with the beast inside

Don’t want to let you down, but I am hell bound; though this is all for you.

[leibniznotation-blog]

x

[engineofdestruction]

Send ☭ for a vs. battle quote to your muse

Battle Intro: Victory: Defeat: Requesting assistance: Assisting your muse: Taunt: Reacting to Taunt:

✘ Bonus battle theme:

[diarcaexe]

Aww yiss IC fights.

[touou-princess-remade-blog]

EXTRA BONUS POINTS IF YOU SEND ONE FOR ANY OF MY ORIGINAL CHARACTERS YESSSSSSSSS

[misstaohua]

an earlier heaven &; taohua & ma dai

[misstaohua]

      Taohua recovered from their deadlock with ease, and in the middle of switching from reverse grip with her sword, she noticed him abandon the dual blades. Oh! That was great! Practice aside, she always wanted people to fight at their best. She could only learn how to make sure to use weapons that suit her best by looking at people who used weapons that didn’t work for them. Maybe now the playing field would be even more leveled, she thought as she raised her hand to perform another palm strike—

      “Whaaaa—-!!!” she blurted suddenly, raising her sword hand to block as the man brandished what looked to be like a—

      “Issat a giant…paintbrush?!”

[cheerfulsoldier]

      There was no verbal reply, but the grin that stretched across the artist's face no doubt verified her inquiry. Of course, it was more of a rhetorical question seeing as it would have been difficult to mistake the oversized art utensil as anything but, though it was always the reaction from the unexpected that he enjoyed seeing above all else. It gave him two types of advantages; one was short-term in which his opponent often staggered in their assault, while the second was long-lasting, for they knew not of its use.

      Once Taohua faltered and brought up her sword hand to deflect the parry, Ma Dai pressed the attack and motioned forward. He put his weight into his movements in attempt to force something of a retreat from their current position, pulling it through the air as a trail of disappearing ink shadowed behind it.

      "Retreat is not an option, my lady. Utilize what you know."

[bellumdeus-deactivated20140630]

                                        ѡнαт υsє do ι нαvє ғoя α ( нєαят ) тнαт`s                                                            н o ʟ ʟ o w ?

[misstaohua]

DW MASTERLIST — ACTIVE CHARACTERS

Ma Dai & Taohua

[misstaohua]

an earlier heaven &; taohua & ma dai

[misstaohua]

      “Right!” Taohua began as she moved backward, picked up her sword and held it in the reverse grip. She had seen her father hold it tjhat way countless times, and though she was taught differently, it was only a matter of time before she melded some of her father’s movements with hers.

"By the way…you look way too big to use those!" she added on thoughtfully, gesturing to the blades, "They look too light…or maybe you just look awkward with them…" she trailed off, tilting her head.

      It had taken years for her understand what it meant to look in sync with a weapon; and she would probably take a couple more years to appreciate what that meant. The man did look a tad awkward, almost out of place with both of the blades; it reminded her of all of her weight training. She was absolutely abysmal with heavy handed weapons and she didn’t move right at all. Maybe it was the same for her new found practice partner…but, she could ask him in depth later. 

      Taohua leaned forward and then broke into a sprint, her eyes not once leaving her opponent. She performed a quick upward slash first, ready to react in the instant it’s blocked or parried; she could follow up with brute force with her free hand in another open palm strike, or if she’s parried, she’d just attempt to use more excessive force in her elbow in attempts to knock the man away from her. Baguazhang let her use her opponent’s strength and momentum against them, in addition to switching up and then using offensive force. She could freely switch between the two, much like the wind could shift from being a gentle breeze to something sharp and cutting.

[cheerfulsoldier]

      She was perceptive--terribly so, and perhaps in ways she didn't quite realize. The simple mention of his awkwardness with said weapons caused the soldier's lips to split into a wide grin again as laughter threatened to rumble out from deep within. He curbed his amusement however, and simply nodded his head as if in agreement. She was right, of course, he just never realized how obvious it might have been. They didn't suit him, but they were useful. Until he could find something to better fit the way he fought, the secondary pair of blades would continue to remain within grasp for future encounters.

      Seeing that his spar partner dashed towards him, Ma Dai held his ground this time; both blades up and crossed before him. Her own weapon met with both of his, and while they were temporarily deadlocked, he was well aware that she still possessed a free hand to execute in an offensive movement. Rather than outright allowing it, Luoyi used the weight of his body to break their current impasse pulled the blades apart. The sharp scraping of metal upon metal rang within the air before he moved to to give chase and spear both weapons--one and then the other--into the ground.

      As if expecting her free hand to snap out to pursue the temporary opening he had given, Ma Dai turned to expose his side and raised his left, loosely robed arm. The second, while lacking the wide sleeve, swung up from behind him; bearing a weighty, oversized brush to either deflect or advance upon the sprightly fighter.

      "Better?"

[misstaohua]

an earlier heaven &; taohua & ma dai

[misstaohua]

      There it was. He had gotten himself close enough and struck out with one blade first, then the other, and Taohua reacted as she normally would. One arm raised upward in a hard strike against her opponent’s first one, essentially in an attempt to push it up and back as opposed to outright disarming the man. As quick as she was though, even she faltered and forgot about the second blade and raised her arm in barely enough time. She felt the blade connect with the bangles around her wrist, and she heard the sound before she pulled back the arm that had went against the first blade.

