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[center][IMG]http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k528/PhilBoothman/five.jpg[/IMG] [size="6"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"][u][b]Five Days[/b][/u][/font][/size] [size="2"] Thursday November 17th, 2011 [i][b]---PLAY MESSAGE---[/b] The screen flickers into life, the blackness replaced by a grainy, black-and-white image of a man sitting, looking into the camera: his short dark hair is matted, rings under his tired eyes and a heavy growth of stubble across his chin. The left side of his face is bruised, and blood is caked onto his temple and around his lower lip. He looks deep into the camera, opens his mouth and begins to speak. "I'm recording this in case anyone ever finds it, so they can see. They can see how the early years of the 21st century were when everything changed. Most of us, we lived in the darkness for so long, unaware of our place in the universe. Yes, there were some who knew, knew what was out there, what was watching us, but for the most part we were infants, howling at the darkness. But then came the day everything changed, and we were thrust into the light. The day half the world stopped, and people heard voices in their nightmares. The greatest turning point in human history, and it led to only one thing. If you find this recording, you can see it for yourself. My name is John Mitchell, and this is how the world ended." [b]---END MESSAGE---[/b][/i] On November 14th, 2011, half the world's population simply stopped. They stopped moving, stopped speaking, became inanimate living statues, over three and a half billion people, completely still and silent for over a little over two minutes. No explanation was given for this "Event", as it came to be known, by the governments of the world, and scientists across the globe were baffled, manically searching for an answer. The human race was shaken by the events of this day, but little did they know the worst was yet to come. --- Welcome to Five Days, a sprawling, epic science-fiction conspiracy thriller set during five days which shook the whole of humanity, and changed the world forever. Without giving too much away, this RP will contain many different elements of science-fiction, including a certain kind of "visitor", shady government agencies and a sequence of events which links together an unlikely set of individuals across the globe. But this isn't exactly a family-friendly sci-fi romp: it will be dark, gritty and possibly slightly unpleasant at times, so be prepared for these things. The story will be divided into five large chapters, each covering a day in this world-changing week. There will be twists and turns and perhaps even an earth-shattering revelation or two, in a complex plot which is partly created by me, but also very much in your hands. As it is a story based around global events, you can create a character from anywhere in the world, and your character can be anyone, as every single denizen of the planet was affected by the events of November 14th, whether they were one of the people who stopped, or one of the people who were forced to look on, helpless. You can be an adult or a child, a professional or a criminal, from any city in any country in the world: you will, however, be encouraged to travel over the course of the RP in order to interact with other characters, so try not to be too far away from any other characters at any point. Whether your character is actively searching for answers or just struggling to survive in the aftermath of the Event, you will each play an important role in the plot. There may be times when I privately message you to give you guidance on the kinds of things that should be happening to your characters, but how you carry these things out, as well as other elements of the plot are entirely up to you. I tend to say this a lot, but this is not just my RP, it's yours as well. I will be making a lot of use of the Backstage thread, as it will be important to help keep up with the twists and turns of the plot, as well as the locations of each character. To this end, I will keep posting up-to-date plot advancements in this original post, under the below headings. [size="3"][b]PLOT POINTS[/b][/size] [b]DAY ONE (Monday November 14th, 2011):[/b] - 8:40-8:43am (ET): 3.5 billion people around the world, mostly situated in major cities, stop moving, speaking or responding to stimuli. [b]DAY TWO (Tuesday November 15th, 2011) DAY THREE (Wednesday November 16th, 2011) DAY FOUR (Thursday November 17th, 2011) DAY FIVE (Friday November 18th, 2011)[/b] [size="3"][b] DRAMATIS PERSONAE[/b][/size] [b]John Mitchell[/b], a 29-year-old CIA Analyst who witnessed the Event but was not stopped [size="3"][b]CLASSIFIED FILES[/b][/size] These will become available during the course of the RP --- [b]Final Thoughts[/b] If all goes to plan, this will be a complex and epic RP on a similar level to the likes of Hybrid Vigor and the Almagest RPs, and as such I will be needing dedicated players who are willing to put as much effort into the story as I have and will continue to do. If we all do so, then this promises to be an incredibly enjoying and rewarding RP. Communication is also key, so make sure to keep in touch with myself and the other players in order to appreciate the full experience. If I get decent interest in this, then the Auditions thread should be up fairly soon. In the meantime, please feel free to show any interest, provide any suggestions or ask any questions to do with the RP right here in the Backstage thread.[/center][/font][/size]

[b]Name:[/b] Alexander "Alex" Kincaid [b]Age:[/b] 25 [b]Appearance:[/b] Alex stands at around 6 foot 2 inches, and is well-built but not incredibly muscular. His hair is dirty-blonde and shaggy, and he has a habit of constantly running his hands through it, partly out of habit and partly to stop it from falling into his ice-blue eyes. He is rarely completely clean-shaven, but whether his facial hair is just stubble or a full beard very much depends on his circumstances. A small scar runs through his left eyebrow, just missing his left eye, but other than this small imperfection he is overall a handsome man. He tends to wear simple clothes, usually just a pair of dark blue jeans, scuffed black boots and a t-shirt or button-down shirt. When he goes out, he tends to wear a grey hooded top underneath a black leather biker jacket. However, he will occasionally dress slightly smarter if he has to convene with the rest of the Order, but usually doesn't feel the need to put too much effort in. [b]Personality:[/b] Alex is something of a smart-alec, and on a number of occasions his smart mouth has gotten him into trouble. However, he continues to be one with a line or quip, and he is seen as the young rebel of the Order, a reputation he cannot help but live up to. However, he is passionate and dedicated to the protection of this world, he just disagrees with the ways of the Order, considering them to be stuffy old bureaucrats, although this might be the rebellious side of him talking. He is also loyal to his friends, but somewhat picky in his friend-selection process, preferring to keep a few people close rather than having a larger, less close-knit group of friends. He is also something of a womaniser, but simultaneously has enormous respect for the fairer sex. His usually jovial manner seems to be hiding a heavy secret, however... [b]Background:[/b] Alex was born to a magical mother and a non-magical father in England. However, his mother left when he was just five years old, for reasons he was never able to understand. His father raised him as best he could, but was unable to teach him anything of his magical background, until he turned 15 and accidentally set fire to his school classroom. At this point, his father essentially turned him over to the Order of Magus to teach him how to utilise his gifts. Alex adapted to this enormous change remarkably well, doing well but not necessarily excelling in his magical training - he had a lot of power but very little control, a combination which would inevitably end in someone, probably himself, getting hurt. His mentor, a powerful middle-aged Mage named Jared, introduced him to the idea of magical foci, allowing him to channel his less-controlled abilities, and he took this idea to heart, fashioning a number of these objects for himself. At 21, he became a full-fledged member of the Order, and began going out on assignments with Jared. However, after a few months with his mentor, he noticed that he was beginning to act rather strangely, becoming more distant to Alex and more aggressive in his methods. This strange behaviour reached a climax as he attacked Alex, a bizarre rage having taken control of him, his eyes turning blood-red and his previously controlled magic lashed out in a maelstrom of fire. Alex tried to protect himself from his mentor, but with a lucky counter-attack he killed Jared. However, unable to prove that Jared had been acting strangely and therefore prove he was acting in self-defence, the Order came down hard on the young man and gave him a severe warning - if he ever put a foot wrong again, he would be considered a rogue Mage and would have to face the consequences. As such, he has become extremely disillusioned with the Order, and only continues to work for them because he feels it is his duty to monitor the breaches and protect our reality from attack. [b]Abilities & Equipment: [/b]Alex is still relatively young for a Magus, and as such he tends to have some difficulty focusing his magical abilities. In an attempt to counter this problem, he carries a number of 'foci', objects which allow him to focus his magical abilities. The first is a pair of silver rings which he wears on the index and ring fingers of his right hand, which help him to both conjure concussive blasts of energy and also to attempt to shield himself from attack. The second is a small arrowhead-shaped pendant on a black leather thong which he wears around his neck through which he can focus protective charms, and the third is a sturdy wooden rod, around 18 inches long and about a thumb's width, tapering to a much narrower end and covered with spiralling runes, which he has christened his 'blasting rod', which allows him to focus energy, whether concussive or elemental, into a narrow yet extremely powerful beam. Some of the other Mages have started to call it his 'magic wand', somewhat disparagingly. He also carries a small, snub-nosed revolver with a few extra bullets, just for emergencies. [b]Character Snippet:[/b] Rain lashed down from the dark skies as Alex stood in front of the small, run-down building, his hood pulled over his head and his clothes drenched with rainwater. Great clouds of vapour billowed out from his mouth as he breathed in and out, displeasure etched across his face. He lifted his cup of coffee to his face and took a hefty swig, feeling the hot, strong liquid pour down his throat as he did. The Order always gave him terrible assignments, still carrying out his punishment for an incident that happened over three years ago, and this one was no different. Other Mages were sent out to Australia, some to Thailand and other such far-off, exotic places. And where did he get posted? Muir Island, just off the north coast of Scotland, and not a million miles away from the Arctic Circle. Freezing, cloaked in perpetual rain and altogether a bloody horrible place to be. Unfortunately, there had been activity around a breach situated on the Island, and the Order needed no more excuse than that to ship him off. [b]"Hey, buddy, how's it going?"[/b] a voice burst into his head, excitable and brimming with youthful energy and vigor. [b] "Keep it down, Ramirez,"[/b] replied Alex, wincing a little at the volume of the vocal intruder, his friend Joey Ramirez,[b] "It's not like this is a dodgy connection, moron." "You are a charmer, Alex,"[/b] replied Ramirez, and Alex could just see his grinning, gloating face, sat in the comfort of his apartment,[b] "No wonder the Order keeps sending you off to such glamorous locales."[/b] Alex couldn't help but grin at this - Ramirez, while something of a straight arrow, was no real fan of how the Order was treating his friend, and sympathised greatly with his situation. [b]"Are you kidding? I'd much rather be here than somewhere...nice,"[/b] replied Alex,[b] "Plus, I was getting a little bored of being dry."[/b] This last comment was greeted with a hearty laugh from Ramirez, and Alex laughed along with his friend. [b]"So...anything to report?"[/b] sighed Ramirez. [b]"Sweet F.A., my friend, sweet F.A.,"[/b] grumbled Alex,[b] "It's difficult to tell with all this rain, anyway."[/b] He sighed, squinting through the downpour towards the shack, when suddenly a ripple in the air caught his eye. [b]"Hang on..."[/b] he murmured, [b]"We could have a live one here."[/b] He reached into his jacket and pulled out his blasting rod, aiming the tip at the ripple. He concentrated, and heat began to channel into the very tip of the rod, which quickly became red, and then white-hot, the air around it rippling like heat off a concrete road, the rain vaporising around the super-heated rod. [b]"Alex, you're supposed to report back,"[/b] said Ramirez, panicking a little with theknowledge of his friend, [b]"Alex, you can't risk it - they'll use any excuse to throw the book at you again!"[/b] Alex paused for a moment, weighing up his options. However, his choice was made for him as the ripple passed, leaving the air in front of the shack intact, if still a little damp. He lifted the rod, allowing the energy to dissipate from the focus, and slipped the miraculously-cold rod back into his jacket. [b]"Right, I'm coming back,"[/b] he replied,[b] "The rupture's straining but it should hold for a few more weeks."[/b] He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, jet-black stone, a single rune carved on it. He rubbed the top of it, and the rune flared into golden light, and Alex vanished with a loud crack, leaving the wet Island for now. --- Hope this is all ok, let me know if there's anything that needs changing.

