Living Doll is interesting, it remembers me of a character in the Worm series.
Can the Televangelist Miracle working saint be mixed with Hemomancy maybe? It's an interesting combo and Hemomancy used to heal can be nice.
Living Doll is my obsession to play something that fundamentally changes a person to not really be humanlike anymore in these. Doesn’t eat, sleep, drink but the person is in there just changed. How does someone cope with that. Same with insect brood mother but for different reasons.
I probably couldn’t combine it without undermining my idea. Televangelist has animacy as a power both short term and long term shaping of someone’s life creates a co-dependency on the miracles and being exploitable.
Hemomancy is more of a grounded story of someone that thinks they can do enough by donating blood but gets pulled in. She’d only have fine control over her own blood, directly from the stem cells from her blood. Absolutely would heal others.
A L L I E S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ Bureau for Paranormal Defense - Founded in 1944 by Professor Trevor Bruttenholm to originally combat the occult threats uncovered during Nazi Germany, the institution has lingered to the modern day as an international institution. Overseen by the United Nations, the Bureau is focused on occult and paranormal research foremost but operates with small task forces for capture or elimination of paranormal entities. ◼ Yamato Mori - An affiliate branch of the BFPD located in Japan. ◼ Ben Daimio - Former US Marine captain who lost his squad and nearly his life against the occult in Boliva. Awakened as a Beast Choujin and operates as Arulu's partner.
A N T A G O N I S T S ▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔▔ ◼ The Rokurokubi - A Choujin said to have a very long neck...
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P O S T C A T A L O G U E P O S T C A T A L O G U E
Okay so I have been waffling on several ideas for the past two months watching this. Due to lack of time and motivation, there wasn't really anything that stood out. There were some ideas that had promise but my motivation fizzled out. What it did provide me was a lot of initial exploring into various comics. Thanks to a suggestion, I found the Dark Horse universe and I kind of remember watching the Hellboy movie one time but at the time I ultimately didn't want to play as Hellboy or Liz. The idea to run something with that occult was abandoned and I thought something else would take its place.
Enter my discovery of my favorite manga artist and his new series: Choujin X. I have been obsessed this month reading from start to finish and I've finally caught up to where it is presently. It is an absolute favorite of mine right now but I have nothing to channel that energy and passion towards until today. I realized I could make something work out of this. If manga material is conditionally approved then I think I can fit what I am passionate about with an established comic and make it work. The Dark Horse comics, specifically focused on the Bureau of Paranormal Defense, is a fairly close approximate to the vibes in Choujin X. Beastial figures and strange eldritch entries come to life inspiring often occult followings is often present in Hellboy it seems. Choujins have their own mythology but are often depicted as beastial or eldritch in nature. They can be absolute monsters and something like that I feel like I can blend.
So in this iteration, Choujin become paranormal awakenings to those that have close calls with death. They are forms influenced by belief and obsession to become something that isn't entirely human anymore. Not everyone can become a Choujin and not all near death experiences can potentially create a Choujin. It is something primal in humanity's belief that creates them. I'm going to lean on something that fits that description to create antagonists and investigations initially. Cryptids and urban legends are a breeding ground of belief and monsters that are very Choujin-like that sometimes get a cultlike following. I'll just dial that up to have epic fights and spooky encounters. Eventually more abstract concepts like Justice could be some Choujin-like monster but hunting and fighting cryptids in fight is an easy entry.
I suspect not many people know about Choujin X so you'll have to trust me a little to establish them. They were people, can look like people, but have powers based around a core concept. A Moth Choujin would be a bestial Choujin, capable of partial beastification with wings to fly or compound eyes to see or could go full beastification to become the exact depiction of the West Virginia Mothman. All Choujin have enhanced physical characteristics and gain some classification of powers that a something like a moth could have. Choujin have the ability to Raise themselves just before death to come back stronger but at a long term cost, sanity being one. There is also a limit on Raise but that's getting into the weeds.
Hopefully you have an impression of what I'm going for. Arulu will be boxing against cryptids basically. Some occult stuff and how Choujin are starting to show up will be revealed in due time.
