1. video

[shadowglitter]

[ The feed flickers on, and all you see is a softly rolling white mist in an empty bedroom. There are... footsteps, you can hear them, but only if you lean into your communicator and listen closely. The footsteps grow louder, and louder, and louder, and then soon, there's a figure. This figure walks into the fog, keeping his back to the camera, and then he waves his hands around in an attempt to make the mist swirl like a tornado around him. Sadly, physics don't work that way, so he gives up.

He spins dramatically on the spot and points at the camera, but then he tries it again in an attempt to look even cooler and trips on the wire for the dry ice machine he's got plugged into the wall. It unplugs, he staggers awkwardly to the ground, the smoke stops rolling in as the machine just straight up dies, and, nervously, this guy gets back up on his feet and dusts himself off. He's rather red-faced and sweaty, but he quickly wipes his forehead with the bottom of his cape and then he's back to trying to look cool, pointing at the camera as if nothing happened. When he speaks, it's with forced volume. ]

Hark! I, Odin Dark, Stalwart Guardian of the Night, Devourer of the Ruined Fates, HERO AMONGST HEROES, has travelled across time and tide for you, dear viewer! You, and you alone! [ He poses dramatically, his hand covering his face like he's shielding the world from the BURNING ENERGY that EMANATES FROM HIS DEMONIC EYES. ]

Odin Dark! Known to many as the Reaper's Second Scythe! (For when his first scythe isn't GOOD ENOUGH!) My heart is as black as a crow covered in roasted charcoal, flying through a starless night sky! And the crow's made of obsidian! LIKE MY HEART, WHICH WAS SURGICALLY REPLACED WITH THE HEART OF AN EVEN SCARIER, BLACKER BIRD! [ he throws his hands in the air dramatically. ] Can you hear that? Can you hear that, viewer?! My... blood! It's screaming!

[ He quietly says "noo odin noooo anything but that" out of the corner of his mouth, followed by what are undoubtedly supposed to be explosion noises. ]

Haha. Yes. Plead for your lives, villains. The beast in me... has awoken.

Comments

[ret2go]

What an impressive hero's speech! You must have practiced that a lot!

[shadowglitter]

Thanks! [ Odin beams, pure, unfiltered happiness all over his face. He coughs into his fist a moment later, though, dropping his voice down deep and letting a shadow fall over his eyes. ]

I mean - I can assure you, there was no practice involved here. The foul utterances and heroic declarations that burst forth from betwixt these noble lips always strike me, as lightning strikes from the heavens, in the heat of the moment. I'd be pretty lame if I couldn't come up with this stuff off the top of my head.

[ret2go]

What? Really?! You came up with all of that on the spot? That's crazy! You must do a ton of hero-ing!

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[fehus]

[have some clapping. it's not ironic, surprisingly, for this vaguely stoned looking teen. that was great, he loved every second of it]

Cool LARP, man. Wait, just checking though, is it a beast or a bird or a bigger bird's heart in you that's screaming? 'Cuz those are like, different sounds.

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[shadowglitter]

[ Hell yeah, son, he's getting claps! Odin puts his fists on his hips and poses dramatically during the applause, taking this stoned kid's appreciation for his glorious work at face value, but then he, uh. Falters a little. ]

Th... the beast is, uh. Different? To the bird? Like--

Okay, it's like this. My heart? Total bird heart. A big, scary raven sacrificed himself in battle for me, and it was very valiant and heroic and cool, and I rewarded him by taking his heart and letting it beat in my chest so he would live on inside me forever. Right? And then-- because of reasons that are simply way too dark and scary to get into right now, I also have a beast within me. It lives in my blood. He's always been there. Even before the heart thing happened. Big, scary demonic monster that rages with anguish. It's more metaphorical, though? It's a howling spirit that dwells in my soul, but it represents the untapped power of my lineage as well as the tragic curse that has befallen me as just, like. A man? So. That's the one that's screaming.

I forgot what I said about the first bird, but it's not that.

Re: video

[fehus]

Is your tragic curse to be full of yelling animals?

[video]

[ghoulking]

If your heart is black, shouldn't you be the villain?

Re: [video]

[shadowglitter]

N-No. But I don't blame you for thinking so! I, Odin Dark, dwell in the depths of the darkest darkness, walking hand in hand through life with the night. I've suffered greatly, and the Holy Light of Righteous Mercy has turned its back on me, leaving me alone with only unholy spirits and wailing demons by my side. But - though I'm plagued by loss, grief and sadness, I take that heavy hit on my chiseled, handsome chin. I still fight for good! I absorb evil into this chalice I call a body, and I save lives and fell enemies from my home in the shade!

Don't be scared of me. I may frighten you... but if it's peace you long for, I'll protect you.

Re: [video]

[ghoulking]

[ no, you definitively don't scare him, specially the way you dress ]

And absorbing evil into you.... "chalice" of a body doesn't have lasting effects?

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[poreiavian]

...

Please be my new friend.

[Straight-face and serious. She doesn't know what the fuck he is talking about, but she wants to be part of it.]

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[shadowglitter]

[ Oh! Someone's taken the bait. Odin tries to stare back equally as straight-faced and serious, but it turns out he's too excited to make a friend to not just look like a giddy puppy. ]

Okay! I'd like that a lot. [ Friendship initiated! He highfives the camera, and it wobbles, but doesn't fall. Good. ]

Uh, but wait. I have to warn you. Friends of Odin Dark are oft subject to great danger. Should my enemies catch wind of our amicable companionship, you'll probably be held hostage or your family will be threatened until I comply with some kind of villainous demand. Are you still okay with that?

