Emeth

The Underwater world of Atlas: The Beginning

After spending an awkwardly long time deliberating on this, I think I have to bow out. As I said on the Discord, multiple RPs I wrote off as dead have started up again—and between that, a very active 1-on-1 partner, and trying to lay groundwork for my own RP, I'm spending almost all of my free time writing as it is. It looks like you have grand plans for this, and the setting and lore are interesting, but I can't guarantee that I'll have time, especially for a Discord RP. I'm also not really happy with my character and would rather dip now than be wishy-washy and drag down the pace of everything only to leave later. Best wishes, maybe another time.

Our Dying Wish

Frederica Simonova

Personal Information

Name: Frederica Eliana Simonova
Nickname: Rika
Alias: The Blue Bombardier
Gender: Female
Age: 20
Birthday: April 20, 2351
Blood Type: B+
Species: Human
Job Class: Juggernaut, First Class
Hometown: Agartha
Theme: Vector to the Heavens

Body Information

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Ethnicity: Russian
Height: 5'7'' / 170 cm
Weight: 150 lbs / 68 kg
Eye Color: Cyan
Hair Color: Dark Blue
Senses: High pain tolerance.
Scent: Sweat! Don't like it? Then get lost!
Voice: Kari Wahlgren (Lady, Devil May Cry 3)

Personality

Usual: A heart as big as her presence, and smiles as wide as her sphere of influence. Rika loves the spotlight, and relishes in the praise of her peers and the people. Breaks the ice with extreme prejudice, and lives to spite the concept of personal space. Though, as a straight shooter, she lacks some sensitivity.

In Battle: Puts her enemies down before putting them under. Sassiness 100. Has zero tolerance for enemies targeting her friends with prejudice, which she will heartily return to sender with a knuckle sandwich and a side order of meteorites. Believes that she has to be the strongest and never surrender.

Speech: Loud and raucous. Would make a great motivational speaker, if she deferred to friends for agreement a bit less often. Not always comfortable being a "forceful leader," unless she believes that some higher moral principle is on the line—in which case she could very easily butt heads with the pope.

Habits: Paranoid about forgetting things, Rika has a whole host of assembly rituals to make sure she has all of the ingredients necessary before making a dish, has all her garments and armor accounted for before leaving her home, has all of her belongings accounted for every time she enters and leaves a new place—everyone knows where she keeps things, because she checks them at least 10 times a day. A classic pickpocketing victim.

Making Friends: Firmly believes the old proverb that the fastest way to a person's heart is through the stomach. Loves giving food and receiving food, or better yet, recipes. Has a deep respect for anyone who isn't afraid to work up a sweat training in the field instead of using Daemon Program simulations.

Sexuality: Demisexual. Once earned the nickname "Blue Baller" and thought it was a compliment.
Likes: Sharing food with friends, being appreciated, rabbit trails, unsolved mysteries, secret places.
Dislikes: Injustice, backhanded compliments, unreturned favors, cilantro, guys who like butts.
Hobbies: Doesn't have time for much besides missions, training, and cooking.
Issues: A bit insecure about her role—thinks her friends will abandon her if she isn't strong. Has difficulty relating to people with lots of tragedy in their lives.
Alignment: Neutral Good

History

Childhood: Rika's mother Amalie arrived in Agartha after being rescued from a slave caravan, and gave birth to Rika shortly after her husband Kliment had died of his injuries. Once it was known that Rika was to become a Medium, Amalie became eligible for all kinds of government assistance. She and Rika could be moved to a better and larger house, and servants would take care of Amalie's needs while Rika would stay at the Academy during the week for training, and visit on the weekends. Amalie, however, did not like this idea one bit. Having lived as a slave herself, the idea of living in a noblewoman's house and being cared for by servants made her nauseous, and she dared not to think of the kind of rift that could be created between her and her newborn daughter. Using Rika as a ticket to the upper class was not happening, and seeing her only two days a week was unacceptable. A compromise was reached; Rika would be allowed to stay at home with Amalie, as long as they at least moved out of the slums and into a normal apartment in a stable, working-class neighborhood. Arrangements were made accordingly.

