Raiyuu

[color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS][size=1]All righty, we have a full house. I have all your Trump Cards, thank you; I haven't had to change any of them, thank you more! The RPG proper will start on Thursday. I'll be PMing you all before then, for various reasons. Firstly, I'll give you all details of your team-mate's Trump Card - you work with the person, after all, you'd know their powers. I'll also let you know what the situation is at the beginning of the story, since it's going to kind of launch straight into the middle of an action sequence and I don't want to have to do too much OOC posting in the thread proper. I'll start an Underground thread at the same time as I start the RPG. I'm going to advise each player by PM when to first reveal their Trump Card, because that way we don't get too many revealed at once and the game has a bit more suspense for the players that are still in the dark. If this system turns out to be overly prescriptive then I'll abandon it, but for the moment, the rule is no Trumping until I give the word. Also, some of you have potentially deadly Trump Cards, so no killing other players in the prologue, okay? I'll talk to you all later. Thanks for joining. Let's hope it's a blast. [/size][/font][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][size=1]I haven't read 'Death Wish' but I've certainly surfed Online Comics a fair bit, and [url="http://rapturecomic.keenspace.com"]my comic[/url]'ll get posted there when it gets up to fifteen strips (shameless plug!). A webcomic that got published? Tokyo something? You're most likely thinking of the mighty [url="http://www.megatokyo.com"]MegaTokyo[/url], am I right? If you want to find more webcomics, there are several other online webcomic ranking sites to try. [url="http://www.topwebcomics.com"]TopWebComics[/url] [url="http://www.webcomicslist.com/index.php"]WebComicsList[/url] [url="http://www.buzzcomix.net"]BuzzComix[/url] (they've been having server trouble lately so you might just get an Error 404 page) [url="http://www.thewebcomiclist.com"]TheWebComicList[/url] I think Buzz would be the best one if they didn't have so much server downtime. As it is, I'm a fan of TopWebComics; they've just had a site redesign too, so the site looks all pretty now. (Not if you use Mozilla though - they're all IE users and haven't finished fixing it for FireFox yet :animeangr) Webcomics do rule, but I do sometimes get frustrated that the story never ends, you keep having to wait and wait for it to develop. What does anyone else think? [/size][/color]

[color=Teal][size=1][font=Trebuchet MS]Yikes, people are actually signing up! This is a new experience for me: my RPGs don't usually ever make it out of the Inn, but this one looks like a winner. Those of you with unfinished signups, I won't add you on to the cast list until you're finished, but you get first refusal for sticking your foot in the door, so to speak. Leofski, you have a place reserved if you want to take it - it looks like you're stuck on Transport with me if you do :animesigh I know some of you haven't finished, but please don't forget to [b]PM your Trump Cards to me[/b] - I'm not having completely blind signups on this, I want to check them over to make sure no one's God-moding. You can push the limits a bit with these - some of the characters in the series are pretty extreme - but I'm just playing it safe. ^.^ , yours is fine; everyone else, I hope to receive them soon. Thanks for joining! .:EDIT:. A point that ^.^ raised: no, your Trump Card needn't be related to your main Ability. Obviously it's in character for it to link in, but I'm by no means forcing you to hold to that. In the series, Ban's Trump Card has little or no relation to his 200kg crushing grip besides the tenuous snake theme; if the main character of the series is allowed two completely separate abilities, then so are you guys :animesmil [/font][/size][/color]

[b][size=1]Name [/size][/b][size=1]Alexander Jackson [b]Age [/b]31 [b]Alliance [/b]Eliminator [b]Appearance [/b]Eliminator Jackson is an exceptionally tall man, nearing six foot four. His face is pale, with numerous faded scar-lines, most notably one stretching from above his right eye, through the eyepatch he wears to his chin, passing through his mouth on its path, the puckered scar tissue twisting his lips into a permanent wry smirk. His remaining eye is so pale grey as to almost be white. He is usually seen to be wearing a full-length charcoal-grey coat over similarly coloured slacks, black boots and an open-necked white shirt; the ensemble is topped off by a wide-brimmed black hat. [b]Weapons [/b][i]Decapitator shurikens;[/i] small silver discs which, when thrown, flick out into a four-bladed star designed to remove heads. [i]Wristblades;[/i] devices strapped to Jackson's forearms which, when he claps, flick out forearm-length silver blades that extend over his fists, for close-quarter fighting. [b]Extra [/b]Jackson also carries a pack of cigarettes and a jacked-up silver Zippo.[b] Personality [/b]Jackson is something of a cynic. Eliminating vampires no longer gives him the rush it did when he was younger, but he has long since accepted that a) he is one of the best in the world at it and b) he isn't much good at anything else. He has a bleak outlook on life and a wry sense of gallows humour. [b]Fighting style [/b]Jackson considers stakes to be unwieldy, preferring instead a straight beheading; that way there is no ambiguity as to whether or not the vampire is down for the count. He prefers long-range combat, making liberal use of decapitator shurikens, and while he is an above-par hand-to-hand fighter, wounds he has sustained fighting vampires over the years tend to slow him down, so he avoids getting up close and personal when he can afford it. He only ever bothered to learn one magic spell: [i]Mesmerism,[/i] which places anyone looking at Jackson when he casts into a temporary trance-like state. [b]Character snippet [/b]Alexander Jackson stepped off the cruiser and strained his head back, peering up at the sky, until his neck emitted a loud [i]crack. [/i]They never accounted for the exceptionally tall when building international passenger craft. The pale man rummaged in an inside pocket of his coat, emerging victorious with a weatherbeaten Zippo and crumpled pack of Marlboros. He shook a cigarette from the packet, placing it between his lips and deftly catching a small passport photograph as it fell from between the white rolls. He flicked the Zippo open and lit his cigarette with a jet of flame a foot high. The photo was a little out of focus, but it definitely showed a girl. On the back were scrawled the words [i]Beth Archer[/i] and an address. Jackson sighed, blue smoke billowing from his scarred mouth. This country looked small on the map, but there was certainly enough of it to make finding Beth Archer sound like a lot of effort. [/size]

