DeLarge

[center][img]http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k528/PhilBoothman/gallery_447_1.jpg[/img][/center] [center][size=4][font=georgia,serif][i]Your past holds the secret to our future...[/i][/font][/size][/center] [center][size=4][font=georgia,serif]In the year 3082, the nation of [b]Argyll[/b] was a prosperous, peaceful land populated by happy citizens and ruled by a benevolent monarchy. Clean, renewable energy powers the nation, disease and pestilence had been eliminated by advances in medical science, and poverty was almost non-existent.[/font][/size][/center] [center][size=4][font=georgia,serif]In short, people were happy.[/font][/size][/center] [center][size=4][font=georgia,serif]But come the dawn of the 32nd Century, things began to change. People started getting abducted from the streets and their homes, disappearing without a trace; [b]the Citadel[/b], an enormous and supposedly-abandoned building in the centre of [b]Argyll City[/b] becomes a hive of mysterious activity; and highly advanced new weapons began appearing on the streets with terrifying destructive power.[/font][/size][/center] [center][size=4][font=georgia,serif]Within a few short years, the world had become a far darker place.[/font][/size][/center] [center][size=4][font=georgia,serif]Finally, in the year 3109, the cause of this change made itself known. A race known only as the [b]Beholders[/b] revealed themselves to have infiltrated every single aspect of human society over the past three millennia, acting as passive, peaceful observers. But after so long spent merely watching the human race, the Beholders finally decided that they deserved more.[/font][/size][/center] [center][size=4][font=georgia,serif]They began to take control, and before long they had deposed the monarchy and established their own totalitarian government, ruling over humanity with an iron fist. As the human resistance soon discovered, the Beholders were beings of great power, unmatched by any normal human strength, and for every one Beholder killed, forty humans were killed. It was not long before the resistance faded, and only a select few still championed the cause.[/font][/size][/center] [center][size=4][font=georgia,serif]But there is still hope. There was an [b]organisation[/b], known by many names throughout history but now forgotten, dedicated to fighting the influence of the Beholders: a war in the shadows, neither side making themselves known to the wider world. By the end of the 30th Century, this organisation was all but wiped out by the Beholders. But a handful of descendants of the organisationâ??s members survive to this day, the ability to fight the Beholders laying dormant in their DNA.[/font][/size][/center] [center][size=4][font=georgia,serif]Until now.[/font][/size][/center] [center][size=4][font=georgia,serif]A mysterious man, known only as [b]Washington[/b], has spent his life attempting to find these individuals, and now his research is finally coming to fruition. He has worked long and hard, and he finally believes he has found them, scattered across Argyll but brought together to face their spiritual and biological destiny.[/font][/size][/center] [center][size=4][font=georgia,serif]They are humanityâ??s only hope.[/font][/size][/center] [center][size=4][font=georgia,serif]---[/font][/size][/center] [center][size=4][font=georgia,serif]Welcome to an epic, ambitious and as-yet untitled new RP (suggestions on the title would be helpful, Iâ??m pretty much drawing a blank). The above description gives some detail as to the world in which we will be playing, but itâ??s not quite as simple as that. This RP will span millennia, and the lives of dozens of characters throughout that time, in the quest to rid the land of Argyll from the tyranny of the Beholders.[/font][/size][/center] [center][size=4][font=georgia,serif]The initial setting will be the present-day (the year 3115) Argyll, and in terms of tone weâ??re looking at a distinctly neo-noir quality to proceedings: grimy surroundings, heavy rain, darkness and neon, all adding to the oppressive, dystopian nature of the Beholdersâ?? rule. Iâ??ll get into more detail as I see interest, but this is a general idea of the kind of thing weâ??ll be looking at.[/font][/size][/center] [center][size=4][font=georgia,serif]As you may well have guessed, our characters will be the descendants of members of the organisation dedicated to fighting the Beholders. However, every player will also be writing for four other characters, namely the ancestors of their â??coreâ?? characters, as we traverse the ages: the mechanics of this will be revealed in the beginning of the RP proper, but the basic information youâ??ll need is that for every new chapter, or â??Eraâ?? of the story, you will be required to create a bespoke character for that particular time period, with some similarities to your core character but also a number of differences. Ideally, Iâ??d hope that every character we create gets a roughly equal amount of play-time, with the core characters probably getting slightly more than the ancestors.[/font][/size][/center] [center][size=4][font=georgia,serif]As for the different Eras, the style of them is up for discussion amongst those involved. Due to the fact that Argyll, the world in which this RP is set, can be considered a â??parallelâ?? universe to our own, we can play around with the history of the world: for example, the early Era could be a skewed version of the Roman Empire, while for the late 19th-early 20th Centuries we could even fit in some steampunk as an altered version of Victorian times.[/font][/size][/center] [center][size=4][font=georgia,serif]In terms of plot, I have an idea of the basic structure as well as some gnarly plot twists to throw in at various points throughout the narrative, and Iâ??m interested in maintaining a fairly high level of mystery and uncertainty to the plot. Essentially, while defeating the Beholders is the main plot, the characters discovering what is really going on, and what exactly Washington is up to will be a secondary, but similarly important plot strand.[/font][/size][/center] [center][size=4][font=georgia,serif]Itâ??s likely to take a fair amount of work from everyone involved to build both numerous characters and numerous worlds, but I believe if we invest a little time and effort into this RP, it could be really rewarding. If and when this RP comes to fruition, bear in mind that I am more likely to take people on board who have offered assistance in character- and world-building, so at the very least give it a shot![/font][/size][/center] [center][size=4][font=georgia,serif]You can use this thread to register interest, give feedback and raise any enquiries you may have about the RP. Iâ??m looking forward to hearing your input![/font][/size][/center]

The 'player characters' listed in the first post are those already created by the other people involved in the RP, for example Lucas Carter is my character, Claire Weaver is OMNOMNOMALY's, and so on. So just pick a creature (either one listed, or if there is another race of supernatural creatures you feel like being a part of then you can create and develop it, just check with me first) and build the character around that, but be very careful to follow the species characteristics I've listed above, as they're slightly different from the standard or traditional characteristics of those species.

It is, although due to the fact that we're halfway through a case I won't be able to properly introduce your character until at least the second case. Also, because our Auditions thread got wiped in the server move you're probably best off PMing me your Audition directly and I'll give you an answer as to whether or not we can work you in somewhere! Thanks for your interest!

[center][font=georgia,serif][b][u]Two Worlds Task Force[/u][/b][/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][i]My name is Lucas Carter, and I am 123 years old.[/i][/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][i]When I was a young man, I stared into the face of death, and it smiled back at me, with eyes as black as the very depths of Hades and teeth so sharp they could tear a manâ??s throat right out of his neck. I died alone, and afraid, and I stole a look through into the next world, and was faced with fire and shadows.[/i][/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][i]As I returned to this world, I became a soulless creature, rampaging across the face of the earth and bathing in the blood of the innocent. I killed, I slaughtered but worst of all I enjoyed every single moment of it.[/i][/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][i]And when the war came, I sought absolution. I fled from the side of the demons and joined the angels instead, in the vain hope it would lead to some kind of redemption. But really, the only redemption came in forsaking that which my every impulse drove me towards, and even then my only reward was anguish and suffering.[/i][/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][i]I have since found my cage, the walls that keep the monster at bay. But every day brings new struggles, and the darkest days are yet to come.[/i][/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][i]My name is Lucas Carter, and this is the story of my downfall.[/i][/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]---[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b][u]Case One[/u][/b][/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]"Everybody get moving. We'll rendezvous back at the Hub at noon, but call me as soon as you find anything," [/b]Lucas shouted back to the rest of his team as he wrenched open his car door, clambering in andslamming the door behind him. He place his hands on the steering wheel, only then noticing that they were both trembling slightly but uncontrollably. His mind was racing and his heart was pounding in his chest, but as Erik sat down in the passenger seat Lucas hurriedly clamped a cigarette between his teeth and lit it, savouring the acrid smoke that poured into his lungs and the nicotine flooding his system, treating them as a replacement for what his body was really craving.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]"Ready to go?" [/b]asked Erik, the concern in his voice badly concealed as he caught a glimpse of his friend's hand shaking.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]"I am now," [/b]replied Lucas, exhaling a lungful of smoke as he spoke, turning the key in the ignition and shifting into first, thoughts of thirst and cravings pushed to the back of his mind.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]---[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]ooc: [/b]You guys know what to do![/font][/center]

