[OOC] False Dichotomy: A Mahou Shoujo/Shounen RP

[Stern Algorithm]

Prologue:

The Law of Opposites is a fundamental, underlying aspect of the universe: Positive and Negative, True and False, Light and Darkness, Good and Evil, and everything that lies between opposed extremes. There exist those who would seek to control or alter this Law, to upset the balance for their own goals. In the shadows, the never-ending War of Opposites has raged on, however, soon it will surface and plunge a peaceful community into chaos, and change the fate of a handful of young people forever.

Setting:

Blossom Hills is a quiet suburban community situated in Woodstone County. It has its fair share of rich history but has recently gone through some recent modern renovations making for a clean, green, and convenient place to live. Less than half an hour away from both a nature preserve, and the urban powerhouse that is downtown Woodstone, residents of Blossom Hills have a lot of freedom to choose their lifestyle, whether it's outdoor recreation, fast-paced city life, or anything in between. The new and experimental Blossom Hills Education Center is an award-winning institution combining High, Middle, Elementary, and Pre-school into one massive campus, though other public and private schools exist as alternatives.

Woodstone County is a large county bordering the ocean and is centered around Woodstone city and its surrounding suburbs. The county is a major industrial, agricultural and financial center and is a melting pot for many different cultures. Woodstone is a trendsetter, at the forefront of practically any field, whether it is technology and research, city planning, fashion, or anything else you can think of. There are several famous universities and colleges in the county, as well as several different sports teams. The outskirts of the county have various natural environments including the beaches and oceans, deserts further inland, forests rising up to snow-capped mountains as well as the marshlands where the river flows to the sea.

Major NPC's:

Name: Dr. Dilemma
Appearance:

Dr. Dilemma

Dr. Dilemma has no body as his soul has been transferred into a phylactery (vessel for containing and preserving a soul). The phylactery is as pictured above. Dr. Dilemma doesn't care to recall what his body used to be like and has even forsaken gender. However, for the sake of simplicity, Dr. Dilemma will be referred to as 'he', since ungendered pronouns are not standardized.
Age: Unknown (Very, very old)
Personality: Dr. Dilemma is kindly and parent-like, offering positive encouragement and constructive criticism. He has that "everybody's favorite teacher" aura about him.
Background: Claims to be an alchemist from ancient times, Dr. Dilemma is a relentless survivor of the War of Opposites. He is currently trying to protect the people of Blossom Hills by fighting against the forces of Darkness, whose goals are unknown, but they will seek to achieve their goals through any means necessary.
Primary Dichotomy:

Name: Aubade (Morning Song)
Appearance:

Aubade

Appears to be a teen of medium-small stature with light skin, golden eyes, and dark jade hair. He predominantly wears dark, semi-formal clothing. His magical boy outfit is as depicted: a black, boy's high school uniform with a cap, though try to imagine that the coat is longer, going down to his knees, forming a waist-cape (and add some decorative flourishes here and there).
Age: Unknown (appears 16)
Personality: Aubade is sadistic, deceitful and condescending, finding superiority in his status as a magical warrior and as a homunculus. He only obeys and respects Dr. Dilemma, though he seems to have a soft spot for his sister, Serenade.
Background: An artificially created human (homunculus) made by Dr. Dilemma to act as an agent, liaison and protector of Dr. Dilemma's phylactery. Has lived for an unspecified number of years and has traveled the world with Dr. Dilemma and Serenade, fighting off the forces of Darkness. His life of conflict has made him bitter and cynical, as he cannot stand to see humans who he views as inferior living in peace that he fights to protect.
Primary Dichotomy:
Abilities:
- Alpha:
- Omega:
- Contradiction:

Name: Serenade (Evening Song)
Appearance:

