Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction ❯ MUGEN Universe: Tournament of Champions ❯ Prelude: An Introduction ( Chapter 1 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Napoleon De Cheese 
The whole thing begins.
Anime/Manga: Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Comedy / Adventure / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 05.02.2006 | Pages: 5 | Words: 8.9K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Work In Progress
The whole thing begins.
Anime/Manga: Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction / Crossover Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Comedy / Adventure / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 05.02.2006 | Pages: 5 | Words: 8.9K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Work In Progress
DISCLAIMER: All characters depicted here and their likenesses are the property of their respective creators and owners, not us. Except in the case of the few characters we created ourselves. Of course.
Any similarity between the characters and events depicted here and any actual, living or dead personalities or events is purely coincidential. Really.
Finally, I must add I am not writing this alone. Credit should also go to my talented co-writers, M203, Saint 007, Lord of Nonsensical Crap, King Eli, J Dog, Golden Darkness and Mr. Sandman, who are giving their best for this story. An applause to them, people. I couldn't get this show on the road without them, since i only write some parts of it by myself.
Promotional trailer:
The Omniverse is in inminent danger. Again. All that exists is about to come to an ending. However, this time it isn't the work of a supreme demon lord of all Evil, or a cosmic madman who gained domain over all the dimensions of existence, or a coallition of supervillains who have taken over the Omniversal Nexus of Everything That Is.
No. This time, all the universes are in danger... because the Heavens just want to end it all. To purify the Creation, it all must be remade from scratch... but not if Belldandy, the kindest goddess in all of Heaven, can help it. She is just about to give everyone a chance to save their lives and worlds...
*Ominous music sounds in the background*
Of course, you know this ain't gonna be pretty.
Especially when, well, that was NOT what the creators of the series had in mind when they started with it... And now someone's going to pay for it!
Based on the best-selling "Mugen Universe: Multiversal Tournament of Champions" videogame...
The Ultimate Battle has begun.
Live the action. The carnage. The weirdness. The wackiness. And the sheer idiocy... of the adventure of a lifetime... or something like that...
* We see a long series of scenes showing:
Excel Excel battling Puni Puni Poemy,
Street Fighter's Ryu and King of Fighters' Kyo Kusanagi sitting and eating ramen together as everything around them crumples,
Darkstalkers' B.B. Hood running after the terrified Lord of the Rings' Balrog monster with guns a-blazin',
Spawn fighting Lobo,
Saber Marionette Lime in an intense "scissors, rock, paper" duel with Catgirl Nuku Nuku,
Homer Simpson punching a yelling Peter Griffin in the gut... and Homer's hand being left stuck in Peter's tummy folds,
Ranma Saotome fighting Kenshin Himura,
The Smurf village being stomped on by Godzilla,
Superman fighting Son Goku,
Disgaea's Angel Trainee Flonne, KOF's Kim Kaphwan, Disney's Darkwing Duck and The Slayers' Amelia making a few sentai-like entrance poses together for Justice,
SF's Dan Hibiki punching Batvillain Killer Croc in the mouth... then rubbing his pained hand as he yells,
a quick, dramatic closeup of Belldandy's worried, shocked face zooming in into her right eye,
Evangelion's Shinji Ikari sitting in a chair complaining,
Freakazoid's Fanboy running after an annoyed Scarlet Witch while holding an old Avengers comic to his chest,
Emperor Joker and Mistress of Hell Hild going in a battle mano-a-mano,
and it all closes with a shot of Nabeshin going SSJ as he screams, "This all stops HEREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.....!!!!!!!". *
The Omniverse is in inminent danger. Again. All that exists is about to come to an ending. However, this time it isn't the work of a supreme demon lord of all Evil, or a cosmic madman who gained domain over all the dimensions of existence, or a coallition of supervillains who have taken over the Omniversal Nexus of Everything That Is.
No. This time, all the universes are in danger... because the Heavens just want to end it all. To purify the Creation, it all must be remade from scratch... but not if Belldandy, the kindest goddess in all of Heaven, can help it. She is just about to give everyone a chance to save their lives and worlds...
*Ominous music sounds in the background*
Of course, you know this ain't gonna be pretty.
Especially when, well, that was NOT what the creators of the series had in mind when they started with it... And now someone's going to pay for it!
Based on the best-selling "Mugen Universe: Multiversal Tournament of Champions" videogame...
The Ultimate Battle has begun.
Live the action. The carnage. The weirdness. The wackiness. And the sheer idiocy... of the adventure of a lifetime... or something like that...
* We see a long series of scenes showing:
Excel Excel battling Puni Puni Poemy,
Street Fighter's Ryu and King of Fighters' Kyo Kusanagi sitting and eating ramen together as everything around them crumples,
Darkstalkers' B.B. Hood running after the terrified Lord of the Rings' Balrog monster with guns a-blazin',
Spawn fighting Lobo,
Saber Marionette Lime in an intense "scissors, rock, paper" duel with Catgirl Nuku Nuku,
Homer Simpson punching a yelling Peter Griffin in the gut... and Homer's hand being left stuck in Peter's tummy folds,
Ranma Saotome fighting Kenshin Himura,
The Smurf village being stomped on by Godzilla,
Superman fighting Son Goku,
Disgaea's Angel Trainee Flonne, KOF's Kim Kaphwan, Disney's Darkwing Duck and The Slayers' Amelia making a few sentai-like entrance poses together for Justice,
SF's Dan Hibiki punching Batvillain Killer Croc in the mouth... then rubbing his pained hand as he yells,
a quick, dramatic closeup of Belldandy's worried, shocked face zooming in into her right eye,
Evangelion's Shinji Ikari sitting in a chair complaining,
Freakazoid's Fanboy running after an annoyed Scarlet Witch while holding an old Avengers comic to his chest,
Emperor Joker and Mistress of Hell Hild going in a battle mano-a-mano,
and it all closes with a shot of Nabeshin going SSJ as he screams, "This all stops HEREEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.....!!!!!!!". *
Mugen Universe: The Fanfiction. Coming very soon.
Welcome to the big-mildly fat Mugen Guide. As is evident, this will be the starting guide for clarifying the biggest plot and character points of the fanfic.
Team Skuld.
When I first had the idea of doing a fanfiction out of the original 'Anime Cast for a Fighting Game' thread, I had no idea about if others would want to participate or not (Thanks for all the input, by the way). So, at first I had been prepared to do it alone if I needed. And my original draft was, although much more comedy based, pretty much based on a dramatic concept: innocent, anxious youth in a deadly run against twisted, cynical maturity.
Skuld vs. the Joker.
In a suicide run to see who gets to Belldandy first, the one willing to save her at all costs, or the one wishing to destroy her and prove a point: that Belldandy's view on life is 'wrong', and his own viewpoint is 'right'.
In a way, my main plotline still is that. Of all the characters I'm playing, Skuld and the Joker are the two main focus of my attention and planning. That's why I'll start with Team Skuld and Team Nifelheim.
This should be pretty much a story of coming of age for Skuld, and her growing pains. From a pretty pampered, even spoiled, child, the youngest of her family, emotional and unstable, she is put through the wringer, forcing her to grow up or die and seeing her sisters to die. She gets faced with a lot of things she hasn't been able to handle well before... her whole world is thrown into doubt. She also has to reevaluate a lot of things: most especially about her vision of the world, and her view of her family. And she eventually has to choose what does she want for herself, and for Belldandy, in the long run.
Beenuel, the God of Animals, a creation of mine, had just a small interaction with Skuld at the end of the Crisis on Infinite Threads, over at the which, in a way, gave me the idea for his involvement here, although these are two totally separated continuities. I think I handled Beenuel a bit better in Crisis than here, actually. In Crisis, perhaps because of his interaction with Ryouga Hibiki, he came closer to be portrayed as the idea I really have of him in my mind: a very minor god, trying to do his best, but over his head at all times. Another thing I think I made better in Crisis was to convey the sensation of Beenuel not being, actually, too smart... he isn't dumb per se, but as a hermit, and someone with a very primal in a way mind, he doesn't really have many experiences at dealing with others, and can even be a bit naive at times. He is the kind of person better at dealing with small problems than big ones, both in terms of power and mindset.
Dr. Occult is a favorite of mine, and sadly, in the DC Comics, a very underrated character. As a mystic, his main trait might be, actually, he has the character ability to stay overlooked, being a character-wise pretty plain, average man... certainly a far cry from the more attention-calling, but also more callous and jerkish John Constantine.