Amalie was afraid that the Academy would teach Rika precious little aside from how to deal with monsters, and for the most part her assumption was accurate, leaving Amalie with the responsibility of teaching Rika everything she was missing at Brionac: to take care of herself and others, and to use her strength "for good" and not merely "for humanity," since humans could be evil too. She told stories to Rika about how the demons treated their human slaves, and how Agartha's treatment of non-Mediums was not much better, even though the living conditions were much preferable. It was these stories, told by her wheelchair-confined mother that motivated Rika to train hard and become a "real hero."

Rika's intense focus on training to do exactly what the Academy wanted her to do, while at the same time disagreeing with their position on the non-Mediums' roles as "worker bees," made Rika an oddball girl that few wanted to be friends with. As much as she wanted to make her mother proud and become a real hero, struggling toward her goal alone was painful. She found a stronger wish forming in her heart: the desire to be surrounded by friends and admirers, to push her forward. On the day that she ventured into the "Void," a cavern where Agartha's Mediums go to contact and invoke a Jinn, she thought she had the resolve to wish for the strength of a hero—but the oppressive, unearthly cavern reminded her of how alone she was, even outside of the Void's pitch-black darkness. Ultimately, her resolve broke, and she revealed her true wish to a Jinn named Sirius, who embodied the power of the stars. It promised her a heart so big, it would pull people into her orbit, until the number and beauty of her friendships rivaled the stars of a galaxy. This wish resonated in her heart, and Sirius became hers.

Adulthood: When Rika emerged from the Void holding the Rising Star, she felt like a new woman. Acted like one, too. Her image quickly changed from "quiet and bitter" to "wild and friendly," and her classmates and squadmates took notice. It wasn't long before she was like a beacon of light in Agartha. Going on mission after mission, Rika slew enough monsters to go from Second to First Class, and also changed the focus of her training from Vanguard to Juggernaut, at the recommendation of Elpidio, the father of the Daemon simulation program, and one of Rika's few friends from before her transformation. Now, there's hardly a place in Agartha where her name is not known, and the people whisper about her future in the Brionac Program. Will she stay and protect Agartha, or does she seek the Demon Mother?

Family: Rika lives with her disabled mother, Amalie. Her father, Kliment, is deceased.

Religion: Believes that if evil exists, and has a "name" by the Demon Mother, then good must also exist by another name. If the Father exists, and is good, then perhaps he is waiting for humans to stand up for what is good. If people stop jockeying for power and treat each other well, perhaps he'll return.

Combat Information

Armaments

Rising Star: A shield worn on the right arm, which bears a rough resemblance to the shape of a comet flying through space. Its attacks can be rocket-propelled by small jets of blue flame that appear in the divots along the edge, mimicking the appearance and function of vernier thrusters. Because of this propulsion function, the larger front spear head can be used in a manner similar to a pile bunker. The arrowhead-like tail end can be used for thrusting elbow attacks, and the bladed edge along the forearm can be used for sword-like cuts, though this exposes the wearer and can be deadly if used improperly.



Barrier Jacket: A military-grade jacket with an inner layer comprised of a flexible network of small shield generators which protect the wearer's vitals, including the head. Some more intelligent monsters will recognize these or the infrasonic frequency they emit and will aim for the limbs, so Rika has covered her exposed flank in a more traditional kind of armor. The jacket is soft to the touch and regulates the wearer's internal temperature well, but it's a bit on the heavy side, so not all Mediums like to use one. The inner layers of Rika's leggings also offer another layer of protection, similar to that of a K9 "bite suit." She also wears a pair of tough steel-toed boots at all times, even in inappropriate settings.

Items: Rika carries 3 "shots" of elixir in a set of 3 vials kept in a pouch, tucked inside her jacket.

