Intense Struggle Season 2! (Round 4: Deathball Championship)

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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Somewhere, in a vast universe, there is a small pocket of space missing.

Within this space, there is a massive mechanical fortress, or perhaps a temple.

Within this temple, the Monitor watches a battle.

No. Twelve battles. Only one is his direct responsibility, but he has watched the others with great concern.

Make that eleven battles. One has just ended. The Monitor records the data from it.

"The Director is a fool," the Monitor says to no one. "They all are. They have gathered fighters who are not only powerful, but cunning. Cunning enough to craft plans to escape, or even to challenge a Grandmaster."

"I will not repeat their mistakes."

The Monitor's attention turns to his own battle.

"However. This battle is not providing data as quickly as I had hoped. I will need more data... better data." The Monitor scans the array of screens surrounding him. "The Observer and the Composer have each begun a second battle. I will do the same."

With that, the Monitor orders his probes to search the myriad universes once more, locating suitable contestants. However, this time the Monitor does not simply intend to test their combat ability alone...

As the search begins, the Monitor suddenly becomes aware of a file in his system. He has not seen it before, and never wrote it.

It is called "intensestruggles2.txt", and according to the time stamp, it was created seven thousand years ago, long before the Monitor had even considered the possibility of an Intense Struggle.

Curious, the Monitor opens the file. Within, he finds the words he is now reading, which tell of his previous actions.

He is about to close the file and delete it, when he notices a message at the bottom of the document, indicating its author.

The Wordsmith.

The Monitor closed the file. How infuriating. How had he failed to notice this message until now? He considered searching for similar files, but suspected he would simply be wasting his time.

He made a call to the Controller for consultation (at least ostentibly), then to the Observer to make clear that the battle was starting regardless of what the Observer thought of it.

His business with other Grandmasters concluded, the Monitor first examined the file the Controller had provided him with. It intrigued him.

And then an idea struck. An idea he would have to pursue at once.

While contemplating this new objective, the Monitor resumed scanning numerous worlds for contestants. Truly, the second Intense Struggle would be a battle to remember.

Welcome to Game 5 of Grand Battle Season 2! Most of you reading this probably have an idea of how the game works, but if not, here's a summary. If you feel you need more details, check the rules in the original thread.

RULES:

This is a writing collab for eight players. Each of you will come up with a character. Those characters will then be set to face each other in a free-for-all battle to the death.

The fate of your character depends on your writing skill. Every round, the player whose writing has been the worst will be eliminated from the game, and their character will be killed off. After that, a new round will begin, in a new setting.

When posting for the story, it is recommended that you make a post reserving, then edit that post. When somebody else has reserved, everyone else should wait for that player to post; in this game, reserves will be honored for up to three hours. If somebody reserves but doesn't write in that time, you can feel free to reserve instead. (Although frequently, other players will still respect reserves even after this time is up.) If you expect to take longer due to writing an especially lengthy post, try to give us a heads-up.

Character submission form:

Name: The character's name, obviously.
Gender: Typically this will be male, female, or N/A, though some character concepts will allow an "Other" option.
Font color: To more easily separate story posts from general discussion and identify their author, everybody will pick a particular color to put their posts in. List it here (words in that font color will do). Everybody should pick a different one, and black is not to be used. Using backgrounds is acceptable, but please stick to the default font.
Race: What species they are. Be it human, elf, Martian, energy being, werewolf, undead vaccum cleaner... you get the idea. Anything you want is fine.
Weapon: Do they have a signature weapon? Describe it! Or if they fight with their fists, mention that, too!
Abilities: Do they have magic? Specialized skills? Super powers? Describe it! You don't have to be held only to what you list here once you start writing; this is more to establish their "theme" than give a firm list of what they can and can't do.
Description: What do they look like? What's their general personality and view of the world? If you're artistically inclined, you can draw a picture, but it's completely optional.
Biography: What were they doing before they were flung into this battle?

I recommend coming up with a new character for this, or perhaps exploring a character concept you haven't done much with. You are free to reuse a character you've included in something else, though. What's important is that the character is yours.

Now, as far as sign-ups go, I have heard from a lot of people lately that they're interested in joining a battle. So rather than having this immediately filled with reserves, I am reserving two spots for the moment and leaving the rest open. Anyone who is interested, post your character. After about a day or so, or if I feel there are enough submissions, I will go through them and decide on who to include in this battle.

A new battle will be starting very soon after this one, so anybody who doesn't make it in, keep that character profile ready! You'll have another chance coming up!

Characters:
1. Pinary - Lloyd Conrad (#804000)
2. GreyGabe - Marcus White (Silver on black background)
3. bobthepen - Lillian Finch (#C68E17) - Dead
4. Drakenforge - Karen (#400080)
5. Draykon - Dekowin (#0080FF) - Dead
6. MalkyTop - Sarika (#607C6E)
7. WoodlandBeef - CH4-12-L13 "Charlie" (#702963) - Dead
8. gloomyMoron TimeothyHour Ixcaliber - Reudic Otsaceae (#408540)

Originally posted on MSPA by Pinary.

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Monitor- If only. Ah, well; our capabilities extend only so far.


Item #: SCP-J53, aka Lloyd Conrad

Object Class: Safe

Storage Code: #804000

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-J53 is to be kept contained in a hardcover novel, which is itself to be stored in a locked storage cabinet in [DATA EXPUNGED].

The novel containing SCP-J53 is only to be read under controlled circumstances with prior authorization from base authorities. The reader may not be familiar with the novel before reading, and they must start reading at the beginning. Once they have begun reading, they may not stop until they have completed the novel. They must then immediately begin reading a second novel, stopping approximately halfway through. Every page read is to be photographed by the reader both before and after it is read. A record is to be kept of which novels SCP-J53 has been contained in, and no novel is to be used twice. All novels are to be taped shut and stored in the cabinet, along with a bound copy of the photos taken of its pages.

This reading procedure is to occur at least once every two weeks.

