Lugubrious

I Became a Monster, But Why?!

yes! this looks great. will try to get something up. Overwatch hype finally calmed down for me >.>

@liferusher

Perhaps you'll find time to post in Three Realms War, then?

I Became a Monster, But Why?!

Following her introduction, Otsune expected at least some sort of acknowledgment from the other little monsters –such an act would definitively prove them sane, and on her level- but instead, a small girl who appeared to be half spider went into a noisy, stuttering panic. While she sympathized with the girl on some level, given that it proved her to be just as baffled by the situation as Otsune, she found herself irate with the drider’s high-pitched gibbering. Wah-wah-wah-wah, why!? Wah, wah, wah! thought the snapjaw, derisively. It’s not that bad. I’m not even half human, and you don’t see me complaining. Of course, she said nothing. In a time like these, venting her veiled stress on an easy target would help nobody. Otsune did her best to focus her attention elsewhere, as she felt that any attempt on her part to calm Ariana down would only exacerbate the problem, and listened to the displeasure of the kobolds. They, at least, didn’t seem averse to getting heated. The one who named itself Mox -Special snowflake, huh?- demanded that the others forgive him for his verbosity before trying his luck with the spider girl. Though he made a halfway decent attempt to take charge of the situation, pretty much nobody seemed to be paying attention to him.

Another critter, this one a blue snake, joined Mox in an attempt to bestill the bamboozled drider, calling himself Hing. Perhaps he was Chinese? Even if it’s only names, having a trace to the world I know is welcome. Otsune found herself distracted by the imp, proclaiming her name to be ‘Saffron’. Uh, okay. It seems to me like people would be wanting to preserve whatever ties they might have to the real world, not reinventing themselves at the first opportunity. Well, I guess this is a pretty big shift. Makes sense that some people would want to embrace the change.

Only a few seconds passed before one of the creatures noticed her for the first time. Given her tranquility, it didn’t really surprise Otsune that she might sink into the background, but receiving no attention until now caught her a little off guard. ”That makes at least two of us with a level head,” she told him in reply. Her eyes wandered over every member of the ragtag bunch of misfits. In addition to the shrill drider, Mox the goblin, Saffron the demon kindergartener, Hing the snake, Jeff the lizard-goblin, and Neix the other lizard-goblin, there were two odd cats and some kind of bird-girl. Something else lingered at the edge of the cave—a dark, sinister, hunched-over shape that put the snapjaw on edge. Some sort of gooey thing with a ribbon sat nearby as well, silent thus far. Otsune informed whoever was listening, ”This cave is quaint and all, but I am ready to leave."

I Became a Monster, But Why?!

Name: Otsune

Race: Snapjaw (AKA Bayou Hound)

Race Abilities: Snapjaws have high endurance, able to run at a decent speed over land or swim for sustained periods of time. They have extremely powerful jaws despite their size, and can crush bones should one get a good purchase. Sadly, they can’t do much else. Snapjaws are most at home in warm, moist environments

Gender: Female

Personality: In the previous world, Otsune was compassionate, quiet, poetic, clever, thankful, considerate, gracious, and highly spiritual. Given a new lease on life in this place, however, her natural, real-life traits are commonly masked her new sense of self.

Otsune is energetic, outgoing, willful, ready to hurt and kill if need be, and greatly assertive. She is a huntress who prefers to act rather than think, a thrill-seeker and competitor. When fighting, she shows a merciless and savage side, perhaps imagining her enemies to embody all the immorality that her spirit strove against before. With her fellow monsters, nothing pleases her more than to mock, irritate, enrage, and humiliate. All of this, however, doesn't so much mask her previous self as it does filter to the top of it. Otsune still doesn't talk much, preferring to embarrass and annoy via gesture, traps, counters, turning foes' strength against them, and the like. She will never steal and won't often lie, and those that do not deserve to be hurt will not only be spared, but receive her protection. She never takes a blessing for granted, and always appreciates help and camaraderie. If the situation calls for wits, her keen intellect will bubble to the surface. At her core, she strives to act with the sort of grace and professionalism she thinks befits someone serving God.

