[Art/Writing] Jairus: Merry Christmas

[Cogidubnus]

I wonder how sharp
This sword is. Oh my. That is
very sharp. Help, please?

As someone who has handled very sharp swords, I got a chuckle from this one.

One of my fellow iaidoka went into the woods and practiced with a shinken (real katana), and unfortunately messed up on a draw and cut clean through that portion of flesh between your thumb and hand. Still has quite a nasty scar from it. Didn't take much more than a slip, either.
Swords can be sharp, yo.

Lady Elanor also seems to be quite an awesome person, thar. Getting somewhat of a "Saber" vibe with the Covenant sword, but that only means increased awesomeness, of course.

[Jairus]

I wonder how sharp
This sword is. Oh my. That is
very sharp. Help, please?

As someone who has handled very sharp swords, I got a chuckle from this one.

One of my fellow iaidoka went into the woods and practiced with a shinken (real katana), and unfortunately messed up on a draw and cut clean through that portion of flesh between your thumb and hand. Still has quite a nasty scar from it. Didn't take much more than a slip, either.
Swords can be sharp, yo.

Yeesh. Ouch.

Lady Elanor also seems to be quite an awesome person, thar. Getting somewhat of a "Saber" vibe with the Covenant sword, but that only means increased awesomeness, of course.

Saber? What kind of saber, out of curiosity?

[Ren Gaulen]

Saber? What kind of saber, out of curiosity?

Saber the character from "Fate/Stay Night". A badass girl in armour and with the Sword That Cleaves Evil.

[Cogidubnus]

Saber? What kind of saber, out of curiosity?

Saber the character from "Fate/Stay Night". A badass girl in armour and with the Sword That Cleaves Evil.

Speaking of, I need to get 10 and 11 going, don't I...? 

[Ren Gaulen]

Saber? What kind of saber, out of curiosity?

Saber the character from "Fate/Stay Night". A badass girl in armour and with the Sword That Cleaves Evil.

Speaking of, I need to get 10 and 11 going, don't I...? 

9, 10, so forth..

[Jairus]

Saber? What kind of saber, out of curiosity?

Saber the character from "Fate/Stay Night". A badass girl in armour and with the Sword That Cleaves Evil.

Considering that Covenant - when a certain artifact has been added to it - is capable of destroying an entire fleet of skycraft or blowing up a city while leaving the wielder completely unharmed, you're not far from the truth.

Of course, the improved Covenant that Ellie eventually gets is a bit more like a Wave-Motion Cannon...

[Jairus]

And yet another character profile! Arr, avast matey! Here be a cyborg-pirate-ninja!

Name: Kiyoshi Ilzakar
Nicknames: Kiyo, Captain Kiyoshi, Captain Ilzakar, Captain
Age: 28
Family: Sakura Kiyoshi (mother)(deceased), Other Family? (unknown)
Marital Status: Single
Species: Human Being
Type: Sorcerer
Hair color: Black
Eye color: Brown
Skills: Ninjutsu, Piracy, intimate understanding of Imperial forces, engineering know-how
Hobbies: Reading The Adventures of Captain Gale, pirating, being a dashing gentleman pirate
Favorite Weapon(s): "Squall" custom semiautomatic handgun, short ninja blade, cybernetic right arm
Most known for: Being a dashing pirate
Favorite food: Rice
Favorite color: Green
Overview
Personality: A dashing gentleman pirate. Really, need I say more? Okay, I will. Kiyoshi is a gentleman in every way he can be, holding himself to a strict code of honor that has made him slightly infamous as a pirate. However, it is possible that all of this is an act, especially considering that Captain Gale was a gentleman pirate and was and is Kiyoshi's favorite series. He is, however, out to make his fortune, and seems to be doing fairly well. He takes no side in the war, and the only reason he's joined up with the party is the chance of fantastic wealth and a fortune's worth of historical artifacts. He is fairly friendly and helpful, and the only thing he is not open about is his past and why he has a prosthetic for a right arm. Kiyoshi really has no long-term plans, and seems to like living that way.
History: Most of Kiyoshi's history before he met his partner Telum is unknown. His mother is known, and it is also known that she taught him her ninjutsu skills. At some point his right arm was replaced by a cybernetic replacement of Imperial origin, and it was shortly after this that he took up piracy. He joined up with Telum somewhere in the Carbeiros Chain, and Calvin shortly afterwards. He and Telum were the original pilots of the Shepherd B, while Telum joined them after they acquired and began modifying the Shepherd Junior. He did not participate in the last war aside from shuttling supplies on occassion.
Trivia:
• His arm is an extremely advanced model, and he has tinkered with it slightly over the years... including adding a collapsing knife into the forearm for a close-range weapon. The arm is actually linked into his nervous system, and can move slightly faster and more accurately than a normal arm, which is why it is his shooting arm.
• His ninjutsu skills are extremely dangerous, especially at close range. And no, he has no powers because of it outside of some dangerous martial arts skills... no walking on water or making Shadow Clones: that's magic's realm, thank you very much.
• In terms of magic, he's not very talented, but mostly Fire and Dark magic. He can, however, whip up low-level spells of all of the elemental types, should the need arise.
• He also uses various alchemical potions in battles.
• His knowledge of mechanics is second only to Calvin, and quite frequently the two of them can be found working on some non-functional piece of equipment.
• He tends to carry a sort of manners into battle with him, but it makes him come across as condescending towards his opponents.
• He and Telum have occasionally been mistaken as a couple. They are, however, just good friends. Besides, as Kiyoshi puts it, "Calvin's better in bed."
Personal Quote: "Oh please. I'm a gentleman."


...
Yes, I made a cyborg-pirate-ninja. I officially have no shame. Okay, questions, comments, etc. etc. etc.?

Haiku!
Three things that are just
Too awesome to exist as
One. Yet it's so lame.

Where did I hide this
Rose? You don't want to think
About that for too long.

I cannot think of
Subjects tonight. Perhaps I
Am simply tired?

With magic, I can wield
Many blades. The problem is
Keeping track of them.

We are the Marines,
The Butt-Kicking Space Marines.
We need a theme song.

The God Emperor:
The Musical: Brilliant,
Or really stupid?

The Pink has taken
Over Whitefurr's mind. We must
Work fast to save him.

Sometimes, Ren scares me.
Small flashes of ideas,
And he draws weird things.

Oh, can love bloom on
The battlefield? Can two such
Space Marines find love?

Well... let's see if I can do a poem.
This ship of steel, that wings through air.
A masterpiece, one of a kind.
So many pieces, found and rescued,
Brought together, as one combined.
Guns of power, and engines' roar,
To fly the skies forever more.
Now take we off, to other lands,
From frozen mount' to sunny sands.
This is our quest, what we do wish:
To find what waits, fair fortune sought,
To see what is, and know it all,
And fly none know with ne'er a thought.

... I actually kind of like that one.

[Ren Gaulen]

A cyborg pirate ninja is cool. But this has to be done.

