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[01] Zue is a crucial part of the Zodiac Court, and all Zodiacs are also meta characters. This means that this character is RP-required, as defined below:

All Zodiac characters must be active in at least one RP thread a month, contributing at minimum one thousand words. This is the minimum requirement. We expect more activity than this, but this is the bottom line for what you will need to do in order to be considered an active Zodiac player. If you know that you will be on vacation or particularly strained for time during a certain month, you will need to PM the GMs and let us know ahead of time.

Failure to adhere to these standards will result in a loss of ownership!

[02] You may not apply if you already own another Zodiac.

[03] You may not apply if you already own another Guardian Cat.

[04] Winner will be expected to have a working knowledge of the Zodiac Court, Barren Pines, and the general shop storyline.

[05] Winner will be expected to plot with the rest of the Zodiac Court regularly and be an active participant in the faction, as opposed to simply being active in the shop on the whole.

Profile: [x]

Past Life: [x]

Additional Note: Zue is one of only two guardian cats (the other is Zirconia) who has three forms: human, half-human, or cat!

Username: Zero Dream
Number of Current Powered Characters: 4
Average Time Spent on Gaia Weekly: A lot. Let's say 6 hours a day, on average ? If I am not on gaia yet not at work/asleep I am usually reachable in some way, be it on aim or though my phone aim.

Why do you want to be a part of the Zodiac Court, specifically?: I've always loved the idea of courts ever since getting involved in ItnotM, especially the zodiacs themselves. I quickly found myself trying to figure out as much information as possible about them, and found myself back reading on the barren pines event... and was quite sad that I hadn't gotten into the shop sooner, and thus hadn't been able to take part of it. I just adore the whole theme of the zodiacs – holding the line, protecting the solar system from invading chaos creatures, all those rich and deep connections they hold to each other. I've always wanted to be part of it, in some way – and now that I see a chance, I can't help but go for it.

Please don't let my number of characters scare you off without another glance – I am more than capable to play all of them plus Zue. I plan to be as active as possible with him, and do much more than simply scrape by the rp requirements. I am always more than happy to work with anyone regarding their plots, and I believe being Zue's player would allow me to do exactly that for the zodiacs. I am willing to work with anyone, but especially with all of the other zodiac players, in whichever way that Zue can be useful to the team as a whole.

I also understand that if I do win Zue, I will probably be unable to ever get my guardian cat quest, or my chronos knight idea. I am perfectly fine with this.

Writing Sample: It had been much too long, Zue knew. Too long since he had been around for his princess, been around for his soldiers. In a sense, he hadn't ever really been there at all with the zodiacs, hadn't he ? The last real memory he had from before he woke up was Elke confronting him and... Now, he realized she was right. He hadn't been there for them. Not then, and not until now. In his absence, two had fallen. Two blips were missing on his mental map, on the sense he used to know where the zodiacs were, no matter their state. including Aries herself – and that was inexcusable. Surely, had he been around, perhaps...

It was too late for perhaps. Two had died in his absence – it was two too many. And Aries, of all of them... The only thing he could do was to return and hope that that Chronos would forgive him. The feeling that he had failed her, above all, and in such a drastic way, was the worst thing he had ever felt. The accident had taken one year out of his life, but now that he was out of the hospital, he was ready to return, and do everything he could to make up for it.

Could Zue truly get along with every one of them ? That was probably impossible. But he would try. He would at least do the effort to be there, this time around. And it started now.

Sue Gottschalk would have had a hard time slipping into Crystal Academy, even if it wasn't night time as it was now. Zue, on the other hand, was much harder to notice – who paid attention to a cat, after all ? As much as he loved cats, turning into one was still slightly awkward, especially after so long. Climbing the tree had taken some work, and from there he was able to leap on the fence, balancing himself to reach the side of the building. Serenade was still here, he could feel her inside, through... hadn't she and Elke... ? Yes, they'd roomed together, but now Virgo registered somewhere else. He'd take the company of any of them, after so long. Hell, he'd even put up with Gemini Alpha. Zue couldn't help but huff mentally at that thought. Was he really that desperate ? ...Yes, yes he was.

But the princess first. Always the princess first. Chronos came before everything else, before any of his wants and needs. It had always been that way, though he still couldn't remember much of the past – but deep inside himself, he knew it. He was following the signal when, suddenly, something... felt off. Something felt wrong, and the cat stopped, doing a vain attempt to smooth his fur back.

Something... was wrong, and it was only when he looked up to the sky that he realized what. The good thing with being a cat was the night vision – he might have missed it otherwise, the large shape that was descending upon Destiny City. The hell was that ?

Sue had never seen anything quite like this. But Zue... Zue had, and when the realization hit, his blood ran cold. These were the type of chaos strains they fought at the surrounding.

