Funkydude527

Image Credit This is my first fan-fiction/fan work. Mark it with celebration or ire, depending upon your opinion of such things. Either way, I hope the reviews are helpful to the authorial process. Perhaps I shall write more in the future, and this shall indeed be a curio to mark. In any case, I digress. - - - I suppose this requires a bit of explanation, considering the context of its writing. The Captive's Return is a group of serials I cobbled together to celebrate my return to the BZPRPG after a few months of absence. This absence was due to a whole cadre of various factors that I will not explain here for personal reasons. However, the absence was immediate and lengthy. This had an interesting effect on one particular subset of the RPG forum known as Corpus Rahkshi. This particular forum is better explained by our beautiful GM, Ultron, better than anyone, this author included. Corpus practically exploded into existence overnight, a big bang that spawned a universe of adolescent rivalries and teenage romance and high-school drama framed within the brilliant conceit that all the players were sentient rahkshi. One of those players who got in on the ground floor, controlled by yours truly, was Phogen. He/she (yes, its complicated) is a rahkshi of sound who has a great deal of thought put into him/her, and also had, at one point, a bit of a cabal created, centered around his/her leadership. Powerful, brilliant, calculating, and written to be entrancingly like the most famous of Bionicle villains, Phogen left an impact on many. His/Her disappearance was tragic to those same people. I felt bad about dropping out so unexpectedly, so I wrote these episodic serials as a way of apologizing and explaining the 'in-content' reason for Phogen's disappearance. I will be posting the episodes semi-regularly, every few days or so. Thankfully, a potential impetus was close at hand. I found my cause in an atlas of the world he/she was leafing through at one point...

IC Phogen: The response was chilling, and quiet. "I would advise forgetting about that unless you intend on disappearing next."

IC Phogen: There seemed to be a little twinkle in Phogen's eye at the question. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you, but rest assured my stops were far flung and incredibly... Educational lets say. I even got a chance to meet my father again, who replaced my old set of armor with a less-damaged, and frankly, rather stylish new set. Perhaps I can tell you more later." The clouds had parted for a moment while Phogen spoke, her subtle pride and enigmatic personality temporarily relieving the ache in her black, twisted heart. Noticing that Kat was present, however, reminded her of an important matter. The derahk's voice turned foreboding, and deathly serious. Flair went out the window in favor of urgency and warning. "Kat, do you remember your entrance test?"

IC: Era - Causeway. "I'm Era, this is Zivon," I said, gesturing to the small hawk perched on my shoulder, "I believe you, by the way. People said a lot of things about Exxan, but they were wrong about him. I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt as well." I turned to Kat. "Sorry, I forgot about that. Here." I held out the weapon. IC Phogen: "I'll stay right here." Phogen patted Hoto's shoulders, leaving one hand on them as he turned to face the newcomers. Noticeably, he left the side of Hoto facing Jayar open, standing next to the dodge rahk. There was no reason to deny the man the perfect opportunity to comfort his girl. Certainly no reason to burn another bridge by stealing her. Besides, Hoto could probably use someone more cuddly in this time of need. Phogen was never known for sentiment, and from what he had seen, Jayar was at least more skilled at the expression of the emotion. The blockhead needed a little nudge, though. Silencing the motion, Phogen looked and Jayar with a saddened grimace and nodded him over to them. Getting his bearings with a tired sigh, he became involved in the conversation, albeit with a weight in his voice. "For that, I am thankful. Charmed to meet you. I hope our relationship may be profitable as it is pleasurable, and I look forward to working with you." The good cheer was there, but it was obscured by the dark cloud of Exxan that still hung overhead. Inwardly, Phogen was trying to calm down and find her center, while analytically calculating that making friends, or at least an impact, would now be a vital matter. The perfect opportunity arose in Kat and Fang. She decided she might be able to diffuse the tension with them and demonstrate that her prowess in the observational arts were far from rusty in the same stroke. Sporting a disarming, bashful, but still ruesome smile, she dared to speak to the fear and plasma rahkshi. She kept the tone casual and dismissive, purposefully holding back weight and threat from leaking into her words. "I hope you two weren't whispering about me up there. Makuta knows I don't need more rumors and stories."

