A Bro's Life (AGG-ish Anime Bro Quest)

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Many anime archetypes have managed to stand the test of time, while others have fallen from grace. Some have risen from the ashes of obscurity to find new life. Most have retained the fundamental parts of their character. Others have been forced to change along with the advancing times and an aging audience.

However, one archetype has managed to remain relevant no matter how much things change:

The Bro.

The Best Friend.

The Main Man.

The Dude.

The Secondary Protagonist (in some cases), the Bro archetype can take on a wide variety of story roles. The supportive older brother (blood related or not). The stranger turned friend. The glue that holds the entire main group together. They can even be the rival/antagonist that pushes the protagonist to improve their lot in life.

But there is one universal law that they follow: They take care of the protag and make sure he gets the character development he needs to accomplish his goals. Whether this be through being a steadfast pillar of support that never lets his bro down, a constant goal set up so that his bro will never stop improving, or secretive figure who watches from the shadows but always seems to be there to assist the protag when they need it most.

But it is not all fist bumps and high fives. Being a protagonist's brother is a hefty weight. You can't let yourself look bad lest your bro lose faith in you, you have to make sure you give them the spotlight so they grow as a person, and you tend to become the protagonist emotional base...one which they would be lost without.

This is a risk that many Bros take on with a smile.

Because, at the end of the day, their bro is what's important.

And that will be the premise of this Quest.

You all will not be playing the part of the main protagonist.

You will be playing as the protagonist's Bro/Best Friend/Main Man.

However, before we get too far into the details, let us get some things straight about the story that you all will be apart of.

Starting off with the Genre of the story.

Your choice of Genre will have a major effect on how the story evolves. It will affect the tone, the power level, the characters, and more.

[] Shounen - Ah. The stereotypical genre for a Bro character. Not that that's a bad thing. This Genre is littered with this archetype and for good reason. This genre has it all. Over the top action sequences, epic tales of friendship, love, and loss, and badass dudes and girls doing badass things. This is a time where idealism rings true, and all you need to change the world is a never ending supply of hot-blood!

However, while Shounen shows can start noble and bright, they tend to get darker as the story goes on and the threat escalates. In fact, this Genre is extremely deadly to Bro characters because of a major rule: The cooler you are, the more likely you are to die or turn evil. Either to make the main character grow as a person, or to establish that the story has taken a seriously dark turn. And since the job of Bros is to be the coolest of the cool to support the protagonist, they tend to not live long.

Nevertheless, you must press on. For defying the odds is exactly what Bros do. And besides, this is a Shounen Genre. It's all about accomplishing the impossible...


[] Slice Of Life - The fuck is this? I thought we made Quest like this to escape real life? Seriously speaking, this Genre is similar to the Shounen Genre. Your job as a Bro is to ensure the protag develops into a decent person. The difference? There's not gonna be a lot of fighting, most of your challenges will be simple, real life ones, and things will generally focus on having a normal existence in the world. No world spanning quest, no over the top battles, no bad guys wishing you harm. Just a simple life.

Of course, all of us here know that life is anything but "simple". Things that are out of your control will happen. Sometimes they will fuck you over, sometimes they won't. But you just gotta take it one day at a time. And I believe that's the best way to describe this Genre: taking things one day at a time.


[] Seinen/Dark - If you were to compare these different Genres to "Difficulty Settings", this would be Hard Mode. This Genre is much the same as the Shounen Genre, but with "realistic" circumstances applied to them. What exactly does this entail?

Your enemies are numerous, almost uncountable. Their influence is great, they have a hand in almost every important part of society. They have the power to back all their plans up, and see them through. The populace is under their control, no one suspects they have an evil agenda. You are constantly being hunted, you can't rest your head even for a little bit. Allies are few and far between, it's either too dangerous for them or they're likely to betray you.

Basically, EVERYTHING is against you from the start. No pressure.

These are your choices of Genre. Keep in mind, none of these choices are set in stone. The choices you make, the events you trigger, the people you meet, and the causes you choose to fight for can all effect how the story evolves over the course of the Quest. What starts as a light-hearted Slice Of Life story can turn into a dark tale of trying to survive when the whole world is against you. Likewise, a Dark story where everything is against you from the start can be turned into a hopeful tale of succeeding against the odds. Choosing a Genre determines how things begin, not how they end.

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WTF Is This: New Quest. You guys play as the Bro of the Main Protagonist. Basically, you're gonna be the Kamina to their Simon.

AGG-ish?: If anyone here remembers old Sage_Of_Eyes' "A Geek's Guide" Quest, think that. As in, I'm going to be using the same system idea (with Stats that go from 0 to 100, traits, SL Levels, and so on), but not just straight copy everything from them.

 

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Ah, the Shounen Genre.

Wonderful choice.

Now, we shall take this Genre and specify it, so that this story has more of a focus. While Genres are inherently versatile, being able to focus down on one particular story within the Genre will allow for a much better experience.

To do this, you shall pick the next three things about our story, starting with Style and Setting.

A Genre Style is essentially a specific version of the Genre that governs different topics. The Mecha Genre, the Superhero Genre, and so on are examples of this. Where a Genre details the tone, a Style dictates what will be seen in the story. What powers the characters have, what threats can come about from the world itself, and even how people use their powers to get along in their everyday lives.

Style will determine what powers and advantages will be open to you and your bro from the beginning, and what avenues to improve those powers will be available. This applies to your enemies as well. The general rule is, if you can do it, so can those who oppose you...with the level of effectiveness varying greatly.

Setting goes hand in hand with Style to a certain degree. While a Genre and Style can work with any Setting, a Setting forms the basis of the world itself. A Mecha Genre story taking place in the Near/Far Future will naturally take place in a Setting where Mechs effect the way people live their lives, or are at least acknowledged by the general public. Be aware that no Setting or Style is exclusive another. A Superhero Genre story can take place in a Medieval Fantasy Setting. It'll just take some adjustments to fit.

However, while Settings and Style are not exclusive, the things you will see in a Setting within a certain Style are. You're unlikely to find Vampires in the Mecha Genre for instance.

Go ahead and choose between the following Styles. Are there two Styles that you simply can't choose between? There is a solution, make it a Double Style. This "Style" combines two Styles into one, taking the aspects of both and fusing them together. It is not that strange among Anime Genres to do this. For instance, G Gundam could arguably be considered a Mecha/Martial Arts Story due to how the Martial Artists in the show pilot Giant Robots. Simply take the Double Style option, then write in the two Styles you wish to combine.

Spoiler: Style Choice

[] Mecha - Giant Robots fighting each other, or things the size of Giant Robots. Need I say more?

[] Martial Arts - A Style that ask the question, "What if doing Martial Arts gave you superpowers?"

[] High Fantasy - Magic, Wizards, Dungeons and Dragons. This Style ensures that Magic has filled the world and changed everything about it in a major way.

[] Low/Medieval Fantasy - The same as High Fantasy, but Magic is either rare, dangerous, non-existent, or a combination of the three.

[] Soft Sci-Fi - At a certain point, Science becomes completely indistinguishable from Magic. And this Style aims to prove that.

[] Supernatural - Either there's no humans, or they're not the focus. Supernatural demons, monsters, and otherwise are.

[] Tokusatsu/Super Sentai - Humans transforming into spandex wearing Heroes of Justice, fighting monsters while screaming the names finishing moves at the top of their.

[] Partner/Mon - Monsters and Humans team up to fight other teams of Monsters and Humans while learning the true value of friendship...and evolving into stronger forms along the way...usually.

[] Mutant/Virus - Either something in the human body has caused it to mutate or a new virus has reared its ugly head on our world. And, for some reason, it gives certain people superpowers, while others either die or simply get the shaft.

[] Double Style - Write in Styles below
- [] Write in Style 1
- [] Write in Style 2

Now please, select a Setting to go along with the Style.

Spoiler: Setting

[] High School - The Prototypical Anime Setting. Especially among the Shounen Genre, this Setting is EXTREMELY Prolific. Which makes it extremely versatile as far as Styles go.

[] Post Apocalyptic - Everything that we know has come to end, and now the characters are left to pick up the pieces. While Survival is the focus, beating up on asshole gang members takes precedent.

[] "Modern"/Urban - We live in this Setting. While the story will ignore certain aspects and take liberties with others, this Setting is one that we all know, as we all live through it everyday. Sometimes different based on the Style it is matched with.

[] Medieval - Usually the Romanticized version of it, this Setting has Kings, Queens, Knights, and Mercenaries. Things are simpler and you don't have to worry about all the trouble of modern day...least that's what you hope.

[] Near Future - A Setting about a future that is actually kind of close to us. Normally has people using new tech that is derived from tech we use today, or tech that will soon become the norm in our everyday lives.

[] Far Future; Discovery Era - Space. The Final Frontier. The only thing that remains truly unknown by humanity. This Setting takes place during a time where Space Travel has become possible and humanity is discovering all the things the galaxy has to offer.

[] Far Future; Colonization Era - Same as the above Setting, however we have already mapped and colonized most of the nearby galaxy. Governments, both human and not, have staked their claim on numerous areas of the cosmos. Planets and solar systems now "belong" to specific groups of people, and they fight over the rights to them.

Now before we move on, there is one last thing I require your input on. This is the third aspect of the story that you all will decide on. I kept it for last, as it does not fit within the confines of a Style or Setting. In fact, it can be considered a Genre all on its own.

Harem.

The Genre/Trope where the MC happens to have a group of people who all share romantic feelings for him, and they are all fighting for his affections. It is a Trope that has been played straight, mocked, parodied, deconstructed, and reconstructed across multiple stories. Some enjoy the Harem Genre. Others dislike it.

Due to this, I will allow you all to decide if a Harem is in your bro's future. Specifically, if it will get focus.

So everyone, do we have Harem?

[] Yes Harem, make it a focus - Not only will your bro get a Harem, but it will be a major facet of the story. Dealing with the fallout from the Harem's Shenanigans, things falling apart because of jealousy, and being forced into awkward situations due to it, will all happen. They will not only happen, they will be imperative to the main plot.

[] Yes Harem, no focus - Your bro will have a Harem, but it will not be a major part of the story. There will be Shenanigans and filler dealing with the Harem, but it will only happen when there's been a lull in the main story. Sometimes it won't even happen on screen.

[] No Harem - Your bro will not get a Harem. This doesn't mean he won't get people who have feelings for him to hang around him, but they will not be a Harem and he will have no problem picking one of them to be with. No Shenanigans, no jealousy, all focus on the main plot.

You are likely asking, "Why exactly should we care if our bro gets a Harem or not?"

The Answer: Because he's your bro.

Would you want him to accidentally hook up with a crazy Yandere bitch that ties him up in the basement? Or gaslights him into never hanging with you or his friends again? Or get with a girl who is plainly evil?

Of course not!

Seriously though, if a Harem becomes a focus, then one of your jobs as a Bro is to ensure the Protag makes a good choice in terms of a partner. While you won't have exacting standards, you need to watch out in case he makes a mistake...or let him make the mistake so he grows as a person.