Who said we weren't?Viking Incognito said:
I have a character idea sorted out now, I'm just looking for time to write him and my entry up over the last few days. I can't speak for Shanks but I can promise you that I'm doing my best to enter again.
The Ratings War VI: Aces High - Round 1 (Closed - Judging)
- Thread starter Lord Krunk
- Start date
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I have a character idea sorted out now, I'm just looking for time to write him and my entry up over the last few days. I can't speak for Shanks but I can promise you that I'm doing my best to enter again.
*Twitch* Think...positive...think...positive...be...confident...Zombie_Fish said:
EDIT: Now that I read it, that seems less joking than it did when I was typing it out. I am actually excited at the idea that I might go up against you even though I will probably lose. If I can get at least one vote though, I'll know I'm improving.
1) Yes and no. His world isn't specifically Japan, but it is based mostly on Sengoku era Japan.JoJoDeathunter said:
2) Yes, that's just a nickname. He's a normal human in just about every way.
You better be in this round; I'm trying to convince Nuke to hop on in too.Zombie_Fish said:
EDIT: While I'm here I guess I can present my first draft.
Name: Barry Underwood
Nickname: Woody
Age: 35
Occupation: Politics
Appearance: His hair is a dark black with the beginnings of silver streaks starting into it. This hair is styled into your basic, cropped look, something you'd see the average barber recommend to a white collar like himself with a minimal amount of effort put into it. His face is smooth shaved showing no stubble at all. Barry's eyes are an amber colour, hidden behind expensive wire rimmed glasses. This cleanliness and exquisite taste follows down his body, his slightly toned muscles perfectly proportioned, his body slightly pale from all the time he spends indoors.
Clothing: Barry generally wears a three piece smoke grey suit with a crimson red tie. The pinstripe design passes vertically down the legs of his trousers, ending with a couple of simple black shoes. He carries a cherry oak wooden cane around, its ivory handle carved into a demon's head. In his pocket he carries a small golden pocketwatch that hasn't worked in ten years. This might have to do with the fact he lost the key all those years ago.
Weapons: Underwood has made some controversial decisions in Parliament. Due to the nature of his work, he's quite paranoid that there would be someone angry enough to try and knock him off. As such concealed weapons are normally his idea of safety. His cane is actually a sword sheath with a slight extension to disguise it. The sword is a thin rapier honed and sharpened every day, a habit fuelled by Barry's paranoia. While many people know about the sword in the cane, few know about its addition. Added to the sword is a flintlock pistol, making the sword, in reality a bayonette. He avoids using it, preferring to keep the pistol a secret.
Powers: While Barry doesn't have any technical powers, one could argue that his natural charm and charisma could double as a power. Having spent the last 7 years in some kind of political work, he understands the mind of his opponents. In short he's a manipulator and is known for being damned good at it.
Strengths: As mentioned before, Barry is a charismatic wordsmith. Most of his friends and colleagues in politics have used speech writers in order to get across their points. Barry on the other hand, needs no prep, choosing to wing his speeches as he stands in front of people. As such, one can assume that his strengths involve calm under extreme pressures, an understanding of what people want to hear and see and most importantly, he can deliver it in such a manner that others understand and love him. A creative mind with logical application also gives him the strength to creatively deal with situations, a trait that has saved him multiple times in heated political debates.
Weaknesses: Being one of the Upperclass citizens of Her Majesty's England, he isn't used to physical work, instead being an intellect of his generation. While intelligence is good in its own right, it also means that his own physical strength is severely lacking. Connected to this also means a very weak endurance in both pain tolerance and stamina. In short, while Barry is good at surviving the cut throat world of politics, he is very ill equipped to survive in an environment of physical demand.
Another weakness of Barry's is his attraction to fine things. He has an expensive taste for fine things. This means that he judges others on the wealth of their possessions. While this doesn't seem like a critical weakness, it does mean he will tend to underestimate those with ratty clothes and poor hygiene, even if they physically or mentally outmatch him. His sense of arrogance fits quite well with this trait; his thoughts of himself are quite bloated and self-centered. He refuses to acknowledge his shortcomings as flaws, instead believing them to help him in the upcoming Social Darwinist movement.
Personality: Being born into wealth has given Barry a sense of self entitlement, only further nurtured by his parents own tastes and social circles. He was raised unaware to the worker's plight, instead believing that they were simply put there by their unwillingness to rise above their current social status. This combined to make Barry woefully ignorant of the common class; this reflects in his political platforms.
Being raised rich and privileged, certain arrogance was required in order to get by. While it might have been a simple act at first, through time the arrogance has become as much of a part of Barry as his own hands and fingers, a tool in order to progress himself through certain circles.