Parameters

Strength:  ★★★★★★+★★★☆
Resonance: ☆☆☆☆☆☆+☆☆☆☆
Defense:  ★★★★★★+★★☆☆
Resilience:  ★★★★★★+☆☆☆☆
Reaction: ☆☆☆☆☆☆+☆☆☆☆
Perception: ★★☆☆☆☆+☆☆☆☆

Wish: "I don't want to be alone anymore; I want to be a hero who protects her friends."
Curse: "You may protect your friends, but your friends cannot protect you."
Aura Color: Bright Cyan
Fighting Style: With crushing blows and iron defense, Rika gets between her more vulnerable friends and any evil beings wishing to do them harm, repelling almost any attack. While protecting her friends is its own reward, she also accumulates RP quickly by doing so. However, she loses it rapidly if she relies on her allies to return the favor.

Attack Skills

Crossfire: The Rising Star is let loose to fly wildly in random orbits around Rika for a short time, before returning to Rika's arm. Used as a quick "get off me" attack when being challenged by multiple assailants, Crossfire can Parry attacks from multiple directions at once (excluding consecutive attacks). No matter how many opponents are Parried, she will still only get the standard +1 RP bonus for Parrying.

2nd Ignition: Rika requires a free action to attempt this attack without fear. She takes a moment to lower her profile and curl her right arm back in preparation for this devastating uppercut. She'll hold the attack back during the first stage, then when the second pair of thrusters ignites, she lets loose a pair of uppercut punches that cannot be stopped by a Guard or Parry—the second of which will send her and her target (if it hits) flying into the air before Rika punches her enemy downward. This skill hits three times, doing triple the total damage of a regular skill, but requires two actions to prepare and use it properly.

3rd Advance: Three of the four thrusters ignite, sending Rika flying forward into a devastating spin attack. During the rotation, the Rising Star will parry projectiles and punch through some Tier 1 magic (she will still take half damage—she is treated as "Guarding" for damage calculation purposes). A sufficiently powerful melee attack will knock her down with a parry, leaving her vulnerable to follow-up attacks.

Alter Code - F: Rika uses the Rising Star's thrusters to launch into the air. When used as an attack, it can hit airborne targets. After using this skill, Rika can follow up with 4th Detonator. This skill cannot be used as a Reaction to dodge incoming attacks, however it can be used in place of Struggle to escape from grabs with guaranteed success, leaving the opponent that had her in a grab with the Burn status.

4th Detonator: To use this skill, Rika must have a free action to launch herself into the air before using it, or she can use it immediately if she is already in the air after using 2nd Ignition. For this attack, Rika dives fist-first into the ground at full velocity, sending out a shockwave that launches foes away for two stars of damage if they fail to flee its radius. The shockwave emitted by 4th Detonator will break any guard, similar to the effect of a Tier 2 Field spell, and cannot be Parried. A direct hit will cause the Stun status.

5th Vanguard: A slow advance towards the foe with all of Rika's energy focused into her guard. When used, this skill gives her 1.5x Defense, and allows her to block Basic tier magic without taking half damage as she usually would during a normal guard or during 3rd Advance. Using 5th Vanguard multiple turns in a row will cause the Rising Star to overheat, draining 5% HP every consecutive use, and causing consecutive attacks to reduce her Guard's Defense by 2 stars per hit instead of 1.

Finest Arts - Berserk Charge: Channeling the rage of the weak and helpless, Rika pursues her foe and attacks them mercilessly and with absolute abandon. She will mix up her approach in several ways, but will always follow up her first two attacks with 2nd Ignition and a midair Crossfire, or 4th Detonator.

Resonant Power

'Roid Up!: Creates an "asteroid belt" consisting of 4 meteoroids that will orbit around the caster at Tier 1, or around each member of a group of target allies at Tier 3. At these tiers, the meteoroids will track with the caster and/or their allies and attempt to deflect enemy attacks, effectively giving them 4 freebies when failing dodge checks or guarding. The odds of success decrease by 25% for each meteor that is destroyed. Since the initial summoning is not a damaging attack, trying to cast it without a free action is a risk. When used as a Tier 2 Field spell, a much greater number of smaller meteoroids form a circle around a specified area. It can be used to protect a group of allies or innocents huddled into one space, to surround an enemy or two to pin them down, or to trap an enemy into a small space with the caster or an ally, preventing them from fleeing the confrontation.