Do what you want, 'cause a pirate is free,
YOU ARE A PIRATE!
Yar har, fiddle di dee,
Being a pirate is alright to be,
Do what you want 'cause a pirate is free,
You are a pirate!

That is all.

[Jairus]

To be a pirate is not only my wish,
To sail and plunder upon the seas.
A life of adventure is what I do seek,
And live life at mercy of the breeze.
Move back and forth through life's great ventures,
To live each danger and life-threatening quest,
To come back home from a distant shore,
With a load of treasure locked up in a chest.
With partners at side and gun in hand,
A monster before and a ship at my back.
This is my dream, what I truly want,
If I had but this, then there's nothing I'd lack.

[Jairus]

Anyway... I figured I might as well get some tech stuff going for Belenus, since skycraft are so important. Names for the other classes may change, but Ziz and the associated names are staying.

Ziz-class dreadnaught

General and Technical Data

Class Number: INV-D01/b
Name: Ziz-class
Ships of the line: Ziz, Behemoth, Leviathan
Unit type: Dreadnought Skycraft
Manufacturer: Imperial Royal Shipyards, Yan Sarisco
Operators: Imperial Royal Navy
First deployment: unknown
Dimensions: unknown (approximately 900+ feet long)
Wingspan: unknown (approximately 400+ fee wide)
Weight: unknown (approximately 65,000 tons)
Propulsion: Lift Ring x many; Main Thruster x 7; Secondary Thruster x 8; Tertiary Thrusters (maneuvering thrusters) x 10
Crew Size: approximately 2000
Equipment and design features: Differential Engine Computer Core x 3; "Biblos"-class power core x 4; Shield projector x many; Barrier projector x many
Fixed armaments: 6 x 3-barrel main cannons (2 fore top, 2 fore bottom; 1 aft top; 1 aft bottom); 16 x 2-barrel secondary cannons (8 wing top, 8 wing bottom); 2 x linear acceleration cannon (wingtip, retractable); 2 x charged particle cannons (wing top); many x air-to-air autogun turret; many x anti-skycraft torpedo tubes; many x air-to-air missile launcher
Mobile weapons: 12 x "Lanzlet" sky fighters; 8 x "Charger" gunboat; 2 x "Lamora" dropship; 10 x "Envoy" shuttlecraft
Launch gantries: 2

Technical and Historical Notes

   The pinnacle of the Imperial Royal Navy, the Ziz-class Dreadnaught was designed as an absolute symbol of the Empire's power. Nearly twice as well armed as the closest equivalent battleship, and superceded in size only by the Gigantes-class carrier, the Ziz-class is the most powerful vessel in the skies. She was designed literally to serve as a figurehead: the roles she is capable of fulfilling could be filled by several smaller vessels for less resources than it took to build and maintain her. On the other hand, the ship also serves as a psychological weapon, capable of bringing to bear more weapons than anyone else: the Republic to the south of the Empire only has a single dreadnaught to the Empire's three.
   The ship's main body is roughly dart shaped, with two wide wings giving her the appearance from above and below of a giant arrowhead: she also vaguely looks like a bird. The engines are obviously concentrated at the back, while the ship's massive lift-rings are scattered throughout the vessels: these rings are designed not only for flight but to help stabilize the vessel in battle. The Ziz-class is armed with several powerful weapons designed to fill multiple roles, including two charged particle beam cannon turrets mounted on the wings. The wings, incidentally, are the site of most of the ship's weaponry, and are extremely stable. While she is mostly designed for anti-ship combat, she has several autogun turrets for anti fighter craft combat, and some of her lower guns can be repositioned for bombardment. The ship also has an extremely powerful barrier and shield system, but due to the nature of these defenses the gun turrets and launch gantries are mostly unprotected: the shields, in fact, are designed to protect these areas, which are not covered by the barriers. One weakness of the design was that it didn't have much space for skycraft of its own, and had only a handful of fighters, gunboats, and shuttlecraft.
   There are four ships in the Ziz-class: IMS Ziz, IMS Behemoth, and IMS Leviathan. Ziz is obviously the oldest, with Leviathan the newest, having only been launched two months ago. All of them are used as the flagships of the Imperial Fleets they're attached to, and each of them has a High Proctor who uses them as their personal base. IMS Ziz is permanently stationed near the capital city of the Empire.

...
Oy, I need to make this crap shorter. Okay, questions, comments, etc. etc. etc.?

An island of steel
Aloft on the winds. It's guns
Rain death down from high.

This is my song. You
Shall now listen to it. Now
As I sing aloud...

A blade with edge as
Sharp as winter's. My heating
Bills are through the roof.

You think that it's cool
Being able to control
Fire? It is not.

Such a terrible
Movie. Why did I watch it?
Why did they make it?

There once was a man
From Nantucket, who wanted
To write some haiku.

There once was an Imperial Commissar,
Who was quite busy waxing his car,
He realized with dread
That it was painted red,
Which he felt was just slightly bizarre.

There once was an Emperor from Terra,
Whom everyone looked at with awe.
His people would plea,
For his godly mercy
And his every last edict was law.

Yeah... anyway.


EDIT: Fixed the weapons a bit.

[Cogidubnus]

Well, the Nantucket Haiku was amusing (bait and switch, anyone? ), but the actual limericks are certainly refreshing, although they don't quite seem to rhyme...

If you added a couplet and made the rhyme scheme ABAB, CDCD, you'd also have a sonnet with your pirate poem down thar.

The Ziz class dreadnought also sounds interesting, although not being able to carry many fighters, this makes me wonder if you're going to add a Carrier-class ship of some sort.
"Carrier has arrived!"

[Ren Gaulen]

I love heavy artillery in the sky..

[Jairus]

Well, the Nantucket Haiku was amusing (bait and switch, anyone? ), but the actual limericks are certainly refreshing, although they don't quite seem to rhyme...

Well, the meter's bad and the rhyme is a little forced. I wrote them mainly because I wanted to actually write something that rhymed... no offense meant to the haiku.

If you added a couplet and made the rhyme scheme ABAB, CDCD, you'd also have a sonnet with your pirate poem down thar.

I will certainly think about it... we're currently having an erratic power outage here, so I had better copy and safe that to my computer: that way I can finish it. There's also the problem that it's got alternating lines of 9 and 11 syllables.

The Ziz class dreadnought also sounds interesting, although not being able to carry many fighters, this makes me wonder if you're going to add a Carrier-class ship of some sort.
"Carrier has arrived!"

Gigantes-class air carrier. Imagine something twice the size of the USS Enterprise (the real-world ship, not Star Trek), flying through the air, disgorging hundreds of sky fighters towards an enemy fleet while it is capable of filling the air with bullets from its defensive cannons and it is surrounded by a fleet of battleships, destroyers, and corvettes...

Heeheehee.

