HEROIC EGALITARIAN RESCUE ORGANIZATION
RETINAL SCAN PROCESSED. FINGERPRINT PATTERN MATCHED. DNA DATA FINALIZED. VOICE PATTERN COMPARISON COMPLETED. VERIFIED POSITIVE MATCH. WELCOME BACK, HERO.
《 H.E.R.O. Archives: An Abbreviated History of Superheroes 》
Greetings, prospective hero. My name is ALISA and I will be guiding you through the application process here at HERO. First, a brief lesson in our history is in order.
> > > Year 1764: The Beginning < < <
300 years ago, to the date, one of the strangest scientific anomalies in history occurred. A massive meteor jettisoned towards Earth at breakneck speeds, only to dissolve as soon as the meteor entered the atmosphere. What astronomers of the time prophesized as a bringer of doom to the human species appeared to have just been a simple near-miss. Life went on for a short while, until the scientists, and people all around the world, realized that the meteor, termed the 《 X-200 Meteor 》, had left something in its wake.
The meteor, upon dissolution, had released clouds of purple dust that had caused mutations in select numbers of fauna, flora, and most importantly, humans. These genetic mutations gave this specific group- only about 5-7% of the world's population, at the time- what is called the "Hero Gene." The Hero Gene runs in families and grants all sorts of superpowers. Some people grew wings, some people could spit fire, some people could cause countries to experience earthquakes, and some people could cause yeast to rise faster. All sorts of new powers came about from this revelation, and it led to one of the greatest paradigm shifts humanity has ever seen.
The meteor, upon dissolution, had released clouds of purple dust that had caused mutations in select numbers of fauna, flora, and most importantly, humans. These genetic mutations gave this specific group- only about 5-7% of the world's population, at the time- what is called the "Hero Gene." The Hero Gene runs in families and grants all sorts of superpowers. Some people grew wings, some people could spit fire, some people could cause countries to experience earthquakes, and some people could cause yeast to rise faster. All sorts of new powers came about from this revelation, and it led to one of the greatest paradigm shifts humanity has ever seen.
> > > 1770 - 1790: Formative Years < < <
The new class of "superhumans" came to recognize the implications of their newfound abilities much faster than the world governments did. The first "villains" and "heroes" were just superpowered crooks and ragtag groups of superpowered neighborhood watchmen, essentially. Small bands of these heroes duked it out with the early iterations of supervillains, and also did battle with "Leftovers," a blanket term for the creatures that had become affected by the X-200 meteor and had adopted (often hideous) super-mutations of their own. This kind of rampant havoc was troublesome, to say the least. Representatives from the major world powers of the time held a summit to determine how to address this new problem. The 1791 Austria Convention would reshape how the world thought of this new term of “superheroes.”
> > > 1791 - 1879: Heroes Gone Global < < <
The 1791 Austria Convention laid down a method of organizing the new “superhero” groups. The world was carved into regions, where each respective area would be responsible for administering a “hero company,” a governmental division of superheroes that worked for the government and fought to preserve the peace. All the hero companies would be linked to a single entity known as ICOSA, the International Council on Superhuman Affairs, centered in Vienna, the first real transnational governing body in human history.
This original convention was, in short, a failure, or at least, it wasn’t as successful as it could’ve been. The world was rife with tensions, and as such, the powers bestowed upon ICOSA were incredibly weak, with most of the power given to the individual nations. These individual nations used their respective hero companies less to police supervillains and more as cudgels for their enemies. Because of this, heroes were rarely around to actually help fight villains and more often that not doing battle against Napoleon or helping quash rebellions or pillaging villages in the Scramble for Africa. Superheroes, at this point in time, were not viewed very well, and would continue to be viewed poorly by the general public for almost a century. This was a dark period of superheroes, and after a coordinated series of supervillain terrorist attacks in the 1870s, combined with atrocities committed in the Crimean War of Europe and American Civil War, the international community reconvened for a second conference, this time in Geneva.
