[Rail] Academy City OOC Thread III: Electromagnetic Hyper-cannon Go!

[Terry576]

What is Academy City anyway?

Spoiler

So what is this game about? It’s about a place called Academy City, close to Tokyo, where some of the most amazing people science has discovered are sent once their unique gifts are discovered. And just who are these people? Pyschics, Espers, telepaths, pyrokinetists, telekinetic users, teleporters, and the list goes on and on, but no matter what they are called they are all one simple thing. A person capable of using psychic powers in some fashion or another, able to do extraordinary things once put through Academy City’s all-but unique psychic development programs. From things such as creating fireballs to manipulating luck itself, these people have demonstrated a wide array of capabilities after being gathered into the most advanced city on earth. The majority of espers (we’re talking 98-99% percent here) can barely be considered psychic before being ‘refined’ to the point they can manifest their abilities, but there are the rare few who manifest psychic abilities before being put through the program as well, almost literal gemstones of the world. These espers range from the almost powerless Level 0s to the awesome power possessed by the rare Level 5 espers.

But what about Academy City? Well, it’s a large city that is almost thirty years ahead of the rest of the world in terms of science and development, with numerous nations having a stake invested in the city’s unique residents. Almost sixty percent of the residents at Academy City’s schools, from the prestigious Azabu Academy and Tokiwaida Middle School to the more…’normal’ Onizuka Middle School…though how ‘normal’ any school can be when they are populated by a mix of psychics and normal people is up for debate. Though by far is it’s greatest asset is one of the satellites orbiting above, which continues the Tree Diagram program that can accurately predict the weather up to a month in advance, though those with the proper connections can ask it other things as well…Not that to say that everything is candy and sunshine in this sovereign city, there’s a darker underside to Academy City that most of it’s residents don’t even know about. Dangerous Skill Out gangs, those without powers who target espers for fun or rights, roam the streets and a person can disappear without a trace depending on where they stick their nose. Rumors of illegal research or weapons research are rampant, though Academy City is such a touchy place that such matters are never really investigated seriously by the Board of Directors in charge of Academy City.

This game is based on the setting of the To Aru no Kagaku Railgun (A Certain Scientific Railgun) light novels/anime/manga series. Watching/Reading the series is OPTIONAL, but they are rather good.

Okay, but how is it different from, say, Nexus?

Spoiler

It differs in several important ways.
First, it is a lot more uniform that the Nexus. Academy City has espers and science, not, say, kitten snipers.
Second, the plot of Academy City is going to be more directed. There are the good, the bad, and the ugly, and they are mostly organized. As such, most plots and stuff will be interwoven into one big plot. Or at least that's the intention.
Third, Academy City is NOT in any way connected to the Nexus. i.e. you cannot have a character travel between the two. If you want a character in Academy City, it is for Academy City. You can have a version of the same character for both the Nexus and Academy City, but they are different characters.

How do I start?

Spoiler

Well, you want to post a character in this thread, and the character registry when it goes up, so everyone can find information on your character and so people can give you helpful criticism on it.
To prevent a pattern that is all too easy to fall into, it's good to point out the fact that passive actions don't tend to get much attention.
With that in mind, make a post and begin!

What abilities have been taken?

Spoiler

http://railgunitp.wikidot.com/powers-list

There are rules, right?

Spoiler

Yes, there are.
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.

Disclaimer #1: This game is going to have several moderators to mediate IC and OOC disputes (if they require them), but are not moderators in the GitP sense (Like Roland or the Giant). Aside from mediating disputes, they'll be keeping an eye on characters to watch for intentional/unintentional abuse. If they ask you to change something, it's a good idea to consider it. If they tell you it needs to be changed, then it does but this sort of thing is for important matters only. Disruptive players will be asked to leave if they insist on causing trouble.

Disclaimer #2: If you want to make a level five, make up a character and the community will decide if it shoud be or not.' That way we keep the number of level 5's down and everyone will agree on them. Remember that in canon, Academy City had only seven level fives, and a population of 1.8 million.

Important Links

The Wiki (The wiki password is "biribiri" (sans the quotation marks))
Toaru Majutsu no Index wiki.

OOC's
OOC I: Biribiri
OOC II: ONEE-SAMA!!

IC's
Academy City I
Academy City II

Banners

[Callos_DeTerran]

Originally Posted by Lord-Cao-Cao

Whoah, suddenly four level fives?

