The Judge

*"That choice was, even though pathetically useless, I think, the right one."*

- The Judge telling the player about the lack of meaningfulness behind their choice to side with them against The Batter, but still reaffirming its moral integrity.

## Basic Outline:

The Judge is an extremely intelligent and verbally articulate feline individual with the ability to talk as a normal human would, though it is implied this is through telepathy, as their mouth does not move when they talk.

The Judge is a cat however, and thus does have a cat's tendencies to engage in activities like scratching themselves, grooming, leaping about and other behaviours usually biologically indicative of a cat.

The Judge is a vastly powerful individual, whose abilities and power have been scaled to beings such as Enoch, a Zone Guardian, and The Queen, the creator of the entire universe of OFF, excluding Hugo, who created The Batter and The Queen.

The Judge is able to walk like a normal human on their two hind legs, but does not do so very often.

The Judge is also known by his close friends and acquaintances as Pablo, and he has a brother called Valerie who was turned into a Zone guardian after he ate Japhet, who took over his body from the inside.

The Judge is currently under the control of Deros.

## Abilities:

The Judge is a powerful individual whose attacks are based around mental and internal developments. They can cause many mental deficiencies and types of insanity, brain aneurysms, and generally their attacks are related to an individual's mental state being damaged or modified in some way. These abilities are all known as "Competencies" and use Competency Points to execute.

There are multiple "aneurysm" attacks, but only the strongest is listed in the following;

**Aneurysm Rupture:** A special attack of incredible impact. This attack likely is a ranged attack that causes brain aneurysms and haemorrhaging in the victim.

**Unknown Sclerosis:** Inflicts muteness on the target. This causes the target to become unable to use special abilities.

**Untypical Sclerosis:** Inflicts blindness on the target. This causes the target to become blind.

**Purulent Sclerosis:** Inflicts poison on the target. This causes the target to become poisoned.

**Immediate Sclerosis:** Inflicts palsy on the target. This causes the target to become paralysed.

The Judge uses Competency Points quite quickly, and will run out eventually if The Judge overexerts themselves, though they do regenerate quite quickly over time.

The Judge is powerful enough to fight The Batter, a being who is strong enough to destroy stars and solar-systems, implying The Judge's mostly incorporeal and mental attacks are incredibly devastating, potentially allowing them to kill immensely powerful beings, though they are lacking in terms of actual physical strength.

## Personality:

The Judge is extremely eloquent in speech, using poetic phrases and unnecessarily complicated and advanced vocabulary. They appear detached from the world most of the time, but when garnered into action due to the violation of their morals, or because they simply see that they have to do something to prevent something else which could turn out to be cataclysmically if left unchecked, they are extremely strong and determined.

The Judge is for the most part, cheeky and loose with their behaviour, and often talk at great length for no good reason.

The Judge does seem to have limits however, stopping The Batter at the end of the game, revealing that indeed, they still have some attachment to the world or some kind of desire to stop The Batter from achieving their goal, and also mourn the loss of Valerie after Japhet is killed, as Japhet, during his fight, transforms, killing Valerie in the process, who he was inside of.

The Judge is quite self-referential in nature, and likes to break the fourth wall constantly.

## Biography and Personal Information:

The Judge, during OFF, helps The Batter, as the first NPC The Batter meets. They help them mainly through giving advice, performing physical feats infrequently. At the end of the game, when The Batter is about to turn the switch into the OFF position, apparently destroying the universe, The Judge appears to stop The Batter, accusing them of "killing wife and child" as well as attempting to fulfil a mission which in the end is pointless and amoral.

The Player at this point can choose to side with either The Batter or The Judge. If The Batter is selected, then The Player and The Batter kill The Judge together and flip the switch, ending the game. If The Judge is sided with, The Player controls The Judge and kills The Batter, stopping The Batter from achieving their goal, though The Judge themselves admits that the entire endeavour to stop The Batter was pointless, and that nothing is left anyway.

The Judge has a brother named Valerie, who long ago, before the formation of The Zones, ate a fire bird named Japhet, though he didn't chew Japhet up. Japhet proceeded to take over Valerie's body from the inside, and then on ruled over their Zone in that form. The Judge mourns for their brother.

## Plot Involvement in The Ancient Ones:

At the beginning The Ancient Ones 2 (The Judge was not present in The Ancient Ones 1), The Judge was fighting The Batter, before Hank and Deros each assumed control of The Batter and The Judge respectively, an action which both in-canon individuals recognised, before being sucked through a portal each.

The Judge ended up at Rodin's bar, and talked at great length with Elizabeth.

## Notable Quotes

*"I must say, your hands are wonderfuly skilled at petting, something every cat adores. I hope you do not mind my purring, as a cat I find it difficult to contain my utter pleasure due to the skillful work of your heavenly hands."* - To Elizabeth.

*"I do believe that I have stumbled upon a pocket dimension where goddesses such as yourselves do nothing but pet simple cats such as I to their heart's content. I cannot help but wonder if you are all merely phantasms of my imagination?"* - To both Elizabeth and Bayonetta.

*"What a gorgeous establishment we have here. Truely gorgeous. Though it could do with a scratching post."* - The Judge's reaction to Edward's mansion