did she just hear Haruki wrongly? And on the first sentence, no less? "Wait...." Her body tensed as her eyes widened, her gaze fixated on the man who was, regrettably and annoyingly, interacting with the very bunch of people she didn't want to interact with. "What do you mean, Aqui? Are you telling me that that's Aqui? B-But I thought-" She could feel the of rush of tears well upon her amethyst eyes the revelation scrambled to settle within her. She wanted to run up and talk, and ask, and hug the very being who had sheltered her dreams and aspirations for so many years. The fervent desire only grew stronger and stronger, and suddenly, the distaste of the people talking to him were no longer an impediment for Baixue -- she would glad run up and topple them over just to meet him. Part of her tried to resist that shock, but her excitement and resolve sparred against it, causing her limbs to quiver.... Could this be actually it? If Haruki's words were true, had she at last finally found the very being she ever so worshiped throughout her years, the being who saved the entire continent of Aquillo, the being who gave Baixue her wings?