     ”Whaahaaa….didn’t prep myself for that one!” she blurted, aware of the minor ache she felt. She experienced far worse during her training, and she wouldn’t let this slip up get to her. She had plenty of stamina left over.       Strength re-centered, Taohua moved quickly again, this time her palm aiming to strike not the center of his chest—she promised herself no intentionally lethal strikes—but his stomach. It would give her the chance to follow up with an additional attack, or she could move back and retrieve her sword. Either way, she was going to try her best to remain one step ahead, even with her disadvantages. Despite this impromptu lesson, the harmonious and centered nature of baguazhang would see her through to the end.

[cheerfulsoldier]

      Had she not announced her mistake, Ma Dai might not have noticed it. The equipment around her wrists were a clever thing. Pretty, but effective as armour as well. He would have believed her movement to deflect the blade against them was intentional if he hadn't now known otherwise. It caused his lips to pull back a bit, and a flash of the white teeth within was as much of a nod of understanding as it was a humoured response to her admittance. 

      But that was a mistake of his own; a blunder as his weapons were pushed aside. Had he been concentrating more on their match, he might have been able to swing at her thrusting hand as it hammered into his stomach. Luoyi was unfortunate however, and instead felt it hammer against his navel where his breastplate would have usually would have protected him against the strike. An audible loss of air escaped him and he doubled forward, immediately sucking in a greedy breath as he attempted to brace himself against what he would have assumed to be another strategically placed strike. It was a good shot, and he certainly deserved it.

      "Alright," he prepped himself as he stood at the ready again, grinning before he declared his eagerness, "that was an oversight. Eye for eye, error for error. Let's try this again."

[bunroq-blog]

[cheerfulsoldier]

all in your head // open

      The sound of galloping hoofbeats shattered the evening's silence like the first roll of thunder disrupting the calm before the storm. The soldier steadied the horse as much as he was able before swinging one of two legs over the saddle to virtually leap off its back. Whatever his hurry might have been, the frantic look writ across his face spoke volumes, and it was enough to send him into a sprint. It was funny how similar such a scene resembled a particularly tragic part of his past--amusing if your sense of humour was rather morbid, to be sure--but it was all nearly identical, right down to the finest of details.

      He dashed through the darkened Shu capital of Chengdu with utmost haste, but was determined to remain light on his feet. Cloaked in neutral attire, Ma Dai moved around in the darkness until he reached his objective; the quarters of Shu's renown strategist. The blackness that engulfed the tactician's barracks dissipated and gave way to the tiniest of sparks, and a dim candle welcomed the harried courier. He was expected.

      Although Ma Dai was careful in his machinations to orchestrate such a visit, he felt himself overwhelmed. A sudden weight found itself upon his shoulders, and the burden he had already begun to bear years prior had become more of a ball and chain than motivation. Still, none of this was prevalent from the look on his face even within evening's shadows. He grinned and hid what plagued him, and continued to wear an emotional mask to conceal it all.

      The candle was snuffed out within moments of the soldier's leave, and only as he began to distance himself away from Zhuge Liang's quarters did he take to the main avenues and passages to return to his steed. The idea had been to retreat and retire for the evening, but with the uncomfortable ploys swirling around his head, Ma Dai took solace in caring for the mount he left to its own devices as he attempted to swallow the conversation that still rang fresh within his mind. 

[cheerfulsoldier]

Pang De has a sketch of you in his room. He wont tell me what for but... i just thought you should know. J X.

[nonmodernists]

Visit Original Link

[cheerfulsoldier]

Let me love you

      "The mysterious type, huh?"

      "Can I take a rain cheque?"

[misstaohua]

an earlier heaven &; open post

[misstaohua]

     Her father couldn’t teach her everything about fighting, and though he usually never took it easy on her—he went for every tactic, except for aiming at vital points or anything that would cause instant death—he and any of her other teachers couldn’t teach her forever. There were so many other people she could learn from, and this man was no different. He had even brandished dual blades instead of one, while she deliberately disarmed herself.

      Taohua didn’t panic, if anything she kept her excitement lowered and already remembered where she left her weapon. Placing one foot behind the other, she extended her arms slowly, yet fluidly and her palms opened. Instead of jutting forward like before, she stepped toward the left before she advanced. Baguazhang was evasive first, offensive second, and Taohua used her small frame to her advantage; she was shorter and could duck underneath any high strikes from either blade, and easily use force to counter—as much of it as she could muster. Dual Blades would force the man to keep in close contact with her, and Taohua could easily circlewalk her way behind him and strike again.       Though…it was practice…she didn’t really have to attack from behind…it seemed dishonorable—even more so because it was all in practice.

[cheerfulsoldier]

      For the sake of evening the playing field, Ma Dai let her move to obtain what she deliberately discarded. He did not make such an intent obvious however, and instead advanced upon her as she moved to retreat. No enemy in combat would have given her the upperhand, nor would they let her retrieve said weapon if it had, for an example, been knocked out of her hand. But much like Taohua, Ma Dai considered himself honourable enough to face his opponent on fair terms.

