"Have you no conception of the dangers inherent in this virus?"
"Power calls to power, and sorrow to sorrow." He gave Fortunato the barest of smiles. "We have all lost something precious to us in this battle against horror. But still we must go on, go on and turn back the darkness. If we can.”: Dr Tachyon.
What would happen if super powered beings existed in the “real” world? Well you’d get something similar to the Wild Card Universe, a series of mosaic novels written by several different writers and collected and edited by George R.R. Martin (yes, THAT G.R.R. Martin) that revolve around a world where super powered beings exist. Originally based off a long-running roleplay (irony) run by Martin in his youth, the series has run for more than 2 decades with over 20 different books. The series’ subject matter differs from traditional superhero comics of the time in that it was more “realistic” (again, irony). In the series, there are no “big superhero teams” or “supervillians”, at least not in the comic-established sense. Many times, these “supervillians” are part of criminal organisations such as the Mafia or extremists such as the Islamic Nur sect. It is this Universe we will be exploring and making our own from a point in time. The established events after this point in time will be changed, reimagined or completely forgotten as we begin taking over this huge world.
Brief History of the Wild Card Event: In 1946, an alien named Prince Tisianne (or Dr Tachyon as he is now known) landed on Earth the same day as a virus, engineered by the House IIkazam, was sent to the planet in order to evaluate the virus on a large scale test. The virus crashed on Earth and was hijacked by one Dr. Tod. Using the virus, Tod threatened to release it over New York City, not knowing the full effects of the virus on humans. On Sept. 15 1946, the genetically engineered Xenovirus Takis-A, also known as the Wild Card Virus in later years, was released over New York City. It was then that full effects of the virus were witnessed. As the virus rained down upon the unsuspecting public below, the changes began to show. Of the estimated 25,000 infected, 90% became “black queens”, dying in gruesome ways, melting, burning, exploding, while the remaining 10% mutated. Every death was different, sending the city into a panic. Bridges were closed, people urged to stay in their homes. As the death toll rose, a pattern emerged. While 9 out of the 10 survivors of the virus mutated, becoming hideously deformed “jokers”, the lucky remaining 1% were gifted with miraculous physical or mental powers, becoming “aces”. Since “Wild Card Day”, Earth has changed dramatically, encountering alien civilisations, inter-dimensional beings and global disasters. Certain historical elements more or less followed a similar path, with some obvious changes of the inclusion of superhuman presence.
Categories:
An ace is a person who, upon becoming infected with the Wild Card, gained superhuman powers, retaining their human appearance (not always the case, for example Aces that have grown wings can be technically classed as “deformed”). Powers are vastly ranging, with no two Aces having the same powers. Their powers often manifest as a result of their subconscious desires. While many Aces became heroes and others became criminals, many do not fit in one category or another. Some of the older generation don costumes while the newer generation have given up the practice. Nearly all aces, regardless of the generation, have adopted nicknames reflecting their powers.
A joker is a person who, upon becoming infected with the Wild Card, became hideously deformed and crippled. The deformities are extremely diverse, ranging from slight to severe. Not all jokers are physically deformed however. A joker may also manifest a power that cannot be controlled or makes their life worse overall, while retaining their human appearance. Their deformities manifests as a result of the subconscious fears and hatreds. Some jokers also develop subtle powers, depending on their deformities. Feelings of bitterness and self-loathing are widespread among jokers. Many of them wear masks to hide their faces, while a few become exhibitionists, gaining perverse satisfaction in shocking others. Few jokers are completely adjusted to their change. Many Jokers have nicknames based on their deformities, often given to them.
Deuces are aces that have obtained powers that are considered trivial or useless to be effective. Just like Jokers and regular Aces, a deuces power is an extension of their subconscious expressions. While considered to be of no use, many deuces began using their powers in creative ways, either for entertainment or in their regular day jobs.
A joker-ace is a victim of the wild card virus with both impressive powers and extensive deformities. While pure aces are superhumans with a normal appearance, and pure jokers are powerless, deformed monsters, the joker-ace is a mixture of both.