Description: SCP-J53 is a fictional character, originally featured in ████ ████████'s The Escapee. He is described as being a tall human male with wiry black hair and gaunt features. He was originally said to be wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, but he has since changed outfits several times, most recently adopting a bright Hawaiian shirt and slacks. He is most often referred to as Lloyd Conrad, but that will often change to reflect the norms of the novel he is occupying.

As a character, SCP-J53 is rude, anarchistic, and slightly unstable. He often torments the characters in the novels he visits, especially those in positions of authority or power, typically attempting to disturb the typical order of things, or, as he often puts it, "shake things up."

Capabilities: While in a novel, he has all the capabilities and restrictions of a typical primary or supporting character. These manifest themselves instinctually, and he will not retain them in later novels without committing them to conscious memory. This also affects his physical description- while the general description remains constant, the specifics will vary depending on the norms of the setting.

History: Over the course of The Escapee, SCP-J53 becomes aware that he is in a work of fiction and devises a means of escape. In all but one of the copies of the book, the story ends with SCP-J53 failing to escape and living the rest of his life in his prison. In one unique copy, however, SCP-J53 succeeds. The remaining pages are blank.

SCP-J53 is transmitted between books via human readers. When he enters a novel, the text is altered to account for his presence. When he exits a novel, he will enter the next novel read by the first person to read his exit. The altered novel will stay altered through subsequent readings. The only known method for transferring him from one reader to another is to stop in the middle of reading a novel and have another reader pick up from that point or earlier. The current reader rereading a previously-altered novel will not affect it, and that novel will not function for transference.

By the time SCP-J53 was acquired, he had passed through approximately 40 novels, transferred over that period by an unknown number of readers. He has since been through 206 additional novels, eight of which were authored by SCP personnel for the purpose of communicating with him.

Addendum: As of July 12th, 2010, SCP-J53 is no longer contained. When █████ ██████ attempted to complete the biweekly reading protocols, the text described SCP-J53 disappearing mid-sentence. Attempts to continue transferring him have proven fruitless.

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Originally posted on MSPA by Wojjan.

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Reserve? Reserve.

Originally posted on MSPA by Ixcalibur.

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Name: Thatix
Gender: Identifies as female
Font color: Red
Race: Literal fireflies with a hive mind.
Abilities: Extensive pyrokinesis.
Description: Thatix is a swarm of one hundred burning fireflies. Thatix typically shapes herself into a rough approximation of her previous self, though very little detail is conveyed. With careful examination you might able to make out that Thatix had long hair and wore a long dress, or potentially a cloak. Thatix was not very mentally stable when she was alive. Her death and rebirth as a swarm of fireflies only made her things worse. She is extremely unstable. She speaks in half-riddles and non-sequiturs, becoming very angry over seemingly insignificant things.
Biography: Thatix was a dark sorceress who craved dominion over the lands of Itharia. However the council of Elders refused to accept her. She began amassing forces to bring an end to the council. Once she had enough force backing her up she made her move and triggered a war that raged the land. Some places were left barren, arid, empty, their magic essence drained to power the bitter war. Other places, magical battlegrounds were left soaked with magical fallout that leaked into the environment. It was at the climactic battle of the war, deep in the woods of Mithaia that Thatix was finally defeated. Unfortunately the council of elders were not quite as thorough as they might have been. Though she died her dark essence remained and infected the land where she died. Though little came of it at first the magical fallout eventually corrupted a swarm of fireflies, imbuing them with the mind of the sorceress. As the fireflies blazed into literal flames Thatix was reborn.

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SpoilerChanged because it was drawn to my attention that Schazer wanted to do a very similar character who would likely be better because she is a better writer. This character was generated via a twenty questions thing.

Originally posted on MSPA by bobthepen.

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SpoilerTrying a new style with this.

Username: bobthepen

Name: Lillian Finch
Gender: Female

Race: Human, 10 years.

Color: This one should be readable.

Weapon: Lillian carries a small ornate talisman attached to a simple bracelet on her wrist. The talisman houses a kindred spirit, an ethereal force that protects Lilian from minor dangers such as cushioning a nasty fall or pushing her back from a hot stovetop. The talisman has a kite-shaped frame of polished stone which wraps about an enchanted glass center (which is not nearly as fragile as the regular glass you would find in common jewelry). Engraved on the outside of the center is the Finch family crest, a shield like design of vines and blossoms encircling the flower of Lillian's namesake. At the very core of the crest is a faint blue light which, normally, is only barely visible but brightens whenever the guardian force residing in the talisman takes action. The whole trinket is just the right size to fit in the palm of a small girl's hand, which Lillian frequently does whenever she feels frightened or alone.

Abilities: Lillian has all the abilities and prowess of a young girl of ten which is more than sufficient for the many challenges one would face exploring your family's township and visiting with the locals. Her youthful outlook and compassionate innocence has made her quite popular with the adults in her community, and the envy of many of the other children. She has also managed to form a rather unique relationship with her kindred spirit. Unlike most guardian forces, Lilian's has developed a genuine like for her, going so far as to allow Lilian to know some of it's thoughts and feelings. While they cannot speak directly, the spirit of the talisman, being privy to all those special things spirits experience, may give Lillian glimpses into that special nature of things.

Description: To a girl like Lillian, the world outside her township is a mysterious place. Everyday she dreams of what marvelous creatures and adventures are waiting for those who venture beyond the city gates. Stories of whimsical dryads, secretive fairies, and monstrous ogres flutter through her imagination. She is blessed with the belief that there is good to be found in every person, if you look hard enough. This is not to say she is without her flaws. Her carelessness has led her into many scrapes, her imagination often gets the better of her, and of course she has all the stubbornness and spitefulness that is often found in young creatures of the fairer gender. Her stature is average for her age and her hair is a light brown with bright blond streaks which, on a good day, are all bundled daintily in a light bow and, on most other days, whip about freely. Her outfits vary, but on this particular day she is wearing a light colored sundress with straw-woven sandals.

