Lugubrious

World of Light

No objections here! Looks like the Lost Numbers have their pilot.

World of Light

I see, that does make more sense.

World of Light

Definitely a neat twist on the idea, and that would make for a good pilot considering there isn't any dedicated cockpit on the Avenger I'm aware of. The only qualms I'd have would be about giving a previous iteration of the rebel force a whole fleet that logically must have been dismantled by a stronger Moebius fleet, and if our enemies have that lying around we'd probably be screwed. Maybe finding a way to downsize the previous operation would be a good move. I'm curious about what parts of Hope relate back to the four component AIs that combined elements of their source code to make Hope.

World of Light

I'm back with another pair of sheets, these ones for the siblings Dawn and Cirrus who are NPCs aboard the Avenger who'll help you guys out in a support role (please excuse the one placeholder...)

Clear Skies

Name: Dawn Strife
Origin: Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy 7) + Tifa Lockheart (Final Fantasy 7)
Appearance: She’s 5’7”, 36 years old, and sturdily built, with the relatively stocky physique of a construction worker, not necessarily bulky or brawny, but still thicker than average. Her eyes are a bright ruby-blue gradient, with long lashes, and her spiky black-blonde hair in a large, low ponytail. Her face is kind, often with an easy smile, but with a few smile lines. She wears a set of baggy black overalls (with pants) over a white sports bra, with red fighting gloves and woven hairtie
Personality: Combining some of the best traits of her parents, Dawn is a kind and considerate ‘team mom’, with a strong will and a never-say die attitude, determined to fight for her friends and family. She puts others first and prefers peaceful solutions, but she’s unafraid to take matters into her own hands when need be. She’s very protective, especially of her younger brother Cirrus, and can be a worrywart about both him and her daughters. Secretly, she’s a bit of a dork, with ambitions of grandiose heroism. She believes in both bringing about a better future for everyone and upholding the legacy of her parents. If she’s self-conscious about anything, it’s about what she’s managed to achieve with her life
Background: N/A
In the Now: Forty years prior to present day, previous iterations of Cloud and Tifa fought alongside Barrett, Aerith, and many others in a group that proceeded the Seekers of Light, all to overthrow Moebius and Galeem. Though they managed to defeat two Guardians, mounting losses throughout the campaign backed the group into a corner, and a pincer attack by Moebius shattered the heroes’ forces. Cloud’s team in particular ran afoul of Moebius A, forcing Barrett and Aerith to sacrifice themselves so that Cloud and Tifa could flee. They escaped to a remote part of the World of Light with their lives, but their spirits never fully healed. After meeting with the Lost Numbers, they decided to have children of their own, but when Dawn and Cirrus were at a young age Cloud and Aerith both reached the ends of their ten-year lifespans and dissolved into light.

Dawn was raised by the Lost Numbers alongside her brother. Completely committed to the cause and determined to pave the way for a brighter future someday, she played the role of overdramatic heroine well into her teenage years, but even as she mellowed out her big heart and spark of resolution never faded. She kept on fighting and caring, no matter how bleak things seemed, and despite the odds Dawn stood the test of time. Eventually she and (PLACEHOLDER) fell in love, and at the age of thirty she had children of her own, triplets that the proud parents named Ciel, Aurora, and Soleil. Though life may finally be starting to take its toll on Dawn, she’s more determined then ever to safeguard hope for the future.

Job: Demolisher
Specialty: The thorough and methodical destruction of easy targets that don’t fight back, especially shields, structures, emplacements, and so forth
Inventory: The Sanctioned Gunhammer, a brutal heavy weapon that can fire off shells to boost its own fire attack, a bandolier of said shells, two power drills, extra battery packs, basic survival kit

Lv: 5
Abilities:

• Unbridled Strength - after building up power through landing attacks, Dawn can assume a stance and boosts her chi level, which also allows successive attacks to further increase her chi. More chi means extra damage, more flinch resistance, and higher stun power, increasing her ability to break through enemy defenses (or defenses, period) and leave them vulnerable. Each level also enhances her finishing move, from Bang to Big Bang to Big Bang Reignition. She can reach a maximum chi level of 3

Skills:

• Sunny - a friendly, cheerful, and optimistic outlook, coupled with a lot of compassion, means she’s great to work with and be around. She can be counted on to have her allies’ backs, both on the battlefield and in day to day life
• Strength - Dawn is surprisingly powerful when it comes to lifting, carrying, and smacking things
• Determination - even in dire circumstances, Dawn never wavers. She’s more likely to resist status effects and afflictions, and when pushed to the brink, she’s much more prone to a resolute second wind than a meltdown
• The Power of Love! - one per day, Dawn can survive any attack that would otherwise KO her at 1 HP

Weaknesses:

• Slow - Dawn is neither fast nor agile when it comes to moving around or fighting. Quicker opponents can dance around her and avoid her attacks, and she’s ineffective at long range
• Defense - with neither heavy gear nor good defensive fighting instincts, Dawn has few ways of mitigating damage and has to tough her way through whatever comes her way
• Overtrusting - perhaps neither quite as perceptive nor pragmatic as she should be, Dawn is susceptible to tricks, traps, and ambushes

Stormy Skies

Name: Cirrus Lockheart
Origin: Cloud Strife (Final Fantasy 7) + Tifa Lockheart (Final Fantasy 7)
Appearance: He’s 5’11, 35 years old, with a thin, wiry build of very lean muscle. His eyes are a dull ruby-blue gradient, with long lashes, and his messy black-blonde hair is shoulder-length, with an equally scruffy beard and sunglasses. Most of the time he sports a sour expression. He wears a flashy but relatively cheap suit jacket and slacks, gray with a cloudy silver pattern, over a yellow collared shirt with buttons undone, and his black dress shoes go with his belt.
Personality: In some respects very much like his father, Cirrus is brooding, melancholy, and a little awkward, which he tries to mask under a veneer of nonchalant coolness, very much envisioning himself as the strong and silent type. He’s got something of an inferiority complex, and has always lived in his sister’s shadow, even though he really does love her and would do just about anything for her. Crushed beneath the World of Light’s cruelty, he considers himself a harsh realist; he doesn’t believe his side can win and decided a long time ago it would be better to not bring children in a world like this. That said, he’s fiercely protective of his nieces, who view him as a ‘cool uncle’
Background: N/A
In the Now: Forty years prior to present day, previous iterations of Cloud and Tifa fought alongside Barrett, Aerith, and many others in a group that proceeded the Seekers of Light, all to overthrow Moebius and Galeem. Though they managed to defeat two Guardians, mounting losses throughout the campaign backed the group into a corner, and a pincer attack by Moebius shattered the heroes’ forces. Cloud’s team in particular ran afoul of Moebius A, forcing Barrett and Aerith to sacrifice themselves so that Cloud and Tifa could flee. They escaped to a remote part of the World of Light with their lives, but their spirits never fully healed. After meeting with the Lost Numbers, they decided to have children of their own, but when Dawn and Cirrus were at a young age Cloud and Aerith both reached the ends of their ten-year lifespans and dissolved into light.

Cirrus was raised by the Lost Numbers alongside his sister. He was a sullen, withdrawn child, who made few friends and always looked for escape. Even as he matured he remained in the shadows, standing back in a quiet support role while stronger shoulders bore the mantle of responsibility for the future. Even if he’s pessimistic about everything, he’s more or less accepted to his role in life, however doomed it might be. To that end he serves as the bartender in Stolen Moments, giving others a place to let out their misgivings and melancholy while he provides comfort as best he can. His goal is to lift others higher, all the while hoping that he’s wrong about it all being hopeless, and when the chips are down, he’s ready to do whatever it takes for the Lost Numbers, his sister, and her family.

Job: Host
Specialty: Keeping the party going with skills that boost the party’s damage output or wear down enemies with elemental ‘spells’ and other afflictions
Inventory: A bottle of Electric Reserva wine that’s nigh-unbreakable and deals electric damage when wielded as weapon (though it’ll lose its special properties if opened), Never-melt Ice, cocktail kit, basic survival kit

Lv: 5
Abilities:

• Here’s to You - Cirrus can pull a couple kinds of items out of nowhere to use as ’spells’, including frosty sparkling wine bottles that inflict water damage and the Cold status, birthday cupcakes that inflict magic damage and attack reduction, and roses that inflict Fire damage, Burn, and possibly Charm
• Hyper Shout - boosts his and nearby allies' attack with a festive cheer
• Coercive Shout - boosts his and nearby allies' Magic, imploring them to keep the party going
• Wonder Cocktail - a miracle of mixology that doubles the damage of his next ‘spell’ and gets him a bit drunk

Skills:

• Mixology - Cirrus has a talent for making and serving tasty, comforting drinks, and doing so will reduce stress for both himself and his customers. This is the one way he manages to be charismatic, and he can appeal to people through this art in ways he otherwise couldn’t

Weaknesses:

• Cloudy - his pessimistic, untrusting, and acerbic attitude makes fighting alongside him -and even being around him- an unpleasant and impractical proposition at times
• Durability - he has relatively low health and physical defense, meaning that he’s not a good frontline fighter and would much rather stay at the rear of the pack
• Sensitive - Cirrus cares more than he lets on and receives more stress from all sources, particularly tragic events surrounding his allies, and is more likely to miss attacks, take extra damage, and so forth when stressed

World of Light

Sandswept Sky - Carnival Town

Level 13 Ms Fortune (126/130) Level 8 Goldlewis (62/80) Level 7 Sandalphon (21/70)
Roland, Sectonia, and the Robot Girls’ @Archmage MC, Midna and the Koopa Troop’s @DracoLunaris, Geralt and Zenkichi’s @Multi_Media_Man, Pit and the Octopath Travelers’ @Yankee, Roxas and Ganondorf’s @Double, Osvald’s @Dark Cloud
Word Count: 2667

From her vantage point high atop the Gold Saucer, Sandalphon kept a careful eye on the encounter below as the situation developed. While the confrontation between Midna and Ganondorf did not end in a way that satisfied either of them, much less the archangel herself, it looked like they’d managed to put their feud on hold for now. Still, she made a mental note to keep more of an eye on them, and keep them separate however she could. As their squabble subsided, she turned her watchful gaze elsewhere, peering through her scope to check on the others. It looked like everyone had escaped their hellpods unscathed. Goldlewis seemed to be the last one out, having gotten stuck as he tried to pull himself out of his pod. The fact that he’d managed to squeeze in there in the first place still beggared belief, but it looked like Dawn had been right about them being magical.

Soon enough the two groups on a collision course came together at last, their inevitable meeting catalyzed by the chance encounter of a playful Yamper and spirited Polterpup. Though the two sides would be well within their rights to be on guard, they exhibited no hostilities, and when one of the other team’s frontrunners theatrically announced herself as a Seeker, Roxas realized that this must be the campaign’s other contingent. A reunion like that seemed like such an impossibly lucky turn of events that Sandalphon herself had trouble believing it until multiple people on each side started recognizing one another, leading to a round of handshakes and hugs. Pit even confirmed that this group represented a huge chunk of the Seekers’ missing members. Hearing this, Sandalphon relaxed, stood up, and stowed her sniper rifle, more than a little amazed. Not even an hour ago the Seekers’ situation had been truly dire, but with that violent storm over, the blue skies were more beautiful than ever. After a moment spent staring off into the heavens, Sandalphon jumped from the edge of her building and floated down toward the others. “Mistakes into miracles, as they say.”

