Welcome to Recollections: The Othergrounds. The second spin-off (and sort of sequel) to Vivid Recollections and the third RP in the Recollections Universe. It takes place in a new timeline after the destruction of the world eating monstrosity known as the Glutton was defeated and magic was suddenly returned to the universe. This creates a wide range of different ramifications as new beings and problems turn the system upside down. In The Othergrounds, random teenagers and other children are suddenly teleported to an empty city. The city has cars, food, and everything they would need to survive... except no life other than them. Some take it as paradise, others wonder if it's hell for their actions. However, they quickly find out the place is no normal city as the stakes get higher and higher and they desperately try to find a way out.
This story will be an urban-fantasy story that will cast a certain light on "magic" while leaving it ambiguous whether or not it's truly magic or not. The storyline will have elements of superpowers, horror, and more. The primary thematic of this RP will be Lonliness, Strangers, and Healing. The characters should be damaged or lonely indivuals that have nobody to reach to but the other people in the Othergrounds as they come to terms with their various issues. The cast should have problems but be realistic about it. Like Vivid Recollections, it's secondary themes will be Memory and Emotion.
⋗ 1 . 1 | Remember that everybody is here to have fun above all else. We may throw a few flowery jabs at each other, but remember it's all in good fun. The Golden rule is: don't be a dick.
⋗ 1 . 2 | That said, remember that I have the full right to deny anyone access to the RP, and I am willing to remove anyone from the RP should they get too unruly. I hope it doesn't come to that, but I'm just putting that out there.
⋗ 1 . 3 | I enforce a policy of not informing people of every time they should post (unless their character is in the middle of interactions). If you go inactive without a peep, I'm not going to babysit you. It's a player's responsibility to keep up with the RP.
⋗ 1 . 4 | Please be respectful towards all other players.
⋗ 1 . 5 | Please do not post a "wip" sheet. I find it very irritating when someone posts an incomplete character sheet. If you want me to read over what you have so far, just PM it to me. If you need a place to work on it just private message the sheet to yourself (or write it on one of many platforms).
⋗ 1 . 6 | This RP will strictly be "first come, first serve." Meaning I will not reserve any powers/character roles/etc, and they will go to whoever finishes their character sheet first. If there's a conflict over it, I will decide the outcome.
⋗ 1 . 7 | Character applications will go into the OOC (where we can work things out) until they are accepted. In other words, the character tab is for accepted characters only. Also, do not "reserve" a spot in the Character Tab unless you were given permission to by me.
⋗ 1 . 8 | Try to keep the OOC active as possible. Even chit-chatting about random games is perfectly okay.
⋗ 2 . 1 | No Powergaming, God-Modding, Metagaming, etc, etc... You know, the "don't"s of Roleplaying. You know the dealio.
⋗ 2 . 2 | Let me say now; the story will be pretty slow-paced at times. I have a job and college, so I won't be able to post constantly. If a slower RP is good for you, then go for it.
⋗ 2 . 3 | All I ask for is one post a week. If it's been a week since your last post, your character will be placed into the inactive section until they are written off (mostly by death). Once a character is inactive, however, they are officially an NPC and can be used freely by the GMs, or the players. Unless you give notice of your absence, then your character is off the table.
⋗ 2 . 4 | I am not a stickler for post length. I'd rather have a meaningful paragraph, over an essay full of filler. But, I request one paragraph.
⋗ 2 . 5 | This RP, at times, will get very dark. I plan for it to be a very mature, and down-to-earth Roleplay. There will be death, drinking, drugs, and tickle fingers.
⋗ 2 . 6 | Character death is a real possibility. By submitting a character, you understand that they have to take responsibility for their actions. They will not be bailed out by me and possibly get injured or die. I won't jeopardize the story for one character. They can also be killed by other characters. I won't go out of my way to kill off any character - that I like - but I may injure them for the sake of the story.
⋗ 2 . 7 | Romance/Sex/Whatever is allowed in the RP. "Fade to black" is so beaten into your heads by now that there's no point in even repeating it.
⋗ 2 . 8 | To keep things a bit more organized, please say where your post is taking place at the start of your post.
⋗ 2 . 9 | If you're also expecting me to hold your hand every step of the way, then you're going to be disappointed. This is going to be an RP that rewards taking initiative, and starting plotlines of your own. I'll provide a storyline, but I'm not going to be railroading everyone.
⋗ 3 . 1 | This is the most important rule, but PM ME YOUR CHARACTER SHEET. The thematic of the RP is strangers and to play up that aspect everyone will only post the "Stranger sheet" with only their appearance and faceclaim. Literally nothing but appearance.
⋗ 3 . 2 | I expect some moderate detail when writing your character sheet. Remember, this RP is more grounded in realism, and I want each character to feel like a person. Try to give them a believable past, goals, personality, etc.
⋗ 3 . 3 | If your goal is to basically make the strongest/best character, and try to "win" the roleplay, let me stop you here and say you won't get far. This is a story, not a place for you to wank your OP self-insert. Nothing says "I'm a bad writer" to me than giving your character the strongest abilities (along with an asston of skills). I will not hesitate to ask you to change whatever I dislike about your character sheet.