IC Phogen: "I can assure you that some are based in fact, even though the conclusions one could draw from them as it pertains to my character are tenuous at best. I am not the monster you have heard of, my fellow sibling of sound, although I have some of his better qualities." Best to be accurate, but vague. To be an enigma is to be adaptable. So to this one, an enigma he would remain. A friendly enigma, at least. "Who might you be?" But now onto these two approaching figures. Whispering and observing, with a keen intrest in something about the other derahk. My my, these two seemed like they were new at this deception game. Visibly pausing to talk in secret? Giving away their focus with directional turns of the head? They were up to something. So who would get into something... Uncouth without taking the proper... Oh. Fang. How entertainingly predictable. Kat was smater than that, though. At least, Phogen hoped she was. Untangling himself from Hoto, leaving two comforting hands on her shoulders, he decided to make sure the dodge rahkshi was alright before contining. He looked at her and asked "Do you want me to stay here, Hoto?" The attitude was born of actual, genuine concern, but the syntax was tweaked a little to twist Fang's arm a little, and perhaps notify Jayar that he did not have exclusive rights to Hoto.

IC Phogen: The derahk seemed to melt into Hoto's arms. The embrace was slowly, tentatively reciprocated. Soon, however, Phogen was tied fast to Hoto. It was suddenly very apparent to Phogen what benefit friends had. They were shoulders to cry on, and, in a strange way, providing comfort provided comfort as well. Shutting her eyes and resting her chin on Hoto's shoulder, Phogen drowned in the memories. Funny the way things like this start. "I met him during the first assignment. Helped him lure his assassin into a trap involving the reference section, gave him faulty information by lying right to his face, nearly backstabbed him..." There was a fond chuckle. "He was too smart for that, though. He was always too smart for that. Its why we teamed up in the first place, thinking us two could take on anything in our way. Always knew what he was doing, and always was so sure about why to match. I never even thought of backstabbing him after that. I only wish..." There were many things she wished in regards to Exxan. But none would come true. She patted Hoto's back. "Its alright... All he ever wanted was to be free from this place. I'd like to think he got his wish, somehow. He was free, if only for a moment or two. Its alright, Hoto. Exxan died happy." Looking up from Hoto, Phogen examined the derahk before her. A rival or a protege, perhaps? Either way, being far from expectations was going to be key here. A new face that was perhaps more impressionable than Jayar. Or rather, a lack of face. Another appreciator of armor modification, and perhaps another... sensorily creative rahkshi like Hoto. Reading expressions was odd on this one. Still, best to build bridges instead of burning them. Modulating his voice so Era could pick direction better, he said in a calm, sad voice "I am Phogen. You may have heard of me."

IC Phogen: The first reaction to this was a snarl. Exxan was taken away from her, and taken of his own volition no less! The nerve! "That... That... Th-that..." The snarl had turn to a bitter, heartbroken hiss by the end of it. She couldn't insult him. He was a hero. He had beaten Phogen to the punch, and become something she didn't have a prayer of achieving herself. Blasted fool had outpaced her. And in his final act, made sure that Phogen would remember him forever. As if that was not already the case. Using the back of her hands, she wiped the tears running down her cheeks and clenched scowl away. That idiot. That scoundrel. That moron. That moral, heroic, Toa-blooded b*****d. Phogen hissed out in something just above a whisper "I guess you got out at last, old friend. Sorry I couldn't see you off."

