Okay, so we are guys with the OP's first ever monthly! We took our time, we had school hinder us, personal stuff to block us but we persevere in the name of writing. So here we have the details of this month's event!

Quote from ErrorBlender

Observer Protocol Monthly #1:: Yesterday's Shadows
Word Limit ::
Minimum :: 3,500
Maximum :: n/a
Flavor :::
The Observer Protocol, a band of gladiators set on one goal, to terminate John Mason's plan of global destruction. During their struggle, something from their past resurfaces and calls to them. It beckons them to take notice and remember who they are and what caused them to be. Memories will be triggered, flashbacks will occur and each member's history will unfold slowly until finally, each will understand that the future is based of the past.

Details ::
Every Observer Protocol member has just found themselves in whirlwind of yesterday's shadows. A significant person/place/thing has just reentered their lives, welcomed or not, and there's no chance at avoiding it. Where have they gone since you've last spoken? What changes do see you see since you've last visited? How does seeing this bit history effect you after all this time?

The NOUN from the past doesn't have to have a negative interaction or a positive one, you may come up with the personal relations between the character and the NOUN however you want.

Throughout the sudden reunion Observer Protocol members must go through 3 flashbacks involving the NOUN. In addition, there must be a specific object/sound/sight/scent? that activates each flashback in the present AND there must be at least one strong emotional tie in one of the flashbacks OR the present reunion, meaning the character has to go through some sort of confrontation involving deep love, hate, anger, depression, heartache, etc. a minimum of one time.

Whatever the NOUN is, it doesn't have to be pre-made/backstory related to the members; if you feel like inventing a new person/place/thing to fit the monthly requirement that's fine. The NOUN doesn't have to have specific story plot significance, meaning he/she/it doesn't have to reappear later or have plot thickening relations. However, character relations with the NOUN must be the focus in the monthly.

Again, this monthly is open for all. If you are not a member or contact, just replace all instances of 'Observer Protocol member' or 'member' into '[your] character'.

So here we go!

Nightlock :: The Heroine in the Castle on Our Beach

the bedside table at the alarm clock, reading 6:23. Like most mornings, my internal clock woke me minutes before the alarm was set to go off. Unlike recent mornings, I’m not bursting at the seams to start the day. Turning my head, I faced the ceiling and shut my eyes.

In just a week I’ll be heading to meet with Bl.An.C. in Japan. The past several weeks I’ve spent training with Mom have been beyond difficult, but they have been some of the most fulfilling weeks of my life. I know that what’s to come is life altering. The Diluted Hunters have starting to take stronger measures in their ruthless endeavors. Hell, what’s to come could be life ending for some. It is going to be life ending for some. And I’m preparing now, doing my best, to make sure my friends survive.

But when I think about it; that’s not completely true. The not too distant future is going to be life altering, but in retrospect the Hunters have already had a direct influence on my life. If not for them, I would have never left Gold Beach to live with my Gran. I would have never started my career as a musician, never would have met my closest friends. I wouldn’t be where I was today, if not for one incident.

My eyes are kept closed as the alarm rings through the bedroom. My mom expects me in half an hour, but I’m not in the mood to go through today’s sessions. I’m sure she’ll understand.

I let the blaring siren go on for another minute before I finally leaned over and hit the alarm’s reset button. The quiet that took over is a little unsettling this morning. By this time I’m usually getting into my stretches and warming up for my morning run, but I’m moving at a slower pace, just letting the day start on its own and not rushing to get going.

After rinsing my face, brushing my teeth, scrounging around for my favorite running gear (cut off white sweatshirt and navy blue running shorts) and putting on my medallion, I wandered around the house. My running destination this morning is farther than usual, and it’s intimidating for more than one reason. Talking myself through the first step, I reached for the front door of the cabin and began my trek.

It’s not long before I make my way onto the trail leading from the resort. I’m moving at a faster pace than normal, much faster, but the added force and strain keeps my head focused on nothing but the contact of foot to earth. I convinced myself that the extra sweat will make up for the lack of training for the day.

An hour and ten miles later, I gradually slowed down until coming to a complete stop. With my hands linked and resting on top of my head, I focused on controlling my breathing as I looked out at the land before me. In through the nose for four beats… out through the mouth for five… repeat. It’s harder to breathe for more than just physical exertion.