Serenade

Appears to be a teen of small stature with dark skin, red soulless eyes, and light turquoise hair. She predominantly dresses in white, one-piece dresses. Her magical girl outfit is as depicted: a short, sleeveless, white, one-piece dress. white thigh-boots, and big purple bracelets (with decorative flourishes)
Age: Unknown (appears 11)
Personality: Stoic and emotionless, Serenade has taken her status as an artificial human and equated it with robot. Obedient and accommodating, following orders seems to be the only thing that drives her. She is completely closed off, showing only slight attachment to her creator, Dr. Dilemma, and her brother, Aubade.
Background: An artificially created human (homunculus) made by Dr. Dilemma to act as an agent, liaison and protector of Dr. Dilemma's phylactery. Has lived for an unspecified number of years and has traveled the world with Dr. Dilemma and Aubade, fighting off the forces of Darkness. Her life of conflict has suppressed her emotions.
Primary Dichotomy:
Abilities:
- Alpha:
- Omega:
- Contradiction:

The Enemy:

Shadow People

The Plot:
So this is a Mahou Shoujo/Shounen (Magical Girl/Boy) RP where your character will meet Dr. Dilemma and become a magical girl/boy and fight to protect Blossom Hills, Woodstone County, and perhaps the world. The theme is dichotomies, so follow the CS below and pick a dichotomy. Your characters should be between the ages of 10-16. Your characters will grow stronger over time, either with the addition of more dichotomies, or just new and imaginative ways to use them. You will start with two abilities, an Alpha and an Omega, one representing each extreme. I am completely open to help brainstorm ideas and explain anything in more detail or give examples if anyone has questions.

CS:

Name:
Appearance:
Personality:
Background:
Dichotomy:
Abilities:
- Alpha:
- Omega:

[Raineh Daze]

I will actually read this tomorrow!

[Stern Algorithm]

Yeah, apologies for the wall of text, but I was really into it.

NPC dichotomies will not be revealed/decided yet because I'm letting you, the players, have first pick for your characters.

[Tatsua Aiisen]

Magical Girl Design

TBA

Name: Suzu (Candy Cure) Cure
Personality: Jaunty and quirky, Suzu isn't the type to turn down a fun time even if it hid behind a ten foot steel barrier. She likes to see other people be cheerful, and goes out of her way to make others happy where she can. Once slighted, she has a hard time forgiving others, and tends to form long-lasting grudges rather quickly. She doesn't usually think things through before she gets into them, and her intelligence is definitely lower than average, but she does try her hardest where she can...
Background:
Dichotomy: Sweet/Bitter
Abilities:
- Alpha: Candy Buster, the Youthful Awesomeness of Sweets and Other Sweet Things.
Candy Buster works by converting the sweetness of any given substance into raw magical power and releasing it is a potent beam, relative to how sweet the substance in question is. Consuming food for ammunition, the sheer power of the Candy Buster is offset by the limited uses and frustration it causes for the user at not being able to eat their candy. Despite its name, Candy isn't the only thing it's able to consume as ammo, it can consume virtually anything so long is it's sweet enough and doesn't resist.

- Omega: Get Bitter Soon, the Legendary Restorative, Albeit Poor Tasting Pun.
The fearsome magic technique that allows one to magically enhance substances of bitter flavour to make them extraordinarily restorative. The magical medicine created can heal one from many small injuries, as well as curing most ordinary illnesses or poisons. Surely such a wonderful ability couldn't possibly do harm? Well, the main flaw of this technique is that while it does make bitter food into super magic medicine, it also amplifies its bitterness by "ten million times", resulting in a fatal concoction that poisons anybody who consumes it. It isn't actually poison, but the sheer bitterness resulting from this magic is enough to incapacitate most individuals for a good amount of time.

[Stern Algorithm]

Pretty terrifying dichotomy there... but I'll trust you to use it with moderation since you've included quite a few inherent weaknesses/flaws in the abilities. I do want to say though, that Mystic Breaker might not be that useful early on because I intend the enemies and dichotomies to be fairly 'real' in their own right (at least, in the context of the RP universe). However, it should become drastically useful later when I introduce "Contradictions", which are, by definition, unreal. Anyways, my thoughts are not set in stone yet. Regardless, the character is accepted, just let me know when you've filled out background so I can go back and read it.

[Tatsua Aiisen]

I understand, Mystic Breaker will likely just end up acting like a Familiar until such a time comes when he can be used to his fullest. That said, he is still able to inflict basic physical damage, and invisible magic sword-dogs do have their uses outside of fetching the daily paper.

