Praetoria: Conversations with my Characters
By
Aliana Blue,
Posted on: 2009-10-28 17:21 in Roleplaying
hmm
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Now my namesake has already made his intentions clear (check the sig image and topic).|
Praetoria..yeah...heard the stories from those who served with the Maiden of Battle, this gleaming city where nobody goes hungry, where you don't have to fight. Sounds like a Paradise right? See that's my problem, we...what do you call us...ah yes 'War Worlders' can't live in a place like that, where's the struggle, the bloodshed, the glory of combat? Once my goal was to be good enough to finally be taken to Praetoria as one of the elite warriors the Maiden of Battle accepts into her retinue...since I've been in this world, things have changed. I've learned that to exist in combat is the best way and I've learned there's something far more powerful than Emperor Cole. Some people call me crazy for worshipping Rularuu but atleast I know my God exists and that his second coming will devour the multiverse. I live for the now, for the thrill of combat, because nothing else is going to matter soon enough. Mark my words,the great Rularuu will reforge himself...so I'm going to go there and see where the battle takes me...might end up a hero...might still be a villain... Rularuu guides my path..." Servant of Rularuu aka Barb Arian- Axe/SR Brute and SS/Fire Brute. |
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Pah, Resistance and Loyalists are both fools...I will not bow to this 'Emperor' Cole the same way I would not bow to Statesman, Recluse or Reichsman...they are merely a force for order...order which I CANNOT stand. Atleast Recluse gives us scientists free reign to experiment as we wish, I doubt Emperor Cole would offer me the same opportunity.... Now the Resistance are too weak to truly do what is required...you want to take the Tyrant down...nuke his palace, sure there will be civilian casualties but those are the sacrifices of true freedom. Both sides can go to hell as I say let anarchy reign through Praetoria. I shall bring them science that they could not have dreamed of, terrors greater than their worst nightmares and true freedom, to do whatever it is you wish, do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law is my motto...another rather interesting gentleman had the same motto...I can't remember his name...some master of the dark arts but he had the right idea. Praetoria will burn to the ground and I shall be herald as both saviour and as villain... Dr Mechano- 50 bots/FF MM |
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You mortals dare to attempt comprehension of the multiverse and time itself? Arrogance. Even the insane god of the Shard dare not tread where the darkness grows. The Menders are but a tool in the great cogs of destruction. Praetoria is nothing but a flea on the back of a dog that will bear the weight of the eternal threat looming on the fringes of existence. Flee, little monkey, before the Demon of Ice and Fire denies everything you are. -Abyss Watcher, DM/Shield Scrapper, A Mostly Passive Deity |
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Praetoria is a nightmare, nothing but the delusions of grandeur made reality by power of a twisted psychopath-AND HOW HE WILL BURN WHEN THE FIRES OF MY WRATH DISSOLVE HIS TINY LITTLE KINDGOM LIKE THE KINDLING HE IS! *ahem* I will watch as Marcus Cole, the Tyrant of my world, screams one last plea of agony before I end his miserable excuse for a life. -Radiant Killer, Fire/Rad Corr, Deranged supergenius bent on literally atomizing both Primal and Praetorian Earth. |
There ya go.
