[BitPR²] OOCVII: Kidnapping aunts for fun & profit

[Kuroimaken]

*Ever-so-slightly nudges Dorizzit to post*

[Rater202]

*Ever-so-slightly nudges Dorizzit to post*

Speaking of, I think we're waiting on you in Beachdown.

...In hindsight, I think my participation would have gone more smoothly if I'd had Svetlana and Sarah, but I didn't really want to bring in two characters since it's been a while since I've been in an RP and also didn't want to show off too much that would have happened off screen.

[Frozen_Feet]

Commentary on Beachdown Apocalypse: Koutarou may or may not be a deadend for Sarah, but Sarah just gave a massive clue to Koutarou.

[Rater202]

Commentary on Beachdown Apocalypse: Koutarou may or may not be a deadend for Sarah, but Sarah just gave a massive clue to Koutarou.

Really? Becuase I was just trying to get it established In character that they're in more or less the same boat.

Though I'm assuming that the hint is that the weirdness is localized either at the beach or the city around it.

Sarah's gonna be really annoyed if they have to go back, she's been up all night getting from there to here.... I'm gonna edit a description of Sarah into the post.

[Frozen_Feet]

Anyways, feel free to keep the dialogue going. I don't have much to add right now.

[Rater202]

I've got nothing else to add so we can skip to the thing or at least to any complications that we're set to encounter along the way.

[Kuroimaken]

For the moment, neither do I.

And if someone sees Dorizzit, please nudge 'im.

[Rater202]

For the record, Sarah's desire to avoid wearing a skirt isn't because she doesn't want to wear something girly in so much as long skirts are impractical and short skirts leave her feeling exposed.

I mean, I imagine that a girl whose greatest desire is to avoid any kind of pain, whose natural state is to be enshrouded by her own power, and whose heart-related spiritual power manifests as a suit of nigh-impenetrable armor that she never has to take off if she doesn't want to might be uncomfortable in clothing that she feels provides inadequate protection.

[Frozen_Feet]

(I was going to go with Sarah having to go with a skirt and t-shirt and have her be a little uncomfortable for a while, but what I'm assuming is a variation on a Miko uniform works. Though unless Finland has very similar outfits for some reason, I'm a bit confused as to how it got here.)

Rater202 is observant.

To answer half of your questions, your average Finnish person would just think she's wearing a skirt, especially if she's wearing the jacket. There are local clothing items which fit the same rough description, though. The Finnish word for such is "housuhame", lit. "skirt pants". Yes, we are that imaginative.

The number of people who would realize it's an uniform would be limited to people who practice Japanese martial arts and weeaboos who would ask her who she's cosplaying.

[Rater202]

Rater202 is observant.

To answer half of your questions, your average Finnish person would just think she's wearing a long skirt, especially if she's wearing the jacket. There are local clothing items which fit the same rough description, though. The Finnish word for such is "housuhame", lit. "skirt pants". Yes, we are that imaginative.

The number of people who would realize it's an uniform would be limited to people who practice Japanese martial arts and weeaboos who would ask her who she's cosplaying.

Less being observant and more recognizing what a red hakama and white top means.

I'm vaguely familiar with bits and pieces of Japanese culture due to a healthy enjoyment of anime and regular conversations with a friend in Tokyo and have had Mikos on the brain on and off due to a combination of accurate depictions being prominent in a Modern Day Okami fanfic I follow and my own internal debate as to wheher or not having a costume obsessed character question whether or not cleaning a god's bedroom for them made you their miko in a fanfic that I myself am writing.

[Frozen_Feet]

You're so close that I'm debating myself whether I should just point out what you missed or wait to see if either you or Kuroimaken figure it out first.

[Rater202]

The most obvious answer is that a shinigami planted it or something, but I don't want to assume.

...Though now that I think about it, considering that in pre-modern times a Miko was basically a shaman, serving as a communicant, vessel, or other mouthpiece for the Gods and Spirits who resided at the shrine, there's something apropriate about a fullbringer, one who can see spirits and whose power is to comunicate with the souls of non-living things, to dress as a Miko. Sarah's even about the right age... even though she has no idea what a miko is and not a drop of Japanese Blood in her body

[Kuroimaken]

Minor nitpicking, but that housuhame you pointed to is probably a teensy bit short for a hakama. (As someone who has actually worn one, I can tell you that if what's on the bin is an actual hakama, Sarah is going to be confused as **** as to how to actually put it on.)

Also worth noting, a miko's outfit top is a kimono top, so it fits more like a robe.

[Rater202]

(As someone who has actually worn one, I can tell you that if what's on the bin is an actual hakama, Sarah is going to be confused as **** as to how to actually put it on.)

She can ask it's soul for instructions.

[Frozen_Feet]

Minor nitpicking, but that housuhame you pointed to is probably a teensy bit short for a hakama.

I know. It's an example of a category of clothing that I found after-the-fact, not an exact illustration of the in-game object. Those things come in all lengths. For purposes of the game, hakama is the intended comparison point.

(As someone who has actually worn one, I can tell you that if what's on the bin is an actual hakama, Sarah is going to be confused as **** as to how to actually put it on.)

It's a good thing she has an expert at hand, then.

Also worth noting, a miko's outfit top is a kimono top, so it fits more like a robe.

That is, indeed, worth noting.

[Rater202]

Hypothetical: More than just Sarah and Koutarou are in this world, they just didn't end up in the same place.

Eventually they encounter Svetlana, who for the purposes of this hypothetical is in an artificial body that closely approximates her form(so blind in the eye that's covered by her mask and vitiligo over where he hollow hole would be) and is living out of a van that she somehow got ahold of.

Svetlana: "A Miko's clothing suits you, child."
Sarah: *doesn't know how to respond to this being literally the first thing her nominal guardian has said to her since they got seperated.*

[Frozen_Feet]

If Svetlana's Lieutenant level or above, she'd also have the same kind of tattoo and limiter like Koutarou. Otherwise, I have no objections to Svetlana entering the scene, it's your decision when.

[Rater202]

If Svetlana's Lieutenant level or above, she'd also have the same kind of tattoo and limiter like Koutarou. Otherwise, I have no objections to Svetlana entering the scene, it's your decision when.

In my head, she's an Average Adjucha(And therefore capable of Challenging an Average Captain) turned into an Artificial Arrancar for theAverage amunot of Time(and Given the Average power increase) and then left to train for a few years, focusing on incresing her control and skill over specifically gaining raw power.

Like, if the increase in raw power mentioned in the description of how one becomes an Artificial Arrancar applied to the sealed form or the True/Ressurection form? What's the proportionate power increase for... Five days?

Of course, before I left the first time, there was also some brief talk of her maybe taking one of the Empty Espada seats, but considering the State of Las Noches I'm not sure if that should factor into her power.

But yeah, I was operating on the assumption that she's got a seal if she shows.

Hell, if it's Lieutenant level than Sarah probably should have been sealed, since I explicitly compared her maximum raw power to a Gillian both prior to my coming back and in the Beach Down thread, and Gillian are on average a threat toa liutenant.

..Unless it's only spirits being sealed, in which case there's no plot hole.

[Frozen_Feet]

If you recall, the limiters were introduced in the same arc as Arrancars. Based on their introduction, the average Gillian class Arrancar is about as strong as a limited Captain. Based on Fake Karakura Town arc where everyone is fighting without a limiter, the Lieutenants fight evenly with a number of Adjuchas class Arrancars.

Based on these, Svetlana would be powerfull enough to be limited, while Sarah might be just below the treshold. This might mean that a limitless Sarah is more powerfull than limited Svetlana in a human body. Though that might be mitigated by Sarah's lack of combat skills and temporary loss of armor.

[Rater202]

If you recall, the limiters were introduced in the same arc as Arrancars. Based on their introduction, the average Gillian class Arrancar is about as strong as a limited Captain. Based on Fake Karakura Town arc where everyone is fighting without a limiter, the Lieutenants fight evenly with a number of Adjuchas class Arrancars.

Yeah, but those were exceptional Lieutenants fighting minions

an Average Adjucha is cited as being a match for a Captain.

Of course, the alternative explanation is that since Aizen didn't have the original Hogyoku until shortly before the Arrancar arc began, most of the Arrancar were naturually made rather than artificially so and thus actually got weaker instead of stronger based on the rules presented for this game, but I'm spitballing.

[Frozen_Feet]

That the Lieutenants were exceptional just means they and their opponents had to be closer to Captain strength. This would also be in line with the idea that "Adjuchas Arrancar is a match to a Captain". But yes, everyone who was not an Espada was a minion, and even the Espada had trouble living up to their hype.

[Rater202]

Well anyway now I'm trying to figure out what her rough actual(unlimited) power level should be, would you mind explaining what some thigns mean?

