Friday Night Fights, Round 3!

It's Final Four time in Friday Night Fights, and that's a lot of "F"s, my friends. So without further ado, I present our matchups (click on an image to see it at a larger size):


And now, the Consolation Round:

And here are the contestants with larger images and their backstories (if any).

Imp: Marian Leaford

Former Duchess of Nottingham Sector and heir to LM&P, Marian was declared an outlaw and her properties and titles forfeited by the Sheriff after she was discovered funnelling arms and money to Robin.  She has since become an active member of the local rebellion against the Marshalls.

Myro: Marion Fitzwater, Esq.

Marion Fitzwater, Esq. was born to a life of luxury, to Lord Fitzwater, a friend to Emperor Richard.  After his father died an early death, Marion became interested in a life of political service, and managed to get nominated to the Imperial Parliament.  As a favour to his friend’s memory, Emperor Richard placed Marion into a minor role in his

After the war started, and Princess Joan took control of the Empire, Marion had become quite vocal in his opposition to her rule, and particularly, to her high taxes and strict rule.  As he continued to oppose her, he had become quite popular in the public eye, and was seen as undermining Joan’s rule.  Finally, when his words became too popular and too wide-spread to ignore, Joan had engineered false treason charges, and had Marion arrested and sentenced to public execution as an example.

While Marion was willing to die as a martyr, Robyn had other ideas.  While merely sentencing Marion to death had done damage to Joan’s credibility, Robyn surmised they needed Marion to remain alive to provide a legitimate voice against Joan’s rule.   In a daring rescue, they managed to free Marion, and escape.  Now Squire Marion serves as “the token male” on the Sherwood’s crew, helping where he can.  While he has been reasonably trained in fencing and horsemanship in his youth, Robyn has been reluctant to (although rarely successful at) keeping Marion out of danger.

Frevoli: Mary Anne Maid

Rob isn't terribly successful in his frist mission - storming Lok Intergalactic's headquarters - instead being successfully terrible. Reading a little further into the book, he decides that he needs his own crew of bandits. His first signing is quite easy; childhood sweetheart and friend, Mary Anne Maid. Asside being the daughter of a high ranking government official, Mari is a skilled hand-to-hand combatant and pilot (as well as handy with a flail). She joins Robin hood, as Maid Marian.

DiCicatriz: Majextrix Marian

Daughter of the rightful Majestor of the Empire, whose throne has been left in the hands of an inept warmongerer in his absence (the Majestor is currently taking part in the Interdimenaional Crusades). She is
kept locked in her Crystal Citadel, though she secretly funnels intelligence to the Resistance.

AJW: Shrayda Gent

Born to contrversial aristocrats She was taught all sorts of things having both the want and the means, when her parents were assassinated she was left on the streets of courascant with her skills and skills of speech to get by, eventually becoming a reknowned bounty hunter she was sought out by Robin for his mission.

Alex: Maid Marian

The ship's doctor and mechanic. Marian was a traveling doctor in Nottingham until the Sheriff tried to kill her because she was helping people for free, which keeps them from going to the paid government hospitals. Robin and the rebels saved her and she joined them in their fight.

Alphaalpharomeo: Maid Marion

No story provided.

Atomic Punk: Mech Marian

Marian Fitzrobert, daughter of war industrialist Lord Robert Fitzwalter and his fourth wife... or was it his eighth? Lady Fontane... Lady Tolliver... Dame Sarah... that barwench from Crow's Fish and Chips?
Obviously, no one much paid attention to the lass in her formative years. She was a tomboy. Though born into nobility and unimagineable wealth, Marian was not accepted by the other royal children. She went through the motions of court etiquette and the role of a proper lady. When her tutors retired, she would sneak to the Squires' Quarters.

She would flirt with the lads but was quietly learning the ways of young mecha pilots. One night, she was caught by a Knight while she was trying some combat moves in the Lancer Room. Sir Wentley was impressed. Rather than taking her straight home, he decided to secretly teach her to be a Knight.

The day of her 16th Birthday, May 1st, her father was arrested as a conspirator along with Kai Fox and a few other noblemen. Sir Wentley spirited Marian to the far outpost of Loxlie. He was arrested upon his return to The Kingdom. Prince John had him executed alongside Lord Fitzwalter.

Marian was no safer on Loxlie. Within two years, the colony was under assault by L'Arme des toiles. Marian volunteered to pilot one of the few mecha available. The King's Men and the colonists laughed at her. During the siege, the French had manage to destroy two of the mechs and assassinate five Knights.