Down below, the Seekers’ confusion quickly gave way to excited conversation as they greeted one another, introduced themselves, and began to fill in the blanks. Goldlewis arrived at the grand reunion a little late, having tried to salvage as much dignity as he could from the sticky situation that greeted him upon landing, and found quite the colorful cast of characters assembled before him. So these were his new comrade’s friends? At this point he pretty much expected an ambush, so a welcome party was a welcome surprise indeed. He’d never seen those turtles before, nor the surly, homeless-looking sorcerer, but he actually recognized that elegant brunette and that bejeweled wasp from the Sandswept Sky. Though their time together in Al Mamoon had been brief, he remembered fighting alongside Primrose and Sectonia as they strove to quell the desert city’s turmoil. They both looked a little different, and he figured he knew why, but both still seemed true to themselves. Thinking about it from their perspective, Goldlewis imagined that the same went for him. Their last few companions seemed to be a scraggly little rogue, a dark knight of some stripe, and a young woman with feline features. He waved a hand and extended the other team his own tried-and-true greeting. “Howdy, y’all.”

Goldlewis caught the tail end of the reply Roxas gave about missing teammates. Luckily for that kitty lady, most of them just happened to be somewhere else. What happened to Peach was still a sore spot, but considering what the city team had been up against, just one casualty was pretty incredible, even if it had been the Seekers’ leader. Looking around, he wondered who that role fell to now. Both he and Sandalphon had both skill and experience in leading, but they’d both joined late, and the veteran at least neither wanted nor deserved that responsibility.

Before anyone could set Ms. Fortune straight about Geralt, the conversation turned again. With this many people in one place, all bursting with curiosity, it was bound to happen. Roland introduced himself, and Sectonia gave her name -plus title- in return. When she mentioned expecting good things, he raised an eyebrow at her. These ‘newcomers’ would have to fill her in on everything they’d already achieved. After that Geralt filled Ms. Fortune in, and though initially surprised the feral understood soon enough. The Witcher’s remark about her still being unmistakable even after many fusions made her very pleased. “Ohh, ok. Thanks!” With the revelation in mind, she looked at Geralt in a whole new light. After remembering that he’d fused with that enormous Harbor Demon back in the Deep Blue Seaside, she could definitely see the ramifications. “So that can happen, huh…? Welcome to the club, I guess? Well, if it’s any consolation, I think you look great!”

Even with so many distractions around, Nadia was able to notice another unidentified flying object inbound. After spotting something in the corner of her eye, Nadia looked up to see another woman heading towards the Seekers, gliding with the aid of what looked like her own halo. When she directed her new allies’ attention toward the newcomer though, they saw nothing amiss, and a moment later Sandalphon touched down. Though this professionally-dressed, blank-faced businesswoman lacked wings, she did look rather angelic, and Nadia found her strange eyes fascinating. Amongst other things. “Wow. I’d ask how’s the weather up there, but I can see it’s clear…” She looked around at Bowser, Ganondorf, Geralt, Sectonia, Goldlewis, and now Sandalphon, all of whom really inflated the heroes’ average height. “...That I just drew a short straw.”

Sandalphon stared at her, humorless, with pupils like question marks. “I’m afraid I don’t exactly parse your meaning, but if you’re an ally, it’s my pleasure to meet you.” She bowed politely to the Seekers from the Under. “I am Sandalphon, former leader of the Apostles, cleric of the Lateran Church, and DespoRHado communications officer. Please let me know if I can be of service.”

While Nadia wasn’t sure if she could ever really be friends with someone who hated puns, Sandalphon’s genuine demeanor made her feel bad for being impolite. “Er, thanks, haha. Likewise.” With Geralt having just given out her first name, she didn’t feel pressured to re-introduce herself, though. Instead, given what that Zenkichi guy said, she felt more than a little worried. Had the other team really destroyed a whole city!? Even if they’d taken down a Guardian (which was awesome) that was a hefty price to pay.

Seeing Ms Fortune in a somewhat awkward-looking situation, Goldlewis distracted her with a nod of approval. “I like your jacket, li’l missie. You got a mighty fine style.” Anyone who could rock a flashy leather jacket like that couldn’t be all bad.

The feral grinned at him as if he’d just validated something very important to her. “Thanks, mister! I like your whole formal cowboy getup. Guess that’s what they call yee-haute? Ooh, ‘specially those metal braincases. They’ve got a certain skullure!” Faced with compliments and jokes like those, it was hard for Goldlewis to suppress a smile of his own, and the two shared a chuckle together.

Once the introductions concluded, the explanations began. Midna clarified the scope of the destruction Zenkichi alluded to, then essentially reiterated everything that Roxas said about Sakura, Karin, and Susie, though she went into a little more detail about Peach. To that part at least, Nadia listened with an uncharacteristically solemn expression. After everything the feral and the princess faced together in the Deep Blue Seaside, it was hard to believe that she’d suffered such an awful fate. That poor woman didn’t deserve it–she’d just been doing her best, in over her head but determined to help, since well before Nadia herself got involved. By this point, Nadia had also become painfully aware of one other glaring omission. Ace, the person she probably wanted to see the most, was not here, and nobody had stepped forward to assuage her concerns, either. Did they not know where he was, either..?

Nadia took a deep breath. “Well, it looks like we have some loose ends to tie up. And friends to track down.”

Slightly concerned, Sandalphon spoke up. “Our partners at Bridges are working on Chiral Network integration for the Avenger as we speak. Once the communication systems are updated, we should be able to track down and recover lost personnel with a high degree of efficiency” She paused for a moment, considering the other team’s perspective. “I should elaborate that the Avenger I mentioned is the name of a large airship operated by an organization called the Lost Numbers, offered for our use. Our current plan is to use it as a mobile base in the weeks and months to come.”

“Oh!” Nadia perked up, turning an inquisitive look to the sky much like Therion had. “I was wondering how you guys got here too, actually. It must be autumn already, ‘cause that sure was an unexpected fall.” She snickered, then sighed. “I dunno much about…all that, but if we’ve got a solution in the works, I guess there’s no use worrying.” The feral looked around at everyone. “In fact, we should have some fun! You guys said you sent a Guardian to the boss-uary too, right? What’s that then, four down? Five? Well, you know what that means, right?” She bounced around with a grin on her face, trying to hype everyone up. “We’re actually doing the im-paw-sible right meow! We oughta celebrate!”

Releasing her pent-up blood pressure, she rocketed into the air, then flipped over everyone’s heads to land at the edge of the crowd. Then she swiveled her head around and beckoned them to follow her. “C’mon! I saw an ad in the train station for a place called Ballyhoo’s Big Top that does minigame parties. Said it’s got food and drinks, a hundred minigames, fabulous purr-izes, the works! After everything we’ve been through, we deserve a good time or two.” She put her hands on her hips. “How about it?”

“Minigames, huh?” Goldlewis stroked his whisker, eyes thoughtful. “Eh, what the hell. I guess I could stand to enjoy myself for a change. Somethin’ nice an’ lighthearted might be just what the doctor ordered.” He glanced at Sandalphon, curious. “Whaddya think?”

The archangel nodded. “I think it would be wise for everyone to participate in activities that can boost morale and deepen bonds.”

“I reckon that goes for you too, ma’am,” Goldlewis replied. “You ain’t sittin’ this out, are ya?”

Sandalphon shifted her weight from one leg to the other as she looked out into the middle distance, considering. “I cannot imagine that participation would confer the same benefits to someone like me. With my lack of experience, it is probable that I am ill-suited at these ‘minigames’, regardless.”

Sighing, Goldlewis shook his head. “Dunno how you’d be any worse off than an ol’ fart like me.” He crossed his arms, eyes narrowed. “How ‘bout this, then. It’d ‘benefit’ me -and all of us, I reckon- to have you join us. Dunno ‘bout the others, but just havin’ you around sure boosts my morale, and seein’ you enjoy yourself would be even better. No matter how ‘improbable’” He chuckled as he looked over at Zenkichi. “Ain’t that right, Detective?”

After another moment, and a glance at Zenkichi, Sandalphon nodded. “Very well. If it would benefit the team, I could not -in good conscience- decline.”

“Great!” Nadia beckoned everyone again. “Then what’re we waiting for? C’mon!”

---

On one edge of Carnival Town, away from the coast and just out of the Gold Saucer’s shadow, lay the Seeker’s destination: Ballyhoo’s Big Top. Though the only actual circus tent in the whole city, it made up for that fact with its scale, towering above the nearby buildings even if the Gold Saucer -and of course Split Mountain behind it- outdid it in terms of sheer size. Around the enormous tent stood giant flag poles with flapping banners big enough to wrap the Enderdragon in and equally large umbrellas, all connected with cables that flew hundreds if not thousands of colorful pennant flags. Judging by the amount of townsfolk around, this was a popular spot. Sandalphon hoped that the Seekers wouldn’t have a hard time getting in. After reaching the Big Top, they wasted no time in heading inside.

Just inside the Big Top’s stretched-wide tent flaps lay a wide room with a black and white checkered floor. On the far side hung a het of heavy stage curtains, and after a moment a short cartoon character flew out from between then, backlit by kaleidoscopic colors. He sported a huge mouth, stubby limbs, a red bowtie, and tiny eyes shadowed beneath an animate blue top hat with a goofy expression. “HAW HAW HAW!” he guffawed, holding his mic so close to his bright orange lips that the sound just about blew Sandalphon away. “Welcome to the star of Carnival Town! I am Ballyhoo, and if you’re here in this Big Top of mine, that must mean you’re ready for some amazing minigames!”

“Yeah!” Nadia piped up. “How do we play?”

“SIMPLE!” Ballyhood practically bellowed. “When you’re ready, just have your whole party step through these curtains, and you’ll end up in your very own lobby! After that, my partner Balan here will spin the minigame roulette!” He pointed behind the Seekers, drawing their attention to a much taller, more dapper carnie with a wide smile. He waved, and Ballyhoo continued. “Whatever you roll, he’ll whisk you away to your very own miniature wonderworld to play it out! Some games will force you to WORK as a TEAM! Then you’ll return to the lobby with Rift Tokens depending on how you do! Five for first, four for second, three for third, and one for just playing! Isn’t that GREAT?”

His hat opened its mouth and stuck out its tongue to reveal a starred coin on the end of it, evidently one of the Rift Tokens everyone would be playing for. It flipped the token into the air with a ping and Ballyhoo caught it. “You can call it quits whenever you want, and once you’re done, you can take your tokens to the gift shop!” He pointed to the right side of the parlor, where there were a lot of displays of various articles of clothing, knickknacks, and baubles. “Our cosmetic shop is updated daily with items from all over the world! We’ve also got a menu of all the hairstyles we can think of, made possible by our very own Karlie!” That seemed to be the stylist lady who was currently reading next to a barber’s chair at one end of the shop. “And if that’s not enough, we’ve even got an Orb Machine where you can roll for random collectible Character Orbs™ for one token apiece! What you’ll get is random, but our pity system’s the best in the business! On your third roll, you’re guaranteed to get one you want! SOMEHOW!”

Ballyhood then flew the other way, pointing out the snack bar on the parlor’s left side. “And, if you’re feeling peckish, we’ve got all kinds of stuff to eat and drink if you pay REAL MONEY! And PLEASE do, because like movie theaters, that’s where we get our PROFITS!” After spinning in place, he stopped suddenly and extended his limbs in dramatic fashion. “And that’s that! Are you ready for some unforgettable FUN???” He turned around and zoomed through the gap in the curtains. “Then follow MEEEEEeeeeee_eeeee....!”

From Realms Beyond — An Isekai Crossover RP (Now Accepting)

Lewa

As an imminent fight turned from a possibility to an inevitability, Lewa stood by, uncomfortable and confused. Though by now he'd been stuck in this bizarre world for a few days, he still found himself having a tough time wrapping his head around the notion of people fighting one another. Of course the matoran of his world disagreed with one another, and even his toa brethren didn't always see eye to eye, but their conflicts never devolved into combat with one another. At the end of the day, his people always found unity in the philosophy of 'us against the world', and it went without saying that infighting worsened the situation for everyone. But as he'd learned with the Raven Heralds, and even right now with both his teammates and these mercenaries, different 'factions' were more than happy to fight with and even destroy one another, all for seemingly petty reasons. What good could come of this...?

