What’s LARP without some fun? Last week at Swordcraft I had an amazing time as General, where I ordered over 100 people to fight for my warband. It was an extremely difficult fight but it paid off, with a victory of 6 to 1.
New Arrivals: First Edition of Forbidden Oriental Fighting Arts: Deadly Defense and Attack, by Wallace Reumann (1963).
Mail-order self-defense manual for laymen, comprised of a variety of scenarios using martial arts techniques to fend off attacks both with and without weapons. Composed by Wallace W. Reumann, a soldier for much of his young life who trained in Chito-Ryu Karate while stationed in Japan, ultimately gaining a fifth-degree black belt. In addition to operating several karate schools in New Jersey (and later, California), Reumann ran a relentless mail-order campaign, selling karate and self-defense manuals from ads placed in magazines and comic books. Fully illustrated, with 15 “problem” scenarios to answer/engage in before the recipient could fill out their “mastery card.”
(This song is called Upon ‘The Shining Star Mountain’ taken from their debut EP name ‘The Ancestral Call’ which was released independently on the 1st of May, 2017.
Grailknight is an epic black metal with an influences of atmospheric black metal, medieval music, fantasy music, old ages, myths, and heroism. The band is coming from Serbia. It was found by Astral Paladin [all instruments and vocals].)
Today’s fencing was done with spear, axe, and sword.
Fencing spear against spear for a change, I had much luck with this, using Fiore’s spear fencing methods. Quite happy with it, need to work on parry-riposte, and not overreaching.
Axe fencing was a bit harder this time, ended up absorbing blows on the shaft that made me loose my grip, and found it hard to follow up with double handed strikes, rather than sneaky one handed strikes. Again, need to work on parry-riposte making use of the axe head to pull and push.
Of all things, longsword was where I struggled most today. Fencing my primary partner, I was on edge, flinched from strikes, which let him hit me, and kept entering into range doing the wrong thing. The only success I found was right at the end, landing a perfect thrust, more from fortune than skill.
Proof that even a seasoned fencer with a primary weapon, can have an off day. All said, it was good to work with new weapons, and to have some fun using a series of knightly arms. ⚜️
From Henry Langston: A mine controlled by Right Sector, a Ukrainian ultranationalist volunteer group, comes under tank fire from the near-by DNR village of Spartak.
Each of the paladins had their own way of fighting with or without their lions.
Zarkon is an excellent warrior. He’s well-trained and tactical; he’s good at neutralising his opponents (and by neutralise I actually mean kill) and winning quickly. He sees no need in drawing out a battle. With Black, he’s just as effective, but he also does a lot of instructing the rest of the team on what to do. They usually listen (except for Alfor and Blaytz, who 99% of the time listen to literally no one) and things work out because Zarkon is good at this leading thing.
Before joining the alliance, Alfor was not a fighter. He was a giant nerd who spent most of his time in his lab blowing stuff up (note that the explosions were typically accidental but not always). He had a bit of training, but he wasn’t very good. His strategy in actual fights relies on pure luck and magic (or as he would argue, “Not magic! Alchemy! There’s a difference!”) weapons. He’s super reckless and likes to just rush in, especially if he can potentially save someone. He surprisingly does a lot of saving their tails, but they do a lot more of saving his (and yelling at him afterwards).
Blaytz, like Zarkon, learned to fight from an early age. He is less about the cool and calculating side of fighting and more about the beating people up side. He’s skilled, and has good instincts for fighting, but most of it was trained into him. He has a lot of good battle-cries, and isn’t afraid to use them. He’s not as reckless as Alfor but he’s a close second.
Trigel is also an excellent warrior, but primarily, she’s a smart warrior. She absolutely will not rush into things ever. She’s cool-headed and logical even in the heat of battle, and spends a lot of time making sure her teammates don’t get themselves killed (because, let’s be honest, they’d be dead without Trigel). She’s also low-key ruthless and could win a fight in .2 seconds.
