Taurus, Adam

[Dischord]

Name: D-229, Adam Taurus
Nickname: Beast
Age: 22 (January 31st)
Gender: Male
Birthplace: Unknown
Family: Unknown
Family via Experiment: Mana Tatsumiya (Older Sister), Setsuna Sakurazaki (Younger Sister), Zazie Rainyday (Younger Sister), Neopolitan Glace (Younger Sister), Blake Belladonna (Ex-Girlfriend, Younger Sister), Sun Wukong (Younger Brother), Velvet Scarlantia (Younger Sister), Alice Lafleur (Younger Brother)

Trainer Orientation: Neutral Evil
Trainer Class: Leader of the White Fang, Experiment
Starter Pokémon: Houndoun

RWBY - From Shadows
Context: Character Theme

Leader - Warrior Inside
Context: Combat Theme

Korn - Forsaken
Context: Darker Character Theme

MGS - Rules of Nature
Context: The White Fang

Skillet - Rise
Context: White Fang Leader Theme

Fang [Male Houndoom] — "We were destined to light the fires of revolution!"
Captured as a Houndour with the assistance of Blake Belladonna, and Adam's first Pokémon, Fang's name was the inspiration for the White Fang organization that the pair founded. Fang has been a constant in his life since the Pokémon was caught, and it was the Pokémon that consoled his master when the scope of Blake's betrayal finally landed on Adam's shoulder, and the man, for a time, collapsed. During that period, Fang kept everyone away from Adam, to keep him from lashing out at those his master was meant to be protecting.
—Caught with the aid of Blake.

Adam Taurus is quite tall, coming in at 6'4", and weighs somewhere around 220 lbs. Adam's height gives him a decent amount of size, though he's not bulky, with more of a lean frame to him. His coloration is pale, and he's got red hair that spikes backwards. The back portion of his hair is closer to brown in color. He has bull-like horns on either side of his head, spiking back the same way his hair does. His eyes are usually kept hidden, but they're actually a darker shade of gold. He wears a whitish-tan mask with red, Japanese-style flame-like symbols decorating the front, with slits on either side to allow for vision. The mask covers his nose and eyes, and stretches up over his forehead, but leaves the lower portion of his face bare. Beneath the mask is extensive scarring, a result of some of the experiments he underwent.

His clothing usually ranges toward black and red in color. His favored outfit is a long-sleeved black trench coat with slit sleeves, accented with red designs and a white symbol on the left side. It's red on the inside, with flame-like accents at the bottom and a large emblem on the back - a white tulip design covered by a red rose. He wears long black slacks with more red accents, and black gloves with more red accents - these in the shape of the Greek letter Ω (Omega). This outfit is topped off with a black belt with white domino marks on it. Tucked away in a pocket, he has a Houndoom skull charm, a gift from Blake during their younger years.

As much a part of his outfit as his clothing, he keeps a sheathed chokutō at his side, along with a short-barreled rifle. The blade, Wilt, is red-colored, an oddity itself. The rifle, Blush, is its sheath. The design is specialized, made by the same 'company' that produced Adam and his 'siblings'. If he's out in public, he's got the blade affixed to his side.

Artwork by Ex-Trident (left) and So-bin (front).

Adam is a strong willed individual, with two very distinct sides. The first side, or the side that those closest to him know and remember is a man with a strong sense of honor and purpose, one who will do whatever he can to protect those close to him. His original self was also a deeply caring individual who loved those of his siblings he was raised around very much, most of all Blake, with whom he was originally romantically entangled. His feelings were always strong, somewhat amplified no matter what he was focused on. And this was the most common side that people saw, up until his kind were turned away by the governments because of suspicions that they were somehow working with or responsible for the recent tragedies inflicted upon humanity by the Darkness.

When he saw his people floundering and at risk, Adam swore to do whatever it took to protect those of his kind, to give them a world worth living in. And with this second side of him, a ruthless streak was revealed. Cruel, sadistic, bitter and vengeful, he now lashes out at a world that already despises him for crimes that he and his kind never committed.  He doesn't have any regard for the 'innocent', and won't let anyone or anything stop him from dispensing his twisted idea of justice on humanity, and taking the world he wants for his kind.

When his personality shift caused quarrels between him and Blake, he became possessive and violent, vowing to have her no matter what. And he's always a man of his word.

Born to a junkie mother and the abusive father who more often than not beat the both of them, Adam was pulled from a home he no longer remembers with two broken ribs, a broken arm, and no name beyond 'the little bastard'. Shoved into the foster system at a young age, and given his name by his first caseworker, Adam adjusted very poorly to life as a foster child. He was argumentative, combative, and difficult to deal with, lashing out at both foster parents and other foster kids alike. His temperament led to him being described as a beast by those who had the misfortune of being one of the homes he was placed in. Lashing out at others around him, the little boy was eventually "adopted" by a somewhat affluent couple who wanted a child with such shock red hair and combative attitude; however his more troubling aspects had the potential to become problematic with their respective goals for him in mind.