Planet Breaker: A surge of aberrant gravitational forces is poured into the ground, causing it to break apart, with jagged chunks of earth jutting out and loose rocks flying unpredictably. If an opponent tries to trade damage with this spell during a Reaction, Planet Breaker will block the attack instead. Rika will often begin this attack by punching the ground, but it's just for show—not that anyone would know that. A simple yet effective spell, the area of effect increases at Tier 2, and snakes out seeking enemies at Tier 3.

Gravity Trigger: Chains of violet light arc from this magic circle like lightning, attempting to shackle its target with the forces of gravity. If the target is airborne, they will be forced to the ground and take damage, after which they will break free of the shackles; if they are already grounded, they will take no damage and instead be dragged slowly toward the caster at Tier 1, and bound in place at Tiers 2 or 3. The latter tiers can prevent opponents from dodging follow-up attacks, while the former only forces a confrontation.

Astral Storm: A surge of cosmic rays and visible space dust pours out of this magic circle, hitting its targets with hot and heavy force, like a vibrantly colorful hydrothermal vent. Being hit with this feels like being beaten repeatedly with a sledgehammer while standing in a sauna hot enough to burn your skin. This spell rolls 1, 2, or 3 D6s depending on Tier, and if a 6 is rolled, it causes the Radio Silence status on all applicable targets.

Calamity - Zero-G Bolero: Massive violet chains plunge down from this Calamity-tier magic circle and into the earth. Then, the chain links shatter into colorful space-dust particles, signaling the spell's activation. Physical parries will send two opponents flying away from each other, making any follow-up attacks impossible without some means of generating thrust. Rika's Rising Star weapon gives her a huge advantage during physical confrontations while in this state, and she will be easily able to rescue her friends from the now-helpless enemies. The spell will last until the end of Rika's second turn after casting (two rounds).

Unique Spell - Intrude: If Rika has a free action, she can break Reaction turn order and "teleport" to Rescue an ally who's under attack to engage their opponents instead. After the spell's activation, Rika's body dissolves into space dust and moves swiftly through the air before reforming in front of her friend. The dust cannot pass through solid objects, but can pass through any permeable barrier. If Rika has no friend in crisis, the spell cannot be used at all, as the "teleport" function has no valid destination. Using this spell does not grant a +1 RP bonus for casting, nor does it grant a +1 RP bonus for Rescuing to stack with Big Heart.

Personal Skills

Unstoppable: Rika resists the enemy's Time and Space magic, if her RP matches or exceeds the cost of their spell.

Uncanny Defense: During a Guard break, Rika will lose the rest of her current Turn as normal, but will take no damage and will not enter hitstun, allowing her to attempt to retaliate or defend against follow-up attacks on her next Turn, unless she also took damage from another attack after the Guard break, during the same Turn.

Big Heart: When Rescuing an ally from an enemy attack, Rika gains +2 RP instead of the usual +1 RP gained by other characters. The ally Rika is Rescuing also gains +1 RP, giving them what they might have gained from a successful dodge, had Rika not intervened at all. If the ally in question was currently taking damage in a combo, Rika also gains that additional +1 RP instead, gaining a total +3 RP Rescue bonus.

Fragile Ego: Using an elixir decreases Rika's RP by 1 point for every elixir she's used in the same battle up to that point. Receiving healing magic from an ally decreases her RP by 3 points at Tier 1, 2 points at Tier 2, and just 1 point at Tier 3, when everyone is sharing the benefit. Tier 4 healing or passive healing from close proximity to a transformed Medium or summoned Jinn, as well as any other helpful blessing magic unrelated to healing will not cause Rika's curse to take effect. Other cowardly or "weak" actions may also have consequences.

**CANCELLED** Flower Power! - A Plant-Inspired Superpowers RP [OPEN]

Felicia raised a brow at the dog that slowly bounded past several other strangers to come sniff curiously at her, in particular. Noticing that she had come from what looked like a law enforcement type of guy, she couldn't help but feel singled out a little. Even though she didn't show any of the telltale signs of a drug dog that had sniffed out something illegal, Felicia did have to admit that she looked like "the type" of girl who might have something. As the man who she would later know as Ryker glanced in her general direction, Felicia felt a little uncomfortable, but... dammit, the dog was cute.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" Felicia asked Sascha pointedly, lowering her body posture suddenly, in that way people do when a dog wants to play.