To my knowledge, there are three completed carriers in the Imperial Fleet, Gigantes, Olympus, and Titanes, with a keel being laid for the fourth Titanides. Most large skycraft - if not all - have some form of carrying capacity, though battleships - like dreadnaughts - have a somewhat more limited capacity compared to destroyers. I'll get to them soon, don't worry.

I love heavy artillery in the sky..

Wait till the Imperial fleets are finished... then I can cover the Republic's ships and the Rebel/Salem ships. Heck, I might even try sketching out some basic designs for Ziz so you can get an idea of what she looks like... unless my description was sufficient, in which case I'll do it anyway.

A rain of steel that
Destroys all it touches. This
Is our power.

[Jairus]

If you added a couplet and made the rhyme scheme ABAB, CDCD, you'd also have a sonnet with your pirate poem down thar.

Well, I don't quite like it as well as the original, but here's "The Pirate Sonnet."

To be a pirate is not just my dream,
To sail forth and plunder upon the seas.
A life of adventures is what I scheme,
And live a life at mercy of the breeze.
Move back and forth through life's great challenges,
Live each danger and life-threatening quest,
To return back home from a distant shore,
A load of treasures locked up in a chest.
With partners at side and a gun in hand,
A monster before and ship at my back,
To take a small step into unknown lands,
If I had but this, then nothing I'd lack.
A life seen only from within my book.
But if given a chance, inside I'd look.

[Jairus]

Tech-page, anyone? Okay, how about some stats for the other four vessels I've mentioned (Gigantes, Lanzlet, Charger, Envoy)? Well, you're getting 'em, so I don't know why I'm asking. Joking. Anyway...

Gigantes-class Carrier

General and Technical Data

Class Number: INV-C03/a
Name: Gigantes-class
Ships of the line: Gigantes, Olympus, Titanes, Titanides (incomplete)
Unit type: Carrier Skycraft
Manufacturer: Imperial Royal Shipyards, Yan Sarisco
Operators: Imperial Royal Navy
First deployment: Unknown
Dimensions: approximately 1100+ feet long
Wingspan: approximately 800+ feet wide
Weight: approximately 115,000 tons
Propulsion: Lift Ring x many; Main Thruster x 5; Secondary Thruster x 6
Crew Size: approximately 4,750
Equipment and design features: Differential Engine Computer Core x 3; "Biblos"-class power core x 4; Shield projector x many; Barrier projector x many
Fixed armaments: 1 x 3-barrel main cannons (1 fore top); 4 x 2-barrel secondary cannon (2 wing top, 2 wing bottom); many x air-to-air autogun defense turret; many x anti-skycraft torpedo tubes; many x air-to-air missile launcher
Mobile weapons: 120 x "Lanzlet" sky fighter; 36 x "Charger" gunboat; 8 x "Lamora" dropship; 24 x "Envoy" shuttlecraft
Launch catapults: 12

Technical and Historical Notes

   The largest skycraft in the skies of Belenus, the Gigantes-class carrier is easily twice the size of the Ziz-class dreadnaught series. The ship closely resembles two large winged skycraft joined in the middle, to form a unique double-hulled design: each hull is one of the two launch and retrieval bays. The ship itself has twelve launch racks, allowing it to disgorge it's one hundred and twenty Lanzlet sky fighters in a remarkably short period of time. Most of the ship's interior is taken up by the maintenance and storage bays, and approximately two-fifths of the crew are devoted to the maintenance of the fighters alone. It also carries a large number of Charger gunboats, which in case of battle are more used as defense craft for the carried: despite the weapons it is armed with, the Gigantes-class is almost incapable of engaging with other Capital-size skycraft. There are currently only three operational Gigantes carriers: Gigantes herself, Olympus, and Titanes, with the fourth - Titanides - being as yet incomplete. Titanes is arguably the most famous of the three, as it is the flagship of the 8th Royal Fleet.

Lanzlet-class sky fighter

General and Technical Data

Class Number: IAF-dn23
Name: Lanzlet-class
Ships of the line: unnamed
Unit type: mass-production sky fighter
Manufacturer: Imperial Royal Shipyards
Operators: Imperial Royal Air Force
First deployment: unknown
Dimensions: approximately 27 feet
Wingspan: approximately 23 feet
Weight: approximately 10 tons
Propulsion: 4 x small lift ring; 2 x vectored compression thruster
Crew Size: 1 pilot, in cockpit module in front
Equipment and design features: Folding frame for Vertical Launch/Landing and carrier drop; Ejectable cockpit module
Fixed armaments: 2 x autogun, mounted in cockpit module; 2 x 4-round air-to-air missile launcher, mounted in connector arms; 4 x hardpoints for mounting optional weapons, mounted on wings on thruster module

Technical and Historical Notes

   One of the most advanced fighters in Belenus, the Lanzlet was designed to replace the earlier Lanzler model, and has been in service for eight years now. Though it retains the same general shape as the Lanzler (large thruster module, smaller ejectable cockpit module, and two thick connecting arms), the Lanzlet makes a number of improvements. It adds a vector coil for the compression thrusters to improve maneuverability, making the fighter extremely responsive. The fighter adds four optional hardpoints to the original design, allowing the fighter to mount additional weaponry, like anti-ship torpedoes or rotary autocannons for additional firepower. The fighter also does not require a landing strip due to its VLL design. One new feature is the folding frame, which collapses the fighter into a more compact folded form, with the cockpit module sitting on top of the connector module sitting on top of the engine module with the wings folded in tight: overall, the fighter takes up nearly a quarter less space when stored this way. The fighter is also designed to be launched in this fashion and unfold in midair, meaning that it doesn't have to "decompress" to be ready for battle: it also makes it easier to access vital components for easier repair. One weakness with the design is that the small lift rings are not very good at keeping it aloft, so the fighter cannot "stop" in midair: it can only hover during landing and docking and launching. A number of customizable specialty fighters have been designed, but these are not as common as the baseline model. Most of the ships in the Empire have been retooled to handle the Lanzlet, with the Olympus and Titanes being built from the ground up to handle them. The Lanzler class is still in use, but it is mostly used as an installation defense fighter craft.

Charger-class gunboat

General and Technical Data

Class Number: IAC-gb041
Name: Charger-class
Ships of the line: unnamed
Unit type: gunboat skycraft
Manufacturer: Imperial Royal Shipyards
Operators: Imperial Royal Air Force
First deployment: unknown
Dimensions: approximately 34 feet
Wingspan: approximately 41 feet
Weight: approximately 25 tons
Propulsion: 2 x large lift ring; 2 x small lift ring; 1 x vectored compression thruster
Crew Size: 1 pilot; 1 copilot/communications officer; 1 gunner - all in cockpit module
Equipment and design features: High-maneuverability lift ring; ejectable cockpit module;
Fixed armaments: 2 x rotary autogun, mounted on gun turret beneath cockpit; 2 x autogun, mounted beside cockpit; 2 3-shot anti-ship torpedo launcher, mounted beside cockpit; 2 x 12-barrel anti-air missile tube, mounted on engine section

Technical and Historical Notes

   The standard gunboat of the Empire, the Charger was designed to serve as an anti-fighter skycraft, with the ability to engage in anti-capital ship combat if necessary. The most distinctive feature of the class is the two massive lift rings mounted beneath and beside the main body, which together give the craft unparalled response and control: it also has two smaller lift rings on the engine module to help counterbalance it. The craft is designed for hovering in one place for an extended period of time, and is capable of moving in any direction quickly. Another feature of the class is the twin autocannon turret mounted beneath the cockpit, as well as the two massive missile launchers mounted by the engines. It also mounts two normal autoguns and a pair of anti-ship torpedoes. They tend to be used as point-defenses for capital ships, as well as anti-fighter craft combat and installation defense. As with the Lanzlet, there are a number of custom models for special purposes. One alternative use that the Empire has used to great effect is anti-personnel combat, using the autocannons to mow down enemy soldiers. Most capital ships carry Chargers, even if they don't have Lanzlets.

Envoy-class shuttle

General and Technical Data

Class Number: IAS-sl02
Name: Envoy-class
Ships of the line: unnamed
Unit type: Shuttlecraft
Manufacturer: Imperial Royal Shipyards
Operators: Imperial Royal Air Force, Imperial Marines
First deployment: unknown
Dimensions: approximately 50 feet long
Wingspan: approximately 34 feet long
Weight: approximately 42 tons
Propulsion: 3 x mid-size lift ring; 4 x small lift ring; 4 x vectored compression thruster; 1 x hyper conpression  thruster
Crew Size: 1 pilot; 1 copilot; 1 navigator; 1 communications officer; 1 main gunner; 2 secondary gunner; 10 passenger
Equipment and design features: Barrier defense system; sensor masking projector; high-end communications network
Fixed armaments: 2 x 6-round air-to-air missile launcher; 2 x rotary autocannon, turret mounted

Technical and Historical Notes

   While not a normal troop transport, the Envoy is designed as a fast, reliable shuttle for important personnel. The arrow-shaped shuttle is not only fast, but maneuverable as well, while the combination of specially designed profile and sensor mask makes it difficult to detect. It also has an experimental hyper compression thruster, capable of allowing near-sonic speed. It's small passenger complement gives it away as designed for smaller, more specialized passengers. They are mostly used by officers, but in recent years customized Envoys have been used by the Royal Guard and the High Proctors as their own personal shuttlecraft.


...
Phew, that was fun. Okay, soon I have to do the battleships, destroyers, corvettes, troop transports... and then move onto the OTHER fleets. Fun. Sorry for no character profile... maybe I'll do it later.


As fast as sound, we
Fly through the clouds. A boom moves
Behind our ship.

Compression thrusters
Use several lift rings to
Make a jet engine.

Once more, I find it
Hard to write my haiku. Oh
Well, here's a handful.

Oh wait! I have one
More! This haiku is strangely
Meta, isn't it?

[Jairus]

Well, I've had a long day. Suffice to say, one thing I have learned is to pay attention to where you are walking while you are text messaging: tree branches are sometimes low enough to meet your head. Ouch.

Anyway, I didn't do the new tech post like I wanted, so instead here's a little experiment combining my haiku and a non-iambic sonnet. Well, kind of. In short, it's my little thing of taking a handful of haiku and making a prose verse from them by taking out the separating lines, making one line of seventeen syllables instead of three lines of five-seven-five. Anyway, it's a sonnet structure (A-B-A-B-C-D-C-D-E-F-E-F-G-G), and the title is just something I added cause I didn't have one in mind.

"Twilight"

The day once more ends. Below the horizon the sun now slowly sets.
From burning red to twilight blue. The first stars will come, a faint twinkle.
From twilight blue to deep black, the scattered stars like jewels on velvet.
A half moon's silver-white light shines down upon the land, and fills each wrinkle
Of the earth as it slowly cools off from the heat of the daytime's light.
A fresh breeze carries the scent of summer, of a small summer rainstorm.
There is a taste of falling leaves and crisp air, the coming of fall's bite.
But for now, all is well and dry. Summer is still high, and the air warm.
Daytime animals are nestled away: others now can come outside.
There are two worlds here, one light and one dark: one ends, the other's begun.
Some take wing, others walk, some swim, some climb, some dig, and still others glide.
Here, in twilight, we see them both. The day and night, for a moment as one.
This is the time to forge new memories, to keep our thoughts alive.
Here, we start one more nighttime rest, and wait for the new day to arrive.


Again, sorry for those interested in my tech stuff for not getting more up. Hope you liked this: it was a nightmare to write. I'll try to do some tech stuff... tonight. Damn, it's 1:45 AM. Good night.

Well, that was harder
Than I thought it would be. At
Least it is over.

[Cogidubnus]

As far as "Twilight", the lines themselves are simply too long. It reads almost nearly more like a paragraph of prose than poetry. Of course, I realize that it's technically a frankenstien of Haiku rather than simply being made by itself, but I'd still have to say that the Haiku by themselves would be more effective.
As far as the content, it seems a very good attempt at nature poetry. All I can say is the best way to be a better poet is to read good poetry - Wordsworth is considered a very good nature poet, and pretty fast and loose with poetic structure.

As far as the technical notes, I still like the Carrier class. 120 fighters isn't anything to sneeze at, it would seem like. Although I am surprised that the Carrier class can't engage other Capital-class ships, with all the weaponry that it's toting around.

[Jairus]

As far as "Twilight", the lines themselves are simply too long. It reads almost nearly more like a paragraph of prose than poetry. Of course, I realize that it's technically a frankenstien of Haiku rather than simply being made by itself, but I'd still have to say that the Haiku by themselves would be more effective.

You're probably right. Then again, it's rare that I compose poetry at 1:30 in the morning. I did kind of have a thought of dividing it by the punctuation (periods and commas), so that it would end up stretching downwards. Part of the reason I don't like this is that combined with the rhyme every seventeen syllables it would end up looking like something of Virginia Woolf's, and while she is a talented and wonderful writer she is a little hard to read at times... um... hm...

... I could either try that, or later on post these as the fourteen haiku they originally were.

As far as the content, it seems a very good attempt at nature poetry. All I can say is the best way to be a better poet is to read good poetry - Wordsworth is considered a very good nature poet, and pretty fast and loose with poetic structure.

Hm, I think I might have a bit of him somewhere in my books.

As far as the technical notes, I still like the Carrier class. 120 fighters isn't anything to sneeze at, it wouldn't seem like. Although I am surprised that the Carrier class can't engage other Capital-class ships, with all the weaponry that it's toting around.

It also has troop transports and drop ships (I just hadn't figured them out), and those fighters can be a customized loud-out (long-range bombers as compared to normal fighters). The reason it really can't engage other Capital vessels is because those weapons are basically for self-defense. You don't want your big expensive carrier engaging in battle with another ship in an era where a broadside is a normal battle tactic (the Ziz can point a total of 34 cannon barrels to either side of the ship, so it's got an amazing broadside attack... that pushes it almost fifty feet to the side whenever it's fired): you've got basically 150 different fighters that use it as a base, and they'd be in trouble if their mother ship got blown up. It's like a real carrier: it's meant to hang back, and be able to protect itself should the need arise, but that's not its primary function. I'm trying to avoid Gundam-style assault carriers. Besides which, most capital ships can carry at least 6-12 fighters on their own, so they have some capacity, just not much. Does that kind of help?

Besides, the only reason I say "many" is because I'm a lazy ass who doesn't want to map in his mind the location of all of these things so that I can have a total figure to use.


PS: I think I'm going to "fix" Ziz a bit, lower their fighter count. This thing is designed to move a crapload of guns around, and not to have much in the way of fighters.


Twilight comes, and for
A brief while, the world is
In the nether world.

EDIT:
A gray wolf steps through
The woods, in search of a meal.
Not the big bad wolf.

[Cogidubnus]

It also has troop transports and drop ships (I just hadn't figured them out), and those fighters can be a customized loud-out (long-range bombers as compared to normal fighters). The reason it really can't engage other Capital vessels is because those weapons are basically for self-defense. You don't want your big expensive carrier engaging in battle with another ship in an era where a broadside is a normal battle tactic (the Ziz can point a total of 34 cannon barrels to either side of the ship, so it's got an amazing broadside attack... that pushes it almost fifty feet to the side whenever it's fired): you've got basically 150 different fighters that use it as a base, and they'd be in trouble if their mother ship got blown up. It's like a real carrier: it's meant to hang back, and be able to protect itself should the need arise, but that's not its primary function. I'm trying to avoid Gundam-style assault carriers. Besides which, most capital ships can carry at least 6-12 fighters on their own, so they have some capacity, just not much. Does that kind of help?

Oh yes, quite so. It's not that they're ineffective, but rather that they're too expensive to risk, and more valuable doing other things than frontline combat.

A gray wolf steps through
The woods, in search of a meal.
Not the big bad wolf.

Steel is his body.
Mechanical man, in suits
of wond'rous armor

[Jairus]

A gray wolf steps through
The woods, in search of a meal.
Not the big bad wolf.

Steel is his body.
Mechanical man, in suits
of wond'rous armor

The steel gray winter
Hides the hunter within its
Gloom. Food is needed.

A knight of metal,
And a mortal soul. It shall
Live on forever.

Anyway...

Well, as of this posting the Imperial Fleets are completed. Well, more or less. Sorry that the paragraphs are a little less intensive, but I'm tired. So, anyway, hopefully this will give you an idea of the Empire's ship scale...

Gaul-class battleship

General and Technical Data

Class Number: INS-b03
Name: Gaul-class
Ships of the line: unknown
Unit type: Battleship
Manufacturer: Imperial Royal Shipyards
Operators: Imperial Royal Navy
First deployment: unknown
Dimensions: approximately 775 feet long
Wingspan: approximately 315 feet wide
Weight: approximately 45,000 tons
Propulsion: Lift Ring x many; 5 x main compression thruster, 4 x secondary compression ring thruster
Crew Size: approximately 1500
Equipment and design features: Differential Engine Computer Core; "Biblos"-class power core x 2; Shield projector x many; Barrier projector x many
Fixed armaments: 2 x 3-barrel main cannons (1 fore top, 1 aft top); 8 x 2-barrel secondary cannons (4 wing top, 4 wing bottom); 4 x 1-barrel cannon (main body mounted); 1 x charged particle cannon (fore mounted); 32 x air-to-air autogun turret; 16 x anti-capital torpedo tubes; 32 x air-to-air-missile launcher
Mobile weapons: 24 x "Lanzlet" sky fighters; 8 x "Charger" gunboat; 3 x "Lamora" troop transport; 3 x "Envoy" shuttlecraft
Launch catapults: 3

Technical and Historical Notes

   Of the Imperial fleet's three normal ships, the Gaul is the largest and rarest. Gaul's tend to act as flagships for the various fleets, or at least did so before the introduction of the Gigantes and Ziz class vessels. They are large, vaguely delta-shaped skycraft, and noted for being fairly bulky-looking. Though nominally battleships (thanks to their wide array of weaponry, including a centerline charged particle cannon), Gauls can also act as light carriers, thanks to the ability to carry twenty-four Lanzlets and eight Chargers. Gauls are mainly used in anti-capital ship combat, relying on their heavier armor and array of weapons.

Bohort-class Destroyer

General and Technical Data

Class Number: IND-w30
Name: Bohort-class
Ships of the line: unknown
Unit type: Destroyer
Manufacturer: Imperial Royal Shipyards
Operators: Imperial Royal Navy
First deployment: unknown
Dimensions: approximately 600 feet long
Wingspan: approximately 200 feet wide
Weight: approximately 25,000 tons
Propulsion: Lift ring x many; 4 x main compression thruster; 2 x secondary compression ring thruster
Crew Size: approximately 1100
Equipment and design features: Differential Engine Computer Core; "Biblos"-class power core; Shield projector x many; Barrier projector x many
Fixed armaments: 2 x 3-barrel main cannon (1 fore top, 1 fore bottom); 4 x 2-barrel secondary cannon (wing mounted, 2 on each side); 6 x 1-barrel cannon (main body mounted); 1 x charged particle cannon (centerline mounted) 24 x air-to-air autogun turret; 20 x anti-capital torpedo tubes; 20 x air-to-air missile launcher
Mobile weapons: 12 x "Lanzlet" sky fighters; 2 x "Charger" gunboat; 1 x "Lamora" troop transport (mounted in nose); 2 x "Envoy" shuttlecraft
Launch catapults: 2

Technical and Historical Notes

   The mid sized of the Empire's three standard ships, the Bohort destroyer is a good conpromise between the larger Gaul or the smaller Bedoier, being faster than the Gaul yet more heavily armed than the Bedoier. Bohort continues the Empire's theme of arrow and delta-shaped ships and vessels, but is much slimmer than the Gaul. The ship is designed to serve as a general purpose vessel, and given it's popularity and dispersion throughout the Empire's naval forces this should be obvious. In addition to an array of weaponry, the ship is also capable of carrying a small force of fighter skycraft: not much, but worth their weight. While the Bohort is armed with a charged particle cannon identical to the one used by the Gaul, the power requirements for the weapon combined with Bohort's smaller size means that the Bohort has a firing rate 33% slower than the Gaul. Bohort's are good all-around vessels, at the cost of not specializing in anything.

Bedoier-class Corvette

General and Technical Data

Class Number: INC-l07
Name: Bedoier-class
Ships of the line: unknown
Unit type: Corvette/light cruiser
Manufacturer: Imperial Royal Shipyards
Operators: Imperial Royal Navy
First deployment: unknown
Dimensions: approximately 415 feet long
Wingspan: approximately 135 feet wide
Weight: approximately 12,500 tons
Propulsion: 2 large lift ring; 6 medium lift ringl 16 small lift ring; 1 central hyper compression thruster; 6 main compression thruster
Crew Size: approximately 500 crewmembers
Equipment and design features: Differential Engine Computer Core; "Biblos"-class power core; Shield projector x many; Barrier projector x many
Fixed armaments: 2 x 2-barrel cannon (main body fore mounted); 6 x 1-barrel cannon (1 top main body, 1 bottom main body, 2 top wing, 2 bottom wing); 20 x autogun turret; 4 x anti-capital torpedo tubes; 12 x air-to-air missile launcher
Mobile weapons: 4 x "Lanzlet" sky fighters; 2 x "Charger" gunboat; 1 x "Lamora" troop transport (mounted on bottom side); 1 x "Envoy" shuttlecraft
Launch catapults: none: storage racks mounted in wings

Technical and Historical Notes

   Smallest of the Empire's three main ships, the Bedoier corvette is also the fastest of the three, having been designed as a fast and quick anti-capital warship. The Bedoier class was designed around the then-new Lamora troop transport, which is apparent by how the Bedoier's Lamora basically clings to the ship's belly during normal flight. The ship is also too small for an actual launch catapult, and so has two matching storage bays in each of the wings with a pair of extending launch racks, each bay holding two Lanzlets and one Charger. The ship's Envoy, meanwhile, sits in the ship's top spine. The ship is incredibly fast thanks to its collection of engines, and isn't half-badly armed for a ship of its size: it is both faster and more heavily armed than the Republic's equivalent. On the other hand, there isn't much too the ship aside from its engines, guns, launch gantries and power core: crew quarters and other areas have been squeezed in where they can be, and the armor is nothing to brag about either. Bedoier's are dependent on their speed and barriers to avoid damage: a few lucky shots can down them quickly. Overall, Bedoier's do well, however, despite their lack of speciality.

Drystan-class resupply vessel

General and Technical Data

Class Number: INS-r45
Name: Drystan
Ships of the line: unknown
Unit type: resupply/large transport vessel
Manufacturer: Imperial Royal Shipyards
Operators: Imperial Royal Air Force
First deployment: unknown
Dimensions: approximately 150 feet long
Wingspan: approximately 215 feet wide
Weight: approximately 500 tons
Propulsion: 1 x large lift rings; 4 x medium lift rings; 6 x small lift rings; 4 x main compression thruster; 2 x secondary compression thrusters
Crew Size: approximately 35
Equipment and design features: Large easily loadable/swappable cargo module; long-range flight capabilities
Fixed armaments: 1 x nose-mounted cannon; 6 x autogun turret; 2 x air-to-air missile launcher

Technical and Historical Notes

   The Empire's standard resupply vessel, the Drystan was designed around a large cargo module capable of carrying nearly anything, should the need arise. Most of the ship is little more than inner structure, engines, and a small crew section. Despite the fact that it is a fairly large, it is capable of incredible range and is actually fairly fast, though due to the weight of its fully-loaded cargo bay it is not really capable of hovering outside of takeoff and landing. These ships are fairly ubiquitous in Imperial territories, and a civilian model has been made available.

Lamora-class Transport

General and Technical Data

Class Number: IAF-s33
Name: Lamora-class
Ships of the line: Unnamed
Unit type: Transport
Manufacturer: Imperial Royal Shipyards
Operators: Imperial Royal Air Force
First deployment: unknown
Dimensions: approximately 100 feet long
Wingspan: approximately 45 feet wide
Weight: approximately 255 tons
Propulsion: 2 x large lift ring; 6 x small lift ring; 3 x compression thruster
Crew Size: 1 pilot, 1 copilot, 1 navigator/communications officer, 1 main gunner, 6 sub gunners, 4 deck officers, 40 troops or more depending on configuration
Equipment and design features: fine control system; sensor dampeners; rapid egress hatches from passenger compartment
Fixed armaments: 2 x air-to-air missile launcher; 2 x anti-ground mine launcher; 1 x autocannon turret, mounted beneath cockpit; 6 x autogun defense turret

Technical and Historical Notes

   The standard troop transport/dropship of the Empire, Lamora is designed to handle an incredible array of different troops. Very little time or effort is needed to reconfigure the ship to support almost any kind of troop, with the ship's slim profile and sensor-dampening systems making it easier to slip into enemy territory. The ship has incredibly fine controls for pinpoint landing, and also has a number of hatches built into the bottom side to land its passengers as fast as possible. Despite its armaments, they are more designed for defense and clearing a landing zone than anything else.

Garesh-class Naval Frigate

General and Technical Data

Class Number: IAS-n23
Name: Garesh-class
Ships of the line: unknown
Unit type: Sea-use frigate
Manufacturer: Imperial Royal Shipyards
Operators: Imperial Royal Navy
First deployment: unknown
Dimensions: approximately 560 feet long
Width: approximately 125 feet wide, full width approximately 225 feet wide
Weight: approximately 35,000 tons
Propulsion: 3 x ducted propeller; 2 x aquatic thruster built into catamaran wings; 2 x maneuvering propeller built into lower hull
Crew Size: approximately 780
Equipment and design features: unknown
Fixed armaments: 2 x 3-barrel cannons (1 fore, 1 aft); 6 x 2-barrel cannons (1 fore, 1 aft, 2 each side); 4 x 1-barrel cannon (2 each side); 24 x autogun defense turret; 2 x 16-barrel sea-to-air missile launchers; 4 x anti-capital torpedo tubes; 4 x 8-barrel anti-air missile launchers
Mobile weapons: 4 x "Lanzlet" skyfighters; 2 x "Charger" gunboat; 2 x "Envoy" shuttlecraft
Launch catapults: None: maintenance gantries mounted between catamaran stabilizers and main body (2 Lanzlet+1 Charger+1 Envoy to each side)

Technical and Historical Notes

   The only true sea vessel remaining in the Empire's arsenal, the Garesh frigate is a relic of a time nearly passed, yet is still a force to be reckoned with. The ships are designed to protect the Empire's sea-based towns and cities, and as such is not designed for long-range voyages. It is incredibly well armed, and designed for anti-aerial warfare. While it is not very fast, it has no need to be. It's small contingent of fighter skycraft is meant to be supplemented by a land-based base or a nearby skycraft. Though their use is limited compared to a fleet of skycraft, the Empire maintains these vessels as a symbol of their borders.

Gerain-class amphibious vessel

General and Technical Data

Class Number: IAA-v41
Name: Gerain-class
Ships of the line: unknown
Unit type: amphibious assault patrol boat
Manufacturer: Imperial Royal Shipyards
Operators: Imperial Royal Navy/Army
First deployment: unknown
Dimensions: approximately 45 feet long
Wingspan: approximately 20 feet wide
Weight: approximately 25 tons
Propulsion: 2 x rotating ducted propellors; 5 x small lift ring (collapses into hull when not in use)
Crew Size: approximately 12
Equipment and design features: amphibious design capable of sea and land combat; enhanced communications network; 6 x retracting brace legs
Fixed armaments: 1 x cannon turret, mounted on top; 2 x autogun mount; 1 x rotary autocannon, mounted on top; 4 x ground-to-air missile launchers; 1 x high-powered cannon, mounted on top, only usable when legs are braced

Technical and Historical Notes

   Like the Garesh, the Gerain is a relic of the Imperial Navy's sea-based days. Gerain is a lightweight high-speed patrol boat that - thanks to its collapsible low-powered lift rings - is capable of terrestrial movement. While this feature is not used much any more, it can also give the craft a boost of speed. Much like the Garesh, the Gerain is also not designed to wander far from its home base: unlike the Garesh however, the Gerain is meant to wander much further afield and extend the Empire's coastal defenses. Despite its weapons, the Gerain's primary usage is to alert the Empire of an attack and summon a fleet of skycraft to that position. The primary usage of the Terrestrial mode is to allow the Gerain to get to a vantage point during a battle or invasion, and then lock itself down using six massive bracer legs: at this point, the Gerain's main gun - a capital-ship grade (if with a somewhat shortened barrel) cannon capable of long-range bombardments. Though Gerains rarely see battle anymore, they are a symbol of longevity to many of the Empire's strategists, which partially explains their still being used.



~~~~~
Okay, a word about the designs. In my mind, most Imperial skycraft are either delta or arrow shaped, with a larger central body for the engines and some of the weapons. Also, part of the reason that so many - actually all - of the Empire's ships can pull double or even triple duty outside of their nominal "speciality" is a somewhat simple and justified one: to lift a ship of this size up into the air is tricky, and in order to save resources you're going to want ships that can pull off a handful of jobs. Hence why you see battleships carrying a squadron or two of fighters. Well, it's a justification, anyway, and that's all I need.

Questions, comments, concerns, clarifications, suggestions, WTFs, etc?



Way up in the clouds,
Mountains of steel move about.
The fleet moves onward.

How many times do
I have to explain: Pillage,
And then burn it down!

A bolt of lightning
Comes down from the heavens. Poor
Bugs Bunny is fried.

Be vewy vewy
Qwiet: I'm hunting fow a
Wess weiwd diawect.

Some cartoon physics:
Gravity does not affect
Until you notice.

This is what you get
When you rewatch Tiny Toon
Adventures. It's weird.


Anyway, there we go. I'm going to ignore that thanks to the structure of the writing and the haiku here it's almost seven solid pages long.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Are you watching the Tiny Toons on rewind? Or just again?

[Jairus]

Are you watching the Tiny Toons on rewind? Or just again?

I watched them years ago, and I recently bought the Season 1 Volume 1 DVD boxset, so I've been reliving the memories. So just again. Is Rewind like a TV channel devoted to older cartoons and stuff life that?


Why did the chicken
Cross the road? No one knows, since
Chickens can't tell us.

I may sound old and
Ornery, but they don't make
'Toons like they used to.

[Jairus]

This is just a quick five-minute sketch I did.

Jyrras head shot

Sorry for the poor quality, but it's only about two inches tall in my sketchbook. Anyway, I used a couple of the strips as reference. I think he's just posing, maybe with a wrench resting on his shoulder.

For the love of all you hold holy, do not look at the full-size image. It's... well, it just didn't scan well.

I don't know if I'm going to get anything up tonight, but if all else fails there's more haiku. Yippee.

[Jairus]

Here we go, the character profile for Aaren mor Dukai, developed with Ren's help. Here is the information on him as far as we know at the start of the story. Credit for the profile's structure goes once more to Amber.

Sir Aaren "Ren" mor Dukai

Name: Aaren mor Dukai
Nicknames: Ren, Sir Aaren, the Steel-Cleaver, the Evil Cleaver
Age: 35
Family: unknown
Marital Status: single
Species: Human Being
Type: Sorcerer
Hair color: Brown/gray
Eye color: Red
Skills: extensive katana training, expert marksman, skilled tactician
Hobbies: sword tricks, sketching
Favorite Weapon(s): Akutatsuken (Evil-cleaving blade), Baajiru (custom built pistol)
Most known for: Being a badass swordsman
Favorite food: Noodles
Favorite color: Dark red
Overview
Personality:
   A generally nice - if somewhat reserved and reclusive - man, Ren (his preferred nickname) is friendly and easily approachable. Off of the battlefield, he can often be found joking and generally having a good time, offering advice and training to other soldiers. On the battlefield, however, is a different story: Ren becomes serious and focused, a dangerous man in control of his emotions who knows when and when not to open himself up. To be honest, he comes across as slightly psychopathic on the battlefield, neither taking joy in the death of his enemies nor mourning his fallen allies: his stoic expression has sometimes served as a psychological weapon. It is unknown which - if either - of these two sides is the real Ren. He has, however, become slightly unhinged after nearly four years of being a prisoner of war.
History:
   Ren is fairly recalcitrant about revealing his history. What is known is that he was originally a soldier of the conquered territory of Anelene, where he fought in the losing war against the Empire. He then spent approximately ten years studying and training in the Imperial Province of Jin, which is where he picked up both Akatatsuken and Baajiru, as well as his signature spell "Zantatsuken" (steel-cleaving blade). After this, he migrated to Korinso, where he joined their military and advanced quickly in the ranks, eventually being Knighted. When the war broke out, one of the soldiers under his command was Taph Noel, older sister to Treyl Noel. He was at the Siege of Korinso. Shortly afterwards, he was taken prisoner, and has been held imprisoned in the dungeons below Lon Korinso.
Trivia:
• Ren's sword - the Akutatsuken - actually has two modes. One is its normal mode, where it resembles a normal - if exceptionally well-made - katana. However, if Ren infuses it with enough magical energy, it grows into a massive two-handed "Zankyouryuu" mode, which is heavy enough to literally smash through almost anything.
• Ren's signature spell - "Zantatsuken" - works by generating a magical edge so sharp that it actually divides the bonds holding particles of matter together: the spell can cut through anything phsyical. Though the edge can be nearly as long as he wants it to be, he generally restrains it to being only as long as his blade. One weakness of the spell is that it does not neccesarilly cut through magic, meaning that he sometimes has to negate barriers to get to his target.
• Though the sword's name literally means "evil-cleaving blade," the amount of bloodshed caused by the blade through history have led to it aquiring the nickname "Evil cleaving blade."
• Ren's signature long red overcoat is enhanced with numerous charms and enchantments, making it resistant to both physical and magical attacks.
• Baajiru was built for him by a young inventer named Jei Paije who was at the time living in the Jin Province. Later on, Jei was a student of Doctor Rafe's, and still works with the Doctor on much of his work at IRDI: neither of them are aware that the other is still alive.
• If Ren has one weakness, it's that he is a terrible pilot, and prefers to let others drive: a wise decision on his part.
• If he has two weaknesses, it's that animals don't seem to like him, meaning that only an extremely well-trained saurian will let him ride it.
• While he was imprisoned, Ren amused himself by trying to communicate with rats. Key word: trying. He then amused himself by recalling books he had read, filling in the gaps in his memory by himself.
• During the war, he helped design a custom-tuned rifle that he could use to snipe enemy targets. This weapon was confiscated when he was imprisoned, as were his sword and signature gun. Akutatsuken is currently in Doctor Rafe's personal collection, while Baajiru was gifted to the prison warden by Lord Aleksander Kaurazes the Sixth High Proctor.
• He is always willing to try new tricks and tactics, which often lead to troops under his command doing better in battles.
Personal Quote: "Allow me to return the favor."


...
In a meta-sense, Aaren is one of my oldest characters. He's based off of a character called "Aaron Mordecai-Levi" from the ZvS setting. His mecha could be described as the "aim and blow shit up" type of mecha, but since he rarely used it that way and preferred mid to short range combat the upgraded version swapped out the heavier weapons for improved melee and mid-range skills, as well as upgraded maneuverability.

Anyway.

Hope to soon get more character profiles and tech pages up, and maybe work on enhancing that sketch a bit. You know, so it looks like Jyrras instead of a scribble.


The warrior stands
Alone, his sword his only
True companion.

[Jairus]

Name: Vart'elu'moeja
Nicknames: Telum, Elu, the Most Beautiful Pirate in the Skies
Age: at least 700 years old
Family: unknown
Marital Status: unknown, presumably single
Species: Changeling
Type: Changeling
Hair color: Purple
Eye color: Silver
Skills: Archery, swordsmanship, general changeling magical abilities, martial arts
Hobbies: Crocheting
Favorite Weapon(s): Magical bow; twin short scimitar
Most known for: Being the most beautiful pirate in the skies Leaving the Changeling Kingdom for unknown reasons
Favorite food: Green apples
Favorite color: Silver
Overview
Personality: Telum is a bit mysterious. While he seems to carry himself with an air of somberness, little moments reveal that he has a sense of humor and sees life in a very optimistic light. He is generally ready with a joke or a comment on the situation, which may be linked to a sort of Changeling detachment from the world around him. He rarely talks about where he comes from, and the discussion of home - of any kind - makes him a little depressed, though he hides it by joking even more. He is very friendly, and could honestly be considered a pacifist if he didn't view killing as an occasional neccessary evil.
History:
   Telum does not speak of his past: both Ren and Calvin know it, and he feels no real need to discuss it with strangers. What is known is that he is at least 700, given how when he refers to the time of Martongis, he is speaking from personal experience (though he never met the man), and that about fifteen years ago he left the Changeling kingdom for unknown reasons. Shortly afterwards, he joined up with a younger Kiyoshi Ilzakar, and the two of them stole and refurbished the Shepherd B to suit their pirating needs. Then, the two stole an Artemis-class prototype and refitted it into the Shepherd Junior: shortly afterwards, Calvin joined them. The three have been a team for about seven years, and so far there is no indication that they wish to end it. Telum - like the other two - mostly avoided the war, and also has no real side in the conflict, though he seems to think that the Empire is a threat that must be dealt with somehow.
Trivia:
• As a Changeling, Telum is gifted with an unnatural beauty, which they have used a few times.
• Dropped comments from Ren, Telum, and Calvin hint that the three of them have on occasion enjoyed one another's "company," though they may be joking. Ren and Telum have also been occasionally mistaken as a couple, though in Telum and Ren's own words "Calvin is better in bed."
• His twin scimitars are antiques that he "picked up" from a bazarre. Aside from being old and very sharp and well-made, nothing else is known about them. They don't even have names. While he is talented in their use, it is a skill he has only been working on and off for the last ten years or so, so he isn't a master by any measure.
• He is an incredibly talented archer, but this is to be expected after 700+ years of practice. One of his favorite tricks is to charge his arrows with Changeling magic and use it to execute a long-range magical ability. Other than that, he is really good at healing and barrier magic.
• While he doesn't talk about his motivation for leaving his home, he has cryptically talked about how living is about changing, and how change will happen.
• He enjoys crocheting in his spare time.
• His favorite jewels are amethysts. He also wears a lot of silver jewelry, often set with amethysts.
• He was the one who found Calvin and invited her to join the crew.
• Telum is the ship's practical joker.
• Telum experienced some difficulties fitting into society, but seems to have little issue now, especially compared to Calvin who doesn't seem to care.
Personal Quote: "Is this the way it must be?"



Okay, questions, comments, clarifications, WTFs?


Stranger from distant
Land. So far from home, never
To return again.

Yes, my sword is now
Twenty feet long. No, I won't
Say how I wield it.

[Jairus]

It's almost 3 AM, and I'm still up. Oh well. New practice Jyrras head sketch.

Jyrras head sketch

I'm much more satisfied with this, but then again I used "shy Jyrras" from Strip 862 as my template... so no free-form Jyrras here. Anyway, I much prefer this to the other sketch, but the ears are bothering me, and so are the glasses... and the hair, the main bunch of hair that bends at a ninety-degree angle that has no name that I can think of. So, those all bother me. Maybe I'll try another one like my first Jyrras sketch later, since I think I've got a better idea of how Jyrras' head is designed now. My other head was a little thin, more human-like than Amber's style.

Good night.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

I don't know if I'm going to get anything up tonight, but if all else fails there's more haiku. Yippee.

You know, I'd recommend leaving your sex life out of the forum... ;-]

[Jairus]

I don't know if I'm going to get anything up tonight, but if all else fails there's more haiku. Yippee.

You know, I'd recommend leaving your sex life out of the forum... ;-]

Hardeeharhar. Your mind IS a gutter, isn't it?

Anyway...

Jairus Page is my
Kind of inventor. He builds
Stuff that makes big booms.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

The problem with people whose minds are in the gutter is that they keep blocking my periscope. ;-]


In all honesty, I've given up on reading all the technical stuff (something to do with being way overrun with work), and there's only so many times one can say "your poems are neat" before it becomes repetitive...

[Jairus]

The problem with people whose minds are in the gutter is that they keep blocking my periscope. ;-]

Ah, thank you for the clarification.

In all honesty, I've given up on reading all the technical stuff (something to do with being way overrun with work), and there's only so many times one can say "your poems are neat" before it becomes repetitive...

Perfectly understandable. Believe me, I get both of the things you're saying. To be honest, the technical stuff is a little overwhelming to me too, but part of the reason I'm doing it is so that I have a better idea of these things' capabilities and it doesn't sound like I'm making it up as I go. And thanks for the compliment on the poems.

I think I'm going to go to bed now. Night!


Pleasant dreams to you
Tonight, as you drift asleep.
Rest for a new day.

... yeah, I know that my sleep schedule is completely different from yours, Boxy. Just a general thing.