Letter Bee

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

Enemy GMPC

Appearance:

5'5|56kg

Name: Fēng (Maple) Lin

Age: 18

Nationality: Chinese

Noble Arm Name & Appearance: Black Boar Shield; appearance is the same as the Shield in the Picture.

Noble Arm Rank: A

Insert NA rank here

Power: A
Speed: C (S)
Range: E (S)
Persistence: B
Precision: A (S)
Potential: F (S)

Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Void

Noble Arm Abilities:

Devour - With a touch of her shield, Fēng turns a stunned enemy into data that is in turn absorbed into her shield, imprisoning them in a pocket dimension where their memories, skills, and if applicable, their Noble Arms are eaten. This substitutes for her entire Potential Stat, which is otherwise locked at F. And by that, her Noble Arm has only one power, and it is to eat other Noble Arms and use their powers... much like a certain prominent NPC.

Defense Queen - A combination of several defensive abilities from Noble Arms she ate, Defense Queen ensures that all physical damage she takes, including from environmental hazards or elemental attacks created by Noble Arms, is reduced by 75%. This applies to mental effects as well, thus making it hard to use Magic to control, deceive, or otherwise alter her emotions and thoughts.

Absorbed Noble Arm, La Luna

Noble Arm Name & Appearance: La Luna (The Moon).

Noble Arm Rank:

A (When Certain Conditions Are Met)

Power: B (S)
Speed: B
Range: C (S)
Persistence: B
Precision: B
Potential: D

Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Melee/Ranged, close-to-mid range, and based upon the Moon and its qualities of changeability, magic, and madness.

Noble Arm Abilities:

La Luna's Miraculous Evasion - Noel's speed and reflexes are enhanced to levels that would surprise even an Arms Master. At the same time, fate itself contrives to partner with that speed and reflexes to make sure that Noel can dodge bullets, and grenades, but not necessarily the resulting explosions. However, he can dodge shrapnel and even the occasional rocket, allowing him to get into melee even when under enemy fire.

La Luna's Veil of Night - Noel can cloak himself in magic that renders him invisible, a perfect example of camouflage, and which cannot be pierced by most forms of mundane and mystic surveillance; it requires a dedicated B+rank power to reveal him (with exceptions below). This Veil, however, loses its potency from 11 AM to 1 PM, when the Sun is at its highest in the sky. Sun-themed Noble Arms, even C or D-ranked ones, can also detect Noel's Veil and remove it.

La Luna's Power of Enchantment - When the Moon is shining in the sky (including when it appears in the daytime), Noel can duplicate a Noble Arm power he has seen, as many times as he had seen that power used. For example, Noel can duplicate a Healing Power 3 times if he's seen it used three times. This power works on all Noble Arms that are not Sun-themed; Noel cannot duplicate Sun-based NA Powers, nor can it duplicate other A-Rank NA abilities.

La Luna's Madness Inducement - When the New Moon has risen in the sky, Noel can raise his scythe and pronounce a curse on an enemy force within sight of his natural eyes (no telescopes or digital enhancement). This curse spreads a plague of madness which causes everyone who is not a B-Rank Arms Master (or an OC/PC) to turn violent and attack their fellows, thinking that they are enemy monsters. The more blood is shed, the more the curse spreads from fellow to fellow, ending only when either the whole enemy army is dead or the New Moon sets.

And yes, this can affect an entire city, while Sun-themed NA Powers can also dispel it.

Absorbed Noble Arm, La Astronomica

Noble Arm Rank:

A

Power: A
Speed: C
Range: A
Persistence: C
Precision: C (S)
Potential: E

Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Melee/Sky/Long-Range

Noble Arm Abilities:

An Artificial Sky - When Mykhailo conjures up his Noble Arm, the sky above or around him is covered over with a starry nightscape or sunny sky, regardless of the actual time of day or night, light pollution from city lights, or artificial darkness from smog or storms. This zone slowly expands to cover an area the size of an entire city (New York's Metropolitan Area, to be exact), and Mykhailo can then choose to show specific images of constellations, stellar or planetary alignments, or solar equinoxes or even show the moon and sun at the same time. This does not change the existing weather, which continues as normal despite the changes to the sky.

It does, however, affect Noble Arms with an Astronomical Theme (Sun, Moon, Stars, Space, Eclipses, and Comets), boosting or debuffing them by one rank, as well as duplicating specific conditions for specific Arms' activation (like for example, the Sun and Moon needing to be up at the same time).

Astrological Omens - Under the projection of the sky that comes from his Noble Arm, luck and probability are affected in some small way, making his allies more fortunate while cursing his enemies with increased accidents and unfortunate events. This can, assuming competent allies, shift the tide of the battlefield to favor the side that should normally lose.

Heavenfall - Mykhailo, with a single command, can cause meteors to rain down from his artificial sky onto a foe; said meteors are, well, meteors and cause damage on par with high explosive artillery rounds. However, the damage they cause is purely physical, and thus attacks that render the user intangible or put them in another dimension or otherwise circumvent physical damage can work to make them immune or resistant to this power.

Absorbed Noble Arm, Xing Xiao

Power: C (S)
Speed: B
Range: D
Persistence: A
Precision: A
Potential: D (S). (She can eventually give inanimate objects Sapience at will; any Sapient being can develop Noble Arms with the right growth).

A Book that is also a Sapient Noble Arm by the name of Xing Xiao, whose power is to create and program artificial minds into physical objects; this can make them sapient if asked, and it does make them able to move on their own without the need for electricity. However, the risks of some artificial minds reaching true sapience and not requiring a constant flow of power have made the usage of his power infrequent… Until now.

This power does not work on Noble Arms. Also, her sapient objects can theoretically grow their own Noble Arms.

Ether Body - She has eaten Seven Avatars of the Seven Virtues and one Avatar of the Downward Descent, and can transform her body into Magical Energy at will, further increasing her defense and making it so only attacks that target magic directly can harm her. Because TFO has a literal Anti-Magic specialist in their ranks, she does not use it until she is certain he is dead.

Misc Abilities: A skilled fighter on her own, also a dancer and a poet who can make her battles seem like ballet, such is the beauty of her footwork. She also knows how to shoot guns and keeps several machine pistols around.

Personality: Her loyalties to the People's Republic of China are publicly known to be nearly unbreakable. Whether they really are is anyone's guess.

*Likes: Candy, Meat, Food in general, Wealth, Luck.

*Dislikes: The prospect of starvation.

Fears: Starving in the streets.

Bio: Unknown. Speculated to be from poor origins. Observed to have avoided the company of Ai Chen and Huo Ren back when they were alive, acting on her own. Very powerful and lethal; one of China's last-resort weapons. Was studying in Beijing, where she was able to use her powers to intimidate her handlers into letting her finish school and turn 18 first before being unleashed on the world.

*Current Goal: Destroy Task Force Obsidian and avenge Wu Shufen's defeat. She also feels she should have gone there to help Wu instead of repelling the Seven Virtues (and shanking Yulian/Superbia's other Avatar).

Military or Civilian Rank: As the Pig of the Zodiac, she is above most officers in the People's Liberation Army.

*Optional

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

@Paths of Parity, Sounds better; if no one on the Discord objects, you can post in the Chars Tab.

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

@Paths of Parity, Accepted, although note that the NA changing your character even if it's deactivated has only one precedent (aka an NPC smoking so much that he got magic-resistant tumors/cancer) in-setting so keep it in mind.

Transfer to the Characters Tab.

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

@Paths of Parity, I like it, but iffy on the NA continuing to change her even when its not activated. Also, how does this interact with energy barriers/forcefields?

Feelings about RPGs with Strong Narratives

I agree with what Byte said; a balance is needed between narrative and player agency/freedom.

Hoyo~!

@GojiBean, Welcome!

Noble Arms: The ASEAN War - Thread Three, the Darkest Hour

Enemy GMPC

Appearance:

5'5|56kg

Name: Fēng (Maple) Lin

Age: 18

Nationality: Chinese

Noble Arm Name & Appearance: Black Boar Shield; appearance is the same as the Shield in the Picture.

