|0P|

    "Codename, Rougarou." Marcel rolled his eyes at the pet-name he'd been given. The Louisiana werewolf had little in common with him other than point of origin but he figured he wouldn't have approved of anything they picked. Marcel lay in his chosen bunk, having been sure to get there before his new roommate to choose the side closer to the door, rereading his file to pass the time.

    "Strong ability. Focus on how to attack your opponent's mind." What was he really suppose to say to that? It had been more effective when he did as suggested but so had just being angry at his target. ". . . lots of physical training is needed . . ." that was probably his least favorite part of the whole thing, just the idea of doing anything overly physical made every inch of him shudder with phantom pains. Honestly from the state of his body and the extra training he needed because of it Marcel figured the only reason they recruited him at all was because otherwise he'd just be running around exposing people to his Id.

    His team line up for the mock fight was interesting, although he hadn't been paired with the one person who's Id he knew a bit about and who, by nature of her own power, he was basically useless against, Marcel figured being paired with the copycat guy would make up for it. Then there was the person he was stuck with in his new room, Sergei. He'd held his own in the sparring match as far as Marcel had seen but his weird "anthropology" interest he'd mentioned during the trick question that was their introduction to each other made Marcel feel like he was the kind to be friendly with people who clearly weren't interested, i.e. Marcel. "S'pose as long as I leave him lone he'll hopefully do the same." Marcel thought out loud and resigned himself to quietly meditating until he was called to meet with the others again.

    Marcel took the tube of red substance and examined his arm while pulling out the thumbtacks, he was definitely bleeding but the punctures weren't large or deep enough for it to be a big deal, the worst of it was the stuff dripping from the new hole in his hand, slithering down his fingers before falling in little droplets but soon enough that would stop to; no need to waste whatever weird stuff was in that vial. While he waited for his Id to wear off so he could make a second attempt he watched the fight between the other three, the copycat was in a bit of a clash with the book guy and, if he wasn't hallucinating, his hand looked far more metallic than usual. While he was busy trying to talk himself up Cade made his move and swept his legs with, of course, a book.

    After a bit Marcel noticed his joints had begun aching again and took it as his cue to continue. "Right, so think I've got a bit warmed up now, next one oughta do moe damage." Marcel thought about what the Major had said about focusing on her mind rather than her body. When he thought about it that did make sense. When he had used his Id before being recruited it was mostly to relieve his pain but thinking back to who he'd usually pick it did seem an almost equal motivation was making them feel the way he did rather than just hurting them. "S'pose I should switch sides right? Don't wanna mess up one arm to bad." He asked rhetorically while he went through his selection of pointy things. Nothing was quite calling out to him, little pins and needles felt to small for what he wanted to do, that was until he remembered the knife he'd taken, possibly without permission.

    He'd only intended to use it as a hail-mary if nothing else worked but with that anti-bleeding-juice it was less of a risk to play with. Marcel gripped it tightly till his knuckles went white, the blood from his hand smearing into the textured handle, and carefully traced the path he would take down his arm not yet putting any pressure on the blade. He wanted to avoid anything near his wrist, to close to those already existing scars, but didn't want to just stab himself in the shoulder either figuring he might as well just cut the whole arm off with how permanent the damage from that could be. After choosing a spot just above his elbow he took a breath and let everything except himself and his target float away. Rather than a quick stroke to avoid thinking about what he was doing or a calculated mental image of the knife cutting the Major instead of himself Marcel simply let his mind flow as he dragged the blade across his forearm in a deep, jagged, line, having used his off hand, and pictured some sort of telepathic thread between the two of them All the searing pain flowws out of his mind and down the thread like electricity through a wire and straight into the mind of his commanding officer. As he cut a single intruding thought entered him and bounced around inside his head constantly "You deserve this." while he couldn't tell who the thought was directed at Marcel couldn't help but agree.

    "So you want me ta try hurtin' you? I think I can do that." Marcel tried to make it seem as if it was a simple task as he rummaged through the closet grabbing every sharp object he could, an unopened pack of thumbtacks, a mini sewing kit, and, while he was sure no one was looking, a small knife he easily hid between his back and his chair just in case.

    He looked over the small collection unsure. In truth Marcel hadn't quite mastered his Id yet, after initially discovering his ability he became addicted to the bliss the lack of pain gave him and was able to wield it with ease for a few months but as his anger and resentment towards his victims faded it seemed his power did as well. Marcel figured his Id was fueled by his hate for his target but after further investigation that didn't seem to be it either, it was more like his anger and desperation had given him a particular focus that had allowed him to transfer all his suffering.

    "S'pose I'll start with somethin' simple." He said looking first to Ann then to the Major. "I usually shove a pin into my hand so that'll be the place to start." Marcel opened the sewing kit and jabbed a needle into his palm as deep as he could only to immediately recoil.

    "Not enough focus." he thought and removed the needle from his hand slowly. "Gotta think about her hand, not mine." he chastised before making a second attempt only to pull back the second it touched his skin. "Come on! Can't go and chicken out, 'specially in front of that show off." He looked towards the sparring group who were currently picking out weapons and floating books. For his third try Marcel took a different route, instead of a single needle he grabbed a handful of the thumbtacks and, before he could let himself think, quickly stabbed them into his left arm running up just past his wrist to his shoulder.