Biography: Lillian was born in a southern township, and like all girls born in a southern township was, on her eighth birthday, given a small pendant containing a guardian spirit of the Finch family. It was coming of age ritual, much like your first day at school, and Lillian bore the event proudly. The spirit, a kindred spirit as Lillian called it, was to act as a protector and companion to her for the entirety of her life, especially, for her life after turning fourteen. You see, in Lillian's society, it was customary for young girls, upon their fourteenth birthday to leave their hometown and head out into the great world beyond. These young girls would explore and experience the world for several years before finally returning home as young women, strong, knowledgeable, and esteemed. Of course, the world outside was not without its dangers, and so each woman carried with her a guardian to protect her from whatever dangers may arise. Lillian was obsessed with the wonders that she would find when she came of age. One could often find her prancing about town, talking aloud to the being in her bracelet. It was on this particular day when Lillian, skipping down the schoolyard steps found her musings taking a different sort of turn, one which marked the start of an experience far more mysterious than the small child had ever conceived.

"Do you think there's much conflict in the outside world, Spirit?" Lillian remarked as she hopped down the cobblestone steps, taking care to only land on the darker colored ones. "Suzette says that whenever two people want something they'll fight over it. I don't really think that's the case. Do you Spirit?"

As always the Kindred Spirit said nothing, but merely twinkled inside the glass casing of the talisman.

"I know Roberts once made a pair of dogs so mad they nearly killed one another. He got so scolded for it and when Ms. Gillan asked him why he did it he said 'it was just for the fun of it'. Honestly, Spirit, I can't see anything fun about making the poor beasts hurt each other like that. Apparently Ms. Gillan didn't either because Roberts was grounded for a whole month! I asked Father what he thought about it and he said 'Some People Just Have Bad Blood'" (Lillian spoke this last part with her chest puffed out and an extra oomph to the first part of each word, in imitation of her father.) "Do you think that's the case spirit? That some people are so bad that they can't help but fight about things?"

Again, the Spirit was silent.

"I suppose I fight about things too, when I think I'm right...or should have been right. Do you suppose..." but the young girl trailed off. A foreboding air wrapped about her and the Kindred Spirit seemed to whisper a warning "Something is wrong. There is someone here." Lillian looked around but could see no one other than the townspeople going about their work in the street ahead.

"Who's there?" Lillian called out, but no one replied. Then, gradually, the air about Lillian thickened and the young girl began to feel very light-headed. Knowing that if you start to feel light-headed the first thing you should do is sit down in the shade, Lillian stumbled over to a nearby Birch tree and propped her head against the trunk. The Kindred Spirit, meanwhile was glowing angrily at whatever presence it sensed, but there was nothing to strike out at or shield the girl from other than her growing drowsiness. Eventually, Lillian closed her eyes and dozed off, though when she woke up later she could have sworn that she heard an unfamiliar voice whispering something to her.

"Great trials face you ahead, child. I fear all I can do is ease the start of your journey. Go. Be brave, make friends, avoid enemies, and for now, sleep."

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SpoilerSeeing how I have never been a girl of 10 I am certain to mess this up expertly.

Originally posted on MSPA by The Dr..

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I'm tempted.

So tempted.

Originally posted on MSPA by gloomyMoron.

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Reserve'd.

Originally posted on MSPA by Drakenforge.

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Character name: Karen
Gender: Female
Race: Human
Font colour: #400080

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SpoilerNote: I'm deviating from a character sheet style to fill out the biography first. I thought it would help to leave the details till afterwards.

The year is 2049 A.D. Mankind continues in the standard way of living. People are born, live, and die. Technology advanced, machines progressed, ideas and revolutions transpired; constantly changing the everyday day to day. However, the point of these changes were not to establish a worldly connection to a person, but to distance people from the world. In this world, a certain person has deemed the rest of the world useless. Reality become nothing more than a diversion from their day to day. Their world was born in fiction.

The cybernet. With the creation of virtual reality came a new era. To sit at a keyboard became the retro of this age. People wanted to hook headsets to themselves and delve into the 'net. A feature was created to allow people to do this, not only while they were awake, but as they slept. This allowed their body to rest while their mind continued to browse or play. There were no downsides to this, but playing awake had some unique rewards that few noticed. The gaming industry soon took hold of the idea. Controllers became obsolete. People could now fully experience a fully realistic warzone from the safety of their bedrooms. Of course, with this level of graphic imagery many censorships came into place. The base age for purchasing these games rose, and no longer could a kid obtain a copy of these games from another person and expect to play. This was integrated into a system born to stop people assuming fake identities on the internet. It began from social networking sites overflowing with pre-made avatars and people being disappointed, and sometimes sickened, when they fell for the predators real forms. A way to label a persons image onto a card was made. It had to be renewed once each year, at the person's birthday (and for a fee) for it to work. This allowed the cards to have up to date data on the owner. That meant that people's avatars would age at the same rate they did. It also meant that they had to look the same on the internet as they did in real life. There was no alternative to gaining access to the net after this idea was implemented. Some people found a way around this, but they were few and far between. The basic access to the net still existed, but less and less people used it. And so, the gaming industry used these cards to make sure the player was age certified to play restricted games. Several hundred thousands kids went crazy. Nobody really cared.

It wasn't just the war games that benefitted from the adaption. Fully immersive role-playing games became huge hits in the virtual era. People could see themselves in fictitious worlds. Swordsmen, magicians, beast tamers, necromancers. These games held a mighty throne in the gaming industry. Once such game, Legends of Fate, has had a running streak of most played RPG on the 'net for three years running. The game is composed of people living in a fantasy world of Miure (Pronounced Myoo-er). Each person can choose a class, or more, to start off with. The price for multi tasking is needing twice as much experience to level each class. This usually means the multi-classers are those who have already reached the maximum level and are broadening their powers. Most people form groups with friends to get a friendlier experience of the game. Like most other games, it features dungeons. However, these encounters are not left scripted. The enemies may stay the same, but the way they act is formulated by an A.I. Many creatures in the world are sentient, they think, act and react accordingly to players. This changes the way the reactions of the players and keeps things from becoming stale.

The A.I filled the entire world. Guards, shop keeps, and other such "normal" inhabitants of the game each had personalities and minds. This was one of the many unique features the game brought. Combat was also designed specifically with the player in mind. Each spell or ability could be summoned with a thought. People could understand what their status was just by feeling it. Pain was never felt, of course. Such dangerous feelings were removed from the design of the VR sets. People could still "feel" their surroundings since the game felt like a world on it's own.