I was not aware of this, and also why is Academy City not watching (or trying to watch) Adachi if he is the equivalent of Accelerator and known to be even more dangerous? Or Shiki?

Nobody is more dangerous then Accelerator, trust me...He split Russia in half. Russia.

Also how did this Adachi Souji possess someone? O.o Or come back from that? It's most definitely an interesting phenomena that I'd like to hear more about.

Also, Academy City probably is watching him...and just as likely don't want to interfere with him. If he's the most powerful Level 5 then he's the best hope of accomplishing Academy City's goals, and is thus a valuable asset.

How's the game on shadowy agents of Academy City with nebulous objectives and motivations?

Also, first.

...We may want to think about making a character registry thread though, it doesn't seem like anyone is using the Wiki.

[AnimeKid]

Dang looks like I'm second. Hmm, can anyone thing of another microscopic power for Ryuji's lady friends? I forgot that Adachi's power was atomic manipulation. So Seko's atomic restructuring ability is out.

[Terry576]

Souji (Fuschichou Souji, that is) was originally created in order to be a container for Adachi, who stored his memories in a computer or something (I cannot really remember). Souji blew up the entire facility with 30% of the consciousness stored within him, which eventually broke through the mental wall he put up, allowing Adachi to temporarily take over Souji's body. Adachi had another clone (Souji is #2796,) and inserted his consciousness into that body, allowing him to then resume normal functions.

It was a weird plotline.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Originally Posted by Callos_DeTerran

Nobody is more dangerous then Accelerator, trust me...He split Russia in half. Russia.

Also how did this Adachi Souji possess someone? O.o Or come back from that? It's most definitely an interesting phenomena that I'd like to hear more about.

Also, Academy City probably is watching him...and just as likely don't want to interfere with him. If he's the most powerful Level 5 then he's the best hope of accomplishing Academy City's goals, and is thus a valuable asset.

How's the game on shadowy agents of Academy City with nebulous objectives and motivations?

Also, first.

...We may want to think about making a character registry thread though, it doesn't seem like anyone is using the Wiki.

Hmmm, I suppose you have a point. Still, the odds certainly are stacked against the protagonists, what with all the incredibly powerful Espers being thrown around and all. I don't mind that, though.

Also, Terry-Don't worry about future plots in case you're wondering if we're going to run out of them; Atrum and I have two set up.

Originally Posted by AnimeKid

Dang looks like I'm second. Hmm, can anyone thing of another microscopic power for Ryuji's lady friends? I forgot that Adachi's power was atomic manipulation. So Seko's atomic restructuring ability is out.

How about an ability that allows her to manipulate the Pauli Exclusion law? Either by allowing 'walls of force' to spring up out of nowhere, or the ability to move objects through solid matter?

[AnimeKid]

Hmm, that might work. What are the specifics of the Pauli Exclusion law?

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauli_exclusion_principle

In essence, it states that no subatomic particle in the same area may possess the same quantum state-It is necessary that one switches to another state when they come into each other.

In practice this basically means that two objects cannot occupy the same space, even though matter is 99% empty space. Being able to manipulate this law may mean that they can effectively move objects through solid matter (which brings up the problem of 'what happens if she leaves them there') or alternatively, increasing the effects of this law to force objects to move apart and disintegrate.

[Anyr]

Originally Posted by Callos_DeTerran

How's the game on shadowy agents of Academy City with nebulous objectives and motivations?

Very healthy. The main two organisations in play at the moment are GATE, and the G.E.A.R project. GATE is one of Academy City's secret four-man cells (like GROUP or ITEM in canon). The aforementioned Ishimaru Moroe is a member of GATE, although, for many reasons, she can't really call on them to help with her current crises. The other three members are currently inspecting the G.E.A.R project, and driving an innocent boy to madness.

G.E.A.R is a horrendously unethical project devoted to pushing the boundaries of science; In other words, business as usual for the dark side. It's headed by Fukui Yori. They're the current antagonists for the Shougo/Moroe/Hajime/Shiki group.

There are also a few groups which skirt the edges of the dark side without actually being part of it, like the Beta Class: A group of former test subjects who survived an early prototype of the Power Curriculum Program. So, all in all, the moral spectrum for this game is nicely diverse right now.

...We may want to think about making a character registry thread though, it doesn't seem like anyone is using the Wiki.