The sound of the ocean is loud as it pulls at the short, sandy beach, slightly reminding me of the roar of a cheering crowd. It’s comforting and thrilling and motivating and uplifting, all rolled into one harmony. Yet the significance of the two couldn’t be more different if they tried. At least to me they couldn’t. At least, in this setting they couldn’t.

Bending over at the waste, I unlaced my sneakers and pulled them off, followed by my socks. The sun brightened sand is soft under my feet as I walked toward the lapping water. This is the first time in nine years I’ve visited this spot. My dad said it was a part of White Shoreline, a popular expanse of beach not far from our home. The portion I’m walking on is cut off from the rest by a large curving rock formation, acting as a wall of earth that keeps these one-hundred yards of paradise separate from the rest. Because it was smaller and harder to get to, we would always have it to ourselves. Seeing as I was the only one walking along the coast, it doesn’t look like much has changed.

Moving north toward the rock formation, I looked out toward the water in the distance as I let the sand move under me and between my toes. Though the water isn’t clear blue like in the tropics, it’s calm here in this large pool of ocean water. Perfect for swimming. In for four… out for five… repeat…



“Come on Lecty, don’t you want to learn how to swim?” My daddy said. The cold water was up to his ankles as he was calling to me and mommy. She was helping me make the biggest sand castle ever, even though she was still sitting on her towel.

“I’m doing something daddy!” I yelled back. He always asks me to swim when we come to the beach. I haven’t told him or mommy yet, but the ocean scares me. When I look at how far away the water goes, my chest starts to thump and I can’t stop shivering. It’s embarrassing, but I don’t want to go in, so I always start making castles in the sand as soon as we get here, trying to make each one bigger than the last. That way I’ll be too busy to swim.

“It looks like she doesn’t want to swim, honey.” Mommy says when daddy walks to us.

His hands are on his hips when he replies. Uh oh “Sweetheart, she’s already seven years old. She’ll be eight soon. I learned how to swim when I was half that age.” He looked from mommy to me when he continued. “Come on Lecty. I’ll teach you how. I’ll be right by your side the entire time. It’ll be fun, I promise. There’s no reason to be scared.”

As he kept talking I didn’t stop from building my castle, but what he said at then end made me stop and turn to him. I didn’t know that I had dropped my shovel full of sand, or that I had gasped and had a look of surprised fright painted on my face.

“Howdidyouknow- I mean…” I blurted, and then finished weakly, “… I’m not scared.” He says there’s no reason to be scared. But I’m scared of the ocean. I felt so ashamed in that moment, and I knew it was visible to both of my parents.

Daddy’s stern look changed quickly and soon he was on his knees and hugging me. I immediately grabbed around his neck tightly, trying to keep my tears from falling by hugging him as hard as I could. “Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you upset, ok.” He was rubbing up and down my back as I tried to hide my face and tears in the bend of his neck. I sniffled as he continued. “It’s ok to be scared of the ocean. You don’t have to be embarrassed of it. It’s ok.” I felt another pair of hands run through my hair and knew by the gentle touch it was mommy.

He kept reassuring me for some time until I finally stopped crying enough to let go and wipe my face. Daddy didn’t let me go completely, and he held my shoulders with his hands. “It’s ok to be scared of something, Electra, and there’s no reason to feel bad about that. But I want you to know that your mother and I will always be here for you.” He moved his hand under my chin and lifted until I looked at him. “If you ever feel afraid of anything, all you have to do is tell us.”

“That’s right sweetie. We’ll keep you safe, and help you get through it. Together.” Mommy said.

After looking back and forth between them a few times, I turned to the water and waited. Watching the water come and go, and go all the way to the end of sight, I waited for the thumping and shaking to start. But it never came, and I knew it was because daddy and mommy were so close.

With one last sniffle and wipe of my eyes, I looked back to daddy and said, “Ok. I’ll go swimming.”

A shocked smile crossed daddy’s face. “Well, we don’t have to go right now if you don’t want to. We’re not pressuring you to face your fears now, sweetie.” Reaching for my face, he started to wipe the tears I missed on my cheeks with his big thumbs. “How about we make a date and try again later?”