P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S ) P L O T ( S ) & G O A L ( S )
Arulu's first arc will be focused on me establishing how this story fits into the universe at large. What are Choujin, their limits, abilities, and how the BFPD operates. Arulu is playing the rookie and will be introduced to this alongside you, the reader, so that the details will be explained as the plot develops. It'll be set in Japan, segregated from others for the time being to lay out the stakes. After that I see Arulu being moved the States to fight the cryptid Choujin of North America which can certainly involve others as horror stories of monstrous people spread about. Mothman, Big Foot, Jersey Devil... I have a few plans for some rather harrowing encounters.
The distant future might just involve the more occult and even Dark Horse entities like Hellboy but I'm not that far ahead. I want to figure out the writing and tone first.
Erika winced as the soundwaves blasted the room, trying to focus on her task of escape with Musharna. Glancing at the Pokemon she had been pushing, it really was something for him or her to still be asleep in all this. Why hadn't Musharna done anything up to this point, Erika wondered. It neither helped nor hindered so maybe he or she was stuck asleep?
That was a thought for later and shaking her head, she pressed on until she felt resistance. Turning her head around the big figure that was Musharna, she caught Lotus glaring at her.
Now Erika was sure she was saying something threatening. She had all the right expressions but Erika's ears were still ringing and the round was still reverberating in the room. So what did Erika reply with? "What?!?" Erika yelled back but would never get clarification as she was startled with Rose leaping into view, tackling Lotus away.
Erika continued her push while things stirred behind her.
Sno was still unscathed throughout this fight but when she saw the glow of those eyes, she definitely knew it would be trouble. Her ghostly form jumped as she turned and used her speed and hopefully the lowered speed of Malamar to run away... right up into the ceiling of the room. Being a ghost, Sno phased through the solid material and emerged out into wing of the sleep center to find it was starting to become as chaotic as it was downstairs. Patrons stirred awake, disgruntled and flustered that one would if they were woken up in the middle of the night. Many were disorientated. Drowsees worked to try to put some of them back to sleep while a few staff ran about trying to comfort those that were far too restless.
Sno flew about the room, headed towards the center where she could drop back down through the floor and about right next to Erika. The carnage was still going on downstairs, Sno could see, but Tara was drifting back over to Erika until Erika pointed at Rose. "Tara! Help Rose!" She shouted but went back to pushing Musharna towards the curtained doorway. Erika paused to look back as Sno dropped to her side. "Go help them, Sno! I'll make for the stairs!" Erika said as she pushed Musharna out of the curtains and up the stairs...
Okay, so... sing wasn't going to work. Erika flinched as Tara was battered against the wall. "Tara!" Erika cried out as she heaved the Musharna into her grasps with some difficulty. She was relieved it was still floating because this would have been impossible to move otherwise.
Turning around, preferring to push Musharna instead of try and pull her along, Erika caught the aftermath of the supersonic. She was honestly so relieved, Rose decided to help. She seemed really good at battling even if the intention behind it was somewhat dubious with robbing stuff. Still though, that confusion was helpful as Erika put her back into push Musharna along despite the glare she was getting.
Seeing was liable to cause a very mean reaction, it was time to pull out their secret weapon. "Rose! Let's give Hypno an encore. Tara, Round!" Erika called out, suspecting Rose would catch on. Tara fluttered back up and gave another melody this time quite harmful aimed at Hypno. A triple round should hurt bad. How bad? Erika didn't know but that did leave a rather scary Malamar which Erika nodded to Sno.
"Give Malamar an Icy Wind and slow it down!" Erika said, pushing past Sno as she conjured another icy cold front to blast Malamar and make the room feel a little colder. That and slowing Malamar down to hopefully not keep up with Erika as she worked on escaping rather than winning.
Because if there was one thing she realized from the store heist by Night Owls, it was that City Guardians respond rather quickly. Her and Rose needed to get out and get moving!
Erika caught the glow of a new Pokeball being summoned and dared a glance at what had changed. Emerging from the glow as a familiar yet far larger profile than she had been prepared for. "Eeep!" She squeaked and slid behind a desk as the opposing Malamar appeared to shimmer with fancy lights. It gave her a chance to really think about this and that was a mistake.