And so it was that Adam became one of the first three experimentation projects of the FAUXâME Corporation, with spliced Pokémon traits. Adam was placed into the labs with the two who would become his 'sisters', Mana and Setsuna, with the three becoming as close as Adam's cruel streak would allow. What really changed him was the beginning experiments on the younger of FAUX's creations, most specifically, a young girl named Blake. The plight that these younger children were in stirred something inside Adam, something that brought out a side of him he didn't know he had: a protector and guardian. A man behind the monster. Inevitably, the girl who had drawn the side of him that was a protector out was also the first person he fell in love with - Blake. Just as she needed him, he'd grown to need her. Her presence kept the storm inside him quiet.

When their sister Zazie's power ran rampant and gave a number of the Faux-me their chance, cutting and running from the laboratories that had been their homes, and into the wider, open world. But during the chaos, many of them had gotten split, and so it was just Adam, Setsuna and Blake who ended up on a charter that led them straight into the arms of Eishun Konoe. Adam thrived under Eishun's tutelage, training in the art of Shinmeiryu at the dojo, his warmth growing under the kindness of those around him. For a while, it looked like Adam's beast had been quelled, and peace reigned as the three of them - Blake, Adam, and Setsuna worked together. As time passed, they began to make contact with other Faux-me, and Adam was torn between the happy home he'd found, and the others like him who had no such luxury. The people he had sworn to protect, and failed to save. Eventually, he and Blake left unannounced, returning to Kalos. Taking up position in Lumiose City's underground, they formed the White Fang, on the outside, a rights movement for the disenfranchised, but internally working to father Faux-me and work against FAUXâME Corporation. For three years they celebrated small successes and slowly brought the public eye's attention to the dark, torturous deeds of the underworld.

But that changed after the events of Castelia. At the eve of the White Fang exposing FAUXâME Corporation entirely and coming out as a collective of human experiments, dubbing these altered peoples 'Faunus', FAUXâME Corporation framed the rights movement as Plasma agents. With Plasma branded as killers and demons in the public eye and with heated debates unfortunately becoming violent, the die was cast and the public turned their backs on the Faunus and the White Fang, rather than sheltering the victims. And though FAUXâME Corporation was in shambles and trying to save face, nothing could turn back the bad press the White Fang had received...

Born with no life,
Into subjugation.
Treated like a worthless animal,
Stripped of all rights,
Just a lesser being,
Crushed by cruel, ruthless Human rule.

So it was that the White Fang began to grow more violent, with Adam lending himself to what humanity saw his Faunus brethren as, every incident becoming increasingly more dangerous to the humans that lived in the world around them. He knew that Blake was watching him slowly self-destruct, but he was almost helpless to fight against the anger and hatred that welled up within him. If he had to turn into a monster to protect his people, their people, he would. With Blake at his side, he struggled to control his rage and keep it hidden behind his mask. But it wasn't enough.

Things finally came to a head as the season turned to autumn. Blake and Adam boarded a train passing through Stantalune Forest, carrying a diluted style, but Faux-me nonetheless, FAUXCorp's dark deeds still being committed in tertiary laboratories... But as Blake and Adam boarded the train to free their brethren, Blake commented on the munitions and explosives also stored in the shipping containers. Adam revealed to her his intent to detonate them, and as Blake queried what they would do about the human passengers and guards onboard, Adam replied simply, "what about them?"

Together, they freed the Faunus on the train, and once the final guard had been struck down, Adam turned to find Blake a train car away from him, standing at the release latch. As he reached out for the woman he loved with confusion on his features, she muttered that she was sorry, and struck the release latch, the train ripping her away at high speeds. That was the day that the man was buried under the beast, Blake's loss stripping away whatever kindness had been left. Blake's betrayal was twofold, not just personal, though it had certainly been that, but also of their ideals and the promises they had made to fight for their people.

He frequently refers to Blake as his 'beloved' or 'love', and has stated that she'd never be free of him, that they needed one another. This obsessive nature led him into a pattern of stalking and following Blake's movements closely, even as the woman worked hard to disguise herself as a normal human. But while Adam's choices may not be exactly be a vote for peace, he does want what's best for the Faunus, and he still works in the background to protect and build a better life for them. He has simply stopped asking for aid, and instead takes what he believes will most readily benefit his people. Regardless of the cost.

Regular Abilities______________________________________
└-Skills, professions, knowledge and talents.

