Yo DBro's,

I have acquired a Steam Key to FTL, a sweet sci-fi game much like Clandestined by Bungle, and I thought, "Well, I do like watching people fight in gladiatorial arenas for my amusement."

So, Here's the contest:

Pitch me your guardian, this can be a concept or your personal guardian. It can be based off what we've seen already or completely made up (Charles Barkley and his fists of Slam).

Visual Aid is not required, but is encouraged. The more descriptive and deeper you go the better. Explain backstory, what shoes he/she is wearing, favorite one liner, the choice is yours.

Minimum I want:

Name

Class

Weapon(s) of choice

Description

Everything else is cash money gravy sauce.

I'll keep this going til about 7pm est tonight. And If I like yours but you don't win, I have some md5's for other games in this humble bundle I can maybe share.

Also, you can totally use the Barkley example if you want to add flavor.

-Paddy

Name: Padre Primero

Class/Race: Hunter/Exo

Weapon(s) of Choice: Careless Whisper (Sniper), How the West was Won (pistol)

Description: Preloaded with all saved twentieth century films of the Western frontier in his memory processor, Padre Primero is a pancho clothed, crackshot, who is fluent in the dead language known as "Spanish." You'd probably say he watches too many movies, if it didn't make him a more effective guardian and desperado of the frontier. He acts tough, but you can't blame him, it's in his programming. He dispenses law, where no law exists.

Name: Kallon Orion

Class/Race: Hunter/Human

Weapon: The Name Of The Wind (Assault Rifle) / Shall Not Pass (Grenade Launcher) / Someone Your Own Size (Rocket Launcher)

Description: Hailing from Australia Kallon suffers from a bad habit. She sticks by her fireteam and will always have your back. If you run into her during a public event, stick with her, she'll be the difference between life and death.

caveat: if I win, I'll pick the most awesomely humble guardian to enjoy the amazing game on offer here

Anyone who's been following my fan fiction is already familiar with this character. For the rest of you mooks:

Name: Traxis

Class/Race: Hunter/TBD

Weapons: Frost (hand cannon), No Quarter (sniper), Godshaker (shotgun, heavy exotic)

Special gear: Mirrorweave cape

Description: Traxis spent her early years as a Guardian roaming the wilds of Earth, quietly picking off random patrols of Fallen and Cabal stupid enough to be caught out in the open. She has developed an array of skills, including (but not limited to) weaponsmithing, guerrilla warfare, and tracking. Ever the loner, Traxis prefers solitude and isolation, but recent events have pulled her back to the city as part of the vanguard forces pushing back out into the solar system to reclaim mankind's lost colonies.

Anyone interested can read more about Traxis' backstory in the archives:
Foward Unto Destiny
Chance Encounter
The Guardian and the Archive
Godshaker

Name Xenos

Class Exo Hunter

Weapon(s) of choice Recursive Action (Hand Cannon), Strong & Silent (Sniper)

Description
Xenos is a veteran Hunter who has never been one to stay in the City long and if you see Xenos in the wild, chances are you won't see him again. Wearing a Dissimulating Cloak the only hint you usually get of his presence is reflection off his scope. Despite his solitary nature, the City receives regular reports from Xenos about enemy activity, as well as the occasional artifact. The few comrades who see him more than once a year note that he apparently has a contest for killing Vex with fellow Exos as they find their very existence appalling.

Name: Dr. Roland Brahe

Class: Warlock

Weapon(s) of choice: Duke MK.44 & Gjallarhorn

Description: Roland never planned to be a Guardian, in fact, he really isn't even built for it. Roland studied planetary physics at several prestigious academies on Venus. His dissertation revealed a new, remote geophysical technique that allowed him to estimate the interior compositions of planetary bodies in our solar system with more spatial and compositional accuracy. He became renowned throughout the system for his countless discoveries of mineral-rich deposits and made a small fortune. One unanswered question, however, plagued him. Though his observations proved the presence of these mineral deposits, his models did not predict their existence at all. What happened in our solar system that led to a bounty of resources where none are meant to exist? Remote observations only go so far, he needed to go to these locations to find out, and in order to do that he needed to become a Guardian. He needed to explore, but also to defend himself. Roland is on a quest for the truth and will stop at nothing to uncover the deepest secrets hidden within the planets of our solar system.

Favorite Quote: "Feel the power of a thousand failed experiments and a post-doctoral researcher with no debts to pay!"