[size="2"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"]As I now have one sign-up, this is a (slightly) more comprehensive overview of my character. [b]Name:[/b] Adam (no last name known) [b]Date of Birth/Age:[/b] Unknown - thought to be over eight hundred years old [b]Gender:[/b] Male [b]Occupation:[/b] Timebroker - essentially a Temporal Caretaker [b]Appearance:[/b] (see original post) [b]Personality:[/b] Adam is definitely an eccentric. Having been on his own for a long time, perhaps a hundred years or so (there was a lost decade somewhere along the line, so he can never quite tell exactly), he has taken to talking to himself. A lot. He is usually jovial and friendly, almost to the point where his enthusiasm becomes overwhelming, but this intense joy he seems able to find in all things masks a deep sadness, a dark weight on his very soul. This could simply be survivor guilt due to his status as lone survivor of the War, or it could be something much darker. It is because of this that in moments of stress he tends to drop his fun-loving exterior completely and become extremely serious. Similarly, since fighting in the War, he has become a complete pacifist - he despises conflict of all kinds, and will always do everything he possibly can in order to avoid violence. Thus, his greatest skill is the ability to talk himself out of almost any situation. Although occasionally he just talks himself into even more trouble than before. In short, he's...complicated. [b]Extras: [/b]Adam has a leather wriststrap which he wears at all time on his left wrist, which holds a small personal computer underneath a flap. He can use this for thousands of different functions, including scanning objects and people for information and history, location scanning and a number of others. On his right wrist he wears six small individual wristwatches, each set to a different time, some moving at different speeds or in different directions, and only he knows the purpose of these timepieces, although it probably has something to do with the six humans he has begun to travel with. He is also the only person left in existence who is able to use the portion of the Grand Timekeeper which is in his possession, allowing him to travel anywhere in all of time and space. --- Hopefully this will shed some light on the mysterious figure of Adam, but also leave some questions about the nature of who he is...[/font][/size]

[size="2"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"][center][u][b][size="3"]Timebroker[/size][/b][/u] [IMG]http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k528/PhilBoothman/thegrandtimekeeper.jpg[/IMG] [i][b]"It is said that in the final days of the human race, everyone on Earth had bad dreams. Nightmares of war and fire and insanity raged through their minds, yet these thoughts faded by morning. Each and every one of them forgot their visions, save for a small number who remembered. It is these chosen few who will stand united against the darkness and the fire, and yet they continue through their lives, unknowing of their destinies... Billions of miles away, memories of blood and darkness, of fire and war rushed through the head of a man who was old and young all at the same time. It is this wise man, the wanderer, the exile, who will bring the chosen together and lead the charge into the end of days. As the players begin to gather, the whole universe trembles with the shared knowledge that the events that will come to pass will bring only one thing... The end of creation itself."[/b][/i] --- A flash of fire burst behind the man's eyelids, forcing them to snap open as he awoke from his listless slumber. He breathed heavily for a few moments, blinking his ice-blue eyes a few times to get rid of the fog that had clouded over them. He sank back into the leather armchair he had momentarily fallen asleep in, running his hands through his thick, dark brown hair and sighing deeply. His faded plaid shirt was crumpled, his black jacket placed roughly over his legs, which themselves were clothed in a pair of slim, light-blue jeans and a scuffed pair of brown leather boots. He lifted his head a few moments later, raised his arm and lifted his shirt-sleeve up, revealing a series of half a dozen wristwatches of various styles and shapes, each one set to a completely different time. His eyes scanned the watch-faces, and suddenly he leapt to his feet. [b]"Yes! It's finally time!"[/b] he shouted, the excitement of a small child etched cross his face as he scampered around the cluttered room he had fallen asleep in. The room was roughly circular, with a perfectly circular console in the centre, a large clock-face set in the exact centre of the panel. He reached across the mess of wires, buttons and keys that were placed, apparently hap-hazardly around the console, grabbed the hands of the large clock and pulled it round to match the third of his six watches. Suddenly, machines and devices sprang into life, whirring and clanking before settling into a smooth whirring sound. Lights exploded into existence, and parts of the room began to move smoothly together, as though part of a larger clockwork mechanism. [b]"There's life in the old girl yet!"[/b] the man shouted, running around the central console, a wide grin across his face. The floor began to vibrate, and he knew that they were on the move. He grabbed hold of a console as the vibrations grew into larger tremors, and the whole room began to shake violently. Sparks flew from consoles, raining down to the ground in bright, elegant showers. The man laughed somewhat maniacally as he raced from panel to panel, hitting buttons and pulling levers until the shaking gradually came to a stop, and he regained steady footing. [b]"I forgot how temperamental you can be, old girl," [/b]he said with a grin, patting the console. He ran back to his armchair and grabbed his jacket, swinging it on and rushing to the door of the room. [b]"So where have you taken me this time? Mediata Metraxis? The Flaming Spiral of the Keiller Galaxy?"[/b] he yanked the doors open to reveal a grimy back-alley, piles of garbage resting against dumpsters, a foul smell invading the room. He sighed, his shoulders sagging, and turned back to the room, clearly a little exasperated. [b]"Earth...again?!"[/b] --- [i]Time is not linear. It does not stretch out in front of us or back behind us. Instead it is a complex web, consisting of millions, billions of threads stretching out, intertwining and folding back on each other. Time is not perfect, either, and sometimes things go wrong, causing imperfections in the timestream, anomalies which must be repaired, otherwise the web could eventually tear itself apart. To this end, the Timebrokers emerged. A race of almost ageless humanoid beings with the ability to perceive the Timestream, travel through time and repair these temporal anomalies, the Timebrokers were as gods. They resided within the Grand Timekeeper, a vast device of their own construction from which they were able to monitor the individual timelines of every single being in the universe. But the Timebrokers were not destined to live forever. On one dark day a race of terrible, fearsome beings known only as The Tempest emerged from the darkness and waged war on the Timebrokers. The war was long and vicious, taking place throughout time and space, and as it ended both races were destroyed, along with dozens of planets and moons. Entire species were lost in that single instant, and only one survivor emerged. A young Timebroker calling himself Adam escaped, taking refuge in a single section of the Grand Timekeeper as it broke away from the rest of the device and fell through the Timestream to an unknown point in time. Adam spent many decades looking for other survivors, but to no avail, and eventually resolved to continue the work of the Timebrokers, travelling through time and space and fixing anomalies. But now a dark force is beginning to stir, one that could be a threat to the whole of time and space, and Adam has been drawn to Earth in order to find a group of individuals who could hold the key to fighting back against the dark forces that threaten them.[/i] --- Those individuals are you. Welcome to Timebroker, an epic tale that spans the whole of time and space, and will see you fighting alongside the Last of the Timebrokers against a deadly threat. But that fight is yet to come, and first we need to introduce ourselves. You will be playing the parts of humans to whom Adam has been drawn, for reasons as yet unknown to him or yourselves. As this is a story heavily based around time-travel, your character can come from any period in human history, from the rise of the Roman Empire to the distant future. You can even play the part of an evolved human from millions of years in the future if it pleases you! I could do with at least one from the present day, though. You don't need to worry about speaking different and possibly archaic languages, that will be sorted within the RP, as will a number of things including the mythology of this universe. So here's what I need from you: [b]Name: [/b]something era-appropriate [b]Date of Birth/Age: [/b]include both, as we need to know roughly when you were in your personal timeline [b]Gender:[/b] simple really [b]Occupation:[/b] again, era-appropriate [b]Appearance:[/b] picture or detailed description is good, both is great! [b]Personality:[/b] A good description of what your character is like, the rest of us need to know how to write for them [b]Writing Snippet:[/b] tell us a little of your life before Adam came into it. This can be anything really, just a short snippet to show that you're a proficient writer. [b]Extras:[/b] any weapons you plan on bringing with you? Any special skills that could come in handy? Let us know! I will be taking up to six players, but if I get fewer than six sign-ups then I can manage. However, it will be based on quality, not a first-come, first-served basis. So if I get four excellent sign-ups and two that are not up to standard then we will continue with four players. It may seem harsh but I need dedicated, talented RPers to really make this thing fly! If you have any questions then please feel free to ask them via PM, if I get overloaded with them then I'll set up a Backstage thread, and I will do so either way once the RP gets going.[/center][/font][/size]