A previously derogatory term to describe a normal human being unaffected by the wild card virus, the word has found its way into normal usage, even by normal people themselves, especially in the police department describing perps. Nat heroes are rare, but not impossible. Due to their lack of powers, the ones that do exist often exist as shadowy skulkers rather than center-stage characters.
As previously stated, the virus kills 90% of the infected. The remaining 10% are separated into 2 groups: *jokers*, who make up 9% and *aces* who are a tiny 1% of the infected. Interestingly, a portion of infected subjects do not manifest the virus right away. They are known as “Latent” and make up 30% of infection cases. The virus can be triggered later in life by a traumatic event, either physical or emotional. After this, their chances are the same as a normal wild card. As the virus interacts with a person’s DNA, this means that the Wild Card traits are inheritable, explaining the appearance of the aces and jokers in later generations. A person who has inherited the wild card gene from both parents is known as a “Suicide King”, due to the high mortality rate of wild card subjects. A person may also carry the gene but not express it in any way, much like other common recessive genes in humans. Below is a diagram showing how one is affected by the gene crossing (Note: this is a simplified version, not taking into account genetic drift, co-dominance and mutation)
The virus can be identified using a blood test, even if that person is Latent. The virus does not affect animals or other aliens as it is genetically coded for Takis (and, as a result of the identical genetics between races, humans)
Notable People/Places:
: Full name Prince Tisianne brant Ts’ara sek Halima sek Ragnar sek Omian, he is the alien Prince from the planet Takis who landed on Earth in 1946 to prevent the release of the alien Wild Card virus. He is a scientist, physician and telepath, capable of reading minds and controlling them to a degree. He is the Chief of Staff at the Jokertown Clinic and dresses similarly to the style of the 1800s. One of the few differences between Takisians and Humans is that they age slower than we do, thereby explaining why Tachyon has been on Earth for over 4 decades and yet looking like he is still in his mid-30s, just as he arrived. He is also very close friends with Aces The Turtle and Capt. Trips and jokers Jub and Dr Finn.
(Character taken by GM)
CEO of Field Enterprises based out of New York, Michael has thrived in the business world using 2 innate skills: a ruthless method in dealing with the competition and a knack for spotting untapped niche markets. The latter skill has led him to his new product: commercialized Aces and Jokers. Not merely putting their faces on lunch boxes, but building them up, talk shows, books and more, finally building to the penultimate agenda: the world’s first corporate crime-fighters.
(Original Character, taken by GM)
Captain Trips is Mark Meadows, one of the world's most brilliant biochemists. He is also an ace with the unusual ability of transforming into several different and powerful aces by ingesting special powders made of psychoactive drugs. He first discovered this power after transforming into the Radical at the People’s Park riots in the 1970s after experimenting with LSD and has since then discovered 5 more personalities within himself. He refers to these alternate identities as his "friends." As Captain Trips, he leads a double life as a hippie superhero, the last believer in the peace and love ideals of the 1960s. He is a gentle, trusting soul with a genuine belief in the 1960 ideals of love and peace. He is very uneasy about physical violence and prefers to leave that to his good friends with Dr. Tachyon.
The hub for jokers and some aces in the Wild Card universe, Jokertown is located in the Bowery Region of NY. Many jokers filtered into the largely abandoned area in the wake of Wild Card Day in 1946. Through the 50s and most of the 60s, the burrow was a hovel for homeless and abandoned Jokers. However, in the late 60s, Jokers began to open businesses which began thriving due to both the local joker community and the incoming tourist trade. Many notable businesses are:
The Crystal Palace: Owned by the fascinating Chrysalis, the unique club can be found in the centre of Jokertown and is home to just as unique characters. There’s Chrysalis herself, both extremely clear (literally) and opaque in personality. She knows almost everything about everyone in Jokertown. Then there’s the eyeless bartender Sascha, who knows exactly what you want even before you sit down (and that includes trouble). Elmo Schaeffer is the 4 foot high doorman, but don’t let that fool you, he’s as tough as they come. And finally there’s Jube. If you ever want to see a walrus in a Hawaiian shirt sipping on a fruit cocktail, then this is the place to be. You can even pick up a paper from Jube once he starts his rounds again. The Crystal Palace as a whole is quite the sedate class act, considering its clientele and its location….