That and the east coast time zone doesn't give me much time at all. It'd be even worse for someone on the west coast. :(

It just means more slacking for me.

I had not considered my little planning toward time would cause people to be left out. Now you may participate, my brothers... and sisters.

I tried to write a description for just one of these Guardians, but they are a set that go together and I couldn’t bear to separate them. If that disqualifies me then so be it! :)

Nairb Travaris -Human Warlock
Weapons:
-A heavily modified Duke Revolver, a gift that his father has long considers stolen.
-A lightly upgraded Pulse Rifle

Nairb is not your typical Warlock. He isn't as well studied as some. His knowledge of The Traveler and the use of its powers while impressive is not unmatched. Compared to top tier Warlocks he might very well be considered second rate. His deficiencies stem from the fact that he was first trained as a Titan by his father. He was meant to continue the centuries old family tradition of service, but after his seventeenth birthday the need to know why that had been in him even since he was a small child finally won out. "There's too much out there that we do not understand. We'll always have warriors, but we'll need thinkers if we really want to survive...." were the last words he ever spoke to his father. Estranged from his family, Nairb threw himself into his studies. He may not be the most powerful or most knowledgable Warlock, but his prior training as a Titan combined with his rapid devouring of all things concerning The Traveler has made him one of the most well respected fire team leaders in recent memory. His hand picked team is often sent in to unsecured areas where field research is needed right now. In this unique dual role of field researcher and team leader he is, indeed, unmatched.

Nairb is a mixture of sorts. He is usually calm, even in chaotic situations, but is much more capable than most Warlocks of recognizing enemy tactics and formulating appropriate responses. Most Warlocks would call him undisciplined, but everyone else would agree that he is simply good natured and friendly

Jennifer "Jenn" Shu - Human Hunter
Weapons:
- A cherished, mid level Scout Rifle
- A highly tinkered with near exotic sniper rifle
- An unmodified and unloaded standard issue shotgun

If little girls are made of sugar, spice, and everything nice, then Jenn had an extra ingredient added in there somewhere. Jenn’s mother once commented in exasperation that her daughter had: “a spirt made of one part curiosity and two parts rebellion.” Growing up, Jenn managed to "visit" nearly all the restricted areas of The City by the time she was nine. Often, she would bring back “souvenirs” with her to dissemble or to use as trophies of her accomplishments. Only The City's strongly secured outer wall was able to keep her in check. As she grew older her self developed knack for sneakiness was recognized and put to good use. Finally allowed outside the wall Jenn threw herself whole heartedly into confusing and confounding her instructors. She was nearly booted from Guardian training three times for being more trouble than she was worth, but each time the disciplinary actions were called off from somewhere higher up in the chain of command. Each time she received only minor sanctions, partially because she was too much of an asset to let go of, and partially because no one was sure what she would do if left without an outlet for her skills.

For almost three years Jenn served as an extremely skilled advance scout going in ahead of larger three man fire teams. She deeply enjoyed her role until she had a fateful encounter with a group of Fallen on Earth. Though pinned down in an abandoned building she was sure she could hold out until help arrived, only to have a Fallen Captain sneak up behind her. She noticed him just in time to fight back, but a swipe of his electrified sword cut clean through the front of her helmet and would have killed her if it had cut any deeper into her face. Fortunately her rescuers arrived moments later. They were able to stabilize her and get her back to a hospital, but she was left with a horrible, disfiguring scar running from her left eye, through her nose and lips, to her right cheek. Worse, her near death experience shattered her confidence. Upon waking up from surgery she found that for the first time in her life she was terrified to be alone.

After months of therapy and recuperation Jenn is now trying to face her fears by venturing back out into the wild, this time as part of a group rather than going it alone and was hand picked by Nairb Travaris for his new fire team. Still one of the best at what she does, Jenn has, thus far, been a valuable addition, but she still secretly fears being forced into a close quarters encounter and does everything she can to avoid them.

To most it would seem as if Jenn’s personality was unaffected by injuries. She still comes across as abrasive and cocky. She’ll often taunt and tease her allies as much or more than she does her enemies. She also gets a perverse pleasure in revealing her scared face to those that don’t know her. Before, that was simply who she was, but now it’s all an act. At night, when she is all alone, she is still afraid.