Finally, Nakoruru, from Samurai Showdown, despite not having a very big role, should be the girl Beenuel wishes Skuld could be. She is polite, quiet and dedicated to her spirituality, while Skuld is sometimes rash, hotheaded and much more of material person than you'd expect in a goddess, even a young one. Nakoruru also is in communion with nature and animals, Beenuel's own element. She and Beenuel certainly get along much better than Beenuel and his own apprentice.
When I first had the idea of doing a fanfiction out of the original 'Anime Cast for a Fighting Game' thread, I had no idea about if others would want to participate or not (Thanks for all the input, by the way). So, at first I had been prepared to do it alone if I needed. And my original draft was, although much more comedy based, pretty much based on a dramatic concept: innocent, anxious youth in a deadly run against twisted, cynical maturity.
Skuld vs. the Joker.
In a suicide run to see who gets to Belldandy first, the one willing to save her at all costs, or the one wishing to destroy her and prove a point: that Belldandy's view on life is 'wrong', and his own viewpoint is 'right'.
In a way, my main plotline still is that. Of all the characters I'm playing, Skuld and the Joker are the two main focus of my attention and planning. That's why I'll start with Team Skuld and Team Nifelheim.
This should be pretty much a story of coming of age for Skuld, and her growing pains. From a pretty pampered, even spoiled, child, the youngest of her family, emotional and unstable, she is put through the wringer, forcing her to grow up or die and seeing her sisters to die. She gets faced with a lot of things she hasn't been able to handle well before... her whole world is thrown into doubt. She also has to reevaluate a lot of things: most especially about her vision of the world, and her view of her family. And she eventually has to choose what does she want for herself, and for Belldandy, in the long run.
Beenuel, the God of Animals, a creation of mine, had just a small interaction with Skuld at the end of the Crisis on Infinite Threads, over at the which, in a way, gave me the idea for his involvement here, although these are two totally separated continuities. I think I handled Beenuel a bit better in Crisis than here, actually. In Crisis, perhaps because of his interaction with Ryouga Hibiki, he came closer to be portrayed as the idea I really have of him in my mind: a very minor god, trying to do his best, but over his head at all times. Another thing I think I made better in Crisis was to convey the sensation of Beenuel not being, actually, too smart... he isn't dumb per se, but as a hermit, and someone with a very primal in a way mind, he doesn't really have many experiences at dealing with others, and can even be a bit naive at times. He is the kind of person better at dealing with small problems than big ones, both in terms of power and mindset.
Dr. Occult is a favorite of mine, and sadly, in the DC Comics, a very underrated character. As a mystic, his main trait might be, actually, he has the character ability to stay overlooked, being a character-wise pretty plain, average man... certainly a far cry from the more attention-calling, but also more callous and jerkish John Constantine.
Finally, Nakoruru, from Samurai Showdown, despite not having a very big role, should be the girl Beenuel wishes Skuld could be. She is polite, quiet and dedicated to her spirituality, while Skuld is sometimes rash, hotheaded and much more of material person than you'd expect in a goddess, even a young one. Nakoruru also is in communion with nature and animals, Beenuel's own element. She and Beenuel certainly get along much better than Beenuel and his own apprentice.
Team Nifelheim.
One of the first things that came to my mind when I was thinking of ideas for this series at the first stage of the creative proccess was the image of Emperor Joker cackling his loud, insane laughter as he broke through the gates of Heaven, and then facing the Unsealed Belldandy, power flowing between both of them, making Heavens to tremble.
Because you couldn't find two more different characters if you tried. It was a clash of absolute opposites, and I just had to try it.
The Joker, through the Modern Age of comics, has always had a knack for running into plot devices. His pinnacle regarding this matter came in the `Reign of Emperor Joker' storyarc in the Superman comics a few years back, where he gained omnipotence. Maybe it's because, to comics writers, there should be few scarier things than giving means of awesome power to a batshit murdeous clown. What if, I told myself, I try to give some rational to that? Why does that happen so often, not counting Plot Induced Deus Ex Machina? So was born my idea of 'Joker as a sort of cosmical chosen', which I admit even I find kind of hard to swallow at times, but actually has some basis in comics history. From him winning the powers of Greek Gods in the pages of Wonder Woman to him having his hands on the Mask (in the Joker/Mask crossover), the Worglogg (the JLA `Rock of Ages' storyarc), etc., it almost sounded as if it was his fate to wield cosmic powers at some crucial point... Which is one of the worst things any sort of god could do to the universe, picking him as a 'Chosen One', but that gave me a new spin: a 'Chosen One' who is, for once, just straight out fuggin' wicked instead of the Hero of the Story. Add to that the fact, an unpredictable Goddess of Chaos could be, indeed, attracted to his pure chaotic personality enough to... And... geez, this sounds really awkward when you try to explain it this way.
Ah, what the heck, I told myself, I'll just build to it because killer clowns storming through the Valkyries rule. So, here I am trying to carry on that plot to a good end.
Mara, from Ah my Goddess, I actually find her to be one of the easier characters in the story to write. I often struggle with some characters' dialogues, but I never have a problem writing Hild's right hand woman. I also find her relationships with others the most entertaining to write: Urd, old close friend turned enemy; Hild, feared boss; Goenitz, despised immediate superior; Bell, tolerated child under her reluctant care; Joker, they just hate each other's guts.
Bell, the white `evil' Powerpuff Girl from Bleedman's famous Powerpuff Girls Doujinshi, is going to be faced with the real face of evil and its consequences, I think. The thing is, from what has been shown of her in PPGD so far, she seems to have been raised in an ambient of so much darkness, with evil ruling as the norm, and yet, she also has been raised as a mostly proper and beloved child. She certainly can love others a lot, as evidenced by her relationships with Mandark and GIR. She is, in a way, an enigma, maybe even to herself, but later on, when faced with things even her father would be repulsed by, she will have to choose which path must she take, and who does she really want to be: the merciless fighter of her warrior moments, the loyal servant, or something else.
As for Goenitz, the priest of the Orochi, I took his motivation and role from M203's entry of him in an Anime Cast for a Fighting Game thread, depicting him after his death in The King of Fighters `96. The thing to consider is, he thinks Orochi failed to live to his expectations. The God of Destruction he had devoted his life and work to had let him down. He basically died for nothing. When Hild brought him back, he found someone who more than took Orochi's place in his eyes. He is much more loyal even than Mara (of course, Joker is as disrespectful of Hild as he can, and Bell obeys Hild only because Dr. X told her so), to the point of fanatism.
I have come to really like this ragtag bunch. But of course, don't expect their eventual disolution to be a very happy one.
One of the first things that came to my mind when I was thinking of ideas for this series at the first stage of the creative proccess was the image of Emperor Joker cackling his loud, insane laughter as he broke through the gates of Heaven, and then facing the Unsealed Belldandy, power flowing between both of them, making Heavens to tremble.
Because you couldn't find two more different characters if you tried. It was a clash of absolute opposites, and I just had to try it.
The Joker, through the Modern Age of comics, has always had a knack for running into plot devices. His pinnacle regarding this matter came in the `Reign of Emperor Joker' storyarc in the Superman comics a few years back, where he gained omnipotence. Maybe it's because, to comics writers, there should be few scarier things than giving means of awesome power to a batshit murdeous clown. What if, I told myself, I try to give some rational to that? Why does that happen so often, not counting Plot Induced Deus Ex Machina? So was born my idea of 'Joker as a sort of cosmical chosen', which I admit even I find kind of hard to swallow at times, but actually has some basis in comics history. From him winning the powers of Greek Gods in the pages of Wonder Woman to him having his hands on the Mask (in the Joker/Mask crossover), the Worglogg (the JLA `Rock of Ages' storyarc), etc., it almost sounded as if it was his fate to wield cosmic powers at some crucial point... Which is one of the worst things any sort of god could do to the universe, picking him as a 'Chosen One', but that gave me a new spin: a 'Chosen One' who is, for once, just straight out fuggin' wicked instead of the Hero of the Story. Add to that the fact, an unpredictable Goddess of Chaos could be, indeed, attracted to his pure chaotic personality enough to... And... geez, this sounds really awkward when you try to explain it this way.
Ah, what the heck, I told myself, I'll just build to it because killer clowns storming through the Valkyries rule. So, here I am trying to carry on that plot to a good end.
Mara, from Ah my Goddess, I actually find her to be one of the easier characters in the story to write. I often struggle with some characters' dialogues, but I never have a problem writing Hild's right hand woman. I also find her relationships with others the most entertaining to write: Urd, old close friend turned enemy; Hild, feared boss; Goenitz, despised immediate superior; Bell, tolerated child under her reluctant care; Joker, they just hate each other's guts.
