How might Nerima change?

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Alright, this is completely off the top of my head, so either/both of you might need to call me on things I've gotten wrong.

Yemon
*Has a one-sided crush on Michiko
*Considers Hiromasa a friend, which is why he works so hard to try and patch things up between them when he declares them enemies
*Considers Lifen a rival martial artist
*Teases and plays jokes on Marumaru, but this relationship is relatively "friendly", as opposed to the mutual disdain of their fathers
*Pretty much ignores Sakuya and Marumaru's ninja (we need a name for her, BTW)

Michiko
*Has a crush on either Marumaru or Hiromasa, we haven't decided yet
*Is considered an arch-rival by Sakuya for Marumaru's affections either way (until the ninja's existence is revealed to Sakuya)
*Considers Yemon a rival martial artist
*Is good friends with whichever of the boys she doesn't have a crush on
*Develops an enmity for Lifen

Marumaru
*Squabbles, bickers and plays pranks on Yemon, but this is a "friendly" enmity, not actual hatred like their fathers felt for each other
*Considers Michiko and his Ninja good friends, but has no romantic feelings for them- doesn't even know they care about him that way
*Might feel the same for Sakuya, or might have a crush on her but is unaware she returns it
*Disdainful of Lifen
*Ignores Hiromasa, possibly has some level of concealed jealousy for him

Hiromasa
*Originally friendly towards Yemon, turns antagonistic after discovering his ancestry
*Doesn't think too much of Marumaru, considers him a "typical spoiled rich kid"
*Might have a crush on Michiko, or might consider her a rival martial artist (irregardless of her feelings for him)
*Offers the typical 'sympathetic shoulder' to Sakuya, but otherwise ignores her
*Perhaps develops a crush on Lifen?

Sakuya
*Dismissive of Yemon and Lifen; considers them backwater hillbillies/barbarians
*Has a crush on Marumaru
*Considers Michiko an enemy due to perceived rivalry for Marumaru's affections, later "trumps" her with Marumaru's ninja
*Generally ignores Hiromasa

Lifen
*Publically considers Yemon her arch-rival, secretly has a crush on him
*Antagonistic towards Michiko after realising Yemon's crush on her
*Disdainful of the others (Hiromasa, Sakuya and Marumaru), considers them not worth noticing

[Gideon020]

I think that looks about right to me, unless Heaven's Daemon thinks you missed something.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

We'll need him to speak up on that then. Once he does so, we'll start going over Sakuya again. While we wait for that: you've seen the "assembled" profiles Jupiah ended up doing for Michiko Hibiki and Yemon Saotome? Well, would you mind trying your hand at putting Marumaru, Hiromasa and Lifen (well, as much of her as there is) into similar profiles?

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

I just thought I'd put all of the material HD and I came up with Sakuya here, just the way he and I originally discussed it. Maybe we can assemble more coherent data from this...

Hikaru has magic in her blood, a natural talent and aptitude that would blossom, if she worked hard at it, into perhaps the greatest magi of her generation. A pity then that she has absolutely no interest whatsoever in such a fate. Much to the costernation of her parents, who simply cannot understand it, Hikaru would as soon be an ordinary girl as have untapped magical potential and gladly skives off her sorcery studies- in fact, if it weren't for the Peking Homunculus* (a diminutive and rather intelligent Construct her folks left behind to keep an eye on her), she wouldn't study magic at all. She finds it quaint and old-fashioned, but mostly boring, and would much rather be chatting with her friends or even doing sports.

Unfortunately for her, her folks refuse to let her be normal- not only is her "guardian" committed to seeing she does at least some studying, she's also in charge of the family antique store... which she considers perhaps the greatest indignity she has to suffer. Beyond this, mana can have something of a mind of its own, and thus it has a tendency to 'leak' or 'act up' despite her best efforts.

*I believe the tradition is 'cookie for you if you get/recognize this'.

This leaves her well in the same "weight category" as her fellows, perhaps even on the weaker end of things, and still lets her cause trouble; because her folks tend to subdue and investigate the magical finds before shipping them to her, she tends to limit her own "research" into a basic check of whether or not the item radiates magic. Couple this with her lack of interest-induced deficiency in care, and she can be a disaster waiting to happen due to not paying full attention to whatever Magic Item of the Week pops up. This carelessness is also why she lets the assassin's items slip through the net. To this, we can add the potential for chaos due to uncontrolled/unwanted 'mana flares' and miscast spells.

