Kato

WOOT! About 2 more weeks until 1-18-08, when the infamously advertised Cloverfield movie comes out! Sounds like it's going to be awesome! And I'm excited that America's getting its own Kaiju. One that's not cute and cuddly like King Kong. So, any speculations on the monster? Anyone else as pumped as I am? Share!

Alright, I have a challenge for you artisty types out there.

OBJECTIVE: Design 'Rai' as a maren or other such NiGHTS creature.

RULES:
1. Entries must be of Rai.
2. Entries must be at least vaguely Journey of Dreams style. (This means more details.)
3. Entries must be your own artwork.

PRIZES: I'll hand out a full commission to the winner.
- Also of note, depending on participation, I might hand out modest freebies. (Assuming I haven't already done one for you.)
Prize Example (What I mean as far as quality.)
Freebie Example (These aren't guaranteed. But we'll see.)


REFERENCES:

http://www.demon-hea...andom/khrai.png
http://www.demon-heart.com/mm/rai.png
http://www.demon-heart.com/mm/rai2.png
http://www.demon-hea...m/shadowrai.png
http://www.demon-hea...m/mm/virai1.png

NOTES & DESCRIPTION:
Rai is a tough guy. He's probably taught Chuck Norris everything he know. Or at least of that equivalent. Where Rai comes from a lot of people are afraid of him, due to his immense physical strength and ridiculous amount of firepower. He was originally concieved as a Mega Man type character, but like many OCs I like he's begun to filter over to other things. Now I want a NiGHTS version.

TIPS:
- He doesn't have to be a humaren.
- His favorite color is blue.
- Rai has muscles. I'd reccomend at least an attempt at including them.
- His favorite element is electricity.
- Rai is a very serious person. He does NOT 'clown' around. If you get my very unsubtle subtext.
- Rai's favorite animal is the Penguin.
- His favorite letter is M.
- His hair is brown and his eyes are green. Hair is optional on Maren. Eyes, if he has them in your design, should be neon green.
- In regards to the above tips, that's not an invitation to make a blue, muscular, electricity covered, non-clown penguin with a big letter 'M' on his face. Seriously. That would look awful.

Go for it.
And go ahead and post a reference image of your own Nightmaren when you sign up. Just in case.

ENTRIES:
KiloTango
Maresuke

I just kinda felt the need to develop a personality for my Fanmaren. This is open for anyone who wants to join I guess.

Characters Involved:
Kato Maren (He has no name, really.) & Dreamer
Grape & Dani
Kaleido

"Back again, visitor?"
The voice drifted over the landscape in a demeaning manner. The dreamer took it in as he did his surroundings. His dream was showing signs of change. It began a few nights ago when he stumbled his way into a very lucid slumber. He found himself in a very blank realm at first, but then as he moved through it, it began to take form. First it was all sand. Then steppings stones came from that, and the sand turned to grass. Then the empty sky became a cosmic light show, and buildings began to appear. Unusual science-fiction buildings with energetic tunes playing just outside. It was like he was in his very own amusment park all to himself. There were rides, and mazes, and haunted houses all along the boardwalk leading to an outdoor elevator. And when one rose up past the clouds they were in a sci-fi adventure unlike anyone could imagine. Twisting hallways leading to an observatory, and an elegant room of study. This place was his dream world. A place of fun and imagination, where rides had no lines, and anyone could be brave no matter how frightening the haunted house. It was a Neon Boardwalk, all for the dreamer.

But then after a night or two in paradise, a figure approached the same realm unexpectedly. The figure, though difficult to describe, had black spiky hair with a single long protruding curl. His face was stark white and detailed with golden designs below his glowing orange and yellow eyes. He wore a black headband with a red jewel, and above all of this a mask in half-black half-white with the bottom portion carved into a cheshire grin of triangular teeth. Below his neck was a large steel collar in black adorned with silver spikes. His shoulders in black with red spirals leading into a jester-like triangle trim of gold and black. Instead of fingers he had long red claws which seemed to sparkle as if they were rubies. His chest and stomach were covered in white cloth, while his sides and legs were in black. A trim of masks like the one on his head ran down each thigh until they connected with black and white striped boots. But of particular oddity were the bizarre tentacle-like limbs, striped in black and white, which pierced skywards from his back before curling into spirals.

This unusual specter was the source of constant animosity for the dreamer. Whenever the dreamer wanted to go on a ride, the specter would always be in front of him in line and would always take the seat he desired. When exploring a haunted house, the figure would enhance the fear by jumping out from dark corners before laughing and continuing onwards. And the elevator to the space station above the clouds always closed its doors and began its lengthy ascent the moment before the dreamer would arrive. And from its cylindrical glass walls, the apparition could always be seen waving smugly. The constant antagonizing frustrated the dreamer and he decided to approach the figure. But as soon as he came within earshot, the creature spoke.

"It's frustrating, isn't it? To not get what you want? To be constantly overshadowed? If you really wanted something, you'd take it no matter what."

The dreamer blinked curiously as what he had just been told. "While I admit a few disappointments, I will remain polite. It's the nice thing to do. I would like to ask why you show me no such courtesy?"

"Courtesy? Politeness? And why should I? I can do things you cannot, and there's nothing you can do about it." The creature became airborne and began drifting idly in circles through the air.

"But what you're doing is inconsiderate. I'd like to ask that you stop."

"Ha. Make me."