[Voice]

[hellrisen02]

....The reaper's second scythe, huh.

[The jokes here? So many. God is Duo ever buttblasted that there's no one here to appreciate how funny this is.]

What happened to the first one?

Re: [Voice]

[shadowglitter]

[ Odin GASPS DRAMATICALLY. A disembodied voice! Could this be a real demon, whispering unholy curses in his ear?! He's been waiting for this day! He looks around, excited, then realizes it's just coming from his communicator and deflates immediately. Booooo. ]

... Oh, um.

It's still around? He still uses it for day to day reaping, of course. But when he wants to unleash true devastation, the reaper calls upon no other than Odin Dark. Or, as it's whispered amongst the elders - the reap'r calleth upon nay oth'r than Odin Dark. [ He nods, dramatically. ]

I'm basically, like, the special weapon. His normal scythe's cool and all, but I'm, like, a custom made Mega Scythe with lights and flames running up and down the side of it. Basically.

[burlyboy]

[ Magnus wildly applauds. Okay, there was a gaffe in the middle, but otherwise? That was some good good shit. ]

That was fantastic! We're gonna be friends, I'm calling it now.

So, are you a wrestler?

[ That really wasn't all that different than the speeches he has to make at work. This fella's even got the cape working for him! ]

[shadowglitter]

[ Yesssss, another friend!!! Odin wants nothing more than to jump RIGHT THROUGH this camera and high five the shit out of Magnus, but the question distracts him before he can try. Which is good. He would have tried.

Odin looks down at what he's wearing. Hm. Hmmm. He's basically naked other than the black mesh and the cape, so between that and the theatrics, he gets it. Him being a wrestler seems like a reasonable assumption to make. He's never wrestled a day in his life, though. He has, however, spent a lot of time making up names for sweet flips and sick stunts, so he'll just say yes and play this as it comes. ]

... Absolutely, I am. Odin Dark! Born to noble lineage, he lived his life as a drifting folk hero, concealing his royal heritage from prying minds as he traveled from village to village, helping the poor and the needy through fetch quests and escort missions! He was happy, and the people were good to him, but an unbridled lust for more grew within him - a need to rid the world of evil flooded his system, expanding, everlasting! He knew the only way he could bring True Goodness to the world... was to take his skills to the ring.

Can you withstand his iconic Gutbusting Thundercrack, the roundhouse kick known to knock the wind AND THE LIFE out of his enemies? How do you think you'll fare against the Charging Nova-Infused Backbreaker, the tornado-like piledriver FROM SPACE that shatters the bodies AND THE SPIRITS of each pitiful victim? YOU WON'T FARE VERY WELL, I IMAGINE.

And then there's... [ he looks away for dramatic effect. ] ... The Two-Handed Rib-Breaking Fall of the Cobra-Eating, Bleeding Phoenix that Once Dwelled Under the Unholy Shooting Stars That Fall From The Cataclysmically-Torn Apart Heavens Only for the Briefest of Moments Once Every Three Thousand and Eighty Years. You're not ready to know what that entails. (But it's a moonsault. I do a cool flip during it.)

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[tropism]

Can I count on you to save me from distress?

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[shadowglitter]

[ ...!!! A quest! A quest!! A QUEST A QUEST A QUEST A QUEST A QUEST ]

YES, ABSOLUTELY.
I don't know what you need from me, dear stranger, but I'll give you everything you need!
The sweat and tears from my body! The cursed blood from my veins! The clothes on my back, even though there aren't that many!
How are you distressed? Are you in trouble? Are you in danger RIGHT NOW?
ALLOW ME TO RESCUE YOU FROM THE EVILS THAT HAUNT YOU

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[h2no]

What are ya smokin' and where can I get some?

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[shadowglitter]

The only thing smoking around here is the smoking crater I left in the earth when I rode a shooting star down from the heavens and landed, shattering the sound barrier just seconds prior to impact, amongst Great, Towering Flames, carrying with me majesty and poise and standing with arms stretched wide in a welcoming embrace on this foreign soil, sweat-stained and breathless but nevertheless willing to accept this new life of adventure with unwavering acceptance.

So.

That's my answer to that.

Video

[namesaquestion]

[The most unimpressed look ever.]

Hmph. Do you always talk like a moron?

Re: Video

[shadowglitter]

Wh--

[ Odin looks hurt! You basically just punched a puppy in the face, buddy. He looks down, awkward, but then clears his throat and stands a little taller. ]

Th-the malevolent Maegycks that soak my mortal coil black protect me from insults like yours. My feelings are as hard and steady as unflinching steel!

But I can talk normal, if you want. I guess. Not very fun, though.

Re: Video

[fehus]

[the most unimpressed look ever.]

Do you always talk like an asshole?

Re: Video

[h2no]

Niko.

video;

[alcheregis]

[ Haen looks wonderfully, positively delighted by this new entertainment. ]

Oh, do that again. All of it, if you please. Including the falling down part, dear, I liked that bit.

Re: video;

[shadowglitter]

[ Odin can't tell if he's being made fun of or not, but. He's gonna assume not! He's gonna assume this new person genuinely thinks he's COMPLETELY, 100% ULTRACOOL ]

A sorcerer doesn't perform on command. [ he's already plugging the fog machine back in. ] A sorcerer's dark, magnificent aura is not some switch that can just be turned on and off! [ he turns on the switch to the fog machine. ]

What was it you liked about my entrance? In extensive detail, please! I mean, other than my patented Fall of the Eternally Towering Magician, which I agree was a totally sweet move. Completely did that on purpose, so. Good of you to notice.