Don't get me wrong, she's still good at magic- when she seriously applies herself to it. When she's lacksadasial about it though, things tend to foul up.

*grins* OK, THAT sounds like a good setup. And it looks like there will be no cookie for me because Clue, I have none.

I wonder if the forced study could be used in such a way that she actually can rattle off details about magic and items if someone asks, but keeps it subconcious, meaning that someone could mention something that they are having trouble with, she rambles out it while doing something else entirely, not paying any attention to the words coming out of her mouth, and inadvertently giving the person a possible solution, they try to thank her, and she doesn't have a clue why......

One thing about relationships that comes to me is that she has an (unknown by him) crush on Marumaru, and thus she frantically tries to cover up her knowledge of the supernatural and/or magical power whenever he's around. For a bit of added drama, the intensity of her emotions tends to cause mana flares. It might also be a switch to have it that Marumaru, unbeknownst to her, isn't mocking/skeptical/hateful of magic; he gives it no thought at first, but once he gets to know the other Neo-Crew members he simply accepts it as part of reality. In fact, though it might be a bit too Negima, perhaps he even starts considering the idea of blending magic and science (ala that "girl genius" in Negima who built the robot girl)?

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Actually, just to go off topic: Gideon020, did I mention to you before my idea for a Ranma 1/2 and D&D4E crossover? If I did, were/are you interested in helping with the idea? If yes, seeing as how the books will show up next week, would you be adverse to joining me in a topic here on this forum (I'll start if you are interested) to hammer out the details for that story?

[Gideon020]

Sure, I wouldn't mind. Btw, what pages are those character profiles done by Jupiah on because I'm having trouble finding them.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Sorry, I'm having a bit of hard time following you with that first sentence: do you not mind doing up the profiles, do you not mind helping with my Ranma/D&D idea, or do you not mind both?

As for Jupiah's profiles... they're both on page 11- I'll make a link so you can get them easier. They're near the bottom of the page, one of my posts.

http://www.fukufics.com/viewtopic.php?t ... &start=150

[Gideon020]

Thanks for the link, and my first sentence was me not minding helping out with both.

[Gideon020]

Profile 1 of 3
Lifen, daughter of Pantyhose Taro

Physical Appearence:
An athletic teenage girl with a tomboyish figure, possessing vibrant blue eyes and blonde hair that is almost golden and could be considered rough to touch. Stands at 5 feet exactly. She usually wears typical amazon attire or similar Chinese fashions.

Attitude:
A dominating and controlling bully who only appears nice and kind to those older than her and those who decide not to bother challenging her authority or are cowed into doing so. If challenged she can become quite antagonistic and violent. Believes herself to be cool and mature.

Interests/Hobbies:
Unknown (pending update)

Relations:
Pantyhose Taro (father)
Mother (name pending)

Friends/enemies/rivals:
Yemon Saotome (rival/crush)
Michiko Hibiki (enemy)

Combat Ability:
Unknown (pending update)

Notes of Interest:
Unknown Curse (to be updated)

[Gideon020]

Profile 2 of 3

Name:
Marumaru Kuno

Appearance:
Stands at 5 feet 5 inches tall and is usually dressed in modern fashions of 2014 and has openly bishonen looks; women are jealous of them and men usually start questioning their sexuality when they see him especially as he usually wears his hair long. A technophile, Marumaru has since paid for specialized cosmetic cyberware to replace his hair and eyes, pieces of tech known as Chameleon-mods, allowing him to change his eye and hair color at whim and thusly making it impossible to know what his original hair and eye color were.

Interests and Hobbies:
Marumaru is as previously noted a technophile and with unlimited access to the labs and machine shops of his parent's company is able to indulge in creating his own gadgets and gear without the worries of budgeting getting in the way. Marumaru also takes considerable pride in his looks, a fact that has lead to conflict with his father Tatewaki Kuno alongside his lacking interest, indeed disdain, of the martial arts, viewing the past as just that and prefers to live in the present and for the future.

