Character name: Shulk

Character source: Xenoblade Chronicles

Character history:
[WARNING: Spoilers for the entire plot of Xenoblade Chronicles are below. If you haven't played the game or at least watched a playthrough, I recommend doing so before reading this. If you want non-spoilery details about Shulk's background or his world, feel free to PM me!]

[spoiler]Shulk was an orphaned Homs born on Bionis; a dead titan that perished alongside its mortal foe: the Mechonis. He grew up in a remote village known as Colony 9 where he researched and developed weapons for the Colony Defense Force. His sole hobby and obsession, however, was researching the Monado; a sword discovered in an expedition from which he was the only survivor. It was most famously used by the local hero, Dunban, during the battle against the spawn of Mechonis -- the Mechon -- at Sword Valley, a battle that left his sword arm useless from overusing the Monado. Shulk's reclusive nature and endless drive to unlock the Monado's secrets ensured that he had few close friends: one of them was Reyn, his best friend and a burly man of fierce loyalty; and Fiora, Dunban's sister and the only girl who seemed to have any interest in Shulk's research.

Shulk's sheltered life came to an end when the Mechon launched a surprise attack on Colony 9, their forces were led by a large "Faced" Mechon. The battle of Colony 9 left several civilians dead or wounded, and it was only through Dunban and Shulk's use of the Monado that the attack was repelled. Tragically, Fiora was among the casualties; killed by the Faced Mechon itself to save Shulk's life. After realizing that he could wield the Monado without any debilitating effects, Shulk and Reyn set out to track down Fiora's murderer and exact revenge.

The best friends's journey took them all over Bionis, from the Gaur Plains to the Eryth Sea. Along the way, they were joined by many skilled individuals: the medic Sharla, the hero Dunban himself, the princess Melia, and the Heropon, Riki. The Monado kept them safe throughout their journey, its visions of the future allowed Shulk to change many tragic futures, and its innate abilities granting his friends an edge over their foes. In one vision, however, Shulk saw himself atop a mysterious island, defeating the Faced Mechon: Metal Face. With previous battles against his enemy going poorly due to the former's mysterious immunity to the Monado, Shulk set out for the site of his supposed victory.

After many hard fought battles, Shulk and Co. reached the spot of the vision: Prison Island. There, Shulk met an imprisoned Giant called Zanza, who claimed to have forged the Monado. With little choice but to free the Giant, the "shackles" binding the Monado were broken by its maker moments before Metal Face ended his life. In the battle, Shulk gave the Mechon a near fatal blow, but another more feminine Face saved his life. The damage she receive revealed a stunning revelation: Fiora had been inside it, alive and well! Unfortunately, she had no memory of who Shulk was, and in the chaos, Metal Face managed to escape with Fiora close behind.

What followed after were several tumultuous events, revelations, and betrayals. Shulk discovered that the leader of Mechonis, Egil, had trapped Homs into specialized suits of Mechon armor to better exterminate all life on Bionis. Along his party's journey to the Mechonis capital, Dunban was faced with his allegedly dead comrade, Mumkhar, who was revealed to be the pilot of "Metal Face." At the Mechon fortress in Sword Valley, Dunban was stopped from murdering his former friend by Shulk, who refuse to take a human life. Mumkhar's hate for Dunban proved to be his undoing, however, when a failed attack resulted in his impalement and subsequent fall into the Ether sea.

In the Mechon fortress, Shulk encounter Fiora, who appeared to be fighting against Egil's control. Things took a turn for the worse when Egil appeared, disabling the Monado and ordering Shulk to surrender it on pain of death. Naturally, a battle ensued, and Shulk and his friends were saved when Fiora regained control and destroyed the fortress. Shulk, not wanting to lose Fiora again, leaped after her when she fell into the Ether sea.

Shulk awoke sometime later on dry land, with Fiora, who was in critical condition. After reviving her, the two friends set off to find the rest of the party on the mysterious island -- the fallen arm of the Mechonis. The group were reunited at a small settlement of Mechonis citizens, the machine race known as the Machina. Their leader, Egil's father, implored Shulk to kill his son and end the war between the Bionis and the Mechonis. With his best friend alive, Shulk's thoughts of revenge turned to a desire to see the fighting stop, and so he accepted the task while secretly hoping to talk Egil down. Shortly afterwards, Shulk discovered that Fiora's organic body had been completely replaced with mechanical parts compatible with a Mechon unit; which greatly distressed Shulk and Dunban.

