The first of these "wiki article blog posts" will be the one covering the Guardians of the Barfoo. There are currently 14 Guardians in all (though numbers fluctuate over time; there have been more at some points in the past and less in others), with 13 of the group assigned to watch over a certain region of Earth and protect any Barfoo Points (the locations around the world where the divided power of the Uggy Barfoo was sealed away to prevent misuse) within their region. The 14th Guardian has a unique role as a "backup/support" member of the group whose purpose is to be on call in case one of the others needs extra help with something. Each Guardian was chosen personally by J'daahi Bunprego (an ancient bunny-like spirit who was responsible for splitting and sealing the Uggy Barfoo's power in the first place) and infused with a tiny fragment of the Barfoo's power in order to strengthen them to a level where they can protect their region effectively from any possible threats.
The first-generation Guardians were chosen by Bunprego about 8000 years ago, shortly after the Barfoo's power was split and hidden away. Around 3200 years ago, another group of Barfoo Guardians aided J'daahi Bunprego in his battles against the forces of Moronism (basically, stupidity itself, but manifested as an active force--have you ever known someone who acted stupid on purpose, either to annoy someone else or because they had the idea that doing stupid things was "cool" somehow? that'd be an example of the sort of mindset Moronism draws its power from), fighting the Moronic Army while Bunprego himself took on the Lord of Moronism Ma-Du Yzular on the surface of the moon. Though little is known of these Guardians, it's likely that there were fewer of them than in the current generation, perhaps even as few as six or seven spread across the whole world. And there have been more Guardians to go with each generation between these time periods and leading up to the present, with their ranks including not only humans but elves, vampires, and various other inhabitants of Earth... and perhaps even some historical figures that you might have thought were "just ordinary humans."
And now I'll introduce you to the current members of the group (who will each get their own picture and section as I come up with more information about them.)
Hooji is unusual among Guardians in that his position (and the Barfoo Power that came with it) was passed down to him by his grandfather, who had been a Guardian of the Barfoo for decades and who had trained Hooji in preparation for the day that he might inherit that position from him. Rather than knowing nothing about the Guardians of the Barfoo until the day he became one, like most of the others, Hooji grew up aware of their existence and knew he would someday inherit his grandfather's Barfoo Power from a very young age. It's likely that several of the special techniques he uses were based on those his grandfather once used, though chances are that Hooji has put his own spin on them (along with putting his signature on the techniques he uses by adding "Hooj" to their names.)
Hooji is a skilled fighter, perhaps one of the strongest among Barfoo Guardians, due in part to the martial arts training he has received from his friend Afronian Gorgonzolas (who is perhaps the most powerful ninja to have ever lived) as well as the training he received from his grandfather before he had even gained his Barfoo Power. He can fight hand-to-hand if necessary, but he prefers to use what he refers to as the "Holy Plunger"--an ornately decorated toilet plunger which never gets dirty despite being used in exactly the way any other plunger would be used. This is thanks to Hooji's Barfoo Power, known as "Skin of the Barfoo," which prevents anything from sticking to (or absorbing into) his body or any object connected to it, such as a weapon or clothing. This power provides protection from all sorts of things, ranging from sand getting in the eyes (a real problem in much of the area he watches over) to contact poisons to infections and parasitic lifeforms. As nothing can ever stick to his clothing either, this also means that Hooji has no need to wash his clothes, since the dirt and sweat particles that would normally cause them to become smelly over extended wearing just roll off of them instead.
