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Description
Voila! Here is my entry for the after a suggestion from I chose to enter my Sailor Barnard 76 'The Shadow'. It's taken me a couple weeks, and has distracted me from prizes a little... but it's done!

I am so sorry about the text wall. -_-'' I know what it is like to have to read and judge a lot of entries. I hope I have at least made it interesting and fun to read.

Entry

The Shadow stood facing the black wall in her desolate apartment. She had sworn to herself a long time ago that she would avoid the spotlight at all costs... and yet here she stood. How she ever let that silly little girl talk her into this she had no idea, and yet she had. Sailor Messier 76 even promised she would help her with any 'pageant' type rounds. That was nice and all, but who was going to be guarding the shadows while she was playing 'princess'. Taking a deep breath and letting it out she stepped towards the wall. She might as well go willingly. The Red Dragon had already threatened to resort to torture if she didn't show up.

As she stepped through the wall she emerged from a shadow at the back of the Messier Alliance's Grand Hall in a swirl of smoke. She arrived just in time to hear the end of Sailor Barnard 133's final question. "For years it was the same old thing..." She had arrived just in time. She made her way forward towards the stage as her name was called.

"Next up we have Sailor Barnard 76, known only as 'The Shadow'"

Who are you? B76 cleared her throat for a moment, she hadn't used her voice all day and it already sounded hoarse enough on its own. "I am sorry I do not have a straight forward answer for you. I don't really remember who I originally was. My memories will come and go as necessary for a situation..." looking at the judges she starts again. "Maybe it is better to keep it simple, and... I do trust most individuals here. Currently I am working as a spy and strike team for a... special organization. I've been working for them for about 400 years now."

Where do you come from? B76 let out a low chuckle. "Well I guess I should have figured I would end up answering this question anyways. I honestly don't know where I am from. I know that I have lived through most of Earth's recorded history and I often have flashes of other planets and stars. No certain place has truly felt like 'home' though."

What are your special qualities? "As I had mentioned earlier, I get random flashes of my past that often help me with a situation I am currently dealing with." 76 shifted her stance and took a moment to scan the room as she thought. "I am assuming you are referring to my mental or physical qualities, not my senshi powers. Is that correct?" The judges nodded back in unison. "Ok, in that case, I also keep myself in very prime shape. I need all of my strength and flexibility to do my daily job. I never know what I am going to need to get into next."

What is your civilian name? B76 chuckled again and several spectators shifted in their seats. She had been told in the past that her laugh sounded a bit evil with her low scratchy voice. "I am sure I had one at some point, but now I am only known as The Shadow. If I am lucky maybe I will discover my name again."

What is your senshi name? This time she just smiled. No need to upset the crowd with her seared vocal cords. "I am known as Sailor Barnard 76"

What are your powers?"I used one of them to travel here." The judges all gave her a blank stare. They were obviously distracted by the previous contestant. "I can travel through shadows. It's kind of like walking through a very dark smoke cloud."

Next she held up her hand palm down, with all of the lights it was easy to grow a small dark cloud from the shadow in her hand. She wrapped the shadow around her arm taking advantage of the rest of the shadows on her body as she went. Slowly she formed a small blade in her hand that wrapped up her arm like armor. "And I have developed this lovely skill over the years." She stated holding up her small creation.

Who in the Alliance do you most closely interact with? "Honestly, I just began to interact with the alliance recently." She looks toward M76 and NGC3379. They are sitting next to each other just staring away at her. The Shadow lets out a small sigh, they would be the undoing of her. "My first encounter with the alliance was with Sailor Messier 76. Melissa had just recently unlocked her senshi powers. After a run in with Sailor Messier 19 she was determined to take on all evil by herself... let's just say it didn't go very well. Since then I have had a bit of a soft spot for the silly girl." B76 eyes a very sheepish looking M76.