    Marcel was soon met with the peace of numbness he longed for and, as if to demonstrate, stood up from his chair and stretched in a lax fashion, moving more fluidly and without the careful, jerking, nature of someone in constant pain."I don't really know which one did it or how long it'll last but that's about all I've tried with it so far, not sure what'll happen if I go for somethin' bigga."

    Robin was the last to meet up with the team, having spent a not insignificant time deciding between the simple bluish-greyish cloak he eventually chose for it's discreetness and a more elegant ensemble that would have been far more flashy and garnered a bit to much of the townsfolk's attention. it seemed by the time he caught up with the rest they'd broken up into to groups to begin the mission and Robin couldn't help but feel left out of the sure to come mischief.

    Just as he was about to head off for his own fun, perhaps there was an attractive face he could find to bide his time with until something happened, He remembered the boy with the hammer. "Wada, I believe he called himself that at some point?" He grinned and floated over to the young man.

    "Since it seems we're all pairing up it would be my pleasure to accompany you." He gave a deep bow before displaying his hand in his trademark vague manner of either an offer to shake or a request to be handed something. "Prince Tricky Oberon if you cannot recall, and today it will be my personal mission to get to know you a bit more, my dear teammate." he continued before giving the young man a chance to respond.

    If Robin was being honest Wada wasn't his first choice either as a target or teammate, sure he was a generally appealing individual and a Jeager but Robin had no idea what his abilities were and he simply lacked that spark some of the others had that made them so desirable. The royal he was certainly the most eager to get his hands on, mostly out of habit, but after the display in the training room he wasn't sure he was prepared quite yet, the witch was interesting with her unique appearance and potential two for one deal with the bird but she'd already dealt with most of his usual tricks after his poorly contrived first plan had failed so it would be up his wit to ensnare her. The rest he hadn't had much time to think about, Wada included, so his feelings towards them were limited but he knew one way or another he just had to get the lot of them all for himself, and this Jeager in particular would be where he'd start.

    After Marcel finished some girl started talking. 'The Curse of Pain' she'd called her Id, he would have scoffed if the explanation hadn't at least intrigued him, the empathic ability interested him in it's similarity to his own but what she said to him specifically nearly made him choke.
    "I noticed last night and even today, when you move around, your body aches and hits you with sharp, pin like pains. Is that a recent development? I could help you out with that, if you would like, which it's fine if you don't, I just think that it would be an easier adjustment period for me if I took it to get numb to it faster." She'd just thrown him under the bus like it was nothing, sure everyone could see he had something going on by the chair but he'd hoped to keep the details to himself.

    While the couple remaining members explained themselves Marcel couldn't get his mind off of Ann. someone who could understand what he went through wasn't something he could easily wrap his head around, and the way she'd phrased it, she offered to 'take it' she'd certainly caught his interest. He'd have to talk to her as soon as possible, make it clear that he wasn't looking for handouts and that he could deal with his own problems, but at the same time he wanted to know more about her Id, how it worked, how she used it, how it could interact with his own.

    His attention snapped back to the present when some other lady, the person in charge apparently, told everyone how stupid they all were for just giving away their powers like that. "'Couse it was a test. Can't believe I was stupid enough to fall foe it." he ridiculed himself as she explained the options for the aptitude test. "S'pose I'll just head wh'eva that girl goes." Marcel figured it didn't matter much, a medical exam wasn't the best way to show what his Id could do and he wasn't really built for fighting having spend most his life moving as little as possible, either way he doubted the results would be in his favor.

    When she did decide to get going Marcel followed. "Ann right? Just so ya know I'm not looking for sympathy or nothing, but what you said 'bout 'taking it', I was hoping you could explain all that."

-April 14th, 2000-
-4 PM-
-LaGuardia Airport, New York City, New York-

    Marcel watched as others began stretching, grabbing their bags, and exiting the plane. he however, waited, rather impatiently, for one of the attendants to bring him his chair. After about half the plane had already left Marcel was helped into the motorized wheelchair and on his way through the airport. He'd been told a car would be sent and that he'd have some time for sight seeing if he wanted. He didn't. Seeing the city wasn't something he even considered, it'd be nothing but a slow roll through crowded places where everyone would bother him, something he could get just as easily in any other pubic place.

    Over the balcony, waiting near the escalators because of course they would be, Marcel saw a man holding a sign with his name. For a moment he considered actually taking the quicker route but knew it wouldn't work, he'd have to stand as he descended agonizingly slow and he was sure there was no way he could lift the heavy chair he relied on until he reached the bottom so, after taking the more roundabout way to access the elevators, he found the man again.

    "Mawcel Barrett." He said rather curtly to get the mans attention. He looked at Marcel with a look of shock, not quite surprise, which was actually unsurprising to the young man considering where he'd chosen to wait.

    The car ride was a hassle, there was barely room for his chair in the backseat, the strap of the seat-belt was incredibly uncomfortable, and all the traffic meant they'd have to stop every few minutes making Marcel's body jerk forward for just long enough to hurt more than usual. They arrived in front of an unassuming building, just another large grey structure in the city, and Marcel was left to help himself out, which of course didn't come without more pain from each movement. Whatever impression they hoped to make on him Marcel wasn't sure they'd done it.