This original convention was, in short, a failure, or at least, it wasn’t as successful as it could’ve been. The world was rife with tensions, and as such, the powers bestowed upon ICOSA were incredibly weak, with most of the power given to the individual nations. These individual nations used their respective hero companies less to police supervillains and more as cudgels for their enemies. Because of this, heroes were rarely around to actually help fight villains and more often that not doing battle against Napoleon or helping quash rebellions or pillaging villages in the Scramble for Africa. Superheroes, at this point in time, were not viewed very well, and would continue to be viewed poorly by the general public for almost a century. This was a dark period of superheroes, and after a coordinated series of supervillain terrorist attacks in the 1870s, combined with atrocities committed in the Crimean War of Europe and American Civil War, the international community reconvened for a second conference, this time in Geneva.
> > > 1879 - 1945: Reform and Readjustment < < <
The 1879 Geneva Convention moved the meeting grounds of ICOSA a thousand kilometers west to Geneva, Switzerland, and established new rules and legislation that redefined superheroism. Superheroes were no longer to be tools of the military, and were limited in their parameters to solely be guardians, not soldiers. Hero companies were forbidden from going to war and ICOSA enacted a series of hefty guidelines that every HERO company had to follow, lest they be punished by ICOSA. ICOSA was still a mostly laissez-faire organization, giving individual companies a great deal of autonomy and freedom to run things as they so choose, but finally began to crack down on the usage of superheroes as tools of war. From this point on, the public image of superheroes began to improve dramatically. Though Switzerland’s neutral position in both world wars meant that there were no superheroes to be serving on the frontlines, the imagery of the spandex-covered superhero finally began to take hold of the public. When the world emerged from World War 2, there was one image that remained untainted by the cynicism of the world, and that was of superheroes.
> > > 1945 - 2050: The Golden Age of Superheroes < < <
The next century or so is considered the golden era of superheroes. Trust in superheroes was at an all-time high, and for the first time since the inception of hero companies, civilians began to not only feel comfortable around superheroes, but openly followed them. Powerful superheroes, handsome superheroes, cool superheroes, funny superheroes, all of them began to grow in popularity with the public, and once the snowball started rolling, the hype only increased. By the 60s and 70s, consumerism centered around superheroes began to keep pace and even exceed at some points the fan obsession with actors and musicians, and becoming a superhero with a hero company not only became a viable career path, but a very lucrative one at that. Local and international funding guaranteed that no matter where in the world you are, signing your name with a hero company promised a good salary, plenty of benefits, and a ton of clout.
In the midst of a global obsession with superheroes, one company stood out- HERO, an American HERO Company that covered the Northeast and part of the Atlantic coast. HERO was known for being highly destructive in their superheroism, but for always getting the job done in the midst of one of the most populous and villain-infested cities in the world, Castleburg, New York. HERO had some of the strongest, cunning, caring, and oftentimes oversexualized and overhyped heroes in the world, and it earned a reputation as being chaotic but exciting, a hub of hero activity that many flocked to.
In the midst of a global obsession with superheroes, one company stood out- HERO, an American HERO Company that covered the Northeast and part of the Atlantic coast. HERO was known for being highly destructive in their superheroism, but for always getting the job done in the midst of one of the most populous and villain-infested cities in the world, Castleburg, New York. HERO had some of the strongest, cunning, caring, and oftentimes oversexualized and overhyped heroes in the world, and it earned a reputation as being chaotic but exciting, a hub of hero activity that many flocked to.
> > > 2050 - Present, The Decline < < <
After a hundred years of popularity, the advent of the future caused superheroes to tumble from the top- robots.
Robots have a lot going for them- effective, obedient, cool, and much less volatile than actual humans. In the late 2040s into the coming decades, police forces from around the world began implementing robotic divisions, known creatively as e-Police or Ekops..Their incorporation and effectiveness diminished the popularity of heroes. Hero companies are still around, and are still prevalent and heavily sponsored, but they aren’t quite the same as they used to be, with much of the public feeling more comfortable around the productive and efficacious Ekop than the humans that spit fire from their mouths.
Looming in the future, though, there are distant threats to Castleburg and the world, threats that a bunch of pieces of tin can’t stop. It’ll be up to the heroes to reassert themselves once again to keep the city- and the world at large- safe, like heroes have always done at the end of the day.