Barry's expensive tastes go far beyond physical objects though, going as far as to buy companionship of London's working ladies. Usually working through a brothel but has been known to explore the streets a little, Barry's lust is well known to those working girl. He also delves into the occasional opium den, enjoying the relaxing rush brought to his senses. His sense of vice knows no bounds, he is known to have no qualms about spending tax dollars on his own vice.
In addition, in case Barry's stereotypical political manner wasn't apparent with simply lust and arrogance, his greed is apparent, not above skiving off the top of surpluses in order to accommodate his vices; or even for the sheer thrill of simply having more money than anyone else. To sum up Barry; inside the shell of a man who appears to have his eye out for the people, lies a corrupt, morally bankrupt soul who's simple will to be better than everyone else keeping him in power.
Fears: There are two things that Barry fears above all things. The first being the people that he serves. He is terrified of the people finding out what he is; what he strives for rather than what he would appear to strive for.
The second thing Barry fears is death. He hates the idea of his reign ending and even more terrified of losing everything he has ever created or stolen for himself. His fear of death has gone as far as to research ways to prolong his life, no matter how absurd, he has sunk money into it. His love for opium is only overshadowed by his desire to prolong his life.
Suit: The suit of Hearts selected Barry as one of its Champions, realizing the political and social nature of Barry's work. Whether or not it selected Barry for the outer nature he portrays, or the inner nature of Barry's corruption and lust for power remains unknown.
Bio: Raised in the upper class Victorian society, Barry learned from a young age how to act in range of those above him; but more importantly how he could act to those below him. At a young age, his verbal abuse of the poor should have been noticed, but his own parents were too bust grovelling at the feet of their own superiors. As he listened to his parents insult those they seemed to hold in such high regard behind their backs, Barry became confused to the nature of this society. Rather than turn his back on it though, he vowed to learn the workings of such a system and rise up through it.
Growing up rich had its educational perks as well as he was enrolled in the finest schools and he quickly rose through the social circles, by first grovelling like his parents, but taking the initiative to strike at any weakness that would benefit himself. He was the natural predator when it came to the social norms and despite not being a large child managed to avoid any scraps by having his own muscle.
He graduated with honours and immediately applied it to politics. His parent's deaths should have devastated him, but they had lived long enough and he needed the money to kick-start his campaign. His first jobs were nothing more than ***** work for other candidates, running their platforms, obtaining votes, but in his fifth year of working for them, he got his big break, scoring a chance at a seat in his hometown. He won it, barely, by talking about promoting better work conditions, helping the working class.
It was naturally, only words. Once he was elected, he moved towards more corporate needs, oppressing workers with one hand, while pretending that he was trying his best with PA announcements. It was a close, delicate dance but Barry reaped the rewards of it.
Nickname: Woody
Age: 35
Occupation: Politics
Appearance: His hair is a dark black with the beginnings of silver streaks starting into it. This hair is styled into your basic, cropped look, something you'd see the average barber recommend to a white collar like himself with a minimal amount of effort put into it. His face is smooth shaved showing no stubble at all. Barry's eyes are an amber colour, hidden behind expensive wire rimmed glasses. This cleanliness and exquisite taste follows down his body, his slightly toned muscles perfectly proportioned, his body slightly pale from all the time he spends indoors.
Clothing: Barry generally wears a three piece smoke grey suit with a crimson red tie. The pinstripe design passes vertically down the legs of his trousers, ending with a couple of simple black shoes. He carries a cherry oak wooden cane around, its ivory handle carved into a demon's head. In his pocket he carries a small golden pocketwatch that hasn't worked in ten years. This might have to do with the fact he lost the key all those years ago.
Weapons: Underwood has made some controversial decisions in Parliament. Due to the nature of his work, he's quite paranoid that there would be someone angry enough to try and knock him off. As such concealed weapons are normally his idea of safety. His cane is actually a sword sheath with a slight extension to disguise it. The sword is a thin rapier honed and sharpened every day, a habit fuelled by Barry's paranoia. While many people know about the sword in the cane, few know about its addition. Added to the sword is a flintlock pistol, making the sword, in reality a bayonette. He avoids using it, preferring to keep the pistol a secret.
Powers: While Barry doesn't have any technical powers, one could argue that his natural charm and charisma could double as a power. Having spent the last 7 years in some kind of political work, he understands the mind of his opponents. In short he's a manipulator and is known for being damned good at it.
Strengths: As mentioned before, Barry is a charismatic wordsmith. Most of his friends and colleagues in politics have used speech writers in order to get across their points. Barry on the other hand, needs no prep, choosing to wing his speeches as he stands in front of people. As such, one can assume that his strengths involve calm under extreme pressures, an understanding of what people want to hear and see and most importantly, he can deliver it in such a manner that others understand and love him. A creative mind with logical application also gives him the strength to creatively deal with situations, a trait that has saved him multiple times in heated political debates.