I was already shaking my head no by the time he finished. “No, I’ll do it now. Just… promise you’ll stay close?” I asked quietly.

Mommy spoke this time. “Of course he’ll stay close. And if he finds something shiny and swims off on his own, you don’t have to worry because I’ll be right there next to you, too.” She smiled at me and I felt myself smiling back.

Moments later, daddy and mommy had their hands under me in the water, teaching me how to float on my back. As scary as the thought of swimming originally was, by the end of the day I was giggling loudly as I dog paddled my way to shore after every wave pulled me back. Daddy and mommy never went far from me, and on the beach I could see the biggest sand castle ever as it sat. Unfinished…



“Electra? Sunshine, I put your breakfast in the microwave for you for when you get hungry. There’re leftovers in the fridge if you want more.”

The sound of my mother’s voice in my head interrupted the memory and abruptly brought me back. I was sitting in the sand, not far from the edge of the surf, letting the sand fall through my fingers as I picked up handful after handful.

“Thank you mom.” I replied. “I’ll eat when I get to the house.”

“No rush, Sunshine. I’ll see you later. Love you.”

“I love you, too. Thanks.”

I smiled at my past assumptions. Of course mom would know that I wasn’t coming to train today. Living at home for the last month has felt so familiar, you’d think I would realize that there was no hiding what I felt from her. Moms are like that, I suppose.

In fact, living at home again has become more familiar than I suspected it would. The training sessions with mom are different, definitely. But at the same time, her teaching approach hasn’t changed a bit. She’s like a dog with a bone when she sets goals to reach. And until I accomplish the goal, she won’t let me forget it...




The beach was deserted, as always. I used to wonder if dad would get a hold of whoever was in charge and reserve the place for us whenever we visited. Apparently not. So now I’m alone on our beach, trying to stop these frustrated tears from falling.

The last few years I’ve been learning all about my magic abilities. I read a lot (I learned at a young age), and I would often dream of being like the heroes and heroines in those stories. I’d dream of going on adventures with my sidekicks, and how we’d fight all of the bad guys. When mom and dad told me that I was born with powers, I was so excited. They told me that they were just like me, and that there was a whole world out there that was just like us. The stories I read were coming true.

All heroes and heroines have to go through struggles, that’s a part of what makes them heroes. What the stories don’t tell you are how those struggles are eye opening and, speaking from experience, most of the time not for the best. The protagonist is supposed to stay strong, hold their morals close to the heart, and come out on top unchanged. Or at least changed for the better. The hero is supposed to be perfect, and right now I feel anything but.

The excitement quickly wore down after that first year. The training has been so hard. Why is it so hard? I used to jump from my bed and rush to the kitchen to see my parents and to begin my lesson. Now I don’t want to leave my room in the morning because I don’t look forward training with mom. At all. All she wants me to do is work, all day every day. Work on my chants and their importance. Work on my aim and the strength in my arms and shoulders. Work on my concentration on all of my surroundings. And the work isn’t satisfactory. I’m not succeeding enough to be satisfactory to mom, and it’s not meeting any of my expectations enough to be satisfactory to me. It’s become a chore, one I feel I’ve been trapped in, and will be trapped in, for the rest of my life. None of it is heroic. None of it is exciting. None of it is what I thought it would be. And it’s eye opening. If this long dream of mine isn’t what I thought it would be, then what else isn’t?

Strike number one for these tears.

Not only do I not look forward to training with mom, I don’t look forward to seeing her anymore either. The only thing she talks about anymore is my training. I know she loves me, and I love her too. But it’s so tiring and tedious, and after my accident last year you’d think that she would have backed off, just a bit, but she hasn’t. I spend ten hours of every day with her, going over schoolwork and Chant Control, and it’s getting to the point that I can’t take it anymore. Everyday I wake up and dread the time I have to spend with my mom. My own mother! How can a hero not want to spend time with their mother, the woman who raised them. The thought makes me sick to my stomach, more so than swallowing my frustration and working through the day. Truly sick.

Strike number two.

