Post by Flame on Apr 10, 2015 12:13:37 GMT -5
Original Profile
"Bihihihihihii …. Bahahahahahahaha" - Merle
Credit for Picture: pasaporiapua
Merle
"Bihihihihihii …. Bahahahahahahaha" - Merle
{Character Information}
Surname: Tali
Given Name: Merle
Nickname/s: "Laughing" Merle
Gender: Female
Race: Flying Fish Fishman
Age: 22
Birthday: 9/12 Sept. 12th
Home Region: Fishman Island
Occupation: Cook / Hunter / Medic
Bounty: None
Jolly Roger:
{Appearance & Personality}
-Personality Traits-
Alignment: An Amused Chaotic Good
Easily AmusedMerle laughs at a lot of things. Almost always it is a very genuine laugh, it can range from hearty chuckles to girly giggles. She is rather easy to please in that way. She enjoys laughing, whether it be by ‘infection’, jokes, or just stupid things happening she is very likely to get a laugh. In fact it can be a problem at times because it makes her seem unable to be serious in most situations.
SpunkyMerle is spunky. She is confident in herself and is willing to take risks. With this also comes her determination which is quite strong. It comes out with her having a bit of an attitude, she has presence. Sometimes it can even seem like she is a bit full of herself. Perhaps she is, but it comes from a firm belief in who she is which is unbending. Merle is the type to always have a smile on her face in all situations.
Self AssuredMerle does not trouble her with the thoughts of others. She does not believe her perception of herself should be affected by how others perceive her. She does not allow herself to be affected by others and instead chooses based on only her biases. In general it allows her to be peppy in many situations she shouldn't be and generally keep an eye on the horizon to keep from falling into despair from sad moments in life.
TeaseMerle can be a bit of a tease at times. Though whether she is good at it is probably dependent on the person she is trying to tease. The worst part is probably that she will generally start laughing mid-tease. In any case she enjoys trying to tease people and make light of situations.
FriendlyMerle is generally friendly to most people. She does not judge without meeting people first. Generally she gives people the benefit of the doubt and is likely to give them second and even third chances. She will try to be pleasant and understanding. To her friends she has loyalty unwavering and very much accepting of the absurd.
JadedMerle for all her happiness has seen the world and what has become of it. She understands the reality of it, the persecution of the other races in the face of humanity. She is used to the constant shunning she seems from them. For the most part she looks at the world and sees a flawed one and is looking for what might be a light in that darkness.
Virtues: Friendly, Amusing, Idealistic
Vices: Full of Herself, Jaded, Wrathful
Fears: Jellies, Imprisonment
-Physical Traits / Appearance-
Height: 6'1" or 186 cm
Build: Thin Build
Eye Color: Golden with White Fish-looking Pupils
Hair Style: Neck-Length Straight Turquoise
Ethnicity: Caribbean
AppearanceMerle is generally a quite bubbly looking person at first meeting ignoring the fact that she's already a fishman. She has a happy personality that she tends to put on show through her relaxed and friendly nature. There tends to be a lot of slack in her walk and her body as a whole, her arms swinging loosely at her side and a sack over her back with a harpoon in hand. She is tall by human standards but sees herself as short by fishmen standards at only 6'1". She is of a thin build putting her at a light 152 lbs with a flat chest and skinny arms and legs. This tends to detract from the fearsomeness visible in some fishmen. Her lithe form lacks the size, bulky muscle, ravenous teeth, or visible strength that one like her brother Hawk Tali sports with his Shark-like build. Even for flying-fish fishman she's a bit of an oddity, she lacks their usual long wing-like fins as they haven't grown out making her 'flights' less gliding than those who share her anatomy. Instead of that she has two pairs of small fins which grow out of both legs and arms. She is a pale misty blue color that can be difficult to spot when she walks through fog banks.
As a fishman she retains the natural advantages of her race. She is easily ten times stronger than a human counterpart of her body-type. But her true advantage is in the water where she is a fearsome swimmer. What her body lacks in strength it gives in speed, her lithe form is streamlined allowing her greater speeds than most other fishman. She is quite fit with tightly wound muscle in her legs and arms which give power to her body as she races through the water. On land this advantage is significantly lessened but speed still tends toward her most reasonable ally.
Like most fishman, Merle does not wear much in terms of clothing. For a top she wears a sports-bra like apparatus which is a bare fit about her form. Alongside that are pants made of a similar slick material, the pants are made such that her fins slide out of slits at her legs. Other than that she wears a Jolly Roger upon her right shoulder and a scarf about her neck. The scarf is a blueish color darker than herself. The scarf is not something she always wears but is simply a keepsake from her family that she holds dear.