Weaknesses: Being one of the Upperclass citizens of Her Majesty's England, he isn't used to physical work, instead being an intellect of his generation. While intelligence is good in its own right, it also means that his own physical strength is severely lacking. Connected to this also means a very weak endurance in both pain tolerance and stamina. In short, while Barry is good at surviving the cut throat world of politics, he is very ill equipped to survive in an environment of physical demand.
Another weakness of Barry's is his attraction to fine things. He has an expensive taste for fine things. This means that he judges others on the wealth of their possessions. While this doesn't seem like a critical weakness, it does mean he will tend to underestimate those with ratty clothes and poor hygiene, even if they physically or mentally outmatch him. His sense of arrogance fits quite well with this trait; his thoughts of himself are quite bloated and self-centered. He refuses to acknowledge his shortcomings as flaws, instead believing them to help him in the upcoming Social Darwinist movement.
Personality: Being born into wealth has given Barry a sense of self entitlement, only further nurtured by his parents own tastes and social circles. He was raised unaware to the worker's plight, instead believing that they were simply put there by their unwillingness to rise above their current social status. This combined to make Barry woefully ignorant of the common class; this reflects in his political platforms.
Being raised rich and privileged, certain arrogance was required in order to get by. While it might have been a simple act at first, through time the arrogance has become as much of a part of Barry as his own hands and fingers, a tool in order to progress himself through certain circles.
Barry's expensive tastes go far beyond physical objects though, going as far as to buy companionship of London's working ladies. Usually working through a brothel but has been known to explore the streets a little, Barry's lust is well known to those working girl. He also delves into the occasional opium den, enjoying the relaxing rush brought to his senses. His sense of vice knows no bounds, he is known to have no qualms about spending tax dollars on his own vice.
In addition, in case Barry's stereotypical political manner wasn't apparent with simply lust and arrogance, his greed is apparent, not above skiving off the top of surpluses in order to accommodate his vices; or even for the sheer thrill of simply having more money than anyone else. To sum up Barry; inside the shell of a man who appears to have his eye out for the people, lies a corrupt, morally bankrupt soul who's simple will to be better than everyone else keeping him in power.
Fears: There are two things that Barry fears above all things. The first being the people that he serves. He is terrified of the people finding out what he is; what he strives for rather than what he would appear to strive for.
The second thing Barry fears is death. He hates the idea of his reign ending and even more terrified of losing everything he has ever created or stolen for himself. His fear of death has gone as far as to research ways to prolong his life, no matter how absurd, he has sunk money into it. His love for opium is only overshadowed by his desire to prolong his life.
Suit: The suit of Hearts selected Barry as one of its Champions, realizing the political and social nature of Barry's work. Whether or not it selected Barry for the outer nature he portrays, or the inner nature of Barry's corruption and lust for power remains unknown.
Bio: Raised in the upper class Victorian society, Barry learned from a young age how to act in range of those above him; but more importantly how he could act to those below him. At a young age, his verbal abuse of the poor should have been noticed, but his own parents were too bust grovelling at the feet of their own superiors. As he listened to his parents insult those they seemed to hold in such high regard behind their backs, Barry became confused to the nature of this society. Rather than turn his back on it though, he vowed to learn the workings of such a system and rise up through it.
Growing up rich had its educational perks as well as he was enrolled in the finest schools and he quickly rose through the social circles, by first grovelling like his parents, but taking the initiative to strike at any weakness that would benefit himself. He was the natural predator when it came to the social norms and despite not being a large child managed to avoid any scraps by having his own muscle.
He graduated with honours and immediately applied it to politics. His parent's deaths should have devastated him, but they had lived long enough and he needed the money to kick-start his campaign. His first jobs were nothing more than ***** work for other candidates, running their platforms, obtaining votes, but in his fifth year of working for them, he got his big break, scoring a chance at a seat in his hometown. He won it, barely, by talking about promoting better work conditions, helping the working class.
It was naturally, only words. Once he was elected, he moved towards more corporate needs, oppressing workers with one hand, while pretending that he was trying his best with PA announcements. It was a close, delicate dance but Barry reaped the rewards of it.
Listening to people day after day was tiring. It was the part of the job that required the most work on his part and seemed to pay off the least. It seemed like the people wouldn't leave him the fuck alone. Problems upon problems that he was expected to deal with. It was like they didn't believe that their poverty was the natural order of things, the weeding out of the weak. They came with questions, with demands that he wasn't going to touch, this new system, these new businesses, they were driving the future and he wasn't about to let those who were too weak to be part of the future ruin it.