      Still, he found himself curious. Her movements were almost like a lure--a bait that could easily suck any self-absorbed soldier into the entrapment of an offensive attack. It was much like a trap in a way, and knowing some of the men even within Shu's own ranks, frustration could potentially build and blind an opponent fairly quickly. He was not familiar with her style however, so her objectives other than finding her weapon were entirely unknown to him. 

      No less, Ma Dai swung one blade and then the other as he drew closer. His own form was fairly casual and almost sloppy in contrast, but unpredictable and effective. He had to remain as close as he physically could in order to keep his target within striking range, but also to keep her on her toes.

[misstaohua]

an earlier heaven &; open post

[misstaohua]

      Taohua’s still form immediately faltered, and she placed her leg down, followed by her arm before she turned in the direction of the person who had shown up in the otherwise empty and quiet space, not that she minded. She would have gone on to do something else besides her training when she got tired of being by herself for a time, at least while her father was away. 

      “Ahah,” she laughed, nodding her head, “I guess you’re right! I tend not to think about that, since I don’t usually wind up fighting people. If I do, it’s just to look out for someone else!” She had always fought with the intent to stun and disable people, even with the knowledge of several vital points and crippling holds..and when she was fighting thin air she rarely took into account that her strikes wouldn’t be flawless against an actual person. A practice dummy—a real person—could level the playing field so to speak. He, with his funny hat and all, was even bigger and taller than her; he had the weight and power that could defeat her…but she had the speed and movement, and circlewalking was evasive, but left room for versatility.      ”Yeah,” she said finally, carefully placing her sword down before she stood, “I’ll show you what baguazhang’s all about!”

[cheerfulsoldier]

      It was as if he expected the answer from her, for the friendly albeit sloppy grin on the soldier's face seemed to widen and his lips cracked to let out a contented sound of approval. Ma Dai moved into place upon their personal battlefield as his better hand withdrew one of two sheathed weapons tucked beneath the folds of the emerald cloth, lifting it in the moments that followed to brandish the blade towards her. A simple thing, it was; standard issue, but personalized in the bindings around the hilt and from use. He wasn't as proficient with it as he would have liked to have been, and such an opportunity for training might have given him the ability to perhaps advance in his skills with the set of blades, though his personal progression wasn't what this was all about.

      This was a learning curve--not for him, for her. His own fragments of advice were a warning, in a way. Everything was unexpected; in life and in battle. Where she might have expected one blade, there were two along with a peculiar, unpredictable weapon to back it all up. Ma Dai learned the hard way--that nothing was ever what it seemed to be. Nothing was quite so black and white as it was on paper or in the mind. There would always be room for exploitation or a variable uncounted for.

      "Alright," he summoned, blade lifting, stance suggesting that he was prepared for whatever she was about to throw at him, "show me."

[misstaohua]

an earlier heaven &; open post

"Lift and hold," Taohua began, jutting forward first before she moved again, palms open, before she switched to striking the air, using all the strength she can muster up, "Shoulder, knee, hip, entrapping, grasping. Dragon to Snake…hit everything vital." 

She stood upright again, caught a glimpse of her sword, and then ran her fingers through her dark copper colored hair, “Maybe I should practice more with that instead of my hands…or maybe put my brain to better use…”

She made her way over to the weapon and picked it up, sure to give it an expert twirl. She repeated the process, the thin and light blade only an extension of her arm, “Shoulder strike, then a strike to the knee…” In one motion she threw her sword, picturing herself in the instance of being disarmed, and one of her arms reached and grasped the air before she put her weight forward and dropped her imaginary opponent, “grasped, and then parried, annnnnnnd….”

In one or two backflips, she procured her sword and slipped back into her  form again—sword arm straight and raised with the blade to strike, while balanced on one leg—and stood still. ”Perfect.” she said to herself.

[cheerfulsoldier]

      "You know, it's not always that easy." A voice called out after a time, lips stretching back into a comfortable grin as he proceeded forth. It was a wonder how long he'd actually been spectating, though he found himself doing so in interest. Back aways so that he wouldn't disturb her, of course, but curious nonetheless. She was fidgety--anxious in her movements almost, or so it seemed. Only when she balanced and fell still did she seem to be at ease. It looked exhausting to him, really; too much excessive movement, or at least for someone of his frame and build, that was.

      "Though sometimes it works better when you're actually fighting someone. It's a little less predictable in real time." He paused as he rethought his own words, an idle hand lifted, calloused fingers pushing beneath the wide brim of his hat and into the unkempt, mess of a mane beneath. "--Or a lot, really." You never really knew your enemy. Not all of them, anyway. 

      Ma Dai flashed her a wider grin and a thumbs up for morale the moment his digits slid out from underneath his hat. His thumb moved in the moments after that, jutting out towards the open area ahead of her as if to silently suggest taking the place of her invisible foe. At least until he inquired after it, anyway:

      "What do you say? Need a practise dummy?"

[dynasty-warriors]

~by yz

[dynasty-warriors]

~by まこぽ