Bell, the white `evil' Powerpuff Girl from Bleedman's famous Powerpuff Girls Doujinshi, is going to be faced with the real face of evil and its consequences, I think. The thing is, from what has been shown of her in PPGD so far, she seems to have been raised in an ambient of so much darkness, with evil ruling as the norm, and yet, she also has been raised as a mostly proper and beloved child. She certainly can love others a lot, as evidenced by her relationships with Mandark and GIR. She is, in a way, an enigma, maybe even to herself, but later on, when faced with things even her father would be repulsed by, she will have to choose which path must she take, and who does she really want to be: the merciless fighter of her warrior moments, the loyal servant, or something else.
As for Goenitz, the priest of the Orochi, I took his motivation and role from M203's entry of him in an Anime Cast for a Fighting Game thread, depicting him after his death in The King of Fighters `96. The thing to consider is, he thinks Orochi failed to live to his expectations. The God of Destruction he had devoted his life and work to had let him down. He basically died for nothing. When Hild brought him back, he found someone who more than took Orochi's place in his eyes. He is much more loyal even than Mara (of course, Joker is as disrespectful of Hild as he can, and Bell obeys Hild only because Dr. X told her so), to the point of fanatism.
I have come to really like this ragtag bunch. But of course, don't expect their eventual disolution to be a very happy one.
From M203, here you have:
Forces of Heaven:
Essential to the plot, but who will not be taking part in the Tournament proper, these are the boys and girls topside who will be used to show the other side of Armeggeddon, I hope for them to express that "the end of the world" also means they lose somthing important to them.
Belldandy:
When Kami-Sama, the One-Above All declared the Universal Reboot, the re-creation of the fictional omniverse, Belldandy was torn apart inside; she would lose everything that she had come to love. That was not the only issue however; she had finally seen another side of her Father that she did not know existed, ie. The One Above All's desire to mantain the Status Quo in the macrocosm, ignoring the microcosm.
While all the other Gods and Goddesses in Heaven dared not oppose His plan, Belldandy was the only one who had enough courage to offer up a counter-proposal: allow the beings of the Omniverse to prove that good does triump over evil, and that there was still hope left that the Omniverse was not yet out of control. Her plan was simple: to show her father the good in the hearts of men by engineering their darkest hour, a last gamble that would either work marginally at best or backfire tragically at worst.
In this, I'm hoping to place the character in a situation that she has never before had to face; the "darker" and more purposeful face of her father, the very real real evil that lurks in the hearts of men, and a do-or-die situation without the PIS of the Doublet system to enforce playing nice. In MUGEN, she will need to come to grips with the fact that there isn't a happy ending for everyone, and that no matter how hard she wants to believe in the world she loves, this time, sacrifices will have to be made. And she might need to be the one who makes them, in the form of her beliefs and ideals. I also wanted to take a look at the darker side of the beaurecratic Heaven that is portrayed in the O!MG anime and manga,and MUGEN seemed like the place to do it.
The Spectre, The Endless and the Living Tribunal:
We've seen these characters as the Uber-Cosmics of their multiverses, but what are they like away from work? I wanted to take a look at the more casual side of these beings, when work isn't bothering them, and they have a chance to relax. MUGEN seemes to be the place for this since The Prescence would leave the Ragnarok operation in the hands of the one who originated it, His own daughter, to minimalize the chances of the event being manipulated to ulterior ends. Hence, with the Ominverse slated to be rebooted, they are all on enforced "corporate vacations" until Omniverse 2.0 is loaded, and they have to take up their positions again.
In MUGEN, I want to give these characters a chance to be themselves and not have to worry about the goings on in their respective multiverses, and the singular God necessary to MUGEN presented an excellent chance to explore them in this way.
Lucifer Morningstar:
Lucifer is essentially one of TOAA"s original creations, but in almost every version of him there is mention of The Prescence creating not only him, but others. In MUGEN, I'd want to investigate a side of Lucifer that hasnt been written yet: his relationship to the other members of his "family' besides Michael, namely Urd, Skuld and Belldandy. While canonically he opposes The Prescence, I wanted to continue the character trait in that he will also oppose the wish of The Prescence, Kami-Sama to reboot the Omniverse. I am also interested in expressing how he would react to other family members who are no threat to him at all, whether in power or political/beauracratic position.
The Three Chousein, Tokimi, Tsunami and Washu:
With these three, I'm interested in looking at The Chousein in a behind-the-scenes way, except with their own Creation on the line because of the Omega Initiative. It is canon in Tenci Myuo! that there possibly exists a being greater than them, so much so that they have no way of communicting with it. The scenes where Peorth must speak with Kami-Sama from a rostrum inspired this; no-one knows the true face of Kami-Sama, The One Above All and hence, in MUGEN, The Chousein must now come to grips that they are part of a much larger picture.
Azathoth, the Lovecraftian Dieties and L-Sama, the Lord of Nightmares:
In MUGEN, along with Kami-Sama, the One Above All/The eternal Prescence, Azathoth and L-Sama make up the Trimurvirate of Heaven, the three greatest beings in the Omniverse. While the One Above All/Kami-Sama represents purposeful action, L-Sama represents the chaos on any form of order, and the alternate propabilites that may occur. Azathoth embodies, rightfully so, inaction, and the consequences of it. They head the Council of Heaven, and all other dieties answer to them. They are led by Kami-Sama, the force of proactive Creation, and their purpose is to mantain the Celestial Order with the elements that they embody at the very highest levels.
Nudoru, Miso, Kansai, Tiki and Kadachi: The Illegal Immigrants of Creation.
With these five I want to take another direction in the cateogry of "uber-omnipotents," such as L-Sama, TOAA and Azathoth. I'm interested in investigating the need to belong and the very human elements of discovery and curiosity, as well as the repurcussions of ignorance, which comes across too often as stupidity because we tend to take most things at face value. In MUGEN, they represent, if you will, the big-city Tycoon moving to the countryside of his own free will to find out who he really is. Readily enough, the theme with the NODES is that "everything in the world, buy ye yet nothing at all." As with the big-city tycoon[here relatively infinite wealth is replaced by the fictional currency of power] the NODES and their companions, except Tiki anyway, possess power dwarfing that of the complete Council and the Trimurvirate of Heaven. However, as with the big-city tycoon, all that money means nothing because he doesn't know the rules and social ettiquite of the town in which he has chosen to live. His money has brought him there, but yet he is not accepted as one of their own, simply because he is out of place and more often important than his appearance, he does not understand the depth of concern that people are able to feel towards each other. In other words, the tycoon must learn to think small, and to think deep.
And, as with the Tycoon who has been on the cover of TIMES and other publications, the NODES are assumed to be somthing they are not; multiple-reality and multiple-Omniverse level destroyers, or "God-Killers," in very much the same way that public figures are judged by what the press writes about them. Although they might have the capacity for it, I'm more interested in investigating the experiences of a new neighbour from the neighbour's point of view, and not the town's rather than posting up stupid feats.
Add to the fact that they have reversed jobber auras, inverted character shields and permenantly inverted PIS, CIS and reversed SMvsFL to go with truly unlimited power, we have a recipe for comedy to go with their exploits, and hence, a new look at the "uber-omnipotent" category of fiction. As in, what happens...when ultimate power can't save you from being shot in the balls? Self-destruction will never be more retarded.
Motives:
Nudoru and Miso just want to be accepted into TOAA's creation, and are willling to give up everything they have in order to do it. Even if it means becoming mortal, or having to serve Heaven in any capacity. They're pretty desperate about it too, because all they do in their own Verse is chill out, do stuff and die in retarded ways multiple times a day. Unfortunately, they have come in the time of MUGEN, the only time when their manifestaion will not tear the fictional omniverse apart because of all that extracontinual. multiplanar mass. So it's not going to be as easy as submitting an application and making a few phone calls to immigration. Nudoru and Miso represent the open-minded big-city dweller, who is willing to adapt and learn in the country life.
Kansai, Kadachi and TIki are the opposite; they're the flashy billionaires from the big city who believe that throwing money around is the answer to everything. But, country folk have their ways with city dwellers.
Essential to the plot, but who will not be taking part in the Tournament proper, these are the boys and girls topside who will be used to show the other side of Armeggeddon, I hope for them to express that "the end of the world" also means they lose somthing important to them.
