[BitPR²] OOCVI: We have a space base now!

[strawberryman]

"They say that this isn't just a war anymore; it's the war. It's the last one that really matters, and the last one that will ever matter."

~ Anonymous Shinigami trooper, Killed-in-Action by Low-Level Hollow.

50 years ago, following the most ferocious assault on the Seireitei in history, the Menos vanished. Those few not slaughtered retreated back into the wastes of Hueco Mundo, licking their wounds and struck with an unshakeable fear of the Gods of Death. Their sworn enemies routed, the Shinigami slowly relaxed their guards as the final battle gave way to apparent peace, a true victory. Over sized and under worked, the Gotei 13 diminished to the Gotei 6 as the threat of the Menos seemed ever more distant every day. Many of the older captains left for retirement or were called to Squad Zero, as their presence was no longer required.

Then, the Menos struck again.

Under the command of a new, more patient leader, the Menos raised a great city, Las Noches, from the sands of Hueco Mundo, building their strength. For fifty years, they watched. Waited. Prepared. And when the time came, they struck. The forces of Las Noches ravaged the Outer Districts of the Rukongai, slaughtering their inhabitants and annihilating the Shinigami forces sent to stop them. Caught unawares against the mightiest army sent against them in more than a millennium, the Shinigami found themselves on the losing end of a vicious war.

And yet, the Menos themselves were not so united as they seemed. On the precipice of victory, Dainichi Nyoria, the Hollow King, was struck down by his foremost warrior, the Primera Espada Jehoel Yurius, and the war was pulled to a sudden halt. The Espada, now the ruling council of Las Noches, offered the Seireitei an unprecedented deal: peace in exchange for cooperation and recognition. Baffled, but with few other viable options, the Shinigami accepted the truce offered by Las Noches, and the Gotei has begun working with the Armada in order to purify spirits when possible and capture the resulting Hollows for rehabilitation when not. Despite concerns from both sides, the arrangement has thus far proven highly effective.

Yet, all is not well.

In the Seireitei, the former Captain Commander revealed herself to be an insane being of godlike power, claiming her identity as Izanami, one of the founders of the Seireitei...and the first Hollow. After her latest outburst she has remained dormant for weeks in her creation, the artificial arm of Hiraku Masaru, but it is only a matter of time before she acts once more.

The Mortal World, too, has its share of troubles. The Cult of the First Hollow King is rising in power; the Court is nearly freed in its entirety, and only the King himself remains in captivity. Any attempt to combat the Cult has been a dismal failure, and they have eluded capture or defeat by both the Shinigami and the Armada despite staging a daring attack on the Seireitei itself. The King's freedom seems inevitable; and from there, only the Cult itself knows what is to come.

The Quincy, too, stand divided. While they know not the details, the existence of the Shinigami-Arrancar alliance is becoming obviously clear to the various houses, and all have a different idea of how to proceed. After a daring assassination by the scheming Moto clan, the Akiyama clan has been decapitated and weakened, removing the restraining bolt that has kept the Quincy clans peaceful. Der Zerreißen Himmel Entwicklung, a violent human supremacist group, has arisen to prominence. At the same time, the resilient Anderson clan has entered into the alliance with Las Noches and the Seireitei, and Civil War has been all but declared. Although vastly outnumbered, the Andersons possess the backing of both the Armada and the Court Guard squads, along with an ace: the Seichten Streiks, a prototype bow allowing them to purify their enemies.

Mikael Esaja Rautiainen, perhaps the most powerful Medium in history, has gone to Las Noches. The actions of the disillusioned medium remain to be seen, but when he acts...the world will be forced to answer in turn.

Finally, the city of Ikari has become an astonishing cluster of promising Mediums. And they might just change the course of history...if they can survive the endless assaults of Alpha-1, the Quincy superweapon that has taken control of their friend.
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Welcome to BiTP:R2. This is a bit different, because we keep dying due to lack of action, lack of conflict, et cetera.

A few things before we begin.

You may be:

• A Shinigami.
• A Hollow.
• A spiritually powered mortal.