-April 15th, 2000-
-8:15 AM-
-Dining Hall, Diluculo Branch 22-

    Despite the unwelcoming reception the day prior Marcel found it rather easy to settle in. For starters he'd been instructed not to talk to any other recruits he would encounter which he didn't mind at all, especially since it meant they were probably told the same. He hadn't bothered unpacking anything and had just placed his bags in the corner figuring he'd take things out as he needed them, no point in the extra hassle of putting it all away when everything was already organized in his suitcase.

    Though it took him some time to navigate Marcel made it to the mess hall just as a perky woman called for everyone to sit together. Though he wasn't really interested in socializing the woman had said she was a captain and Marcel figured it'd be best to listen so, after grabbing a quick meal of oatmeal, a fruit cup, and a biscuit that he quickly discovered wasn't up to his standards, he literally took a nearby seat, shoved it away from the table, and placed himself in it's spot to eat.

    His food wasn't all that impressive so instead of discracting himslef with his meal like he'd hoped Marcel begrudgingly listened in on the introductions, the captain had some sort of sniper vision, a Russian Anthropologist that could regenerate, some self absorbed Hollywood type that copied powers, a girl that could say two things at once, and a french guy that could make books float. After a moment of silence where it seemed everyone else was waiting for the next person to speak Marcel decided to get it over with and grabbed his fork and stood with slow and rigid movements.

    "Names Mawcel, was born in N'walins." he gave it a minute while the group turned their attention to him, most likely surprised by the way he spoke that he wasn't from the heart of Boston. "I call my Id Sado-Masochist, it let's me hurt'cha by using myself as a pincushun." he demonstrated by feigning a stabbing motion at his hand with the fork. "Caws, it's a bit maw complicated then that but that's the jist of it." He careful sat himself back down and began quietly enjoying his fruit cup, figuring they couldn't much mess up a bunch of cut up melon and grapes.

Pins & Needles

I have a character idea but want to have the Id looked at before i finish the app, should i PM here or put it in the discord?

    While Lachlan rambled on Robin was content to watch the Jeager struggle to keep up with the broom. It was almost endearing the way he limped along and nervously spoke seemingly anything and everything he was thinking. Soon enough he caught the boys attention and, as he'd thought, was mistaken for yet another familiar of the witch.

    "It's a, uhh, pleasure to meet you."

    Robin appreciated the good manners and croaked in response, not wanting to discourage any politeness. "Perhaps a proper introduction is in order? Next I get the chance it'll be my top priority." he decided.

    He continued to sit and listen, as a prince of sorts patience during a conversation was one of the few things he'd been taught, while he thought about his supposed teammates he'd had a real encounter with so far. The witch was certainly strong and that bird made it harder for him to pull one over on her but her strength did seem to come at a reasonably equivalent cost in stamina so he figured wearing her out was the best plan of action. the royal and dragon slayer on the other hand were something else. Robin hadn't encountered many Jeagers aside from his own kind, certainly none that had at one point been human, but that pair still seemed particularly gifted in terms of physical strength. Should they figure out his circle he doubted either one would think of him kindly, he'd have to catch them off guard. The rest were a bit of a mystery but the cat woman seemed rather sly and he appreciated the mental challenge she could bring.

    "King of Frogs, huh? Okay, you can come too, I guess." it seemed the witch Elsie had discovered him. Robin supposed he could take it two ways, either she figured him out and at least accepted his company or she believed Robin could summon frogs, either way his course of action would have to be the same.

    At the birds mention of the cat Jeager and something about being thrown Elsie sped up a not insignificant amount, Lachlan in hand in a way that couldn't have been comfortable which resulted in an apology to the lad and, surprisingly, the faerie frog himself. He let out a dissatisfied ribbit to inform her of his position on the matter.

    Eventually the witch suggested they all find Jekyll or head to the infirmary, wherever that was, for the glasses boy. While Robin didn't much care meeting up with Jekyll did seem like a more entertaining idea than watching the more injured Jeager get patched up so he leaped off the flying broom to hop towards the directors office, with a quick pit-stop for a new outfit along the way of course, planning his next move.

    Robin was unsurprised to find Alexandre didn't taste particularly good but none the less continued to lash out at the Jeager with his tongue, one, two, three more times until the royal literally growled at him.

    "What an unexpected response." he thought, only somewhat sarcastically, as he began hopping away to what he considered a safe distance.

    In his rage Alexandre muttered something unintelligible to the fairy-frog before colliding with his opponent. Robin could practically feel the force of the two pushing against each other before things became a strange kind of silence. Out of the dust came to figures, the mighty but battered dragon slayer and, in place of Alexandre, a dark beast of fur and teeth and claws. Robin watched in awe at what had been transformed from the kind of chaos that feels like meaningless, deafening, noise became the kind of beauty that, when examined closely, could be heard as a song. The two Jeagers clashed again and again, once coming nearly to close for Robins taste, in a glorious battle of strength and will. When the beast seemed defeated Robin's attention was turned to the witch girl Elsie and the young man in glasses she spoke with.