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Praetoria, huh? Sounds like that place needs a bit of spicing up, waddya think, Freddy? *Nudges Freddy Filth (Arsonist)* Look, what use is a world that's perfect, has a top notch police force and perfectly secure banks if no one ain't gonna test it out? Robbin' Paragon is boring at this stage! I mean, PPD practically opens the vault for me when the hear that Johnny Filth and the Black Wolf Gang is in town! A fresh start, new name and a helluva lot of more cash! Praetoria, the Black Wolf Gang is gonna rock your world! Awoooo! Johnny Filth- Thug/Forcefield Mastermind |
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A perfect world? Really? This. This isn't possible, is it? Our world isn't perfect, and there's is. Maybe they can help bring me back to what I once was.. Not a walking shamble, inhabited by an alien symbiot! If I can prove myself to Cole, he can give me a cure. And if I can get myself a cure, then my wife will no longer shun me and I can go back to being an ordinary professor. It sounds like heaven. Dr. Warren Shade- Umbral Blast/Umbral Aura Warshade. |
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He didn't really answer the question, but I think it can safely be said he's an Anarchist on the spectrum. :/ |
Praetoria? I like the concept. It's a nice place, but at the same time it's not like that saint-**** city crap we have going here in Primal. But it also sounds BORING. No fighting in the city proper? What the hell? A good majority of the populace is properly educated, with loads of leisure and little to no labor needed of them thanks to some ******* automaton piles of crap? I don't like it. Sheep like those don't really have a place on my list of people I like. On the other hand, if I do ever decide to start a following, it would be good to get some normal, more level-headed people in on it. Nobody like that here in the Isles, that's for sure, and I would rather cave in my own skull with a ******* rock than put up with those pedestrians in saint-**** city. Huh. I wonder if they have any Freakshow in Praetoria... And I don't like those Resistance ********. Praetoria has problems, I get it, but a good deal of it is really top-notch. They just go around causing problems, not solving them. Even so, I might have been able to get behind their idea if they didn't half-*** the thing. Their chances of succeeding, on a scale of 1 to 10? Somewhere roundish -1000. They're all going to crash and burn, and eventually Cole is just gonna curb-stomp them out of existence. Speaking of, I hate that dick-head Statesman clone crapsack of an emperor they have. Sure, he MADE it a nice place, but he's still Marcus Cole. Jackass. Still, he's another physical god incarnate for me to kick the crap out of. Makes my own claim to godhood more legit. So at the very least, I'm going to have fun throwing him off the roof of that large phalic tower of his. Ah, wait. He can fly. **** it, I need some booze. Tafari- Electric Melee/Electric Shield Brute |
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I hear they have tinker toys over there! I wanna go play with 'em! And I want cake. Need cake. With a pop-up rocket turret! And cyanide candy corn! Can I also get a beanie with the boss' face on it there? I want a beanie. And I want a tinker toy. Do they have any playgrounds there? How long is recess-time there? Do I have to go to school? Where can I get one of those tinker toys? Is the sky still blue there? Captain Rabbit tells me it's orange. An Urban Fellow of Merry Wit (Age 8)- Devices/Traps Corrupter |
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Praetoria, hmmm? Well, since my apparatus is positioned over Primal Earth rather than Praetorian Earth, venturing there is rather out of the question. However, I am quite interested in this "Resistance" I keep hearing about. It sounds like an excellent catalyst for Ignus Fatuus, maybe a little bit of Paramnesia. An environment such as Praetoria, as it is now, is so rife with...Hmm. What word would be best? Significance? Meaning? Bah. But anyway, I imagine I would have quite a ball there. It would be like shaking up the proverbial hornet's nest! The entire world there seems to be deliberately constructed in a dramatic fashion and setting without being droll or tedious like it is here on Primal Earth! It would be perfect! But alas, I am stuck here. *sigh* Phantom Crash- Illusion/Force Fields Controller |
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Sheesh. Never get on the bad side of an advanced AI.|
Portal Corp get's their naive mitts on all the good tech. If they didn't have pretty much every high-powered cape crawling over that island, I'd be liberating a lot more of it... Still, Praetoria...Looks shiny. Depends on the cogs and gears underneath the hood, though. Some of the worlds through portals are so much junk. This one, though...I dunno, smells like potential to me. See if I can't get my hands on some of their tech. See what makes it tick. And then, hey, there's always the option of fireworks. I might even have to upgrade OMEGA 1's missiles loadout...hehehe... Now, what was it...oh, yes; GET OUT OF MY LAB! -Techbot Alpha |
Praetoria's gonna rock
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Originally Posted by Zwillinger
GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.
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Originally Posted by Captain_Photon
NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.
