bakerstreet | THE MONSTER HUNTER AU MEEM

THE MONSTER HUNTER AU MEEM

THE MONSTER HUNTER AU MEME

HOW TO PLAY
1) Post a blank comment with your character, or post with your preferences
2) Reply to others by rolling the RNG between 1-10 to pick a prompt, or just grab one that tickles your fancy.
3) Decide who is the hunter, hunted, or monster victim, or any combination of the three.
4) Play!

PROMPTS
1) GHOST HUNTERRRZ You are now a ghost hunter on some crappy reality TV show. Are you just making shit up as you go along? Do you think you’re really onto something when it’s just rats? Is something actually going on and your amateur crew is way out of their league?
2) PORTLANDIA The dream of the 90s may be alive in Portland, but that’s not all that’s still moving around. Now you’re a Grimm, and it’s your job to either kill or befriend the wesen (monster people) in your city. Are you a law abiding cop? A rogue killer? Maybe just the middle school math teacher who really has no time for this bullshit?
3) THE GOTH OPTION You’re a vampire hunter in some sort of unspecified Victorian year. Needless to say, you job description involves a lot of fainting couches, waifs, and elegant neck stretching. Embrace the gothic horror cliché’s, man.
4) CAN I GO HOME NOW? For whatever reason ,you find yourself in a position where you just really don’t want to be up against this monster nonsense. Maybe you got cornered and now you’re forced to kill them all before you can go. Maybe someone pushed you into this when all you really want to do is be a dentist. Maybe it’s 2 AM and some poltergeist is disturbing your sleep.
5) MR. POINTY Congratulations, either you are now the Slayer, or one of her many monster hunting buddies. I trust you know how this one works, guys.
6) BROODING HUNX Wow, unlucky you. You’re now a hunter in the Supernatural universe. Or hey, maybe you’re just an unlucky civilian who has to suddenly be saved by a barely functional alcoholic with an arsenal. Maybe you’re even a hunter with a stable job and life, and you hunt on the weekends. Whatever you are, stay away from those Winchester psychos.
7) THE HUNTED BECOMES THE HUNTER Clearly you’ve got a lot of internal hate going on here, because now you’re a monster who finds them self hunting other monsters. What happened to you, man? Did you get turned against your will and hunt for revenge? Does your species do this for funsies? Are the members of your race corrupted and must be stopped?
8) SHE TURNED ME INTO A NEWT Congrats, asshole, you’re a witch hunter. No specific time period, but just know that you get your kicks trying otherwise law abiding women for witchcraft. Or maybe you’re a misunderstood person truly trying to rid the world of wicked witchery, and your victims are the real deal.
9) ….IN SPAAAACE You‘re a space monster hunter (alien? human in the future?) and you hunt space monsters. Not much else to it.
10) WILD Go nuts

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"Three steps back," Leo said while making the rolling back gesture with his hand. "Let's start with what are considered mixed bloods? Are we talking like old school Chinese movies where women can't be warriors type of thing? And ...Dragon Emperor and Phoenix Empress, really? It sounds like a fantasy book."

There was a pause, then a wide grin. "You sound awesome. Did they pick you specifically to come here? What did you end up doing? Did you kick some ass-- er, butt-- when you got here?"

"Mixed blood meaning anyone whose ancestry isn't purely Chinese." She didn't stop to consider how racist that might sound. It was just the way things were in her world, and who your ancestors were was especially important to the Wu Lung after all. "You still do need to have some degree of Chinese ancestry to be considered as an initiate, but nowadays something like a grandparent on one side is considered more than sufficient.

"And yes, really. The Heavenly Emperor of the Dragon Wizards, the Phoenix Empress Wizard, and the Tiger Lord Wizard.Three leaders, three schools. The Dragons are the priests, masters of the Spirit. The Tigers are warriors. They train their bodies and learn to harness the power of elements. And the Phoenix brings balance. Traditionally the women of the Wu Lung have always been healers. 'Merciful sorceresses.' It's all we've ever been allowed to be, but that is changing, and there are a few young women among the Tigers now."

Leo's blunt approval actually made her laugh out loud.

"I did nothing so dramatic," she replied, blinking and assuming a mock innocent look, but she still sounded amused. "I simply carried out the Phoenix Empress' decree. If I upset a few stuffy stubborn old men along the way, well, it couldn't be helped now, could it?"

"Ah." Well, yep, that was a little racist but it just left him not even surprised. It sounded like the sort of thing that was supposed to be all pure-blooded and fancy and whatnot. "I barely even know my ancestors, so yeah I definitely don't think I fall into that category." He gave that bright, easy grin of his that even without magic put people at ease.

"I hate to say it, but that all makes for a fantastic basis of a kick ass kung fu movie. That is seriously wicked. So are you..." His eyes squint a little bit. "A dragon wizard, then? You don't really... well, I guess the whole 'dealing with spirits' thing could mean you're a priest?" He definitely not sure on how the sorting works. Snicker, now he was thinking about Harry Potter again. "I bet any woman strong enough to be a Tiger has to be absolutely one of the most fierce things on the planet." Now he wanted to meet one!