Noble Arm Rank: A

Insert NA rank here

Power: A
Speed: C (S)
Range: E (S)
Persistence: B
Precision: A (S)
Potential: F (S)

Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Void

Noble Arm Abilities:

Devour - With a touch of her shield, Fēng turns a stunned enemy into data that is in turn absorbed into her shield, imprisoning them in a pocket dimension where their memories, skills, and if applicable, their Noble Arms are eaten. This substitutes for her entire Potential Stat, which is otherwise locked at F. And by that, her Noble Arm has only one power, and it is to eat other Noble Arms and use their powers... much like a certain prominent NPC.

Defense Queen - A combination of several defensive abilities from Noble Arms she ate, Defense Queen ensures that all physical damage she takes, including from environmental hazards or elemental attacks created by Noble Arms, is reduced by 75%. This applies to mental effects as well, thus making it hard to use Magic to control, deceive, or otherwise alter her emotions and thoughts.

Absorbed Noble Arm, La Luna

Noble Arm Name & Appearance: La Luna (The Moon).

Noble Arm Rank:

A (When Certain Conditions Are Met)

Power: B (S)
Speed: B
Range: C (S)
Persistence: B
Precision: B
Potential: D

Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Melee/Ranged, close-to-mid range, and based upon the Moon and its qualities of changeability, magic, and madness.

Noble Arm Abilities:

La Luna's Miraculous Evasion - Noel's speed and reflexes are enhanced to levels that would surprise even an Arms Master. At the same time, fate itself contrives to partner with that speed and reflexes to make sure that Noel can dodge bullets, and grenades, but not necessarily the resulting explosions. However, he can dodge shrapnel and even the occasional rocket, allowing him to get into melee even when under enemy fire.

La Luna's Veil of Night - Noel can cloak himself in magic that renders him invisible, a perfect example of camouflage, and which cannot be pierced by most forms of mundane and mystic surveillance; it requires a dedicated B+rank power to reveal him (with exceptions below). This Veil, however, loses its potency from 11 AM to 1 PM, when the Sun is at its highest in the sky. Sun-themed Noble Arms, even C or D-ranked ones, can also detect Noel's Veil and remove it.

La Luna's Power of Enchantment - When the Moon is shining in the sky (including when it appears in the daytime), Noel can duplicate a Noble Arm power he has seen, as many times as he had seen that power used. For example, Noel can duplicate a Healing Power 3 times if he's seen it used three times. This power works on all Noble Arms that are not Sun-themed; Noel cannot duplicate Sun-based NA Powers, nor can it duplicate other A-Rank NA abilities.

La Luna's Madness Inducement - When the New Moon has risen in the sky, Noel can raise his scythe and pronounce a curse on an enemy force within sight of his natural eyes (no telescopes or digital enhancement). This curse spreads a plague of madness which causes everyone who is not a B-Rank Arms Master (or an OC/PC) to turn violent and attack their fellows, thinking that they are enemy monsters. The more blood is shed, the more the curse spreads from fellow to fellow, ending only when either the whole enemy army is dead or the New Moon sets.

And yes, this can affect an entire city, while Sun-themed NA Powers can also dispel it.

Absorbed Noble Arm, La Astronomica

Noble Arm Rank:

A

Power: A
Speed: C
Range: A
Persistence: C
Precision: C (S)
Potential: E

Noble Arm Type, Element, and Range: Melee/Sky/Long-Range

Noble Arm Abilities:

An Artificial Sky - When Mykhailo conjures up his Noble Arm, the sky above or around him is covered over with a starry nightscape or sunny sky, regardless of the actual time of day or night, light pollution from city lights, or artificial darkness from smog or storms. This zone slowly expands to cover an area the size of an entire city (New York's Metropolitan Area, to be exact), and Mykhailo can then choose to show specific images of constellations, stellar or planetary alignments, or solar equinoxes or even show the moon and sun at the same time. This does not change the existing weather, which continues as normal despite the changes to the sky.

It does, however, affect Noble Arms with an Astronomical Theme (Sun, Moon, Stars, Space, Eclipses, and Comets), boosting or debuffing them by one rank, as well as duplicating specific conditions for specific Arms' activation (like for example, the Sun and Moon needing to be up at the same time).

Astrological Omens - Under the projection of the sky that comes from his Noble Arm, luck and probability are affected in some small way, making his allies more fortunate while cursing his enemies with increased accidents and unfortunate events. This can, assuming competent allies, shift the tide of the battlefield to favor the side that should normally lose.

