[BitPR²] OOCVII: Kidnapping aunts for fun & profit

[Lord Raziere]

That was kind of my thinking yes: Bleach has this weird tendency to try and put a bunch of characters on the same level then give some characters clearly more hax special abilities than others, as well as be really inconsistent about whether its supposed to be pure power types who dominate or the complex thinkers who dominate. Because you have people like Kenpachi Zaraki......then you have people like say.....Aizen. Then you have Aizen doing this strange thing with the Hogyoku and discarding illusions for pure power....but then you have Kisuke outwitting Aizen anyways in the end with a sealing technique.....but only because Ichigo asspulled some crazy way of being super-strong without reishii. But then you also have Yami who should be like, the Espada Kenpachi equivalent being beaten easily by people with brains. (though FF might've been talking about their levels of power in general)

So....its not really all that consistent. My main goal for her general level of power is that is that she is supposed to be kinda mid-tier or so, not TOO powerful since I don't want to step on the toes of anyone whose been playing longer and such, whose characters have good reasons why they would be more powerful than her:
-older and more experienced
-their powers are established things rather than a crazy mashup of old stuff into some strange new thing still being figured out
-backed by societies with experience with their powers and developed techniques

Basically despite being a badass she is no position to go around being a direct threat to anyone, especially when there are probably good reasons to not accept a seemingly crazy Arrancar-Quincy thing who probably poses some kind of threat to reincarnation or the balance of souls or whatever. The idea being that she will have to work to get more powerful in the story, through consistent means and methods and figuring out the powers even work. There must've been some early confused Arrancar somewhere who asked "why the hell is my humanity back and why is the hollow form in a freaking katana?".....this is just that same case but now.

But all that aside, Valentina does indeed sound like a good comparison.

[Frozen_Feet]

@Raziere: imagine the chair from Matrix and you're not too far off. Or the scene from Iron Sky where they turn the Afro-American Astronaut into Aryan Space Nazi. (That's what inspired me to introduce Arrancar-Quincies in this game.)

It's your choice if Narsica wakes up in captivity or after she's already escaped, depending on how much of her backstory you want to play out.

[Nicklance]

Hey FF, could you help me reach a conclusion to the Ripper episode? I'm jetting around the country packed to the gills. Apologies.

[Frozen_Feet]

What kind of help do you need? At the moment, I'm just waiting on your response with Jack.

[Lord Raziere]

@Raziere: imagine the chair from Matrix and you're not too far off. Or the scene from Iron Sky where they turn the Afro-American Astronaut into Aryan Space Nazi. (That's what inspired me to introduce Arrancar-Quincies in this game.)

It's your choice if Narsica wakes up in captivity or after she's already escaped, depending on how much of her backstory you want to play out.

Hm.....I read this AFTER posting.....hm, should I edit it? because my post looks like it took neither of those options, and I want to be sure we're both ok, and if I need to adjust it or whatever.

[Frozen_Feet]

Nah, skipping straight to the escape is just as fine.

[KnightDisciple]

Just FYI I"m still around, I'd wager Kuroi, berry, draken, dorizzit, and others are too, just...lack of motivation and momentum I guess.

[Kuroimaken]

Yeah, I've had some crazy crap to deal with end-of-semester-wise.

Maybe I should get Koutarou outta bed.

[Dorizzit]

Still here.

[King539]

A new character is in the works. I should have them up sometime this week.

[Ammutseba]

I was literally figuratively dead at the time. And on the moon. With Steve. As you can see, I am less so, now. Hi King, Hi LR.

[Ammutseba]

I'm working out a summary of the general capabilities of the togabito. "Enough power to fight the kushanada, not enough power to win." That's the gist of how they should go, but there doesn't seem to be any unifying element to them, other than their suffering, and that's unlike most of the other factions.

Would anyone like to give input on things to consider?

[King539]

All Togabito in the movie seemed to have one or two unique abilities... So you could put that in. Or am I missing the point?

[Ammutseba]

Unique abilities are well and good, but I mean the stuff that keeps them from being the spirit-world mooks. Things like hierro, bakudo and hirenkyaku. Abilities common among togabito that just ensure they stay on a level playing field with the other factions, while also giving them their own brand.

In what way does combat with a togabito surprise the heroes, but gets easier to deal with in time? Oh oh. Like how they keep coming back from the dead. You think you've got this handled, togabito defeated, and then days later, there it is again! So there's one. Rebirth.