Hooji has developed a variety of fighting techniques revolving around the Holy Plunger, the most powerful of which involves launching himself through the air at high speeds with the Plunger held forward so as to ram into an enemy's stomach or chest. His "Mind Plunger" attack strikes the opponent in the head in such a way that their memory is temporarily disrupted, making them have difficulty remembering complicated techniques while its effects last and possibly even causing them to forget recent events (such as ending up in a fight with Hooji, perhaps.) It's possible that this is a technique he learned from his grandfather, as it's one of the few techniques he uses that doesn't have "Hooj" attached to its name. Hooji is also capable of using the Barfoo Power he's been infused with in various other ways. Though also capable of generating protective barriers from the Barfoo Power within him, his most common method of using this power is to generate spheres of energy he refers to as "Hoojballs," which he throws at enemies. A barrage of these is known as a "Hoojstorm." He can also rapidly launch them from the Holy Plunger, a technique known as the "Hoojball Cannon," or charge a much larger amount of energy into the Holy Plunger before unleashing it, creating a huge blast of pure white energy known as the "Hoojtastic Cannon."
Hooji's last name is not pronounced like the plural of "mofo"--it's more like "mo-foss" (with "foss" rhyming with "gross.") His first name was inspired by the announcer in Super Smash Bros. Melee, who can sometimes sound like he's saying "Hooji!" rather than "Luigi!" if you're not paying close attention or if other background sounds are interfering with your ability to hear the voice clearly. That's also why his facial features are almost exactly like Luigi's. His clothing was partially inspired by the costumes worn by Dr. Gero and Android 19 in Dragonball Z, specifically the orange puffy shoulder ruffles that both he and Dr. Gero share.
Takohara's cane has a sword blade hidden inside it which can spring out at a moment's notice. In battle he relies primarily on this weapon, as his Barfoo Power -- "Nerves of the Barfoo" -- does not provide him with any offensive ability. What it does give him is massively superhuman reflexes, making it seem as though he's predicted the next three moves an opponent will make before even so much as a small twitch gives them away; thanks to this power, he is able to dodge attacks from even much faster opponents with little apparent difficulty, and the speed of his counterattacks that follow is likewise enhanced. Though he is somewhat frail in comparison to most other Guardians due to his age, his ability ensures that he will rarely ever actually get hit. It's possible that Takohara has other powers as well, though if so their nature is as of yet unknown.
I haven't decided on his full name yet; so far it's only "Takohara," but presumably he has a last name (or perhaps that is his last name, and he has some yet-to-be-revealed first name that I haven't come up with yet.) I actually made him up long before I came up with the concept of Barfoo Guardians; his first appearance was in an old story from 2006 titled Fnrrf Ygm Schnish: Tales of the Hippievan. In that story, he had darkness powers in addition to his sword-cane, though that has not carried over to the current version of the character. His name was originally used for a completely different character, a 16-year-old Zwooban warrior who (again) had darkness powers. That Takohara never actually showed up in anything; I don't think I ever actually drew him, even.
Alberto is perhaps at the peak of strength that a human could possibly achieve without enhancement from unusual powers, a level which by any ordinary person's definition would qualify as superhuman. The sword he wields is intended to be used with both hands (and even then its sheer mass makes it nearly impossible to use effectively for any ordinary human), but Alberto swings it near-effortlessly in just one. Along the same lines, his armor is probably too heavy for an ordinary human to even move effectively while wearing it, but Alberto manages it just fine.
He prides himself on that strength which he developed over decades of training, and refuses to even use the Barfoo Power infused in him unless he has no other choice. When he does face an opponent powerful enough to force him to resort to his Barfoo Power, he uses it in ways that enhance his natural strengths--boosting his physical power even further, or surrounding his sword in a destructive aura of golden energy which causes blades of Barfoo Power to go flying off at high speeds whenever he swings it in an enemy's direction. His only named special technique is "Fist of the Barfoo," which surrounds the sword with an aura of condensed Barfoo Power that causes it to strike like a heavy blunt-force type weapon rather than one with a cutting edge. This technique is useful for times when knocking an opponent unconscious rather than killing them is required, but the opponent is too strong for Alberto to simply rely on smacking them with the flat side of his sword (or his bare hands) like he could with a weaker foe. It's also handy against regenerating enemies which could easily piece themselves back together after being cut, but might be more seriously affected by a sudden blunt impact -- especially when he chooses to release the Barfoo Power surrounding the sword upon impact, generating an explosion of energy.
