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Bushido Metal

Bushido Metal Open

In a world in the grip of unknowable extraterrestrial forces, superhuman youths rise up against those who would oppress them.

Owner: Baron Fowling
Game Masters: Baron Fowling
Tags: advanced, gifted, long-term, superhero, superhuman (Add Tags »)
Requires Approval: Yes

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Introduction

It is the year 2000. It has been roughly forty-five years since the first superhumans appeared on the scene, and in some ways the world has yet to adapt. Maybe because, despite the decades of research and investigation, the people of the world are still not much closer to understanding the providence of these remarkable individuals. They remain mysterious, unexplained, unknown. And people fear the unknown. Even those whose only direct experience of posthuman beings has been positive still fear the possibility of a maniacal radical mutant obliterating their entire city. Around the world, governments have responded to this fear, although not always without their own, ulterior motives.

The Unites States of America, home of the commander of the International Posthuman League, Big Star, is seen internationally as a place where humans and posthumans cooperate peacefully. But this is not so. Ever since the destruction of the Manhattan Bridge by the psychopathic posthuman Aurogea in 1986, the populace of the nation has been in a state of panic. This has lead to the ascension to power of the previously sidelined Humanist Party, led by Aaron Arkinson, in 1988. This party dedicated itself to minimalising the dangers presented by posthumans for the sake of the human majority in the nation. Since their election, their policies regarding the country's superhuman population has led to the mandated registration of every posthuman being in the nation, a vast increase in electronic surveillance, random mandatory bloodtests to check for traces of posthuman genetics or chemicals, and myriad other questionable changes. Anyone with a known posthuman nature can be legally taken into indefinite custody by the state under the tenets of Proposition 11, and the HPA was founded in 1995 to deal with posthuman "threats" that the ordinary police force are unequipped to deal with.

Registered posthumans, however, are welcome to join the Freedom League after undergoing state-funded training and orientation. This is the nation's trained posthuman aid division: "superheroes", to the layman. They are trained to defend the law whenever called upon, and to defend the citizens of the US and its constitution. Moreover, it is worth pointing out that vigilante activity by anyone without their degree of state approval is a crime in which they can act as judge, jury and executioner.

Nonetheless, among those who do not wish to undergo registration, or worse the "training" administered at the Freedom League HQ in Washington, there are still those who desire to fight crime using the abilities that they have been blessed with. Operating as a team is always preferable, seeing as it's dangerous enough fighting armed or superpowered criminals without having the police and state-sponsored superpeople attacking your six.

Those who want to meet other talented young people, like-minded ones who aren't afraid to go against the law to do justice, must act subtly. But they have their ways. Online, and in papers, and on the billboards of high schools and colleges, many adverts are appearing, created by people who want to find members for their bands. They write that they would like to play music in the up and coming new genre of "Bushido Metal."

Not that anyone would notice, but actual music in this genre is pretty difficult to find.

Rules

Just the usual stuff. Characters must be reasonable, interesting, and preferably flawed. I will respond poorly to any character who seems to simply be a soulless mannequin with a dozen ridiculous powers stapled to it.

It's cool. I'm sure we've all done this before. (But it's okay if not.)

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View All »Characters

Character Portrait: Alistair Kavanagh Rock Hard, "lead guitar" and general tough guy
Character Portrait: NPCs
NPCs played by Baron Fowling
Just some guys I know. They're cool.
Character Portrait: Justus Gold
Justus Gold played by Seirei
Fridge Horror, spiritual spy supreme.

Visit »The Orphanage

These poor, unfortunate souls were once a part of this great world, but have been abandoned. Why don't you consider viewing their profiles and making a decision on whether or not you can roleplay them accurately?


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Places in Bushido Metal

Alternate Earth Thumbnail

0 postsAlternate Earth

None

Mersey Central Thumbnail

0 postsMersey Central

Mersey is a city. This is it's center. Except not really.

South Mersey High Thumbnail

0 postsSouth Mersey High

If you don't eat your meat...!

The Dark Horse Thumbnail

0 postsThe Dark Horse

"Not dressed like that you aren't, mate."

