Legend of the Jade Emperor

Wrenn · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Wrenn** on Tue Feb 12, 2013 8:29 pm

Speaking of confusion, here's a bit of a timeline as far as Sean/James/Simon/Val is concerned, since I don't think I did a great job of describing it in Simon's post:

Simon texts Sean, posing as a workmate to get him to go to a bar called the Escape
Sean agrees, and leaves the Pawprint
Simon texts Val and tells her that Sean will be at the Escape later
Val is at the dance session w/ James and others, but when they all go to dinner she leaves to go to the bar instead

I know it doesn't quite hold up to scrutiny if you look at the timeline as presented in the various posts, but... that's plotting on the fly for you!

rdaydreamer · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **rdaydreamer** on Tue Feb 12, 2013 9:15 pm

Lol thanks for the post Wrenn, I have to admit it's pretty confusing without it DX

Also @zen (and I guess to everyone else to), Valerie is going to be played by both Wrenn and I as a NPC, but I submitted her as a character so we can be consistent when we write about her.

Edit: also, Wrenn and I were bouncing some ideas around we were thinking maybe the "watchers"/antagonists could be the Western zodiac (ie. Aries, Taurus..). They have their equivalents in the Chinese zodiac (ie. Snake = Taurus) so it can be a 1vs1 where each sign battle their own bad guy. (I guess it might look like a "battling your inner demons" sort of thing? A lot of character development potential as well as plot.)
We were also thinking maybe it could be Orion, the hunter, who is hunting us as trophies.

Just throwing it out there for everyone. Thoughts?

zen_ink · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **zen_ink** on Tue Feb 12, 2013 9:42 pm

UGH THOSE ARE BOTH SUCH AMAZING IDEAS hahaha. What if we COMBINED them, and it were the Western Zodiac that are hunting us, and they are being led by Orion?

rdaydreamer · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **rdaydreamer** on Tue Feb 12, 2013 9:50 pm

I know right? We can thank Wrenn for those XD.

Ooh, that sounds good. Though they would need a motive for all this conflict. If we go with this, some potential ideas off the bat (I'm going to refer to the Western zodiac as "watchers"):
- Orion manipulates the watchers to do his dirty work
- watchers think the chinese zodiac is wrong and that they are the rightful signs
- compelled by an outside force to battle (destiny/fate, higher spiritual power, etc.)
- revenge (maybe revenge on the jade emperor and empress)

zen_ink · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **zen_ink** on Tue Feb 12, 2013 9:54 pm

I really like the first two points. I like the idea of Orion being a malicious character. He's obviously not the ruler of the Western Zodiac (that would probably be God or something haha) but he's manipulating them into working for him... maybe he's stolen something from God that gives him dominance over the zodiacs. I think there should be a natural seed for envy within each of the Western Zodiacs, like how you said they think the chinese are wrong and they are the rightful signs. So in a way, they aren't just being manipulated by Orion but they kind of want this for themselves as well. Orion should be evil.. he doesn't care for the zodiacs (east or west) he just wants power. And then if it makes sense, maybe throw in a little history between Orion and the Jade Emperor and Empress. Maybe something happened between them in a distant past, and that's Orion's motives. You guys seem to be coming up with some really good stuff so I'll leave it to you lol

Everyone feel free to put in their input on these ideas!!

zen_ink · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **zen_ink** on Tue Feb 12, 2013 9:57 pm

Already even thought of the perfect counter to Elias.... His Western counterpart is Cancer and an appropriate power for Cancer could be Shielding, meaning zodiac power immunity. In this sense, Cancer is the only one who's future Elias cannot predict. Thus effectively countering him! :P

....Alright its a little Twilight-esque but the idea totally came to me on its own and it fits!

Felidae · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Felidae** on Tue Feb 12, 2013 10:42 pm

Holy crap I was going to post the idea of the western zodiacs being the watchers when I got home. Dang, I must be turning into Elias XD I didn't think as far as having Orion be the guy behind it all, but that's a brilliant idea. I'm loving the hunting aspect of it. It feels like it all fits in perfectly.

I was thinking about why Orion would need to hunt the E. zodiacs instead of just attacking the jade emperor directly. Well, obviously the JE would be too powerful, so how about the JE gets his power from the zodiacs? So as each one dies, he gets weaker and weaker until, if all of them die, he just becomes a harmless ancient spirit in a human body. And the JE could be part of some sort of council of godly beings. Orion could be trying to take his place so he can gain the powers of a god.

I'm doubting the coherency of what I just typed, but what do you guys think?

rdaydreamer · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **rdaydreamer** on Wed Feb 13, 2013 1:25 am

I love all these ideas, and yes Felidae, that makes sense. I like the struggle for power theme. We'll just need to come up with some history for Orion and JE I think.

One possible idea would be mirroring the zodiac theme of rightful signs - Orion believes JE took his rightful spot on the council, or maybe that JE didn't earn it when Orion had been serving the council for millenia. The council obviously did not trust Orion enough to give him the position or power. Maybe JE and Orion were once close friends and Orion feels betrayed that JE took the position when he knew Orion had his sights on it. JE might even be in the wrong as well, maybe a twist could be that JE did frame Orion and cause him to look bad in front of the council. So many possibilities.