Attitude and Personality:
Marumaru is actually a lonely teenage boy, and thusly is more than willing to make friends, any friends who will look past the fact that not only is he the scion to one of the largest corps in Japan, but also the son of a man who possesses one of the most bizarre and indeed mentally disturbing histories of any eccentric rich businessman. Regardless of these facts, Marumaru is the poster child for the average teen in Japan.

Relations:
Tatewaki Kuno (father)
Mariko Kuno (mother)

Friends/rivals/enemies/love interests:
Yemon Saotome (friendly rival)
Michiko Hibiki (friend)
Servant Ninja (friend)
Sakuya Hikaru (crush/romantic interest)
Lifen (annoyance)
Hiromasa (possible enemy)

Combat Ability:
The physically weakest of the group, Marumaru's greatest strength is his brains. Not only a prodigy when it comes to Research, Design and Invention of new gear, Marumaru is able to analyze a battlefield and from there work out a plan of action along with any contingencies.
Since he has no martial arts training, Marumaru initially would not seem to be a threat but if required to fight he makes use of a unique weapon known as the Omni-Shot, a heavy-pistol designed to have a modular barrel system which allows Marumaru to fire anything from nets to grappling hooks to powerful energy blasts that in most fights between the new set of martial artists in Nerima, he usually fires them at the lowest power setting but at full power are just as capable of taking down heavy armour. When increased firepower is required, the Omni-Blast, a heavy rifle version of the Omni-Shot capable of firing even more exotic payloads is used as well as a variety of grenades, mines and various anti-martial art or anti-magic disruptor bombs in conjunction with the best body armour available.
But all this is useless without Marumaru's seemingly paranormal skill with these weapons, listed below after observation of practice sessions by his servant ninja:
-Quick Draw: Master Marumaru is capable of drawing his Omni-Shot pistol faster than even a trained eye can see and is coupled by incredibly sharp aim, allowing firing from the hip to be quite accurate.
-Rapid Fire: Any modern pistol that doesn't have rapid fire can only shoot as fast as you pull the trigger. Master Marumaru seems capable of matching most machineguns in terms of laying down a single devastating barrage of fire.
-Critical Aim: Master seems to instinctively know where to shoot to cause the most damage in a fight, as in a practice against a large number of training droids he could accurately hit their weak points even in the midst of a chaotic skirmish.
-Danger Aim: A shuriken I had thrown to get rid of an annoying bird that was disrupting my nap went off-course towards Master Marumaru and like that he shot it out of the air without even looking. I think that if a hidden or unseen threat approaches Master Marumaru, he can somehow detect it and immediately draw, aim and shoot without even having to look in the direction of the threat. Scary, especially as it seems to be an unconscious reaction.
-Sleight of Hand: I notice that sometimes, Master Marumaru changes barrels in the middle of his practice seemingly without moving. It took a lot of focus but I was able to see how; Master Marumaru was so familiar with his weapon and gear that he could switch barrels and equipment without even looking and at incredible speed, far faster than any normal human could detect.
-Danger Sense: I was bored, bored enough to decide to spar against Master Marumaru with his weapons at their lowest power setting. He beat me, not in a straight fight but by firing at the fire sprinklers, using a nearby mirror to bounce shots off it and even dropping a light on one of my hiding spots. I shudder to think what kind of havoc Master Marumaru could cause if he was fighting in the open streets.

Notes of Interest:
Marumaru maintains correspondence with several friends over the internet, friends who seem to able to access their own sources of high-technology.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Look pretty good so far. I'll have my D&D books sometime by the end of this week, so we should finally be able to finish off Lifen there. I've started that other topic right here in Fic Research Gideon, so drop a post by when you're ready to start to let me know so.

[Gideon020]

Profile 3 of 3
Name:
Hiromasa Kuonji

Appearence:
A teen of average Japanese height possessing an attractive mixture of Japanese and Chinese features, making him exotic to girls but not enough that he can't blend in with a crowd. He wear an eclectic mix of Asian and more Western street styles, preferably clothing with plenty of pockets as well as a long coat to help conceal his weapons, which when revealed consist of countless shuriken, smoke and gas charges, throwing knives and hooks attached to high-tensile steel wire and his main weapons; a nodachi, a naginata, two trench knives and a katana.