Dagger said: [spoiler][color=#000000]So did Envy kill Maria Ross and take her place? Or was the person who saved Hughes actually Envy from the beginning?[/color][/spoiler][size=1] [/size][color=DarkGreen][size=1](The spoiler-tags die if you quote properly) [/size][/color] [color=DarkGreen][size=1][spoiler]Envy was disguised as Ross, but didn't kill her, as she appears in later episodes. It's a while since I saw that episode, but didn't Lieutentant Hawkeye save Hughes?[/spoiler] Something Leofski mentioned to me the other day, which freaked me out a little: how cute would a plushie or otherwise cuddly toy of Shou Tucker be? I find it deeply disturbing to find myself wanting one. Anyone got contacts in the toy/anime merch industry? [/size][/color]

[center][b][font=Trebuchet MS][i][size=3][color=DarkRed]Get Backers:[/color][/size][color=DarkRed] [/color][color=DarkRed][size=4]BAD FOR BUSINESS[/size][/color] [/i][/font][/b][/center] [color=Teal] [font=Trebuchet MS][b]"I understand you trade under a no-questions-asked policy."[/b] Kurogo looked at the spiky-haired man with mean eyes, mentally assessing his trustworthiness, and whether his lack of it was outweighed by his greed. [b]"That's correct, Kurogo-san. We deliver. It makes no odds to us what we're delivering as long as we're paid at the end of it."[/b] The scruffy youth absently brushed a strand of hair from his field of vision and fixed the fat, business-suited man with an amused-looking gaze. [b]"Of course, the more money we have to count on the way, the less time we have to be tempted to peek."[/b] There a was a chuckle from the shadows near the warehouse's entrance, where the other half of the transport service was waiting. The figure was entirely obscured by darkness. Kurogo's face took on an angry sneer despite himself. [b]"You will be paid handsomely, of course,"[/b] he replied through clenched teeth. [b]"Great,"[/b] the transporter exclaimed with a massive grin. [b]"Bring the package out to our van,"[/b] he called over his shoulder, heading towards his partner at the door. [b]"I want the package taken by public transport,"[/b] Kurogo called back, smirking. Several sprigs of spiked ash-blonde hair drooped over the youth's face as he stopped in his tracks. He turned back to Kurogo. [b]"Say [i]what?[/i]"[/b] [/font][/color] [center][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS]~~~~~~~~~~~~[/font][/color] [/center] [color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS] [/font][/color] [right][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS]This RPG is based on Get Backers. The location: Tokyo. As people place more and more investment - of money and emotion - in their material possessions, recovery services are springing up everywhere. One such recovery service will be this RPG's focus.[/font][/color][/size][size=1] [/size][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS]Fairly obviously, Kurogo's package is fraudulently obtained, and the real owner's hired a recovery service to get it back. But Kurogo's hired a transport service to get it to his fence safely, and what's more, a mysterious third party has hired a disposal service to destroy it before anyone can get their hands on it.[/font][/color][/size][size=1] [/size][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS]This particular item won't be the main story of the RPG. The action will start with the three parties converging, as a kind of 'pre-credit sequence' designed to introduce the characters and their respective abilities, as well as the ways they interact with each other. Once this sequence ends, the story proper will begin.[/font][/color][/size][size=1] [/size][b][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS]Signups[/font][/color][/size][/b][size=1] [/size][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS]I need signups for all three services: recovery, transport, and disposal. The plan is for each service to be a duo, but if I get enough decent signups then I'm sure I can extend them.[/font][/color][/size][size=1] [/size][b][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS]Required info:[/font][/color][/size][/b][size=1] [/size][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS][b]Name[/b] (do I really have to explain...?)[/font][/color][/size][size=1] [/size][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS][b]Alias[/b] (something your character is known as: for instance, in the series, Ginji is 'The Lightning Emperor'. This is optional. Also, if you want to be extra mysterious, you can give this [i]instead[/i] of a name, keeping your character's true identity secret)[/font][/color][/size][size=1] [/size][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS][b]Gender [/b](see name)[/font][/color][/size][size=1] [/size][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS][b]Affiliation[/b] (recovery service/transport service/disposal service)[/font][/color][/size][size=1] [/size][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS][b]Describe yourself in five words[/b] (I don't want lengthy bios or descriptions of personality, just sum up your character in five words. These can be a list or a five-word phrase; be creative)[/font][/color][/size][size=1] [/size][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS][b]Appearance[/b] (a picture or a brief description)[/font][/color][/size][size=1] [/size][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS][b]Ability [/b](your character's special power or talent. This being the Get Backers world, all characters already have martial arts skills and the ability to jump ridiculously high, so think of something else to accompany this)[/font][/color][/size][size=1] [/size][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS][b]Trump Card[/b] (the powerful, showstopper move your character uses in desperate situations, like [spoiler]Ban's Jagon, Shidoh's Beastmaster transformation or Ginji's Lightning Rod technique.[/spoiler] DO NOT post this with the rest of your signup - instead, PM it to me. That way, each character's Trump Card comes as a surprise to the other RPers)[/font][/color][/size][size=1] [/size][b][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS]My Signup[/font][/color][/size][/b][size=1] [/size][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS][b]Name[/b] Raiyuu[/font][/color][/size][size=1] [/size][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS][b]Alias[/b] The Cardsharp[/font][/color][/size][size=1] [/size][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS][b]Gender[/b] Male[/font][/color][/size][size=1] [/size][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS][b]Affiliation[/b] Transport service[/font][/color][/size][size=1] [/size][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS][b]Describe yourself in five words[/b] Will transport anything for money[/font][/color][/size][size=1] [/size][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS][b]Appearance[/b] Raiyuu is a lanky youth with grey eyes, spiky ash-blonde hair and a near-permanent slightly amused expression. He usually dresses scruffy, in worn blue jeans, a vest and a black leather bomber.[/font][/color][/size][size=1] [/size][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS][b]Ability[/b] Raiyuu can move his hands faster than the human eye can see. This allows him to perform card tricks no one can fathom, because his hands really are quicker than the eye. He can use this ability to hurl several throwing knives a second, and can punch like a jackhammer, turning one impact into several, causing massive bruising and broken bones.[/font][/color][/size][size=1] [/size][size=1][color=Teal][font=Trebuchet MS][b]Trump Card[/b] You'll just have to wait and see... [/font][/color][/size] [right][b][color=Teal][size=1][font=Trebuchet MS]Cast: Recovery Service - [/font][/size][/color][/b][font=Trebuchet MS][size=1][color=Teal]Riko Omiwatari, Yuki-Onna/Snow Queen (Delta)[/color][/size][/font][b][color=Teal][size=1][font=Trebuchet MS] - [/font][/size][/color][/b][color=Teal][size=1][font=Trebuchet MS]Lady Kaishi (Neuvoxetere)[/font][/size][/color][b][color=Teal][size=1][font=Trebuchet MS] Transport Service - [/font][/size][/color][/b][color=Teal][size=1][font=Trebuchet MS]Raiyuu, The Cardsharp (Blackjack) - James Kurosawa, The Unnoticeable Man (Leofski) [b]Disposal Service -[/b] Jake Klick, Loud Mouth (^.^) - Alexander Crowne, Trump (Retribution) [/font][/size][/color][/right] [/right]