Having another bystander around did not lift his mood much. While he could appreciate the fact that Anne wanted to look on the bright side, Lewa didn't know what he could really do to intercede if things did escalate out of control. Despite their small size, most of these organics outclassed him completely in terms of power. Several had shown off a lethal mastery of bladed weapons that made him look slow and clumsy in comparison, and the one called Sanae wielded stronger wind powers as just one of her myriad abilities. He had a sneaking suspicion these mercenaries were about to learn, much like he had, that appearances could be deceiving. Hopefully the organics wouldn't thrash them too badly, but by looking down on them the mercenaries had given them something to prove. And that had Lewa worried. With that in mind, he couldn't very well wander off, and joined Anne to watch the proceedings.

When the fighting began, things went about as he suspected, at least for the most part. Mokou made a mockery of her opponent, humiliating him with a slow burn defeat while demonstrating that she couldn't be so much as touched. In terms of showboating, though, Fran did her one better, inviting her bearded adversary to learn for himself just how futile his hard-earned strength and skill was before demolishing him. Lewa watched her strut off with a smile on her face. How could anyone take pleasure in something like that? Not even a friendly competition, but a one-sided beatdown? Joker needed to put a little more effort, clashing blades with his opponent repeatedly, but if he got so much as scratched Lewa missed it. After a couple hits and a single spell, which looked uncomfortably like darkness to one who followed the light, the lady rogue got defeated, too. As with the dwarf, she got punished for her pride with the destruction of her weapon. Lewa knew that if he lost his axe, just like that, he'd probably be ruined. His 'teammates' sure weren't here to make friends.

In contrast, Youmu's duel was rather unceremonious. Maybe noticing what had happened to his allies, his foe had given it everything he had in a desperate effort to not be defeated so pitifully, but he too failed to land a single hit, then went down in two smacks. What followed, though, really took the cake. For a few moments, the fight between Sanae and the mercenary mage looked almost fair as they traded flashy spells. Her opponent's efforts culminated in an impressive array of pursuing thunderbolts, and it astonished Lewa to see such an elusive and destructive element wielded so effortlessly. For a moment, it even looked like the mercenary's magic actually scored a hit! While Lewa knew he should probably be cheering for the otherworlders, he was secretly rooting for the underdog, happy that one person at least would be able to preserve some dignity.

When the smoke cleared, however, Lewa quickly realized how wrong he was. If the sight of floating boulders baffled him, the sight of yet another small organic that Sanae somehow knew baffled him even more. The reunion took a dark turn, however, as the new arrival turned her attention on the mage with lethal intent. As she called upon a maelstrom of diabolical magic, giving rise to horrific serpents, Lewa -usually the first to leap into danger for the sake of another- found himself paralyzed by a mixture of fear and indecision. Why was this interloper trying to kill that poor mage? Could he even reach her in time? If he tried, would he be destroyed alongside her? Luckily, his fellow bystander was able to act more decisively, not to mention speedily, fast enough to rend the earth beneath her feet in fact. While Anne moved to save Suwako's target, Sanae tried to stop the assailant herself. Luckily, the priestess managed to defuse the situation, and with some words of admonishment the newcomer vanished again. Her disappearance offered just one more life through Lewa's heart--if she'd somehow gone back where she came from, why couldn't he be sent away like that!?

Without the words to describe how he felt, Lewa just shook his head, mouth ajar.

World of Light

It did take a bit to retrofit everything, but without further ado here is Nadia's sheet redone and organized to fit the new format. Hopefully it proves helpful and instructive. I definitely went into a lot of detail on things, even going as far as to spell out her rapport, but you can decide how deep you want to go for yourselves. Take not of both the 'interplay' abilities and the usage of the various jobs for clarity purposes. Switching formats is your chance to rework, consolidate, and trim down things as well, so feel free.

Name: Ms Fortune (Nadia)
Origin: Skullgirls
Appearance:
Originally a Feral latina, with catlike ears and tail, Nadia has undergone some changes due to fusion, but remains relatively true to the core of who she is. She stands at 5’7”, with tan skin, a little on the lanky side but with a full figure. Her fluffy, voluminous white hair is cut short in a bob cut that frames her face and hangs over one eye. Her catlike eyes are sapphire blue that turn bright orange toward the bottom of the irises. She has two tails, white with black stripes like her cat ears, which are narrow with metal USB tips. There are symmetric scarred separation points all over her body with a serrated black pattern, located on her neck, biceps, wrists, midriff, thighs, calves, and feet.
Her current outfit is tailor-made by Yuria of Gerudo Town. It consists of a dark blue bolero-style leather jacket, short and with sleeves rolled up, and a bright blue interior lining, worn over an unbuttoned black undershirt. She wears shorts similar in style to the jacket, a collar with a silver cat bell, and stylized black Mantread boots. Slung over the jacket is a somewhat hefty metal case, which is the storage form of her shipgirl rigging blended with her Kagari Rokushikisouken blade case
Personality: A sunny-spirited extrovert who likes making puns almost as much as making friends, Nadia is a kind-hearted but not afraid to stand up for herself or what she believes in, nor to take those who misuse their privilege or power down a peg. Though a dedicated jokester, she's also brutally creative fighter, able to come up with ideas as harebrained as they are cunning, even if she’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. Good food, sports, and small dogs headline as some of her favorite things, and she can be as generous as she is greedy, but more than anything she wants people to like her. To that end she doesn’t mind being a caricature of herself, making herself the never-say-die life of the party if it means lifting the spirits of others
Background:

Picking Up the Pieces

When she was just a kitten Nadia was found by four Dagonian thieves wandering the alleys of Little Innsmouth in search of food. Filled with pity, they took her in, quickly becoming family. Nadia grew up in their charge, taking to the port town and its people like a fish to water, and proved herself adept in their trade. The Fishbone Gang stole from the rich to give to the poor, and making them a beloved band of outlaws, always welcome in Yu-Wan's restaurant after a hard day's work. Yet for all their noble thievery, conditions in Little Innsmouth improved little.

One day they set their sights on bigger prey: the dreaded and infamous Medici mafia. After a daring heist the Fishbone Gang escaped with a jewel of incomparable value stolen from Lorenzo Medici himself, only for his loyal enforcer to track the robbers down. Black Dahlia butchered the Dagonians one by one, until only a horrified Nadia remained standing. In a final show of defiance she swallowed the Life Gem, daring Black Dahlia to carve it from her corpse. Nadia was brutally butchered, but the gem nowhere to be found. Her pieces were strewn into the depths of the Little Innsmouth harbor, but she did not die. The Life Gem had made her immortal. After pulling herself together Nadia began her quest to avenge her family.

After a protracted campaign, however, Nadia began to realize that despite her newfound immortality, she was barely making a dent in the colossal criminal organization. She began instead to seek the Skullgirl, planning to use the Skull Heart to circumvent vengeance and bring her loved ones back to life. Galeem never gave her the chance.

In the Now:

There and Back Again

Nadia showed up on the Sandswept Sky’s northern coast in Carnival Town, the party capitol of the World of Light. Though she enjoyed the festive atmosphere for a time, she never forgot her ultimate goal, and eventually could stomach the place no longer. She hitched a ride on a traveling desert caravan that eventually brought her to the Forsaken Boneyard. There the caravan got ambushed, and Nadia narrowly escaped, making her way across the mountains to what looked like the nearest city. Instead she found herself trapped in the hellish nightmare of Redgraccoon City, where she learned of the Skullgirl’s presence, and eventually holed up in a police station alongside other survivors.

Eventually the Seekers of Light showed up and helped the survivors mount an escape, using a teleporter to reach the safety of Lumbridge in the Land of Adventure. She would return to the Dead Zone, however, and fight through the hellscape to track down the Skullgirl alongside new allies. In the end she did not wish on the Skull Heart, which fell to Linkle instead. With no other goals, she joined the others and traveled to Limsa Lominscuttle Town, where she began her journey as a Seeker of Light for real.

Nadia lent her unique set of skills to the campaign of Peach’s ‘Blue Team’ throughout the Deep Blue Seaside, both in Limsa Lominscuttle Town and beyond when the Azur Navy went to war against the Abyssal Fleet. During the intense Battle of Blackwater Bay, she and the others took a detour through the Luma Pools to reach the Bottomless Sea, where they found themselves beset by monsters. When a dangerous situation forced them to rake refuse in a massive armored submersible called the Maw, they found themselves reverted into children and forced to brave the nightmare in a depowered state. This came to an end when the Maw ran aground on the shores of Carcass Isle, a place stewed in eldritch curses. Alongside her friends Nadia fought through the island’s many horrors, culminating in an impossible battle against the Orphan of Kos in Where All Things Must Come.

After narrowly emerging victorious, she and the others returned to Limsa Lominscuttle Town via Warp Graffiti in the early hours of the morning. Once she emerged from an alcohol-induced stupor, she joined the others at Karin Kanzuki’s estate to take the rest of the day off and relax at Heaven’s Edge. The next morning the campaign resumed, starting with a return to Alcamoth, the headquarters of the Seekers of Light. By lowering the floating city itself, the Seekers were able to deploy by boat into the Eryth Sea and navigate the mountain rivers to the Sea of Serendipity, bound for Twilight Town. On the way, however, they ran into a three-way ambush orchestrated by an unknown mastermind, who revealed the existence of the secret organization Moebius, declaring that its members would hunt the Seekers to the ends of the earth before retreating. In Twilight Town, Blue Team reunited with Yellow Team and set off into the extradimensional train network of the Nyakuza Metro together, only for Consul N to appear and put a hit on them, initiating Rush Hour. In the mad scramble, the Seekers got separated into three groups, with Nadia’s arriving at the Chasm above the vast subterranean region known as the Under.

The newly-minted ‘Purple Team’ set out to explore the Under, hastened on their way by Consul F’s attempt on their life. After reaching the Temple of the Black Egg and learning of the nine mask fragments needed to open it, the team got split again, with Nadia a part of the contingent that delved into the Basement and eventually the Womb until they reached the Home of Tears. Once reunited with the others, everyone joined forces with Iguana Gallo Valetto to take down Consul P, the despotic ruler of the Home of Tears. After succeeding, and proving that the Consuls could be beaten, their journey through the Under continued, amassing mask fragments from different bosses throughout the caverns. This reached a head with a dream battle against Robin Goodfellow in Mercy Dreams, foreshadowing the Seekers’ fight against the Radiance the next morning. With the defeat of the Radiance, the Under was freed from the scourge against the Infection, and the Seekers could move on for a much-needed break. They headed back through the Metro, first to Gerudo Town, and then to Carnival Town itself, leaving Nadia right back where her story began.