Belldandy:
When Kami-Sama, the One-Above All declared the Universal Reboot, the re-creation of the fictional omniverse, Belldandy was torn apart inside; she would lose everything that she had come to love. That was not the only issue however; she had finally seen another side of her Father that she did not know existed, ie. The One Above All's desire to mantain the Status Quo in the macrocosm, ignoring the microcosm.
While all the other Gods and Goddesses in Heaven dared not oppose His plan, Belldandy was the only one who had enough courage to offer up a counter-proposal: allow the beings of the Omniverse to prove that good does triump over evil, and that there was still hope left that the Omniverse was not yet out of control. Her plan was simple: to show her father the good in the hearts of men by engineering their darkest hour, a last gamble that would either work marginally at best or backfire tragically at worst.
In this, I'm hoping to place the character in a situation that she has never before had to face; the "darker" and more purposeful face of her father, the very real real evil that lurks in the hearts of men, and a do-or-die situation without the PIS of the Doublet system to enforce playing nice. In MUGEN, she will need to come to grips with the fact that there isn't a happy ending for everyone, and that no matter how hard she wants to believe in the world she loves, this time, sacrifices will have to be made. And she might need to be the one who makes them, in the form of her beliefs and ideals. I also wanted to take a look at the darker side of the beaurecratic Heaven that is portrayed in the O!MG anime and manga,and MUGEN seemed like the place to do it.
The Spectre, The Endless and the Living Tribunal:
We've seen these characters as the Uber-Cosmics of their multiverses, but what are they like away from work? I wanted to take a look at the more casual side of these beings, when work isn't bothering them, and they have a chance to relax. MUGEN seemes to be the place for this since The Prescence would leave the Ragnarok operation in the hands of the one who originated it, His own daughter, to minimalize the chances of the event being manipulated to ulterior ends. Hence, with the Ominverse slated to be rebooted, they are all on enforced "corporate vacations" until Omniverse 2.0 is loaded, and they have to take up their positions again.
In MUGEN, I want to give these characters a chance to be themselves and not have to worry about the goings on in their respective multiverses, and the singular God necessary to MUGEN presented an excellent chance to explore them in this way.
Lucifer Morningstar:
Lucifer is essentially one of TOAA"s original creations, but in almost every version of him there is mention of The Prescence creating not only him, but others. In MUGEN, I'd want to investigate a side of Lucifer that hasnt been written yet: his relationship to the other members of his "family' besides Michael, namely Urd, Skuld and Belldandy. While canonically he opposes The Prescence, I wanted to continue the character trait in that he will also oppose the wish of The Prescence, Kami-Sama to reboot the Omniverse. I am also interested in expressing how he would react to other family members who are no threat to him at all, whether in power or political/beauracratic position.
The Three Chousein, Tokimi, Tsunami and Washu:
With these three, I'm interested in looking at The Chousein in a behind-the-scenes way, except with their own Creation on the line because of the Omega Initiative. It is canon in Tenci Myuo! that there possibly exists a being greater than them, so much so that they have no way of communicting with it. The scenes where Peorth must speak with Kami-Sama from a rostrum inspired this; no-one knows the true face of Kami-Sama, The One Above All and hence, in MUGEN, The Chousein must now come to grips that they are part of a much larger picture.
Azathoth, the Lovecraftian Dieties and L-Sama, the Lord of Nightmares:
In MUGEN, along with Kami-Sama, the One Above All/The eternal Prescence, Azathoth and L-Sama make up the Trimurvirate of Heaven, the three greatest beings in the Omniverse. While the One Above All/Kami-Sama represents purposeful action, L-Sama represents the chaos on any form of order, and the alternate propabilites that may occur. Azathoth embodies, rightfully so, inaction, and the consequences of it. They head the Council of Heaven, and all other dieties answer to them. They are led by Kami-Sama, the force of proactive Creation, and their purpose is to mantain the Celestial Order with the elements that they embody at the very highest levels.
Nudoru, Miso, Kansai, Tiki and Kadachi: The Illegal Immigrants of Creation.
With these five I want to take another direction in the cateogry of "uber-omnipotents," such as L-Sama, TOAA and Azathoth. I'm interested in investigating the need to belong and the very human elements of discovery and curiosity, as well as the repurcussions of ignorance, which comes across too often as stupidity because we tend to take most things at face value. In MUGEN, they represent, if you will, the big-city Tycoon moving to the countryside of his own free will to find out who he really is. Readily enough, the theme with the NODES is that "everything in the world, buy ye yet nothing at all." As with the big-city tycoon[here relatively infinite wealth is replaced by the fictional currency of power] the NODES and their companions, except Tiki anyway, possess power dwarfing that of the complete Council and the Trimurvirate of Heaven. However, as with the big-city tycoon, all that money means nothing because he doesn't know the rules and social ettiquite of the town in which he has chosen to live. His money has brought him there, but yet he is not accepted as one of their own, simply because he is out of place and more often important than his appearance, he does not understand the depth of concern that people are able to feel towards each other. In other words, the tycoon must learn to think small, and to think deep.
And, as with the Tycoon who has been on the cover of TIMES and other publications, the NODES are assumed to be somthing they are not; multiple-reality and multiple-Omniverse level destroyers, or "God-Killers," in very much the same way that public figures are judged by what the press writes about them. Although they might have the capacity for it, I'm more interested in investigating the experiences of a new neighbour from the neighbour's point of view, and not the town's rather than posting up stupid feats.
Add to the fact that they have reversed jobber auras, inverted character shields and permenantly inverted PIS, CIS and reversed SMvsFL to go with truly unlimited power, we have a recipe for comedy to go with their exploits, and hence, a new look at the "uber-omnipotent" category of fiction. As in, what happens...when ultimate power can't save you from being shot in the balls? Self-destruction will never be more retarded.
Motives:
Nudoru and Miso just want to be accepted into TOAA's creation, and are willling to give up everything they have in order to do it. Even if it means becoming mortal, or having to serve Heaven in any capacity. They're pretty desperate about it too, because all they do in their own Verse is chill out, do stuff and die in retarded ways multiple times a day. Unfortunately, they have come in the time of MUGEN, the only time when their manifestaion will not tear the fictional omniverse apart because of all that extracontinual. multiplanar mass. So it's not going to be as easy as submitting an application and making a few phone calls to immigration. Nudoru and Miso represent the open-minded big-city dweller, who is willing to adapt and learn in the country life.
Kansai, Kadachi and TIki are the opposite; they're the flashy billionaires from the big city who believe that throwing money around is the answer to everything. But, country folk have their ways with city dwellers.
Fighting teams:
Hearts of Fire: Nausicaa, Kenshiro, Naru Narusegawa and Raven
I never wanted any "total battlefield domination" teams, but rather, I wanted to look at the human factor with my picks and how they might cope with the end of existance. Henceforth, HOF represents pivotal characters with very wide outlooks on life; Naru, with her tendency to surpress her feelings, Kenshiro, who takes the cold and logical approach but who is yet not above feeling strongly about his cause, Nausicaa, who acts on her emotions without thinking very hard about it and finally Raven, whose emotional and honorable side was shown to a small degree att he end of ZOIDS: Guardian Force.
Together, with Kenshiro's black-and-white view of good ad evil, Naru's feelings coming back to the surface after finding Keitaro again, Nausicaa's desperation to save the Valley of the Wind and her people and Raven's anger at his newborn son being about to die, I think this team can generate a very good story, but they're severely outpowered.
Heavy Metal Impact: Ed, Al, Ifurita and Chii
Another team that I felt could generate a good story, with the dark nature of FMA, the pivotal, dual nature of Ifurita and Chii's innocence, this team of machines and mechanically-augmented fighters is a bit better equipped to deal with the level of threat in MUGEN, but as before, they're going to have an exceedingly hard time of it. Like HOF, they are storyarc generators, and not stupid-feat characters.
I want to look at how Ed and Al face the impending end of Creation, especially with all they have been through in their canon storyarcs. I feel that they play well off Ifurita, because of her cold logic and grasp of reality, but her emotions will also come into play as Makoto is finally found. Chii is here to balance out the team's equation in that she is perhaps the most innocent and noble one there, even if her body has been upgradd extensively for combat. Chii's story is one of innocence lost, starting with the death of Hideki Montosuwa as per the original Anime Cast for a Fighting Game thread all the way to the first time she draws blood, she and Freya will need to come to grips with what they will need to do to get the job done.