[font="Lucida Sans Unicode"][center][size="3"][u][b]Amateurs[/b][/u][/size] [size="2"]I thought it would be easy to be a superhero. I thought it would be fun, and I'd get famous and get all the girls and the money I wanted. Don't get me wrong, I knew I'd get my ass kicked a few times along the way, but I never let that stop me. I was a ******* moron. I realised this blindingly obvious fact as I sat, tied to a chair in the middle of an abanoned warehouse, a single overhead light creating a pool of light around me, in the middle of the darkness. My own blood drenched the front of my costume, and my head hung forwards, more blood dribbling from the mouth of my ripped, ruined mask. A much older, tougher man paced around me, running his bloodied fingers through his salt-and-pepper hair. He was well-dressed but unkempt at the same time, sweating and breathing heavily, his designer Italian shirt-sleeves rolled up to his elbows. [b]"We can do this one of two ways, you little son of a *****,"[/b] he snarled, a hint of Italian in his accent,[b] "You can tell me where the rest of you assholes are, or I can start cutting your ******* fingers off and listen to you scream, and then you tell me. Your choice, hotshot." "I told you,"[/b] I groaned weakly, trying to lift my head to look this bastard in the eye, [b]"I don't know them...we all work alone..."[/b] Christ, I can be an idiot sometimes... [b]"Fine,"[/b] said the man, matter-of-factly, wandering over to the metal table set up a few feet from me and picking up an enormous Bowie knife, looking at the blade as it glinted in the harsh electric light,[b] "Let's go to work."[/b] --- Ok, it gets pretty gruesome in a second, so let's skip back to the beginning. I'm no bad-ass superhero, I'm just an idiot with the right combination of loneliness and ambition, and access to a makeshift costume. But as I discovered, there are people out there who don't take too kindly to a stupid kid dicking around in their business. I'm not the only one, either. Through some weird twist of fate, or a mass outbreak of mental retardation, a whole bunch of people in this city decided to do the same. Some of them are on morally righteous quests for justice, others are just out to commit some acts of violence on petty criminals, while some, like me, are just well-meaning morons trying to do some good in a broken system. This is their story. --- Welcome to Amateurs, a potentially brutal but darkly funny tale of life as a wannabe hero, living in the real world. Think Kick-Ass but on a broader scale, involving far more characters and a much bigger world. Your story in this RP is your own, at least at first. If you wish to do a superhero origin story then that's fine, if you want your character to be much further along in his or her quest then that's fine too. The only things I am insisting on at the moment is that there are no supervillains in this world, only superheroes. For now, at least, you are fighting against standard criminals, whether you're picking off petty robbers and muggers, or working your way through violent gangs of organised criminals. As far as content goes, pretty much anything goes as long as there is a reason. Sex, violence, foul language are all fine, but if they are portrayed gratuitously and for no reason then I will ask you to change things. This is a realistic RP, so keep that in mind. Other than that, just have fun! Your character will be fairly isolated at the beginning of the RP, but there will be team-ups and the stories will intertwine as the RP goes on, so anything goes really! Here is what you need to sign up:[/center] [b]Secret Identity (optional) Real Name: Age: Gender: Appearance:[/b] picture or detailed description is good, both gets you extra brownie points! [b]Personality:[/b] a reasonable length description of your character's personality, use your common sense when it comes to length [b]Short Bio:[/b] include some details about your personal life, preferably with some reason for why you decided to become a hero. [b]Notable Relationships:[/b] anything that would be compromised by your second life as a superhero? [b]Hero Identity Superhero Name:[/b] anything goes, really. It can even have swears if you want to! [b]Superhero Appearance: [/b]basically, what does your costume look like? [b]Equipment:[/b] you can go a bit nuts with this, as long as it is (probably) technically possible, and make sure it reflects your secret identity's financial status. For example, a teenage hero-wannabe is going to have much worse equipment than a billionaire playboy with access to hi-tech equipment. [b]Special Skills:[/b] what makes you a good(ish) hero? Combat skills are probably helpful, anything to do with agility would maybe come in handy too, but what specifically can you do that no-one else can? As you can see, I have left the Secret Identity as an optional extra in case anyone wants to reveal their secret identity as the RP goes on, but obviously use your common sense and put things like approximate age and gender in your Hero Identity. Here is mine as an example: [b]Secret Identity Real Name:[/b] Alexander "Alex" Preston [b]Age: [/b]23 [b]Gender:[/b] Male [b]Appearance:[/b] Alex is a fairly average guy - he's a little under 6 feet tall, skinny but muscular in a sinewy way, with shaggy light brown hair and striking blue eyes. He wears a pair of thick-rimmed square glasses most of the time, unless he can be bothered to put contacts in, and dresses comfortably but scruffily, usually baggy jeans, t-shirts and shirts with sneakers of various types on his feet. [b] Personality:[/b] Alex is laid-back and usually easy conversation, but he often puts up barriers between himself and others to make sure he doesn't get hurt as he has done in the past. As such, he is a perfectly nice guy, but is often fairly lonely. He is usually good-humoured and thoughtful, however, and doesn't take many things too seriously, usually using humour as another mechanism to prevent himself from getting hurt. He is, essentially, good-natured but with a darkness behind his eyes, a weight on his shoulders. [b]Short Bio:[/b] After losing his mother at the age of 6 in what was later revealed to him to be a gang-related incident, Alex became very closed-off and insular. This lasted for a number of years, until a group of close friends at high school brought him out of his shell and he became the confident, happy young man he is today. However, when he turned 22 and had just moved out of his father's house, word came that his father had been caught in more gang-related violence and murdered. However, instead of turning in and becoming insular and uncommunicative once again, he was filled with a burning need for justice and vengeance, not against the perpetrators personally, but against the whole broken system. Out of this need, the hero known as Enigma was born. It took him a long time, and a fair few beatings and a large amount of hospital time and bills, but he gradually raised his success rate and became a competent if not spectacular superhero. To this day, he manages to maintain both his everyday job as an engineer and his superhero identity with a relative degree of success. The job also allows him to develop new weapons for himself and a few other superheroes who have sought out his help through his anonymous made-to-order website. [b]Notable Relationships:[/b] Alex has always been fairly successful with the ladies, but he doesn't tend to hold on to girlfriends for too long - his late-night activities tend to get in the way of any meaningful relationships, but he's been seeing a girl named Becky for around a month now and things seem to be going well. [b]Hero Identity Superhero Name:[/b] Enigma [b]Superhero Appearance: [/b]Enigma's costume is functional rather than flamboyant, consisting of a high-collared black combat jacket with a large red letter "E" in a circle emblazoned on the back, a pair of black combat trousers with a red stripe down either leg, black boots and gloves and a black balaclava, with only the eyes visible, made of thin but strong mesh which allows him to breathe easily even without a mouth-hole. He used to have a cape, but found that it got in the way more than anything, so his current costume is designed for ease of movement more than making a statement about his hero identity. [b]Equipment:[/b] Enigma uses very little permanent equipment, preferring to improvise and use anything that is to hand, whether it's blunt instruments or something more intricate, like a lighter and a can of hairspray. He does, however, carry a homemade weapon which he likes to call a "ShockStick", essentially a telescopic baton which can be charged up and used as a taser for non-lethal takedowns. [b]Special Skills:[/b] For a 23-year-old, Enigma is a surprisingly effective hand-to-hand combatant and, having trained for a short while as a gymnast when he was younger, is also quite agile, able to make somewhat death-defying leaps between buildings and fight in an unusually acrobatic fashion. Also, as previously stated, he runs a made-to-order equipment service from his workshop, which offers to make any weapons or equipment for the budding superheroes anonymously. He uses his skill as an engineer to create the orders and leaves the packages in previously-specified locations, receiving the money via wire transfer a few days earlier. This also comes in handy making equipment for himself, and he usually saves the best for himself. --- That should be all you need to know, PM me if you have any questions for now, if there's enough interest in this then I'll make a Backstage thread for it. Happy creating![/font][/size]

[size="2"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"]On Vongola's request and due to the death of his computer, I have posted the beginning of the RP, and you can find it [url="http://www.otakuboards.com/index.php?/topic/44611-scott-pilgrim-and-the-great-big-mess/"][u][b]HERE.[/b][/u][/url] As far as I'm aware, he doesn't have any particular plans or requests from you, just begin your individual stories however you feel would work best. You'll see I've messed around a little with the formatting, it's entirely up to you whether you do this too or not, there is no set "house style", just go with what you think captures the spirit of the RP best. Other than that, just have some fun with it and I'm sure I speak for Vongola when I say this, I'm looking forward to reading your posts![/font][/size]

[font="Lucida Sans Unicode"][center][IMG]http://a.imageshack.us/img839/8766/gbmheader.jpg[/IMG] [size="2"][b]"Die, Mr Wright!" [/b]growled a deep, rumbling voice, dripping with anger and venom. [b]"You'll have to kill me if you want that to happen!"[/b] Phil retorted, steeling himself for the forthcoming battle [right][font="Lucida Console"][b]NAME: PHIL WRIGHT AGE: 23 STATUS: PROFESSIONAL SLACKER[/b][/font][/right] [b]"Prepare to face my awesome wrath!"[/b] his opponent snarled, leaping into action, fists and feet flying. Blows rained down on Phil's raised arms, each one connecting with a hefty [size="3"][font="Palatino Linotype"]SMACK[/font][/size] as he blocked his face from the flurry of attacks. He dropped to the floor and swept his leg across with a [size="3"][font="Palatino Linotype"]SWISH[/font][/size], but his opponent hopped over the attack and swung a foot towards Phil's face. Phil grabbed it and flipped the opponent backwards. He stumbled as he landed, but maintained his footing. [b]"Not bad, Mr. Wright. But you'll have to do much better than that to defeat me!"[/b] [b]"How's this, douchebag?"[/b] Phil replied, hurtling towards his opponent and slamming a fist into his chest, throwing him backwards to the floor, allowing Phil to leap into the air, a knee aimed towards his prone opponent's head. However, his opponent was quick and flipped back onto his feet, dodging the potentially devastating blow and causing Phil's knee to hit the floor with a [size="3"][font="Palatino Linotype"]CRUNCH[/font][/size]. [b]"Your skill is undoubted, but you do not have the discipline to end this!"[/b] [b]"You two are morons,"[/b] sighed a third voice, and the two warriors turned to face the source of this voice. Their flatmate Alix stood in the doorway to the living room, a bag stuffed with books slung over her shoulder and a withering look on her face. [right] [b][font="Lucida Console"]NAME: ALIX SPENDER AGE: 22 STATUS: IRRITATINGLY RESPONSIBLE[/font][/b][/right] Theo dropped his controller and leapt to his feet. [right][font="Lucida Console"][b]NAME: THEO ADAMS AGE: 24 STATUS: LIKEABLY DELUSIONAL[/b][/font][/right] [b]"You dare insult the master of all combat?"[/b] he growled, coughing a little as the forced snarl began to hurt his throat. Alix rolled her eyes and left the apartment, leaving Phil to gesture Theo back to the game. He looked at his watch, rubbed his eyes and looked again, this time in shock. [b]"Holy Jesus on a jetski, I'm so late,"[/b] he said, rushing out of the living room and into his bedroom,[b] "I was supposed to meet Helena half an hour ago, I knew there was some reason I couldn't do this!" "How are things going with you two?" [/b]Phil shouted across the corridor. [b]"Good, it's been a while." "Do I ever get to meet her?" "Well, I like her and I want her to become a proper part of my life...so no, you never get to meet her." "Why not?"[/b] replied Phil in (relative) disbelief. [b]"Because, and I mean this in the nicest possible way, Phil," [/b]he said, moving back into the living room, now wearing a different but similar shirt,[b] "But you're a total loser. And if Helena meets you, then she'll think I'm a loser too, and I'd like for her not to find that out for as long as possible. So how about you, any new girlfriend prospects?" "What do you think?"[/b] Phil replied with a scowl, turning back to the TV screen. Theo sighed and knelt down next to Phil, placing his hand on Phil's arm. [b]"You really need to get out there, buddy,"[/b] he said,[b] "It's been weeks since Nikki left." "Don't you dare say that name under this roof!"[/b] snarled Phil, his face suddenly pressed close to Theo's, anger in his voice and his index finger raised to silence his friend, [b]"If you must refer to her, please call her "It", or I swear I'll move out!" [/b]Theo pondered this for a moment, before (reluctantly) nodding in agreement. [b]"Now go..."[/b] said Phil, pointing to the door, and Theo got to his feet and headed out to meet his new(ish) girlfriend Helena. Phil sighed, feeling a little bad about snapping at his friend, but his civil (earth-shattering), low-key (publically humiliating) and totally NOT) mutual break-up with his previous girlfriend "It". He got to his feet, stretched a little until his joints loosened with a series of audible CRACKS, and headed to the kitchen. He turned the corner to get in, and was greeted by the sight of a strange man, well-built but naked aside from an inadequate towel wrapped around his waist, searching the fridge for food. [b]"Hi..."[/b] he said, puzzled. The guy turned round and nodded, then turned back to his epic quest for food. Phil's common sense started to kick in to try and work out the situation... [center][font="Lucida Console"][b]PHIL'S COMMON SENSE LOADING... LOADING... LOADING... LOADING... FULLY LOADED![/b][/font][/center] [b]"Ella!"[/b] he shouted, turning back out of the kitchen and storming down the hall. His other female flatmate Ella emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of shower-steam and perfumed body spray, a questioning look on her face. [right][font="Lucida Console"][b]NAME: ELLA JOHNSON AGE: 23 STATUS: KINDA SLUTTY...[/b][/font][/right] [b]"What?" [/b]she asked, pressing her hair with a pair of straighteners. [b]"Who's the dude drinking my OJ?" "It's Alix's OJ, actually..." "Whatever, the OJ is not important. What's important is that there's a half-naked man in my kitchen!" "Technically it's Alix's kitchen..." "It doesn't matter! Who's the dude?" "Oh him? That's...urmmm...my friend!" "Really? You can't even remember his name? Really, Ella? Is he just a piece of meat to you?"[/b] he raged, wondering at the same time whether he was actually angry at Ella bringing home a random dude for the millionth time or if he was just venting about "It". [b]"Hey, when the package is that pretty, who cares what's inside!" [/b]she replied, and turned back into the bathroom. Phil sank to the floor, his head in his hands. [b]"Such a bad morning..."[/b] he groaned quietly, his self-pity violently interrupted by a loud beeping coming from his pocket. He got to his feet and yanked his phone from it, flipping it open and reading the text message he had just received. [b] "MR WRIGHT,"[/b] it read, Phil wasn't sure if it was typed by someone who was incredibly angry with him or just by an idiot, [b]"WE WIL FITE V. V. SOON! U WIL DI LOLZ!" [/b]Phil raised an eyebrow at the message, deleted it and flipped the phone closed. Now where was I? he wondered, before remembering, Ah yeah, that's it. He sank back down to the floor and continued groaning. The messages, over email, text message and wall posts on Facebook from a group calling itself[b] "DIE PHIL WRIGHT!" [/b]had been coming for upwards of three weeks now, and showed no sign of stopping. [b]"OJ?"[/b] came a mysterious voice, and Phil raised his head to see the piece of meat standing over him, waving a half-empty (or half-full. No wait, half-empty) carton of orange juicei his face. [b] "As if you haven't done enough already..."[/b] snarled Phil, still not sure of the cause of his anger. He stumbled back into the living room, ignoring the bewildered looks of the piece of meat as he went, and collapsed into a heap on the sofa, flicking the TV on. [b]"...the first annual GGG Heavy Industries Pop Culture Expo will be taking place here one week from today," said the attractive young news reporter as the busted old TV flickered into life, "Thousands of people will be in attendance to witness the new releases by GGG Heavy Industries, as well as the first public appearance of the mysterious Ms. Veronica Vixen, new CEO of the company. The official press release for the expo claims that it will be "full of surprises," with one of the few attractions to be announced thus far being the genius Video Game producer Ashley Frieze, showcasing his new product line. But as far the expo goes, we can definitely expect a number of GGG-signed bands to make appearances, including the ever-popular Clash at Demonhead, and the newly-signed Sex Bob-omb to name but a couple. We will be bringing you all the latest news on the Expo when we hear it, back to you in the studio." "Pop Culture Expo..."[/b] mumbled Phil drowsily, before dismissing it and going back to his video game.[/font][/size][/center]

[size="2"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Fan-flippin'-tastic James, thank you so much![/font][/size]

[size="2"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"]No problem, how are these? [IMG]http://a.imageshack.us/img541/1825/fightredwhite.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://a.imageshack.us/img248/500/vsredwhite.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://a.imageshack.us/img838/8629/koredwhite.jpg[/IMG] I was thinking along the same lines as you for other sound effects, hopefully the thread won't be too cluttered with those rather than full-on icons. Still, we may need to mark the actual RP thread as Image Heavy just to be safe. And music is definitely a good idea, are you thinking that we just link to YouTube videos of the songs we want to use?[/font][/size]

[size="2"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I was trying to work on the thoughts I discussed with you, about making the RP a more visual experience, and quickly knocked up a few icons to use within the RP. They're fairly rough and I won't be offended if anyone wants to make some better ones, but these are preliminaries: [IMG]http://a.imageshack.us/img411/1721/fightwhite.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://a.imageshack.us/img72/5059/kowhite.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://a.imageshack.us/img840/5776/vswhite.jpg[/IMG] I figured these would be the most common effects needed, it'll become too cluttered if we use this for every single KAPOW, THWACK or WALLOP, although I can make some more if necessary. I can also add colour to them if you would like, I was thinking maybe red words on white background? I can supply the IMG codes to each of the players and they can use the icons as and when they need to. What does anyone think? And does anyone have any other ideas on how to make the RP a little more visual? [/font][/size]

[size="2"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Hey arty types! I am in need of a new avi/banner set in a Scott Pilgrim style. The avatar should be made from [url="http://yfrog.com/61scottpilgrimvsworldrevij"][u][b] this image[/b][/u][/url], and just be the image as is, no embellishment, standard OB avatar size. The signature banner should again be standard OB banner size, and use [url="http://yfrog.com/7hscottpilgrimvstheworld5j"][b][u]this image[/u][/b][/url], with the words: "An epic of epic epicness" written on it somewhere. If there are clearer versions of the images that can be used then please feel free to use them instead, and also please contact me via PM if there's anything else you need from me. Thanks very much in advance, I look forward to the results![/font][/size]

[size="2"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"][b]Song Title and Band:[/b] [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiMSXRxyVUQ"][b]Withered Hope by They Might Be Giants[/b][/url] - simultaneously upbeat and downbeat, and kinda stupid. Much like Phil himself... [u][b]Main Character[/b][/u] [b]Name:[/b] Phil Wright [b]Age:[/b] 23 [b]Gender:[/b] Male [b]Appearance: [/b]Phil stands at around 5'11", with broad shoulders and a relatively muscular physique. Build-wise, he has the appearance of a former athlete who has let himself go a little although by his own admission he's barely done a day's exercise in his life. He has striking light blue eyes and a shaggy mop of dirty brown hair which falls to the base of his neck at the back and down partly over his eyes at the front, causing him to push it out of his face constantly. He sometimes wears a pair of thick-rimmed square glasses, but only when he can't be bothered to put contacts in. Similarly, his face will often have a growth of stubble around the chin when he can't be bothered to shave. As for attire, he usually wears a simple t-shirt and jeans, maybe putting a checked shirt or a denim jacket over the t-shirt if he's going out. Around his apartment, he is usually barefoot, but when he goes out he has a pair of blue-and-white Etnies trainers he can slip on easily. He also wears a dark brown leather strap around his left wrist and an arrowhead-shaped pendant on a thin black leather thong around his neck. [b]Personality:[/b] Phil's personality can be described most accurately as that of an upbeat, well-intentioned slacker. He constantly means to do something productive with his life, but the call of beer, instant ramen, tv, music and video games usually gets in the way. His laziness and his tendency to be utterly bewildered by many situations, however, disguises a sharp sense of humour and an intelligence which is rarely used but there if he needs it. He also has a sense of honour and loyalty towards his friends, and will do almost anthing to protect them, including fighting off his own personal Evil Exes. [b]Location: [/b]Born in London, England, Phil now lives in a shared apartment in New York which, due to a rent control mix-up, is unusually cheap. [b]Weapon(s) of Choice:[/b] Phil, when the need arises for him to engage in a little combat, uses a pair of short swords which offer him a "+2 against douchebags", as he so eloquently puts it. [b]Unique Ability: [/b]When angered, Phil can enter a sort of "berzerker mode", wherein he becomes much faster and stronger for a short period. Usually this happens at inopportune moments, like the time his bagel got stuck in the toaster and he punched the appliance somewhere in the region of a mile and a half away. However, sometimes it happens mid-fight, in which case it can come in pretty handy. He can also sleep for up to 18 hours straight, which is only an "ability" in Phil's own eyes. [b]Weakness: [/b]Phil can be far too trusting far too quickly, wanting to see the good in everyone, and as such his opponents can often get the drop on him. This also causes him to enter into doomed or unhealthy relationships far too often, sometimes gaining him even more enemies. Also he really hates being kicked in the crotch. [b]Writing Snippet:[/b] [b] "Wake the hell up, idiot!"[/b] a harsh female voice barked, and was accompanied by a blunt impact on Phil's chest. His eyes snapped open, and he sat up suddenly, clutching the affected area. A large book fell off him and onto the floor, and as his vision cleared he saw it was a medical dictionary. [b]"Alix, it's not polite to wake a man at the crack of..."[/b] he squinted at the clock above the door,[b] "...2:30 pm...how long was I asleep?" "Too long,"[/b] replied Alix, picking her medical dictionary up and stuffing it into her bag,[b] "Look, I have to go to class, can you tidy this place up and buy some groceries? And not just junk food this time, Phil: melted strawberry ice cream is not a nutritious breakfast as you so often tell us." "Hey, it's got fruit, dairy and enough sugar to last a month,"[/b] groaned Phil, rolling off the battered blue couch and stretching,[b] "What's not nutritious about that?" [/b]He rubbed his eyes and looked around at the living room - there were pizza boxes, ramen noodle cups and empty beer bottles littered around the floor, a tangle of cables and assorted games consoles by the TV and DVD and CD cases piled up around the room. [b]"Just promise me you'll do something useful today. Please?"[/b] asked Alix. She hated nagging so much, but she got frustrated with seeing Phil not fulfilling his potential. Phil nodded, smiled and wavd Alix out of the apartment. She shook her head witheringly and walked out of the door, heading to her class, and Phil ambled into the kitchen. He pulled the last two slices of bread out of the bag and shoved them in the toaster. Or what he thought was the toaster and was, in fact, a post-it stuck to the kichen counter with the words[b] "BUY NEW TOASTER"[/b] scrawled on it in black marker. He rolled his eyes and yanked the fridge door open, grabbing a bottle of something off the shelf, flipping the cap off and pouring a generous measure into his mouth. He held it there for a moment while he identified it as OJ, nodded and padded down the hallway to his room. He pushed the door, but something was resisting, so he gave it a hefty shove and it fell open, piles of clothes blocking the way. He kicked a few things out of the way, grabbed a t-shirt off the floor and sniffed it. It smelt a little funny, but after a second sniff, this time of his current t-shirt, deemed it cleaner than what he had on, and switched shirts, a spray of anti-perspirant deodorant freshening him up for the day. Among the shirts, CDs and general detritus of living, a deep red Musicman bass guitar stood proud on its' stand, a battered acoustic guitar leaning up against the similarly-battered bass amp next to the bass. These were his most prized items, and the area around the instruments was far tidier than the rest of the room. He smiled a little as he looked at them, then flipped open his beaten-up laptop computer and fired it up, logging on to the internet as soon as it was active. He began his routine daily check of social network sites, without much hope. Facebook: nothing new. Twitter: nothing new. E-mail: one new message. [b]Re: U R DEAD![/b] Phil raised an eyebrow as he opened this new e-mail, not sure what to expect. His eyes scanned the message: [font="Lucida Console"]Mii nme iz Bobby Cash. U dated mii g-friend yrs ago. U dick. She tld me abt u nd i woz all liek "OMGzz wot a n00b I shld totes kill tht dick". Nw Im gunna kill u so u shld wotch out. Dick. Lates.[/font] Phil blinked a few times, totally bewildered by the e-mail. He read through it a number of times, and finally decided it wasn't meant for him, so simply dragged it to the Recycle Bin, switched the laptop off and yawned. That was about enough activity for now, he thought, and headed back to the couch. [u][b]The League of Ex-Girlfriends' Evil Boyfriends[/b][/u] Phil's own personal League is a little bit complicated - it is made up of the current boyfriends of his ex-girlfriends. As far as he knows, his ex-girlfriends have nothing to do with it, it's all about their idiot boyfriends and their collective sense of loyalty towards their partners. [b]1. Bobby Cash[/b] The boyfriend of Phil's first ex-girlfriend, Maddie. They were friends first, then became a couple in an ill-advised move. The relationship lasted less than three weeks and happened ten years ago, but apparently Bobby's pissed. Bobby is kind of a wuss, but is so infatuated with Maddie that he will do anything to get in her good books, so he is willing to fight Phil fo revenge by proxy. [b]2. Guy Marsters[/b] Phil's first serious girlfriend, Emily, now dates a circus performer named Guy. He's an acrobat and a juggler, and wants to teach Phil a lesson after he (in an admittedly douche-y move) ended their 3-month relationship by text message. She eventually forgave Phil, but Guy aparently didn't! [b]3. Bruce Kurtain[/b] An indie-rock guitarist and poser, and current boyfriend of Phil's second serious girlfriend, Charlotte. When she told Bruce about Phil, it seems she omitted the part where she cheated on him twice in the space of four months. Either way, Bruce is out to get Phil. [b]4. Ashley Frieze[/b] The serious boyfriend of Elsie, a girl Phil stupidly hooked up with after he and Charlotte split up, Ashley is possibly the biggest asshole of the lot. He is a computer programmer, and can do things with video games that no-one would expect, and he plans on turning his talents in Phil's direction... [b]5. Karl Fielding[/b] Karl technically shouldn't be part of the League, as he is the ex-boyfriend of one of Phil's best friends, Ella, but Phil was the one who discovered Karl was cheating on Ella and told her (Ella is one of his best friends and he never really cared for Karl in the first place). However, this former American football player is big, mean and has a vendetta against Phil nonetheless. [b]6. Matthew McKenna[/b] This one is pretty raw - Phil's most serious and longest-lasting girlfriend Nikki broke up with him after two and a half years to be with Matthew, a gloating, arrogant but incredibly intelligent and scheming movie producer. He is the head of the League of Ex-Girlfriends' EvilBoyfriends, but answers to higher, more mysterious power. [u][b]Extra[/b][/u] [b]Suggestions:[/b] I'm quite knowledgable on the Scott Pilgrim universe, so if you need any help or anything then don't hesitate to ask me. Also, I've just given the basics about the League at the moment, I'd prefer to do the exposition on them in-story.[/font][/size]