After a difficult trek up the Mechonis interior, Shulk and company entered the Mechonis capital -- Agniratha. There, they discovered the history of Mechonis: how the Machina lived in peace with the civilizations of Bionis, before the titan attacked without warning. In self-defense, the spirit of Mechonis, Meyneth, fought back and eventually defeated Bionis, but suffering near fatal injuries as a result. The spirit of Bionis, Zanza, survived the encounter and was then imprisoned by the High Entia.

Finally confronting Egil in the Agniratha palace, Shulk tried to convince Egil to stop his crusade against the Bionis, to no avail. Against impossible odds, Shulk and his friends defeated the Mechonis leader, but in a last ditch effort, Egil retreated into his face unit and assumed control of the Mechonis. In a frantic retreat, Shulk's party escaped the city as the long-dead titan roared to life.

With the aid of the Machina village's ship, Shulk's party infiltrated the interior of the Mechonis again and confronted Egil inside the titan's head. In spite of Egil's power, the party proved victorious, but as Shulk was urged to strike his enemy down by an unseen voice, the boy relented. At that moment, Egil explained that in the past, a friend had discovered the Monado, which corrupted him with the spirit of Zanza, who forced him to assume control of the Bionis and launch an attack on Mechonis. Shulk, Egil explained, was the first wielder of the Monado to remain free of Zanza's influence. Yet just as the two enemies began to reconcile, Shulk was shot in the back by his former mentor and comrade of Dunban -- Dickson.

To the shock of everyone, Dickson explained that the Shulk they knew had been a corpse ever since he'd found him with the Monado and a dead expedition. His sole purpose had been to contain the spirit of Zanza, who dwelt within the Monado. With that, Zanza emerged from Shulk's body and assumed control of the Bionis once again; his goal was to eliminate all life on Mechonis as well as Bionis. At that moment, Meyneth revealed that she had been inhabiting Fiora's body as well; leaving her vessel, Meyneth sacrificed herself to give the rest of Shulk's party a chance to escape, while Egil held off the Bionis until they were safely away.

As they escaped, the Mechonis was struck down at last by the Bionis, and armies of the High Entia were betrayed by the royal adviser, Lorithea. The pure-blooded High Entia were transformed into Telethia, beings from inside Bionis whose purpose was to exterminate the lives of all creatures on Bionis so that the titan could feed on their ether energy. Taking refuge in Colony 6, Shulk's friends fought to stave off the Telethian attack while Shulk recovered thanks to Meyneth's blessing. When all seemed loss, Shulk returned with a Machina-built replica Monado and turned the tide of the battle. With a brief window, the party entered the interior of the Bionis to confront Zanza.

Inside the Bionis, Shulk fought through Zanza's two disciples, Lorithea in the Bionis' heart, and Dickson on the fallen Prison Island. The party was then transported to a strange dimension: a replica of a galaxy far, far away. There, they found Zanza, who explained that life on Bionis existed purely to serve as food for him, and that a purge was necessary when civilization could feasibly leave his body. The god admitted his gratitude to Shulk for enabling him to defeat Meyneth and acquire her Monado as well as his own, and he offered the Homs a place at his side as a disciple. Shulk refused, expressing his wish for the world to be free of divine influence. In the ensuing battle, Shulk finally summoned his own Monado, the True Monado, and with it he struck Zanza down, ending his reign once and for all.

In the aftermath of the battle, Zanza's Monada was revealed to be an advanced AI that Zanza had used to remake the universe in his own image. With Shulk as his new master and the universe's new god, he would grant the Homs any wish he desired. Shulk relinquished his godly power, but not before remaking the universe, this time without a god to control the future. In this new world, the creatures of Mechonis and Bionis lived independent of the titans's bodies. With the battle finally over, Shulk was met with a surprise six months later, when Fiora showed up in a new Homs body.

