Clean Slate - A Blackout Comics Event (TWI ONLY | OOC)

[Atnaia]

IC

---

Blackout Comics has been Atnaia's premier comics publisher for over 50 years, and the creators of some of the Western Isles most iconic pop culture heroes: Hermes, Anansi, Yellowsash, Chainmail, Warqueen...the list goes on and on. However, with readership increasing as a result of lucrative film productions, a common complaint Blackout has been receiving is that jumping on board to the comics is daunting for new readers, with hundreds of back issues of history to understand for a new reader to have context to the world of references in the pages of your standard superhero rag. As such, Blackout has made the decision to reboot and retool their universe for the modern age, starting characters fresh, cutting the fat and starting new characters for a new audience.

This will be the Clean Slate Event.

With the universe rebooting, Blackout is looking at introducing a new team of street-level heroes to the world, with the intent of dialing back a bit from the world-threatening events that defined their recent years of publishing. This team-up will be introduced in a new miniseries, with a new, diverse crew of characters.

This will be the story we tell.

---

Concept and Characters

The concept for this RP will be a pretty quick, fun superhero story, focusing on street-level heroes (think Spider-Man, Nightwing or Daredevil, not Superman or Thor). They'll face their first real threats as heroes, and get drawn together as a team to face off against their first real supervillain.

Your characters can have superpowers, a standard thug with a gun shouldn't be too much of a threat, but even basic powered villains should feel tough to face off against without a bit of help. Aside from that, let your imagination soar.

Character Application

Code: Select all

Codename:
Secret Identity:
Ethnicity:
Age:
Physical Description:
Costume Description:
Powers:
Skills:
Quick Character Biography:

---

The World

The story will take place in the Blackout Comics fictionalized version of the Western Isles, specifically their rather...idealized version of Purth-Graje. It's basically Metropolis from Superman, the way they write it, no knowledge of the city is required. Superheroes are only just starting to go public, secret identities are the norm, and powers can come from many different sources: magic, technology, natural evolution, etc. The big, unique "world power event" thing would be Divine Spirits: basically, all the mythological gods are real but can't interact with the normal world under normal circumstances, but they can send down little parts of their power and imbue people or objects with them. This means you can have a speedster like Hermes, who is imbued with the Spirit of Hermes, or a !Spider-Man like Anansi who has the Spirit of Anansi, or a villain like Gravedigger who has the Spirit of Hades. Gods can also imbue multiple people at the same time, meaning more than one person can show different aspects of a god: Zeus could make one person throw thunderbolts and another might have shapeshifting, for example.

I've mostly deleted my old factbooks on the characters, but since its a hard reboot, that doesn't really matter. The only REALLY big superhero to have appeared on the radar so far is Yellowsash, the Superman Expy of this world. He made a splash recently by saving the city from an attack by a giant alien robot. Aside from that, most other superheroes are only just starting to appear, and only Yellowsash is a household name. No big teams have formed yet. Other characters are only just rumours.

---

What will the story be?

To start with, we are going to draw the characters together. You all happen to be in some public place (a bank works, I think) when the place is attacked by thugs with some heavy-duty technology. You suit up and stop the robbery, garnering a bit of media attention, but leaving some lingering questions about who the gang worked for. I have ideas for what happens next but let's leave that up to how things pan out.

---

Obviously, standard TWI rules apply. Also, reminder, this is TWI Only. If you aren't in the region, it's not for you.

Discuss.

[Polar Svalbard]

How secretive are the superheroes in this world supposed to be? Also, how are powers most often formed? Is there a motif?

[Atnaia]

EDIT: I decided it probably makes more sense for me to play the ANTAGONISTS and NPCs, as opposed to a member of the team. I know the world best and can sort of act as something of a GM, throwing problems at you guys for you to solve.

[Atnaia]

How secretive are the superheroes in this world supposed to be? Also, how are powers most often formed? Is there a motif?

Due to this being a "reboot" of the universe, superheroes are only just starting to become public knowledge. Secret identities are the norm. Powers can be formed many different ways: naturally, through experiments or technology, magic. The big, unique "world power event" thing would be Divine Spirits: basically, all the mythological gods are real but can't interact with the normal world under normal circumstances, but they can send down little parts of their power and imbue people or objects with them. This means you can have a speedster like Hermes, who is imbued with the Spirit of Hermes, or a !Spider-Man like Anansi who has the Spirit of Anansi, or a villain like Gravedigger who has the Spirit of Hades. Gods can also imbue multiple people at the same time, meaning more than one person can show different aspects of a god: Zeus could make one person throw thunderbolts and another might have shapeshifting, for example.

EDIT: Added a quick section on the world in the first post.

[Athara Magarat]

So someone like the Beast is allowed right?

And about the origin?

[Atnaia]

So someone like the Beast is allowed right?

And about the origin?

Who was that again? I included an application.

[Thuzbekistan]

Gotta couple fires to put out at work then I'll look through this.

[Caber]

Tag.

[Belle Ilse en Terre]

Tag.

[Athara Magarat]

Codename: White Tiger
Secret Identity: Milan Gurung
Ethnicity: Tamu tribe of the Khas-Kirats
Age: 29
Physical Description: Due to the transformation, he permanently looks like an albino tiger standing upright like a man.

Costume Description: Let's just see he still wears trunks for modesty's sake
Powers:

• Claw Retraction
• Climbing
• Enhanced Agility
• Enhanced Balance
• Enhanced Bite
• Enhanced Flexibility
• Enhanced Leap
• Enhanced Senses
• Enhanced Speed
• Enhanced Strength
• Night Vision
• Predator Instinct

As well as usual stuff a tiger could do.
Skills: He is also somewhat intelligent after the transformation. While not the level of making cars or anything, he tends to use his brain a lot more than before.
Quick Character Biography: Milan Gurung was an Athara Magarati student at the Port Gray University for Master of Forest Conservation. He took loans from an employer for his studies. After being unable to pay the loan due to lack of suitable job available, he was sent to a workhouse as inmate. Milan tried multiple times to escape, sometimes with other inmates, sometimes alone. But each time, he was tracked by agents and brought back to the workhouse to face punishment. Eventually the trackers got fed up with Milan's escapes and had him placed in the cage of an hungry albino tiger. He fainted upon coming face to face with the big cat.

When he woke up, he was no longer human and the tiger was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the two had become one entity. He used his newfound strength, speed and reflexes to escape the workhouse for ever. He did some soul-searching and started helping other inmates and intends escape the workhouses. Now he is the White Tiger - a mysterious being that lurks around Atnaia and attacks the workhouses while also searching for the reason he has been transformed in unexpected ways.

Anything needed to change?

[Atnaia]

Quick Question. Superheroes are only JUST starting to appear: someone stuck in the form of a White Tiger is going to stand out. This is a story that is going to start out with a bank heist in broad daylight. Why would he be there?

Actual issue: remember that in the metanarrative, Blackout Comics is an Atnaian publishing company. A character who attacks workhouses would be a VILLAIN in that logic. I also think that Blackout mostly IGNORES actually controversial stuff and fictionalizes the region to an extent: they don't generally show stuff like indents or workhouses because they know that the Atnaian perspective on such things won't sell abroad.

EDIT: Also, you can't be "sent" to a workhouse, you have to choose to go to one willingly, and they don't have inmates. You are sent to a debtor's prison if you can't make payments.

[Thuzbekistan]

So what caused heroes to start appearing now?

[Atnaia]

So what caused heroes to start appearing now?

Yellowsash showed up, defeated a giant alien robot and inspired other people to start donning capes and cowls. There were probably people with powers, maybe even masked vigilantes, running around before that, but they would have been much more secretive. Yellowsash made them feel safer coming into the light.

[Atnaia]

I guess that's the one big event I should explain for this world:

About three months ago, a giant alien pod crashlanded in the middle of Mavis Park in Purth-Graje. It remained immune to standard methods of study and was made of some sort of never-before-seen metal. As the government poked and prodded, the pod activated and transformed into a giant, tentacled robotic monster that began rampaging through the streets for some unknown reason. Standard weapons did nothing aganst it. As the city was in panic, a man suddenly flew in and began fighting the robot with his bare hands. After a harrowing battle, the man defeated the robot while saving civilians. When it was all over, the man was victorious and the city was saved. The media dubbed him Yellowsash (after a brief tenure calling him Strongman) for the traditional Atnaian military sash he wore around his waist. He also wore a formfitting white suit and a golden breastplate, but hey, Yellowsash stuck. He has since shown up to save more people around the city, acting as an all-around Superman style hero, with the Boy Scout nature and Symbol of Hope cultural image. Sice then, more and more people around the region have begun donning costumes and showing off their powers or skills, not all of them for good.

If you want, you can picture this character from the Mutants and Masterminds books:


Just replace the cape with a sash around his waist and make his undersuit white.

[Thuzbekistan]

Codename: The Philosopher
Secret Identity: Arno Vira
Ethnicity: Atnaian
Age: 36
Physical Description: Atnaian man of medium stature with light skin, dark hair, and black rimmed glasses covering brown eyes.
Costume Description: Light blue, form fitting suit with a dark green cape with a high color.

Powers: The Philosopher is a telekenetic. He uses his powers to fly, perform short sprints, throw heavy objects, or even stop some bullets, though this is rare.

Skills: He is extremely intelligent and often spends his time reading and discussing the ideals of morality and their basis. He is also a skilled negotiator. He prides himself in his ability to read people's motives and to convince them of his position.

Quick Character Biography: Arno is a university professor of Philosophy and Religion at the university of Purth-Graja. He grew up in the city and was gifted early on, making high marks throughout his career. He became especially interested in religion and philosophy at a young age mostly because of his mother's devout belief in religion and the need for morality, which she taught to him endlessly. In papers and arguments, he often finds himself struggling with the concept of good and evil, but draws a line and sticks with it. Anything on the other side of that line is evil and must be ended in his mind. When he first began developing his powers at 14, he hid them out of fear. But, through long days of meditation and seclusion, he was able to master them by the age of 27. He has since stuck to his seclusion and meditation. But now, with the rise of Yellowshash, Arno is ready to done a cape and mask and finally fight against everything he despises.

[Atnaia]

I can dig it. Sort of telekinetic Dr. Strange vibe?

[Thuzbekistan]

I can dig it. Sort of telekinetic Dr. Strange vibe?

Yes. His powers as well as the effects of green lantern without the ability to shield or anything. Except he's much more moralistic. So id say hed be some where in the lawful good or neutral hood territory.

[Atnaia]

I can dig it. Sort of telekinetic Dr. Strange vibe?

Yes. His powers as well as the effects of green lantern without the ability to shield or anything. Except he's much more moralistic. So id say hed be some where in the lawful good or neutral hood territory.

His powers sound a bit like Superboy's TTK, or tactile telekinesis, which allowed him to imitate weaker versions of Superman's powers and, once he got the hang of them, move small objects. Just a bit more versatile than that.

[Thuzbekistan]

Yes. His powers as well as the effects of green lantern without the ability to shield or anything. Except he's much more moralistic. So id say hed be some where in the lawful good or neutral hood territory.

His powers sound a bit like Superboy's TTK, or tactile telekinesis, which allowed him to imitate weaker versions of Superman's powers and, once he got the hang of them, move small objects. Just a bit more versatile than that.

It does actually. That's a good comparison

[Atnaia]

His powers sound a bit like Superboy's TTK, or tactile telekinesis, which allowed him to imitate weaker versions of Superman's powers and, once he got the hang of them, move small objects. Just a bit more versatile than that.

It does actually. That's a good comparison

Cool. It gives me a really good idea of how he works. I like it a lot.

[Atnaia]

OH! One more note for everyone! The posts in this are likely going to be short and punchy, not super long. If you say you attack someone in some way, I'll write a response to tell you what happens as a result. It will pave the way for more interaction BETWEEN characters, especially between PCs. Somewhere closer to League posts than chapter books.

[Thuzbekistan]

So more like a comic and less like a book?

[Atnaia]

Sure, if you want to look at it that way. Other than descriptions, things will likely be fairly quick and to the point...you could think of posts more like "comic panels" than like "book pages" if that makes sense.

[Thuzbekistan]

Sure, if you want to look at it that way. Other than descriptions, things will likely be fairly quick and to the point...you could think of posts more like "comic panels" than like "book pages" if that makes sense.

This will actually be a nice change of pace.

[Atnaia]

I want the pace to be fairly quick and fun as opposed to people being avoidant because of post length.