Keyguyperson

Time's a Changing - a Steampunk NRP set in a Psuedo-Earth

@Keyguyperson

Lancian uniforms are solid grey or black for officers, not green.

@duck55223

And here I was doing all my research on whether or not Japanese uniforms were ACTUALLY a light shade of green. I can fix that real quick.

I find the lack of a star wars thread disturbing.

HAN SOLO KILLS OBI WAN WHO IS ACTUALLY HIS MOTHER IN LAW.

Time's a Changing - a Steampunk NRP set in a Psuedo-Earth

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Wakagami, Greater Akitsukuni Empire

Gusts of cold air blew throughout the city, as if the world wanted to emphasize that it was winter for the northern hemisphere. The cherry trees which lined the streets lay dormant, performing their duty of decorating the city just fine... if quite a bit less poetically than had been intended. Indeed, the poets of Akitsukuni would likely be completely at a loss when it came to new material. Not that their poems weren't any good, but one often had to wonder just how many of them weren't about the cherry trees blossoming. There we so many of them that the Emperor himself was said to regret making the cherry blossom the national symbol.

In the middle of the city without blossoms, life went on just as it always did. Factory workers marched in lines to their workplaces, soot-covered children carrying chimney brushes made their way from one house to the next, and puffs of smoke arose from trains as they crisscrossed the nation in their rush to deliver the products made in the factories the day before. In the midst of the onslaught of modern life that the nation had imported from Edoniras, then given a new paint job, a remnant of what Akitsukuni once was shouted out into a silent courtyard far from the black skies the factories created.

The shout came in the form of the clashing sound of wood against wood, originating in the courtyard's garden which had been turned into an impromptu battleground by two women. Both were wearing Army uniforms, which were essentially stolen Lancian uniforms which used a light shade of green instead of grey or black and replaced the flag with their own.

Traditionally, they would never use such uniforms in order to allow for better mobility on the battlefield. However, on the modern battlefield, everyone wore their country's uniform. If they did not, then every battle would be little more than a brawl. Most of the time combat training for women still didn't involve the uniforms. Most of the time, however, combat training for women didn't impart skills that were actually meant to be used on the battlefield.

A clack sounded as their weapons were struck against each other, prompting the shorter of the two to jump backwards to avoid the strike at her torso that came immediately afterward. Predicting what would come next, she raised her pole-like naginata directly forward as the other woman came rushing at her. Instead of stopping, the other woman used her own weapon-a wooden reproduction of a Great Han sword-to sweep the naginata away from her. Just as she brought her sword down for a final blow to the head, however, the shorter of the two stepped to the side and used the longer naginata to throw the sword towards the ground. The woman's balance interrupted, the shorter one was able to sweep her naginata at her knees and knock her over. The final blow was a tap on the downed woman's back, signaling her "death" at the hands of her pupil.

"Impressive display, Your Imperial Highness." Said the taller of the two, her wise-sounding voice fitting perfectly with the deep grooves of age that crisscrossed her face. "I'm glad to see you took my suggestion to heart. It will do you good if you ever find yourself facing an enemy soldier armed with a sword, but you must stay mindful of your own stance. Had there been someone else to interfere during that sidestep, you could have been knocked to the ground."

"Well, I could have also been shot in the head." Said the princess, resting her naginata's blade on the ground. "Thank you for all you have done, I doubt one could ask for a better teacher."

"That is true. There is no way to train someone to be invincible, not even someone as quick thinking as you. Even I cannot come close to that."

The princess opened her mouth to respond, but the conversation was interrupted by the voice of an old man.

"Ah, good to see that you're practicing in military dress. How has the training gone so far, Miss Fujioka?"

"The Imperial Princess has done well today, Your Imperial Majesty. She is improving her skilled with a naginata, and her aikido is quite good as well. Still, I would say that she is better with a rifle than anything else. I'd suggest that you take her hunting at some point. It isn't becoming of a lady, but the head of state should be able to fight in any war we find ourselves in. Even if the head of state is a woman."

"That would be why I am here, actually. Part of it, at least. Admiral Yamamori has been petitioning the Diet for quite some time, requesting an expedition to that new continent to the east. I was considering bringing Hanako along."

The woman-Miss Fujioka-looked absolutely horrified by the comment. She was more than willing to follow the orders of her Emperor, but she had to at least draw a dotted line as a suggestion when it came to bringing a girl along into savage-filled lands far from the only home she had ever known.

"With all the respect in my heart, Your Imperial Majesty, an expedition is no place for a princess. There is no need to take her Imperial Highness to uncharted lands when you could simply take her hunting on the outskirts of the city."