He reclined into the chair prepared for him at the den. The local ***** knew some people from his home land; what that meant was some quality opium was sent back. And he, being a powerful friend, got the good stuff or the Chinks would be saying goodbye to their favourite bar; basically it was a mutual partnership in which both parties benefited; t'was the best kind of relationship in Barry's opinion.
The owner brought him the opium pipe and Barry threw a couple shillings for his trouble. He inhaled deeply, allowing the wafting smell of the narcotic to surround him, the world slowing down and fading around him. His troubles melted away, being replaced with a calm soothing feeling that crept through his skin. It felt good; it was great to get away from everything. However that would not remain as a voice penetrated his blissful ignorance.
The Voice echoed through his head, giving him a slight headache, "Barry Underwood, you have been selected by the Hearts."
"Who might the hearts be?" Barry said, to the forming mist around his head.
"The Hearts, are much like you Barry, the pinnacle of education and of course, top of class, both academically and socially. Essentially the elite that runs the world; and we need your representation in a little bout we're having. Basically, we're trying to, stack the deck in our favour and we think that you can help us with that."
A man appeared through the smoke a pure white suit with a small red heart imprinted over the breast pocket of his jacket. His hair was slicked back and his eyes were a gunmetal grey, unnerving even to Barry.
Finally Barry worked up the nerve to speak and he spoke boldly to set the stage, "And what makes you think I'm interested in your world when I'm running my own at this time, why risk it all when I have security and power right here?"
"Because we know you Barry, and you aren't content with what you have. We can give you more; you will be a God amongst all; you will control the threads of your world. All you need to do is take it in this fight."
Barry's lips curled into a smile. Godhood sounded excellent, the ultimate control; he would be able to put anything into policy, control the nature of the world. He stood up and moved through his created haze to the man in the Heart suit, "It seems you knew just what to say to convince me; either makes you a good politician, or a good liar," he didn?t bother saying that more often than not, the two were not mutually exclusive, "Either way, you've got yourself a deal."
The two shook hands and Barry was shocked at the cool feel of his new business partner's hand. He began to doubt exactly how much was true and how much of their deal was fabrication to ensure his support. Either way the handshake was law for both parties so when it came time to collect, he supposed that he would use that as evidence of it.
Barry's body slumped to the floor, the owners has watched as his body had twitched and convoluted. They had tried to wake him but he kept muttering about Godhood and control of the world. Worrying about an overdose and perhaps the discovery of one of the up and coming political minds ending his life in their establishment; they panicked and lifted his body out of the bar.
They dumped his body outside in the alley, shutting the door and muttering paranoid thoughts in their own tongue. It was time now for Barry to join his companions though. The smoke that should have left Barry when he left the opium den began to surround him, the sweet wafting smell filling the streets around it. When a particularly strong gust of wind blew the sweet scent away, Barry's body vanished with it.
He reclined into the chair prepared for him at the den. The local ***** knew some people from his home land; what that meant was some quality opium was sent back. And he, being a powerful friend, got the good stuff or the Chinks would be saying goodbye to their favourite bar; basically it was a mutual partnership in which both parties benefited; t'was the best kind of relationship in Barry's opinion.
The owner brought him the opium pipe and Barry threw a couple shillings for his trouble. He inhaled deeply, allowing the wafting smell of the narcotic to surround him, the world slowing down and fading around him. His troubles melted away, being replaced with a calm soothing feeling that crept through his skin. It felt good; it was great to get away from everything. However that would not remain as a voice penetrated his blissful ignorance.
The Voice echoed through his head, giving him a slight headache, "Barry Underwood, you have been selected by the Hearts."
"Who might the hearts be?" Barry said, to the forming mist around his head.
"The Hearts, are much like you Barry, the pinnacle of education and of course, top of class, both academically and socially. Essentially the elite that runs the world; and we need your representation in a little bout we're having. Basically, we're trying to, stack the deck in our favour and we think that you can help us with that."
A man appeared through the smoke a pure white suit with a small red heart imprinted over the breast pocket of his jacket. His hair was slicked back and his eyes were a gunmetal grey, unnerving even to Barry.
Finally Barry worked up the nerve to speak and he spoke boldly to set the stage, "And what makes you think I'm interested in your world when I'm running my own at this time, why risk it all when I have security and power right here?"
"Because we know you Barry, and you aren't content with what you have. We can give you more; you will be a God amongst all; you will control the threads of your world. All you need to do is take it in this fight."
Barry's lips curled into a smile. Godhood sounded excellent, the ultimate control; he would be able to put anything into policy, control the nature of the world. He stood up and moved through his created haze to the man in the Heart suit, "It seems you knew just what to say to convince me; either makes you a good politician, or a good liar," he didn?t bother saying that more often than not, the two were not mutually exclusive, "Either way, you've got yourself a deal."
The two shook hands and Barry was shocked at the cool feel of his new business partner's hand. He began to doubt exactly how much was true and how much of their deal was fabrication to ensure his support. Either way the handshake was law for both parties so when it came time to collect, he supposed that he would use that as evidence of it.
Barry's body slumped to the floor, the owners has watched as his body had twitched and convoluted. They had tried to wake him but he kept muttering about Godhood and control of the world. Worrying about an overdose and perhaps the discovery of one of the up and coming political minds ending his life in their establishment; they panicked and lifted his body out of the bar.
They dumped his body outside in the alley, shutting the door and muttering paranoid thoughts in their own tongue. It was time now for Barry to join his companions though. The smoke that should have left Barry when he left the opium den began to surround him, the sweet wafting smell filling the streets around it. When a particularly strong gust of wind blew the sweet scent away, Barry's body vanished with it.
Expect a few tweaks to it, as well as the introduction in the next couple days
Edit 2: Despite being unhappy with both the name and bio of my character, I'm leaving them as is, unless inspiration strikes tomorrow.
Ha, your character is almost the opposite of mine; the morally corrupt rich man and the good-natured street-urchin....Lost In The Void said:
...Oh dear...stereotypes. = /
Nice sheet though. = ]
If it makes you feel any better, I've gotten criticism for a few pieces thanks to Khedive Rex. So now I know what points of my writing to improve. (muahaha)Viking Incognito said:
To be honest, it's great feeling like you're bound for failure. I felt exactly the same way when I went up against revolverwolf last time, but it made me try my best and to my surprise I actually won that battle. Just do your best and at worst you now have a better idea of what you're capable of.
As returning champion/ person who persuaded Krunk into putting this up I kind of feel obliged to get involved again. Not that I wouldn't try to anyway.Lost In The Void said:
- Mar 31, 2010
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Firstly nice character, I like the detailed personality section especially. There's one query I have though which is the suit:Lost In The Void said:
If we look back at the first page...
The Suit of Hearts was more inclined to work amongst its citizens - politicians, journalists and merchants were amongst their professions. For this reason Hearts has grown to become an extremely influential part of Chicane society. Hearts Magic is built around coercion through politics and custom.
The Suit of Diamonds is purely academic, and thusly they were tasked with theoretical and scholarly tasks. Scientists, doctors and teachers were closely tied to this suit, as their mental aptitude was unmatched. Diamonds Magic is built around aptitude and the psyche - telepathy is used to the extent that their society has developed a hive mind at its very core, and as such all share the same knowledge and desire to expand it.
The Suit of Diamonds is purely academic, and thusly they were tasked with theoretical and scholarly tasks. Scientists, doctors and teachers were closely tied to this suit, as their mental aptitude was unmatched. Diamonds Magic is built around aptitude and the psyche - telepathy is used to the extent that their society has developed a hive mind at its very core, and as such all share the same knowledge and desire to expand it.
It seems that Hearts is a much better fit since your character is all about working amongst citizens and being influential, in-fact politician is even listed as a "Heart profession!" Of course, if you have a special reason for choosing Diamonds then I'd be interested to hear it.
Name: Baramiah
Nickname: None
Age: 43
Appearance: Baramiah is ostensibly human. But if so he is both abnormally tall, abnormally wide and of abnormally stout build. His arms are longer than normal human being?s, via ratio with the rest of his body. They are also thicker and intensely muscled. His lower body on the other hand, while proportionally wide, is slightly shorter in ratio than the standard human body and is not as thoroughly muscled.
His pupils are overly large which gives people the impression he has black eyes. The shape of his skull, in concordance with the rest of his body, is just a little bit off ? larger than a human?s and slightly longer. He has a medium tan and brownish red hair growing around his face to about shoulder length, unkempt. He has an abnormally round jaw line.
He is typically seen lying down, either on his back, front or side but always fully splayed against whatever he is lying on. He moves only rarely and when he does it is by brachiating (climbing and swinging between hand grips). He can walk using his legs and some support from his arms, but he is slower and more cumbersome like this and will only move in this manner if it is his only option. When he moves it is in a straight line between point A and point B and it is efficiently fast.
(if you?re having trouble visualizing, picture an orangutan that could pass for an abnormally large, abnormally muscular human being. Longer arms, shorter legs, wider trunk, same basic method of movement.)
Clothing: None.
Weapons: He carries nothing with him. Minions (refer to second sheet)
Powers: The longer he is in physical contact with a person the sharper and more intense their senses will become.
