Zeroth — Roleplayer Guild

I've tried the whole rank, layer, etc system and it gets a little too messy throughout the story.  I will; however, incorporate a sort of "Skill Level" in which there will only be a certain number allowed in each skill level to make sure no one tries anything crazy.  The focus is on the character's physical martial arts abilities as well as how they can weave and work with their magic.

No steampunk, more ancient China, the world before technology.@WindsOfFate

Gotcha! So, for the sake of preserving the atmosphere and "genre feel," should characters generally stick to Chinese names, general Asian themes, and eastern styles of martial arts? I've actually got a pre-made one that I think would be perfect for this, but he has a bit more of the Korean (manhwa) flavor to him.

Also, can I suggest this link for any players unfamiliar with this genre or the various terms that are used?
wuxiaworld.com/page/general-glossary-…

Hi, thanks for checking out this topic! I have a natural tendency to ramble and have tried to overcome it by getting to the chase as quickly as possible, and hopefully the hiders make it easier to get through each section. So the formatting’s pretty plain aside from the CSs, lol. No more word-mincing!
Male, 30+. Over 15 Years RP EXP. I am aware I am old.
Prefer PMs to threads
I consider myself High Casual, but have been trying to "condense" my posts so that it doesn't take forever and a day to finish them.
USA, CST, work from home. TYPICALLY capable of at least one post every couple of days, sometimes more if I’m really feeling it. At the very WORST, I can usually get something out in a week.
Will try my absolute best to let you know when I’m super swamped, under the weather, or otherwise unable to keep schedule and apologies ahead of time if I fail to do so.
Not a Furry, but Monstergirls don’t count, shut up
Cis-Het-Vanilla-Wholesome-Handholding Fetishist Scum sorry not-sorry lmao

IF YOU WANT 18+ ELEMENTS IN THE STORY PLEASE BE 18+. I was raised in deep southern US gun-culture, don’t put the FBI agents at risk like that.
Not opposed to lewd things at all, but it’s not all I’m here for. I like for relationships to develop more organically.
I like action scenes. A LOT. Superpowers, Battle Shonen, Magic, Fantasy, Softer sci-fi. I can do SOL to some degree but it's not my strong suit. Would be up to try something a little more Mystery-ish.
Try your best if you can to let me know if you need a break, need help with a plot, have to drop things for a bit, whatever. If you DO ghost, just know that it happens to everyone, I’m ashamed that I’ve done it before too, and I forgive you (or if I’ve ghosted you in the past, please forgive me--I probably got so ashamed and anxious about it that I just assumed you hated me and didn’t have the courage to get back in touch with you).
Preference is MxF. I usually only play male characters, sorry. HOWEVER, I can play any kind of NPC needed for a story. **NOTE, I'M ACTUALLY GIVING A FEMALE CHARACTER A SHOT DOWN BELOW!**
Don’t care how you write as long as it’s not 1-liners. If you want help improving, I’m glad to offer any advice I can! If you wanna help me improve, I’m totally open to constructive criticism!

Note that I don’t play canons, just OCs. If we don’t come up with AUs and such, I like trying to stick to the events of canon/stay faithful to Lore, as much as possible. Bold = Currently feeling it, Strikethru = Not so much but you could shoot your shot I guess.
FANDOMS:
My Hero Academia
Jujutsu Kaisen
Pokemon/Digimon/Shin Megami Tensei
Fate/Grand Order, Nasuverse
Fairy Tail
Black Clover
Psyren (if you don’t know what this is, READ IT)
Dragon Quest
Naruto
Bleach
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure
Wuxia/Xianxia in General (Martial Arts/Power Cultivation stories)
Isekai in General (Lit RPG, Reincarnation, or otherwise)
Monster Hunter
Avatar: Airbender & Korra
Cyberpunk 2077
Fallout
Skyrim (specifically, not just Elder Scrolls)
Zelda