History (Pre-Mortem): No amount of hard work, love, or previous fortune can prevent an ordinary woman, working alongside her husband in religious ministries, from dire misfortune. At the age of 26, Otsune found herself afflicted with a fast-working cancer. For a while, the spiritual woman wondered why God might allow such a thing to happen despite the blamelessness with which she lived her life, but ultimately, she did not lose her faith. Gradually, she embraced her coming death, and with the time she had left found more meaning and love in her life than ever before.

Nevertheless, when her husband found out that a place of healing in a far-off land might be able to save her, the two journeyed across towns, hills, and plains to see if God might provide for her after all. After her arrival at the hospital, Otsune underwent conventional treatment, but nothing availed her. Saddened but unbroken, Otsune bid a tearful but smiling farewell to her grief-stricken husband, and lay down for one last procedure -a blood transfusion- before the world went dark.

Appearance: About a foot tall and three feet long, snapjaws are amalgamations of dog and crocodile, with both scales and fur. The most prominent reptilian characteristics are the tail, head, eyes, and lower legs, while the rest is mostly dog. They come in a variety of colors and subspecies, but Otsune is light brown with cream-colored scruff and chocolate-colored patches on her back.

Other: I have something really cool in mind for an evolution, but it’s pretty strong. I think that having Otsune be the late bloomer would probably be the best way to accomplish that. Of course, I could introduce a middling form, without a picture to help things along.

Dark Souls, Kingdom rebuild.

It might be beneficial for the OP to message those who put up a sheet but haven't posted yet.

I Became a Monster, But Why?!

By the time the world began to recede, there really wasn’t that much more pain. That, at least, made it easy for Otsune to smile. Even then she could only do so feebly, though they were the last of the muscles to remain loyal to her in her final hour, but she felt it necessarily important that she did so. Did she fear death? Of course—the oldest fear of mankind was the fear of the unknown. She felt that terror acutely the day the doctor solemnly told her that there would be no recovery. At this instant it didn’t prickle her so badly. Leaving behind her loves, her friends, and everything she knew did not fill her with joy, but joyful memories surfaced in her mind’s eye. The light grew dim, leaving only the tear-covered face of her husband. Barely, just barely, she could feel his fingers entwined with hers, and the melodic beeping of the heart monitor. Through her melancholy she smiled still, for the sake of the man in whose heart she would live on, and in remembrance of all the wonderful things in her life that made her truly blessed. This was the end, she knew, but she had no regrets. She knew that something lay beyond this soft, quiet dark, and she had already made her peace with God. I’m ready, she had told her husband. I’ll wait for you. I love you. With God watching over her, what was there to fear in endless sleep…? She knew, as fell away from the light into a peaceable haze, that she would be judged fairly.

Otsune then awoke in an instant, as quickly as one rises from a sudden morning alarm. None of her usual grogginess troubled her, and for a moment she struggled to figure out her surroundings. After a few seconds the memory of dying sunk in, and her thoughts transitioned to what came next. The facts that she could feel moving air and see shapes alone provided her immense relief and validation; after all, what religious believer did not, despite the choice to live a life of faith, harbor some small, gnawing doubt at the back of her mind? At the very least this dark, cool place did not seem evocative of Hell, so she bit back her excitement and looked around, trying to discern the area. Almost immediately she discovered something off, and before casting an eye on any of the shapes in her vicinity she examined herself. It didn’t take a mirror or pool of water for Otsune to realize that in place of arms and legs, she appeared to have stubby, reptilian feet lined with doglike fur. A glance over the shoulder turned up a crocodile tail, but more fur as well. Though not panicked, Otsune could honestly say she was baffled. What!? Was there some kind of…mistake? She shook the thought from her mind and shakily stood to her feet. At the very least, standing on all fours felt natural, and not as awkward as it would be if a human attempted the position. Seeking guidance, the snapjaw looked around, exploring an increased field of vision but notable nearsightedness. She could easily, however, observe what appeared to be a skinny little girl with transparent clothes, wings, horns, and a tail. Otsune, now surprised and uncomfortable, shifted her gaze to a couple cats, a few goblin-looking creatures, and diminutive monsters weirder still.