{Character Story}
Total X-Poinz: 1199
Used X-Poinz: 800{ See Full Breakdown}
Full Breakdown200 Merle no Gyojin Karate | D-Rank FiSt(125) Free X-Poinz | 125 Used
-125 Uchimizu | R2 Tech
-50 Kawara Seiken | R1 Tech
-50 Kawara Mawashigeri | R1 Tech
-50 Kawara Danmakugeri | R1 Tech
-125 Naga Yari | R2 Tech
-125 Mizuhoshi | R2 Tech
200 Merle no Bojutsu | D-Rank FiSt(125) Free X-Poinz | 125 Used
-125 Nami Yari | R2 Tech
-0 Hanta no Mori | R0 Tech
-As The Fish Swims-{Starting XPoinz}
Starting XPoinz
+ 300 X-Poinz{Joining the Ravens Arc}
Messy Miscalculations
Kingdom of Conscience: Ravens Take Flight
+ 170 X-Poinz
Real Introductions
A Conflict of Interest: Ravens at Large
+ 200 X-Poinz{Pikt Arc}
Archipelago Blues
A Sign of Trouble: Ravens at Odds
+ 50 X-Poinz
Underwater Sanctuary
A Clash of Ideals: Ravens Regroup
+ 20 X-Poinz{A Wild Journey Arc}
Craziness on Silvers
Red Sparks and Wild Terror! A Shock on Silvers Island
+ 330 XPz
A Family at Sea
Open Hearts on the Open Seas!
+ 104 X-Poinz
{Skills and Combat Abilities}
-Inventory-
Bag of StuffA large drawstring bag. It is lathered such that it is mostly waterproof though for the most part those things she keeps that cannot be left in water and self-contained in their own waterproof bindings like a glass bottle and cap. It is of a tan color made from the bleached skin of a whale. Within it lies first and foremost her cooking set, this has knives, oil, spices, and a spatula for cooking on the fire. Along side it is a medic kit, with rolls of gauze, a bottle of coagulant powder and another of a cream for bruises.
A Coil of RopeA long coil of rope she uses to bind her catches to her when she drags them back. It can be attached to the harpoon to drag in prey.-Skills-
Non-Combat Skills
CookingMerle is a good cook, cooking was the original reason she took up hunting as she looked for interesting ingredients to cook with. Even though shes a fishman she has no qualms with eating sea-life in fact sea-life is the majority of the food she cooks. Personally she specializes in fried squid which is her favorite meal to eat.
TrackingMerle through her work as a game-hunter has become quite good at tracking animals and people. She can see tell-tale signs that something or someone has been somewhere. She is fairly well known as a hunter among those whom she sells to constantly, she brings in fish from the deeps of the North Blue to seafood restaurants generally in the less marine-heavy areas of the blue.
MedicMerle is a decent medic, often better than nothing when there is a wound needing healing. While she is not a full-fledged doctor Merle knows enough first-aid to deal with most basic injuries. This skill she had to pick up given the danger she was constantly in hunting larger prey alone. She is very used to dealing with cuts, bruises, and all manner of physical injury as well as a few poisons. She by no means is able to fix the majority of more dangerous ailments.
Combat Skills
Amphibious - Fishman Trait #1Merle as a Fishman is naturally capable of breathing both underwater and in the open air. She is easily capable of performing actions as normal at the crushing depths of Fishman Island.
Inhuman Strength - Fishman Trait #2Merle as a Fishman is extremely strong by human standards. While she rests on the weaker end of fishmen, she is capable of lifting objects with an ease most humans could only wish for.
Supreme Swimmer - Flying Fishman TraitEven for a Fishman Merle's body is especially aerodynamic and drag reducing in the water. Where all Fishman are fast in the water, Merle reaches speeds that match those of Merfolk who are deemed the fastest creatures in the sea.
Inhuman Stamina - Additional Trait #1Merle has large amounts of stamina. Trained while hunting large sea monsters, she needed to go on extremely long chases across seas following them constantly and then still have enough in the tank to take them down. This is helped by her natural aerodynamic-ness which requires her to use less energy than most would to move a certain distance.-Fighting Styles-
Merle no Gyojin Karate
D-Rank Fishman Karate200 X-Poinz (125 Free X-Poinz)
Merle is somewhat well-versed in the ways of Fishman Karate. She understands conceptually how many of the techniques work though she is not quite capable of pulling them off yet. Since she left the dojo as a 22nd level practitioner, she is not even close to being done with her training. As she figures out the techniques she is forming her own style that is based off the original. But is more fast and flexible in comparison to many of the techniques which are hard-hitting and don't require as much movement.
Through her travels she has grown in her skill, unlocking the hidden techniques of Fishman Karate. She practices the manipulation of water but is yet to be at a point where she can use it for powerful attacks apart from an Uchimizu.
Note: All of her Kawara techniques will often have a number attached to the front of kawara causing it to become -gawara.