The boy had little time to relax; at that moment, everything went black, and the sensation of being whisked away was all Shulk knew.[/spoiler]

Stats:
ATK: 1
DEF: 1
SPD: 3
TEC: 5

Starting Proficiencies:
--Physical Strength (1000 OM)
--Ranged Proficiency (1000 OM)

Starting Powers:
--Foresight (1500 OM)
With the Monado, Shulk will oftentimes receive visions of the future. How far into the future often varies between a few seconds, or even days. The more distant the future, the more unclear the vision will be. The exact "trigger" for these visions are unknown, but the most common situations in which they appear are during a battle, when an opponent is about to use a devastating attack on Shulk or his allies, or if someone is about to suffer a terrible fate. A vision may also trigger if Shulk or a companion encounters an item that may be useful to someone later on. When a vision is activated, Shulk's eyes glow bright blue for a few seconds, and he appears to "space out." The present time between the start and end of a vision lasts for less than one one-thousandth of a second.

Starting Moves:
--The Monado (1500 OM)
An ancient sword said to be wielded by a long-dead titan, the Monado is a weapon that can only be wielded by those of an indomitable will. Forged from an unbreakable metal and infused with Ether energy, its metal parts can seamlessly shift and retract, allowing a concentrated burst of blue Ether energy that is five meters long and three meters wide to expand out of the sword, giving the wielder a long reach of attack with virtually none of the clumsiness that weapons with physical blades possess due to the weightlessness of Ether. The Monado's true power comes from its ability to manipulate the essence of the universe, granting its user the power of foresight, as well as a wide array of abilities known as "Arts." When an Art is activated, the Monado's innate Ether lights up, and the circle near the handle displays a colour and Kanji symbol associated with that particular Art.

破 -Purge (requires Debuff and Ranged Materialize proficiency)
The Monado's Ether beam changes to a light green, and when swung, it releases a five meter long beam of Ether that travels horizontally to its target. Purge dulls the mind of a single opponent, making it difficult for them to execute complex attacks and ensuring that foes cannot read his mind to circumvent his visions. The effect lasts for approximately one minute, but this is reduced if the beam travels farther than five feet. Because the Monado is using its own energy to sustain a negative effect, the sword's Ether beam is disabled, leaving Shulk to use a weaker, shorter ranged physical blade for the duration of Purge.

疾く - Speed (requires Alternate Form)
The Monado's Ether turns dark blue, and Shulk is surrounded by a similarly colored aura. For one minute, he will enter an alternate form where he can move much faster than normal, with an increased reaction time to keep up with his speed. In exchange for this boost in speed, the strength of his attacks are reduced due to his body exerting an increased emphasis on strengthening his leg muscles. Once the Art wears off, there is a brief period of exhaustion afterwards.

ATK: 1
DEF: 1
SPD: 5
TEC: 3

盾 -Shield (requires Area Shield proficiency)
The Monado's Ether turns dark yellow, and upon swinging the Monado, a hexagonal sphere briefly surrounds Shulk and up to two other allies who are nearby. Shield protects whoever it is cast on until shattered by successive attacks. While it does not completely nullify damage, it greatly reduces it and ensures that attacks that would normally be lethal are weakened. While under the effects of Shield, Shulk and his allies move and attack a quarter less quickly than they normally would. The strength of Shield dilutes with a full three people involved, making it unable to hold itself up after more than a single strong attack. Shield's effects will automatically end after one minute.

機 -Enchant (requires Buff proficiency)
The Monado's Ether turns light purple, and upon swinging the blade, a similarly colored mist surrounds two of Shulk's allies. For one minute, their strength is increased, making their attacks more potent. In addition, enemies that were previously immune to damage are now vulnerable. This comes at the cost of Shulk's own attack power, which is either reduced by a quarter or a half depending on whether one or two people are affected.

斬 -Buster - Tier 1 Super Move - (Requires Ranged Materialize proficiency)
The Monado's Ether turns dark purple, and its Ether elongates to ten meters and widens to five meters. One swing will deal an incredible amount of damage, piercing multiple enemies in a row as well. After that strike, the Monado will return to normal. While Buster is activated, Shulk's defenses are virtually non-existent.

The downside to Arts is their inability to be used in rapid succession. After an Art is used, another cannot be used for approximately five minutes. Another unfortunate downside is their availability; the Monado's strength is tied to that of its wielder, and with Shulk's emergence into the Omniverse, most of his Arts have been locked away, unable to be used until he acquires the proper proficiency.

I confirm that I have read and agreed to the Rules of Conduct.
Don't godmod, don't be a dick, essentially. Got it.