Holy Swords: Yomiko Readman, Robin Sena, Chorno and Rosette Christopher
About the best people to have at a tactical helm in such a situation, these four have pretty much the best idea of how to handle things. Unfortunately, like everyone else except for Kenshiro, Raven and Ifurita, they're simply outmatched for a tourney of this scale. This will be a test for them, of Robin's convictions, of Rosette and Chrono's love and will to live again, and finally of Yomiko's faith in her own beliefs. Yomiko will also lose some of her innocence when she realises how brutal she will have to be in order to get the job done.
Team Sponsor: Celestine
First appearing in the O!MG movie, I took a liking to this character as the Doom/Kagato of the O!MG universe in that he is a long-term planner, and will do the unthinkable to achieve his goal. His history with Belldandy puts them at both similar and pposite ends of the table; he desires a better world for man without judgement for better or for worse, and hence, he too intends to show The Prescence the strength of the human heart, and the power of the human spirit.
Orochi, and the Office of Area Reclamation and Redevlopment
I wanted to look again into the Orochi, and build him into the Beaurecratic Heaven of the O!MG universe; I always envisioned him as the darkside operator of Heaven, the guy who gets called when the untinkable needs to be done. And who has no problems doing it, especially when it involves massive loss of human life. Canonically, he wants to purge the Earth of human life and return it to its pristine condition. However, this time, when the planet itself is at stake, he might just have to choose the lesser of two evils in deciding which side he is on.
However, TOAA is an exceedingly adept planner and a master executor of said plans; and He has his ways of keeping the Orochi under control...
From Saint 007:
Alaniel:
Basically, he first showed up in Crisis, but wound up playing the errand boy despite the potential he had (in both power and character). Crisis was just... well, I'll leave it at that. Flogging a dead horse isn't fun.
So when Mugen came along, I thought it would be fun to get him in the running again.
You see, Alaniel was meant to be the "ultimate evolution" of one of my You vs. the World characters, who indeed is half-human, half-angel. I planned to make him a big player in the series. Yet I realised that if I used the YvtW timeline Alaniel, he'd ultimately become too powerful and had too complex a backstory to fit into the timeline.
So I decided on an "alternate" who had the same origins (parents) but diverged from the very start. As such, he's just an angel who's linked to the human world through the memory of his childhood. He sees life as too precious to waste by petty squabbles, even those of the Celestial Plane, most likely because of the good moral upbringing by his (mortal) father. In his youth, he was mentored by the Archangel Michael, who had very similar ideas about humanity and its role in the universe. You can imagine how devastated he was by the death of Michael (as it happened in the Vertigo universe). What makes things worse is the fact that Lucifer, Michaelangelo's wayward brother, is now his superior. Lucifer's ego cold personality and Alaniel's boy-scout personna simply rub each other the wrong way. Ironically, Lucifer is closer to Alaniel in spirit because both don't like the way some gods place themselves as above everyone else.
Relations with other beings; Belldandy is one whom Alaniel feels is the one who best understands him since she too is against the destruction of the mortal realm. Orochi is one God he hates like poison, even though he never actually goes out and says it - simply because the goals of Orochi are the elimination of the human race should it ever get out of control, something Alaniel is violently opposed to. Mara and Hild - need I even say it?
His position on the tournament is clear: there is no need for a reset and the sensless destruction necessary for it to happen. Another reason for his actions he doesn't say to anyone; the Gods aren't any better than what they created, so why should they complain about how it turned out? (You can imagine how that can get him in trouble)
Basically, he first showed up in Crisis, but wound up playing the errand boy despite the potential he had (in both power and character). Crisis was just... well, I'll leave it at that. Flogging a dead horse isn't fun.
So when Mugen came along, I thought it would be fun to get him in the running again.
You see, Alaniel was meant to be the "ultimate evolution" of one of my You vs. the World characters, who indeed is half-human, half-angel. I planned to make him a big player in the series. Yet I realised that if I used the YvtW timeline Alaniel, he'd ultimately become too powerful and had too complex a backstory to fit into the timeline.
So I decided on an "alternate" who had the same origins (parents) but diverged from the very start. As such, he's just an angel who's linked to the human world through the memory of his childhood. He sees life as too precious to waste by petty squabbles, even those of the Celestial Plane, most likely because of the good moral upbringing by his (mortal) father. In his youth, he was mentored by the Archangel Michael, who had very similar ideas about humanity and its role in the universe. You can imagine how devastated he was by the death of Michael (as it happened in the Vertigo universe). What makes things worse is the fact that Lucifer, Michaelangelo's wayward brother, is now his superior. Lucifer's ego cold personality and Alaniel's boy-scout personna simply rub each other the wrong way. Ironically, Lucifer is closer to Alaniel in spirit because both don't like the way some gods place themselves as above everyone else.
Relations with other beings; Belldandy is one whom Alaniel feels is the one who best understands him since she too is against the destruction of the mortal realm. Orochi is one God he hates like poison, even though he never actually goes out and says it - simply because the goals of Orochi are the elimination of the human race should it ever get out of control, something Alaniel is violently opposed to. Mara and Hild - need I even say it?
His position on the tournament is clear: there is no need for a reset and the sensless destruction necessary for it to happen. Another reason for his actions he doesn't say to anyone; the Gods aren't any better than what they created, so why should they complain about how it turned out? (You can imagine how that can get him in trouble)
From J Dog:
Team Fanfiction aka Team FanWarriors
This team was basically a composite of characters I had made in the past, when I was in middle school. The first character I had created was Jack, although he was smaller and had dark, almost generic, hair. Then, I made Dorado, an eccentric goof. I made a father for Dorado called Mel. Mel was a composite of the Doug Sheenan-version of Mel Horowitz from "Clueless", and, thus, his first name. Mel was also a lawyer, but only honest. Of course, Mel was constantly irritated at people.
The universe I had made consisted of Jack, and two brothers named Mike and Barry. Mike was, without a doubt, the WORST character I had ever came up with. Eventually, after two years of giving birth to the character, I stopped using him in my projects. Mike was hard to draw and was confusing. Barry was easier. A small kid, who now looks like pre-Mugen/MyAdventureGame.com Jack, Barry is very capable. Other characters included Homer Simpson and (to a minor role, for now she'd be a main character. The thing is, I have more liking to her now then I did 5 years ago when the thing started) Mimi Tachikawa.
I called the original universe (don't laugh) "Downtown Goofball U.S.A.". And, yes, the town was named (don't laugh again) Goofball.
Eventually I ended the Goofball chronicles by getting Jack and the gang, sans a few, onto a ship for a voyage when the ship capsized and the group set foot on "Sun Island". In the original universe, Jack and Dorado (called "Klap") befriend Tiff.
Returning home, they settle in a town called "San Juancinto". And that is where a new universe converged.
For a project in the 8th Grade, I needed to write a story that had a beginning, rising actions, climax, and a resolution. It was called "The Flood of San Juancinto". Much like I had less attention to Mimi back then, I had MORE attention to Hank Hill (instead of hating his guts now). The story consisted of a lampoon of "Apres Hank; Le Deluge", but with several modifications. Most of the original group had survived, but some didn't. Among those, Mike and a few more characters. Tiff was called "Tiffany", and several characters, like Mimi and Peter Griffin, were casted aside... for the moment.
A second novel was made. And soon, I created a second universe.
Cut aside about a year and a half ago, and a third one, the current one which is mostly related to Mugen was forged. On the website, MyAdventureGame.com, I created a text-based game called "What REALLY Goes On In Area 51". The story consisted of Homer Simpson, Peter Griffin, and Al Bundy getting loaded in Las Vegas and crashing to the secret base. They meet Felix from the "Golden Sun" series of games. Dorado was added to the universe first, as a skilled fighter. Eventually, Dorado became purely comedy. Tiffany Stallwall (actually, "Stallwall" was added later) was the "Good" embodiment of Tiff, for there was a race of misfits called "Spazoids", and lo and behold, Tiff was one of them.
Jack was introduced two games later, and that was also where the Jack/Seto Kaiba rivalry was formed. Finally, Melvin Kompson was the last one to be added. Also added in the game were several Adepts, Bucky B. Katt, Calvin & Hobbes, Dilbert, Michael J. Nelson, Mr. T, and Mimi.
Uckman was from a story called "The Super Homer Saga". In it, Uckman was a cat created by forces in an ancient civilization to stop the Nazgul. His power supply consisted of cans of cat food. Uck wasn't added until I started a new chapter.
By adding them, I will fulfill the MAG universe and seal their fates.
This team was basically a composite of characters I had made in the past, when I was in middle school. The first character I had created was Jack, although he was smaller and had dark, almost generic, hair. Then, I made Dorado, an eccentric goof. I made a father for Dorado called Mel. Mel was a composite of the Doug Sheenan-version of Mel Horowitz from "Clueless", and, thus, his first name. Mel was also a lawyer, but only honest. Of course, Mel was constantly irritated at people.
