November 4th, 2019— that was the day everything changed.

Before then, Earth-148 was much like our own Earth...at least, on the surface. Superpowers were the sole providence of fiction in the minds of the average men and women walking the street. A popular movie craze, nothing more. They failed to remember the great heroes of millennia past as anything more than a legend, a distorted myth.

But even still, there were already many differences between our world and this one. Not simply the existence of cities such as Metropolis, Gotham, or Keystone—but a divergence in their histories. The most prominent changes began during the 1930s with the emergence of the 'Actor Activists', as the government would come to call them. Their origins were as myriad as their personalities; soldiers, dissatisfied police officers, boxers...

Donning now iconic disguises, these men took to the streets to ferret out those that preyed upon the innocent, be they cutthroat gangsters or uncaring businessmen that exploited the poor for their own gain. Operating outside and even at times against the law, they were often scorned by polite society, yet they continued to risk their lives despite ostensibly being nothing more than mortal men.

Things would further change in 1934. Businessmen, fearful of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's "New Deal" and the effects it would have on their fortunes, began assembling a secret army of half a million ex-veterans to overthrow the President and institute their own fascist regime—a conspiracy simply known as “the business plot”. On the precipice of launching their operation, they were discovered by a group of heroes lead by Killian “The Wraith” Graves.

For the first time, Actor Activists fought together as a team to defeat an enemy far too powerful for any one of them to best alone. Infiltrating their base, the heroes brought down the leaders of the plot, General Hugh Johnson and J.P. Morgan Jr. Without these unifying figures to rally and support it, their army quickly disintegrated.

Grateful for their exposure and defeat of this would-be coup, the President pardoned them for their previous crimes, and granted these Actor Activists official sanction from the government. Continuing to work together as a team, these men would be lauded by the public as “The Impossibles” for their almost miraculous accomplishments in the face of overwhelming odds.

Beloved as the guardians of the innocent and punishers of the wicked, they would operate with impunity throughout the 30s and 40s, many taking to the battlefield as World War II dawned. Indeed, it was these heroes that put an end to the evil of the Third Reich when—after having struck a deal with the Western Powers—they assisted the conspirators of Operation Valkyrie in the successful assassination of Adolf Hitler.

When—as a part of the deal—the western powers moved to prevent the Soviet Union from advancing beyond Poland with the help of a resupplied German military, Stalin viewed this as a betrayal of their alliance. Fighting once more erupted, this time with the allies (including Germany) on one side, and the Soviets on the other. A brutal grindhouse that saw hundreds of thousands on both sides give their lives, it was only the successful use of the world’s first atomic weapons at Stalingrad and Vladivostok that gave the dictator pause.

With a front line that stretched from Eastern Prussia down to northern Bulgaria, a tumultuous peace was signed in the mutually occupied city of Warsaw. This was the start of the Cold War. The war against Japan was likewise brought to end when The Impossibles managed to successfully abduct Emperor Hirohito, forcing the military government to at last surrender.

Despite their increasing age, the post-war years were good for The Impossibles and the other Actor Activists. Viewed as war heroes and a symbol of freedom, they endured the changing times even as other institutes suffered through the Red Scare antics of men like Joseph McCarthy. Throughout the 50s, these weathered heroes continued their crusade for justice while a new generation donned increasingly flashy and ostentatious costumes.

Eventually, one after another, The Impossibles hung up their cowls. Their leader, Killian “The Wraith” Graves, having lied about his age to join the US Army at fifteen in 1917, was now in his fifties. Their time on the streets, it seemed, was over. But one of their members, Marvin “Maximus” King, had plans other than retirement.

In 1960, coming off the end of the Eisenhower presidency, Marvin King announced his intention to run for President. Beloved as one of the men who helped to end the threat of Nazi Germany and Japan, he won in a landslide. President King was sworn into office with a historically high approval rating.

But this would not last.

While initially loved, the King Administration proved to be an increasingly oppressive as time went on. With surveillance of citizens, harsh interrogations of suspected “dissidents” and draconian laws passed in the name of fighting crime, his support began to plummet. Fully aware of his declining numbers, President King used his plethora of dirt on the Mafia from his hero days to enlist their aid in buying his reelection in 1964.

