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Let's play the Origin game: Mirror Guardian Naoko
Let's play the Origin game: Mirror Guardian Naoko
#1
So this is, at least in part, still a work in progress. This started as an idea of mine a few years ago and, well, one thing led to another (the name Godsend was unavailable and I'd accidentally put a character through seven levels on the /wrong/ server) and I decided to try this out here on CoH.
So. A few centuries back a sorcerer rose to prominence in China through heretofore unexplored avenues of research. What kind of prominence? The 'make your own army of demons and a place to house them to boot' kind of prominence, that's what. His servants were known as 'mirror demons' for their ability to enter the world through, well, mirrors. The weaker minions (mirror goblins) could manifest through any reflective surface, while the more powerful ones were restriced in the ways that they could enter. Denouncing his humanity along with his name, he became known as the King of Three Shadows and proceeded to commit the kind of villainy that comes with the territory.
Things were looking pretty bleak until a sorceress (whose name, sadly, is unrecorded: books refer to her as the Jade Maiden) came along and started banishing his demons left and right. As his demons were banished, their mirrors back home would crack, denying them the ability to return to the world save through the direct will of their master. The King responded with a direct assault on the would-be exorcist. The battle was reputed (in the sort of books where this kind of thing is written down) to have lasted for days but ended, finally, in the King's defeat. She banished him (for his efforts had made him, over time, into something akin to his servants) and set his worldlet adrift in the dimensions to keep it from our own world.
Unfortunately, she knew that her efforts were not final and complete: with time (a few centuries, by her estimation) he'd be able to bring his world back into alignment with the Earth and renew his invasion. To this end she invested a measure of power in creating a servant (whose name, in the long form, is Reflected Light of the Jade Maiden) and bidding it to wait until the time was right to grant this power to two humans. The first would become the Mirror Guardian, whose job it would be to banish the demons of the King and hopefully find a way to prevent His return wholesale. The second would be the Mirror Knight, and it would be his task to protect the Guardian and keep her safe.
Enter Yagami Hiroshi, nineteen year old college semi-burnout and his fourteen year old sister Naoko. Descended of the Jade Maiden herself (though they don't know /that/ bit yet), each was spiritually ideal for the jobs to which they would be assigned. Reflected Light knew this and, when he thought the time was right, came to them to bestow their birthrights.
Well, this was the plan. First off, the King's return happened just a /wee/ bit ahead of schedule and he knew the identity of the two who would be chosen. The means by which he returns to the world are slow, luckily, and so the first minion he set loose on the world was not something that could kill them. The being was known as the Duke of Names, and it possessed power over the notion of identity. The Duke used his powers to switch brother and sister between bodies and keep Reflected Light from discovering that this had happened. In this, he succeeded. That he was the first mirror demon that the duo managed to banish was small consolation.
The two have been trying ever since to learn how to use the powers they were /not/, in any way, prepared to have. Well, they've been doing that while they were trying to adjust to each other's lives, too. The real Naoko seems to find the whole affair rather fun, but then she's not the one who's been desperately trying to cram-tutor her in college courses while doing both of their homework.
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So yeah, that's the idea. Now I'm a big fan of the RP, and it so happens that I was hoping this could take off as a basis for this. There's a number of roles that suggest themselves for the purpose:
-The King of Three Shadows is already taken by EML. He's one bad mothe(HOLD THY TONGUE!). Yeah. Evil sorcerer and ruler of a hierarchy of demons.
-Mirror Knight Hiroshi 'him'self. Think of it as an opportunity to play Sailor Moon in the role of Tuxedo Mask. Ability to portray appropriately brat-ish behavior a plus. Magic would be the obvious choice for Origin type, and if you need a suggestion for build I'd reccommend Broadsword and Invulnerability for either Tanker or Scrapper. He's the Knight, after all.
-The Shadows of the King. "And in abandoning humanity his evil became a thing that cast Three Shadows upon the world." They aren't just metaphors: the King's Shadows are his inner council of advisors and his most trusted minions. The idea, again not really tied down, was that "War was his general, Strife his advisor, and Death the shadow that stalked his enemies." Reccommended: Brute, Dominator (or Corrupter) and Stalker, respectively. As I imagine those names are taken, feel free to come up with something.
-Mirror Demons. Ever feel the need to play a Sailor Moon villain? Well, now's your chance. The Mirror Demons come in all shapes and sizes and orders of power and usually have loosely descriptive names: the Duke of Names, the Bone Merchant, Fire's Steward, yadda yadda yadda. Have fun with them! Be evil! Make unlikely speeches! Shout "REFRESH!" Wait. Don't do that. It never helps.
So yeah. I offer this in the spirit of fostering role-playing of a slightly silly and melodramatic vein. If anyone wants to take one of the roles, make sure to say so here. Let the games begin!
(Edit: I need to pay more attention to forum posts: EML already mentioned this idea. Gomen!)