She then moves her attention to the very glamorous and yet dangerous looking blue haired girl next to M76. She had been intrigued with the woman from the first time she met her. "The Red Dragon was my next run in... and it was a very interesting one at that. It was my first introduction to the full scope of the Alliance, at least that I can remember. Somehow she knew what I did for a living and knew a lot about me. Sometimes I think she knows more about me than I do." She could see a slight glint in the Red Dragon's eye at this statement, making her notice the scar on her face, neck and chest again. B76 shakes her head, "Anyway, she approached me about gathering information, and sometimes people, for her. I was more than happy to oblige."

Are you an established senshi or have you been reborn? "If you had asked me before I met Red over there, I wouldn't have had a clue and I probably would have said I don't know. However, I am starting to believe I was involved in a lot more than I realize." When she glanced back out to the crowd The Red Dragon was gone.

How old does your species typically live to be? B76 cringed at the question. If anyone she interrogated had been this clueless it would not have gone over well for them. As she thought about it, it would have gone over even worse with Red. "I am sorry to say once again I don't have a solid answer for you. It could be thousands of years or more... or maybe I remember previous lives. I just don't know yet."

What is a typical day like where you come from? B76 let out a big sigh this time. "Well... I will just go ahead and describe one of my normal days. When stalking... I mean working surveillance on someone it can take days to get the information you need or to get into the right position. Most of these times I am stuck in a small space or even a kind of cubby hole. If I am lucky I can monitor from a hotel room. These are far and few between, but much more enjoyable." Once again she found herself being the recipient of some very odd looks. "On my days off, I enjoy eating at nice restaurants, reading books, and monitoring random friends of mine for danger." There. Maybe that was more of what they were looking for.

Is there anything else you would like to add? B76 bows her head slightly, "Thank you, I do have a couple items. First I would like to apologize for my rough voice." She pulls down her cowl slightly so you can see the trail of a scar going down her left cheek and out of sight under the cowl. "As you can see I had a rough time a while back and my vocal cords were partially cut and seared. " She shifted uneasily as if she was not comfortable with the topic. But it had nothing to do with the topic. Her eyes were locked on a shadow in one of the back corners of the room. It seemed to be calling to her. She needed to finish up quickly.

"The other item I wanted to mention was that I never thought of myself as a leader." This got some very weird looks from the crowd around her, but she didn't even notice. Her mind had moved on and her answers were running on auto-pilot. "However, I care deeply for those I protect, and the Messier Alliance is now part of that group. I would willingly lay down my life to keep them all safe, or to even help one that has lost there way."

Not even watching the judges to see if they were done, she turned and walked off the front of the stage and straight back to the corner. She didn't even hesitate as she walked right through it. All that was left behind was little swirls of darkness that quickly faded from the air.

More information

Some others are also including bios or background stories in their entries, so I decided to follow suit. I understand that this part may not be judged with the rest of it. ~_^