Here is an example of a low-powered foot soldier.

John Smith

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Age: Timeless.
Gender: Male
Height: Average.
Weight: Average.
Side: Seireitei.

Appearance

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The most generic of everymen.

Personality:

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As generic as generic can get.

Abilities:

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John is handy with a pike, and has some talent with Kido. Overall, he's pretty average.

[Write a bunch of stuff your character can do here. The more specific the better!]

Race Specific Add-ons:[spoiler]
Shinigami

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Zanpakuto:

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Example

Name: Muramasa

Release Command: "March, Muramasa!"

Appearance: An average sized katana, with a blade as black as the night sky. It faintly glints in the moonlight.

Shikai:

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Appearance: The blade does not change, but the wielder gains a spectral cloak that floats around him/her.

Abilities: The wielder can now control up to eight nearby dead bodies, manipulating them to his/her will. The bodies retain full use of their abilities from life, and only stop when the wielder releases them from their tormented awakening.

Bankai: <NOTE: Most likely not applicable for anyone, even captains. You're a wartime Captain, a rapid promotion who has no real experience.>

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Appearance:

Abilities:

Arrancar:

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Zanpakuto:

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Example

Name: Carpe Jugulum

Release Command: "Strike, Carpe Jugulum!"

Appearance: A small but sinister looking dagger.

Resurreccion:

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Appearance: The wielder is covered in armor, his/her eyes only barely visible beneath their new, three horned mask. They grow to a massive size, and their hands and feet can now work in unison in order to strike an opponent.

Abilities: The wielder has an exceedingly keen eye, able to strike with uncanny accuracy. They most often focus on the throat.

Segunda Etapa: <NOTE: Rare Rare Rare. Very few people can have this, unless they justify it really well.>

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Appearance:

Abilities:

Da Rules:

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Firstly, no godmodding (or godmoding). A far better explanation of godmodding than I can give is here.
Second, please remember that we plan to have a far more directed plot than Nexus. Please run any major spanners in the works past guys on this thread first.
Third, don't ruin anyone else's fun. I can't stress this enough.
Fourth, have fun!

New and Improved (but loose) Rules v.1.1!
These "rules" are more loose guidelines that serve another FFRPG very well so I adopted them into this one, because they work.

1. Consider asking to join in fights before jumping in.
   Please respect that all plots might not be open. Alternatively, if you yourself want to keep a fight cordoned off from other participants, say so in the OOC, at the beginning of your post, or both.
2. TALK major fights over with your opponent!
   This is to keep arguments about who's the better fighter, who should win, blablablablabla, out of the OOC. Of course, talk these things over in PM, or some kind of IM service. While arguments might break out over said PM/IM... It keeps it out of the OOC. Which is what we're trying to do here. On that note...
3. Don't argue in the OOC!
   They make the atmosphere oppressive, they make things less fun, and generally unpleasant and maybe even make the arguments larger than they need be. So, if you have a problem with someone, try to talk it out in PM or IM before using the OOC.

These guidelines/loose rules might be viable to change or be added on to as issues come up, but the bases are covered pretty well.

Shamelessly stolen from the Railgun OOC write-up, which you should all go check out and play.

Important Links
•OOC Thread 1
•IC Thread (Spirit World), (Mortal World)
•Character Registry
A summary of the plot by Kuroimaken

Episodes:
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
Episode 8
Episode 9
Episode 10


Gaiden
Gaiden Episode 1
Gaiden Episode 2

[Frozen_Feet]

Speaking of D&D stats, Mikael's powers are near-exactly what you would expect of an Epic-level Monk//Truenamer. Meaning anything he god-damn wants, because at that level Truenamers can use Gate at will.

[strawberryman]

So, double garbage?

Kuroi: Waiting on the contents of those notes.

[Frozen_Feet]

More referring to things like Tongue of the Sun and Moon and Say My Name and I'm There. And Gate at-will.

EDIT: Also, it would've made for a funnier joke if you'd written "doubly broken".