That is the world this person lives in. Lives by. There is no other reality for such a person. This person's name is Karen. She is a shut-in. Several years ago her parents died during an earthquake. The sheer pressure placed upon a monorail pillar caused it to buckle, sending a car crashing down on the people below. She and a few others survived, but since that day she closed herself off from the outside world. She was twelve at that time, and now she is sixteen. Three years ago, she was given a VR set for her birthday, and encouraged to get her ID created. After the setup, Karen took her first steps in the world of Legends of Fate.

She was home. That was how the world felt. She had simply been in an empty void since she lost her parents, a void she could now fill. This was not escapism. This wasn't just a game.

To her, this was life. It was more real than anything the outside world could offer her. She met many people, and she could talk to them. After two months, she grew pretty strong. She had started as a magician, and she was putting most of her power into learning the fire spells, since getting all the skills of the class was more or less impossible. It was at this time she met a player who was named Coal. He was the largest person she had ever met, not out of fat, but out of muscle. She had met a few black people in the time she spent in the game, but he seemed different. He was friendly to everyone. Even when people didn't want him to be. And yet his physique completely contrasted his personality. She grew to stay by his side whenever she got the chance, enjoying the close friendship they had. This was not love. Neither of these two people could comprehend that emotion. Karen, the shut in, had never loved anyone other than her parents, and Coal, who it turns out was also an orphan, was striving to make the world a happy place for his mother. They spent more than two years together, beating the game. After she hit the master class of magician, she multi-classed into the swordsman class. This allowed her receive a really rare sword that not only had physical prowess, but latent magical abilities. She got this class pretty powerful too, however never hit master level a second time. Rumours of a new expansion have been circling the 'net, and Karen was hopeful for somewhere new to roam. She had gained quite a bit of fame as one of the strongest players of Legends of Fate, earning her the nickname "Dark Witch Karen". She though it fitting to contrast her real self to this name, but she always wondered why Coal had not also been mentioned. He wasn't fussy, but she was concerned since he was just as experienced as she was. Right now, Karen does not know where she is. She believes to be dreaming, or perhaps in the beta for the expansion(I would prefer you not mention that though. I'd like to let her think this is not really what it is). Sleep usually came on her during game play due to her spending so much time in the 'net whilst awake instead of when she sleeps. She is in the body of her persona in the game, and has all the benefits that come from being a player, like skills, strength and experience.


Description: (To border with [img] causes these pictures to grow to a size that would fill up the moniter, so I have to link it.

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Spoilerhttps://i50.tinypic.com/2zh1k53.jpg

Karen has short black hair and a very dark black dress, almost Victorian. The hem is cut off below her thighs, a change she made so that her swordsman class was easier to use. She usually only has one eye that is able to be seen at any time. The look on her face is not depressed exactly, she looks almost tired, world weary, but not depressed.

Weapons: She carries a large sword on her back. the hilt is long enough for not only two hands, but three. The blade is a rough "massive sword" design the game threw together as a reference to an old culture of generic games and other such media. Shown here as a built example and not a drawing:

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Spoilerhttps://i46.tinypic.com/2ij255j.jpg

Abilities: Karen has access to both mage craft and swordsman abilities. They are numerous. Her offensive magic is almost all fire based, with a few spells that every magician gets, like the Tracker Bolt, a small arcane ball that homes in on a target, but does little damage compared to most spells. She can cast the Fireball spell into her sword, storing as many as she wants before unleashing it in an attack. She can also leave tracks of fire on the ground, or even walls, though a spell called Ember Step. Any space she steps on will ignite, and she could leave a large area burning when she uses this. She is bound by the rules of the game, i.e health and magic reserves. She has those limits, or at least still believes so.

Originally posted on MSPA by Draykon.

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Name: Dekowin
Gender: Feminine
Font color: I arbitrarily choose this one
Race: Volkhanbet - A self evolving artificial race, it could be said that no three volkhanbets are the same. (Actually, they're always born twins, so every one has another exactly like them, but still) Though they usually assume a humanoid form, all kinds of biological features and natural abilities have been known to occur in Volkhanbets.
Weapons: Natural abilities are all she needs.
Abilities: Has a pair of retractable claws, made of a biometal roughly consistent with steel. Some degree of conscious control over the acidity of her saliva. Flight via extremely fast fluttering of her wings.
Description: As with all volkhanbets, her body is based on that of a human- in her case a fairly tall human girl. She herself is young, about 14, and her body reflects this. The pigments in her skin have been adjusted, causing her almost look like she's in a black and white photograph. The majority of her body- including her right eye- is covered in an exoskeleton, which she wears in lieu of ordinary clothes.. She also has a pair of six dragonfly wings on her back.

She is a warrior at heart, and one with a short temper, and a low tolerance for weakness. She's particularly enraged at the moment, for reasons detailed below.
Biography: Volhkanbet royalty has a peculiar obstacle to overcome, what with every member of the race being born with an identical twin, it becomes difficult to decide exactly who will be the next king or queen. Dekowin, being first born into the royal family, had to compete with her sister Grewin for the throne.

Today was the day that it would be decided who would become the heir to the royal family. Dekowin had trained all her life, becoming a proud warrior. So when it was her sister chosen instead, for her charismatic charm and ability to unite the people, Dekowin descended into rage. She had torn her way through the royal guard, and was fully prepared to rip her sister to shreds when the Monitor interfered, and yanked her across dimensions.

Originally posted on MSPA by MalkyTop.