Swallowing my frustration is a good way to put it. It’s also an inadequate way to put it. I’m not only holding back my aggravated thoughts, but I’m pushing back the fear that’s stemmed from my accident. I’m pushing as hard as I can. And I’m failing. I haven’t taken flight ever since that last day. Heck, I haven’t so much as looked out of my bedroom window for fear of falling through it. The thought of falling is hard enough to talk myself through, but now my mom wants me to try flying again. The last few weeks she’s been hinting at it, and I’ve been trying to convince myself that it’s time. Every time she brings it up, I fight the vomit threatening to spill over, and I do my best to assure her that I’m getting better. But today she told me that she thinks it’s time I give it a second chance, and what did I do? I ran. I ran as fast I could, and I didn’t look back.

I’ve

ErrorBlender :: Untitled
ied. “Have you had contact with your old buddies?”

“Alice,” Cooper sighed. “They’re all dead save for John.”

Bl.An.C. was on top of the wRHG building, a cool breeze wafted over the concrete structure. The air brushed past Cooper’s exposed face, the wind combed his silver brown hair backwards. Even though he had the ability to unhinge the helm, he was still new to the feeling of wind again. It has been that long since he trapped himself in a cage of his own mistake. His partial freedom was given to him as a pity gift from a friend now enemy. Cooper’s green eyes looked down to the streets below. He could recognize a few of the gladiators that went in and out of the double doors of the facility. Some he had a battle with already others met through the lounge inside the building.

“I meant your old clan, Coop.” She said over the com. “Aren’t you worried none of them have made contact with you since Christmas?”

“Alice, I’ve nearly killed Jorka the last time we met. I understand if he hates my very being.” Cooper turned away from the ledge and sat down with his back against it. He hung his head low as he recited the names of his old clanmates. “Rain probably went away, she wasn’t really that much of a team player. She was silent and just kept watching. Fantomzed was always away, said he was on clan business. He never really got back on his last trek. Diittoo is a mystery for me. He simply vanished. That kid was hyperactive, powerful in his own right but how he just vanished… I don’t know.”
“And Sinkhole?” Alice asked.

“Clifton? I’d guess he went back to his family. They exiled him, remember? I think I recall him saying one day he’d return to see if they forgot about what he’d done.” Cooper said. He laced his fingers onto his hair. “They’re all gone.” He said finally.


Back in the compound, Alice leaned back onto her chair. Her long brown hair was tied up in a high ponytail. “They had a headquarters once…” Alice mused. She leaned forward and began to type in coordinates. If she could recall, their headquarters was located somewhere along the outskirts of the old Rock Hard city. It seems during the transition, Cooper’s clan never made it. Alice began to rhythmically type in code after code, her fingers moved from key to key in a somewhat musical feel, she even hummed to the tune she had made.

Using what she had, her fingers led lines of code to a specific direction, bypassing defensive cyber walls and encrypted systems with little to no difficulty. A gleam on her glasses hid her eyes from sight and allowed the reflection of codes flashing on screen to appear.

With a final tap of her fingers, she ended her attempt. Three windows appeared on the monitor consecutively overlapping the previous as it displayed. Alice’s mouth creased at the side as she stared at the data she had gathered from various sources. One of the windows had data on power usage from the outer perimeter of Rock Hard city, the other had geographical analysis on the same area. Another had Bl.An.C.’s own video footage of the area; going and coming from it.

‘Seriously though’ Alice thought to herself. ‘He didn’t need to hide the site from me. Are you hiding something from me?’


Bl.An.C. was walking down the stairwell, his metallic footfalls echoed in the silence. Alone with his thoughts, scenes began to unfold in his head; panoramas of fiery death and fallout mixed along quiet views of him sharing the shade of a large tree with Alice. Images of the Observer Protocol fending off hordes of android soldiers entwined with memories of the Rising Stars chilling in their lounge.

His last step led him onto the fifth floor and Alice buzzed in from the com.

“Hey, Coop.” Alice chimed. “I found the RS Base.”

“Statement: Took you long enough.” Cooper replied, his hand grasped the door to the facility proper. He walked in the carpet hallway and, if his head was exposed, would have felt the breeze of cool air from the air conditioning system. His steps, muffled by the soft fur of the carpet, were slow and clearly took his time walking.

“Yeah, you said you didn’t want me snooping into your clan so I didn’t” Alice pouted but immediately got back to her normal self. “Your old base is huge, Coop.” She commended.