EDIT2: I'll be posting a continuation to the events in the void tomorrow. It's supposed to take a while, so characters are free to gawk or react to it.

[KnightDisciple]

EDIT2: I'll be posting a continuation to the events in the void tomorrow. It's supposed to take a while, so characters are free to gawk or react to it.

"Oh noes! Our lives are completely meaningless in the face of this nearly-all-powerful super-duper-uber-mega-awesome-terrible-horrific-threat-thing that is so powerful we have literally no chance of beating it, so we might as well all commit suicide now and save all of our writers/players the wasted time that futilely trying to fight whatever the **** this is would constitute!"

[Kuroimaken]

Speaking of Commander-General nomination, we need to work through that no-brainer as soon as Koutarou is back from meeting with Jehoel.

[Draken]

KD's usual derisive answer aside.

I'm not sure how anyone is supposed to react to that? I feel like it breaks the flow and that nobody is really equipped to deal with that kind of storyline.

It's just sort of "ho ho, the universe broke due to your magics, repent", the fabric of realities is apparently more feeble than any given character (that any given character can poke a hole in it is a separate matter)? Not to mention there isn't a response to it. Nobody you can punch to solve the issue, just everyone sit back and hope Hideki, Chouko, Momoka, Mikael, Tamaki or someone else can pseudoscience up a solution in time?

Just a case where most characters don't really have to bother with the issue since there is zilch they can do about it other than panic or be stoic in the face of whatever.

[KnightDisciple]

KD's usual derisive answer aside.

I'm just beyond tired/done with a constant barrage of Bad Things Happening. I realize it's been, like, 1.5-2 months in RL since the whole "Soul Society almost got destroyed" thing happened, but in-game, it's been, what, maybe 2 days?
Add to that the fact that we're still tangled up in the Quincy/ZH plot, and the Cult is still very much alive and active out there, and to me it feels like a completely unneeded Big Event adding on to everything else. Especially since it's More Bad Stuff.

So, yeah, I'm frustrated and a bit flippant about the whole thing.

I'm not sure how anyone is supposed to react to that? I feel like it breaks the flow and that nobody is really equipped to deal with that kind of storyline.

It's just sort of "ho ho, the universe broke due to your magics, repent", the fabric of realities is apparently more feeble than any given character (that any given character can poke a hole in it is a separate matter)? Not to mention there isn't a response to it. Nobody you can punch to solve the issue, just everyone sit back and hope Hideki, Chouko, Momoka, Mikael, Tamaki or someone else can pseudoscience up a solution in time?

Just a case where most characters don't really have to bother with the issue since there is zilch they can do about it other than panic or be stoic in the face of whatever.

Also this. What are we supposed to do besides look at it and pick our noses?

[Kuroimaken]

It's still spiritual matter, I think you've all forgotten that bit.

Meaning it won't have any discernible effect short-term effect on Earth, though Hueco Mundo is a different story.

Basically, Frozen is making Gargantaspace a lot more dangerous to travel through. Reishi alone, without the energetic charge of Pluses, does zilch to dead Izanami's guts.

Incidentally, Soul Society could use this Void slingshot to get some land back, if they can figure a way to decelerate the mass and dock it safely.

With that said, GODDAMN IT FROZEN, SOME WARNING ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE GONNA DO WOULD BE NICE.

[strawberryman]

In other news. The person I was going to have a paired character with has waned in interest, so unfortunately retiring Grigori before he's even used. He was kind of made in tune with a certain idea, so wouldn't feel quite right alone.

On the other hand, since I was going to add a character to Las Noches anyway, being really the deadest part of this RP (even considering recent events) outside of Jehoel giving tours, I'm in the process of hashing an idea out.

Also I don't need to feel so bad about that now, because I passed my national registry exam for emergency medical technician today.

[AnimeKid]

Huh, hey Dorrizit which one of the targets is Tamaki?

[strawberryman]

And now this. Used the same color as Grigori because I'm lazy and it seemed appropriate without going into yellow territory, which is terrible to read and Chouko already has a goldish color.