It was a brash, handsome Commander Hood who agreed to allow Marian to work the Lancer Room after she demonstrated considerable piloting skill. The Royals fought bravely, but Loxlie fell. The French ransomed Marian back to The Kingdom not realizing that she was the one responsible for single-handedly destroying four of the ten mechs that they used in the invasion. In fact, Marian was the cause of heavy French losses.

Marian returned to The Kingdom, fully aware that Prince John had executed her father, and more importantly, her mentor Sir Wentley. His Majesty himself could not touch her. She was a heroine of the People. Her father's vast fortune and immense mecha factories made her the object of every noble's desire. Marian wanted none of it.

Then she learned of Robin Hood's fate and the Sheriff of Nottingham's treachery. With the help of her father's spies and a major credit transaction, Marian was able to have a Domestic Sentry Mark IX re-programmed on Papillon. That DS-9 unit was able to save Robin from execution in a daring escape.

Marian now lives a double life. In The Kingdom, she is known as "Maid Marian Fitzrobert." The fabulously rich heiress, populist reformer, and socialite. To Robin Hood and his Merry Men, she is "Mech Marian", the financier of the Liberation. None of this keeps her from the front lines. She has Lancer Rooms and mechas hidden throughout The Kingdom and beyond the Pale. Marian has even disguised herself as a man just so she can get into tavern brawls.

Cliff: Maid Marion

No story provided.

Danny Beaty: Maid Marion

No story provided.

Gargoyle323: Maid Marian

Marian is the last surviving member of her family, The House Of Maid, from the planet Sherwood. Her planet was a beautiful wooded land, filled with life. They were a peaceful planet until the Lord Sheriff of Nottingham came and destroyed it. She fled with the secret of restoring life and ended up on Earth. There she ran into Robin Hood who vowed to help keep her safe. Then the Sheriff attacked Earth and Marian and Robin's forces decided to flee to find the lost world of Yorkshire, which holds the key to saving the universe. Marian will stop at nothing to avenge her family and make sure the Lord Sheriff is stopped from destroying all life.

GeneH: Maid Marion

No story provided.

Hammerknight: Marian

New London sends Lady Marian to Nottingham as an Ambassador to see if she can bring a stop to the fighting. The Sheriff Corp (Jr) makes it look like they are doing no wrong. He shows her all the bill of sales and tells her that everything was done legally. Lady Marian stumbles across some information that proves the Sheriff Corp and some New London officials were in the wrong. As she leaves Nottingham, Jr finds out what she has learned. He orders his men to destroy her transport and make it look like Robin had done it. Before they can do so, Robin and his band rescues Marian and takes her into hiding with them. Robin and Marian grow close as they try to find a way to take down the Sheriff Corp.

No story provided.

Haxxx: Maid Marian

Robin's lover, John's niece and King Richard's daughter, Marian of E'ngl-and is lives as a prisoner in the castle while her father is in the war.  She is young for an Andian and is very mischievous.   She was generally unaware of her uncle's cruelty until Robin burst through her window.

Jean: Marion Fitzwalter

A cop (and Robin's ex-wife), Marion was originally sent to arrest Locke after he made treasonable statements about the brainships.   But once she learned the truth about TUCK and the other brains she threw her support behind her ex and his friends and joined their fight.

Since becoming a member of the Sherwood's crew she and Locke have reconciled and remarried (thanks to TUCK).  She's the Sherwood's second in command and security chief.

As a cop, Fitzwalter has been injured in the line of duty and has a
bionic left arm and right lower leg.  The item on her left is a unitool, it attaches to her left hand and could best be described as a
combination of an iPhone and a Swiss army knife and way more useful than either.

JordanXord:

Lady Marian
Countess Marian Dubois is the only daughter of Reginald Dubois, the Grand Earl of the House of Dubois. When her father was viciously framed as a traitor by Baron Mordach, she swore revenge and began to fight against the tyrant Mordach. Eventually, she joins Robin Hood and together they fight as a force against the evil usurper. Lady Marian is a skilled swordswoman, and her weapon of choice is a laser blade, which is virtually indestructible. She is a highly trained and skilled mistress of combat and martial arts, able to fight and best any enemy in her way.

Kyle: Maid Marian

No story provided.

Me, Myself, and I: The Maiden Known as Marian

When little John returned to The Merry Men many plans were suggested and discussed in detail. They had eventually concluded that if they were ever going to gain the upper hand against these invaders, they needed to eliminate the advantage their technology gave them. The most likely wat to do this was to find a way to get it from the Sherriff’s own dimension. This meant finding a way to steel or reproduce the technology. As they had no understanding of the technology whatsoever, and seeing as they had experience at theiving, steeling the technology made the most sense.
 
Marian was one of those present during the discussions and pointed out that her involvement in the resistance could not have been known to the enemy while all the others involvement was. She felt she could infiltrate the castle where the Sherriff had set up residence and gather much needed knowledge that way. Despite her amore Robin’s protests she volunteered for the job.

Marian came to the Sherriff’s castle and introduced herself as Lady Marian of Leaford. She shared that she came as a Norman envoy hoping to build relations and offer peaceful trade.  The Sherriff was immediately smitten with Marian and welcomed her with hopes of more than political relations developing.
 
Marian was able to hold of the Sherriff’s advances with more skill than he’d anticipated; all the while inquiring and learning about his world. Eventually the Sherriff’s frustration began to show and Marian knew she could not put him off for too much longer. She welcomed a respite as some business drew him away back to his so called prime dimension for a time. She spent her time scouring what areas of the castle she could without raising too much suspicion from the guards. Unfortunately her search was in vain and produced few results.
 
Too soon the Sherriff returned with some news. Apparently, while he was away he had looked up her counterpart from his dimension. He said he could introduce the two of them if she liked. He also continued with a story about where he comes from and that his scientists can use their genetic data bases to help establish many things about a person such as their ancestry and heritage; even what diseases they are likely to get. Marian understood little of the details from his story but understood from the change in his tone that he was no longer convinced that Marian was who she claimed to be.
 
It was getting far too dangerous for her here and she would need to escape soon. In one last ditch effort to find something Marian ventured to far into the restricted areas and had gotten caught by one of the guards. She had not come entirely unprepared however and the guard was surprised to find her dagger sheathed in his solar plexus.  Now panicked with the need to escape she finally stumbled across what she had been looking for. The machine that created the inter-dimensional portals was right in front of her. At this point she could hear other guards outside the door and knew her exploits were discovered.
The instructions were strange and quite a bit different than the English she new but she was able to make out enough to activate the dimensional portal, though not to control many of the variables.
 
What Marian guessed was the portal was a shimmer in the air located just in from of a large body length mirror.  As she approached the mirror Marian was startled as she came face to face with herself peering back and yet her reflection was dressed differently and had her hair done up differently. At this point Marian had little choice, she had to either step through or deal with the guards on this side. Marian was barely through before the shimmer in the air ceased and the dimensional gate presumably closed. All she could home for was that the Sherriff could not determine where she had travelled too.
 
As Marian stumbled through she realized that her suspicions were true. Her reflection was not a reflection but the prime dimensions version of her. Introductions were hastily made despite utter shock Marian’s arrival caused. The double from the prime dimension was named Marian Frost. Until this point she was totally in the dark about the different dimensions. Marian Frost confided that her escort agency was recently contacted by a client wishing a little anonymity. She had been his guest ever since and was enjoying the substantial raise in pay.
Once her guest true nature and interest in her were revealed Marian Frost was understandably concerned. Together they made their escape as the Sherriff’s guards began coursing through his prime dimension estate.

Rancid: Maid Marian

Daughter of exiled royalty, Maid Marian is trained by Robin Hood and his men to fight Nottingham.

Rozenstal: Meriann

No story provided.

TJ: Lady Marian

Formerly a Coutier in richards court she serves as both spy and scout for Loxly and the underground
all the while continuing to play the role of dainty loyal subject of Prince John. she also holds a very special place in her heart for Robin.

VonMalcolm: Mad Maid Marian

The aforementioned Mad Maid Marian is an alien reptilian who gained entry into the Robbing Hoods by seducing Robbin’ and biting his face off:  this led to Robbin’s cybernetic replacement face.  If Mad Marian can’t seduce a being (male, female or anything in between)  her companion can:  Alan-a-Droid:  an Electro-Magnetic A.I. Guitar that seduces its victims with its Song, pulls them in with its Magnetism, then burns them with its Electric Fire.  

19 Responses to Friday Night Fights, Round 3!

  1. Myro says:

    Man, I am going to get my butt kicked this round, I know it. Imp’s design is too good, and I really didn’t like my entry. On the other hand, while I did intend very much to try to win this, my goal for this contest was to make the Final Four, which I did, so anything from here on out is gravy.

    A few first impressions.

    DiCicatriz: Yours looks awesome.

    MMI: I like the design you have in this round. The mirror image from the alternate dimension is a cool effect, and I like the braiding you did in Maiden Marian’s hair.

    VonMalcolm: What have you done? She’s a monster! LOL

  2. Me, Myself & I says:

    Thank you for the feedback Myro. I’m glad you like the braid. I was actually quite happy with that myself. Here is a close up for anyone interested in a better look.

    http://dl.dropbox.com/u/6781672/MMI-Marian%20CloseUp.png

    I kind of thought it would be interesting to have he looking into a mirror and seeing herself but not actually herself at the same time. My original concept had her medieval self kill her future self but then I realized that two of my other characters had already attempted that. A few of them needed to get a long.

  3. VonMalcolm says:

    @Myro: Mad Maid Marian says: “Don’t Hate Me because I’m NOT Beautiful!”
    I was trying to think of a way to make my Maid a ‘Hot Reptilian’, but I could not think of what to do with the Cobra Head.

    My Top 7: (Just on the Eyeball Test: I haven’t read the stories yet.)

    1: DiCicatriz: Damn. I love the face paint/tattoo. Damn!
    2: Atomic Punk: She’s got a Cyber-Zombie thing going on.
    3: Alex: A Punky Maid Marian: An Atomic Punky Maid Marian? Great Collection.
    4: Gargoyle323: Baddest Maid I have ever seen!
    5: Jean: Another Strong Entry in a Strong Collection.
    6: Rancid: Good Job working with a Companion. I was going this route in the last contest, but then I abandoned the attempt: your Maid makes me think I should have continued working on my Companion concept.
    7: Imp: I like the Blue Camo. Great Collection.

    @Kyle: all your entries have been very interesting: but since they are a little off-center they desperately need a background story IMHO.

    @Jeff: Since the results are determined by the HeroMachine browsers: I don’t see why you couldn’t enter the next Friday Night Fight! Is this something you would be interested in doing?

    WAR Friday Night Fights!

  4. Phatchick says:

    @Von Malcom: Thanks, I always liked shows like Firefly and Blake’s 7 and wanted to build a storyline similar to those.
    @Me, Myself, and I: Your story absolutely rocks and I love the way you’ve been working the characters.

  5. Myro says:

    VonMalcolm: I thought about maybe trying to give her hair as a suggestion, but having played around with the female hair and the cobra head, nothing really fits together. Not that it just looks cheesy, none of the hair sets work, they just look like someone tossed a cheap wig on top of a cobra. So, I understand your dilemma.
    Although, I would still have said she looks like a monster no matter how hot you made your serpentine Mad Maid Marian anyway.
    I feel sorry for your Robbin’ Hood character. Deep Fryer Truck ripped off his legs, Little John ripped off his arms, and Mad Maid Marian bit off his face. What’s left of the guy?

  6. VonMalcolm says:

    @Myro: I guess my Robin Hood is a cybernetic version of the Black Knight character in Monty Python and The Holy Grail!

  7. First, congrats to the FNFF4.

    @DiCicatriz: An epic design, but I would like to know the story behind her cyborg arms.
    @Alex: I like the gear. Not too weighed down. She has a great urban adventurer vibe.
    @Jean: Your Marion is reminiscent of the 1930s Buck Rogers serial matinees.
    @MMI: The Mirror Master.
    @Rancid: Trying to decide if that would look better on a van or the cover of an Edgar Winter album. If you know me, I’m still on a 70s music kick.
    @Rozenstal: I saw her sitting outside of a Starbucks the other day!
    @VonMalcolm: Very original, and disturbing. I like it.
    @All: Great entries, but I’m getting long-winded.

  8. A little more background on my entry. Mech Marian is perhaps my favorite HM creation. I have had the idea for the story for a long, long time. Just never motivated to write it. So I wouldn’t forget the characters, I created them in various RPG systems (GURPS, Hero, Mechwarrior, 2300 AD, Rifts, etc.).

    We had a couple of artists in our group. They would never draw my characters even when I offered to pay. They would claim that they only drew “when inspired.” Once in awhile, they would but in their image. Nothing like what I envisioned. Sometimes, I think one did that just to mock me.

    Along came the internet and huge advances in graphics, especially, WYSIWYG design programs. Lo, I found HeroMachine! I was able to design some nice facsimiles. Then Jeff introduced HM 3 (Alpha). With the added twist of “Robin Hood in Space”, I finally put my ideas to form and expanded the storyline. Mr. Hebert, thank you!

    This all goes back to an earlier HM blog. The jerk who was trashing HM because it’s “not art.” Wonder if his name is Scott. Not that it matters now, but HM is a nice come-uppance to anyone who is selfish with his or her talent.

  9. Arioch says:

    @DiCicatriz: Wow. I love the lignes on the face, but everything’s great.

    @Rancid: Same thing, looks very comic-book, I can’t even fathom how the hell you did that. Fuckin’impressive.

  10. Frevoli says:

    hmm… 14 votes to 139… I think I can still win yet

    Seriously, this is like Mary Jane versus the Phoneix

    It’s been fun though, I’m glad to bow out to a worthy opponent – @DiCicatriz, good luck in the final

    @MMI from someone who’s tried the mirror effect and failed, I say nice job
    @Atomic Punk like the hologram armour, reminds me of Iron Man (film)
    @VonMalcolm interesting, I certainly never would have thought of it, nice inclusion of Alan… looking forward to your Robin
    @everyone great stuff all around (can’t wait for FNF3)

  11. Me, Myself & I says:

    @DiCicatriz: I am glad I’m not up against you this round. Take a little pity on Frevoli will you? A really great job, the best of the round in my opinion (even better than mine :(). Admittedly, her robot arms threw me off a little. They didn’t seem to fit.

    @Frevoli: Sorry about your luck in hitting that brick wall. Its a good entry and really fits the theme.

    @Myro: I like your choice of colors; very vibrant.

    @Imp: The trading card these was a great idea.

  12. VonMalcolm says:

    @Frevoli: I echo MMI thoughts: your entry IS good IMO: you just ran into an Apex Predator! I am almost glad I lost to you now!

  13. Myro says:

    MMI (11): Thanks for saying something nice about my entry. I’m quite disappointed with myself this round.

    Atomic Punk (8): I remember that article. I also remember at the time that I said that I didn’t think HeroMachine was art, but I did think it was useful, and the guy who posted the original comment was a jerk. Now, I’m not so sure that what at least some of the people on here are doing isn’t art. I’m glad that you finally managed to realize your idea in a way that you’re happy with.
    One thing though, I can’t get past the idea that it kinda looks to me like she’s playing PlayStation Move with those controls. Yes, I know the PlayStation Move controls only have one ball on them, but I’m just saying what my impression of it is.

  14. DiCicatriz says:

    I liked the mech arms at first purely because of the way in which I could pose them, arms tucked, especially the way the hands would be positioned. I thought the pose would look especially regal, which I wanted for Marian as part of a royal family with entire solar systems in its dominion.

    I think they also give her a sense of strength and danger, an edge to balance out the softness associated with princesses. If anybody’s ever read “Nova” by Samuel R. Delany, there was an especially ruthless character with a cybernetic arm who uses it to crush sand into glass and other such nifty feats of super strength who might have inspired me 😉

    Or who knows, maybe the royal family spends too much time offworld and her muscles deteriorated from weightlessness? I have a few motivations, but I’ll leave it up to you guys since, as evidenced by all the great illustrations this round, your imaginations would most likely create better stories than mine 🙂

  15. @Myro: I saw that PS commercial about 20 minutes after I submitted my entry! I knew someone would think PlayStation not 18-story anthropomorphic tank bio-metric controller. ;9

    Too bad the Mech project was cancelled. I’d like to see more mech and vehicle parts. Guess I’ll have to win some contests to get my suggestions into HM!

    Not trying to re-ignite the “is it art?” debate. Just saying that HM has been good to gamers and amateurs of all stripes. In a rather snippy way…

    @DiCicatriz: Thanks, haven’t read “Nova”, but I’ll check it out sometime. I can see a degenerative disorder, space pirate attack, or an alien disease. This gives the ruling house reason to “protect” her. Her cybernetic arms help her hack into systems. The forearms are hollow for smuggling. No doubt, she has more tricks “up her sleeve.”

    Which would be a good tie-in with your science officer, Diminutive Zhan. The Majextrix’ enhancements are constantly breaking down or she suffers from bio-rejection. Zhan is still trusted. He is allowed to visit his favorite patient. Sometimes, Zhan has to take the prosthetics “into the shop” for repairs. On rare ocassion, Marian is allowed to leave the confines of her gilded cage under his care.

  16. Jadebrain says:

    @ VonMalcolm: Just curious – where did you find those reptilian torso scales? I didn’t realize that Jeff had put those in the program, and I have a few character designs that could use them.

  17. VonMalcolm says:

    @ Jadebrain: Body: Male Alternate

  18. Jadebrain says:

    @ VonMalcolm: Thank you.

  19. The Imp says:

    @DiCicatriz: That is… wow. Just awesome. By far the best entry I’ve seen in FNF.

    @Rancid & Alex: Those two Marians are right up there too.

    @everyone: The creativity of you guys just amazes me. All hail FNF!