If there’s anyone listening, I just want you to know... I know how you feel. I know you’re scared, and upset. I know things have gotten crazy out there, and you don’t know what’s gonna happen next. That’s understandable. We’re well past the singularity now. And it’s only gonna get crazier from here.
Some of you are worried your neighbors are gonna wake up tomorrow with powers they can’t control. Some of you are worried about yourselves waking up with powers you can’t control. You’re scared of all the bad guys who’ve been cropping up. The monsters.
We get it. It makes sense. And it’s all right to be scared. No one’s judging you.
But there is good news. Because wherever the bad guys are, we’ll be there, too. You’re not alone. You’re not defenseless. We’re here. We exist. And we’re on your side.
We’re the good guys.
The heroes.
Your friendly neighborhood... Spider-Men.
It’s September 1st, 20XX. The location is Earth-1919. Specifically, the New York City of Earth-1919. It’s a world that should look familiar to you. One very much like your own, where legends and superheroes exist only in movies and comic books.
But not for long.
A “gas attack” at Empire State University has turned into an epidemic. Hundreds, even thousands, are falling sick. Greenwich Village has been quarantined. Most of those infected will die.
You will not.
You have been chosen. By some freak chance, or destiny, you have survived. But not unchanged.
And you’re not the only one.
The world is about to get much bigger. Much stranger. Much more dangerous. And you’re going to be at the center of it all.
Are you a hero? A villain? A little of both? Up to you.
Only you can decide what kind of Spider-Man you’ll be.
Welcome to the Spider-Verse. It’s gonna be a wild ride.
Welcome, one and all, to Tales from the Spider-Verse!
Following a chemical attack on Empire State University- dubbed the "Recluse Incident," after the label on a strange device recovered at the scene- you and a choice few others will wake up exhibiting strange symptoms and abilities. Specifically, those of a Spider-Man. How will you react to your new powers? Where will you go, and what will you do? It's all up to you, but be careful; you're not the only one who was affected by the Incident. And some of them might not be so noble as you are...
But with all that out of the way, welcome, have fun, and enjoy your stay here in the Spider-Verse!
All right, let’s take it from the top, one more time…
What’s your name? (Obvious.)
How old are you? (Max age 20; somewhere between high school and college age is preferable.)
What do you look like? (Description is preferable, picture is acceptable. Both is even better. Costume ideas optional; you can wait for IC for that part.)
What did you do before the Recluse incident? (Lay your backstories on me, guys. Good, bad, Uncle Ben moments, etc.)
What happened after the incident? (Power time! Take 100 points. Divvy them up between the following: Super Strength, Agility, Durability, Regeneration, Spider-Sense, and an optional Mutation if you so wish. Then describe your powers in-character. Keep in mind, you’re still superhuman by normal standards. This is just how you set yourself apart from other Spiders.)
Do you believe in aliens? (Also self-explanatory)
What are your goals for the future? (These can be your goals as a newly-minted superhero, or mundane goals like going to college and paying the bills. Hey, Spider-Manning doesn’t pay the bills; everyone’s gotta have an ambition, right?)
You lived in New York for a while now, right? What do you think of the city?
How much technology do you use on a daily basis?
What do you like? (Hobbies, talents, interests, things you like and are good at.)
What do you dislike? (Fears, food you hate, things you consider not-good or bad.)
Do you think true evil exists? (Heavy question, eh? Just answer honestly. No pressure.)
What’s your favorite color? (Self-explanatory; also a place to put your text color if you have one.)
Favorite song? (What song defines your character?)
Anything else to add? (Miscellaneous. Anything that wasn’t covered upstairs, or anything you think is worth mentioning.)
What are your thoughts on these people? (Relations. List each character by name, in their respective color, and your character’s current thoughts on them. Most characters should be aware of each other at least a little. To what extent is up to you.)
@Red X The point system isn’t really supposed to be that precise, just a shorthand for how much X you have compared to your fellow Spiders. You could indeed put all 100 points into one stat. All of your other stats would just be around Batman/Captain America levels: peak human performance, or slightly above. But adding even 10 points takes you from “mere mortal” to “superhuman.”
If I had to be more precise about achieving Main!Spider-Man strength, let’s say that Peter Parker has roughly 20 in every category except for Mutation. You could go a similar route and go Jack-of-all-stats. Or you could specialize.
All right, let’s take it from the top, one more time…
What’s your name? Scott Yi, ESU wrestling team captain. And you are?
How old are you? 20, what's this for again?
What do you look like? I'm right here, but okay. Black hair, kind of olive-ish skin tone, brown eyes; kinda almond-ish shaped, high cheek bones, square jaw, kinda muscular...
What did you do before the Recluse incident? Well, that's a bit of a loaded question. I kind of went to a no-name school. Like, it literally had no name. PS 191, that was all it was ever called. Guess that's not important though, is it? Well, what can I say? My parents did their best. My dad works at a department store as a part-owner, and my mom was a CNA. They moved from Korea and who-knows-where-else before settling in this little apartment here in New York. I uh, wasn't always happy with being... well, I didn't always feel like me growing up, but that's in the past now. But because of some steep medical expenses in the past, despite doing a decent bit of studying, it looked like college was out of the question. Good thing I ended up getting the Osborne Physical Promise Academic Grant. Even got to meet old man Norman and his son Harry
What happened after the incident? Super Strength: 0 Agility: 0 Durability: 0 Regeneration: 0 Spider-Sense: 100 Mutation: 0 So, yeah... Imagine knowing when things are going to happen before they happen... usually when it involves getting hurt. Now imagine waking up one day to find you rolled in your sleep- up a wall. Now imagine like, feeling these... threads, or something, that pull to other people. Yeah, it's weird. Seriously, who are you?
Do you believe in aliens? I read about this once: Fermi Paradox. But basically, the galaxy's so big that even our oldest transmissions are no where near another star, so even if there were aliens, and even if they were intelligent, they'd have no way of knowing we exist. That's a little sad.
What are your goals for the future? Well, scholarships don't qualify for themselves, so busting my back as usual. Aiming for physical therapy, or emotional counseling. I figure I can take one as a minor, and not kill myself too hard.
You lived in New York for a while now, right? What do you think of the city? It's great. I mean, it's loud, it's crazy, but where else can a street artist, an Italian cook, and a little Chinese grandmother all share the same building? It's sort of like, the embodiment of America, in a way. Is that weird?
How much technology do you use on a daily basis? I mean, when I was younger, I was a total audio-rat. I had headphones on like, ninety percent of the time. It drove my mom nuts. My dad would bring offages from the store that were slightly broken, and I would try to fix them, but I had more a passion than a talent for it. Recently, it's more for homework and stuff; so I'm not sure if it's a lot less, or just as much.
What do you like? Full of loaded questions today, huh. Okay, okay, I'm cooperating. Music, if that wasn't obvious from before. Also, big weakness for chilli-fries. They're absolute trash but I love them. But nothing beats a home-cooked meal; the fact that my mom makes a lot of Korean food has a lot to do with it. Uh, hanging with friends... but I do a lot of, let's say, nocturnal extracurricular activities.
What do you dislike? This is gonna sound weird, but I don't drink milk much. I sort of avoid dairy altogether. Not a big fan of being like, alone alone, ya'know? Also, all this pressure about being in a relationship and having sex and stuff- I don't gel with it. Just let me chill guys, seriously.
Do you think true evil exists? Wow, deep stuff today. I can't say I've given that serious thought. I think it's mostly people who made bad choices.
What’s your favorite color? Probably this one, [98fb98], although this is cool too, and this.
Favorite song? That is... a difficult choice.
Anything else to add? No, not really. What's this for again?
Life was much simpler when I was younger. It wasn’t a fairytale, just average at best but that had been enough for me. It was when my mother got sick that everything started to change for the worse. Hospital visit after hospital visit. My mom not able to work anymore and my father barely making it by. He started disappearing more, coming home either drunk as hell or in a fowl mood late into the evening but pretending everything was fine while in my mother’s presence. It was like I was forgotten, all on my own and trying to navigate the world. I found more often than not that I was locked out of my own home so I found myself wandering a park or going to the nearby ice skating rink to watch, trying to find something to keep me busy till I could go home. This went on for years until suddenly, everything changed....my father seemed happier, things started to seem normal again, I wasn’t alone anymore and I hoped that meant that mom was getting better. I was able to do more after school activities, not understanding at the time we shouldn’t be able to afford to do them. My mom’s hospital bills were being paid on time and while my father still stayed out a bit late, he seemed to be doing better. Everything would be as it was and the nightmare from before would be over. It didn’t end up being that way though.
One night, I found myself dragged from bed in the middle of the night by a stranger. I tried to fight, squirm to get away, cry out, call for help but it was all for nothing. Instead, I was slapped harshly with my attacker telling me to shut up as I was continuously pulled like a rag doll to the living room. The first view being my father strapped to a chair, blood everywhere, beaten and scared when his eyes met mine. I found no words now, fear and panic twisting in my gut as I was threatened with a cold knife pressed to my throat. I could barely hear, the blood rushing to fast in my ear as the attackers spoke to my father. He was to start paying back the money he had borrowed, no more delays or trying to sneak on by. They left, leaving me to deal with the mess my father was. He forced me not to call the cops, saying all of our lives depended on keeping this all a secret. I found myself roped into and forced to steal, my father saying it was our only way. He explained they would be like Robin Hood, stealing for a good reason. It never felt right. I felt horrible. If I tried to stop though, I was met with violence and that wasn’t any better. It wasn’t even a month later that my mom passed away after her long struggle and I felt it was a punishment for what we were doing. It didn’t matter though, we weren’t allowed to stop.
It wasn’t until my high school years that we finally had enough stolen items sold off to finish the debt. I hoped we could wash our hands of it and move forward. My father didn’t seem to think so. He fell back into old ways, drinking and stealing. He was sloppy and started to draw attention. The second he tried to rope me into that lifestyle again, I suddenly found myself couch hopping. I would stay with friends or crash with band mates so that I didn’t have to see him. Didn’t have to be a part of his screw ups while I tried to make a life for myself. I needed to get a scholarship if I wanted to do anything college wise and even if I didn’t make it then a criminal record would not be a good start. They had been really lucky so far. I was skilled at thievery and planning but it wasn’t the life I wanted for myself. It was no surprise to me when I found out my father had been arrested. Cops bothering me to see if I had any information and to see if I had been a part of it in any way. I was able to weasel out of it but it had been an annoying process. They kept a close eye on me after that.
After high school, I pretty much signed up for anything and everything job wise. I needed a place of my own or at least enough to help a room mate since couches would not be an option any longer. I would have started on a job sooner but with my...other activities, it had been impossible. I turned out getting work as an office assistant which isn’t really my style and I hate it but it pays very well. Honestly, if I could be a hero all the time then I would. I feel like I have no freedom and there is something freeing about watching over others and making sure they are safe.
The world is full of mystery and infinite possibilities so I believe there is a chance that aliens exists. I am not holding my breath on ever meeting one but I do believe it is possible so I won’t dismiss it.
What are your goals for the future?
I don’t know if I have any real goals. I mean, I eventually want to go to college so I can get somewhere but at the same time...I don’t really want to get rid of my unrealistic dreams. Sure, it is silly but I would love for my band to make it to the big times or to be an Olympic ice skater since I have the talent but those seem too far from my reach. It would be best to go to college and work somewhere mundane. I mean, you can only be a hero now and then. Real life doesn’t stop so I’m not gonna put all my hopes into that but it is nice to help people.
You lived in New York for a while now, right? What do you think of the city?
It’s never boring, that is for sure. It is a little crowded and wild but I think that is a part of its charm. It gives you unexpected gifts and also complete frustration. You can find everything you need here.
How much technology do you use on a daily basis?
Oh boy....do I have to answer this? I feel embarrassed to say I am glued to my phone a lot. I am forever texting or looking up some sort of information. I love music and it is often that my headphones are in to enjoy. I do videos, writing and more in my free time which require technology. I mean, I am not sure I could live without movies or video games either. I also have to use it for work so that kind of makes it impossible to cut down the amount of use.
What do you like?
- Ice Skating - Basketball - Spicy Foods - Video Games - Reading - Mysteries - Writing - Art - Rain - Music - Cooking
Yes, some people do bad things for what they believe is a good reason but some people, the truly evil people of the world...just want to watch the world burn.
What’s your favorite color?
Red
Favorite song?
Anything else to add?
- Plays guitar and sings - Visits her mother’s grave every year on the anniversary of her death - Has a small black cat - Can easily pick locks, pickpocket, etc. - Knows how to draw but is not confident in her skills
What are your thoughts on these people?
TDB
I still have power section and relationships to do but just gonna put this here for now. I might adjust here and there but probably not anything big.