The Garage Thumbnail

0 postsThe Garage

These Machines Kill Fascists

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Activity


Bushido Metal: Out Of Character (OOC)

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Most recent OOC posts in Bushido Metal

Re: [OOC] Bushido Metal

No problem, understandable. Patience is a virtue and all that =]


Re: [OOC] Bushido Metal

Hello all, sorry for the absence! Christmas presents and the new year turned out to be bigger distractions that I'd initially figured. Will get back on the horse with this roleplay forthwith!


Re: [OOC] Bushido Metal

Coo', that works! I just sent you a rather hefty e-mail on the subject, something that you can bond with Lovely over in your suffering. :P

It's sort of sad that no more people have come up with radical mutant powers, yet. 'Cause basically in that case the powers can be anything (Marvel mutants style) and if they even asked me where the powers came from I'd just be like "who knows, lol".

How awkward of you. Oh well. It is 1am on Christmas morning here, so I need to head to bed! See you in a few, folks.


Re: [OOC] Bushido Metal

Justus' power is completely passive - the spirits affect anyone around him (in any direction.. I imagined a large room) unless he tries really hard. The eye contact is to attach a spirit, as in, affect a target for an extended period of time without requiring Justus to be nearby. It's actually more of a trigger than a requirement, cause it'll happen even without him intending to. He's a shifty-eyed character though, so accidental spirit-attachment is rare ^^.


Re: [OOC] Bushido Metal

...I had not! I am bad at this roleplay-running lark. I like this fellow, he is interesting! Approved anyway, but just to clarify: Does Justus require eye contact to affect people with his power at all, or is that just to focus it?

One other issue is that you've referred to posthumans in general as mutants, whereas in fact mutants make up only about a half of all the world's and the nation's superpeople, (others, like your character and Lovely's gain their powers from extradimensional messin' around and such) but that's a semantic issue and not worth holding up your application over. Welcome!

Probably won't get started on the IC for a few days now, it is an important time for my people. (Capitalists.) Merry Winterval to the both of you!


Re: [OOC] Bushido Metal

No worries, I just rewrote the character I lost. Didn't you see it? :D

(It might be a little short, but I think it's an OK decent starting point!)


Re: [OOC] Bushido Metal

Don't worry about overlaps! She's not... massively robotic!

(The avatar thing annoyed me too. Also the big button at the bottom of the profile screen which, when clicked, deletes all of your writing with alacrity. IT'S RIGHT NEXT TO THE SUBMIT BUTTON CONSARNIT OKAY NOT REALLY BUT I GOT CONFUSED.)

I'm okay. Don't give up, Seirei! Hit me with your ideas, I will be your sounding board.


Re: [OOC] Bushido Metal

Crap, this RP already has a robot character..

I'll make a different character later today! I'm new, but I'll do my best!

EDIT: crap the same character is also one of the Blind D:. Stuck on what to choose now..
EDIT2: sod it :< lost my form by submitting an avatar that was 100x101px.


Re: [OOC] Bushido Metal

Oops, sorry Lovely. Didn't realise I'd not approved your character yet!

Also realised I'd not really made it clear what I'd like the roleplay's starting point to be. My original plan was to begin at one stage with Rock Hard, my main character, waiting in the garage he's rented for "band practice". The people arriving will be those who've seen his advert for "band members", actually meaning people to join his vigilante group. Although as of the point they arrive he's not sure that they're all... entirely on the same page.

Alternatively, I thought a good beginning for the roleplay might be a well-known locally-active supervillain attacking a bank or a museum that's displaying some priceless work of art or something else clichéd like that. :P Rock Hard springs to the rescue before the notoriously slow Freedom League guys arrive on the scene and encounters like-minded crimefighters. Maybe they all have to get bailed out by a more experienced posthuman. Who knows!

Inspiration has suddenly struck. I'm going to write up some NPCs.


Re: [OOC] Bushido Metal

Thank for your persistence! We'll hopefully not end up one-on-oneing, someone else did message me before about joining, and there's still time for more people to take an interest. (Feel free to let anyone you think might be interested know about it. :P)

I might start writing up some NPCs, too.


