Looking for a magical girl RP partner

[R-9 Pilot]

I'm looking for someone interested in some magical girl genre roleplaying. I'm not sure I have any huge detailed plots or other things pre-planned, so this may be a little sparse, but I'd hope we could work together to develop things, anyway. My main influences for the genre are probably things like Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and Senki Zesshou Symphogear. ...And plenty of things which are not necessarily actual magical girl stuff at all, but just get dragged in anyway, like old shoot 'em up games or H.P. Lovecraft's mythos.

As far as expectations and such go, I'm a relatively active person, who can post at least once a week, probably more, and am at least responsible enough to say if I am suddenly busy or apologize if I just let my time get eaten by video games. I tend to prefer writing in the third person, and like some amount of description and thought to things when it makes sense. But I also don't feel like there's a need for ever post to have a minimum length; combat and conversations won't need nearly as much per post/action. And, in general, one is not always creative or clever enough to launch into long descriptions or introspective soul-searching or whatever else. I do request decent spelling and grammar. I'm not perfect, but I at least try to get things right or catch my mistakes.

As far as actual RP goes, I'm looking more for light-hearted and fluffy than very dark and heavy. I can do dark things well enough, but my usual play style lends itself more to being silly or not taking things too seriously. And, well, feelings of hopelessness or the like just aren't that entertaining to me. Not that things need to or should be non-stop success or power fantasy, either. just got to write a good story, whatever tone we end up using.

I might end up referencing all manner of things, but I tend to prefer not playing in someone else's setting with no modifications, and this goes doubly so for playing characters outright from a series. I'm not sure why, just feels weird to try and write a character I didn't create. Sure, file the serial numbers off and it all works just fine, but I guess it's the principle of the thing.

So, I said earlier I don't have too much for setting things up myself, but I do have some food for thought and might as well toss it up here.

I have some old notes for things which are heavily inspired by Nanoha. there would be that sort of magitech setting with things like intelligent devices being common, spacecraft being a thing, and so-on. Magic is a common practice and "magical girl" is technically more of a legitimate career choice. Magic is also often inherently non-lethal. There'd be a big focus on big flashy attacks and fighting that might make more sense in a Gundam series. Plots would likely either involve fighting evil monsters, or possibly more the sort of magical girl meets dark magical girl sort of thing.

One alternative idea could be taking more of an eldritch horror turn and possibly not really being "proper" magical girls. Or maybe just rolling with whatever horrible Mythos magical girls would be like. Not likely intended to be serious with any of the usual themes of cosmic horror, or things like the whole "everyone ends up dead and insane and humanity isn't allowed to win" sort of stuff people usually go with. One can lay on some of that stuff without also going really heavy on everyone needing to suck.

I could also go more for the magical girls by virtue of attending a wizard school (or more "magical girl school" if we really want to stick more to the genre in that way than, say, Harry potter and Little Witch Academia). I don't have much for it beyond focusing primarily on slice of life sort of events, and a huge d100 table of things that could happen at a wizard school and lead to amusing shenanigans.

I probably have more ideas that I just can't remember at the moment, that are more far-reaching than just silly ideas for characters, like a 30 year old office lady who is still a "magical girl" or becomes one through some strange quirk of fate.

And that's probably enough of me rambling. If you're interested, I'd be happy to discuss things and see what we can come up with.

 

[Baddamobs]

I can easily say I'm very interested! The Nanoha inspired one and the "30 year old office lady magical girl" ideas in particular sound like they could be pretty fun.

 

[R-9 Pilot]

Anything in particular you'd want to do with either of those ideas?

 

[Baddamobs]

This is just off the top of my head/open to change etc. but the idea you proposed for the Nanoha inspired one (ie, magical girl meets dark magical girl) could have some fun ideas. In my head, I see it along the lines that both of the main characters work for the same group/employer/coalition/whatever, but the dark magical girl of the equation prefers to work solo and is pretty damn aloof while doing so. To that end, the main conflict would be probably be the 'light' magical girl trying to thaw the barriers that her counter part (rival?) has set up, and finding out why she was so to begin with etc. etc..