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Name: Sarika
Gender: Female
Font color: A nice shade of fisherman's float.
Race: For convenience, people usually just call her a 'bird-woman,' which is pretty accurate. There is a certain group of people who share traits with whatever animal they hold holy. Different animal-people tend to coalesce into separate tribes. Sarika is obviously from a 'bird tribe,' though more specifically, her tribe really likes predatory birds, especially hawks and owls.
Weapon: Usually, it's hard for bird people to pick anything up because wings aren't exactly meant for picking things up. However, Sarika had gotten thin, wiry robotic implants that rests over her small wings that can help her pick things up, such as her staff. It's not exactly very special, but she had made an effort to decorate it with feathers and string and symbols and what-not. It's light enough for her to carry and still able to make her opponents see stars.
Abilities: Sarika had been chosen by her gods to be their prophet. Because of the gods' blessing, she does not have to deal with a few earthly worries such as hunger and aging and blinking. That last one is important because, as you've probably guessed, Sarika can see the future. She switches between present and future vision by blinking. She can't really fly because those small wings can't support her weight, even with her light bones, but she can jump hella high.
Description: Sarika has a light down on her body which is a dull brown color. Her arms are indeed wings, though not very impressive ones, and her legs are thin and scrawny. Her eyes are golden and stern, but she covers them up with goggles because she finds that most people don't like to be stared at for very long. Her feet are indeed talons, but she usually wears shoes over them. Her hair is slightly messy and strangely green, but most of it is covered up by a hawk mask that has feathers going all the way down to the middle of her back. It's very heavy. She also wears a large beaded necklace that have white beads that steadily grow as it goes to the center and a large black obsidian disk in the middle. It is also a little heavy. She wears a simple ragged tunic that is boringly tan and used to be a dress. Her pants are poofy and end at her knees and she wears a red sash around her waist. She does have tail feathers coming out the back too. Sarika tends to see the world in muted color except for the very attractive very shiny very bright stuff. She is a very serious woman, sometimes to the point of being impersonal, who sticks firm to her beliefs (one being that the future isn't set in stone, another being that the end justifies the means). She remains faithful to her gods even if she has modernized a little. She doesn't like to just sit around and think all the time, being more of an action girl. She hates feeling useless and can be a little reckless sometimes when she just wants to do something. She's not above using future vision to help her avoid trouble or gain an advantage, though sometimes the vision can be less than helpful. She tends to view them as puzzles and sometimes tries to puzzle out what will happen that would lead up to that event. Sometimes she predicts correctly and gains some satisfaction seeing events play out as she expected. Most of the time she is wrong. She's sharpeyed, observant, flexible, athletic and tends to rely heavily on instinct.
Biography: Sarika grew up in a forest. During the usual ritual that occurs after everybody's birth, the Nursing Mother gave a sign that she was to be a prophet, and thus she lived a privileged and envied life. She mostly spent her childhood training (that is, meditating and honing her powers, learning important rituals and other crap) until the previous prophet was finally claimed by the gods and she took on the blessings that came with being an all important prophet. What she mostly did was sit in a hut and pretend to be mystical and usually give out dire warnings and advice. However, she was part of the new generation and wanted to do something more. The gods had apparently agreed, for another new prophet was born years later. She trained him quickly and announced that the gods wanted her somewhere else, then left for the city. She found that there weren't many jobs that called for prophets (at least not reputable ones) and struggled a little before eventually joining the police force, where her future visions were at least somewhat helpful in preventing crime. Sometimes she would try to arrest future crooks, but she wouldn't be allowed since many were still rather skeptical about her visions. Eventually she was fired (though she would insist that she quit herself) and she started being a vigilante of sorts, stalking future criminals and stopping them before they managed to do any harm.

And, uh here are some early sketches if anybody's interested. I didn't draw the metal wire arm things, though. But yeah.

Originally posted on MSPA by WoodlandBeef.

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SpoilerI'm subjecting myself to everyone's judgement with this...I feel rather badly written app. I hope I can be a part of the serious GB action at one point or another though!

Username: WoodlandBeef

Name: CH4-12-LI3 (Callsign is Charlie)

Gender: None

Race: Hunterbot

Text Color: Byzantium!

Equipment: Thick titanium and silicon alloy plated body armor segments and limbs. Twin pneumatic pincer claws around dual flamethrowers. Infrared and thermal sensors built into the claws. Electromagnetic enhancements in the leg bases, enabling to walk on or up anything magnetic (I.e. steel wall or ceiling). Integrated light refraction stealth mechanism. Heartbeat sensor. Nuclear fission battery core. Liquid nitrogen cooling unit. Charged particle plasma cannon. Storage compartment. A sleek paintjob of steely blue-gray, dark purple, black, and red. Hidden needle probe for injecting sedatives or lethal substances into captured victims.

Abilities: Optical camouflage. Ability to traverse any magnetic surface. Destructive weaponry. Exceptionally stable and strong armor. Multiple forms of sensory equipment. A very cool surface and interior. Quick, efficient, and most of all…deadly.

Description:

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SpoilerCharlie's central core body segment is an elliptical form. A small slot at the front underside can open to allow the needle attachment to come out when needed. Three spherical joints are attached to the sides and rear underside of the core from which slender-but sturdy-leg segments are attached to allowing nearly complete gyration movements of the legs. There is another spherical joint further down the first segment where a second one is attached. The second segment of each leg ends in a spherical ball with four sharp extensions as feet. The electromagnets are located in these extensions. The segmented legs provide the Hunterbot with a stable, shock absorbing platform as well as exceptional mobility over most surfaces.

There are five more similarly, although smaller segments towards the rear of the Hunterbot's core. The segments connect in a similar fashion with each other and curl upwards into what could be considered a ‘tail' that comes to a rather dangerous tip, not unlike a scorpion‘s tail. Unlike a scorpion though, the tail's tip is a mounted plasma cannon turret. The basic sensory equipment, heartbeat sensor, and optical camouflage device is installed here. The tail segments each have their own functional ability to rotate 360 degrees like the leg segments.

Lastly, the arms, which are broken into two bar segments that are attached to the fourth tail segment by the same spherical joints as the legs. The claws enclose two small flamethrower nozzles and have serrated edges to both maim and crush any unfortunate victim. On the upper half of the claws are two small gem-like decorations, which are the infrared and thermal sensory devices.

Charlie is a mechanized tool designed to carry out orders flawlessly, to be proficient and deadly killers, and suitable for any terrestrial environment; as these components are all required if Hunterbots are to be the most feared devices employed in the universe to deal with the extermination or capture of selected individuals. Not even the most ruthless space bounty hunter can compare to the efficiency and success rate of a Hunterbot.