Really? The other sections may have been neglected, but I didn't think that the character listings were particularly out of date.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

It occurs to me that our IC thread has also reached page 50. Should I create one soon, or...?

also

Terry.

wharrgarbl

[Anyr]

Originally Posted by Lord-Cao-Cao

It occurs to me that our IC thread has also reached page 50. Should I create one soon, or...?

If you like.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Originally Posted by Anyr

There are also a few groups which skirt the edges of the dark side without actually being part of it, like the Beta Class: A group of former test subjects who survived an early prototype of the Power Curriculum Program. So, all in all, the moral spectrum for this game is nicely diverse right now.



Really? The other sections may have been neglected, but I didn't think that the character listings were particularly out of date.

Well let's see if I can't muddle up the waters a bit more...

I think it's more a case of me being so far out of the loop honestly. And is there any more substantial information on GATE and GEAR?

[Silverraptor]

I find it humorous that when I ask for a summary, they tell me to start reading the thread, but when you ask for a summary Callos, they give you a summary.

[Anyr]

Originally Posted by Silverraptor

I find it humorous that when I ask for a summary, they tell me to start reading the thread, but when you ask for a summary Callos, they give you a summary.

You're right; That was rather hypocritical. I apologise for not extending you the same courtesy.

...And now, back to the summary (again, sorry).

Originally Posted by Callos_DeTerran

Well let's see if I can't muddle up the waters a bit more...

I think it's more a case of me being so far out of the loop honestly. And is there any more substantial information on GATE and GEAR?

Duos can no doubt tell you more about G.E.A.R. As for GATE, they follow the same pattern as the other cells: A patchwork group of strangers who were assembled to do Academy City's dirty work. Every so often their handlers call them up and give them an assignment, while the rest of the time they're left to their own devices (within reason). Here's an outline of their members, based on what's been shown IG so far:

??? Katashi: Group 'leader' (to use the term loosely). Level 5 with the power to attract and repel almost anything.

Kojima ???: Group doctor and scientist. A fleshcrafter who twists living beings to serve his own ends. His appearance and voice are just as monstrous as his servants. He also possesses a trick which seems to allow him to come back from the dead ('seems' being the operative word).

??? ???: Group manipulator and 'face'. Angelic and innocent appearance. Can control people's anger in complex ways, to the point where he can turn peaceful gatherings into riots with barely any effort. Prefers to operate from the shadows.

Ishimaru Moroe: The only PC of the group, and thus the only one with an actual character sheet. She's also the only one who's so far shown themselves capable of any compassion, empathy or basic humanity.

[AnimeKid]

Is Kojima the freak who manipulated Tobio into killing him and bringing his temper which had been boiling below the surface from constantly being emotionally beat down over the top?

[Terry576]

You know Cao, if you want me to post, message me on AIM. I am always doing stuff right now and I'll soon do stuff for the thread I swear :X

[Anyr]

Originally Posted by AnimeKid

Is Kojima the freak who manipulated Tobio into killing him and bringing his temper which had been boiling below the surface from constantly being emotionally beat down over the top?

Yes. Unfortunately for poor Tobio, that was only step one...

[Duos]

G.E.A.R. is the acronym for the Genetic ESPer Advancement and Repurposement program. It's designed to take ESPers deemed too useless or uncooperative towards the City's goals and turn them into a useable force.

"Donors" to the program are usually dead by the end of the procedure, which extracts a genetic map and a copy of their AIM field from them, which is then in turn imprinted onto blanks; genetically empty clone shells. The finished units theoretically are much cheaper than regular clones and much more flexible, since any useful ability (or fusion of abilities) can be imprinted on one, and much more powerful, since they can be genetically altered beforehand and nobody cares if the supercharge kills the blank in a week or two.

Shiki has had the misfortune of attracting the program's notice by being an extremely powerful healer, and the project needs her power to stop the prototype units from degrading due to AIM field mismatch and to allow a greater variance in unit models; currently there's only three successful types of G.E.A.R. soldiers, under the project codes of SURTR, YMIR, and NIDHOGGR. I strongly suspect that the group will end up having to fight each of them eventually.

[AnimeKid]

Hey guys, I was just wanting to ask everyone before I do something stupid. Would it be okay if I make Seko a gemstone? I read a little about them and I think that she could qualify. Generally secretive is what I was planning to make her, and while I am giving her the Pauli Exclusion power I was thinking that if she only used one facet of that power she could trick everyone into thinking her power was Molecularizaition. Moving molecules so fast that they pass through solid matter when in reality it is much more complex. If not however I will just have it be so that her power is naturally complex instead of it being because she is a gemstone.