Job: Bloody Hellion
Specialty: Nadia is a highly sustainable, agile dexterity fighter with a focus on single-target rushdown, able to split into pieces and launch high-speed attacks to overwhelm her opponents, then destroy them with combos–be those combos long chains of attacks, or elemental reactions

Inventory

• Lockpicks, 9500 zenny, six-pouch utility belt, magic wallet, Hivestone, Lumenite Crystal
• Havel’s Ring (?) - A ring for warriors keen on heavy accouterments. Increases maximum equip load. This ring was named after Havel the Rock, the battlefield compatriot of Gwyn, the First Lord–or so it should be. This ring is but an imitation, only providing a measly 15% extra equip load instead of the original 50%
• Blue Dancer Charm - A cloth doll depicting a dancer garbed in blue. Increases physical damage as equip load lowers, with a maximum of 14% extra damage dealt at the lightest threshold, but unfortunately since the ratio is not percentage-based, Havel's Ring doesn't really gel with it
• Bait Launcher - A gun that fires steaks. When a steak hits the ground, it leaves a small pool of red liquid and a tiger will appear, run to the nearest enemy, and maul it. The damage dealt by the steaks themselves is negligible. The tigers don’t attack allies. The Bait Launcher has 28 shots left, a 1 shot magazine, and 1 second reload time. The steaks are perfectly edible and pretty tasty, but the quality varies
• Kagari Rokushikisouken - A pair of grips, designed to be triggered when held in a reverse grip, and a case (fused with her rigging) with fourteen disposable segmented blades with a single razor edge. The blades can be inserted into the grips easily and quickly, and detached with a squeeze of the triggers. These ‘box cutters’ are dexterity weapons that can slash, stab, and sever with speed and finesse, leave their blades inside stabbed targets, or send them flying with a well-timed trigger pull
• Athame - a dagger that increases attack and speed somewhat in combat against a wounded enemy. Weakens enemies' physical and magical defense on hit for 15 seconds. Grants ‘Vantage’: while blocking an opponent’s offensive pressure, Nadia can counterattack with this weapon, essentially functioning as an alpha counter. This attack cannot lead into a combo
• Ripened Heart - On use, which involves holding it up to her chest, provides a quick burst of fast healing (about 20%) provided by a prolonged stretch of slower healing, about 40% over 5 seconds. Only three uses between rests
• Second Stomach - A gastrointestinal mutation that doubles the health received from health-restoring items
• Free Lemonade - A pitcher of lemonade with no strings attached that can either be drunk or emptied to create a puddle that lasts 10 seconds, damaging enemies that step in it. It can be stashed when not in use, and after four minutes it will refill itself

Lv: 13
EXP: 123/130

Abilities

• Life Gem (Bloody Hellion) - the Life Gem lets Nadia separate herself into pieces without dying, each of which can be puppetted remotely, and it steadily replenishes her blood, which allows her to regenerate at a constant rate. Overuse hinders blood resupply
• Claws for Alarm (Bloody Hellion) - like all ferals, Nadia can harden -and therefore weaponize- parts of her body, usually her nails but also her tails, ears, and even hair
• Full Mrow-tation (Bloody Hellion) - Nadia can rotate parts of her body at the separation points, turning them into impromptu weapons with high speed and attack power once fully revved up
• Blood Purr-essure (Bloody Hellion) - allows Nadia to pressurize her blood within parts of her body for explosive release, allowing her to launch herself (in part of in whole) for mobility and offense
• Undivided A-tension (Bloody Hellion) - Nadia can begin building up Dramatic Tension by dealing and taking damage. If she accumulates enough she can perform Blockbusters, powerful super moves that take different forms depending on Tension expenditure
  
  • Fur-serker Purr-age - a grounded level 1 Blockbuster that sends her forward in flurry of claw slashes that are difficult to escape from, ending with a strong finisher
  • Feral Edge - an air-only level 1 Blockbuster that’s a high-speed plunging attack with blades extended, which can be extended with Feline Allergies if her head is on
  • Fifth of Dismember - an aerial level 3 Blockbuster that sends all of Nadia’s parts flying on bloody rockets, hurtling through the air to reunite in a bloody explosion
  • Cat-aract (Oceanid Interplay) - a level 5 Blockbuster that unleashes a high-recoil torrential beam of pure Hydro energy from Nadia’s mouth, dealing heavy constant damage and inflicting the Wet status
  • Purr-ge of Vengeance (Oceanid Interplay) - a level 1 Blockbuster that involves conjuring a roiling ball of Hydro energy, 10 feet in diameter, which explodes on contact to deal damage and inflicting Wet to all targets struck. Up to 4 additional stocks can be spent to enhance it, each increasing the ball’s size and damage by 50%, to a maximum of 30 feet and 300% damage
  • Preda-torrent (Oceanid Interplay) - a level 1 Blockbuster that builds up Hydro energy and create a whirlpool at the point of impact, drawing enemies toward the center, inflicting Wet, and dealing damage over time for 5 seconds within a 6-foot radius
• Hydro Mew-micry (Oceanid) - Nadia can spend blood to quickly create Hydro Mimics of herself, either in whole or in part, or any individual she's sufficiently familiar with. A mimic of herself takes 15% of her life, and that cost can be more or less depending on what else she mimics. Status ailments on her mimics will only synchronize if absorbed before expiration. Her mimics cannot speak and have no minds of their own, but are given a single 'order' at the moment they're created, and after it's complete they'll flow back to Nadia to restore her spent life. Damage to them will reduce the amount of blood she gets back though, and enough damage will destroy them, losing the life spent to make them. Mimics mimic the 'stats' of whatever she copies but cannot do anything she couldn't already. A mimic can be created around Nadia (or just her head) if its large enough, which allows her to control it directly
• Ship Shape (Battleship) - gives Nadia a set of shipgirl rigging that can be deployed when her feet are in contact with water, allowing her to hydroplane across the water’s surface. When deployed, the rigging arms both act as stabilizers and can be used as weapons
  
  • Ms. Isles (Oceanid Interplay) - Only usable in tandem with the cannon batteries on Nadia's rigging when they're deployed. Nadia can form missiles of condensed Hydro elemental energy inside the cannons and shoot them out in salvos. One salvo can be fired every 3 seconds from either cannon. If Nadia's below 50% health, each cannon will fire twice in quick succession for a total of 4 shots per salvo. The missiles home in on her target to an extent and inflict the Wet status for 5 seconds
• Luna-trick (Agarthan Assassin) - if Nadia connects at least 3 attacks in a true combo, the combo ender will be empowered with New Moon, adding a dazzling silver aura that treats her strike as if her foe suffered Def/Res-30%. This has a 30 second cooldown
• Elec-tricks (Lightning Beast) - grants Nadia access to the lightning-type moves Smack (a normal hit), Charge (a dash attack in the form of lightning), and Battery (a 2-hit attack that crits if used after Charge)
• Fluffy Soft (Super Anthromorph) - allows the host to partially transform into a white tiger for 5 seconds max. Tiger attacks inflict a Mark for 6 seconds that decreases defense by 5%, which can stack up to 4 times. When in use, Fluffy Soft also decreases damage taken by 30% and increases max run speed by 20% (legs only) for the transformed portion

Skills

• Cathletic - As a Feral in good shape, Nadia has enough lean muscle to be acrobatic and agile, with plenty of stamina. Her sight and hearing are enhanced as well
• Pawsibilities - Nadia is highly creative when it comes to using her power, and generally everything she has at her disposal. For instance, she will use jets of her blood to change her direction in midair, use her detached head as a projectile or distraction, extract her own muscle fibers to use as binding, extend her blows using tendons like ropes, spin her hand or limbs like a drill, wield her detached tail as a weapon, and more
• Purr-ty Thing - owing to both her (cheery, forthcoming, and slightly dorky) personality and looks (scars aside), Nadia has no shortage of charms, and she’s aware enough that she can play them up if need be
• Tag Team - Camaraderie in the face of adversity has allowed Nadia to work much more effectively as part of a group. She can better help her friends out and follow up their attacks, potentially even continuing their combos
• Feast - Eating anything will restore health in addition to its actual effects. Also, receive a fast-diminishing attack boost after eating
• Su-purr-conductor (Lightning Beast) - Cat-5’s typing helps shore up some of Nadia’s weakness while granting new strength. Now, instead of being flash-frozen by Ice attacks thanks to her purr-manent Hydro status, Ice attacks grant her Multitarget for thirty seconds, and so do Air, Metal, and Water attacks. Multitarget causes her attacks to burst on successful hit, dealing splash damage in a 5 ft radius of an appropriate type (her normal attacks ‘burst’ with blood, which is treated as Hydro/Water)
• Big Mamie (Battleship) - for each ally fighting alongside Nadia, her ranged damage, damage against airborne enemies, and evasiveness increase by 8%, stacking up to 24% at 3 stacks
• The Power of Water (Oceanid) - Nadia’s affinity for the Hydro element has deepened, and her skill with Rhodeia's powers has increased, modifying her 'Copycat' ability into 'Hydro Mewmicry' which allows her to create more varied and powerful Hydro Mimics instead of just Copycats

Weaknesses

• Cat-strophe - Nadia relies completely on the magic power of the Life Gem, which is suffused throughout her body. Anything capable of extracting or reforming it would kill her instantly. If subjected to an anti-magic effect, like Silence, for any longer than a second or two she would also die. Additionally, blood manipulation is an incredibly hard counter for her
• Close Clawrters - Nadia has few projectiles at her disposal, all of which have conditions, making her weak at long range, and to fast aerial enemies. She needs to be able to physically reach her foes in order to deal damage
• Phagophobia - the fear of being eaten alive. This can apply with things like leeches, maggots, and piranhas, or even mouth-shaped things like cave entrances, but especially with large monsters. If being eaten is on the table, and with it the chance of an eternal, undying existence of torment within the wet, crushing, acidic guts of monsters, Nadia can’t keep her head on straight. She’s also highly averse to being bitten in general even if it wouldn’t really harm her
• Wet Blanket (Oceanid) - a permanent Hydro status means that she can be briefly flash-frozen if struck by Ice-type attacks, electro-charged by electricity, and vaporized (dealt extra damage in a steamy explosion) by fire
• 2,700 Pounds of Justice (Battleship) - increases her effective weight by 2.7 times via density, to over 350 pounds. This lowers her air mobility, makes her easier to combo, and makes her harder to be carried, lifted, or thrown. Unfortunately it doesn’t boost the damage of drop attacks, either
• Overt Reactions (Lightning Beast) - If hit by Earth, Plant, Glass, or Plastic-type attacks, the host will be Grounded. If she has Multi-target, that buff will be removed, and if she doesn't, her accuracy will be reduced for 30 seconds
• Darkbane (Super Anthromorph) - increases the damage taken by Dark-type attacks by 30%

Spirits:

• Rhodeia of Loch - Fusion, gave the Oceanid job
• Massachusetts - Fusion, gave the Battleship job
• Kronya - Fusion, gave the Agarthan Assassin job
• Cat-5 - Fusion, gave the Lightning Beast job
• Kanna - Fusion, gave the Super Anthromorph job

Rapport

• Ace Cadet - 9/10 REXP
  
  • Ace seemed perfect to Nadia right from the get-go, thanks to his looks, positive attitude, cool fighting style, and of course their shared love of puns. While they made a good team in the Maw, they got to actually hang out for the first time at the seaside called Heaven’s Edge, where they really hit it off. Even once they got back on the road, they could still chat in quiet moments, opening up to one another. Now definitely crushing on him, Nadia likes him a lot and wants to get closer, but she’s afraid of how much losing him would hurt
• Sectonia - Rank D, 3/5 REXP
  
  • Sometimes Sectonia’s presumptuousness rubs Nadia the wrong way, and her attitude of superiority makes her tough to get closer to, but they can still work and joke around together, and after getting her hair styled Nadia can appreciate the big bug’s talents
• Primrose - Rank B, 11/20 REXP
  
  • Though she started out feeling inferior to and jealous of Primrose, Nadia got to know her better during and after their shared campaign in the Under. After chatting at the Terminal Cafe, Primrose gave her a crash course on dancing in the Crypt of the NecroDancer, and when they went together to get new clothes in Gerudo Town, they both got a little more real. Nadia now respects and looks up to Primrose, and enjoys her company

If I remember any more rapport conversations I will be sure to add them!

World of Light

Northeastern Skies

Level 8 Goldlewis (59/80) Level 7 Sandalphon (19/70)
Blazermate, Susie, and Roland’s @Archmage MC, Midna’s @DracoLunaris, Geralt and Zenkichi’s @Multi_Media_Man, Pit’s @Yankee, Roxas’ @Double
Word Count: 1377

Making an effort to be discreet, Goldlewis watched as Dawn led Sandalphon away from the rest of the Lost Numbers’ newest recruits and into the bowels of the Avenger, bound for a private conversation in an undisclosed part of the ship. He could only assume that the archangel wanted to get to the bottom of the newest mysteries to confront the Seekers on their journey. Nobody liked feeling left out, and he himself was curious about some of the none-too-subtle allusions made by Dawn and Cirrus during their initial meeting, but it didn’t surprise him to see that Sandalphon in particular needed to know. He couldn’t deny that something about the situation had him on edge. He didn’t expect foul play from their hosts at this point, and even if he did Sandalphon could definitely handle herself, but he still felt uneasy. These people had drawn a distinction between themselves and the Seekers, indicating some sort of system that they existed outside of, and could therefore observe.