“Agreement: It is.” Bl.An.C. said solemnly. “Continuation: It housed six members including myself and had numerous rooms, notables were the training arena and my own workstation.”

“Did you program anything there?” Alice asked.

Bl.An.C. brushed past a few other gladiators as he entered the fifth floor lounge. It was a bit noisy with all the chatter of combat and clan alliances. He squeezed past a few familiar faces and gave them quick nods to acknowledge them as he passed them by but none of them were of the Rising Stars.

“Reply: I did. A few of the drones we have now were coded and manufactured there on my workshop. Others, I had helped reprogram the security system of the base.” Bl.An.C. walked towards an elevator. He was just in time to slide his hand between the two closing doors. He stepped inside and pressed the button marked with a capital ‘G’. It clicked on and shone red. The numbers on a digital display above showed the floor level, it was descending from five to four. “Query: What is the sudden interest in the base, Alice?”

“Well, I was curious to how your friends disappeared. I noticed that something has triggered the alarm. The defense system was activated as well.” Alice said urgently. “Someone got in.”

“Exclamation: Impossible!” Bl.An.C. could hear his scream inside his own suit but what was outputted from the suit was far from the original tone. “Query: Date and time of the set off?” The android’s pacing quickened but he attempted to keep composure. What could have set it off? An even more pressing matter is how he got past them?

“It was two months, a week and three days ago. Exact date is June 30, 20XX, at thirteen thirty five.” Alice recited. “The video footage was smashed as well. No records were left except for the alarm itself.”

“Statement: Someone left that for us Alice. If he was that careful to pull off all the stops to keep himself hidden, why leave this tidbit unscathed? The alarm system did not even send an alert to me. It means he knew about the system, he knew how to disable it, and he knew that the date was important.” Bl.An.C. explained, he rushed down the main flight of stairs and out the main door, caring not for those faces that said their hellos or exclaimed a few grunts.

“What’s so important about the date?” Alice questioned. Is this another thing you’ve been hiding under the RS curtain?

“Confession: The date is important simply because of the machine I was busy tinkering within the clan home.” Bl.An.C. gritted his teeth.

Alice’s lower left screen, a monitor that withheld icons of the suit’s gadgets, had an icon flash yellow then green. Cooper had called for the wingpack. “You’re heading there now?”

“Explanation: The device was part nuclear. It’s half life was of complete relevance. I left it there because no one would attempt to enter a decrepit clan housing” The android was soaring through the air. Bl.An.C. balled his hands into fists and the wingpack reacted, the orange flames burned out and a powerful blue white blaze blasted through.

“You left the Solar Flare Bolter?!” Alice said astounded. “Are you mad, Cooper?”

“Statement: Check the logs, Alice. I never touched the Bolter since the incident.” The android said, he was now above a massive wood and hidden under the canopy of leaves and foliage was the Rising Stars headquarters. “...it is something much deadlier.”

Alice had a sudden realization to what it was. Or could be. “You can’t have...We discontinued that project Cooper! We all agreed as a team to remove it!” The woman yelled.

“Statement: I understand your worry, Alice.” Bl.An.C. attempted to sound soothing but the android’s voice did not permit it. He touched down on the ground and rummaged through the bramble as he tried to find the entrance.

“Worry? What you continued was an act against humanity!” Alice couldn’t contain her anger. What made you continue this, Cooper? What forced you?

“Statement: The suit, Alice.” Bl.An.C. muttered. “Continuation: Ever since the suit went haywire against Jorka, the suit has been moving autonomously.”

“What?” Alice couldn’t believe it but she knew it was possible. The suit itself was still the android, it still retained all programming and protocol, so when it was drafted into a suit, nothing much had changed. Only the fact that a human could assume control of it but vice versa, though hypothetical, was possible. “The suit is sentient?”

Cooper’s helmet whizzed back to reveal his face, panting and determined. “It is.”

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

“Perimeter breached, sir” A man sitting on a swivel chair reported. His eyes never left the screen.

“Another animal, Chris?” The man in the back groaned. He approached the Chris and gripped the back rest. He leaned closer to take a look at the video feed. Through the grayscale thermal camera, the video captured a high heat source in the shape of a human figure.

“Switch to normal vision.” He barked. Chris did as was told and the video revealed the heat source to come from a black armored suit with green pulsating energy lining his arms and legs.