If Charlie were to stand straight up with its legs and tail, the Hunterbot stands a whopping 14 ft. tall. Generally though, the curl of the tail and positioning of the legs keeps the Hunterbot at about 7 or 8 ft. The bot has no sentience and knows only how to hunt prey and incapacitate or exterminate this prey as dictated by its core programming. Charlie had earned the highest reputation of all Hunterbots as it never failed to successfully complete its mission. That might've been one minor flaw in the programming, because Charlie would disregard orders from command to follow through until the objective was satisfied. This of course means that Charlie, when it was stripped from its universe, still is on a mission to terminate the Republic's Chancellor. How the machine plans to do this remains a mystery.

Biography:

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SpoilerCharlie is one of many specially designed Hunterbots from its interstellar universe. The universe is full of life and consequently with civilizations, no matter how far apart they are, criminals and problematic individuals are born who live to cause havoc and chaos. Hunterbots were originally designed by the Exedric Corporation for the Intergalactic Republic and its colonies to handle particular criminals and other individuals that caused trouble for the Republic where the governments jurisdiction could not reach.

Hunterbots gradually began to replace bounty hunters due to their efficiency and Exedric Corp.'s cheap prices. Charlie was one such of these Hunterbot units that had never failed a mission during its entire time of being commissioned. Exedric Corporation soon became weary of the mild income from the Republic, and slowly branched out their options to the same type of people Hunterbots were initially designed to hunt. Gradually as the years went on, Hunterbots began to be frequented not only in matters of justice, but in matters of politics and corruption. The machines followed their orders right down to the wire, but information began to be leaked to the Republic about Exedric Corporation's branching out.

Enraged, the Republic's chancellor immediately ordered the seizing of all Hunterbots and Exedric Corporation technology while placing all the employees under arrest and confiscating all the funds. Unwilling to go down like obedient dogs, several members of the Exedric Corporation fled with their creations. A few were captured, others killed, and a few escaped to continue their money making from far beyond the Republic's jurisdiction. Charlie and its five surviving Hunterbot brethren were put back into business doing what they did best naught but two years after Exedric Corporation fell.

The time came though, when a certain greedy politician from the Republic tracked down the Exedric remnants to their outlying planet. The situation became dire for the Exedric members because they could either carry out the politician's orders, or be exterminated along with their ‘lifeblood' being destroyed. The decision was easy as the Exedric members agreed to cooperate and take the politician's request.

The six remaining Hunterbots were commissioned to exterminate the Republic's chancellor and Interplanetary Council. The death of all those beings would give the greedy politician a high seat in the hierarchy of interplanetary power. What the Exedric Corp. members didn't expect was that the Republic still employed some of the Hunterbots confiscated from the takeover. The mission commenced without a hitch at first, but gradually went haywire as the Republic sent their own Hunterbots to combat the Exedric bots. Simply overwhelmed by the technological modifications, Exedric's bots began to be taken down one by one until Charlie was their only remaining Hunterbot.

True to its reputation, Charlie had terminated several of the Council and cornered the Chancellor in his office. The robot was sheer moments away from completing its mission, although the Republic's forces were moments away from barging in and destroying Charlie itself. The Exedric members were waiting for Charlie's signal to go offline from being destroyed, but it never happened. Much to their shock, confusion, and dismay; the signal completely vanished as did the infamous Hunterbot from all existence in that universe.

Here's a crappy sketch!

Originally posted on MSPA by GreyGabe.

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Okay, here's mine.

Name: Marcus White
Gender: Male
Font Color: [background=#000000:6fwdviio]A nice shade of silver against a black background.[/background:6fwdviio]
Race: Human/Cyborg

Weaponry/Gear:

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SpoilerMarcus carries a variety of armaments, including pistols, a compact shotgun, several varieties of grenade, and a pair of combat knives, but his favorite weapon by far is his customized combat rifle, the Retribution. The Retribution is made of tempered meta-ceramic and plastics, like all of his weaponry. Unlike his other weapons, the Retribution has an onboard computer system that lends Marcus greater accuracy and speed in aiming, along with security protocols that prevent the weapon from being fired by anyone else. In addition to his weaponry, Marcus carries a variety of small gadgets that can help him in a variety of situations. He also wears some light combat armor, consisting of Plastigel padding and High-Impact Meta-Ceramic Plates in vulnerable areas. The armor is bullet proof for the most part, and only impedes movement slightly.

Abilities:

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SpoilerMarcus has a variety of implants and modifications that improve his body's performance. His abilities can push his body to its very limits, but the Imperium's implant technology is still restrained by the limits imposed by the human form.
i.e. ; Even though Marcus is quite strong, he couldn't lift a bus over his head, as his body structure couldn't support that much weight without things cracking or popping out of their sockets, though he might be strong enough to push said bus out of his way, given a bit of time.
His modifications include an enhanced skeletal frame and musculature, with artificial bones and muscle replacing much of his original ‘wetware'. The vast majority of his internal organs are still vanilla, however. His skin is tougher than a regular human, as well, enough to cut down on minor cuts, scrapes, and bruises. It can't stop much in the way of artificial projectiles or blades, but it can cut down on their overall effectiveness. Mentally, his reflexes have been sharpened, not a lot, but enough to give him an edge. His senses of sight, hearing, and smell have been slightly enhanced as well. And finally, Marcus has the ability to temporarily block out pain from his injuries for a short time. He tries to avoid doing this too much, as it can lead to making his injuries worse if he isn't careful. On top of his more than natural abilities, Marcus is also a seasoned soldier, with experience working both in units and alone. He's an excellent marksman, and is no slouch in hand-to-hand combat, either.

Description:

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SpoilerMarcus White is of an average height, and has a warrior's muscular build. His skin is very pale from spending weeks or months on board a starship between planets. He keeps his head and face shaven at all times. He has heavy, strong features, which make him look somewhat… Neanderthalic. However, this belies his rather quick intelligence and general cunning. His eyes are all white, except for his pupils. His combat armor is matte-black, with a single white stripe circling one arm. It has a variety of pouches and holsters for his weapons and gadgets. His personality is flippant and laid-back, though when he's working he can be very serious. Usually. He automatically distrusts anyone he meets, and hardly ever takes anyone at their word, which has proven a valuable survival skill for a mercenary.