He’d assumed, like the others, that only Galeem’s influence stood between people and the truth of this reality. But just what did Goldlewis still not see? Not remember? This subtle dread that gnawed at him told him there was something more to this reality that he did not want to see. Like he was just now beginning to realize that he’d been ignoring something important for so long he’d forgotten about it all together. Maybe that was why Sandalphon chose to confront the truth alone, should Dawn be able and willing to share it–to see if anyone else needed to know.

While Goldlewis brooded, his teammates began to disperse. Some had plotted a course for whatever room piqued their interest on the Avenger’s interior map, like Blazermate, Midna, Roxas, and Geralt. It seemed like Roland disappeared straightaway, pragmatically choosing to follow Cirrus to reach the bar rather than rely on trial, and error. As nice as a drink sounded right about now, Goldlewis could wait. The meal he shared with the Fixer in the Pelican Inn had demonstrated that Roland wasn’t much of a conversationalist, and right now the last thing on the veteran’s mind was peace and quiet. Pit, unshackled by the burden of literacy, had wandered off to see what he could find, and wherever Zenkichi and Akane had gone, they didn’t need Goldlewis hovering nearby. Even the Lost Numbers who’d gathered to welcome -and watch- the newcomers were going their separate ways. Maybe Dawn, or whoever happened to be in command here, had instructed the crew to not make a big scene. No doubt there would be plenty of time for introductions and small talk in the weeks to come.

After another moment, Goldlewis turned and looked over the map one last time. Laboratory, Armory, Defense Matrix, Comm Center…it seemed like the Lost Numbers came fully equipped. This really was a mobile military base, not too unlike a naval aircraft carrier other than the fact that it rode currents of air rather than water. It was pretty incredible, though it had nothing on Tír na nÓg. One room, though, seemed more like something that belonged on a pirate vessel; ‘isolation ward’, in the absence of any psychiatry, was just a fancy way of saying ‘prison cell’. He wondered who -or what- a group like the Lost Numbers might be keeping locked up in there.

Just before he turned to go, Goldlewis heard small footsteps and looked over his shoulder to see Tora waddling up to him, with Poppi trailing behind. “Howdy, partner,” he greeted the nopon with a smile. With a height difference of over four feet between Tora and himself, he wanted to make sure he came across as friendly and approachable, especially after what the poor guy went through. “You two stickin’ round here?” He glanced around Engineering. “Looks like a good spot for a mechanic.”

“Hello big friend!” Tora scratched his chin. “That true, but Tora only mechanic when need be. Real passion is inventing, meh! So while equipment get made here in Engineering, experiments and prototypes happen in Proving Ground, so that where Tora want to be!”

Poppi gave him a wry smile. “What Tora not say is that main engineer here so cute that he never get any work done with her around.”

The nopon laughed nervously. “Meeeh, meeeh! Poppi teasing sure to give friend Lew-lew wrong impression!”

That nickname prompted a raised eyebrow from Goldlewis. “...Lew-lew?”

“Doublename signify respect!” Tora quickly explained. “Big honor among nopon! Aaanyway, Tora still getting set up in Proving Ground, but once it all to Tora’s liking, everypon will see just how big Tora skills have grown!”

Deciding to accept the dubious honor of being referred to as Lew-lew for now, Goldlewis gave a nod of approval. “Sounds like a plan. Y’all might wanna hustle over there quick, though. I think Susie was fixin’ to head that direction.”

“Susie? Mehmeh! Tora’s tools!” Tora turned and bounced down the nearby stairs as fast as his little legs could carry him. “Come quick, Poppi! Must defend workplace from capitalist exploitation!” His alarm sent his partner into overdrive, and after scooping Tora up in her arms Poppi sprinted out of view.

Shaking his head, Goldlewis set off himself. He planned to visit the Isolation Ward, but after a minute or so he glimpsed someone tailing him through the Avenger’s interior. His pursuer didn’t seem to be trying to hide, but happened to be so small that it took a while for him to notice. When he turned for a better look, he found a white-furred critter even smaller than Tora that looked like a cross between a dog and a rabbit, with big, dangling ears and black round eyes. This thing not only walked upright but also wore a black apron and a frying pan slung across her back like a guitar, so Goldlewis assumed that this was no ordinary animal. “Well hey there, li’l one,” he greeted gently, kneeling down somewhat ponderously. “Oof. Er, you a Lost Number, too?”

“Yep!” With a high, squeaky voice, the critter sounded female. She put her paws on her hips proudly as she looked up at Goldlewis, unfazed by his massive size. “Second generation, in fact! My name’s Bracket. Bracket Brace! I’m a Mimiga, and I’m also the head chef around here!”

Goldlewis nodded, making sure the little gal knew just how impressed he was. “No kiddin’? Sounds like you know your stuff.

Bracket beamed. “Mhm! My mama and papa were two of the Colons rescued by Grannie Curly, and she raised me, too! She’s gone now, but she taught me all she knew, so if you mess with my friends, your goose is cooked!” She pulled out her frying pan and swung it around to demonstrate her seriousness.

“Whoa now, I’m just about quakin’ in my boots! I won’t make any trouble, promise!” Goldlewis held up his hands in surrender, and with a smug grin Bracket stowed her pan. “Gotta say, though, you’re mighty forthcomin’ with your story. I figured most o’ you Lost Numbers wouldn’t be so quick to spill the beans.”

The Mimiga gave a quizzical expression as she crossed her arms. “Why wouldn’t I be? I mean, I know why the others feel that way. We’ve all lost people we care about. But that just means I gotta carry on their legacy! I’m proud of my mama and papa, and Grannie most of all! She cared about everyone a whole lot, and fought so hard to keep everyone safe. So I wanna make them proud, too! And I don’t want anyone forgetting about ‘em! That way, it’s like they’re still here!”

Hearing that, Goldlewis couldn’t help but be impressed. That was a lot of maturity, and a lot of passion, in a pint-sized package. “You’re a good kid, Bracket. Seein’ you now, I’d bet my britches your folks’d be proud indeed.”

“Aww! You’re nice, mister!” Bracket hopped past him, then turned and motioned for him to follow, full of energy. “C’mon, lemme show you the kitchen! You can tell me how great I am after you’ve tasted my cooking!”

After exhaling, Goldlewis rose to his feet with a chuckle. The Isolation Ward could wait. “Lead the way, li’l missie.”

---

Word Count: 732

Zenkichi found Sandalphon standing over the sophisticated holographic geoscape located in the bridge, scoping out the world map while Dawn looked out. Unlike its counterpart in Alcamoth’s Garfont Center, which featured a lot of guesswork when it came to the topography of unexplored regions, this map both spanned the whole continent and featured enough intricate detail to suggest that the Lost Numbers had navigated almost all of the world’s length and breadth themselves. It displayed forests, islands and inlets, rivers and ranges, population centers, and more, from the massive pit in the continent’s center all the way to its furthest reaches. It even displayed landmasses beyond the oceans that bordered the continent. Clearly there was a whole lot more to the World of Light than anyone realized. Sandalphon had been standing here observing the geoscape for a while, and it would probably be a while longer before she committed it all to memory. If Zenkichi watched closely, he might notice her eyes lingering on the southeastern lake, surrounded by mountains, where the label ‘Alcamoth’ rested with a line that struck it through. Her gaze returned more than once to the Dystopiascape as well, as if trying to wrap her head around just how small her world had been before now.

The two weren’t alone here, either. A handful of Lost Numbers were stationed around the Bridge, as well as someone who wasn’t, unbeknownst to either Zenkichi or Sandalphon. A man huge enough to give Goldlewis a run for his money stood by the titan, a scarred titan of bulging muscles clad in military green, his rough but kindly face adorned with colorful scales and crowned by an outrageous pompadour-mullet combo. Both he and Dawn looked Zenkichi’s way. “Hello again,” the demolitionist said with a smile. “We were just going over the world map here. There’s a lot of ground to cover, but thanks to the Seekers we can cross almost half the continent off the list.” She nodded at the big man. “And thanks to Vandham, we’ve managed to salvage some valuable intel from Alcamoth that would’ve otherwise been lost.”

Vandham nodded as he sized Zenkichi up. “Aye. We got hit hard, that’s for sure, but what matters is what happens next. And I dunno ‘bout you lot, but I’m ready for a little payback.”

Sandalphon had yet to take her unblinking gaze off the geoscape. “With a little time, I should be able to figure out the origin of the ships that attacked Alcamoth, especially if I’m able to secure testimony from Dante.” She paused for a moment, thinking. “May I ask who among the Alcamoth survivors are here on this ship? I would like to put together a complete roster of our forces.”

Crossing his arms, Vandham tilted his head as he cast his mind back. “Hmm, lessee now. You saw Dante, Nero, and Cerberus. That Dedede fella, and the dragon lady were too injured to come, so they stayed with the civvies in Markath for treatment, while others stuck around to keep the place safe. Sora, Yennefer, Luigi, Ashley, and Euden. We’re pretty sure Bella, Hat Kid, Jones, Sol, and Jack-O made it out, but we ain’t heard a word from ‘em since, so I assume they all buggered off. An’ we dropped off Howard when we picked up Tora and Poppi in Midgar. So aside from me, we got Leon, Guile, Ness, Caesar, Mona, and Shania. Oh, and ‘him’, I s’pose.” He smiled thinly at Dawn. “Sage, I think his name was?”

The woman sighed. “Yeah, right.”

“Thank you,” Sandalphon replied, averting her gaze from the geoscape at last. She picked up an almost-empty coffee cup and actually closed her eyes as she drained the last few drops. “Despite the circumstances that led us here, we are blessed to stand united with the Lost Numbers at last.”

Dawn smiled. “Nothing to it.” She looked around. “On a lighter note, we’re nearing our destination. I think it’s about time you guys got ready to disembark.” After stepping over to an intercom, she activated it to project her voice through the whole ship. “Hello, hello! Attention all Seekers of Light! Dawn here. We’re coming up on Carnival Town, so get your butts down to the bottom floor. Just follow the signs for ‘deployment’, and get ready for the time of your lives!”

---

Word Count: 986

Down at the Deployment Bay at the very bottom of the Avenger, with only the hull wall separating the Seekers from the sky below, the turbulence and shaking of the ship could be felt a lot more keenly. Dawn, of course, appeared to be unfazed, and once everyone arrived she proceeded to show off an intricate mechanical system built into the bottom floor with obvious relish.

“So!” she began, her voice ranged over the prominent ambient noise down here. “As you might expect, the safety of the Avenger and its crew is priority number one. We never land near inhabited areas, or do much of anything to make ourselves a target. Always moving, always hidden. So how are we gonna get you down to Carnival Town, you ask?” Grinning, she patted the console next to her. “With this, of course! The Hell Launcher!”

Behind to either side of the main control console, there were two rows of capsules arranged alongside the walls of this Deployment Bay, four on each side, accessible via elevated walkways. On both sides the mechanism seemed to be fed by belts laden with large, bullet-shaped pods. When Dawn pressed the ‘load’ button on the console, the belt moved four pods into place inside the mechanisms, and once locked in their covers opened. “Just climb into one of these hellpods, and we’ll fire you down to the planet’s surface! I know how it sounds, but your safety is guaranteed from the moment you step in to the moment you pop out. You’re basically invincible! And when it’s time to pick you up, getting back is even easier.” She popped open a chest next to the control console and pulled out a drab nylon pack. “The Fulton Surface-to-air Recovery System! We just call it Fulton though, whether as a noun or verb. Everyone gets two of these bad boys per drop. Just attach it to whatever you want picked up, yourself included, and zoop! Sure, you might black out from the g-force, but by the time you come to you’ll be right back here, safe and sound.”

For a moment, Sandalphon just staired. “...Objectively speaking, this is likely the most unsafe thing I’ve ever witnessed, which is no easy feat for a high-ranking DespoRHado employee.”

“Are you people insane?” Goldlewis fumed, getting to the point a little quicker. He’d climbed up onto one of the walkways to get a closer look at a hellpod. “This thing’s a goddamn deathtrap! And even if it wasn’t, I can’t even fit inside!”

Dawn crossed her arms, brows furrowed as she smiled. “Oh, don’t be a baby. It’s fun! I’ve done it loads of times. Cirrus, too. In fact, Bracket and I use it for our shopping trips when the mess hall needs ingredients. You’d be surprised how fast you get used to it.” She held up a finger. “Oh, and get this. Through a little tech wizardry and a little actual witchcraft, our guys figured out that last problem. These pods are essentially enchanted storage spaces. You’d be surprised what we can fit inside ‘em!”

Though she still looked dubious, Sandalphon took a deep breath and stepped up. Her pupils looked like stress marks. “Allow me to go first. If something goes awry, I can teleport back, and if it works -Illia willing- I can contact you all to let you know.” After an eager nod from Dawn, which did not make the archangel feel any better about this, she stepped on top of a hellpod. Its top descended, becoming a floor beneath her as she descended, and once Sandalphon was fully inside the machine sealed her in with a lid. “Testing, testing,” she said, reaching the Seekers through their miracle glyphs. “I believe I’m ready.”

“Okay, we’re nearing Carnival Town!” Dawn got ready, her eyes on the console’s display. “Three, two, one. Now!” She pulled a lever, and Goldlewis watched in astonishment as the launcher actually fired the pod straight downward. He watched the projection on the console as it plummeted toward the ground, holding his breath in dreadful anticipation.

“It is very turbulent,” Sandalphon reported. If this wasn’t a life-or-death situation, Goldlewis might have snickered at the way all the jostling distorted her otherwise deadpan voice. “I’m okay so far.”

A moment later, the four retro rockets on the pod extended and flared to life, burning at full blast to slow the archangel’s descent. Everyone heard loud, surprised, and rather undignified grunt. “...There was a strong jolt. The pod seems to be slowing down,” Sandalphon reported after a moment, as if nothing had happened.

After another couple seconds, the projected pod hit the ground, and a loud slam echoed through the glyphs. There came a pressurized pop, a sliding noise, and then silence. Goldlewis couldn’t stand waiting for long. “Sandalphon!? D’ya read me!?”

It took another moment for the archangel to respond. “...I have arrived in Carnival Town without apparent injury.” Festive music could be heard in the background as she spoke, and Goldlewis breathed a sigh of relief. “I believe I landed in someone’s garden.”

The next second, a flash of holy light signaled Sandalphon’s sudden return to the Deployment Bay. She looked a little frazzled, her hair and outfit askew, but none the worse for wear. Goldlewis blinked at her, surprised. “Huh? I thought you said you made it just fine?”

“I wish to do it again,” she announced, her pupils turning from spirals to exclamation points. When she noticed the others’ astonishment, she went ahead and explained. “Since it is currently peacetime, it would be prudent to acclimatize to the experience for more efficient deployment in the future.”

Dawn grinned. “I knew you’d see things my way.” She held up two fultons. “We’re coming back around for another drop. So, who’s next?”

Sandswept Sky - Carnival Town

Level 13 Ms Fortune (123/130)
The Koopa Troop’s @DracoLunaris, Primrose and Therion’s @Yankee, Sectonia’s @Archmage MC, Ganondorf’s @Double, Osvald’s @Dark Cloud
Word Count: 1214

Once the racers zoomed by, the Seekers got busy heading out of Super Bell Subway. Nadia waved to the giant orange cat hitched to the train they came in on, which meowed as it pulled away, then skipped off with Chucho at her heels. Even here, inside the relatively insulated train station, she could hear lively music and cheerful crowds, and excitement pumped through her veins. While she knew by now that Carnival Town had been nothing more than the starting point imprinted on her when Galeem brought her into the World of Light, which itself might have been a sort of profiling now that she thought about it, returning here still felt like coming home. It was good to know that even as she ranged far and wide, risking life and limb in zombie-infested hellscapes, creepy caverns, and spurious seasides, the party here had never stopped.

As it turned out, she wasn’t the only one this town offered a taste of familiarity too, either. When she exited the train station alongside the others, she found the streets just as she remembered them: crowded with creatures and people of all shapes and sizes, and lined by colorful buildings that themselves seemed to twist and bop to the music. There didn’t seem to be a lot of high tech around, but there were electronic billboards interspersed throughout the town that helped keep the populace updated on the leaderboards, and when the Koopa Troop saw one they recognized a few familiar faces. “Wow, really?” Nadia remarked, impressed. “Champion racers are pretty much celebrities around here, so knowing him’s a big deal. Lucky us!” She wasn’t sure if the Koopalings Junior mentioned were family or just friends, but finding them was icing on the cake for sure.

Some of the others seemed a little overwhelmed. Primrose and Therion clearly weren’t in their element, but Nadia figured they’d warm up to Carnival Town soon enough. The dancer and thief probably wouldn’t find a lot of peace and quiet anywhere within city limits, but this place offered just about everything else, all wrapped up in a nice, wholesome package. It did occur to her that Therion would probably have a field day pickpocketing if he felt so inclined, but Nadia herself felt happy -and rich- enough that petty crimes were off the menu. Of course, if anyone could be counted on to cast a pall over the festive atmosphere, it was gloomy Ganondorf, groaning about all the excessive joy in his vicinity. Even Sectonia found herself without anything to say. It looked to Nadia like she needed to take charge and play tour guide. “Yeah, we’ll keep an out for Falcon and your buddies. But for now, follow me! Let's have ourselves some fun!”

Nadia set off at a brisk pace, expertly navigating the crowd. In a city full of spiky cacti, noisy rabbids, burly luchadors, and clattering skeletons, it paid to be self-aware, and the feral didn’t allow herself to get too far ahead of her friends. She bounced along stripy umbrellas and storefront overhangs that all seemed to function like trampolines, making something of a spectacle of herself both to ensure that the others didn’t lose her and to show off her new clothes. There were no shortages of distractions around, after all; even without wandering around they found plenty of curiosities. They passed by a small market where four dog painters, including a collie, bulldog, dalmatian, and Saint Bernard, all wore color-coordinated sombreros and ponchos as they showed off their latest artworks. They found a giant statue of a brawny luchador, which Nadia climbed without hesitation. After seating herself cheekily on one of his biceps with her legs crossed, she gave the masked wrestler a fistbump, then flexed her own much more meager muscles as bystanders looked on. And though races were held throughout Carnival Town regularly, they were infrequent enough that all sorts of other activities filled the streets in the meantime, including parades. One of the biggest appeared to be a massive Day of the Dead procession, with plenty of Tostarenans marching along but other skeletons in attendance. Its centerpiece was a Melquiades the Exhumed Archbishop a skeleton of enormous proportions in ceremonial attire who rode not on a parade float, but on an endless series of hands that rose from the ground itself to pass the archbishop along. After everything Nadia had seen so far, that particular parade looked like a boss battle waiting to happen. “Jeez, that guy must weigh a skele-ton,” she told the others. “I certainly got no bones to pick with ‘em, so why don’t we check ‘em out next March.”

Soon after Nadia led the team to the heart of the city, a plaza covered in painted patterns. Overhead hung one of Carnival Town’s most unique features, a blazing ring of many colors that floated in the sky directly above this spot. “Check this out! It’s really sun-thing special!” When they entered this plaza, the corona overhead distorted the sunlight, seemingly casting the sky -and the city itself- in dusky purple. This localized atmospheric phenomenon also caused the bright colors drawn all over the plaza to glow, creating a place as eerie as it was beautiful. When Nadia looked up at the anomaly, however, she noticed something else that took her aback. In the eye of the corona she could see a dreadfully familiar dial, about one-third full of precious purple flames. “Huh,” she muttered, baffled. “How does that work…?” Regardless of how the Flame Clock stayed up there, its existence was a somber reminder that not even the happiest places in the World of Light were exempt from Galeem’s control.

Before she could turn and ask the others if they’d seen anything they wanted to do, her sharp eyes spotted something. A dark shape hurtling down though the sky, wreathed by jets of flame. Was it some kind of meteorite? It looked too slow, somehow, but it was still too fast to make out clearly. “Wait, what?” The feral took off running, climbing one of the buildings around the plaza in order to get a better view. Moving out of the corona’s shadow reduced the darkening effect, but even still she couldn’t get a bead on whatever it was before it dropped into the city a couple blocks away and disappeared from view. Nadia blinked, unsure of what she’d seen. She turned back around, puzzled, and shrugged as she called down, “You guys see that?”

A moment later, however, her curiosity paid off. The Seekers spotted more shapes, eight of them in fact, hurtling down toward Carnival Town. No matter how hard she squinted or craned her neck, Nadia couldn’t spot any source for this bizarre precipitation in the skies above. “More of ‘em!” This didn’t seem like an attack, but just what could this be? Eyes twinkling, she waved at the others. “They’re coming down that way! Let’s check ‘em out!” Chucho barked in agreement, and with the polterpup right behind her Nadia took off running.

World of Light

Now and Forever

Level 7 Sandalphon (17/70)
Word Count: 1893

Though Sandalphon boarded the Avenger alongside her teammates, the archangel still had her fair share of reservations. Regarding the Lost Numbers and their intentions specifically, she chose to believe in their sincerity. They’d clearly made enemies of Moebius, putting them as public enemy number one alongside the Seekers themselves as far as the World of Light was concerned. If Dawn spoke truly about her own existence in this world, she and the others had been living on the run for a long time, and revealing the Avenger no doubt carried an enormous risk for them. In addition, they’d seemingly relied on Dante and the other Alcamoth survivors to actually fight Consul Z, rather than any weapons or powers of their own. Though trapped in a precarious situation, both now and in the event of the campaign’s success, they seemed intent on putting their trust in the Seekers of Light.

Unfortunately, that alone wouldn’t suffice for Sandalphon. She needed to be able to trust them as well, and she couldn’t do that when the Lost Numbers were obviously keeping secrets.

While the others examined the map and made plans on which facilities to visit, Sandalphon internalized the Avenger’s layout at a glance, then approached Dawn in order to take her aside. Though she’d lost some of her height and otherworldly grace thanks to her fusions, the archangel still stood quite a bit taller than normal, and with such unusual eyes her unblinking stare possessed an unsettling intimidation factor that she now used to full effect. “May I speak to you privately?” she asked, her tone flat enough to suggest that this wasn’t as much of a question as it normally would be.

Dawn sized up the archangel with a wary expression. In the short time they’d known one another Sandalphon had already proven herself extremely sharp and perceptive, quickly figuring out that the siblings were allowing important things to go unsaid. It seemed like this guest in particular would not let sleeping dogs lie. The woman sighed. “...Come with me,” she replied, her voice low. She turned and headed from the Cargo Bay through Engineering, waving to the other Seekers as she passed. “Excuse me for now, I’ll be back to show you around in a bit! Feel free to guide your own tours.”

Sandalphon followed her guide through the ship’s sprawling, almost labyrinthine interior. Even though she’d seen the Avenger’s vast size from the outside firsthand, traveling through room after room really put into perspective how much of a mobile town the aircraft really was. It boasted a whopping five floors, which meant a lot of stairs to climb. They barely slowed Dawn down, as she’d been climbing them for decades even if she wasn’t built like a construction worker, but so many stairs proved to be a challenge for Sandalphon. The archangel trudged up the flights stiffly, doing her damndest to uphold her dignity with a minimum of huffing and puffing. Though Dawn was nice enough to wait for her, Sandalphon could detect a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. When they finally reached the top floor, Sandalphon came to a stop with a shaky sigh of relief, her pupils in the shape of spirals. They had arrived in some sort of command center, with a very elaborate table projecting a three-dimensional geoscape of the World of Light, with regular scans going off for any sign of hostiles in the vicinity. “...How much farther?”