"This is my dream, I can do whatever I like here."

"Can you? Can you really?" The specter drifted close, his deep, burning eyes gazed soullessly at their prey. "You'll have to kill me to be rid of me. But you don't have the talent to do so here. But I can kill you whenever I want. So who's dream is this? Yours, or mine?"

And with that the ground vanished entirely, and the dreamer fell before waking up in a cold sweat. His nightmare had won this time, but he got himself a drink and headed back to bed. When he reentered the plane he had considerable determination to ignore the interloper. His efforts however, were futile, and the reprecussions were great. Now he could no longer ride the rides or visit the mazes. Everything was closed and locked. However, each time, he'd always see the intruder having a grand time with them. Pitiable, the dream sat down on a bench trying to will away the locks on the doors when the figure approached.

"If you weren't such a sissy, you'd smash the locks, push me out of the way, and take what you wanted."

"But that would be impolite." The dreamer reasoned.

"But this is a dream. None of this is real. You could destroy everything and it wouldn't make a spit of difference."

In a fury the dreamer nodded, and moved to the roller coaster entrance. The gates to the line were covered in chains and locks, and the whole setup resembled a fortress. Resolving that he must take control, he began pulling at the chains to no avail. But the figure was watching this, and grinning.

"Dualize with me."

The dreamer looked back at the creature. "I beg your pardon?"

"Dualize with me. Take my and let us become linked. Your choices will be mine, and mine will be yours. Combined into my form these locks are no obstacle."

The dreamer considered the implication of such a fusion. Perhaps the sprite was elegant and attractive in his own ways, and he had a sort of charm, but there was still the matter of reasoning. Locks were there to keep people out of places they shouldn't go. But then this was his own dream, wasn't it? And he knew what lay beyond, and the manner in which it was barred was ridiculous. He turned to look at the figure. He was holding out his ruby talons like a handshake. Curious about this dualization, and still desiring to access his roller coaster, the dreamer decided to take the creature's hand. Besides, this was only a dream, and he could no no harm to anyone here. The dreamer extended his arm and grasped the outstretched digits as a brilliant light enveloped his vision.

The change was miraculous. Never in his life had the dreamer felt such an overwhelming sense of freedom, and power. With a quick strike the red claws, now his own, slashed through the locks as if they were butter. But more than that, he grasped the gate itself and tore it off its hinges. With an idle fling, the gates went sailing into the sky, to bar him no more. With the ground much further below him now, the perspective of the ride was askew. The iron hand rails which zig-zagged around the lot were quickly ripped through as the dualized dream took a direct route to his beloved ride. But upon squeezing into the cart, and finding it almost obnoxiously foolish, he suddenly found the experience here to be disappointing. The ride which had once thrilled him was now just a toy for kids and offered only embarassment for maturity instead of excitment. When the cart came to a stop in the station, his embarassment turned to disgust, and with a display of immesurable strength, he lifted his cart from the rails and threw it straight at a loop along the rides track, shattering both in a golden explosion. Unmoved by the destruction, he took to the air, flying with absolute speed, experiencing a sense of thrill far beyond anything a mere roller coaster could provide.

The other rides and mazes were no longer of satisfaction either. The monsters and ghosts in the haunted house were all like broken toys and provided no terror. Those that displeased him he ripped apart with a single strike. The mazes became tedious to navigate, and plowing through the walls of them provided a much more intriguing sport. But when he came to the elevator, once again a moment too late to ride it, an insatiable anger pervaded his being. He ripped through the doors of the glass shaft and began flying upwards towards the ascending elevator. Tearing through its floor and ceiling he surpassed its velocity, and severed its cables, causing it to fall to the bottom and shatter into thousands of fragments. But the dreamer's ascent did not cease at the elevator shaft. He continued ripping and clawing at whatever was in his way until the space station now had a gaping hole in its cap. The dreamer continued flying higher and higher, out amongst the dangerous cosmic light show. Avoiding meteors, shooting stars, and all other manners of miniaturized celestial bodies, he flew straight towards the sun, unblinded by its light. And when the light of that sun filled his vision, his dream ended and he was awake.

"Back again, visitor?"
The voice drifted over the landscape in a demeaning manner. The dreamer took it in as he did his surroundings. His dream was showing signs of change. It began a few nights ago when he stumbled his way into a very lucid slumber. For several days his actions here while dualized with his new friend had escalated, but each time he returned everything was good as new. But this time, the environment had taken its toll. Facades of structures, the stepping stones, the grass, had all slowly become more surreal. with his constant revelries, the trees in their beds became striped in black and white with ruby and violet leaves. The buildings were blacker and their edges were becoming sharper. It was getting to become difficult to navigate as patches of the ground had broken into swirling red and black vortexes. Though his dream was still identifiable as his own, the differenced made his frightened, and longing to dualize just to be sure he could be safe. But the specter was always there, sure as clockwork, whenever the dream entered his realm. And though the weeks rolled by and his dream had become a nightmare, every time he'd dualize the creature of the nightmare would be even more fitted to enjoy himself. And though in his life his personality gained a razor's edge, he continued his addiction just as ashamed of it now as he was before he'd begun. But that was perhaps about to change when one evening, while dualized, the creature made an odd request.

"Dreamer...let us visit some other visitor here in the dream world. Let us mingle."

Because y'know...I do draw other things. Yeah.

Some good/recent ones.






That'll do for now. I'll add some other good stuff later.