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Draxx
2013-02-17, 06:36 PM
Remember when comics used to be fun? When we could enjoy them? This is game is a tribute to what we used to love about comic books. To the Silver Age style adventures, the old cartoon series, the minor characters who nobody cares about anymore. The Marvel and DC univserses are the most widely recognized superhero settings, so a lot is taken from them, but this world encompasses every comic imaginable, as well as anime, and television, film and and everything else that fits in the paradigm of adventure. It is tenuously connected to the lynchingverse, however it's apart enough that you don't really have to know anything about that.

This is not a traditional roleplaying game. It's all free-form, and people are free to take over extras, or drop them, or do things that most games won't let you get away with. Because this epitomizes taking the collective body of adventure-themed fiction for the past few centuries, and turning it into a grand world history, then getting to explore it all as your favorite characters. And what could be more fun?

So welcome to Shatterworld. I hope we can all enjoy this. Use this page for character stats (just a picture, some basic personality traits, and strengths and weaknesses). No own characters thanks, we don't do that. Also, out of game discussion, introductions, and any fiction you want to write as the stories progress.

In Character thread here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=14728234#post14728234), and history so far.

industrious
2013-02-17, 07:08 PM
Dermott Arkane
"...And that's the message."

http://imstars.aufeminin.com/stars/fan/john-glover/john-glover-20050816-62771.jpg
+ Godwalker of the Messenger; the most connected with the Archtype of the Messenger, with plans to replace the Archtype with his own interpretation: The Heisenberg Messeger, who tells not truth but uncertainty, not facts but opinions. The idea of the Messenger is linked with the idea of Truth, and to change one is to change the other.
+ As an avatar of the Messenger, his words cannot be denied. When he speaks a true statement about something of importance, people must acknowledge what he has said is true, or suffer mental damage
+ When Delivering a Message to an audience, no obstacle may stand in his way. Should he will it, gags will break, cars will not break down if he is driving them, locks will open, and bonds will loosen. However, people are immune to this power, and if something is merely in his way, not holding him back, it will not open for him.
+ The Messenger knows the news. He may learn an important fact about a person, place or thing he is near. This fact must be able to be expressed in roughly three words or less, be concrete, and the subject of his inquiry must be in his presence.
+ The Messenger goes to where the news is. Provided he knows it is occurring, not about to occur or having just occurred, The Messenger can appear at any event important to more than one hundred people. Dermott Arkane has an earbud constantly feeding him top world events for this reason.
+ As Godwalker, Arkane may interpret the Messenger one other way: The Painful Truth. With this power, he may divine the truth that an individual least likes to hear, and when speaking that which cannot be ignored, drives a man insane.
+ Vast knowledge of ritualistic magic; Dermott has a number of "proxies," individuals who will be affected in his stead if he should be targeted with hostile magic. Most of them are unaware of this fact.
+ Extreme Charisma - not like a politician, but like a reporter or anchorman, or a political pundit that you like and agree with.
+ Decent skill with handguns - not superhero levels, but better than your average policeman by far.
+ Followers, mostly in the form of political individuals who approve of his writings (he runs a blog outrageous slanting and biasing news stories).
- He's as human as the next man, and he's also pushing 70. He's in very good shape, but still - he's no spring chicken.
- His attempts to replace the Messenger are not unnoticed. The Archtype is in conflict with him; stories about Dean's flaws and crimes, real or imagined, are often printed. He is on the most wanted lists of most countries for a number of crimes he hasn't committed.
- Dean is connected the Archtype on a close level. As such, he cannot deny the truth. He may passively conceal, and lie by omission, but if confronted with a lie point-blank, he cannot deny it.


I know the strange tides on which destiny ebbs and flows. I know that fate sometimes needs a guiding hand. I know how to place the pieces on the board. I know what has been and what must be. I know the greater game.


For I know what evil lurks in the hearts of men.
The Shadow Knows.
http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/12/129491/2775858-282978_385966481495999_53707047_n.jpg
1. A network of agents, those he has saved and those who owe him favors. They do not know who they are themselves, but they serve the Shadow.
2. Complete control of his vocal chords; the ability to mimic any voice perfectly, and to throw his voice whereever he might actually be. He has perfected a chilling laugh to strike fear and paralyze his enemies.
3. Master of Disguise. Has fooled Batman on at least two occasions.
4. A master of stealth and espionage. He worked undercover in World War I under the name "Dark Eagle"
5. Longevity. The Shadow may yet be immortal. Or perhaps his time is not yet up...
6. The ability to cloud men's minds, or to hypnotize them. He cannot fool many at one time, nor, if one is sufficiently trained.
7. The Girasol Gem, worn upon a ring. The dead have no secrets from the Shadow.
8. Expert Marksman, with 2 Colt M1911 Pistols.

Draxx
2013-02-17, 07:33 PM
Thanks. Would you mind introducing Dermott Arkane yourself? I'll work him in, but it would help if you did.

AnimeKid
2013-02-17, 10:34 PM
Here are my characters Drax

KOS-MOS
http://images.wikia.com/xenosaga/images/9/92/KOS-MOS_XS4.jpg
+KOS-MOS
+Battle android from the future
+This is her fourth and final upgraded form and is by far the strongest.
+Has access to multiple weapons via materialization. Ex. twin Chainguns.
+Super strength.
+Is pure awesome (check out cutscenes from Xenosaga 1 or 3 for confirmation.)
+Superspeed

+Has access to her Phase transfer cannon, it is very powerful (Read:A Very Powerful form of energy emission in the form of powerful plasma beams this likely refers to the direct conversion of mass to energy according to Einstein theory which eventually led to atomic weaponry. This would be therefore similar to what happens when anti-matter comes into collision with its corresponding matter resulting in the release of massive amounts of energy hence Shion's comment "You could vaporize a whole star with this."

+Has a long-range sensory array, a set of energy wings, a body is formed from some sort of highly advanced nanomachines that allows her to morph parts of her body (specifically her arms) into various energy projectile and melee weapons. This body is also able to self-repair and is very durable though not indestructible, and she is also protected by a force-shield.

+Contains the Consciousness of Mary Magdalene.

+also has the Hilbert affect-The Hilbert Effect is an anti-Gnosis system used to draw the Gnosis into our plane of reality, allowing us to come into contact with them, instead of them being able to interact with our plane's matter at will also Hilbert waves can also be used to disable many high-end sensors using cross-interference. This means it also affects local systems as well. Most ships have buffering which helps to prevent this in open spaces. However, when the Hilbert Effect is used without amplifiers in enclosed spaces, all sensor systems are affected, and Ether based weaponry is rendered useless. Concentrated Hilbert waves can interfere with Realian systems as well, but it appears to have no effect on humans,but in actuality can make enemies weaker.
-Tends to sometimes unnerve people with her robotic voice which is void of emotion or inflection.
-When KOS-MOS tends to perfer pragmatism over morals


"That's not messing around, THIS is messing around"

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_PpNKNkdKU6g/S9zAz52ODQI/AAAAAAAAAn8/6CTe6ELn9Dw/s1600/GeneratorRex.jpg

Generator Rex

Rex is a young amnesiac EVO with the ability to grow various machines out of his body and then absorb them back into himself or discard them when done. He can also use his nanites to communicate with and control nearby machines, and to absorb the activated nanites from some other EVOs, curing them of their mutations (though this requires the consent of the other EVO). Control of his powers is linked to his emotional state, and can fail with low self-confidence, agitation or inner conflict.

+Can produce various machines from his body
+Generally a good guy who tries to do what's right
+Loves being a hero
-is your typical teenager with little respect for authority
+Always has Bobo his talking chimp friend with laser pistols (Would this make him occupy my second character slot?)
-Powers are linked to his emotional state as mentioned above

darkblade
2013-02-18, 02:25 AM
I had no idea how Tommy would fit into this but damn the Tournament of the Seven Cities...I'm looking forward to whatever other crazy martial artist you have planned to show up for this.

Draxx
2013-02-18, 08:20 AM
Yeah, but I wanted to start out with the basics of genre, two-fisted stories that require, nay demand this sort of thing.

As to what crazy characters will be appearing, well I'd hate to spoil the surprise. But it will be a blend of serious and ridiculous.

AnimeKid
2013-02-18, 08:45 AM
SO Draxx are Rex and KOS-MOS okay? Cause if so I can write out an entrance for them.

EDIT: nevermind.

Fan
2013-02-18, 06:18 PM
Welp, I've been directed here so I'd like to attempt to put in a character who I THINK fits in with the power level set here (And is an actual Silver Age villain.)

Snow Flame:


http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxw2fe5Krn1qk5ixfo1_400.jpg

Name: Snow Flame

Equipment: Cocaine.

Weapons: Cocaine.

Description: Snow Flame is a man of unknown alias outside his Super Villain identity, standing at an even 6"2 and in possession of glorious silver tresses that cascade down his back. He is SNOW FLAME, and every cell of his being is suffused with the white hot ecstasy of COCAINE.

Weaknesses: Cocaine dependency.

Powers:

Super Strength: Snowflame is in possession of super strength not exceeding 15 tons, allowing him to lift even large vehicles and use them as weapons.

Super Speed: Enhanced by how much cocaine he uses, the more he does, the faster. At base level he is able to run as fast as an armored car, speeding up with higher dosages of cocaine puts him at mach level. Keep in mind reaching this requires POUNDS of cocaine, and doing as such takes significant amounts of time that would be inviable in real combat.

Pyrokinetic Aura: As Snowflame becomes one with his god, Cocaine, he is able to project an aura of it's glorious burning divinity around him that scorches any who touch him, and enhance his attacks.

Drug induced Pain immunity: When SNOWFLAME is in the embrace of Cocaine he becomes numbed to the attacks of lesser mortals who do not know his god's embrace allowing him to survive fighting people with super strength at his own level. Keep in mind.. he doesn't exactly have super durability, so after the fight he's still going to be in trouble.

Biography: Cocaine.

Draxx
2013-02-18, 08:08 PM
…Takes all sorts to make a world, doesn't it? (http://www.snowflamecomic.com/?comic=snowflame-01-01) Not that there is a designated power-level for this game. Anything goes, really.

Welcome to the crew. I'll introduce you right away.

darkblade
2013-02-18, 09:07 PM
Dark age, Snowflame was a late nineties villain. Comics code would not have passed a cocaine powered supervillain in the silver age.

That comic is all kinds of crazy awesome though.

Draxx
2013-02-18, 09:23 PM
I did think that sounded a little unlikely, yes.

AnimeKid
2013-02-18, 10:47 PM
Draxx did you need me to narrow down KOS-MOS location more? Or should I just have her jump in at some point.

Draxx
2013-02-19, 12:11 AM
No, I'm good. Just figuring out what to actually do with her. When I have an idea, I'll update her.

Fan
2013-02-19, 07:05 AM
Dark age, Snowflame was a late nineties villain. Comics code would not have passed a cocaine powered supervillain in the silver age.

That comic is all kinds of crazy awesome though.

He was in the years after Crisis on Infinite Earths. 1988-1989. Part of the "New Guardians" run in that period.

Not quite Dark Age there, or late nineties at all. =p

Still, he's just a bit on the edge of being Silver Age, but it's before the dawn of the damned "Super Mullet".

darkblade
2013-02-20, 12:39 AM
I could have swore they came after the Bloodlines event but it appears you are correct.

Still I'd consider 89 to be the cusp between the Bronze and Dark ages.

Cracklord
2013-02-20, 04:31 AM
The 90's isn't really a period, it's a state of mind.

Anyway, I'd better finish this arc so I can play my other two characters. Here you are. Note, for those interested in reading the rest, you can find them all from here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=217831&page=32). Along with some other players contributions as well.