[center][font=georgia,serif][size=5][b][u]Two Worlds Task Force Backstage[/u][/b][/size][/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][u][b]The World[/b][/u][/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]For as long as humankind has existed, there have been people who believed in another world, living alongside our own, populated by demons and monsters from humanityâ??s darkest nightmares. Most of these people were reviled as madmen, corrupted by sin and cast out into the gutters.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]But some were seen as prophets, soothsayers, with knowledge of the darkness, who would help humanity wage endless war against these creatures of shadow and blood. They foresaw a world plunged into chaos, a world that burned with the fires of battle for millennia, and they witnessed nightmares that drove them to the brink of insanity, for one simple reason: they saw that the darkness would bring with it the end of the world.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]Hereâ??s the kicker: they werenâ??t that far off.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]There was a world of monsters alongside our own, engaged in a secret, shadowy war with those members of the human race with enough skill and knowledge to fight back. The war raged for centuries, with bloodshed and countless casualties on both sides, and no end in sight.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]But then, in the early days of the 21st Century, something happened: the war became public, and humanity began to realise the true extent of our world. Bloody, all-out conflict ensued and continued for twelve years, until both sides realised that this violence could continue no longer, and the leaders of the humans and the monsters held a peace summit. This resulted in the end of the war, and the decision that humanity and the supernatural world would co-exist.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]This peace has lasted 25 years, due in part to the work of the Two Worlds Task Force.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][u][b]The TWTF[/b][/u][/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]Established six months after the peace summit, the TWTF is a division of the police force, staffed by both humans and supernaturals, dedicated to preserving the balance between the two groups of this world. This means investigating any and all crime involving both humans and supernaturals, from illegal blood trafficking or exorcisms, to acts of violence between the two parties.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]The TWTF is answerable directly to the government, and as such members of the Task Force are not particularly well-liked by the rest of the police force, particularly due to their public influence. However, as the Task Force operates out of different locations to the standard police force, it is only a problem when Task Force is called in to a crime by the standard police force.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]Anyone is able to apply for the Task Force, whether they are human or vampire, werewolf, ghost, Sensitive or even zombie, as there are positions available for all these different species. One of the major qualities required by every member of the TWTF, however, is impartiality: for example, a human member of the Task Force should not automatically take the side of the human over the supernatural in any particular case, and vice versa. It is for this reason that many applicants to the Task Force fail the psych evaluation, as it is found that they are unable to remain unbiased.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]All members of the Task Force are issued with two main weapons: the first, a standard-issue semiautomatic handgun which carries either standard or rubber rounds only, and the second a large revolver, which can be loaded with silver bullets (for werewolves), sharpened wooden bullets (for vampires), and many other different types of ordnance. They are issued with a number of other weapons, each of which they are specially trained with, for special circumstances, however: for example, it is not uncommon for field members of the Task Force to be dispatched armed with swords, crossbows, rifles, axes and hammers and stakes, to name but a few.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][u][b]Supernaturals[/b][/u][/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]Other than human beings, the world is populated by a number of different supernatural creatures, living alongside humanity. Whilst they are considered equal to humanity, there are some which believe they should be superior, the dominant species on Earth. [/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Vampires[/b] â?? vampires are the most common supernatural creature in the world, largely due to their human appearance, allowing them to blend into humanity with ease. The differences in their anatomy are numerous: they have fangs in place of their incisor teeth, which appear the same length as normal incisors but extend from the gums when they need to feed, their stomachs and digestive systems are slightly different to a humans due to the fact they only need to digest blood, they possess a degree of superhuman strength and stamina, a much-extended lifespan, and are able to move far quicker than a human.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]However, for all their strengths, vampires have a number of weaknesses too. Contrary to popular myth and legend, they are, in fact, able to walk in daylight, albeit with some discomfort (this can be eased through use of sunblock and sunglasses), but they are still susceptible to stakes through the heart, and they have an aversion to allicin (a compound obtained from garlic). Religious artefacts (crucifixes, Stars of David, etc.) are effective, but this is entirely dependent on the faith of the wielder rather than the object itself. For example, if someone truly believes that God will protect them, a crucifix will repel a vampire, and even burn them on contact; however, if an atheist attempts the same, the crucifix will have no effect on the vampire. Similarly, vampires can only enter a human dwelling if they are invited: if they are not, the vampire suffers intense physical pain. The only methods which will kill a vampire with total effectiveness are staking, removal of the head or complete dismemberment, and upon death a vampire will burn and crumble into a pile of ash, a process accompanied by considerable physical pain.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]Since the peace summit, vampires have developed various methods to stave off their hunger, although the main one relies on humans voluntarily giving blood for them to drink. In return for these donations, however, the vampires have supplied human scientists and doctors with multiple vampire blood and tissue samples, which contain antibodies allowing them to develop cures for all known diseases. Vampire society is still divided, however, between â??takersâ??, those who drink the blood given to them by humanity, and â??turkeysâ?? (a pejorative nickname given to them by the takers), those who abstain from drinking blood altogether. Turkeys are able to stave off the hunger through considerable willpower, as well as some man-made narcotics (for example, nicotine abates the hunger temporarily, so a number of turkeys are also smokers) which affect vampires differently to humans.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Werewolves[/b] â?? also known as â??lycosâ??, werewolves consider themselves to be very different from vampires: whilst vampires consider themselves to be an entirely different species from humanity, werewolves consider themselves to be â??infected humansâ??. In other words, werewolves are able to blend in and act as normal humans for roughly 28 days a month, only being affected by their condition for one or two days, when there is a full moon.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]The werewolf â??virusâ??, as it is seen by most werewolves, is passed on through the bite or scratch of another werewolf, at which point it lies dormant in the receiver until the next full moon, at which time they transform themselves. The transformation itself is an almost unbearably painful process, in which the werewolfâ??s heart stops and then shrinks, during which all the other organs fail and change shape and position within the body; bones snap, extend and reform, fur sprouts from the skin, and they are generally dragged through hell only to come out stronger on the other side. Due to this constant horrific injury, werewolves become much stronger over time, even in their human forms, which also reap some of the benefits of wolf form: for the few days surrounding the full moon, their senses are heightened and their physical strength is increased.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]Werewolvesâ?? weaknesses are widely known: they are susceptible to silver, particularly bullets, although cages made of silver can be and are used to contain lycos in their wolf form. Similarly, a number of werewolves who choose to resist their conditions find strong sedatives or sleeping pills often make their wolf form a lot more sedate and less likely to attack anyone. For those who choose to embrace the wolf, however, there are special centres, known as â??Sanctuariesâ??, set up in every major city in which werewolves can transform and roam in peace with other werewolves, and nature and instinct rule: some lycos are killed in these Sanctuaries, but these deaths are legally accepted, due to the animalistic nature of those involved.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Ghosts[/b] â?? ghosts, as you might expect, are imprints of the recently (or in some cases, not so recently) deceased, left behind in our world due to â??unfinished businessâ??. For the most part, ghosts are invisible to the untrained human eye, yet remain completely visible, and in some cases tangible, to supernatural creatures. Only when a ghost is particularly strongly-formed is it easily visible to the human eye, and even this takes extreme strength of willpower from the ghost. People who have an affinity with the immaterial (known widely as â??Sensitivesâ??), however, are able to sense the presence of ghosts, to the extent that they are often able to talk to them, and in some cases see them clearly.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]Essentially, ghosts are comprised of memories, and it is through the use of memory that they can make themselves stronger: for example, if a ghost moves to a place which meant a lot to the person who left them behind (a first or last home, for example), the memories are rich, and they are able to become visible and tangible. However, if they are in a place they are not familiar with, somewhere they have no memories of they will take a much weaker form. The more skilled ghosts (basically, those who have been around longest), are able to shape their own memories into weapons at the cost of reducing their own presence in the material world, as they are essentially using up their own essence to create a weapon. However, these talented ghosts are hard to come by, and usually keep to themselves rather than presenting themselves to others.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]Many ghosts are also able to â??possessâ?? living beings, gaining temporary control over their physical forms. They do so through physical contact, and it is not always done through choice. While this does grant ghosts temporary access to a solid physical form, there is a drawback: the ghost is able to see every corner of the hostâ??s mind and memory, but conversely the host is able to see every corner of the ghostâ??s mind and memory as well. Due to the fact that they are composed of memories, and access to them is access to their very being, it is understandable that most ghosts are reluctant to possess anyone.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]Due to the fact that ghosts are created by unfinished business in the mortal realm, if at any point that business is completed, the ghost will be presented with a doorway. This doorway could be very normal, or grand and ostentatious, but each one is unique to a particular ghost: when they enter the doorway, the ghost â??passes onâ?? to the next life, and whatever may lay there.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]The government has set up a help service for ghosts named the Deceased Advice Service (DAS), staffed almost exclusively by Sensitives, who offer advice to the recently-deceased and attempt to help them complete their unfinished business and pass on peacefully.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b][i]Doppelgängers[/i] and [i]Boogeymen[/i][/b] - Although most ghosts are usually sorted into the â??benevolent-Casperâ? type or the â??possession-and-eerie-moaningâ? type, certain Ghosts have a much more tragic and malevolent existence; such is the case with Doppelgängers and Boogeymen. Doppelgängers are ghosts who become fixated on a particular person they knew in life and feed solely on their memories. As the ghosts grow in strength the absorbed memories transform their visage until they're the spitting image of their target. Unfortunately, this results in the ghost becoming completely overwhelmed with jealousy for the life of their target, who they attempt to frighten into either suicide or a dangerous situation. While murder is illegal, Doppelgängers are rarely charged due to lack of evidence of foul play, as well as being unable to differentiate between the murderous ghost and the ghost of the recently deceased. Boogeymen, unlike Doppelgängers, are not made evil through unfortunate circumstances, but are born dastardly. These ghosts prey on a specific group of people, notoriously children, and feed on their nightmares instead of memories. With every nightmare they consume their appearance becomes more gnarly and terrifying, so much so that anyone who many who gaze upon elder Boogeymen are driven mad on the spot. They will also result to physically harming their prey to make their nightmares more potent. Although generally fearsome, Boogeymen lose all of their power if they confront someone without fear. They are also severely weakened if they accidentally consume a pleasant dream.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Zombies[/b] â?? these are not the shambling, groaning corpses of fiction: in fact, zombies are as mentally functional as most humans (and more so than some). In essence, a zombie is a creature born when the physical body dies, but the soul and memories (which would normally become a ghost) remain somehow attached to it. Thus, the body goes through a state of decomposition, while the mind and soul of the person remains active.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]Due to the nature of zombies, it is suggested that they are â??dippedâ?? once a week, a process which involves bathing the body in formaldehyde in order to preserve it. Whilst this is not a permanent solution (and it does naturally make zombies stink of formaldehyde), it temporarily stops the decay which would normally set in after a few days. However, if a zombie is injured, the body will not heal itself: broken bones can be re-set with a splint, but they will never heal, and cuts can be stitched up but they wonâ??t heal over. This is where the standard (seen as stereotypical) view of the zombie comes from, but most find this image offensive.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]Also contrary to popular belief, zombies do not crave human flesh to sustain themselves: in fact, being dead, they donâ??t really crave anything. They never get hungry or thirsty, and in fact even if they did eat or drink anything the body would be unable to process it and it would eventually be regurgitated. They are also unable to feel pain, which can be a double-edged sword, as they are unable to tell when they are injuring themselves.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]Unfortunately, due to the fact that they are already dead, zombies are also very hard to dispose of. In fact, the only foolproof way to â??killâ?? a zombie is total dismemberment, usually combined with complete immolation of the body parts. This will ensure that no part of the zombie will be left functional to come and get revenge on the â??killerâ??.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b][i]Homunculi[/i] and [i]Ghouls[/i][/b] - While most Zombies are created through as-of-yet unknown supernatural means, there are a few man made Zombies roaming the Earth. Homunculi are fabricated creatures, made either from the stitching together of different deceased bodies or through the creation of an artificial humanoid shell. Once the body is completed, whoever is creating the Homunculus, known commonly as a Frankenstein, calls forth a spirit and tricks it into entering the body, and then traps it in there. Before the ghost can escape, the Frankenstein electrocutes the body and does so repeatedly until the ghost runs out of energy and becomes permanently bonded to the body. Stripped of memories, the Homunculus has no sense of self and blindly obeys it's masters orders. For this reason Homunculi are quite the pain for the T.W.T.F. because their lack of self preservation allows them to work their bodies to their utmost limits 24/7. This also gives them a relatively short life span, however, as they are apt to injure their bodies beyond repair when performing 'missions'. Ghouls are the opposite of this process. Since the discovery of supernatural creatures, people have begun doing extensive, mostly illegal, experimentation on human and supernatural beings. One such experiment was to take a supernatural or a human and force them into a near death experience. When the gate to the afterlife appeared, the experimenters would revive the body, but forcibly banish the spirit through the gate. The result was a Ghoul, a creature that knows little more than blind anger and will do anything to devour souls. Despite the tendency for Ghouls to murder their creator on the spot, their creation continues to be a popular trend. The body of a Ghoul doesn't suffer from the same deterioration as other Zombies; their skin simply becomes hard and calloused, which provides ample protection against most forms of injuries. Ghouls can be defeated with sun light and fire, though.