LIKES:
Medieval Fantasy (Low, High, Dark, etc)
Urban Fantasy (Secret World, Magitech/Magepunk, etc)
Space/Sci-Fi Thrills (Alien War, Mechs, Psionics, etc)
Jidaigeki (Samurai duels, Yokai hunters, Ninja, etc)
Superhumans (Caped Heroes, Gov't Experiments on the Run, etc)
Supernatural Martial Arts (Wuxia or Modern Day)
Sci-fi Future (Cyberpunk, Corpo-Dystopia, Kaiju, etc)
Post-Apoc (After Nukes, Zombies, etc)
We're the Monsters (Isekai'd as a non-human, or a Vampire story, etc)
Critter Catchers/Summoners/Partners (Could be an "inner spirit" thing too, ala Persona)
And of Course, Various Combinations of the Above!

CHARACTERS:

Maybe this one could be a Magical Girl transformation or a Mech plugsuit? :D

Synopsis:
I've written female characters as NPCs and such, but very rarely have I ever tried to play them---it's the usual story, you know, a dude kinda feels uncomfortable playing the other sex like he can't "do them justice" and such as that. And the sort of "no homo" feeling when it comes to romance. Or maybe I'm weird for thinking of it like that >_> In any case, I'm trying to step out of my box here, so forgive me if we actually play this character and she doesn't seem "quite right,"--I'd actually greatly appreciate any feedback on the matter!

She could work in almost any kind of modern or sci-fi setting, but I'd prefer to do something where there's some form of superhuman/supernatural abilities at play. The first time I tried to use this character in an RP, for instance, it was an SMT game where she was chosen to be a demon-summoner. In terms of characterization, she comes from a broken family situation that will probably focus on her father and why he's been taken out of the picture---maybe he's been murdered, captured, or worse, and either finding the truth or coming to peace with his absence is a big part of her development. She's a VERY introverted shrinking violet, a bookworm, but at the same time she has one particular hobby that managed to hold her attention where most other sports didn't---typically, I imagine it being something like either Kendo or HEMA, depending on where the story takes place. 

In addition to the usual difficulties such characters are presented with in terms of communication, shyness, etc, I planned for her to also be a bit too much of a "people pleaser," as if she's got to make up for being anxious around others. She thinks she was being annoying to someone who invited her to talk, so she brings them some sort of offering; or, she thinks she accidentally offended someone and now they hate her, so she wants to do something to make peace.

Whatever plot she's thrown into, it should be something that's urgent enough and appeals to either her sense of obligation, or her desire to know more about what happened to her father, that it can overcome her introversion and force her to take action. Otherwise, we run the risk of there being no plot progression because she's running away from every source of conflict. XD

Powers:
If her aforementioned hobbies come into play, she's surprisingly adept with a sword of some variety--for a bit of a humorous take, I imagined her being about as clumsy as one would think an overly anxious nerd would usually be, until a sword is put in her hand, at which point she's suddenly, shockingly, fast and accurate. Of course, she'd have to rely more on strategy and evasion against large opponents; I'm actually not a huge fan of the "small girl is super stronk!" cliche UNLESS there's explicitly some superpower or magical force involved. She's not gonna Black Widow her way through a crowd of 6 foot, 200 pound dudes by any means.

Otherwise, any powersets of the setting are probably going to be something she's either just developed/awakened, or just come into contact with. I think she'd work best as someone who's falling into a situation or a side of the world that she's never imagined before, bringing her out of her comfort zone literally as well as metaphorically.


Synopsis:
Typically suited for an urban environment of some sort, either fantastic, supernatural-horror, etc. Could potentially work for fandoms like Jujutsu Kaisen, Shin Megami Tensei, or a few others. There are some slight nuances to Personality based on the exact details, but for the most part this character would be fairly serious, down to earth, and intellectual. Variables could be how open he is with other people, ranging from a higher-energy extrovert to a more "quiet professional;" as well as a slight but noticeable quality of arrogance, overconfidence, etc. No matter his powerset, he'd be quick thinking and creative in order to apply and adapt his abilities to a broad array of threats. He would be the type to retreat from high levels of danger if he were alone, but to fight to the death if it meant giving someone else the chance to run. He's not especially self-sacrificing otherwise, and doesn't really even think about it---whether it's a lack of self-care, or some higher ideal, might be another variable to explore.