Alberto is another character who came before the Guardian of the Barfoo concept, originally being the king of a small city-state somewhere in Europe (called Yobobo in some stories and Nanarrgh in others.) His abilities were similar back then, though he didn't have Barfoo Power to fall back on back in those days--he was just "the world's strongest normal human," somehow managing to reach a level beyond some users of various unusual power sources with nothing but swordsmanship skill and a whole lot of plain ol' brute strength.
(CURRENTLY UNNAMED): The Guardian of the Barfoo assigned to the western United States, watching over the Barfoo Point located in the Snoo Snazfu ruins somewhere in the deserts of Nevada. Her exact age is currently unknown, though she doesn't seem like she could be that much older than Bridget... maybe they're around the same age?
Her Barfoo Power is "Steps of the Barfoo," which causes immense amounts of energy to be infused in her legs and feet. This makes it possible for her to walk over -- and through -- virtually anything without any harm or even slight discomfort, whether it be thorny bushes, hot desert sand, sharp metal spikes, or even molten lava. This ability also allows her to walk over non-solid surfaces, such as water, as if they were solid ground. Because of the way her legs and feet are enhanced, she has developed a fighting style revolving around kicks, even using her feet to block incoming attacks (which, thanks to her Barfoo Power infusion, will usually bounce off as though colliding with an iron wall rather than actually harming her in the least.) It's likely that this infusion of Barfoo Power also makes her able to run much faster and jump higher than she would otherwise be able to.
She is loosely based on a picture of a girl in sunglasses that I drew somewhere in mid/late 2004. I think that drawing was originally intended to be loosely based on a girl I kinda-knew in high school, though I'm not 100% sure at this point since that was a decade ago.
The original Bridget was born in 1986, but the split-selves that currently exist came into being in late October of 2003. In a way, this makes Bridget the youngest of the Guardians (less than a year old at the moment she joined!) in addition to being the most recent to join... but as she has a lifetime's worth of memories just like anyone else born in 1986 (only missing memories of periods in her life when the original Bridget spent much more time in her true Burijeoo form, such as her first five years of life on the Burijeoo homeworld or the summer when she returned to her world to regain her place as Queen), nobody actually considers her to be any younger than her physical age would suggest.
As a Stage 6 Burijeoo (or perhaps some unnamed stage even beyond that that only a rare few Burijeoo ever reach, as her true Burijeoo form is unique among her species), she is naturally much stronger than an ordinary human even when disguised in human form. She primarily fights hand-to-hand, slashing enemies with her claws, though she has no memory of the Burijeoo fighting techniques that the original Bridget possessed (only the "evil" split-Bridget inherited this knowledge.) Using the Barfoo Power she was granted by Bunprego, "Claws of the Barfoo," Bridget gains the ability to project blades of energy from her claws, both enhancing her short-range combat ability and making it possible for her to launch cutting waves of energy at distant enemies. She also develops the ability to project blasts of yellowish Barfoo energy which sometimes take on the form of lightning, particularly when the energy is generated from her claws first and then projected outward. Though she eventually regains all of her Burijeoo abilities (including at least the most basic forms of all the Burijeoo magic the original Bridget had known, as well as being able to shift back to her true form rather than being "locked" into human form), this had not yet happened when she first became a Guardian of the Barfoo, so for a time she was only aware of her Barfoo-based powers.
The reawakening of Bridget's innate Burijeoo abilities came as a bit of a shock at first, as she did not consciously remember how to use Burijeoo magic and simply found it coming out when she had meant to draw upon her Barfoo Power instead -- a fireball manifesting instead of a sphere of Barfoo Power or a bolt of blue magical lightning rather than the golden-white Barfoo Power-generated version, for example. At first she worried that something bad was happening to her, that she was falling under the influence of some evil being or had even been possessed, especially after she first shifted into her true Burijeoo form by accident -- not remembering what a Burijeoo even was, it was as if she had suddenly changed into some unfamiliar bug-monster out of nowhere, only to unconsciously shift back in a panic seconds later. With some help from Sarah Nancos Fartbean, and later the Yagziknian Burijeoo living in the caverns far beneath Mt. Goribo, she was eventually able to accept her Burijeoo side and began to rely on her Burijeoo magic more than her Barfoo Power, developing a fighting style that resembled a variation of that which the original "complete" Bridget made use of.