Also zen, I think shielding might be too generic of an ability - that basically makes cancer immune to everyone's power, not specifically Eli's. I didn't think of an opposing ability though, just that their personalities will be similar, so good point.

(I have no idea what would James's opposing power would be, though he would be hindered if he couldn't speak so I suppose Taurus could be mute with other senses being heightened.)

Btw I just realized, since they would do battle, the Patersons will have to train with each other once they recognize the threat = better control, and will cause the more reluctant ones like James to use their powers :D *excited*. This is sounding like x-men lol, a little academy at the Paterson estate.

If anyone else has any ideas please feel free to suggest them :D

Wrenn · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Wrenn** on Wed Feb 13, 2013 2:47 am

Hey everyone, I'm psyched that we all like the western zodiac / Orion angle. Especially love the idea of the celestial hunter needing to kill us all to take the JE's place!

For zen... Instead of cancer nullifying all Zodiac powers, maybe he's unbound by fate and can't be predicted?

As for Sean, it looks like Libra is his counter - Libra with the balancing scales. Sean's perpetual good luck makes him a karma bomb, and if he's ever weighed by Libra... Kaboom!

As for Simon, Sagittarius is his counter, and a bit of a hunter like Orion. Perfect for prey that tries to stay invisible...

The only thing I'll say is I think we should build this slowly. No need for any confrontation with them yet - except as nebulous 'watchers.' Just my opinion, since there's a good source of drama between our differing personalities already, without bringing in the big guns.

zen_ink · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **zen_ink** on Wed Feb 13, 2013 5:30 am

@Wrenn I agree actually. I think it would be in the plot's general best interest to introduce all this rather slowly. I think with tomorrow being the Paterson's big holiday celebration, something of significance should definitely occur. Maybe they discover who the Watchers really are, and are shocked to learn that the Western Zodiac is actually out for them. This would mean that the Chinese already know the Western exist - they probably have not associated in over several thousands of years though. And they CERTAINLY never thought they would "come for them".

@Rday yeah I actually thought of that a little while after I posted it, I was eating cookies (I do some of my best thinking while eating cookies, apparently.) and I was like "No wait, that doesn't make sense since Cancer would counter everyone then lol. So I'm amending my previous proposal to "Psychic Shielding", meaning no mind-reading, no fate-predicting, no clairvoyance.. Cancer would essentially be like a psychic "dead battery", and in Eli's visions where Cancer would otherwise be present, he's just not. He doesn't show up in the vision. I think it fits Cancer pretty well, they're known for being hard to read and having an impenetrable shell.

@Fel hahaha well, I guess great minds really DO think alike! I think it's pretty crazy in all honesty how in-sync mostly everyone participating in this RP appears to be xD It's kinda awesome! And your ideas all make perfect sense to me. I think that only makes sense, that Orion would have to take out each individual Chinese zodiac to get at the Emperor. The Jade Emperor is a God, so he is very powerful. Orion isn't a God, I think he's just a celestial being. Even though JE isn't a "top-ranking" God (he was assigned the position of watching over the earth thousands of years ago by a more superior divine being) he's still a lot more powerful than Orion could ever hope to be.

zen_ink · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **zen_ink** on Wed Feb 13, 2013 5:34 am

Also about opposing power ideas, I think you guys mostly nailed your counters - ESPECIALLY the idea with Sag and the Rat, I REALLY like the cohesiveness in that one. The Rat is great at hiding, Sag is an archer so he's great at tracking. It's fantastic haha.

Same with the Dog. Libra is the scales of justice; it would probably be Libra's ability to be able to bring Karmic judgment upon others, and the Dog is fully aware of how much Karmic debt he's probably in with all that accumulated abuse of his "luck" power over 26 years of his life :p

Having a hard time thinking of one that would make sense for James, though. Taurus is pretty much the same as the Chinese Bull haha, so having a power like super-strength would be most appropriate although that doesn't really counter Persuasion. Maybe if he had "Super MENTAL Strength"? :P Which basically means his will is so strong and he's so stubborn, no amount of persuasion would ever stop him from pursuing what he wants. Just an idea. Hopefully you can think of a better one.

EDIT: Sorry for the massive amounts of text ^^;

Felidae · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Felidae** on Wed Feb 13, 2013 9:08 am

Hmm, I don't have a good grasp on the western zodiac signs. The only thing I know about Pisces is that it's a fish or two fish... red fish blue fish, something like that lol. I can't really think of a good way to counter Benji's super speed. I've considered paralysis, confusion, even loss of appetite, but all those would affect everyone, not just Benji.

So... anyone got any ideas? I know Benji is just dying to be countered

rdaydreamer · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **rdaydreamer** on Wed Feb 13, 2013 11:27 am

Nice choice of counter abilities Wrenn :0

Zen, I think having them know the identity of the watchers during the party is too soon. I think discovering the identities is one of the best parts, so I'd hate to have it over with so quick. Maybe they could acknowledge that they're being watched and JE can command the others to not use their powers for the time being and be on the lookout?