IC Phogen: "In a way, I was looking forward to him saying 'Phogen' t-the m-m-most." Like from beyond the grave, Exxan's voice wafted from the hollow shell, who remembered it and codified it well. She began to shatter through at the end. Like that, one of the few people she could actually count as a friend was gone. They would have no future. There would be no romance. There would never even be the closure of rejection. There were very few pure hopes and dreams Phogen had. Exxan was one of them. In her mind, she replayed the plan. Return, perhaps not triumphant, but in style, to grab his attention. From there a private conversation in which there was a mutual confession of feelings. If not that, than a spirited desire to try the strange form of affection known as romance. It was entirely possible that they would be the first to attempt even innocuous physical exchanges of a romantic nature. To kiss. Perhaps even dance lovingly. Either way, they would be pioneers in the species. And a power couple as well. Both intelligent, powerful, popular (to an extent), they would be the talk of the school and a major force to be reckoned with. Even his desire to escape the school could be possible with enough clout. And perhaps, in a romantic sort of way, the vacuum and sound rahkshi would be together, one despite their opposition. And now, all the plans and hopes and dreams fell apart with a single word. Phogen held herself and stared at her feet.

IC Phogen: Listening silently from afar, Phogen summed up a few things from the conversation. Of tantamount import was the assignments missed. Chances for power slipped away, no doubt. Stranger still was the assignment's location. Visorak was not a place for a cadre of level twos, and even the level three Phogen would be wry about traveling on that chitinous isle. Still, anonymity was serving well thus far, so no reason to let the name slip to this Era character. At least not until more information was divulged voluntarily. The casualty list was something of a trifle for Phogen. Maybe a rival or ally lost here and there. Nothing too absurd. OOC: Brace for Exxan reaction.

IC Phogen: Hoping the small bow of gratitude was enough to demonstrate thanks to Grossh, who was rapidly becoming a source of delight in all his mercantile intrigue, Phogen was satisfied with riding the transport in silence, brooding on how to best deal with Corpus. Many things had changed, no doubt. Phogen was included in that number. The best course of action, it would seem, is adaptability. No more reliance on reputation and past favors. At least none prior to the disappearence. Starting fresh was in order. Plenty of new faces to find, examine, perhaps bend to the right path, snap in half... Or, as repugnant as it may be, become friends. The desire to shudder was only barely surpressed. Something had gone horribly wrong in Phogen. The rahkshi had started admitting that emotions were more than just measuring tools of mental wellness and tools that made manipulation easier. At it was unnerving in the extreme. Still, to reject them now would be yet more unnerving, so this discomfort would have to be looked after. Besides, it was not like Phogen grew something as trite as compassion or heroism. At least not the selfless kind. Ruthlessness and calculation were still the bread and butter of this rahkshi. Nothing would change that. Still.... There was something to be said for a beautiful vista and a friend being close at hand. Old Phogen never would have admitted that.

Phogen's father I have defined in the serials, and hinted at in her bio, but never stated outright. Instead of taking a purpose approach, like a spy or an experiment or a donation, I have tried to really design her personality and hopes and dreams as someone who instinctively feels as if they were raised by *the* Makuta. Go after that son/daughter of Makuta idea, so to speak. Specifically, in Phogen's case, someone who idolizes their father, sees them as their hero. Someone who has been taught what it means to love something by their father. Someone who would take a small gesture of rhetoric, such as a replacement set of armor and an off-hand admission of paternity, as a brilliant ray of hope that is cause for a manic sort of ecstasy. Someone who has had to grow up remarkably fast in the absence of their hero, and has noticed, painfully, that their father cares very little for them, and probably barely notices that they exist. Someone who, instead of blaming the father for never being there, blames themselves for not being good enough to deserve their attention. For all Phogen's interal excuses that he/she wishes to rule the world, for the good of the world, or wants to be at his/her father's side when he completes his plan, all she really wants is to know her father loves him/her. Thats what fuels her ambition, deep down in that child that never was. In my case, I used the parentage to deepen Phogen, and take my intially simple idea of a makuta in a rahkshi's skin and turn it into a complex, three dimensional character. I don't mean to imply that missions and other uses for parentage are any lesser, I actually find those backstories some of the more interesting ones, but I simply wanted to provide the strategy I used when incorperating that character element, and open it up for anyone else who would want to use it.

