Creatures of the Victorian Era
(The Following fight was written by Randomaneer123, please credit him and check his work out.)
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Nameless Thing:
Feats:
-Was active for a fair amount of the mid to late 1800s
-Killed Robert Warboys
-Killed Edward Blunden
-May have had almost a dozen victims, though it’s unknown if they were killed by the Thing or the other apparitions in 50 Berkeley Square
50 Berkeley Square:
-Before mentioning other feats/abilities, it is crucial that the strange incidents and other possible inhabitants of 50 Berkeley Square are mentioned first
-There are varying reports as to what haunts the building, ranging from:
-A young woman who threw herself from the top window after being abused by her uncle
-A young man who was locked in the attic and was fed from a hole in the door until he went mad and died
-And another is a little girl who was brutally murdered by a sadistic servant
-Finally is the Thing itself, which has multiple descriptions, though the one most reported/used in images is it being cephalopod-like beast
-It is unknown if all of these events are real, exaggerated, or if none are true, however, due to the fact that this is the Nameless Thing’s battleground, it can be assumed that other supernatural forces are haunting the building
--This will not affect the outcome of the battle, as it can be likely the thing itself has no control over these other hauntings
Physicality:
-Snapped sailor Edward Blunden’s neck violently
-At times is described as moving by dragging itself across the floor with its tentacles, though how quickly is unknown
-Easily blitzed Blunden as well, and quickly overpowered him
--It can be assumed that Blunden had at least a bit of combat training given he was a sailor from a Royal Navy ship
-Some reports mention the beast throwing Blunden’s body from a window, sending him falling onto the spiked fence below
-Others also say that his body was found mutilated in the basement
-One retelling says that the beast burst into the room the men were sleeping in, likely damaging a door in the process
-There’s been a few instances where the being was fired at, be it from a pistol or rifle
--Either the beast shrugged off the attack, or used its non-corporeality to avoid the bullets
-Assuming the creature is a cephalopod, likely has the ability to grow back tentacles, though it's unknown how quickly it can do this
--It’s possible if it loses a tentacle or limb, it could merely shapeshift to bring said appendage back
Intelligence:
-Saw Blunden was reaching for his rifle and quickly killed him
--One could say the being did this due to it knowing he was a threat
-Seems to quickly vanish when people come to aid those it kills, though it’s unknown if it does this knowingly
-Assuming it’s a demon or former human, could possibly have human level intelligence
--Even without this assumption, Octopi are smart animals, having extremely complex problem solving skills for an animal, thus it can be assumed it’s at least on this level
Fear/Madness Manipulation:
-Some reports of the beast claim that its victims died from fright
-Another says that a maid was left in the attic for a night and went mad before dying the following day
-It was also reported that Blunden also might’ve died from fright as he fled the house
Shapeshifting:
-While the beast will be considered a large, tentacled, slime covered monster in this fight, it is said that some reports conflict with this as well
-The monster has been said to take the shape of:
--A tall, shadowy and deformed humanoid figure
--A cloud of gas or smoke
--A collection of shapeless shadows
-It will be assumed the beast can take each of these forms at will, possibly even mixing and matching its shape at times
Natural Weapons:
-Mentioned at least once or twice that it has tentacles
--Uses these tentacles to strangle and restrain its victims
-It can also be assumed it’d have a beak like squids and octopi
-A few reports describe it as having claws and talons, likely connected to human-like arms
Weaknesses:
-The extent of its intelligence is not known
-It is unknown if the being even can regenerate, and if it can it’s unknown to what extent
-Likely has little, if any control of other poltergeists haunting the house
-Assuming it is a demon or ghost, potential holy items/phrases and the like could harm it
-Seems to vary wildly in feats, as mentioned above its best ones come from killing Blunden, who has several reported deaths
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(NOTE: Following Bio is made by Mr-Pepsi-and-Pizza with edits and additions by Randomaneer123)
(SECOND NOTE: This bio only includes sightings of Jack, no stageplays or Penny Dreadful feats are included)
Spring-Heeled Jack:
Feats:
-Was basically Jack the Ripper before Jack the Ripper
-Is a famous Urban Legend of London -Sighted several times and is most famous for two specific cases
-Attacked Jane Alsop and her family on one specific night
-Attacked Lucy Scales and her sister in the middle of the night
-Attacked a lot of mail coaches in his time -Surprised and attacked a Sentry of Troops one random night
-Killed a woman in public -Was never caught
-Became extremely widespread and is remembered to this day
-Terrorized England for almost 70 years
Physicality:
-Is possibly a demon thus would likely be superhuman in most categories