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"Praetoria? Honestly, I haven't given it much thought. Sure, there are those backwards fascist versions of the heroes I admire, and I can't tell you how satisfying it is to get them to fight each other... But, after seeing the televids of the place, it just looks like a cleaner version of the Rogue Isles. I heard that Ghost Widow is alive, but Recluse is dead. You think he's a ghost there?" ~Dolphin M/K Controller |
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"Emperor Cole knows how to rule. Now get out of my face." ##Krotus El/El Blaster |
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"Praetoria isn't much better than the Rogue Isles. They just clean up after themselves. It'll be a fun place to breeze through on my way out of this hellhole." ~Sorozat R/R Corruptor |
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"Bibbldybackwards places make things interesting. Tell me, if I told Emperor Cole to go **** himself, do you think he'll look up Statesman or Reichman? HAHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa!" ~Bone Pappy Z/D Mastermind |
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"I saw myself over there. He's a complete *******." ~Ko-Ju Ryn Kat/Reg Scrapper |
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"Yeah, we thought we saw another one of us over there too." "Turns out, he's powerless." "Well that makes sense. He wasn't in the accident like we were." "He might've been?" "He didn't show up here!" "Hey! You think we could send Red over there for good?" "Don't give him any ideas!" Various Parallellums discussing Praetoria over breakfast. Also discussed was sending their Axis self through, just to get rid of him. |
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I don't have time to think about alternate realities. I'm too busy trying to kill the Marcones for offing my entire family. Now beat it!" ~Mick Falcone Thug/Trap Mastermind |
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"Inquiry invalid. Self does not answer to Paragon Times anymore. Now beat it, meatbag." ~Camera Bot Ill/Kin Controller |
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"The universe itself is an amazing place. I'm actually curious about what our brethren are like in other universes. Will they greet me with open arms, shoot me dead, or are they all hanging out at some brown dwarf, drinking boson lattes?" ~Darkksun Warshade |
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I don't know. I mean, sure it all sounds pretty good, but I'm not really sure if I believe the whole "perfect" line. If they've got it so perfect there, why are they trying to get people to come there from here? And how great can it be if the whole place is being run by a bunch of cheap Freedom Phalanx knock-offs, anyway? Just between you and me, I've heard some stuff about those guys and what they do to places that aren't willing to play ball with 'em. Me, I've still got a job to do and people who need my help right here. - David Byers, PPD Detective, Kings Row (secretly a superpowered Nrg/Nrg Blaster in the Cerulean Legion) |
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I've yet to see any society, or any person, for that matter, that's truly "perfect." We are the sum of our flaws to be overcome as much as our virtues, and the idea that an entire society has collectively overcome those flaws... let's just say I'm suspicious. When someone gives you an offer like this on a silver platter, look for the tarnish they're trying to cover up. - Remand, Warshade |
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It's not gonna work. Nope, nu-uh, not gonna happen. It's entropy, y'know, it all breaks down, it falls apart and you try to sweep it up under the rug and hide it away, make it nice. But you know. And they know. And it's just there, piling up under the rug, getting bigger and bigger until... ooh, look at that! - Evan Horizon, Grav/Kin Controller |
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Care to tell me again just how you found me? Fine, then. What was the question? Praetoria? Hmm... well, it's your money and my time. Why not? I'll admit, the idea intrigues me somewhat. Purely on an intellectual level, you understand. I have little interest in ideological squabbles of the sort that everyone else seems to concern themselves with. Still, it is an offer ripe with possibilities for someone of my skills and interests. Oh, you wanted a definitive answer? Sorry, you don't have nearly enough money to really get inside my head. - Knowbody, Bots/FF Mastermind |
There is an art, or, rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss. --The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
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After speaking with this hero, I travelled to Grandville to interview one of the more recent world-class villains. After waiting in the customs queue for several hours, I was finally given clearance to enter.|
*Praetoria? A parallel universe, for certain, but not truly parallel. It strikes me as being more of a... more of a glimpse of things as they might have been. Would I have a counterpart there? I suspect I would. Would he be as I am now? Or would he actually be as I was originally? Would he be good, or would he be evil? There is only one thing that I am certain about.* Praetoria:Threat: Human/Rikti Peace. Mentalshock - Humanized Rikti Blaster Elec/Mental. |
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Heh, Praetoria's nothing special. If I can go toe to toe with Recluse and hand him his own head, and if I can rip Statesman's ears off, why should I be worried about some goons who haven't the courage to invade? Sure, there's plots and stuff, but really, I get the chance? I'm going over there, and taking that throne for myself. Talon Pyre - Natural Claws/Fire Brute |
"Don't you know dead is spelled m-e-n-t-a-l in CoH? - SapphireShot
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Well, I've heard some things. Mostly rumors. I can't say I care much one way or the other, but there *is* one that interests me. There are whispers that one of their Resistance leaders, she's a version of Belladonna Vetrano, but, you know, still *alive*. Now, if that little tidbit is true, Praetoria becomes much more interesting. Perhaps this... alternate could provide there's a way to return our dear mistress to life, one that our oh-so-beloved Recluse and his whipping boy Daos would be unable to interfere with. Yes, I think Praetoria will have its uses when the time comes. Oh, and if you think you're printing any of this, you won't leave this room alive. Spy Spider, Night Widow. |
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I like what I've heard. Rulin' by force, might makes right, all that. Learned that one the hard way. You gotta fight for anything and everything in this world, even the smallest scraps. If Cole got himself to the top of the heap, he's doin' something right. I don't know if I'd bother to go there. I've got things to do here. I'm gonna be someone special, just you watch. All those Destined Ones, carryin' around their gadgets and magical bits, all that power, just waitin' for someone better to take it. Like me. Savage Scavenger, BA/WP Brute and Mercy street-rat turned supervillain. |
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Cole is a Fascist pig. The people of Praetoria have been under his heel for too long, and they need only a spark for the whole place to go up in flames. The resistance, they are true heroes of the people. It will take only a little push to make a resistance into a revolution, and I should like to help make that happen. To be there when Cole falls, comrade, that would be something special. Soviet Snow, Ice/Ice Blaster |
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Praetoria's a most intriguing place. This world is so factionalized, so splintered. It takes a great threat to unite people for even the briefest of moments, and when it passes, you return to your squabbling, ignoring the truly great things that could be accomplished if we were united under one banner. *Click* *Whirr* Did you see the game last night? Sky Scout, AR/Dev Blaster |
((Oh god...the chicken men of Krankor. I have so much love for you right now, Petey. SO MUCH LOVE.