A Malamar! What the heck was she doing here!? Her Pokedex had just finished the entry and yet she could recognize the similarity in her Kay. It was an evolved Inkay and who knows how far off that was! And now, just like a real villain, Erika could be hypnotized and interrogated! She could feel her chest tighten as her heart raced. This was real. Real stupid!
She must have looked on the verge of losing her nerve as Sno weaved through the air right in front of her and shook her head sympathetically. One of her arms reached out and tapped Erika on the shoulder. "Fros." The Froslass stated assuredly, confident even. Erika winced, feeling Tara shuffling on her cap and leap off and then weightlessly floated down to her lap. "Swabluu." She chirped enthusiastically.
Erika exhaled. Tara and Sno were both behind her, 100% it seemed. They just needed to be clever. Work with the little time they had. They didn't need to win, just grab the gold, Musharna in this case, and get the heck outta here.
"Okay... You're right. We can do this." Erika nodded and leaned out to peak around the corner to see the approaching Malamar. Sno was fast, maybe fast enough to get a strike off, but that wouldn't give Erika time. She needed Malamar to be stalled. "Sno, sorry buddy, but can I ask you to surprise our attacker with an Astonish?" Flinching was possible but she probably needed to boost her odds. "Then Tara, back up Sno with Sing. See if you can put Malamar to sleep in this place."
The irony wasn't lost on Erika as she scoffed at it. "Rose is on her own but Hypno is slowed and a bit damaged. Plus I think she is clever enough to work out how to get out of there. I'm going to make a run for Musharna and pull her or him free."
Her Pokemon nodded and it was time.
Erika jumped to her feet and pointed at Malamar. "Sno, Astonish!" Erika's Froslass darted around the left side of the desk and flew as fast as she could all the way up to Malamar to burst into a noise to surprise. Meanwhile Erika gave Tara a boost so she fluttered into the air. "Tara, Siiing!" She called out and let the Swablu burst into a song at Malamar. While her Pokemon were tied up, she ran towards the Musharna looking to rip and tear and break anything to free the Pokemon from its current predicament!
Erika had gotten her wish. She almost wish she hadn't.
Everywhere in life the peeling back the curtain on some mysteries had ruined the magic in the best case or worst case, revealed a disturbing truth. This one was the latter and would be etched in her brain as the moment where Erika lost her innocent view of the world. The very one Erika would recant often later in life as the moment she understood that there were bad people.
As her eyes went wide staring at the control room environment of peaking into dreams of the poor people upstairs, she caught every word of those dreams being manipulated. She couldn't help but think of the poor people who just wanted happy dreams... being manipulated like this! It made her angry but she wasn't an aggressive person to really show it. Besides, she was more shocked than anything.
Her baleful eyes tracked Director Lotus as she moved about the room settling in front of Musharna, her Pokedex muttering details that Erika had mostly missed aside from the mentions of eating dreams or making them. She wasn't sure which, but she didn't care. Lowering her goggles, they lead her right to that Musharna and she wasn't really sure if that was a Legendary or not. She hadn't seen that kind of Pokemon but it did look like the evolved Munna.
Great. Her hunch was wrong but what then did the goggles take her here for? A question for later as her goggled gaze drew to the turning Director as she and her Pokemon noticed the intrusion.
Erika would have liked to think she was the best secret agent and acted immediately but she froze. The pressure of what she was doing had stayed her feet and she instead stared at the Director through her goggles until Rose made the first move.
Chimeco and Whimsur blared in unison prompting Erika to cover her ears. Painful as it was even covering her ears, it was just the wake-up call she needed. She needed to act now and decide what she would be doing. Fleeing was certainly an option but given Rose's gang and the discovery of all of.. this. Erika wasn't going to let it stand any longer.
Her mind went into battle mode but this wasn't something to draw out. She needed to break up the operation and get the heck out of here!