-Is described as being around 10 feet (3 meters) tall in some reports, thus it'd be assumed he is extremely strong
-With his claws can rip through flesh easily
-Can carry a grown woman with ease
-Restrains women with ease
-Can evade police capture by running away with ease
-Able to easily catch fleeing victims -Can disappear in a flash
-Ran away from an angry mob -Implied to be capable of dodging bullets
--Pistols at the time could fire at Subsonic (250-300m/s) to Supersonic (380-610m/s) speeds, assuming they were flintlock
-Is likely biologically immortal, as he terrorized England from 1837 to 1904, without ever appearing to age
-Unaffected by long drops from English houses
--These houses were typically 10-15 feet (3-4.5 meters) or so
-Allegedly bullet proof according to countless reports
--Bullets have never been shown to have a visible effect on him
--This could also be due to potential intangibility or him perhaps having an effective form of body armor under his cloak
Intelligence/Mentality:
-Extremely skilled in stealth
--Can disappear in shadows and reappear from them in seconds
--Can go completely unnoticed before attacking his prey
--Easily avoided patrols from mobs and police alike
-It can be assumed he fashioned the claws he wields himself
-Some theorize he rigged up the ability to allow himself to jump higher than any normal human
--Though he could just be naturally able to do this, assuming he’s a demon
-Sadistic as he enjoys tormenting random people for seemingly no reason, even laughing in a few reports
-Likely just out to cause chaos and create fear as he rarely murders his victims
-Very mischievous and lustful at times
Jumping:
-His namesake ability
-Earliest reports say he could jump over 10 feet in the air -Can leap up onto the tall houses of Victorian Era London in a few seconds
-Can leap across long distances with ease -Can jump completely over houses
-The tallest building he appeared on was likely Saint Francis Xavier’s Church, which was multi-storied
--It’s unknown if he scaled the wall or leapt onto it though
-Attempts by professional engineers at the time to replicate his jumping abilities resulted in multiple cases of broken and sprain ankles
-It is unknown if this was from a mechanism he rigged up to allow him to jump higher or if he was simply superhuman enough to do this
Fire Breath/Manipulation:
-Both the Alsop and Scales incidents state that he can breath fire from his mouth
-Specifically blue fire
--Blue Fire can reach 1500 Degrees Celsius -Can burn through the skin of his foes with ease
-It’s also said that during the Alsop case, his “eyes resembled red balls of fire”
Fear/Madness Manipulation:
-Was feared in his land of origin by many -In the Scales Incident, attempted to burn alive one of the girls
--The girl who somehow survived was left in such shock that she immediately collapsed and had multiple seizures for hours
-Many reports claim that the mere sight of Jack has caused victims to go into madness induced fits
--A few of them even went permanently insane, never regaining their senses -Many people were reported to have died from fright after they saw him
Shapeshifting/Size Manipulation:
-Depending on the report, Jack is depicted as being the size of a relatively normal (albeit lanky/thin) man or 10 feet tall
--As mentioned above this likely increases strength and durability
-Some assume that the reason he was never struck by bullets was due to him being partially non-corporeal/intangible at the time
-A few reports also claim that Jack took the form of a bear or bear-like animal that walked on all fours
--This could be him merely wearing a bear skin, however, it’s also said that the bear-like being emitted loud, animalistic growls and scaled a wall after terrifying a gardener, or this is merely a different creature that roamed London at the time
--Assuming it was Jack, this form would also massively increase his strength as most bears are around wall level -For the battle it will be assumed Jack can take all of these forms at will
Equipment:
Iron Claws:
-In multiple reports was said to have claws like iron
-Used to claw and rip into his targets and prey
-Also possibly used to scale fences, walls, and the like
Metal Helmet:
-In some reports said to be wearing a metallic helmet
-Likely would protect him from blows to the head and such
Cloak:
-Covers most of his body
-Gives him an appearance of having demonic wings
-Likely only useful for intimidating victims and concealing potential armor
-It’s also claimed that in one report he wore a sheep skin over his traditional cloak
Lantern:
-In several reports, is mentioned as having a lantern
-Likely only useful in helping spread flames, as it’d be assumed Jack himself is used to seeing in darkness
Weaknesses:
-If it is true that he is a demon, likely weak to holy items
-Doesn't often kill people, rather he briefly torments or attacks them
-It's unknown if he can jump higher than 10 feet
-The extent and limit of his shapeshifting powers is unknown -Unknown if he himself can be harmed by fire or not
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London, near Berkeley Square, 1890, Midnight
A young woman walked down the gothic streets of a darkness shrouded London, with nothing but a few street lamps illuminating her path, that and the occasional bits of moonlight that so rarely slipped through the cracks of the clouds above, before being snuffed out, enveloping her in darkness once again.