Heavenfall - Mykhailo, with a single command, can cause meteors to rain down from his artificial sky onto a foe; said meteors are, well, meteors and cause damage on par with high explosive artillery rounds. However, the damage they cause is purely physical, and thus attacks that render the user intangible or put them in another dimension or otherwise circumvent physical damage can work to make them immune or resistant to this power.

Absorbed Noble Arm, Xing Xiao

Power: C (S)
Speed: B
Range: D
Persistence: A
Precision: A
Potential: D (S). (She can eventually give inanimate objects Sapience at will; any Sapient being can develop Noble Arms with the right growth).

A Book that is also a Sapient Noble Arm by the name of Xing Xiao, whose power is to create and program artificial minds into physical objects; this can make them sapient if asked, and it does make them able to move on their own without the need for electricity. However, the risks of some artificial minds reaching true sapience and not requiring a constant flow of power have made the usage of his power infrequent… Until now.

This power does not work on Noble Arms. Also, her sapient objects can theoretically grow their own Noble Arms.

Ether Body - She has eaten Seven Avatars of the Seven Virtues and one Avatar of the Downward Descent, and can transform her body into Magical Energy at will, further increasing her defense and making it so only attacks that target magic directly can harm her. Because TFO has a literal Anti-Magic specialist in their ranks, she does not use it until she is certain he is dead.

Misc Abilities: A skilled fighter on her own, also a dancer and a poet who can make her battles seem like ballet, such is the beauty of her footwork. She also knows how to shoot guns and keeps several machine pistols around.

Personality: Her loyalties to the People's Republic of China are publicly known to be nearly unbreakable. Whether they really are is anyone's guess.

*Likes: Candy, Meat, Food in general, Wealth, Luck.

*Dislikes: The prospect of starvation.

Fears: Starving in the streets.

Bio: Unknown. Speculated to be from poor origins. Observed to have avoided the company of Ai Chen and Huo Ren back when they were alive, acting on her own. Very powerful and lethal; one of China's last-resort weapons. Was studying in Beijing, where she was able to use her powers to intimidate her handlers into letting her finish school and turn 18 first before being unleashed on the world.

*Current Goal: Destroy Task Force Obsidian and avenge Wu Shufen's defeat. She also feels she should have gone there to help Wu instead of repelling the Seven Virtues (and shanking Yulian/Superbia's other Avatar).

Military or Civilian Rank: As the Pig of the Zodiac, she is above most officers in the People's Liberation Army.

*Optional

Dreamer's Sea: A High School RP inspired by the Persona Series (Dead)

Collaboration Post between Letter Bee and Rune

Masuda High School

Rukana mostly kept to herself for the duration of it, when someone did inevitably sit next to her she would end up interjecting and making her presence very well known. After all, couldn't just let someone sit next to her without letting them enjoy her very clearly welcome presence, no? Not that they seemed to enjoy said presence too much, but what did she care in the end?

Lunchtime would come and go, the throng of students crowding the cafeteria would soon dwindle as another bell chimed, signaling the end of leisure time and a start of classes once more. Rukana left her tray on the table, not bothering to clean it up as she'd stretch, send one more text to Minnie and head back to the class room. Maths, sciences. Literature. Whatever it was, Rukana barely listened. If anything, she just wanted to get the day over with so she could head out on a shopping spree. Maybe find some fancy establishment to eat at.

Nah. Best just to shop and head home. Didn't want to deal with the hassle of her mother questioning where she had been.

After Lunch was math. How people liked math, she didn't know. It was so boring. Too structured. Too many rules to follow and keep up with. Honestly tiring. Sciences? Well, she found plants interesting at least. Botany was the only really academic field she was into, if it even counted. Physical education came after that, something she was good enough at, if only because it was one of the few subjects she felt like actually trying in. Truthfully though, like always - school days were a blur except Science and her music electives.

Ding
Ding
Ding
Ding!

"Bwueh?" Rukana shot straight up in her seat. "Jeez...way to bore me to death, teacher..." Rukana grumbled standing up. She had fallen asleep for whatever class was last, but she didn't care to stick around. Arguably the first gal out of the class room as she'd push past everyone else, lazily swinging her schoolbag over her shoulder as she'd head out.

---

It'd be well into the evening by the time Rukana returned home. She spent most time after school out shopping, mostly for some new clothes, looking over some new guitars and checking out a nearby garden and flower store. Texting Minnie most of the time while doing so.

After a quick shower, spending the rest of the night killing some raid bosses and otherwise doing things with Minnie and the guild, she'd log off, stretch...though couldn't help but to take a quick glance at herself in a nearby mirror eyes lingering on her own neck before inhaling, exhaling quietly and putting on her pajamas, throwing herself onto her bed and drifting off into sleep.

---

((Section Solely Written by Letter Bee))

Shotaro got some sandwiches, plus strawberry shortcake and iced tea for himself and Hidekichi, before going to the table that the latter had chosen.

He liked the other boy even more. So after setting down the food, the young man was unable to speak much unless spoken to, not even picking up the dropped conversation topic.

Then he mustered the courage to speak, “Hey, let’s exchange contact info; you’re okay with that, right?”

Assuming that Hidekichi agreed to this, Shotaro let the day pass by in a blur before he returned to his and his uncle’s house, where, after a casual chat at dinner, the young man showered and then put on his pajamas and slept on the fluffy bed filled with plushies of various mythological creatures.

Tomorrow promised to be another wonderful day.

But tonight, he sank further down into sleep than was normally possible, plunging into the Sea of Dreams…

---

New Amakusa City, The Eleventh Hour

Ruhana Kikuhara found herself walking through a graveyard where the scent of upturned earth mixed with sea-salt mist that drifted in from some unknown ocean. She could not remember waking up, wandering off, or even getting out of bed. In fact, she could still feel the blanket and cushions on her body as an invisible presence, even though her mind was awake and her eyes were clear.

She was wearing black and red; no shades of pink here, even as she saw a ghostly pier with a bone-white wooden ship, one favored by the piratical English a century or so after Amakusa’s time, with sails of frayed cloth that shimmered like spider silk.

There was a ramp that led to the ship, and a steering wheel that glowed faintly with green-white ectoplasm. It was a call to her to sail the night sea, lit by a full moon that was just suddenly there. The promise was a key to the mystery if she did; rejection meant failure, and return to one’s mundane and normal life.

A return to a life where she could not be certain that if she died, there was a soul to leave behind, a life where there was always the fear that her father, now dead, was gone forever.

Here, however, she can seek out assurance that Death was not the end, and that bereavement isn’t eternal.

---

Ariyoshi Nagase found himself in a cosplay convention; an oddly cheery and bright and perfect one where everyone was having fun and nothing seemed to go wrong. He ought to remember sleeping, and still felt whatever surface he had slept on, even as his mind cleared and registered where he was, which was in a convention hall that mixed elements of every venue he had been in; from windows to booths to the tilework used for the floors and the memorabilia being sold.

It could almost be a dream come true. It was a dream and it was also real… but something felt off.

At the convention’s exit, which he could see from afar off; he could see his parents, in their finest business clothes, gesturing for him to leave and come back to them, where success and wealth waited, same for respectability.

The next time he turned his head, he’d see a stage, advertising a real-time costume crafting competition; materials provided! There was a table and chair with a sewing kit and bundles of cloth and thread, all of which softly glowed with a pale pink aura.

Will he choose what he belonged in? Or will he choose what others wanted him to be?

---

Hidekichi Mamai was in a forest. Of candy. The road he walked was of yellow marzipan, with shrubs of peppermint powdered with fine sugar. The trees he passed by had trunks of biscuits filled with cream, and grew candied apples surrounded by leaves of spearmint, though unpowdered with anything right now.

And the clouds were made of cotton candy…

Deki Deki Deki Ma, who is our Deki-Ma?

It was a rhyming song, one that was sung by an unknown voice wherever he stopped for more than a few seconds.

We all strive for happiness, you do strive for happiness; we all strive for happiness, you do strive for happiness….

The jingle grew louder, more insistent.

Deki Deki Deki Ma, who is our Deki-Ma?