Arrancarification
Ascension of the Hollow Race
snip
Artificial Arrancar

In comparison to Natural Arrancarification, Artificial Arrancarification is very gentle. The process requires a specially trained Arrancar to perform the ritual, and a willing subject. The ritual aspect of Artificial Arrancarification is functionally identical to a Shinigami Kidō, although it would defy classification as such. The spell wraps the target entirely in bandages, binding it still and putting it into a deep state of hibernation. The length of the process is up to the caster; standard protocol in Las Noches is one week, the shortest absolutely safe period. Less than this, and the risk of damaging or killing the subject increases proportionately. As with Natural Arrancarification, Hollows of great power or will are in less danger; particularly strong examples can be safely transformed in less than a day. While cocooned, the Arrancar's mask is slowly disintegrated for the first half of the process. Afterwards, the body is eased into the shape of a human by the bandages in a manner similar to magically-assisted tree shaping. If the process is interrupted at any point, the Arrancar is ejected as a half-humanized Arrancar. If completed, however, the Arrancar will always be fully human in appearance, barring Estigma and their Hole. Immediately after emerging, the new Arrancar will experience an increase of spiritual power. This jump is larger the longer they spent transforming.

That increase in spiritual power... Does it apply in the Sealed form(IE, their Sealed form is stronger than their previous self and their ressurection is much,much stronger) or in Ressurection(IE, their sealed form is the same or weaker, depending on the boost, but the Ressurection form is stronger.)

And what exactly is the proprotinonate power increase for a weak long process? If Svetlana was an average captain in terms ofpower before, how strong would she have been after coming out?

[Frozen_Feet]

Comparisons work best for characters in similar situation: so a "Captain-level" Arrancar in their sealed form can fight evenly with a Captain with their blade sealed, the same Arrancar in Resurreccion can fight the same Captain using their Bankai etc.

As for the increase, it's holistic. It was never defined to a high degree, so I say don't worry about it. Rather than try to figure her power bottom-up based on her past, just decide how powerfull she is now. How strong she was before her transformation doesn't really matter unless, for some reason, you want to play her as Adjuchas.

[Rater202]

I like to keep things consistent--if one person gains a certain power increase from five days, everyone should have a proportionate power increase from five days, yes?

Anyway, I'm imagining that she's at least the equivalent of an above Average Captain--An experianced Captain could give her trouble, but woulnd't nessesarily need her Ressurection to fight a Rookie Captain or someone who hadn't yet mastered their Bankai unless they had prodigious levels of power.(Depending of course on other factors.)

Kuroimaken? Do you have anything? I think we're waiting on you.

[Frozen_Feet]

I like to keep things consistent--if one person gains a certain power increase from five days, everyone should have a proportionate power increase from five days, yes?

There's nothing to stay consistent with. The effect was never defined precisely and no-one has paid it much attention.

[Rater202]

There's nothing to stay consistent with. The effect was never defined precisely and no-one has paid it much attention.

Then why state that it makes them stronger while the natural process makes them weaker, to begin with?

Why not says that "you can rip your mask off and do it fast but it might kill you, or you can do this ritual that's slower but safer?"

[Frozen_Feet]

Why? To use as setting and character creation guideline.

You forgot there's also "why?" for why it was left unspecific: the setting and the players by and large don't and didn't do hard numbers. So "how big power boost for five days?" was never asked and never answered. Even the question "is the powerboost the same for everyone?" has not been answered. The only set of Arrancars for who it is the same are the Sin Rostro, but that's because they are created from identical Menos Grande. And even then, "how much more powerfull a Sin Rostro is, exactly?", has never been answered.

[Rater202]

Why? To use as setting and character creation guideline.

You forgot there's also "why?" for why it was left unspecific: the setting and the players by and large don't and didn't do hard numbers. So "how big power boost for five days?" was never asked and never answered. Even the question "is the powerboost the same for everyone?" has not been answered. The only set of Arrancars for who it is the same are the Sin Rostro, but that's because they are created from identical Menos Grande. And even then, "how much more powerfull a Sin Rostro is, exactly?", has never been answered.

My point is that you started to define hard differences between natural and artificial Arrancar and then just stopped.

All you really need for setting information is that there is a difference. Starting to state what that difference is but never actually explaining it in detail is... Well, it leads to exactly this situation here:Somebody's asking for clarification, and you don't have an answer.

If nothing else, it's really irritating the logical part of my brain. the "there's a rule here" part of my brain is looking at it and won't shutthe hell up about finding theactual rules forthe thing that it looks like there's rules for.

[Frozen_Feet]

The rule has come up in the sense that there were characters who started as Hollows and later became Arrancars. But everyone was happy with "they're more powerfull now" without feeling need to define exactly how much more powerfull. It's a freeform game, what'd you expect?

[Rater202]

I don't know. The logical part of my brain can be surprisingly illogical when interacting with my conscious mind.

If I introduced Svetlana(I actually kind of like the idea that she somehow got a van but isn't sure how) heading towards this city from a location other than the beach, could you do an encounter or two along the way?