The universe I had made consisted of Jack, and two brothers named Mike and Barry. Mike was, without a doubt, the WORST character I had ever came up with. Eventually, after two years of giving birth to the character, I stopped using him in my projects. Mike was hard to draw and was confusing. Barry was easier. A small kid, who now looks like pre-Mugen/MyAdventureGame.com Jack, Barry is very capable. Other characters included Homer Simpson and (to a minor role, for now she'd be a main character. The thing is, I have more liking to her now then I did 5 years ago when the thing started) Mimi Tachikawa.
I called the original universe (don't laugh) "Downtown Goofball U.S.A.". And, yes, the town was named (don't laugh again) Goofball.
Eventually I ended the Goofball chronicles by getting Jack and the gang, sans a few, onto a ship for a voyage when the ship capsized and the group set foot on "Sun Island". In the original universe, Jack and Dorado (called "Klap") befriend Tiff.
Returning home, they settle in a town called "San Juancinto". And that is where a new universe converged.
For a project in the 8th Grade, I needed to write a story that had a beginning, rising actions, climax, and a resolution. It was called "The Flood of San Juancinto". Much like I had less attention to Mimi back then, I had MORE attention to Hank Hill (instead of hating his guts now). The story consisted of a lampoon of "Apres Hank; Le Deluge", but with several modifications. Most of the original group had survived, but some didn't. Among those, Mike and a few more characters. Tiff was called "Tiffany", and several characters, like Mimi and Peter Griffin, were casted aside... for the moment.
A second novel was made. And soon, I created a second universe.
Cut aside about a year and a half ago, and a third one, the current one which is mostly related to Mugen was forged. On the website, MyAdventureGame.com, I created a text-based game called "What REALLY Goes On In Area 51". The story consisted of Homer Simpson, Peter Griffin, and Al Bundy getting loaded in Las Vegas and crashing to the secret base. They meet Felix from the "Golden Sun" series of games. Dorado was added to the universe first, as a skilled fighter. Eventually, Dorado became purely comedy. Tiffany Stallwall (actually, "Stallwall" was added later) was the "Good" embodiment of Tiff, for there was a race of misfits called "Spazoids", and lo and behold, Tiff was one of them.
Jack was introduced two games later, and that was also where the Jack/Seto Kaiba rivalry was formed. Finally, Melvin Kompson was the last one to be added. Also added in the game were several Adepts, Bucky B. Katt, Calvin & Hobbes, Dilbert, Michael J. Nelson, Mr. T, and Mimi.
Uckman was from a story called "The Super Homer Saga". In it, Uckman was a cat created by forces in an ancient civilization to stop the Nazgul. His power supply consisted of cans of cat food. Uck wasn't added until I started a new chapter.
By adding them, I will fulfill the MAG universe and seal their fates.
From Lord of Nonsensical Crap:
Vellinor
I learned about the Mugen Tournament right after I had finished reading Crisis on Infinite Threads, and, needless to say, I was flattered that my original "Anime Cast for a Fighting Game" thread had been turned into a major freeform RPG. Seeing major villains like Hild, Orochi, Thanos and the Boss plotting in the background of the tournament, I decided to get involved myself and enter an insidious, constantly-plotting villain of my own. And, thankfully, I already had an established character from previous AOD's to use.
Vellinor was created for a RPG-style Warhammer site called The Arena of Rezephua as an NPC (for those interested in looking, Vellinor first appears in "The Arena of Madness" in the Archives section). He was an omnipotent trickster-god character whose role was to constantly annoy everyone around him (particularly the Slann Lord Chilipeppa, ruler of Rezephua and Vellinor's nemesis). I created Vellinor as a god, in part so that he would have power to avoid being obliterated by the Slann's magic, and in part because I took inspiration from other powerful tricksters like Q and Xelloss (admittedly, his does tend to teleport frequently like both of these characters). He was a completely non-canonical character, coming from an entirely different universe from the Warhammer realm (a fact which I felt would make him stand out more). Vellinor is, for all intents and purposes, a smug, sarcastic, immature individual who delights in annoying and playing practical jokes on people. At least, that's how he started out.
As time went on, however, Vellinor's character began to develop further: I wrote up a bit of his past, of his indignation towards Astraedon, the head god of his home realm. Vellinor's personality began to take a darker turn as I revealed his callous attitude towards mortals, his previous attempts to take over the Warhammer world, and his plot to take over Rezephua. At the very best, you could call Vellinor an ambivalent character: he certainly isn't good, and yet he isn't totally evil either (in his mind, anyway -- he justifies his actions as divine right, saying that gods have the absolute right to treat mortals however they want). I revealed that he had been stripped of his previous power and reduced to the level of a mere demigod, and forced to wander the multiverse for centuries, hopping from dimension to dimension and passing the time by playing tricks on anyone (if not everyone) he came across. I also wrote him as being very insidious in his own right, continuously plotting Chilipeppa's downfall and swaying unwiting mortals into serving him, while at the same time, he also had a callous streak, calmly arranging for the deaths of any mortals who stood in his way.
Anyway, I eventually wrote an arena called "The Showdown" in which Vellinor tried to take over Rezephua, with the aid of a number of willing mortal lackeys (including Zarabeth). In the end, Vellinor tried to tap into the power of an interdimensional convergence to amplify his powers and oust Chilipeppa, but this backfired and he was sucked out of the Warhammer realm, left to continue wandering the multiverse playing tricks on people.
For the Mugen Tournament, however, I saw the perfect opportunity for Vellinor to return, and an additional opportunity to further develop Vellinor's back story. And so it is that I have written more about the realm of Evermere, and the incident which caused Vellinor to be banished. As a result, I think I've given Vellinor a vaguely Byronic quality, as he intends to take over Existence not to satisfy his own greed, but so he can get back at Astraedon for kicking him out. And yet, at the same time, he is still a very mischievous character, and he tries to do everything in a rather humorous manner. The fact that he has Kansai as a herald is fortunate to say the least, as this fact allows for countless incidents of Vellinor accidentally killing him.
I should point out, though, that I've written Vellinor at being at his full former level of power, despite the fact that the interdimensional tear previously drained him of most of what little power he had left. This, in part, is so that he won't be horribly outclassed by all the other gods and goddesses revolving around the tournament. Later on, I will reveal that he regained his long-lost power by simply stealing the power of a comedian-god from another dimension, gaining a power referred to as "the Power Comic."
Anzell
When I introduced Vellinor to the RP, I had already decided that I would probably need a collection of "good" characters who would be sent to stop him -- this would not only allow me to use characters that I had not chosen for Vellinor's initial team, but it would also allow me to show more of the realm of Evermere.
Anzell was created to be an exact opposite of Vellinor: while he is crass, callous and constantly playing practical jokes on people, Anzell genuinely cares about the fate of the countless mortal lives in the universe, and would rather befriend mortals than command them. Likewise, whereas Vellinor is calm and confident in everything he does, Anzell is troubled and insecure, and is dogged by uncertainty. I wanted Anzell to have an ambiguity to her: on the one hand, she is determined to stop Vellinor and save existence, but on the other hand, she has severe doubts that she can do so -- she is very nervous about having been given so huge an assignment, and the stress is slowly but surely getting to her. Added to this is her own resentment towards Astraedon and his administration for having wrongfully imprisoned her brother.
Yet another fact that adds to the swirling inner conflict Anzell faces is the fact that, once, she felt sympathy towards a friendless Vellinor, and still does retain a very small degree of sympathy towards him. She understands all too well his anger towards Astraedon for having been banished, and yet, at the same time, she knows full well that she can't allow this small measure of sympathy to interfere with her mission. She knows that Vellinor must be stopped, and that to stop him, she must forget any sympathy she once felt towards him.
Because Anzell knows she and her team can't succeed alone, she has been busy approaching the Norns and the Angels for help. So far, she seems to have quickly befriended Skuld and Alaniel, and has even taken it upon herself to help them whenever possible. As a result, she has become involved not only in countering the threat of Orochi, but in investigating the machinations of Hild.
Anzell's Team
When I originally selected Anzell's team, I had no intention of making them compete: they were to act only as 'NPC's,' out to investigate Vellinor's presence and to combat him and his minions. I decided to select a number of cool character's that I had not selected for Vellinor's teams.