"Where am I?" Darkness surrounded Rin, the only thing that could be seen were two white eyes accompanied by a smile. He tried to say something, but found that he could say nothing at all. The only thing he could do, was scowl. The face pissed him off, seemed like it was laughing at his misfortune. "Who is this guy?" He thought. And almost as if his thoughts were being read, he received an answer.

Quote:“My name is Omni. This is not the world you know. This is the Omniverse. You interest me, so I have made you part of it. The Omniverse is a place that reflects the wishes of those who are part of it. But! There are rules. I will explain them only once, so listen carefully.”

Quote:“This is Omnilium. It’s what ties the Omniverse together. Without it, you are nothing. With it, anything you desire can be yours. But you will need more than this. If you desire it enough, you will find it. You will find that using it comes naturally. Just think of what you desire most."

Quote:“You will not be alone in the Omniverse. There are others. Of course, they, too desire Omnilium. Do not fear death. For as long as you interest me, you will be reborn. "

Quote:“That’s all you need to know right now. You’ll figure out the rest soon enough. I’ll be watching … and waiting.”

This was an interesting topic to go brought up on the chat which I've been thinking about. A lot of people stick to a very strict posting order kind of thing. But I thought I'd share my method.

When I feel like posting, I post. When the person I'm with feels like posting, they post. They can control my character and I can control theirs. This way when you're really feeling it </Shulk> you don't have to wait on someone else, and you don't feel like you're getting harangued to post when you really don't feel like it. Obviously it's great when you're on a vibe with someone(s) and bouncing off each other, but in the real world it doesn't always work out like that.

Of course, if someone drops out for absolutely months then eventually I'm going to cut them out of my thread. This is more for a week-to-week thing. I also think it's still good to communicate with people to make sure you aren't jacking up their character.

What do you guys think? What are your preferred methods?

Below we will list details of current team members and their roles in the organisation.

Do you believe you are good match for MESH values and have something to offer the organisation? Currently we are recruiting Primes in all verses who are able to respond to emergency threats, and liaise with local governments as MESH representatives. If you would like to become part of our organisation, please get in touch using the email form below with details of your skills and experience.

We will endeavour to get back to you as soon as possible, but we regret to inform that we are not able to respond to all applicants.

The first person here that I ever wrote/RP'd with was Alex/Proto Man back on Chubbs in August 2005. I was Kirano. He joined a couple of weeks later as Android 17.

I remember PM'ing Alex asking if he was down for a spar. We tussled, Kirano got the better of 17, but mutual respect for each other was formed following their encounter and they paired up to take on the mighty Changelings during The Takeover Saga.

The rest was glorious history.


With that being said, who here is the first person you ever RP'd with?

I opened my eyes. This mildly freaked me out. Just moments ago, I would not have been capable of even this insignificant feat. Stone statues aren't usually built with such actions in mind. My confusion didn't last for long, as the only other form I could recognize in this endless abyss I found myself in, besides myself that is, had begun speaking to me.

The creepy grinning silhouette in question began explaining my.. "situation" to myself. I tried to interject at multiple points, I needed to know what had happened, was the Great Seal still intact? Did Nyx bring about the fall, destroying the world? Did Elizabeth succeed in finding a method to free my soul that did not involve dooming the rest of humanity? But instead found out the hard way that my mouth was magically sealed, somehow. I did NOT appreciate that fact.

The silhouette proceeded to Identify itself as Omni, the instigator of my current dilemma. It handed me a glittering multi-colored orb, identifying it as Omnilium. It sounded like a drug, looked like one too. Nonetheless, I felt a resonance with this strange unknown sphere, and watched as it was seemingly absorbed by the hand that it came in contact with. Omni, continued with his explanation of the situation by noting that Omnilium was everything in this world, the Omniverse as he called it, and that others would be there and in search of this Omnilium as well.

Armed only with that vague warning and however much that amount of Omnilium was worth, I felt the darkness that was almost suffocating me only moments prior begin to fade away, sweeping Omni away with it. When I regained my bearings, this time actually feeling solid ground underneath his feet, I found myself staring at a large, circular fountain with a statue of an oversized, ornate gate at its center. It felt almost teasing, like he could just open it and return from whence he came, but at the same time couldn not, seeing as it was only a fixture.

I averted my eyes from the mocking fountain, only to find a vast white expanse, stretching as far as my eyes could see. Thus far, all I knew about my situation was that I was kidnapped by a being of immense power, and deposited among others who shared the same fate, in a world I knew nothing about. This was going to be fun.