“It’s Price.” The man said. “Inform the head.”

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“Since when was the suit sentient?” Alice asked. ‘Nothing weird came up during any of your maintenances...how?’

Cooper removed the last of the bushes from the site. His breathing was a bit heavier now than it was from before, his eyes searched for a metallic door. “Well, its not that sort of sentient but it is self aware.” The scientist as he wiped off the beads of sweat on his forehead.

“Like in the tournament?” Alice asked.

“No. The tournament showed more than self awareness. In the previous years it was just simple things, like a sudden jerk or when I’m asleep it would work on something.” He confided. “I would get surprised sometimes I would awake somewhere else in the clan home.” Cooper found what he had looked for. His eyes rested on what looked to be an old iron door, its handles still shiny and new despite the increased greenery. It was faded but if you lean a bit closer and if the light was in the right direction, the embossed symbol of the Rising Stars would have been present and fully visible. The pseudo android moved closer, grasped the handles and pulled. The doors opened smoothly and without protest. The hinges were kept well oiled it seemed.

Cooper smiled. This wasn’t the main entrance. He had used one of the escape hatches, if ever in case their base was attacked by an enemy clan. Only one came to mind though, one that would think of attacking, but even then that war was ended nicely and on good terms. He entered the old hallway. His emerald eye shone its faded glow onto the thick darkness. The metal door behind him slowly closed.

“G, are you still online?” Cooper called out. “G? Can you get the lights?” Cooper almost stumbled in the darkness. His eyes, though accustomed to darkness, were still having trouble in this sort of inky black. “G?”

“Who is ‘G’?” Alice decided to ask.

“G was Jorka’s assistant. Or the clan’s assistant. He was a little butler robot so to speak.” Cooper said, a bit to himself as if to remind. “I wonder where he was. I remember giving that mechanism a nuclear fission battery. It should still be functioning.”

The lights abruptly went on, fluorescent lights swept the darkness aside in a flash. Everything cleared up and Cooper could see where he was. He was in the massive hallway, one of the many escape routes of the Rising Stars HQ. The old corridor’s lights were dim but not because of age, the dust that accumulated after all that time was astounding.

‘I bet Jorka would have gone mad with all this dust.’ Cooper jested. ‘Or maybe Rain.’

Each step threw dust in the air and would cause the pseudo-android to let out a sneeze. After finally reaching the end of the musty old hall, he ended up behind a wooden door. Not a door really, a cabinet.

Price knocked thrice and felt around the wood for an indention and applied pressure. When he did, a sound that mimicked a steam engine puff smoke echoed in the corridor and the wooden cabinet slid first, outwards and then sideways to reveal the room where it was placed. The living space was large, large enough for six people to lounge and play.

‘This.’ Cooper sighed. ‘This brings back a lot of memories.’

He walked towards the U-shaped couch, down to the carpeted floor and allowed his fingers to brush by the leather of the seats. He couldn’t feel it personally but it was more than enough. A massive flat screen television was in front of the couch. Below it were several controllers beside their respective gaming consoles. All neatly arranged and packed. Four stacks of games were propped a few inches away. Cooper couldn’t help but stare into the television screen, its darkness sucked up his attention and sent him into his memories.

I remember...a time when I was still cold. When I was still remorseful. I just couldn’t stop myself from remembering that day. So I stayed silent, during clan meetings I would give sound advice but after that, nothing. If there was one person I always had a chance to swing a conversation with, it was with SinkHole but even then, conversations with that man were scarce and brief. He tries to get a laugh out of me but I was too...cold. Then one day, I met Diittoo, the teen that could cheat his way through a crowd by his spit, in the sense that he’d call in more of himself and literally push everyone else to make way for himself.

I remember...that this was the room I first had an encounter with him. The guy that broke the ice.

“Hey, tin man!” Diittoo called out, his voice excited and jittery. “I bet you can’t beat me in the all time best game ever!”

The pseudo android looked over his shoulder, he was positioned on the couch comfortably, head rested on the back and arms left to droop on his side. “Query: And what game might that be?” Then a sudden splat of pink paint decorated Bl.An.C.’s jade eye.