IC Phogen: "Akin in sensation, but not in intensity with my preparation. I would analogize it more to a surgical procedure I relegated my work to the superficial portions of my body, and used localized numbing agents for the duration of the process. Frankly, I did not want to file into a major artery or nerve conduit. I also had assistance from a particularly unscrupulous Nynrah engineer for the additions to the spine and shoulders. There was a good deal of soreness for a time, but the function was unimpaired in the modified areas about a week after the process." Phogen was enjoying the discussion deeply, and rather enjoying the appreciative looks Grossh was giving as well. She was being won over by the Vortixx, but the desire to win over the armorsmith in return was an equalizing force. She determined it simply as a connection with Grossh, one that could be potentially used for profit later. He simply needed to remain intriguing. And Phogen knew just how to do it. "Well, that was the first itineration, at least. I got this, a replacement set, as a gift from my father. Custom made to appear like this, so the anatomical modifications are a bit more precise and effective, and the gender of my choosing can be emphasized by much more subtle movements than the prior set. It incorporates far more psychological and physiological subtleties than the first, which looks crude by comparison."

IC Phogen: Ah! A kindred spirit! Perhaps this was one of those chances at friendship. If not, it was a chance at connecting and learning more about this Grossh. Either way, it was a chance to show off the masterwork the rahk had worked so hard at to a professional for praise and critique. Phogen removed her jacket, revealing the armor she currently wore in all of its visual flair and practical design. The modifications were readily apparent when seen next to Hoto and Jayar, the lightened load, the smooth joints, and, of course, that brilliant coloration Phogen was so known for. She tilted the spines slightly to modulate the sound of her Matoran voice better, and even got the chance to produce a slight plebeian-Xia rasp by quavering the third spine. "I have dabbled a little in the art myself, and I have made this armor to reflect and accentuate my unique dual gender, if not enhance my ability in combat. For example..." The Rahkshi stood and leaned on the chair, slightly altering posture and very clearly becoming a 'she'. "By drawing attention to the dark portions of the armor, I look feminine with the accentuated wide hips, thin limbs, and a curved frame." She shifted almost imperceptibly, becoming a he. "By drawing attention to the yellow portions, I emphasize the shoulders and torso, becoming a he. Furthermore..." His voice became a little effete, and his posture changed slightly, so he was still male, but a feminine one. "I can adjust to be anything in between." Her posture straightened a bit, and she became a bit butch. "Heh... Depending on the situation, of course."

IC Phogen: The newest Rahkshi in Grossh's home cooed out in that strange voice "It is a pleasure an honor, master Grossh. I hear you are a fellow appreciator of fine and exotic weapons?" Her vocal infection was unidentifiable, but his body language was clear. Cool, confident, refined to a razor edge, and otherwise unreadable.

IC Phogen: In her ghostly Matoran, Phogen responded with a polite "Thank you very much. I do look forward to meeting your master, and I hope he can help me identify the origin of a weapon a my friend gave to me." It was good to prime Grossh about this little lure. Make it appear very innocent, near trivial. It was going to be intriguing to watch his reaction to the blade slung over her back, under her jacket. And while the intriguing bit was valuable, the reaction of Grossh, if he could identify it, would be very, very entertaining. Still, he hid his anticipation well, curbing his curiosity to mild interest in the decor of the apartment, and his anticipation was spiked with a degree of apathy for the whole nuance of the affair.

IC Phogen: Following them into the workshop, Phogen began to slip into something akin to apathy. Regarding the decor of the workshop with idle curiosity, he released Hoto's hand gently and began to look around. The potential symbolism of the act was not lost on Phogen, but he did not care to read that deeply into it. It was a move borne of practicality. She was growing a little restless, eager to get back home. However, she was poised to watch the shopkeep's reaction to her arrival, especially as to any indication of motive. OOC: Sorry about the long space between posts. Yesterday was my sister's birthday, so festivities were in order.