    "I fought Tricky earlier and I think I saw what I wanted"

    "What she wanted, now what could that have been?" The frog hopped towards the pair and, hoping to avoid rousing suspicion, leaped onto the back of Elsie's broom where he could both avoid the collateral of the beast and dragon slayer should they continue and better listen in on the pair he was suddenly more invested in; perhaps if he was lucky the other Jeager would mistake him for a pet of the witch much like her bird.

"I’m going to throw you at the raven girl" the dragon slayer unintentionally interrupted Elsie with a threat, although who he was threatening was somewhat unclear.

"We should move." Robin thought at the mentioned 'raven girl', unintentionally letting out a small croak in fear of being crushed beneath not only the beast but the witch who's ride he'd sneaked aboard. He'd seen quite enough action for the day it seemed.

    A lot seemed to happen at once. the dragon slayer, thanks to the "encouragement" Robin and Elsie had given, decided to fire some sort of energy blast at them and the royal, Robin was then shoved away from the on coming attack by said royal, which he somewhat appreciated, while the one with glasses walked straight into it. it seemed a flashy fight was indeed what he'd been given.

    "This room is getting a bit crowded." he thought while trying to get a good look at all the commotion. "What to do now . . ." The dragon slayer crashed to the ground, it seemed that blast of his was some sort of distraction while he leaped to the air. A rather good move in Robin's opinion. "I don't seem to be making as much progress as I'd hoped." Lucine, that girl with the wolf ears, was talking with the glasses and Wada fellow, he'd yet to have a worthwhile introduction with those three but it was hard to form a plan of action with all the chaos around him. "Royal did say something about losing control, it could be fun to see what that's all about."

    Robin watched the dragon slayer, he was preoccupied with his opponent, as was the witch it seemed. Sure that the remaining Jeagers hadn't even seen him yet Robin let a single thought consume his mind, a name that was dear to him and the one he was most practiced with. He began shrinking in stature, his auburn locks receded into his scalp to reveal bright yellow eyes with black slits for pupils while his skin shifted in tone to a delightful pale green. Soon enough the king of frogs crawled out of his cloths as one of his subjects, though he was almost unnaturally large for a frog none in the room would notice him without looking towards the ground.

    "Let's see how we can pester him." the Robin-frog hopped towards the dueling pair with alarming speed and shot his tongue like a fist at the distracted Alexandre. "Tag."

    Robin was ready for a rejection, it's not often a grown man would be interested in a silly children's game after all, but it seemed Alexandre was spared the awkwardness by the arrival of his promised sparring partner. The one Jekyll called "dragon slayer". While a bit miffed at losing the opportunity to "get to know" one of his teammates better Robin had very few objections to the interruptions. seeing the two of them go hand to hand would be much more entertaining after all.

    Deciding to settle in for what he believed would be quite the match Robin mimed a reclined position in the air, one of the benefits of essentially saying no to gravity, and made himself comfortable. After all the buildup, the fancy stances and boasts of strength, he was rather disappointed by the lackluster first blow. Sure from the looks of that Alexandre fellow it should have been a powerful strike but the dragon slayer showed no signs that he had even been hit.

    The two exchanged a few words before the slayer retaliated, again not very much to look at though it did make the royal move back a bit. they exchanged some more words and at this point Robin had lost nearly all interest figuring it would just go on like that. That was when the girl Elsie and her bird intervened. "You’re just going to throw a punch and then talk about it for a bit? That’s not- that’s not why I invited everyone here, you know. I said something like, ‘Oh, if you want to come fight,’ and then I went all the way up there to get a good view and it’s like, I wouldn’t have done any of that if it was just going to be, like, a slap to the chest and that’s it."

    Robin couldn't help but agree with her, he'd been hoping for a show and these two were simply not meeting his expectations. That black bird of hers however seemed to disagree with her choice to speak up to the clearly more physically gifted Jeagers, something he also couldn't help but agree with given the amount of stamina she must have exhausted earlier with her troublesome magic.

    The girl mentioned something about their little "sparring match", making a hurtful and unnecessary "frog boy" comment along the way, before gesturing towards the amphibian king himself "I mean, you agree with me, right?"

    Robin shot up from his relaxed position now that some attention was thrown his way. "Quite right girl. If you boys are going to have a little wrestling match I suggest you go full force and get to it, at the very least make it a spectacle to watch." He looked towards the door as if checking to make sure no one else was coming so he could spare them the embarrassment "I mean you don't want your teammates to think all your capable of is some gentle shoving do you? Make it flashy for us!" He grinned that satisfied grin he got right after a human fell for one of his traps and lazily returned to his more spectator friendly pose.

    Robin used Alexandre's response as an opportunity to recover as much as he was able. though he certainly wouldn't be able to change shape for very long and his body seemed to lazily bounce more than float, nearly touching the ground then returning to it's usual altitude, his breathing had steadied a great deal and he was sure he could at least have a bit of fun before the so called "Dragon Slayer" arrived if he chose the right game.

    "If you're ready, I'll allow you the first shot." as Alexandre readied himself Robin began scheming.

    "I'm afraid a straightforward fight is simply not an option at the moment. You may have noticed my current attire is rather ill suited for combat?" he gestured to the clothing he was still barely holding against himself. "I was thinking we could do something a bit more mentally stimulating. It may seem a bit childish but would you indulge me in a game of Mirror Man?"