She continued on relatively undaunted. She’d walked these streets many nights. However, for some reason, now she was having second thoughts. Perhaps it was the surprising quietness of the night. Typically she’d hear at least a few stray mutts and such barking, perhaps a drunk or two singing to himself as he wasted away in the back alleys. However, now there was nothing.
Nothing to keep her mind vaguely at ease, as despite the fact she was in what many would consider to be the safest and most civilized city on Earth, she felt strangely alienated and alone.
The squawk of a raven forced her to jerk her head away from the street in front of her and her gaze settled upon a nearby tree. Standing on one lone, extremely long branch was the bird in question. She stared at it for a fair while, before quickly turning back to the street and rushing down it.
She stopped, the air around her and the blood in her veins becoming like ice, as she stared ahead. There, not more than a dozen or so paces in front of her was a man, standing simply under a street light. He wore a long, black cloak that somehow managed to look darker than the night itself. A large tophat rested upon his head. For all intents and purposes he looked gentlemanly.
That fact still did not put the woman at ease, though she still approached the still man, and spoke.
“Sir… are you alright?” She called.
Yet despite this, he remained perfectly still, not even his chest moved as he simply stood in the middle of the lamp’s light, his shadow looking almost as dark as he himself was.
The woman slowly began to advance towards the still figure, her dainty feet making small taps against the stone street she walked upon. As she approached though, she noticed something quite puzzling.
He was not facing her.
Indeed, upon further examination she soon realized that the man in front of her had been facing away from her the entire time, and as such he didn’t even turn to face her when she’d called out.
When she was no more than five feet from him she called again.
“Sir?” She called again, unsure of what to do.
She didn’t want to rush away from a potentially helpless man, yet this man himself could perhaps be some deranged criminal. He could be the Ripper for all she knew. Yet she pressed on, out of a desire to help, or mere stupidity is not known.
However, that didn’t seem to matter, as the second she got within three or so feet, he jerked towards her, tossing aside his hat to reveal a helmet with a pair of horns on it. His eyes were glowing red, like a set of two massive matches, yet they didn’t burn out. He wore a wicked grin with sharp teeth, and with his cloak tossed aside, she could see it almost resembled that of a demon’s wings.
Spring Heeled Jack’s mouth flung itself open, and he laughed as he spat a plume of flame at the woman, who herself let loose all of the air within her lungs in an almost Banshee-like shriek. She fell to the ground while screaming, her eyes forcing themselves closed as she forced her arm up to shield her face from the flames.
As she continued to scream, a nearby house’s door opened, and a large, burly man with a pistol rushed out. His eyes fell upon Jack, who turned to him with a grin. Jack gently bumped his metallic claws together as he set his gaze on the man. The action created a small, metallic clanking sound.
The man himself quickly leveled his revolver pistol and fired, filling the silent street with a loud bang. However, Jack himself laughed as he quickly turned and rushed away, before leaping over a nearby fence.
He could hear several more doors opening behind him, however by the time the homeowners had realized what had happened, the demonic stalker had rushed to a nearby building and performed a second leap. Several men and women below watched as Jack grabbed onto a window seal, before quickly sliding in through.
However, in his rush to get into the home, Jack himself had not realized the building he’d just entered… Spring Heeled Jack had just leapt into the second floor of 50 Berkeley Square. Despite the mob that had gathered below, not one dared to follow the demonic night stalker, as they themselves knew what lurked within the townhouse.