Her innocent look made him crack up, grinning even more. "You can't pull off innocent! Come on, what did you do?? You have to have the best stories about 'upsetting'," air quotes and all, "all those old guys."

"You would be surprised how many of those kung fu movie stars are actually martially trained Mages from the Akashic Brotherhood..." she replied with a sigh. Personally she found the movies Leo was talking about a little silly.

"All Wu Lung deal with the spirits. Contact with the ancestors is crucial. We are all Dragon Wizards, but the leaders, the judges, and the high priests have always belonged to the Dragon School in particular." Her tone was respectful, but she frowned as she continued. "And they have always been men. I have a talent for the spiritual, but I belong to the Phoenix School. Until recently, all women did."

She paused, allowing herself to feel and look a little smug. "As for the stuffy old men, they didn't particularly like it when I dragged them kicking and screaming into the 20th century. I did try to play nice, but the really traditional ones were bound to resent my presence. I'm a woman with fairly high office. That's still a new thing, and there are still those who believe that women have no place in the Wu Lung. It's nothing I'm not used to, but it's not something I tolerate either." She did have stories she could tell but it all really came down to the fact that she spoke her mind, and refused to be intimidated or back down.

Leo's eyes went wide at that first comment, staring at her for a long few moments before letting out a breath. "I can't tell if you're joking or not." Which was saying something!

"So... dragon school, phoenix school, tiger school. The high and mighty, the healers, and the warriors. You belong to Phoenix but it kinda sounds like you would have been even if they let women into the other schools when you were up to get sorted into your house." Yep he knew she wouldn't get that. This was him trying to keep track of all of this new information.

But his grin returned as she got that smug look. "You are your own kung fu movie. That's so awesome." He leaned back in his chair, but ended up having to hide a yawn behind his hand. "Sorry," he quick apologized in the tone of someone who grew up being told it was rude.

"I'm not joking," she repled with a straight face. "The Akashics are the masters of the mind. They're... well, I will leave you to make up your own mind. We've allied now, but for a very long time the Akashic Brotherhood and the Wu Lung were bitter enemies. I would have a hard time giving you a completely unbiased opinion," she admitted. It was a generous concession on her part. She was coming around. She had friends in the Brotherhood, but she was still a proud Dragon Wizard. "Nevertheless, they know more about your kind of magic than I do. You may want to seek them out at some point..."

"Actually when I was young I wanted to join the Dragon School. Like my father." She smiled a little sadly. "But that obviously was an impossibility, and my gift made me more suited to the Phoenix School anyway." The comment about about 'houses' as predicted flew right over her head.

She laughed at his assessment of her. She didn't quite agree, but she was flattered. "I'm so glad I meet with your approval."

What a well mannered young man. She had a distinct feeling that that was his grandfather's doing. "You're tired. Perhaps it's time you turned in for the night."

"Oh." A hand came up, running back through his messy hair and rearranging it in a new, just as messy pattern. "I really... I'm not even sure I want to go to anyone. I don't like the idea of getting used by someone, or going to school where I'm going to have any more obligations than I do going to college. Or that I couldn't go to college at all. I don't even get involved in the whole school rivalry for football teams, never mind this weird 'we're better than them' thing you've got going on."

"...uh, no offense or anything," he said quickly when he realized that probably was rude. "Seriously, none. It's just not for me."

She'd be right about it being all on his grandfather, that politeness. His father might have been an influence if he hadn't gone so downhill. "I could stay up all night, you know?" That was definitely the tone of someone defending themselves, that he wasn't some small child that had to be in bed. Even if he was exhausted.

Again Liling had a distinct urge to reach out and fix the teenager's hair, but she ignored that temptation, nodding as Leo spoke. There was no judgment in her expression. "None taken. I'm not going to tell you what to do. I only thought it right to offer. Your grandfather's wishes for you were the same as your own, and I agree that everyone must walk their own path."

She gave the teenager a long skeptical look. She didn't need Life magic to see that he was tired. "Just know that should you fall asleep in that chair, I'm leaving you there. You're too big for me to carry to the guest room."

She was half kidding. She knew better, but it was hard to see Leo as anything but a child. At least when it came to the magical world.

Leo went to mention something about the idea of schooling and his grandfather when she said that of all things, making his eyes go wide before he laughed. "I'm not a kid! If I fall asleep in the chair, I fall asleep in the chair. Better than the bus, you know? Less chance of getting mugged." He flashed a grin, then glanced around before gesturing with a finger. "Other than the gh-- spirits, is anyone else around that I should know about? Or coming in here?" Mostly because he could see himself having a bit of a panic after the whole vampire thing and learning all about the world ready to kill him if someone spooked him in the night.

Liling appeared unconvinced, but she didn't argue with him. If he wanted to fall asleep in the chair, it would be his back that would suffer for it. And, she noted, he was smiling again, bouncing back pretty quickly from the shock he'd received.