[color=DarkGreen][size=1]You wouldn't have to worry about Gluttony unless he had a reason to be chasing you, surely? What did you do...? :animedepr I'd be fairly worried about living in Newport City, Masamune Shirow's world for [i]New Dominion Tank Police.[/i] The place is infested with terrorists, you can't go out at night without a gas mask because of the nasty photochemical smog, and to top it all the police, the people that are supposed to be protecting you from the aforementioned terrorists, go around in [b]tanks[/b], blowing things up at the first sign of a disturbance of the peace. I'd never get any sleep, for a start! Admittedly Newport City isn't nearly as dangerous as the [i]Dragonball[/i] worlds, but if I was in [/size][/color][color=DarkGreen][size=1][i]Dragonball,[/i] chances are I'd have superpowers enough to handle the old world-blown-up scenario. [/size][/color]

[quote name='Raid3r] Kindly learn to recognize sarcasm before you call [i]me[/i'] retarded. Perhaps you could try googling it. Such a pity voice tone can't be recognized on message boards.[/quote] [color=DarkGreen][size=1]You were being [i]sarcastic? [/i]The girl's clearly having an emotional dilemma, has opened up to the Boards and you felt the best response to her request for advice was [i]sarcasm? [/i]Have some tact. Maybe you could Google it. I thought this was pretty open and shut until I read that a) he says he doesn't love you and b) it's usually you that instigates. I'm hardly the expert on these matters but it sounds like you're using sex as a way of trying to confirm your love for him; showing him that you still feel that way in the hope that he'll realise and start to reciprocate. I think that, like in almost every relationship problem, the key is going to be communication. Go out to dinner and chew the fat until you can tell where you both stand. You need to know whether there's any way he'll ever love you again, because if there isn't, then you're heading into a one-sided relationship, and those just aren't healthy. I know it's hard to even consider the end of a first relationship, but if you're going to continue adoring an unresponsive partner forever, all you're going to get is heartbroken. [/size][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][size=1]It actually makes me ashamed to be British to think that some people would seriously consider voting in Veritas. Have you not heard any of Robert Kilroy-Silk's comments to people in the street? Here is an example, which he said to an old man with a stick. [quote name='Kilroy-Silk']Hello, are you going to vote Veritas? Don't say no while the cameras are on me or I'll wrap that stick around your neck.[/quote] A real people person, that one. Far too many people, in my opinion, slate Blair without really thinking first. Yes, he took us to war and I was just as unhappy about that as everyone else. But you can't call him an a**hole for making an extremely difficult decision. His intelligence was unreliable, and he made what he felt was the best judgement in the circumstances. I'm not saying he was right, I'm saying he has a flippin' difficult job and he can't put a foot wrong without the Tories and the SNP yelling 'impeach that man!' and Dead Ringers portraying him as a blundering incompetent. Have some sympathy for the poor guy. Just compare the publicity photos from 1997 and now, and see how eight years in the job have aged him. As for the Conservatives, Michael Howard is a deeply unpleasant character. I wouldn't shake his hand. I'm not talking about appearance - that would be unfair discrimination - but has anyone seen the obvious relish he takes when tearing apart people's opinions and policies in Parliament? He never seems happier than when he's making someone else look and feel small in front of a hundred MPs. Finally, did anyone else in Britain notice the odd thing about the two main parties' billboard campaigns? Neither Labour nor the Conservatives published a single poster concerning their own policies. They just used their ad campaigns to snipe at each other. I didn't want to know what was rubbish about the other parties, I wanted to know what was good about their parties. I wanted to know which party to vote for, not which not to. Negative campaigning really gets on my wick. The Lib Dems were the only main party to campaign on their own strengths instead of everyone else's weaknesses, and I respect them deeply for that. [/size][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][size=1]I have a horrible feeling I'd starve if I went to Japan. I'm a pretty picky eater, and while I think I'd at least be able to manage ramen, I'd have to be careful, because I have a fairly violent allergy to MSG (monosodium glutemate) which is present in a lot of Oriental food. More in Chinese than Japanese food, but I'd still have to be careful. The first thing I'd [i]do[/i] in Japan, after getting out of the airport which I consider to be neutral territory and not actually part of the country, would probably be to make an idiot out of myself trying to speak Japanese to someone, in order to get directions to my motel or hostel or whatever. [i]Uhh ... watashi wa ... erm ... you know, hotel ... ikimasu ... [/i]And you can bet it'll turn out they speak better English than I do. [/size][/color]