Strengths: He is very physically powerful, has great endurance and does not fear pain (because he finds it physically enthralling)
Weaknesses: He has no concept of danger, He is not strategic, He can barely move unless there are objects in his environment to grab onto, He trusts everyone and everything, He is single-minded and incapable of juggling multiple issues, He wears no armor or defenses of any description, He carries no weapons of any description on his person.
Personality: Baramiah is something of a modern day druidic creeper. He finds himself in an environment and he stays in one place enjoying the softness of the grass or the roughness of the concrete or the sound of bugs. He?s keenly aware of everything that goes on in his immediate area because his senses are hyperactive, he perceives everything far more powerfully than he should and can perceive even minute stimuli. It?s been this way his entire life and he?s abandoned the idea of negative stimuli. Feeling anything is a positive experience for him and something he will lose himself in, whether that is the smell of flowers or the feeling of being stabbed makes little difference.
He really only thinks of himself and the next sensation he?s going to experience. He has a group of people serving him, but he doesn?t consider that they (or in fact anyone) are independent creatures with wants, needs, and lives that run independent of him. For him, people are more bundles of warmth and pulse and scent then they are distinct personalities. In this way, he is very selfish and self-centered.
His main desire is to lose himself in sensation. Wherever he is, he will stop and try to feel everything around him more deeply until, in a sense, he is one with everything in his environment. He has infinite patience and will never get bored of any one sensation. That being said, he is a notably curious fellow and will seek out stimuli that are stronger, stranger or otherwise more enticing once he becomes aware of them. But he will not move or act until he knows exactly how he intends to move or act. In this way he is very methodical, or possibly just lazy.
Because Baramiah enjoys all sensation, he has no comprehension of danger and no self-preservation instinct. If he were set on fire, he?d let it burn for as long as it took to understand, appreciate and catalogue the way it felt.
He speaks concisely and irregularly but is almost perpetually emitting soft moans and sighs, offset by occasional grunts or giggles. He loves music and dance and will occasionally demand it of his followers. His lifestyle is best described as a stationary mix of bohemian and druidic. Think, if Jabba the Hut was a naturalist sage.
Fears: Void, emptiness, the absence of sensation.
Suit: Hearts
Bio: Born to a mother and a father forty-three years ago. In his early childhood he found he appreciated the subtle nuance of sensation more than the other boys and girls- music moved him more, the taste of food was more powerful. When he hit puberty this affiliation grew much stronger and was an almost paralyzing force in his life. He found he couldn?t accomplish things at the same rate other people did, because all he wanted to do was lay down and enjoy the bouquet of scents drifting on the air that no one else seemed able to smell. One night he followed the moon away from his home town.
+++++++
Name: Minion (alternately, the actual name of the minion)
Nickname: None.
Age: All ages.
Appearance: They are typically female but the occasional male is entrapped. They come from all walks of life and look a wide variety of ways.
Clothing: None.
Weapons: typically guns.
.
Powers: None.
Strengths: There?s always strength in numbers but that?s about it. Highly sensitive with acute smelling, hearing, eyesight, taste and touch.
Weaknesses: Not physically stronger, faster or smarter than an average human being. Accuracy with their weapons is low, as they?ve received no formal training. They maintain highly bohemian life styles and can be distracted by abnormal stimuli (a bonfire of some peculiar smoke or something).
Personality: They behave in a similar fashion to a cult, protecting their leader (Baramiah), and working to advance his assumed goals. They are also, of course, always interested in growing their ranks. Apart from that, they are highly bohemian and experiential.
Fears: Void, emptiness, the absence of sensation, the death of Baramiah.
Suit: None. Possibly hearts.
Bio: They are people whose senses have been heightened too much or for too long by Baramiah. They now see the world much the same way Baramiah himself does, which is to say they are keenly and perpetually aware of every piece of stimuli present in their environment. Some of the elder minions can even feel the rotation of the earth.
They perform deeds for Baramiah, anything from providing him with cocaine or steroids to trying to kill or capture his opponents.
Nickname: None
Age: 43
Appearance: Baramiah is ostensibly human. But if so he is both abnormally tall, abnormally wide and of abnormally stout build. His arms are longer than normal human being?s, via ratio with the rest of his body. They are also thicker and intensely muscled. His lower body on the other hand, while proportionally wide, is slightly shorter in ratio than the standard human body and is not as thoroughly muscled.
His pupils are overly large which gives people the impression he has black eyes. The shape of his skull, in concordance with the rest of his body, is just a little bit off ? larger than a human?s and slightly longer. He has a medium tan and brownish red hair growing around his face to about shoulder length, unkempt. He has an abnormally round jaw line.