But, Sascha didn't seem interested. She didn't return Felicia's "play signal." She just kept sniffing, until Ryker bade her return to his side.

Felicia was left a bit puzzled, and if she was being honest, a little disappointed that she couldn't pet the dog. She couldn't be mad, though. Sascha was a good girl.

She rolled her eyes at Ryker's flirtatious invitation, but begrudgingly offered him a sly smile for trying. Even if he wasn't smooth, he was at least as cute as his partner, and that was something. She stood up from the wall she was leaning up against and began walking towards the line of people showing off their plant essences, prompting a slightly urgent and questioning look from her uncle. "I want to see what kind of super-powered clientele I'll be dealing with," she said to no one in particular, not looking at Jacques. "On that note, I'm curious actually. You had what kind of essence?" she asked Ryker, suddenly taking an interest in him again—a business-like interest, granted, but interest all the same.

Sascha took the opportunity to start sniffing at Felicia again, now that she'd drawn closer. "What?" Felicia responded in a hushed tone, offering her hand for the dog to sniff to her heart's content. "Sorry, missy, but I don't have any treats for you," she said, giving Ryker a meaningful look.

The Underwater world of Atlas: The Beginning

I do know she'd likely have some more Star Wars tier tech like laser weapons, my question was more along the lines of how quickly do they innovate in the weapons tech department? Like for example the graphics card in your computer can be significantly outdated in less than a decade. I guess what I'm trying to find out is how old should she be? I know you don't need an exact age, but I'm guessing you'd appreciate something narrower than, say, anywhere between 30 and 80 years old, lol.

So let's say there are cooler cyborg arms out there with artificial muscles, more in line with the MGR type design, how long until her buyer went "wow, the new models are way better?" Is her family still alive after all this time? That's where my head's at, in the finer details before I grab the CS and write the story version of all my ramblings.

The Underwater world of Atlas: The Beginning

I do think I want her to start in Atlas and end up on the surface later, yes. Probably not very happy with the government, so she'd be with the activists/rebels. If her tech is (relatively) old at the time of the RP it makes sense that even if she once served as a bodyguard for some rich guy when her tech was state-of-the-art she'd probably have been sold once something better came out, and no matter where you go it seems the military is generally not a very picky customer. Maybe her rescuers didn't even have to deprogram her, they simply caught her and a few others in transit when ownership was being transferred and just booted her up again before she could be fully reprogrammed. One day she's signing paperwork in the hospital, and the next thing she knows her heads-up display is telling her that an error has occurred: orders cannot be retrieved, report to your CO immediately.

Depending on how fast technology advances in this setting, a lot of time may have passed, do you have an opinion on that?

The Underwater world of Atlas: The Beginning

<Snipped quote by Emeth>

I wouldn't say that at all, Emeth. There are no need for such words, I was just politely telling you that in the lore, surface dwellers do not have the information, skills, or means to be advanced with technology like the Atlas civilization. The character idea you came up with is completely fine. The backstory/recent events would not be able to correlate with each other.

@OddApproved

I mean. Maybe it was just a weird server error, but I saw an image of, I guess, what looked to me like WoW universe OCs, a red devil-looking girl and a green guy, in a western comic style—no overly cutesy faces or any grossly exaggerated body proportions though, so I thought maybe that might be more of what you meant by "anime," and took a chance that something with a grittier mood might be accepted, even if the art style shared the namesake. It did look out of place, which is why I asked about it. I see what I assume is the correct image now.

You didn't give me an "oops, wrong image" or anything in your response, and I wasn't sure how to take that other than an emphatic "oh my god weeb trash alert, ew no, let me change the rules really quick." The third image is probably the least realistic of the three, but still considerably more detailed than what I put forward, so now I just look like an idiot, and... yeah. It seemed like a lost cause to try to defend any of my ideas. If "cloudinary" (never heard of that hosting site) pulled a fast one on me, I apologize for the sass.