[size="2"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Honestly, words cannot describe how excited I am about this movie. I can only curse the fact I have to wait an extra two weeks for it to come out over here in England. I am a big fan of the comics, and also a massive Edgar Wright fan, so I'm fairly sure this movie can't put a foot wrong. I will post again here once I've seen it, and no doubt that will absolutely nail my nerdy colours to the mast. As if this hasn't already done that.[/font][/size]

[size="2"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Phil dashed to Eun Jung's side as she hit the floor, holding her head up slightly as she began to recover from the possession. The wisps of smoke that made up Eligos' current form dissipated, getting pulled back into the crack as they floated upwards. Eun Jung's eyes gradually regained focus, and she shivered as she looked up at Phil, who smiled back down at her. [b]"Welcome back,"[/b] he said, holding her gently as she re-oriented herself, [b]"Can't have you slacking off as usual."[/b] [b]"What did that message mean?"[/b] asked Ally, her arm around a visibly shaken Blu. [b]"That's not important right now, it was probably just trying to scare us,"[/b] replied Phil, [b]"We can talk to Zach once we get back to HQ, but for now we need to take care of Eun Jung and Blu. Cowboy, can you set up a blood circle to get us back?"[/b] [b]"Not here,"[/b] he replied, [b]"There's too much energy around here, if we try a blood circle here we could get sucked into the crack, and God knows we don't want that. I can set one up a quarter of a mile in that direction, should get us back ok."[/b] He pointed away from the crack, and began trekking back, gesturing for Blu and Ally to follow him, which they did immediately, leaving Phil to look after Eun Jung. [b]"You think you can get up?"[/b] he asked, a question answered with a weak nod, [b]"Ok, let me help you."[/b] He pulled her arm around his shoulders and gradually lifted her shakily to her feet. She wobbled a little, but stayed upright. [b]"I'm really cold,"[/b] she said softly. [b]"Course you are, we're in the Antarctic,"[/b] he replied, but, seeing her withering look, added, [b]"Ok, not ready for jokes. Come here."[/b] He turned her to face him, and looked into her eyes, his face close to hers. He breathed deeply, and felt her doing the same as he placed his hands either side of her head. He looked closely at her eyes ad saw that her pupils were a little jagged around the edges, as if they'd been torn slightly, a classic sign of possession. [b]"You'll be fine, I think you're just a little concussed. Here,"[/b] he said, taking his outer jacket off and wrapping it around her, [b]"Can you walk a little way? I'll be here to support you all the way."[/b] [b]"Thanks, Phil,"[/b] she said gently, leaning on his shoulder as they began to walk slowly towards the rest of the group. [b]"Don't mention it,"[/b] he replied, keeping her arm around his shoulder and his around her waist. [b]"At least now we know what we're dealing with. I just wish there'd been a gentler way to find out,"[/b] Eun Jung said with a smile. [b]"There's the famous Eun Jung bright side we all love so much!"[/b] he said, trying to keep her spirits up. They shared a broad smile, one slightly broader than the other, and soon Cowboy came into view. A shimmering circle lay on the ground in front of him, and the others were nowhere to be seen. [b]"I sent Ally on ahead with Blu,"[/b] he shouted, [b]"Figured they'd need to get back quickly! How is she?"[/b] [b]"A little shaken, but she'll be fine,"[/b] Phil replied, taking Eun Jung towards the circle, [b]"Can you go through to take care of her once she gets through?"[/b] Cowboy nodded, and stepped into the circle, his body exploding into a cloud of ash. Phil gently moved Eun Jung into the circle, and watched her body do the same. It would probably be a little rough on her, but sending her through was the best thing for her. Phil looked towards the crack, which he could still see vaguely shimmering in the distance. [i]This isn't over,[/i] he thought, before stepping into the circle and feeling the familiar rushing feeling taking him back to HQ. The room was quiet when he arrived, everyone having moved off to the medical bay. Phil staggered out of the circle, the adrenaline wearing off and the wearying nature of the day's activities finally catching up to him. He steadied himself on the doorframe and moved slowly into the kitchen, where he dragged a half-empty bottle of vodka from the freezer, pouring a generous measure into a glass and taking a seat. He closed his eyes and rubbed his head, thinking about what the poltergeist had said, and the message the demon had delivered. Blood pounded in his ears as his thoughts drifted back to the poltergeist's words, but after a moment the sound changed, becoming something which resembled a repeated rhythm on a snare drum rather than the usual noise of a heartbeat. His eyes snapped open, and he jumped to his feet, shaking his head to stop the noise, which it did as abruptly as it had started. [i]Drumming...[/i] he thought, worry etched across his face, [i]It can't be...[/i] He downed the glass, slamming it back down on the table once the final drops had cascaded down his throat. As he reached for the bottle again, doors opened and people began rushing in. Zach's team had arrived back, and it seemed as though both teams had a lot to share.[/font][/size]

[size="2"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"]The idea sounds great, Anomaly, I'm a big fan of the Abhorsen series and taking inspiration from it is never a bad thing. My thoughts for the crack were that it was created when someone brought a corporeal creature through, creating a tiny fracture, but as more and more ghosts were brought through it expanded and splintered, getting bigger and bigger as more and more ghosts pour through. No idea how we'd go about closing it though. Also, hope my latest post was ok, I took a few liberties with the appearance of the exorcism, but I tried to keep it as vague as possible to allow for alteration on other peoples' part. Anyway, bye bye ghostie![/font][/size]