Biography:

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SpoilerMarcus White was born to Arthur and Beatrix Whitfield, in the year 1798, A.I. His parents were spacers, both working for the Imperial Armada, in different capacities. He spent his whole life on different Armada ships and bases, so that when he joined the Armada at the age of 17, it all seemed perfectly natural. It was about fifteen years before he became disillusioned with the life of an Imperial Marine. Seeing too many good men die in the civil war, seeing complete morons rise up the ranks while the best soldiers got crap duties, seeing his ‘superiors' spared for things that could only generously be called complete clusterfucks while their underlings caught all of the flak, and a million other little things finally drove him away. He went solo, hiring himself out as a mercenary or bodyguard, hunting down bounties and even once taking an assassination job. As time went by, more and more lucrative contracts came his way, as he proved himself time and time again to be one of the best. Maybe the Imperial Armada was good for something, after all… even if it was only training. He was in his ship's armory, having just outfitted himself for his next mission (a smash and grab job, rescuing some rich guy's spoiled brat from her rather... forceful fiance), when suddenly he found himself snatched away by an inexorable, unknown power.

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SpoilerWell, that was rather verbose! Let me know if I need to revise anything.

Originally posted on MSPA by Sruixan.

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This is not exactly a reserve, more an expression of intent to join. I'm not going to be around tomorrow to create a profile, but I still intend to get a spot in the overflow battle whoosh will be holding, if that is alright.

Originally posted on MSPA by granolaman.

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Moved to Phenomenal Fracas

Originally posted on MSPA by Not The Author.

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God help us if this was the last battle this season.

Originally posted on MSPA by The Dr..

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Charlie

You never cease to amaze with your creative characters. Seems a tad overpowered but I can't wait to see how you use him.

Originally posted on MSPA by WoodlandBeef.

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Charlie

You never cease to amaze with your creative characters. Seems a tad overpowered but I can't wait to see how you use him.

Haha thanks. I do agree that I think it sounds rather overpowered, but I hope (that if I get to partake in this battle) we can work around the 'overpoweredness' to have a very interesting and Intense Struggle! Then again...I think OPness is dictated not by the abilities given, but by the way they're used and how it's written.

Names are a killer for me...no matter who or where they're for! [img]images/smilies/apple.gif[/img]

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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All right, I think I will be closing signups tomorrow morning or so. If you've made a reserve, you'd better post your character before then if you want to be considered for this battle.

That said, whoosh! will be starting one up almost immediately, so you'll still have a chance.

Originally posted on MSPA by bobthepen.

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Oh man 9 entrants so far. Who will be picked?

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SpoilerMan it's like an extra/pre-game elimination round.

Originally posted on MSPA by gloomyMoron.

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Name: Reudic Otsaceae
Gender: Simultaneously Male and Female but not a Hermaphrodite
Race: Viridiofloran
Font color: #408540

Vine-ventory: One (1) Skull of a greater horned terrax, one (1) strange metal object, and two (2) large crystals
Abilities: Extraordinary mental capabilities, Mental Dominance, and the ability to induce realistic Psycho-Active Illusions in most living beings (though only has limited control as to what the illusion is).

Description: Reduic appears to be a floating, overgrown rose bush; many rose-like flowers bloom across its many branching limbs, vines, and tendrils. One of the flowers going at the center of Reudic's "body" is a special organ that functions much like a mouth, in that it allows him to speak and communicate with others. It is also capable of mimicking a variety of noises that the special vibration-sensitive flowers that are spread across its form allows it to hear. Protecting its sensitive roots and digestive orifice are strong, sturdy vines that allow Reudic to entangle, suffocate and than slowly digest anything it can catch within them. These vines, as well as most of Reudic's hyper-motile "body", are about as strong as, if not stronger than an average humanoid's physical strength.

Biography: Reudic lived a life of solitude on its homeworld. Not so much because it desired to be alone, but because it was an outcast among its kind. Viridioflorans are, generally, a fairly simple race of hyper-motile, sentient, floating plants that are known for their intelligence and strong vines. They weren't, however, particularly known for their tolerance. Specifically their tolerance towards change, and Reudic's developing 'freakish' powers were quite a drastic change when compared to a normal health virdiofloran.

Reudic began to develop its abnormal illusory and mental-control abilities a short time after the 15th solar cycle since its germination in the soil that it would sprout from and eventually carry into the air. Subtle would have been the changes to an outsider, but to another viridiofloran, the difference changes were glaringly obvious. The chemicals that Reudic emitted, especially during those first the first few solar cycles, were so vastly different from a normal viridiofloran that it caused a large number of its own to shun and exile it. Several more solar cycles had passed since, and Reudic's emotional state had shifted all the way from anger and hatred to blind indifference and apathy. Reudic had learned to exist on only the most basic of biological levels, as well as honed his abilities to better aid his continued survival... Alone.

Originally posted on MSPA by Lord Paradise.

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I've probably missed the boat on this, but I'll type the guy up anyways, seeing as how I'll be needing it for the next battle.

Name: WreckLess
Gender: Male
Font color: #0000FF (upper right)
Race: Human mostly
Weapon: Nah man the dude pretty much just makes do
Abilities: Dude's pretty athletic and has flashes of genuine cleverness now and then, also, flashes of extreme stupidity.
Description: WreckLess is about 6'2" and looks like he has some African and some Asian ancestry. Also: blue eyes. Not like Dune-blue, just pretty blue eyes. WreckLess is also pretty much ripped. He is like a straight-up sexual being with his muscles and body and he could do like thirty Olympics, sexually. He wears grey or blue spandex jumpsuits, and they tear sometimes. As for his personality, that's addressed below, okay.

Biography: Education's pretty improved in the distant, future, you know? Not, like, everyone's smart enough not to watch reality TV, but everyone's too smart to be in reality TV. So rather than doing what we do in the present and just script everything out, the studios tend to just go ahead and fix reality until reality reflects what people want to watch.