When the United States became involved in the escalating conflict in Vietnam in 1965, President King was initially frustrated by the army’s inability to defeat the comparatively poorly equipped Viet Cong rebels and Northern Army. Though trying many tactics, they were unable to fully suppress the massive insurgency.

Thus, on March 6th of 1967, President King ordered a nuclear strike on the North Vietnamese capital of Hanoi, along with several other strategic locations. The world was horrified by the callous bloodshed unleashed by King, with the Soviet Union threatening retaliation even as the crippled North surrendered. With the President refusing to back down, the world appeared to be on the precipice of nuclear Armageddon.

Unable to stand by and watch as his former friend prepared to plunge the world into a war that would cost the lives of billions; Killian Graves rallied the other members of The Impossibles for one last mission. Despite being sixty-five years old by this point, The Wraith led his team to the White House to confront their renegade comrade.

The Secret Service, having been reorganized into something closer resembling a secret police force, stood in their way. Far past their prime and outnumbered, The Impossibles fell one after another even as they successfully fought their way to King’s office. In the end, only The Wraith remained. Clashing with his old friend, Killian defeated the rogue President.

Having just come within a hair’s breadth of nuclear annihilation, a fate only averted through what was essentially a costumed coup d’état, Congress quickly repealed the laws FDR had put in place to support the Actor Activists and imposed a ban on costumed vigilantism in its place. Furthermore, anyone with a history of vigilantism was now banned from ever running for any political office. Even in other countries, costumed heroics were prosecuted by the law with increasing intensity.

Though Marvin King was now safely in prison, his actions continued to have lasting consequences. The United States could no longer be considered a true superpower after this point, for while it had the economic strength and military power of one, it no longer had the political influence and network of alliances it had gained after World War II. While Europe was not hostile, their alliance (NATO) had been strained to the breaking point by King’s actions. Many countries around the world became increasingly wary of America, and began working to develop their own nuclear deterrents. Thus, the dream of nuclear non-proliferation vanished on the winds of President King’s madness.

Society thus continued on without costumed heroes, but their influence was lasting. Comic Books would eventually be all the craze, for while having vigilantes actively going above and beyond the law to strike at those they deemed deserving of punishment was now unwelcomed in the real world, the land of fiction offered a great source of escapism for children throughout the world.

Following the presidency of Marvin King, history diverged further still between Earth-148 and Earth-1. Our Presidents were no longer the same. The specific events that transpired from year to year no longer aligned. The countercultural movements and popular forms of music we know still occurred. Rock&Roll, Beatniks, hippies, disco...much remained the same, even as much had changed. There was no détente between the East and West during the 70s, and as a result the economic problems of the Soviet Union became apparent sooner.

The mid-1980s would see Eastern Europe erupt in war, as the dying Soviet Union turned its guns against the former states of the Warsaw Pact as they demanded full independence. With financial support from the west for the beleaguered former Pact members, the USSR would be further exhausted by the protracted conflict and would officially be disbanded on February 8th of 1989 in spite of multiple coup attempts by the military.

The 1980s and 90s were also marked by the ascension of Iraq-Syria (or the so-called Arab Federation) in the Middle East. Having united under the Ba’ath Party in 1966 after a brilliantly orchestrated joint coup by Hafez Al-Assad, they achieved a swift victory over Iran through the capture of Tehran in 1981, taking advantage of the country’s instability to capture the Khuzestan region. Many highly advanced weapons given to the Iranians by the American military were salvaged by them and integrated into their military machine.

Using this scavenged technology, Hafez successfully detonated his first nuclear device on April 14th of 1985. The Arab Federation proceeded to invade Kuwait in 1987. The west, distracted by the escalating conflict in Eastern Europe, failed to intervene in a meaningful way.

By the late 1980s, The Arab Federation had become the world's largest oil producer, and yet Hafez Al-Assad was not content. On the precipice of the Soviet Union’s collapse, they invaded Saudi Arabia, annexing their oil fields to the north. Already possessing more than enough control over the world’s supply of oil to cripple the western economies, and with a nuclear deterrent to dissuade any attempt to use their own ICBMs against him, their threats did little to deter his ambition.

Now the undisputed power in the Middle East, and with the western powers held hostage by threats of destroying the oil fields under his possession should they try to intervene militarily or impose sanctions, Al-Assad continued his expansion by annexing Jordan in 1993, and was only checked from further expansion by threats of mutually assured destruction via nuclear retaliation from Israel. Hafez would be succeeded by his son Bassel Al-Assad in the year 2000.

They would be known for allegedly funding numerous terrorist cells throughout this period, funneling countless billions into those that sought to spread fear and chaos throughout the globe. Through this, they kept the west distracted from their own activities—advanced missile and chemical weapons programs being developed underground with the goal of gaining an edge on their hated enemies. An ICBM test in 2004 revealed they now had the capability to reach the shores of the United States itself, horrifying the world.

Even before this, in 2002, fear and panic had taken hold. A terrorist group known as Harkut-ul-Jihad Al-Islami (HuJI for short) perpetrated the worst terrorist attack in United States history when they detonated a series of high yield explosives along the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, causing the bridge to collapse at the very height of rush hour. More than 2,000 American civilians perished that day.

Bassel Al-Assad disavowed association with the group, citing that they were primarily based further to the east, in Pakistan and India. The group claimed it to be in revenge for the west’s support of Indian persecution against Islam.

The United States responded immediately through military intervention in Bangladesh, which had fallen under an extremist Islamic regime backed by HuJI and known for sheltering the terrorist group from India as they launched their many attacks on the neighboring country. The invasion would prove long and protracted, with urban fighting reaching a scale never before seen as US forces invaded the most densely populated country in the world.

But a dramatic change was coming, even if none had yet realized it. In a certain city within the United States, an extraordinary individual had begun their shadowy war against the criminal underground. Striking with barely a trace save for the panicked whispers spread by their terrified victims, this ostensibly normal human being sent shockwaves through both the criminal world and law enforcement, even though most people still regarded them as a mere urban legend.

For nearly two decades “the Grim” carried out their crusade, with others throughout the country—perhaps the world—being inspired by tales of their actions. Some would attempt to emulate them by donning outrageous costumes and patrolling the streets of the towns, neighborhoods and cities. Many would die foolishly as their inspiration battled not only ordinary criminals, but also madmen and women who were every bit as outlandish and extraordinary as their heroic counterpart.

And then, on November 4th of 2019, everything changed.

The magic returned…and the world was never the same again.

Granted the power of the Rock of Eternity and the title of Wizard by Shazam, Karen Hernandez emerged onto the scene as Lady Arcana. Shocking the greater world with her defeat of the psychokinetic terrorist calling himself “the Iron Eagle”, she was merely the first of many extraordinary individuals that would appear over the next year.

Names such “Velocity”, and “Emerald Knight” soon dominated search engines across the internet, as they battle criminals both mundane and monstrous in nature. Oftentimes, like the Actor Activists of old, they would find themselves in opposition to law enforcement. Nevertheless, they proved instrumental in the defense of New York when hordes of crazed citizens took to the streets and began attacking (or worse—converting!) their fellow New Yorkers.

Found to be the result of a bizarre new drug called “Elysium”, it had offered an unprecedented high to its users, while secretly placing them under the control of a mysterious figure who seemed to bear a grudge against the modern world.

But this would not be the last of his schemes. The heroes were soon forced to halt and ultimately defeat the Arab Federation when—bolstered by advanced technology of an unknown origin—they came close to conquering the entirety of the Middle East. Suspecting the figure behind the New York riots was responsible, the world waited with bated breath for their next move.

Following these victories, public support for the masked supermen soared, and yet the mystery of who was behind these attacks and the rising tide of supernatural violence around the world remained. When the dead began to rise from their graves throughout the world, many governments declared martial law to contain the ensuing chaos.

For the last three months of 2020, cremating the bodies of the departed (newly or otherwise) became a necessary reality to put a stopper on the nigh-endless hordes of the dead. It was within this environment that the world prepared to celebrate a very somber Christmas, but even this small reprieve would be cruelly snatched from them.

On the night of Christmas Eve, parents and children alike would find themselves torn from their bed by the smell of ash and the threatening glow of fire. Simultaneously, at every corner of the globe, major cities had found their streets broken and tread upon by the hooves, claws, and feet of countless mythological beasts that had once been merely the stuff of legend in minds of Earth’s denizens. Lead by the colossal Titans, they swept across every country like a pandemic.

Washington, DC, London, Paris, Tokyo, Beijing and hundreds of other cities were consumed by chaos and fire as the Earth’s militaries found their bases and infrastructure similarly targeted without warning. Nearly every organize military force around the globe found itself crippled by this sudden assault, leaving them unable to render assistance to the desperate civilians caught up in the mysterious invasion.

From Christmas Eve to New Years Day, a war was fought for humanity’s very survival between the forces of the wicked Goddess of Discord, Eris, and the only men and women who could oppose them—the newly awakened metahumans and Magi. Fighting side-by-side with what remained of Earth’s armies, these extraordinary individuals put a halt to the previously unstoppable hordes bearing down upon the people of Earth.

And standing atop them all were the seven great heroes who faced down and ultimately defeated Eris herself. Almost singlehandedly turning the tide of what would come to be known as the One Week War, they were celebrated by the world at large as the Justice League.

With the help of the Greek Pantheon who had been imprisoned by the traitorous Eris, the newly formed Justice League brought the Titans and their armies to heel. The world was saved, but it was also forever changed. Gone were the days where people understood the meaning of “reality”; gone was the comforting notion that there was nothing lurking in that dark corner. Monsters were real, and nightmares could hurt you.

The next five years saw this truth forcibly hammered into the collective consciousness of humanity, as the veil between worlds parted to allow all manner of horrors to slip through. Even as the broken and battered first world nations came together to form a united front against the rising tide of chaos, it was the Justice League and other heroes that lead the charge.

Of course, not all metahumans chose to use their powers for good. Many chose to use their extraordinary power for their own selfish gain, often at the expense of everyone around them. Already fearful and envious of these powered individuals, many “normal” human beings grew to resent and even hate the metahumans, which, by 2026, numbered five percent of the global population.

The threat of a metahuman registration bill has constantly hung in the air for the past three years, though has thus far failed to pass. After all, the vast majority of metahumans are neither superheroes or villains, but merely people trying to live their lives.

Politically, the world of 2026 has been divided into three blocs—The United Nations Defense Force (UNDF), the Eurasian Confederation, and the East Asian Security and Co-operation Organization (EASCO).

The UNDF formed in the aftermath of the One Week War as a means of protecting the Earth in the event of a future attack by otherworldly forces, and to help coordinate the rebuilding of the planet’s shattered societies. Not everyone was keen to join this military union, however, with the People’s Republic of China forming its own bloc to facilitate the ongoing reconstruction efforts. Far more disturbing, however, was the emergence of the Eurasian Confederation under Demetri Vertikov.

Originally the “Director” of Slovakia, he—taking advantage of the post-invasion chaos—created an alliance of Eastern European nations, many of which held great animosity towards one another. It is now known that he is a high level metahuman, and that he accomplished this miraculous feat using his ability to channel the collective hatred of a populace towards any goal he desires—effectively a form of mass mind control.

Although the rest of the world was outraged upon discovering this unprecedented violation of everything it meant to be human, “Count Vertigo”, as the public had christened him (a mocking reference to his family’s aristocratic past in Tsarist Russia), was quick to point out that if he were to be removed from power, then everything under his rule would descend into utter chaos. Faced with the prospect of thousands of nuclear warheads and potentially worse being unleashed upon the world, the Justice League has yet to act against him.

But superpowered dictators weren't the only problems facing the Justice League. In Ireland and Brittany, a violent uprising by the Unseelie Court saw the humans of these territories either driven out, or enslaved to their new Fae overlords. In the destabilized Republic of Arabia, a powerful collective of Djinn successfully unified their brethren within into a small but powerful Mageocracy, situated perilously close to the holy city of Medina.

Many now wonder if this planet truly still belongs to humanity, or if they'll soon find themselves relegated to the status of mere beasts beneath the awesome powers wielded by these interlopers.

The year is now 2026, and the world exists in an uneasy impasse. The potential for a catastrophic third world war looms, while far worse things lurk beyond human perception, waiting to plunge the Earth into an unyielding nightmare.

The following is a list of tiers based on a character's Destructive Potential. This does not necessarily mean a higher tier character will always defeat a lower tier one, just that their ability to unleash destruction is greater.

Street Level

Low:
This is most probably you in real life. Either a typical civilian with no combat experience or a police officer is a Low Street level.
Example: weaker sidekicks, Kick-Ass, the cops

Medium:
This is a trained soldier at a bare minimum, and an elite Special Forces Operative at its highest. Anything from a G.I. to a Navy SEAL would be considered Medium Street Level.
Example: soldiers, most sidekicks, The Question

Powerhouse:
One is considered a “Powerhouse” Street Leveler if they’ve achieved peak human abilities in one or all areas, or possess very low levels of superhuman strength or other low key superhuman abilities.
Example: most Robins, Batman, Green Arrow

Intermediate Tier

Low:
Someone capable of easily lifting or destroying a small vehicle would be considered Low Intermediate Tier level.
Example: Hourman, Killer Croc, Bane

Medium:
A character is Medium Intermediate Tier level if they can lift potentially tens of tons, or obliterate an entire street near-instantly.
Example: Steel, Aztec, Robotman

Powerhouse:
This is a character that can lift up to a hundred tons or obliterate an entire city block with their power.
Example: Booster Gold, Cyborg, Gorilla Grodd

High Tier

Low:
Someone that is Low High Tier has the physical strength to lift well over a hundred tons or has the potential to obliterate multiple city blocks.
Example: Wonder Girl (Cassandra), Atom-Smasher (at weakest), Starfire

Medium:
A Medium High Tier character is capable of lifting ridiculous amounts of weight and unleashing levels of destruction that could easily obliterate an entire city if left unopposed.
Example: Blue Lanterns (alone), Donna Troy, Geo-Force

Powerhouse:
Powerhouse High Tiers are capable of destroying an entire city with virtually no effort, and are considered a national threat by all governments.
Example: Aquaman, Green Lanterns (varies), Etrigan (outside hell)

Ultra Tier

Low:
Low Ultra Tiers possess such immense power that they're considered a threat capable of destroying multiple cities or even a small country in an instant, and can even damage the integrity of the planet if unchecked.
Example: Kryptonians newly exposed to yellow sunlight (IE, Zod), Blue Lanterns (with Green Lantern present), Kalibak

Medium:
Someone with this terrifying level of power can potentially destroy the entire planet, a threat to all life to be certain.
Example: Kryptonians with extended exposure to sunlight (IE, Supergirl), Wonder Woman, Lobo (at strongest)

Powerhouse:
Such individuals possess the power to easily wipe out a planet such as the Earth, and even its parent system in the most extreme cases. Be it through strength, speed, energy blasts...or all of the above, they are akin to a cosmic force of nature.
Example: Kryptonians with lifetime exposure to sunlight (IE, Superman), Captain Marvel/"Shazam", The Flash (Barry Allen)

The typical rules all apply, of course.
Don't metagame/godmode.
Don't be a jerk OOC.
Do not fill the OOC thread with personal squabbles, deal with it via PM or contact me if you can't.
Don't engage in Erotic Roleplay within the thread. Take that to PM.

In addition, some game specific rules.

1. I am establishing a finite cap on "Ultra Tier" characters. Not everyone can be Superman-tier, or it holds no meaning and it would get really out of control. Those who I do authorize to play such a character must really impress me with their profile and convince me they have the maturity to handle such a vast responsibility as mishandling such a character can easily ruin others enjoyment of the game. This and any other special slots will be covered under the 'limited availability' section.

2. All profiles must be approved by me before you are allowed to post ICly.

3. Don't disappear without warning! If you're going away, please tell me so I can try and plan around it. In addition, please try and post at least once a day if others are waiting on you.

4. Be mindful of the World's history when making your character. As said previously, super powered beings did not become overtly present in society until the start date of November 3rd, 2019. If your hero was at it before then, then they were a non-powered vigilante hero.

5. Don't steal other people's character concepts. If somebody is already calling themselves Batman, or has made an obvious Batman analogue, then that concept is taken. Pick another.

Basic Information
=========
Superhero/villain Name:
Civilian Name:
Origin city/Planet: (Where your hero/villain is from)
Hometown: (Where your character currently lives.)
Sex:
Race:
Height:
Weight:
Age: Birth Date:
--------
Costumed Appearance:
Civilian Appearance:
Icon: (Symbol, logo, or trademark symbolizing the persona they undertake; like Flash's lightning bolt, Batman's Bat, or Superman's emblazoned S.)
Costumed Personality:
Civilian Personality:
Super abilities:
-Skills:
-Powers:
-Gadgets:
-Weapons:
Civilian Occupation:

Biography---------

Character History/Origin:

Optional information
----------
Nemesis:
Allies:
Team: