Post by Lao on Jan 4, 2020 19:04:52 GMT -6
Lao of Earth
Twenty-Four || Male || Earthling
Lao, at a glance, appears to be your archetypical wandering martial artist. That is to say, he's a smelly, unwashed vagrant who devotes too much time to training in the wilderness and not enough to showering. Once you get past the shaggy, unkempt black hair, the patchy beard, and the ratty clothes, underneath you'll find a pretty average-looking young man in his mid-twenties. Lao's skin is tanned in color, and he has a well-built, muscular body that stands at roughly five feet, eleven inches (or 180cm) tall. His eyes are dark brown, nearly black, and he has a somewhat prominent nose.
Lao's wardrobe and sense of style are, to say the least, a little lacking. The lifestyle he's chosen has precluded the regular use of cleaning facilities, and he's not a particularly adept hand with a needle and thread either. This dire combination has left his clothing in myriad states of disrepair, ranging from merely scruffy to completely ragged. And it's not like his wardrobe was particularly impressive to begin with, as every article of clothing he owns is some form of martial arts gi. They may have once come in different colors, but over time they have all, through years of neglect and hard living, faded to a fairly uniform tannish-brown. The overall impression he gives is not helped by the fact that Lao doesn't generally wear shoes, possibly out of some kind of ascetic practice of self-denial or possibly because he just can't afford any. At this point, it's not clear if even he knows anymore.
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Personality
Lao is, at his core, a pretty uncomplicated person. He's straightforward, earnest, and cool-headed, the kind of person who prefers to simply take life as it comes and not worry about the details. That's not to say he's unambitious however, his journey of self-actualization has brought out a deeply passionate side of Lao, long dormant beneath the monotony of daily life. Once he sets a goal for himself and visualizes his ideal means to reach it, Lao tends to doggedly pursue that path with unerring determination, even if it turns out there was a better, easier way. To Lao, bashing your head against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, even if they're ones you set for yourself through poor decision-making, is a necessary sacrifice on the path to greatness. Ironically, although it has allowed him to come as far as he has, Lao's obstinate refusal to alter his path once he's chosen it is also his greatest weakness. Since he tends to make these decisions without guidance or the necessary expertise to make an informed choice, he sometimes puts himself down the wrong path, wasting time and energy on an impossible task. Not even Lao is stubborn enough to keep treading an obviously dead-end road, but the extra time it takes for him to get it through his thick skull that he screwed up only wastes his time and hurts him in the long run.
When it comes to interpersonal relations, Lao is actually reasonably competent, if you can get past the stench he takes on after a long training outing. His earnest nature and easygoing temperament make him fairly easy to get along with, and he's open-minded enough to accept a wide variety of personalities. Although Lao doesn't really think of himself as a particularly morally upright person, he does have a sense of justice, setting him at natural opposition to those with exceedingly selfish or destructive agendas. He hasn't met very many people from outside Earth, and isn't very knowledgeable about galactic events, having spent most of his life sheltered from the goings-on of the wider universe, or out in the wilderness with no way to catch up with recent news.
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Completed Threads
An Emperor's Entrance (Polarus)
Polarus
Status: Friend
For Fightin'
(A1) Nenshōken:
An Emperor's Entrance (Polarus)
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Friends and Foes
Polarus
Status: Friend
Lao and Polarus have only recently met, but became fast friends and rivals after a heart-to-heart in the form of a sparring match. They are currently on a world-spanning road trip in order to advance Polarus' goal of taking revenge on the people who attacked his planet. Lao respects Polarus' strength and cool, collected demeanor, but thinks he could stand to loosen up once in a while.
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Techniques
For Fightin'
(A1) Nenshōken:
Inspired by a move he saw in a video game once, Lao thrusts one arm forward and fires a pure white, basketball-sized orb of burning Ki from his palm, which flies straight ahead at high speed and then explodes violently on contact. This deals 33% of his PL in damage. A simple technique, but effective.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀(UA2) Two-Handed Nenshōken:
(MA3) Shin Nenshōken:
(B1) Kiai:
(UB2) Fighting Spirit:
(VB3) Burning Fighting Spirit:
For Supportin'
(SU1) Footwork:
For Utilizin'
Twice the hands, twice the power. This improved Nenshōken is larger than the base version, about the size of a beachball, and the correspondingly bigger explosion deals 66% of Lao's PL in damage. The pose used when firing it has the user cup both hands to charge the attack, then bring them forward and unleash the blast with hands held together. It is extremely similar to a move from the famous Road Puncher series of videogames, bordering on copyright infringement.