We all love our Deki-Ma, are we loved by Deki-Ma?

We all strive for happiness; you do too, you do too!

But are we not happy?

Or are we sad?

Do you hate us, Deki-Ma; do you love us, Deki-Ma?

Deki Deki Deki Ma, we do love our Deki-Ma…

But somehow, should Hidekichi turn his will to opposing the voice, or blocking it out, or even going along with it instead of being annoyed or terrified by it, the voice would comply with whatever he did.

Then a small figure waddled up to him; one of his earliest creations, a cute and ugly thing he made for his sister. It held out a hand of sticks, even as it glowed with an aura that changed colors.

If it was rejected, unlike with Ari and Runa, it would not be the end of all chances at a life beyond normal. For the Sea of Dreams respected true purity of heart, and it had a soft spot for those driven by love…

@Redking0380@Rune_Alchemist@Pz Waffel@Auragreedia@TruthHurts@SilverPaw

Shattered Steel - An Ace Combat/Project Wingman/etc inspired aircraft-based RP

Mykhailo Martinez

Mykhailo landed his plane on Lampedusa Airport's runway; it was time for the next part of the mission, assuming that the Libyans and their proxies didn't have a second wave of troops ready to attack. Then he got off his plane to meet Captain Scott and the others, trying not to show that his mood was anything but calm.

Damn the enemy for being this weak and incompetent. They were too easy to destroy, such that it didn't feel like revenge, just one-sided slaughter. He hated to admit it, but apparently, a massacre was less pleasurable than it had been in his head. Was this a sign he was still a decent person?

Or had prejudice and hatred - the desire to blame someone for the scars he still held over Artemio's death - worn down his goodness? He certainly did not feel compassionate now.

So he waited for everyone else to land, and as they got down to prepare for their commanding officer's briefing, Mykhailo's eyes lit up as he realized that this wasn't over yet; there was a second stage where he could finally shoot down two more planes and achieve the Ace-hood he had dreamt about. He craved it; he craved the action such that it was ruining his focus on keeping his fraying ties with the rest of the Squadron.

Mykhailo was not blind; he was being annoying, and not just to Fuka. So he decided to greet the new member, Yuna Xu, instead.

Waving hi, the young man asked, "So, it seemed you and the others had a dogfight or two? How did that go? Did the enemy fight well?"

Then he remembered that he should not be barraging Yuna with questions, and so quieted down.

@Damo021@Smike@Rhona W@Finetales@AvaP

Dreamer's Sea: A High School RP inspired by the Persona Series (Dead)

<Snipped quote by Letter Bee>

"Maffei Kraus"

Human Character Sheet

Name: Maffei Kraus

Age: 16

Physical Description:


Important items: A guitar case that can fit a rifle and a pistol along with survival kit and pocket toolkit.
Short Bio:

In Japan's developing industrial scene, the Kraus family has long been a pillar of strength and innovation. Kraus Heavy Industry is led by a visionary CEO whose unwavering commitment to excellence has made the company a vital provider of military equipment and national defense. The Kraus legacy is not just one of industrial might. It is also one of determination and resilience, embodied in the life of Maffei Kraus, one of the CEO's most spirited children.

From a young age, Maffei was surrounded by both the hum of industrial equipment and allure of successful industry. She recognized the effort that went into her family name and committed herself to becoming a well-rounded individual capable of taking on any challenge. Throughout her upbringing, she developed a profound love for both machines and discipline. Her curiosity and determination exceeded even that of her father. She would dismantle and rebuild everything from small engines to complex robotics. She trained rigorously in martial arts, mastering close-quarter combat. She practiced marksmanship, handling various firearms with precision and confidence. She maintained these regimens for both competition and self-defense. As recognition of her achievements, she was granted a scholarship to attend Masuda High School, at age 16.

Personality: Maffei avoids men as much as possible because of her upbringing unless her family and relatives. She is more at ease with her female classmates and schoolmates. When you get close, her actual colors will gradually emerge, and if they share same interest, she will talk about it extensively.

Skills: Being a daughter of a well-known industry. She was trained in the martial arts for hand-to-hand combat and weapon systems and was a prodigy in engineering.

@Pz Waffel

Post on the Characters Tab, btw.