Basic Bio

Name: "The Shadow”
Senshi Name: Sailor Barnard 76
(The Barnard 76 object is described as an Irregular, narrow black strip. As seen in her broach.)
Age: Unknown
Race/Origin: Unknown
Skin: Very Tan
Eyes: Dark Brown
Hair: Black chest length, either tied back or hanging over the left side of her face
Height: 5’6”
Identifying Marks: Scars down the left side of her face and across her throat. She has several other scars that are not general knowledge yet. (Each Scar has its own story from before she joined the alliance)
Voice: She was once tortured by searing her vocal cords, so she doesn’t speak often, and when she does she has a very low raspy voice.
Personal History: She has worked for secret agencies throughout history. She has worked for the current one for about 400 years. Some speculate it is the CIA, but this agency hasn't been around long enough. All we know is that she is known by most country heads and they all have mixed feelings when they see her. She is officially known as “The Shadow” and she is sent in when something needs cleaned up quietly. Most people only know she is in the area if she wants them to.
No one knows when she started working for the “agency”. If you look through drawings and pictures from major historical events, a woman matching her description can often be seen in the background.
Senshi History: She has been fighting for as long as she can remember... at some point she just devoted her life to protecting others and has pretty much forgotten her own life. Sooner or later she was bound to run into someone from the reawakening Messier Alliance in an ongoing battle. It finally occurred in New York. She was working on tracking a mass murderer that had just arrived from London when she stumbled into one of Sailor Messier 76's first battles. Missy was not doing well and didn't know how to contact anyone else yet. The Shadow's overwhelming sense of duty to protect others had her in the middle of the fight. Together Messier 76 and Barnard 76 won the battle.
She continues to work for the unknown agency protecting the world at her every day job, but has now added some Messier Alliance duties to the mix. She has a soft spot for Messier 76 and now tracks her moves to make sure she is always "safe" in her battles. She also reports intel and sometimes gathers individuals for 'The Red Dragon', NGC3379.
Powers:
Shadow Walking - She discovered this power when she heard of a senshi battle on the other side of the world and knew she wouldn't be able to make it. She was concentrating so hard on the battle and just happen to be walking into some shadows. Next thing she knows she was at the battle. She is learning to better control this power to travel between shadows.
Hand to Hand Shadow Weapons - She has used hand to hand combat for so long that it is hard to break the habit, and to use Sailor Powers... instead she adds shadow weapons to her usual fighting style.

About the Art

So this picture started off much bigger than it is now. But I really wanted to focus in on 76 so I cropped down the background. I think it looks much better. Also she is supposed to be emerging from the 'shadow cloud' that is already starting to disperse.

Technique wise... I have soooooo much trouble keeping a fixed light source. I have to admit this has been one of my main downfalls for a long time. So I tried to concentrate very hard on keeping the light source the same across the picture. I also tend to not use enough contrast between my shadows and highlights. So I also worked on making this much more drastic or at least a little stronger.

Sailors mentioned in the story:

Sailor B76 belongs to

SailorM76 belongs to

Sailor NCG3379 belongs to

Sailor M19 belongs to

Sailor B133 belongs to

Description
Voila! Here is my entry for the after a suggestion from I chose to enter my Sailor Barnard 76 'The Shadow'. It's taken me a couple weeks, and has distracted me from prizes a little... but it's done!

I am so sorry about the text wall. -_-'' I know what it is like to have to read and judge a lot of entries. I hope I have at least made it interesting and fun to read.

Entry

The Shadow stood facing the black wall in her desolate apartment. She had sworn to herself a long time ago that she would avoid the spotlight at all costs... and yet here she stood. How she ever let that silly little girl talk her into this she had no idea, and yet she had. Sailor Messier 76 even promised she would help her with any 'pageant' type rounds. That was nice and all, but who was going to be guarding the shadows while she was playing 'princess'. Taking a deep breath and letting it out she stepped towards the wall. She might as well go willingly. The Red Dragon had already threatened to resort to torture if she didn't show up.

As she stepped through the wall she emerged from a shadow at the back of the Messier Alliance's Grand Hall in a swirl of smoke. She arrived just in time to hear the end of Sailor Barnard 133's final question. "For years it was the same old thing..." She had arrived just in time. She made her way forward towards the stage as her name was called.

"Next up we have Sailor Barnard 76, known only as 'The Shadow'"

Who are you? B76 cleared her throat for a moment, she hadn't used her voice all day and it already sounded hoarse enough on its own. "I am sorry I do not have a straight forward answer for you. I don't really remember who I originally was. My memories will come and go as necessary for a situation..." looking at the judges she starts again. "Maybe it is better to keep it simple, and... I do trust most individuals here. Currently I am working as a spy and strike team for a... special organization. I've been working for them for about 400 years now."

Where do you come from? B76 let out a low chuckle. "Well I guess I should have figured I would end up answering this question anyways. I honestly don't know where I am from. I know that I have lived through most of Earth's recorded history and I often have flashes of other planets and stars. No certain place has truly felt like 'home' though."