⋗ 3 . 4 | If your character is a sociopath/psychopath, complete badass, perfect character, edgelord, then they're likely not going to get accepted.
⋗ 3 . 5 | You can create a character of any ethnicity, gender, sexuality, background, etc, within the bounds of realism of course. You can definitely get creative here.
⋗ 3 . 6 | Following abilities are banned: Anything related to "power manipulation" (such as replication, removal, etc), Immortality, Gravity Manipulation, Magnetism, Matter Manipulation, "instant death" powers, reality-warping, anything with "Omni" attached to it, and complete defense/indestructibility.
⋗ 3 . 7 | I'm not placing a hard character limit, but I'm going to recommend you have no more than three characters. Afterward, you better bring something new to the table.
⋗ 3 . 8 | I suggest writing a description of your character's appearance to get everyone in that writing mood. If you must, you can use a picture. Just no anime. The pictures have to be of real people, or realistic art (but, let's shy away from A/B List Celebrities).
⋗ 3 . 9 | When creating a character, try to be diverse. Look at the character sheets and try to fulfill a role that no one has. No one wants a million street fighters, or nice girls. You can be pretty creative within the bounds of the lore.
⋗ 3 . 10 | Please refrain from tacking skills onto characters. Try to make everything feel natural to your character.
⋗ 3 . 11 | On the other hand, I'm going to be allowing more powerful abilities such as time manipulation, mind control/suggestion, memory manipulation, etc. There are limits in place to keep the playing field even, so keep that in mind.
⋗ 3 . 12 | Powers reflect some aspect of the character, so keep that in mind when creating one. I'm not asking for something super symbolic, but maybe something loosely related to your character.
⋗ 3 . 13 | Also, don't fill out the weaknesses/limits section of the character sheet. I'll fill that out for you!
⋗ 3 . 14 | This is optional, but I can choose a power for your character. It'll be a fun little thing for both of us
The story centers around the Extra-Normal, an umbrella term for strange and magical beings that are derived from a mysterious magical spectrum of light. These beings are either humans that have an emotional connection to light that they derive magic from, have opened their mind to the universe to gain powers, is a being formed out of belief or are a remnant of the past, or have been cursed by the other beings. Each of the Extra-Normal has abilities of some sort that are inherent to them all.
Known as Extra-Normal Abilities; these beings have a wide array of abilities that come naturally to them. The first of these abilities is the power to see the unseeable or the opening of the "third eye". Anything Extra-Normal or related is completely invisible to those without it and the most basic Extra-Normal ability is the power to perceive it. They can see flames that would otherwise be invisible and monsters that shouldn't be seen. Of course, certain abilities trump this extra sense. Certain Extra-Normal beings have unlocked the potential for reading "Aura". They are all connected to the world on a completely different level than anyone else, and can thus, perceive through their mind. However, what exactly they can sense is dependant on their personality, as, like their abstraction, reflects the user. Such as a kind person may be able to see the Auras of people in pain or are injured, or a greedy person may be able to sense money in the vicinity. Through this aura reading ability, the Extra-Normal beings can sense that object or person through walls, and over long distances. Some Aura reading is capable of gathering specific information. Though, some aura sensing requires activation. No one aura reading ability is the same (There are even some aberrations within aura reading).
Another ability inherent to the extra-normal is the ability to see into the past as if they were there. Triggered by being in a certain place, encountering a relevant person or object, or being in a moment of stress, an extra-normal being may receive a flashback into the past. Better known as Retrocognition, the Awakened will be a third party in this flashback and will be able to move around in a limited capacity as they watch the scene unfold. After the memory has faded, the Extra-Normal being will be thrust back into the real world with a minimal amount of time passed. Also, an Extra-Normal being may experience these moments while sleeping.
However, these all are just sub-abilities. Every true extra-normal being has an ability known as an Abstraction that is unique to them. Depending on their type it's either linked to their emotions and personality, the emotions passed down to them, belief, or an oddity among the classifications. However, there's an invisible barrier that exists between all of the Extra-Normal which protects them from being directly affected by each other's abilities. This is known as an Emotional-Field. It also lessens the blows behind each of their abilities - which means an Awakened with super strength can't one-shot everyone, a pyromancer cannot fry another one, a mind-controller cannot effectively mind controlling another. However, this depends on the ability and while a majority of abstractions are affected by the Emotional-Field certain abilities bypass it completely. It's case by case.
The Awakened - Those native to this universe are capable of Awakening and gaining strange and fantastical abilities. During a moment of a powerful emotion (a high-stress situation is the most common but other events such an intense moment of passion) they undergo an event known as an Awakening and gain their abstraction. These abstractions are dependant on their personality and emotion, and will always reflect them or have some type of symbolism even if it's slight. Such as a person who desires to be strong will gain a telekinetic-strength and a person with an explosive rage will be able to control fire - however, these abilities are never physical only mental or elemental. These abilities are largely imperceptible to the Blind, but few abilities can be seen by all. Each of the Awakened, when they manifest, gains a sigil. It is a black tattoo-like known as a "Sigil", and only the Awaken can see them. However, the sigils reflect the abstraction an Awaken can get and glow a color when an abstraction is activated.