[size=1][color=Red]Small-time villains kept to the streets; the evil elite had the rooftops. There was a kind of unspoken caste system about it: if a bad guy tried to conduct business atop Otaku City?s skyscrapers before he was a made man, the other villains would take him away somewhere for a ?quiet word? before the heroes? red phones or sky-signals even started booting up. The city centre was all high-risers: office blocks and massive leisure conglomerates and casinos and blocks of flats. The buildings got shorter and shorter the closer you got to suburbia and the outskirts, so from side-on the whole city resembled a massive bell-curve. Blackjack preferred it when criminals kept to the outskirts. There wasn?t as far to fall. His jet-black bike wove through the late-night traffic on the main highway through Otaku Central, headlights and brakelights reflecting liquidly in the mirror-polished surface. The bike was simultaneously his pride and joy and his saving grace: it was the only thing that allowed him to keep up with the airborne heroes when it came to reaching crime scenes. There was always a lot of traffic in Otaku City, and the heroes that had tried Batman-style rocket cars had discovered that they so rarely got a stretch of road long and open enough to use the booster, it wasn?t worth the maintenance and fuel costs. The bike allowed for weaving between lanes, and Blackjack considered it a worthwhile investment, even if he had had his share of scrapes and near misses. As he jinked out to pass a supertanker right next to the barrier, the Central Precinct hove into view. A massive grid of light superimposed on the night sky, the Precinct housed malls, coffee bars, social clubs and seedy pool halls, as well as the City?s executive offices on the five penthouse levels. The Mayor and her staff occupied the uppermost floor, and the supervillains loved it; from her office it was only a short flight, or shimmy up a grappling line, or websling, to the roof: the highest and most ostentatious monologuing spot in town. As the supertanker?s grimy lardbucket of a driver honked his horn at the bike roaring underneath his offside mirror, he was drowned out by the [i]whuck-whuck-whuck[/i] of rotor blades. A police helicopter, flying low, thundered over the freeway towards the Precinct. There were already spotlight vans set up on the roadside, picking out the figures balanced precariously atop the building. The ?copter took up a hovering position above the building, and yet another spotlight flooded from its underbelly to further silhouette the villain and his victim. Blackjack swung the bike into an alley that ran alongside the Precinct, his knee lowered almost to the floor as he leaned into the tight corner at high speed. He leaped off it before it had stopped moving, pulling the keys out of the ignition; as he did so, the handlebars snapped to a central position, the brakes slammed on and the kickstand flipped out from underneath, neatly catching the machine as it began to topple. Blackjack mentally thanked Ozy again for the modifications she?d made to his vehicle, and started to race up the iron spiral stairs of the Precinct?s fire exit. [/color][/size] [center][size=1][color=Red][size=2]~~~~~~~~~~~~[/size][/color][/size] [/center] [size=1][color=Red] [b]?No chief ? no, he?s still demanding control of the city, chief. No chief, we?re still no further on that issue. Whenever we mention the word ?sexah,? he just starts sort of rambling to himself, chief. Mostly about how, um, ?sexah? he is, chief. Well, we?ll just have to work on the assumption that the ladies form part of his demands, chief. We can?t afford to make the wrong assumption. Hmm? Yes, the lads?ve sent out the signal, chief. I can see it right now. He should be along shortly. Over and out.?[/b] DI Leofski sighed, inaudibly over the ?copter?s whuckering. The Dragon Warrior?s demands were the same every time, as were his methods. He rarely tried to actually act on his threats and generally just stood on the roof with the Mayor and made a big impressive scene until the first superhero to turn up came along and foiled him. As a criminal psychologist, it was DI Leofski?s professional opinion that the Dragon Warrior just wanted the attention. That, or he had a crush on Madam Dagger. He certainly seemed to be holding her pretty tight. And it was DI Leofski's professional opinion that that lady was unimpressed. [/color][/size] [center][size=1][color=Red][size=2]~~~~~~~~~~~~[/size][/color][/size] [/center] [size=1][color=Red] [b]?Dragon Warrior!?[/b] The green-clad villain turned, his luxurious cape swirling impressively in the wind. His emerald armour gleamed in the harsh, white beams of the police searchlights. [b]?We meet again!?[/b] yelled Blackjack, struggling to be heard over the whirling rotors. He saw the Dragon Warrior?s brow furrow through the eye-slit in his medieval-looking helmet. [b]?We do??[/b] the villain replied, puzzled. His voice boomed easily over the racket. [b]?Wait, maybe ? did you give Lady Katana the assist that one time? Yeah, you?re ? no, it?s gone. Are you another telekinetic? I hate telekinetics.?[/b] One advantage of only being a small-time superhero: the villains can never remember what your powers are. It had worked to Blackjack?s advantage before. He caught the Mayor?s eye; she looked distinctly bored, and one of her hands kept batting away the Warrior?s roving fingers, almost on autopilot. Blackjack supposed even a situation like this could become dull, if experienced seventeen or eighteen times. [b]?Yeah, that?s me,?[/b] he replied, a little wearily. [b]?Let?s get this over with, shall we? My self-esteem?s too low for trash-talk tonight.?[/b] [b]?What do you ? ?[/b] The green knight?s eyes widened behind his visor as Blackjack pulled out Ozy?s device. It looked a little like a staple-gun, with Ozy?s distinctive manufacturer?s hallmark printed down one side. [b]?Too sexah for your cape, DW,?[/b] Blackjack yelled as he pulled the trigger. He?d spent the whole bike-ride thinking that one up. A small but chunky, button-shaped device with spiked legs flew out of the Ozy Patent Avatar Disruptor and latched itself onto the Dragon Warrior?s chest. His form flickered briefly into grey static before changing ? [b]?NOOOO!?[/b] he yelled, suitably melodramatically, tearing at the sequined party dress with his free hand. Dagger flinched as the shriek sounded right by her ear, and she brought one stilettoed heel down on the villain?s now-unarmoured foot. He squealed even louder and began to hop up and down, precariously close to the edge of the roof. [b]?Come with me, ma?am!?[/b] Blackjack yelled to the Mayor, holding out his hand. While he had no doubt she could easily get back to her office by herself, he was a superhero, and certain things were expected. She looked exasperated, but took the hand, and with a mammoth effort that made his head spin, he made the both of them disappear. As he ran with her across the Precinct roof towards the fire escape, Dagger looked, intrigued at her now-invisible hand. [b]?So,?[/b] she asked absently, [b]?how many supergirls have you seen naked?? [/b][color=DarkGreen] [/color][/color][/size] [center][size=1][color=DarkGreen]Sorry this instalment took so long, I've been doing Open University assignments. Apologies straight away to Dragon Warrior, who I'm sure isn't really a massive lech, but I wanted the word 'sexah' in there and it all sort of grew from there... There are still plenty of openings for cameos! Scorp Corp people, you're all in, but anyone else is also welcome - I still need a load of superheroes and a Chief of Police. As always feedback is welcome and necessary for improvement of services, so let's hear it, folks! [/color][/size][/center] [size=1][color=Red][color=DarkGreen][/color] [/color][/size]