Philip Wilks - Human Titan
Weapons:
- Deep clipped machine gun
- Legendary automatic pistol
- Some type of rocket launcher

Many Titans portray themselves as fearless defenders of The City’s walls, boastfully claiming to be ready for anything. Others maintain a quiet stoicism, as if their heavy armor prevents any emotions from getting in or out. Philip, though, is a worrier. This is a man who, while large and powerful (doubly so when in his armor), will always stare out the window of a dropship departing for a mission and fret as The Traveler sinks below the horizon, or shrinks into the distance. He is very competent and perhaps just a bit obsessive about what he does. He checks, rechecks, and the checks his weapons and equipment once again before a mission. He wakes up at odd hour to pour over mission reports and enemy troop data. And he usually finds himself holding in his private doubts about a plan, not wanting to worry others, only speaking up when urged to do so. He is not a gentle giant, as such, in fact there is little gentle about him, but he is quiet and somewhat reserved… Until a mission begins...

On the battle field, when the bullets are flying, Philip is nothing less than a Legend. "On the battle field there is no time to be timid," he often says. It's as if he simply cannot abide the aliens in front of him disrespecting and desecrating the places Humanity once lived. Both Fallen and Cabal forces have, stunningly, been known to retreat when they find out that he has arrived in a combat zone. He is very nearly the perfect soldier, following orders when it makes sense to, and improvising when it doesn't or when things don’t go according to plan. All of his accomplishments can be summed up with the fact that no mission he has been a part of has ever been considered a failure.

In this time of new, outward exploration, Philip was hand picked by Nairb Travaris much to the chagrin of several top fire team commanders. Philip agreed to join on with the unconventional Warlock largely in part because no one else seemed to try to understand him.

You can read these three's first (very short) story here and I have plans for them in the future. :)

[edit]oops… replied to the wrong post… oh well. Uh. Thanks for the time extension. Things worked out in such a way that my time freed up, but I'm glad others will still have time to participate :)[/edit]

What's her bad habit? Having my back?

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...but I'll probably hold off because I'd prefer to introduce them through their stories. :)

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I've been loving Traxis' stories so far. You have more ideas you say? Can't wait :)

I love the characters you have here, Rag. I haven't yet checked out your short stories yet, but I'm gonna have to now :)

...finding time to write, which is a feat that's easier said than done.

Name:
Hottep D. Bea-Yoe

Class/Race:
Hunted/Awoken

Weapons:
Faster Piggy (Rare Sniper)
Deaf-Beast Hurlings (Exotic Grenades)
The Clawed Aurora (Ancient Staff)

Description:
Every Guardian wishes to become legend, but only a few manage to venture beyond the walls of the city and return with tales of derring-do. Keenly aware of his shortcomings as a marksman, Bea-Yoe spends his days wandering from tavern to tavern, always careful to avoid the war's perilous front line. Pages upon pages of yellowed parchment serve as this Guardian's battlefield of choice, scraps of gossip and drunken yarns his ammunition. After all, history is written by the survivors - and legends are easily given new names.

Or perhaps I'm just perverted.

Reason: Worked as intended. :)

Ahem...

History is written by the whiners. Plenty survive, but only a few whine...

Also, exotic grenades?? I mean, you use them once and then what do you have?! :p

intro

---------------------------------
---------------------------------
-2----x-x-x-2-----x-x-x-2--------
-2----x-x-x-2-----x-x-x-2--------
-0----x-x-x-0-----x-x-x-0--------
---------------------------------

verse (play twice)

-----------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-2--x-5---x-7-5-7-5---2--x-5----x-2-2-2--------------------------
-2--x-5---x-7-5-7-5---2--x-5----x-2-2-2-let ring-----------------
-0--x-3---x-5-3-5-3---0--x-3----x-0-0-0----------then pick slide-
-----------------------------------------------------------------

rhythm 1

-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
-5---------5---------5---------5-----------
-5---------5---------5---------5-----------
-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3-3---

------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------
-9---------9---------9---------9----------
-9---------9---------9---------9----------
-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--
------------------------------------------

chorus (play 4X)

---------------------------------
---------------------------------
-2---x-9-10----5----7-7---9-9----
-2---x-9-10----5----7-7---9-9----
-0---x-7--8----3----5-5---7-7----
---------------------------------

rhythm 2 end 1

------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------
-2-----------------x-10-10----7-----------------x-9-9-
-2-----------------x-10-10----7-----------------x-9-9-
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-x--8--8----5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-x-7-7-
------------------------------------------------------

end 2

-------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
-x-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9------2------------------
-x-9-9-9-9-9-9-9-9------2--then pick slide-
-x-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7------0------------------
-------------------------------------------

repeat verse

repeat rhythm 1

repeat chorus

repeat rhythm 2

rhythm 3

--------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------
------------------------------------7--5--2-
------------------------------------7--5--2-
-19-19-19-19-18-17-17-17-17--14-13--5--3--0-
-17-17-17-17-16-15-15-15-15--12-11----------

repeat rhythm 1

repeat chorus

repeat rhythm 2

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This is excellent. You made me realize I would love a novel about what children do in the last city on Earth.