Brothers Wilson #11 special edition, with extra material, limited stocks
Felicia was the younger sister of Selina Kyle - she was put in the same institution as Selina and Maggie, but lost contact with them as she was the only one young enough to be successfully adopted. Her adoptive father, Walt Hardy, was a cat burglar of no small repute, but knew that the best of the best was Gotham’s feline fatale, and when she followed his footsteps she had something of an obsession in regards to her big sister, trying hard to outdo her.
And as Catwoman’s barely manageable romantic entanglement with the Batman grew hotter, Felicia spitefully put the moves on Nightwing, who had just broken up with Starfire. **** Grayson couldn't help but fall head over heel for the manipulative minx, and much shouting ensued as Bruce warned **** of Felicia’s real intentions, **** shouted at Bruce that at least he wasn’t afraid of his feeling and acting like a frigid jerk like Bruce was acting toward Selina. Troia, certain her best friend was being manipulated by Felicia, tried to have a showdown with her, only to clash violently with Catwoman, who wasn’t about to let some teenage girl manhandle her kid sister, even if she absolutely deserved it.
Wanting the drag **** away from the Titans and feeling weak because she couldn’t deal with Troia on her own, Black Cat had volunteered for treatments against her better judgment at the hands of the Brotherhood of Mutants, who found she possessed a latent X gene which they activated shortly thereafter with formula borrowed from the High Evolutionary, and by the time it was done she had proportional strength, speed, prowess, senses and claws of a cat. She vanished for a time, trying to come to terms with this, then found that her powers had further developed into bad luck powers. Felicia and **** eventually broke up after a particularly venomous verbal cat fight between Selina and Felicia. **** and Bruce were attempting to mend their father/son relationship, but Bruce had started a quasi-regular relationship with Catwoman and it soon became obvious that one of the four had to leave. Felicia, now genuinely in love with ****, chose to leave so he could patch up things with Bruce; even admitted she didn’t mind Selina being happy with Bruce.
But how had she got here? It was all Ted Grant's fault. Looking to reinvent herself, she'd decided to make the hero thing more permanent then just 'following a boy'. So she went to learn from the best. Wildcat, Ted Grant, the only Heavy-weight boxer to successfully defend the title of world champion for a grand total of 30 consecutive years, all but undefeated the entire time. And so she'd resolved to learn from him, as generations of martial artists have, and they'd had an affair, as generations of attractive women have, which had been spectacularly fulfilling before she broke it off.
But it seemed to have skewed her priorities. Since him, she'd found her taste in men had changed. She'd used to like men her own age. Parker. Grayson. Parker again. Grayson again. Young, confident, boyishly charming and good-looking. Now, she had a thing for vigorous older men, tough and self-assured. First Thomas Fireheart, or Puma if you preferred, and now Wolverine.
Which had been perfect in a way. She'd needed to get out of New York now that Fisk had muscled back into power and was looking to put her head on his wall and feed the rest of her to some dogs, so some time in the wilderness had seemed like a good idea, and the two of them had bonded.
Unfortunately, it seemed to have dragged her into more then she could handle this time. She looked up at Deathstroke as he got out of the jeep and casually walked her way. Deathstroke. Finest assassin in the world. Before going legitimate, or at least using her talents for good, Felicia had hung out with the worst crowd that would have her, then but she'd never met him before.
Slade's voice was not how Felicia imagined it at all. It wasn't gruff or harsh. It was calm, collected, and cool enough to make her feel chilled. "Wilson Fisk would pay me the entire contents of the First National Bank for your head. And twice that, if the rest of your body was attached." He looked at her thoughtfully. He had a deep, personal hatred for Nightwing developed over the years to something that gnawed at his heart like a cancer, and it would be tempting, so very tempting to use her against him. He considered mailing Titans Tower her fingers one at a time and watching him go crazy, then, with difficulty, dismissed it. He had other priorities for the moment. Fun for another day, right now he had more important things to do. "Run off then. Today, I have other concerns."
Felicia got to her feet, and flexed her fingers. "You think I'm going to let you just kill him?" She asked incredulously, bending her legs and getting ready to spring.
Slade looked at her thoughtfully a moment, then conceded her point with a nod. Then he shot her in the knee, or tried to. Thanks to the most unlikely of chance, the well oiled slide caught, and the gun jammed. Bad luck powers had never been so welcome. She tilted her head, let out a relieved sigh, and got ready to fight.
With a frustrated sound, he slung the weapon back into place, then cracked his knuckles. "Well, since it would be a shame to murder such a pretty girl -" There was a blur, and she slumped, Slade's hand pressed almost gently to the side of her neck "You should take a long sleep. Rest. Dream of better times."
Wade nudged the unconscious body with the toe of his boot, then nudged his brother with his elbow. "Dibs."
"Don't be disgusting."
"Disgusting? Oh. Ohhhh. No. Not like that. No, I wouldn't force her to do anything, or drug her, or pressure her or anything like that. What do you take me for? Some kind of savage? Shame on you." He shook his head, more vigorously then necessary. "Shame. No, I'd just keep her locked in my apartment, completely dependent on me for everything, and I'd be stern but fair, and over a few days she'd really get to know the real me. Then we'd talk a bit, and then we'd start to bond, and then she'd start to open up and even to smile, and then I'd start to confess things about myself I'd never told anyone else, and -"
"Stockholm Syndrome's not really any less distasteful."
Wade bristled. "Then why is Beauty and the Beast a kid's movie, and part of an even bigger cash-cow franchise then me?"
Slade shrugged. "Double standards about attractive women?"
"No, I think we're supposed to call that fanservice."
Slade sighed. "It's all irrelevant. We're leaving her."
"Right. Because leaving her skimpily dressed in the snow miles from shelter is far more humane then imprisonment in my apartment, and possibly marriage to the world's most eligible bachelor."
"She'll probably survive. Not my problem."
"And if she does, she'll get back to civilization and tell everyone it was us."
"I suppose so. But we'll be done by then, so who cares."
"And what happened to anonymity? You know, not getting caught? Not having guys who can bench-press planets and happen to like the guy we killed coming after us? We should kill her."
"Alright then. Do it."
Wade looked at her for a moment. He'd killed plenty of people, but there seemed something repellent about killing an unarmed, beautiful girl while she was unconscious. It wasn't as though she'd done anything wrong as such (to him, that is), and… "Well… when I say we, I mean you."
"I say keeping our names out of this stopped being useful, so might as well be discarded. Let her tell anyone she wants anything she likes." Slade replied. "We're about to go after the X-Men, brother. I can name at least three who can do things to the universe that it's not designed for with their brains. Time to stop worrying about it."
"You're loco, brother." Deadpool muttered.


Wolverine awoke in pain. Searing pain, tearing pain. The kind of pain he'd suppressed when they'd bonded the metal to his skeleton, peeling back the flesh piece by piece to expose each bone. He felt like he had been torn apart, piece by piece, all over again. Which was essentially what had happened.
"So how do we keep him dead? Since it doesn't seem to matter how much of him we cut off or how much blood he loses, even if he can't heal?" Deadpool asked. "I mean, look at him. We've really worked him over, both lungs punctured, heart stabbed out, every artery he has opened, ten of those special bullets in his chest, and he still has vitals signs. I know I die if my head gets cut off, but all this should work on him."
He was in a dark place, that felt underground. His senses were too overwhelmed by pain to be much more useful then that.
"Suppose we'll just have to destroy all his soft-tissues." Deathstroke replied, sounding almost bored.
"What, like lower him into a pool full of acid and let him dissolve? Or a pool full of sharks with freaking lazer beams attached to their heads? Or maybe a pool of acid, with a shark that breathes acid in it…" He paused. "I don't think you have one of those, more's the pity. And pet shops refuse to sell sharks wholesale. Looks like we'll have to just let him go… Release him back into the wild, and help he can re-acclimatize to his new environment."
Slade made a sucking sound. "Or we could strap him to the business end of a cyclotron."
"Where the hell are we supposed to get one of them?" Deadpool asked. "You might as well suggest we…"
Slade shrugged. "The internet?"
Deadpool conceded that with a nod. "Alright then. Long as I can keep it for my headquarters." He been planning on forming his own group of costumed adventurers called 'The Deadpool Corps', and a cyclotron was just the thing for their ever-so-secret hide-out (soon as he found one). Maybe a Phantom Zone projector, and a portal to the Negative Zone. The mainstays. "And if that doesn't work?"
"Toss him into space. He'll drift around for a while, and eventually become the Skrulls problem or something."
"…Uhhhh," Wolverine forced out.
Deadpool made a sympathetic noise. "There's our little trooper. How's he doing? Wow. You're a mess. You want a band-aid or something?"
Slade took a comically over-sized syringe usually used for basing roasts, loaded it up with enough oxycontin and phencyclidine to sedate a herd of elephants. "Go back to sleep. And don't wake again, or I'll shoot you some more." He said, and jabbed it directly into his carotid artery.
The world went dark.

And that gets me period. You can post for me now.

Draxx
2013-02-20, 06:10 AM
Excellent. Anybody wants to repost fiction, feel free.

darkblade
2013-02-24, 09:20 AM
Come on guys this game is far too young to die.

AnimeKid
2013-02-24, 09:56 AM
I think everyone is waiting on Draxx. Maybe some stuff turned up IRL?

Draxx
2013-02-24, 09:23 PM
Sorry about the delays in posting. Though, for a change, it's good news that has distracted me.

AnimeKid
2013-02-24, 09:40 PM
Ohh! You can't just say that and then leave us hanging. Do tell!

Draxx
2013-02-24, 09:46 PM
One of my closer friends is getting married, and my cousin recovered from open-heart surgery without complications (an infection in the chamber she picked up in Thailand). There was also a birthday, but it didn't get much consideration between those two events. So I've been busy, with all the champagne and the rest.

Anyway, I'm not really a once a day poster at the best of times, so sorry to leave you all hanging. I'll try to come up with a regular schedule or whatever.

industrious
2013-02-24, 10:41 PM
Congratulations, and I'm sorry for your cousin.

Also, happy birthday (belated), if it was yours.

Draxx
2013-02-25, 04:31 AM
22's a bloody useless age, no point in celebrating it, though the sentiment is appreciated. And Eugenie is well on the road to recovery, two surgeries down and back in Australia. Travel Insurance has yet to find a reason not to pay (despite their very best efforts to do so), so apart from getting her to eat and regain some weight, (she's always been slight, but now it's bad) things are well in the clear. So nothing to worry about there.

industrious
2013-02-25, 07:46 PM
Good to know, Draxx.

Anything for Arkane?

darkblade
2013-02-26, 04:01 PM
Well now I feel bad for pressing you.

To make up for it here have a series of lectures (http://www.writeaboutdragons.com/home/) by Brandon Sanderson on writing.

Draxx
2013-03-01, 09:43 AM
Thank you.

Colesign
2013-03-02, 11:14 PM
Hey guys!

Sorry about being absent and posting incrementally.

I think I want to take a break from the plot for the span of this game to recharge my roleplaying batteries, but I'm still enthused about hanging out and talking about stories, if that's cool with you all.

And say Indy: is that an Unknown Armies character you're playing?

industrious
2013-03-03, 03:45 AM
It is indeed.

Draxx
2013-03-03, 07:40 AM
Shame to have this game without you, Colesign, but you do what you need to do. Should you change your mind, feel free to step in.

Colesign
2013-03-03, 02:18 PM
I'll take that offer Draxx: and thanks.

Funny thing, Indy: I've been participating in an Unknown Armies larp for the past two semesters–as an Avatar of the Messenger too!

Who is also a hobo.

darkblade
2013-03-03, 02:56 PM
I got bored and decided to try writing how School Daze would have gone should I not needed to take a break from DMing. Consider it the directors cut or something, continuity is for future DMs to decide.

Escape from Idris
(Shortly after Panty, Beast and Smedry are captured by the Librarians/Shaowhunters)

Dragged through the dungeon the rag-tag band of heroes could see the sorry state of the other prisoners. Fae forced to cling to bronze bars from the rooftop, lest they touch the iron that makes the rest of their cell. A vampire forced to count loose grains of garlic powder, his hands marred with countless pin prick scars.

Among the prisoners is a young man. Stripped bare it is evident to most that he is no more than a mere mortal, barely more than a boy. Upon his genitalia lies a birthmark, a single pentagram along it's side.

"Where is the book?" A man in a tweed suit and thin glasses asked the boy as he swung a barbed whip.

"Dude! I told you! I don't know! I just banished it!" The boy pleaded his eyes briefly meeting Hank's.

Hank had seen too much of that kind of brutality in his day. Too many children beaten and killed. Most of them mutants unlike that boy but that doesn't mean he should be made to suffer. He closed his eyes in shame as he was helpless dragged away.

Panty just scoffed. "Pure Evil One got what was coming."

"Pure Evil One?" Smedry asked. "Surely that young man can't be the harbinger of the apocalypse."

"Care to share with the rest of the class?" Hank snapped, annoyed that he had so little grasp as to what was going on. He almost missed Zim. The little meglomaniac was a danger to himself and everything in his immediate proximity (not much more than that though) but he was straight forward. There were no secret societies within hidden kingdoms or magical prophecies, just a simple insane and heavily armed alien.

"The Pure Evil One was an Ancient Prophecy created by the Metal Dudes." Smedry began to explain, Hank just rolled his eyes. More magic, and a prophecy too boot.

"Three powerful demons from the future. They travelled back in time in the early 1900s to create heavy metal music and to find their future king, the Pure Evil One. A teenager who will wield the Book of Pure Evil and master it's power. He will be marked by the sign of the beast upon his manhood." Panty continued.

"Might I ask how you know of the Pure Evil One? You weren't aware of Idris or the Shadowhunters so..." Smedry said, trying to not come across as though he were calling her shallow and ignorant.

"I had a four way with the Metal Dudes in the eighties. That's why I'm on probation."

industrious
2013-03-03, 03:48 PM
I'll take that offer Draxx: and thanks.

Funny thing, Indy: I've been participating in an Unknown Armies larp for the past two semesters–as an Avatar of the Messenger too!

Who is also a hobo.

Cosmic Bumfights Galore.

Lack of posting is due to personal issues.

Draxx
2013-03-03, 05:35 PM
Understood, and more then forgiven. Just post when you can.

Cracklord
2013-03-06, 04:40 AM
Well. This game has slowed down pretty quickly, didn't it?

Good idea, Darkblade, let's try and get the fiction flowing again. It can only help.