“Sorry, just through here.” Dawn looked a little sheepish. On the other side of the Bridge lay a common room, with a number of tables, chairs, and resting nooks where members of the crew probably slept. Given the time of day, though, the place was empty. The arrival of the Seekers had evidently gotten the Lost Numbers’ full attention. Dawn pulled out a chair for Sandalphon, then seated herself. “Please. We can talk here. Can I get you something to drink?”

“Thank you. Coffee, please, if you have any.” Sandalphon seated herself as gracefully as she could, keeping a stiff upper lip despite her heavy breathing. She waited while Dawn ran and grabbed the coffee pot. While the brew wasn’t exactly fresh, the archangel wasn’t about to complain. She drained it completely, then took a deep breath. “Allow me to begin, then. I am Sandalphon, former leader of the Apostles of the Illian Church. To me, there are few things more important than efficiency. When it comes to communication, that entails both speed and completeness. However, it is clear that despite your offer of alliance, you and your brother are concealing information from us. If we cannot trust you completely, we may be forced to take matters into our own hands.” Though delivered matter-of-factly, those words could still very much be taken as a threat. “I need to know everything that you know about the World of Light. What you meant by ‘Source Engine’, and what you both said about our lives. If you meant only to shield us from distressing revelations, please be assured of my mental fortitude. Once I have the full picture, I will decide whether to keep or disseminate this information.”

Dawn nodded, her expression glum, as if this was pretty much what she expected. “Fine, fine. You know, you’re one intense lady, Sandalphon. It’s true, we only wanted to keep this stuff from you to protect you all. But if anyone can handle it, I’m sure you could.” She leaned back in her chair, sighing.

“Well, I guess I’ll get started,” she began in a low tone, her face solemn. “I mentioned that us Lost Numbers were born naturally, but it’s different for ‘old life’ like you, people from before the World of Light, and that’s directly related to how this world works. See, it’s like one big perpetual motion machine, able to sustain itself forever, but never move forward.” She narrowed her eyes, trying to think of a good way to explain things. “It begins with the Source Engine. That’s just what we call it, we don’t know its real name, and it’s more theoretical than anything. We think that somewhere out there, there’s some kind of ‘factory’ where people are made. Then they’re spawned fully-formed all around the World of Light, tied to various Flame Clocks that strictly control their lifespans, forcing them to fight and steal the lives of others to prolong their own, while Moebius skims off the top to keep themselves immortal.” She clasped her hands. “But apparently that’s not good enough, ‘cause when you guys get made you’re slapped with two limitations.”

Sandalphon nodded. “One must be the ‘gleaming’ state that alters the cognition and memory of the populace, rendering them oblivious to the incongruity of their situation.” Her pupils turned to question marks. “And the other…?”

Dawn sighed. “Everyone is made to fight and die, right? Well…you’re not exactly made to last. It’s impossible to worry about and fight for the future when you’ve got no future to begin with. It’s the ultimate way to prevent rebellion. Anything other than living in the now.” She looked down at the table. “The Flame Clocks aren’t the only way Moebius keeps your lives in check. Everyone spawned in this world is made with a limited lifespan. Sure, you start at whatever age and don’t really get older over time, but when your time’s up, that’s it. And that span…is just ten years.”

For a few moments, Sandalphon sat quietly. So, according to Dawn, she’d been made, possibly by the same architect who made the World of Light itself. That explained the otherwise inexplicable gulf of time prior to the beginning of her own memory in Midgar. And even though she’d lived for centuries in her own world, with no discernible end in sight, her re-creation in this world had slapped her with a lifespan of just ten years? Even for a human that was terribly short, but for an angel it might as well be the blink of an eye. Now she could see just why Dawn wanted to spare the Seekers this knowledge.

“I question how ‘endless’ this can be, depending on how long it goes on,” she wondered. “Given enough time, would this system not exhaust the sum total of all ‘old life’?”

Dawn shook her head. “When someone dies, they go back into the cycle. Someone who was part of it to begin with, at least. Then they’ll show up somewhere else, without any memories of what happened before.”

Once again Sandalphon hesitated. She chose her next words carefully. “Your parents…”

After taking a deep breath, Dawn nodded. “You said you saw Tifa in Midgar. I’m glad she’s okay, really. But the Tifa you saw wasn’t my mom. My mom was a previous Tifa, who lived over thirty years ago. She and Cloud had been freed -’destoried’, they call it- and were part of a group fighting to overthrow Galeem, just as you are now. They even managed to take down three Guardians. Eventually, though, Moebius caught up to them. It was a slaughter. The four of them -Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Barrett- fled the carnage, but just when they thought they’d escaped, they ran into him. Moebius A.” The words hung in the air ominously. “I never got the full story, but mom said they were forced to ‘choose’. In the end, only mom and dad made it.” She shook her head. “After that, there wasn’t much they could do. They went into hiding and settled down. Eventually had us. Then, when Cirrus and I were just toddlers…” She sniffed. “Their ten years were up. They disappeared. Turned into light. Leaving just their clothes behind. And us.”

Dawn wiped at her eyes with the back of her hands. “It was…hard for us. Cirrus especially, he’s always been so sensitive. The Lost Numbers raised us, at least. But I can’t even imagine how hard it was for mom and dad. Knowing they’d fade away. Putting their hope in us, to fight for a future they’d never get to see.” She took a deep breath. “So no matter how many heroes come and go, I have to keep going. We all do. Just like our parents, we probably won’t get to see a brighter future, whatever lies beyond this meat grinder. But maybe someday, someone will. And that’s what we’re fighting for.”

A moment passed before Sandalphon nodded. The weight shared with her had been heavy, indeed. But rather than terrified, the archangel felt amazed. Amazed by the bravery and tenacity of these poor people, born into a hopeless world of strife yet determined to make a change someday. “Your courage is incredible. Humbling, even,” she told Dawn after a moment. “Is…there anything else?”

Dawn shook her head. “Nothing that important.”

“Then in light of everything you’ve shared with me, I accept your alliance on behalf of the Seekers of Light,” Sandalphon told her. “From this day forward, I will protect the Lost Numbers with my life. And before our campaign succeeds, I vow to find a way to bring you with us when the worlds are restored.” She extended her hand.

Smiling, Dawn took it and shook. “Thank you, Sandalphon. We’re glad to have you.” After taking a deep breath, Dawn stood up quickly. “Let’s get a move on, then. We have a lot of ground to cover!”

World of Light

Alright everyone, with the relaunch of the RP coming up within a few months, as well as the reveal of the Lost Numbers, it's time to show you guys something important: the new character sheet!

Character Sheet

Name:
Origin:
Appearance: (You can use just an image, a description, or both. If your character’s appearance changes, you can put each new description in a hider under this section)
Personality:
Background: (You can go into as much detail on your character’s biography as you want, and your character can be taken from any point in that story. This ends with Galeem’s attack)
In the Now: (A synopsis of your character’s existence in the World of Light itself. For new characters, this is limited to the ‘new normal’ imprinted on you by Galeem)

Job: (A succinct name that encompasses your character’s ‘class’)
Specialty: (What your character brings to the table; your role in the group)
Inventory: (Your character’s starting equipment and items, including currency. Unless you specifically have the Inventory skill, your characters must carry everything physically)

Lv: 5 (You start with 5 level-upgrades you can split between Powers and Skills)
EXP: 0/10
Abilities: (Powers, spells, special moves, an iconic piece of equipment, and so forth)

• Ability Name - Ability Description

Skills: (Passive abilities, outstanding ‘stats’, and talents/proficiencies)

• Skill Name - Skill Description

Weaknesses: (Practical limitations, detrimental ‘stats’, and deficiencies. Include three)

• Weakness Name - Weakness Description

Spirits: (Any spirits your character possesses should be listed here with their type)

• Spirit name - Type

Rapport: (You can keep track of your Rapport here. As you level up Rapports, consider linking the posts here and listing what they give you)

• Character A / Character B - D Rank 3/5

Why's this important? Other than porting your own sheets to suit the new format at your leisure and cleaning them up in the process if so inclined (you may want to wait though until after the Respec Machine is online) we have the matter of the Lost Numbers themselves. Now that we know about the cycle, and that they're the children and grandchildren of game characters' previous lives within the cycle, I wanted to give you all an opportunity, whether it's to flex your creativity, indulge yourselves, or both. You can use the sheets (minus the Spirit and Rapport sections) to make NPCs that fit the mold and fill out the roster of Lost Numbers. Any game characters are game for your non-playable characters' lineage, and whoever you make will serve as the background supporting characters as the RP enters its next stage. You can even make up pockets of the World of Light's history to provide these NPCs backstory, and go to as much or as little effort as you want. I can't wait to see what you come up with!

I'll be making example sheets for both Dawn and Cirrus, but for now, here are two for Tora and Poppi QT PA2T.

Tora

Name: Tora
Origin: Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Appearance: The Egg-shaped Egghead
Personality: Like most Nopon, Tora is gluttonous and frugal, but he stands out from his peers as something of an outcast. He is a mechanical genius who loves to invent. Though extraverted, friendly, and endearingly silly, his interests and obsessions tended to isolate him, and he’s a severe workaholic prone to locking himself away for days on end with barely any food, drink, or rest to finish his projects. He adores his Artificial Blade Poppi and cares for her to the point of dependence, and can become depressed in her absence. With her by his side, however, he has the courage to emulate his heroes and take on all the adventures that the world has to offer.
Background:

Tora’s Story

Tora's story begins with a simple fact: pretty much no Nopon is able to resonate with a Core Crystal and awaken a Blade. When young, newly enamored with the idea of becoming a powerful and respected Driver, he tried along with his grandfather Soosoo and his father Tatazo to resonate with a Core Crystal, but all failed. Yet, the three remained determined, and together the three Nopon put their collective smarts and ingenuity to work to make an artificial Blade. The project demanded countless hours of obsessive devotion, and the help of a number of assistants like Muimui, but the trio put the work in. Not long after the invention of two key components, the Ether Furnace and the Black Box, a masked Nopon entered the workshop with a gang of savage Tirkin, shot Soosoo, and captured Tatazo. Only Tora escaped.

Tora made his way to Torigoth, the largest city on Gormott, and in its underbelly made himself a home. Sad and alone but not robbed of his mechanical aptitude nor inventive spirit, he lived a shut-in life as he worked to make money and achieve his family's dream. His nature led him afoul of the Ardanian soldiers that protected Torigoth more than once, and after a couple years, his low-key resentment for the 'bully soldiers' led him to take a potshot with his newly-invented Boom Biter at a water line to allow a couple of strangers, who he recognized as a Driver and Blade, to escape. That was how Tora met Rex and Pyra, a fated duo, and embarked on an adventure that would span the whole world.

Before setting out, however, Tora was able to complete -with Rex's help- his greatest work: the realization of his father and grandfather's dreams, an Artificial Blade he named Poppi. The two maintain an extremely close bond despite her occasional disrespectful behavior. Since he is only a Driver because of her and she is one of his only friends, he values her immensely.

With Poppi at his side, Tora joined Rex on his mission to bring Pyra to the mythical place known as Elysium. On the way, while staying at an inn in Alba Cavanich, his group awoke during the night to the sounds of an attack. After rushing outside and engaging the perpetrator in a chase, Tora discovered to his surprise that the attacker was none other than a robotic girl he identified as Lila—the artificial Blade that was the life's work of his father, Tatazo. Lila escaped, but eventually the crew tracked her to a remote facility where they found that Tatazo was alive, and being forced to manufacture soulless Artificial Blades against his will as weapons of war for the chairman of Argentum Trade Guild, Bana. Tora freed his father and reconciled with him, only to come under attack from Lila and Tirkin mercenaries under the control of Bana and Muimui, who revealed his hand in the attack on the family workshop so long ago. In the ensuing struggle, however, Poppi helped Lila break free from Bana's control, and then developed a new combat form in the fight against Bana and Muimui's ultimate Artificial Blade, Rosa. Tora and his friend ultimately prevailed, leading to the arrest of Bana and Muimui and the recovery of Tatazo.