    It most certainly was childish, in fact it was a game for children, but Robin had always loved Mirror Man. Especially if it could aid his acquiring of new names. players would face each other and take turns doing something the other had to mimic as if they were a reflection, the loser was whoever was unable to keep up. Robin had discovered that the game was rather useful for getting his way if a target could be convinced to play.

    "Of course as a royal of a much larger and important kingdom than my own I'd understand if you weren't interested. After all, losing a game for kids to the likes of someone you've never heard of? it could be a bit demeaning." Robin taunted with the prodding cruelness of a young boy, it may not be effective but goading the more prepared and likely more powerful Jeager into a game of his choice was likely his only chance of winning.

    "I guess, Did you have fun?"

    Robin more or less ignored the Ellie girls conversation with her bird while he thought of his next move. "It's unlikely I can pull that trick on someone else while she's here so it'd be best to move beyond that for now." He began gathering his stones while the pair continued to converse, about their "sparring match" it seemed. "But I should put Nathaniel on before someone else shows up, having one Jaeger somewhat know my ability isn't ideal and I'm sure the rest will become suspicious of my change of cloths when they fit as poorly as this." Robin hiked up the tarp he had on for pants, unsure where to wait for the others as the room seemingly lacked any sort of bench or chair he could rest over to regain his composure.

    "Hallo! Do you know who else is coming?" And with that his choice had been made for him. Alexandre, that royal type he was most desperate to get his hands on, had apparently arrived before the Kings of Frog's stamina leaving Robin with two options. Put Nathaniel back on with him here and risk being exposed or remain in his own shape and continue to be exposed in a different way. After a bit of mulling it over Robin determined while neither were ideal he'd already been seen in his current attire so the damage was already done.

    Robin drifted over to the royal, trying and failing to keep his footwear on and cursing whoever had come up with the foolish idea of open-toed shoes as he did. "My my, we've just had quite the work out, it's such a shame you hadn't come earlier to join our little game." Robin mimed a sitting position in the air, Crossing his legs not out of habit or comfort but as a tactical choice to keep his clothing on his body. "It would have been much more interesting with a fellow noble no doubt. Other Jaegers do tend to lack that certain elegance we no doubt share." He added hoping the reminder of their shared status would encourage the Jaeger to be more open, which would make him more likely to slip up. "As our dear teammate said we're both rather exhausted at the moment but I'd be more than happy to keep you company until a more suitable partner arrived." Robin flashed his signature warm smile. Until the next of his prey arrived, assuming that witch minded her own business of course, The Frog Prince was determined to pressure the one Jekyll had called a beast into striking up a friendly conversation.

    “Just the one Jaeger, actually”

    “The girl with the bird?” Robin thought as he stared at what he hoped would be the first of many new names. “How . . . unique. I don’t believe I have one with different eyes.”

    “Hi. I think people have been calling me Ellie, so I guess you can too if you tell me yours. I was actually expecting some other people, but if you’re game, I guess we can fight.” Ellie, which he doubted was her full name, took hold of her broom while her bird flew above the two “Ready when you are.”

    Robin watched the bird fly around the room for a bit while he thought up a plan of attack. This girl didn’t seem that threatening to him so he figured her flying pet would be her main form of attack aided, as strange as it seemed, by that broomstick she clutched. The bird would be no issue with his circle and a simple broom was most likely incapable of causing serious harm. It should be easy.

    “Very well then Ellie. You can call me Nathanial, I’ll be your sparring partner for the day, why don’t you start by showing me what you’re capable of?” Robin stretched out his arms as if offering his body as a punching bag which, as far as anyone else could have known, he was.

    The witch raised an eyebrow -- perhaps she was a little confused? Still, she lifted off the ground deftly enough on her broomstick, and, once she was comfortably five or six feet off the ground, called out, “Are you sure? Okay, here I come…”

    She released her left-hand from her broomstick and raised it high over her head. “Hail the sky, the clouds, the rain,” she said. Her voice was more echoey than Robin remembered. “Grant me your fire, my enemy’s bane.”

    And then it seemed the air itself was sliced in twain as a bolt of pure-white lightning leaped from the witch’s palm and began arcing around the room, always close to the ceiling but never quite striking anything of note -- just generating roar after roar of thunder wherever it went -- until she brought her hand down and the lightning dove straight towards Robin.

    It was at that moment he realized his mistake. Humans, his preferred prey, were much more simple than Jaegers. Not quite as smart. Not quite as difficult to impress. Not quite as able to summon lightning. Robin was barely able to dodge the bolt, unfortunately abandoning his barrier in the process, as the heat of the crackling electricity crossed the back of his neck. “Very impressive. It must be my move then.”

    Robin rushed her, not quite sure what he’d do if he got an opening but thinking it was so much like the persona he’d chosen it’d be suspicious to do otherwise. Without even moving his feet he’d near completely closed the moderate distance between them. As a last-second instinct, he lunged out for her hoping the surprise of his speedy advance would allow him to shake her balance and toss her towards the circle.

    In his bravado, though, he’d neglected the other half of his opponent. The bird -- the crow, the raven, whatever it was -- called out “Left!” and the broom and girl darted off to the side. And yet… And yet when Robin got a clear look at her face, she’d certainly been thrown off-balance. She raised her hand again, though, and the lightning came back. Again, it arced around the room, jumping from point to point until it lunged at Robin again.