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Faeries[/b] - Know by many names such as the fairer folk, or Fae, faeries, as we know them, are the lesser denizens of the two courts of Fae, Seelie and Unseelie. Not the flying miniature creatures that were depicted throughout our modern day stories, the faeries that choose to take an earthly form resemble humans for the most part. That being the case, it is not hard to spot a faerie in a group of people. The fae take after the court from which they originate, giving them a massive variety in physical appearance. The one characteristic in common they have is that they are considered to be beautiful beyond words, this is due to the â??glamourâ?? that surround each faerie. This is a powerful illusion created by the greater fae to help lesser fae ensnare the hearts of mortals. None can really attest to have seeing a faeries true form, but it is widely believed that seeing their true form can drive a mortal to insanity.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]The Seelie Court represents the light in the world, having most of its beings being of a beneficial nature. Physically, Seelie faerie are usually brightly colored, their skin tone, hair, and eye coloring usually taking after the beautiful things in nature, such as wildflowers or trees. Though initially helpful in nature, Seelie fae only seek to help others when they can benefit from it. It must be said that though Seelie are the gentler of the two fae, they are by no means any less dangerous than the Unseelie.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]The Unseelie Court represents the darkness in the world. The Unseelie feed off of malicious acts that they either cause or have influenced others to commit. Physically, the Unseelie are the opposite of the Seelie, where as the Seelie embody everything that is beautiful in nature, the Unseelie embody everything that is cold and harsh, often in the form of ice and stone. The malicious nature of the Unseelie makes them quite deadly, but most are usually too coy to outright kill people, preferring to collude and conspire. Most Unseelie can overcome their more basic desires to fit in more in society, sating themselves on smaller acts of malice, like shoplifting or acts of vandalism.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]The two courts do share some common traits however. Both are able to draw upon their glamour to create illusions, though this practice is illegal and if caught doing so is a felony offense, which can lead to a sentence of ten years imprisonment. No poison or disease affects faeries, and they can recover from injuries twice as fast as a human being. Though a faerie can be killed by human means, they are heartier. Where as it only takes one pound of pressure to break the average humanâ??s skin, a study found it took four pounds of pressure to break the skin of a faerie.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]The bane of a faerieâ??s existence is cold iron; anything made of this can burn and disfigure a fae. Because of this, many choose to wear gloves at all times to cut the risk of exposing themselves to cold iron. Lastly, the most fatal weakness to the fae is a triviality to humans. Heartbreak, though traumatizing to humans, is lethal to faeries. Faeries who succumb to heartbreak are found with a caved in chest with their heart and veins turned to ash. Because of this, faeries only pursue carnal interests, and have become detached from humanity.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b][i]Muses[/i] and [i]Succubi[/i][/b] - Muses and Succubi are fae who have taken to prostitution, using their powers of allure to feed off of humans. Muses, hailing from the Seelie court, are considered beings of pure desire. A night with a Muse is considered a life changing event. Only an elite few can afford a night with a Muse, but they are extremely sought after. Though prostitution is illegal, Muses are considered by most to be a legitimate business, and it is incredibly difficult for the T.W.T.F. to get a charge on most Muses due to the resources available to them. Succubi are a far more sinister form of prostitution. Hailing from the Unseelie court, Succubi are faerie who have been driven to the edge by their malicious intents and actually drain the life from their johns. Though they are rare, a Succubus can go undetected for years, taking the lives of many people.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Sensitives[/b] â?? while not really another species, it is worth mentioning the Sensitives here. The most common way for a person to become a sensitive is to survive a near-death experience, and look through their own doorway. This gives them an innate connection to the immaterial world, and from that point on they will be able to sense the presence of ghosts at all times, whether they like it or not.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]The majority of Sensitives are caring towards ghosts, seeing them as tortured souls, and wish only to help them. These people usually use their talents to become part of the DAS, and help ghosts towards their own doorways and onto something better. However, a select few are more malicious towards ghosts, and become exorcists, using their talents to force ghosts through any doorway that becomes available to them in order to rid the world of spirits. Since the peace summit, exorcism has become illegal, and anyone found practicing in the art will be arrested immediately.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]A much rarer group of Sensitives is widely known as the â??Oraclesâ??, who through their own spiritual or immaterial experiences, have been gifted with the ability to see into the future. However, this often drives the Oracle made, and as such these visions are often cloudy, jumbled and confused, taking a lot of effort to convert their ramblings into any coherent prophecy.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Frankensteins (aka 'Mad Doctors')[/b] - A nickname originally given to Sensitives who create Homunculi and/or Ghouls, although it's colloquially used now to describe any Sensitive with a penchant for experimenting on or with supernaturals, legally or no. Naturally both the creation of Ghouls and Homunculi are highly illegal, as they involve crimes murder (on whatever other 'source' material they use for the bodies), unlawful treatment of Zombies and slavery of ghosts.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][u][b]Places[/b][/u][/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]New Los Angeles[/b] â?? Los Angeles was one of the first cities to fall in the war, taken by supernaturals in the very first days of the conflict. The United States Government declared it a quarantine zone, and mere weeks later ordered a mass air strike on the city, which was obliterated completely. Hundreds of thousands of people, human and supernatural, lost their lives in a single day, and that day plunged the war further into fire and darkness.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]However, in the final days of the war, the peace summit was held in the ruins of Los Angeles, and it was decided that a new city should be built on the ashes of the old, to stand as a memorial and as a tribute to those who gave their lives in the war. With the combined efforts of humans and supernaturals, a mere two years later New Los Angeles stood proud, a new utopia in which all creatures would co-exist peacefully.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]â??The Hubâ?[/b] â?? a relatively small building in the centre of New Los Angeles, the Hub is headquarters to the Two Worlds Task Force. Whilst it may look like a squat, three-storey building next to the steel-and-glass skyscrapers it is nestled amongst, the Hub continues for roughly twenty storeys underground, and is home to research and medical centres as well as the Task Force.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]â??The Fortressâ?[/b] â?? hidden away on the outskirts of New Los Angeles, the Fortress is the high-security penitentiary in which perpetrators of major crimes are held. There are separate wings for each supernatural creature, due to the differing technical specifications needed to hold such a variety of species.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][u][b]Concepts[/b][/u][/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]Since the peace summit, there are a number of concepts which have developed which some may be unfamiliar with. Here are a few prime examples.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Anti-Supernaturalism[/b] and [b]Anti-Humanism[/b] â?? in the same way that people are capable of racism, sexism, homophobia and many other intolerances, certain members of the populace are prone to intolerance towards other species. For example, a human who dislikes vampires simply because they are a different species would be considered an â??anti-supernaturalistâ??; and similarly a vampire who dislikes humans simply because they are a different species would be considered an â??anti-humanistâ??. Whilst most people donâ??t hold any hatred towards other species, there are still a minority who do, and they can occasionally get violent: this is the kind of violence in which the TWTF will become involved.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Blood Clubs[/b] â?? Blood Club society is a highly secretive underground society in which vampires meet in specially-designated â??clubsâ?? to drink unlicensed human blood (often trafficked or smuggled in from other countries) and, very occasionally, bring in an actual human or two to slaughter for their blood. As you can imagine, Blood Clubs are totally illegal, and even an individualâ??s presence at one is an offense which can lead to imprisonment.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Dog Fights[/b] â?? in a similar fashion to the Blood Clubs, Dog Fights are a similarly underground, and similarly illegal practice carried out by many (humans and supernaturals alike), in which they pit werewolves against each other at their â??time of the monthâ?? and take bets on the outcome of a fight. The charges of being caught at or involved in the organisation of a Dog Fight are just as harsh as a Blood Club, and will likely result in imprisonment.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Meat Markets[/b] â?? sometimes, despite all their best efforts and ensuring they donâ??t miss their weekly â??dipâ??, zombies fall apart. And when they do, more often than not they head to a Meat Market, a black market which specialises in dealing human body parts to zombies who have lost them. Surprisingly, provided that it can be proved no murder was involved, running or participating in a Meat Market carries a much lighter sentence than the equivalent for a Blood Club or a Dog Fight.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Memorgies[/b] â?? unlike Blood Clubs, Dog Fights or Meat Markets, Memorgies are in no way illegal. Instead, they are collections of ghosts who meet in order to share their memories with one another in an indiscriminate fashion. According to those who have been involved, participating in a Memorgy can be an intensely sensual experience, and as such many ghosts participate in them, as it is some of the only meaningful connection they can make with other beings.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Hunters[/b], [b]Fullmooners[/b] and [b]Smashers[/b] â?? the Hunters and Fullmooners are human groups which hunt vampires and werewolves respectively: they claim that, whilst dangerous, the adrenaline rush one gets from hunting a powerful supernatural creature is unbeatable. Smashers, on the other hand, are groups dedicated to destroying zombies by literally â??smashingâ?? their heads apart. All three of these practices are illegal, and carry serious sentences with them.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Branding[/b] - in the early days of the war, when the existence of supernaturals became public knowledge, humans naturally panicked. In this initial panic, a number of people who woul go on to become Fullmooners took to branding people 'outed' as werewolves with a crescent moon symbol, in order to make sure that they could be identified even when not in wolf form. Branding still unfortunately occurs, with Fullmooners doing it so they are able to quickly spot werewolves during 'hunt days'.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]The â??Ghost Networkâ??[/b] â?? due to their nature as beings of pure spirit, ghosts are inherently connected to one another, and as such are much better at finding other ghosts than humans or other supernaturals. Due to this skill, it is not uncommon for a member of the Task Force to call on the â??Ghost Networkâ?? to aid in his or her investigation, as they can often extend these skills to find corporeal beings as well.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]GhostFinder[/b] â?? one of the most popular smartphone apps ever created, GhostFinder allows the human user to see ghosts through the camera of their smartphone by picking up and displaying electrical impulses caused by ghosts. It is effective, however roughly only 75% of the time, and even when fully effective ghosts are displayed as fuzzy figures made up of blue light. The technology is upgrading all the time, however, and the creators hope that soon the user will be fully able to see ghosts through use of the app.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Supernaturists[/b] â?? Supernaturists is a commonly-used title given to humans who have certain sexual fetishes involving supernaturals and, whilst mostly harmless, sometimes there is overlap between Supernaturists and the hunting groups listed above, and often this requires investigation.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Lupex[/b] - A steroid developed from fluid drawn from the adrenal glands of werewolves post-transformation. When administered to humans, it provides a massive, but temporary, burst of strength, speed and heightened senses. However, prolonged use leads to extreme aggression and ultimately multiple organ failure. Extremely rare, due to the difficulty and danger involved in gathering it.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif]---[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][u][b]Dramatis Personae[/b][/u][/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Player Characters:[/b][/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Lieutenant Lucas Carter[/b] - a 123-year-old vampire and an expert investigator, Lucas heads up the field investigations for the New L.A. branch of the Task Force. His brilliant mind and somewhat impulsive demeanor belie a traumatic, and often violent past that he wishes he could forget.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Sergeant Erik Pelland[/b] - Lucas' right-hand man and one of his closest friends, Erik is a werewolf who has long since come to terms with his condition. He is fiercely loyal to those he is close to, particularly his wife Margot, but his condition has gradually caused him to become more aggressive over the years.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Detective Endymion[/b] - an almost unnaturally-handsome Seelie Court Faerie, Endymion faces numerous struggles in his day-to-day life: namely, an inability to truly connect with his team-mates due to his fear of heartbreak; as well as his addiction to glamouring. However, Endymion is a trusted Detective and an expert in undercover work.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Detective Claire Weaver [/b]- a tragically young ghost and former Sensitive, Claire has always been an outsider, from the cliques of high school to the entire living world. She is a valued member of the team due to her special talents in covert operations, and has the potential to become even more powerful than she can imagine.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Detective Charles Washburn[/b] - something of an enigma, 194-year-old vampire Charles is, like most vampires, haunted by the demons of his past. He is, however, an invaluable member of the team, with two centuries' insight into weaponry, as well as a high level of skill in stealth operations.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Non-Player Characters:[/b][/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Vincent Keller[/b] â?? soon to be sworn in as the new Mayor of New Los Angeles, Vincent Keller is a 325-year-old vampire with the power to truly unite the Two Worlds, and rid the world of prejudice and injustice. He is a strong, fair man and a trustworthy leader, liked by all but the Anti-Supernaturalists, who are nonetheless a dying breed.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Captain Samuel Griffin[/b] â?? Lucasâ?? immediate superior in the Task Force, Griffin is a gruff, but intelligent human who greatly respects Lucas and the rest of his team, a respect which is mutual. However, that doesnâ??t stop him from disliking some of Lucasâ?? more unusual methods of investigation, ultimately choosing to ignore them as long as they provide results.[/font][/center] [center][font=georgia,serif][b]Margot Pelland[/b] â?? Erikâ??s loving wife, branded a Supernaturist for her relationship. Nevertheless, Margot is a strong woman, who will stand by her husband until the very end.[/font][/center]

