But then, Hope is an aspiration, a beacon that shines brighter than any star lighting the way for all mankind, Hope is the refusal of the inevitable, a hand lifted to the clouds, Hope is what makes us humans, for when reality threatens to destroy us, we reach inward, and we create Hope. It's the greatest gift we can give each other, though it may just be the foundation to a house of cards.
The first superpowered being in recorded history was actually a villain named the Iron Cross. He possessed magnetic based powers and helped the German war machine throughout World War One before meeting the allied answer: the Hounds. A group of soldiers who'd all taken an experimental super soldier drug, they tore across battlefields led by their Captain, a naturally super powered speedster who went by the name, Nurse. Having been issued orders to eliminate Iron Cross, the Hounds, on July 5th, 1918, met him and his own team of super soldiers in a mountain base in the recently conquered Switzerland. An hour later, the only living person atop that mountain was the Nurse. She emerged victorious, however it came at the cost of her friends, the closest thing to family she ever had. This woman stood as a figurehead for Western civilization for years and years, her influence spread so far that scholars often credit her with kick starting the costumed hero antics of the 21st century.
However, year is now 2036, the age of technological and biological innovation, and the public opinion of superheroes has slightly changed over the years. While still revered for the most part, many heroes who's identities were never secret find themselves ostracized from their communities due to the damage they and their opposing super villains cause amidst their battles. This opinion has even gone so far as to be that of the current United States President, who, as one of his promises during the campaign trail, planned to enact a plan to deal with the superhuman element in their world. He came from a family with money, and as he had the ability to do, the man hired scientists to research day and night, searching for a compound that would suppress the Meta-Gene within a child's body, thus preventing it for developing into adulthood and cutting off the creation of super humans for good. This plan, while already shady, has an even darker side when you examine the work further. The scientists were also working on a seyrum that would, when introduced to the body, supress and kill the Meta-Gene in fully grown adults, intending for it to be introduced via needle, rather than water. The final step of his political plan is to give heroes and villains of the world an ultimatum, register their identities and and family with the government and become military personnel to be dispatched as their respective generals saw fit. That, or be hunted down, depowered by force, and tried for treason.
The public's support for this plan has risen dramatically in recent months, following a series of particularly devistating meta human duels in both rural Kansas, and the nation's largest city, Haven. Among the heroes of the world, the act has been a mixed bag, some willing to take the roll of police officers to the government while others have publicly criticized it. That being said, the act has yet to be passed and, for the time being, the heroes and villains of our world still perform their acts of both valor, and horror......
Forces in Play
The United World Government - An alliance of the most powerful national governments in the world, the UWG have access to massive amounts of manpower and hardware. While benevolent for the moment, dealing with honest threats to society, the chairman of the group, the English Prime Minister, has secretly been pursuing super soldier serums and other ways to counter the Superhero and Villains of the modern day.
Atlantis - Ancient Atlantis was a sub-continent somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean, civilizations founded there came thousands of years before any others. Because of this, they boasted the most advanced technology in the world.....right unto the continent slipping beneath the waves. While considered a tragidy by outsiders and a massive death toll, the Queendom of Atlantis actually planned their sinking. Preceded by the introduction to a new chemical mixture to the water supply, the denizens of the continent began growing gills and webbed hands, these afflictions forcing them into the water. Determined not to loose their land of technology, those who remained above the waves created a mahine that would shake the land loose of its mainly clay base. A dome was placed over the major cities to allow for Atlanteans, who could survive periods out of water, to retrieve their personal belongings. And thus the city was born, rarely interacting with the outside world until two years ago when the current queen, Arcil IV, with the support of her people, made the world aware of her people, and the technological superiority, before once again going back to minding their own business.
M.A.L.R.D. - Established by Interpol in the 40's, the Metahuman and Advanced Logic Research Division was the world governments' answer to the first superhumans of their day. Officially off the records, the branch deals in cleaning up after, communicating with, and, if needed, combating the superhuman element. Few are aware of their existence and those that are are the ones being paid by the program to develop a bigger and better armory for their use.
The Universals - The Universals are an inter-galactic political and military force dedicated to protecting sentient life in every form. They were established fairly recently, following a massive inter galactic war, an alien council decided to create the force to keep one another in check. Members are chosen for their ability to outthink or outfight the majority of their peers, and given an implant that allows the user to fly, survive in outer space, and enhance any prexisting abilities. It also grants to user the ability to communicate with other Universals, access a massive galactic database gathered by the High Council, and absorb energy in most forms, resulting in a massive explosion when discharged. They have four representatives for each planet their claim to protect, one of which being Earth, their headquarters located centrally on a group of massive space shuttles called the Floatilla. They're ruled by the High Council, a group of the five original Universals that ended the war.
Races
Metahumans - Metahumans, by definition, are indiginous to the planet Earth, and make up a signficant portion of the planet's super-hero and villain community. Metahumans possess an extra gene in their biological structure, which is commonly responsible for the genesis of latent super-powers. This extra gene is referred to as the Meta-Gene. Possession of a Meta-Gene does not automatically equate to an individual being gifted with super-powers however. Sometimes possession of the Meta-Gene enables human beings to survive what would otherwise be considered fatal circumstances, thereby allowing external forces to prompt a physiological change which may generate super-powers. Researchers discovered that some humans had a "biological variant" they called the meta-gene (also spelled "metagene"). This gene often lay dormant until a moment of extraordinary physiological stress activated it, and upon activation it would use the source of the biostress as a catalyst for "genetic change," resulting in metahuman abilities. However, some are born with the inherent ability to use the powers granted to them.
Atlantians - Hailing from the undersea Queendom of Atlantis, Atlanteans have developed alongside humans for millions of years. Their race, while almost identical to humans in their appearance, does differ in that they usually possess slightly webbed fingers or toes, gills on their ribs, and eye color that shifts between three colors unique to that Atlantean, usually meaning they're angry, happy, or indifferent. They can breathe underwater, possess low level telepathy, and posses superhuman levels of strength, speed, endurance and durability.
The Beginners - Long ago, a group of apes that would have one day evolved into humans came across the glowing crater of where a meteor had struck the planet's surface. After contact with the glowing substabce within, the ape began a series of mutation, their rate of change was much higher than that of Homo sapiens. The few children who survived rarely resembled their own parents. For most of their history, their priesthood culled the most radical mutations and sacrificed them. Others who differed too much from the human baseline were called Mutates, who often wandered away or were exiled. Some of them encountered normal humans and gave rise to folklore. Eventually, beneficial mutations occurred more often. A typical Beginner had one or more traits that exceeded the human norm, such as intelligence, strength, or lifespan, or an entirely new ability.
While these are the most prevalent races and groups within the corner of the universe this story takes place, you're invited to create your own race, group, or even planet your character hails from. Play with boundaries, get cheesy, or be creative......or don't, it's completely up to you
***Things to Keep in Mind During Apps***
1. Power Mimicry is not allowed.....sorry
2. In regards to the "Heroic/Villainous Flaw" section of the app, it's referring to what a hero or villain either strives for or because of. For example, there's Spider Man's great power and great responsibility line, or, for villains, it could be their inability to hurt the unarmed
3. The "Power Level" section has three choices: Heavy, Medium, and Light. As a big fan of DC I'll put this in terms of characters from that universe, a Heavy character would be the Superman, which is allowed, albeit give them some heavy restrictions, the heavy hitters. Medium could be considered an Aquaman, heavy but limited, and Light characters could be the Batman, usually relying on smarts or quickness, rather than strength.
4. Heavy Characters are to be few and far between though....
Now, Apps!
- Code: Select all
[b]Superhero Name:[/b]
[u]Hero, Villain, Vigilante, etc?[/u]
[b]Alter Ego:[/b]
[b]Gender:[/b]
[b]Race:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b]
[spoiler=Costume][/spoiler]
[spoiler=Civilian.....If Applicable][/spoiler]
[b]Power Origin:[/b]
[b]Powers:[/b]
[b]Equipment:[/b]
[b]Weaknesses:[/b]
[b]Power Level:[/b]
[b]Heroic/Villainous Flaw:[/b]
[b]Group Association:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]Biography:[/b]
[b]Theme song:[/b]
Rules
1. OP and Co/OP's have the final say
2. No God Modding or Meta Gaming
3. Don't control, kill, or otherwise mettle another PC unless given permission to do so
4. Try to average a few lines per post? Describe the scenery, thoughts, fears, anything
5. Be Nice to people OOC? IC is your place to cut loose on that front
6. Speaking of which, if you die, you die, that's it.....
7. Super beings do tend to make returns though.......
8. Try and be active