"It would do her good to be involved in a military operation. She could become more accustomed to military discipline and protocol. If she is to be Empress, then the military is something she must know how to control, lest it think to turn against her. It would be better to bring her along on a campaign as a camp assistant, but we cannot throw away lives for the sake of her training."

"The expedition is better than a campaign!" She exclaimed, quickly bowing in a subtle apology and lowering her voice after realizing it had been raised. "Apologies, I meant no disrespect."

"There was none taken. It was not common for you to speak with your betters until now, I cannot rightfully punish a person for something they have no control over. Please, go on."

"Thank you, Your Imperial Majesty." If there was one good thing about Emperor Kichirou, it was his kindness. It was not often that Akitsukuni found itself under the rule of a man who would forgive a transgression, and there was likely not a single man in the Diet whom had not taken advantage of that quality at least once. His daughter often wondered whether or not he knew his personality was being exploited. "As I was saying before that unfortunate interjection, neither a campaign nor an expedition is any place for a lady. Especially not the Imperial Princess."

"Women have been taken along on military campaigns for centuries, one was even a Daimyo for quite some time. Her husband was killed in battle, and she led the clan's army for many years before marrying."

"I was unaware. Still, that was well before the restoration of your power, and the power we have now makes such practices obsolete. In the modern age, women no longer need to know how to protect themselves. My skills are but a remnant of the age before we harnessed the power of coal."

Her words were said with great conviction, but beneath then, there was a slight hint of sorrow. It wasn't an aggressive sorrow, quite the opposite, in fact. The words conveyed nothing but reluctant submission. Were a clipper ship to speak of the ironclads and battleships that had replaced it, it would do so in much the same way.

"The reins with which we harnessed coal were made in Edoniras, Miss Fujioka. To surrender our old way of life to the power of technology is to surrender our nation to those of the west. Artists do not need to paint, poets do not need to write. But they do, because that is their way. When an artist paints, it does not matter whether or not their brush is from Akitsukuni or Lancia, for their mind is still theirs. When the Lancian brush is finer, however, one should seek to use that advantage... I suppose we must fight the urge to paint like a Lancian, yet at the same time use their brush."

"I understand, Your Imperial Majesty. Though it was always your decision, no man nor woman in the Empire has any right to give you an order."

Tell that to the Imperial Diet. Thought Hanako, whom was trying to hold her arms as close to her body as possible without messing up her posture. The uniform was designed for sweltering summer heat in the southernmost parts of the Empire, and winter had struck hard and without warning that year. The Army itself hadn't managed to get all of its men in winter dress yet, and the princess and her tutor weren't high on the list.

"That is true, but the Emperor is not all-knowing. Remember that. It shall do our nation well in the future."

A tiny spark of hope flew throughout Fujioka's synapses, before finally being stomped out by the Emperor's final comment.

"That does not mean I have been persuaded otherwise." He said. "The fleet shall be leaving for the Eastern Continent with us two in tow the day after tomorrow. Five airships. One carrier, a couple heavy dirigibles, and two escorts."

"You are going as well? Is that truly wise, to bring the entire royal family on an expedition?"

"There are no diseases there that we do not already have defenses against, thanks to the Edonirans. I doubt the bow-toting natives could do anything to the best vessels our Empire has to offer, anyways."

And the Edonirans have colonies there. Thought Hanako, finishing the sentence that had no intention of continuing. She wouldn't dare say such a thing out loud, but that didn't stop her from saying it in her head. As if this isn't an attempt to warm up relations with them. If we establish colonies there, then we look more important. If the Emperor and Imperial Princess themselves come along as diplomats, then we look more respectful. They wouldn't dare have us speak with any other than their own nobles and royals, and if we speak with their nobles and royals, we get allies. The more allies we have... the easier it will be to put down the rebellion.

Her well-practiced neutral expression just underneath her long, straight bangs twisted itself in a frown for a split second as she thought about the situation. She was perhaps the most well-versed princess-or woman, for that matter-in Akitsukuni history when it came to politics. Even the Emperor knew that she would have to immediately face an attempted coup and countless assassins hired by people she would have to drink with at parties. Of course, every sip would in itself be an assassination attempt. Every cup would be full of poison and every security guard would have a split allegiance. All the while, half the military would be out to get her in order to restore a "True Emperor". Which, of course, would just so happen to be whatever General saw the chance first.

So it was probably a good thing she was going to be taught how to handle moving targets.

Hey, I found that spam was really in need of this.

I still have no idea what this is.

There is literally no other place on the internet where you can find the phrase "DOGDAMOINT DORO" aside from this specific thread.