What are your special qualities? "As I had mentioned earlier, I get random flashes of my past that often help me with a situation I am currently dealing with." 76 shifted her stance and took a moment to scan the room as she thought. "I am assuming you are referring to my mental or physical qualities, not my senshi powers. Is that correct?" The judges nodded back in unison. "Ok, in that case, I also keep myself in very prime shape. I need all of my strength and flexibility to do my daily job. I never know what I am going to need to get into next."

What is your civilian name? B76 chuckled again and several spectators shifted in their seats. She had been told in the past that her laugh sounded a bit evil with her low scratchy voice. "I am sure I had one at some point, but now I am only known as The Shadow. If I am lucky maybe I will discover my name again."

What is your senshi name? This time she just smiled. No need to upset the crowd with her seared vocal cords. "I am known as Sailor Barnard 76"

What are your powers?"I used one of them to travel here." The judges all gave her a blank stare. They were obviously distracted by the previous contestant. "I can travel through shadows. It's kind of like walking through a very dark smoke cloud."

Next she held up her hand palm down, with all of the lights it was easy to grow a small dark cloud from the shadow in her hand. She wrapped the shadow around her arm taking advantage of the rest of the shadows on her body as she went. Slowly she formed a small blade in her hand that wrapped up her arm like armor. "And I have developed this lovely skill over the years." She stated holding up her small creation.

Who in the Alliance do you most closely interact with? "Honestly, I just began to interact with the alliance recently." She looks toward M76 and NGC3379. They are sitting next to each other just staring away at her. The Shadow lets out a small sigh, they would be the undoing of her. "My first encounter with the alliance was with Sailor Messier 76. Melissa had just recently unlocked her senshi powers. After a run in with Sailor Messier 19 she was determined to take on all evil by herself... let's just say it didn't go very well. Since then I have had a bit of a soft spot for the silly girl." B76 eyes a very sheepish looking M76.

She then moves her attention to the very glamorous and yet dangerous looking blue haired girl next to M76. She had been intrigued with the woman from the first time she met her. "The Red Dragon was my next run in... and it was a very interesting one at that. It was my first introduction to the full scope of the Alliance, at least that I can remember. Somehow she knew what I did for a living and knew a lot about me. Sometimes I think she knows more about me than I do." She could see a slight glint in the Red Dragon's eye at this statement, making her notice the scar on her face, neck and chest again. B76 shakes her head, "Anyway, she approached me about gathering information, and sometimes people, for her. I was more than happy to oblige."

Are you an established senshi or have you been reborn? "If you had asked me before I met Red over there, I wouldn't have had a clue and I probably would have said I don't know. However, I am starting to believe I was involved in a lot more than I realize." When she glanced back out to the crowd The Red Dragon was gone.

How old does your species typically live to be? B76 cringed at the question. If anyone she interrogated had been this clueless it would not have gone over well for them. As she thought about it, it would have gone over even worse with Red. "I am sorry to say once again I don't have a solid answer for you. It could be thousands of years or more... or maybe I remember previous lives. I just don't know yet."

What is a typical day like where you come from? B76 let out a big sigh this time. "Well... I will just go ahead and describe one of my normal days. When stalking... I mean working surveillance on someone it can take days to get the information you need or to get into the right position. Most of these times I am stuck in a small space or even a kind of cubby hole. If I am lucky I can monitor from a hotel room. These are far and few between, but much more enjoyable." Once again she found herself being the recipient of some very odd looks. "On my days off, I enjoy eating at nice restaurants, reading books, and monitoring random friends of mine for danger." There. Maybe that was more of what they were looking for.

Is there anything else you would like to add? B76 bows her head slightly, "Thank you, I do have a couple items. First I would like to apologize for my rough voice." She pulls down her cowl slightly so you can see the trail of a scar going down her left cheek and out of sight under the cowl. "As you can see I had a rough time a while back and my vocal cords were partially cut and seared. " She shifted uneasily as if she was not comfortable with the topic. But it had nothing to do with the topic. Her eyes were locked on a shadow in one of the back corners of the room. It seemed to be calling to her. She needed to finish up quickly.