[font="Lucida Sans Unicode"][center][size="5"][u][b]Doctor Who: Zero Points[/b][/u][/size][/center] [size="2"]A long, thin strip of fabric fluttered out into the darkness and cold of space, whipping around itself and rippling as it went. [b]"Bow ties are most definitely NOT COOL!"[/b] Flames licked around the TARDIS console room as a youthful man dashed around, slamming his hands on buttons and yanking levers down as he went, causing sparks and clouds of smoke to erupt from the panels. His lightly-patterned shirt, which seemed at least a size too small, was open at the collar, the sleeves rolled up and his braces were hanging limply around his waist. He ran around barefoot, having kicked his boots off shortly before the bow tie had gone, and they lay discarded on the floor of the console room. The TARDIS was in bad shape, the doors hanging open as it hurtled through space, the central consoles aflame and the staircase leading to the other rooms had collapsed. Red lights flashed, and somewhere apparently in the distance, a deep, resonant bell rang, repeatedly and deafeningly. [b]"Come on, girl!"[/b] the man shouted, [b]"We're almost there!"[/b] He spun a small wheel round and grabbed a pair of levers, pulling down on them as hard as he could. He placed one bare foot on the console and yanked them downwards harder, using his whole weight to lock it down. The TARDIS made a familiar wheezing sound, and the man punched the air and whooped much louder than he ever would if there were other people around. He took a step back, yanked his sonic screwdriver from his pocket, aimed it at the console and activated it. The console exploded in a shower of sparks, and all of a sudden the TARDIS stopped moving. The man steadied himself, carefully checking around to make sure nothing else was going to happen, then closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. [b]"Let's see what we've got here,"[/b] he said a moment later, rushing to the console and grabbing the pull-out shaving mirror attached to the central column and stared at his reflection. [b]"New hair...oh, lots of hair!"[/b] he exclaimed, running his hands through his shaggy mane of dirty-blonde hair,[b] "Blue eyes...I've always wanted them. Facial hair!"[/b] he shouted joyfully, rubbing his hand across his chin, feeling the light stubble covering it. He performed a few more cursory checks, running his tongue across his teeth, checking he still had all his limbs, noticing that he was slightly thicker-set than his previous incarnation, then rushed to the open door of the TARDIS. [b]"Stars...well, that's not entirely helpful,"[/b] he muttered to himself, before stepping over the threshold and falling flat on his face. On damp grass. He lifted his head slowly. [b]"Earth..."[/b] --- [right][i]"He's like fire and ice and rage. He's like the night, and the storm in the heart of the sun. He's ancient and forever. He burns at the centre of time and he can see the turn of the universe. And... he's wonderful."[/i] -Timothy Latimer, 1913[/right] [right][i]"I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm 903 years old, and I'm the man who's gonna save your lives and all six billion people on the planet below. You got a problem with that?"[/i] - The Doctor (aged 903), 2008[/right] The Doctor. A name that echoes around the galaxy, burning in the stars of the Medusa Cascade and striking fear into the hearts of beasts and demons everywhere. In some languages his name means a wise man or healer, in others it means a fearsome warrior. Some call him a goblin, a trickster. Others simply know him as a mad man in a box. In truth, they are all right. For close to a millennia he has travelled through time and space, saving countless worlds, and raining down destruction on others. He is a good man and a hero to many. But now he faces his greatest challenge. Centuries ago, the Time Lords imprisoned a race known only as the Temparchs, dangerous creatures with the ability to manipulate timelines, in a time-lock. The Temparchs remained imprisoned for hundreds of years, while the Time Lords rose to greater power, then fell in a storm of fire and destruction at the end of the Last Great Time War. Two thousand years after their imprisonment, a single Temparch has managed to escape the time-lock and is searching for vengeance against the arrogant Time Lords who trapped them so very long ago. But there is only one Time Lord left, and he has fewer and fewer places to run. --- Welcome to Doctor Who, the latest collaborative RP from DeLarge and Vongola. This time we are delving into the already-established world of Doctor Who, and as you can see we've created something unique for you. If you choose to sign up, you will be playing the Doctor's companions. Due to certain constraints, this means that your characters will be limited to a few things: firstly, we can only allow (maximum) three players, although it would be more likely that we will accept two high-quality players. Secondly, they will have to be humans from present-day Earth. Thirdly, they will have to be from the same place on Earth, but this is something we can work out at a later point in the process. The majority of the story will be revealed once the RP proper begins, but we will be working through the messaging system a fair amount in order to ensure that, while we're all working towards the same goals, there are still a few secrets, even between the cast. To give you an idea of what we'll be needing in terms of your sign-ups, here is my profile for the Doctor: [b]Name:[/b] Unknown, but goes by the title "The Doctor" [b]Age:[/b] 1109 [b]Gender:[/b] Male [b]Home Planet:[/b] Gallifrey [b]Race:[/b] Time Lord [b]Race Characteristics:[/b] The Time Lords are an ancient and powerful race, gifted with the ability to time travel. They do this through use of living ships called TARDISes (Time And Relative Dimension In Space), which are grown on their home planet of Gallifrey and used by up to eight Time Lords. Time Lords also have a very long life span, and they are able to save themselves from death multiple times through the use of a biological process called 'regeneration', in which they repair every cell in their body, but at the cost of their physical appearance changing irreversibly. However, there are ways in which this process can be halted - either by the Time Lord himself halting it by choice, or if their body is killed in the middle the regenerative process. A period of twelve hours post-regeneration also has certain benefits: Time Lords are able to heal themselves to the point of regrowing severed limbs during this period. In some cases, regenerative energy can be used as a weapon during this period, with some Time Lords able to incapacitate several foes with a burst of regenerative energy. [b]Appearance:[/b] The latest incarnation of the Doctor stands at 6 feet tall, with a lean, sinewy physique. He has a shaggy mop of dirty-blonde hair, slightly darker sideburns and a light shading of stubble across his chin. His eyes are a striking, icy-blue colour, and small lines appear at the sides of them when he grins, and his smile is a little crooked. His outfit of choice consists of a black t-shirt, covered by a button-down burgundy shirt, the sleeves of which he usually rolls up to just above his elbows. Below the waist, the Doctor wears a pair of slim-fitting dark-blue jeans with a dark brown leather belt, and charcoal-grey and lightly patterned cowboy boots. When he is outside, he tends to wear a navy-blue American Civil War-era infantry jacket with brass buttons, although he rarely buttons it up. In terms of accessories, he wears a watch with a thick black leather strap and a silver-and-black face. It's not certain, but it is possible that the watch adjusts to tell the time on any given planet and in any given era he finds himself in. [b]Personality:[/b] The Doctor is something of an enigma. On the surface, he appears to be a youthful, jovial, somewhat hyperactive man, running about and talking [i]very[/i] fast. He has a habit of explaining things to people and expecting them to have the same level of knowledge as he does, something which is near-impossible, and he gets a little exasperated when other people's minds do not work as fast as his. To most decent people, he is a kind, good-natured man who would do whatever he could to help them out of a tough situation, and he has a particular soft spot for human beings, in whom he sees great potential. He also sees beauty in things which, to others, seem rather ugly or dangerous. For example, he would appreciate the finesse and craftsmanship with which a spaceship was built, even if it was on its way to destroy him. He is merciful, but only when things 'deserve' mercy, although he has recently come to realise that choosing which things deserve mercy and which do not is too great a responsibility for anyone, including himself. There is, however, a much darker side to the Doctor. He can seem arrogant, taking companions with him in order to show them the universe, but secretly feeding his own, not-inconsiderable ego. He also tends to put his companions into great danger so often that they begin to toughen up, before eventually, inevitably becoming his 'weapons' against the darkness, and many of them have perished because of this tendency. Similarly, while he seems friendly and jovial, he is prone to sudden outbursts of furious anger, particularly when lives are at stake, and this anger sometimes leads to violence. And when the Doctor gets angry, people inevitably die. Also, for all his great wisdom, he can be somewhat short-sighted, being led by his emotions rather than his more logical side, and this leads to him making mistakes. In short, while he would want you to believe that he is infalliable, the Doctor simply is not. [b]Equipment:[/b] Whilst he never carries a weapon, the Doctor carries a number of pieces of specialist alien equipment on him at all times. His most often-used gagets are as follows: [i]TARDIS[/i]: A living time machine, the TARDIS is grown from a coral, and is the main mode of travel for a Time Lord. Due to a malfunctioning chameleon circuit, the Doctor's TARDIS (an obsolete Type 40 TARDIS) is stuck with the exterior appearance of a 1960s police telephone box, but the interior is surprisingly much larger than would normally be expected. Not only is the TARDIS the Doctor's mode of transport, it is also his home, and the home of any companions he chooses to take with him, as it has a number of different rooms stemming from the main console room. [i]Sonic Screwdriver[/i]: The Doctor's most commonly-used piece of equipment, the Sonic Screwdriver has many functions. Perhaps the most useful of these is unlocking doors through generating a pulse of sound which vibrates at the same frequency as the lock, although this very rarely works on wooden doors. It can also be used to scan environments for any number of purposes, particularly to see whether the atmosphere is safe (although the Doctor can usually tell this by sniffing the air instead); and as a non-offensive weapon, used to deactivate electronic devices, usually through breaking them. [i]Psychic Paper[/i]: A small slip of paper, carried in a thin leather wallet, which, when shown to someone, displays exactly what the Doctor needs them to see. It has masqueraded as a number of things, including a housing reference from the Archbishop of Canterbury and any number of forms of identification, including being able to fool electronic devices and act as a swipe-card. It does, however, have its weaknesses: for example, people with even a low level of psychic training can see through the psychic paper's tricks, and it cannot support concepts which are too unbelievable (for example, it would not prove that the Doctor was a 'responsible adult', a lie too big for the psychic paper). However, he does carry any number of objects, both terrestrial and non-terrestrial in nature, in his pockets, including but not limited to a stethoscope, a wind-up mouse and a wooden mallet (although this is more commonly used to give unco-operative TARDIS consoles a whack than anything more threatening). [b]Special Skills:[/b] The Doctor is an incredibly intelligent being, having been alive for over a millennia and seen things most others could not believe. As such, he has an astonishing knowledge of alien races and cultures, although sometimes he believes he knows too much, as it often takes him some time to remember the things he knows. Similarly, he is fluent in a number of alien tongues, although this skill is helped considerably by the translation matrix in the TARDIS, which projects a low-level psychic field into the minds of its occupants which allows them to understand any spoken language. He is also a talented diplomat, having spoken down any number of potentially-violent races, although often this is just through talking as much as he can. And that is the Doctor's main talent: his mouth. He has been described as 'silver-tongued' on many an occasion, and is able to both build armies up, and strike them down with just his words. He also has a fearsome reputation, one which he uses to his advantage: he has convinced powerful alien forces to flee at the mere mention of his name, although this is something which he is not entirely happy about: he wants the name 'Doctor' to be associated with good, not evil, which it is more and more frequently. --- Obviously, your sign-ups won't need the 'Race Characteristics' section (I'm hoping we all know what the characteristics of a human are!), but they [i]will[/i] require high-quality writing throughout! Similarly, your 'Equipment' will be purely terrestrial objects, unless expressly discussed with us first. Once we have ascertained whether there is some interest in this RP, and if so who has signed up, we will be in touch regarding your character interactions in the first part of the RP. As always, if you have any questions then please don't hesitate to get in touch with myself or Vongola, and we will do our best to answer them! Otherwise, we look forward to reading your sign-ups![/size][/font]

Alright, so I moved us quickly to the end of the Starlighter sequence. A couple of things to ponder there, but if you hae any questions regarding what to do next then, as always, don't hesitate to drop me a message and I'll answer as best I can!

With a small effort, Magnus shouldered the door to one of the top-floor rooms open, revealing a large, open-plan office space, with a few empty desks scattered around. The room was cloaked in shadow, with no power going to the electric lights, and the windows were boarded up, and Magnus had to squint to make his way through the room. He knew Starlighter was in here, and his mind was clouded with thoughts of vengeance for his fallen friend. He felt around the room with his ability, identifying the metal objects within in case he needed to use them as weapons. [b]"I know you're in here, Starlighter! Come out here and face me like a man,"[/b] he snarled, and was met with a short burst of booming, derisive laughter, the echoes within the room making it near-impossible to tell where it had come from. Magnus spun on his heel, desperately attempting to pick out where the noise had come from, when something slammed into his torso with great force, sending him sprawling across the room. He looked up from the floor, and saw Starlighter standing over him, fist outstretched from the blow he had just delivered. [b]"I'll be honest,"[/b] said Starlighter with a smirk, kneeling down so his face was much closer to Magnus', [b]"I don't even know why you're bothering. You saw how easily I killed your little friend out there, I can do the same to the rest of your little group. Maybe I'll start with that girl, the one you were protecting. She looked...ripe."[/b] [b]"**** you!"[/b] shouted Magnus, enraged at Starlighter's threat towards Autumn, and he slammed his fist into Starlighter's chest, propelling his arm forward using the metal filaments lining his suit. Starlighter was knocked a few steps back, but seemed largely stunned rather than hurt by the attack. Magnus got to his feet, flicked his hand across the room, and sent three metal desks flying towards Starlighter, who flicked his own hand up and sliced the desks in half with thin, bright beams of light from his fingers. The Big Five member was clearly getting impatient, as he aimed his fist towards Magnus, and fired a much thicker beam of light at him. Magnus ducked out of the way, feeling the heat of the beam rush past his ear as he did, and launched himself at Starlighter, propelling himself forward just as he had done in his one-on-one with McKnight two days previous. However, Starlighter merely smiled, ducked to one knee and slammed his fist into Magnus' solar plexus as he went past. Magnus slammed to the ground, winded and coughing, as Starlighter rolled his prone form over with his foot. [b]"It's a shame. Geist have really lost their touch,"[/b] he sighed, aiming his open palm at Magnus' head as he did. Magnus looked up at him, and then started to do something unexpected. He began to laugh. [b]"And what exactly is so funny?"[/b] snarled Starlighter, lowering his hand slightly. [b]"You...you just gave the game away,"[/b] replied Magnus between chuckles, [b]"That's the second time you've mentioned being acquainted with Geist, so I can only assume you worked for them at some point. Which means they helped to equip you. Which means, I'm willing to bet that your suit is largely the same as mine."[/b] On this last word, Magnus raised his hand, felt the metal filaments running through Starlighter's suit, and flung him backwards, keeping his limbs in place, and pinning him to the wall. He kept his grip on Starlighter, who began to struggle, as he got to his feet and walked over so he was inches away from Starlighter. [b]"The man you killed was named Derek DeWitt,"[/b] Magnus whispered, his voice cold, [b]"The least I can do is make sure you know who I am going to kill you for."[/b] He reached out his other hand, and wrenched a leg off one of the desks. The end came away jagged, and the metal had a slight coating of rust, but Magnus brought it into his outstretched hand anyway. Holding Starlighter in place, he lifted the leg, ready to strike, when he noticed something. A small red light, blinking gently behind Starlighter's left ear. He reached forward and turned Starlighter's head sharply to the right, pulling his ear back to see what it was. As he looked closer, the light was coming from a small device, similar in design to the power inhibitors Geist had used on them, but jet-black. Magnus reached out and yanked it off Starlighter's neck, a spot of blood dribbling from the pinprick-sized hole it had made in his skin. He turned Starlighter's head back, and saw a drastic change in his demeanour. Where the Big Five member had previously been scowling, with true rage behind his eyes, he now looked terrified, his skin pale and a single tear running down his cheek. [b]"What the hell is this?"[/b] snarled Magnus, holding the device up so Starlighter could see it. [b]"It's...the Patriot put it on me..."[/b] he stammered, [b]"He's...been making me do things for a long time now...things I never wanted to do..."[/b] [b]"He's been controlling you,"[/b] sighed Magnus, hanging his head but never relinquishing his grasp on the prone superhero, [b]"All this time, you were...innocent."[/b] [b]"Yes...yes, I'm innocent!"[/b] Starlighter replied, nodding his head. Magnus looked at the floor, collecting his thoughts, then, having come to a conclusion, looked back at Starlighter. [b]"I'm sorry,"[/b] he said softly, [b]"But I can't risk you becoming a weapon again."[/b] With a thrust of his hand, the metal table-leg hurtling through the air and crunching into Starlighter's chest. Blood pumped out from the wound, and Magnus held the young man against the wall as he twitched and spasmed, shock and horror etched on his face, the same expression becoming a hideous death-mask as he exhaled his final, gurgling breath. When he was sure that there was no more fight in him, Magnus released the young man's body, letting it slump to the floor into an undignified heap. The adrenaline rushed out his body, and he began to feel the aches and pains of the fight, the blows to the stomach having done no favours to his already-injured ribs. He slowly made his way to the door, leaving Starlighter's body behind him, and headed down the stairs to rejoin the team. --- ooc: Looks like one down, four to go! If you have a pressing urge to, please feel free to finish up your Blank-combat posts, but otherwise you can post your reunion with Slate now the battle is won! We'll be heading back to base shortly, so when a few people have posted I'll take us back there.

Yeah, sorry about the RP kind of fading away. If people are up for a resurrection then let's go for it!

[quote]I would be thrilled to join a new Almagest RPG. I was supremely bummed when I didn't get accepted into the last one, and I relish another chance to be a part of this world. And I don't mind in the least spending a week+ to catch up on the storyline. So count me in. [/quote] Exactly what he said.

Slate stood at the open cargo doors of the transport plane, the wind whipping through his hair as he looked down over the dark city, speckled with electric light. They had received intel that Starlighter had taken a seat of power at the head of the Blanks after a particularly heated conflict with The Patriot, and they were holed up in a disused governmet building in downtown Chicago. [b]"Everything ok?"[/b] asked Addley, edging towards Slate. [b]"Fine,"[/b] replied Slate over the roar of rushing wind and engines, [b]"We're attacking him at night, that's the best thing to do." "And what about the Blanks? We've got to take on heavily-armed professional criminals as well as Starlighter." "We showed we can handle the Blanks at the bank, didn't we? We can do this, Addley, this is what we've been training for. Now get everyone ready for the drop." [/b]Addley nodded, and went back into the cargo bay to prepare the others. All of them stopped to listen, except for McKnight, who made his way easily over to Slate, looking a little uncomfortable in his uniform. [b]"I still don't think this is a good idea,"[/b] McKnight said, [b]"You've been training, yes, but not nearly enough to take on one of the Big Five." "McKnight, I don't give a **** if you like me, or even if you respect me outside of the team. But while we're on a mission, you will respect my leadership, is that understood?"[/b] replied Slate coldly. McKnight rolled his eyes, but nodded reluctantly. [b]"Good,"[/b] said Slate,[b] "Now ready the cushion, we're about to make the drop."[/b] --- [b]"We've got nothing to worry about,"[/b] said the masked man, his voice slightly muffled under the plain white mask, [b]"Starlighter's a member of the Big Five, no-one's gonna mess with us while he's here." "I guess you're right,"[/b] replied the shorter, but similarly-masked man standing next to him. [b]"Trust me, I know this town. No-one's coming for..."[/b] He was cut short by multiple human figures dropping to the ground, seemingly from a great height but also apparently softly enough for them to remain standing. One of them, a dark-haired man, flicked his hand at the pair, and their guns split into their component parts instantly. [b]"Run,"[/b] the man said, and the two Blanks looked at each other briefly, then decided to do as he asked, turned on their heels and ran. [b]"That was badass, Slate!"[/b] shouted Vegas. [b]"It's Magnus when we're in the field, Vegas," [/b]Magnus replied, and Vegas nodded, humbled a little,[b] "Right, there are bound to be more of them inside. Get ready for combat, all of you. Novus, front and centre. Warp, see if you can get a location for Starligher - keep moving, try not to get spotted." "Too late,"[/b] snarled a familiar voice from behind the group. Magnus turned slowly, to see Starlighter hovering a few feet in front of him, and a foot or so clear of the ground. He held what appeared to be a ball of light in his hands, which he held out in front of him and pumped a little more power into it. The ball exploded outwards, the blast concussive but not deadly, and bright but not hot. Magnus managed to shield his eyes, but was still thrown off his feet, as were most of the team, Novus being a notable exception, but even he couldn't dissipate the flash, and he was holding an arm over his eyes as Starlighter's fist slammed into his solar plexus, knocking him off his feet. The team were recovering, but not quickly enough. Starlighter stalked through the prone figures, looking at each of them like a predator surveying his prey. And he found his. He grabbed Flare by the scruff of his neck and lifted him off his feet. An evil, wolfish smile cracked across Starlighter's face, and he let go of Flare, placing the young man down in front of himself. [b]"Geist really haven't changed, have they?"[/b] he asked with a grin, [b]"Sending the boy with light in his veins after the world's number one photokinetic...seems like a rookie mistake." "Starlighter...don't..."[/b] groaned Novus, pulling himself up to his feet. [b]"Try and stop me,"[/b] snarled Starlighter, placing his hand on Flare's chest. Golden light spread from the point where he made contact, and spread slowly through Flare's body. After a moment, Starlighter removed his hand and took a single step back, satisfied with his work. [b]"Derek!"[/b] cried Echo, scrambling to her feet and running towards her team-mate, but Novus grabbed her arm and pulled her back, shaking his head. Magnus got to his feet and grabbed Echo pulling her face into his chest to protect her from what was inevitably about to happen. Flare turned to face the group, golden light slowly spreading through his body, seeming to hover just under the skin. He held his hands up and looked over them through the visor, front and back, now radiating golden light. His whole body pulsed with light, as though he was holding it back. But he looked up at Magnus, breathing deeply. [b] "I'm sorry I let you down..."[/b] he said softly, before tearing his visor off and throwing it to one side. With another breath, he stopped holding the energy back, and bright, golden light exploded outwards from his form. He looked peaceful, but Magnus knew that the energy was tearing his whole body apart, and a single tear ran down his cheek as he watched his team-mate...no, his friend, die in front of him. A sudden flare of light exploded outwards, burning through Magnus' eyelids even though he had pressed them closed, and when he re-opened them there was nothing left of Flare but his visor lying on the floor. [b]"You see what happens when you **** with the Big Five?"[/b] snarled Starlighter, floating above the ground, before flying up to the top of the building. Magnus watched him go, white-hot fury filling his body, and turned back to the building. [b]"I'm going to kill him,"[/b] growled Magnus, throwing his open palm out and bursting the metal doors of the hideout off their hinges, slamming inside the lobby of the building. He ran into the building, not caring for whether or not his team-mates followed him, a singular task in his mind. --- OOC: It's your choice what you wish to do from here, guys and girls. If you stay outside and mourn the loss we've just suffered, go ahead. If you want to follow Slate into the building and kick some Blank ass, then that's even more encouraged. Just bear in mind, you're unlikely to be able to catch up to Slate - he's pretty driven to kill Starlighter right now.

[quote]also everyone else should post because even in all the confusion i did my best to crank out a training post! just saying =P [/quote] What she said.

[quote]I just have one last question before I post. Would it be okay if I went along and gave Martian the powers and abilities we discussed, DeLarge? I'll make mention of them somehow in a flashback to her training. (Let me know if you need me to resend the PM, since it was a long time ago.)[/quote] That's totally fine, go for it!

Slate raised his clenched fist and knocked on the door marked 'Archives', hearing the clang resonating through the room on the other side of the double doors. He waited a few moments and raised his fist again, although just before he made contact this time, the door opened and a scruffy head appeared in the resulting crack. [b]"Yes?"[/b] the head asked abrasively. Even from a few feet away, Slate could smell the cigarettes on his breath, and his hair was poking up wildly in a number of different directions. [b]"Umm...are you the Curator?"[/b] Slate asked. [b]"Maybe. Who's asking?" "My name's Jacob Slate,"[/b] he replied, [b]"I'm a member of Geist's new team, I was hoping I could pick your brains about something." "Sorry, it's all pretty busy in here,"[/b] the Curator replied gruffly, [b]"I've got a lot of...filing...to do." "I brought this,"[/b] said Slate, holding up the beer he had brought. [b]"Well, you'd better come in then, hadn't you?"[/b] said the Curator hurriedly, opening the door and welcoming Slate in. He walked in, handing the Curator one of the bottles and grabbing one for himself. [b]"Take a seat,"[/b] the Curator said, gesturing towards a chair on one side of a small table, covered with towering piles of books and files, which Slate promptly sat down on. The Curator shuffled over to the table and took the seat opposite Slate, taking a generous swig of the beer as he did. [b]"This is good beer,"[/b] he said, looking lustily at the bottle, [b]"Geist give it to you?" "Yeah, it was in my fridge when I got here,"[/b] replied Slate, taking a swig of his own drink,[b] "At least they got one thing right!" "It's about the only thing they've got right recently,"[/b] smirked the Curator,[b] "So tell me, kid: what was it you wanted to know?" "What can you tell me about 'Project All-Star'?"[/b] Slate asked, leaning forward in his chair. [b]"I guess I should have expected something like that,"[/b] replied the Curator, smiling, his eyes glinting behind his glasses as he began flipping through the books and files he had stacked around him, [b]"The All-Stars...ah, yes. They were a super-team, formed around four years ago by Geist, handled by a man named Frank Kildare. They were looking to take the branding in a younger direction than the Big Five were at the time, increase the demographic of the superheroes, so they found these kids with abilities and pay their parents a hell of a lot of money to take them away and make them superheroes. Bear in mind, these kids were no older than eighteen, and Geist essentially took away their identities and rebranded them as the 'new generation' of heroes." "That's pretty sick..."[/b] murmured Slate, leafing through one of the files the Curator had given him. The members of the team were all listed, complete with photos, run-downs of their abilities and each one stamped with the word 'DECEASED' in blood-red ink. All except one, and it was one that Slate recognised. [b]"Jesus,"[/b] he said, fishing the pages out of the file and turning them over to the Curator,[b] "Is that who I think it is?"[/b] The photograph showed a young man with sandy brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a leather uniform much like the ones Nation's Pride wore, only coloured red, white and blue. He was a little younger in the picture than Slate knew him, his face a little less heavy with the weight of the world, and actually looking much happier than Slate had ever seen him. But it was unmistakably Michael McKnight. [b]"Oh yeah,"[/b] said the Curator,[b] "McKnight was a member of the All-Stars, back when he was just a kid. There's another member in there you might recognise, too." [/b]As he said this, he slid over another bundle of pages, these ones stamped 'Deceased'. The girl in the picture was incredibly pretty, with glossy red hair and green eyes. Slate recognised her instantly, but lifted up the photo and saw the name. [b]"'Cura', aka Victoria Ambrose..."[/b] he murmured, [b]"She was Elena's sister?" "Yeah, just a year younger,"[/b] the Curator said, a vague sadness clouding his eyes, [b]"She was an incredible girl, with even more incredible abilities. She could manipulate biological material on the cellular level, and she could use it to heal almost any affliction - with a little more training, she could have easily reached Alpha-Level. Her death is one of the most tragic things that has ever come out of this company." "So, what about the rest of them?"[/b] asked Slate, trying to focus on finding out as much information as possible, spreading the pages from the All-Stars' file across the desk in front of him. [b]"Well, the leader was a kid called John Parkman, but they called him 'Sentinel'. Makes sense, with his ability; he could throw up telekinetic shields, they could block all but the most powerful attacks. Then there was Daniel Jones, codename 'Vector', he could run almost as fast as Freight Train, but he had a lot more control than the big guy; Donald Bishop could phase, re-arrange his particles to move through solid objects, so naturally he was codenamed 'Soul'. Victoria and McKnight rounded off the team. They were all powerful when Geist found them, but they had no training, no control, and Kildare pushed them hard, trained them for months before they were allowed to go out on their first field mission." "Looks like Welsh has a different approach to Kildare. He pushed us out into the field after one training session, and we almost got killed by Starlighter,"[/b] Slate replied, looking through the files. [b]"You got that right,"[/b] replied the Curator, jabbing his fingers towards Slate, [b]"Kildare didn't like taking any chances. Welsh is more of the seat-of-your-pants, long-shot type. It's just unfortunate that no amount of training could stop the inevitable, really." "The inevitable? What happened?" "Well, the kids did fine in their first mission, cleaned up great, made a good impression on the public, all while maintaining their distance from Geist. As far as the public were concerned, the All-Stars were just a group of amateurs with superpowers, following the Big Five's lead. Then they get sent out on their second mission, to round up a bunch of rogue supers, old enemies of the Big Five, but ones that had kind of slipped into obscurity. What they don't realise is this group of supers have been mobilised by Payback, a powerful Russian super, and they've got a whole heap of firepower between them." [/b] He leaned back and took a long, deep drag on his cigarette, exhaling a large cloud of noxious smoke, almost directly into Slate's face. [b]"So the All-Stars go into this fight without knowing what they're getting into,"[/b] he said, more smoke emanating from his mouth as he spoke,[b] "And these rogue supers start laying into them. Soul was the first one to go down, some jerk-off made his ability go haywire, he re-constituted himself while he was half-phased, basically tore himself in half. Payback wades into the fight, slices Vector's throat straight off the bat, and then turns on Sentinel. Now, Payback's ability was to absorb energy and then blast it straight back, so he just walks straight through Sentinel's shield, absorbs the energy and snaps his neck with a T.K. blast." "So what about Michael and Victoria?"[/b] asked Slate. [b]"Well, they're the smart ones. They're hanging back, trying to work out an actual tactic, instead of just wading in like the rest of them. But Payback finds them and attacks, trying to kill the healer, but McKnight pushes her out of the way and takes the full brunt of the attack. Damn near kills the kid, but people do crazy things for the ones they love." "Wait, what?"[/b] interrupted Slate,[b] "Were Michael and Victoria together?" "Damn right they were. They were the best thing that happened to each other, and they were totally, sickeningly in love. So McKnight saves Victoria from the worst of the attack, but Payback starts moving on her, attacks her too. And that's when they arrive." "The Big Five?" "Got it in one. They got the call the second Soul went down, but they were too late to save the rest of the team. So the Big Five are fighting Payback, and all the while Victoria's trying to save McKnight, trying to heal him. But he's hurt way too bad, and she can't save him unless she does something drastic. So she forces herself, pushes herself harder than she ever has before, and his wounds close up. But saving him took everything she had, and she died a couple of hours later, before McKnight even wakes up. He never got a chance to say goodbye, and she died without knowing if she'd managed to save him, if he'd ever wake up." "And then what?" "Then nothing. Kildare is terminated, Geist maintains the illusion that the All-Stars were just a bunch of plucky amateurs who got themselves into a situation they couldn't handle, and the whole thing is swept under the rug. The only loose end is McKnight, so they decide to employ him in the Advanced Biology Division. A few years later, and he's the man you see today." "And what about him and Elena?"[/b] asked Slate, possibly a little too eagerly. The Curator smiled a little at this, but didn't mention it. [b]"Nothing, really. She's the first person he sees when he wakes up, and he thinks she's Victoria. Then she has to tell him that her little sister died in order to keep him alive. It eats him up inside, he blames himself for Victoria's death and so does Elena, for a while at least. But she comes to forgive him, and they become friends. I don't believe McKnight's ever gotten over the loss of Victoria, but the grief goes away little by little each day, and he's forged himself a home here. You shouldn't be so hard on the guy, he's dealing with things the only way he can." "Shouldn't be so hard on him? He knows what Geist have done, and he sat back and did nothing while they formed our team. We could get killed out there, and he knows that better than anyone. All this just goes to show he's an even bigger traitor than I thought."[/b] said Slate, getting to his feet. [b]"Don't alienate McKnight, kid,"[/b] said the Curator, struggling to his feet, [b]"He's the best chance you've got of beating the Big Five." "Oh, I'm going to do more than alienate him,"[/b] snarled Slate, storming out of the Archives. --- [i]Two days later[/i] Slate sat cross-legged in the training room, his power inhibitor inactive due to a work-around McKnight had installed which deactivated the inhibitors as soon as they crossed the threshold into the training room. Strange, metallic grey dust lay in piles around the seated man, as well as a number of metal pipes and cables, twisted and contorted into intricate, winding shapes. He turned his head slowly as the door to the training room opened. [b]"A rematch, Jacob?"[/b] McKnight's voice boomed through the room,[b] "Are you [i]that[/i] desperate to be humiliated again?"[/b] Slate got to his feet slowly, turning to face McKnight. He was standing a few feet away from him, dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, his glasses discarded. He registered the smallest hint of a smile on McKnight's face, but did not return it. [b]"I know about the All-Stars,"[/b] Slate replied, and McKnight's expression didn't change at all. [b]"Of course you do, Jacob,"[/b] said McKnight, [b]"I did tell you to investigate it, after all." "You knew that Geist have done this before. You knew that they see us as throwaways, expendables better than any of us, and you let them abduct us. Hell, you didn't even just sit back and let them, you actively helped. Yes, you just sat in your lab, but you may as well have been the one abducting us. For all your high-and-mighty ****, if any of us die, you may as well have pulled the trigger." "You really think a guilt-trip is going to work on me, Slate?"[/b] replied McKnight, [b]"I've long since dealt with whatever guilt Project All-Star left me with, and I'm trying to help you. You know as well as I do that I'm the best chance you have to beat the Big Five." "Not trying to guilt-trip you, McKnight,"[/b] said Slate, [b]"Just letting you know that whatever you do, however you may try to atone, in my eyes you will always be a traitor to your own kind." "So this rematch is what? You trying to defend the honour of your friends? Of all supers out there?" "No. It's to show you that, with just a couple of days' practice, I can do so much."[/b] On the final word, Slate flicked his hand out, sending four of the metal bars scattered around the floor hurtling towards McKnight, propelling them forwards with his ability rather than just throwing them and letting their momentum guide them. McKnight smirked and raised two fingers, dissolving the bars into dust and smiling as the cloud of dust flew towards him harmlessly. With a small exertion, Slate moved his hands and formed a small, but powerful magnetic field around McKnight, which the metallic dust was attracted to, swiftly coating McKnight in iron filings, and before McKnight could react, Slate thrust his hand out and sent his now-metallic opponent flying backwards, slamming into the wall behind him. He hit the floor, and slowly got to his feet, looking ruffled and more stressed than Slate had seen so far. [b]"You've gained more control,"[/b] he said, brushing his hair out of his face with one hand, [b]"Good. But you're still little more than a heavy hitter."[/b] McKnight thrust his palm forwards, sending Slate flying off his feet, tumbling head over heels through the air. Slate concentrated, and felt the metal filaments running through his uniform, felt the charge between the metal in the soles of his boots and the metal in the wall, and increased the pull, his feet clamping to the wall. He crouched, placing his hand on the wall, stared directly at McKnight and saw vague surprise in his face. With a thrust, Slate propelled himself across the room, directly at McKnight, who held a hand up and stopped him in mid-air. [b]"Interesting,"[/b] said McKnight, looking at Slate, who was hovering in the air in front of him, [b]"Thinking outside the box, using your environment more effectively. Still flawed, of course, but much better than your last attempt." "Th...thanks."[/b] snarled Slate, struggling a little to break McKnight's hold on him,[b] "But I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve."[/b] He focused on one of the metal panels behind McKnight, tearing it from its moorings and pulling it towards him. McKnight held a hand out behind him and shattered the panel into dust as he had done before. With a burst of energy, Slate yanked three more panels off the wall and propelled them towards McKnight from different directions, causing him to drop his concentration on Slate in order to break down the multiple panels. Slate dropped to the floor in a slight crouch as McKnight became engulfed in a cloud of iron filings from the panels. He raised himself up, took a step towards McKnight, slapped a hand on his opponents' shoulder, spinning him round and slamming his fist into McKnight's face. McKnight fell to the floor, clutching his nose as he went down. [b]"I may not be perfect, but I've got what it takes,"[/b] said Slate,[b] "Now get yourself cleaned up and report to the hangar. We're being deployed."[/b] --- Ok, sorry for the novel I just wrote, but it should get us back on the right track. Until I next get the chance to post, just write up either your reactions to Slate (just) beating McKnight, or give an idea of what your training allowed you to do (you would have had your training in the two day gap within this post), and I will post as soon as I can, getting us to the fight with Starlighter. Thanks for your patience, but this thing should step up a gear now!

