ShadowKingman

Touhou: Tranquil Spring

@Raineh Daze

The whole feel of the train doesn't fit that well--and nor does the invisibility actually make any sense, especially in Gensokyo.

I explained above that it's only invisible like ghosts are invisible to normal people without powers in Touhou. Because the Nether Express is also literally a ghost train.

I'd put it as a problem if it WAS visible because that's not how ghosts work in Touhou.

If a self-railing unstoppable train was going to be included within the setting, it registers itself as one of those "big incident" things that I'd rather include later rather than immediately removing any slice of life scenarios.

We COULD do an incident on it I guess. it's set up for one (souls inside as normal enemies, the train itself is the stage, etc but there's also no reason why it can't enter peacefully. Myths enter Touhou all the tie.

And finally, there is no reason to have multiple characters doing the same effective job!

Fiona isn't here to do Komachi's job nor replace her in any way. Eiki asked Fiona specifically to scare komachi into thinking she was going to replace her, not actually replace her. (a strategy that actually happens IRL). Fiona's personal goal in Gensoukyou is, pretty much, being a tourist.

I should have addressed all of your fears and concerns in that, and yet if there's still a problem then I'm afraid that's that. For Fiona being too different for Touhou; this is something that can't be helped. I don't think I can modify her enough to make it "not too different".

I've put in too much work to imagine Fiona as anything else (which is why, good as the idea is @VitaVitaAR I can't take it) and I have no intention of spending my free time arguing with the GMs.

Touhou: Tranquil Spring

Well, trains aren't exactly masterspark levels of uber powerful. As long as we can see it coming it should be no problem, and besides that, Danmaku is about being beautiful, not necessarily effective. And trains have a certain charm to them, you know? That sort of rustic, gentle giant feel. I think I read a doujin about a train in Gensokyo once.

@Lucius Cypher

Oooh, is it the one involving Sanae? Days woven with illusion?

Touhou: Tranquil Spring

<Snipped quote by ShadowKingman>

The danmaku system is meant to make sure that those five can compete on(relatively) fair grounds with even Cirno, Kingman

@Priscilla

That just adds to my confusion, not lessen it, cause I literally have no idea what they're worried about.

In a danmaku battle, Fiona would have to make the Netherworld Express visible to ram people otherwise I (think?) it's a violation of the rules (you need to give your opponent an opportunity to dodge, no matter how slim).

Also, when It's supposed to be invisible to normal humans it's basically like how ghosts are invisible to people with literally no power. Marisa is a normal human with magic and she can see ghosts just fine when some random guy off the street in the human village cannot.

Also I think it goes without saying using the Netherworld express to terrorize people would PROBABLY construe a massive violation of the danmaku rules and would get Fiona's butt handed to her by those four(five?) if not more.

Touhou: Tranquil Spring

Sorry, sorry, I was in class! I'm gonna address some concerns now.

Um, I think @Priscilla and @Lucius Cypher said everything I could have said about the Dullahan, so that's it there.

No unstoppable invisible trains. Was I not clear enough on that part? @Raineh Daze

I'm just really, really confused at this part. What are you concerned about? If it's the invisible part, I can easily change that. If it's a worry about it being overpowered, well...

Between a Border manipulator, a Time/Space Manipulator, basically-completely-immortal girls and a human shrine Maiden who can wreck the above three I feel like the Netherworld Express should be the LEAST of your worries.

Touhou: Tranquil Spring

@Raineh Daze I have edited Fiona; I hope she's better fitting now.

Name: Fiona

Gender: Female

Appearance:
Fiona

Personality:

Fiona is above all courteous and polite, maintaining a calm outlook to anything and everything that is going on around her. Refusing to resort to violence first, she will face even armed attackers with a smile and a greeting – although if she is attacked, she will first laugh at the prospect of attacking an ambassador of death before dragging them on board her train, so to speak.

Due to her occupation and style of choice, she is something of a train mania. She has memorized railway schedules throughout the entire North American continent and is known to get excited over new trains being launched and watching trains go by. She is subscribed to the American Magazine Railway Illustrated.

Species: Dullahan

Skills:

Train Conductor: Fiona is, above all, the conductor of the Nether Express. She is competent in her duties as a conductor, managing the train and ensuring it arrives at its destinations on schedule.

Photography: During her time as a train enthusiast, Fiona has become skilled in the art of photography. Many of her pictures are framed and hung on the corridors and rooms of the Nether Express.

Off with my head!: As a Dullahan, Fiona is capable of detaching her head. However, in order to both blend into the human world whenever she is off in her rail enthusiast activities or to prevent shocking the spirits of the newly deceased, she doesn't take her head off.

Ablities:

Fiona's Danmaku usually takes on the form of regular bullets although more powerful danmanku abilities will have the Nether Express ram her opponent.

As a Dullahan, all gates, locks, barriers and doors open for her; nothing bars her path. However, she still needs to physically go somewhere and it is far from teleportation.