<Snipped quote by Emeth>

Yes I do believe this qualifies as anime. I think Odd would prefer more drawn out facial features so we actually know what the face looks like. That being said, I could totally see the bodyguard for officials being a thing however maybe instead of body integral weapons youre just programed to be good at using weapons? also... instead of being rescued by resistance or whatever that case may be. Maybe you just gained consciousness and decided to leave? (Because you knew as well as them, they couldnt stop you) yknow?

@Tsukai

If body integral weapons are a problem for story reasons, like it needs to be possible for her weapons to get taken away, that's possible and we can work that out. If it helps, I did imagine her as more of a mechanical, "primitive model" whose armaments could be disabled or broken by sticks and stones if they were shoved in the right joints with enough force. On the plus side, her arm mechanisms would be primitive enough that surface dwellers could repair them—her brain, not so much. I'd want her to feel out of her element on the surface, handling surface weapons—like her arms could be disabled, someone hands her a bow and arrow and she's like "uh... what am I supposed to do with this?" I think that being a cyborg with heavy metal arms already gives her a huge advantage, so making her good with weapons in general (thank you for reminding me of the Jackie Chan ladder fight) is too much of a good thing. Filling those arms with weapons that can get jammed, twisted off, waterlogged, or just plain overheat when used too much gives me a bit more confidence in saying "yeah, this is balanced."

Following on that point about feeling out of place, I did want her to look at least a little inhuman at first glance; not uncanny valley terrifying, but just enough questionable features (white hair, red eyes, too-perfect face for example) that surface dwellers would know that she's not human and distrust her at first, even if she were dressed like one of them. Thought a "grittier" anime style might provide just enough of that effect, but now that we're here, try this on for size instead:

Hider

A fully artificial being suddenly becoming sentient would probably have a lot of explaining to do! By cyborg, I meant that she is part cybernetic, part organism. Imagine something at least somewhat human-looking on the outside, like the cast of Metal Gear Rising, but more mechanically primitive on the inside, like General Grievous from Star Wars Episode III. She used to be a normal person, once—possibly a terminally ill patient who hastily agreed to become what she did to go on living in some capacity, while her poor family receives a pittance in exchange for her service, her brain and some choice organs. As for why they wouldn't just make an android with a system that runs 100% on artificial intelligence, maybe this is a cheaper option, or maybe some powerful people are just sick and enjoy the thought that they have complete control over something that used to be a person with free will.

When I say she was rescued by activists, I didn't mean surface dwellers, but some "free the cyborgs" type people from below. If such a group doesn't exist, or aren't capable of disabling and kidnapping a cyborg, I'm fine with the receiver in her brain or whatever was controlling her having a factory defect, and my girl just casually playing it cool until she saw a chance to escape. I chose the deprogramming angle so that she could lose her memories from that time along with it and not remember any forbidden story knowledge you wouldn't want her to have. So, she could at least have been in the service of someone influential and interesting, and not just some minor B-list celebrity or throwaway NPC—could probably use some ideas there, if you're fine with that.

Please let me know if she's a welcome concept now that I've cleared up some things.

The Underwater world of Atlas: The Beginning

Hmm. I don't seem to be the kind of player the GM is looking for.

Have fun, guys.

The Underwater world of Atlas: The Beginning

Yo, I've been following/lurking in this and based on the third sample picture in the OP I am having a hard time deciding if this would qualify as what you'd consider "anime" or not. So before I spend hours fleshing out the character concept I'd like an opinion on that. But the no-time-to-explain, elevator pitch version is that she's a cyborg that used to serve as a bodyguard for public figures, but was captured and de-programmed, effectively rescued by activists. She has a "handful" of hidden weapons.

Hider

If she doesn't fit the setting, I'll probably do a surface dweller instead.

Our Dying Wish - Play Corrupt-A-Wish, Get Superpowers in this Demon-Slaying RPG

We have ourselves a cozy group of 5 interested on Discord at the moment, and I am willing to do an RP with that many, but I'm hoping this will catch more interest after a CS or two is posted and approved, so I've created a place to do that: roleplayerguild.com/topics/186333-our…

If you've already read the pitch here, there's no need to re-read the OoC, as there's nothing new in it, yet!