    He was ready for it this time, though, or more ready, and so the act of getting out of the way was closer to a sidestep than an out-and-out leap. But the girl raised her right hand too, and from that came… was that ice? They looked to be the size of Robin’s own stones, but while hers were moving, his were stationary and seemed so far away. More and more came from the witch’s outstretched hand until they’d practically surrounded her. When she lowered her hand, they too sped towards Robin.

    He couldn’t help but grin, though, at the thought of a talking bird and of course, while he’d daydreamed about soaring through the clouds after dodging that second wave of lightning, he was struck square in the jaw by a buffet of icy shards and knocked off his feet.

    His mind worked overtime to keep up his little ruse and process the potential that the witch’s partner brought. “Well done Jaeger!” “Does it even have a name?” “I’ll not let you pull one over on me again though!” “Is this a two for one deal? Does getting her mean I get a free bird?!” He tried his best to shake off the frozen sucker punch he’d received while he dashed around the room in an attempt to become a more evasive target, waiting for the perfect opening to shove her closer to his stones. “Now I’ll have to fight at full speed.”

    “Well, have at it, then,” the witch called out. Robin could tell she was trying to stay confident, but her voice wavered a little bit. Her flying, too, became more erratic, and both of her hands returned to her broom as she guided herself around the arena. She had a few more hailstones trailing behind her as she flew, though some had fallen to the ground and melted on impact.

    Robin gave chase, and soon they were in a game of cat and mouse, or “frog prince and witch” as it were. She mostly kept to flying in a circle, with only the occasional bob or weave. “Tell me when!” she called out over her shoulder, though Robin wasn’t sure what she meant by that. Was she taunting him? He picked up his pace but was only met by another call: “Tell me when!” she said.

    Robin still didn’t say anything, but after another few seconds chase, the witch dropped her altitude and veered around, sending another spray of hailstones back at him, before she rose back into the air. This attack, though, he was ready for that one, and between that and the witch’s errant flying affecting her aim, Robin managed to weave through all of them and continue charging forward.

    The witch, though, had paused, suspended several meters above the ground. She wasn’t looking at Robin anymore; she was looking up, and she looked annoyed. When Robin followed her gaze, he saw that her bird was descending, landing onto her broomstick and… were they talking? 

    “What are you doing?” the witch said.

    When the bird responded, though, he was quieter than his previous cries, and Robin could only make out the word “circle”. Whatever was said, it caused the witch to slowly guide herself back down until her feet finally touched the ground.

    “A little birdie told me…” the witch started, before pausing to catch her breath. She was breathing heavier than Robin expected for someone who’d only sat on a broomstick the last few minutes. “Sorry, um, I’m not- my nose isn’t bleeding or anything, is it?” It wasn’t. “Sorry, um, anyway, he told me you’ve got a magic circle over there? What’s that about?”

    Robin’s face was undecipherable. A rush of emotions flashed through all at once. Panic that he’d been discovered, adrenaline from the whole encounter, excitement at the challenge a Jaeger presented, they were all there. He hoped all the other Jaegers would be this much fun.

    “That?” Robin said, gesturing towards his circle, hiding his emotions with a skeptical voice as if he had no idea what she was talking about, and stepping closer to the seemingly exhausted witch, hoping his current size would intimidate her into believing him. “It’s nothing more than a meditation circle. Humans can’t do magic, after all.” Robin took delight in his wordplay and made note that he’d only uttered a single lie so far. He stepped closer -- he was an expert at invading privacy as well as acting like a truly despicable being -- and looked down at her with a horrid expression. “You do believe that . . . don’t you?” Robin kept stepping closer and forcing her back closer and closer to his circle. He hoped his enormous frame would convince her he could crush her with a single hand. When he believed he was both close enough and she was scared enough, Robin bent down to her level. “I suppose if you don’t the only real way to know . . .” He grinned and shoved her to the stones, ecstatic with his first catch “ . . . is to step into them.”

    The witch stumbled back quite a ways; she was very close to his stones now. All it would take was one more push and… now what was she doing?

    Her bird was on her shoulder, looking right at him. That part wasn’t the problem. The problem was that she was- was she sweeping? The witch -- Ellie, she said to call her -- she was still short of breath, but she still managed to say, “Here’s what I figure:” A breath. “If it is a meditation circle, as you say, we can just put everything back when we’re done.” Another. “But if it is magic, I could probably just…” With a smooth stroke of her broom, she flicked one of his pebbles out of alignment. “I bet it’s just a normal circle now, right?”

    Robin deflated, literally, as the entirety of the fight caught up to him. His hair shortened, his muscles evaporated, and soon enough he was in his true form giving a somewhat forced sheepish grin. The clothes he so hated were now at least four sizes too big and had to be held against him to keep from losing whatever dignity he thought he had. “That was fun though, right?”

    Everyone quickly began leaving. Some, like that girl with the bird, claimed they'd be heading to the sparring room wherever that was which meant it was the perfect time for mischief.

    Robin looked around at the remaining Jaegers "Well then I suppose it's my turn to make an exit?" he asked rhetorically. "Though we'll be seeing each other soon I'm sure I fare thee well, each of you, until that time comes." with a curt bow and a tip of the hat he left.

    In his room Robin sorted through his piles of cloths determined to make the right choice. He'd hold up an outfit to his mirror and change shape to find a form that accents the outfit best, never satisfied. Though he'd traveled all over and owned a plethora of identities he couldn't quite find one that would suit this "Training" his new teammates were interested in. That was until he remembered Nathaniel. Robin had loved Nathaniel the second he saw him, tall, muscular, and confident, but none of that had made him covet the young heir. As he took on the physique of the man he was reminded both why he'd wanted him so then and why he barely wore him now. Those eyes, they were what he'd truly been after, icy and cold but somehow soft, a storm cloud grey that could only compliment the midnight black hair the fell to shoulder length. Nathaniel would do nicely. Alas those eyes came with the rest of Nathaniel, being one of his larger forms in every sense of the word Robin had discovered and despaired soon after acquiring the name that he had no cloths that fit other than an ugly pair of sandals, a leather vest so thick it was practically armor, and some tattered wool pants that were beyond uncomfortable to wear.

    "Just this once" He thought "He'll have to do." Robin flexed his now impressive muscles, admiring them as well as testing his coordination in the unfamiliar body, before grabbing a small pouch containing the stones he'd snuck into the tower and finding his way to the sparring room.

    Fortunately Robin had managed to make it to the room first despite his poor snese of layout of the Tower of Babel, unfortunately for Robin his meager collection of rocks wasn't nearly enough to encircle the entire room as he'd hoped. Instead Robin sat himself in the center of the room and began making a ring around himself, barely finishing his spell as the first of the group arrived.

    "Greetings Jaegers!" He boomed, trying to remember that bravado and capture it as close to perfect as he could as he stood and saluted "Shall we start?"

    Robin returned to his seat annoyed. Nearly everyone had said their name but none had said the full thing in response to his request. Either these jaegers knew what he was up to or his typical method wasn't effective in a room full of interesting people. He hoped it was the latter.

    Eric, always one step ahead of course, had brought in a food cart to stop the cloaked one from leaving while he began his little lecture. Robin half listened while he filled up a plate with a little bit of everything and began sampling the wide variety of dishes in every combination he could think of, meats with cheese, cheeses with bread, breads with butter, butter with meats, etc., unable to decide what flavors he was really looking for. Once the good doctor had finished the questions came in. Lucine asked if there were survivors in Wilhelm, Robin found that adorable; the cloaked fellow who turned out to be rather captivating had asked how many there might be, a reasonable but pointless question to him; but the boy with glasses seemed to have some sense to him.

    "Indeed, how is it you intend this lot to defeat the Fahlyn exactly dear doctor?" Robin finished off whatever it was he'd been absent-mindedly gnawing on, something salty it seemed, and gave a kind smirk to the one called Lachlan "I must commend you my boy, while we all are surely thinking the same thing you seem to be the one brave enough to ask." he looked again at the picture Jekyll had provided, a formless dark mist. Not something Robin was confident in his ability to charm into submission. "So then Eric, if I may rephrase, what is your plan? While I'm no expert like you may be it appears these beasts can't very well be clawed or scratched at which unfortunately disables a few of our little club and I doubt they have either names of their own or loved ones that do." Robin promptly returned to his meal, more or less ignoring whatever answer he'd be given. "Intrigue" he thought "The mystery of what I'd meant will surely worm it's way into their minds until they've no choice but to ask. And of course there's the added bonus of the good doctor possibly giving me the answer I'd prefer."

    Robin sat comfortably, legs crossed and hands neatly folded in his lap, while more and more of the lovely little group flowed in, occasionally tilting his head to look at his future prizes. A woman with a black bird of indeterminate species, he never really was a bird person much to loud; a cat eared one whom, based on her little comments towards that Lucine girl, would be quite the plaything; an absolutely infatuating boy in glasses he'd have to keep his eye on; an equally well dressed man with rabbit ears apparently named Lopt, he and Lucine would be the most difficult due to their introductions unfortunately; and a nervous fellow who'd been just a word or two off from ceasing to be named Wada.

    His attention was once again snatched by an introduction from the group and again by the appearance of the kind and courteous Jekyll. "Such a delightful sight. Oh, but please, don't stop on my account. I'm still in the process of getting things ready. Please, continue as you were."

    A light gleamed in his eyes. Though Jekyll clearly hadn't been addressing him Robin took his words as the so called 'permission' he was told he needed to remove his mouth piece. Rising up from his spot and standing as straight as possible Robin delicately removed the strap holding the thick chunk of wood in it's place and began stretching his jaw out for what was most likely the first time in weeks before throwing the hated contraption across the room while the girl with the bird spoke to the one in glasses.

    Hoping to garner more attention for himself Robin bobbed his way over to the Alexandre fellow and bowed just as he'd been taught. "Greetings, Alexandre Roi of Farway, you may call me Prince Tricky Oberon, son of William Oberonson, son of The Urking Oberon, and King of Frogs. It's a delight." He straightened his jacket and removed his hat before facing the rest of the Jaegers. "As for the rest it's lovely to meet you all as well, and forgive me if my memory is failing already, but I'm certain it will be all the more lovely once I get your names." Robin flashed a warm and welcoming grin, the kind that said 'Oh, of course you can trust me, I'm clearly a gentleman', and floated in place waiting for his deceptively simple ruse to take effect.