[size="2"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Phil stood on a small balcony that branched off from one of the rooms at PWN headquarters. He was still trying to shake off the sight of the crack, he had never seen that many ghosts in one place before, and he could only assume it was the start of something big. He pulled his jacket around him a little tighter as he watched his breath billow out of his mouth in great vaporous clouds. [b]"Penny for them?"[/b] asked Eun Jung, emerging from the sliding door and wrapping her arms around herself. [b]"It's nothing really. I just don't fully trust these guys. They've known something big is going down out here and they never made contact, never shared any intel with Para 1, let alone us or any of the other Paranormal teams anywhere. It stinks of something dodgy,"[/b] he replied, talking business but secretly glad of the company Eun Jung was providing. [b]"I guess it's a little strange, I never thought of it like that. But maybe they're just secretive."[/b] [b]"You really are all about the bright side, arent you?"[/b] Phil asked with a smile. [b]"Is there any point in being miserable all the time?"[/b] she replied with a broad grin. Phil eventually cracked and grinned back at her, the moment of connection between friends interrupted by Cowboy rapping his knuckles smartly on the glass door behind them, then beckoning them inside. They crept back through the door, and were greeted by the entire PIT group sitting around the common area, Cowboy stood in the middle, addressing the whole team. The members of the PWN were noticeably absent. [b]"We're going back to the crack,"[/b] he said, [b]"If we can't close it, at the very least we can do a little more research on it before we head back. PWN say they'll take us part of the way, but they need to continue the search for Nicki McNamara. We have a better idea of what we're looking at now, so we can do some more detailed research. We move out in ten, make sure you're prepared. If there's anything you need before we head out, just come tell me."[/b] The team got to their feet and started milling around, preparing equipment and clothing for venturing back out into the wilderness. Phil approached Cowboy, who slapped him on the shoulder. [b]"No hard feelings about the punch, right buddy?"[/b] he asked. [b]"Oh, I'll get you back one of these days, pard'ner,"[/b] he replied, adopting a faux Southern drawl on the last word, [b]"But listen, do you have a magic marker? I could really use one."[/b] [b]"I don't have one on me,"[/b] he replied, patting his pockets down, [b]"But I can go get you one, ok?"[/b] [b]"Much appreciated."[/b] *** Half an hour later, they were looking at the retreating PWN vehicle, close to the ravine, this time with a pile of equipment around them. Snow was coming down thicker and faster now, beginning to obscure the team's view, but they still had a couple of hours before they were totally swamped. [b]"We need to move quickly,"[/b] shouted Cowboy, [b]"We have to investigate the crack and take readings before we lose all visibility. Phil, Blu, get to the crack and guide the others to where it is!"[/b] Phil once more snapped off a quick salute before grabbing Blu gently but firmly by the arm and marching her over to the edge of the ravine. He looked down and saw the crack once more, the flow of ghosts and spirits as strong as ever, perhaps even stronger. It sent a shiver down his spine, but he swallowed the fear and got on with the job in hand. [b]"Come on, Blu,"[/b] he said to his partner, shaky on her feet but standing her ground this time. She shuddered and moved a few steps further forward, before she froze and turned back to the tundra, her back on the ravine. [b]"What is it? Blu, what are you doing, the crack's this way!"[/b] he shouted, before she raised her arm and pointed into the tundra, past the rest of the team who were setting up bits of equipment. Phil followed the line of her arm, and saw Ally holding her head. Phil ran over to her, and grabbed her before she fell to the floor. [b]"Something's coming..."[/b] she said, quietly but firmly, and Phil hauled her to her feet and looked around them. As soon as he was sure she could stand on her own, he let go of her, looked into the tundra, and shouted: [b]"Where are you?"[/b] He spun around, taking in the sights all around him, until he saw a shimmering blue shape hurtling towards the team from the direction they had come. He braced himself, looking directly and unbinkingly at the shape as it grew and became more and more clear. Eventually it came into view, and Phil saw it. The poltergeist, warped and hideous as it flew towards the team, ready to attack them again, screaming and howling. It slowed as it reached the team, twisting and writhing into the air above them, picking it's target carefully this time. The rest of the team looked around themselves warily as Phil stared directly at the malevolent spirit. He cracked the tendons in his neck, and grinned wickedly up at the ghost, ripping his gloves off as he did. The poltergeist spotted him, snarled and flew down towards him. He flicked up the palm of his left hand, a symbol scrawled across it in Magic Marker that was similar in shape to the blood circles they had used earlier, but apparently with more physical force, as the poltergeist slammed into his outstretched hand and stopped in mid air. [b]"God bless Sharpie,"[/b] Phil said with a smirk, as the ghost circled off, apparently a little dazed, about to come round for another attack, [b]"Come on, beastie."[/b] The poltergeist hurtled in again, aiming for Phil again. It managed to grab him by the wrist this time and drag him off his feet, the other team members just missing his ankles as they tried to grab him and pull him back down to earth. As it rose into the air, Phil pulled his marked hand back and thrust it into the midst of the energy that made up the poltergeist. With a little added will, the touch exploded with what looked like blue flames inside the ghost, which howled and let go of the cocky young exorcist. He fell the ten feet or so to the ground, rolled with the impact and got back to his feet. He yanked a pouch from his belt, knowing he had a few minutes before the poltergeist collected itself and came around for another attack. He opened the pouch and tipped salt in an almost complete circle around him, perhaps two or three feet in diameter. Then he waited, watching the skies for the spirit. Suddenly, it howled out of the sky, grabbing Ally once again as it soared towards him. As it reached the inside of the circle, Phil dropped a final pile of salt to complete the circle, and barrier of energy stopping the poltergeist from moving. The shock of being trapped caused the spirit to drop Ally, who crumpled harmlessly to the ground. The spirit howled as light began to emanate from the interior of the circle. [b]"What's he doing?"[/b] Blu asked Cowboy, having not seen one of Phil's exorcisms before. [b]"He doesn't do things normally,"[/b] replied Eun Jung, chiming in, [b]"Most exorcists try and trap the ghost in a circle before banishing them. Phil prefers to trap himself in the circle as well."[/b] [b]"Crazy bastard's like a ghostly cagefighter,"[/b] said Cowboy with a grin that was half berating his team mate for his insanity, but half admiring of his chutzpah. [b]"Time for you to go, Casper,"[/b] Phil shouted, ethereal wind joining the light coming from the circle and ruffling his hair as he ripped off his hat, [b]"Get out of this world, it's not yours!"[/b] [i][b]"What can you do?"[/b][/i] the spirit hissed, taunting him even as it's form was dissipating in the ethereal wind, [i][b]"You are powerless to stop what is coming!"[/b][/i] [b]"Powerless? I am known as He Who Walks Among Us!"[/b] shouted Phil, smiling as he saw the ghost's face fall. He took a small amount of pride in the nickname the spirit world had bestowed upon him. [b]"Doesn't that just scare the **** out of you?"[/b] he smirked, sending a little more of his will into the circle, and the poltergeist rapidly faded away. [i][b]"You are unprepared for the Other Side, Phil Tennant. Something in the darkness is waiting..."[/b][/i] the ghost's voice hissed as it vanished, and the circle broke, the "cage" falling away and the salt blowing away harmlessly in the wind. Phil stood, panting a little. Poltergeists always took more effort to exorcise than standard ghosts, and they left him a little out of breath. [b]"Nice work, Phil,"[/b] said Ally, clambering to her feet, [b]"But what did it say to you?"[/b] [b]"Nothing important,"[/b] he said, but the thought stuck with him. [i]Something in the darkness is waiting...[/i][/font][/size]

[size="2"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I should be posting shortly, and if no one objects I'll be getting rid of the poltergeist. If it appears again I think things are going to get a little repetetive, and if we're introducing some new nasty that possesses Eun Jung then we'll want rid of that one. As for this: [quote]then after that DeLarge's character can see the threat as it leaves. (what kind of baddie... like if its a demon, or whatever other cool evil thing)[/quote] It's a reasonable idea, but remember that Phil can only see ghosts: If it's a demon or some other kind of nasty then he's about as useful as a marshmallow baseball bat. I guess Cowboy would be the one to turn to for demonic exorcism.[/font][/size]

[size="2"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Phil followed Eun Jung over the ridge, the rest of the team clambering up the snow drifts behind them. The going was made slightly easier by the lack of snow, which could become a blizzard in moments. Instead the sun was glaring overhead reflecting off the tundra, making Phil glad for his tinted goggles. Eun Jung scrambled up the ridge, somehow managing to be both clumsy [i]and[/i] graceful as she did. Phil smiled to himself as they reached the top of the ridge and looked down. [b]"Well, that's disappointing,"[/b] Eun Jung said, looking down into a deep but virtually featureless ravine below them. Wind blustered through the canyon, dragging snow from the walls and creating something of a blizzard down below, which luckily didn't carry up to their position. She giggled and little and turned to Phil, who stood transfixed, paralysed with fear, staring blankly down into the ravine. [b]"Phil? Phil, what is it?"[/b] she asked, beginning to panic as the rest of the team reached the top of the ridge. As they did, Blu seemed to freeze in her tracks as well, and Ally seemed hesitant. [b]"What happened to him?"[/b] asked Cowboy, rushing to Phil's side. [b]"He just looked down and froze, I don't know what he can see!"[/b] replied Eun Jung, worry etched over her face. [b]"What is it, Phil? What can you see?"[/b] asked Cowboy, shaking Phil by the shoulders. [b]"This...this is definitely not good..."[/b] he replied shakily. He took a deep breath and looked down again. A huge, shimmering silvery-blue crack hung in the air down in the ravine. In fact, it ran the entire length of the ravine and continued far past his own line of vision, a slight glow emanating from it. But it wasn't the presence of the crack itself which had stunned Phil, it was something else. Ghosts. Hundreds, probably thousands of them, pouring out of the crack, humanoid and each with a slight blue glow, some floating gently from the point they emerged from the crack, others flying across the tundra with incredible speed and force. The ghosts were flying out of mid-air along the entire length of the crack, dozens coming through every minute. Phil stood, wanting to tear his eyes away from the incredible sight, but unable to move. Whether this was out of fear or some supernatural force holding him down, he wasn't sure. [b]"Sorry, buddy, this has to be done,"[/b] said Cowboy, genuine regret in his voice as he pulled his arm back and punched his colleague square in the face. The force of the blow knocked Phil off his feet, snapping him out of whatever strange trance he had fallen into and simultaneously forcing blood to shoot out of both nostrils. He swore loudly, pressing a thick glove to his nose to try and stem the blood flow, and got to his feet. [b]"There's got to be a gentler way to do that,"[/b] he complained, but patted Cowboy on the shoulder as he did, showing his grudging gratitude. Ally was kneeling on the floor, next to Blu as she knelt on the icy ground, her head in her hands. [b]"So much...anger..."[/b] she whispered, her voice small and quavering. Phil knelt down next to her, wiping the worst of the blood off his face with a glove which he then threw to the ground, and pressed his bare hand next to her face, lifting it gently so she could look into his eyes. [b]"Look at me,"[/b] he said, his voice serious, none of the usual humour in his expression, [b]"Keep looking. Blu, listen to me. They can't hurt you. They may be angry, they may be full of hate, but there's nothing they can do to you now, do you understand? I was the same as you when I first felt them, it almost broke me, but I realised that the dead have more to fear from us than we do from them. You have two choices, you can either let the rage and the hate consume you, or you can use it to prove that you're better than them. I know you, Blu, and you're stronger than these things. So, and I'll only say this once, SNAP OUT OF IT!"[/b] he yelled, startling her and bringing her back to the land of the living. She collapsed into him, and he held her head next to his chest as she cried, more from relief than from fear. [b]"What was it?"[/b] asked Cowboy softly. Phil gestured to Ally, who took hold of Blu so he could stand up and speak to Cowboy. [b]"The crack, it's down in that ravine,"[/b] he replied, still a little shaky, [b]"Cowboy, it's huge. I mean massive, I can't even see the end of it. And the ghosts. There's thousands of them, pouring out of it, pulling themselves through from the other side."[/b] [b]"Is that so bad?"[/b] asked Eun Jung, listening in, [b]"I mean, there's loads of ghosts in the world anyway, what's the harm in a few more coming through?"[/b] [b]"It's not just the ghosts,"[/b] replied Cowboy, [b]"If they keep coming through at such a rate, there's every chance the crack's going to keep getting bigger and bigger."[/b] [b]"And then what?"[/b] asked Eun Jung, looking between the two men. Phil took a deep breath and told her his theory. [b]"If the crack gets bigger, it won't just be ghosts coming through. Bigger and more dangerous stuff will start coming through, until corporeal creatures can get through. And if they can get through, it's possible that our world and the spirit world could start bleeding into each other."[/b] [b]"And what would that cause?"[/b] Eun Jung asked, and Phil and Cowboy exchanged concerned looks. [b]"Hell on Earth. Literally."[/b] --- ooc: Apologies if I stepped on any toes, particularly yours, Pseudo. If I did anything wrong then please let me know and I'll change accordingly.[/font][/size]