From Otaku to Weeaboo — Humorous Anime Synopsis Thread

Sora no Woto: A bunch of girls in Wehrmacht uniforms and a broken tank.

The Irregular at Magic High School: Incest.

GATE: Japanese nationalism at it's pretty okayest.

Kantai Collection: Ships that ship each other.

The Place Promised To Us In Our Early Days: Confusing stuff about quantum mechanics.

Arpeggio of Blue Steel: See Kantai Collection

Girls Und Panzer: Porn. Tank porn. Not girl porn, we're not pedophiles.

Strike Witches: Okay now we're pedophiles.

Spice and Wolf: Economics 101.

Maoyuu Maou Yuusha: Economics 101, with that one girl with whom your relationship never went anywhere as the teacher.

Stellvia Of The Universe: Like Star Trek but with 900% more little girls and wasted potential. And 0% of the exploration.

Now And Then, Here And Now: A parade of horrible things happening and thinly-veiled political messages. Like Keyguy's writing.

Code Geass: Liberty's Kids: Japan Edition.

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon: BOOB. RIBBON.

Sword Art Online: Every teenage boy's wet dream.

Sword Art Online 2: Every 12 year old COD player's wet dream.

Starship Operators: The pinnacle of reality TV.

Space Brothers: It's about a car designer who headbutts his boss.

Future War 198X: Cold War paranoia.

Guilty Crown: Liberty's Kids Japan Part Two: It's Vaguely The Americans Now, Probably

Akito The Exiled: The French Revolution Part Two: Slavic Brits.

Space Battleship Yamato: Great for making your grandpa who was on the USS Hornet have traumatic flashbacks, and little else.

Yuri Seijin Naoko-San: Gay aliens.

Koufuku Graffiti: A series set in a universe where the "hot" in "hot food" doesn't refer to the temperature.

Gunslinger Girl: The animated adaptation of a loli porn title with all the porn taken out of it.

Time's a Changing - a Steampunk NRP set in a Psuedo-Earth

Working on my first post, it's great to see this started up!

The Rise of Man (Fallout-like RP)

Apparently that in January once the warm front passes, we'll all get royally screwed by incredible amount snowfall.
I kinda want that too happen

@ClocktowerEchos

Same. I've been waiting for the bit where things get cold and I can wear all the stylish stuff _{that also hides my immense girth}

The Rise of Man (Fallout-like RP)

<Snipped quote by Jotunn Draugr>Merry Squidmas!
Now you tempt me to switch my faction for martian invaders instead.
All hail our cephaloid overlords!

<Snipped quote by Nerevarine>Damned climate change!!!

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_{... Neither did we.}

@Willy Vereb

We're supposed to be spending money on our heating bill, not watching the flowers bloom outside!

The Rise of Man (Fallout-like RP)

Nanning, China

Helicopters weaved in and out of the openings between Nanning's once-great skyscrapers, now reduced to mere husks of what they had once been. Most of them were still inhabited, the glass walls replaced with wood and scavenged metal. Clotheslines were strung high above the streets off of bridges between the gigantic buildings, creating yet another obstacle for the helicopters to maneuver around. Their motherships-dirigibles floating silently high in the sky-slowly came closer and closer to the ground in search of a suitable structure to moor to and unload the troops and supplies they carried within.

One of the helicopters-an old, prewar one used by the UTA-touched down on the top of the tallest building in the city. The pad it landed on was hastily constructed, but a pad nonetheless. A man in power armor jumped out of it, a giant backpack attached to his suit. Railgun in hand, he walked up to one of the many people gathered at the pad. Some were carrying guns, mostly makeshift muskets and the like, but a few had prewar weaponry. Most did not.

"You're from the Endurance Cooperative, right?"

The man's speech was translated to English by the power armor. It was a function added to allow any old grunt to communicate without needing a diplomat assigned to every single squad. He nodded in response, then gave his answer. It too, of course, was translated into Chinese by the armor. It turned his calm yet neutral voice into a commanding baritone, just like all other power armor models. As it turns out, you generally command more respect if you sound like Darth Vader.

"Yes." He said, taking off the backpack and gently lowering it to the ground just in front of him. "Our team has the weapons you requested to inspect. The rest of the fleet is loaded up with food, clothing, medical supplies, everything else you asked for."

The armed men lowered their weapons, breathing sighs of relief upon knowing that the man in the power armor wasn't a raider. Most of the time, such unorganized groups didn't have access to things like helicopters (flight in general, really). However, one could never be sure. The loss of a Cooperative dirigible in a storm over Manchuria had make suspicions run even higher in areas that were aware of the organization. Had any raider groups or other such rouges found it, they could easily make use of the technology found in the wreck.