Only humans are capable of Awakening because the act of Awakening requires a certain degree of intelligence. Generally, most that Awakened are ten and above because that's usually the age that most minds are capable of comprehending self and emotions to a greater degree. However, it is possible to Awaken at a younger age or even have an ability transferred to the person (that they likely will unable to fully use).
The Awakened have the same sub-abilities of the rest of the Extra-Normal beings; however, they have their own. They can transfer their abstractions to other Awakened. They can do these two ways; if they have a strong emotional bond with another Awakened they can willingly transfer it to another Awakened (or perhaps a Blind), or if they die the Abstraction can be taken by another Awakened. It's also possible for an Awakened to transfer a small fraction of their abilities to another person. Once they have the ability their sigil will appear on them. For another Awakened to use an abstraction that does not belong to them, they have to understand and channel the emotions that created said abstraction. If they don't understand the emotions they will not be able to properly use the abstraction to its fullest strength. An Awakened can have many different abstractions but may not be able to use it to its fullest strength. However, the Awakened are only capable of using one abstraction at a time. An Awakened can only share their powers with another Awakened, Counterpart, or a Blind they have an emotional connection to.
It's possible for there to be what is called a "Collective-Awakening". It's an uncommon phenomenon where multiple people Awaken around the same time in the same vicinity and they each share a piece of the same power. However, it won't occur every time there's a group of people Awakening, and it gets more and more unlikely the more people are Awakening at the same time. Each member of a collective-Awakening gain their own "primary" abstraction but each will get their piece of every member's abstraction. Usually, it's divided up evenly between each member of the group but people with connections with each will get bigger pieces of each other's abstraction. These mini-abstractions are considered to be separate abilities and can be transferred to other Awakened. The interesting thing about Collective Awakenings is that they can use each Abstraction they have at the same time without having to understand it. They gain a special mental link to each member of the group that allows them to share each other's memories and see auras. There's a special effect given their connection; if a member of their collective dies their abstraction is automatically divided up amongst the group. The person the deceased is closest to gets the majority of the abstraction's power.
A question that may arise is what would happen if the Awakened's personality changes? That part of them that the abstraction formerly reflected is gone? It's simple: it's known as a Subsequent-Awakening, basically a change in Abstraction. If a person undergoes a great personal change and they experience the second moment of powerful emotion; their abstraction will change to represent their new self. They'll still hold onto a previous piece of their abstraction for a time, but it'll be so weak that it would be nowhere near the strength of the original. Eventually, as the person finishes their growth it'll be gone. However, there's something known as a Semi-Awakening in which a person changes enough so that the finer details of their abstractions shift - while still retaining the core abilities. They won't have a shell of their former abstraction, however. An Awakened can undergo many Awakenings as their personality changes in time, possibly an Awakened can undergo an infinite amount of Awakenings. These are, as they happened, Second-Awakened, Third-Awakening, Fourth-Awakening, and so forth as they happen. It's also possible for a Subsequent-Awakening to be a Collective one.
The bread and butter of the setting and probably the most common and simplistic of the types. All I ask for is that the abstraction reflects some part of their character, I'm pretty loose about that. Just don't be lame and say something like "Likes running so has super speed". I'm thinking stuff like somebody gets the ability to launch people because they were attacked, someone with kindness gets healing, etc. The Collective-Awakening can also be interesting.
Adept - Adepts are people who are descended from people from another universe who have a supernatural connection known as Glint. These descendants are either exiles or runaways of this universe, but they have passed down their Extra-normal connection to the people of this world. Creating a group of people known as Adepts, who are more in line with traditional mages and wizards than the Awakened. They access their Abstraction via the use of a tool known as a "Channeler". A channeler is an object that the Adept has a very close emotional bond to - maybe it's a childhood toy or weapon of some sort - that allows them to utilize their abstraction. Whenever an Adept uses their abstraction they call it "Casting". It's possible to Cast without a Channel however an Adept's body is not capable of handling all of that Luminscience going through their body. It will cause nasty burns in addition to being a very unstable and unfocused casting - so it should only be used as a last resort. They are also capable of channeling through objects they have no connection but it'll be far weaker and unstable. Whenever an Adept uses their abstraction their sigil appears around their channeler.
The Adepts seemingly have a connection to eleven different magic lights known as "Lux". These connections are inherited and passed down from father to son, mother to the daughter, and so on. It's unknown how this works as the Lux is seemingly a spiritual power, not a genetic one. By having a connection to a type of Lux, an Adept will gain the ability to learn an ability relating to that category of Lux (just not all of it). Whenever one Adept has a child with an adept of a different color; that child will have a connection to both types of Lux. A child may be born capable of using every kind of Lux, but the more different kinds of Lux they are connected to, the weaker all of their abilities are. Which started the practice in the League of largely mating with people of your own Lux.