The story of how Bridget (or rather, one of the two Bridgets) became a Guardian of the Barfoo ties in heavily to the story of Fnrrf Ygm Schnish: Alleghany Hell School, specifically its ending. Bridget is also based on someone I knew in elementary and high school, though at this point the resemblance is mostly in appearance more than anything else.
His powers are mostly unknown, though it's rumored that he can make use of a technique known as the "Shadow of the Barfoo" in order to blind enemies and make it impossible for them to detect his presence... this power is said to create a sphere of brilliant golden energy around his opponent which projects its own light inward but does not allow any light to enter or exit its radius, making it impossible for whoever is inside to see out and blinding them with its light if they make any attempt. Being in such close proximity to the sphere of Barfoo Power likely disrupts sensing abilities as well, forcing anyone unfortunate enough to be stuck in its center to rely on their senses of hearing and smell to figure out where they're going.
Blackbird Undertree was originally a separate character, appearing in my Pokémon parody/tribue game Puckamon as the owner of a "Puckamon Orphanage" and claiming that Puckamon Gyms would someday be called "Orphanages," so he would rightfully be the leader of his city's "Puckamon Orphanage" as soon as that happened. When I first drew the character who would originally be known as Blackbird Undertree among the ranks of the Guardians of the Barfoo, he had a similar design as the Puckamon version but wasn't intended to be the same guy--I only later gave him the same name (inspired by a forum member who said he pronounced the OHRRPGCE's acronym as "orphanage") when I realized just how similar I'd made them look.
His Barfoo Power is "Horn of the Barfoo," which infuses his staff (or any other weapon he happens to pick up) with an incredible amount of energy. This energy serves to protect the weapon from damage and enhance its striking force (and true to its name, the "Horn of the Barfoo" makes it possible for him to use the end of the staff as a piercing weapon despite its blunt tip by surrounding it with a shell of sharp-edged energy), but its true purpose is revealed whenever the weapon strikes earth or stone in any form. By doing so, he is able to transfer the energy into such materials and manipulate them to produce a wide variety of effects, ranging from kicking up a sandstorm to causing slabs of rock to erupt upward to opening up a massive chasm.
This guy is very loosely based on a character in one incarnation of my attempted-several-times Final Fantasy 6 ROM hack. I think he was called "Huber" back then, for some reason... but whatever his name was, the "short black guy with neon green mohawk" design started with that game.
(CURRENTLY UNNAMED): A Jamaican elf and Guardian of the Barfoo responsible for South America and the Caribbean. No Barfoo Points are known to be located in this region currently, though it's likely that at least one was hidden there in the past but needed to be moved because someone had located it and attempted to draw out its power, or perhaps because population growth placed it smack dab in the middle of a major city. He is the largest of the Barfoo Guardians, standing an inch or two above even Alberto.
His Barfoo Power is "Cloak of the Barfoo," a defensive ability which allows him to conceal himself from those around him in a variety of ways. On the most basic level, it can provide him with camouflage to blend in with his surroundings or cause the area to become surrounded in a dense fog so that enemies are unable to see his exact position; when used on a higher level, the Cloak of the Barfoo can cause him to become completely undetectable to all senses, even blocking out energy-sensing powers which would normally reveal the presence of invisible entities right away. It's possible that this ability can even make him intangible, allowing him to pass through ordinary objects and other creatures alike if he feels the need.
And yes, his shorts have a marijuana-leaf pattern on them. He also has a necklace with the Uggy Barfoo symbol, similarly to Blackbird Undertree's Barfoo-pattern tie and various other Barfoo symbols appearing in these guys' designs.