[color=Navy][size=1]I've recently had the pleasure of seeing the first two volumes (ten episodes) of Get Backers, and thought I'd do an RPG. [b]The Concept[/b] The idea would be to have sign-ups for a recovery service like Ban and Ginji's Get Backers, a transport service like Himiko and Dr Jackal's, and possibly a disposal service as well to stir things up a little. I don't have the full story worked out yet (which is why this is here and not in the Inn) but the RPG would start out with the first clash between the transport and recovery services over a fairly trivial item, before moving on to the main event, a more significant recovery, possibly of several items in order to allow the various members of each team to operate individually. The point of interest is the sign-up system I have in mind. I'd like to know a couple of things: has anyone used this before? and can anyone foresee problems with it? [b]The System [/b]Anyone that's seen any of Get Backers will know that most of the main characters have a 'Trump Card' move that they use in dire situations. Examples include [spoiler]Ban's Jagon, Shidoh's beastmaster transformation and the lightning rod technique that [/size][/color][color=Navy][size=1]Ginji [/size][/color][color=Navy][size=1]uses against the Undead protection service agent[/spoiler]. I thought that while I wanted sign-ups to include the character's 'Trump Card', the RPG would be more enjoyable if these attacks came as a surprise to the other RPers. So the idea is that at least the 'Trump Card', and possibly other aspects of the sign-up too (like the character's real name if it's a secret), would be submitted to me via PM instead of in the forum. I'd then let certain people know these details (characters that would know them, like the other members of that person's team) and, once the RPG started, inform each player when the appropriate time came to reveal their secrets. Any feedback? Anyone? Let me know if you need more detail. If this works, I'll probably apply it to the Full Metal Alchemist RPG I have in the pipeline...[/size][/color]

[color=Navy][size=1]I've recently had the pleasure of seeing the first two volumes (ten episodes) of Get Backers, and thought I'd do an RPG. [b]The Concept[/b] The idea would be to have sign-ups for a recovery service like Ban and Ginji's Get Backers, a transport service like Himiko and Dr Jackal's, and possibly a disposal service as well to stir things up a little. I don't have the full story worked out yet (which is why this is here and not in the Inn) but the RPG would start out with the first clash between the transport and recovery services over a fairly trivial item, before moving on to the main event, a more significant recovery, possibly of several items in order to allow the various members of each team to operate individually. The point of interest is the sign-up system I have in mind. I'd like to know a couple of things: has anyone used this before? and can anyone foresee problems with it? [b]The System [/b]Anyone that's seen any of Get Backers will know that most of the main characters have a 'Trump Card' move that they use in dire situations. Examples include [/size][/color][color=Navy][size=1][SPOILER]Ban's Jagon, Shidoh's beastmaster transformation and the lightning rod technique that [/size][/color][color=Navy][size=1]Ginji [/size][/color][color=Navy][size=1]uses against the Undead protection service agent[/SPOILER]. I thought that while I wanted sign-ups to include the character's 'Trump Card', the RPG would be more enjoyable if these attacks came as a surprise to the other RPers. So the idea is that at least the 'Trump Card', and possibly other aspects of the sign-up too (like the character's real name if it's a secret), would be submitted to me via PM instead of in the forum. I'd then let certain people know these details (characters that would know them, like the other members of that person's team) and, once the RPG started, inform each player when the appropriate time came to reveal their secrets. Any feedback? Anyone? Let me know if you need more detail. If this works, I'll probably apply it to the Full Metal Alchemist RPG I have in the pipeline... [/size][/color]

[b][color=DarkRed][size=1]Name: [/size][/color][/b][color=DarkRed][size=1]Raiyuu Takadenawa [b]Codename:[/b] Cardsharp [b]Age:[/b] 25 [b]Gender:[/b] Male [b]Appearance:[/b] see attachment. Add two crossed bandoleers of knives across his chest. [b]Bio:[/b] Raiyuu grew up on the mean streets of the Big Easy, New Orleans. He made a living fleecing people out of their pocket change with card tricks, believing this to be a classier use of his world-class sleight of hand skills than mere pickpocketing would have been. Eventually he moved into the realm of professional poker, where he cheated some of the city's most affluent crime bosses out of a lot of money. He learned to use his fast hands to defend himself so that when he got on the bad side of a Mafia don or druglord, he could handle the heavies that came after him. That's when he came to the attention of the Hanzos; since then he's been a full-time member of the group. He's the standby man: he hides nearby the target, and if the main plan goes awry, he's near enough to finish the job and a good enough close-quarters fighter to cover his escape. [b]Weapon of choice:[/b] knives, and lots of them. He carries two [i]tanto[/i] for hand-to-hand combat and two bandoleers full of miniature throwing knives - little more than sharpened slivers of steel - for longer-range work. [b]Affiliation:[/b] Hanzo (I've sort of made the assumption that the Hanzos are an assassination squad, as this is a Kill Bill-esque story. If I've got it wrong, let me know and I'll change my bio accordingly) [/size][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][size=1]Legato beats Vicious by a mile. And a half. All Vicious did was beat up Spike a lot. Legato played the psychological game, and consequently screwed Vash over so badly he almost didn't recover. Plus, most of the time Vicious was just reacting to Spike's unexpected presence or the fact that Spike was attacking him. Legato planned ahead: he had his objective in mind from his very first appearance in Trigun. Legato wins hands down.[/size][/color]

[color=DarkGreen][size=1]I hate to be a pedant - No, wait, I love being a pedant. It makes me feel all superior over people :animeswea [url="http://dictionary.reference.com"]Dictionary.com[/url] lists this as the definition of 'Viscous': [quote=Dictionary.com][/size][/color][b]vis·cous [/b][i]adj.[/i] [list=1] [*]Having relatively high resistance to flow. [*] Viscid; sticky.[/quote] [/list] [color=DarkGreen][size=1]It's spelt [i][b]Vicious, [/b][/i]people. I'm sorry to be like this but it annoys me that you list him as one of your favourite villains but then mix him up with a thick, gloopy liquid.[/size][/color]