Most of them spoke, but Otsune didn’t quite process the words. The conundrum pounded her head. Why? If I ever expected anything from death, it wasn’t this. I’m so confused. This is definitely not Heaven or Hell, or Earth, judging by these strange creatures. Maybe God has put me somewhere else. For safekeeping? A test? Or is this some sort of dream? She stared at the crystal water from afar, the angle permitting no reflection. Slowly she padded her way toward it, and a glance at its sparkling surface precluded any idea of humanity. I don’t know if it’s reward or punishment, but I’ll take it as a second chance. A few moments of listening to the others clued her in to their own confusion, fear, and so forth. None of them seemed quite as calm as she; perhaps none expected there to be life after death, as she had. At the very least, it made sense that they would be human souls installed into bestial bodies, just as she. Moving her long jaw experimentally, Otsune attempted to speak, and found her voice much more of a mental projection than a construct of air. ”He…hello. I am Otsune.” After a few seconds of studying her foot again, she thought about saying that she appeared to be some sort of lizard dog, but decided abruptly that she wanted to keep talking to an absolute minimum. A level head in this kind of oddball situation would not doubt help her immensely in coming to grips with this reality, though her heart beat with a certain youthful energy, one she had not felt for decades. Her muscles –God, it felt good to be able to move freely again!- begged for her to run, jump, and bite things. Otsune settled for a slow turn in a circle, and felt her ears flopping around. Fascinating…

Dark Souls, Kingdom rebuild.

Only after the menacing man threatened her, which sufficed to Delphine as enough cause to stick her needle through his exposed chest though said violence never did occur, and after the hospitable beckoning of the inordinately scantily-clad woman, did the good sister realize how badly she shivered inside her armor. The heat radiating from Syndere’s cast orb sang temptations to her, and gingerly Delphine approached. If not for the woman’s speech, she would have fled immediately, but in her travels thus far she found that hollows could seldom put words together. Delphine could not tell whether or not Syndere was undead despite her immodest and frankly embarrassing choice of dress, but at the very least she retained her mind as well as her body. No matter. This remarkable level of consideration from a complete stranger deserved thanks and praise. ”Th-thank you very much, sister. Your generosity invigorates my soul. Would that I could do unto you an act so recklessly kind.” No matter the situation, Delphine would not abandon etiquette, for it separated her from the undead.

Nevertheless, her uneasiness prevented her from seating herself by the fire, and her gaze fell on the other bare-chested man partaking in the fiery-eyed woman’s warmth. Did the denizens of this region not share the same standard of clothing as those of Eigenalle, or did they not understand the virtue of full plate? Regardless, she determined speedily that this man had at least hollowed some. His lack of verbal greeting seemed foreboding, and the gauntness of his flesh worried her, yet Delphine refused to judge him outright. Hammond, she read, the words as visible as the man’s smile. Watching his pantomime, Delphine furrowed her brows in concern for the man. Luckily, though, it seemed that the pain of arrows did not bother him as much as it might a living human. When he produced a club, Delphine froze, but he appeared to harbor no ill intent. As best she could discern, he wished to proceed down a nearby path, but a group of archers stalled him completely. ”Good evening. My name is Delphine. I’m a Prioress…a nun, if you have nuns around here.” Her eyes wandered the darkness, looking for the troublesome archers, but instead she discovered a soft orange glow up on a ridge—not quite fire, and not a trick of the light, either. Suddenly, she felt as if she were being watched, and by more than Malakaus, Syndere, and Hammond.