Ok, I'm in agreement with you all that the training is really dragging, so I'm going to make a (probably quite lengthy) post which will get us into the beginning of the fight with Starlighter. From there, you can make 'retrospectives' in your posts, basically flashing back to your training if you choose, or just working your new training in some other way, that's up to you really. Hopefully things should pick up now we're over this difficult stage, I'm glad you're all still on board. In other news, I'm likely to have fairly patchy internet access for the next few days, so if you have questions then please let me know and I'll get back to you as quickly as I can, but no guarantees on how quick that will be.

[quote]Hey guys count me out for further postings. There's just too much confusion and time consumption for things to progress. Do with my character what you will, but I'm stepping out. My interest just isn't there anymore. I do hope you guys enjoy the rest of the adventure, and I do hope it actually progresses and continues down the road. [/quote] Sorry to see you go. I'll try not to be too horrible to Derek in the near future!

Things have been looking a little quiet, is everybody still in? I understand that some of you have other commitments, and it's coming back round to a busy time of year, but everyone seems to have disappeared and I'm a little concerned. I've seen enough good RPs die around here and I'm determined to see this one through to the end. On another note, I'm moving into a new flat so I'm going to be without internet for a few days from Thursday onwards. If you have any questions or problems then please get them to me before Thursday and I will answer them, I'm hoping to see a bit more movement on this by the time I get my internet connection sorted.

@Lilt: You can borrow her whenever you like.

[quote][b]Is there a viewing room for the training sessions by the way?[/b][/quote] Yeah, there's two viewing galleries, one for Geist executives and one for other spectators (ie. you guys).

Just to make sure, does everyone now know what they're supposed to be doing, or do people still need help?

[quote][b]Okay, I'm up to speed on the RP now so I should have a post tonight or tomorrow. I also have a good idea of the training sessions and how they might go. It sounds like it might not be as beneficial to our characters as I thought it would be at first (to go into training with McKnight.) But that sounds really interesting actually. I'll post the beginning soon, but feel free to sabotage Martian's training however you see fit, Gavin. Or (and this might be a spoiler) was that just an attack on Slate and all of the rest of us will have a normal training session?[/b] [/quote] Really McKnight would only be that harsh to Slate, your training sessions will be [i]much[/i] less brutal. McKnight is likely to be pretty aloof towards your characters, just seeming distant rather than openly aggressive. However, if you are struggling then he won't hold back, he will be blunt, it's just how he works. But he's not going to 'sabotage' anyone's training, really, not even Slate's. It's in his best interests to train you as well as he can, he just doesn't necessarily have to be [i]nice[/i] while he's doing it.

[quote]DeLarge what do you think to the idea of maybe trying to replicate some of the Big Five's powers in training to give people experience? [/quote] This is probably a good idea, it makes sense that training would be made as relevant as possible in order to prepare the team quickly. One thing I will say, however, is that we don't yet know the full extent of The Patriot's abilities, so attempting to replicate them wouldn't necessarily work as well as with the other members of the Big Five. Other than that, the training room is yours, Gavin, do as you wish with it!

[quote]I'm a little confused as to what we're supposed to be posting about right now. Are we posting the training sessions with McKnight or just PMing Gavin information and having him post it? Or a bit of column A and B? [/quote] Well I'm not 100% sure what McKnight is going to be doing with you, so I'd say it's probably more sensible to have Gavin make an initial post for each of the three training sessions and then you can post from there. Until Gavin can post, I would suggest making a post of your character doing [i]something[/i] in the HQ and then being called in for training at the end of the post. That way, you can all be posting and not waiting on Gavin to continue the RP.