Freakers: If you’re feeling more adventurous and like your thrills with a hint of danger, head down to Freakers on Chatham Sq. The food is generally microwaved, the drinks are definitely watered but the reason to head into Freakers is the entertainment. Let me put it this way; the entrance to Freakers is a six-foot, six-breasted neon sign stripper where you enter through her wide open legs. Need I say more?
Jokers Wild: Jokers Wild is an anomaly on the night scene in Jokertown. Jokers Wild is a black cabaret that convenes in Rat’s Alley every night. The only thing that prevents the authorities shutting down the place down is the fact that Rat’s Alley’s location changes every night. The doorman is known only as Gatekeeper and it is rumoured that Jokers Wild is a pocket dimension which the Gatekeeper keeps in a collapsible frame under his giant cloak. He also doesn’t let just anyone in. You need to have something he wants, something he needs. “You need a touch of sin to get in” is the saying. No one innocent passes through the doors of Jokers Wild. It’s rumoured that the Gatekeer is an emotional energy vampire, feeding on the raw emotions of his patrons. Once one is inside the Jokers Wild, all bets are off and everyone is fair game for humiliation, disfigurement, torture or death. But, to be fair, it does have the lowest prices for the best drinks in town. And the only cover charge is your soul….
Aces High: Located on the 86th floor of the Empire State Building, the Aces High is the place to go to see the most famous (or at least the most public) Aces. The restaurant is high in profile and price and is frequented by ace and nat alike. The express elevator brings one to the foyer, where they are greeted by Hiram and the walls peppered with autographed photos of celebrities. The Sunset Terrace is a must-see (and an entrance for many aerial Aces) on warmer evenings. Open from 11am to 2am every day, the dishes to try are the roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, the fresh seafood and the immaculate dessert cart. If you’re visiting, bring your plastic.
:
1939: Robert Tomlin runs away from the orphanage where he’d been living. He gets a job at Bonham’s Flying Service where he helps one Prof. Silverberg develop the world’s first jet aircraft. When Silverberg is slain by Nazis, Tomlin takes the plane, now christened JB-1, to Canada.
1939-1940: Tomlin, now with the nickname “Jetboy”, flies with the RAF in the Battle of Britain and in China with the Flying Tigers.
1941-1945: After Pearl Harbour, Jetboy receives a special presidential commendation from Roosevelt and begins flying under the Red, White and Blue. He becomes one of the greatest ace pilots of WWII, with over 500 kills.
Early 1945: Jetboy is marooned on a South Pacific desert island, missing the rest of the war.
1946: Jetboy is rescued from his desert island. Dr. Tachyon lands in New Mexico and is detained by the US government, who are sceptical of his story.
Sept 15, 1946: Jetboy is killed in a life-and-death struggle with nemesis Dr Tod, who was attempting to blackmail the US with the Takis virus. The virus is released over New York, killing over 10,000 in that afternoon as the Wild Card phenomenon begins.
Oct 1946: Archibald Holmes recruits Golden Boy (Jack Braun), the Envoy (David Harstein), Brain Trust (Bylthe Stanhope van Renssacler) and Black Eagle (Earl Sanderson Jr.) into the Exotics for Democracy, also known as the Four Aces, the world’s first “superhero” team.
1946-1950: There are major wild card events all over the world including Brazil, Kenya, Hong Kong, Egypt, New Zealand and reports in Russia as the virus spreads (hypothesised to be as a result of the winds in NY on Wild Card Day)
1947: The Four Aces hunt Nazi criminals all over the world.
1948: A major Wild Card event breaks out in Egypt. 1000 die with 13 aces being created.
1948: Black Eagle saves Mahatma Gandhi from an assassin’s bullet.
Late 1948: The Four Aces are instrumental in in negotiating a peace accord between Chinese Communists and the Nationalists. But the China Accord fails mere weeks after the departure of the Four Aces. Communists invade the mainland and the Aces are blamed.