Powers:
I've got a few ideas in mind, all of which I'd like to explore in depth (cause I like Magic Systems). If need be, however, his abilities could be adapted to different plots and settings for a better fit. Torsion: The go-to for JJK, MHA, any "anime" setting where there's an emphasis on "one-power gimmicks." Essentially by establishing at least two "points" on tangible targets (a weapon, an enemy, a wooden crate) he's able to create three levels of spatial rotation, from weakest to strongest: Circles, Spirals, and Helices. Circles make one point orbit another point in a given direction. Spirals can either expand or shrink that orbit, and depending on the point placement could twist/crumple things. A helix could create a drill or turn an object into a projectile of some sort. He'd probably start out only being able to do Circles, maybe Spirals at best, and figuring out how to use the ability in interesting ways would be half the fun.
Onmyodo/Ninjutsu/Eastern Magic: This would be something along the lines of manipulating an elemental force, or summoning familiar spirits, or throwing "spell talismans" with different effects, and so forth. It would work best, obviously, in settings where one of those themes is predominant---a story about ninja assassins, or an academy for wizards in Japan, and other things of that nature. It would be a lot more broad in its application, but much simpler in concept. That said, I'd still like to craft some kind of system to be explored. For instance, if it were Onmyodo, I have a system in mind for how the Five Elements, Eight Extremes, and all that kind of stuff fits together to create elemental schools of magic.
Spiritual Creature Contract: Some kind of creature gets to pal around with this guy in exchange for letting him use some of its powers. My partner could play this creature, like a sexy fox lady, or it could be something we both do (maybe we're both Persona/Stand Users, Shamans, etc). Whatever the nature of the creature is, determines the specific things he can do---rather than just give it something like "control over fire," I like to create more specific abilities like "create one orbital fireball for each fox tail" and so forth.


Synopsis:
Ladies, if you're looking for romance, we might have to put a little pepper back in his beard! XD He could be more "middle aged" than "old," depending on what's needed. I could see this guy working very well as an Earth Bender in Avatar, or a Ninja Mentor in Naruto, and so forth. More suited to Medieval/Feudal Fantasy stories, this character would be the former best in their chosen field. That field typically leans more towards something physical, like martial arts, but he could also be some type of old sage if that would work better for a given plot or setting. He's still quite a threat in his old age, but what makes him dangerous now is not raw power, but refinement. 

A scene that played out in my head once as I was thinking of this character went something like this: Your typical isekai-anime "hero" shows up, challenges the world's former greatest swordmaster, and then demonstrates how his "Dragon Slaying Thunder Sword" move can cut/blast a huge rift through the landscape, even cutting a building in half or carving a mountainside or something. The Old Man sniffs and replies, "That level of strength is indeed impressive. But why did you cut the mountain?" He lunges past the hero, and his blade is already returning to the sheathe. "Killing a man does not take so much effort." Cue the spray of blood as the opponent's neck splits open, not even enough to behead, but more than enough for certain death.

However, despite moments of badassery, the real point of telling a story with this character would be to look at how his past catches up to him---despite having mellowed out significantly, perhaps he once did many things he's not proud of, that many people rightly hate him for. And he's also starting to ask himself the bigger questions in life: what value does he provide to others? Was it a mistake to forgo a family for power? Are the skills he's spent so much time building up worth passing on, or should he let this flame die out? Something chill and Harvest Moon-esque, with a younger protégé or someone he must protect, and only occasionally showing off his abilities to the shock of any observers, would be the best fit for this character. Playing off a fiery youth who doesn't know their own limits, or helping a beaten down soul see the light at the end of the tunnel, would both be interesting dynamics.