[size="2"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"][i]Earlier that morning[/i] A buzzing, chirping noise roused Phil Tennant from his restless slumber. He groaned and rolled over to grab his phone, seeing a message from Zach as the screen lit up. He was momentarily tempted to ignore it and go back to sleep, but he pushed this notion to the back of his head and opened the message. [b]Team! A sudden A-Class case has emerged and needs immediate response by the elites. This is an order not a request! Meet at the Elite HQ ASAP! Bring pizza if you're late![/b] Phil groaned again and rubbed his eyes, slowly shifting so he was sitting on the edge of his low bed. He coughed a few times to clear his throat and got to his feet, pulling his t-shirt from the night before off the top of his dresser and pulling it over his head. As he moved he grabbed his jeans and pulled them on too, followed by a dark plaid shirt over the t-shirt. [b]"Where are you going?"[/b] came a voice from behind him. He started, and turned to face the woman lying on the other side of his bed, the woman he had forgotten was there. Her blonde hair was tousled and her eyes were puffy, but she was still extremely attractive. [b]"I'm really sorry but I have to go into work,"[/b] he said, ambling over to the bed, leaning over and kissing her on the forehead, [b]"There's some coffee in the cupboard, grab a cup when you get up and let yourself out, I'll call you later, ok?"[/b] She nodded and flopped back down onto the bed, falling asleep almost instantly. Phil sighed with relief, grabbed his boots and left his bedroom. --- [i]After the meeting...[/i] The large assembly trailed out of the meeting room, avoiding the numerous blood circles the team members had used to get to the headquarters. Cowboy stayed behind to discuss assignments with Zach, but the rest of his team moved towards the equipment room to grab a few cold-weather clothes: while the Antarctic branch of PIT would provide them with full equipment when they got there, they would need something to stave off the initial chill when they arrived. The equipment room was filled with shelves and clothes rails, each of which were full of clothes and equipment belonging to the various members of the team. Phil moved over to his own, fairly messy corner of the room and started sorting through his things. The other members of the Antarctic team followed suit, grabbing heavy-duty boots and jackets from the equipment shelves. [b]"Antarctica?"[/b] said Ally in disbelief, grabbing clothes as she spoke, [b]"They get to go to some woman's house and we have to go to Antarctica?"[/b] [b]"Come on, Antarctica's not so bad if you don't mind freezing your arse off,"[/b] replied Phil with a smirk, pulling his own warm jacket from the rail, [b]"Plus, who wants to go visit some woman's house and have a chinwag with a demon when you can go see a crack in the fabric of the universe? Have a little curiosity, Ally!"[/b] [b]"You've been there before?"[/b] asked Eun Jung. [b]"Well, no. I've been to Scotland in winter, I can't imagine they're too much different,"[/b] he replied with a wink, [b]"I met the head of the Antarctic research team last year, though, and he says it's not so bad. There's emperor penguins, and if you can catch the aurora australis then it's a pretty nifty place to be."[/b] [b]"Emperor penguins?"[/b] Eun Jung replied excitedly, and Blu seemed to perk up as well. [b]"Yeah, but we probably won't have time to see them. Might get a little distracted by creepy ghosts and ghoulies pouring out of the aforementioned [i]crack in the universe[/i]..."[/b] Eun Jung gave Phil a slightly scathing look in return for his sarcastic comment, and he grinned back at her. Her disdain could only last so long, however, and after a moment her face broken into an even wider grin than Phil's own. Phil pulled off his Doc Martens and exchanged them for a thicker, more heavy-duty pair as Cowboy strolled into the room. [i]That swagger has to be an affectation,[/i] thought Phil, [i]No-one is [/i]that[i] much of a dandy Southern gent...[/i] [b]"We're heading off, people. Five minutes and I'm drawing the circle,"[/b] he said. Phil fired off a mock salute, to which Cowboy responded with a playful but withering look before leaving the room again. Phil laughed a little and returned to lacing his boots. --- ooc: Apologies for any overlap, I took so long writing this that CanZ managed to post before me![/font][/size]

[size="2"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"][b]"****,"[/b] whispered Alex, looking down into the centre of the compound, where dozens of heavily-armed Second Sight agents swarmed around the central convoy, made up of two armoured cars and a large armoured truck between the two. There was far more defence than he had expected, whic suggested that this was something big, something important. He pulled a small scope out of his pocket and raised it to his eye, watching the men sat in the cab of the truck jump out and go around to the back of the vehicle, preparing to remove the weapon from it. Alex swore again as he realised they had parked the truck in such a way that they were unable to see what was coming out of the back. [b]"Peter,"[/b] he whispered, [b]"Can you shift me over there?"[/b] He pointed to a small ridge over the other side of the compound, where he would have a view of the back of the truck. Peter nodded, grabed hold of Alex and shifted, hopping over the small valley, the only thing signalling the shift a small puff of dust as they landed. Alex dropped to the floor and raised the scope to his eye again, scanning the valley floor. He watched as the men hauled a large object out of the back of the truck, covered in tarpaulin. They moved it slowly down to the dusty ground, and a man walked over to inspect it. He was tall and muscular with a shock of red hair, his military fatigues cut off at the shoulders, and a figure-hugging pack on his back with cables running down his arms to a pair of black gloves. He waved his hand, and the two men who moved the weapon hauled the tarpaulin off, revealing a strange-looking device which felt strangely familiar to Alex. He tucked the scope back into his pocket and removed a small camera, took a few pictures and tucked the camera back. He nodded to Peter, who grabbed him and shifted back to the other two. [b]"We have a problem,"[/b] he said quietly the moment they materialized, yanking the camera from his pocket again and showing the group the photos. The device was a large, thick metal disc, maybe ten feet in diameter and a foot and a half thick, with a single metal chair in the centre. The chair had heavy metal restraints on the arms and legs, and a headrest which looked more invasive than comfortable. From behind the chair, a large arm rose up from the base to just over the top of the chair. [b]"What is it?"[/b] asked Lucas. [b]"A weapon, and a powerful one at that,"[/b] replied Alex, putting the camera back and hooking a Bluetooth headset onto his ear, [b]"I'll explain what it is later, but now we have to move quickly. We need to attack, we need to destroy that weapon and get out before we get caught. Peter, how good are you with a rifle?"[/b] he asked, formulating a battle strategy as he spoke. [b]"Not bad,"[/b] replied Peter, [b]"Need some long-range support, boss?"[/b] Alex nodded, kneeling down on the roof of the building and referring to the map. [b]"I need you to shift back to the car and grab one. The cars are placed so they surround the weapons truck, and the Seer will be in one of them. Find them, they're likely to be drawing or writing something, but if not then you'll have to take them all out. Then, once they've been taken out, I need you to cover the rest of us - shift to a new location every thirty seconds, take as many of them out as you can from that vantage point and then move again. Don't stop moving, we only have you to cover all the angles. "Nat, Peter will shift you over to the other side of the compound, but I need you to identify and take out the Stitcher."[/b] [b]"How do you want them? Rare, or extra crispy?"[/b] she asked, a devilish smile crossing her face. [b]"Just hurt them enough that they're too busy healing themselves to heal anyone else down there,"[/b] Alex said, the tiniest of grins at Nat's attitude breaking through his serious front, [b]"Lucas, there's a mean-looking Pyro down there, he seems to be in charge of the compound - at least distract him, take him out if necessary, while I plant explosives on the weapon. Everyone keep in radio contact at all times, we work towards the centre of the compound and once we're all there, Pete will shift in and grab us, take us back to the car. Everyone understand?"[/b] he asked, looking around for the nods. As they came, he folded the map up and got to his feet. [b]"Pete, get everyone to their positions, then get the rifle. Everyone let me know when you're in position."[/b] Peter snapped off a salute, grabbed Natalie by the hand and shifted, then returned to the rooftop and did the same for Lucas. Alex waited a moment, looking out over the scene. The soldiers were beginning to replace the tarpaulin over the weapon, but it would take them a while to get it inside the warehouse. He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths: this was an insane move, going in with so little preparation, but it was the only way they could attack and have a chance of destroying the weapon. A bubble of fear rose up in his stomach when he remembered the weapon: until now it had just been a target, but the moment he remembered what it could do, it scared him... [b]"In position,"[/b] Nat's voice crackled through his headset, snapping him out of his thoughts. Two more calls followed swiftly, from Peter and Lucas, and Alex took another deep breath and whispered: [b]"Move out"[/b] He drew his handgun, twisting a silencer on the barrel as he jumped off the roof of the warehouse, dropping a cushion of telekinetic energy down below him to soften the landing. The impact jarred through his legs, but it was nowhere near as bad as if he'd neglected the cushion. He crept between the buildings, the silver moonlight casting bizarre shadows across the metal walls, the only light illuminating the valley. He pressed himself against the wall, seeing a black-garbed soldier patrolling the entrance to the warehouse. He crept out, fired a single slug into the back of the soldier's head, running up and catching the body as it slumped and lowering it gently to the floor. In the distance, he heard a few shots fired, glass breaking and a number of human voices. [b]"Seer taken out,"[/b] Pete whispered, being unusually frugal with words. [b]"They're kicking off!"[/b] said Lucas, as more shots were fired and more confused and angry voices exploded in the compound. Alex continued forward, worming his way through the maze of warehouses that littered the valley floor, taking out guards as he went. Eventually, he reached the centre of the compound, and realised how insane his plan was. Fires were erupting around the compound, from Nat or the enemy Pyro, Alex couldn't tell. Bodies were slumped on the ground, but more and more soldiers were emerging from the shadows between warehouses, aiming their weapons into the darkness surrounding the compound to try and hit their attacker. One of the armoured cars was still, the windscreen shattered and two dead bodies slumped in the seats, blood pouring over the notebook one of them held in his hand. [i]Good work, Peter,[/i] thought Alex, firing two shots into an approaching soldier, emptying his clip. He scowled, and tucked the weapon back into his pack, moving further into the compound. [b]"Alex Graham!"[/b] came a booming voice from a man ahead of him. Flames were issuing forth from the cables in his gloves, and the flickering light threw bizarre shadows across his face. It was the Pyro Alex had seen before, the makeshift flamethrower on his back now fully activated. [b]"Do I know you?"[/b] asked Alex, moving towards the man. [b]"I don't imagine so, but allow me to introduce myself. I'm Kraven, and you're a very brave or very, very stupid man. I've already turned your little friend into crispy duck, and he didn't even get a hit in."[/b] [i]Lucas...[/i] thought Alex, grimacing. But the time for words was already over, and flames were pouring from Kraven's hands, twisting and writhing around him in huge, thick snakes of pure fire. [b]"Oh, ****,"[/b] spat Alex, before turning on his heel and running. Flames shot towards him in thick columns, incinerating everything in their path, which luckily didn't include Alex. He ducked round a corner, yanking a heavy door off the warehouse with a flick of his hand and turning it so it was hovering in front of him. He moved back round the corner, holding the door in the way of the flame, feeling the heat come off it and the metal door heating up. With a thrust of his arm, he sent the red-hot chunk of metal hurtling towards the Pyro, who yelled and ducked out of the way of the bizarre projectile. [b]"Nice try, Graham,"[/b] snarled Kraven, turning back to the Pusher, [b]"But you're gonna have to do better than that!"[/b] [b]"How about this?"[/b] came a third voice from behind Kraven. Suddenly, the Pyro's stomach exploded outwards in a shower of gore, and he was thrown to the floor. A figure stepped up to the fallen Psych, charred and burnt clothes dangling off his form, his badly-burnt flesh rapidly stitching itself back together and a smoking handgun in his hand. [b]"Distracting enough for you?"[/b] he asked, grimacing as the flesh regrew over his face. Alex smiled, turned and raced towards the weapon, which had been abandoned by the soldiers desperately trying to fight off what they assumed was an army of snipers in the shadows. He swung his backpack off and plunged his hand inside, withdrawing a large block of plastic explosive, which he placed directly on the metal arm of the weapon, setting a charge and heading back to the centre of the compound. A still-crispy Lucas followed close behind, and a fiery hell-demon emerged from the shadows a moment later, surrounded by flames and laughing maniacally as she did, sending the flames forward with a final thurst of her arms, engulfing the remaining bewildered soldiers. [b]"Pete!"[/b] shouted Alex over the commotion, [b]"Ready for pick-up. Nat, light us up."[/b] Natalie nodded, sparking her lighter and hurling a small, bright ball of flame high into the air, acting as a flare for the Shifter, who appeared a moment later. [b]"Now who's going to clear up all this mess?"[/b] asked Peter, hands on hips in mock irritation. Alex smirked, and Peter grabbed the three members of the group and shifted them back to their vehicle. [b]"Jesus, Lucas, what happened to you?"[/b] asked Peter as they arrived, surveying the scene of destruction they had left below them. [b]"Alex took his time, that's what happened!"[/b] Lucas replied dryly as the last of his burns healed over, [b]"Speaking of which, I suggest you punch it and we get out of here."[/b] [b]"Agreed,"[/b] said Natalie, [b]"Let's blow some **** up!"[/b] Alex smiled, appreciating the camraderie of being back in the team, and fished the detonator out of his pocket, pushing the red button in the centre of the device. An enormous explosion bloomed on the valley floor, shards of metal and electronic equipment flying in all directions as the weapon was destroyed. Natalie and Peter cheered, but Lucas sidled up to Alex. [b]"What was that thing?"[/b] he whispered, genuine concern in his voice. [b]"Something they were testing when we were part of Second Sight,"[/b] replied Alex, his tone hushed and haunted, [b]"Something powerful and dangerous, but it's finished now. Come on, let's get back."[/b] The team, battered and bruised but triumphant, headed back to the car. The war had begun. --- ooc: If anyone wants to post what happened during their part of the assault, please feel free. This gives you an outline of what happened, but the gory details are up to you![/font][/size]