He is typically seen lying down, either on his back, front or side but always fully splayed against whatever he is lying on. He moves only rarely and when he does it is by brachiating (climbing and swinging between hand grips). He can walk using his legs and some support from his arms, but he is slower and more cumbersome like this and will only move in this manner if it is his only option. When he moves it is in a straight line between point A and point B and it is efficiently fast.
(if you?re having trouble visualizing, picture an orangutan that could pass for an abnormally large, abnormally muscular human being. Longer arms, shorter legs, wider trunk, same basic method of movement.)
Clothing: None.
Weapons: He carries nothing with him. Minions (refer to second sheet)
Powers: The longer he is in physical contact with a person the sharper and more intense their senses will become.
Strengths: He is very physically powerful, has great endurance and does not fear pain (because he finds it physically enthralling)
Weaknesses: He has no concept of danger, He is not strategic, He can barely move unless there are objects in his environment to grab onto, He trusts everyone and everything, He is single-minded and incapable of juggling multiple issues, He wears no armor or defenses of any description, He carries no weapons of any description on his person.
Personality: Baramiah is something of a modern day druidic creeper. He finds himself in an environment and he stays in one place enjoying the softness of the grass or the roughness of the concrete or the sound of bugs. He?s keenly aware of everything that goes on in his immediate area because his senses are hyperactive, he perceives everything far more powerfully than he should and can perceive even minute stimuli. It?s been this way his entire life and he?s abandoned the idea of negative stimuli. Feeling anything is a positive experience for him and something he will lose himself in, whether that is the smell of flowers or the feeling of being stabbed makes little difference.
He really only thinks of himself and the next sensation he?s going to experience. He has a group of people serving him, but he doesn?t consider that they (or in fact anyone) are independent creatures with wants, needs, and lives that run independent of him. For him, people are more bundles of warmth and pulse and scent then they are distinct personalities. In this way, he is very selfish and self-centered.
His main desire is to lose himself in sensation. Wherever he is, he will stop and try to feel everything around him more deeply until, in a sense, he is one with everything in his environment. He has infinite patience and will never get bored of any one sensation. That being said, he is a notably curious fellow and will seek out stimuli that are stronger, stranger or otherwise more enticing once he becomes aware of them. But he will not move or act until he knows exactly how he intends to move or act. In this way he is very methodical, or possibly just lazy.
Because Baramiah enjoys all sensation, he has no comprehension of danger and no self-preservation instinct. If he were set on fire, he?d let it burn for as long as it took to understand, appreciate and catalogue the way it felt.
He speaks concisely and irregularly but is almost perpetually emitting soft moans and sighs, offset by occasional grunts or giggles. He loves music and dance and will occasionally demand it of his followers. His lifestyle is best described as a stationary mix of bohemian and druidic. Think, if Jabba the Hut was a naturalist sage.
Fears: Void, emptiness, the absence of sensation.
Suit: Hearts
Bio: Born to a mother and a father forty-three years ago. In his early childhood he found he appreciated the subtle nuance of sensation more than the other boys and girls- music moved him more, the taste of food was more powerful. When he hit puberty this affiliation grew much stronger and was an almost paralyzing force in his life. He found he couldn?t accomplish things at the same rate other people did, because all he wanted to do was lay down and enjoy the bouquet of scents drifting on the air that no one else seemed able to smell. One night he followed the moon away from his home town.
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Name: Minion (alternately, the actual name of the minion)
Nickname: None.
Age: All ages.
Appearance: They are typically female but the occasional male is entrapped. They come from all walks of life and look a wide variety of ways.
Clothing: None.
Weapons: typically guns.
.
Powers: None.
Strengths: There?s always strength in numbers but that?s about it. Highly sensitive with acute smelling, hearing, eyesight, taste and touch.
Weaknesses: Not physically stronger, faster or smarter than an average human being. Accuracy with their weapons is low, as they?ve received no formal training. They maintain highly bohemian life styles and can be distracted by abnormal stimuli (a bonfire of some peculiar smoke or something).
Personality: They behave in a similar fashion to a cult, protecting their leader (Baramiah), and working to advance his assumed goals. They are also, of course, always interested in growing their ranks. Apart from that, they are highly bohemian and experiential.
Fears: Void, emptiness, the absence of sensation, the death of Baramiah.
Suit: None. Possibly hearts.
Bio: They are people whose senses have been heightened too much or for too long by Baramiah. They now see the world much the same way Baramiah himself does, which is to say they are keenly and perpetually aware of every piece of stimuli present in their environment. Some of the elder minions can even feel the rotation of the earth.
They perform deeds for Baramiah, anything from providing him with cocaine or steroids to trying to kill or capture his opponents.
My horse in this particular tournament. Let me know if theres question I should answer or glaring flaws I should resolve. The intro will come shortly. In the mean time, what do you all think?