    A sound. A sound that meant it was time to wake up and face a brand new day of fun and games but there was something else today an announcement. Robin vaguely understood that his glorious presence had been requested in the briefing room.

    "So it's finally time!" He thought, his mind working at a crawling pace to wake up.

    As he literally drifted into consciousness, his body rising just above the mattress he'd been so generously provided, his yawns were stifled by the gag in his mouth, also generously provided. He glided over to his selection of outfits unsure of what to choose for today because of course clothing is just as important as choosing the right form to take and today was Robins chance to find a lovely new skin to slip into. Finally deciding on a formal blue tux he'd worn at one of his many weddings that was about three sizes to big he headed off, tipping his hat to the various employee's along the way.

    "This will be a wonderful day!" he decided, not content to the silent stroll his 'vocal restraint' forced on him but still wanting to play along for now. "The last time I got to play . . . I can't even remember when it was."

    Sifting through his memories Robin found a lovely young girl, no older than fourteen, and the name he'd taken from her. He also remembered what that name had cost him. Somehow they'd been prepared. Somehow they'd known he was coming. Somehow they'd caught him and thrown him in a filthy cage.

    A pink dress, that's what he'd been wearing that day. "P-please! I  wanna go home, I want my mommy and daddy!" His inflection was perfect, his expression heartbreaking, and yet no one heeded his cries. they simply continued preparing to search the wood for the very same young girl that was crying in a prison cell.

   That's when he showed up. The man approached Robin's cell with a look of satisfaction on his face. He examined the young girl, adjusting those glasses as if they actually might fall off his face. Robin was awestruck, he was the perfect thing to get out of his cage with.

    "A-are you gonna bring me back home?" He sniffled, drawing back to appear cautious of the man.

    "Not quite." That smirk, it was gorgeous, Robin wanted it. "I've come to offer a way out. As soon as they find her you'll be executed, now, I'd hate to see all that potential you have go to waste so I've worked out a little deal. I'll take you away from here, you get to live and nobody will ever be bothered by your antics again."

    Robin frowned, this game wasn't fun anymore. He returned to his own form, tearing at the seams of the now ill fitting dress. "I see. It would be an utter delight if you'd escort me then, but I feel we ought to get to know each other first." Robin extended his hand in a manner that could be seen as an offer to shake or a request to be handed something. "You may call me Prince Tricky Oberon, could I get you're name by chance?"

    Of course the man, whom he later found out was Eric Jekyll, had refused to say but that only made Robin want him more. When he'd arrived at A.R.C.H. he'd found it a bit cozier but not much different from the cell he'd been in before, he had a strict curfew, his food was delivered to him, he couldn't leave his room unless given permission, and of course there was the gag. It was definitely better than the alternative but it was dreadfully boring all the same.

    Robin was broken from his train of thought when a girl walked into the briefing room. he couldn't remember when he'd gotten there but he had all the same, gently floating just above his chair in a room of astonishing shapes to steal. He looked around and wondered what it would take for him to get each and every one of them only to be interrupted yet again by that same girl.

    "My name is Lucine. It's nice to meet all of you!"

    "Not much I suppose." Robin grinned ear to ear behind his gag. "This will be so much fun!"

The Frog Prince

interested

easy fix

2 hours ago, Tinkerer said:

Charcoal Slime

FIRE -**

Aqua/Tuner/Effect

If this card is Summoned: You can Special Summon FIRE monster from your GY with 200 ATK and a negative Level. This card's Level is always treated as -3.

200/900

 

A Negative monster that supports an irl archetype.

what do you think of the different borders and text box?

the concept for the archetype over all is interesting but i don't see much reason for it to be it's own card type (this coming from someone who made an ED type that's essentially just contact fusion), for the monsters it just seems like they're an archetype of hand traps and for the non-monsters it feels like they could pretty easily just be trap cards plus since they use the field zone not only do you lose the opportunity to run field spells in any deck that uses burst cards but you can only have one on the backburner (so to speak) at a time which, considering they're somewhat situational nature, puts you at the disadvantage of having to choose what you want to prepare for to a much higher degree than you would by just using spells/traps that have similar effects.

    It's once again time for the annual World Duel Nexus, a month long festival where duelists from around the world gather in teams to compete in specialized dueling tournaments, from Fusion and Xyz specialists to Entertainment and tag duelists, there's sure to be an event for everyone, all coming together in a series of team Action Duels where the various teams of duelists will face off. This year, to celebrate the twelfth anniversary of the event, a special set of cards has been released exclusively for competitors including the zodiac themed "Astrograhm" monsters, an archetype of low level monsters that can be discarded to summon a monster of the same attribute. Among the professional teams of duelists sponsored by countries and companies are two strange groups consisting of mostly unknown duelists from across the globe, the privately funded teams "Destiny" and "Fortune", what could their agenda's be? and why are their mysterious sponsors so interested in the "Astrograhm" monsters?

RP Rules

World Duel Nexus Rules

List of Event Duels

Character Application

World Nexus Anniversary Pack

Accepted Characters