But how in hell has this gotten here ?! It shouldn't... It couldn't... Damn ! It made all too much sense – last he knew, none of the zodiacs had a way to return to the surrounding. And the opal crystal... Was it still stolen ? It his fears was true, and that the line had broken... They were in more trouble than he even wanted to think about. Sure, most human beings pissed him off – he rather preferred cats to humans, how ironic to think about after realizing who he was – but that didn't mean they all deserved to die. The white moon senshi likely had no idea how to fight chaos creatures like these. It would fall onto the zodiacs. What was left of the zodiacs. Had Aries been around, he would likely have went right to Hero. She'd always been the one he'd trusted the most – but now Aries was gone. Hero was gone. Taurus, perhaps, would be the best idea. But he was so close to the princess now...

Finally, Zue willed himself into action – leaped off the fence and onto a window ledge, and he stopped in front of a very specific one, and peered within. He already knew this, but Serenade was indeed inside. She would know best who to contact, wouldn't she ?

He tapped a paw against the window, hoping to get her attention. There was no time to waste. No more time to think about what should have been done, and what would need to be done.

((812 words))

Username: Kuro-Mizuki.
Number of Current Powered Characters: Zero.
Average Time Spent on Gaia Weekly: A lot. If I had to guess, I'd say around 20 hours.

Why do you want to be a part of the Zodiac Court, specifically?: I have always loved the concept of the Zodiacs, and have been interested in their stories. ICly they are an engaging, important, and fascinating group which I would love to be a part of. Their faction is detailed and makes one curious about what exactly they're like and draws people in to their stories, myself included. OOCly, while I don't have a character already, I am someone who does not just grab one and go. I have been repeatedly trying in events for quite a long time, and I understand that my not posting consistently in the main thread might hinder my chances. But despite that, and although I might need just a little guidance at the beginning, I can guarantee that I am someone who would be dedicated and active.

Writing Sample:

He couldn't believe that he had been woken up. For this.

"Is there a reason why you're stepping on my tail?"

It was mostly thought, rather than spoken aloud, though the cat that was pressing one clawed paw down onto his fur merely gave him a placating look. It let out a sharp meow, and Zue hissed in reply, fur bristling. His attempt to nap not withstanding, it seemed as if the feline was attempting to talk to him.

Not that he particularly cared what he - she - it (whatever it was) had to say. In fact, all Zue wanted was to close his eyes and go back to the pleasantries of sleep. Instead he was curled up at the base of an old oak tree talking to a stray.

"Go away," he said, and lifted his head, tilting it forward as if gesturing for the other to walk in that direction. The "please" he probably should have said did not even come to mind. With an unhappy growl, Zue laid his head back down onto his paws, closing his eyes.

Floomp.

One pale blue eye cracked open. "Kindly get your paw off of my ears," came the irritated voice, Zue scowling (as best as a cat could scowl) up at the beast. It was not a common household cat; or if it had been, it hadn't been one in a very long time. The speech it was using was stuttered, mixing the dialects of tame versus wild.

It was giving him a headache. "Go away," he said again, and buried his nose under his leg. The paw, unfortunately, did not move. Instead the cat seemed to be batting at one of his ears, which flicked in annoyance. With a snort and a snap of his jaws, Zue finally shot to his feet, glaring daggers at the offending creature.

"WHAT?" he said loudly.

...some...something...something's...diff-different...

Zue tilted his head, a mixture of curiosity and exasperation conflicting his emotions. One one hand, he was still greatly bothered about the fact that he had been jerked out a rather pleasant catnap in order to play twenty questions with a cat who probably had no idea who he was and was just looking for another playmate. On another hand, there was a tingling sensation in the air that made Zue restless; and he was not the only one. Around him he could feel the stiffness of the world around him; the confused apprehension of something different. Ordinary cats - like the stray - were just reacting to the shift of the air, like they often did during severe weather changes, but even Zue couldn't deny that something was off.

...as much as he wanted to just curl up and go back to sleep. Except now his nerves were on edge, and so, with a sigh, Zue nudged the cat away from him, moving forward. It only took a few steps before it was human feet, not cat feet, that broke the twigs, crushed the dry, cracked leaves undertow, and Sue ran a hand through his hair, his eyes moving up to the sky.

Something's different.

Standing out in the open, face turned towards the sky, Sue could feel it more tangibly now: a sort of sharp electricity that made his blood heat, his veins thrumming with what might have been mistaken for mere static electricity. Except Zue - not Sue, but Zue - knew that it wasn't.

Something's coming. And it's heading straight for earth.

Princess Chronos. It was his first thought, his only thought, other than the inevitable oh s**t, time to move. For a brief moment, Sue thought about going to warn the others, but another scowl rapidly overtook his features. To hell with the rest of the Zodiac; they were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, and perfectly capable of handling what was necessary. They had been taught well, hadn't they? He had to grudgingly admit that they were all very intelligent - not that he would ever say that to their faces and would very likely deny it if ever asked. The princess, on the other hand...she needed him, didn't she? She, the most intelligent of them all, relied on him to be what he was - a guardian cat.

With an irritated growl, Sue leapt forward, shifting back into cat form and bounding across the park grounds. The sun was rapidly lowering in the sky, streaking the blue with smears of orange, red, and a mixture of violets and purples. He did not know how much time they had; an hour at best, perhaps even two if they were fortunate enough, but he was not about to waste any time dawdling about. It took him mere moments to reach Serenade's room, slipping in through the half open window and padding along until he found her - his princess.

"We have a problem." And unfortunately it isn't just about my nap being interrupted.


[ 827 words ]

Username: Orangeish Sherbert
Number of Current Powered Characters: 0
Average Time Spent on Gaia Weekly: 20+ hours

Why do you want to be a part of the Zodiac Court, specifically?:
Well, once upon a time, I stumbled upon this awesome shop called In the Name of the Moon, and completely fell in love with the concept, the art, everything! I tried out for a Barren Pines Student, though it would seem that I truly didn’t yet know how to make a strong, character. I closely watched the BP plot and of course, drooled at the beautiful new Zodiac Senshi, silently wishing all of the new players all the luck in the world.
The Zodiacs have kept my attention, not just because of their fabulous outfits, (Though that is a plus), but the why they are so close knit.
I really think that that sense of family is completely amazing, and it would be an honor to be the pet cat!
Writing Sample: Total: 937

The sun was shining, the birds were singing, there were a few white clouds speckling the sky. All and all it was the perfect day for a nap, and Sue knew just where he was going to nap. Under that big oak tree near the school. Yeah. It was going to be perfect.

Sue yawned, rubbing at his eyes; the heat of the spring day was putting him to sleep. Well, that was good. Nap time. He walked to the school, then ducked behind a bush, after checking to make sure nobody was looking. He shifted into his cat form, stretching to his full length, paws digging small grooves into the ground. He let out a satisfied purr, and then made his way over to the small patch of shade right under the tree. When he got himself comfortable, his long tail curled around his body, Zue then yawned and closed his bright blue eyes. This was going to be without a doubt, the best nap ever.

It was a few minutes later, perhaps he had gotten to sleep though perhaps not, when the cat’s eyes snapped open and he jumped to his feet, hissing at something. It was a feeling, a feeling of absolute and utter wrongness that had him completely unable to sleep. The fur along his back was all standing on end and Zue looked around, still hissing slightly. He finally looked up upon realizing where the feeling was coming from and blinked, the hair beginning to lie back down.

There was a kitten stuck in the tree, looking scared to death.

That was it? That was the cause of the feeling? The wrongness that woke him up from his delightful afternoon of relaxation? He gave a small meow, his tail twitching, then proceeded to climb the tree, moving to the branch where the little white kitten stood, trembling in fear.

With soft meows, Zue coaxed the kitten closer, and then picked it up gently, running back down the tree. He deposited the small creature on the ground then nuzzled it, telling it to run on home. He watched for a few moments as the kitten ran. It looked back once, giving a meow of thanks, then disappeared out of the large cat’s line of sight.

Zue’s tail twitched at this and had he been in his human form, he would have been smiling. There. Now that the trouble was stopped, all thanks to Zue, he could go back to enjoying his lazy spring day in peace. The cat trotted back to his spot under the tree, and no sooner had he gotten comfortable again then the hair on his back stood on end once more, a screeching hiss rising in his throat. A moment later Zue was on his feet, tail in the air, back arched, looking at the sky.

What the hell was going on? The sky was clear, a light blue, not a dark cloud in sight. What could be giving the guardian cat such a bad feeling? Again Zue’s sharp blue eyes scanned the sky and horizon, searching for something—Wait.

There was something brewing. A dark cloud, blacker than any cloud that Zue had ever seen before. It was huge as well. A single cloud that took up the entire sky? That was impossible, right? Completely--

The cloud took shape into a dark sinister looking creature, tornados erupted from its hands, beginning to suck up buildings, trees, plants, people. The shrill sound of screams could be heard.

The cat stared, completely horrorstruck. He could feel as the people died, feel the lights of the starseeds as one by one they were snuffed out, crushed and collected by the black cloud…monster…thing. Though, what was worse, each of the starseeds that were destroyed belonged to unawakened Senshi. That…thing was a destruction machine.

Sure, the senshi of the white moon…No!

He felt the light of the Zodiac Senshi winking out as well. But…how could that be?

Of course…Zue hadn’t been the best Guardian Cat of late. He hadn’t seen the Zodiacs in a while. A sudden rush of guilt overcame him and he could do nothing but let his tail drop.

He could do nothing but silently mourn until his whole body was wracked with pain.

He felt his Princess’s light go out. Sue let out a wailing screech of pure agony. Why hadn’t he been a better guardian? What…what sort of…He was just standing there…

Chronos was gone
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Sue Gottschalk woke with a cry, sitting up, doubled over seemingly in pain. His breathing was heavy and it took a few moments until he was able to look around, though, when he did, he was relieved to find that he was in his dingy motel room still, Chronos wasn’t dead, and neither were any of the other Senshi. It had all been a very ******** up dream.
Something was still…off though. The hair on the back of his neck were standing on end. The same feeling of wrongness was there, just like in his dream.

He would protect his Princess and his Zodiacs. He would be a better Guardian this time.

With that thought, Sue got out of his bed, and ran as fast as he could towards Serenade’s house, not even bothering to realize he had forgotten his shoes.

When he reached the house, he was out of breath, and pounded on her window, waiting for her to open it, needing to warn her about his premonition. Something was coming to the earth, and Zue, Guardian Cat of the Zodiacs, would make sure that they were ready to face it.

Username: Enoh Love
Number of Current Powered Characters: 0
Average Time Spent on Gaia Weekly: A lot. Maybe 4-6 hours a day?

Why do you want to be a part of the Zodiac Court, specifically?:
While the Zodiac Court is fascinating in every aspect, right from the characters themselves and their origins as a tightly-knit group to their present day somewhat unorganized crew, I am not going to lie; Zue is my reason. He has always been one of my favourite guardian cats, and I have a feeling that once Sue figures out how to go about being Zue, everything else will settle into place. I could be wrong of course, but I am absolutely thrilled at the chance to play Zue and be in on something as interesting as the Zodiac Court.

Writing Sample:

PROMPT: A new threat has been detected in the vast reaches of space, and it's rapidly heading straight for Earth! WHAT DO YOU DO?

Sue had been in his room when he heard the news; something was heading here, and it was heading here fast. Though it was definitely not the time for amusement, but he couldn't help but think how almost funny it was that he was still kept in the loop, considering that he "wasn't" Zue. The thought made his light blue eyes arch in grudging amusement, his gaze fixed unseeing on the wall across from him. Coincidentally, it was that particular thought that kept him from springing to action towards the rest of the Zodiacs.

Once, he had known who he was and what he was. Everything had made sense to him and everything was in its rightful place. The universe just couldn't see fit to let him keep it that way, and before long he didn't know who he was, it wasn't clear what he was and above all he didn't know how to handle it; all these alien feelings, the need to serve and protect without any basis. Under the circumstances he did the best he could to figure out these new instincts and act on them, and indeed this particular instincts were all but screaming at him right now, but deep down the fact remained:

He was not Zue.

With a heavy sigh, the purple haired teen flopped back on the motel bed, lost in thought as he stared at the cracks in the ceiling that had been awkwardly and temporarily fixed with a quick layer of putty. Despite his best efforts it had been made painfully clear to him, but it also made him realize something else; he was not just 'Sue' anymore, either. Those demanding alien feelings, those suddenly appearing instincts...they were too strong to be nothing, and if there was one thing he was ever sure of, is that they weren't always there. It was amazing that one single letter difference in a name could bring about such open conflict!

Turning his head, the teen stared at himself in the mirror; this was Sue, the boy who had both family and academic priorities. In a moment after sitting up properly, he easily shifted into the large purple maine coon; this was Zue, whose priorities involved guarding the Zodiac Court and protecting their Princess. Two appearances, one existence. The shifting happened again and again; Sue to Zue, Sue to Zue; and then, finally, the shifting stopped, leaving Sue staring at himself in the mirror. It didn't last long; there was one final shift he had to make, no matter how dangerous it was. For a moment, for a single moment, he stared at himself as a half-cat. In the mirror, he looked like Sue and Zue. Not one over the other; one in the same.

Quickly turning back into 'Sue', he pressed his lips together in a thin and unamused line before turning, scrambling to grab what he needed before heading out the door. He wasn't going to back down just because some angry woman knocked him off guard; he wasn't going to cower with his tail between his legs like some common mutt. He was going to march out there, somehow regain their confidence, and he was going to do it his own way; by following his gut instincts. There was more than just the Zodiac Court at stake after all, if he failed here, his Mother and his Aunt (and his Father he supposed, but that wouldn't be too great a loss) would suffer as well. He'd learn the ropes again, he'd help grab the reigns of authority he imagined he once had. He was going to fight with them, and he was going to fight for them.

This was going to work one way or another, because he said so.