Before she could draw and definite conclusions, a terrifying screech rent the stormy air, and Delphine’s mind flew to the monstrous buzzard from earlier. Could it be that it survived being impaled!? No foe swooped down out of the darkness, however. Delphine could honestly say, were she asked, that she had no clue what was happening. Her greatneedle lay at the ready though, so she stood vigilant by the bonfire until a bizarre figure appeared in its light. Baffled as to what she was looking at, she thought about striking it but reasoned that no vicious monster would unleash that many gibbering eccentricities in quick succession; only a loony human could perform such a feat. Lunatics did not sit right with her, but if this one simply wanted a rest at the bonfire, she would not attempt to stymie him. Instead, Delphine drew back from the group and seated herself against a rock, fearful but now warm and casually optimistic.

I Became a Monster, But Why?!

@Lugubrious: Uh... So... Who's Highball? owo;;
But... Yeah, I think that should be fine once that set of inconsistencies is patched up. If it's a name change, at least stating as much would be nice. =w=;;
Also, you mind letting me run over the evo line when you get a chance?

@PKMNB0Y

Whoops, sorry about that, it was a design artifact. Do you want me to tell you the evo line here, or in a PM to keep it as a surprise for others?

I Became a Monster, But Why?!

Name: Otsune

Race: Snapjaw (AKA Bayou Hound)

Race Abilities: Snapjaws have high endurance, able to run at a decent speed over land or swim for sustained periods of time. They have extremely powerful jaws despite their size, and can crush bones should one get a good purchase. Sadly, they can’t do much else. Snapjaws are most at home in warm, moist environments

Gender: Female

Personality: In the previous world, Otsune was compassionate, quiet, poetic, clever, thankful, considerate, gracious, and highly spiritual. Given a new lease on life in this place, however, her natural, real-life traits are commonly masked her new sense of self.

Otsune is energetic, outgoing, willful, ready to hurt and kill if need be, and greatly assertive. She is a huntress who prefers to act rather than think, a thrill-seeker and competitor. When fighting, she shows a merciless and savage side, perhaps imagining her enemies to embody all the immorality that her spirit strove against before. With her fellow monsters, nothing pleases her more than to mock, irritate, enrage, and humiliate. All of this, however, doesn't so much mask her previous self as it does filter to the top of it. Otsune still doesn't talk much, preferring to embarrass and annoy via gesture, traps, counters, turning foes' strength against them, and the like. She will never steal and won't often lie, and those that do not deserve to be hurt will not only be spared, but receive her protection. She never takes a blessing for granted, and always appreciates help and camaraderie. If the situation calls for wits, her keen intellect will bubble to the surface. At her core, she strives to act with the sort of grace and professionalism she thinks befits someone serving God.

History (Pre-Mortem): No amount of hard work, love, or previous fortune can prevent an ordinary woman, working alongside her husband in religious ministries, from dire misfortune. At the age of 26, Otsune found herself afflicted with a fast-working cancer. For a while, the spiritual woman wondered why God might allow such a thing to happen despite the blamelessness with which she lived her life, but ultimately, she did not lose her faith. Gradually, she embraced her coming death, and with the time she had left found more meaning and love in her life than ever before.

Nevertheless, when her husband found out that a place of healing in a far-off land might be able to save her, the two journeyed across towns, hills, and plains to see if God might provide for her after all. After her arrival at the hospital, Otsune underwent conventional treatment, but nothing availed her. Saddened but unbroken, Otsune bid a tearful but smiling farewell to her grief-stricken husband, and lay down for one last procedure -a blood transfusion- before the world went dark.

Appearance: About a foot tall and three feet long, snapjaws are amalgamations of dog and crocodile, with both scales and fur. The most prominent reptilian characteristics are the tail, head, eyes, and lower legs, while the rest is mostly dog. They come in a variety of colors and subspecies, but Otsune is light brown with cream-colored scruff and chocolate-colored patches on her back.