Gyrgan, in all actuality, would rather hug it out? But when he’s fighting, he’s more like, you know, SPINNING HEADSPIN! and other such loud and eager attacks. He’s pretty intimidating until you get to know him (at which point he’s a teddy bear), so most of his enemies are already worried at the sight of him. He finds this rather hilarious, and is quick to take advantage of it.
The “Street Fighter 30th anniversary Collection” is worth it’s weight in gold. I forgot that I had pre-ordered this in January. @capcomusa out did themselves with this set. This all-in-one package highlights the series’ past in an anthology of 12 classic titles, plus loads of archival documents, music and history. Thank you @gamestop for throwing in the 8-Bit Ryu Funko POP! If you’re old school like me, get your physical copy A.S.A.P. because the pressing for consoles is limited. My review: 8 out 10. #capcom #streetfighter #videogame #1988 #funko #funkopop #ryu #gamestop #exclusive #collector #collection #arcade #fight #fighting #fighter #reto #nostalgia
“If you feel good doing good, why do you look so miserable ?”
“Miserable ? What do you mean ? I’m not-“
“Oh save your breath, I can sense the internalized insecurities and depression from here, been through some shit - want to protect others because no one protected [hero] when they needed it the most,”
“….”
“How was that ? Did I hit just in the right spot ? Did I get it correct ?”
Patton cocked his head, a slight frown on his face. The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and he eased Virgil off of his lap, careful not to wake him as he stood. He rubbed his arms, feeling almost chilled, a shiver running down his spine. Something was wrong.
“Lo? Ro?” He called, and instantly, they appeared from in the kitchen, loosening a bit of the worry growing in his chest, safety in numbers, but something was still niggling at him, eating at his mind, screaming danger.
“Patton. Breathe.” Logan, gently squeezing his shoulders.
“something is wrong.” He answered, panic rising.
“Patton, your eyes…” Roman gasped. He spun, gasping as he saw his reflection, his eyes glowing a dim red. The strange panic pulsed harder, and he flinched, shoving the others down behind him, just as the glass windows of the living room shattered.
His instincts took over, the alarm cry of danger screaming in his head, rushing in his bones, and he growled. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt his family again.
He snarled as he leapt into the fray, not bothering with weapons, his nails sharpening into claws, his fangs bared and ready to tear, as he immediately pounced on one of the assailants, rolling across the floor in a bloody scrap.
Roman had his katana drawn, trying to fend off the attackers, Logan at his back with his crescent moon blades, Patton darting between them all with his extra speed, blocking the hits the others couldn’t see coming, keeping them away from the couch, away from Virgil, whom they seemed to hone in on.
There were so many of them, too many of them, and they were faltering. Roman had a slash across his cheek, Logan was bleeding from his arm. Patton was scraped and bruised, still snarling and spitting furious, like an angry alley cat, trying to defend all three of his family members, unable to keep up, unable to stop one from getting through his line of defense, eyes locking on Virgil as one of the attacking vampires reached him, a scream building in his throat.
Then there was a brilliant burst of black violet light that threw them all off their feet. Patton blinked furiously, breath freezing at the sight before him.
Virgil was standing, eyes a deep, electric storm violet that covered the whites. The light sparked from his hands, wreathed up his arms, wove around him almost like a cloak. The power was so black it was white, shifting between the two, lightning crashing against his skin, the power radiating out from him, his entire being aglow with it. The other attacking vampires hissed, focusing on their target, leaving the others alone. A smile split Virgil’s face, a cold, cruel thing, that made Patton shiver.
“You’ve made a mistake.” Virgil’s voice was an echoing boom, thunder crashing, rattling window panes, shaking the earth, a powerful reverb to it that had all of them wincing as it echoed in their mind.
In an instant, Virgil’s hands twisted in a complicated pattern, glowing circles and runes appearing in the air before him, drawn with his fingers, then he threw his arms wide and the spell circle blew wide, encompassing all the charging vampires, enveloping them in devouring darkness. Their screams were the only sound to the room as they dissolved into smoke, and with a flick of his fingers, the dark spell was gone, along with the attackers. Then Virgil turned to the three of them, his eyes still burning nearly black, novas of light crackling across his skin. Roman shoved to his feet, katana drawn, standing guard before Patton and Logan.