Politely ignores the intense argumentation, barring an appreciation of rhetorical competency Perhaps this is simply my broad intrest in RPG elements beyond the combative and exciting (See Phogen circa first assignment), or my love of acedemia, but I think it could actually be rather entertaining. I envision the standardized testing going down much like the written exam from Naruto. Now I am far, far from an anime or Naruto fan, so I may be screwing up my reference, but I remember the test portion well because it intrigued me so much, and I will provide an explanation for those like me who have a very marginal intrest in such things. In essence, the idea in the show was that the test itself was a red-herring. The questions were practically impossible, cheating was forbidden and monotored closely, and the stakes placed on failure were both shared among a team and very high. A sort of Kobiashi Maru, for anyone familiar with Star Trek's most famous impossible scenario. And much like the Kobiashi Maru, the only practical way to pass was to cheat. Unlike the parellel in Star Trek, however, the goal was not to fail in style. The goal was to cheat, but cheat without being caught, and assist your teammates in cheating, once again, without getting caught. The characters in the show used a myraid of methods (many of which a contextless schlub like myself never really understood fully) to this end, from back-row x-ray vision, to magically copying the physical motions of a neighbor, to utilizing a small millitia of insect spies, to tapping out morse code under the guise of nervous pen chomping. The multiple layers to this test, figuring out its true nature, executing and formulating a cheating strategy without being caught, coordinating with allies without communication being noticed, are as apparent as they are entertainingly engrossing. There was some lame twist at the end where it all about guts or not giving up on the test or something equally, irritatingly trite, but the image of the actual test always stuck with me. In the context of this RPG, I see stadardized testing for the students going down like this, but with the test actually being graded. None of this 'true meaning of warrior' hogwash, just a brutal, ruthless exam as cutthroat as the other assignments. I also see, due to the dynamic nature of an rpg and the impressive skill some students have exhibited, that it might also include a counter-intelligence and intellectual parry element included. To use an example, Phogen is trying to communicate with her teammates using that directed sonic whisper she is so known for, but Exxan picks up this strategy and uses his vacuum powers to cut the line so to speak, forcing Phogen to find another way of communicating. I also see that some powers could be dead weight (Quick Healing, Fire Resistance) in this assignment, but I think that only adds to the whole affair, forcing teammates (Probably randomly chosen by our dear Ultron) to communicate. All, of course, done surreptitiously. Perhaps standardized testing would not be as dull in Corpus Rahkshi as you might imagine! Anyways, that was a long response for what was probably a throwaway musing. Thank you for putting up with the verbosity I now apologize for.

Phogen nodded and contented herself with gazing out the widow of the cable car, watching the city pass by. The fact the she was going home finally came slamming into her like a freight train. Home. The library, the empty dorm wing, the causeway, Phantom-on-the-Water, Omega and the Twins and Snake and Hoto... And Exxan, who seem to stick to the forefront of her brooding for some reason. He even almost (and he emphasized almost) missed the slop in the refractory, and the drabness of the halls. It was home. Phogen really had not realized what it meant to have a home, let alone be homesick, until he had experienced it. With time to contemplate on it now, it was a little odd. A twinge of dread that the first impression of many in the school would be functioning off of would be the horror stories Jayar apparently heard shot through him. Phogen liked having a positive image and power. In this case, perhaps a surprising capacity for good would be the best image to present. To prove the horror stories wrong. Still, weakness was not something Phogen tolerated in herself. She would be ruthless in assignments. Well... Perhaps 'efficient' was a more fitting term. But outside of them, she would be the model of a good student. No picking worthless, ethos-destroying fights, reprimanding her employees for poor behavior, rewarding those that performed well, etcetera etcetera. Still, an esoteric discussion of moralist follies was nothing unreasonable. He was brooding specific designs of grand success when the cable car slid to a stop at the top of the line.

IC Phogen: Curiouser and curiouser. To take that amount of interest in the school and rahkshi was unique for this character. A free staff, a cushy outing to the city, a lack of the running and hiding typical of most beings' response to their kind... Grossh wanted something. Nobody was that generous to brotherhood members, let alone the very sons and daughters of Makuta, on a simple whimsical bout of altruism. It was only a matter of time, then, until this vortixx revealed his motives. Either he would continue to milk this altruism for the sake of surveillance, or eventually garner the guts to ask directly. Both ways meant that he could be manipulated, or at least profited off of, by being interesting to Grossh. Phogen smelled something fishy about this. But that was no matter, for, to extend the colloquial metaphor, he enjoyed seafood. He looked to Hoto as the group climbed onto the cable car. "I hope he will be able to tell me a bit about the blade. I am afraid it is a recent acquisition and I do not know much about it."