I chose Marv because he has to be simultaneously the most badass and the most fascinating character of Sin City. While he is known for committing acts of excessive violence that have made him a feared man in Sin City, he is also capable of performing acts of chivalry and kindness that counteract his capacity for brutality. With the possible exception of Hartigan, Marv is perhaps the most noble character in Sin City, and it is for this reason that I chose him for Anzell's team. With his sense of chivalry, Marv would no doubt balk at the prospect of someone like Vellinor or Orochi wanting to beat up or kill Belldandy to further his own power, and would do his best to stop him. Likewise, because of his code of honour, Marv would do his best to protect Anzell if necessary. Readers will note Marv's lack of super powers (unless you count his almost metahuman strength and durability), but he just may develop powers yet . . . . (grin)
I chose Alita for two reasons: first, her sheer speed, strength and skill are almost unparalleled in the anime/manga world (she is a master of the speedblitz). And, secondly, I chose her because Battle Angel Alita was once of the first manga I ever read. Alita is a very deep character in her own right, constantly searching for meaning and identity in her life, and I felt someone like her just had to be involved in MUGEN.
Master Chief, meanwhile, was chosen out of pure indulgence: HE'S FRIGGIN' MASTER CHIEF! To keep someone as iconic as him out of MUGEN would be heresy, I say, heresy!
And finally, I chose Zarabeth, a made-up character of mine from the Arena of Rezephua. I originally created her as a paradoxical, oddball character: rather than being a seductress and relatively unskilled fighter like other members of the Lahmia bloodline, Zarabeth was created as a character who eschews seducing men in favour of improving her martial prowess, and as a character who, unlike other Lahmians, is a militant feminist who hates men with a passion. This is, in part, because of her traumatic pre-vampire life, which was filled with abuse and betrayal. She is a very independent, free-spirited individual who loves fighting. She is very fast and agile (like all Lahmia vampires) and is a very skilled swordswoman, having trained under a Blood Dragon vampire lord and eventually bested and slain him.
Zarabeth is part of Anzell's team because she was one of the many unwitting mortals duped into serving Vellinor in the Warhammer world. Though she realized the error of her ways just before Vellinor was defeated, she and her sister Selena have been on the run of Lizardmen authorities ever since. It is for this reason (and because Vellinor was constantly making passes at her) that Zarabeth is determined to get back at the trickster and repay him for the suffering he's caused.
When the team split, I paired Zarabeth with Marv for obvious reasons: her fiercely feminist mindset would constantly be at odds with Marv's gruff yet chivalric manner. Needless to say, the two don't get along well, but that might change as things progress . . . .
I learned about the Mugen Tournament right after I had finished reading Crisis on Infinite Threads, and, needless to say, I was flattered that my original "Anime Cast for a Fighting Game" thread had been turned into a major freeform RPG. Seeing major villains like Hild, Orochi, Thanos and the Boss plotting in the background of the tournament, I decided to get involved myself and enter an insidious, constantly-plotting villain of my own. And, thankfully, I already had an established character from previous AOD's to use.
Vellinor was created for a RPG-style Warhammer site called The Arena of Rezephua as an NPC (for those interested in looking, Vellinor first appears in "The Arena of Madness" in the Archives section). He was an omnipotent trickster-god character whose role was to constantly annoy everyone around him (particularly the Slann Lord Chilipeppa, ruler of Rezephua and Vellinor's nemesis). I created Vellinor as a god, in part so that he would have power to avoid being obliterated by the Slann's magic, and in part because I took inspiration from other powerful tricksters like Q and Xelloss (admittedly, his does tend to teleport frequently like both of these characters). He was a completely non-canonical character, coming from an entirely different universe from the Warhammer realm (a fact which I felt would make him stand out more). Vellinor is, for all intents and purposes, a smug, sarcastic, immature individual who delights in annoying and playing practical jokes on people. At least, that's how he started out.
As time went on, however, Vellinor's character began to develop further: I wrote up a bit of his past, of his indignation towards Astraedon, the head god of his home realm. Vellinor's personality began to take a darker turn as I revealed his callous attitude towards mortals, his previous attempts to take over the Warhammer world, and his plot to take over Rezephua. At the very best, you could call Vellinor an ambivalent character: he certainly isn't good, and yet he isn't totally evil either (in his mind, anyway -- he justifies his actions as divine right, saying that gods have the absolute right to treat mortals however they want). I revealed that he had been stripped of his previous power and reduced to the level of a mere demigod, and forced to wander the multiverse for centuries, hopping from dimension to dimension and passing the time by playing tricks on anyone (if not everyone) he came across. I also wrote him as being very insidious in his own right, continuously plotting Chilipeppa's downfall and swaying unwiting mortals into serving him, while at the same time, he also had a callous streak, calmly arranging for the deaths of any mortals who stood in his way.
Anyway, I eventually wrote an arena called "The Showdown" in which Vellinor tried to take over Rezephua, with the aid of a number of willing mortal lackeys (including Zarabeth). In the end, Vellinor tried to tap into the power of an interdimensional convergence to amplify his powers and oust Chilipeppa, but this backfired and he was sucked out of the Warhammer realm, left to continue wandering the multiverse playing tricks on people.
For the Mugen Tournament, however, I saw the perfect opportunity for Vellinor to return, and an additional opportunity to further develop Vellinor's back story. And so it is that I have written more about the realm of Evermere, and the incident which caused Vellinor to be banished. As a result, I think I've given Vellinor a vaguely Byronic quality, as he intends to take over Existence not to satisfy his own greed, but so he can get back at Astraedon for kicking him out. And yet, at the same time, he is still a very mischievous character, and he tries to do everything in a rather humorous manner. The fact that he has Kansai as a herald is fortunate to say the least, as this fact allows for countless incidents of Vellinor accidentally killing him.
I should point out, though, that I've written Vellinor at being at his full former level of power, despite the fact that the interdimensional tear previously drained him of most of what little power he had left. This, in part, is so that he won't be horribly outclassed by all the other gods and goddesses revolving around the tournament. Later on, I will reveal that he regained his long-lost power by simply stealing the power of a comedian-god from another dimension, gaining a power referred to as "the Power Comic."
Anzell
When I introduced Vellinor to the RP, I had already decided that I would probably need a collection of "good" characters who would be sent to stop him -- this would not only allow me to use characters that I had not chosen for Vellinor's initial team, but it would also allow me to show more of the realm of Evermere.
Anzell was created to be an exact opposite of Vellinor: while he is crass, callous and constantly playing practical jokes on people, Anzell genuinely cares about the fate of the countless mortal lives in the universe, and would rather befriend mortals than command them. Likewise, whereas Vellinor is calm and confident in everything he does, Anzell is troubled and insecure, and is dogged by uncertainty. I wanted Anzell to have an ambiguity to her: on the one hand, she is determined to stop Vellinor and save existence, but on the other hand, she has severe doubts that she can do so -- she is very nervous about having been given so huge an assignment, and the stress is slowly but surely getting to her. Added to this is her own resentment towards Astraedon and his administration for having wrongfully imprisoned her brother.
Yet another fact that adds to the swirling inner conflict Anzell faces is the fact that, once, she felt sympathy towards a friendless Vellinor, and still does retain a very small degree of sympathy towards him. She understands all too well his anger towards Astraedon for having been banished, and yet, at the same time, she knows full well that she can't allow this small measure of sympathy to interfere with her mission. She knows that Vellinor must be stopped, and that to stop him, she must forget any sympathy she once felt towards him.
Because Anzell knows she and her team can't succeed alone, she has been busy approaching the Norns and the Angels for help. So far, she seems to have quickly befriended Skuld and Alaniel, and has even taken it upon herself to help them whenever possible. As a result, she has become involved not only in countering the threat of Orochi, but in investigating the machinations of Hild.
Anzell's Team
When I originally selected Anzell's team, I had no intention of making them compete: they were to act only as 'NPC's,' out to investigate Vellinor's presence and to combat him and his minions. I decided to select a number of cool character's that I had not selected for Vellinor's teams.
I chose Marv because he has to be simultaneously the most badass and the most fascinating character of Sin City. While he is known for committing acts of excessive violence that have made him a feared man in Sin City, he is also capable of performing acts of chivalry and kindness that counteract his capacity for brutality. With the possible exception of Hartigan, Marv is perhaps the most noble character in Sin City, and it is for this reason that I chose him for Anzell's team. With his sense of chivalry, Marv would no doubt balk at the prospect of someone like Vellinor or Orochi wanting to beat up or kill Belldandy to further his own power, and would do his best to stop him. Likewise, because of his code of honour, Marv would do his best to protect Anzell if necessary. Readers will note Marv's lack of super powers (unless you count his almost metahuman strength and durability), but he just may develop powers yet . . . . (grin)
I chose Alita for two reasons: first, her sheer speed, strength and skill are almost unparalleled in the anime/manga world (she is a master of the speedblitz). And, secondly, I chose her because Battle Angel Alita was once of the first manga I ever read. Alita is a very deep character in her own right, constantly searching for meaning and identity in her life, and I felt someone like her just had to be involved in MUGEN.