I realized that the only clue I had that could be acted upon was this ethereal substance, called Omnilium. Omni had said that the knowledge to use it would come naturally to me, and he was not joking. When I tried to remind myself of the characteristics of the rainbow sphere from before, the knowledge just flowed naturally from my subconscious mind. There were no clear instructions, no steps or directions. It was much like the knowledge of how to breath, always there, but never in focus. I spread my fingers and watched, as a luminescent orb formed in the palm of my hand. It began to expand in front of my eyes, acting on my intentions to move from this location and find someone I can question about this place, perhaps?

As I watched, the light expanded enough to reach the ground from its original position in front of my navel. Once it reached this height, it began expanding horizontally, turning its shape from a sphere into more of a capsule-like shape. Its desired dimensions met, it started coalescing and turning from a not-entirely-there presence, into what was very much a solid substance at its center. The light kept shrinking and the substance kept growing, until it reached a stage where I was almost certain it was forming a motorcycle. This Omnilium could apparently transform itself into a physical construct at the whim of its possessor, no wonder Omni said it was in high demand.

The final form of the construct did turn out to be a motorcycle, as I had guessed. It was more than just a motorcycle though. It was a motorcycle he recognized. One he had ridden before. It was Mitsuru's. Seeing her bike jarred me from my fascination with the process taking place in front of my eyes. It reminded me of some of the questions I had wanted to ask Omni. What was happening back in my world? Were my friends okay? Were they even alive?

No. I shouldn't think like that. I can't afford to right now. They had survived the entirety of Tartarus, Monad, Strega and a battle with Nyx of all beings. No, of course they were okay. They had to be. For now he'd just have to find a way home. Home. It's funny how over the course of only a single year, I have come to view our dorm as my home. Of course I would, after all, it is where my family is.

For now, I have to find out as much as I can about this world, Omnilium, and Omni himself. If there's a power in this verse that can bring me home, it would be held by the one that brought me here.

With a half-formed plan, more of an objective really, I chose a random direction and set off on the mechanical beast I know called my own.

To: John Connor (<!-- e --><a href="mailto:johnconnor@omail.com">johnconnor@omail.com</a><!-- e -->)

From: Demetri Malius(<!-- e --><a href="mailto:IRISisAwesome@omail.com">IRISisAwesome@omail.com</a><!-- e -->)

Subject: Greetings

Greetings Connor, if that is the name you go by. I'm sorry I had to cut our conversation short earlier but I need to hurry on my quest. If you wish to contact me, IRIS will be handling all of my communication, and will notify me when you send me a message. Let IRIS know if you have any questions, I await your response.

<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="https://www.literatureandlatte.com/index.php">https://www.literatureandlatte.com/index.php</a><!-- m -->

Yo dudes, this software is a great great tool for sites like this. It really allows you to put all your various research, moves, images, threads and everything else into a coherent, cohesive document. I just recently remembered what a badass tool it is, and everything went right in, super easily.

I highly recommend taking the time to learn the program and to use it.

Camelot is a lot more beautiful than Coruscant, that’s for sure. I can’t remember how long it’s been since I saw fields this lush. I’m hoping that in this case, I can judge the book by its cover.

The last time I was here, I killed a dragon and then got knocked out with a hammer. There’s also a lizard running around somewhere that I made.

I really wish it was possible to summon vehicles in this verse, something that won’t turn around and bite me. Just for a moment I form the image in my mind of my beloved ship. Its contours, its thrusters, that cockpit that I must have spent months of my life in. I hold it in my mind …

… And there’s no resistance. What? The last time I was here, I couldn’t even summon a simple speeder bike. Just what happened? Has summoning changed? Has the verse changed? Just when I felt like I was starting to get a grip on the weird rules of this place, they go ahead and change on me. This is disconcerting. Perhaps it’s because I’ve grown more powerful, and I’m able to override the ‘rules’. The moment I get the opportunity, I’ll have to check this with another prime. Actually, I could do that when I arrive at Minas Tirith.

No wasting time, then. I continue to think of the ship. It takes a while, I don’t know how long; I’m almost afraid to open my eyes. But I do so and it’s there. And I smile for the first time today. I hug it despite myself before hopping up and getting in. “Sorry about getting you blown up,” I say as I get seated in the cockpit.

And without another moment’s delay, I blast off towards Minas Tirith.