The reason I gave Break such a power is that I thought it might be amusing to give her the one ability that counters her Prismatic Dream in all of its entirety. Oh right, I had a bit of a question regarding transformations, do MG/MB transform to use their powers? Regardless, can they use both aspects of their powers in unison? Lastly, what state were you intending this roleplay to take place in, relative to the growth of our lovely magical girls? Are they newly developed, perhaps having formed their contract only recently, or did you want them to have been doing this for a short while?

[Stern Algorithm]

The idea is they need to transform to use their power (though using powers when not transformed can become a thing when the MG/MB are strong enough/familiar enough with their powers). Using both extremes of the same dichotomy simultaneously is known as "Contradiction" and will be unlocked later. Because "Contradiction" absolutely defies reality and logic it is actually most susceptible to your Mystic Breaker. I intend your characters to become Magical during the RP and not before. Complete newbs.

So thanks for reminding me, I need to describe Aubade and Serenade's Magical Forms in their descriptions. The parentheses after their names are just the definitions of their names and are unimportant, I just wanted people to know what Aubade means, since Serenade is a much more commonly used word.

Also, sword dog

[Tatsua Aiisen]

<3 Sword dogs.

Thanks for the info, but as I was reading that another question arose, so I'm wondering-
Is magical "Stamina" a thing, in any form?

[Raineh Daze]

I honestly don't think I can stay in a roleplay where one character has powers like that. Antimagic dog and emotion-controlled reality warping (especially when their personality starts with 'happy and confident') in a magical girl RP? Every other character, unless people start taking 'life and death' or 'eternity and the instantaneous' to their logical extremes, is basically a sideshow. And I have no interest in being a bit character where the outcome is entirely dependent upon a single person's mood.

[Stern Algorithm]

@Raineh Daze: Wait! Don't leave yet. If you have a CS, even a work-in-progress, I would like to see it.

@Tatsua Aiisen: Sorry, but as I mentioned, the dichotomy you picked is pretty terrifying (in the vein of Madokami if you know the reference). I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt so long as no one objected, and well, someone has, and in all honesty, I was half asleep when I gave my approval, and I apologize. Would you be okay with changing your dichotomy? For me, the most interesting characters are ones who start out with a seemingly innocuous ability but then become stronger through imaginative use of the ability and pushing their limits. Don't worry, you're not going to get curb-stomped by the enemy, I swear, I'm not a sadistic GM (or Urobuchi Gen, if you know the reference), and this is a Mahou Shoujo RP, it should be lighthearted and fun with some twinges of dark. I want everyone on more or less even footing. Even the two supporting cast I made, Aubade and Serenade, who will have their "Contradictions" unlocked before the RP starts, are not overwhelmingly powerful.

[Rin]

Actually, Urobuchi's kind of calmed down a bit as of late (see: Kamen Rider Gaim), but that's beside the point. XD

Stern Algorithm said
For me, the most interesting characters are ones who start out with a seemingly innocuous ability but then become stronger through imaginative use of the ability and pushing their limits.

...I mean, uh, I agree wholeheartedly. XD The problem is trying to come up with something good... Hmmm.

...Still in, just trying to figure out a good idea. This might take a little while, but hopefully something will come to mind.

[Stern Algorithm]

@Rin



Right now, I don't want Raineh Daze to leave because of my ineptitude as GM TT_TT

I can give ideas/suggestions if you would like, but I think part of the fun is coming up with your own.

[Raineh Daze]

I'm trying to work out a less powerful idea than Here/There, because redirection and teleportation is so damn easy to break.

[Stern Algorithm]

@Raineh Daze: So I had these rules and restrictions in my head which I didn't elaborate because I sometimes assume other people know what I'm thinking, which is dumb -_-;

The alpha and omega skills are the extremes applied to a single thing, either the self, something one is in contact with, or an energy attack, but only one of these three.

So if you were to use "There" for teleportation as your Alpha, your alpha would have to be only one of the following, "Teleport Self" or "Teleport Object", but not both. In other words, you would pick one of these as your alpha in the beginning, but won't be able to learn the other until later.