I figure they must also have a fast movement ability, one for keeping themselves hidden, one for brushing off injuries... on that note, they seem to be effectively unfazed by pain, and by the same token, their lack of survival instinct makes them ridiculously strong. What else? Not just what else has been directly evidenced, but what else seems likely, and what seems like it should be there?

[King539]

Yeah, they have some sort of fast movement ability, but it's never named.

[Ammutseba]

Speaking of things I'm working on, I was poking at the Nonessentia uniforms before my unexpected hiatus. So, without any particular ado, are there any thoughts on this?

Spoiler: The Nonessential Saoiste's Uniform

Show

Meaning "rangers" in Irish, the Saoistí comprise the bulk of Nonessentia's fighting force. The basis of their uniform is a light breastplate with chain, a pair of reinforced pants and boots, and a long greatcoat. The greatcoat is made for protection from the elements, and has a low waist seam with light waist suppression to provide shape without restricting the wearer. The coat is primarily gunmetal grey, with silver buttons and clasps, and furry trim in emerald green. Each other piece of the uniform follows the same color pattern; the boots are grey with silver buckles, and lined with emerald green. The coat is secured at the waist with a dark grey half-belt, which clips to the back of the coat and the hem of one side. The coat has different cuts for men and women; men's coats are just below knee length, whereas womens' are calf length.

The shirt and armor of the uniform are intentionally lightweight and mobile. Ordinarily, they would be considered too light for practical use, able to deflect and absorb only the least committed or skilled attacks. The pants are made to withstand great amounts of pressure and shearing, armored as lightly as the shirt and upper body armor. Along the outer side of each leg are three small, sealed throwing points filled with drucht anam. The boots are calf-height and heavy-duty, made for taking a beating. They are also made with powerful springs under the heel and balls, as a form of shock absorption. The uniform's half-belt serves as a sort of bandolier which sheathes six triple moon beil-axes.

The coat is the most advanced piece in the uniform. Each one is studded in strategic locations for certain things to hang on chains. The half-belt attaches at the back of the coat and the hem of one side, but can quickly be switched to the uniform's pants if necessary. On the back of the coat's collar, at the nape of the neck, is a sculpted steel dragon, curled nearly into a circle. The dragon's tail is very large, and extends all the way down the center of the coat, terminating with the edge of the hem (for men), or at the ankles (for women). Each section of the tail is a large metal scale, separate from the last, and jointed. Showing through the joints, dark emerald segments can be seen under the scales. In a pinch, the dragon and its tail can also be attached to the back of the armor, at the nape of the neck, so despite its advanced design, the coat is not strictly necessary.

The Dragon's Tail
The emerald segments of the dragon's tail are actually a series of gated drucht anam reservoirs. Using a simple fullbring-based switch, the wearer can activate the dragon's tail, which disperses drucht anam into their surroundings to make eagna uisca available. The dragon's tail can be halted at any time, but if left open too long, the tail segments will eventually all drain, leaving them with little access to fullbringer spells. Should the dragon's tail run dry, they will only have the small throwing points and their beil-axes to work with.

Triple Moon Beil-Axes
Flat, aerodynamic and simple to use, Nonessentia's triple moon beil-axes sport two concave crescent moons along their sides, and a sturdy wedge tip straight up the haft. Each is sixteen inches long and six inches wide, and equally usable as either a melee or a thrown weapon. In the center of the axe is the third moon, a double concave disc filled with the rich forest green of drucht anam. A simple fullbring-based switch in the handle releases the catch of a hammer buried within the axe. When the catch is opened and the axe is thrown, the hammer shatters the drucht anam disc, spraying its contents nearby, often serving as the setup or the trigger for eagna uisca techniques or spells.

Throwing Points
Concealed along the outside of either leg of the Nonessential uniform, each of these throwing points is a misericorde-shaped throwing spike with a five inch blade and an additional three inches of handle. Set into the middle of the dart is a drucht anam reservoir, which breaks open on impact with a target. Nonessentials often use these darts for surprise attacks, or to set up swift spellcasting or other eagna uisca techniques at range.


Watchers and Dragons
The Féachnóirí and the Báirseacha are each members of more initiated circles in Nonessentia. They have similar but more specialized uniforms, befitting their stations and rank within the agency.

[Frozen_Feet]

I think I've said this before, but there's little reason to invent another redundant set of "general abilities" for togabito. Just have them use whatever abilities they had before being condemned to Hell. That is, if they were a Hollow, they use Hollow abilities, if Fullbringer, use Fullbringer abilities, if Subsitute Shinigami, use Shinigami abilities etc.