"AND MINCE, gentlemen, two, three, four!"))
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| Rosalind could not be reached for comment as she was busy chasing an ice cream truck, barking hysterically. |
Japancakes.
Art - Theme 005 - Seeking Solace
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(AR/Devs blaster) |
Praetoria? Hnnf. Take a look around, pal. Atlas Park...Galaxy City...Even the so called 'Heart of the City' has gang problems. Normal drugs, 'supes, gang warfare, theft, muggings by the dozen, gun-running...Sure the place looks shiny, right up until you get down the back alleys. Then it's a whole different world out there. Praetoria will be just the same. Shiny on the outside, sugar coated maybe...but there's going to be a whole mess of stuff festering beneath all that. Same as any city. Call me cynical...hell, most people do...*pauses to light a cigarette* But cities are always the same. Humans are always the same. Whatever dimension they're from. Just manifests in different ways. Hmm? Do I like my job? Buddy, if I didn't take satisfaction in what I do, I wouldn't be here right now. Now, if you'll excuse me... -Jen Kerringer, PPD SWAT Sergeant |
((To be re-rolled as Pistols/Something in GR
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Originally Posted by Zwillinger
GG, I would tell you that "I am killing you with my mind", but I couldn't find an emoticon to properly express my sentiment.
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Originally Posted by Captain_Photon
NOTE: The Incarnate System is basically farming for IOs on a larger scale, and with more obtrusive lore.
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When was the last time you sat down and asked something to your character?
"Hey, Ultra Electric Babe, what do you think of this?"
Something like that. Well, after all the information we have received about Praetorian Earth and whatnot, I took the notes I had and went to ask some of mine what they thought about the whole deal. The results were... Insightful, in some cases, and expected in others. Here's some of them.
I serve my Goddess, Fortuna. She holds the scales and directs how the threads of Fate are weaved. I'm not here to help anyone, I'm not here to join any sides. I'm here to make sure you live up to your fate.
Do you believe you have a grand destiny ahead of you? Do you think you have been chosen for something or other? Do you feel assured you are the only one who can do what needs to be done?
You may be. I myself don't know the designs of my Goddess.
But I will be there to test it. If you rely on others, you may get stabbed in the back when you rely on me. When you want to conquer, you will have to get past me. When you want to reach a prize, I'll be there guarding it.
I'm not invincible, I'm not even that powerful. But I'm the obstacle the Goddess has put in your path. Deal with it if you truly think you have a destiny.
(She kinda went on a tangent there, but there you go)
- Fate Hunter, Martial Arts/Energy Aura Stalker.
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(A very uncomfortably long silence followed, with Marionette looking at me with her emotionless, porcelain-like doll face and unblinking eyes. There are few things as distressing as a robot looking at you waiting for input. After I informed her that there are no Longbow or Rikti in Praetoria, she turned around and went to smack some unsuspecting Longbow Warden that was passing nearby).
- Marionette, Electric/Electric Brute
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Well okay, I don't mind the latter. But in all seriousness, I'd much rather have had a normal life, you know? In Praetoria, I'd still be in full shape and wouldn't need to do all this. My sister would have a normal life. Yes, she completely adores Tilly, but she's bound to her as her guardian because of a magic ritual! If the Circle hadn't existed, she'd be free, and Tilly would be a happy child living with her parents!
But it's all pointless. We're here, I have cyborg arms and Vanguard weaponry. And I'm not afraid to use them to protect Praetoria.
And maybe that way nobody else will have to go through what I did.
- Waldrada, Broadsword/Shield Scrapper.