Aspects
Mizu Jukutatsu: Water Mastery, is the most famous aspect of Fishman Karate. Gaining mastery over the water in the user's direct vicinity. Merle is capable of wielding this water and putting it into use to attack her enemies.
TechniquesKawara Seiken ~ Tile True Punch
Rank 1 Technique - 50 X-PoinzThe quintessential Fishman Karate attack. A hard punch that can send a human flying. It supposedly can break through hundreds of tiles.
Kawara Mawashigeri ~ Tile Roundhouse Kick
Rank 1 Technique - 50 X-PoinzA roundhouse kick with such power behind it that it can break through hundreds of tiles.
Kawara Danmakugeri ~ Tile Barrage Kick
Rank 1 Technique - 50 X-PoinzJumping into the air (or underwater swimming above them) Merle descends upon her opponent with a flurry of kicks each able to break through hundreds of tiles.
Uchimizu ~ Water Shot
Rank 2 Technique - 125 X-Poinz (F)
Aspect - Mizu JukutatsuGathering water on her hand she whips her hand forward in the process throwing that glob of water forward. The water acts like a bullet piercing into her enemies before her.
Naga Yari ~ Stream Lance
Rank 2 Technique - 125 X-Poinz
Aspect - Mizu JukutatsuFrom underwater, Merle has a basic control of water. With a swift movement of her hand in an open palm push she can force a short stream of water forward. The stream is fast enough and strong enough to rise ten feet out of the air and pierce through her target
Mizuhoshi ~ Water Star
Rank 2 Technique - 125 X-Poinz
Aspect - Mizu JukutatsuGathering water in her hand she manipulates it so it spins in her hand. Throwing the rotating water in her hand it spins as it is thrown forward. Spinning causes the ball of water to flatten acting like a thrown shuriken.
Merle no Bojutsu
D-Rank Staff/Spear Fighting200 X-Poinz (125 Free X-Poinz)
Merle used to only use her spear(harpoon) for her work hunting. But recently she's noticed that it has its own uses. So she's been working on her ability to actually fight with it. Due to the weapon's fully steel makeup (so it survives underwater) she uses it similarly to a staff though it does have a pointed end.
When Merle fights with her spear, it twists around her gathering momentum to create extra strength in her strikes. The strikes are fast and powerful but generally few and far between as it takes her a little while to gather the requisite momentum in a strike.
Aspects
Kamikaze Bo: Whirlwind Staff, by moving her staff fast enough she is able to gather enough speed and strength in its movement to project attacks forward. Whether it be in air or water her attacks are able to extend beyond the physical range of her staff.
WeaponMori
Rank 0 SpearA simple harpoon that Merle uses mostly for hunting. It is made fully of steel coated so that it doesn't rust from the ages beneath the water it spends. About five feet tall it's head is like half of an arrow head bending back on one side but not the other in an arched fashion.
TechniquesHanta no Mori ~ Hunter's Spear
Rank 0 TechniqueGathering all her strength she launches her harpoon at an enemy (generally a creature shes hunting). With all the strength she has as a fishman the harpoon is easily able to pierce skin and wood. Shes getting close but she can't break through stone (provided it isn't super thin).
Nami Yari ~ Wave Spear
Rank 2 Technique - 125 X-Poinz (F)
Aspect - Kamikaze BoGathering enough momentum in her harpoon she swings it forward sending an arc of wind or water (based on whether she's in water) shoots forward as an arcing blade towards her opponent.
{Character Relations}
-Family-Simmon and Deanna Tali Parents - Merle was close with her parents as it happens. They ran a small restaurant and from them she learned her own love of cooking. They might have been hesitant about her decision to join the dojo and learn Fishman Karate and even more so about her final decision to go out and challenge the world but they supported her all the same. They did not get in her way and she is grateful for that.
Hawk Tali Brother - Merle has a usual sibling rivalry with her brother. For the most part they started out in life walking the same path though Hawk has always been a bit better at fighting than Merle and she better at cooking than him. She knows very little of where Hawk has gone with his life, though has heard tale from her uncle that he's become a pirate somewhere in the Grand Line.
Shah Ki Uncle - Shah Ki is Merle's uncle on her mother's side. A former pirate and solitary hermit in the Grand Line she met up with him on her travels. She is grateful for all he taught her and has a familial love of him though she's not seen him in a few years. He is as close as an estranged uncle could be for her given that she stayed a few months with him before continuing on.-Friends-Marlus Caine Captain - Merle's feelings on Marlus are mixed. On the one hand she is ever thankful to him for saving her on Jreum island. To some extent it is to her an unequalizable debt. Which means while indebted she has no other real connection to Marlus. She judges him against an ideal of what he should be in her mind. It is an ideal that makes it hard for him to seem adequate.