(MA3) Shin Nenshōken:
The ultimate form of the Nenshōken, fired with both hands and much more effective ki control in comparison to its lesser incarnations. It no longer forms an orb-shaped blast, but an immense beam that burns with streaks of blue energy in addition to the usual white color of Lao's ki. Although its continuous beam of burning energy is much more destructive than the simple blasts of previous Nenshōken techiques, it is also much more exhausting to use, and Lao cannot usually fire it more than once in a short period of time without straining himself.
(B1) Kiai:
With a shout, Lao summons a shockwave of Ki that can blow away lesser attacks within 33% of his power level. Even for more powerful attacks, it can soften the blow somewhat, reducing damage by half as long as the shockwave is at least 60% as strong as the attack, and by a quarter if it's even stronger than that. For some reason, the shouting actually makes it work better, especially if you strike a cool pose.
(UB2) Fighting Spirit:
A step up from a mere Kiai, this technique taps into Lao's very spirit in order to repel attacks from his person, effectively creating a literal shield of fighting spirit that envelops his body like a battle aura. Striking a cool pose is recommended, as it seems to increase the move's effectiveness. Repels attacks with power equal to 66% of Lao's power level.
(VB3) Burning Fighting Spirit:
A few bruises and broken bones are nothing to a real fighter! After improving his Fighting Spirit technique, Lao can repel attacks through sheer grit and determination for much longer than before. Protects him for 66% of his power level, but now it lasts until three posts have passed, or it is breached, whichever comes first. (Sustained Variant)
For Supportin'
(SU1) Footwork:
A basic evasive technique taught to all novice fighters, but Lao has honed it over countless hours of intense training into a truly formidable maneuver. It can dodge a single attack up to 100% of his PL.
For Utilizin'
(UT) Energy Sensing:
Lao is a self-taught fighter, and it shows. His "style", such as it is, is a patchwork of moves stolen from books, other fighters he's faced, or adapted from things he's seen on TV. Although his years of training have polished away some of his rough edges, it is still very clear from the way he fights that he's basically a talented amateur and nothing more. That said, spending so long getting beaten up by fighters more skilled than him has helped him develop a sense of fighting ingenuity, enabling him to come up with unorthodox strategies that occasionally turn a battle in his favor. Having learned most of what he knows from informal street fights, he has a limited understanding of a warrior's honor, and is perfectly willing to take cheap shots whenever he can get them, though he would never stoop to the level of the really depraved just for the sake of victory. Lao's one real shining talent lies in his flexibility: He is a quick learner, capable of quickly assimilating new moves into his fighting style, and skilled at finding new ways to integrate them into his battle plans. With a skilled teacher, one wonders what heights he could reach.
Lao has gained sensitivity to the Ki of others, allowing him to sense them by their energy and assess their strength. It doesn't work on beings that aren't technically alive, though.
(UT) Chikyū Suiei:
An unorthodox maneuver Lao invented during a battle. He gathers up his ki beneath his feet, and uses it to "drill" into the earth, pulverizing dirt, sand, and stone alike. Using this technique, he can tunnel deep into the earth to hide, travel in secrecy, or launch a surprise attack. And combined with advanced breathing techniques he learned from an article in the Z-Fighter Monthly magazine, Lao can stay underground for hours without surfacing for air! The obvious drawbacks are that he cannot see anything while beneath the ground, and must rely on his ki sensing ability to navigate. Also, this technique by itself only hides his physical presence, so he can easily be detected via scouter or by sensing his ki.
Fighting Style
Lao is a self-taught fighter, and it shows. His "style", such as it is, is a patchwork of moves stolen from books, other fighters he's faced, or adapted from things he's seen on TV. Although his years of training have polished away some of his rough edges, it is still very clear from the way he fights that he's basically a talented amateur and nothing more. That said, spending so long getting beaten up by fighters more skilled than him has helped him develop a sense of fighting ingenuity, enabling him to come up with unorthodox strategies that occasionally turn a battle in his favor. Having learned most of what he knows from informal street fights, he has a limited understanding of a warrior's honor, and is perfectly willing to take cheap shots whenever he can get them, though he would never stoop to the level of the really depraved just for the sake of victory. Lao's one real shining talent lies in his flexibility: He is a quick learner, capable of quickly assimilating new moves into his fighting style, and skilled at finding new ways to integrate them into his battle plans. With a skilled teacher, one wonders what heights he could reach.
Transformations
(x2T) Intense Struggle:
As simple as it gets, Lao floods his body with Ki for a quick and dirty boost of power. It's not the most efficient power-up, but it works.
(x3P) Focus:
Lao enters into a heightened state of awareness, allowing him to control his Ki much more effectively. With this method, the efficiency of his techniques rises dramatically, preserving his stamina and keeping him in the fight.