“Paintball! And you’re out because, you know, you got hit. A head shot even.” The teen jeered, he said enthusiastically rolling his shoulders as he gazed into the scope of his paint rifle and fired a few more shots and a few more bright pink splats attacked the android. “You’re not even trying.” He said.

“Statement: I’ve got no time for this.” replied the android.

Diittoo kept staring. He fired a couple more rounds.

“Request: Cease, Diittoo.” Bl.An.C. said, despite the label, it was more of a command.

Diittoo fired several more rounds.

“Request: Alice, have a plasma gun ready, empty the energy cells and reconfigure the ballistic mechanism. Use paint as ammunition.” Bl.An.C. muttered but made sure it was loud enough for Diittoo to hear.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Diittoo cheered, raising his gun and firing a few rounds over his head.

“What’s all this ruckus, Diittoo---Oh you just did not!” Jorka came into the room, his eyes wide with fury. “You just did not fire paintballs in this room.” He said.

Diittoo spat on the floor and it slowly morphed into himself, complete with clothes and surprisingly, a paint pistol. It fired at Jorka. A small splat of paint stained the hitman’s leather coat. The paint was a neon yellow.

“I didn’t, he did. I fired on you though.” One of the Diittoos smiled and high fived each other.

Bl.An.C.’s custom gun arrived in a flash of light, he was staring at the standoff between his clan leader and the teenage clone generator. He gazed down onto his left arm. A plasma gun replaced his forearm but somewhat different.

Jorka s

And Happy New Years from OP~!

Quote from Chamel

And Happy New Years from OP~!

Happy new years from sweden everyone.

What can I say? I loved all your works. When I asked for awesome you delivered. I thank you guys for that. Now then CnC:

Nightlock ::


Chamel ::


blakphoenix ::


Everyone had pulled off great works and I honestly will have a hard time choosing. Haha. Will look forward to the other CnC if there will be :D

Error:
-I love how you put emotion into this, because if memory serves, you stated you had somewhat of a problem relaying some emotions. In this, you did splendid (I especially like the way you portrayed Diittoo and his overall excitement for everything).
-The paint ball scene was very nice, and quite surprising to say the least. It was nice seeing Cooper enjoy himself in a game other than one relating to cards.
-However, I think your transitions could have used some work. It seemed too fast-paced at times with not enough build-up to really emphasize the memory, if that makes sense. The final memory was nice though with a good build-up, so kudos to that.
-There were few mistakes I cahght as far as spelling, but it's nothing a good reread couldn't fix.
-Overall, this was a nice story EB. Now I'll get around to reading that Christmas special ^^


Night:
-I... I don't know what to say. This was beautiful, and I felt my heart twinge with each passing word. It was so heartfelt, so full of emotion... I just loved it..
-There were just a few instances where maybe a word was missing or misplaced, but very few.
-My throat closed up in a few scenes, heh.. But it was great nonetheless. Good job Night.