Interests and Hobbies:
Hiromasa has all the interests one could expect of a typical Japanese teen in music, girls and all the latest, flashy and expensive bits of cyberware and clothing styles to stay in trend but Hiromasa also is a practitioner of the Hidden Weapons Style of his father Mu-Tzu, an all but exiled male warrior from the same Joketsuzoku tribe as Yemon, as well as Ninjitsu, the style that his mother's Okonomiyaki Martial Arts is derived from. Due to living with a mother who is a talented cook, Hiromasa has picked it up as a hobby, which helps attract girls, his other main pastime.

Attitude and Personality:
Hiromasa is a laid back, friendly sort of guy with a streak of white knight in him, a willingness to help out complete strangers for little or no reward on his part though whether this is true nobility or a just selfless pragmaticism no one knows. At the same time, Hiromasa has a short-fused temper that while it burns shortly, burns with an awe-inspiring intensity. Thusly, he does not abide by fools or those who waste his time meaninglessly.

Relations:
Ukyo Kuonji (mother)
Mu-Tzu Kuonji (father)

Friends/rivals/enemies/love interests:
Yemon Saotome (rival)
Marumaru Kuno (possible enemy)
Michiko Hibiki (rival/crush?)
Sakuya Hikaru (confidant)
Lifen (crush?)

Combat Ability:
Hiromasa is a fighter reliant on speed and agility, so its a surprise that his primary weapon is a nodachi, a sword designed to bring down cavalry but he uses it with surprising skill. If the nodachi is ineffective, then a naginata, or a katana or his trench-knives come into play, allowing for versatile fighting at any range. Hiromasa has seen how Ki can be used to warp dimensions and reality to an impossible degree and after much practice and hard work, created a number of techniques that are powerful in his hands.
-Body Mirage: Ki can be used as a 'smokescreen' of sorts to hide hidden weapons, and after some work Hiromasa created this technique that uses small amounts of Ki to create a haze over his entire body while leaving his vision unaffected. In a fight, it can lead to mistakes concerning where Hiromasa is and just where he might attack.
-Mirage Blade: Not content with hiding his body, Hiromasa modified the Body Mirage to cover his weapons. The Mirage Blade is deadly when used with weapons like swords due to the fact that the opponent is constantly guessing the exact position and length of the blade. The single slightest mistake can lead to injury.
-Barrier Warp: Warp holes are important if a practitioner of Hidden Weapons is to retrieve the possible thousands of weapons concealed in the dimensional pockets created with Ki. The Barrier Warp uses this principle to literally 'eat' damage, and is Hiromasa's primary defensive technique. Blade strikes will vanish into the warp and bullets are never seen again, making it useful on the mean streets.
-Mirror Warp: A reversal of the Barrier Warp, the Mirror Warp is used not to consume damage but reflect it instead, returning the striking energy of an attack directly back at the attacker, which can be quite damaging if the attack was in the form of a punch or kick.
-Mirage Clone: An illusion technique learned seeing the Splitting Cat Hairs in action, the Mirage Clone creates temporary but somewhat solid clones of Hiromasa using the Body Mirage technique at its most basic and with practice, a solid visible clone of Hiromasa which vanishes when attacked. Useful for creating a distraction in a fight.
-Blade Warp: A prototype for Hiromasa's most powerful technique, the Blade Warp create a literal wormhole of Ki that can be used to send a blade past an enemy's defences. It is draining to use and thusly, Hiromasa uses this technique sparingly and tactically.
-Mirage Door: Hiromasa's best technique, the Mirage Door, creates a wormhole between two areas in space, allowing for quick escapes and fast repositioning. In a fight, Hiromasa can use Mirage Door to get behind opponents without losing momentum for his attacks while in emergencies and for more Ki, he can travel several kilometers with this. At its most draining, Hiromasa can create the portal for the usage of another person which is taxing as the portal would react with the foreign Ki of the one using it, requiring intense concentration to prevent sudden collapse.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

I think you've done very well on the profiles. HD, if you could be so good as to comment your opinion, then we can move onto revising Sakuya Gosunkugi and then decide whether to move onto the minor characters or wait for me to get my D&D books so we can finally finish Lifen.

[Heaven's Deamon]

Everything looks fine to me thus far.

[SpaceKnight of Chaos]

Alright then, as I've gotten my D&D 4E Monster Manual at last, shall we finish off Lifen at last, or go over Sakuya Gosunkugi first?