Quidel Alamilla

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Age: Somewhere around 700 years old, looks 20-30
Gender: Male
Height: 72in/182.8cm
Weight: 162lbs/73.4kg
Station: Negotiable! But a lower/middle rank, something he'd need to work up from.
Reiatsu: Like the warmth of the sun, uplifting or terrible in aspect
Aspect: The Sun
Hollow Hole: Directly through where his heart would be.
Speech: #CC6600

Description:

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Quidel is a semi-tall fit male with dark skin; his hair is naturally grayish-white and feathery in texture, his eyes a darker shade of gray. He usually sports some manner of necklace made of beads, bones, and feathers around his neck, and occasionally headdresses of various styles, and is prone to walk around shirtless. His face and body are commonly painted with tribal markings.

Personality:

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Quidel is a distant individual, but also very proud, and fierce when brought to anger. He is not against helping his fellow arrancar, after all his powers are well suited to it. But those who insult him are more likely to face his ire. He is as the sun; a provider, a nurturer one moment, and a scorching brilliance the next.

History:

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Quidel, though he went by a different name he does not recall, was a farmer during the Aztec era of Mexico. A part of the lower class, he was expected to provide grain for many, nearly a slave in his debts. One year, when it came to providing food for his family, a great drought and the furious rays of the sun insured his and his family's starvation. As a hollow, he ate his family's souls, and terrorized the afterlife of the region, eventually growing in power and becoming a inspiration for the god Quetzalcoatl, due to his strange serpentine nature. He eventually migrated to Hueco Mundo as all hollows do, and along the years evolved into an adjuchas, a great being with dozens of 'serpent' heads, scales of rainbow hue, and a body made of the strange folding of multiple wings. Eventually, as the menos rose, he was recruited, and converted into a artificial arrancar.

Story So Far:

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I don't use these.

Abilities:

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As an awakened adjuchas, Quidel's power is considerable. His hierro is average, as are his bala, but his cero are truly powerful, easily espada level in strength, with an additional effect of a disorienting bright composure that can temporarily impair vision on direct observance. His sonido are solidly above-average.

Touch of the Sun: With a touch, Quidel can use his own reiatsu to restore another's, sharing a similarity to Kaido, however Quidel's touch is much more efficient and also assists regenerative ability. With the same touch, however, he can also forcibly extract reiatsu to sustain himself, causing wounds to spontaneously erupt on the contact point, and over time spreading to the rest of the body. The touch is not limited to spiritual beings, drastically accelerating the growth of plants, or drying them out, withering them away. Any such effect that could be caused by the sun's power can be emulated.

Zanpaktou: Serpiente del Sol (Sun Serpent)

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Serpiente del Sol is a short blade reminiscent of a greek xiphos seemingly made of rough gold material, with a primitive handle and somewhat dulled blade that make it a poorer weapon than Quidel's mere touch.

Resurreccion: Glow

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Quidel's skin turns to a rainbow hue in places as he is covered in iron-hard scales, his hierro boosted in these locations. However, if he wills it, he can cover his entire body in the scales. His hands and toes twist into predatory shape and end in sharp talons, easily implemented for offense. Tufts of feathers, brilliant in aspect but ultimately cosmetic, stick out in certain places from under the scales. A helmet much like a stylized falcon rests on his head, part leather, with a feather headdress on the back, and a metallic beak.

Aspect of Sun: The most fantastic aspect, however, is a semi-illusory orb, sunlike in aspect, that follows closely behind him. The orb grows as Quidel uses its power to steal reiatsu, and shrinks as he uses it to restore reiatsu.

• Ray of Health: Much like Quidel's healing touch, this ray, a spotlight-like glow from the orb, restores reiatsu and heals wounds.
  
• Ray of Wrath: Much like his harming touch, this ray steals reiatsu and causes spontaneous wounds as it is quite literally torn away.