Robots have a lot going for them- effective, obedient, cool, and much less volatile than actual humans. In the late 2040s into the coming decades, police forces from around the world began implementing robotic divisions, known creatively as e-Police or Ekops..Their incorporation and effectiveness diminished the popularity of heroes. Hero companies are still around, and are still prevalent and heavily sponsored, but they aren’t quite the same as they used to be, with much of the public feeling more comfortable around the productive and efficacious Ekop than the humans that spit fire from their mouths.
Looming in the future, though, there are distant threats to Castleburg and the world, threats that a bunch of pieces of tin can’t stop. It’ll be up to the heroes to reassert themselves once again to keep the city- and the world at large- safe, like heroes have always done at the end of the day.
> > > TL / DR < < <
After a meteor hit Earth 300 years ago, some people developed superpowers. These superhumans were grouped up into regional, acronym-based companies all managed by a global organization called ICOSA that functioned as the UN of superhumans. Eventually, after being used as tools of war for many years, ICOSA forced superheroes to be superheroes, and they went from being viewed in disdain to being idolized as celebrities and role models for the 20th century and first half of the 21st century, when the rise of electronic policing has begun the decline of superheroes as a paragon of justice.
《 The City of Castleburg 》
Let’s now shift our scope from the world at large onto the bustling futuristic metropolis of Castleburg, New York, one of the world’s three largest cities and the home of HERO.
Castleburg is a bustling metropolis located in New York State. A thriving city on the cutting edge of the future, Castleburg is the home of more than 20 million people and is the center of HERO, the Heroic Egalitarian Rescue Organization, a hero company that covers much of the Atlantic Northeast of the United States, though its main branch is in Castleburg, a city that with its great population also has a great number of supervillains looking to bring the mighty city to its knees.
《 H.E.R.O. Affiliations 》
H.E.R.O. has been Castleburg's vanguard for hundreds of years now, a shining beacon of justice in a city that is all too often clouded with chaos. It is imperative you learn exactly what you're getting into before you join our ranks, and also, who you'll be up against.
《 H.E.R.O. Formal Application 》
With that housekeeping covered, please proceed to the application and complete it to the best of your ability.
Pointers For Character Creation < < <
- BALANCE IS KEY! I give a lot of leeway when constructing an OC, under the assumption that everybody exercises a degree of reason when making their character. Some characters will be stronger than others, but try to balance power with weakness when making a character.
- Third-person is preferred in the character sheet, though I will accept any perspective so long as it is thoughtfully done. Please delete all the turquoise text prior to submitting the character sheet in the OOC first.
- You can have as many characters as you can reasonably manage, though I would suggest no more than 2-3 main characters. You can have NPC side characters as much as you want, though please do not godmod anybody else's characters or GM NPCs. If you want any sort of incorporation into the main story, please DM me and/or Zoey.
- The main character sheet portion and abilities section are both mandatory and can be separated or combined, up to you. If there is a relationship sheet added later, that would be entirely optional.
- All faceclaims should be some form of digital art, not a real-life faceclaim, as to keep with the established theme/mood of the RP. If you have an FC that is in a gray area for whatever reason, shoot me and/or Zoey a DM.
- When in doubt, send me and/or Zoey a DM and we'll be more than happy to clarify anything. I am pretty lenient, so any situation should be able to be worked out with a bit of communication.
- Though my goal is to work everything out and try and get as many people happily participating in the RP as possible, my word is final.
RAW CODE EDITION
Character Help
《 H.E.R.O. 2064 Updates 》
As they teach us in AI administrator school, there's always something more to be said. Here it is.
- 7/1/21: Happy Launch Day! Been very excited to launch this for a while! CLICK HERE TO JOIN DISCORD!
- 7/5/21: Relationship sheet is up! It is entirely and completely optional, but always a benefit to start at least hashing out the ties between the characters (if there are any) before they first meet. Again, only a supplement, but a good one, in my opinion. Example and raw code are above!
- 11/15/21: Due to a sudden GM change, we have decided to change threads! The previous one can be found here!