Jack himself chuckled as he rushed through the darkened room he’d found himself in. He hardly noted the fact that there were very few pieces of furniture within sight. Abandoned buildings were common after all. However, one thing he did note is that while moving through the townhouse, he heard a wet squish with each step.
Jack cursed as he tried to make out what he was stepping in, however, to his surprise even his vigilant and well trained eyes could not pierce the darkness that awaited within 50 Berkeley Square, thus he was forced to use a much more crude way to see.
He reached into his cloak and quickly pulled out a lantern. With nimble fingers Jack turned said lantern on. However, not even the London stalker had expected to see that the floor he walked on was covered in a foul slime. Jack sneered at this, before sitting the Lantern down on a small table. He then further examined the goop.
When he leaned down though, he heard a faint giggle, before turning so quickly he practically became a blur. There, a few feet away was a little girl. Her age was likely only in the single digits, however, Jack noticed she was very pale.
“Apparition.” He stated simply, his voice high pitched, yet old sounding. “This townhouse may be your dwelling but I fear you not.”
“What about him?” Giggled the girl, pointing behind Jack, obviously not frightened.
Immediately, Jack turned, and found himself looking down a long hallway. A sickening, wet sound emitted from the end of it, and as Jack’s eyes finally managed to penetrate the darkness there, within a door frame, he saw what was almost like a dozen writhing limbs.
Tentacles, like on an octopus or squid of some sort. Each one was covered in the same foul goop from earlier and each writhe of the limbs sent thick wads of the slime flying.
Jack straightened up at the sight of the unholy being, his arms outstretched in front of him like the talons on a diving owl. However, the Nameless Thing itself just writhed in response, before emitting an unholy roar that sounded like the mixture of a high pitched hawk and a rumbling lion along with a disgusting gurgle.
Jack himself just cracked his neck, before the massive beast rushed at him with speed one wouldn’t expect for its size…
FIGHT!
Jack sidestepped out of the way of a downward tentacle swipe, letting the beast smash its limb into the wooden floorboards below, cracking a few of them before it swung another one of its numerous limbs towards the night walking trixter.
Jack responded by jumping over the strike and latching onto the roof like a long clawed cat. The demon then quickly leapt down from the roof towards the Eldritch being, only to receive a smack from a thick tentacle, sending him flying into a nearby wall.
He slammed into it with enough force to leave a spider web of cracks in the wood, before he fell onto all fours, landing swiftly, almost like a cat. The Thing then swung another tentacle for him, only for the demon to roll out of the way.
This time though, as the Thing’s tentacle slammed into the ground, Jack raised a hand and slammed four of his clawed fingers into the beast’s tendril, pinning it to the floor and causing the monster to shriek in pain and anger.
Jack smiled and jerked his hand, ripping off the tip of the tendril and sending the hunk of flesh flying into a wall with a wet splat. The beast roared in more pain before sending several more tendrils towards Jack.
The London terror quickly jerked his upper body backwards almost like a limbo master. However, despite the silly display of agility, the act made the beast smash its tendrils into the already damaged wall behind Jack, letting the demon quickly jerk back to his feet before giving several slashes to the tentacles.
Each time he landed a claw swipe, small chunks of the Eldritch monster’s flesh were torn off, with the octopus-like flesh of the Thing not standing up to Jack’s finger blades. However, Jack wasn’t done there as he then rushed down the monster’s main body.
The Thing had little time to react as the man practically vanished into a flash before slamming his shoulder into the beast’s “head,” or rather what he considered the beast’s head.
This sent the creature flailing before it fell onto its “back” with a wet splat, writhing as it did. Jack then began stomping on the being’s writhing tentacles, though he frowned as he did. Given the monster’s lack of bones, he was annoyed to not hear a satisfying crunch beneath his heels.
However, despite the powerful stomps he was giving, the beast didn’t seem all that phased, as another tentacle swipe sent Jack flying backwards, before he smashed into a window.
Surprisingly he didn’t crash completely though it, but that was likely due to the fact that a majority of his body hit the seal under said window. With a groan, Jack fell onto his ass as glass shards rained down on him, cutting his cloak and costume as he shook his head, removing the dizziness he’d been given from the blow.