Quidel can direct as many rays as he needs and can focus on, and the versatile nature of his touch can also be levied for extra utility (growing plants, etc.). As a last ditch resort, he can direct the sun orb directly to a location, and expel all of the stored reiatsu inside, either providing the effects of a ray of health en masse, or creating a massive explosion.

[Dorizzit]

Huh, hey Dorizzit which one of the targets is Tamaki?

Good question.

[KnightDisciple]

@AK:

1.) Can you maybe let Dorizzit resolve Chuck's attack (which is his ultimate/final attack) before tossing another one from Tamaki in?
2.) That attack makes a big boom, so I wouldn't really recommend going all melee-range on Alpha-1 just yet anyways.

[AnimeKid]

Oh sorry KD. I had though you guys were waiting on me, sorry. So should i go ahead and delete the post?

[Dorizzit]

I'll go ahead and change mine, too.

[horngeek]

Whoops. Sorry, Frozen, I didn't realise you'd posted for Yuina.

[Kuroimaken]

Just skip me for now guys, Shinji is too unconscious and buried in rubble to do anything about her apparent death.

[AnimeKid]

So in the interest of having conversation how is Tamaki's showing so far in his return? Impressive? Lackluster? Boring?

[Frozen_Feet]

@Animekid: Tamaki has looked good to me so far. Only thing missing is the obligatory "Naito is a GIRL?" remark.

With that said, GODDAMN IT FROZEN, SOME WARNING ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE GONNA DO WOULD BE NICE.

You actually got two warnings, neither of which I intended to give precisely because I expected no-one of you to have any useful ideas regarding it. I meant to write the whole event in one go, but just couldn't manage it within my time constraints.

That said, you and Draken did come up with one. Hideki was talking about mining the Void for raw materials, and it just so happens it has much more raw materials to mine now. They wouldn't need any new technology to do it, just some help from Las Noches to get the chunks to the material universe through Gargantas. Though it would also make for a good testing ground for Chouko's hypothetical gravity gauntlet.

You are right that the Void is more dangerous now than ever, but I need to amend that a bit: the guts of Izanami are not an issue, unless you are Darwin Award-level stupid and specifically head for the bright blue light. It's mostly just the expanding cloud of debris and rubble you need to be wary off, a problem mostly to normal Hollows and Las Noches troops who no-one is playing.

[Kuroimaken]

Okay, just make them explicit next time. I understand the environment is not played by anyone specifically, so it doesn't get the same freeform defense rights as a character, but we really oughta collaborate on that kind of event. You remember the tizzy when Geister decided to play U-haul with Soul Society, dontcha?

[Frozen_Feet]

On other news, I think it's time for your IntSec goon patsy lackey stooge minion to decide what to do with "Nanashi".

[Kuroimaken]

Is it? Cuz from what I recall Nanashi has to respond to his last comment.

[Frozen_Feet]

Nanashi responded in my second-to-last post in Spirit World.

[KnightDisciple]

@strawberryman: Any preference on who deals with your new Hollow, or can I finally give my Espada a bit more "action"?

[strawberryman]

Let's not freak out too much people. I have an explanation.

And really, is there much to complain about adding some action to Las Noches?

Edit: You could, this is sort of a thing with Frozen, though. That said, nothing stopping things being shaken up. Basically the Tercera has been the longest inactive, and he hasn't been seen since Sawada blew up. So, yeah. He's probably dead anyway.

[KnightDisciple]

Let's not freak out too much people. I have an explanation.

And really, is there much to complain about adding some action to Las Noches?

Edit: You could, this is sort of a thing with Frozen, though. That said, nothing stopping things being shaken up. Basically the Tercera has been the longest inactive, and he hasn't been seen since Sawada blew up. So, yeah. He's probably dead anyway.

I just mostly was thinking of having him go out and greet the newbie, not smoosh him into paste or anything.

[strawberryman]

That is fine!

[Frozen_Feet]

This just an excuse for me to write a fight scene, so I don't mind if Turiel does whatever. Ask Strawberry if you need to okay something.

[Dorizzit]

Waiting on Kuroimaken in the Mortal World.