Master Chief, meanwhile, was chosen out of pure indulgence: HE'S FRIGGIN' MASTER CHIEF! To keep someone as iconic as him out of MUGEN would be heresy, I say, heresy!
And finally, I chose Zarabeth, a made-up character of mine from the Arena of Rezephua. I originally created her as a paradoxical, oddball character: rather than being a seductress and relatively unskilled fighter like other members of the Lahmia bloodline, Zarabeth was created as a character who eschews seducing men in favour of improving her martial prowess, and as a character who, unlike other Lahmians, is a militant feminist who hates men with a passion. This is, in part, because of her traumatic pre-vampire life, which was filled with abuse and betrayal. She is a very independent, free-spirited individual who loves fighting. She is very fast and agile (like all Lahmia vampires) and is a very skilled swordswoman, having trained under a Blood Dragon vampire lord and eventually bested and slain him.
Zarabeth is part of Anzell's team because she was one of the many unwitting mortals duped into serving Vellinor in the Warhammer world. Though she realized the error of her ways just before Vellinor was defeated, she and her sister Selena have been on the run of Lizardmen authorities ever since. It is for this reason (and because Vellinor was constantly making passes at her) that Zarabeth is determined to get back at the trickster and repay him for the suffering he's caused.
When the team split, I paired Zarabeth with Marv for obvious reasons: her fiercely feminist mindset would constantly be at odds with Marv's gruff yet chivalric manner. Needless to say, the two don't get along well, but that might change as things progress . . . .
From Golden Darkness:
The Player
Seeing that the other Teams were sponsored, I figured that my teams would need a sponsor as well. So, I'd decided to create an original character for the purpose of this story. And thus, Player, Lord of Games, the minor god of video games, was born. Why the name Player? It's more or less because I couldn't find a suitable non-English word that stands for video games. Then I decided on Player, figuring that it wouldn't be his real name, but at least a name he would insist on other's calling him.
With that I settled on concocting a back story for him, which I had only begun to reveal. He wasn't always a god, or in his words, a diety. He was once Wesley Tourque, an elite video game player among his high school peers, living in a world similar to Earth Prime(ie all the fictional characters are fictional to him). It was the year 1996, the year of the Nintendo 64's release. It was that year he received a call from the Goddess Help Line. Thinking it was a joke of some sort, and not thinking things through, he said he wished to be a "video game god", more in terms of having 'godly' video game skills.
The next thing he knows, boom, the wish was granted, and he finds himself going to heaven to be trained in his position as a video game god. The excuse for his departure given to his family and friends is that he's seem accepted to an elite technical school. He actually insists on this excuse, given his family's conservative religious beliefs. (I.E. he's trying to not shatter their worldview with the truth of that that other gods of mythology are actually just agents of the one Almightly.) In the next ten years, he would end up minimizing contact with his family, while putting up a front that he was working for a firm important to the video game industry. Otherwise, he has a somewhat fulfilling job as a video game god.
So why would he get so heavly involved with the MUGEN Tournament and the events surrounding it?
In his mind, he feels that the future of gaming is in danger. He believes that his domain is considered expendable by the higher beings(or in his words, "upper management"), in short, it has no place in the new universe Heaven intends to create. Also, if an agent of evil wins, undoubtly, they'll wish for total control of everything, and the last thing the Player wants is the domain of gaming to be twisted and corrupted for evil's purposes. And of course, having the world destroyed just when he's about to promote his "gaming revolution", it isn't just right. Operation Power Gaming is his plan to "set things right". And it involves more than sending champions to the tournament.
Oddly, despite being a video game god, he's seems to be closely aligned with Nintendo.
The Boss
The Boss was a later addition. Originally, the 'evil' teams were sponsored by different people, but I then decided the teams would be connected to one big villian. I decided on an evil counterpart to the Player. Why the name 'the Boss'? Well, video game bosses are often the most frustrating part of video games. It is the bosses of video games that keep game players from seeing the end.
To put it simply, the Boss here intends to see that the Player doesn't see the end of the MUGEN Tournament. While he's been seen building his alliance, his true goal is related to the final match between Belldandy and whoever reached her.
Not much officially has been released about this sponsor except:
He/She/It is the force behind the formation of Team Darkside, Team Nuisance, Team Devastators, and the Hellmaster's Boss Team.
He/She/It formed the "Deadly Alliance", an alliance of evil villians.
Keeps Tenticle Monsters for pets, and one sex slave
The Boss and the Player do have a history together. Shortly after the Player attained godhood, the Boss mysteriously appeared to oppose the Player by whatever means necessary. Either though trying to destroying videogaming's crediblity as a valid medium(due the anti-violent video game politicians), or being the force behind various attacks on Videoland(of Captain N fame), where the Player became a protector god of.
Seeing that the other Teams were sponsored, I figured that my teams would need a sponsor as well. So, I'd decided to create an original character for the purpose of this story. And thus, Player, Lord of Games, the minor god of video games, was born. Why the name Player? It's more or less because I couldn't find a suitable non-English word that stands for video games. Then I decided on Player, figuring that it wouldn't be his real name, but at least a name he would insist on other's calling him.
With that I settled on concocting a back story for him, which I had only begun to reveal. He wasn't always a god, or in his words, a diety. He was once Wesley Tourque, an elite video game player among his high school peers, living in a world similar to Earth Prime(ie all the fictional characters are fictional to him). It was the year 1996, the year of the Nintendo 64's release. It was that year he received a call from the Goddess Help Line. Thinking it was a joke of some sort, and not thinking things through, he said he wished to be a "video game god", more in terms of having 'godly' video game skills.
The next thing he knows, boom, the wish was granted, and he finds himself going to heaven to be trained in his position as a video game god. The excuse for his departure given to his family and friends is that he's seem accepted to an elite technical school. He actually insists on this excuse, given his family's conservative religious beliefs. (I.E. he's trying to not shatter their worldview with the truth of that that other gods of mythology are actually just agents of the one Almightly.) In the next ten years, he would end up minimizing contact with his family, while putting up a front that he was working for a firm important to the video game industry. Otherwise, he has a somewhat fulfilling job as a video game god.
So why would he get so heavly involved with the MUGEN Tournament and the events surrounding it?
In his mind, he feels that the future of gaming is in danger. He believes that his domain is considered expendable by the higher beings(or in his words, "upper management"), in short, it has no place in the new universe Heaven intends to create. Also, if an agent of evil wins, undoubtly, they'll wish for total control of everything, and the last thing the Player wants is the domain of gaming to be twisted and corrupted for evil's purposes. And of course, having the world destroyed just when he's about to promote his "gaming revolution", it isn't just right. Operation Power Gaming is his plan to "set things right". And it involves more than sending champions to the tournament.
Oddly, despite being a video game god, he's seems to be closely aligned with Nintendo.
The Boss
The Boss was a later addition. Originally, the 'evil' teams were sponsored by different people, but I then decided the teams would be connected to one big villian. I decided on an evil counterpart to the Player. Why the name 'the Boss'? Well, video game bosses are often the most frustrating part of video games. It is the bosses of video games that keep game players from seeing the end.
To put it simply, the Boss here intends to see that the Player doesn't see the end of the MUGEN Tournament. While he's been seen building his alliance, his true goal is related to the final match between Belldandy and whoever reached her.
Not much officially has been released about this sponsor except:
He/She/It is the force behind the formation of Team Darkside, Team Nuisance, Team Devastators, and the Hellmaster's Boss Team.
He/She/It formed the "Deadly Alliance", an alliance of evil villians.
Keeps Tenticle Monsters for pets, and one sex slave
The Boss and the Player do have a history together. Shortly after the Player attained godhood, the Boss mysteriously appeared to oppose the Player by whatever means necessary. Either though trying to destroying videogaming's crediblity as a valid medium(due the anti-violent video game politicians), or being the force behind various attacks on Videoland(of Captain N fame), where the Player became a protector god of.
More character profiles coming up, detailing the rest of the power movers and fighters, as well as the supporting cast. But first, Episode 1!