I love the whole fireteam and and individual dynamics. Very well done.

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...he apparently has a contest for killing Vex with fellow Exos as they find their very existence appalling.

'they' being Exos, and 'their' being Vex, I presume? Just trying to clarify the pronouns in my head.

...he apparently has a contest for killing Vex with fellow Exos as they find their very existence appalling.

'they' being Exos, and 'their' being Vex, I presume? Just trying to clarify the pronouns in my head.

Yep! Thanks for pointing out my bad writing :)

Also, exotic grenades?? I mean, you use them once and then what do you have?! :p

Oh, clouds of a deadly neurotoxin that makes your hair grow inward, chemicals that force your digestive system to run in reverse, nanobots that infiltrate your cell phone, gain access to your bank account, and make it impossible for you to buy internet access ever again. But before they do that, they E-mail your browser history to the first 100 people on your contacts list. Anybody listed as "Mom" or "Grandma" is prioritized.

You can pack a lot of fun stuff in an exotic grenade.

From time to time I make believe that I can draw something. I can't, but every once in a while I try… and fail… then don't try again for a while. This time I had a flash of a spectacular image that I just had to start on. (That’s the way my imagination works… I can see things for just a moment… like lighting up a room with a brief flash… and then they're gone…) Anyway, I think it might be best if I describe the image first… or rather write the story bit that corresponds to the image and then show it to you...

The rain was falling so hard that Jenn found it difficult to keep up her pace. Each of her steps had to be carefully placed. One step forward and her foot would sink into soft, boot sucking mud, and the next would connect with a semi-buried piece of slick, ankle twisting rock. Conditions were so bad she wondered if she’d be able to find anywhere to rest at all. Finally, in the distance, she spotted shelter through the rain and the darkness. It wasn't much, just a large piece of dark colored debris not much taller than she was, but it arched over itself forming a roof and side walls of sorts. Jenn detached her heavy, rain soaked cape and affixed it to the front of the "structure" so that it afforded her a small measure of cover. It blew some in the wind, but was better than nothing, and she was too exhausted to do more.

WIth her back up against the one real wall of her shelter Jenn unslung her sniper rifle and placed it on the ground in front of her, careful to angle it so that its barrel would stay out of any flooding. She then propped her scout rifle up against the wall to her right, so that it remained within easy reach. Only then did she take off her helmet and begin to relax. It wasn't easy though, letting go of the adrenaline that had been fueling her … Things weren't supposed to go like this… Being lost and separated from Philip… from her fire team… She began to breath more shallowly and shakily as her mind raced ahead without her consent.

No! She wasn't going to think about it! This wasn't like before… And yet, the same memory began playing out in front of her eyes. For thousandth time she turned and there was Captain, right in front of her. She had tried to bring her gun to bear but one of it's four sword arms knocked it from her hands as another stabbed straight for her. She rolled clear and puller her knife, slicing towards the Fallen Captain, but his third sword was there to block her. Her eyes had widened beneath her helmet as she saw the fourth arm tense and begin its rapid sweep towards her face. The electric shock from the blade caused all her muscles to spasm, sending her down in a heap. And the pain… She'd screamed the worst, most blood curtailing scream she had ever heard, sure she was already dead.

A clap of thunder brought Jenn back to the present. She found herself touching the scar again. Tracing her had down it, over her partially severed nose, across her split, disfigured lips. The next things she knew she had her arms around her chest, griping herself tightly. She could barely breath, and yet still paradoxically needed deep breaths to cry. She slid down to her side and rocked herself repeatedly, as the terror consumed all her thoughts once more. Somewhere along the way her shaking slowed, her crying ceased, and she mercifully drifted into an uneasy sleep.

Jenn woke slowly. Both the night and the rain had passed she saw as she pushed herself into a sitting position. Her thoughts, of course, returned to her relapse from the previous night. To how she was supposed to report to one of the Tower psychologist if she didn’t think she could handle… A sudden burst of static from her nearby helmet caused her to jump.