For the other idea, the first idea that came to mind was that the older woman of the equation always WANTED to be a magical girl (whether that is a real thing you can do in the world or if she just watched the shows as a kid), but obviously that never came to pass. At least until a REAL magical girl basically comes tumbling into her life, and (either through a divine miscalculation, honest mistake or a desperate need for any kind of back up) more or less makes her one on the spot. The focus from that point is the older heroine basically trying to survive the insane roller coaster that her new responsibilities make of her life.

Of course, like I said, this is all just a stream of ideas. If you want to take the ideas in a different direction, you just have to say.

 

[R-9 Pilot]

I think you've hit the first one pretty much on the head. And all I can think of for the second is the option in which one simply doesn't "age out" of the magical girl job, so it's more that the lady's been doing it for about 20 years and an encounter causes her secret to be out one way or another.

 

[Baddamobs]

Ahh, not a bad idea either, that does open up a few avenues that could be a joy to explore. Like, is she the butt of a lot of jokes (from other, younger, magical girls) because she stayed in the business 'past her prime'? (Though I imagine that wouldn't deter her).

Just a thought about the second idea: what kind of setting were you thinking of? As in, while magical girl careers are a legit thing, would the main characters have to report back to a base of some sorts, or would it be handled more remotely?

 

[R-9 Pilot]

They'd probably have to report back to a base, in the case of the Nanoha approach. It would probably be a sort of military or law enforcement sort of position, given how that setting works. Well, or someone popping up in a relative backwater so they don't have a clue how everything really works.

And, might as well just ask, shall we get something put together?

 

[Baddamobs]

I'm ready and willing: do we create character sheets for these kinds of one-to-one RPs, or do we proceed in a different direction?

 

[R-9 Pilot]

I'd say it's worth still making character sheets and such, at least. And there's a section to put the one on one IC thread, once we decide to start that.

 

[Baddamobs]

Righty-o, I guess the only question I have left is which idea do you want to do and which character/s do you want? I like both ideas just as much as each other, and I'm pretty easy for character selection.

 

[R-9 Pilot]

I'd say go with the Nanoha styled approach. I've got more for it, which will likely help in the long run. I'd like to try he more dark magical girl side, though it can be a challenge to play, so a lot of the brooding act and such might drop pretty fast.

I also do fear that the whole 30 year old magical "girl," while funny, would only last so long on the strength of the one-off joke.

 

[Baddamobs]

Yea, that's a fair point about the second idea, and the Nanoha inspired one does sound like it has more wiggle room.

I guess the next thing we need is the skeleton for a character sheet. Since you have more of an idea of what we might need, do you want to put one together or should I?

 

[R-9 Pilot]

I should be able to cook something up. Probably going off a fairly standard template, but here we go.

Name:
Age:
Appearance: A picture or two is sufficient, but some actual written description to supplement any images or instead of them is fine, too. Probably worth describing both the normal and magical girl outfit/appearance, in case there are differences between the two.

Device: In proper Nanoha style, one probably has some sort of weapon-like device used for magical...stuff. So it gets a description, too

History: Typical character background stuff. How'd she become a magical girl, why is she doing what she does, and so-on. Probably will be mined for plot from time to time, or otherwise used to help set where things start.

Powers and abilities: What sort of fancy magical attacks and other stuff does your character do? Bonus if all the attacks have names that are fun to shout in the middle of a fight.

I don't feel like a "personality" entry is really required. It's important to think of how your character would act, but not necessarily to share that sort of thing with everyone else. And if you feel like anything's missing or want to add in more stuff, you can certainly do so.

 

[Baddamobs]

Excellent, I'll get to work. Might be a small delay, since I'm not the fastest at putting characters together (always second guessing myself), but I'll have something soon.

 

[R-9 Pilot]

...Is it bad that I'm waiting to see what you come up with before tossing up a character of my own?

Though, if you're running into trouble or indecisiveness, feel free to talk to me about it in a PM or something. I like bouncing ideas off someone anyway.

 

[Baddamobs]

Haha, no I don't blame you for that.

Sorry for being so silent lately: don't know if you saw when you looked into the Magical Girl thread, but the character sheet for that took WAAAY longer than expected. Not to mention some family made a surprise visit and I been spending a lot of IRL time with them. Despite all this, I should have probably said something, so I apologies.

Give me a day or two and I'll have something, than I'll have a more solid idea of what ideas to bounce around.

 

[R-9 Pilot]

No big deal. take whatever time you need. IRL comes first and all anyway.

 

[Baddamobs]

Holy crap, it's been a while. Before I say anything, here's the sheet:

Spoiler

Name: Annabel Bright (prefers just Ann)

Age: 16

Appearance:

(Normal) Possessing fair and clear skin, Annabel is not overly tall, though does maintain an athletic physique. Has choppy raspberry red hair that's cut short, with bright eyes of a similar colour. Seen most commonly sporting confident or optimistic smiles and grins, and fond of performing wide arm gestures when making proclamations. When not in uniform (?), favours skirts and comfy sweaters.

(Transformed) When transformed, Annabel's clothes are replaced with a slick set of armour that covers her chest, legs, and forearms. In-between the sections of armour (and fully visible around her exposed neck and upper arms) one can see Annabel's body has been wrapped with iridescent crimson cloth.

Device:

The Aegis Shield (*working title) : an immense tower shield, nearly as tall as it's wielder. While having a sleek and shining silver surface, it is mostly unremarkable when deactivated. The only thing of note is a curious emblem on its face: two sets of indistinct markings on each end of shield, spiralling together to make a perfect circle in its centre.
When activated, however, the shield shows its true nature. While its shape doesn't change, its surface begins to shift and move like water, and the emblem in its centre begins to glow a blazing light.
Due to its size and weight, Annabel has a dedicated case for it which can be carried on her back.

History:

Annabel had known about magical girls from a young age; and why wouldn't she? They were well known figures greatly admired and celebrated for their work defending the people and fighting the good fight. It was a prestigious career and honest work, and any parent would be proud to have their daughter join their ranks.

That is to say, IF the daughter wanted to join their ranks.

As young child, Annabel was both shy and easily scared. While she knew of these magically enhanced beings, she had little desire to join. She couldn't the fathom the idea of ever taking any kind of dangerous work, especially one where she would be shooting crazy magic around! No, a quiet, ordinary, safe life was the kind she intended to lead.

Of course, danger is something one can seldom avoid entirely.

When she was only eight years old, a flood had devastated the sleepy countryside town she lived in. It had swept in with a thunderstorm, pouring into the streets as quickly and as violently as the crash of lightning that preceded it. Annabel had been cowering in a nearby park due to the thunder, and was only aware of the flood water as it swept over the park. To an adult, the water was not high enough or fast enough to pose any great danger. To a child, it was a very real threat.

Annabel had been swept along, fighting to grab hold of something, anything, but the current had been too strong. Just as her energy gave out, she made one last cry for help. And like a miracle, this one was answered.

Soft, warm hands had scooped her out of the freezing water. Cradled against her saviour's chest, Annabel had looked up at what her exhausted mind had been convinced was a literal angel. The 'angel' had said that she was no such thing, a soft laugh escaping her as she gently glided through the air with magic. With merely a thought, the not-angel was both flying and carefully heating Annabel's entire body. It was only as these thought clicked in Annabel's head did she realise what she was being carried by.

The flooding had been contained; some homes were beyond repair but there were no causalities. Annabel had been returned safely to her parents, wet and shivering but alive and well. Her saviour had left only shortly after placing the tiny girl back into her mother's embrace. Annabel had passed out almost immediately after entering her parent's sight, and the entire experience was hazy in her memories, but one thing had stuck with her even as a child.

She had never felt more safe and secure at any point in her life compared to when she had been in the arms of that magical girl. And that thought had sealed her fate: she owed it to herself and her saviour to make the most of the life she had been given, and she wasn't going to let it be in any other way than becoming a magical girl herself.

The road had been a long one. She had begun training almost as soon as she had recovered from the flood, strengthening both her physical body and her magical affinity. While she always struggled with the latter, the former had the unexpected side affect of helping her to leave behind her fearful nature, helping her to grow into a much more confident (albeit more brash) young woman. She had joined a program for girls interested in the magical profession as soon as she was old enough, much to the surprise and somewhat worry of her parents. Never the less, she pushed on, refusing to let a single thing distract her from her eventual goal.

In addition, she had saved up every penny she had in order to buy the raw materials necessary to create her shield. It was actually kind of an odd situation: she was SUPPOSED to create a weapon that worked along with her shield, but hadn't the resources, and thus settled for just the shield. Despite eventually coming into the money necessary to afford the weapon, however, she declined to do so. Even when she was officially accepted and it became cheaper and easier to complete the set, she had become too attached. That shield was her pride and joy, and she wasn't going to dilute it by bringing in other components to her fighting style.

Despite all of her preparation and training, Annabel knew that it was going to be a tight thing when she made the long trip from her home in the countryside to the city that housed the magical girl's main base of operations. Her magical affinity had remained at a slightly below satisfactory level, and truth be told a part of her still felt like the scared little girl gazing up at something that was so grand and beyond her. While the program had no limit on the number of applicants they would accept, they would turn away those that didn't meet the minimum requirements, a fact that hung over Annabel like a sword on a string.

Though pushing herself and any limit she thought she had, Annabel managed to JUST clear the requirements: her lack finesse in her magical control and her brash answers to the interviewer had made her a less desirable candidate, but her pure magical strength and her unswayable will helped to push her over the line.

While inexperienced, Annabel now stands poised to fulfil her ambition. While she believes she can never fully repay the debt she owes, she is determined to become the very best magical girl she can. If that can bring her even a step closer to that shining figure from her childhood, then it would have all been worthwhile.

Powers and abilities:
Annabel's offensive capabilities are not the strongest, mostly due to the fact Annabel's "weapon" of choice is…well, not a weapon at all. That being said, that doesn't mean she can't pack a punch: with skills like 'rushing wall of steel' she can charge forward with speeds that can put shield-size holes through concrete. Likewise, her 'meteoric descent' allows her to put the hurt on anything below her. For ranged attacks, the shimmering surface of her shield becomes the conduit that magic is launched. In addition to firing off basic scratch-damage lasers, Annabel can use 'bunker buster' to fire a slow moving beam that explodes when it comes it makes contact (though it's lack of homing makes it difficult to hit nimble targets). For quicker targets, Annabel can use 'ceaseless volley,' which allows her to brace against the shield and let fly with a machine-gun-eqsue attack of magical bolts. Her final ability, 'heart seeking shot,' is a powerful missile attack that both follows its target and is incredibly fast, but takes a long time to charge AND requires Annabel to actually land on the ground to use (the recoil and magical blow-back would rip her arm off if the shield isn't grounded).

In addition to offensive powers, her shield works pretty well as (surprise surprise) a shield. With 'projected barrier,' the water like surface of Annabel's tool jumps forth to form a wide stationary barrier, that can absorb a fair amount of damage before shattering. Less durable is 'sphere of protection,' which creates a perfect sphere around a location; more useful for weak but unpredictable attacks. Her most powerful defensive skill by far, however, is 'unmovable object': the entirety of her shield becomes reinforced with it's innate magic, and becomes huge effective a blocking any and all damage. The only downside to this skill is that Annabel cannot cast any other skill while it is active, and the huge drain on power means that she is likely to be exhausted after it's use.

Other
Annabel is deathly afraid of swimming in water thanks to her experience as a child: flying above it is fine, just don't ask her to get in it.

With that out of the way: I'm really sorry for how long that took. Despite my initial confidence, I struggled with some of the ideas, and really slowed down writing the darn thing. But I won't make any excuse for not keeping you up to date, since I shouldn't have gone totally silent like I did. All I can say is that I'll endeavor to not go without reporting to at least let you know what's going on in the future.

 

[R-9 Pilot]

No big deal on the delay. Sometimes things take a while to get ideas flowing, or we just get distracted. Happens to me all the time.

 

[Baddamobs]

Aye. So, what are you thinking? Do you reckon anything needs altering/maybe the character isn't the right kind for this kind of thing?