"Teleport Self' would give you mobility and defense, being able to dodge most things. "Teleport Object" or "Redirect" gives offense and defense as you could teleport objects you touch into peoples' brains as well as turn away projectiles hitting you. I'm thinking that applying to self refers to the whole body, but applying to something you touch would apply only to the extremities: arms and legs, so if a projectile hits you in the chest and you can't bring your hand around in time to deflect it, you'll get hit or something. It also might not apply to things of a continuous nature, like if someone was spraying water at you or firing a beam at you, and you held out your hand to stop it, you would have to concentrate very hard (impossibly so, especially early in the game, but maybe later) to continuously teleport the water to another location as it just keeps coming.

To pull something within line of sight to oneself (like grabbing an object that's out of reach) would be an Omega: "Here" applied as an 'energy attack'. If you can see it, you can pull it. "Here" applied to the self would probably make you an 'immovable object', still destructible, but immovable.

These are the restrictions I had in mind and sort of had to flesh out over time, but here they are. So I think Here/There is acceptable.

[Raineh Daze]

To pull something within line of sight to oneself (like grabbing an object that's out of reach) would be an Omega: "Here" applied as an 'energy attack'. If you can see it, you can pull it. "Here" applied to the self would probably make you an 'immovable object', still destructible, but immovable.

I don't think you've quite thought through the applications of being able to pull stuff towards you and teleport at will.

[Tatsua Aiisen]

A harmless bubble of altered reality and a useless invisible sword dog are clearly too OP, especially when they can't be used in tandem. I apologize for the misunderstanding~! I'll be sure to put my creative powers to work on a new and unique character, since I can hardly reuse the same character when her entire design has been undermined. I'm not sure how long it'll take to finish the new character, but try not to start without me, yeah?

Also, +1 for Madokami.

[Stern Algorithm]

@Raineh Daze


Apparently I haven't...

I could include more restrictions, like saying instantaneous teleportation can only be achieved after "contradiction" has been unlocked and that your character would only be moving towards or away from things rather than going anywhere instantaneously. Or I could say there's an absolute limit to how many 'spells' your characters can cast or the scope at which they can be cast, but I'd rather not. I don't want to make a rules-heavy gaming platform like D&D.

I think player intent is important. You don't seem to intend to want to break the game, the simple fact that you seem to be afraid of creating a character that's OP is enough to make me trust that you won't be OP. I trust that once we start, you'll be in-character, and not many teens are Machiavellian game-theorists who will exploit every possible rule and exception they can get their hands on in order to achieve absolute victory at any cost. (unless you're Ender Wiggin)

My two-cents, but if you're still uncomfortable with the idea, better go with a different dichotomy.

[Stern Algorithm]

@Tatsua Aiisen: Thanks for your compliance. It doesn't look like we'll start anytime soon, everyone's thinking hard on their characters.

I'm sorry for the inconvenience, the idea just came to me and I hadn't fleshed everything out and then I posted an interest check and everyone seemed to like it. I'm trying to bounce ideas off of you guys by receiving your questions and answering them to the best of my abilities, and in general, trying to keep everyone happy (I'm a utilitarian at heart).

I'm sorry if my GM skills have been less than standard.

[Tatsua Aiisen]

You're doing fine, although you probably shouldn't make yourself seem so weak, people might think they can take advantage of you.

I am very annoyed at having to trash a character I spent hours working on and meticulously balancing, but I can understand the need to keep players around, and I can also understand the problem of a seemingly overpowered character being the standard of strength for the roleplay. I had intended for Maria to be a side character, not taking the spotlight, but apparently that isn't enough to level out her obvious potential.

[Stern Algorithm]

I am comfortable with showing weakness. Everyone here so far seems to be fairly decent and haven't been overly abrasive (maybe a little ticked-off here and there).

I am self-deprecating as a GM partly because I would rather take the blows than have you get angry at or blame Raineh Daze because I do agree that their points are valid. I don't want my players fighting, but if it really comes down to it, I am capable of telling people to GTFO and whatever criticisms they may have for me then will mean nothing to me.

If we can keep aggression to a minimum, we should be able to all get along.

Thank you for your steadfastness and understanding.