"…this is Philip calling Jenn on common frequency one-two-niner. If you're out there please respond!" came the voice of her fire team’s Titan.

Jenn slid her helmet back on, quickly readied her equipment, and scrambled back out into the open. A quick 360 degree turn assured her that no one was in sight, that no one had seen where she had hid… or… hopefully… had seen her during the night. Months of practice allowed her to force herself into a cocky smile. With it came her “usual” personality. Confident that she was ready she keyed her mic and said:

“That you Philip? I though you’d still be hiding out in some cave! You’ve got to learn that a little rain’s nothing to be afraid of!”

***

Meh.. that’s not enough. Maybe some description too… The image I saw was on of a woman in her twenties, dressed in Hunter gear sans helmet with her back up against a dark wall. There was some kind of partial roof over her head, though it was mostly out of view. To the sides were sizable bits of blowing, tattered cloth, her cape perhaps that she had taken off and suspended to block the wind and rain. The girl was sitting there soaked, wide eyed, and her face was filled with fear. Her right hand held her recently removed helmet on the ground beside her, while her left was raised to her face and was in the process of tracing a long, nasty scar. She was pretty once, and still is, but the scar is bad enough, and has cut through her features enough that you feel a bit uncomfortable and kinda want to turn away. The whole scene was fairly dark, with some sort of inky effect surrounding the girl, deemphasizing her surroundings a good bit though not totally obscuring them. The image spoke of the girl’s absolute terror at the memory she was remembering, and somehow also a little of the sadness of her situation…

I tell you, it’s amazing in my head… and yet my hands can only do this:

There’s so many things wrong there… it's so far from what I wish it could be… and yet it’s also better than I’ve done before. Well… it got me to write the story bit above, so maybe it wasn’t a total waste of time…

Also, exotic grenades?? I mean, you use them once and then what do you have?! :p

Oh, clouds of a deadly neurotoxin that makes your hair grow inward, chemicals that force your digestive system to run in reverse, nanobots that infiltrate your cell phone, gain access to your bank account, and make it impossible for you to buy internet access ever again. But before they do that, they E-mail your browser history to the first 100 people on your contacts list. Anybody listed as "Mom" or "Grandma" is prioritized.

You can pack a lot of fun stuff in an exotic grenade.

Indeed, Deaf-Beast Hurlings always provide a grim experience.

+1.

Spending time creating is never a waste of time.

Meh.. that’s not enough. Maybe some description too… The image I saw was on of a woman in her twenties, dressed in Hunter gear sans helmet with her back up against a dark wall. There was some kind of partial roof over her head, though it was mostly out of view. To the sides were sizable bits of blowing, tattered cloth, her cape perhaps that she had taken off and suspended to block the wind and rain. The girl was sitting there soaked, wide eyed, and her face was filled with fear. Her right hand held her recently removed helmet on the ground beside her, while her left was raised to her face and was in the process of tracing a long, nasty scar. She was pretty once, and still is, but the scar is bad enough, and has cut through her features enough that you feel a bit uncomfortable and kinda want to turn away. The whole scene was fairly dark, with some sort of inky effect surrounding the girl, deemphasizing her surroundings a good bit though not totally obscuring them. The image spoke of the girl’s absolute terror at the memory she was remembering, and somehow also a little of the sadness of her situation…

You may not be happy with your own doodle, but this description filled out the image in my head perfectly.

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So this fun little contest has come to a close, I have to give it to everyone for awesome submissions. And strangely all of them were legitimate, no Charles Barkley's or parodies.

So, the winner of the grand prize of an FTL Steam code is...

Ragashingo

The development and detail already invested in characters was awesome, and putting in the extra credit of a whole fireteam along with their syngery as a team made me smile. I really like the idea of what it's like to be a child growing up in the last city on Earth.

Runner ups, who will get my humble bundle link and access to DRM free games therein are,

ncsuDuncan

truly the scum of the earth and a revisionist, I like to think these pirates of the skies riddle the world of destiny just as much as heroic defenders.

Xenos

The tireless war machines ever vigilant over the frontier holding grudges, no, extreme prejudice over Vex is an excellent character trait. I look forward to seeing Exo's explored in this manner.

Winners, please email me @ padraig08@live.com and I will give you your prizes.

And thank you everyone who participated, this was fun, and I'm hoping we can do it again in the future.

-Paddy

And strangely all of them were legitimate, no Charles Barkley's or parodies.

Are you sure? What's in a name? ;)

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