"Thank you... if I may?"

"Go ahead."

The Chinese man-whom was wearing a worn, red changshan-walked over to the backpack and crouched down beside it before opening it up. Inside, he found exactly what he was promised. Held within the abnormally large backpack was an assortment of advanced weaponry. A modern assault rifle manufactured in Yulin, a rail arquebus, even an anti-armor railgun with HE shells for it laid next to the rest of the weaponry. More soldiers in power armor carried crates out of the helicopter, which they then opened to reveal more of the same.

"We have power armor available as well." Continued the soldier. "The AT gun needs something a bit stronger than a shoulder to absorb the recoil"

"You shoulder-fire that thing?"

"Yeah, it's got three times or so the power of an AT gun from, say, the Second World War. That's why we need the power armor for them."

The Chinese man stopped looking over the guns for a moment and looked at the soldier quizzically, his head tilted to one side in confusion.

"The Second World War?"

"Uh... PTRD-41. It's got three times the power of a PTRD-41."

"Ah, I see. Why would you need something so powerful?"

"Regulations say our equipment has to go up against what we've got. The RAT-16 isn't just for punching through thick hides, it can take down a tank if it has to. The rail arquebus is great for anyone in one of our power suits, it doesn't have to be set up and you can hook it to the suit in order to load it quicker. Without the armor, though, it needs to be manually loaded with each shot. The modern weapons are the same as prewar designs, though with a few little modifications being made throughout the years."

"This is an impressive arsenal you've brought with you... what of the training?"

"It can easily be provided by the Combined Forces. Ammunition and other necessary supplies are a part of the deal as well."

"We have chosen to expand the terms. Our city cannot wait for our soldiers to be given and trained in the usage of your equipment, we need security now. If you are willing to end the bandit threat, then we will accept your terms."

"We had a feeling you would say that."

The soldier tapped a button on one of his power armor's arms, then said something in English muffled by his helmet-which didn't seem to transmit the message through the speakers. A few seconds later, a barely audible hum filled the air. Everyone but the Cooperative soldiers looked around, trying to determine its source. Then, without warning, an immense crack shook the sky like thunder. Trails of plasma stood out even against the blue sky and white clouds as rounds left the railguns of the dirigibles above.

"Consider it done." Said the soldier. Nobody could see it, but beneath his helmet was a sly smile.

"We... we accept the terms of the Nanning Treaty." Said the Chinese man, holding out his hand while still staring up at the sky. "Your power is exactly what my people need."

"Welcome to the Endurance Cooperative." Said the soldier, shaking the man's hand with a gentle grip (for the power suit, at least).

The Shrine of Raijin, Kyoto

The reactions of the many soldiers did not go unnoticed by the Admiral, whom blushed underneath the fur-like hair that covered his entire body. Being completely oblivious to the local history and values, he simply assumed that they had never need a mutant before. There was also the fact that he had been completely incorrect in the assumption that the handshake was capable of surviving nuclear hellfire, which certainly made things more awkward on his end. He decided not to mention it, and pretended as if the man had reacted correctly.

"We are honored to meet your people as well, Mr. Miyamoto." He said, retracting his hand. "Thank you for the warm welcome, such occurrences are not as common as one might hope."

A small smile appeared on his face, hidden by the hair. The fact that he had attempted to figure out the handshake was a good sign. However, it quickly faded into a frown as he realized what everyone else was whispering. Which, of course, was anything but a good sign.

Yokai.

Mononoke. Mamono. Ayakashi. Optimistically, they were referring to the "good kind", which would imply that they expected the Cooperative to assist them. Given the glares and scowls, however, they probably had no such idea. It only reinforced the belief that they had simply not encountered a mutant before, and unfortunately for the Admiral, that curiosity boiled over into a question. He was never supposed to be a diplomat, and to at least the rest of the team he had brought with him, it was glaringly obvious.

"Apologies if it is rude to point it out, but you're all of pure blood, and seem unsettled by our appearances. Are there no mutants here?"

Though he said it rather awkwardly, there was a twinge of hope to be found within his tone. A land of almost certainly purebred Japanese, without any mutations... it would allow the Cooperative to cleanse an entire ethnicity of the ravages of the war. The same had already been done for the Hausa and Yoruba, and many people of African descent from the Americas and Europe had been cleansed using the same DNA-thanks to looser ties to any specific ethnicity.

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Updated Claims

The Rise of Man (Fallout-like RP)

Merry Christmas from North Carolina, where we have the AC on and it's 72 outside.