[list=1] [*][color=DarkGreen][size=1]Legato Bluesummers (Trigun). He's sinister and manipulative and he's the only one that knows exactly which of Vash's buttons to push.[/size][/color] [*][color=DarkGreen][size=1]Gauron (Full Metal Panic). Because like all the best villains, he just [i]will not die![/i][/size][/color] [*][color=DarkGreen][size=1]Luke Valentine (Hellsing). He's actually a more interesting villain than Incognito in my opinion. His fatal flaw - believing himself to be more powerful than he actually is - means there's an extra element of dramatic irony when he boasts to Alucard how he's the Hellsing vampire's nemesis.[/size][/color] [*][color=DarkGreen][size=1]Hokushin (Nadesico the Motion Picture - Prince of Darkness). He's sinister, insane, dangerous and a twisted, sadistic torturer. Could you ask for more in a villain?[/size][/color] [*][color=DarkGreen][size=1]Dr Jackal (Get Backers). He's sinister. Starting to see a pattern emerging in my choices? I [i]love[/i] really sinister villains. [/size][/color] [/list][color=DarkGreen][size=1]Can I also put in a vote for Mueller and Coldsman from [i]New Dominion Tank Police[/i] to be officially labelled the WORST villains ever?[/size][/color]

[color=Red][size=1]Okay, the first part of Less Than Hero is now up [thread=46310]here[/thread]. I hope everyone enjoys the story, and I'll do my best to get everyone that's posted in this thread into the action. Thanks everyone for showing enough interest to actually make me write it![/size][/color]

[size=1][color=Red][b]?Ozy, my powers are rubbish.?[/b] Ozymandius Jones sighed and twisted the magnifier out of her eye, placing the screwdriver carefully down on her workbench next to the gizmo she?d been examining. [b]?Your powers are not rubbish. Every teenage boy in Otaku City would kill to do what you can do.?[/b] This didn?t seem to cheer up Blackjack, who slumped onto a stool on the opposite side of the bench, a dejected look on his face. [b]?That?s half the problem. Have you seen how all the heroines look at me? Like they?re not sure I haven?t been perving on them while they suit up.?[/b] Ozy raised one eyebrow sceptically at the black-suited superhero. He raised his hands defensively. [b]?It?s true! I swear, Lady Katana scowls at me like I?m lower than the dirt on her whiskers.?[/b] Steepling her fingers, Ozy fixed Blackjack with a level stare. [b]?Ignoring for a moment,?[/b] she began, [b]?the fact that Lady Katana would give you the scratching of your life if she heard you suggest she had dirty whiskers, let?s examine why your powers are not rubbish. Think about how useful they can be in a combat situation, for example.?[/b] [b]?Well, defence is fine, I suppose. No one can ever hit me. But I?ve got no offensive capabilities. As soon as I get in close and land a blow, they know where I am, and once they?ve got hold of me I?m up the creek.? A wry grin formed on his face. ?But escape and evasion? I?ve got it sorted. When it comes to running away, I?m second to none.?[/b] [/color][/size] [center][size=2][color=Red]~~~~~~~~~~~~[/color][/size] [/center] [size=1][color=Red] The mayor?s office was high up on the tenth floor of the Otaku City Central Precinct. It was richly decorated in deep burgundies and emerald greens, with luxuriant gold drapes and a cream carpet you could lose an army of plushies in. The room was long and rectangular, with the leather-padded door at one end and the mayor?s heavy mahogany desk at the other, a massive expanse of carpet to trek across for anyone that wanted an audience. Right behind the desk was an impressive picture window that took up the entire wall, offering a breathtaking view of the skyscrapers and busy, cosmopolitan streets of uptown Otaku City. Dagger found the décor to be tacky and the window to be impractical. It had been replaced no less than seventeen times since the last mayor had ordered it installed. The mayor, with all the influence the position held, was always going to be a target for super-crime, and supervillains liked to make an entrance. She re-read the memo. [font=Century Gothic][color=Black][i]Dear Madam Mayor, We, the executive board of the Scorpion Corporation, would like once more to bring to your attention the rising levels of super-crime in our fair city. With this sorry state of affairs in mind, we would respectfully ask you once again to consider our application for increased public funding for the endeavours of our company?[/i][/color][/font] The shredder whirred as she fed it the memo. [i][b]How many times,[/b][/i] she wondered absent-mindedly, [i][b]do I have to tell those corporate leeches that if they want public funding, they?re going to have to tell me what it is that their company actually does?[/b][/i] Lowering her head to the intercom, she pressed the button to call for her secretary. Before she could open her mouth? [i][b][size=2]Ka-BOOM![/size][/b][/i] A massive wall of sound and light flung her clear over her desk to land flat on her face in the shagpile. Her ears rang and she could feel tiny shards of broken glass pattering down around her like hail. A plushie in combats and camo paint stared, startled, at her for a few seconds, before disappearing silently into the white jungle. Shaking her head, Dagger raised herself up off the floor and looked towards the window. [b]?That?s eighteen times,?[/b] she said accusingly to the figure standing triumphantly on her desk. [b]?You again? Don?t you ever get tired??[/b] [/color][/size] [center][size=2][color=Red]~~~~~~~~~~~~[/color][/size] [/center] [size=1][color=Red] [b]?Okay, name one person with powers cooler than yours.? ?Oh, that?s easy. Umm ? you know ? Saishi! That?s it. She?s got that whole fireball-hurling thing.? ?? All right, I?ve got to admit that?s pretty cool.? ?Hey! I thought you were supposed to be making me feel better about myself.? ?You?re not exactly making it easy!?[/b] At the back of Ozy?s cluttered workshop was a television. Mounted on top was a device that looked like a box of multicoloured noodles with an RHF aerial jammed in lopsidedly and a bunch of mismatched knobs, from cookers, radios and other assorted electronic paraphernalia, stuck on any old where. A massive blue spark abruptly arced from the aerial to the TV set, which crackled into life on the OB News Network. [font=Century Gothic][color=Black][i][b]?? the infamous supervillain is even now holding the mayor hostage atop the Central Precinct, and is demanding that control of the City be handed over immediately to him if she is to return alive. Mention was also made in his address of the handing over of all sexah ladies to his personal jurisdiction, though as yet it is unclear whether this is a condition of the mayor?s safe return??[/b][/i][/color][/font] Without taking her eyes from the TV, Ozy reached across the workbench and pulled Blackjack towards her by the logo on the front of his super-suit. [b]?Look,?[/b] she said sternly, turning to frown at him, [b]?this is not the time to be having a crisis of confidence. Take this?[/b] ? she placed the device she?d been adjusting earlier in his hand ? [b]?it should take his mind off the mayor for long enough that you can grab her and be on your way. Now get going!?[/b] Blackjack glanced at the gizmo and grinned. [b]?You?re the best, Ozy.?[/b] [b]?Go!?[/b] In the blink of an eye, Blackjack had disappeared from view. The door of the workshop opened and shut. Ozy shook her head despairingly and grabbed another device to work on. [b]?That boy has issues?? [/b] [/color][/size] [center][size=1][color=Red][color=DarkGreen]The first couple of chapters for this story are just going to be setting the scene and establishing the setting and the style, so the Scorpion Corporation members themselves won't appear for a while longer. If anyone isn't happy with the part I've given them, feel free to verbally harangue me about it; equally, if you want a cameo, let me know here and I'll try and write you in! I have plenty of villains and not enough heroes at the moment. Be sure to say what kind of superpower you think you would have, just in case I don't know you well enough to make them up myself. (I already know what powers I'm giving some of you - I've been reading the "What superpower would you have?" thread in the Lounge...) Also, if anyone wants to make me a post background for this, I'd be very appreciative - they make these threads look much more professional, I think, but I'm no good at graphical work (and I also haven't actually worked out [b]how[/b] to put my posts in tables yet, so any advice would be helpful). [/color][/color][/size] [/center]