Enter this guy, here. What's his name or occupation? Who cares? The studios don't care and the ratings don't care. He cares, a little, but that comes before, or later. At this point he has been fixed so he doesn't remember much. His brain has been rewired so it's basically a backup set of testicles and an alcohol recepticle. There is no room for a "name" in this, id incarnate, the perfection of the reality TV ideal. There is, however, room for a cutesy nickname, which in the early 21st century the studios realized was much better than a name, especially if it reminded the viewers of body parts. And so was born "Erect," Contestant #2 on YKYWITV's "the Monogamist," which is not too different in premise or execution from many shows that exist today.

With his Godlike physique and completely sensationalistic supersonality, Erect won the Monogamist in half the required number of episodes and then accidentally chopped off one of her breasts in a gladiatorial combat incident during the honeymoon. The breast was replaced immediately but Erect claimed that the new one "didn't smell right" and a messy, highly publicized divorce soon followed. (The Monogamist soon defied her namesake and married all the other surviving contestants, plus her priest, and to my knowledge they're still happily married to this day.)

Erect's spinoff show, "You Can Be D'Erect With Me," and its increasingly bisexual second third and fourth seasons were ratings phenomena, but when the viewership started to find other perfect bodies to admire, or worse, primetime dramas, suddenly Erect developed a drug problem, changed his name to E:Wrecked, and went into Nudist Rehab. "E:Wrecked: Nudist Rehab" was, needless to say, a massive success, and the implant of the new, remorseful supersonality seemed completely fluid and naturalistic in context. However, all good things come to an end, except for E:Wrecked's perfect body which can be prolonged indefinitely through medication. Eventually the studios were forced to admit that it would be dumb and nonsensical for their character to relapse again, so E:Wrecked was sold to the XS Channel and became WreckLess, thrill seeker and travel enthusiast.

The WreckLess supersonality was made to be much cleverer than his predecessors, having all the skills necessary to inform and entertain viewers on his journey to the 648 most extreme places in the galaxy. Ratings were modest, until the studios realized that WreckLess was starting to learn things on his own, and was hatching a plan to escape media attention and end his hellishly sexy life as a minor celebrity once and for all. WreckLess's constant attempts to avoid the camera through Extreme violence and Extreme deception in Extreme places (in space!) gave the reality TV executives a viable competitor against their primetime drama nemeses, and ratings, once more, soared.

When WreckLess spontaneously vanished on camera in the middle of an episode, viewers just assumed that he had finally won, or that the studios had finally gotten fed up with him and vaporized him. However, the execs knew better. They sensed the intervention of something much more powerful than they, and the television potential pretty much gave them all the boners. Grand Battle or no, this dimension or that, there are always cameras. And someone's always watching. Otherwise what's the point?

EDIT BECAUSE PAGE TOPPING IS IMPORTANT: Turns out awesome sexy times is not what Fogel "is going for." "At all." So you know I'll see y'all elsewhere.

Originally posted on MSPA by Wojjan.

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SpoilerI'm not too happy with this, since it's completely random. Twenty questions with a coin never cease to amaze me. I did touch it up a bit though. All questions I asked about her biography resulted in a firm 'no', so basically nothing happened to her. Average.

Username: Woah, jam!
Name: Dena
Gender: Female
Race: Human, although magical
Colour: This, maybe?

Description: Dena is a young woman, about nineteen years old, and a little small for her age with beautiful long blonde hair and eyes like the sky she likes to gaze at. She's always wearing a plain white gown, and at hot days (like the day she was plucked to the battle) a hat in the same colour, and a colourful necklace with blue and orange beads. Her face is by far the most amiable anyone could ever imagine, and she has the friendy and serene attitude expected of such a pure person. She isn't prone to fight at all. Now, why would anyone pick her to compete in a Grand Battle?

Abilities/Equipment: As mentioned before, Dena is at peace with herself and the world. She stood out to the gods as the only one in her world to not grow tainted by seduction and wrath as her life progressed; instead, she was like a beacon of sincerity among the world filled with vile hate. The gods rewarded her for her virtue with two orbs, about the size of a golf ball, called Ataraxia and Hedone, respectively blue and orange. They are now part of Dena's necklace as well as the inspiration for it. If golf balls deserve a name, you know something must be up with them. These two words loosely translate to inperturbability and enjoyment. These two virtues she already had evolved when in possession of the orbs, and grew beyond human reach. Dena could use these two qualities and have them emanate to her environment. Depending on how calm or glad she is feeling at the moment, this could have the effect of people developing a gentler mindset when talking to her to having the surrounding spooky forest become the purest of woods as long as she's around.

Biography: Dena lived a peaceful life up to now. Her first years were indeed the kind of peaceful you would expect, but as she continued her serene one-with-nature lifestyle, her friends changed, and tipped to the other end of the moral scale. And so, they grew apart. She then lived mostly alone, with the few friends she has left who just like her didn't stray from the path. Peaceful now meant dull.

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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Right. I think that's enough sign-ups. I will now consider who to allow into this battle and who will be shuffled off to the next one. Give me a few minutes.

Originally posted on MSPA by Dragon Fogel.

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Pinary and GreyGabe are in. So, under consideration:

Name: Lillian Finch

Name: Karen

Name: Dekowin

Name: Sarika

Name: CH4-12-LI3 (Callsign is Charlie)

Name: Tamerlane

Name: Reudic Otsaceae

Name: WreckLess

Name: Dena

So that's 9 contestants, six slots. After much consideration...

Tamerlane is out because I don't think his ability will see much use in the kinds of rounds I'm planning.
WreckLess is out because, uh, yeah, let's just say that's not what I'm going for here at all and leave it at that.
Dena is out because calming influences are really not the Monitor's style.

So granolaman, Lord Paradise, and Wojjan, you can all go off and get ready to join whoosh's battle. Everybody else, just be patient while I write up the battle intro and start the first round.

Edit: Sorry, Ix! I didn't realize you were redoing your character. I'm afraid you just had bad timing.

Anyways, I've got my eight, so you can get ready for the next.

Originally posted on MSPA by gloomyMoron.

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Posting so Fogel's next post is page topper. Silence can continue afterwords.