*Swish*
*Clatter*
>Cries of Pain<
*Smack*
(This continued for a while, I couldn't get a word from the scrapperlocked lady, but I winced more than once at the indescribable acts of savagery I witnessed. Tilly, the little girl she is the guardian of, didn't seem to mind much, which I found very distressing).
- Walkiry, Broadsword/Regeneration Scrapper.
You can write that down, and put it in the classifieds part of your newspaper.
- Larcticus, Ice/Cold Corruptor
Don't give me any word play ambiguity crap, it's very simple. You have to do both, and that is the only way a society can work. The people of Praetoria have had their trust betrayed by those who were supposed to help them, and that's something I can't forgive.
Trust is very precious, and its betrayal is not something I can easily overlook. When Bobby and I merged, it was a supreme act of trust, and I hold it as the most precious experience in my life. Trust can be a wonderful thing.
- Astacidea, Warshade working in the Police Department.
I don't think the Resistance can make it. Well, they may be able to make it from a military point of view. Gather enough forces and crush the opposition. But that's only going to fuel the fire and start a new, opposite cycle.
Only someone who's close to Cole and someone he trusts can make him see what he has become, at least in a way that doesn't involve more death and destruction. It's very hard to hear someone who you see as your enemy, even if they have seen into your heart.
I just hope it happens before he does something he will truly regret for the rest of his life. Oh, sure, there's terrible things happening under his command, but it's all anonymous, faceless statistics an numbers. I'm talking something close and personal. Something...
(She went very quiet after this, and I couldn't get another word out, so I decided to leave her at that).
- Aliana Blue, Invulnerability/Energy Melee Tanker.
Here in Paragon there's a bunch of bad guys doing bad things every day, so I go out there and beat them up. It's simple and easy, I don't have to think, and I get to be the hero like I always wanted.
I mean, Longbow and Miss Liberty and all those people aren't exactly happy with me, just because, you know, I took this suit from them. But I have helped a lot of people, like, really helped them, and they are so happy, and so am I.
I dunno, if Ali or Wal can tell me who the bad guys are, no problem. But, you know, the bad guys in Paragon aren't going away in a hurry. I'll just hang around here.
- Spikey Star, Ice/Fire Blapper.
Look around you, look at all the terrible things mankind has done to our planet when allowed to run rampant without guide! Toxic waste, nuclear weapons, global warming, unnatural weather, desertification, the list goes on and on...
And what do we do? We support these people! We support the very world structure that promotes nuclear war, degrades our environment, rips apart our habitat, and destroys our Earth! Every time you protect a politician, a lawyer, a businessman, anyone who lives mooching off this corrupt system.
But not in Praetorian Earth. In Praetorian Earth there is hope for peace and harmony! Where flowers blossom, and nature runs its course as intended. It only needs some more help, just a little bit and it could become the perfect planet!
Join us! The Hamidon needs your help! Let's take down the last barriers, conquer the last industries, destroy the last cities! Let Nature run wild! We are so close, you know you want to do the right thing!
We love you!
(Needless to say, she was thoroughly converted before I even spoke to her; kinda scary, come to think of it. I hear she's made a call for others to join her already).
- Maximum Chaos, Plant/Storm Controller.
We understand. We are two sides as well, although not in the same way. We are both as one, we are in touch with each other.
It's a bit like our mother Selene. She comes out at night and sometimes she illuminates that which is hidden, and sometimes she goes dark and quiet. You cannot bottle the two sides of human nature.
As we said, we think it is all an illusion. But we don't know who the illusion is for, the citizens of Praetoria or for Emperor Cole himself. We feel a bit of pity for him.
(It was very distracting to hear two people at once talking to a single person. For what I've gathered, there are two souls crammed in there in a single body).
- Moon Eclipse, Illusion/Radiation Controller.
(She took off running after saying that, and I couldn't find her again).
- Walnut Pie, Dark/Psionic Defender.
So no, I'm not leaving Paragon in a hurry.
Praetoria? Oh sorry, I went off topic there didn't I? Well, it's just that it's a very exciting subject! But Paragon University is very demanding, in what other country could you have a fully functional gravity controlling combat suit and still be told by your supervisor that it's not enough to write the thesis?
Praetorians? Look, as long as my research is paid for, I don't really care.
- Antiquark, Gravity/Force Field Controller.
- Actin, Dark/Invulnerabilty Scrapper.
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The Invasion of the Bikini-clad Samurai Vampiresses from Outer Space? - Arc ID 61013