“It’s not safe here.” Virgil’s voice still boomed as he held out a hand, and Roman hesitated. He didn’t want to hurt Virgil, but this was scaring him. This wasn’t anything he’d ever seen before, and he wouldn’t let anyone, even Virgil, harm the others.
“Roman. It’s ok.” Patton murmured, gently pushing down his hand holding the sword, stepping around him, taking Virgil’s outstretched hand. “I trust you.” He whispered to Virgil, noting the slight smile that played at Virgil’s lips.
“I know, baby bat. Thank you.” Virgil replied, squeezing his hand, before looking back up at the others. Logan was next, hesitantly placing a hand on his arm, Roman following suit with a huff.
Virgil closed his eyes, weaving another spell circle in the air, one more complicated than Logan had ever studied, then the world blurred like a wet water color painting, shifting and spinning around them, slowly resettling until it was solid again, and they were in a completely different place.
“And I thought I was one for dramatic entrances.” A low whistle was accompanied with the words, and the group spun to face the small table against the wall, Remy leaning back in it, a smirk on his face, that slowly faded as he noticed the sparking light emanating from Virgil, expression shifting to shock as Virgil turned to look at him, eyes nearly black as coals, his veins pulsing with dark light.
“they found us. Didn’t know where else to go. Keep… keep them safe…” Virgil swayed on his feet, and Remy swore, barely managing to catch Virgil in his arms as the magic instantly vanished, the black leaking from his eyes as they rolled back and he slumped unconscious, skin ashen.
“Shit, Anx, you really know do know how to make an entrance.” Remy whispered, watching with baited breath as Virgil groaned, eyes blearily blinking open. He tsked scoldingly.
“Did you have a stroke and forget the first lesson of magic, you moron?!” Remy shook him lightly, and Virgil hissed, rolling his eyes.
“Be careful what you cast-“
“If it’s too much it’ll draw from your lifeforce itself.” Remy chorused with him, glaring down at him angrily.
“Cool. Now bitch, explain.”
“attacked in our house. Pack of ‘em. Was… was the only option.” Virgil mumbled, eyes slipping shut once more.
“Nuh uh, babe, not on my watch.” Remy muttered, silver light enveloping him for a moment, channeling his own magic into Virgil. Almost instantly, Virgil’s complexion evened out, his breathing steady, and the glow faded from Remy. Virgil didn’t open his eyes, but he stirred slightly, letting out a deep breath and relaxing in Remy’s arms, the pained tension leaving his body. It was a deep, restful sleep of recovery, Remy had made sure of that. It was his specialty, after all.
He took a deep breath, then turned his attention to the others, scowling as he saw Patton, standing with Roman and Logan.
“Someone wanna explain why you all showed up with my half dead adopted brother and him?” Remy asked accusingly, glaring at Patton, who waved nervously. Roman opened his mouth, but Logan stepped forwards first, eyes narrowed.
“Actually, I would say that it was you who led trouble to us. Given that Virgil has been dormant in his role as Anxiety, and you have been searching for Deceit, it seems probable that you were tailed when you paid us a visit, thereby leading your enemies to our doorstep. The only reason we got out is because he used magic more powerful and complex than any I’ve read about.” Remy softened, looking back down at Virgil.
“Of course he did. It takes a ton of magic to teleport two people, let alone three, including yourself. No wonder it pulled at his life force.” Remy sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I thought I was being careful.” He muttered, pushing back Virgil’s hair, before lifting him with a sigh and depositing him on the couch. In a literal blink of an eye, Patton was there, Virgil’s head in his lap. “He’ll be all right in a bit, just needs some, well, sleep. Remy smirked slightly, pushing up his dark glasses.
“So what do we do? He said the house isn’t safe anymore, those vamps are probably watching it. So now what?” Roman asked, pacing, eyes never leaving Remy, full of distrust.