Her Barfoo Power is "Breath of the Barfoo," which provides her with the unusual ability to alter the temperature in the area around her in various ways. Though the most obvious use of this ability is making all sorts of environments tolerable (cooling down the air around her in extreme heat or warming it up in sub-zero weather, for example) she can also use this power to lessen the force of fire- or ice-elemental magic or even focus its effect into a smaller area in order to attack, such as by sending a gust of frigid wind flying with a swing of her axe. This ability makes her essentially immune to the effects of extreme temperatures either hot or cold, at least when such temperatures are a widespread environmental sort of thing rather than in a sudden burst such as from fire or ice magic (which she can weaken, but not always cancel out entirely.)
He is unique among the Guardians in that he uses a gun (a fairly standard semi-automatic pistol) rather than some variety of melee weapon. This is due in part to the nature of his Barfoo Power, "Eye of the Barfoo," which provides him with perfect aim -- even opponents capable of moving faster than an ordinary bullet would have difficulty dodging his shots, as once the Eye of the Barfoo becomes active his aim is improved to such a degree that it seems he is able to shoot not at where someone currently is but where they will be by the time the shot reaches their position. By combining this with the ability to infuse Barfoo Power into each bullet (or even just shoot beams or spheres of Barfoo Power in place of standard bullets), he becomes able to take on opponents who would easily shrug off ordinary gunfire.
Yes, he has really weird eyebrows. I'm not sure if they're naturally like that or if he's replaced his actual eyebrows with tattooed-on designs, but either way they're pretty odd-looking!
His Barfoo Power is "Weight of the Barfoo," which provides him with the ability to alter the weight of his own body as well as anything he touches. He uses this to great effect in combination with his mace, which he can amplify the weight of at the moment of impact in order to strike with tremendous force. By making his own body incredibly heavy he can stand up better to larger or stronger opponents, making it nearly impossible for them to budge him from a defensive position -- the enhanced durability granted by his infusion of Barfoo Power helps as well. By reducing the weight of objects, he can lift or push nearly anything, even objects that would be far beyond his capabilities normally. This power can even raise or lower the weight of his opponents, throwing them off balance or even making them unable to move, though his control over the weights of living beings is not as absolute as that over inanimate objects and strong-willed (or just overwhelmingly powerful) opponents can resist the effects or even shrug them off entirely.
His Barfoo Power is "Fangs of the Barfoo," which grants him the ability to generate blades of energy of varying sizes and shapes. He generally prefers to create one or two large knife-like blades and wield them in his hands like an ordinary weapon, though if the situation calls for it he can sprout blades from various other points on his body -- generating blades from his elbows or knuckles, for example, or causing blades to spring out from his wrists in order to cut ropes binding them. He could probably even cause a blade to appear from the tip of his nose if he felt the need for such an unusual means of attack. Though similar to Bridget's "Claws of the Barfoo," the two abilities are not quite the same -- Bridget's energy-claws can only be generated from the tips of her fingers (rather than from many different body parts), and unlike Bridget's claws the Australian Guardian's blades cannot be unleashed as cutting waves of energy or lightning bolts, though he can throw them like ordinary knives if he produces a hand-held one.
She wields an unusual sword with a fish-bone design along the flat side of the blade. This weapon, like her status as a Guardian of the Barfoo, was passed down to her from the previous Guardian of her region. As the bones of the pattern on her sword light up, the sword's power increases further and further; this process is triggered whenever she is put into a situation where she is unable to breathe normally (most commonly when she's underwater, though anything that would prevent her from breathing or make it harmful to breathe -- such as her airway being blocked or cut off in some way, being exposed to vacuum, or wandering into an area filled with some gas that humans can't safely breathe -- would trigger the sword's fish-bone patterns to begin lighting up.) This also makes bad guys trying to choke her in a fight a terrible idea. XD
As the bones light up, the sword and its wielder are both strengthened, making it easier to get out of whatever situation is making her unable to breathe in the first place. When all five of the bones have been lit up, the tip of the blade transforms into a giant fish head and six "wings" of Barfoo Power appear hovering inches away from various parts of her body -- one at each shoulder, one at each wrist, and one at each ankle. This power is known as the "Wings of the Barfoo," and while active the wings enhance the speed and force of her every movement as well as allowing her to fly (or to move freely underwater without the need to fall back on the awkward motions of human swimming at all.) So long as the wings are active, she has no need for air and can survive indefinitely underwater or in other situations where an ordinary human would be unable to breathe; only when her Barfoo Power is totally exhausted (or she voluntarily deactivates the wings) will her breathing processes return to normal again. It's currently unknown how the sword's transformation affects its abilities, but chances are that the open fish-mouth has some function beyond simply catching enemies in its jaws.