His slip made her smile. "You can call them ghosts. I'll speak with them. I can't promise that they won't be up to any mischief, but they won't harm you. You're safe here. The building is mine and it's warded. We would know immediately if someone less than friendly came calling. The spirits are an early warning system. There's also the fact that the kue-jin consider Chinatown their territory, and they don't get along very well with the local vampires..."

"Kay, so next lesson, since you're throwing words out there... Kue-jin? What's that, exactly?" Was it a type of mage? Another monster? For some reason, his mind was conjuring up the idea of Chinese dragon that took human form. Hell, how wrong could he be, considering all of this other impossible fantasy stuff was proving to be real?

Though that logical part of his mind wondered if that girl in the club had even really been a vampire. He remembered her words, Liling's words, and those teeth, but they could have been fake. It all seemed so... unreal. How could all of these creatures exist and he never knew it before tonight? Not that he really had any reason to doubt Liling (really? another part of him whispered. You can use your magic to influence people... someone might very much want that) when she said it was all true.

"Spirits sound better than an alarm system, if you can hear 'em."

No, Leo. You can use your magic to influence people. Liling has no talent for Mind magic. Her power to influence is all quick thinking and charm. It was a good thing she couldn't read Leo's mind. She would have been all too happy to lecture him on just how real and dangerous vampires could be. As for shape shifting dragons, let's not bring the zhong-lung into this, okay? One supernatural race at a time.

"The kue-jin... I suppose you could call them Chinese vampires, but I wouldn't call one that to their face. They feed off humans too, but not all drink blood. Some may even walk in the daylight. They're just as dangerous as the so called Kindred, if not more so." She smiled wryly. "Though they are usually a lot more polite."

"..."

There was a long silence from Leo before he held up his hands, sighing slowly. "So now there's day-vampires who are polite, drinking who knows what. Kue-jin, Kindred- are those the typical pale nighttime blood drinking type?" He looked to Liling with a look of exasperation but in his eyes there was something like fear. This felt more than a bit over whelming, the more he heard.

"...I don't even know where to start with all of this. Maybe I need to start feeling out everyone that tries to come near me." The idea of that made him frown, something he had been pointedly /not/ doing so far in his rather short time as a mage.

He looked to Liling, really met her eyes, and the corner of his mouth lifted. "If I didn't tell you... thanks, again, for saving my bacon tonight."

"Yes, that's the long and short of it. And you're welcome."

Liling wasn't unsympathetic. She was serious, but she returned his smile, and there was warmth in her eyes. It had to be a lot to take in. What she had learned over the course of years, he was now hearing in the space of hours. And fear. Fear was just proof that you were alive. He would have been a fool not to be afraid on some level.

"If you are as smart as your grandfather says you are, you will do fine. He is very proud of you."

She was wary of bothering such a fresh wound, but she felt it was important to say. In her world, you were meant to draw strength from your ancestors as much as you were obliged to honor them.

The fear turned to a bit of pain at the mention of his grandfather, but it was a small, if sad, smile that touched his lips. "I miss him. It's... comforting, in a weird way, to know he isn't as far away as I thought." His fingers unconsciously came up and wrapped around the dog tags under his shirt.

After a few seconds of silence, he took a breath and his smile was brighter. "It's late, right? Maybe we both should go get some sleep. Besides, I'd love to see this part of the city in the daytime. And... learn more. And go get a chance of clothes from the dorms." He laughed a little, trying to lighten up the atmosphere.

It was strange to think that she was indirectly, partly responsible for the teenager sitting across from her. If she had never found his grandfather on the battlefield... Liling didn't often get to see the long reaching consequences of her work.

She had only known Leo for a very short time, but she was finding that she liked the young man, and that had nothing to do with any magical mind tricks on his part.

"Yes, it is. Let's get you settled." She rose and gestured for him to follow her. The guest room was very nice, all elegant simple lines, and traditional like the rest of her apartment. There were books on the wall and a small writing desk.

"I'm afraid I don't have anything to offer you for a change of clothes, but there is a bathroom with a shower through there. She motioned to a door at the back of them room. "My room is next door, and I will be up for a while yet. If you need anything, please let me know."

Leo wouldn't have been here today if Liling hadn't saved his grandfather, that much was for certain. Ben had been young when he went into service, too young for a child and only a sweetheart's photo to remember 'his girl', who ended up not being his girl forever. Jonathan had been the product of his first marriage, and Leo a welcomed addition after he had remarried older. None of them would have been alive today without her intervention.

Liling might have caught the curious glimpse over at the bookcase, not just a side glance but the look of someone who badly wanted to see what was over there, but Leo didn't run over there as it would be rude and instead peered around the room before nodding to Liling. "Thanks. I'm going to grab a shower and probably pass out harder than I've done in a long time. I'll warn you I'm not much of an early bird, though..." He grinned with a little laugh.

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THE MONSTER HUNTER AU MEEM

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