As for my suggested ending, the school was going to suddenly transform into an Orwelian Nightmare, culminating in teachers casually murdering students deemed 'nonessential', and forcing intrusive experiments and psychological torture on those who are.
Meanwhile, Idris was going to get yet more tediously meta-textual (the sad truth is I was only warming up). It would finally be revealed that Randall Dowling is back, baby, and this is just one experiment to him that he has no intention of stopping with. I was also going to go with the whole 'Boss Smiley' - Owner of the franchise thing from Sandman, applied to each multiversal snowflake, with Yen Sid being another, but I had no idea how to fit that in.
All in all, your story is better already.

darkblade
2013-03-06, 05:18 PM
Lelouch and the Book of Pure Evil
It had been a bad couple of days for Lelouch. He had not accounted for mages, demons, aliens and metahumans to all have their own plans in the school. That was just what he knew about, he was certain that whatever "Project Ugly Duckling" was it went a lot deeper than anything he had any way of knowing.

In his frustration he kicked a book that he found lying on the ground. As it tumbled he couldn't help but notice the sculpted hand making devil horns in the centre of a pentagram on it's cover. He had seen all sorts of books in his father's libraries as a child but nothing like this. This book was different some how, it felt as though it was calling to Lelouch.

The young prince approached the book and it fell open. It's pages inked in what looked to be blood despite the fact that the illustration moved. An image of Zero standing over the corpse of Charles Zi Britannia shone right in Lelouch's eyes, underneath it read, Afferte libertatem ad omnes.

"Afferte lib..." Lelouch began to read when a white boot stomped on the page blocking his view of the words. The book howled in anger and pain as it pulled itself away, flapping it's cover like a pair of wings.

"Trust me Lelouch. You do not want anything that book is offering you." C.C. explained.

"What is that book? It's magic?" Lelouch asked, feeling foolish for being so easily pulled in by something so obviously evil's charm.

"The Book of Pure Evil, a living book of untold power that answers to one master and one master alone. The Pure Evil One. Anyone else who tries to wield it's power will be destroyed as a price for it's magic."

Lelouch looked at her suspiciously. "Does that mean the Pure Evil One is here?"

"No, the prophecy of the Pure Evil One says he will be from the town of Crowley Heights. That's halfway across the continent. The very fact that the book is here at all raises a lot of questions."

"How do you know so much about the book?"

C.C. chuckled to herself. "I am a witch after all Lelouch."

She turned to return Lelouch's dorm when he grabs her arm. "What are you not telling me?"

"I looked into the book twenty-five years ago. Hoping to find some answers of my own. A lot of people died because of it. I'd rather not talk about it."

Colesign
2013-03-07, 08:06 PM
This particular game seems to revolve around spies and secrets: ironically, Leavenworth Smedry might have fitted in better in this particular game.

And like these fictional interludes, Darkblade: hella cool.

Draxx
2013-03-12, 12:33 AM
Christ, we've already slowed right down, haven't we? Damned if I can tell hell the rest of you do it.

And yes, this is very much a secret finding game, very pulpy by design.

industrious
2013-03-12, 01:44 AM
Sorry, folks.

Things in my family just aren't very good right now.

Draxx
2013-03-12, 05:44 AM
It's mostly my fault, I'm pretty sure.

But I'm sincerely sorry to hear that. It sucks, and I hope things improve, and I offer whatever support I can from across the internet.

KerfuffleMach2
2013-03-13, 07:49 PM
So...the basic idea is take all comic realities and throw them together?

I love it, and I have many characters I would love to play as. The main ones being Nocturne, Deadpool, and Bomb Queen.

If I am wrong in that assumption, please correct me. Otherwise, I'll be reading through the IC thread to make sure I know all there is to know before I jump in.

Draxx
2013-03-13, 08:07 PM
That's exactly it. All comic realities, as well as pulp, manga, whatever. If it fits the basic style then go to it. And if you wish to get involved, then welcome. Don't worry about allusions to earlier continuity, just think of it as a form of Hypertime (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertime).

As for your suggestions, all excellent suggestions. Deadpool is being played by Cracklord, along with his brother Deathstroke (they're back in business together, working for President Luthor), so you'll have to ask him if it's alright you play him (it probably is). Nocturne would be exceptional, as a fan of the Exiles I'm more then happy. Also, it means I have an excuse to continue going through this universes incarnation of EXCALIBUR (which includes all sorts of awesome characters, including Doctor 10.5, the Valeyard).

So as far as I'm concerned, you can get started right away. Just give me a character sheet (there's a few examples on the first page of the Ooc, if you're not sure what that means), and you can introduce yourself.

Cracklord
2013-03-13, 08:22 PM
Fine (though I will miss writing their banter. The two have such potential as a comedy duo (that shall tragically never exist, as they both think the other is a fictional character. Well, Deadpool thinks he is as well, but that's just schematics), and I suspect it will go unrealized). But only as long as I can trade Deadpool in for Spiderman.

Draxx
2013-03-13, 08:33 PM
Hey, whatever. Just character sheet, then go ahead. And remember to put a hyphen in that name.

KerfuffleMach2
2013-03-13, 08:44 PM
Fine (though I will miss writing their banter. The two have such potential as a comedy duo (that shall tragically never exist, as they both think the other is a fictional character. Well, Deadpool thinks he is as well, but that's just schematics), and I suspect it will go unrealized). But only as long as I can trade Deadpool in for Spiderman.

Oh, no, if you already have dibs on Deadpool, then I don't wanna take that away from you.

Also, now that I think on it, Bomb Queen may not work, mostly because she is way too violent and vulgar for this site. I love her, but I wouldn't want to take away from her character just to use her.

So, Nocturne it is for now. I'll get a sheet up for her in just a bit.

Cracklord
2013-03-13, 09:01 PM
Nah, if you take him, it'll mean I won't be role-playing with myself, which is fine. And it means I get to play Spider-man, which is better then fine. So actually, giving you Deadpool benefits me twice, and benefits Deadpool as he won't be playing second string to his older brother quite so much. Of course, it'll be a bit of work for you, since he's midway along, but I flatter myself in thinking what's so far been produced was of decent quality.

Anyway, without further ado, I present:


“With great power comes great responsibility”
http://writeups.org/img/fiche/2739.jpg
+ Spider-man is physically superhuman in many ways. He is strong enough to have lifted more than ten to twelve tons on several occasions. His tendons have the tensile strength of spring steel, and a standing jump can carry him nearly eighty feet. Although he is as vulnerable to gunfire as a normal human, can withstand a tremendous amount of physical punishment
+ His real strong point, however, is reflexes at definitely superhuman levels (sometimes described as forty times as fast as a normal human), along with coordination enhanced to the same point; although his haphazard impromptu gymnastic style looks awkward much of the time, he can dodge a bullet from a few feet away feet, reacting after it has been fired, and can achieve a state of equilibrium in even the most precarious positions.
+ 'Spider Sense' - a subconscious, nearly precognitive ability to know when he is in danger. This is not limited to only physical danger, it will even warn him if someone is watching him change into his costume, or is threatening somebody else. Multiple sources of extreme danger can, it seems, overload his “Spider-sense”, causing so much mental noise as to prevent it from being of any use. Likewise, a single, cosmic threat such as a god may actually inflict enough mental damage to actually incapacitate him.
+ Other spider themed powers include the ability to see in the dark, cling to surfaces, and distinguish vibrations translated through hearing.
+ Peter Parker is a scientific genius, and invented his own web-slingers. Later, Parker became fascinated by science and grew up to be a highly dedicated biochemist. Were it not for his financial difficulties and responsibilities as Spider-Man, he would certainly have become a full-time, leading scientist.
? A rapier wit.
+/- Peter is on very good terms with many of the heavy-weights in the superhero community. However, he also has a lot more enemies then average.
+ No matter how bad life gets, no matter how close he comes to breaking, he keeps on going, never, never giving up.
- The universe seems to love screwing him over, creatively piling on the misery. Basically, whenever something goes right for one of his identities, something goes horribly wrong for the other. However, see prior point.

KerfuffleMach2
2013-03-13, 09:20 PM
That works. Is it just the post of him you made in this thread?

Also, first character is here. Note: I have only actually read through the first 11 Exiles comics, so my knowledge of her is limited to those and what's on the Marvel Wiki page.

Nocturne

http://images-mediawiki-sites.thefullwiki.org/04/2/0/3/41479641978467894.png

Real Name: Talia Josephine Wagner

Brief History: Alternate reality daughter of Nightcrawler and the Scarlet Witch, Talia had been around the X-Men for most of her life. She often strived to get out of her father's shadow, though. She was recruited as a member of the Exiles, a team that would travel to various realities to make certain events would progress the way they were meant to happen.

Powers and Abilities: Talia inherited traits from both of her parents. Her looks are the most obvious, taking after her father in that regard. Unlike her father, though, her tail is retractable. One of her powers is a sort of combination of her parents' powers. She is able to fire explosive energy bolts, which pull energy from the Brimstone Dimension.

She also has the ability to possess a person for up to twelve hours at a time, once every 24 hours. This will usually leave the target very disoriented, sometimes even comatose for a while.

Like her father, Talia hands micro suction disks on her hands and feet, allowing her to cling to any surface.

Talia has heightened reflexes and agility, and the ability to see on the infrared spectrum.

Personality: Talia is fairly easygoing for the most part. However, she does have a good sense of duty when the time for it is needed, which was trained into her during her time as an X-Man.

Cracklord
2013-03-13, 09:23 PM
When this game was in the planning stages, some of us wrote fiction to set up the plot. Here's the bits that are relevant to Deadpool. However, he's a character that has nuances, so it's quite possible you don't like my interpretation. Fair enough, if you feel that way, feel free to contradict it wherever you like.
1 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=14043259&postcount=944)
2 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=14043263&postcount=945)
3 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=14436874&postcount=1050)
4 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=14743141&postcount=16)

KerfuffleMach2
2013-03-13, 09:31 PM
When this game was in the planning stages, some of us wrote fiction to set up the plot. Here's the bits that are relevant to Deadpool. However, he's a character that has nuances, so it's quite possible you don't like my interpretation. Fair enough, if you feel that way, feel free to contradict it wherever you like.
1 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=14043259&postcount=944)
2 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=14043263&postcount=945)
3 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=14436874&postcount=1050)
4 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=14743141&postcount=16)

Reading through them now, and I think you captured Deadpool perfectly. Love it.

Gonna have to make a "change of ownership" joke at some point, now.

Cracklord
2013-03-13, 09:54 PM
Thanks. It came surprisingly naturally, actually. You just kinda let your brain go slack.
Anyway, did my thing. So now we have Deadpool in a car out the front probably bored out of his mind, while Deathstroke is arranging to get a unit in order to take out the mansion in a daring night raid, ah la X-men 2 (awesome). If you want to make the merc with the mouth conflicted about that, then go for it, on one hand, those are a group of people he really wants to be part of, even to be friends, on the other hand, family (and they are family, in as much as they are capable of it).
But regardless, that sets us up as far as continuity is concerned. You're probably fine to post.

KerfuffleMach2
2013-03-13, 10:03 PM
Thanks. It came surprisingly naturally, actually. You just kinda let your brain go slack.
So now we have Deadpool in a hotel somewhere, probably ordering take-away and trying to keep himself amused, while Deathstroke is arranging to get a unit in order to take out the mansion in a daring night raid, ah la X-men 2. If you want to make the merc with the mouth conflicted about that, then go for it, aon one hand, those he wants as friends, on the other hand, family (and they are family, in as much as they are capable of it).
But regardless, that sets us up as far as continuity is concerned.

Yeah, that sounds good. I'll finish reading your little stories and go from there.

And I have a huge urge to add in a couple more characters. Cassie Hack and X-23. Gonna wait a little while for them, though. Don't wanna jump in with too much.

Cracklord
2013-03-13, 10:10 PM
Yeah. I know the feeling, and it tends to happen in these games. Personally, I'm keeping Superman himself in reserve. Problem is, I can't really use him until things get sufficiently epic, without either not doing the character justice, or horrifically overshadowing everybody else.

KerfuffleMach2
2013-03-13, 10:12 PM
Yeah. I know the feeling, and it tends to happen in these games. Personally, I'm keeping Superman himself in reserve. Problem is, I can't really use him until things get sufficiently epic, without either not doing the character justice, or horrifically overshadowing everybody else.

Yeah, I kinda have that feeling with Bomb Queen. I'd love to play her, but I don't think I could do her justice here. Mostly because I'd have to censor her a lot.

Draxx
2013-03-13, 10:13 PM
Bomb-Queen is not a problem. Did you miss Snowflame? After that, I figure it's anything goes. Actually, add in more characters whenever the hell you feel like it. And should your desire to play them wax overwhelming, then feel free. But as for the present, Spider-man looks good, Deadpool's transfer is fine, and Nocturne looks better.

KerfuffleMach2
2013-03-13, 10:17 PM
Okay then, looks like this place will be getting quite a few more characters.

Also, part of my excitement is the fact that I've had a story idea of my own for a while that was just a giant cross-over. First chapter alone would have characters from Marvel, DC, Gargoyles, Kingdom Hearts, and Legend of Zelda.

Draxx
2013-03-13, 10:23 PM
Kingdom hearts we've already gone over so much that it's probably better to just leave it. Seriously. But otherwise, well I'm already using Gargoyles, so go for it. Just leave out any mention of the fey.

And as for Bomb Queen… well, I've got a few ideas for her.

KerfuffleMach2
2013-03-13, 10:26 PM
Kingdom hearts we've already gone over so much that it's probably better to just leave it. Seriously. But otherwise, well I'm already using Gargoyles, so go for it. Just leave out any mention of the fey.

Well, I was mostly using Kingdom Hearts for cannon fodder enemies. The Heartless and the Nobodies. Though, at one point, I did have Azula turning into a Heartless, thus creating a Nobody of her.

Draxx
2013-03-13, 11:02 PM
Bit minimalist, I know. Sorry, but I haven't really got a feel for you yet. So I figured I'd let you start with direction, then work from there. As for Bomb Queen, can we make her not a legitimate Authority? or, if we do (and it would diminish her a bit not to), at least can we put her somewhere in South America.

KerfuffleMach2
2013-03-13, 11:07 PM
Well, I guess it depends on how much of her origin you want to change. Don't know if you've read her comics, but she's was created to rule over a city of criminals. The original deal was that she'd stay there to keep them in check, and the rest of the country would leave her alone.

Now, I could definitely see Luthor changing that to his advantage. I just don't know what exactly he'd do. Guess that part's up to you.

Maybe we could start off with him meeting her in person?

Draxx
2013-03-13, 11:18 PM
Yeah, it's just that America, in this wider continuity, has a cubic buttload of people who would take objection to that, and can pick their teeth with planets. It makes sense if she's somewhere a bit more out of the way.

However, you know what? Alright. That works. And it means I get to roleplay Lex ****ing Luthor, which is almost as good as getting to play Paul Atredis, so no complaints from me. How about she cut a deal with the Authority back during their administration (they're coming off worse and worse every time we revisit them), and he's negotiating a continuation of the deal?

It'll be good, because his mouth will be talking a whole lot of crap (since he's accountable), but in his head he'll be yelling 'You go girl!'

KerfuffleMach2
2013-03-13, 11:20 PM
Sounds like a plan to me. Working on my Deadpool/ Nocturne post right now. Bringing in Deadpool's head voices.

Also going to make an official character sheet for Deadpool, Bomb Queen, and probably a couple others I might use here.

Deadpool
http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100515023212/villains/images/c/ca/Deadpool.png

Real Name: Wade Wilson

Brief History: A victim of terminal cancer, Wade signed up for the Weapon X project in hopes that his cancer could be cured. He was given a compound that contained some of the DNA from Wolverine, giving him the mutant's healing powers. However, instead of curing his cancer, it simply holds it at bay, constantly regrowing what the cancer cures. Also, the process broke something in his mind, leaving him quite loony.

Powers and Abilities: Deadpool as an amazing healing factor, allowing him to recover from pretty much anything. He is also highly skilled with almost any weapon, though he prefers the two katanas he keeps with him.

Personality: Due to the Weapon X process, Deadpool isn't altogether there, mentally speaking. He is prone to taking quite random actions, and has multiple voices in his head that he will converse with on a regular basis, oblivious to others around him. He also recognizes that he is a fictional character.

Bomb Queen
http://www.comicartcommunity.com/gallery/data/media/470/BOMB_QUEEN_IV_SUICIDE_BOMBER_1.jpg

Real Name: N/A

Brief History: Created to rule over New Port City, a city of criminals. The worst criminals are sent there, keeping the rest of the country's cities safe from them. Multiple attempts were made for various groups to gain control over her city, all of them ending in failure.

Powers and Abilities: Is very intelligent when it comes to strategy and the making of explosives. Can create energy bombs and throw them, with the bracers on her arms improving accuracy. Her pet cat, Ashe, is actually a demon of hatred named Desarak. She stole his power source from him, thus stealing his power as well.

She is also impervious to explosions of any kind, and has a mild healing factor of her own.

Personality: Bomb Queen is sadistic, cruel, and downright evil. She does what she wants, when she wants, to whom she wants, and doesn't truly care about anything but herself.

Draxx
2013-03-14, 12:13 AM
Excellent. Took a few liberties with the city anyway, but I think you'll probably like it.

KerfuffleMach2
2013-03-14, 12:58 AM
Cassie Hack
http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs37/f/2008/255/9/6/9645d7e0af22fa2bde3fcb0f9af910f8.png

Real Name: Cassandra Hack

Brief History: While in high school, her mother, a lunch lady, started kidnapping and killing other children that were teasing and picking on her daughter. Cassie called the cops, and to avoid arrest, Delilah stuck her head in a pot of boiling water, killing herself. She didn't stay dead, though. A couple of years later, kids started disappearing again. And again, they were kids that were being mean to Cassie. This time, Cassie herself killed her mother, shooting her in the head. Since then, Cassie has dedicated herself to hunting down those killers that don't stay dead the first time. She's called them "slashers". Along the way, she met a man named Vlad, who was mistaken for a slasher. He travels with her now.

Powers and Abilities: Cassie has no powers at all. Just a large hatred for slashers. Her weapon of choice is a baseball bat with nails pounded into the end of it.

Personality: Cassie can be quick tempered at times, especially when it comes to those who might get in her way. She tries to alienate herself from others besides Vlad, so they can't get hurt by those she hunts.

X-23
http://images5.fanpop.com/image/photos/25000000/X-23-x-men-25061581-1024-768.jpg

Real Name: Laura Kinney

Brief History:Created by the Weapon X program in an attempt to clone Wolverine from incomplete DNA. Trained from birth to be an assassin, until she broke out of the facility with help from her mother, Sarah Kinney. Spent some time with X-Men, but is currently on her own, trying to figure out who she is and what she wants out of life.

Powers and Abilities: Like Wolverine, X has and accelerated healing factor almost as good as his was in his prime. She also has his enhanced senses, though his are a little sharper, due to having them longer.

She has claws like his, though only two in each hand, and one in each foot. And while her claws are covered in adamantium, the rest of her skeleton is not. This makes her lighter and a little faster than Wolverine, but not quite as resilient.

When she was made, the facility also created a specific trigger scent that they conditioned her to go into frenzy when she smelled it. Until the scent disappears, she will attack and kill anything in sight. In fact, her memory sort of blacks out during this, leaving her with no recollection of what happened. This scent was used to get her to kill her mother.

Personality: X is often perceived as cold and distant by people. This is mostly due to how she was raised in the facility. She has trouble expressing and understanding emotions. She is often very straightforward about everything.

Draxx
2013-03-14, 01:06 AM
We've had a Cassie Hack, back when we were still lynching Twilight (good times). All good, no problems with any of them. Also in the interest of fairness, anyone else who wants to expand the dramatis personae a little is welcome to. Many characters as you want, because it's time to expand this game, and if I'm go to fail I'd rather fail tremendously.

KerfuffleMach2
2013-03-14, 01:09 AM
Yes, everything must be done tremendously!

And, I'm out for the night.

Cracklord
2013-03-14, 03:36 AM
Awesome, but I'll not take any new characters straight away.

Colesign
2013-03-14, 08:28 PM
I can't help but wonder: in this game, which secret spy agency is the most secretest of them all?

Draxx
2013-03-14, 08:34 PM
Probably the MIB. But it's a difficult one to call. After all, who knows just how secretive some of the bad guys are…

Also, if you don't like pulp, this probably is going to become tedious, because as it happens, I do. I love journeys to the center of the earth, darkest africa and Atlantis. I like sinister scientists, talking gorillas and biplanes. I like secret agents in tuxedos and all that jazz. So keep it in mind.

Draxx
2013-03-18, 08:36 PM
In this world, a lot of characters have expanded relationships. Tony Stark and Lex Luthor, for example, have a relationship roughly analogous to Tesla and Edison (they even more or less look the parts). Both are undeniably brilliant, however one is thoroughly ruthless and willing to cheat and exploit the opposition in frankly unethical ways, while the other tends to be a bit of an idealist (in comparison, anyway), and therefore is often undercut by the others ruthlessness. As a consequence, Luthorcorp tends to do better, and Tony is a litle behind Wanecorp as he can't quite match it as a monolithic entity (Waynecorp has fingers in pretty much every development), but in this world tends to make the majority of it's money from communications.

KerfuffleMach2
2013-03-19, 08:49 PM
Hey, my mind's kinda dead tonight, and I'm working all day tomorrow, so I won't be able to get a post up until tomorrow night. Thought I'd let you guys know.

AnimeKid
2013-03-24, 04:41 PM
hey guys, this is an update to let you know that my posting will be spastic for a while. My laptops LCD broke and I currently have no way to fix it meaning that I will have to use computers college campus to post. I will post as much as I can.

KerfuffleMach2
2013-03-24, 05:24 PM
hey guys, this is an update to let you know that my posting will be spastic for a while. My laptops LCD broke and I currently have no way to fix it meaning that I will have to use computers college campus to post. I will post as much as I can.

Punch it. A lot.

Probably won't help the screen at all, but it'll be a good stress reliever.

:smallbiggrin:

Anyways, good luck with getting it fixed!

Draxx
2013-03-24, 08:47 PM
Clone a god, then put him on life-support. Why waste perfectly good science on medicine and the environment? The fact that this world understands that and ours doesn't is, I think, fundamental to grasping what went wrong.

darkblade
2013-03-25, 01:31 AM
Does anyone want to betaread an original short story for me? It's about a Magical Girl versus men with guns.

Cracklord
2013-03-25, 04:31 AM
No problem, got some time at the moment. Send it to [email protected]. I'll read it over, and try and help you out. Fair warning, while I'm pretty good with composition, structure and all that, I'm not so hot with grammar, spelling, and general rigor.

darkblade
2013-03-25, 08:52 PM
Thanks Cracklord. :smallbiggrin:

Draxx
2013-03-26, 08:51 PM
Anyone want to play Oracle? I just tried to write her, and came up with a total blank.

darkblade
2013-03-26, 09:46 PM
Which Oracle? Digital Ghost Oracle, a refugee from the Nazipocalypse world or the native Shatterworld Oracle.

I'll gladly play either.

Draxx
2013-03-27, 04:17 AM
That'd be your call. But let me give you my opinion, expressed with lots of words but little content. Our first step is determining which Oracle rose to prominence (There can only be one!), as logically Oracle is not the sort of role that can be shared all that well. We know Ollie didn't stay on Shatterworld long, and that he spent the rest of his days wandering the world like a sort of extra-dimensional Robin Hood. I had plans to write him in to the end of the last game, actually, as a sort of mentor figure for Katniss, but that never happened (perhaps for the best).

Katniss bent over, gulping in air as she tried to regain her breath. She was safe here, safe from observation in the grounds, in the woods. Here, she could relax. A small sob escaped her lips. She thought she might as well lie down and die, there was no reason to get back to her feet. Then she blinked.

The man was standing among the trees facing her, so still and green and quiet he seemed to be a tree himself, or a hanging bough. He was very tall, and slender, with a tangled blond beard and hair too long. He held a bow in his left hand, his right arm missing from the elbow down, and the filthy remains of a cape were wrapped around his shoulders, a mask deepening the creases of his face and keeping it shadowed. The man calmly raised a hand and put a finger to his lips.

Then she blinked again and the man had vanished, as though he had never been there at all.

So what happened to Shatterworld Dinah and Babs? Personally, I think Shatterworld Babs would be awesome as a sort of good guy knowledge source repository, now that she has what's essentially a database on magic as well, and might be interesting linked to the whole Randall Dowling metaplot, but perhaps she has left this world, and perhaps not. I'll leave that your call. Regardless, this really does look like a good time to call the 'Birds of Prey', so I'd suggest classic. Maybe with Dinah and Huntress as well.

Corvond
2013-03-27, 05:21 AM
Submitting two characters named Grayson for approval.

Invincible
http://ifanboy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/36postercolor.jpg
+ Due to his fathers strange genetic comparability with humans, Tim is almost a pure Viltrumite, granting him flight and speed and strength far in excess of anything not at the very pinnacle of evolution. He can hold his breath for two weeks, fly almost at light speed (though not quite), and demolish a mountain with his fists, as well as lifting things well in excess of a hundred thousand tonnes.
+ A genuinely good-hearted and compassionate personality (though with a somewhat scary temper, and perhaps not the best judgement), Mark is welcome sight throughout the world, and a fast friend to many of the groups and factions at work. His first recourse is usually just talk, and as such he's nipped several long term problems in the bud.
+ Mark is able to recover from injuries more efficiently and quickly that would otherwise be fatal to someone with a normal human healing rate.
He is able to endure extreme physical trauma that would otherwise kill a normal person, such as numerous broken bones, skull fractures, and even disembowelment. He also has an expanded life span like a Viltrumite. The longer he lives the slower he ages. It is not known how long his life span is but it is known he will live for at least another 500 years.
+ An endless reservoir of physical courage and determination. Coupled with his powers, this makes him a terrible enemy, particularly in that, when pushed, he's willing to kill.


Nightwing
http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090225203242/marvel_dc/images/f/fe/Nightwing_0002.jpg
+ His body is honed to it's athletic limit, to the very peak of human physical capability. He showcases agility, reflexes and athleticism well past Olympic level, particularly in the field of gymnastics.
+ His use of escrima sticks in his fighting style, and his rampant infidelity is reminiscent of Daredevil, so in this universe it's quite possible Murdock took on a role as a secondary mentor, refining his fighting style. Grayson has enough skill in mixed martial arts to fight and beat most low tier metahumans without having to resort to anything except his fighting skills.
+ He's an exceptional detective by necessity, quite capable of following long and convoluted events with only the most tenuous of links to go on.
+ Unlike most of the Batclan, his use of gadgets is restrained, and he usually only has several dozen on hand.
+ As a detective (Bludhaven, special crimes unit)

Draxx
2013-03-27, 03:50 PM
Yeah, sure. Approved.

Cracklord
2013-03-27, 08:00 PM
So I gave it a first read over, Darkblade. Needless to say, the content is very good, and the description doesn't leave much to ask for either. There are a few places where the flow could be improved, and a few minor mistakes, but nothing overly major. I'll send you a more in depth edit tomorrow, as well as a few suggestions you should feel free to ignore, since I have the day off and I'm not supposed to be working.

Furthermore, long as we're moving into expansion territory;


Danny Rand, Immortal Iron Fist
http://comicattack.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/77266-150505-iron-fist_super.jpg
+ Danny is obscenely rich, even if he seldom lives like it. If he needs to, say purchase an entire company, well he probably can, though usually it takes a bit of time to transfer his assets to hard cash. Usually, we can limit his individual purchases to around a billion dollars.
+ Danny is a paragon of Kung Fu. Even without falling back on his superpowers he can probably beat any normal antagonist, short of a high tier metahuman. Danny ripped out the heart of a dragon with his bare hands. This lets him use some particularly out of control martial arts techniques.
- Danny is not a free agent, much as he'd like to be. He's got too many responsibilities and duties to just do whatever he wants.
- He's not actually very good at running his company. He gets by, but without friends far more competent then he is, he'd have lost it long ago.

darkblade
2013-03-27, 11:01 PM
So what are the Wilson brothers actually doing? How much could Babs reasonably know?

Cracklord
2013-03-27, 11:43 PM
Luthor hired them to take out the X-Men, as part of his plans to whittle down the opposition while he subverts the rest. He figured the X-Men were a good place to start as they're so secretive and take such effort to stay hidden, that for the most part nobody would notice. And just to make sure, he sent patsys who couldn't be traced back to him.

Of course, presumably Cable found out without time-travel, so lets assume there's a paper-trail somewhere.

industrious
2013-03-28, 12:19 AM
...I'm back. There were some very serious family things happening, but now I'm back. And life goes on.

What have I missed?

Draxx
2013-03-28, 12:29 AM
That sucks, and you still have my sympathy. But it's truly great to have you back. The game just hasn't been the same without your genius.

As to what's happening, well you haven't really been gone all that long in the scheme of things, and the stories still just getting off the ground. Mostly, I've been getting the majority of the characters into slots where they more or less fit. It's probably more then fine for you to just pick it up where you left off, Shadow fighting Kingpin and Dermott Arkane outside Luthorcorp.

Colesign
2013-03-31, 12:11 AM
Just watched a fellow dorm buddy play Bioshock Infinite. Watched him play through the ending.

...

..We SO have to include it in Shatterworld.

Also, sorry for not commenting for a while. How's things?

Draxx
2013-03-31, 05:14 PM
Hey, you're taking a break. A certain amount of dissociation is expected.

As for the Bioshock thing, the sad truth is I only ever played the second game, and thought that it was commendably creepy (the little girls) but not overly exciting. So if you want to contribute it to the story (which sounds just fine to me), I'm afraid you'll have to guide me. But still, much of this game is about adventure, so if you think it fits, feel free.

Cracklord
2013-03-31, 09:30 PM
X is an amalgamation of two obscure characters. Red X (http://batman.wikia.com/wiki/Red_X), and just X (http://www.comicvine.com/x/4005-44948/). Mostly, to make the fight a bit more interesting, and to expand the whole share origin thing a little more.

Colesign
2013-04-01, 03:44 PM
Eh. Bioshock 2 is a good game, but not inspiring of the same level of 'whoah' as the first Bioshock...

And not as sheerly mind blowing as Bioshock Infinite wound up being.

But we all know what River Song says:


http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6Bd_1_atRdM/URb8laepl5I/AAAAAAAADBQ/9Sh8aWbfh-0/s1600/spoilers.jpg


And I'm not thinking of including it for 'this' game, but for one of the future games that touches on the Dark Tower mythos a bit more.

Draxx
2013-04-01, 07:29 PM
And I'm not thinking of including it for 'this' game, but for one of the future games that touches on the Dark Tower mythos a bit more.

Ah. There's been a perfectly understandable misunderstanding. Shatterworld refers to the specific world that this is all set in, rather then the entirety of the lynching mythos.

darkblade
2013-04-05, 11:56 PM
I'm at Ad Astra this weekend so my posting will be limited.

Draxx
2013-04-10, 06:41 PM
And suddenly everything feels right with the world.

industrious
2013-04-11, 12:50 PM
Back for real, I swear.

And I liked the ending of Infinite. That being said, I found it emotionally unsatisfying, and there was no sense of finality in the final fight.

AnimeKid
2013-04-12, 02:17 PM
Hey guys I just thought of one more person I could play and would reasonably fit in with the setting. As for who he is?

Ladies and Gentlemen, It's Hero Time!
http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120819175203/ben10/images/3/38/Ben_Tennyson_-_Poise_Official_Omniverse.png

Name: Benjamin "Ben" Tennyson

Ben has been in the hero bussiness a long time, since he was ten years old in fact. However the baddies he deals with tend to be of the more...from another planet type. For this Ben has a very Special tool. The Omnitrix. A device that holds the DNA of over a million different alien species all with wonderous abilities and biologies.

Ben has...

+Advanced Intuition
+Enhanced Eidetic Memory
+Exceptional Leadership Skills
+Exceptional Weapon Skills (in alien form)
+Freestyle Hand-to-Hand Combatant
+Armed/Unarmed Combatant experience
+Spontaneous Learning/Understanding Skills
+Intuitive Aptitude
+Can use the Omnitrix to transform into a plethora of aliens

However...
-He can sometimes get cocky
-Is shown to be able to be angered to the point of total annihilation of the enemy, especially when people are getting hurt.
-Doesn't like to talk about his problems.
-Does not fully know how to work the Omnitrix
-Is very vulnerable when not transformed
-A fear of peacocks...seriously
The Omnitrix itself is a bit of a tricky issue. While it allows Ben to turn into other aliens it has a time limit of 20-30 minutes in order to avoid straining the users body since it is completely changing their biology. However his current Omnitrix and been tailor built specifically for him and has a few tricks.


The Omnitrix has a DNA scanner.
The Omnitrix has the quick change feature. (Meaning he can switch to another alien form even while already transformed)
The Omnitrix can add extras to alien forms (Goop's anti-gravity disk, NRG's suit, Toepick's mask, etc.) in order to make the forms more safe/usable.
The Omnitrix can be controlled by voice command.
Unlike the prototype Omnitrix and the Ultimatrix: The Omnitrix does not mistransform. If it does mistransform, it's Ben's fault.
The Omnitrix has a digital watch.
The Omnitrix has a Life-Form Lock function which allows Ben to stay in an alien form for an extended period of time.
However, it is dangerous to use often.
Disengage Code is by Voice Command: Command Code 1010 Tennyson Benjamin Disengage Life- Form Lock
The Omnitrix has a 2-way communication system with Plumber Badges.
It can also record messages much like voicemail.
The Omnitrix has a distress signal function and homing device.
The Omnitrix has a security lock system so that only Ben can use it.
It also has an alternate identification program if some change by outside forces occurs to Ben.
For Ben, admitting that he has a fear of peacocks is valid proof
Invalid proof: Saying Ben's full name, Saying Ben lives in Bellwood, Saying Ben's grandfather is Max Tennyson.
The Omnitrix has a randomizer function. This has two modes: Ben continuously changes between different aliens every few minutes before timing out and Ben will turn into one random alien for an inconsistent short period of time before changing back.




So what do you guys think?

Draxx
2013-04-12, 07:15 PM
Alright, but on one condition. Kryptonian is the cut-off point. No turning into Mogo, or a Guardian of the universe, or C'thulu or something. Being able to turn into Superman for half an hour is already over-powered enough.

AnimeKid
2013-04-12, 07:39 PM
Sounds good to me. I'll try not to use Kryptonian DNA unless Ben gets into some serious trouble. I'm especially not using Alien X who arguably more over-powered. A nigh omnipotent form. However it does have a drawback in the shape of two naturally occurring split personalities. Unless Ben can force a two to one vote Alien X can't do a thing. Not even move change back into Ben.

Draxx
2013-04-13, 02:32 AM
So basically Superman is pretty much always a better choice then. Got it. Yes, that's a long, and rambling intro. But it seemed a good place to start.

industrious
2013-04-13, 06:26 PM
Computer got stolen.

Posting will be limited.

Cracklord
2013-04-13, 06:36 PM
…Jesus, you've been in the wars, haven't you? That sucks. Did you lose anything irreplaceable?

industrious
2013-04-13, 09:55 PM
A few weeks of notes from last quarter, and a large portion of cash due to needing to buy a new one. It could definitely have been worse.

Draxx
2013-04-14, 08:32 AM
I use a cheap one second-hand one, a little battered and without a battery (that works). Not hugely convenient if i can't find a plug, but I managed without one at all most of my life so any sort of laptop is a luxury, and I figure if anyone does steal it then they need it a lot more then me.

Then again, I've always been a bit of a luddite.

darkblade
2013-04-21, 07:33 AM
So the Book of Pure Evil can only be destroyed by the blood of a Pure Evil One (any potential Anti-Christ character of which there is no real shortage of in Shatterworld) being willingly spilled upon it's pages. It also lacks the physical strength to escape on it's own.

So we are in a bit of an unstoppable force meets immovable object situation right now.

KerfuffleMach2
2013-04-21, 09:21 AM
That's okay. Cassie will figure out that she can't destroy it.

She won't let it get away, though. She'll figure out some way to restrain it, then find somebody who might know how to get rid of it and either hand it to them or take care of it herself.

Colesign
2013-04-21, 10:21 PM
I heard from some friend that for the final movie adaptation of Twilight: Breaking Bad Dawn, they tried to throw in a ridiculously over-the-top epic finale...while still somehow keeping the anti-climax ending of the original books.

Not sure what to make of that.

darkblade
2013-04-21, 10:25 PM
They did, they had the big battle play out as a dream in which almost every main character dies.

Then the real thing happened where everyone stood around trying to look scary.

Cracklord
2013-04-21, 11:24 PM
Ah, Colesign, it was that way for a very good reason. To give people like us a way out. It's a matter of choice, defining your own reality, and picking the ending you want. If you want the logical, fair and reasonable ending, leave ten minutes earlier, use that time for something more useful (like demanding a refund), and from your perspective it ended with a bang, rather then a whimper. To an impartial observer, yes, that's just you willingly and pointlessly deluding yourself, but what the hell do they know, right?

Take Sword of Truth. I should have stopped reading at the start of Confessor, because the ridiculous 'moral clarity' had peaked, and was now no longer really funny. Anyway, the twist of that book was that for some reason everyone had forgotten Kahlan exists. After considering matters, I decided that was as close as I was ever likely to get to a happy ending, and figured I should stop reading. I didn't, more's the pity, but it's what I should have done.

KerfuffleMach2
2013-04-21, 11:24 PM
The Governator? Really?

Nice.

:smallbiggrin:

Draxx
2013-04-22, 05:34 AM
He was this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ICDO7ePJxc) close to getting his own show, comic and merchandise, with Stan Lee as a correspondent. Can't make this **** up.

industrious
2013-05-01, 12:50 AM
Can I get an update regarding Dermott?

AnimeKid
2013-05-01, 01:04 AM
Ben needs one too.

Colesign
2013-05-01, 01:24 PM
Ah, Colesign, it was that way for a very good reason. To give people like us a way out. It's a matter of choice, defining your own reality, and picking the ending you want. If you want the logical, fair and reasonable ending, leave ten minutes earlier, use that time for something more useful (like demanding a refund), and from your perspective it ended with a bang, rather then a whimper. To an impartial observer, yes, that's just you willingly and pointlessly deluding yourself, but what the hell do they know, right?

You are a person of many hidden depths, Cracklord.

I found an interesting Dresden Files fanfic that's for all practical purposes an independent story in the same setting: you've remarked on how the magic system of the Dresden Files is Western Lore and Chicago-biased, so I thought you might be interested in this:

Fair Vote (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Fanfic/FairVote)

Cracklord
2013-05-01, 06:54 PM
You are a person of many hidden depths, Cracklord.

Not really.

Speaking of which, I read the first of the Alcatraz and the evil Librarians series, and I want to apologize. I was expecting a meta-textual analysis of the paradigms stories fit into, and an outside perspective on being trapped within them. What I got was a light hearted-deconstruction of the adventure genre. I now see I was on completely the wrong track in my attempts to convey their world. Maybe not with the Jack's, but with everything else I was pulling it in entirely the wrong direction.

That out of the way, my issues with the Dresden Files are manifold, but misleading. I still read the new books, because while I don't care for the increasingly inconsistent presentation and direction the series is going in, the man can still hit the sweet-spot on occasion, and it's worth hanging around for that. I've gone off Game of Thrones as well, after the tremendous disappointment that was 'Dance with Dragons', but I still tune in to the show every week, and usually quite enjoy it. Don't let my complaining rub you the wrong way, I'm just the sort of guy who takes these things personally.

Anyway, I got a lot of work to do at the moment, so I'll look into it when I get time. Thanks for thinking of me.

darkblade
2013-05-01, 07:16 PM
Speaking of which, I read the first of the Alcatraz and the evil Librarians series, and I want to apologize. I was expecting a meta-textual analysis of the paradigms stories fit into, and an outside perspective on being trapped within them. What I got was a light hearted-deconstruction of the adventure genre. I now see I was on completely the wrong track in my attempts to convey their world. Maybe not with the Jack's, but with everything else I was pulling it in entirely the wrong direction.


Yeah that was mostly my fault my attempts to pair the mythos with that of Fables turned it into something it is not and was horribly misleading.

Cracklord
2013-05-02, 01:35 AM
Yeah that was mostly my fault my attempts to pair the mythos with that of Fables turned it into something it is not and was horribly misleading.

Think nothing of it, I should have done the research myself.

Still, everything is right with the world again. Why you ask? I'm glad you did, because there is a remake of Evil Dead, with Bruce Campbell co-producing. People, our troubles are done. War shall cease, the economy will right itself and grow exponentially from now on, and all extinct and endangered species will spontaneously return to the green.

darkblade
2013-05-02, 02:50 PM
This week's Manly Guys Doing Manly Things (http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/) is relevant to Tommy's subplot.

AnimeKid
2013-05-07, 11:12 PM
Umm, Draxx? Not to nag but Ben and Rex need an update.

Draxx
2013-05-07, 11:21 PM
I know, I know. Problem is, I'm waiting on inspiration. It happens that way sometimes, I just try to write for a character or scene, and come up with nothing worth writing. So I'm waiting until it occurs to me. Sorry for the hold-up, but it shouldn't be too long.

doliest
2013-05-08, 04:03 AM
So. I think I'm a bit late to reinvolve with what is going on these days. :smalltongue:

In all seriousness though, I think I'm largely back to give, well, an explanation. When I would slip out before, I'd usually have one- school work, connection issues, family etc. They'd all be true- but, I suppose in hindsight not the complete truth.

At some point, I stopped caring- much the same way I stopped caring about a lot of things; I cut myself off from a lot of areas and became wrapped up in my head, in my thoughts and my worries and far too much self-loathing. I talked to some friends and realized I really didn't like who I was becoming, and where that would probably lead.

So I got some thrice-d***ed therapy. I won't say it was perfect, sometimes when things calm down or I have trouble sleeping, I can still drift into a mixture of apathy and sad resignation; but I'm getting better. I smile more, and I care a hell of a lot more.

I finally logged back onto this account- made a VS thread, strangely enough, and decided, given how much fun I had in these threads, I owed an explanation alongside an apology. You guys, as well as a treasured handfull IRL, are people I'd be honored to consider friends (been so long on this count you might not feel the same about me, admittedly).

Thank you for time, and after I get some sleep I think I'm going to go back and read what I missed, for nostalgia if nothing else.

Doliest.

Cracklord
2013-05-08, 05:36 AM
It's great to hear from you again, Doliest, and it's better to that you're alright.

Depression is hard to go through, but you sound like you're bouncing back, and it's that old cliche, what does not kill me makes me stronger. We all have our periods in common with that, and you got through it. And I'll shut up at that, since despite being almost through a degree in psychology I really don't have anything useful to say, other than it truly is good to hear from you, and a honor to be considered your friend.

And look, everyone, this is a great community. I know it started as a joke, back when I was in high school, and against all probability, some of the best role-players I have ever had the pleasure of getting into contact with all responded positively, and so it became this. It's still a joke, but it's more then that, because it's a way to be creative in unconventional ways, and explore ideas and themes and plots that normally there is no vehicle for.

KerfuffleMach2
2013-05-08, 01:35 PM
Draxx, I want to congratulate you on creating the most random scenario I have ever come across. Wonderful job, there.

*applauds*

Colesign
2013-05-08, 05:24 PM
Lots of things for me to respond to.

In response to Cracklord and Darkblade's remarks on the Alcatraz series...things worked out fairly interestingly anyways, and I had my share of fun.

And in response to Doliest...I'm glad to hear you're doing better. And I'm especially glad to hear from a good friend again.

Colesign
2013-05-08, 06:24 PM
Additionally, read through the RP.

So many bits of foreshadowings that warm the cockles of my heart:

Mann Co., the Statosphere...Professor DuQuesne...

Given the spy/conspiracy themes of this game...has anyone read the Laundry Series (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/TheLaundrySeries?from=Main.TheLaundrySeries) by Charles Stross?

Draxx
2013-05-08, 06:36 PM
'Fraid not. But yes, this owes as much to espionage as it does the superhero genre. Part of the fun, along with the mysterious conspiracies. However, most characters have a myth arc (well, kinda. It's there sandbox after all). Tommy, a la the seven samurai, must put together a crew to stop an ancient threat, while struggling to find his place in the world.
X-23 is undergoing a coming of age story, where she steps out of her fathers shadow and becomes her own person. And so on.
Hey Colesign? How come you never play a villain?

Draxx
2013-05-08, 07:50 PM
Draxx, I want to congratulate you on creating the most random scenario I have ever come across. Wonderful job, there.

*applauds*

Wait until you see what you actually did. This is the highly necessary whimsical subplot, that Deadpool and Cable must wrestle through before they can attempt something more serious.

KerfuffleMach2
2013-05-08, 08:06 PM
You know...I see "Somewhere in Nevada"...and I immediately think of the Madness series from Newgrounds.

Is this a coincidence? Or will there be a giant zombie clown named Tricky in Deadpool's future?

Stayed tuned!

Draxx
2013-05-08, 08:46 PM
Nah, Hank killed him in an earlier game. Which reminds me, Deadpool should watch out for Blaxploitation characters. Should any of them meet him, they would be honor bound to kill him, due to his assassination of Black Dynamite.

For those who care, in this the order of St Dumas is an amalgamation of the Order of St Dumas from DC comics, Opus Dei as interpreted by Dan Brown, The Templars from Assassins Creed, and of course the Grail from Preacher. The whole Walt Disney was sending subliminal messages to force people to accept that Jesus had a kid was actually in the Da Vinci Code, and I thought that as an idea it is so ridiculous it had to be in here. The Order of St Dumas fears Disney because he created the corporation to foil the evil banking conspiracy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mII9NZ8MMVM) that they have going.

darkblade
2013-05-09, 06:39 AM
I think we both have very different ideas of where Tommy's arc has to take him. The way I see it is that he was a great Power Ranger, maybe one of the best but just as with all rangers that is temporary. It's been almost ten years since he lead a team into battle, twenty since his days as the Green Dragon Ranger. Every year since then a new team of Rangers has appeared either in the US or Japan (once in Thailand and once in France too) to keep on fighting. His inability to let go and stop fighting has cost him his fiance, his job and every other aspect of his normal life. He is tettering on the verge of becoming almost like Rorasach in his single-mindedness in his fight against evil at the cost of any normalcy.

Above anything else he needs something to kick him back into reality and show him that he is not the only person out there fighting to save the world and he does not need to do it himself.

Draxx
2013-05-09, 07:09 AM
Ah. Sorry, got the wrong idea from you're opening post, and figured you wanted to play a power ranger as… well, a power ranger. So I wrote a vague outline involving a bad guy from the Voltron series attacking, and Tommy putting together a team of the five best power rangers out of all the teams ever to stop it, having to find them and convince them to combine their powers.

Well, awesome, in that case I can focus on the Kung fu.

darkblade
2013-05-09, 09:16 PM
I'm okay with going that route as long as in the end he is forced to sacrifice his powers for good or make some other sacrifice that forces him to move away from his self-destructive obsession with being a hero.

The fact that it looks like Saban is going to ruin the twentieth anniversary specials by being super cheap is making the idea of doing a cross over team more appealing.

Draxx
2013-05-09, 09:57 PM
Yeah, I can work with that, if it's what you want.

Cracklord
2013-05-11, 11:07 PM
Slade should be creepy, if the people he's up against a below a certain age. Fundamental aspect of the character. However pedophilia is too obvious, and it's rather dull if everything comes down to sexual interest.

Colesign
2013-05-17, 06:10 PM
Whoah, someone took out the Nova Corps (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nova_Corps)...again.

Who is this guy, if I might ask?

Draxx
2013-05-17, 11:33 PM
I can't tell you without giving the game away, I'm afraid, but nonetheless he's part of the subplot you recommended (back when you going to give the game a go).

darkblade
2013-05-22, 02:11 PM
Amazon once again shows the world they are evil geniuses. Kindle Worlds (http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1001197421), a program through which they will publish fan fiction and give both the author and the original owners of the property part of the proceeds. Only three licences (only one of which is of even vague interest to these games) have been announced thus far but they are promising more to come.

Draxx
2013-05-22, 09:10 PM
Oh good, I can pay money to look at what I can get on the internet for free. It's not even like they're going for the crème de la crème.

I mean, I looked, and while I see Gossip Girl and Vampire Diaries, I don't see any copy of My Immortal, which is probably the best known fanfiction of all time.

Colesign
2013-05-30, 12:50 AM
I can't tell you without giving the game away, I'm afraid, but nonetheless he's part of the subplot you recommended (back when you going to give the game a go).

Oh hell yes.

On a related note, I was working on a background story a long time ago that delved into the background details of why space travel keep getting sabotaged in the Shatterworld. I just dusted off what I'd written and put together an ending.

Here's the complete tale. What do you think?


Berlin, February 1956

“I just want to go back into space.”

Mary Raven blurted out those words suddenly as she looked at the newspaper's headline, sinking back into the comfiest leather armchair in the lounge of the Berlin branch of the Explorer's Club, the honks, drones, and murmurs of cars and dirigibles leaking through the window from the busy metropolis outside.

“Your brandy, Mr. Crabb.” One of the waiters intoned quietly, handing the aforementioned swifter to the gentled-featured, indubitably British gentleman across the table from Mary Raven.

“Good man, Friedrich.” He replied in a soft voice, removing a corncob pipe from his lips and cradling it in his left hand. “Now, Mary: what has crawled up your arse and died today, gel?”

The young space pilot, whose temperament at this moment was indeed matching the color of her hair, crumbled the front pages of the newspaper in disgust.

“This. France just signed the Restriction Accord. No more space launch on French-controlled soil. Legal restrictions on uranium breeding and thorium reactors for all but government-backed corporations, metastable rocket fuel outlawed, no radium in private hands...”

She rolled her head back. “That's it. That's Europe closed off. Except for Britain, but that's all government-controlled.”

“It won't be long there, either, I'm afraid. There's talk in the corridors of back home about decommissioning the British Space Fleet.” Mr. Crabb replied with a helpless shrug.

“If they could shoot decent photos from orbit, we'd keep them around. But the cameras aren't good enough.”

He learned back and puffed on his pipe.

“My country's not a power anymore, y'see. It'd like to be, but it's not. No room in the budget of a country still trying to pay off a war to keep the Thunderbirds and XLs running...so best leave all the space malarky to the Americans and Russians...they have all the German technicians anyway...”

“Stolen technicians...” Mary replied, brows furrowed. “Dr. Zarkov built the first roving interplanetary ship in his backyard ten years ago and went all the way to Mongo and back...”

“And then there's this fellow in the news...a Yank named Cargraves...got nicked by state police for enlisting some juvenile delinquents in stuffing an old mail rocket full of thorium so he could zoom about up there...” Crabb added.”

“...and yet the U.S. has to spend millions and rely on a group of terror weapon makers to work their way up to a moon-shot.” Mary finished.

Sarcasm filled every contour of her voice. “A moon shot. Christ, can't this 'NASA' aim any higher?”

“To be fair, love.” Crabb intejected, puffing out a ring of smoke. “Lots of folks have made moon shots cheap and on the down-low...don't think anyone's ever made it back yet...”

Mary Raven frowned. “And yet I went to Mars and Venus by the time I was 19. Some people are calling it the Moon Curse. Hmph: Fancy way of saying no idea what happens to the folks who try.”

Mr. Crabb nodded gravely, puffing away.

”...well, that's spacefaring for you: wouldn't touch it with an atomic-powered stick. I'll stick to trawling seas for shipwrecks, thank you very much.”

Mary set the crumbled newspaper on the table and regarded her colleague with quiet eyes.

“You've never gone up there?”

“Me? Christ no.” Crabb said with a shudder.

“Fraulein Raven.” A voice spoke up, said voice being the Maitre De returning with a slip of paper on the tray. “Telegram from New York City.”

Another letter from Mother, urging me to give up my space jamming sinful ways like the Leadfooted Luddite she is? Or maybe one where she gloated about how the government confiscated the 'Teatime' from me? Mary wondered, opening up the slip of paper.

This was when things changed.

The telegraph read.

M. Raven:

The World Has Gone Wrong.

The Future is being Bent.

If you are willing to trust me, then meet me at the Gun Club.

http://www.mercuryseries.com/storage/downloads/print_orbitalmap.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=12 75079817368
2|
+

(+)

The Future is being Bent? The Gun Club?

“What is it, gel? Bad news?” Mr. Crabb asked.

Mary Raven peered at the solar system map intently.

Was it asking her to go to distant point in the solar system? Fat chance with her rocketship on it's way to the scrapyard. Unless, if those symbols meant what she thought they...

“No.” she replied finally, folding up the telegram. “Just someone with enough money and no enough sense pulling a stupid prank. No way am I going to check it out.”

%%%

She checked it out, of course.

The solar system map turned out to be a code: things were skewed in an odd way, specifically the positions of Earth and Jupiter. When you measured their orbital periods, coordinates popped out.

Longitude and Latitude. A spot right in the center of the swamps of Florida.

She took the personal Aerocopter, 'The Flying Pigeon' out to the location, stopping overnight in Chile to rest on a lonely beach, cockpit open to feel the gentle sea breeze.

It was cloudy when she set down on the flat dirt, a mile-wide patch of solid ground in the midst of swamp, bramble, and brush.

She set her ship down as softly as a thistle on a ray of light, and popped the cockpit, sliding out, raising her flight goggles and dropping to the ground, a hand sliding to the ray gun at her side as she straightened up form a crouch.

She blew a piece of stray hair poking out from her pilot cap, and scanned the area for lodgings or men in trenchcoats or ambushes or other such things.

And she saw a small pillar of smoke rising upward, from the opposite side of the grove next to her.

She unbuckled her holster strap and set off.

It took a bit of time for her to make her way through the thick grove, and on the way, the local variety of bloodsucking hostile native live came after her.

She was have tempted to turn her Lewiston model ray gun on the benighted critters when she stumbled out and into a large clearing.

She noted several things about it: there was an old beaten pathway, wide enough for carts and cars to travel on. There were the rusted remains of several tools and the rotten frame of a cart nearby.

There was a very, very, very large tarp, covering a large stretch of the ground.

And there was a man tending to the fire, throwing a fresh set of fuel onto it. He was wearing pilot gear: goggles, jacket, pilot cap, and an emergency respirator stashed on one side, with a piece holstered on his other.

He stood up as she revealed herself, hand falling to his iron.

She stood still, mirroring his actions.

They stared at each other like wolves: not spoiling for a fight, but utterly prepared to to spill blood if it had to be done.

“Clear skies.” The man said quietly, moving his hands away from his belts and holding them up.

Mary Raven's eyes narrowed for a moment.

“Hot jets.” She replied, and relaxed.

“Please come on over.” The man replied, motioning her over. “The skeeters in this neck of the woods are downright lethal, and I think they can bite right through spacer leather. Smoke drives them off just fine, though.”

Mary Raven restrained the urge to sigh in relief, and sat on the nearest log bench, getting a closer look at the fellow. Scruffy, strong jawed, and good looking, with a piercing intelligent gaze figuring out the world around him.

So either a good, keen-eyed man like daddy...or an arrogant brat.

“Thank you for coming, Ms. Raven, and thank you for trusting me to have something worth saying.”

“It was a bit of a leap of faith.” Raven replied. “I still can stand and walk right out if I think you're toying with me, Mr...”

“Yeager. Jack Yeager.” The man replied. “Aerospace engineer. Been an independent contractor for a few years: more recently, I was an ex-member of Project Vanguard.”

“Project Vanguard.” Raven repeated, a heft amount of disgust in her tone.

Yeager held up a hand. “Emphasis on ex-member. Walked out rather quickly.”

“Launching tennis balls into space not cutting it for you?” Raven drawled.

“Don't knock satellites, Raven.” Yeager said quietly, but very firmly. “They'll be able to go places and do things that we can't...but you're right: yet another crashlanding of another beeping tin ball just wasn't cutting it...”

He shrugged and off-handedly added:

“...but that's how it is these days. It's not a good time to be a space traveler.”

Raven snorted.

“There's no need to be coy, 'Mr. Yeager'. It's a goddamn ****ty time to be a space traveler. After we saved the Earth a thousand times, fought off the second Martian invasion, stopped Ming and the Radar Men and Goddamned Kharg the Killer...the government and big business decided to **** us right up the ass!”

She raised her index and middle fingers and crooked them.

“ 'It's not safe to have crazy backwoods scientists building spaceships in their backyards with scrap metal and animal hair!'...so they're making our livelihoods illegal...they took the Teatime from me, and handed it off to the World Steel Corporation to break it down for scrap.' “

She looked up at the sky, blinking. “You said in your telegram that 'The World has Gone Wrong' and that the future's been bent out of shape...Amen to that. I'm 26 years old. I've been to Mars, and Venus, and the moons of Saturn. I met strange creatures and civilizations, and watched them dwindling and dying. I've slept with asteroid gypsies, broken sloats to the saddle, fought with the eighth insurgency on Forest.”

With a sudden burst of rage, she kicked at the fire with a boot-clad foot, sending sparks flying.

“I shot a man on Khargu because he needed to die more than any I've ever met. I repaired three rocket tubes with a wrench and a knife while hanging upside down over Titan during the syzygy. I'm 26 years old and my life is over now.”

She turned and regarded Jack Yeager with narrowed eyes. “So direct me please to the men who did this to me and my friends, and bum me some fresh power-packs to blast them to bits, for I have business to attend to before I lay down in my grave. Unless you sent that cryptic telegram to me just so we could form an oldsters club and bitch about the times.”

Jack Yeager smiled faintly, and held out a gloved hand. “Congratulations. Welcome to the club.”

Mary Raven regarded the grizzled aerospace engineer.

Then she laughed and clasped hands with him.

“But seriously, you better have a good reason for dragging me out to this arse-end of the countryside.” She added.

Yeager nodded. “There's a group I'm part of. Like-minded individuals who are mighty sore about having their wings taken away. We're trying to do something about it: asking questions, gathering resources, operating under the radar.”

He turned around, and walked over to the section of ground covered by a huge canvas tarp. “And we've connected the dots on a few things. Secret events, players moving in the shadows. It all adds up to something nasty. But I could have told you about all of that elsewhere. We're here so I can show you something. Something that'll show you just how long this grand tale has been going on.”

He leaned down, pulled at the strings keeping the tarp in place, and then tried to pull the entire thing off.

Due to the size of the tarp, it actually wound up falling down into the gigantic, echoing hole in the ground, ten feet in diameter, and completely lined with an unbroken mold of thick cast iron.

As Mary Raven gazed into the echoing pits, she noticed scores of rust trails running down the surface of the cavern like vines, the pitted rough nature of the molded metal, and some very impressive char marks around the inner circumference of the iron-wrapped hole.

“What is this?” She asked breathlessly.

“This...is the Columbiad.” Jack Yeager intoned, his voice taking on the characteristics of a sonorous priest. He brought out a leatherbound journal from the interior of his jacket, a cracked, scorched thing with the gilded name 'I. Barbicane' on it. “The world's largest cannon, constructed in the Year of Our Lord 1866 by the Americian Gun Club.

This...is the sight of the first moon shot.”

%%%

“The Columbiad is just the tip of the iceburg.” Jack Yeager explained to Mary Raven later, the both of them having gone over Barbicane's old journal, sitting right next to the ancient venerable space gun.

Mary Raven was still in a state of shock. “A Civil War era space expedition...that's....that's...”

Yeager waited patiently.

“...That's so cool.”

Yeager allowed himself a quiet grin. “I know.”

Mary grimaced.

“Why didn't they teach us about this in high school?!”

“Unknown. Barbicane and the Gun Club disappeared in 1889 in the Arctic, after having made plans to, and I quote, 'Fire off a cannon at the north pole which would straighten out the earth's axis and bring an end to all unpleasant variations in the earth's seasons.' “

Yeager looked at Mary's expression. “I know. But listen, there's more. If you looked through library archives and dig through records, you can find evidence of many other attempted moon shots, far before Zarkov and Goddard and Oberth's early rocket projects. A scientist named Cavor who created a material that was repelled by gravity and built a airtight craft around it...which took off from the London countryside, and returned several months later...empty. A fleet of 1000 electric spaceships commissioned by Thomas Edison and Lord Kelvin after the First Martian Invasion and sent off to the Red Planet on a 'Mission of Retaliation'. A government scientist who according to accounts of his colleagues, discovered a substance that could convert copper into pure energy, built a spaceship capable of interstellar flight...and then disappeared on the verge of opening a series of worldwide power plants. There was even an early chemical rocket designed by Oberth and sent by the old Weimar Republic to look for water on the moon, launched 9 years before Zarkov's first flight. The re-entry capsule never made it back, of course.”

“It's the Moon Curse.” Mary Raven remarked automatically.

“'Curse' is a just a word we use when we don't know what's happening–“ Yeager instinctively retorted.

“–And can't be bothered to find out.” Raven finished. “Still damned mysterious, isn't it?”

“You could say that.” Yeager replied. He tossed a pebble into the yawning chasm of the Columbiad, and listening to the 'tink-tink' noise as it bounced off of the cast iron walls and struck the cannon's base deep down. “The unearthing of the Columbiad was what first brought the League–that's the name of our group–together...it's almost like a Mecca to us now, a reminder.”

He waited for Mary Raven to make the natural reply. Mary did nothing of the sort, and merely arched a thin eyebrow.

Jack sighed. “To remind us that the world is far stranger than we can possibly imagine. That men have been reaching for the stars for far longer than we ever could have dreamed of, even farther back than the last century, and beyond! It can only mean that there's this drive to explore space isn't a mere whimsy of the moment...it's practically destiny.”

Jack Yeager turned to face Mary Raven.

“So what's gone wrong? What's bent the future out of shape? What's holding back mankind from bursting out into the stars? We came together and formed the League to figure out what. That's the name of our group. The League. And we'd like you to join us...”

There was a 'cracking' noise, the sound of a twig snapping.

Yeager froze.

“...because it looks like we're going to have to fight a war to find out.”

He snatched up the canvas cover and dropped it onto the fire, stamping out the flames and cursing as sparks flew everywhere. Then quickly, he whipped out his piece, a strange hybrid of revolver and a standard ray weapon, and dragged Mary down behind the large log.

Mary let out a noise of protest and aborted it partway. She grew quiet, and began slowly reaching for her Lewiston.

From behind the log, she could hear a sharp noise, like the hum of a tesla-coil and the whine of a tele-screen left on for too long. She slowly slid out her brass-trimmed raygun from it's holster and gazed at Yeager's tense drawn, face, a face that told her they were both in terrible danger.
When? She mouthed.

Yeager held up a hand. Though the fire had gone out, she could make out several light sources nearby, their harsh glare making it's way over the barrier of the log, growing slowly brighter. The harsh whiff of ozone entered her nostrils. She held her breath.

Then Yeager moved like a greased glass deer in Titan's gravity, whipping out his piece and opening fire with rapid blasts of harsh, cold light.

Mary rose up from the other side of the log and depressed the firing stud on her Lewiston.

The film serials Republic had made of her fellow traveler's exploits portrayed ray gun blasts as clean and neat, either causing legions of ill-clad mooks to glow and disappear or fall down to the ground without a single mark on them.

Real ray guns weren't as neat as that. More often they'd take out the wall behind their target, cause them to horribly melt, get set afire, explode, get sliced in half, or a gruesome variety of all three.

Her first blast enveloped what looked like a man-shaped outline of cold white light, crackling around the edges with static electricity.

What?

The glowing pale white...thing went flying, slammed to the ground by her Lewiston's beam. Another went down to Yeager's less spectacular blasts, while another raised it's hand and sent an arc of lightning hurling right past Mary Raven's shoulders.

She turned and rayed the creature, swatting it down to the ground again, but not, to her intense displeasure, killing it. She saw the first creature getting back up, and rayed it again, pushing it down like fireman would knock someone off their feet with a firehose.

“Goddamn Extraterrestrial Whack-a-moles!” She shouted between clenched teeth as she kept firing.

Yeager turned and shot the two prone glowing creatures, the bolts from his gun actually doing damage to the humanoids.

Mary turned to shoot down another of the assailants

And then a Martian War Tripod crashed through the small patch of forest and into the clearing. It's mechanical tentacles flailed about madly, snatching up trees at random and hurling them about, some of them rebounding and bouncing off of it's thick metal cockpit. One pair of tendrils lifted up a large cylinder that resembled an incredibly complex lantern or searchlight.

“Oh, twenty thousand ****ers beyond the stratosphere.” Mary whispered to herself. “Move!!!”

The nightmare of survivors of many an interplanetary war engaged it's Heat Ray and began setting the clearing on fire.

“Dickless ****-for brains!!!!” Mary snarled. While running as fast as she could, she opened the aperture of her Lewiston and opened fire on the Tripod's cockpit.

The metal carpace bent and warped under the strain of her ray gun...but held. The impact point glowed a dull red as it swept the lurid ray of destruction back and forth, soot and ash and cinder wafting up from the scorched earth, paying no mind to it's smaller compatriots, and occasionally even batting them aside impatiently.

“Yeager!” She shouted, as she swapped out a freshly drained power pack. “Can your pea-shooter–“

“Lumierie!” Yeager clarified, gunning down one of the glowing creature before it could hurl lightning.

“Whatever! Can it dent that thing's hull!”

Yeager responded by raising his gun and pulling the trigger again and again.

The shots dented and seared the Tripod's cockpit. And little else.

“Not really!” He replied.

“Soddit...”

Mary tore off her flight cap in frustration (a hot thing to wear in the summer, let alone in a clearing on fire), and hurled it to the side.

She'd met some Martians, and gotten along dandily with them. Especially the ones with lots of arms. But the Warmakers...they could piss themselves to try and put out their own fires in hell for all she–

There was a 'thunk' as her flight cap reached the bottom of the Columbiad.

“Well dress me in petticoats and call me Molly.” She whispered. “Yeager!” She shouted

Yeager was stuffing what looked like glowing bullets into his Lumierie. “Busy!”

“The Hole! Dump the Tripod down it!”

Yeager blinked, then nodded. “Got it!”

He snapped his gun shut, then raised his piece and opened fire on the Tripod's viewports, falling back as he did his best to blind the metal beast-machine from another world. Sparks and gouts of energy flew off the mechanical monstrosity's carapace, and it's segmented limbs flew into a fresh spasm of rage.

Amidst this rage, one limb lashed out and struck Mary Raven in the stomach.

The young space pilot flew through the air and landed a shallow swamp puddle, splashing fetid water everywhere. Her leather clothing had protected her from some of the blow, but the experience still felt like getting walloped by a mighty brachiosaurus in mating season.

It took time for Raven's vision to stop swimming and the pain in her chest to diminish to merely agonizing. She managed to roll out of the offending puddle, every absorbent piece of clothing she wore squelching, and raised herself up on one arm, her vision clearing just in time to see the young aerospace engineer placing a game of keep away with the Tripod, dashing back and forth, keeping too close to it's legs to be struck down by the sheer inhumane destructiveness of the Heat Ray, and running too fast to be bludgeoned by a wayword tentacle whip as she had been.

The Tripod drifted closer to the hole. Closer, closer...

“Gah!” Jack howled, as a tentacle arm whipped in from below and wrapped around his waist. It lifted him up and shook him like a dog shakes a seized bit of prey. The engineer's Lumiere flew from his grip and into the bowels of the Columbiad.

The Tripod was at it's edge. Right at the edge of it, it's forward leg digging into the soft dirt right in front of the Tellus-fricking hole! Right at the edge!

Yeager screamed as the tentacles constricted.

And lying there, covered in mud, Mary Raven knew there wasn't anything she could d–

“**** that!” She snarled, and dove for her discarded Lewiston. She raised it and fired.

The lurid orange beam of light tore through the air like liquid metal–and blasted right through the tentacle holding Yeager.

She twisted a dial and opened the aperture and fired one more time, draining the entire battery in one shot...

And wrecking the Tripod's forward leg...along with the ground it stood on.

Jack fell and rolled to the right.

And the Tripod stumbled forward and tipped over into the depths of the Columbiad. It's remaining legs dugs for purchase in vain, and it's cockpit plumeted downward...and smashed itself against the great cannon's lip.

Silence fell once again across the clearing, broken only by the patchwork fires that had wafted up here and there amongst the scrub and brush.

“Okay,” Mary Raven said finally, walking over, and helping Jack Yeager up to his feet. “What the ****ing goddamn slart **** was that?”

“I'd guess...” Jack wheezed, taking Raven's hand with his left and clutching at his cracked ribs with his right. “...it was a group of assassins. Sent to kill us.”

Mary narrowed her eyes. “Do you want me to burn off your arm for cheekiness? Because I've heard that the Callistans can graft some top of the line robotic arms onto people.”

“The First Men...” Jack Yeager replied after a moment. “The Men of Mercury, beings of pure condensed light. Those...” He waved a hand at the dissolving puddles of light around them, still giving off the harsh whiff of ozone. “...were their foot soldiers at least. But digging up an actual Tripod to wipe us out...THEY must be upping the ante. Hold on...”

He walked over to the Columbiad, the crumbled top of the Martian war machine still visible. The latch of one of the hatches was shattered: Yeager grimaced, then lifted it open.

Steam poured out of the cockpit.

“Betcha ten Space Bucks it's a Martian Warmaker.” Mary Raven said.

“They're supposed to be extinct.” Yeager replied, frowning. “And there's no such thing as a Space Buck.”

The steam cleared. If there was such a think as Space Bucks, Mary would have had to ante up. It wasn't a Martian Warmaker. It was ot an amorphous bearlike thing with two tentacles, no digestive system, and a giant ear in the top of it's skull.

Nor was it one of the Mercury Men, nor one of the natives of moons of Saturn, nor any of the other barrel-chested hominid varieties of Martians.

No, the mysterious pilot of the war Tripod, nestled within a cocoon of wires braces, and plugs, floating within a clear glass container filled with a cocktails of fluids and electrodes, was none other...THAN A BRAIN!

Jack Yeager, a man Mary Raven had noted to be of a truly unflappable nature, actually gaped for the briefest of moments!

“I have no idea how I'm going to hustle this guy for information.” He said finally.

There was a crackle of warped acoustics. Raven hefted her Lewiston, waiting for some attack or electrical arc or sonic ray to fly at them, before she realized that it was a warped, distorted attempt at speech:

Your...your victory here is...e-ephemeral. Know this, Mary Raven daughter of Rock Raven, and Jack Yeager son of Charles Yeager, for you will soon be removed from the-the Earth Design.

“Earth Design...” Yeager muttered. “What the hell are you talking about.”

“Elaborate.” Mary Raven replied, leveling her piece. “Or I'll give your little grey cells cancer.”

Bubbles swirled about the interior of the Brain Case.

My continued existence...and further d-d-divulgence of information is an un-unecessary risk to the Chief Designer's p-p-plan. This dialogue...shall end.

“End?” Mary snarled, tapping the glass case with the aperture of her Lewiston. “This ain't ending until...”

A beeping noise came from the bowels of the Tripod.

“****!” Yeager exclaimed, and pulled on Mary's arm, dragging her away from the shattered Martian Fighting Machine.

Naturally, there was an explosion. The barrel of the Columbiad that the Tripod had partially fallen in channeled the blast upward, and for a brief period, it looked as if the old cannon was shooting a space capsule up towards the gleaming moon once again.

As debris rain down, both Mary Raven and Jack Yeager picked themselves up again.

“So,” Mary said finally, swatting at some mosquitos that buzzed at her ears. “Think that a secret alien conspiracy led by a Chief Designer is impeding space travel?”

“Starting to sound more likely...Ma'am.” Jack replied, wincing and clutching at his ribs.

“Well...” Mary concluded, holstering her Lewiston and snapping shut the flap. “We'd better inform the rest of the League.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “You in, then?”

Mary hooked her arm through Jack's and helped him limp his way away from the scene. “Depend on one question. Did you guys manage to hide away some spaceships from the G-men and World Steel scrapper's hands? Spaceships that could, perhaps, use a pilot?”

Jack grinned a ****-eating grin. “Yep.”

“**** yes, I'm in.”

Draxx
2013-06-26, 10:08 PM
I'd like to apologize for my three week long vanishing act. First exams, then a more personal issue. Regardless, I should have given some sort of notification to you all, and I apologize for that.
Anyway, I m back now, so if anyone is still interested in keeping this game going, then I'll do what I can to keep running it.

AnimeKid
2013-06-26, 10:53 PM
I'm interested. You might have to pm the others though.

Draxx
2013-06-26, 11:54 PM
Thank you for your support. And yes, I probably will.

KerfuffleMach2
2013-06-28, 07:40 AM
Yay! You're back!

I'll probably be getting something up tonight.

Draxx
2013-06-28, 10:00 PM
Yes I am. Again, sorry.

KerfuffleMach2
2013-06-28, 10:04 PM
Hey, no problem. Stuff happens.

And on that note, my post will have to wait until tomorrow, anyways. A nine hour day of work today and a twelve hour shift tomorrows means I got nothing tonight. But, tomorrow, there will be postings!

Cracklord
2013-06-29, 12:39 AM
I'm still around. Give me a reason to stay on the forum other then complain about the new Superman movie and talk about webcomics.

And I like the update, Colesign (if you are still here).

nanobot_swarm
2013-07-22, 07:44 PM
Greetings fellows, it has been some time since last we spoke. How goes your roleplaying endeavors?
And since I see you need support for this game, I will gladly aid thee in you Giant superhero moshpit of death. Seriously Draxx, I read that giant history and back-story you wrote for the setting, hot damn, that works together too well, and it makes more sense than the established comic book universes you based it off of haha

Draxx
2013-07-23, 06:52 AM
They've hit a bit of a dry spell to be honest, but I'm hoping things will pick up, and with Doliest and you both making triumphant returns they just might yet. Welcome back, any ideas for characters?

nanobot_swarm
2013-07-23, 06:22 PM
Damn, well hopefully things turn around indeed, the good times must continue to roll.
As for a character, I thought of a fun idea for a villain-type dude. Essentially he'd be one of the last of an ancient civilization of intelligent dinosaur-men, who has now awakened from cryogenic sleep. Seeing mammals now rule the Earth angers him to no end, so now he plans to try and engineer a way to warm up the earth so he can repopulate it with dinosaurs and his people the Saurians, with humanity ending up either extinct or enslaved in the process.
Since I read you wanted a Silver Age theme, I thought he'd fit that well.

Draxx
2013-07-25, 05:13 AM
Ah. Well, I can think of a few of that style of character.

There is Dr Dinosaur (http://www.atomic-robo.com/free-comics/fcbd09/), created for Atomic Robo by the incomparable Brian Clevinger, a velociraptor capable of human speech with an appropriately nonsensical backstory. He's not quite what you are looking for, given that that he's probably a lab-experiment rather then an actual velociraptor (he looks like a Jurassic Park version, not the real thing, and no matter how smart a velocivaptor would not be able to speak English, physically).

Or Dr Stegron, an obscure Spider-Man villain (it never made sense to me why he never achieved the fame and popularity he deserved), though he's a guy transformed into a dinosaur rather then an actual dinosaur.

And of course, the numerous vaguely defined snake-people from Conan and King Kul. Of course, they're more disposed to vague magic then science. Any of those suit you?

nanobot_swarm
2013-07-27, 11:18 AM
Well if we can bring Conan into this....
Perhaps I could bring in Thoth-Amon of the Ring into the fold. Resurrected by the Serpent God Set to bring about his will into the modern world
Or if we want to go full Eldritch horror, I could be Pius Augustus from Eternal Darkness, and undead Roman Legionaire turned sorcerer working behind the scenes to bring about the summoning of one of the Ancients (think Lovecraftian horror)

Draxx
2013-07-29, 08:30 PM
Awesome. And approved (very approved). I'll see what I can do about putting the gang back together, but if you write up a character sheet I'll see what I can do.

nanobot_swarm
2013-08-02, 08:28 AM
All right, character sheet coming up



Name: Pious Augustus
Age: It's been over 2000 years since he first became a lich
Appearance:
His true form is that of a rotted, skeletal corpse clad in the Legionnaire armor he "died" in.
Background:
Originally a Roman Centurion sent by the Emperor to find an artifact that haunted his dreams, he ended up in the Forbidden City and acquired the Claw of Chattur'gha, which transformed him into an undead abomination. He has spent the past 2000 years serving his lord from the shadows and mucking about in human affairs from behind the scenes. He has been responsible for binding the god Mantorok in Angkor Thom, starting a secret Cult to Chattur'gha in Oublie Chathedral, assassinating Charlemagne the Frank, and creating the Pillar of Flesh, a tower in Persia constructed from the corpses of numerous victims. Though the pawns of Mantorok have generally set back his plans, he continues his attempts to summon Chattur'gha into the mortal plane, an event that would reduce humanity to the status of livestock.
Powers and abilities:
He can assume a regular human form to disguise himself amongst us, though some who are supernaturally aware can see through his simple illusion. He is well versed in the realm of magick, a true master of the craft, but is vulnerable whilst casting via the runic system. He is regularly protected by the servants of Chattur'gha, which he can summon with his magick, brutal monsters of strength and violence, such as the mighty, three-headed horrors, or the skinless zombies that can regenerate lost body-parts. Regularly he will employ the creatures known as bonethieves to posses an influential figure, enabling his influence to spread amongst societal elites.