IC Phogen: That last bit glimmered like a diamond in the muck of Nynrah's swamps. Now that... That was interesting. For someone to be intrigued by the school enough to warrant that as a primary trait, Grossh seemed to be particularly willing to win students over with outings to the city out of his own pocket. Very fascinating indeed. But to let on that Phogen found his interest interesting would be a disservice. It would be even more of a disservice to reveal the little prodding mechanism she would intrigue this Vortixx with entirely to her companions. But information was required of them as far as this little, forming plan's feasibility was concerned. Instead, idle conversation would do. "Do you think he would be willing to sharpen something of mine on the cheap?"

IC Phogen: Now it was polite to ask questions. "So, who is this Grossh character?"

IC Phogen: Phogen gave a small, gracious bow, apologetic and thankful for the forgiveness. He had also learned to keep his tongue to himself at times. Better to keep gregarious and jovial than overconfident with the capacity to stumble. He watched the subtleties of their movement. Personally, he cheered for them to foster their love. I would be nice to have access to a counterpoint at a moment's notice, even if there was no employee. As for Hoto, no bridges had been burned but... There was intent to speak in private later. If she really was going to try, there needed be a discussion about the process. In any case, this mysterious benefactor, Grossh, was also going to need to be examined. Motives in particular piqued Phogen's curiosity. 'Making friends with rahkshi' was a phrase as laughable as it was suspicious in this case.

IC Phogen: Ah. A slight stumble. But not irrecoverable in the slightest. This honesty thing was tricky. Like rhetoric, too much of it appeared to make the air toxic. Phogen chose his associates due to their power and capacity for growth to said power. Others appeared to pick other traits. Summing up Hoto in his mind, he rapidly came to the conclusion that she chose her friends based on altruism and trustworthiness. The irony was not lost on her friend Phogen. In any case, there was a rebound that needed to be made. He sighed, a bit ashamedly, and said "As I, in my often clinical thinking, overlooked. Can I rescind the specificity and acidity of my statement, and say instead that I simply trust your judge of character, Hoto?" She turned to Jayar, looking just abashed enough to lose a confrontational edge, but with enough confident swagger to continue to hold opposition, and asked "And may I retract implications at your inadequacy in exchange for admission that confidence in my system is a personal opinion and not a hard fact, Jayar?" Apologies were warranted, and while Phogen hated giving them out, he could also recognize when they were necessary. Better to give them willingly to friends that deserved them than enemies that demanded them at staffpoint.

IC Phogen: Jayar was alright at the verbal sparring involved here, but his sarcasm made for a very, very poor shield for his insecurities. And Phogen knew that even the best shields would rust if given the right prompting. But like any fine product of craftsmanship, rhetoric required as much delicacy as it did pressure. Too much and one courted defensiveness, too little and the impact was not felt. So, she decided to give him a slight nudge. And she knew exactly what to nudge him with. If Jayar was as smart as she hoped, he would read between the lines and see what should eventually be the impetus for his doubts. Turning the smile smarmy and slightly dismissive, Phogen responded with "Well if Hoto considers you smart enough to date, it's only a matter of time before you make the right decision." He rose gracefully, dusting himself off. "I look forward to receiving your application." To punctuate it, he offered a winsome smile, and a hand to Hoto to help her up.

IC Phogen: "I prefer the term 'meritocracy', as it correctly implies a lack of tyrrany. As for leadership, well, no team could function effectively without a leader. I simply fill that role until someone with a more effective management style than treating others with respect, promoting strong, interpersonal cohesion, and never turning away a potential member because of what others percieve as a weakness or strictly political disagreement-" Phogen's reference to the two rahkshi before her was just veiled enough to be polite without losing its direct effect. "-comes along to replace me." She smiled sweetly at Jayar.