[size="2"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I'm on it, should be done in a day or two! On a side note, anyone from the other team planning to post soon?[/font][/size]

[size="3"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"][center][b]WARNING: BAD LANGUAGE, VIOLENCE AND OTHER ADULT THEMES WILL FOLLOW - IF YOU ARE OFFENDED BY THESE THINGS, PLEASE TURN BACK NOW. IF NOT, COME ON IN...[/b] [u][b]Enigma[/b][/u][/center][/size] [size="2"]This is my brand new story, my attempt at an original superhero story. Well, I say super[i]hero[/i]... [b][center]Chapter One[/center][/b] [b]"The nation is in mourning. Washington D.C. was the scene of an horrific crime last night as America's first and only true superhero, Vanquisher, was brutally murdered by a masked man identifying himself only as "Enigma". The final moments of the combat between the two were seen by multiple witnesses, who claim that Vanquisher was impaled on the pole of an American flag on the steps of the United States Capitol. The masked man then identified himself as Enigma and fled before the police could apprehend him..." [/b]the news reporter was abruptly silenced as a large, thick-set man jabbed the "mute" button on his remote, and swivelled on his chair to face the younger, slimmer man standing in front of his desk. [b]"Breaking news of the week, hell, the ******* year,"[/b] spat the seated man gruffly, slamming his meaty fist on the desk, [b]"And where were our reporters? In bed, drunk out of their minds, nuts-deep in hookers! It's pathetic, everyone has photo or video evidence except us."[/b] His face was reddening as his rage built, the blood-flushed skin contrasting boldly against his greying hair and moustache and his dull green eyes. He was well-built, to the point he seemed to almost be bursting out of his striped shirt and braces, and looked like he could definitely throw a punch if he had to. But it was his terrifying demeanour as much as his physical presence which gave Jack Harrison his towering reputation. [b] "I don't know what to tell you, Jack,"[/b] replied the young, slim reporter, albeit with a wide grin on his face. He was a handsome man, slender but muscular, with a mop of light brown hair atop his head and piercing blue eyes. He wore clothes well, looking comfortable and stylish even in the simple black shirt and grey jeans he was wearing, his feet encased in a tattered pair of black Converse and unable to keep still, causing him to rock back and forth gently. [b]"You could give me some good news!"[/b] bellowed Harrison, getting to his feet, a vein pulsing in his temple,[b] "You really dropped the ******* ball on this one, Garfield!" [/b] [b]"Did I?" [/b]smirked the young reporter, [b]"Or did I get the clearest picture of this Enigma bastard out of all of them?"[/b] As if to punctuate this final rhetorical question, he dropped a beige folder down on the desk, a couple of large black-and-white photographs sliding out of it as it landed. Harrison snatched them up greedily, and thumbed through them a number of times, before looking up at his employee, the vaguest hint of a smile creeping onto the corners of his mouth. [b] "How did you get these?" [/b]he asked, then held up a finger as the reporter was about to respond, [b]"Actually, I don't care. Just get me more pictures of this fucker, and get them to me as soon as possible. Now get out."[/b] He slumped back into his chair and waved his hand, signalling for the young man to vacate the room, which he did with a smile. [b] "You really pulled your balls out of the fire there, Alex,"[/b] said a small, weaselly-looking man, slapping him on the shoulder as he left the office, [b]"Shame you couldn't help out the rest of us!"[/b] Alex smiled back at his co-worker, then headed across the newsroom towards his desk. Sliding into his chair and opening his laptop, he exhaled slowly and rubbed his eyes. He hadn't slept all night, getting across town to the Capitol, then developing the photos he had taken took all night, and he was exhausted. But there was a lot more work to do before he could get to bed. --- Dr. Grace Atkins drained her plastic coffee cup in one gulp, and wished for more caffeine. The emergency room had been hell, and a niggling feeling in the back of her head told her that it would only get worse from here. She leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths to try and wake herself up. Realising after a moment that this probably wouldn't help, she opened her eyes again and pushed the door next to her open, heading into the Ladies' bathroom. She splashed cold water over her pale skin, a few strands of her dull blonde hair sticking to her forehead with the moisture. She looked deep into the reflection of her emerald-green eyes, and saw the dark bags underneath them. She grimaced a little at how tired she looked, then turned and leaned on the sink. Her light blue scrubs were not particularly flattering, but it was clear that she was slim and curvy in all the right places. She didn't care much about her appearance, working out to keep healthy rather than attractive, and she rarely wore make-up. There was not much need for her to maintain her appearance, the various fluids that were regularly spat over her in the emergency room would have rendered any attempts to do so ultimately futile. [b] "Grace!"[/b] came a panicked voice as another female doctor burst into the bathroom, [b]"Grace, they need you to witness an autopsy. I can cover for you if you want to make a run for it?" "No, it's fine,"[/b] sighed Grace, rubbing her eyes, [b]"I'll do it. Anyone I know?" "You could say that,"[/b] replied the other doctor, smiling comfortingly as she left the bathroom. Grace took a deep breath and headed out of the bathroom, through the winding, deserted corridors of the hospital to the morgue, her plain white shoes squeaking a little on the ruthlessly clean floor. The autopsy had already begun by the time she arrived, bursting through the swinging doors into the darkened room. She muttered apologies to the morticians and snuck through the small crowd of witnesses, bumping into a few of them and mumbling more apologies as she went. [b] "You know how to make an entrance,"[/b] whispered a gruff voice from behind her as she finally found her place amongst the group. She turned her head and saw a familiar face. [b] "It's one of my skills,"[/b] she replied dryly, [b]"Who's the stiff, Lucas?" "Franklyn Mayhew,"[/b] said the man, moving forward to stand next to Grace. He was tall and imposing, with dark skin and eyes, a close-cropped head of black hair with salt-and-pepper speckles and a growth of stubble across the lower portion of his face. His chest was broad and covered with a grey shirt and black tie, and a grey wool overcoat which fell just past his knees. A gleaming gold badge hung round his neck on a silver chain, a single gold bar marking him as a police lieutenant. [b]"Never heard of him,"[/b] whispered Grace. [b] "He's not usually known by that name,"[/b] replied Lucas, turning to Grace and answering her questioning look, [b]"Franklyn Mayhew, also known as Vanquisher." "Vanquisher? Why here?"[/b] she asked, genuinely surprised by the information her old friend had just given her. [b] "Closest hospital to the Capitol. No idea why we need an autopsy, I'm pretty sure it was the flagpole through the heart that killed him,"[/b] Lucas said, a little too loudly, causing the mortician and several others to turn around, scowling at him. He shrugged an apology, and turned back to Grace. [b] "They obviously couldn't pass up the opportunity to see what the inside of a superhero looks like,"[/b] Grace replied, looking at the body, the chest now wrenched open. [i]He always looked so dynamic on television[/i], thought Grace, [i]There's something pathetic about seeing him on the slab. Guess he was just human in the end after all...[/i] She was snapped out of her thoughts by a buzzing noise right next to her ear. She turned, and saw Lucas rummaging in his jacket pockets for his phone, which he eventually fished out and slipped through the crowd to the door, mouthing a silent goodbye to Grace as he went. She nodded and rolled her eyes playfully. [i] He looked tired[/i], she thought, [i]Then again, who doesn't these days?[/i] She shook her head to try and get out of her own thoughts, and concentrated on the autopsy. --- [b] "Hello?" [/b]Lucas asked, answering his phone as he broke through the morgue doors. [b]"Lieutenant Lucas Richardson,"[/b] a crackly, distorted voice replied through the phone. [b]"Who is this?"[/b] asked Lucas, concern crossing his face. A gut feeling told him he already knew the answer to his own question, but he waited for the response anyway. [b]"I believe you know,"[/b] the voice answered,[b] "But if you must have confirmation, my name is Enigma."[/b] Panic bubbled up in Lucas' stomach, but he fought it down, making sure it didn't appear in his voice. [b]"I've just been looking at some of your handiwork, Enigma,"[/b] he said, unable to fully disguise the quaver in his voice, [b]"Impressive. Horrific, but impressive." "You needn't be afraid of me, Lieutenant,"[/b] said Enigma, recognising the fear in Lucas' voice, [b]"At least, not unless you disobey me." "I have enough problems with my bosses, thanks. I don't need another one,"[/b] Lucas joked, hoping the humour would cover the increasing fear he felt. [b]"Well, as long as you follow my commands, you won't have any problems with me. But this call is not for work, rather a social call. A warning from a...concerned party." "What do you want?"[/b] replied Lucas, irritation and anger now beginning to replace the fear he was feeling. [b]"Ah, straight to the point, a man after my own heart. The city is afraid of me after my first act alone. I have removed the nation's defender in one move, and you can no longer rely on Vanquisher to protect you. But my warning is this: things are only going to get worse. The city is afraid of me, but soon the whole country will be. If you remember just one thing from this conversation, Lieutenant, remember this: the death of Vanquisher is just the beginning. Goodbye, Lieutenant."[/b][/font][/size]

[size="2"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"]Alright, I've made a few changes to my profile, particularly the powers and the first paranormal experience, and added in a personality section. Hopefully things should be a little clearer now. Looking forward to seeing this start![/font][/size]

[size="2"][font="Lucida Sans Unicode"]I don't know if you were referring to me (I totally understand if you were) but I did get the feeling my character seemed to be a little overpowered. To clarify, Phil's only "power" as such is to be in touch with ghosts, being able to see and talk to them. The exorcism thing is largely a skill he picked up rather than an innate ability, and the "ghostly fear" thing is a matter of reputation that he's earned through luck more than anything to do with the sheer scale of his power. I realise now that in my Audition it did seem a little like I was giving myself godlike powers, it wasn't my intention. More than anything I didn't realise we were only going to be dealing mostly just with ghosts in the first place, if I had realised then I wouldn't have given myself such a high level of skill with the ghoulies. However, if there's any kind of problem with my character's powers then please let me know, I'd be more than happy to make some alterations. I really like the idea of this RP and I'd hate for people to think I was making it boring with my character's abilities. Also, I like the pets idea, definitely up for crazy psychic animals![/font][/size]