Jack groaned as he stumbled to his feet, with the Thing doing the same. Jack growled as he then rushed down the beast once more, claw raised. However, the second he was about to make contact with the being, a shadowy hand caught him by the neck and Jack found himself staring at a tall, shadowy man.
Even with the light of his lantern and Jack’s keen eyes, the creature was void of all light, almost existing in negative space. Truly it was a thing that should not be.
However, Jack’s response wasn’t one of fear.
Instead, he opened his maw… and from it came a gust of blue flame.
Immediately the shadow roared as it jerked back, the flames licking at it nonexistent skin. Jack, however, just kept up on the flames, causing the Thing to stumble back as he continued to burn the beast, lighting up the house so brightly that even the crowd below stared up at the windows to get a better view.
The Thing continued to back away and seemingly the second the flames were dying down, it got a hard punch to its “face,” sending the shadowy figure back, before Jack responded by giving it another blast of flame from his maw. The creature growled at this, before suddenly… it vanished in a puff of smoke.
Jack ceased his flames, his face now one of confusion. He looked around, only for more wisps of smoke and gas to appear. He gritted his teeth, vaguely aware of the situation before…
WHAM!
His head jerked to the side, his helmet almost ringing like a gong as a tentacle slapped him across the face. However, Jack kept himself on his feet as he unleashed a burst of flame at the direction the tentacle came from, only to hit nothing.
As he breathed though, he suddenly felt a searing pain in his back and grunted, pausing his flames as a claw tore through his cloak, leaving a few bleeding gashes on his back. Jack hissed and then quickly swiped at the direction that produced the talon swipe.
He hissed in annoyance as he found this wound up doing nothing but knocking down the lantern he’d placed earlier. The small light source quickly burst as it fell and slammed into the floor, causing a small fire.
The flames spread a bit thanks to the kerosene before Jack suddenly felt two tendrils wrap around his legs and he gasped before he was dragged backwards, down the same hallway the being had appeared in.
Jack grabbed the frame of the door as he passed it, however, even with his claws, the slime covered frame was too much for the London stalker as he found himself drug through the townhouse, before suddenly he felt himself tumbling.
Jack grunted as he smashed down a flight of stairs and slammed into the cold, dingy basement floor. The basement was covered with more slime than even the upstairs, thus Jack guessed it was likely the being’s true home. However, he didn’t have much time to ponder as he heard the creaking of stairs above him.
He turned and saw a shadowy figure descending the steps. The figure took its time as Jack got into a crouching position, and as the Thing reached the London slasher, it brought back a fist, before bringing it down, right towards Jack’s head.
However, it didn’t expect a furred paw to bat away its attempt at an attack. The shadow then felt the full force of a several hundred pound bear headbutt the closest approximation to a face it had.
The shadow fell backwards against the stairs, before the bear grabbed it by its legs, its powerful jaws somehow latching around the formless shape’s “ankle” before the beast yanked the shadow backwards. The bear effortlessly tossed the Thing into one of the walls of the basement, shaking the very foundation of the townhouse as it did.
The shadow immediately turned into a cloud of mist, but the bear wasn’t having any of that, and unleashed a roar with enough strength to blast back the cloud of fog. The fog responded by unleashing a series of tentacles at the furred beast.
However, even as the tentacles wrapped around the bear, the beast just quickly tore these limbs apart via bites and claw swipes. One tried to wrap around its muzzle, however the beast forced its own jaw open against the squid-like tendril’s strength, before easily biting it in half.
The Thing saw that this wasn’t doing much good and thus, the cloud of mist quickly forced itself into a much smaller figure. It reformed into a small being that was like that of a simple octopus, no bigger than the large bear’s paw. However, the small creature immediately rushed past the bear, running under the four legged beast before scurrying up the stairs.
Jack roared in fury before turning and rushing up the stairs, making them creak as they barely held up. However, as he reached the top of the stairs, he saw that the townhouse had become an inferno, with the floor above looking as if it was about to collapse due to planks of wood falling onto the bear below.
Said bear growled as it quickly shapeshifted back into Jack, letting the slasher maneuver through the inferno easier. He watched as the small octopus scurried under a small patch of burning planks. Jack walked over to said planks, and was about to stomp them when suddenly the full sized Thing burst out from under them with a loud roar.