Other: I have something really cool in mind for an evolution, but it’s pretty strong. I think that having Otsune be the late bloomer would probably be the best way to accomplish that. Of course, I could introduce a middling form, without a picture to help things along.

I Became a Monster, But Why?!

Hey, I think I'd like to join. That alright?

Dark Souls, Kingdom rebuild.

Stiffness found her first, before vision returned to her or noises came distinctly. Within the confines of her armor and the light garb beneath, a bitter chill troubled her, though if she had chosen to rest in the open she would have instead been cooked inside her armor, providing some stray killer didn’t find her first. With bones aching in protest and muscles only a little less fatigued after a short sleep, the good sister roused herself from the little treeclump hollow where she found refuge. As much as she despised sleeping in armor, and as much as she longed for the sublime comforts of her far-off convent, Delphine seldom took it off. In this foreign land what security she could find came few and far between, so she held what she could close, in the hopes of staving off an accursed death. Brushing aside a pile of leaves, she recovered her hidden greatneedle and little shield, and just as she had done every day she slung the former onto her shoulder and the latter onto her left arm. When she closed her eyes in those woody confines, the dusky halflight that passed for day shone from above, and now darkness had yet to fully fall—she could not have been out for long. Still, judging by the sound a storm was soon to roll in. Delphine paused to take off her glasses and rub the frustrating grogginess from her eyes, replaced them, and took a step forward.

Through the spindly, grasping branches of the forest crashed an enormous bird, though second glance confirmed it to be anything but natural. Its head seemed to be a carnivorous contortion of bone, spiky and intimidating, and other plates and spikes adorned its being; it was a carrion bird in more than name. The undead vulture let loose a piercing shriek and extended its neck to snap closed an ivory-white beak on Delphine’s skull. Still not entirely lucid, she cried out as she swung wildly with her greatneedle, and the long, thin blade cleanly cleaved off a third of the monstrosity’s head. It recoiled, remarkably unperturbed by the grievous wound, but took off to find easier prey elsewhere.

Heart beating like a frenzied drum, Delphine rushed through the deadwood away from the place of the encounter. She ran until her breath grew short, and she drew to the edge of a little cliff. At its bottom lay an expanse of grass littered with rocks, many stacked into crude cairns, pillars, or arches by people long ago. Delphine thought the more open area a drastic improvement to the claustrophobic, shadowy forest if she was to be traveling, and set to gauging the distance for a drop. As she did so, she did not think twice about a vague shadow passing overhead, and only realized its import when the huge buzzard bulled into her from behind, sending her flying off the cliff in a tangle.

In the air, her screaming flew wasted into the wind, but her battle instincts fired up. As the creature struggled to free itself from the human that gripped it, Delphine maneuvered herself on top and, holding her weapon by the blade, poked it into the feathers that hung like rotting leaves on the bird’s breast. When they hit the ground, the force propelled the sword through the monster and into the earth, as well as sending Delphine rolling on the ground like a sack of bricks. When her senses came flooding back a moment later, a wave of pain came with them, telling her that several of her bones had been broken. Drops of rain washed the dirt and blood from her face where a chip of stone had cut a stinging gash. Feebly she reached for her belt to pull out a talisman. Her recitation of the Great Heal suffered several interruptions by way of bloody cough, but the light shined upon her nonetheless, and after a moment she was able to stand with bones renewed. Still aching and distraught, Delphine pulled her sword from the dead bird and cleaned its blade as she walked. It took only a few minutes to traverse the field of artifice, and no enemies appeared on the way. Moving down a little path between some boulders, she spotted an orange glow in the distance that restored a small light in her eyes. Delphine moved quickly toward the bonfire, finding the terrain perfectly manageable, and slid down a short, dusty incline only to find the bonfire occupied by three others. Her hopeful energy died instantly, and her clutch on the greatneedle tightened, but beyond reason she dared to believe that these undead would not strike her down in her weakened state where she stood. Would her tale end here, after all?