There is a way for Adepts to give this connection with the Blind. It's a technique that is reserved only for those they have a strong emotional bond with, but they can focus and pass on this connection to the Lux to them. Thus allowing them to gain an abstraction and learn how to cast. However, to use Lux and start Casting in the first place, an Adept must first discover their ability. One way for an Adept to discover their ability is to get taught how to do it from another Adept. The main way they can discover their abstraction is known as a Kindling-Event, basically a vision of the past or future. If they undergo an event in which they experience a strong emotion that corresponds with their color (Say a person with Blue lux feeling sorrow, a green Lux feeling joy, and so on) they will receive one of two visions. One of the main visions they'll receive is one of the people who passed down the connection telling them of their heritage and their abilities and how to utilize it. This person can be anyone in their bloodline and can be more than one person talking to them, as the Lux is passed down from one person to the next like a chain. The only stipulation is that the person is always deceased, as they will be speaking to the phantasm of that person. The other, rarer and vaguer is a vision of the future (or possibly, of another version of themselves) casting and using Lux.
Unlike the Awakened, Adepts can "learn" what they Cast instead of inheriting it. This is called developing an "Affinity" and Adepts are capable of developing a style of magic within their Lux through practice and training. This is dictated somewhat by the personality of the Adept, an impulsive Adept may be better at movement Casting than vision-based Casting. By doing this they are locking themselves into one or two sets of abilities as once they learn one type of magic they cannot. For example, an Adept in the red light may learn electric magic but will have a harder time picking up a different kind of magic. A Yellow-Adept may focus on stealth, but have a harder time learning shield and barrier Lux. If an Adept has two lights they can either learn Casting that is a mixture of the two lights or gain an affinity in each of the two Lux. It's possible as Adepts train their ability to expand their affinity to other categories but this takes time. Which is why some of the oldest Adepts are the most powerful.
The Adepts have other abilities that put them above even the Awakened and Apparitions at times. If two or more Adepts of the same color come together they may perform a "Joint-Casting" and will be able to perform a feat far beyond what they'd be able of alone. This can be incredibly strong such as instantly healing someone, summoning an army of minions, or creating an earth-shaking attack. Another ability that Adepts are capable of channeling as much Lux as they can to perform one powerful Casting known as Meta-Casting. This will take time as the Adept will have to charge up as much as they can and it's not a subtle action - they will glow, the ground will shake, a pillar of light will appear above them - as they draw as much energy as they can. Then they release it... however this takes immense focus and concentration and if they are broken out of that take the Lux will burn them and possibly kill them. Both of these actions take a lot out of an Adept if performed successfully. Finally, any adept of sufficient skill is capable of sealing an Apparition in an object, trapping it forever. It's risky, but an adept can seal an Apparition into their channeler to gain a power boost but it runs the risk of the Apparition escaping.
Red (Rage/Hatred): Elemental Lux, the most common type of Lux. Examples: Fire, ice, electricity, earth, plant manipulation, and similar abilities.
Green (Happiness): Biological Lux, the second most common type of Lux. Examples: Healing, shape-shifting, wing generation, etc,
Yellow (Fear/Caution): Stealth and shielding Lux. Examples: Invisibility, barrier generation/forcefields, dumbing sound down, etc.
Pink (Love): Mind Lux, and the fourth most common type of Lux. Examples: Emotion manipulation, mind control, telepathy, illusion creation, etc.
Gold (Pride): Summoning Lux, the third rarest type of Lux - allows an Adept to create or summon a minion. Examples include: Creating minions of choice, summoning a defeated monster, etc
Purple (Anticipation): Movement Lux, the third most common type of Lux. Examples include: Teleportation, Portal Creation (a common abstraction in the League), telekinesis, etc
Cyan (Nostalgia): Sight Lux. Examples include: Observing locations remotely, seeing into the past/future, enhanced vision, etc.
Orange (Courage): Infusion Lux, the ability to infuse objects temporarily or permanently with Extra-Normal properties. Orange Lux synergizes well with every other type of Lux. Examples: Creating a magic sword, making an object levitate, etc, etc.
Blue (Sadness): Curse-Lux, the rarest form of Lux. The ability to cast curses, but needs a stipulation to be broken - synergizes often with Black and Gold Lux. Examples: Cursing someone to turn into a monster, creating a deadly illness, cursing someone to be haunted by the dead, etc
Lavender (Hope): Purification and Strengthening Lux. Examples: Boosting other Extra-Normal beings power, removal of curses, removing diseases, etc
Black (Apathy): Necromancery Lux, the ability to manipulate the dead. Examples: Creating zombie minions, manipulating apparitions and spirits, etc
Glint: The universe in which the League of Luminscience resides in. This universe originated the same way as our world, but there was a secret society of magical families known as the League that waged a war against the Apparitions in shadow. However, everything changed when the Glutton attacked and wiped out more than half of the universe's population with his armies. The League united with what remained of their universe from Apparitions to even beings from other worlds to engage in a final stand. Their forces were slaughtered until a massive being of light (they named their "Light-Father") battled the Glutton and eventually sacrificed his own life to weaken it. Which allowed the League to imprison the being in Shimmer. Since then the League took over the governments and eventually rule the world with an iron fist with magical beings over the Blind and covered up the Glutton's existence. Most inhabitants of Glint are members of a massive organization known as the League of Luminscience, a powerful collective of different families that rule the world of Glint. The League is a rustic organization as instead of advances in technology they did advances in magic. They all believe in the Lumunscienceas the source of their power and life and worship the Light-Bringer that saved them from the Glutton - which nearly destroyed their world ages ago. The Adepts and the League have had heavy involvement in the world of Shimmer.
The world of Glint is somewhat similar to our world; however, during the Glutton's rampage it destroyed a majority of Europe so many events that shaped our world did not occur. It also means the Caucasians are in the minority while other races such as the Arabic, Asians, Africans, and so on are in the majority. They have created their language which is a mish-mash of Arabic, African, and Mandarin, but few know how to speak English. Racism is rare if not nonexistent in the universe as what rules Glint is status. You see the League of Luminscience is a collection of families that wish to be on top of the league. Getting their children in the highest statuses and whatnot. In the past, the League was ruled by a Monarchy system that was heavy on slavery, but one man, known as King Magnanimous, eliminated the whole system and tried to create an "equal" system for the entire League. This was a massive council in which each family has a voice and the opportunity to make a change. However, one issue is that the most popular families have the loudest voices. This means the League has mostly devolved into petty squabbles and feuds instead of actual progress.
The League is fairly extreme in their methods and punishments. They are a very religious and strict nation, and the most heinous of crimes are punished by wiping out entire bloodlines. In their logic, the family is everything, and it is their fault that the crime was committing by simply not raising them right. This can include murder, rape, treason, and heresy. The League is very religious and worships the Luminscience and Lightbringer fervently enough to kill for it. However, even smaller crimes will be taken out on an entire family. The other thing about the League is that they treat anyone who doesn't have a connection to the Luminscience (AKA. The Blind) as a second-class citizen. Officially these people are not members of the League but under their "wing". They are used as functional slaves; cleaning and doing the jobs that the League doesn't want to do. They are constantly abused, raped and killed and an uprising is brewing.
The ruling government of the League is four houses that act as de facto governments: House of Candlelight (Which contains Africa and the Middle East), House of Torchlight (Which contains Asia), House of Firelight (Which contains North and South America), and House of Starlight (Which contains Europe and Russia). Each of these houses has a representative that oversees all matters and they are voted into their position, and their voice is the loudest in the council meetings. The primary military of the League is the Knights of Luminescence, a massive army of magic-wielding warriors. It consists of millions of warriors that fight to protect the League's way of life and roughly a volunteer army. Families from the bottom of the totem-pole are recruited into this huge army to gain status and money and that is the primary recruitment. Like some families, once they gain enough rank, they may have a louder voice in the meetings. Recruits start as Squires, and they can start as young as ten years old. At Squire, they are still in training and are mainly support for the actual fighting force. They are mentored by Knights and once they gain the experience they may eventually become a Knight.
If the League of Luminscience is the dominant force in Glint, who do they fight? Apparitions, beings that were deemed the sworn enemy of the League since it's conception. Ghostly beings that prey and grow stronger off belief. The Apparitions have been wreaking havoc in the League as even the slightest belief or emotion that grows out of control can create one. However, the true opponent of the League is the resistance movement known as the White Rabbit Society, which primarily consists of Apparitions but has members of the League that have rebelled and the Aberrations they oppress. They are lead by the mysterious entity is known as White Arachne, a being so fearsome and powerful to the League that nobody that has faced her has lived to tell the tale. The League changed history so that they blame White Arachne for the near extinction of humanity to keep information about the Glutton to a minimum. This caused White Arachne to be a Boogey woman of sorts and has, ironically, created more Apparitions.
The League was officially the first universe to achieve dimensional travel which they still have easy access to. However, after the Glutton's rampage and a few expeditions that went wrong, they largely stay out within Glint. The only universe they had any type of involvement in was Shimmer, as they imprisoned the Glutton inside of it and maintained the masquerade to keep it there. However, one of the League's most popular form of punishment is exiling people to other universes. After the Glutton's defeat things are beginning to change.
Adepts are probably my favorite out of the types so I'm biased. They're pretty straight-forward, characters get a specific type of power depending on what Lux they have. I should note that they shouldn't have all of the abilities of their respective category and the more types of Lux a character has access to the overall weaker their abstraction(s) should be.
Apparition - Ghosts, Phantasms, Demons, whatever you call them, they are strange beings. They are not made out of flesh and blood, but instead, they are made out of spiritual energy. Apparitions are noted for what they are spawned from; belief, emotion, or are an echo of the deceased. Any powerful belief can create an Apparition reflecting it (for example some Apparitions are religious in nature, but other abstract ideas can also spawn Apparitions) and powerful enough emotions can also create the same Apparitions (For example intense rage, lust, greed, and so on can create Apparitions). There's also a third category in which the Apparitions are created by the deceased, created by them harboring a powerful emotion before their death or somebody else feeling a strong way about them. Apparitions are fueled and powered by emotion and belief - usually the same emotions and beliefs that created them. The stronger the belief/emotion is, the more powerful the Apparition will become - but on the flip side if the emotions/belief that created them begin to wane/falter they will weaken. It can be to the point where they fade from existence entirely.
Long as there is the emotion or belief in them, the Apparition will continue to exist. All Apparitions are functionally immortal because of this. They are functionally immune to attacks by the Blind, but can be damaged by Extra-Normal attacks (even so much as a mere punch). Once destroyed they'll disappear for awhile to regenerate their form and then reappear. Depending on how much emotion/belief they have; one can reappear in so much as a day while others can reappear months later. Apparitions have abstractions of their own much like the Awakened, they reflect the emotions that create them. They can have any number of abilities from strength, to pyromancer, to cursing people - and their power reflects the belief. It's possible for an Apparition's abstraction to completely change if the belief/knowledge around them changes. It's also possible that Apparitions abstraction changes when they're bound to a human depending on the human.
Some Apparitions have existed chronologically for millions of years and are absolutely ancient. While other Apparitions come and go. There's a method to retain their form/abilities forever: by binding themselves to a human (Look at the Aberration's section for more information). By doing this they are able to exist as long as the human does and Apparitions who have no belief are able to extend their time on this planet. However, as many Apparitions are powerful, there's a technique known as "Sealing" to imprison them forever in an object. Any Extra-Normal being who knows how to do the sealing technique can seal an Apparition forever (or until the Seal is broken). Some Apparitions have no choice but to stay sealed as they've been sealed so long that the moment they'll come out they'll fade away.
Given that Apparitions are made out of the same energy that many Extra-Normal beings pool their energy from; they are completely invisible to the Blind (unless they make themselves visible). Because of this connection they can detect when other Extra-Normal beings are in the area (it's dependant on the Apparition, some can only detect them when they're close while others can do it from miles away). However, their existence is heavily dependant on the same energy and if a universe doesn't have enough power for them to exist they'll gradually go dormant. That universe was this one until the magic returned and many Apparitions that were ancient finally came back.
This will probably be one of the trickier ones to write as they won't have a human form and all of their abilities. However, they can still be played long as you explain what created them (I'm not going to delude myself here, everyone's going to assume "Apparition=dead person!")
Aberration - Aberrations are what are considered to be "outside the lines". Aberrations are people who have had contact with the Extra-Normal and gained either a blessing or a curse from their abilities. Usually, most Aberrations are created by Apparitions, but some can be created by Adepts and sometimes Awakened. Unlike the other types of Extra-Normals; Animals and humans alike can become Aberrations due to their strange nature. Aberrations are considered to be extra-normal beings, so they can use all of the baseline abilities, but only the Blind can become an Aberration. Due to the odd nature of the Aberrations, they are separated into four subclasses:
Afflicted - The most common type of Aberration, an Afflicted is a person that has been cursed by an Apparition or Adept one way or another. Perhaps it is in the Apparition nature to curse who it comes in contact with or they tangled with a wielder of the Blue Light, either way, they have a curse within them. It can be that they are weightless, or take the shape of an animal or some other beast, it can be more harmful like dying if they step foot in the sea or constantly being on fire - either way, the affliction sucks. There are some ways to remove the affliction, some Extra-Normal beings can remove it apart of their abilities. One way is to find being the being that cursed them and gets them to remove the curse, or there's a set of instructions to break the curse.
Affixed - Affixed are Aberrations who have been bounded to an Apparition one way or another. Maybe they encountered an Apparition on the brink of death and were convinced to take it inside of them, or maybe someone bound it to them. In any case, they have an Apparition residing inside of them that will come out at will. The Apparition has a mind of its own, so it may decide what it does and doesn't do, but depending on the relationship with their Affixed they can be convinced. They have a mental link with their affixed on a level that none others have; they know what the other is thinking at all times and are constantly communicating. The Apparition still has access to their abstraction, but their rules have changed. They are no longer powered by belief but instead the bound they have. They can no longer be strengthed by belief, but they also won't be weakened. If the Apparition is injured enough they will return to their user and rest inside of them until they are strong enough. The bound between an affixed can be broken if both the human and the Apparition wishes to part ways, or if the bound is broken by force by an extra-normal being.
Agent - Agents are the rarest type of Aberration. When an Apparition is sealed, they are still alive and conscious and when someone touches them they may begin a link. Certain Apparitions, in a haste, were sealed inside of objects such as weapons or even an ordinary cell-phone. When someone touches the Sealed Apparition they may gain a link with the being and may convince the thing to lend them their power. The Aberration will be able to use their power like they had it themselves and will be considered an Agent of the ghostly being. This is the reason why many sealed Apparitions are hidden away never to be found, but sometimes they slip up.
Adjoined: A level beyond being a mere Affixed or Agent. An Adjoined is a physical fusion between a human and an Apparition where the lines that were supposed to separate human and Extra-normal have been erased. For an Adjoined to be created, they must be an Affixed or an Agent that has agreed to fuse or have forcibly fused. They are easily the strangest of the Aberrations, but the Adjoined's form is either a fusion of the Apparition and the human's appearance or its just the Apparition's form - It depends on the circumstance, but an adjoined can be a permanent fusion or an interchangeable form. One can be in control of the form or they both control the form at once. The Adjoined will have the abilities of the Aberration but unbound by belief. There are ways to separate an Adjoined using certain extra-normal abilities.
Abscised: The Abscised are Aberrants whose bodies have been possessed by an Apparition of some kind. Unlike Adjoined, there is no dual mind, only the Apparition having control of the body. An Abscised can be created in a variety of different ways; mainly an Apparition can possess a body of the recently deceased. Upon doing so all wounds will instantly be healed and the Apparition has full control of the body. Another way an Abscised can be created is if an Apparition fools a human into giving them their body, or if an Adjoined, Affixed, or Agent is taken over by the Apparition they are attached to. An Apparition inside of the body of a human does not have to worry about belief and can still use their abstraction much like an Awakened can. However, an Abscised is cut off from the abilities inherent to Apparitions such as being nearly impossible to kill or being invisible to the blind. However, not all Abscised are Apparitions; if an Extra-Normal being has their body switched they are considered Abscised. This can be accomplished through the usage of certain abstractions, or Apparitions (A person can be cursed to inhabit a different body). Since most Abstractions are linked to the soul, their Abstraction comes with them. An Abscised can switch bodies with someone from a different dimension.
My second favorite type of Extra-Normal beings. They'll require a bit of thought as you'll have to come up with how they'll become an Aberrant (mainly running into an Aberrations). But with Aberrants you aren't limited by belief or personality or whatever and can come up with anything.
Blind - Beings that are not quite Extra-Normal. They have no access to any of the Extra-Normal abilities listed above and are completely ordinary in the grand scheme of things. However, a Blind can achieve a higher status if they are exposed to Extra-Normal elements enough; this is known as having One-Eye-Open. This will allow them to perceive the completely imperceivable feats that Extra-Normal Beings are capable of, but offer absolutely no resistance to them. Many people that are One-Eye-Open are currently capable of Awakening.
Traveler/Counterpart - There are an unknown amount of worlds alternate to this one. It can either be one, or trillions, however in each universe, somebody has a counterpart. Every person has a version of them in a different universe that they are connected to. There are some differences, of course, depending on the backstory it could be minute as having a different hair color to being a drastically different person. However, regardless of how different there are some similarities or constants. They were never meant to venture far from their home universe but they may end up a Traveler. Travelers are the terms for those who end up outside of their home universe. Most Travelers come from a completely innocuous and normal universe - why or how they ended up is up to question. Maybe they fell into the wrong portal or something went wrong. The issue is that they are no longer home, and they need to get back. Most of the time these people have no extra-normal abilities or superpowers. The only extra-normal ability they have access to is if they are in proximity to their Counterpart. They will gain a mental link with them and be able to telepathically communicate with them, share memories, and possibly see their auras through walls if they reach that point. It's possible for a Traveler to Awaken or an Adept may connect them to the Lux. Travelers are also capable of becoming Aberrations if they're at the wrong place at the wrong time.
The Hound - The agent of smoky black death. A being that is old as Extra-Normal beings itself and is feared across the multiverse. It takes the appearance of a black wolf made out of the smoke with red eyes and changes sizes. The being acts as the being that brings people to the otherwise... except only the Extra-Normal will perceive him when they die. Only the Extra-Normal can perceive and understand him, and otherwise won't be noticed. A majority of the time the Hound acts as the balancer between life and death; as everyone has a set time they're supposed to die and sometimes they don't die when they don't. That is why the Hound chases after people he claims "cheats death" and hunts them all across the multiverse. The only other time you'll see him is if you seek him out and he deems you worthy of his time. He acts in mysterious ways; he will sometimes cut deals with people for his help or a bit of his power... but he always has a price. The Hound is feared as the most powerful being across the multiverse and for good reason.
You can be a Blind or have One-Eye-Open along with being a Traveler (Long as you explain how). Just know that your character won't have an Emotional-Field and will be susceptible to the wide range of powers!
Paradise... a place that is strange beyond all strangeness. The city Paradise is only named by the signs and the pamphlets and media that have its name on it. However, what's strange is that the name "Paradise" seems to be added on top of other cities pamphlets and signs haphazardly. The city of Paradise is expansive, endless even. One could keep walking and more and more of the city keeps coming. However, what's strange is that the layout of the city seemingly changes depending on who is there. It'll become a familiar reflection of places the people there have been before - mainly their birth town or even other locations that are special to them. The town of Paradise is, generally, a sprawling city... that can change into a small town in desert-Nevada in an instant. What's strange is that the city of Paradise is completely... empty. Paradise has everything a person needs to survive - food, water, shelter, electricity - everything you'd expect to see in a regular city. Except minus the people that live in it, but the few people that do live in Paradise can sustain themselves for all eternity. Thus, the city of Paradise can be considered, well, a paradise.
However, inside of the city of Paradise lurks a hidden danger that betrays its name.
For Adept and future Adept players, here's something important I added
One way for an Adept to discover their ability is to get taught how to do it from another Adept. The main way they can discover their abstraction is known as a Kindling-Event, basically a vision of the past or future. If they undergo an event in which they experience a strong emotion that corresponds with their color (Say a person with Blue lux feeling sorrow, a green Lux feeling joy, and so on) they will receive one of two visions. One of the main visions they'll receive is one of the people who passed down the connection telling them of their heritage and their abilities and how to utilize it. This person can be anyone in their bloodline and can be more than one person talking to them, as the Lux is passed down from one person to the next like a chain. The only stipulation is that the person is always deceased, as they will be speaking to the phantasm of that person. The other, rarer and vaguer is a vision of the future (or possibly, of another version of themselves) casting and using Lux.
Glint: The universe in which the League of Luminscience resides in. This universe originated the same way as our world, but there was a secret society of magical families known as the League that waged a war against the Apparitions in shadow. However, everything changed when the Glutton attacked and wiped out more than half of the universe's population with his armies. The League united with what remained of their universe from Apparitions to even beings from other worlds to engage in a final stand. Their forces were slaughtered until a massive being of light (they named their "Light-Father") battled the Glutton and eventually sacrificed his own life to weaken it. Which allowed the League to imprison the being in Shimmer. Since then the League took over the governments and eventually rule the world with an iron fist with magical beings over the Blind and covered up the Glutton's existence. Most inhabitants of Glint are members of a massive organization known as the League of Luminscience, a powerful collective of different families that rule the world of Glint. The League is a rustic organization as instead of advances in technology they did advances in magic. They all believe in the Lumunscienceas the source of their power and life and worship the Light-Bringer that saved them from the Glutton - which nearly destroyed their world ages ago. The Adepts and the League have had heavy involvement in the world of Shimmer.
The world of Glint is somewhat similar to our world; however, during the Glutton's rampage it destroyed a majority of Europe so many events that shaped our world did not occur. It also means the Caucasians are in the minority while other races such as the Arabic, Asians, Africans, and so on are in the majority. They have created their own language which is a mish-mash of Arabic, African, and Mandarin, but few know how to speak English. Racism is rare if not nonexistent in the universe as what rules Glint is status. You see the League of Luminscience is a collection of families that wish to be on top of the league. Getting their children in the highest statuses and whatnot. In the past, the League was ruled by a Monarchy system that was heavy on slavery, but one man, known as King Magnanimous, eliminated the whole system and tried to create an "equal" system for the entire League. This was a massive council in which each family has a voice and the opportunity to make a change. However, one issue is that the most popular families have the loudest voices. This means the League has mostly devolved into petty squabbles and feuds instead of actual progress.
The League is fairly extreme in their methods and punishments. They are a very religious and strict nation, and the most heinous of crimes are punished by wiping out entire bloodlines. In their logic, the family is everything, and it is their fault that the crime was committing by simply not raising them right. This can include murder, rape, treason, and heresy. The League is very religious and worships the Luminscience and Lightbringer fervently enough to kill for it. However, even smaller crimes will be taken out on an entire family. The other thing about the League is that they treat anyone who doesn't have a connection to the Luminscience (AKA. The Blind) as a second-class citizen. Officially these people are not members of the League but under their "wing". They are used as functional slaves; cleaning and doing the jobs that the League doesn't want to do. They are constantly abused, raped and killed and an uprising is brewing.
The ruling government of the League is four houses that act as de facto governments: House of Candlelight (Which contains Africa and the Middle East), House of Torchlight (Which contains Asia), House of Firelight (Which contains North and South America), and House of Starlight (Which contains Europe and Russia). Each of these houses has a representative that oversees all matters and they are voted into their position, and their voice is the loudest in the council meetings. The primary military of the League is the Knights of Luminescence, a massive army of magic-wielding warriors. It consists of millions of warriors that fight to protect the League's way of life and roughly a volunteer army. Families from the bottom of the totem-pole are recruited into this huge army in order to gain status and money and that is the primary recruitment. Like some families, once they gain enough rank, they may have a louder voice in the meetings. Recruits start as Squires, and they can start as young as ten years old. At Squire, they are still in training and are mainly support for the actual fighting force. They are mentored by Knights and once they gain the experience they may eventually become a Knight.
If the League of Luminscience is the dominant force in Glint, who do they fight? Apparitions, beings that were deemed the sworn enemy of the League since it's conception. Ghostly beings that prey and grow stronger off belief. The Apparitions have been wreaking havoc in the League as even the slightest belief or emotion that grows out of control can create one. However, the true opponent of the League is the resistance movement known as the White Rabbit Society, which primarily consists of Apparitions but has members of the League that have rebelled and the Aberrations they oppress. They are lead by the mysterious entity is known as White Arachne, a being so fearsome and powerful to the League that nobody that has faced her has lived to tell the tale. The League changed history so that they blame White Arachne for the near extinction of humanity to keep information about the Glutton to a minimum. This caused White Arachne to be a Boogey woman of sorts and has, ironically, created more Apparitions.
The League was officially the first universe to achieve dimensional travel which they still have easy access to. However, after the Glutton's rampage and a few expeditions that went horribly wrong, they largely stay out within Glint. The only universe they had any type of involvement in was Shimmer, as they imprisoned the Glutton inside of it and maintained the masquerade to keep it there. However, one of the League's most popular form of punishment is exiling people to other universes. After the Glutton's defeat things are beginning to change.
@Ghost Note When you say Paradise City changes according to the people there, do you mean that if it changes to your hometown others will also see your hometown? Or do you mean if you see your hometown other's won't see it?
So the IC is up. I decided to be brief buuuuut I want everyone to place their characters in a similar area - the abandoned street that the girl with blue streaks in her hair is on. If somebody needs any help or elaboration I'll be glad to provide, but mostly everyone should find themselves randomly in the town.