Powers:
As mentioned, I lean towards things like swordsmanship or hand to hand combat, but magic could also be a possibility. Especially if the style of magic initially seems to favor flashy spells or raw power over control. The key takeaway is that, no matter how good he used to be, he doesn't have the stamina to keep it up anymore, and what's more, his character development is such that he doesn't want to use his abilities unless absolutely necessary. He'd be more willing to let some angry drunk at the pub kick him around than he would be to smack the idiot's head off, because it's not worth it to him anymore.

PLOTS:
I've got more characters in the backlog, and can usually whip up someone new pretty quickly if an idea really catches my interest. So these aren't necessarily related or required for the characters I listed above, and they could also be easily modified for my partners' characters! And of course, I'm always open to playing with an idea my partner's created, or merging our ideas together. If you have a proposal, by all means let me know!
This plot is...basically the lack of a plot! Or, rather, it'd be more accurate to say that it depends on the worldbuilding, and on organic character development. I like to take what the tabletop community calls a "One Shot" and other things of that nature, and try to adapt them or create my own based on similar themes. This means that if we were to play something based around, for instance, an Adventurer's Guild, or a Ninja Clan, or a bunch of Mercenaries/Wizards/Etc for Hire, we could basically just hop between jobs as our characters do what they've been trained/raised to do for the sake of getting paid or setting right the wrongs of the world. Fight monsters, clear out bandits, investigate murders...And, as we go along, maybe we build up a small rogues' gallery, or piss off a particular recurring villain, and in that process we create the overarching narrative as we go along?

One or both of our characters have, essentially, already gone through an entire plot line...only to fall short at the last minute. Maybe they were the last survivor to get infected by the zombie virus and couldn't find a cure. Maybe the Big Bad cheated at the last second, or maybe the character just wasn't strong enough. Maybe they were betrayed by someone---maybe even each other! Whatever the case, after this untimely demise they think it's all over...until they suddenly wake up back at home, or in class, etc. All that time they spent developing their powers, or surviving whatever horrible fate befell the rest of the world, has seemingly been undone...but now, we're back at the beginning. Whatever set off the original chain of events is still going to happen. The only difference is, what will our characters do with this foreknowledge as they try to prevent their second chance from ending like the first? How did they go back in time--or, is that even what happened? Will things turn out the same way they remember? What effects will ripple out from the changes they make?

This one would work best if you or I had some form of magic system, or a big, expansive world in place that requires our characters to go to some kind of educational institution. A School for Wizards, or an Exorcist's University, or a Magic Knight's Military Academy, or a Home For Superpowered Youth. Whatever the particulars, the point of being at the academy is to ACTUALLY learn, but in a way that isn't just a boring info dump or pages upon pages of dialogue. This idea was born of my frustration with so many of the Harry Potter-likes I've seen over the years---WHY ARE YOU SLEEPING IN CLASS, YOU LITERALLY GET TO LEARN HOW TO SET FIRES WITH YOUR MIND!?---and all the various Anime High School Harem tropes. There could definitely be an overarching threat of evil wizards, or maybe some kind of rebellion within the school, or an upcoming competition with OTHER schools. Maybe we're being trained to take on a terrorist organization or pilot mechs to fight a bunch of monsters from outer space. But on the smaller scale, our characters would stress out over the stupid stuff, like doing homework, getting revenge on that kid who pantsed you at gym, or confessing to a crush.

No I didn't peak in high school, shut up!

Thanks for reading this far (assuming you opened all the hiders)! If any of the above characters, fandoms, or snippets of plot have intrigued you, please get in touch with me via PM! If you only have a question about something, a suggestion as to making this particular topic more appealing, etc, feel free to post a comment in this topic, but I’ll ONLY be discussing actual RPing in PMs. Have a good one!

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