"Sno, you're up!" Erika shouted as she flipped a Pokeball out from clip and out came her Froslass. "Froosss~" Sno chirped, emerging and not seemingly bothered by the Round. Of course that was because she was a Ghost type which Erika had calculated. "Icy wind Hypno and slow them down!" Erika hollered over the echoing Round. Now with a cold, icy wind blowing through, Erika tried to take advantage of the chaos as she made a break down into one of the rows of computers and ran towards the side of the room where the giant Musharna was. Tara still sat perched on top of her cap while Sno turned to soar ghastly behind her.
"Sno, Tara, we are grabbing Musharna and going!" She said, now a bit further away from Rose and her Pokemon making a ruckus.
Erika watched the Drowsee collapsed and then hurried over. She looked at the tapir Pokemon and frowned, "Sorry, Drowsee, but sweet dreams for now." She said before peering out the door to make sure they weren't heard. When it seemed clear, she turned back around. Tara had airily drifted over to roost on top of Erika's head, satisfied.
Erika took in Rose's two Pokemon. That was actually really good they had a full Round team. Her mother had mentioned the hypothetical to her before, explaining about team battles. It was really strong to pump three Pokemon together with Round... but gets shut down with a Ghost Type. "That's excellent! We should be able to punch up against anyone that tries to stop us now."
That was a scary thought. Even if they had a solid team, who knows what kind of trouble they were getting in with this. What lay beyond that closed curtain...
Erika clenched her fists, trying to steel herself. It was too late now and plus, her and Rose could handle it. "Right! Let's go!"
So Erika lead the party out into the room and then into the laundry room and then back into the first basement room. It was left unguarded and the eerie, distant singing of Jigglypuff had set the tone of the sterile room. At least Erika thought, the edges of reality starting to fade away under the song like a siren's call... "Tara, Safeguard!"
Erika snapped awake as Tara raised a veil to protect the party again. She forgot that ran on a timer or maybe adding the fourth Pokemon had moved the safeguard? She wasn't really sure but her author was as she wanted the dramatic effect.
Anyway, Erika exhaled as she approached the previously guarded curtains. She lowered the goggles to peer into them to make sure the lines were going where she thought they were. Even if they weren't, she was going to see what was behind this door. "I hope I'm right about these because wherever they lead is behind this door." Unless the lines didn't lead there, then she'd not say that and just ask in both situations. "Ready?" To her Rose, including her Pokemon before trying to enter.
Erika was quite surprised by the turn of events. Needing to sleep underground? That seemed so silly and yet...
"Oh! Th-thank goodness! I haven't slept a wink since I got into town!" She announced, continuing the act at the offer that they were, indeed, going to arrange something for her. She wasn't sure why though since they were going ahead with the arrangements. Maybe it was her own disbelief gnawing at her.
Erika took a cursory glance around the room while they waited but ended that abruptly after feeling the eyes of disgruntled customers glare at her for holding up Sleep O'Clock. It was a little too silent as they waited until the receptionist got word that the arrangements were complete. Erika willfully followed her down and allowed her gaze to wonder curiously at every inch of that basement catching the curtains being closed and other details. The first room was pretty empty and sterile but the reason kind of became obvious in the next room. There was a whole bunch of laundry and linens. That made sense with the amount of people trying to sleep upstairs. Another room was storage and beyond, Erika was ushered into a small room.
"I really appreciate it!" Erika waved as the receptionist left, all too energetic. That left her, Rose, and the Drowsee. Tucking her Pokedex back after getting Drowsee scanned, she exhaled through her lips. It stood between her and door so the whispered orders were probably about preventing her from leaving.
Erika eyed the bed before turning back to face the Drowsee. Tara rose from her perch as if she could read the room. "Uhhh well... I'm sorry about this Mister Drowsee but I... won't be sleeping. I'd guess you were told we couldn't leave?"
Erika was hopeful but she was also a realist in this situation. "Probably not... Tara. Round." Erika pointed and Tara took off melodically hollering in a verse that looked to shake Drowsee!
Member
Emma
Theyra
Lord Wraith
Cyberlad
Anciek
Rekkuza
Mjolnir
Haha
Birdboy
King Cosmos