Jack’s eyes widened before dozens of tentacles wrapped themselves around his body and each of his limbs, quickly immobilizing him. Even as the London stalker kicked and jerked, he couldn’t break the Thing’s grip. He looked at the tendril covered beast and found a large clawed hand emerge from it, before said claws were pointed right at Jack’s heart.
The London slasher gave a growl, clearly annoyed that this being would last as long as it did against him! How dare it think it could kill the mighty Spring Heeled Jack! This would not do!
Suddenly, as the beast was about to impale him, it found its grip on him began to loosen. It then realized that Jack was getting bigger. Instead of being an average sized man, the stalker began to grow to seven feet… then nine, and before the beast knew it he was too big to hold still.
Jack growled before flexing his now enlarged muscles, causing the dozens of tendrils holding him to immediately shatter into pieces of flesh, making the Thing roar in rage and pain, before it sent another several towards him.
Writhing, slimy tendrils were swatted away or stomped into dust, before the thing roared, and quickly fled, smashing through the front wall of 50 Berkeley Square. However, Jack himself wasn’t willing to let it go that easily. He himself smashed through the wall, uncaring of the attention it would draw.
Behind him the house began to cave in upon itself, with the roof giving way as burning planks smashed through the top floors. Jack saw the Thing squirming around the large fence in front of the townhouse. The beast then suddenly pulled off a large, metal fence post and threw it at Jack.
The spear-like projectile embedded itself within the London menace’s knee, making him howl with pain, before he dropped onto one knee, grunting as he did. However, this allowed the creature to suddenly shrink and rush towards him before leaping at his neck.
The monster wrapped several tentacles around his throat, before it began to tighten its grip, choking Jack slightly. The London menace tried to breathe fire, however, the creature’s grip was too tight. Thus, Jack growled as he began to grow a little bit further, around ten feet at least.
The creature’s grip loosened despite it lengthening its tendrils, and Jack quickly grabbed onto its little body, before tossing the Thing into the stone below. The creature splattered against the ground, slime and alien blood flowing along and into the cracks in the street as it did. However, Jack himself just responded by jumping ten feet into the air, even with his damaged leg.
Then, gravity took over and he began to fall, right towards the Thing...
The giant gave the small squid a double heeled stomp, causing the creature to splatter into green goop while the stones below it were shattered into pebbles, leaving a small crater.
Jack looked down at the goo for a few moments, however, when nothing moved he sighed, before grabbing onto the fence post still embedded in his knee. With a growl he pulled it out as quick as possible, before tossing the blood covered metal aside. With his enemy dealt with, Jack began to limp away. He leaped over another fence and vanished amid the darkness of London.
Even those who’d witnessed the spectacle and tried to follow him wound up finding nothing. Even come daylight, the blood trail led to nothing worthwhile and Spring Heeled Jack lived on in infamy, though it seemed there were a few Londoners at least thankful that 50 Berkeley Square and the Nameless Thing within it were gone…
KO!
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Spring-Heeled Jack (WINNER)
+Possibly more durable
+Faster
+More agile via jumping and wall climbing
+Range via fire breath
+Helmet was a minor help
+/=At best, Jack is smarter and at worse, they're equal in intelligence
=Shapeshifting
=Fear manipulation wouldn’t work here
=Intangibility
=/-Weaker until size manipulation and shapeshifting evened the gap
-Despite his own stealth, the Thing’s transformations allowed it to be stealthier
-Less limbs
-Some of the Thing’s transformations made it more maneuverable despite his speed and agility advantage
The Nameless Thing (LOSER)
+Stealth via being able to turn into gas/shadows/a shadowy man, even if Jack himself is no slouch
+More limbs gave the beast a large advantage
+Despite being slower and less agile, the creature’s transformations at times give it more maneuverability (Turning into gas, shadows and the like)
+/=Stronger, though shapeshifting likely evened the gap
=Shapeshifting
=Fear manipulation wouldn’t work
=Intangibility
=/-At best, they're equally intelligence and at worse, Jack is smarter
-Possibly less durable
-Slower
-Less Agile
-Zero means of range
-Jack’s flames could possibly negate the beast’s stealth advantage when he starts using them
(The following artwork for the Winner TN belongs to Carbonated-James)