The Nether Express: a large, jet black steam locomotive which carries along with it several passenger, lounge, sleeping and even restaurant cars, catering to souls more for the experience of eating something they like instead of sustaining physical needs. The lounge itself is extremely well furbished and decorated, and the express itself would easily compete with the most luxurious trains in existence. Originally Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train which soon became a ghost train among locals, Fiona commandeered it and runs it in lieu of her carriage. The Nether Express is far from a normal train and is indeed a ghost train.

It should be noted that The Nether Express never has a defined number of cars and supplies. The Nether Express does not have "five" cars or "ten" cars; instead it always has "enough" cars to comfortably accommodate any number of souls who embark or fulfill any task Fiona demands. This is due in part to the fact Fiona constantly goes around the world, finding trains or cars in order to incorporate. Much like houses can become haunted houses and gain “wills” of its own , becoming a form of ghost, so too do famous trains and train cars – such as Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train – and it is these ghosts of locomotive engines and cars which Fiona collects and adds to the Nether Express – or in the case of not immediately using them, sending them off to a railyard of sorts from which she can add and detach cars at will.. As a side effect, many spirits of passengers reside within the cars, often forming a collection of ghosts and spirits from across different (train using) eras and locations. The train does not run on human-built rails but instead rails are constructed wherever it goes and vanishes whenever the train departs.

Rumors say that deep within the high class cars and lounges Abraham Lincoln may be found, chilling.

As a train which guides people to the afterlife, it normally cannot be seen by mortals and the living, although Fiona is capable of handing out "tickets" to those still living to allow them to see and board the train temporarily. To the normal human, when the Nether Express passes by it forms only as a shadow and the unexplainable sensation of air rushing by. As a Dullahan train, nothing may bar its path and it travels quickly to and from as well as around Gensoukyou by going in and out of the underworld. Through the underworld, Fiona is also able to return to the outside world with (relative) ease without upsetting the Great Hakurei Barrier.

Fiona is not the driver of the Nether Express; she is the conductor. The Driver is a mortal human – often a young fellow train enthusiast – whom Fiona met in her time among humans, taking photographs of trains and forming a friendship with before offering them the opportunity to be her driver. When the Driver passes away their spirit is escorted to one of the luxury cars of the Nether Express and Fiona goes off to find a new Driver.

Brief Backstory: A transporter of souls from one realm to the next, Fiona first immigrated to the United States from her native Ireland to follow the large number of Irish peoples fleeing the Potato Famine – one of whom had arrogantly stolen her head. Continuing her activities as a Dullahan in America, after reclaiming her head she remained in the new country and took a liking to trains and locomotives, the natural evolution of the horse-drawn carriage.

Taking one for herself and ditching her horse drawn carriage, Fiona began to continue to collect, grow and expand her collection of ghost trains and carriages as well as maintain belief in her – in a fashion – in the form of various ghost train legends throughout the North American Continent. As decades passed, Fiona eventually received a request from Shikieiki Yamaxanadu to temporarily come to Gensoukyou to help pick up some of the slack Komachi had been causing (and somewhat scare her into thinking she was going to be replaced). Having always wanted to travel to Japan to take in their bullet trains and jumping at the chance, Fiona formed a new spiritual line of Japan – Underworld – Gensoukyou – Higan.

Touhou: Tranquil Spring

I'm currently, after some consideration and advice, doing a bit of a rework of Fiona.

Touhou: Tranquil Spring

@Raineh Daze

And the "see souls of the dead!" thing... well, uh...

Seiga, all the divine spirits hanging around, Yuyuko, Youmu's ghost half, the evil spirits in the Forgotten Hell, and probably Mima all spring to mind immediately for highly visible and annoying souls, spirits, etc.

Fair enough, I wasn't sure what the idea on ghosts were here. I'll take out that part.

On the subject of trains, I wanted her to have a train for two reasons: Firstly, because trains are kinda sorta the natural evolution of the stagecoach dullahan were known for and second because... well, I like trains. I wouldn't say it would be that out of place because not only do Kappas pull things out of technology all the time and things do slip past the hakurei border (read: soccer) but also Gensoukyo was separated in the Meiji Era, which is right about when trains would come into being.

The Nether Express is meant to be invisible to mortals but I actually intended that to not mean youkai. Also, for all of its qualities there are a few rules in that attempting to use it for anything other than ramming an opponent in a nonlethal danmaku battle like Yukari does - say, for example, using it to try to run over people head on or just massacre a crowd - would be a violation of the Danmaku rules. It's essentially meant to be her "space" like the Lunarians have Eientei, Remilia has the SDC and so forth; the fluff is mostly there to explain how it got into Gensoukyou.

As for the overlap, yes, that exists, but I'd say that makes things even more interesting since Gensokyou is supposed to be a haven for mythology and legend; it's not surprising and should be expected that different legends of overlapping qualities might meet up. If anything, I actually look forward to the idea of Fiona and the Shinigami constantly getting into arguments/danmaku battles/little fights over souls or territory.

Touhou: Tranquil Spring

I'll take out the Lifespan thing, but without it otherwise there shouldn't be much of a problem as she's basically a dullahan akin to a fairy who just really really likes trains.

The USA presence isn't a thing - it's not even anywhere near Gensokyo; it's knowledge from outside the barrier. I only put it in there as an example of her train nerdiness; I can easily take that out.

Touhou: Tranquil Spring

Name: Fiona
Gender: Female
Appearance:

Fiona

Personality:
Fiona is above all courteous and polite, maintaining a calm outlook to anything and everything that is going on around her. Refusing to resort to violence first, she will face even armed attackers with a smile and a greeting – although if she is attacked, she will first laugh at the prospect of attacking an ambassador of death before dragging them on board her train, so to speak.

Due to her occupation and style of choice, she is something of a train mania. She has memorized railway schedules throughout the entire North American continent and is known to get excited over new trains being launched and watching trains go by. She is subscribed to the American Magazine Railway Illustrated.

Species: Dullahan

Train Conductor: Fiona is, above all, the conductor of the Nether Express. She is competent in her duties as a conductor, managing the train and ensuring it arrives at its destinations on schedule.

Photography: During her time as a train enthusiast, Fiona has become skilled in the art of photography. Many of her pictures are framed and hung on the corridors and rooms of the Nether Express.

Spiritual awareness: Fiona is able to see, speak to and interact with the souls of the dead. This is a crucial part of her job.

Off with my head!: As a Dullahan, Fiona is capable of detaching her head. However, in order to both blend into the human world whenever she is off in her rail enthusiast activities or to prevent shocking the spirits of the newly deceased, she doesn't take her head off.

Ablities:

Fiona's Danmaku usually takes on the form of regular bullets although more powerful danmanku abilities will have a train launching at her opponent. Her most powerful spellcard, Railroad Sign: Terminal Station calls 13 trains of fellow Dullahans, calling for their aid and signalling all of them to charge through the air and ram her opponent.

Representation: Fiona is not a living being as something with a soul. Instead, she is a manifestation of the concept of death - or rather, a greater concept attached to it; the law which states "all which has form must come to an end". Her existence is intrinsically linked to that law - for example, the very definition of "water" is that there be physical water there. She is the same; she is a part of that law and although it is possible to destroy her physical body she will always come back with another one.

Skills:

Train Conductor: Fiona is, above all, the conductor of the Nether Express. She is competent in her duties as a conductor, managing the train and ensuring it arrives at its destinations on schedule.

Photography: During her time as a train enthusiast, Fiona has become skilled in the art of photography. Many of her pictures are framed and hung on the corridors and rooms of the Nether Express.

Spiritual awareness: Fiona is able to see, speak to and interact with the souls of the dead. This is a crucial part of her job.

Lifespan sight: Fiona can see the remaining natural lifespan of mortals, although she is forbidden from divulging that information under any situation. Even if it is divulged, the efforts of a person to attempt to prolong their life usually leads them into a self-fulfilling prophecy and die regardless.

Off with my head!: As a Dullahan, Fiona is capable of detaching her head. However, in order to both blend into the human world whenever she is off in her rail enthusiast activities or to prevent shocking the spirits of the newly deceased, she doesn't take her head off.

The Nether Express: a large, jet black steam locomotive which carries along with it several passenger, lounge, sleeping and even restaurant cars, catering to souls more for the experience of eating something they like instead of sustaining physical needs. The lounge itself is extremely well furbished and decorated, and the express itself would easily compete with the most luxurious trains in existence.

It should be noted that The Nether Express never has a defined number of cars and supplies. The Nether Express does not have "five" cars or "ten" cars; instead it always has "enough" cars to comfortably accommodate any number of souls who embark. The train does not run on human-built rails but instead rails are constructed wherever it goes and vanishes whenever the train departs.

As a train which guides people to the afterlife, it normally cannot be seen by mortals and the living, although Fiona is capable of handing out "tickets" to those still living to allow them to see and board the train temporarily. As a Dullahan train, nothing may bar its path and it is able to take Fiona to the underworld from anywhere, capable of clearing any obstacle – by force, if necessary.

The Nether Express can also bring out "war trains" or "war wagons" as well in accordance to Fiona's needs/wants/whims/demands/whining.

Brief Backstory: A transporter of souls from one realm to the next, Fiona simply wanders around, picking up souls and serving as the vehicle for many a soul's great journey to the beyond. She may or may not be the one who picks up the slack whenever Komachi gets lazy... which, of course, is most likely most of the time.

"The Gol'Kut Crusade!" - A Large Scale RP of the 42nd Millenium (WH40K) (CLOSED)

Hooray! And, um, hm.

Since I discovered this today and the deadline is tomorrow, do you mind if I get a little extension? ;w;