Blak:
-Hmm... Not quite what expected for the specific topic, but it was a decent read nonetheless.
-Your large vocabulary was exercised well in this, and it created a rather pretty ans colorful picture in my head.
-Along with Error's comments on a small amount of spelling mistakes, there were some instances where the use of a comma was not properly executed. Along with this, several run-ons were apparent, but a simple comma/period use could easily fix them.
-To be honest, I got "lost" several times.. It was usually when you transitioned to the memories; they seemed to blend together without much forewarning or setup.
-The wide array of ethereal beings was surprising, and quite amusing, to me, and I couldn't help but let a few chuckles loose every now and then.
-Error was right when he said you mix the serious plot with humorous add-ins together nicely, and it seems to be a specialty of yours; so keep at it.

~~~

I'm rather pleased with the outcome of our first monthly, albeit it took a little longer than a month; but we persisted and got them in! So good work OP :)

Error! Buddy! Long time no write! Just read your portion of the monthly and daamn. You've come a good long way from the first time I read your work. Hopefully I can do some catching up soon. Good to see the lounge alive and kicking!

Omg Cham! After reading them all for the first time, mine included, I see where you got lost in my story. I had section breaks that didn't carry over to stick page. Oh well, price of procrastination I suppose. I'll give a detailed CnC in a bit, but for right now: Error had a heartfelt nostalgia run with a seemingly thrown in and swiftly dispelled conflict, Cham had a recurring "follow me to this sad place but let's stop for coffee at the shop you don't remember opening with the love of your life 2 years ago" conflictless adventure, and Night I think I just read a hallmark movie....

Joking aside, I felt these all were at a good 8 out of 10; with the exception of mine being at a 7 due to rushing and format errors. Bravo all. Much words. Such good. Wow.

EDIT:: I realize that the jokes I have made here actually sum up my CnC for these stories.

Cham-Your story has, as most of your non-battle lore seems to, great emotional potential. You just need to pick your moments and properly build into them better. Even if it's a predictable plot, the right elements will always make rain. Also, when delving into something sad never write in that sadness, always play the hope or happiness; people like having something nice to hold on to, however ephemeral it may be. (Lol! Yes I used that word and Yes it's because I love how it sounds! ^_^)

Error-I can see that this piece isn't really some standard monthly delving into your character's lore. It seems to me that this is more of a heartfelt piece for you which is maybe why you were able to inspire emotion better than normal, because this piece inspires emotion better within you. I'm not going to critique this more than I have due to the fact that this has your heart in it. BUT I'M BRINGING THE HAMMER DOWN ON YOUR TOURNEY PIECE! BY THE TIME I'M FINISHED WITH THAT ONE, YOU'LL NEED A LOBOTOMY!!!! (hehe, Lobo must hate me by now. xD)

Night-I can safely say that with all the stuff you've written about her, I know Electra far better than I will ever know myself. It's a good thing that is really making me start to feel like Electra is a living, breathing person that I kinda care for. Even though you did write this piece with that whole tense shifting inconstancy I was able to use my cat as a stress relief ball and bear through it. Sadly I cant say much more for now I'm preparing for a cat funeral and am far too preoccupied.

HOLY...Fantomzed! Where have you been dude? :D Good to see you again. I hope to see you on the wRHG or at least in the O.lit. :)

I’ll be waiting for that CnC blak. :)

Yeesh.. Was it really that predictable..? Oh well.. I'll work on it.

And I guess I should have explained the whole coffee shop thing better in the actual writing.. It was supposed to be so changed on both the inside and outside that it was completely unrecognizable from what Chance and Lucia built. The only that hinted its past was the sign.. Eh. Live and learn.

About the eyes.. Lolwat. I didn't catch that all until you mentioned it Night, haha. Thanks for that.

I've been meaning to get around to these, sad I waited so long though!

Nightlock: I really have to admire all the heart you put into your piece, your thought showed though, and it showed a lot!
Bonus points for how the voice at the time matched the age, diffidently shows the layers of Electra and she was consistently depicted as very real.
That's all I can really say!

Chamel: To begin with, I confirmed that I have no moves from your first flashback. Makes things tricky!

Anyway, enjoyable read, I liked Lucas and thought he was depicted well, although to be honest, Lucia did come off as rather annoying to me. I mean, she did have a personality, but I don't know, it was too much for me. She giggled laughed and huffed a lot. Felt a little cookie cutter. Also, she never really had her own moments, so maybe I just didn't bond with her? There was nothing she did on her own. It was all either for Person X or Person Y and I never saw her as her own character, just Chance's girl. I wouldn't mind seeing her stand out from the crowd or what set her apart from the rest of the pack to make her irreplaceable.

Errorblender: Way to make me miss Freeborn! What the hell man!?
Seriously though, mad respect for that! I think you made all the characters as unique as their creators made them and they all had a very believable feel. I smirked at how well they played to each other and all the themes throughout were very applicable in the real world! As an evil person though, the cliffhanger had me grinning too!
Nicely done!

Blakphoenix: I respect everything that makes me laugh! Very funny!
I really enjoy how you keep intertwining mythology with your stories, diffidently a lot to explore on that road, and you're making a lot of good adventures. Although the flashbacks weren't triggered in a traditional way, it still made sense and was easy to follow, however they almost seemed a bit too abrupt at time. Just maybe like a sentence of transition might help slow it down a bit.

All in all, great job gentlemen! This is exactly why I voted you guys for best clan!

Alright! This sums up the Monthly!

As you can see our friend Nightlock has taken another win! Congratulations my friend. Further details will be said on the clan page. See you there OP.