[Terry576]

Uh, you can't really fool people into thinking you have a different ability. They have your ability on record, and I'm pretty sure you can just look it up on the Judgement database or something. You can tell everyone "I have this ability," but it won't, y'know, work.

[Anyr]

Originally Posted by AnimeKid

Hey guys, I was just wanting to ask everyone before I do something stupid. Would it be okay if I make Seko a gemstone? I read a little about them and I think that she could qualify. Generally secretive is what I was planning to make her, and while I am giving her the Pauli Exclusion power I was thinking that if she only used one facet of that power she could trick everyone into thinking her power was Molecularizaition. Moving molecules so fast that they pass through solid matter when in reality it is much more complex. If not however I will just have it be so that her power is naturally complex instead of it being because she is a gemstone.

Do you have any particular reason for wanting to make Seko a Gemstone? It's not an epithet that's meant to be applied lightly. Gemstones are not only extremely rare, but also highly prized. To their native governments, they're the only Espers that are outside the control of Academy City; And to Academy City itself, they're fantastic research subjects whose powers have the potential to exceed the boundaries of artificial power development. That said, if you feel that Seko would work best as a Gemstone, then by all means make her one. It's just a case of giving it some extra thought first, so as to make sure that it works for the character.

Originally Posted by Terry576

Uh, you can't really fool people into thinking you have a different ability. They have your ability on record, and I'm pretty sure you can just look it up on the Judgement database or something. You can tell everyone "I have this ability," but it won't, y'know, work.

Most people don't have access to the database. It's certainly possible for an Esper to trick the uninitiated into thinking that their ability is something different. And then there are anomalies like Sojita Gunha, whose database entries basically amount to a confused shrug. Of course, such characters tend to work much better in books than in forum RPs...

[AnimeKid]

It's mostly the fact that it feels right. It's also the fact that most of the other Esper powers I've seen operate within the actually laws of physics. By going with Lord-Cao-Cao's suggested power she is in fact manipulating a law itself and altering it.

[Terry576]

It's just that Seko's ability isn't really combat applicable. I can understand someone like Souji or Moroe using an ability that way - it makes so that way when they finally do go all out they can utterly eviscerate their opposition. However, Seko doesn't seem to work that way from the characterization we've been given.

[Anyr]

Originally Posted by Terry576

It's just that Seko's ability isn't really combat applicable. I can understand someone like Souji or Moroe using an ability that way - it makes so that way when they finally do go all out they can utterly eviscerate their opposition...

Moroe? Short of making an extremely fussy eater starve to death, her ability is about as far from being combat applicable as you can get.

[Terry576]

Notice I said an ability. As in if she didn't have the most useless ability ever.

[Anyr]

Ah, I see. Regardless, it's not our place to dictate the characterisation of AnimeKid's character; Nor does he need to justify every motivation and personality trait ahead of time. If his character contains factual inaccuracies, balance problems or suchlike, then that's one thing; But if it's simply a question of them acting 'in character', then AnimeKid is the ultimate authority for how they will behave.

[Terry576]

kgjsasgasdf sorry everyone I've been SUPER BUSY LATELY. Like ridiculously so for summer vacation.

I can post every day now, multiple times if I so choose (and I totally will).

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Are Shiki, Yori, Katashi, etc, on the Academy City Judgement banks?

[Anyr]

Originally Posted by Lord-Cao-Cao

Are Shiki, Yori, Katashi, etc, on the Academy City Judgement banks?

Katashi and Moroe are. The other two members of GATE have had their ability records somewhat altered, in order to eliminate them as suspects in certain crimes. They're still on the books, but are listed as being too weak/limited to have committed such acts.

[Terry576]

Shiki fixed most of Shougo - he can probably wake up now, but he's pretty much an amnesiac. She doesn't have anything to with memories, she can only heal his body.

And now I understand why everyone was waiting for me. That was a downpour of posts as I slept.

Hajime isn't in the Judgement banks, but Souji definitely is. Shiki is as well, but her file is heavily classified, barely accessible to anyone below a top scientist of Academy City.

[AnimeKid]

Soooo... hey Terry when are you going to have Hajime's power change? Also what is it going to change to? If you haven't decided yet what is the power you are most leaning towards?