Tora's journey, however, was far from over. To repay his friends for helping him, and to live up to the mantle of a Driver, he remained with Rex and the rest to see their quest through. In the end, though, their mission came to an abrupt stop in a beam of all-consuming light.

In the Now:
Tora was one of the random people summoned by Consul K to defeat Kirby in the borderland between the Badlands and the Mushroom Kingdom. Though the gang nearly defeated him, Kirby sacrificed enough EXP to cough up Friend Hearts for all of them. Soon after, he met with the Master of Masters and received the directive to defeat the Guardians and challenge Galeem. Though without Poppi or any of his friends from Alrest, Tora resolved to play the hero. Among his group were Bowser and Blazermate, making them the only three Seekers to have been there from the very beginning.

After fighting through the Mushroom Kingdom, he reunited with Poppi when Master Hand summoned another gang of fighters to stop them, these ones tailor-made to break the challengers’ spirits. Once he and Poppi emerged victorious, however, the team challenged Megadragonbowser, the Guardian of the region. His defeat proved that the heroes had a chance, and together with Poppi, Tora went on to help take down the Ender Dragon in the Land of Adventure and Red Eye in the Sandswept Sky.

When their half of the team reached Midgar, however, things took an awful turn. While fighting the Machines beyond the city limits, Poppi got exposed to their Logic Virus, and attempted to abandon Tora to avoid hurting him. Though he pursued with the help of Pit and Roxas, he ultimately lost her at the crater lake and sank into a deep depression. Not long after, during the raid on Vandelay Campus, he volunteered to stay in R&D in order to try and workshop a solution. After Tycoon’s defeat, however, an Organization XIII member appeared with Poppi’s spirit in hand, allowing him to finish rebuilding his partner. This benefactor, Xatow, also directed him to the Lost Numbers, and once the Seekers signed on he set up shop in the Avenger alongside Poppi to help the team in a support role.

Job: Tinker Tank
Specialty: Astonishing feats of engineering and an impregnably defensive tag-team fighting style
Inventory: A bunch of machine parts, various tools, his favorite wrench, ES-101 Saber Wrench, his old drill shield, various packaged snacks

Lv: 11
EXP: N/A
Abilities:

• Incredible Constitution – whether it be as a result of his genetics, some mutation, or a blessing from the Architect himself, Tora's spongy, bouncy body is unbelievably durable. While he feels pain and can be stunned like anyone else, he is extremely difficult to wound, and even when wounded, heals remarkably quickly. For instance, he can survive falling hundreds of meters
• Grin and Bear It - once per fight, Tora can survive a single attack that would have otherwise defeated him with just a smidgen of his 'health' remaining
• Chain Attack - fighting now accumulates up to three bars of Party Power. Once he has three, Tora can recruit two allies besides Poppi to join him in a Chain Attack. This puts the targeted enemy in stasis while the three attack once apiece in quick succession, these attacks requiring neither buildup nor resource expenditure
• Elemental Burst - special attacks of a particular element from either Tora or his partner now apply an elemental orb to their target. If that target is struck by an attack of an opposing element during a Chain Attack, the orb will break, boosting the damage dealt during the Chain Attack by 200% and allowing the Chain Attackers to do another round of attacks. If five orbs burst during a Chain Attack, a Full Burst is triggered. Based on the number of intact orbs left over after five burst, the damage ratio is further increased: 0=500%, 1=1000%, 2=1500%, 3=3000%. The only elements that work like this are Fire, Water, Wind, Ice, Electric, Earth, Light, and Dark
• Overclocker - Tora's mechanical abilities and increased capacity for adapting to new systems has allowed him to develop a potent support skill. Once he hooks up his engineering kit to some technology, be it a device, a weapon, a vehicle, or even a sophisticated machine lifeform, he can increase its operational speed and strength by up to 50%
• Nopon Rescue Service - If a party member is downed, Tora can pick that party member up at 30% HP at the cost of 1 bar of Party Power

Skills:

Whiz Kid – Tora is a brilliant mechanic and inventor, discerning of eye and crazy with hands. Given enough time to tinker, he can make all sorts of useful gear and machinery, made all the better by the right materials and a second set of eyes. Given that he's the Nopon who built and programmed Poppi, a powerful Blade with her own consciousness and free will, one can scarcely underestimate the handiness of this handyman.

• Attention Getter – conducive to his role as a tank, Tora has a knack for grabbing others' focus when he wants to, though whether being annoying and obnoxious is truly a strength is up for debate. This can help him distract enemies and protect allies, allowing them to work unimpeded
• Deductive – while Tora might seem like an idiot or a ditz at times, he's no slouch in the mental department when it comes to figuring things out. He's quick to learn, understand how new things tick, and find flaws or weaknesses
• Motor Mind - while a quick learner with a passion for tinkering and mechanics, Tora never got to know vehicles thanks to the nature of Alrest, but the new world has broadened his horizons. Not only has Tora adapted his expertise to vehicle repair and augmentation, but he's not bad as a driver or pilot either
• Rapid Recovery - While he and his party are out of combat (defined as nobody having the 'aggro' of any enemy), Tora heals 20% of his vitality every second
• Inventory - Tora possesses an extradimensional space on his person he can use to store all sort of items without a definite limit, although there's a hard size limit on said items and he can't store stuff in there that doesn't quantify as loot, supplies, materials, etc
• Placebo - boosts health recovery from all sources by 20%, providing better sustain off of even mediocre restoration

Weaknesses:

• Astonishing Lack of Speed and Agility – thanks to his tiny, stubby legs and profound roundness, Tora is terribly slow and graceless. He can scarcely manage a fast waddle on his own, jump only with the help of wing flaps, and evade only by unceremoniously tossing himself a foot or two in one direction
• Unfortunate Lack of Attack Power and Range – even with his melee weapons, Tora doesn’t have much stopping power on his own and needs help to be effective in combat
• Social Skills – Tora has two flaws in the social sphere, the first being his tendency to interact with people based on his own interest versus anything else, up to and including just forgetting about people that didn't interest him. The second is that he’s something of a degenerate, which he hides or deflects when he can

Poppi QT PA2T

Name: Poppi Quixotic Tutelar Perfect Artifice 2000 (Poppi QT-PA-2T)
Origin: Xenoblade 2 originally, rebuilt in the World of Light
Appearance: Poppi’s new chassis was developed using her original Quixotic Tutelar model as a base, but its overall constitution and appearance ended up diverging substantially. She resembles a teenage girl of about 15, with lavender hair done up in a spiky topknot, a headset, and orange eyes with electric blue pupils. Both her arms and her legs are obviously mechanical, primarily gray, with red and yellow accents. Her torso is humanoid in shape, clad in a simple white collared sleeveless shirt, white pleated skirt, black vest, and red ribbon tie
Personality: Though mechanical in nature, Poppi possesses a complete (if somewhat inexperienced) emotional suite. She’s more reserved than her Masterpon, but similarly nice and friendly. She’s very curious about people in general, though she can be a bit tactless. She’s fully aware of her Masterpon’s eccentricities and will happily judge, criticize, tease, and embarrass him whenever possible. Still, the two are very close, and if necessary she would give her life to protect him
Background:

Poppi’s Story

Poppi is the culmination of three generations' worth of obsession in Tora's family to create an artificial blade. Using the all-important black box of his grandfather Soosoo and the ingenious Ether Furnace engineered by his father Tatazo, Poppi was completed with the help of the salvager Rex following countless hours of painstaking labor on the part of the orphaned Tora himself. Following her awakening, she fought alongside her creator and friend over the course of many adventures, in particular their group's exploration of a hidden factory on the Mor Ardain titan where Tatazo had in secret been forced to produce weapons for Chairman Bana of the Argentum Trade Guild. The pair continued to develop together, becoming more like the drivers and blades they admired, until Galeem's invasion spelled their end

In the Now: Poppi showed up when Master Hand summoned her in front of Peach’s Castle to fight the group of challengers that included her Masterpon Tora, presumably to break his spirit. The two proved much weaker apart than together, however, and the Seekers prevailed. Reunited in the wake of that battle, the two teamed up against Megadragonbowser inside Peach’s Castle, proving instrumental in his defeat. Together with Tora, Tora went on to help take down the Ender Dragon in the Land of Adventure and Red Eye in the Sandswept Sky.

When their half of the team reached Midgar, however, things took an awful turn. While fighting the Machines beyond the city limits, Poppi got exposed to their Logic Virus, and attempted to abandon Tora to avoid hurting him. Though he pursued with the help of Pit and Roxas, he ultimately lost her at the crater lake. She was found by Xatow of Organization XIII, and executed at her own request. Xatow then took her spirit back to Tora in Midgar, allowing him to complete a new body he’d been building for her with Vandelay technology. Joyfully reunited at last, the two sought out the Lost Numbers at Xatow’s instruction, where they signed on in a support role to aid the Seekers in their quest

Job: Adaptive Guard
Specialty: Switching between the tools at her disposal to serve as an effective frontline fighter or personal assistant
Inventory: ES-101 Saber Wrench

Lv: 5
EXP: N/A
Abilities:

• SEN-C0 Umbrella Lance - Poppi can digitally construct a high-tech polearm with a drill bit on one end and a shield generator on the other. Once spun up, this can project up to four bubble shields onto allies at once, which can soak up a lot of damage but are weak to energy damage. The lance can even be planted in the ground to operate independently, but it will shut off if it takes too much damage. Poppi can magnetize the lance back toward her if they’re separated
• BA-B00 Bubble Shield - by pounding her fists together, Poppi can give herself a personal bubble shield just as strong as the ones projected by her Umbrella Lance
• BL-1Z5 Fists of Fury - by rapid-fire punching the air, Poppi can ignite her own fists, allowing her to attack with burning punches and palm strikes that can set enemies (and the environment) on fire. If her hands are extinguished, however, she has to ignite them again

Skills:

• Superstrength - Poppi is much more physically powerful than her framework would suggest, allowing her to carry, lift, and throw far beyond her weight class
• Mobile Bruiser - Given her current form’s basis, she boasts a respectable amount of mobility for how tough she is, with bursts of speed and agility that allow her to serve as a evasion tank who can dodge enemy attacks with respectable consistency

Weaknesses:

• Inorganic – at the end of the day, Poppi is one-hundred percent artificial; she is incapable of healing or repairing herself, and immune to the efforts of biological healing. This also makes her vulnerable to EMP and other such anti-machine measures
• Finite - with the loss of her self-sustaining ether furnace, Poppi now needs her batteries charged with electricity every day at a minimum just to stay functional, sooner if she engages in combat
• Elemental - Poppi is more vulnerable to ether (energy/magic) attacks than physical ones, and in particular has a weakness to the elements opposing her own, in this case water and air

And here is the new Rapport system, explained:

Rapport

A special, optional way of further developing your character, not to mention bonds with other characters. Whenever two PCs are involved in a non-combat, non-progression collab together (both characters in a back-and-forth post) the EXP from that collab can also go into Rapport if both players are willing. Leveling up Rapport offers additional bonuses:

• D Rank (<5 REXP): Just shows you’ve built up some REXP, but not enough to reach C Rank
• C Rank (5-9 REXP): Tag Team (a powerful, special team-up attack unique to these two)
• B Rank (10-19 REXP): Skill Share (both characters can copy a free Skill from the other)
• A Rank (20-29 REXP): Crossover (both characters can now switch to the other’s Job. Doing this switches your base powerset and base weapon out for theirs, as well as replacing an element of your outfit with one of theirs)
• S Rank (30+ REXP): Interlink (will be explained later)