"The other item I wanted to mention was that I never thought of myself as a leader." This got some very weird looks from the crowd around her, but she didn't even notice. Her mind had moved on and her answers were running on auto-pilot. "However, I care deeply for those I protect, and the Messier Alliance is now part of that group. I would willingly lay down my life to keep them all safe, or to even help one that has lost there way."

Not even watching the judges to see if they were done, she turned and walked off the front of the stage and straight back to the corner. She didn't even hesitate as she walked right through it. All that was left behind was little swirls of darkness that quickly faded from the air.

More information

Some others are also including bios or background stories in their entries, so I decided to follow suit. I understand that this part may not be judged with the rest of it. ~_^

Basic Bio

Name: "The Shadow”
Senshi Name: Sailor Barnard 76
(The Barnard 76 object is described as an Irregular, narrow black strip. As seen in her broach.)
Age: Unknown
Race/Origin: Unknown
Skin: Very Tan
Eyes: Dark Brown
Hair: Black chest length, either tied back or hanging over the left side of her face
Height: 5’6”
Identifying Marks: Scars down the left side of her face and across her throat. She has several other scars that are not general knowledge yet. (Each Scar has its own story from before she joined the alliance)
Voice: She was once tortured by searing her vocal cords, so she doesn’t speak often, and when she does she has a very low raspy voice.
Personal History: She has worked for secret agencies throughout history. She has worked for the current one for about 400 years. Some speculate it is the CIA, but this agency hasn't been around long enough. All we know is that she is known by most country heads and they all have mixed feelings when they see her. She is officially known as “The Shadow” and she is sent in when something needs cleaned up quietly. Most people only know she is in the area if she wants them to.
No one knows when she started working for the “agency”. If you look through drawings and pictures from major historical events, a woman matching her description can often be seen in the background.
Senshi History: She has been fighting for as long as she can remember... at some point she just devoted her life to protecting others and has pretty much forgotten her own life. Sooner or later she was bound to run into someone from the reawakening Messier Alliance in an ongoing battle. It finally occurred in New York. She was working on tracking a mass murderer that had just arrived from London when she stumbled into one of Sailor Messier 76's first battles. Missy was not doing well and didn't know how to contact anyone else yet. The Shadow's overwhelming sense of duty to protect others had her in the middle of the fight. Together Messier 76 and Barnard 76 won the battle.
She continues to work for the unknown agency protecting the world at her every day job, but has now added some Messier Alliance duties to the mix. She has a soft spot for Messier 76 and now tracks her moves to make sure she is always "safe" in her battles. She also reports intel and sometimes gathers individuals for 'The Red Dragon', NGC3379.
Powers:
Shadow Walking - She discovered this power when she heard of a senshi battle on the other side of the world and knew she wouldn't be able to make it. She was concentrating so hard on the battle and just happen to be walking into some shadows. Next thing she knows she was at the battle. She is learning to better control this power to travel between shadows.
Hand to Hand Shadow Weapons - She has used hand to hand combat for so long that it is hard to break the habit, and to use Sailor Powers... instead she adds shadow weapons to her usual fighting style.

About the Art

So this picture started off much bigger than it is now. But I really wanted to focus in on 76 so I cropped down the background. I think it looks much better. Also she is supposed to be emerging from the 'shadow cloud' that is already starting to disperse.

Technique wise... I have soooooo much trouble keeping a fixed light source. I have to admit this has been one of my main downfalls for a long time. So I tried to concentrate very hard on keeping the light source the same across the picture. I also tend to not use enough contrast between my shadows and highlights. So I also worked on making this much more drastic or at least a little stronger.

Sailors mentioned in the story:

Sailor B76 belongs to

SailorM76 belongs to

Sailor NCG3379 belongs to

Sailor M19 belongs to

Sailor B133 belongs to