It really doesn't even make sense for togabito to have unified abilities the way Shinigami do. Shinigami aren't a faction just by virtue of being the same sort of being, they literally go to the same school, serve the same nation and get their equipment from the same set of people. Togabito don't; they're lone rebels fighting against their just fate. So the only unifying features that make sense for them are those related to their imprisonment - the shackles, the masks and cloaks to hide from Kushanada, being reborn in Hell to continue being punished etc.

[Ammutseba]

Oh yeah. I think I remember that, now.

Welp. How about the uniforms, then? Any objections or should I contact marketing and start hiring models?
Nonessentia, gratuitously attractive! Join today!

[Kuroimaken]

So Nonessentia is going to be a modeling agency on the side?

[King539]

So... My next character was going to be a Quincy AND a Fullbringer, until I realized something.

Fullbringers have Hollow Reiryoku. Hollows are ultra-poisonous to Quincies. The only way I can think of around this is him basically using Blut Vene all the time, just to stay alive. Anyone have any other ideas?

[Frozen_Feet]

The possibility of Quincy-Fullbringer was part-way explored by Torahiko Tachibana, Cardrian's character.

Long story short: he was given Blood of the Totenkreuz to make him from a Fullbringer into a Quincy, but his body so far has rejected the transformation to protect itself. No-one has succesfully been turned from a Quincy into a Fullbringer, not the least because Fullbringing is usually an inborn trait and a Quincy mother tainted with Hollow essence would die before giving birth. We know from canon how this can be averted, but it's highly convoluted.

Nuala Byrne owns, and can use, some Quincy relics, as she can, as a Fullbringer, draw on memories of the objects to emulate Quincy abilities. Ditto for Torahiko Tachibana.

So the viability of the character depends on how, exactly, did they gain both sorts of powers?

[Kuroimaken]

That reminds me of another continuity plothole by Kubo.

When Ichigo underwent Urahara's bull**** suicidal training to become a Shinigami again, WHY DIDN'T HE DIE? After all, supposedly his mom being a Quincy meant that Yhwach could mess up with his Quincy powers somehow.

On another note, though: King, is there a specific reason you don't want your character to be either a Fullbringer or a Quincy, but rather both? You've already made yourself a soon-to-be Vizard, after all.

[Frozen_Feet]

Kuroi: that's easy to answer. Ichigo was already clinically dead and turning into a Hollow. It just so happens his Hollow is also the embodiment of his Shinigami side. As for Yhwach messing with his powers... dude. He was there all along, giving advice to Ichigo.

[Kuroimaken]

But it's his Reiryoku that was supposed to be the problem, not whether he was dead or alive...

[King539]

So... I decided that it would just be easier to make them a plain Quincy. I'm hesitant to put a time frame on when they'll come up, what with Christmas insanity and such.

[Frozen_Feet]

But it's his Reiryoku that was supposed to be the problem, not whether he was dead or alive...

No, not really. Ichigo's Reiryoku was balanced, and never stopped being balanced, by the elements he inherited from his parents. It still stands that the answer to "why didn't Ichigo die???" is that he did die; Urahara plainly and clearly murdered him.

[Kuroimaken]

My point is: wasn't his soul supposed to self-destruct or something the second his Quincy Reiatsu touched Hollowification?

[KnightDisciple]

My point is: wasn't his soul supposed to self-destruct or something the second his Quincy Reiatsu touched Hollowification?

Honestly I don't know if we can use him as an example of anything. His powers were a jumbled, incoherent mess by the end, and Kubo basically sidestepped having to explain any of it thanks to TIMESKIP.

I'm honestly at the point I can't muster up caring one way or another about people making this-or-that hybrids.

[Draken]

Honestly I don't know if we can use him as an example of anything. His powers were a jumbled, incoherent mess by the end, and Kubo basically sidestepped having to explain any of it thanks to TIMESKIP.

I'm honestly at the point I can't muster up caring one way or another about people making this-or-that hybrids.

Hybrids always an enticing notion when hinted at or first introduced, but like few other ideas in games or entertainment, they are taken too far.

Ichigo went too far and then managed to take an extra step. I dare say.

[Ammutseba]

So... I decided that it would just be easier to make them a plain Quincy. I'm hesitant to put a time frame on when they'll come up, what with Christmas insanity and such.

Drat. I was really hoping you'd go the other way with that. Nonessentia could use more people.