When it was announced that the official forums would be going down as well... I had to grab these... I can't remember now who the OP was, but it was a LONG time ago. From time to time the threads would be referenced on the Defender boards. So, I saved them...because they are imho wonderful. I'll post the first, and if you want to see more of them, let me know.
In the beginning:
In the beginning the servers were shapeless and without form. Then Statesman moved across the servers and created the City, and he filled the City with villains to be defeated, challenges to be met, and Skuls to be hunted, and he saw that it was good.
Villains, challenges and Skuls will soon lose their appeal if you have nobody to share them with, so Statesman next brought forth his 5 children, Blaster, Controller, Scrapper, Tank and Defender.
To Blaster he gave great strength but a jaw of glass.
To Controller he gave the power to silence and still her foes and allies to aid her, but little strength of her own.
To Scrapper he gave great strength and great toughness, but a short reach so he would not be over mighty.
To Tank he gave even greater toughness yet but made him slow and short of reach.
To Defender he gave the greatest gifts giving her great speed, great reach, much strength, and the ability to avoid harm.
Then Statesman spoke to Defender saying, "I have given you these gifts so that you may watch over the others for that one keeps dying, that one has been running around in circles for ages now, and those two have been fighting the same motionless Skul for 10 minutes." Defender looked over those she was tasked to protect and replied to Statesman saying, "Do I have to?".
Statesman was angered and thundered a curse upon Defender for her impudence, "While you have a great many gifts, the greatest shall be of more use to others than they are to you!" And so it is to this day that the children of Defender have many gifts they cannot use alone so that they, from time to time, "have to".
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One day Defender grew hungry for experience, but did not want to labor herself, so she sought out Scrapper and said, "Won't you join me on a team so that we may both gain more and faster experience?" Always eager for more foes Scrapper readily agreed and they ventured forth. Whenever they reached a foe, Scrapper would rush up to fight while Defender would stand behind and idly watch. After a while, Scrapper became aware of this and asked, "Why do you not join me in the fight?" Defender reached out with the least of her powers and removed some minor harm Scrapper had taken and said, "Why Scrapper! I stand back here and heal you, for if I did not you would surely die!" Scrapper thanked Defender for her kindly vigilance on his behalf and they continued on. In this way Defender gained her experience while Scrapper did all the work and thanked Defender for the privilege!
Over the course of time Defender had many children. The eldest where the powerful and conceited Storm and his mild and giving twin sister Empathy. Then came Radia and Darkity who knew much of their mothers gifts for weakening a foe. Kin, like her older sister Empathy, was a giving sort, perhaps with less generosity, but with more of her mother’s speed and strength. Young Trick was a tinker who made toys to copy his mother;s powers, while Sonic and Bubbles both inherited talents for enshrouding a ally with a protective grace.
These elder children in turn had children of their own until Defender was graced with many grandchildren and great grandchildren to help watch over the progeny of her siblings.
It came to pass that one of these later generations decided to learn which of the branches of Defenders children was the greatest. So he went in turn to his Grandfathers, Grandmothers, Grandaunts and Granduncles to ask.
Empathy answered, "Why my children of course, because we make those under our care more powerful than any hero alone."
Storm answered, "You have to ask who is most powerful?!" And swept the child from his home with a powerful wind.
Kin answered, "My charges are as safe as Empathy's and move twice as fast! My children are clearly the strongest."
Bubbles answered, "Protected by my children you need fear no harm, what could be more powerful than that!". Listening nearby Sonic retorted, "Mine shall do that and weaken the foes around you, clearly I and my children are more powerful."
Radia and Darkity both fell to squabbling about the most effective way to weaken a foe, but both agreed this was the strongest of Defender’s gifts.
Trick laughed and said, "Show me what another can do that I cannot!" The child replied, "Heal?" So Trick shot him with a sharp arrow and the child fled.
Confused and frustrated the child sought Defender herself and asked, "Great Mother, which of your children is strongest?" Defender chuckled and laid before the child some fruit she had in a nearby bowl and said, "Which of these fruit is greatest my child?". The child thought and answered, "Well watermelon is cooling on a hot day, and orange will help ward off illness. Apple is sweet and filling, but grapes are jucier and make heady wine. I could not say. What do you say?". Defender then took the fruit and chopped them, mixed them together in a bowl and handed it to the child saying, "That my child, is wisdom."