Shundo: Known by the name "instant movement", it is an ability that allows Adam to cover a distance between forty and fifty feet in a direct line from where he is facing in an instant. He can actually pass through space occupied by another person or creature without either being physically affected; only an individual specifically-trained in martial arts can react to his movement in this manner, or another individual trained in Shundo.

│
├─Classification: Talent
├─Category: Skill
└─Power Level: Journeyman

Swordsmanship (Chokutō & Rifle): Adam's combat style relies on his unique blade and rifle combination, Wilt & Blush. Blush, the rifle, serves as a sheath for Wilt, and Wilt itself can be shot hilt-first out of the barrel. When Wilt is unsheathed, Blush's stock becomes more angular and shorter while the barrel extends, holding greater resemblance to an actual rifle. Wilt's blade is red and is roughly average in length. Adam's fighting style focuses on a combination of rifle fire, iaijutsu strikes, and shundo movements. Between this, and Moonslice, Adam is an iaijutsu master, combining his Shinmeiryu training into a very unconventional form of combat that has left him an incredibly dangerous individual.

│
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Weapon Proficiency
└─Power Level: Master

Martial Abilities______________________________________
└-Weapon specializations and fighting styles.

Iaiken: Iaido (居合道 Iaidō or just Iai 居合) is a modern Japanese martial art associated with the smooth, controlled movements of drawing the sword from its scabbard or saya, striking or cutting an opponent, removing blood from the blade, and then replacing the sword in the scabbard.

│
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Fighting Style
└─Power Level: Master

Shinmeiryu: Shinmeiryu (神鳴流 Shinmei-ryū), meaning "God's Cry School", is an ancient Japanese martial art with roots in Kendo. Shinmeiryu blends the sword technique and discipline of kendo with an additional, secret art of ki manipulation, for the ultimate goal of slaying demons and upholding honor and justice. The power of this fighting style is said to be able to divide the heavens and cleave mountains in half. One of the key tenants of Shinmeiryu is the ability to manipulate the living energy of one's own body, augmenting their physical strength or speed, or channeling into the numerous techniques of the style. Though Adam hasn't been training in Shinmeiryu for very long, he's achieved an incredibly high level of skill, primarily through focused training, but also because of his modifications in the Demandes experiments.

│
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Fighting Style
└─Power Level: Master

Zankūsen [斬空閃 - Air-Cutting Flash; Hiken]: The first of the 'Flash' type techniques, Zankūsen functions both used by a sword and used bare-handed. This technique releases a burst of ki in a 10' square radius around the user. Creatures of an alignment diametrically opposite that of the user take double damage.

│
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Attack
└─Power Level: Expert

Zankūshō San [斬空掌・散 - Air-Cutting Palm, Scatter; Ougi]: Similar in execution to Zankūsen, Zankūshō - San is a ki-release technique that fires a number of bullet-like ki projectiles at a number of targets within 10' of the user.

│
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Attack
└─Power Level: Expert

Zanmaken [斬魔剣 - Evil-Cutting Sword; Ougi]: Another initial technique, Zanmaken is a ranged ki attack that deals absurdly effective against anything with an evil alignment. Non-evil creatures and persons also receive considerable damage if struck, but evil creatures will almost certainly be slain.

│
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Attack
└─Power Level: Master

Zanmaken Ni-no-Tachi [斬魔剣・弐の太刀 - Evil Cutting Sword, Second Strike; Ougi]: This technique can only be used on a target that has an animate target between itself and the wielder (ie, if the target is standing behind a person, an undead, or a construct. This does not function on a target standing behind, say, a wall). The user targets the object in the target's path. A visible wave of ki energy passes through the intervening object and strikes the target, dealing double damage. However, this technique only affects creatures or objects with an evil alignment, and its use will be wasted, dealing no damage, on anything of any other alignment.

│
├─Classification: Physical
├─Category: Attack
└─Power Level: Expert

Unique Abilities_______________________________________
└-Powers unique to the character.

Moonslice: Adam's inborn ability from being a Houndoom splice is that of Moonslice, an ability that is very similar to Bide, and works in conjunction with his weapon, Blush and Wilt. Similar in some respects to the Kinetic Redirection ability possessed by Yang Xiao Long, Adam is able to draw in immense amounts of energy, focusing it into his blade, Wilt, and releasing it in an immense slicing technique at the high speeds of Iaiken. This allows him to take blasts of energy, and even weapons fire and transfer the energy from these attacks into his own technique, impacting on the energy taken in. The longer Adam has to center and focus himself, the more powerful these attacks become. He's also able to 'store' energy in his weapon, and can take time between being struck, and striking out with Moonslice.

│
├─Classification: Talent
├─Category: Misc.
└─Power Level: Inherent

Coming soon.

Coming soon.