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Re: Let's play the Origin game: Mirror Guardian Naoko
#2
Quote:
Reccommended: Brute, Dominator (or Corrupter) and Stalker, respectively.
Great. I can't decide between the three... and I can't think of a name. The only thing that comes to me is Lordvark, Dark Lord of the Dark which, now that I think of it, isn't so bad and just pompous enough to make a good villain.
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Re: Let's play the Origin game: Mirror Guardian Naoko
#3
You know, if I weren't already up to my shoulders in toons, I might give this a try.
Then again, my extended roleplaying abilities are somewhat uneven. (Some nights and characters I can go on forever -- Sergeant Pepper is real easy and a kick to play, for example, as His Lovely Wife can attest from our last chat online -- and with others I lose it after a couple of exchanges.) I probably wouldn't be able to hold up my end for very long, except maybe as a generic youma.
-- Bob
---------
...The President is on the line
As ninety-nine crab rangoons go by...
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Re: Let's play the Origin game: Mirror Guardian Naoko
#4
Quote:
You know, if I weren't already up to my shoulders in toons, I might give this a try.
So might I, but...meh. Too many alts, not enough game time. And CoV's kinda laggy for me, so I tend to play heroes more...
Quote:
Then again, my extended roleplaying abilities are somewhat uneven.
I feel your pain. I'm kinda like that as well, though in my case, I generally end up dropping the characters I can't RP well. 's why Syndesis and Superball are my two highest characters - I click with 'em best. Syndesis has a fun outlook, 'n Syn kinda talks inna interestin' way, see, yet t'voice 's easy fer me t'do. Superball...well, he's just generally nuts.
Then...there's Noonlighter, for example, my EM/Fire Brute. I love his build and costume, but I just can't stay in-character well. He's supposed to be Mafia-ish, but that's hard for me, so he's fallen by the wayside. I'm actually very bad at RPing Obsolete as well, her characterisation is terribly inconsistent... but it's easy to make her seem in-character simply by throwing '-klik-' and '-whirr-' into my typed statements...
-- Acyl
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Re: Let's play the Origin game: Mirror Guardian Naoko
#5
Great. I can't decide between the three... and I can't think of a name. The only thing that comes to me is Lordvark, Dark Lord of the Dark which, now that I think of it, isn't so bad and just pompous enough to make a good villain.
A simple thought that EML had was to just call them '1st(or 2nd or 3rd) Shadow of the King', actually. But as Fat Tony said, "Listen to your heart."
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mmm...
#6
I don't know. The way I see it, numbers are a bit too anonymous for the personnal lieutenants. If they were bodyguards, soldiers or somesuch, in other words, mindless/faceless minions, numbers might work. But for the generals...
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Re: mmm...
#7
A point, to be sure, but a part of me always thought that their near-anonymity was part of what made them interesting: powerful entities in and of themselves, they're nevertheless mere extensions of the power of another. And when they're not doing anything else they really are his shadows.
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Re: mmm...
#8
Ah, they are his shadows literally? In that case, those names do make sense.
Is there anything appearance-wise that I should know before I start designing whichever shadow I decide to roleplay?
-EDIT-
Well, I already have an idea.
The First Shadow of the King (Stalker. Specific powerset to determine)
The fact that he is the first has gotten to the head of this shadow, and thus, he has turned arrogance to an artform. The only thing he holds in higher esteem that himself is the King of three shadows because "For you, my lord, to cast a shadow such as I, your greatness is simply immeasurable."
And yet, despite this arrogance and his excessivelly gaudy costume (provided that doesn't clash too much with the others and/or what he should look like) he sees nothing wrong with cheating, or starting a fight with a knife in his foe's back.
Oh, I just thought of something, a screenshot of the King of three shadows would be very appreciated.
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Re: mmm...
#9
As you can see, when the King traded his humanity away, he didn't cut corners.
[Image: K3S.png]
Not that the Shadows have to look particularly like him or anything.
I'll probably do an unhooded version at threat level 20...
--Sam
"Oo -- evil thought!"
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Re: mmm...
#10
And at Chibi Konatsu's request, since he was using my machine earlier today, here's a shot of Naoko "her"self in the base library. [Image: smile.gif]
[Image: Naoko.png]
--Sam
"Vhat good iz zcience if no vun gets HURT?!"
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Re: mmm...
#11
*Looks at pictures*
Ok, definitely not going for the classical Magical Girl villain look are we?
As for the Magical Girl's look, I love it.
And now that I see the general theme (vaguely oriental) I can now start work on the First Shadow of the King.
-Edit-
And done.
I chose to use spine/dark as powersets, and from what little I played, I like this character.
Some details that might not be obvious from the pictures, the hands are monstrous, and the eyes are pitch black.
[Image: FirstShadowPicture.png]
[Image: FirstShadowDescription.jpg]
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Re: mmm...
#12
Niiiiice.
I love the fact that we seem to building up a private little mythology here, even if it only tangentially involves the Legendary as a whole.
But I bet a certain dark king probably isn't expecting more magical girls than one...
-- Bob
---------
...The President is on the line
As ninety-nine crab rangoons go by...
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Re: mmm...
#13
Nifty. [Image: smile.gif]
Now I've got to hit level 10 so we can start building the Mirror Kingdom...
(How much Prestige should be saved up before an actual base gets built?)
--Sam
"Elf finger magic. I hate that."
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Re: mmm...
#14
Considering that having a base costs rent, as late as possible.
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Re: mmm...
#15
I've got a few alts left on virtue and wouldn't mind helping out. How about the King's 3rd shadow. An elec/dark brute. If the first shadow is the king's arrogance the third is his determination, his absolute certanty in his power and his eventual victory. Unlike his elder brother the third rarely speaks, but projects an aura of fanaticism that scares even the most devout Council.
"Doubt you my master? Look then upon his hand and know despair." -- Text found burnt into the wall of a destroyed Circle of Thorns base.
I think the dark thing is probably going to be overdone, but "cloak of fear" and "soul transfer" are so in character.
Edit: Links to picture and description
Picture
Description
Edit: Man that's dark even after fiddling with the gamma. I'll try for a better pic tomorrow.
F
--
"I love the smell of bookstores in the morning. It smells
like...literacy."
-- Lawrence Person, rec.arts.books
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Re: mmm...
#16
Okay, I just need to say this: you guys rock. I'm seeing One King and two out of Three Shadows. An awesome start, to be sure.
Now if only I could find someone interested in playing 'Hiroshi'. I suppose he's the hardest sell out of the set-up.
Also, based on the choices for the First and Third Shadows, and the fact that his Advising Shadow has yet to be made, I'd hazard that the Second Shadow is the balancing force between them: more humble than the First, such that it doesn't forget its place and begin giving the King ill council, but not so convinced of the King's infallibility as to affect its own judgement.
Seriously, nice jobs so far.
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Re: mmm...
#17
You know, if Naoko is in the West Coast Legendary, Shining Kamen is going to be harrassing her/him at every opportunity. After all, he's her Destined Protector (despite the actual Destined Protector, who doesn't count).--
Instead of playing the role of a super hero, one degenerates into a strange bum luring villains to their doom in a trash dumpster. -Statesman
--
If you become a monster to put down a monster you've still got a monster running around at the end of the day and have as such not really solved the whole monster problem at all. 
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Re: mmm...
#18
Quote:
You know, if Naoko is in the West Coast Legendary, Shining Kamen is going to be harrassing her/him at every opportunity. After all, he's her Destined Protector (despite the actual Destined Protector, who doesn't count).
Unless I was wrong, and created the First Shadow on the wrong server, she's in Virtue.
-Edit-
I just thought of something. It'd be really cool if the king and his shadows team up for a mayhem mission.
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why not?
#19
MirrorKnight Hiroshi currently exists as a level 2 Broadsword/SR scrapper... dunno if I'll keep "Him" or not though...
Silver (read: Gray) medieval armor and saxon helm with brown hair... I almost used the goofy grin face, but decided that to really rub the real Hiroshi the wrong way, MirrorKnight has to look COOL.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll
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Re: mmm...
#20
Quote:
I just thought of something. It'd be really cool if the king and his shadows team up for a mayhem mission.
Maybe tonight, after my weekly Onyxia run (starts 6:00 PST, probably done within the hour)?
--Sam
(The King is my first villain to exit a MM with more time on the clock than he started with...)
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Re: why not?
#21
1) I hope you keep him. There must be a sibling, because with a sibling there can be huuuuge sibling arguements.
2) I would've gone with the goofy grin m'self, but I can certainly picture Naoko pulling off being cool just to spite Hiroshi.
3)...and here's the awkward part... my ability to connect to the game has officially been diminished. I /should/ be on a couple times a week, and ideally I'll be able to be on when y'all are about, but yeah. Let's just say that life, right now, is entirely too complicated for my liking.

(And a belated 4) I can only imagine what'll happen when/if Shining Kamen starts trying to 'protect' Mirror Guardian Naoko. Hiroshi's ego is taking a severe bruising out of all of this as it is. [Image: smile.gif] )
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hm
#22
Mirror Knight's response (presumably in private or with folks "In the know"):
"BWAHAHAHAHA!" followed by "Heyy, he's kinda cute." descending into another tiff with the magical guardian critter... I wish my manga-style execution was better/less lazy. I have an idea for a page or two of "filler" interaction...
ETA: Screenshot
[Image: MirrorKnightHiroshi.jpg]
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll
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#23
And Lo, the second shadow rises.
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Re: Re:
#24
Coolness. Great to have you along, Matthew.
--Sam
"This is graveness."
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Re: Re:
#25
Welcome to the forums, Matthew!
-- Bob
---------
...The President is on the line
As ninety-nine crab rangoons go by...
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