[color=DarkRed][quote name='Treno']Dmn, you should be a comic book writer.[/quote] [color=Red][size=1]I am one, lol. [url="http://rapturecomic.keenspace.com"]Check it out.[/url] I'm afraid I can't draw to save my life, but I try and get involved any way I can :animesmil Good to see none of you Scorps are offended by the whole 'evil' thing - I didn't think anyone would be, but I thought I'd better check before taking the plunge. I should have the first installment of this up fairly soon, once I've got my head around exactly what's going to happen in it... [/size][/color][/color]

[color=Red][size=1]I didn't think it would ever happen, but I decided to make a leap onto the back of the bandwagon and do an OB fanfic. The fact that [i]The Incredibles[/i] is out on DVD tomorrow inspired me to write something superhero-orientated, and with a lack of any specific inspiration, I hit on the idea of using OB as a launchpad. I haven't written anything down on paper or screen yet, because I wanted to get some feedback on a couple of things first. The first thing is the premise: it's like a typical Marvel or DC comic world setting, so in Otaku City most residents have super powers of one kind or another and so there are always little battles and skirmishes going on between heroes and villains, like the sequence at the beginning of [i]The Incredibles[/i] where Mr Incredible goes on a long chain of super-rescues and villain-foilings. I thought that this could give me scope for tailoring OB members' superpowers to their personalities, although whether I get them anywhere near accurate will be another matter entirely... The basic plot would be that the main character stumbles upon a plot to take over Otaku City (the evil plan of every single Batman villain EVER is to take over the city, heh) and ends up on the run, framed for some kind of crime by the big evil organisation behind it all. Which brings me to my second point... I've noticed the Scorpion Corporation appearing in a fair few people's signatures recently, and I can't help thinking that 'Scorpion Corporation' is a fantastic name for a comic-style evil organisation. As it's really in existence, it gives a nice link between the fic and reality, as well as giving me a base of members to use as bad guys. Before I used the idea, I just wanted to okay it with the Scorp Corp members - do any of you guys object to me portraying you as an evil, insidious group trying to take over OtakuBoards from the inside? Feedback and criticism is, as always, very welcome. Don't hold back, I can take it. [/size][/color]

[size=1][color=DarkGreen]So ... this is like a chain fiction, right? Interesting idea. Let's see what we can do... (I know it's past Sunday morning, but since no one else took up the opportunity...) [color=Black] [/color][/color][/size] [center][font=trebuchet MS][size=3][b][u]The Climax [/u][/b][/size][/font] [left][size=1]A slender wisp of blue smoke twisted upward from the remains of the cigarette, lying discarded on the apartment floor. The place stank of smoke anyway; that and the mildew growing on the cardboard cartons stacked up next to the window. He never smoked [i]during[/i]. Before, yes, after, definitely. But not while he was crouched at the rifle, mounted on its tripod, its lens extending his eye, its barrel extending his hand, his will. He crouched. Cradled the mounted weapon in his arms. Placed his eye to the rubber cushion on the scope. He had the man's photograph memorised, the photograph itself burned long ago, too incriminating. But any fool could have picked the right man, draped in all his finery, waving narcissistically at the crowds coerced into adoring him. His head was in the crosshair, and then his head was all over his bodyguard. A brass shell casing clinked on the cold stone floor; bounced once, twice. Then silence, the rifle abandoned, its user already gone. [/size][/left] [/center]

[color=DarkGreen][size=1]k4gome was a [i]Full Metal Panic! [/i]fan. [i][b]Okay, we're evenly matched in terms of size,[/b][/i] Blackjack pondered, weighing up his options as the eight-metre [u][url="http://www.full-metal-panic.com/image.php?file=images/recon/mecha/arbalest/arbalest01.jpg"]M9 Arm-slave[/url][/u] clanked into the arena. He hit [b]enter [/b]on his userCP and lines of HTML strobed down his body, stripping away the Tenkawa avatar and replacing it with several virtual tons of black metal. [i][b]I have an advantage in my distortion field, although the rules say I can only use it to defend against debilitating damage, not keep it on all the time. I can fly too, and k4gome can't. But she has the M9's ECS stealth technology, and I don't have an infrared option; she goes invisible, and I'm operating on instinct alone. Sneaky tactics ... just like Treno said. [/b][/i]The loading lines disappeared and Blackjack was sitting in the cockpit of an eight-metre black [url="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v629/SheriffMatt/blackaestie.bmp"][u]Aestivalis[/u][/url]. He checked the icons ranged around the edges of his Head-Up Display, making sure all systems were operating correctly, and that Ozy's little modifications were all in place. Satisfied, he slapped his right hand down on the control interface. The IFS implant rune on the back of his hand crackled with static and skinny lines of white light spread out around the cockpit from the interface orb. Now controlling the Aestivalis' mechanical limbs as if they were his own, he moved into a battle-ready stance and faced off against k4gome. Blackjack noticed there was nobody watching his match. A couple of stragglers were hurriedly exiting the stands, eyes seemingly glued to the screens in the corridor. A pang of annoyance was rapidly overwhelmed by the thrill of piloting a mech once again - [i][b]and I even managed to avoid fighting a Gundam.[/b][/i] A window appeared between the two robots. [i][b]3 ... 2 ... 1 ... Fight![/b][/i] Hatches sprang open on the Arm-slave, and blue light flared from within them; the machine's outline blurred and soon it disappeared completely. But Blackjack was already high in the sky, veins flooded with adrenaline and mouth spread wide in an involuntary grin of glee. He pointed his field lance at the spot where the M9 had vanished, and twisted in midair to dive straight down at the ground. [b]"Let's dance, k4gome-chan!"[/b] [/size][/color]

[size=1][color=Navy][b]Journal 0.5: Eye[/b] Soft leather hugged Yomiuri?s behind, but he was feeling far from comfortable. From what he could see, the rest of the Board were equally restless; every now and then a representative would open his or her mouth, about to start a conversation or just break the tension, but remember just in time the reason the room was silent in the first place. At the head of the table was the Chairman?s seat. It was currently empty, waiting for its occupant to arrive. He liked to make the Board sweat before appearing to them. Against the wall, behind the luxuriantly padded executive leather swivel chair, was a plain plastic seat, the kind mass-produced for schools. In it was Rebecca Jade. The Chairman?s personal bodyguard was slouching, cross-legged, absently flipping a slim silver medallion back and forth across the knuckles of her left hand. Her gaze ? the one eye that wasn?t obscured by her silken curtain of emerald-green hair ? swept the assembled representatives like the swooping green needle on a radarscope. Her black one-piece flight suit was unzipped to the bottom of her ribcage, and Yomiuri kept feeling his eye being drawn dangerously towards the crumpled white blouse and generous cleavage revealed therein. As her glance swept towards him again, the portly businessman fixed his stare firmly on the hands clasped, sweaty, in his lap. It wouldn?t do to be caught ogling Rebecca Jade. When Research and Development had begun work on new shell-pilot interfaces, the green-haired woman had been first in line for any and all new innovations, by order of the Chairman. It had been Doherty, the project leader, that had taken it upon himself to convince the Chairman otherwise, not a task anybody envied him. Of course, now neither the Chairman nor Jade regretted trying out the technique on a guinea pig first; the Board was still getting stick from the poor girl?s Captain, God only knew how he?d got hold of the Chairman?s direct line number. Yomiuri could only guess at how many heads would have rolled in R&D if they?d paralysed Rebecca Jade. It was a generally accepted, if unconfirmed, fact amongst Board members that Rebecca Jade and the Chairman were ? unprofessionally involved. That was why nobody dared speak. Piss off the Chairman?s woman, and the Chairman would, by association, be pissed off. All eyes turned to the double doors next to which the bodyguard slouched as Kyrian Glover, the company Chairman, strolled into the Boardroom. Physically and visually an uninspiring specimen, Glover nonetheless commanded the Board?s full attention. He looked uncomfortable and awkward in even an expertly tailored suit, and the executive swivel he carefully placed himself in seemed to swallow his slight frame whole, but his ruthlessness in business, and even in his personal affairs, was legend. He picked and chose his friends to lift himself higher up the ladders of power and was not above intimidation to ensure closure on his business deals. To this end he colluded with ? not hired, of course, that would be highly illegal ? a highly unpleasant character by the name of Kazuka, an unashamedly ex-Yakuza extortionist. Officially, Kazuka didn?t exist, and officially, Glover had never set eyes on him, and everybody in the upper echelons of the company and the world?s governments knew the official line was so much crap and there wasn?t a damn thing they could do about it. Yomiuri had almost met Kazuka once before. He?d refused to make what the Chairman referred to as the ?correct? use of his casting vote concerning an important policy decision, and that night he?d happened to glance out of his window and see the ripped jeans, the blood-crimson bomber jacket, the shock of spiked red hair walking up to the apartment block to press the buzzer. He?d actually managed to telephone the Chairman and officially change his vote before the ex-Yak could reach his fourth-floor room; mere moments after he?d put the phone down he?d heard a single knock at his door interrupted by the chirruping of a mobile, followed by rapid, hushed Japanese and finally, as his heart threatened to smash through his ribcage, soft receding footsteps. Since that night Yomiuri had become a yes man. The same as every other member of the Board. Rebecca Jade clipped the silver medallion back onto the thin chain at her throat. Kyrian Glover leaned forward, clasping his hands together on the table. [b]?Gentlemen,?[/b] he said, [b]?let us begin.? [/b] [color=DarkGreen]Just a short chapter today; I thought I'd keep you in suspense about what happens next at sea :animeswea, and I wanted to introduce some of the more major bad guys, and a cutaway to another location seemed like the best way to kill two birds with one stone. Feedback and criticism is, as usual, appreciated. Back to the main story with the next instalment, don't forget to tune in![/color] [/color][/size]

[color=DarkGreen][size=1]It sounds to me like you've done what I tend to do when writing fiction, which is to get carried away with the initial concept, then dive headlong into writing (or in this case drawing) without working out the story properly beforehand. It's important to know what the story is actually going to be before writing. Do you have anything beyond his falling in love with the librarian? What's the significance of his having stigmata, or his being a book-burner? The fact that he burns books is a neat link into how he meets the librarian, she could catch him trying to set her library on fire or something, and you can have a nice interplay between his falling in love with her and her initially despising him for burning books. But is this a simple love story between the two, or is there something bigger going on here? I think part of the reason you're having trouble writing dialogue is that the purpose of dialogue in literature is to drive the plot, and you're still unsure of what the plot is, so you don't know what to have the dialogue driving towards. I'd suggest taking a breather from drawing the comic itself, and do some serious work on the plot, and once you know what it's going to be, the sequence of events in the strip will flow a lot more naturally for you. If it's the drawing side of things you're doing this for, then try doing some detailed character portraits while mulling over the storyline. Hope that's helpful. [/size][/color]