I really, really like her design. I'm not sure what it is, exactly, but I just really like drawing her and I like how her design turned out here. As far as her abilities go -- her fish-sword strengthening when she's unable to breathe could be a disadvantage if she's fighting on dry land, but it should be possible for her to "cheat" by intentionally cutting off her own airway (just holding your breath isn't enough, since it's difficult to force yourself to do so when you don't have something--like water or unbreathable gas or something choking you--to prevent you from just breathing out again reflexively beyond a certain point) temporarily to power up.
Though the full extent of her abilities is unknown, it is clear that she relies primarily on magic. Unlike most human magic-users, she has no need to speak magic words or phrases to trigger her spells, a trait shared by the styles of magic used by the Burijeoo and Grim Reapers despite the fact that her magic itself seems much closer to the style used by human wizards. This is the result of her Barfoo Power, "Voice of the Barfoo," which also provides her with a variety of other voice-related enhancements. So long as her Barfoo Power remains, she has the ability to make her voice heard even over long distances and through noise that would otherwise disrupt it (such as strong winds or a crowd), making it possible for her to speak to someone as if standing right next to them even though she's actually a hundred feet away on the other side of an angry mob or some other similarly-noisy situation. Magic that would normally muffle or silence sound has no effect on her, and even if it did she would still be able to cast spells under its influence due to having no need for the speaking of magic words in the first place. She also has the ability to "speak" directly into one's mind, conveying not only mere words but the various images and feelings that thoughts take the shape of as well.
She is capable of high-speed flight using her broom, appearing much like the popular image of a witch riding a broom when she does so; this ability comes in handy considering that she has no defined area and may be called in to assist other Guardians at a moment's notice. She also uses her broom as a focus for various forms of magic, such as countering other spells (a technique she is highly skilled in) and repairing or even creating simple objects (such as bandages or articles of clothing) simply by tapping the end of the broomstick against something. It seems she can use her magic to heal, but the extent of this power is limited -- stemming the blood loss of a severed arm is well within her power, but restoring someone who is at death's door due to drowning is not (or if it is, her magic would only revive them into a miserable, permanently-damaged state to which death would be preferable.) She is also capable of taking a glimpse into one's recent memories, perhaps using magic to do so, though it's not clear what limits (if any) this ability may have. In combination with her "Voice of the Barfoo" making it possible to speak directly to someone's mind, this allows her to quickly and easily show one person's memories to another.
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There is also an "unofficial" Guardian of the Barfoo, who technically qualifies due to being infused with a small amount of Barfoo Power but is not actually included among the ranks of the Guardians. This is the Great Anbell, a massive version of the Anbell creatures which guard the Num Coin's temple in the cave system near the hidden Burijeoo city of Yagziknia somewhere in southwestern Virginia. Though not containing the degree of power that the Uggy Barfoo possesses, Bunprego still saw the Num Coin as being an object that ordinary humans (or worse, evil forces from elsewhere) should not be allowed to acquire; he chose the strongest among the Anbell and infused it with Barfoo Power, causing its size and strength to increase drastically. The Great Anbell is the final obstacle in the path of anyone seeking to snatch the Num Coin from its resting place, dropping from the ceiling to block the way of anyone who approaches the Coin's chamber.
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