Re: [OOC] Bushido Metal

Okay. Seeing that no one has posted here, or submitted a character, I was dubious about joining. I can't pass this up, though. The plot is too great and you've put a lot of really creative thought into it. I must enter a character. If all else fails, Baron, we can 1x1 it? Or I will have just created a super heroine that is wicked cool and I will use her in a later RP. Either way, I'm gaining something from this. :P

Just thought I'd let you know I hadn't forgotten about it! :)


Re: [OOC] Bushido Metal

Good stuff! Yeah, I'd like to see enough people take an interest to get some interesting oppositions and character relationships develop. Hopefully getting the Roleplayers Wanted thread stickied will help!


Re: [OOC] Bushido Metal

I am most definitely intrigued and would love to join. :) I hope you have some committed players join the ranks of the posthumans! I know I will be one of them. Give me some time and I will submit her after sometime tomorrow night or the following day.

I do have one question concerning "The Blind". You put that their supernatural abilities are unknown. Does this mean you can use anything as long as it is not similar to the other two? And as far as the marks go; what do you mean when you say they have a mark from anyone they've interacted with. Does this mean even in conversation, or just in battle? I hate to sound ridiculous, but I want to make sure I follow your ideas as closely as possible. They are fantastic ideas and I don't want to mess them up. :P


Re: [OOC] The Lore Thread

Some information on the key players in the IPL, as taken from their trading cards.


Big Star
Real Name: Benjamin Bradley
Age: 63
Nationality: USA
Nature: Scientific
Powers: The True All-American Hero, Big Star is by many accounts the most powerful superhero in the world! He's as strong as a steam train, as tough as a battle tank, as fast as a Dodge Viper and more AMERICAN than all of them put together! He's defended this nation from alien threats for forty years, and let us pray together that he continues to do so for another hundred.

Firebrand
Real Name: Unknown
Age: 19
Nationality: Sweden
Nature: Supernatural
Powers: Gifted with the staff Thyris by the ancient god Huran, Firebrand holds the very power of fire in his hands! He can fly, weather any temperature known to man and, of course, burn foes to a crisp in the blink of an eye! His control of fire is so precise that he can even use updrafts and thermals to lift and carry a person safely through the air without singeing a hair on their head!

Tetsuryuu
Real Name: Yasuhiro Oda
Age: 22
Nationality: Japan
Nature: Scientific
Powers: Strapped into his high-tech Japanese robo-suit, Tetsuryuu is a force to be reckoned with! He can crush cars with his hands, fly at high speeds, withstand artillery fire and much more! Foes are quickly dispatched with his powerful Optic Laser, blasted with homing missiles or stunned with his patented UltraTaser! And as if that wasn't enough, his wardrobe isn't even just limited to the one suit!

Flux
Real Name: Janet Mears
Age: 29
Nationality: British
Nature: Radical Mutant
Powers: Janet Mears is Flux: The Ultimate Shapeshifter! She is capable of changing her shape, colour, size, texture, chemical state, and even the mass of her body! Who knows how she might strike next? One moment she could be a ferocious Velociraptor, the next a common household watering can! This wily Brit is for sure a match for any bad guy foolish enough to go up against her!

Javelin
Real Name: Radimir Bartova
Age: 27
Nationality: Czech Republic
Nature: Vigilante
Powers: Just as human as you or I, Javelin is nonetheless not to be tangled with! Despite not having any superpowers, this "regular guy" has taken down just as many villains as Meteor or Tetsuryuu! The ex-Olympic athlete uses his trusty javelins and his amazing physical fitness to chase down, and then pin down, criminals of any shape or size! And that's not even to mention all of his black belts!

Note: Information given on these cards is purely commercial in nature, and should not necessarily be taken as fact.


Re: [OOC] The Lore Thread

Groups

The IPL
The International Posthuman League, a group of top-tier superhumans who answer directly to the United Nations. Their headquarters is the Watchful Eye, an old decommisioned US aircraft carrier that has been adapted to suit the needs of the few dozen superhumans who now inhabit it. Led by the ubiquitous Big Star, and also containing the likes of the iconic Firebrand, Tetsuryuu and Meteor, they respond to international disasters and superhuman threats with teleportation-aided alacrity. Other names they go by include “the Big Shots,” “the Olympians” and “the Marvels.”

The Freedom League
Not nearly as selective as the IPL, the offical superhuman troupe of the Unites States of America is a mixed bag of posthumans of any age, gender, race, shape and size. Any posthuman that applies is put through a rigorous, but highly secretive, training and reeducation scheme, which lasts as long as it takes to render them “fit to serve their nation.” Trained Freedom Leaguers tend to be single-minded, beyond negotiation, and incredibly violent.

The HPA
The Human Protection Agency is a special branch of government created by the Humanists to seek out and neutralise insidious superhuman elements within the Statesian populace. Responsible for monitoring the populace through the SP-iCams now installed on every street corner, as well as many other means unknown to the public, they are the firm right hand of the Humanist government. Supposedly they have no posthuman operatives in their service, but it is well known that they have a large clandestine wetworks network, hidden from the public eye.

The Micklewright Academy
The short-lived creation of Dr. Lucas Micklewright, this academy, hidden in the American Northwest, was supposedly a place where young posthumans could learn to control their powers without putting their loved ones at risk. It was destroyed in mysterious circumstances only a few years after its founding, and the vast majority of its student body (some 1200 posthumans) went missing, few of which have turned up since.

The Inheritors
A mysterious group, the name of which is scarcely known to the public at all, and the nature of which isn't even truly known by the HPA themselves. Though they have not publically taken credit for any actions taken against the state, they are held as suspects in various cases of terrorism or sabotage of government installations, attacks that have been hidden from the public eye. The only thing that links the group and these incidents is a “tag”: a graffiti'd symbol of a stylised eye containing the letter I.


Re: [OOC] Bushido Metal

Character Sheet!

Description

Name: (Actual name, if you feel like sharing.)
Alias: (Superhero name. Kids, do the mature thing: choose one alias and stick with it.)
Age: (How old you be. This, too, can be seekrit.)
Nature: (What kind of posthuman are you? Refer to the Lore thread.)
Allegiance: (Fight the power? It's up to you, guy.)
Appearance: (Height, weight, hair colour... basically what you look like without your costume on.)
Powers: (So, what can you do? What can't you do? And why?)

Personality

(Self-explanatory. But don't feel the need to go into huge detail if you don't want to.)

Equipment

Costume: (This is what we're picturing when you're around, so don't spare the details.)
Weaponry: (Boomerang shield? Magical ring? Hammer of the gods...? Nah, those are all dumb.)
Equipment: (Anything else you use on the job, basically.)

History

(I only want anything here if your character has already been in the public eye for any reason. History that would be known to the paper-reading public, essentially. Personal history can come out during the roleplay, all natural like.)

You will note that I'm pretty easy-going on the history and personality fronts. These are the kind of things that a) I prefer to come to light naturally over the course of a roleplay and b) I get hella tired writing out myself. You can stick in a personality description if you really want, but in terms of history... keep it to yourself, yeah?


[OOC] The Lore Thread

So this is where I'll be sticking all of the (mostly) relevant information regarding this world and the superpeople that populate it. Keep questions to the general OOC topic, if you don't mind.

General OOC

And now information! To begin with, a general overview of the various sorts of superpeople that exist in the world. I would recommend referring to it before you create your character, for edification and inspiration.

Natures

Mutants
Since the late 1950s, there have been vast numbers of cases worldwide of human beings born with either supernatural powers or gross, but usually beneficial, physiological mutations. Although commonly believed to be some form of manifestation of the next stage of evolution, only isolated cases exhibit what scientists have dubbed “the Posthuman Gene”. The vast majority of cultures worldwide exhibit an overwhelming degree of animosity towards these Mutants, so many of those who openly use their powers will fabricate fictitious scientific or supernatural explanations for how they are capable of doing what they do.
Radical Mutants are the most common variety of mutant, with the most varied abilities and often physical differences that set them apart from regular humans. They are born with their powers already as advanced as they will ever be, although naturally they can still train in their physical abilities, as well as improve the skill with which they apply their powers.
Perfect Mutants (as they are commonly known) are those who can be distinguished from humans on a genetic level. Their powers are usually restricted to vastly increased physical or mental abilities, often including psychic powers. Another important manner by which they are different to Radical Mutants is that their powers must be disciplined and trained in order to achieve their true potential.

Supernatural
Those who gain posthuman abilities through interactions with extradimensional entities. Of these, those recorded are the so-called “Gods” of the Harrowing Plane; the wraiths and lichs of the Beckoning Plane, widely theorised to be the destination of human spirits after death; and the Pale Ones and Grinning Ones of the Deluding Plane. Although most people on the street, when asked, will claim that there is no such thing as different dimensions, or at least no way of communicating with them, the names of these three planes are somewhat commonly known. The existence of other planes that can be contacted is also feasible, but due to the reticence of most Mystics there is no conclusive evidence that points one way or another. Although one can be born with an aptitude for Mysticism, it is at its basest a Posthuman practice that anyone can succeed in with sufficient training and contemplation.
The Blessed are those who have been chosen by the unknowable beings of the Harrowing Plane to wield their incredible powers on our world. Often gifted with incredible combat-based abilities, they are also incredibly rare and seemingly completely randomly selected.
The Haunted are those who draw their dubious abilities from the Beckoning Plane. Often gifted with clairvoyance and other such supernatural senses, or alternately simply aided and informed by the spirits, they are often dismissed as fakers and attention seekers.
The Blind are those who are given power by the arcane beings of the Deluding Plane. Little is known about the nature of their abilities, or that of their benefactors, but they are commonly distinguishable by the “mark” left on them by those they have interacted with.

Scientific
Splashed with a bizarre concotion of unknown origin, hit by a beam of unusual energy, bitten by a mutagenic beast or simply using an invention of bizarre power, the number of stories of posthumans who have reached their state by random strokes of luck in laboratories are almost as many as the posthumans themselves. Their powers tend to be either irreversible or to require activation, and due to their random nature often a good deal less reliable than those of their comrades.
Enhanced superhumans are those who have been quite simply given bizarre powers due to their exposure to volatile scientific chemicals, energies or technologies.
Mutated superhumans are those whose very physical forms have been altered in some way after mutagenic exposure. Often irreversible and with occasional mutations to the subject's mind as well, they are generally considered to be volatile and untrustworthy.
Upgraded superhumans are those who quite simply use highly advanced technology to enhance their regular human abilities. Whether it be through robotic assistance, advanced weaponry or high-capability vehicles or armour, these abilities are varied and rather common.

Vigilantes
Quite simply, the superhero that isn't a posthuman. Often, but not always, closely linked with the Scientific subset of adventurers, these are essentially gifted humans with high degrees of physical or mental potential, who use simple human abilities in combination with specialised equipment and extensive training to rise above the crowd. Not much can be said about them as a group, such is the diversity of the individuals involved.

Extraterrestrials
The rarest of superhumans are those who claim to originate on planets other than Earth. As no intelligent life on other planets has been discovered or proven to exist by modern science, these claims are always viewed as dubious.


[OOC] Bushido Metal

Bushido Metal

Okay guys and girls! Right now I'm still uploading the salient information regarding this world and its many superpowered weirdos, but feel free to hit me with whatever questions and, if you're interested, start thinking about your character(s) and how they would fit into this world. Anti-authoritarian vigilante, government superhero, criminal supervillain, defender of law, defender of justice... it is very open! Human characters are welcome as well, naturally.

Uh, yeah. Thread open!

ETA: Here is the thread of World Information, that I'll be continuously adding to as the roleplay progresses, most like.

Lore

And just to clarify, in case anyone was unsure, the roleplay will begin with my main character waiting at his home to meet up with the people who responded to his advert for "Bushido Metal" band members. Anyone who doesn't want to play an anti-authority superhero is welcome to join later on or begin a different thread. I think you can do that. I'm not fully used to the roleplay tab system yet.