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Thought it might be a mix-up, that's good as we aren't far off being balanced for suits currently though I think Diamonds are still slightly in excess at the mo. The way you wrote that post fits your avatar by the way.Lost In The Void said:
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At the risk of sounding like a nosy parker, since I've already questioned the last two people to submit sheets today, I have a few questions specifically about the minions which anyone would need to know to write your character as an opponent:Khedive Rex said:
1) How many minions are there?
2) What are their actual age ranges? This may sound nit-picky but since my character is a mother she'd find it much harder to fight something that took the form of a child, if some of them range that low.
3) If an individual minion dies during a match in which you wrote (and so continues onto the next round), does Baramiah then have one less minion?
4) If Baramiah himself was defeated in a match, would the minions carry on fighting the opponent until they too were beaten?
5) Can the minions speak?
Hmm... I think I might write up a different character and use that instead of the one I originally submitted. Is it okay if I do this?
Shame, I was really liking your character. Although I was finding it difficult to imagine exactly how my character would defeat your's/CounterAttack said:
In all honesty, I'm kinda wondering how my character would defeat any of these characters.
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Except mine presumably, as forgetting other factors, yours is 8 1/2 inches taller and over 10 years younger (and so physically fitter) than her. Of-course that's ignoring her special ability which is what earned her a place in the competition but you know, stuff.Tips_of_Fingers said:
I like the sound of six for no obvious reason. Allow me to say from the outset that my minions should not be considered independant fighting elements from Baramiah. The primary reason they exist is because I intend for Baramiah to be very alien and I wanted there to be an identifiable element to him. So I threw some straight up regular humans in the group so that readers have someone to relate to. They're more there for setting and dialogue than for the actual combat element.JoJoDeathunter said:
Their age ranges are whatever is convenient for you. If I were writing a book I'd think of six seperate independant characters and tell each of their stories along with Baramiah's. But that would be over-much for this style of literature. For practical purposes, you should think of the minions not as people but as a crowd, a collections of human beings without any truely remarkable features.JoJoDeathunter said:
So, to answer the implied question, if having a child in their group would assist a narrative you were writing, you would be welcome to make one of the six a child. If having only older people would help, you are welcome to do the same. I don't plan to challenge my opponents interpretation of the crowd. If he and I end up describing different people I'll play it off that he selected different members of the crowd.
Yes. I treat every story that advances as cannon. If someone dies in an earlier story of Baramiah's, that person stays dead. If part of winning is sacraficing the crowd, Baramiah goes into the next round sans crowd.JoJoDeathunter said:
No. The minions exist to serve Baramiah. If he died they would probably cry for a while and then go off confused and directionless. They'd be like worker ants without a queen.JoJoDeathunter said:
Revenge probably wouldn't occur to them.
They can indeed. Their perspective is going to be slightly askew but apart from that they are regular people in every regard. When you think of the minions, you should think of a group of peace loving hippy types, slightly drug addled, and carrying guns they don't know how to use. They're the sort of people you might find on a bus following rolling stones tours. Except these people are instead following a freaky druid cult leader. But its the same devotion, coming from the same place. They think the guy is hip and they want to do what he does.JoJoDeathunter said:
To be honest, I've been thinking about your character for a few days...round about the same time I was toying with the idea of Faustus not wanting to hurt women. Obviously, his moral stance should make it seem impossible for him to beat her, but I've thought up an interesting concept that could work out really well should we match up against each other.JoJoDeathunter said:
So yeah...your character is the only one I've thought about lol.
I'm sure that's perfectly fine.CounterAttack said:
Just get creative. If you want a good idea of an underpowered character, look at NewClassic's in the last war [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/540.228220-The-Ratings-War-V-Original-Sin-Finals-Winner-Announced#7870762] and how far he managed to get with that character. Detective Shanks [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/540.228220-The-Ratings-War-V-Original-Sin-Finals-Winner-Announced?page=3#8072627] is also a good example of this. He was basically a normal detective, yet Shanks managed to get through to the final with him.Tips_of_Fingers said:
Like Krunk said in the intro, there is an advantage to being the weaker character.
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[small][whisper] Everyone who hasn't yet entered a character make theirs female, then Faustus will be screwed by his morals![/whisper][/small]Tips_of_Fingers said:
Seriously though, I'll be interested to see what you have in mind, and if either of our characters go out before they can fight each other I'll be sure to PM you to find out what you were planning. If we do fight I'll also have to write Faustus as an opponent in a manner that doesn't seem too out-of-character so I'll have to think of something good too!
Thanks, that answered all I needed to know, I hope to see you some time in battle! Six is a low enough number that he probably won't be over-powered, though I'll be waiting to see your first match to see how you write him since he must have quite an alien mindset.Khedive Rex said: