~The World Complex~ (Still Recruiting! Apply Within!)

[Crovonovin]

---The World Complex---

In this world of ours, there have always been clearly definable laws of reality.  Though humanity, in its ignorance, once sought to explain natural phenomena as the work of magic--both demonic and holy--such superstitions are now thought to be archaic holdovers from a dark and primitive past.  Though there are many things that science cannot yet explain, the confidence and curiosity of our race will always drive us to seek out the Truth until the day that the mysteries of the Universe are laid bare before our eyes.  Everything, no matter how bizarre, can be ultimately defined, categorized, and understood.  Such is the reality that we have come to know.

That is, until now. 

There is no explanation for what happened on April 7th, 2012.  Of course there had been many fanatics proclaiming that the world as we know it would end, that the oceans would turn to blood and boil beneath the heat of a violently exploding sun, that the earth beneath our feet would turn to dust and choke the life from out lungs, that extinction would wipe our race from existence in the bat of a cosmic eye.  When January 1st came and went, the supposed apocalypse was quickly forgotten by the vast majority of the population.  But even those who continued to cower and prey under the weight of their own paranoid delusions could not possibly have predicted what was to come.

For on that day, the structures of the world came alive. 

From walls of brick and cement, metal and wood they sent out their 'roots', vast networks of hallways that bound each building to its neighbor.  Streets cracked and burst like boils as hidden basements and sewers cast themselves up towards the heavens, only to come plummeting down again and fuse eagerly to the nearest edifice.  Skyscrapers became as vast urban trees as thousands upon thousands of windows were wrenched from their frames and flailed like tendrils in the air.  They branched out continuously, warping and binding to one another until entire labyrinths of halls and tubes hung overhead.  Civilization wrested itself from the ground and molded together with complete disregard for human life, and thousands died in the ensuring chaos.

Even nature took part in this obscene, impossible bedlam, trees winding their way amongst the newly created structures and crashing through their windows like grubs descending upon a carcass.  Soil and rock erupted upwards with a life of their own, forming great walls, mountains, and stairs until the last remnants of familiarity in the world were lost.  Communications and electrical power across the globe halted immediately, though glimmering lights could be seen emanating from within the twisted buildings.  And, as if to punctuate this sudden and inexplicable Conversion, the satellites and space stations orbiting the globe fell down to Earth in great balls of fire and melting steel.  In the span of only a few brief hours, human society was ended.

---

It has been almost one year since that day, though there are few people left that bother to keep track of such things.  In the days immediately following the creation of the so-called World Complex, humanity fell into decadence and strife.  Though countless people were lost during the Transformation, it was not as though the species was incapable of continued survival.  The global population still numbered in the billions, and most of the world's leaders had survive the catastrophe.  But with no way to communicate across vast distances, with no familiar landmarks, with no ways to enforce law and order, insanity gripped the hearts of mankind. 

Every single building in the world had become connected by way of tunnels and doors and windows, and where there were no buildings the trees and the rocks had formed new ones.  Even the continents had become connected by tunnels that hovered above or dipped beneath the surface of the oceans.  The concept of privacy had suddenly become alien as people wandered into other people's dwellings in search of friends and family.  Unfortunately, not everyone had such pure intentions.  Rape and murder became increasingly common, especially once former prisoners managed to find their way through the labyrinths into densely populated areas.  There was no rhyme or reason to the layout of the Complex; the middle of a person's living room may have suddenly become the entrance to a supermarket, an assembly line might split a classroom in two, a church filled with cubicles and billboards, or a skyscraper overgrown with trees and exotic plants.  Those who didn't succumb to illness or butchery by their fellow man were often killed by sudden pitfalls or preyed upon by the maddened, predatory animals that were as equally confused and aimless as anyone else. 

Only after several months had passed did the killing finally begin to slow down.  It still was not safe to settle down in any one area, and supplies became increasingly scarce once perishable items had gone bad from lack of refrigeration.  Though whispers of various military and government groups laying claim to entire systems of hallways and rooms within the World Complex were passed around, there was still no sign of organization beyond those that had clumped together for safety and survival.  The people of the world had started to become acclimated to this new, surreal environment, though the feeling of uneasiness would never quite dissipate.  It was not until three months had passed that the reason for that inescapable discomfort became apparent. 

Survivors would come to call it the Shift, for on July 7th the world took on yet another shape.  The World Complex birthed new appendages from crumbling holes, broken windows, and gaping doorways, increasingly complex webs of corridors and passageways that cast themselves over the old ones like a net, blotting out the rays of the sun until everything was cast in twilight.  Even the interiors of the old structures were not spared, the buildings flowing together like water and trading rooms amongst one another before solidifying back into a definite shape.  Thousands more died, and countless more were separated from each other once again; some only by miles, others by entire continents.  It seemed as though humanity would no longer know the concept of peace.

It was also around this time that even stranger things began to make themselves known in this new, uncertain landscape.  The structures now hanging over the remnants of civilization were becoming increasingly unlike anything formed by human hands.  Some were dark and twisted places that no light could pierce, no matter how bright, while others were ephemeral and seemed to have been sculpted from poured glass.  Still more of these paths seemed to have been created by something attempting to mimic the structures of man, but had done so without any point of reference.  Very few people who ventured into these places for extended periods of time never came back, and once it was apparent that very few supplies had drifted up to such heights most decided to remain closer to the ground.  But even now the curiosity of humans was not yet wiped out, and some managed to pass beyond this threshold and come back to tell about it.

Of these, a scant few seemed to have been touched by an unnatural power.  To some they are known as the Touched, and by others the Weighted.  By unknown means they have gained abilities surpassing those of the ordinary human being, though it is rarely something so simple as increased strength, speed, or stamina.  Indeed, many have powers that hinder rather than help, or have been overcome by strange and terrible entities.  For those who believe in the superstitions of old, it would not be incorrect to claim that they have been possessed by spirits.   Yōkai, Monsters, Gods, Devils and Demons; there are many names for these beings, and no one culture that may lay claim to all of them.  Some use this power to help the scattered people wandering the endless halls of the World Complex, while others prey upon them like cattle.  Still more do not use this power at all, fearing reprisal or the cost it might exact upon their souls.  For no Touched or Weighted can wield such abilities without a cost, and they may not always work as intended...

Since the first Shift there have been two more, once on October 7th and again on January 7th.  Each time a new layer is added to the World Complex, each more alien and dangerous than the last and each burying the world of humanity further from the sun and the sky.  Humanity struggles and continues to survive in spite of the thousands lost each time, though hope is quickly becoming a rarity.  With April 7th steadily approaching, it can be presumed that yet another Shift will occur.  Can such a thing be stopped, or will the traces of society again be warped and altered?  How much longer can the species survive without turning into nothing more than animals?  And what of the spirits dwelling in the Layers above?  Are there answers to be found, or will humanity die out in ignorance and shadow?

Perhaps.  Perhaps not.  But nothing will come to pass unless there are those still willing to search for the Truth.

-----------------------------------------------

If you managed to remain interested this far, then perhaps this game is for you! 

For this game, I'm not looking for any set number of individuals.  The atmosphere will be rather heavy (if that wasn't already apparent), but may not stray into Extreme territory unless there is an actual need for it.  Given the now tumultuous nature of human society, rape is certainly not an uncommon occurrence, though many are willing to give sex far more easily these days.  It is fully possible to walk for days within the World Complex without coming into contact with another human being, and the solitude can be deeply unsettling for some. 

For the beginning of the roleplay, I would allow the players to dictate what happens.  This would include such things as coming into contact with one another, forming groups, making friends or enemies, or otherwise exploring and questioning the strange new world around them.  I would also have a character for the purposes of describing the setting more thoroughly, until the players think they get the idea well enough to make up their own surroundings.

However, I have no intention to leave things aimless.  The players (either as one group or several smaller ones), would eventually be forced to delve into the newly formed Layers overhead; either because they seek answers, or because someone (or something) gives them no other choice.  Whether they find the Truth and a way to stop the next Shift is entirely up to the participants.  They could just as easily become lost or fail to find what they're looking for before the Shift arrives, throwing everything into further disarray.  In the end, they may choose safety and survival over any notions of "saving the world".  What will you choose?

Now for the juicy bit:  The characters.  I do not have a sheet in mind, and will allow you to create one based on what information you think is important to the character.  If you feel a person's personality is important, go for it!  Their astrological sign?  Be my guest.  Personal History does not need to be extensive (what fun is there in everyone knowing everyone's pasts right out of the gate?) but I do expect you to have thought it through a bit, for when people start asking questions about each other in the game.

Characters are divided into two distinct categories.  Ordinary people, and the Touched or Weighted.  The latter both technically mean the same thing, referring to an individual that has either been possessed by a spirit/god/whathaveyou, or have been 'blessed' by them in some way.  Though the two names can be used interchangeably, the former generally refers to those who have come into contact with benevolent spirits, while the latter refers to those who have been contacted by malevolent ones.  These people may not always be aware of the change that has been taken place within them, while others may have actually met a spirit face to face. 

These "gifts" place them above the average human, but it does not always grant them some great magical power.  Shooting fireballs or turning your limbs into swords is not the sort of thing I'm talking about.  It is generally a bit more subtle than that, and intrinsically tied to that person's personality or mental state.  A person wishing to become "unburdened" by some past trauma might be visited by a spirit that literally robs them of the "weight" on their shoulders, taking away their physical mass (ie: allowing them to leap great distances due to decreased weight).  Inspiration can be taken from just about any mythology, though I would prefer if you strayed away from "named" Gods and stuck with various creatures and spirits of lore, such as Red Caps, Kappa, or even Christian Demons.  One could even be touched by a particular animal spirit (Crab, snake, fox, etcetera), which all have different meanings that could be explored.  Creativity is encouraged!

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask! 

[Crovonovin]

For the sake of convenience, I'll post my own character here.  This is by no means a guideline, but in the event that I've only managed to intimidate you with all that text, feel free to use it.  Also, I do not have any preference between photographs or art when it's used to represent your character, so long as the latter is of sufficient quality.  Or, you could simply use text!  I'm not picky.

An added note.  I will allow characters to be hermaphroditic if there is a reason for them to be.  I'm sure there are spirits out there that would stoop to such trickery, but try to make it believable.

Name: Benjamin Marston
Age: 19
Gender: Male
Class: Touched

Personality:  Talking with Benjamin, it becomes immediately clear that his sanity was not quite able to survive the trauma of three Shifts.  This is hardly a surprising thing, for many stronger men before him succumbed to their own base urges following the creation of the new world.  But thankfully for all, the boy has not become a monster just for the sake of survival.  He has not killed or maimed of his own volition, nor does he wish for pain to be inflicted upon others.  He is surprisingly selfless in such uncertain times, where everyone has been infected with greed, lust, and desperation.

No, his lunacy is nothing so violent or ugly as that.  When he is with another human being he grows markedly more eager, his face overcome with a nervous smile and his words stuttering on his tongue.  One gets the immediate impression that he is very thankful for the company, and he will become increasingly distressed if his current traveling companions show even the slightest sign of wishing to part ways.  Benjamin will even go so far as to barter information, supplies (particularly his own cigarettes), or anything else he can think of just to persuade them to remain at his side.  It is a very pitiful thing to watch.

Taken Spirit (History): Tsukumogami

Following the first Shift, Benjamin awoke from a daze to a landscape that seemed at once familiar and alien.  His family and his friends were gone, and he had absolutely no way of knowing how far away they were, what direction they were in, or even if they were still alive.  Like so many others, he was forced to traverse the endless halls of the World Complex in search of food, water, and answers.  If there was a God that had caused all of this to happen, he had surely cursed this boy more than the others.  For three months did Benjamin search the meandering tunnels and passageways, but not once did he even catch sight of another human being.  By some cruel twist of fate, the boy always took the path that led him further away from fellow survivors.  Sometimes he could hear them in the distance, or see a sudden humanoid shadow play off the walls, but no matter how much he screamed or how fast he ran, Benjamin was never quite able to find another soul.

The solitude ate away at him bit by bit.  He began to believe that he was truly the only human left alive, and that he was to be tortured by these phantoms of the past until he too lost the will to live.  It was a hopeless, sorrowful existence.  For weeks he holed himself up in an upside-down supermarket that had collided with a fully functioning greenhouse, hoping that the near-inexhaustible supplies of food would draw others to him like a magnet.  But no one came, and the boy's thoughts took a dark turn.

It was around that time that the second Shift occurred, and his life took a very strange turn.   As the floors and walls liquefied around him, Benjamin just managed to catch hold of a wayward root before being tossed about like a ragdoll in the ensuing chaos.  Cement and brick churned like the Devil's surf, and it was only by luck that he was not crushed into a paste.  That root was his only tie to the world that he had only barely gotten to know, and now that it was changing yet again he would be damned if he let it disappear again.

When next he woke, Benjamin found himself in a stark white room, surrounded by discarded scraps of clothing.  Coming to, he heard something that he hadn't heard in what seemed like an eternity.  A voice.  Looking down, he was surprised to find the clothing looking back at him with wide eyes and mischievous grins.  These old clothes introduced themselves as Tsukumogami, a foreign word that Benjamin couldn't understand.  Though they had just met, the Tsukumogami seemed to know everything about him.  They knew of the unbearable loneliness eating away at his soul, and offered to soothe that ache.  Five simple words that would change him forever.

"Can we be your friends?"

He accepted with a panicked voice, as though fearing that they too would disappear from his life.  Benjamin was stripped of his grimy attire and watched with both horror and fascination as the Tsukumogami flowed together and washed over his body, reforming as a perfectly clean and unassuming set of clothes.  But each article had its very own soul, and each spoke with him as though they had always been trusted companions.  At last, the boy was not alone.

Powers:

Though Benjamin has no powers of his own, the Tsukumogami are fiercely protective and willing to grant his desires.  They can form extra limbs and faces, or harden into a protective shield in times of physical duress.  They are ultimately beyond his control however, and if the mood strikes them they can move the boy's body against his will.  Though they have given him company, he now is incapable of ever having true privacy.  Furthermore, their presence often scares away other humans, the ones he truly wanted to spend time with in the first place.

[Crovonovin]

By the by, I'm also looking for general feedback, regardless of whether or not you want to join up.  Despite being here for over a year, I've never actually gotten around to starting my own game up!  I fear that I may have scared off some people already with all this background information, but I hope that it was at least an interesting read.

[Esoteric Myobi]

I had meant to tell you earlier, but will do so now.

I find the concept very interesting and would love to play, but for the moment I think I'll see how much interest it receives before I think up a character profile. =)

[Vergil1989]

I am most definitely interested in this.

Name; Mathias Zakos
Age; 23
Gender; Male
Class; Weighted
Appearance; 

Personality;  Mathias was not a nice person before the chaos started.  He'd been known to beat his older sisters senseless if they didn't fall in behind him or obey him, mainly in stealing and petty things like that, their parents having left them to rot a year before.  That's when Mathias turned rancid, and his hatred started to flare with a passion, but he could be quite charming and persuasive when the need arose.  Being only a year younger, and yet Mathias overpowered them both the first time an argument came up about looking for their folks.  When he reached the age of 17 though, Mathias found that his sisters were quite attractive and by then they were too afraid to breath without his permission.  They were his first, and vice versa.  Then the Shift started a day later.  Mathias lost his sisters that day, and he nearly lost his own life as well when a tree root nearly took his arm off.  His rage and hatred for most things that walked probably saved him as the world destroyed itself and reformed around him, that and the tree root took him high up into the first of many layers anyway, where Mathias would be changed forever.

Taken Demon; Zelesmal

Waking up to a horrible pain in his right arm, it barely attached to the rest of his body, a pool of blood surrounding him, Mathias opened his eyes to a black as night room he found himself in.  How he had gotten here or where he was, he had no idea.  Then two red eyes opened in the darkness in front of his prone body.  "A human...how delicious.  A male...what a pity.  To think such a creature survived the trip is amazing."  It oozed, the darkness around it seeming to shift and convulse of its own will, or maybe Mathais's eyes were playing tricks on him.  The pain was almost too great to bear as it were anyway, and he 'felt' rather than saw the thing approach him.  Letting a thin tendril of black touch the bone and flesh, Mathias's body immediately felt ice cold, as if he had been dunked in a tank or a swimming pool.  "You are hurt, little human.  Would you wish for this pain to end before you bleed out all over my abode?  Would you accept me into yourself, so that we may devour humans that come our way in the darkest of desires they possess?  I can smell your sisters on you.  Were they good for you, little pet?"  The fact anyone knew about that made Mathias growl in his throat at the 'thing' that was talking to him.  "Such hatred would be better directed elsewhere, human.  I could devour you right now with but a thought.  I foresee a great future however, if we work together as I have offered.  All I require, is that you let me in your body, nothing more."

"What's...in it for me?"  Mathias, not one to turn down a bargain when it seemed he would be getting ahead, which was more often than not before the Shift, but this thing was far more devious than Mathias could have ever guessed.

"Power to transform your shape at will between your human guise, and that of my own, becoming far stronger in such a form, as well as 'other' things I can give you that are mine to give.  The most important being of course, is saving your pitiful existence here and now."  Taking its tendril away, the pain started with a passion again and Mathias screamed a yes to its bargain without hearing the catch.  Said catch being that he would have to find victims to feed the creature's hunger, but that would come later as it seemed to ooze into every pour and open wound it could find, filling Mathias with its cold and dark presence.  His arm, hanging by a few threads of flesh and bone, reattached itself as the demon pulled it together, sending out a dozen tendrils to snatch up the thing and reattach it from the inside out.  The dozen of cuts and open wounds also sealed themselves shut.  Mathias was healed, but the cost would be a bit more than he would have guessed as they walked out 'Zelesmal's' lair, and back down into the chaos below them, the tree root that had speared Mathias having rotted and decayed as they passed by.

Powers;  Painful transformation ability, becoming a foot taller than he already is, growing two wings, a whip like tail, and a muscular frame that is as hard as stone, his skin taking on a deep black in color from its normal white, and his eyes turn into deep red pits, as if Hell's fire were in them.  Mathias's touch, human or otherwise, is cold as ice and yet it arouses females for some reason that Mathias has yet to figure out, but guys on the other hand just become filled with dread and horror.  While that doesn't bother Mathias as much as it would have before, he still wishes he could touch and be touched without people running for their lives or wanting to get in his pants if given enough time with him and Zelesmal.  Also, plants and such things seem to die around him, that only becoming worse when Zelesmal decides to come out to play, and the transformation hurts like he had been speared by dozens of tree roots all at once.  When Zelesmal is out, Mathias is pushed to the way side.

[Crovonovin]

Excellent, glad to have you aboard!  Initially I would have mentioned that spirits did not make themselves present until the second Shift, but I believe this works perfectly.  I won't give anything away, but suffice it to say that Demons or other malevolent entities would no doubt have been the most eager to get into the Human World first, and may have managed to cross the border early. 

Besides you and Myobi, I have also received a PM from one other interested party.  I'm still accepting more applicants; due to the massive nature of the World Complex, recruiting will not actually close.

~~~ADDENDUM~~~

Something that was just brought to my attention that I think should be stated here as well.  Your character (if he is not a normal human being), does not need to be "possessed" by a spirit like my character and Vergil's.  They can simply be "Weighted" or "Touched" by a spirit, which will then go on its merry way.  If a character seeks to become normal again, they must find the spirit within the vast World Complex and beg to be freed.  Those that have been possessed must find other ways, which may be discovered later on.

Also, even a gift from a benevolent god may not be something entirely beneficial.  The spirits in this setting have very little understanding of humanity, and often have a very warped sense of what is a "gift" and what is a "curse". 

Also, for newcomers:  I have no preference between photographs, illustrations, or text for your character description.  Choose whichever you feel most comfortable with!

[Crovonovin]

Bumping this to the top with an update.  I'll likely be starting this roleplay on Friday, so I would like if those who have shown interest could try and get their sheets or concepts in by that point.  I have at least three other interested parties as of this moment.  Due to the layout of this roleplay, it is possible for anyone to come in or take a leave of absence at any time.

[Latooni Subota]

Good to see you got some interest back, Shihong. Hurray for inspiration, huh?

Color me interested, and I'll immediately begin working on my adorable Weighted. Here's a hint about her power: She was paranoid, afraid of people sneaking up her and harming her or worse. So now she can See . . . whether she wants to or not. :3

[Crovonovin]

Colour me intrigued!  Glad to have you aboard.

[NosCorventius]

Is it possiblr to be both simultaniously? I was thinking of building a hunter character who is both blessed and cursed by duel guns. One of holy light, the other of hellfire each extracting thier dues when he uses them.

[Crovonovin]

I'm afraid that wouldn't quite work out with the setting, sorry.  It is fully possible for an object instead of a person to be Touched or otherwise possessed by a spirit, but I would prefer if such objects remain inconspicuous, as opposed to conventional weapons.

[Latooni Subota]

I feel like I got rambly and lame through a lot of it, but she's done for now. Questions, comments, concerns? If the picture is too big for the thread, tell me and I'll edit.


Name: Tokunaga, Alice
Ethnicity: Half-Japanese, Half-Northern European.
Age: 18
Height: 5'0"
Build: Lithe, Fragile.
Eyes: White-blue/Deep Brown
Hair: Straight, shoulder-length, White-blue.
Talents: Eidetic Memory, Extreme Flexibility/Double-Jointed.



Weighted Talent "Extreme Perception": Much to her dismay, especially when combined with her eidetic memory, Alice has been given the ability to perceive in ways no other human can. The particular way her extrasensory abilities work is always random, and while she can force it to work, it also tends to randomly turn on. She imagines this is probably due to her paranoid nature, and her subconscious forcing her ability on.

To date she's perceived things in soundwaves, the ability to see energy and radiation, auras, and even perceiving the entire nearby area in heads-up-display. You have no idea how disconcerting it can be for her to stare down a mile-long pitch-black tunnel and see wild beasts tearing people apart in a rainbow-colored nightvision. It's especially rough on her considering her perfect memory.

Personality: A rabbit would be a good animal to represent Alice. She always seems to be shrinking back, hiding, shiver either from the cold or fear. Not a particularly calm individual most of the time, she is the poster child for paranoia. While she finds it not too difficult to trust women, she's seen first-hand the kind of atrocities men committed in the early days of the first Shift. Ever since then she's had a deep fear of them, though with her submissive demeanor this can lead to her just as easily bowing to intimidation, if escape seems difficult.

Despite her frailties, she has an extremely curious nature, though this usually leads to getting in over her head. She remembers quite vividly (mainly due to her inability to forget) the way life used to be, back when she was a little rich girl. She continues to search for a place that's relatively safe, and full of the conveniences humanity used to have. Alice's grand goal is to find those traces of humanity, and live in safety and comfort once again . . assuming that could ever be possible.

Description: Alice is cute. Tiny, and cute! Despite her shaky and submissive demeanor, she moves with an unusual grace, and can pretty much fit herself practically anywhere due to her nearly-obscene flexibility. After all, she was in training to be an olympic level gymnast, so her flexibility was worked on quite a bit.

While she was originally a brunette, her hair sort of 'burned' to a white-blue color that matches the shade of her transplanted eye, marking her quite obviously as one of the Weighted. Years of indoor training, combined with the year of being underground with only meager amounts of light have left her skin rather pale. She appears to be fragile to the point of breaking if someone was to treat her roughly.

Backround: Alice's mother was a pretty Japanese lady, and her father was a handsome boxer from England. They met while on a vacation to Hawaii, falling in love and marrying in record time. Of course, this doesn't really matter much anymore, now that they're gone from this world.

Alice was a kind and happy girl, with more than a few friends. Her sweet demeanor and cute looks made everybody like her, and support her efforts in training to become an olympic level gymnast. She was very excited on April 7th. She had gotten word that she was being fielded as a member of the olympic team! . . at least until the world started to end around her.

Alice was lucky to survive the cataclysm with a group of young women who had been at the same mall as she, and they managed to squeak out a living in that mall for a short time . . until the scavengers started to show up. Cruel men who had found their way into a gun shop's supply room, and decided to use the weapons they found to steal all the food and women they could.

Alice was quick and small enough to hide, but not to escape the atrocities that she saw for the few days that the group stayed in the remnants of the mall tunnels. She still feels the guilt over being too afraid to do anything other than hide and watch, and wait for the men to leave.

Eventually, if only due to hunger, she was forced to leave her hiding place and began to travel through the tunnels on her own, hiding from wild animals and crazy people alike. She was fleeing from a group of scavengers when the second Shift hit, and she felt the tunnel she was in being dragged upwards and warped into a new area.

It was here, half-trapped under some debris, that she heard the voice in her head. "Poor little broken dolly . . are the bad men trying to hurt you? Do you want me to make it so you can see them coming, and know when to run away? Shh, you don't need to answer. I'll take care of everything for you . . . "

It was then that the spirit wrapped one giant hand around her head in this pitch-black tunnel, and used two finger to deftly tear out her eye. Constantly whispering comforting words through her screaming, the creature placed a different eye inside her head, then gently slid her down a hole into a new tunnel. The half-blind girl crawled around aimlessly for a time until sympathetic survivors found her and took care of her. Eventually she left this group as well, sliding in and out of various groups before going solo all over again.

[Crovonovin]

I love the concept!  I think that sort of character will fit in quite well in this setting.  Approved!

[ChaoticSky]

*note. her dice are not that big, think of it as more symbolic than anything else

Name: Kelly Avorn
Age: 29
Gender: Female
Class: Weighted

Personality/History: Before the shit hit the fan in a big way, Kelly was a professional gambler, a intellectual with various degrees, she was not one of the self destructive, addicted sorts, but a high roller who made a very comfortable living off her gambling. A University graduate many times over, she studied Chaos in all its forms, philosophy, sociology, physics, mathematics and so on, finding it a fascinating, almost to the point of obsession. She was that might have been called a 'life-long student', using her gambling money to take new courses in anything vaguely chaotic. Her gambling began small, a girls night out, but her fascination with chaos, and intensive study in the subject, had the side effect of making her a expert at spotting when a system was, infact, not chaotic at all. This gave her a advantage, though obviously her favourite games are ones as close to true randomness as possible... dice-based games. In terms of personality shes quirky and frequently sardonic, not entirely sane... but in her case thats nothing new, that said, she expects chaos in all things, and thusly is utterly unflappable, even the Shift its self failed to shake her... famously, upon finding the majority of the students hold up in a large space that had once been a gymnasium, she had simply remarked 'it was bound to happen eventually!'.

When the world shifted, the university was perhaps alittle less gnarled than some places... it was still twisted into knots, but being in the middle of the campus grounds, and not especially close to nearby buildings the structure as a whole was essentially intact, allowing the surviving students to quickly find each other and forge a small community, bringing their wide variety of skills to bear in the face of the strange adversity. Being a calm and unshaken by recent events, coupled with her relative seniority, Kelly had ended up as a impromptu leader. That lasted about untill the next shift... where the entire 'core' of the University-complex was torn apart, cast to the four winds. Stranding Kelly alone.

Taken Spirit (History): a pair of Chaos Sprites

After the second Shift hurled Kelly away way from the others on what amounted to a concrete conveyor-belt, the length behind her expanding at a insane rate, while contracting infront of her. The ride had been fun while it lasted.... but then had come to a sudden and abrupt end, her momentum hurling her into a wall... or rather, through a wall. On awakening, surprisingly hale, she was confronted by a pair of.... Things absolutely formed, and utterly formless, made more of possibility than anything solid, the sight had been powerful and traumatic enough to cause her to black out again.

On reawakening, she was treated to the sight on a large piece of drywall, the two figures hiding behind it to avoid the effects of their form on Kelly, and chatting between themselves, their words were made of impossible sounds that hurt her ears... but she understood them none the less. “You found a broken one!”, “I didnt find her, you did! And shes not broken... she just doest know us all that well, indeed... if i saw your face for the first time i might be tempted to to the same thing!”, “Oh! Why did we ever come here?! This is all your fault... we shouldnt be here... we cant be here.. look at us! We are falling apart!”, “Theres too much order... rules and logic... even if its taken a beating recently.... it doesnt like us, and it was your idea it come! Oh look... her foot twitched... are you awake?”, Kelly had responded with a soft grunt, which drew a titter of insane laughter... edged by relief. “Oh good! Oh good! Were not front here-” “Yes we are... we were always here... just... unwelcome”, “Lies! Dont listen, my companion is getting on with sillyness-”, “I thought you where the liar...”, “Hush! We dont have time for this now! Sufficed to say... we shouldnt be here... we need a place to stay... a place to hide... but the things here are all bad.... you...”, “Your different! We like you... dont we?”, “Indeed we do, so make a deal with us.. .well give you power.... Chaos! You like Chaos, we can tell, imagine, the most primal force in the universe, at your finger tips!”, “why... you could be a god even! Preen and eat babies!”, “Gods dont eat babies!”, “I would.... if I was a god”, “Well good thing your not! So what do you say? We'll hide in your body.. you get power? Good deal yes?”, “yes?”

Kelly forced herself to start thinking again, pushing away the trauma that the sight of the Chaos Sprites had caused to her mind. She considered their proposal with her sharp gambler's mind, and realized she had the advantage. Grinning at the drywall board, she replied “No Deal. I've heard.... stories. I have no intention of letting you freaks posses me... hmmm how about a object? Could you hide in something inanimate?”. There was a long pause, then the two sprites suddenly wailed “you told her too much!” “no, You told her too much!” “oh, what do we do?” “well... have to use a item... being a bauble is better than not-being, isnt it?” “yes it is... i think... Yes, we can posses a item.... but it has to be yours... of you... it must be personal... any old thing wont do!”. So Kelly hand reached into her pocket... and pulled out her personal set of custom made dice... her most prized possession, made of obsidian, with silver numbers... and rolled them under the drywall sheet.

Powers: Chaos Dice
Her Chaos Dice have several uses. Primarily, when thrown as weapons they erupt into a chaos-field, within which everything and nothing is possible, usually, the sudden absence of the laws of reality bodes very ill for those who are caught in the effect... but not always, a foe might be reduced to a pile of organic goo, or turned into a powerful ogre... or anything in between. Kelly herself is immune to this effect. Besides that, Kelly often uses them for divination, to choose a direction or find food or water... but its unclear if the dice are actually pointing her in the right direction... or that shes found her way through sheer random chance. They are perfect cubes of obsidian, with impossible and shifting silver symbols shifting across their surface. The dice themselves cannot be abandoned, tied to her by fate... even if lost, stolen, or thrown away... they always promptly end up back in her possession. Lastly, the dice seem to exert a passive entropic field that acts against anyone who tries to harm Kelly, or they just dont like... this does not convey 'protection' so much as 'consequences'.

Other than that... she carries a revolver she picked up, and a $120,000 pocket watch she won in her first 'high stakes' game.


... hope thats good! D:

[Crovonovin]

Very interesting!  I will say that I'm somewhat worried that these Chaos Dice don't seem to have many drawbacks at a glance, but assuming there's always the chance for her to "roll poorly" and cause something unfavorable to happen, I think it could be worked around.  In other words they should be a Wild Card, in that they can either be immensely beneficial or lethally detrimental to Kelly.

Other than that, Welcome to the game!

[ChaoticSky]

*nods* its a 'power' ive used before... usually i roll a pair of dice... 6-7 nothing* happens, higher = beneifical, lower = detrimental, one roll for each foe inside the field. it would kinda spoil the whole point of using a chaotic power if i could decide what it does XD

sometimes i throw in a anti-tech field as a side effect of the proximity of the dice... simply being around her causing sophisticated electronics (ie, anything with a microchip) to fail... making her something of a pariah... since people cant exactly replace broken gizmos anymore... would you like me to add that effect to her?

*to clarify, something always happens, but in this range it will be something silly that isnt really going to effect the fight

[MMTwo]

Because Latooni got me hooked on the idea, I'll try to throw my hat in here.

[Crovonovin]

Great MMTwo!  Just PM me if you have any troubles putting a character together.

And Darkling, there's no need for that.  Though not all technology has failed, all complex electronics are no longer functional within the World Complex.

[ChaoticSky]

added my picture and gave the post a once-over to improve readability, wrote it in a hurry >_<

[Crovonovin]

Great, thanks.  I was going to say that it was a bit tricky to read all smooshed together like that, but you clearly read my mind!

[ChaoticSky]

Great, thanks.  I was going to say that it was a bit tricky to read all smooshed together like that, but you clearly read my mind!

sorry, i was abit at a loss as to how to portray the unhinged dialogue between two indescribable characters with nothing to differentiate between them. i dont think it came out *too* badly all things considered, and giving no indication of which is speaking adds to the... chaos of the scene. but i still cringe while reading it >_>

[Crovonovin]

Not a problem!  Alright, we've got two more characters joining soon whose character sheets should be finished in a little bit.  They should make things very interesting:  one is a former (Japanese?) law enforcement officer, and the other is an unTouched/Weighted Occultist with quite a bit of combat training. 

[Vergil1989]

Very cool.  You are doing alright for yourself Shihong lol.  I hope this goes far and if I need to edit or whatever, just say and I'll do the best I can alright?

[Crovonovin]

Your character is still fine, Vergil.  I was somewhat worried about the possibility of his demon getting out of control, but I thankfully the aforementioned Occultist should be able to balance things out a bit.   ;)

[Latooni Subota]

And then all the people with more active psychoses gang up on poor little ARISUUUU. Q.Q

You better be nice to me! I'm the one who can tell you when the severely mutated manbearpig is coming to get us! :3

Also, we stay FAR away from anywhere that had a nuclear power plant, if we can help it. I somehow imagine entire networks of tunnels got delicious radiation baths. In fact, they're probably still going due to CREEPYSHIFTSTUFF! D:

[ChaoticSky]

And then all the people with more active psychoses gang up on poor little ARISUUUU. Q.Q

You better be nice to me! I'm the one who can tell you when the severely mutated manbearpig is coming to get us! :3

Also, we stay FAR away from anywhere that had a nuclear power plant, if we can help it. I somehow imagine entire networks of tunnels got delicious radiation baths. In fact, they're probably still going due to CREEPYSHIFTSTUFF! D:

oi! im actually really nice... im quirky-insane! not violent-insane! thank you very much!

Though... you might not like me, i imagine my aura is shot through with chaos... and the dice themselves probably look something like Miniature Suns of Nauseating, Random, Vertigo-Inducing Strangeness to your True-Sight.

[Crovonovin]

For clarification on that subject Latooni:  The first Shift shut down just about all powered technology on Earth and in orbit, meaning that power plants (even nuclear ones) would have simply shut themselves down automatically.  The second Shift, however, actually blew rooms apart by the molecules and rearranged everything.  It stands to reason that a nuclear power plant suddenly and violently being torn apart would not end very pleasantly. 

However, we won't have to worry about radiation hazards right out of the gate.  The game will begin in an unspecified location over the Atlantic Ocean, which means that most of the tunnels are rather cramped from being spread out so far and actual rooms are a rarity.  Hazards include sudden plummeting drops to the ocean below (which is rather...volatile, as you will learn), scarcity of fresh water, hungry wildlife, desperate scavengers, and passageways that have an unsettling habit of warping or attempting to kill their occupants!

[ChaoticSky]

i might be injecting too much realism here, but for your consideration:

in a situation like this, a nuclear reactor will shut down due to automatic safeties after two days to prevent a meltdown. due to a lack of incoming power from elsewhere, emergency generators will kick in, but these will last for less than a week. afterwhich the cooling fluids will full vaporize, exposing spent rods to the air and causing serious radioactive contamination, the rods will superheat the air inside the holding silos, and the active rods will begin to melt down the reactor shielding. a total meltdown will occure within 10 days, then its Chernobyl all over again.. and this time there wont be anyone to put a concrete dom over it >_> 

[Crovonovin]

Excellent!  I wasn't certain how the mechanics of that worked, so I'm glad you mentioned it.  Then you can basically assume that all the world's nuclear reactors went through just such a meltdown before the second Shift, yes?  If that's the case, I suppose it would be possible that the subsequent radiation has since been transported all throughout the First Layer of the World Complex, making travel all the more hazardous.  Thankfully there are more than enough tunnels that a person could get lost for years without encountering any lingering radiation, but knowing that the hazard is possible is quite helpful! 

However, nuclear meltdowns would not have necessarily destroyed portions of the Complex when they occurred.  The force that created it in the first place still acts to keep it relatively intact, which is why tunnels are able to hover in midair without support beams.  The explosion would have probably been directed through whatever hallways were connected to the Power Plants at the time, leaving hollowed out shells instead of blasting the surrounding structures apart.

[NosCorventius]

So we'd be looking at either lake sized puddles of radioactive spillage or small plutonium powered suns floating within a room. Yep this gets better and better. as soon as I find one of those nifty radiation tags that says if tag turns black your F*@%ed!, count me in.

BTW here's my CS:



Name: Mathias Penn (M)
Age: 29
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 195
Eyes: Grey blue
Hair: black curly and long
Physical Description: M is built for fighting, His body that of a serious boxer or streetfighter with a lean solid core, broad shoulders, muscular arms, and strong legs.
Attire: much of M's attire consists of patched military gear. a modified (chainmail reinforced) trench coat, flack jacket, black tee, camo legionnaire pants and combat boots, a bandanna, backpack, and various weapons complete his militant look.

-=Mental state=-
History: The man who now calls himself M, was born Mathias Penn, to a midclass family in what used to be the western US.  From an very early age M was filled with tales of the coming apocalypse and his great destiny, as a savior and leader amongst those that would be left behind. His entire family believed that the world would end in 2012, claiming that their royal lineage and ancient knowledge of magic had foretold of M's birth and the destruction he would face. At 4 he began his training. His days were filled with learning the deadly arts: swordfighting, archery, gunplay (both modern and ancient), demolitions, hand to hand combat, hunting, and survival. At night his mother and grandmother taught him the skills of the invisible worlds. the mystic arts: Herbalism, protective circles, spellcrafting, Lore, and the art of biofeedback.  As M got older, he began to doubt the old women in his family that still prattled on about his great destiny and against their advice became a family man. M lived happily for a few short years. Well mostly, despite himself and his constant rationalizations that his family was paranoid. He just couldn't shake the feeling that he had to be prepared, for the worst. So while he continued his studies, somewhat secretly, he neglected passing the teachings on to his children. A mistake he regretted on the morning of April 7Th, 2012. When the world exploded around him, M , merely picked up the bug out bags he had prepared months prior and shouldered his weapons. His children and wife however panicked. He tried everything he could to save and protect them but..... He now wanders alone, saving those he can from the various monsters, both human and not so human, that roam the tunnels and repeating the old stories outloud to himself like a mantra. Nothing, not even a lifetime of training, had prepared him for this.

Personality: Refuses to give out his name for fear others will use it to control him magically, Instead he uses only the initial M. Pragmatic, tactics driven, and combat ready to the point of paranoid. He always sits with his back to a wall and sleeps armed. Unlike most military men though he has a deep scholarly mindset often collecting books in place of other supplies given the chance, because he believes the knowledge might come in more useful then say a flashlight or another pair of shoes. Has an innately protective nature especially around children.

Powers/Abilities: 1. Can cast protective circles around himself and others, these can also be used to capture the weighted and the demons that give them power. Can be broken by smudging of any line of the circle, by any not possessed by demonic powers or any environmental factor such as water. Usually drawn in chalk or blood. Circles consist of arcane symbols and take time to draw. Based on the symbols used they may be set to activate under only certain conditions or come into effect immediately upon completion.
2.Because of his constant and intense training M has built up an above-average endurance and pain threshold which allows him to take rather allot of punishment before he passes out or is overcome. This coupled with his training in biofeedback and meditation techniques also has granted him a resistance or immunity to many toxins and have a given him a greatly heightened immune system.  This is not a superhuman ability however so any toxic material that a regular human being cannot become resistant to still affects him, though at perhaps a slightly slower rate. (I.E. Nerve Gas, Radiation, Black Plague, Etc.)
3. M is often able to determine the kind of demon or creature that he is dealing with on sight because of his extensive background in folklore, magic, and demonology. He can often also tell when he encounters one who is weighted or touched by the backlash of power they exude. Those that carry possessed or empowered objects will not draw his notice however until the object is used or shown to him.The only advantage this gives him is in allowing him to prepare countermeasures against such creatures and objects more effectively then a lay person would.

Skills: Swordfighting, archery, gunplay (both modern and ancient), demolitions, hand to hand combat, hunting, herbalism, folklore, demonology, survival, spellcraft, military tactics and strategy.

[Crovonovin]

If any of you have ever heard of a game called STALKER before, you'll have a slight inkling of the kind of hazards you might be finding.   ;D

[ChaoticSky]

Excellent!  I wasn't certain how the mechanics of that worked, so I'm glad you mentioned it.  Then you can basically assume that all the world's nuclear reactors went through just such a meltdown before the second Shift, yes?  If that's the case, I suppose it would be possible that the subsequent radiation has since been transported all throughout the First Layer of the World Complex, making travel all the more hazardous.  Thankfully there are more than enough tunnels that a person could get lost for years without encountering any lingering radiation, but knowing that the hazard is possible is quite helpful! 

However, nuclear meltdowns would not have necessarily destroyed portions of the Complex when they occurred.  The force that created it in the first place still acts to keep it relatively intact, which is why tunnels are able to hover in midair without support beams.  The explosion would have probably been directed through whatever hallways were connected to the Power Plants at the time, leaving hollowed out shells instead of blasting the surrounding structures apart.

yay *was helpful* lets see if i can push my luck XD

so, yea, without a steady supply of gasoline to keep the backup generators running, and cut off from the Grid, any given nuclear reactor will meltdown within 10 days, long before the  second shift occurred. also it would not have necessarily destroyed much of the complex, even under non-magical circumstances. people think meltdown = boom, but it doesnt work like that, a nuclear detonation takes alot of very precise engineering to pull off. the material used in reactors simply isnt capable of a nuclear blast, no matter not critically it fails. the term 'meltdown' is actually pretty literal... the nuclear material 'melts down', in a tide of concrete and metal slag... it burns into the ground, forming a sink-hole that continually spews forth radiation, contaminating many kilometres of the surrounding land. any 'explosion' is actually a result of superheated gas that blows apart containment structures, and is not actually 'nuclear' in nature, though the scattered pieces maybe been contaminated and radioactive.

in the case of this story... the Complex might actually limit the range of the contamination, greatly reducing the fallout that could be carried by the wind or rain.

the airborne radiation will dissipate within 3-4 months, and im not sure how much rain tickles down to the lower levels... but ill take about a years worth to de-radiate contaminated objects.

the actual radioactive material in its sinkholes (or where-ever its ended up in this setting) will remain highly radioactive for many hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaand im done, this concludes nuclear meltdowns 101, there will be a test at the end of the week  ;D

[CrazyIvan]

I looked at the game and I found it interesting so here is my character hope it is ok.

Name: Michael Shepard
Gender: Male
Age: 23
Class: Touched and Weighted
Height: 6'-2"
Weight: 185lbs
Hair color: dark reddish hair
Eye color: his right is is a whitish color with a hint of gray while his left is blackish red.
Build: He is thin and muscular with little to no fat on him, much like an athlete.
Talents and skills: He has a talent for drawing and is quite the artist, he is also in good physical shape and can run for a long period of time, can cook just about anything using almost anything if need be, has a good sense of direction, and though he doesn't like to talk about it much he can be a bit of a thief at times.
Items of note: on his right hand is a ring with a red gem and on his left hand is a ring with a white gem. These are the only things he seems to care for as much as his life that he carries on him and they also give off a slight glow.
Appearance:

Personality: Michael is an interesting case as he has three distinct and very different personalities that can express themselves at almost anytime. Because of this most people view him has crazy or that something is wrong with him in the head as he will talk to himself and go into fits of rage and almost the nicest person you can meet with a flip of a switch. This is because of the spirits or spirit, he doesn't know whether the two are one thing or rather just one things that is conflicted, that live inside of him and have touched him from the shift. The three that exist inside of him are that of himself, the good side, and the evil side of him that all live in some sort of conflicting coexistence. Part of the problem is that others can't see or hear the other sides of him that follow him around and talk to him, but doesn't seem to be able to read his mind so he has to talk to them which leads many to believe he is indeed crazy. Though they are not far off as he most likely is really crazy from having the the two things, or one thing it doesn't matter, living inside of him.

Michael's own personality is one that is more based on reason and needing one to do something, without one he doesn't see the point in doing it. He is not the type of person that will just jump into action or do something spontaneous without a reason that is at least good to him and justifiable. Though at the same time he is an indecisive person not always able to make up his mind and prefers to just go with the flow unless he has a reason not to. He is a kind person generally willing to give up what he might want to see other smile though he has a mean streak that if you get him angry he will not be nice and reasonable with and might take a swing at you. He loves to hang out with people and likes to have lots of friends though he is a bit shy at first when you meet him, slowly opening up and becoming less awkward. Overall he is a nice, honest, and good person that is also subject to all the impulse of humanity and sometimes gives in, though most of all he just seems lazy and willing to do about anything given a reason and that he can actually make a decision and not just think forever.

The good side of the thing that lives inside of him or the entity he doesn't know or care it will not change what it is or does. It seems to always try to convince him to do the best for himself and all of the other people around him, trying to actively convince him to not care about himself as much and do what he can to help others. It seems to care about those around him more then anyone else and wants what is best for the world. He seems like an angel in the way he looks and acts as he suggests what he thinks is the best at the time and with what they have. Though even though he seems to be good and something that is always in light it still has a darker side to it that is sometimes selfish, which is interesting to him. Sometimes being cruel and even down right evil with what it says at time, though it is rare, even the purest light seems to not be all good and have a bit of evil in it.

The dark side of him is just as you image it is the exact opposite of the good side. It encourages and almost demands that he do whatever he feels like and evil acts against everyone even friends. It wants him to live on his vices and what he thinks humans should act like just letting go of all reason and just doing whatever. It likes to cause pain to Michael and others, though it might kill others it will never kill Michael because if he dies then both the good and evil side of him will die with him. Though like the good side in a way he is not all evil he has a side that seems to care about other, though he keeps it hidden and only lets it out very rarely.

History pre-shift: before the shifts and 2012 he was a normal person living his life like any other person would. He was born in the suburbs in a college town to a loving father and mother and also had a brother that was two years older then him. He grew up there living a happy life and they were quite well off for the world at the time and he grew up loving people and trying his best to help. When he was a kid he didn't need reason to do things and would just help people however he could and was an overall kind and happy person. Everything seemed perfect and even back then he loved to draw and have fun in whatever way he could.

As he grew older he started to wonder about the world and still wanted peace and was a kind person, but needed reasons to do things. Not just content to do things because or because someone would tell him to do something, need real reasons to do things. He went to college and studied to become an architect going to college changed him more, though he still a good person he need more and more reasons to do things and began to over think things. He also become a lot more closed up around new people and becoming more and more indecisive to what he should do. Before the first shift he was on vacation with his family to celebrate him getting his license so that he could actually practice architecture and build buildings.

History post-shifts: Michael was separated from his family with the first shift and has never seen them again, not even knowing if they are alive or already dead or like him have something living inside of them. He was sent out to wander the new and changing landscape that humans now tried to live in and just tried to survive. The first couple of months after it all was the most violent and destructive he had ever seen in his life as people would kill each other over just about anything and people would be raped. He on the other hand still tried to help people, after all there was safety in numbers and he had even managed to find some of his old friends and live with them.

It was a different life for him and once food became a rarity for him and rumors spread he knew they had to move and keep moving if they wanted a chance. After all where they were was out of food and was running low on just about anything as well as it was not good to stay in one place to long. If you did someone else might come along and take advantage of you or even force you to do things that you didn't want to do. So keeping moving for them was a survive tactic that they must do if they wanted to live to see the next day. This was there life now or at least they thought it would be until the second shift happened and really sent his life spinning and reality changing even more around him.

He and his friends both old and new were walking along and crossing over to a new building through one of the many tubes that was there, when everything began to shake much like the first shift. They could see the end giving way and like it was about to fly off and leave and they had to run in order to make it. Though everything was not going to go well for them as one of his friends tripped and he watched as she fell down to the ground and looked up at him. He had a choice to make either run after her and save her or let her drop, he made his choice and ran back and picked her up, but there was not enough time to get both of them to safety. So just before the tube gave way completely he threw her to safety and fell himself with the tube down and down into the darkness that was below.

He just felt like he was falling forever with no end and deeper and deeper into the darkness that seemed to surround him and envelope him. He lost consciousness or at least he thinks he did he doesn't know whether the next thing experienced was a dream or some crazy reality, he was to scared and freaked out to ask. He would open his eyes to see the darkness take a form and look like a man with dark wings covered with feathers and he was crying tears of blood he stood there looking at him, not saying anything. He gave off the sense of fear, destruction, and unending fury that burned inside and worked its way into him. Though he felt a calming and soothing feeling come from behind him as he turned around to see almost the same person this time white giving feelings of kindness, joy, and comfort. The person had white wings with white feathers and was crying regular tears that never spotted just like the other.

He stood up between them and looked at his feet where there was gray and then to his right and to the side of light and then to the left and the side of darkness. He breathed quicker as his heart raced as he stood between these two figures that seemed to almost be looking through him to the other. He was shaking as he looked between them and tried to see what their faces looked like, but all he could see was shapes no real features about them. "W-W-W-What do you want, who are you?" he yelled out as he quickly looked between them and waited for them to answer. They both just smiled as he asked what they were and moved a step closer, he could feel each of there effects grow stronger on him.

"I am the spirit of all that is good" and at the exact same time the other spoke "I am the spirit that is all things evil" then they both said the same thing "we don't need to have a name and that is all you need to know." Each time they spoke it was like they invaded his mind as if they didn't need to talk with words but they did only to hurt him. "I am giving you this chance, you must choose which one of us to take, you must choose" they said again in at once hurting his ears. They also walked forward furthering their effects on him and making him feel like they were ripping him apart. "Why do you want me?" he asked in a pained voice as he felt liked he was about to be crushed between them.

"I want to be free and you will free me in exchange I will help you and save you from your death" they said at once louder then before. His mind was invaded and flashed with images of things they would give and what they would do. It overwhelmed him and made him incapable of making a decision or even speaking he wanted to get away he wanted to leave. He without even thinking ran forward and away from both and that was his decision to them as they both appeared in front of him. "Thank you I hope you don't regret your decision to free us both" to them indecision meant he wanted both and that was all they need to invade him and imprint themselves in him.

They were now a part of him and lived with him in and only he could see them as he opened his eyes for the second time in a room who knows where. He felt different as he looked behind him and had one wing that was black and another that was white he could feel tears coming down from his eyes one of blood the other pure tears. And in front of him stood the two figures and he actually looked and them and they looked like normal people now just shaded white and black. The smiled and disappeared for now and as they did his wings went painfully back into his back and the tears stopped flowing. This was the end of normalcy and the beginning of his new life in this new world.

They would not leave him alone they bugged him and drove him crazy as the pleaded and even made him do things he didn't want to. It turns out that if he is not awake that they can take over and if they are not awake he is in complete control as they do seem to sleep at the same time he does. It s all very weird and he doesn't bother to explain to people and just lives with the curse and blessing that they are and what they do. He stays away from people, though at the same time he is almost driven to people to either help them or do whatever he wants to them. Generally the two sides of him argue and fight with each other, either through him or to him. Though sometimes they work together and that is when they are strongest is when all three of them work together for what ever reason.  Generally that is only to save their lives though it also as been for helping or even killing people. So now he just wanders around with them and he is the only one that he can see or hear them, with people thinking he is crazy, and wearing the two rings that he woke up with.

Powers: There are three stages to his power that depend on who is controlling or helping him at the time. though there are some things that he can use regardless of who is in control such as he can grow wings, although it is rather painful and they take on the color of those that are helping either white, black, or a mix. He will also begin to cry out of one eye which also gives it way as if his red eye cries blood the evil side is in control, if the white eye cries then the good side is in control, and if they both cry then that means that they are both present. Those are the two things that happen regardless of who is in control and if now one is then he looks normal as he can't grow wings and doesn't continuously cry. Though just because one is in control or helping him doesn't mean he can use all the powers and doesn't mean he is in complete control, of them.

The evil side of him has the power to spread and cause fear into others either by making their nightmares real or by seeming to invade their minds. He can cause them to do things that they may not normally do and run away from him or just beginning to randomly attack others. He also gains strength and urges that want him to destroy and the dark side gives him that power. He can direct the feelings at one or at a mass, if it is directed at one it is far more effective then a mass, though if someone is already thinking like that it makes it easier and he can push them closer to letting go and giving in to there desires. He also grows longer nails like claws that can pierce things and are one of his stronger weapons. Lastly he has the ability to send out this darkness that is dark and smells of blood but only around him and in small amounts and can only effect you on contact. It can either make people give into their desires or have it as more of a fear effect then anything, showing nightmares and terrors as it comes closer. His power is fueled and linked to the feelings of others so scaring and threatening his friends strength him and make him better and stronger.

The good side of him has powers to help other and to heal those in need. It can close injuries that might be incurable any other way then when he uses his power, but by using this he absorbs the injury into his own body though it is not as harmful for him as it is for others.. He gives off a calming sense and a feeling that lets people know it is ok and much like with the evil side he can either focus it on one or on a mass of people. Instead of a weapon his skin becomes harder and he can act like a shield having no offensive abilities and can only act on defense. He can send out an aura that is light and warming and friendly that will spread and make people feel safe. The last phase is if both are working together in which case he can use both and those are the stages of his powers.

[Latooni Subota]

Wow, this makes Alice's ability to see EVERYTHING all the more important. Since she'd be able to (depending on how hard she's focusing and such) be able to see radiation (among other blindingly overwhelming spectrums of light, energy, and whatnot). I can see people fighting over her, if only so she can be her early warning system.

Quick question. Can I amend her powers a little bit more? While driving around I figured that due to SENSORY OVERLOAD she might have tried to remove the eye herself, and found that it just likes to grow back (painfully). Further thinking made me think that maybe she's (to a limited extent) pretty unkillable, as a part of her (not so) protective spirit having blessed her. Of course, in her case, getting shot hurts. Feeling her insides move around to force the bullet out of the wound (or anywhere nearby) and then having herself repair would be EXCRUCIATING.

Basically, yeah she would slowly heal, but all of the 'effects' of whatever was happening would go on in the meantime, until she fully heals, usually with even more pain than normal as new nerves are generated and are extra sensitive for a short while. This includes things like walking through fire, radiation poisoning, etc. Oh jeez, feeling the effects of radiation poisoning as your body slowly removes the radiation. Gives her good reason for being scared of damn near anything? And of course, actually doing enough surface damage would eventually kill her. Eventually.

Anyways, yeah. Just a fun thought for my scaredy-cat, feel free to say no.

[Crovonovin]

Earlier I had denied such regenerative abilities for another player, but in your case I think it would be alright.  Alice is a pretty frail girl, so being nigh-unkillable wouldn't be overpowering in the slightest. 

Considering the growing size of the group, I may split up the characters into two teams that will meet up by 'chance' later on down the line.  Looking at the characters so far, it almost seems like they're being gathered for a purpose...   ;)

• A slightly unhinged boy wearing a set of sentient clothing.
• A cruel young man controlled by his own hateful whims and those of the demon festering within him.
• A nigh-unkillable teenage girl with an all-seeing eye.
• A woman who is almost literally a walking Wild Card.
• An Occultist whose body and mind have been honed to take up the mantle of "savior".
• A man with a mind torn into three conflicting parts by a pair of enigmatic souls.
• A woman with the power that neutralizes the abilities of Touched and Weighted alike while in her personal space.
• And a police woman found in a pool of her own blood by a crafty spirit, who gives her the chance to live...with a few strings attached.

It will be interesting to see if they can work together and find a common goal, or if they'll split apart in order to reach their own Ends...

**EDIT**

Also Darkling, thanks for enlightening me more about the specifics!  That certainly gives me some particularly devilish ideas.

Also CrazyIvan, your character is approved, though I do have a few changes.  His Dark Side exuding an aura of fear is perfectly fine, but I think the ability to drive others mad might be a bit much.  Instead, his Dark Side must be fueled by the energy of others.  This is a bit of a double-edged sword.  Though he is more powerful when in this form, it is at the cost of hurting his companions.

The Good Side is fine, though I would like to make one restriction with his healing.  In order to better embody the idea of a selfless individual, Michael must take another's wounds unto himself in order to heal them completely. 

I hope that those changes are alright.  I really like the concept of one character split into an Altruist, a Selfish Hedonist, and an Analytical Thinker.

[Latooni Subota]

Note: The near-unkillable girl . . her teammates will have a hell of a time motivating her to do things, depending on the group. Paranoia is fun, so unless you're trying to get her to do things that don't have an obvious danger attached to it, or you're a normal-ish female, good luck motivating her without a heavy handed approach XD

Edit: Also, holy crap if the Nullifier woman is on Alice's group at the start, Alice will be torn between glomping her 24/7, or staying far away from her. On the one hand, everything will hurt less, and the information overload will be far lessened with her eye temporarily suppressed. On the other hand, while she's close to her she'll be (to her knowlege) killable again! D:

[Crovonovin]

That's what I like the most about the assembled cast.  Most of them complement or counter one another, or offer the possibility of amusing situations.

Both CrazyIvan's character and Vergil's are possessed by rather strong entities, but can be suppressed by the Occultist or the Nullifier, who in turn would be a blessing for someone like Alice.  If the Nullifier gets to close to Benjamin though...well, considering his clothes are his power...I think you get the idea.   ;)

Meanwhile on the conflict side of things, we have the Police Woman and the Occultist, both representing lawful tendencies and a wish to protect or save, which are in direct opposition to Michael's Dark Side and Mathias with his demon.  Benjamin would probably feel most comfortable around a girl like Alice, who in turn would probably be totally freaked out by both his clothes and the fact that he's a guy. 

Then we've got Kelly the Wild Card, who could fit into the situation in any number of ways!

[CrazyIvan]

I switched up the good power so he takes it in on himself, though at the same time I would like it to be less harmful for him. So yes he takes the injury but only a percentage of it transfers to him, so that he can heal more wounds then just one and die. As for the evil I was still working on it and wondering if I could at least influence if not drive them mind with the black/blood that he can produce. Though he can't spread it he can put it in a drink or make someone drink it and it only effects them on contact or something like that. I edited that and I want to see what you think. I also like the groups that might happen, since if Michael's dark side is controlled by him it is not as bad or if all are working together he generally works towards go ends.

[Crovonovin]

That's fine.  It wouldn't do if someone suffered a fatal wound and he took it upon himself, because then we'd still have a death on our hands!  Cuts would be shallower, and broken bones would be reduced to sprains and the like.  Enough to impose a serious handicap, but not enough to risk crippling himself with a heal.

Also, I'd be fine with his Evil Side's blood having negative effects on those that ingest it, so long as he cannot actually control it himself.

[CrazyIvan]

When I say it cause fear and that is what it does he doesn't control anyone at all he just pants images and thoughts what they do is up to them, they can run, stand and fight, kill themselves, it is up to them what they do is doesn't control them he just gives them the feelings.

[Crovonovin]

That sounds perfectly good to me.  Essentially, his major power in both forms is to manipulate the emotional spectrum, both negative and positive.  Everyone reacts differently to different emotions (some become violent when afraid, others run away, etcetera), so it's not stripping the free will from other affected players.

[CrazyIvan]

This is what I was thinking that both forms have a weak aura that effects others in good positively and bad negatively. When he gives them his blood it is a much more severe effect then the aura actually making images appear and almost delirious though they still have free will. The aura is just a feeling and mild things depending on how close and what he is focusing on, his blood is like a drug when he is good it gives good feels and negative when he is bad. The other powers were that when bad he gains power off of others and at the same time delving deeper into his own madness and giving into what he wants. It makes him stronger and harder to kill and he gains the weapon of his claws on his hands. When he is in good mood he can heal taking some of the injuries onto himself and he hardens his skin to make armor and can act as a shield for other having no offensive abilities. He is in control of both sides but the more he uses them and the more powers he uses the closer he gets to them until he stops and rest to return to himself. Though the voices are always there, it is when he uses that side the voices grows stronger and much more convincing faster. They only take over and do things for him if his will is not present or in control of itself, so when he is more emotional he is less likely to be in control of himself and them.

[ChaoticSky]

just a question. Chaos is hard to pin down... and my powers are pretty random. do i have to be fully effected by all these nullifying-powered people? it seems kinda hax to be able to rob my character of her (already unreliable) powers so easily/be entirely immune to them. indeed, whats the point of having *any* power if a person can go '*glomp* no you dont!' or 'ha! your standing in my circle that i made a hour ago and i have been waiting for you ever since!' as simply as that?

i ask, well, for the obvious reason that i dont want to be powerless, but also on a more 'in character' level, that my character *likes* her powers, and isnt heavily burdened by them in any way.. like some of the others are. kelly would absolutely 100% refuse to be apart of any group who could easily and simply render her utterly powerless. which could in turn foil any goal you might have at putting us together, and/or force me to remain alone from the others... which is far from ideal in a group RP sitting.

[Crovonovin]

I think I have an easy work around for that.  Her aura and ability is potentially both the strongest and the weakest at the same time, which is something I'm quite aware of (having made a similar sort of character for another game rather recently).  Rather than simply turning off her ability, the Nullifier might cause something completely different to happen instead.  Like, where it's supposed to make her change into a normal human, it...makes flower petals rain down on her head!  Or something like that.  I think, due to the unpleasant possibilities here, I'll be lenient and say that harmful effects wouldn't happen in this case.  The last thing I'd want is for the Nullifier to go near Miss Wild Card and suddenly have them both burst into flames or turn into radioactive slugs or something equally random!

The Occultist is a somewhat more tricky case.  His circles would still work, but the arcane symbol for locking "Chaos" into "Order" can be obscenely complicated, so it's not like he could just scribble it out quickly or anything.

And of course, this isn't a competition!  I'm sure conflicts may arise between the players, but ultimately this game will be about working together, getting a hang of your abilities and the world around you, and either finding a way to stop the Shifts or discover their origins.

[CrazyIvan]

I think it would be interesting for me, since I have sort of two entities maybe for me one of them gets turned off first and then the next like being stuck in the chaos to order it might nullify my bad first since my good is more about order or something like that or random.

[Crovonovin]

In the case of your character and Vergil's, the Nullifier would act to suppress the foreign beings residing inside them.  It wouldn't be anything drastic as exorcism, but it would allow the host's human mind to become the dominant one until they walked out of range again.  The Nullifying effect would likely only be a few feet from her person.

[ChaoticSky]

I think I have an easy work around for that.  Her aura and ability is potentially both the strongest and the weakest at the same time, which is something I'm quite aware of (having made a similar sort of character for another game rather recently).  Rather than simply turning off her ability, the Nullifier might cause something completely different to happen instead.  Like, where it's supposed to make her change into a normal human, it...makes flower petals rain down on her head!  Or something like that.  I think, due to the unpleasant possibilities here, I'll be lenient and say that harmful effects wouldn't happen in this case.  The last thing I'd want is for the Nullifier to go near Miss Wild Card and suddenly have them both burst into flames or turn into radioactive slugs or something equally random!

The Occultist is a somewhat more tricky case.  His circles would still work, but the arcane symbol for locking "Chaos" into "Order" can be obscenely complicated, so it's not like he could just scribble it out quickly or anything.

And of course, this isn't a competition!  I'm sure conflicts may arise between the players, but ultimately this game will be about working together, getting a hang of your abilities and the world around you, and either finding a way to stop the Shifts or discover their origins.

so proximity triggers randomness? sounds fun XD

[Vergil1989]

Zelesmal won't like it much lol.  Mathias might not mind so much since he'll be 'normal' again, if just for a little bit anyway.  Anyway, I'm all for Chaos girl lol.  The Occultist makes me feel underpowered for some reason, but I'll work with it.  I say we make this a Shift to remember lol.

[CrazyIvan]

So basically if I am raging out of control either way they can help bring me down. That is interesting, but only when I am close to them.

[NosCorventius]

" Those that carry possessed or empowered objects will not draw his notice however until the object is used or shown to him."  Darkling that line was added to my sheet specifically for you and any others that come along later with possessed objects. My power is all about preperation and he can't really prep for an unknown threat. until such time as you use your dice he wont even be aware you're a threat and it will still take some time for him to come-up with a solid defense even after you do. So basically you get one free shot and probably at least one more effective attack before he can stop you properly. I'm also not entirely sure how the nullifier will effect my circles and/or if CrazyIvans split personas will be affected at all. lots of fun variables here.

[sinoraa]

Name: Asoka Yamamoto

Gender: Female
Class: Touched
Age: 24
Height: 5'9"
Build:  Athletic.
Eyes: Dark blue
Hair: Dark blue

Taken Spirit (History): Simon

Despite the shift, officer Yamamoto kept trying to keep the order. Now more then ever, as she seemed to be, the only one, who still gave a damn. Where ever she went, she'd see all kinds of messed up shit. Rape, murder, cannibalism. It was enough for her to give up, but that's not how she was raised. She just couldn't stand by, as she heard a woman, screaming out for help.

But by the time Asoka found the woman, she was already dead. No doubt she'd been killed for screaming out. A man was fucking her bloody dead body mearcilessly, while four of his friends, searched her belongings. Asoka didn't hesitate for a moment, opening fire on the gang imidietly. She'd killed three, starting with the man fucking the woman, and quickly moved over to his friends. But by now they were aware of her, and pulled their guns. She killed the forth man, when takeing a bullet to the stomach, only moments before she managed to kill the last man.

She'd been badly injured, and bleed out on the ground. It was then, as she dropped to her knees, she heard a voice. "My, my... You fucked, that one up royally!" A dark figure circled around her, but her vision was blurred from blood loss. She tried to speak, but all that would come, was cough's of blood. "Hey, better save your strength." "Who, the fuck are you?" She thought, and to her surprise, he answered. "Who am i? That is a very difficult question. I've gone by many names in my time. What i am however, is a spirit." Asoka chuckled, causing her to cough up even more blood. "Oh, great...Im already hallucinating..." "How come, every time i show myself, you humans, have to be so skeptical?"

"What do you want?" She asked, even tough she was not actually speaking, she had to struggle to bring up the words, as her entire world was growing, ever more dim. "I want to help you, my dear." He stepped up to her, and stroked her cheek. "You've fought so bravely, but your still needed." "Needed for what?" "This world." He said, looking away from her. "Its dieing...Now there isn't much i can do about that." He looked back at her, and moved his hand over hers.

"But I believe you can...And so, I'd like to make a deal." His touch seemed to bring her from the brink of death, at least for the moment. "Just what exactly are you proposing?" The man smiled, at the question. "I want you to save this world for me. I want you to bond with me, mind, body and soul. I'll give you power beyond your imagination. All you have to do, is seal the deal." There were silence for a minute. Asoka expected him to add something, or explain this "deal" in further detail. Although he obviously had nothing more to say. "What if i refuse?" She finally asked. "It shall be as if i was never here. You will die in a pool of your own blood,." He glanced over at the dead woman, for a moment "And your death would have been in vain." Asoka didn't trust this, not for a moment... But what was there to lose? Could this deal really be worse then dying? "I accept."

Powers and abilities: Asoka got all the average traits of a touched, enhanced speed, strength, and agility, but perhaps to a greater extent, as she was already a athlete by the time she got her powers. Her main powers lie within her blood. Shes capable of modifying her blood, and harden it to the point where it can compete with steel. She mainly use this in three different ways. By biting the tips of her fingers, she covers her hands in blood, forming sharp claw like weapons. The other use works like a bullet proof vest, by hardening her blood, she can reduce damage such as, bullets wounds, and cuts, into mere superficial wounds. And finally, shes capable of forcing her blood to race threw her body, throwing her into a adrenalin state, increasing her strength and speed. However the biggest weakness of her abilities, is that she does not posses a larger blood supply then the average person, meaning that she will quickly drain herself if she doesn't use her powers with care.

[Esoteric Myobi]

Name: Alanna "Maple" Smith
Age: 19
Gender: Female
Class: Touched

Personality: At first glance, Maple seems to be an overly friendly and enthusiastic girl. Amazingly so when considering the current surroundings and situation as the world lies in shambles around her. Always cheery and smiling, she babbles constantly about random nonsense. Her first question upon meeting another person is always to inquire as to whether or not they had any sweets on them.

Upon closer observation, some find themselves wondering if perhaps the girl was actually experiencing a long series of nervous breakdowns. Even so, there are times when Maple shows an astonishing clarity in observations in the middle of her rambling. These comments go to show that perhaps the girl isn't a complete ditz as previously thought, after all, she had managed to somehow survive until now.

There are certain rare moments of lucidity when Alanna appears strangely calm and quiet. As opposed to the bubbly Maple, Alanna is rather reserved and almost always seems to be brooding. Her words are few but when spoken can seem demeaning and even unnerving at times. The occasions when she refers to herself as Alanna are few and far between and never seem to last very long, almost as if it were a short lapse of mood from the ever cheerful Maple.

Spirit "History": Soon after the second Shift, a lone Huli Jing happened upon a small group of stragglers that had been traveling together. Most of the group had managed to stay together with a small handful that had mysteriously disappeared overnight. Alanna had been found by these people as an unstable wreck and adopted by them. Unable to remember much of her past besides a spattering of random memories and images, she hung on to an absolute certainty of her name.

With the company of others, she slowly was able to communicate freely again and within a few weeks seemed as normal as any other given the circumstances. As she broke out of her broken shell, Alanna befriended another who was only a few years older than herself. Their relationship grew and eventually she was nicknamed 'Maple'. Why, she didn't know. Doesn't know.

When the Huli Jing spotted their group, its mischievous side flowed out wickedly. Small pranks of leading the unsuspecting away from the others, only to end up with twisted limbs at the bottom of a tangled mess of roots spreading across debris...to larger and more sinister tricks of whispering false promises in desperate ears and inciting violence amongst the group.

Alanna had watched with heavy heart and apathetic eyes as bodies of 'comrades' she had barely known were found in their short searches. Horrified surprise and confusion as tension flared between others, raised voices and accusations turning to violent outbursts and ultimately...death. The few weeks that had helped her to recover her shaken mind quickly began fraying at the edges once again.

It wasn't until her last confrontation with her friend that Alanna truly lost her mind once again. The sight of pure bloodlust and hate was shocking, the words had dug deep and hurt, but it was the look of surprise on her friend's face as bones and body were crushed by a sudden growing column of the new twisted surroundings that truly broke her. She'd lost her last and possibly only connection left.

Seeing the broken girl utterly shattered, wishing for nothing more than the cold embrace of death, the Huli Jing left feeling rather smug and satisfied but not without leaving her with one last remembrance of the incident. Until today, Alanna...Maple...still does not know whether or not her newfound ability was a curse to spite her or a blessing of guilt.

Abilities: All special abilities of any sort are neutralized within an arms reach of Alanna. This protects her from attacks from any offending spirits by suppressing them and weakening considerably (for the stronger entities) or warding them off altogether (for the smaller and weaker ghouls). However, the girl has no special abilities of any sort besides this 'shield' of hers and is rather helpless overall. 

[Crovonovin]

Great to have you here Myobi!

And with that, I do believe we have everyone's character sheets, for those who have expressed interest.  The game starts later tomorrow, so anyone else who I've forgotten has until then to get one in!

For anyone joining after tomorrow, I request that any new characters introduced be "normal" human beings.  If one of the original members drops out for any reason, then I'll allow that space to be filled by a new Touched or Weighted.

[Esoteric Myobi]

Looks like I made it just in time then =)

Though I'm still catching up with all the posts...last time I checked this thread was still on its first page x.X;

[Crovonovin]

Just had a bit of a pick up in interest, that's all!

Don't worry, this roleplay will not move so fast that anyone will be left behind.  I'm going to give everyone the chance to post at least once, and then we'll continue from there.  To make things a bit less crowded, I'm going to split the current roster into two groups that will meet up later down the line.  Once each group has been formed, they may each continue at their own pace depending on the posting speed of the players involved.  At the beginning, you will only really have to concern yourself with the posts from your group, which will be marked accordingly.  You can of course read up on what the other group is doing, but I don't want anyone to get overwhelmed if one group is moving faster than the other.

I hope that's not confusing!  I can be notoriously awful at explaining things sometimes.

While we're on this subject, I'd like to request that all the participating players post here how often they're likely to be posting.  That way I might split the groups up according to timezones or posting speed right off the bat.

[ChaoticSky]

once a day, two days max... if the posts are of reasonable* length  :P

more often if they are shorter

*multipara

[Latooni Subota]

Shihong, you know as well as I do that I'm online forever. Assuming I notice a thread has been updated, I post. :3

[NosCorventius]

I am a usually able to post about once a day on all my threads but because I have children and a disabled wife as well as work sometimes Its a little longer between posts. So I would say once every other day for sure barring major disaster. M strikes me as a man of few words though so...I don't expect it to be a huge issue anyways. Even without a lot of dialogue though, my posts are always fair sized.

[Esoteric Myobi]

Uhm, I'm sure you already know that I take my time posting...but I've been trying for at least once a week for all my threads. A few get responses quicker or more often...it really depends for me. As in the post length, how easily that character flows for me...my forever missing muse...~.~;;

[CrazyIvan]

I am basically on almost all of the day and post when I can, which is at least once in each game I am in. Though some games I can post more then that and that depends on how active the other people are.

[MMTwo]

Okay here I go, after the wave of super-powered people! Good thing I was going to be normal anyway.

Let me know if anything needs help.

Name: Carl Jones "CJ" White
Age: 29
Gender: Male
Type: Normie



Personality: Gruff and annoyed, CJ can be the giant teddy bear to a select few. He is willing to argue with anyone, anytime, going out of his way to protect himself and those around him if he suspects a plan is going to go south. CJ seems quick to aggression, and even quicker to distrust someone, especially the 'weighted' that taint the world around him. But he does have a soft spot, specifically for the weak and soft. Anybody that he thinks can't defend themselves have an easier time making him drop his guard. Though considering how misleading appearance can be these days, puppydog eyes aren't quite enough.

History: Before the shift CJ was not a soldier, not an agent, not an officer. He was one man among many, working moving boxes in a dusty warehouse in urban America. There was no mysterious lineage, no chance of future success. Quite the opposite, life was bleak, and for as far as CJ cared, life was already over. The only light in CJ's life was his girl, and his younger sister. They were things to come home to, his reason to keep working, keep safe, and wake up every morning.

All that changed with the first shift. CJ's life was torn to shreds, his neighborhood was a maze of houses fused on top of factories. Life became a game of survival, nights up late fighting off the insane, mornings bartering with strangers for a simple meal. But the girls were safe, for the time being. In that twisted world, all he could count on was a pair of smiling faces that faded as the months went on. Things were still okay though, they were alive, and all together.

It wasn't until the second shift that CJ's life truly transformed. That day, as the concrete labryinth around them opened up, CJ's lady was taken away from him by the shifting world. He found himself along with his younger sister, seemingly far away from any building he had ever known. It was a month or so before he was able to accept that she was simply gone.

Then his sister was taken, not by the shift itself, but seemingly by some creature of the complex. He was stirred from his sleep to find his sister being dragged away into the nothingness. After that all his cares, his kindness, were shoved aside. He went on a wanton journey through the complex, looking for any sign he could of his little sister. Any strange being he destroyed by any means he could, weighted that couldn't give him a hint about his sister were as good as dead. The only people CJ would work with, were those equally willing to clear the complex of demons and monsters, the soldiers and officers of the fallen world. Slowly a warehouse worker was chiseled into a hunter.

Even that burnt away in time, leaving a man who simply wanders. Searching everywhere he can for some little hint to the location of his lost girls. Feel sorry for those that slow him down, hell to those that stand in his way.

Skills: Besides being fairly well built, and of good height, CJ's skills are only recently learned. His tough nature allows him a lot of leeway in a fight, but he tends to rely on the pure damage of weaponry and explosives, along with a good kick in any weakpoint he can see. CJ is known for practicality over genius, plans that are too clever or complicated are thrown away if punching something will solve the problem. He's also gained an okay level of skill with small arms, and anything that'll serve as a club.

Posting Rate: Every day, every other day if slowed by something.

[Crovonovin]

You are more than approved, MMTwo!  I'm absolutely enthralled by the character, and I think that CJ will really help to ground the rest of the group in reality. 

And welcome to the site, by the way!  If you could just tell me how often you're available to post, I'll be able to better fit you into a group that will move at a pace you're comfortable with.

[MMTwo]

Right. Edited it in. But I range from multiple times a day to every other day if things get slow. The next few days might be slow cause I have 4 essays due, but everything should clean up after that.

And moreso, thank you.

[Latooni Subota]

Sidenote: I want CJ in my team! :O

-Climbs all over MMTwo- Mine, ya hear me? Mine! :3

[ChaoticSky]

its the All-Seeing Waif of Doom! Run!

[MMTwo]

It always feels good to be wanted. Ha

[CrazyIvan]

wonders who he is going to be a in a group with.

[Crovonovin]

For the rest of today I'll be going over some details and ironing things out, so any last minute additions can still jump in if they want to.

As we currently have nine characters, I may split the initial groups down into an even more manageable 3x3x3.  If there are any objections to this, I'll just have the groups be 4x5 like I'd planned.

[NosCorventius]

I think 3s would be great. That way you can put one of us Odds in each group. IE the occultist in one, the nullifier in another, and the chaos roller in another. Thus our powers wont counter act and mess with the others right away and it will be a bigger bang when they do finally meet. Just my thoughts on the subject.

[CrazyIvan]

I agree with Nos on this I like the 3x3x3 and splitting up of the occultist, the nullifier, and chaos roller spread around the odd ones. Still wonders who he might be with because he is both good, evil, and a little gray at times.

[Crovonovin]

Alright!  Barring any last minute additions, I believe I have the groups set up nicely.  Tell me what you think.  I'll try and have both the Game Thread and OOC up later this evening.

Group 1:

Shihong (Benjamin Marston) (The Living Suit)
Darkling (Kelly Avorn) (The Wild Card)
Latooni Subota (Alice Tokunaga) (The Ultimate Eye)

Group 2:

Vergil1989 (Mathias Zakos) (The Lust Demon)
NosCorventius (Mathias Penn: AKA: ‘M’) (The Occultist)
sinoraa (Asoka Yamamoto) (The Blood Mage)

Group 3:

CrazyIvan (Michael Shepard) (The Altruist, the Pragmatist, and the Hedonist)
Esoteric Myobi (Alanna “Maple” Smith) (The Nullifier)
MMTwo (Carl Jones “CJ” White) (The Survivalist)

[Vergil1989]

Coolness, I can't wait lol.  Thanks for such an awesome idea Shihong.

[ChaoticSky]

works for me, i figured benjamin and kelly would get along well. kelly is friendly, if alittle off her nut, and being unflappable means she wont be scared off by his outfit :P. alice is scared-ish of men, and again, kelly is friendly, hopefully she wont be too put off by the chaotic taint.

[Crovonovin]

Exactly my train of thought for the first group.

For Group 2, I put who I felt to be the heaviest hitters together.  The two Mathias's balance each other out rather nicely, and I think that sinoraa's cop would get along well with the Occultist due to his own personal sense of justice.  There will certainly be some conflict, and I'm eager to see how it will play out.

For Group 3, I felt that it was important for CJ and Maple to be together.  The latter could use some protection, and CJ seems like the sort of person that would be willing to do just that.  Additionally, while he clearly distrusts those with powers (with good reason), her power to Nullify the abilities of Touched and Weighted is one power that he would likely consider very useful.  As for Michael, Maple can help him to collect his thoughts by suppressing his two other personalities if the need arises. 

[CrazyIvan]

Michael would definitely like to hang around Maple and protect her as well, after all she helps him remain just a little bit more sane. As for CJ it is nice to travel with someone normal as he likes people, it is just hard for him at times. I like the groups and I can't wait to get started.

[Crovonovin]

Let's get the show on the road!

Please read the OOC Thread FIRST before making your post.

OOC Thread

The Game Thread

[Crovonovin]

Replied to you already via PM, but I'll repeat it here.

Recruitment for this game will never close unless we get a huge surge of interest, so anyone else wanting to join as a normal character may do so.  If enough normal characters end up being made, it might be interesting to make up another group of them to see how they all get on without abilities.

But until then, feel free to create a character sheet and send it to me for approval.

[Vergil1989]

Alrighty, I'll post here and then elsewhere, then I'm off to bed lol.

Even demons of lust and desire need sleep lol.

Or should i wait until you say otherwise Shihong?  I saw that you had in bold print Group A so I wasn't sure.

[Crovonovin]

Sorry if I was unclear!  People from Groups B and C can start posting at any time!  It's just that I want everyone from each group to have posted once before continuing.  I hope that's not what seemed to be delaying everyone. 

[Crovonovin]

No problem on the delay Vergil!  If you could just colour the text for your Group (using the change colour option above the text window), that'd be great.  And all of you, don't forget to repost your profiles in the OOC thread!  It just makes it a bit easier than scrounging through the pages of this thread.  Thanks!

[sinoraa]

Oh, no! i didn't know it had started :S im late! im unprofessional :( im off to write!

[Crovonovin]

And I do apologize if I wasn't clear enough, but the first few posts will be each member of the respective groups encountering one another for the first time.

[Crovonovin]

For those worrying about the possibility that things may lose direction, I will also be playing as the "GM" of sorts within each of the groups so that nobody is wandering aimlessly.  This means creating npcs, obstacles, and new areas for the Groups to encounter.

For those of you who haven't posted yet due to busy schedules and the like, do be sure to send me a PM so that I know you're still interested.  Thanks!

[Crovonovin]

Due to some lack of activity on the part of some members, I'm bumping this to the top to say that recruitment is still ongoing!  There are currently three groups, as outlined here in the OOC thread.  Each group is currently isolated from the other, and jumping into any one of them is no problem at all.  I'm still trying to figure out who is currently inactive, so any participants who want to chime in should do so.  Similarly, any players wishing to voice and questions or concerns should not feel at all hesitant about shooting me a PM!  That goes for anyone else reading this post.

Knowing everything that's happened thus far isn't really necessary due to the nature of the game, but I feel as though I might as well fill any possible newcomers in.  I understand that four pages of discussion might seem a bit intimidating, so I implore any interested parties to ask me questions.

----Plot Summary----

Game Thread

All three groups are currently situated over the Atlantic Ocean, which like the rest of the planet has been overtaken by the World Complex.  Specifically, they are in various parts of a "canopy" hanging hundreds of meters above the water's surface.  Several weeks remain until the next Shift, when yet another layer will be added to the Complex and the cycle will begin anew.

Group A is huddled in a ventilation shaft opening up into a series of twisted office buildings and apartments.  Thus far they are just getting their bearings, having climbed up an elevator shaft to reach the border between the First and Second Layers of the Complex.  Benjamin, my own character, seems adamant about uniting with a supposed group of individuals that are dedicated to finding a way to stop or reverse the Shifts, and believes that there is some sort of Eden within the Complex that this group is attempting to reach.

Group B is now holed up in what used to be a church, overlooking a fitness center that has been warped with an average suburban home.  After narrowly managing to avoid being fatally wounded by a woman possessed by a ghastly spirit (who left a cryptic warning of things to come), they returned to the Church to exchange pleasantries and decide what to do next.  There they discovered three unique books, each stranger and more mysterious than the last.

• The first was unmarked and nondescript, and no matter how much each of them pried the covers would not open.
• The second was an ugly, wretched thing that nevertheless did not seem actively malevolent, but was written in a strange and dangerous language that caused a demon to faint dead away at the sight of it.  There is a suggestion that it has something to do with the origins of these spirits, but is currently unreadable.
• The last was a very thick novel that seems to be in the process of writing itself.  Though Group B does not yet know it, this book is detailing events happening elsewhere within the Complex.  In addition to the actions of Group A and Group C, it mentioned the existence of a functional train that was still in operation.

Group C includes a number of refugees that are currently disjointed.  They've found a momentary haven in the shade of several buildings that have been melded together (along with a fair amount of debris) into a dome.  Both water and sunlight drip down from the upper reaches, allowing dozens of people to survive in something resembling a community.

The only event of note thus far is the appearance of a wizened old man, who seems quite intent on depressing anyone who will listen with nihilistic prophecies of man's place in this new and hostile world.  There is a chance that he might truly know more than he should.  Group C is currently the closest to the train mentioned in the book.

If there's anything else current players would like to add, you may do so.  Again, I am accepting any and all questions.  If you have any interest, please mention it here.

[Vergil1989]

You're not the only one having issues my friend, I myself am trying to get a Persona game going and having issues as well lol.  Anyway, I'm still in this for sure, just waiting on others to post in my own group.

[Esoteric Myobi]

You still have my interest Shihong =) Hopefully Group C will come back to life or newcomers will pop in to join us. =x

[Crovonovin]

I do have some nibbles, but in the event that interest slows I'm quite willing to shift things around a bit as necessary!  ;)

[JadeCore]

I would be interested! This is a pretty unique premise and it seems like there's quite the long term story to back it up.

[ChaoticSky]

hello! ive been quiet. and im posting to let you know where i stand.

i have busy life stuff for now, so i shant be around for a week or so, further more, in the gap ive.... lost the feel for my character, so im dumping them.

however, im not leaving! i am pondering a new character, and will return in a week or two. at which point i shall write them into the story. probably as a 'late arrival' to the group. if possible.

feel free to write my existing character out in the meantime.

[Crovonovin]

As I've said time and time again, The World Complex is what I like to call a fluid narrative.  Put simply, this means that characters can come and go at any point in time, as no one individual plays a truly crucial role.  The story can move on regardless of who drops out and who joins up, so no one should feel pressured to stay with a character that they do not enjoy writing!

[Danakir]

The sun sets, everything ends
From now on, the power of darkness
Sadness, loneliness, pain, despair, absolutely everything
Everything is about to be enwrapped in darkness! Look,
If your hope is weakening, just throw it all away, you'll feel better
If now you wish for light, everything will disappear

The sun sets, dreams disappear
The time is coming for the dark world, forget about light and come now, together with darkness. - The End of Daylight


Name: The Watcher
Age: 32
Gender: Hermaphrodite
Class: Touched
Concept: Dark Boddhisattva
Theme Song: Malicious




The Watcher, as came to be her name after she descended from the heights of the World Complex. No one remembers ever hearing about her or seeing her previous this serependitous day but with her easy and serene smile and the strange scent of incense clinging to her clothes, she brought an eerie sense of peace and quiet to those she met. And she spoke to them, of the virtuous man and the great destiny of man, of the future and the downfall and she spoke of the glory of a short yet kind life and the great sin of bringing more into this world of suffering and agony.

She stood glorious in her darkly lit resplendence, under the great glass tree which shines radiant as a raindow even as rain came for days odd and sun shone for days even, this young miracle worker spoke not a word. She brings hope and salvation in the growing desert that is the world and relieves the incredible desperation that eats away at the soul of man. She is a beacon of terrible hope, that which would quietly squeeze at the throat of the entire world and have the flame of life extinguished.

But still few would call her on that, for many have come to believe in her disturbing scripture, many have come to worship the prophet of The Eye That Sees.

Her third eye, the Eye of Ürd, is the blessing given to her by TETS, as many have come to call the cult, and her title is that of one who would allow herself become the vessel of a higher will who would cleanse and purify. Great, great, light of the world...

Her Third Eye that sees the truth.

Such a lie.

Her Third Eye which sees the world.

Closer.

Her Third Eye which sees only flaws.

That is the greater truth.

For she sees only the agony of man and the quiet dread. For she sees only every sin and every blasphemy. For she sees only the darkness brighter than the sun and scorns this illusionary light, for though her eyes yet see, she only believes in the one gifted to her by her great God. She is a true believer and she will deliver us from evil.

She will in time, perhaps in an eternity's perhaps tomorrow deliver man from life. But there is no hurry, and there is no violence and there is no need for strife, calmly and gently shall humanity be led into slumber. For that is the infinitely merciful glory of The Eye That Sees.

She is capable of creating small avatars, or at least so she pretends they are, of The Eye That Sees and they guard and protect her, their capabilities  are limited but they require no sleep, food or oxygen. They watch eternal until their destruction is made true, pale ivory construct of her own madness.

They are also her darkest secret, for she may only create one such creature by consuming the blood or flesh of another sentient being, which she subjects some of her most fanatical and closest followers to. At least, so she used to do.

Her followers are gone, delivered unto the will of her God and she is now without flock, but she travels in search of another community for there is yet more work to be done. There are so many souls to save.

For that is the Will of the Holiest of Holies.

They key here is that she's deceitful and nihilistic, but she hides it well behind the veil of being an holy woman. Her dark enlightenment doesn't come to the fore all at once, it takes time for her to reveal the whole of her 'scripture' and the true 'Will of God'. That is, she won't blabber to someone she doesn't consider converted and faithful.

Perhaps she is yet human.

Perhaps she is now just a crude mockery, nothing more than the twisted puppet of a distorted abomination that dwells in the highest parts of the World Complex.

None can tell, for her past is of no importance and truth be told, she was remade into something else by The Eye That Sees. This form is that which has been chosen for her and that too is the wage of the great honor which has been bestowed unto her.


The Path of Ascension

Let it be clear, the goal of the Path of Ascension is the liberation of every soul in existence from suffering.

By the standards of modern ethos, her beliefs are abhorrent and immoral. She can only be described as a cancerous tumor upon society and though beautiful to behold, she still remains little more than the monstrous incarnation of the worst excesses of ascetism and mysticism and the incarnation in flesh of man's worst nihilistic impulses.

However, that is from the perspective of the layman. From her perspective, it is an entirely different story. These are the guiding principles of her faith.

Violence is abhorrent. Murder is unthinkable. To bring more suffering into this world is nothing short of blasphemy against The Eye That Sees. You will not shed the blood of your fellow man without necessity, you will do so only when your hand is forced. For each and every soul will in time learn of their place in this world.

And then, they shall see at least this baleful yet inviting and comforting darkness that coils innumerable tendrils around the withering remnants of the world and they shall willingly give themselves unto this darkness.

In doing so, they will receive bliss everlasting, they will reach transcendental perfection of being and will break the vicious cycle of suffering.

For existence itself is suffering, and thus existince is an abomination unto The Eye That Sees for tis the truth above all else, The Eye That Sees doth love all children of the earth and sky and so wish for their suffering to come to an end, however it is only their minds which can awaken they and their hands which can save they.

Salvation is there, it is for humanity to seize it.

In short, she is a technical pacifist and believes honestly in the value of virtue, compassion and wisdom. Hers is perhaps dark enlightenment and many may believe it madness, yet especially in these forebodding times can any truthfully say that all she speak is nothing but lies?

If it is that some would follow her and acknowledge her spiritual supremacy, it is that her words move them and it is that the world she presents resonates with their experiences.

She is a mystic. She is a prophet. She is a priestess.

She does not lie, not from her perspective, and even in her immense disgust for her fellow man, she does not let it seeth and corrupt her purpose. For she is the Watcher and her love is unconditional. She will deliver us from evil. She will deliver us from life.

For that is her holy mission, that in time all of the world shall sing one last hymn and for one singular instant reach for purity.

And then life extinguished, the world will be cleansed, then and only then...

Will the way to Paradise be shown.

For thus spoke The Eye That Sees to the great Watcher.

For thus shall it be.

Fear, despair, pain and sorrow shall be purged in the holy fire of death.

This cycle that has wrought only suffering upon mortal souls since times immemorial shall be at last be shattered and all will see.

Yes, every last one shall see the brightest truth of them all.

Love shall be the ultimate end of suffering.


Of A Woman Who Gave Herself to God Personality:  Few people could really fathom the depths of bitterness and cynicism which have taken hold inside the heart of the Watcher. Venomous twin snakes coiling in coordination around her chest, their poison withers away at her sanity as surely as the horrors of the World Complex may. Only flaws can be perceived, everything is sinful and nothing is pure, there is no grace or virtue and purity is just another lie. Humanity cannot better itself or hope to truly escape the bestial nature that is theirs, perhaps with the help of spirits they may escape those bonds, but that is another thing entirely.

The world is disgusting and above all else... wrong.

That is the cold hatred that is hers. However, this is not to say that she cannot stand her fellow man or that she is without compassion, on the contrary. She is gentle and attentive, suffering within others moves her to great lengths to relieve it and she is capable of stunning feats of interpersonal deftness. She is an excellent communicator and a naturally spiritual individual from whom hope and higher ideals spring forth. Though she constantly sees her works dashed by the inherently flawed humanity, she does not reject or loathe them.

She loves them unconditionally, and she embraces them fully. For she is no longer with sorrow or despair, she cannot be. She is a prophet who brings the word of The Eye That Sees which shall absolve man of sin.

And she dearly wishes to better this world, to cleanse and purify it so that they may open the way of the Heavenly Gates beyond the vicious cycle of death and rebirth. She is with great vested interest in this goal, to say the least. That is, despite how many may feel about her religious beliefs, it is hard to imagine that this kindly and passionate preacher of a woman could possibly be a devil in sheep's clothing.

It is not her wish to cause more suffering, and though some of her methods may be questionable, she justifies them to herself as necessary and done for the good of humanity. What is a man were The Eye That Sees to be lost unto humanity? That is what she tells herself. Still, she does feel some guilt late at night when she cannot sleep, for the dull yet raucous voice of her God does echo inside her mind.

For she made one grievious mistake in all of this, for which she will never be able to forgive herself, let alone love herself.

She looked in the mirror.

Mercy! Mercy for sinful humanity, oh great Almighty!

Mercy! Mercy for the sinful Watcher...


And so she cannot fail. She cannot allow herself to, she cannot afford to. Otherwise, she will be left with only her thoughts and forced to face her own inner-demons. Something that this seemingly unflappable woman of steel cannot do, for even her resolve would not suffice. That which lurks the darkest parts of her mind is a haunting beast that... cannot... be.... defeated.


Taken Spirit (History): The Eye That Sees

Little is of enough importance to mention in this day and age, however let it be known that there was a time where the Watcher was one Meiling. That she was part of the tiny Catholic minority in bright Honk Kong, jewel in the sea. That when the world changed irrevocably and shuddered alive under the first Shift, she stood in her home only to awake in a small 7-11 with the interior now that of a chapel. That she took it as a sign from up above and prayed fervently, perhaps this was the End of Days after all.

That no answer came and that in solitude her sanity was brought low and that in starvation her body was cleansed.

So was it that she survived, strangely enough, despair eating away bit by bit at her soul and faith until nothing was left.

Until the Second Shift, that is when she first saw them, those elegant and deadly spirits foolishly dancing the hallways of the World Complex. She felt they oddly familiar and as if under no volition of her own she set away from the wreck she ended up in without direction, yet always further she found herself, higher and higher did she ascend in the World Complex and none of the spirits dwelling there would bring her cause to stop.

For they could tell when they saw a dead woman walking, who's will lay broken and who's piety lay bleeding at her feet, such a woman held no interest to they, it was as if she were invisible to their eyes. That is except for the one.

The Eye That Sees.

In a spire of steel and glass that would pierce the heavens themselves and in the highest room filled with strangely fragrant flowers and sweet divine maddening music, in this great apocalyptic cathedral did they collide as comet and star are wont to do.

By the blinding light was she consumed and in rapture did she willingly give of herself for salvation.

In darkness was she remade and in it did she see with painful clarity the vision of her holy duty. This epiphany changed her spiritually as it had physically and as her third eye opened, as she looked upon the world with the mystical Eye of Ürd she rose from a deep slumber.

Cleansed of despair and suffering, reborn and forged into the elegant prophet of a merciful God.

She gave her name to the great Darkness Beyond Darkness, for such was the Will of Heaven.

Now, she is the Watcher.

She who shall liberate the soul of mankind itself, one individual at a time. Until they are all free, every last one.

Praise be to The Eye That Sees, Mercy of the World.


Powers:

The holy Eye of Ürd, symbol of her status as an envoy of the Heavens and her oath of servitude to The Eye That Sees, grants her powers twofold. For one, it allows her to witness any flaw. They cannot be hidden from her if she bothers to look, however nothing else than flaws apply to this power and it cannot be turned off. All she ever sees is someone's worst flaws, the smaller ones drowned out over their greatest failings. From her perspective, the world is an endless cavalcade of sin, depravity, hatred and suffering. The psychological toll of such a critical flaw in the design of the Eye of Ürd cannot be understated. This ability can certainly be used to great effect, however it requires great skill to do so and in the end, one is only left bitter at the sight of countless flaws, none of which are particularly useful.

Flaws here could apply as much to someone's secret weakness as it could to a building's lack of aesthetic as it could to someone's tendency to be stingy. It can be in character, architecture, physique or anything else. It is at once shallow and extremely wide, leading to the afore-mentioned problem of 'white noise' making it hard to exploit unless one is already looking specifically in one direction, so to speak.

The second ability of the Eye of Ürd is more directly practical but suffers from limitations all its own. Using the Eye of Ürd, the Watcher is able to stun someone, which may arguably leave them helpless. However this ability is rather restrictive in that it will only work as long as the Watcher looks upon her victim while being less than 10 feet away from them. Furthermore, this ability may only work against one individual at a time. Although it certainly holds tremendous potential in singular combat, anything else such as for instance a swarm of weaker foes would prove the capacity rather useless. Lastly, should anything manage to obstruct, blind or wound the Eye of Ürd, this capacity would cease to function.

Arguably, this capacity plays into The Eye That Sees' technical pacifism, as it allows the Watcher to bypass obstacles without resorting to lethal violence, which she abhors and would vastly prefer to avoid if at all possible.

Lastly she received one last bizzare gift from her patron, the ability to create Pearl Guardians, small creatures that are avatars of the Eye which have mediocre offensive capabilities and would mostly act as living shields for their creator. Sadly, to create one requires the Watcher to consume the flesh and blood of another sentient being, most likely a felllow human, greatly limiting her use of this gift. At the moment, she only holds a single Pearl Guardian. The seashell-like body of the Pearl Guardian is rather solid, however though they look rather frightening they are of little threat to most of the horrors lurking in the World Complex in these end days. The social consequences of enacting this ritual, even should she use the corpses of the recently deceased is especially prevalent in the Watcher's sparse use of it, as being caught taking part in such seemingly unholy and infernal behavior would likely ruin her reputation as an holy woman. She would avoid such at all cost.


----------------------

Greetings everyone, I've decided to try and join this delightful RP at Darkling's behest. <3

I've tried to catch you on AIM Shihong to discuss the specifics of her powers but I couldn't manage. ^^; So if anything's wrong with her, then I'm really sorry about that. I went and tried to make her sound awesome and interesting, if anything was made unbalanced in the process, just let me know. :)

With that said, I really hope that everyone thinks she's interesting, even if I've decided to have fun with some bits of 'alien' ethics. ^_^

[elfguy]

Nice to see this still going. Any group is still pretty active? I could bring up a character idea.

[Crovonovin]

Hello Danakir and elfguy!  Danakir, it's probably better if you just send me a PM in the future.  I'm not on AIM nearly enough to discuss things at any length.  Your sheet here is impressive, but I would like to discuss it privately before approving it and letting you post in the Character Thread.  Just shoot me a PM with your ideas for how you believe The Watcher might fit into this story, and I would be more than happy to try and accommodate you.

Elfguy, all the groups are currently in a slight lull, which is why I'm eager to recruit more members.  I may actually be cooking up an entirely new group in the near future, or otherwise shifting players around.  If you have any ideas I'd be more than happy to hear them over PMs!  I currently have no preferences for Powered or Normal humans.  I'm currently brainstorming with a few other potential players as well.

[Danakir]

This may be a bit redundant, but I've sent you that PM you requested. >.>

[JadeCore]

Here's my character. As always, it's a continual WIP and I've probably forgotten to mention things I have in mind since, as you all can relate to, we could spend forever making a character. :)

Name: Katrina Stark
Age: 26
Gender: Female
Class: Ordinary

Katrina was just your ordinary college girl when the World Complex turned everything upside down. She opened her dorm room door to find that her room was riding the streets as if a river. Buildings warped and turned. Cars twisted into alien shapes before concrete swallowed them up. By the time everything settled, she might as well have been on another planet. People speaking languages she could not even identify ended up gathering at what had once been a supermarket. For a time, they managed an existence.

The Shifts came. Katrina knew then that the world would not be content to let everyone rebuild. This time, she would not be so fortunate as to find herself near food and people. If the World Complex had turned everything upside down, the Shifts had turned them inside out. When she awoke from the turbulent quakes, she found herself in a cross between a brothel and a convent. Gathering what little she had, Katrina headed into the mysterious tunnels.

She would spend many months alone. What few people that seemed to have survived the first Shift seemed gone completely by the second. All that remained were supplies. Katrina would learn quickly the skills of survival. It was either that or perish; if not from starvation than from the creatures she could only call monsters and demons. Time seemed a forgotten thing. How long she eventually travelled, she couldn’t say. Even if she knew where she was, did it matter any more?

[Danakir]

So um... is this game still happening? >_>

[Crovonovin]

Yes, it is.  I'm sorry to have to ask for some patience, as I just got back from vacation two days ago and am also having relatives fly in for part of the week.  As such I have a lot on my plate and am having a bit of trouble finding the time to get all of my games in order, not even including this one.  I assure you that I have no intentions of abandoning this roleplay or its participants.

[Danakir]

Being that I'm left with nothing to do and hopelessly bored, I've fetched a theme song for the Watcher.

It's worth listening to, if you're intrigued by the character in the least. ^^

[JadeCore]

Just a small bump; Shihong is working on things. :)

[Danakir]

Don't mind the cobwebs and layers of dust, this thread is still kind of homely. ;p

[Crovonovin]

I'm sorry for what might seem like waning interest on my part, but I would like to assure any active players (and players in the wings) that I have not forgotten about you, nor to I have any intention of bringing this game to an end.  A long vacation and relatives have left me drained.  Though classes are starting up again, I assure you all that I will get things settled before then.  Thank you for your understanding.

As always, anyone wishing to discuss their characters or new players wanting to express interest may send me a message or post here.

[Crovonovin]

Alright, I'm nearly ready to get us underway again!  I'm just waiting for JadeCore and Danakir to make their introductions when ready, and I'll post a chunky update for all three Groups.

[Esoteric Myobi]

Hurray~ =) I'm ready to jump back in again myself now that I've gotten IRL issues dealt with. ^^

[JadeCore]

Hurray~ =) I'm ready to jump back in again myself now that I've gotten IRL issues dealt with. ^^

I should be getting my post in soon (tm).

[JadeCore]

posted