1949: The Four Aces are brought before a sitting of the HUAC (House Committee on Un-American Activities) and torn apart. Harstein is sent to prison for contempt. Sanderson, threatened with the same, flies away from America and never returns. Renssaeler’s mind is broken after intensive questioning and an injudicious mind control attempt by Tachyon. Tachyon himself is declared an undesirable, illegal alien. Braun, a friendly witness, continues a successful acting career.
1950s: The anti-wild card hysteria hits its peak, fanned by the Senate hearings headed by Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy. SCARE (Senate Committee for Ace Resources and Endeavours) is founded with McCarthy as its head. He uses his office to continue his persecution of wild carders, aces, deuces and jokers alike. A Network survey ship visits Earth, not making contact. Jube the Walrus appears in NY, selling newspapers and magazines in Jokertown.
1954: The Exotic Powers Act (required registration for all Wild Carders, ace and joker alike) and the Special Conscription Act (mandating drafting of all Wild Carders into government service) are passed into law. Only small portions of the Wild Carder population register, with those with useful powers disappearing into government service. Most go underground. No public aces are seen until the 60s.
1956: Public backing for McCarthy begins to wane in the face of extreme witch-hunts for Wild Carders. He retires from the public eye due to health problems and loss of political power.
1960: JFK is elected President and brings forth a new message of liberalism and tolerance in regard to Wild Cards.
1963: Tachyon returns to the States and befriends the Great and Powerful Turtle, who becomes the first public ace of the new era.
1966: Tachyon opens the Jokertown Clinic to provide medical aid for the people of Jokertown and anyone else afflicted with the Wild Card virus and serves as a research centre for the study of the virus.
1970: During the riots of People’s Park over the construction project, Mark Meadows turned into the Radical for the 1st and only time.
1971: Hiram Worchester opens his lavish Aces High restaurant at the top of the Empire State Building.
1974: Earl Sanderson Jr. dies in France.
1976: During the Democratic National Convention in NY, Jokertown erupts in flames as jokers demand social equality and justice (The Jokertown Riots). Senator Gregg Hartmann loses nomination for President after a national television outburst.
1977: Special Conscription Act and Exotic Powers Control Act repealed by Congress.
1979: President Jimmy Carter takes blame for the botched Ace rescue attempt of US hostages in Iran. He subsequently loses the election to Ronald Reagan.
1985: After a quiet reign under Reagan, Modular Man, the intelligent android, is created by Maxim Travnicek. The first wave of the Swarm invasion strikes Earth, killing thousands.
1986: James Spector (Demise) goes to work for the Astronomer. Daniel Brennan (Yeoman) comes to NY, becoming one of the few “nat heroes”. Mark Meadows (Captain Trips) and Dr. Tachyon meet for the first time. A group of Aces led by Fortunato destroys the Masons Headquarters. The Astronomer escapes and swears vengeance. The Swarm threat is ended by Tachyon, Fortunato, Yeoman and Mai Minh.
15 Sept 1986: The fortieth Wild Card Day is bloody disaster. The Howler and Kid Dinosaur are slain by the Astronomer and his agents; Modular Man is destroyed in the crossfire; and the the Turtle is missing in action. The Astronomer himself bested by Fortunato, then slain by Demise. Fortunato retires to Japan.
December 1 1986: The WHO-sponsered world tour to study the effects of the Wild Card virus leaves America
December 1986: Ti Malice takes Hiram Worchester as a mount and moves to New York. The Guatemalan government falls to an ace-led Indian revolution.
January 1987: Peregrine discovers that she is pregnant by Fortunato. The Temple of the Living Gods, in Luxor, Egypt is attacked by the Nur, a fundamentalist Islamic sect. Back in the United States, Brennan (Yeoman) adopts a secret identity nad goes undercover to join Shadow Fist Society. A gang war starts between the Mafia and the Shadow Fist for control of the New York City underworld.
February 1987: Rosemary Muldoon is exposed as Rosa Maria Gambione, mafioso, and loses her job as District Attorney.
March 1987: Leo Barnett announces his candidacy for the presidency of the Untied States.
April 1987: Greg Hartmann is kidnapped by a coalition of radical leftist and radical joker groups. He comes out of the incident with a spotless image and new sidekick, Mackie Messer. While in France, Tachyon discovers he had a grandson, Blaise Andrieux, brings him to America.
April 29 1987: WHO-sponsored world tour returns to America.
May-June 1987; Croyd Crenson, the Sleeper, awakes with a deadly form of the virus, a contagious form. He leaves the Clinic and becomes "Typhoid Croyd", unwittingly causing a major viral outbreak. The victims cannot spread the virus to others but hundreds die and a number of new aces and jokers are created. Modular Man is recreated by Dr. Travnicek. Martial law is declared in NY because of "Typhoid Croyd"
July 1987: The Sleeper (Typhoid Croyd) sleeps again, ending the threat of another Wild Card outbreak. But not before creating a new generation of Wild Cards...
It is from this point in time (1986 for those who didn’t read the Timeline) that the normal timeline may/will diverge. Anyone taking over established characters must review their characters history. Anyone who is creating new characters should take these past events into account if they affect your character in anyway. I would ask that if you are creating a character based around a certain ability or deformity that you check and see if there isn’t already a highly established character that has your ability/deformity of choice. I say “highly” as in they have been given backstory and/or have been established. A list of different characters/power-based categories can be found here: Wild Card Characters
Now time for everyone’s favourite section- Da Rulez!
1] Have fun. We’re all here because we love writing and/or imagine intricate stories, settings and characters and, while I (and I assume many others) are open to constructive criticism, we’re not here to beat down others on their creations, we’re here to add to already rich and imaginative world. So have some fun with it. THAT’S AN ORDER!
2] If you’ve never read these books, that is alright. The whole point is that we’re starting anew from a point in time and constructing our own stories. However, 2 common themes all these books (and hopefully this RP) have are realism (what would happen if you put super powered beings in the “real” world) and graphic, gritty imagery and situations. What do I mean by that? 2 simple words: anal necrophilia. Yes. That actually happens in one book. However, that will not be happening here or at least, not to that degree. Everyone will follow the sites rules regarding sexual content and graphic violence. Anything graphical should only be hinted at or faded to black in regards sex and the explicit language and violence should not be overused just for the “shock factor”.
3] Pick a character that you A) think you can develop or construct a character that you think you can get some decent stories out of B) have decently researched or put time into creating yourself. Don’t just pick one because their “powers are cool” or “they’re badass”. Think long term. Also don’t be afraid to pick a Nat or Deuce if you think you effectively develop a good story or character out of them. Also try and be realistic in your appearance for your character, particularly the Aces. Not all Aces are beautiful, stone-chiselled models, some can be just ordinary people with extraordinary powers.
4] Pick your powers/deformities wisely. Obviously I can’t tell someone how to play their characters but I would ask that if you are choosing certain abilities that you consider how they’ll affect your stories and your character’s life overall. I would ask that people limit their choices away from the god-like powers, time travel and so forth and if you do choose these powers, that you impose a weakness or limitation as to their usage. In saying that, don’t be afraid to use your imagination. This world contains humanoid androids, sexually-powered magicians, Shakespearian-dressed telepathic aliens and much, much more.
5] Everyone is allowed, at most, 2 characters at any one time. However, due to the rarity of Aces in the world, if you pick an Ace as your 1st character, then you will only have the choices of Jokers, Deuces or Nats. This also goes for ace-jokers. No one can have 2 Ace-style characters at one time. This is to keep things fair and balanced and to try and stop the entire RP from being filled with nothing but Aces. All other combinations are available, joker-joker, deuce-joker, Nats etc.
6] You may notice that the previous rule has the phrase “at any one time”. That is because no one’s character is above dying. However this will only happen IF the character’s player allows it. Other characters may simply just run out of steam story wise and be retired. Others may transcend the physical plane, travel back in time etc. Point is, is that characters in this will come and go.
7] No Godmoding or Metagaming to an extreme degree. For anyone unfamiliar with these terms, Metagaming is playing your character using/having knowledge that could only be obtained by either reading it in the OOC or by reading another poster’s entries. Big no-no. Godmoding, in this case, is trying over-exert too much control over situations or other characters. This also carries over to describing actions of other player’s characters in-game without their prior consent. A very big no-no.
Name: Gender: Age: Nationality/Country of origin: Ethnicity/Appearance: Wild Card Status (Ace, Joker etc): Power Gain (how did they attain their abilities/deformities?): Alias (if applicable): Abilities/Deformities: Weaknesses: Public presence (public, secret id, doesn’t use powers at all yet etc): Personality: History: Relationships (friends, family, other aces/jokers): Base of operations (bunker, warehouse, their apartment etc): Why do you want to play this character?:
One of the key traits about the Wild Cards novels themselves are the the diverse writing styles that populate the novels. Some have over a dozen contributors, each delivering a short story, written in 1st or 3rd person, as extracts from history biographies, clippings from news articles and TIME magazine and logs & diary extracts from characters. Others are written by a single author on a single character. If one poster writes in a certain style (me for example), do not feel pressured into writing the same way. By all means, experiment. Maybe write your main character in your preferred style, then try your hand at a 2nd character in a completely different one.
As this is an Int Ch for the moment, there are bits missing, mostly about other important characters. This is mainly to prevent an overload of information. However, if you have a genuine interest in it, then I suggest reading the Wikia for any information you may want to find between now and when/if the OOC goes up and if you’re just interested in the overall premise, I highly recommend you find a copy of the 1st Wild Cards novel and read it.
Also you need not post up an actual filled CS just yet, this is merely to garner some interest and see how things follow from here.
Can't believe I hadn't heard of this series, sounds brilliant, count me in.
Awesome! Yeah, I came across it while wandering the bookshelves of my local bookshop and found a tattered, 2nd-hand copy of the 1st book. I was enthralled and scoured the internet for the other editions. Finally found a zip of all the EPUBs for my reader and have been trailing through them ever since.
I tried to get a version of this up over a year ago but with exams it kinda fell through. Now though I've time and energy to get this ball rolling again.
So...after reading your intro to this, I did a bit of googling and research and all I can really say is...
WOW
This series sounds awesome. It reminds me of the show Alphas a bit, or X-men. I love that type of thing where there are normal people and those with other powers/advances. It's an interesting setting.
Quick question though, do we pick an already pre-determined character or are we allowed to make our own, but use the powers/deformities as a reference?
@FantasyChic Well that's what the bump was for. Trying to get this thing started. Yeah, it's similar to Alphas and Heroes even in that respect. There are no "supervillians", more just people who use their powers to get what they want.
You can do either. If a character already exists with the power you had in mind then you can use them if you desire. However is entirely up to you. If you do pick a power, ensure it is entirely unique to that character as that is one of the rules of this Universe.
@Ermine Well I am recruiting elsewhere (the Adv. Int section) but, as far as I care, there can be as many people/characters as there wants to be in this RP can come on in. All I ask is that people be consistent in their posting and finish arcs of characters when they get bored or run out of steam. I'm just looking for interesting stories and characters to read about.
You can count me in—but first, I have one questions: How good should be my understanding of Wild Cards? I'm reading Down Deep (Wild Cards I). I know a few thing, mostly things I randomly read in the Wikia.
You can count me in—but first, I have one questions: How good should be my understanding of Wild Cards? I'm reading Down Deep (Wild Cards I). I know a few thing, mostly things I randomly read in the Wikia.
You don't need a comprehensive knowledge of the world. Actually, reading Wild Cards I and II will give you most of what you need, since, interestingly enough, the next 3 books after II all occur in the space of the "1986 to 1987" sections of the Timeline section.
Knowing the social standing of the Wild Cards i.e. Jokers are ostracized and public Aces are lauded as celebrities is also important. Everyone should also read up on Dr. Tachyon until 1987, since it's highly likely they've met him at some point in his Clinic when they manifested their powers.
So, long story short, Books I-V are still "canon" and everything after that is in the wind. It may come into play, it may not. The "Croyd infects a whole bunch of new people" is our jumping off point...
BUT if anyone thinks they can write about some new events/characters that happened before this without affecting the timeline in a major way, feel free to try your hand at it. I won't bitch and moan.