-Foes-N/A as of yet
{History}
Youth (0-10)Merle was born on Fishman Island as the daughter of a Violet Goby Fishwoman named Deanne Ki and a Gar Merman by the name of Simmon Tali. She is one of two children of their parents, the other is a brother named Hawk Tali who is a Tigershark Fishman. Hawk is 5 years her senior. Her parents run a seafood shack on Fishman Island, it is a small family-run restaurant that is popular among the residents of Fishman Island though fairly unknown to visitors. For the first few years of her life she spent her time here eating and cooking with her family. In general it was a very happy life for her. This is where she found her love of cooking and specifically fried squid.
When she turned six her brother joined the Dojo. Curious about what it was like every time her brother came back from it she asked many questions. When Hawk practiced in the morning she tried to follow along in her own awkward way. When the dojo held functions to show off their members she always went to marvel at all the techniques and skills that some of the members. During this time she continued to work on her cooking skills, learning all sorts of seafood dishes from her parents as she awaited the day that they would let join the dojo as well. She also learned some of the first few medic skills she'd eventually use, how to deal with burns. Apart from a few minor mishaps Merle's youth was fairly peaceful and boring.
Training (11 - 17)At the age of 11 her parents allowed her to join the Fishman Dojo to begin learning Fishman Karate. It had taken a little convincing but her parents having seen her enthusiasm for it had finally relented. At the dojo she having practiced the techniques incorrectly suddenly found she had to learn them all from scratch again. Even worse because her muscles already had programmed memories for the techniques she had to unlearn then relearn causing her to early on fall behind many of the kids who joined with her.
Her enthusiasm untouched by her early failures she continued to practice the art spending extra time to learn it. Through diligence, a fair bit of talent, and still yet more diligence she was able to catch up to her class by the age of 13 becoming an 8th level practitioner with the rest of them. Her next goal of course would be to surpass her brother who at this time was already a 26th level practitioner. Like her, her brother was skillful and diligent and as she grew so did he. As the years went on she found herself unable to close the distance. As she reached the 21st level practitioner at the age of sixteen her brother had already made it to level 43.
Talking to her mentors about her problem, at first they laughed at her. Which didn't bother her, but as she insisted that she needed to learn faster they turned serious. While it was uncommon for them to do so, they suggested a way to speed up her learning. It involved going out into the wild and placing herself into situations where she would be forced to evolve to survive. It was a dangerous lifestyle and they did not recommend she take it, but told her if that was what she wanted to do they would not stop her.
For the following year she thought about the idea and of course made it to the 22nd level of Fishman Karate. She made her decision and at the age of seventeen she decided she needed to go out and see the world to improve herself. Her brother and her parents were respectful of her decision and allowed her to go. Her mother specifically told her that if she ever needed help she could either come home or find her uncle Shah Ki. She knew through some secretive means that he was living on the Reflection Route in Paradise.
Traveling the Grand Line (18-20)So with her family behind her, Merle left Fishman Island. Unsure of what exactly to do she figured that she might as well visit her uncle first on her journey to improve herself. It was a long journey along the sea floor to finally find her uncle. A few dangerous mishaps came about especially when she was set upon by a pack of sea-wolves. Thankfully her streamline body gave her the speed she needed to evade them. To feed herself she hunted lesser sea creatures, cooking them when she could but otherwise eating them raw.
Travelling from underwater town to underwater town she zig-zagged her way carefully from Fishman Island backwards through Paradise. Finally a year after she left she managed to track down her uncle in the waters around Blue Lagoon. After telling him about who she was he finally agreed to let her stay for a few days before he sent her off again. Having stayed for a little while she talked to her uncle about many things and when he heard what her plans were. He thinking for a moment gathered a harpoon from his own storage and gave it to her. He advised her to take up hunting, it would both allow her to train against the fiercest monsters in the deeps as well as keep her well fed and possibly earning a decent amount of beri.
Heading back for the next year and a half she stayed near Blue Lagoon in the Reflection Route. As a hunter she tried to hunt for increasingly stronger underwater beasts but found that many of them were beyond her to take. Quite a few times she had come back bruised, cut, and beaten, going to her uncle at those times he taught her some basic medicine to make sure she did not die. Seeing that she was struggling he advised her to take her skills into the Blues.
The North Blue (21-22)There the calmer waters held less dangerous creatures where she could work. He also had some friends who owned restaurant ships who at his recommendation would be happy to buy any extra fish that she caught. Believing in her uncle, she took up his advice and moved into the Blues. There she found her prey to be on her level and some a little bit stronger but it was manageable for her. Her growth came about and she began to make a living doing hunting. But without question she thought that she needed to return to the Grand Line to truly improve.
Credit for Picture: pasaporiapua