I was also thinking if anyone was to find out first, it'd be JE, Simon, James and/or Eli since the rat and snake are investigators/observers and Eli for his psychic ability. (Ex. maybe Eli gets a clue when he is able to see a bit more about the watchers down the road, but never about the one shadowy figure (Cancer)).

I can't think of a counter for James yet, though super mental strength/strong will fits better than what I made up XD. I guess I could call it mental impenetrability? Though he'll be impervious to the rooster too.

Felidae - Well I know the W. Zodiac pretty well, just hard to come up with an appropriate counter. One for Pisces could be illusions, tricking Benji and nullifying his speed, but this is for everyone too. Intangibility, but same issue. Absorbing kinetic energy and using it against him? Doesn't seem very Pisces related. I personally like the illusions the most out of these three.

Wrenn · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Wrenn** on Wed Feb 13, 2013 11:48 am

Then again, their counters' powers don't have to be exact opposites, or nullifying. They can just be destined to combat each other. So Pisces doesn't have to have some counter to super speed, s/he just has to have a power that makes sense for the sign, and be fated to battle Benji.

I'm thinking either:

Pisces has a dual nature and is usually represented as two fish, so maybe Pisces can create dopplegangers of himself. Benji's super speed would be put to use battling an army of Pisces?

Or Pisces is said to be the origin of the "fisher of men" idea, and also the "father of monsters." Put those two ideas together and Pisces could be able to corrupt people and turn them into his monsters. Again Benji would be battling multiple opponents that might overqhelm even his speed.

Just some thoughts.

zen_ink · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **zen_ink** on Wed Feb 13, 2013 2:02 pm

I like the idea of illusions for pisces, thats a really cool power ;p

Crap it's too bad the Westerners aren't getting roleplayed, they're sounding pretty cool!!

P.S. I give up on the countering powers idea. I say just go with powers that make sense for the W. Zodiac. Cancer is gonna get the ability to make forcefields.

rdaydreamer · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **rdaydreamer** on Wed Feb 13, 2013 2:37 pm

Zen - you could make a case for the unbound by fate idea Wrenn had for Eli ("shielded" from fate, Cancer is in its own protective shell, etc.). I'm still for the countering idea.

Also, about the party, since this is happening sooner. Should there be some traditions they should follow? ex.
- dress up in Chinese garb. (The most popular ones would probably be from the Han dynasty: http://wenhousecrafts.com/2007/april/im ... ympics.gif).
- race, since the zodiac was formed based on who arrived when (with or without using powers)
- feast, since JE invited all to a banquet long ago

Any ideas? Whenever we do decide to begin posting for the party, I'd assume Zen would post first as JE just to keep it organized (even though we can all technically post as JE).

zen_ink · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **zen_ink** on Wed Feb 13, 2013 4:46 pm

Yeah I was gonna get something going in my next post. I was giving others a chance to post and play around some more and stuff before I started things with the banquet.

YES I love those tradition ideas hahah. Mom and dad are totally flying in for this. Mr. Paterson is gonna prepare a big feast for the whole family, and then the kids are going to have a playful race. They do this every year on their Chinese New Year celebration just to see if things would have turned out the same had the race taken place in present day instead of all those years ago.

In many ways, this celebration is totally catering to their true spiritual selves. The festivities and traditions probably make them feel more at home than anything else on earth.

There'll also be a special ceremony or something for James since the year is honoring him.

rdaydreamer · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **rdaydreamer** on Thu Feb 14, 2013 12:42 am

Hmm I have no idea what the special ceremony for James will entail...any ideas?

Also, after some thought, I think I'll reserve the monkey if it's ok. Oh and my friend (nepeta) wants to reserve the pig. :)

Edit: Done, let me know if there's any issues :0

zen_ink · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **zen_ink** on Thu Feb 14, 2013 9:57 am

Alright I accepted your character for the Monkey ^^ And yay! We finally have a pig! .... That sounded wrong lol.

Eh what the hell, I'm gonna go and make a character for the Rooster since he seems to be getting no love ;p might as well complete the zodiac, right?

EDIT: Mesmerist never submitted a character sheet so I took the Horse off of reserve so, if anyone wants it, feel free. It's the only zodiac we're missing, assuming Nepeta joins as the Pig.

EDIT EDIT: I can't wait to introduce Alex's Western Counterpart Rival... gonna be so hilarious :P

Felidae · **Tips:** 0.00 INK by **Felidae** on Thu Feb 14, 2013 8:44 pm

Erps, my post is pretty late. The conversation at the Pawprint is really dragging on, sorry 'bout that.

I think I'll go ahead and take the horse if no one new comes along before the celebration. Don't know when I'll have his sheet done, but I will have it done by the party.

Legend of the Jade Emperor

a part of “Legend of the Jade Emperor”, a fictional universe by zen_ink.

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