“They seemed to be targeting Virgil specifically, and if it’s true they did indeed follow you to our location, it stands to reason they are after ‘the coven’ as you referred to it. It seems our goals now align. If we wish for these vampires to leave us alone, we must find their leader, and therefore find Deceit. Whether we like it or not, we must now work together.” Logan stated, standing near the arm of the couch, hands clasped behind him. Roman scowled, not halting in his pacing.
“You think I like it either, pretty boy? The last thing I wanted was your pet vampire in my secret hideout.” Roman growled, katana half drawn, silver light sparking on Remy’s hands.
“Say that again, I dare you.” Roman hissed out.
“Gladly, bitch-“
“Enough, you two. Just… enough. I get it. You don’t like me, don’t trust me, don’t want me here. I… I get it. But I’m not leaving. He’s part of my family, and I will do anything to protect him. So can we skip the hating me part, and focus on the problem?” Patton said, voice tired instead of biting, as he looked between Remy and Roman. Remy bit his tongue, looking hard at Patton for a moment, before sighing.
“Alright. Alright, fine, fine, for now. Once we figure this out, I make no promises.” Roman hissed again, cut off by Patton’s glare.
“I’ll just have to change your mind about me by then! Now, what do you know?”
…
He was exhausted. He was slumped against the wall, crouched uncomfortably, his restraints biting into his skin, keeping him from any kind of sleeping position. Every time he drifted off, the collar dug into his neck, jerking him awake. He was stained with blood, but his eyes were still defiant as he heard footsteps approaching, glaring up at the vampire who stopped before him.
“Well. That certainly went interesting. Seems I underestimated your little Virgil. He’s a slippery little shadow, I’ll give him that.” He smirked, relief filling his chest, Virgil got away. He’d always been smart, been strong, the strongest of the three of them, really.
“If you were smart you’d let him go. He’s capable of far more than you can imagine.” He kept his voice even, making sure the exhaustion didn’t give him away, keeping his cool façade intact, as the vampire grinned, fangs showing.
“Oh, but so am I. Something interesting happened, when my followers stormed their house. See, I expected four hunters. I didn’t expect three hunters and one very protective vampire. Wouldn’t you know, my coven turned a human a few months back, and got chased off before they could drag him back to the nest. What a lovely coincidence!” The vampire clapped his hands, green eyes flashing as his heart sunk.
He knows what that means. If vampires from this clan turned Virgil’s friend, and this vampire is the leader of the clan, then Virgil is in grave danger. He can see through Virgil’s friend’s eyes, can listen through his ears, can get inside his head and control him like a thrall, if he’s close enough. There’s an enemy on the inside, and no one, including Virgil’s vampire, knows it.
“Oh, don’t look so glum! You’ll get to see each other again soon, won’t that be great? Now, I’ve gotta go prepare my next move, but don’t you worry about a thing, pet. I’ll be back to play with you soon.” The vampire patted his cheek, making him wince, before he sauntered away, whistling, leaving him shaking.
He closed his eyes against the wash of helpless hopelessness filling him from the inside out. There’s nothing he can do.
He sunk down into his apathy, shutting himself off from the pain, from any emotion, because there is nothing, nothing he can do.
When you look at the beautiful and literally very open photos of this lovely naked kickboxer with the big bush at https://www.patreon.com/danielbauer you might go k.o., but with those very erotic artistic nudes of exciting poses and views that this sport offers (and her visible excitement) in a much more pleasureful way than with the terrible fights that right now fill up the news.
We fight for life and we fight with love! Now more than ever.
Come, take a joyful break, forget for a while all the problems and dive in deeply in the beauty of my natural models and my uncensored photography. Click yourself in a better world on my https://www.patreon.com/danielbauer
As an exercise, I worked up a 4 page comic which I’d scripted and thumbnailed back in 2015 (around and after Halloween, probably part of my story choices). This is all analog; I think I learned a lot from doing this. CW for fairly graphic violence.
