"If we cannot end now our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet." - John F. Kennedy 
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ A MARVEL AND DC COMICS ROLEPLAY ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ A MARVEL AND DC COMICS ROLEPLAY ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
◼ G M (s): Master Bruce ♦ Lord Wraith ♦ ◼ G E N R E S: Superhero, Fandom ◼ T Y P E: Sandbox with linear and collaborative Arcs
T H E S T O R Y S O F A R:
As with most things, it all began with an attempt to grab untold power. In the case of World War II, while most believe that the largest conflict was driven by the maniacal desires of Adolf Hitler and his Nazi regime, the truth was carefully hidden by the world's governments in an attempt to control the outcome of the war. It was Johann Schmidt, better known as The Red Skull, that sought to control the fates of entire galaxies for himself, unwilling to remain limited to the confines of his own time. And with the once mythical Spear Of Destiny just a breath away from his grasp, thanks to the machinations of time-traveller and HYDRA loyalist Per Degaton, Schmidt almost succeeded in bending the universe to his will for all time.
But there came a force unlike any before it, united in their combined will to see freedom prevail over the Skull's threat of enacting eternal cruelty.
Led by Captain America, who was once the feeble patriot Steve Rogers, a group of costumed adventurers - with a roster bolstering such heroes as The Flash, The Sub-Mariner, Hourman, Black Marvel, Green Lantern and The Human Torch, among others - eventually defeated the fearsome might of HYDRA and sent The Red Skull fleeing across Europe. While a climactic battle between Rogers and Schmidt would see both men seemingly lose their lives over the arctic, the champions of virtue that Rogers had inspired eventually returned to the United States and formally began The Justice Society Of America. But the US government had other plans for these supposed "super-humans".
Under orders from President Roosevelt, the Strategic Science Reserve - later becoming the espionage organization S.H.I.E.L.D - would begin a series of lengthy and highly classified investigations into the members of the JSA. Discovering that some of their amazing powers were in fact real, with a number of them being acquired in either freak accidents or happenstance, then-incumbent President Truman ordered that these self-styled vigilantes be brought in for questioning and otherwise contained. Rather than face public scrutiny, as was threatened with a potential inquiry into their abilities and personal identities if they refused to comply, the Justice Society disbanded and their members forcibly retired.
For over seventy years afterward, the idea of individuals with superhuman abilities and powers were turned from a prospective source of hope into a horrifyingly effective fear-mongering campaign against the already disenfranchised. Thanks to the efforts of men like Senator Robert Kelly, the evangelical military general William Stryker, and the superhuman hunting organization A.R.G.U.S., paranoia against those with metahuman powers was specifically targeted towards mutants, a sub-set of genetically gifted youths that began to appear as part of a natural state of evolution in those born with the X gene. A few outwardly spoke on behalf of mutant rights, such as Professor Charles Xavier, but their efforts were ignored. And when the mutant terrorist group known as The Brotherhood began to attack humans as a result of worldwide bigotry towards their kind, the argument in favor of their existence was seen as being made irrelevant.
In modern times, mutants were relegated to either being hidden within highly secretive families, smuggled into the night by shadowy forces working in coercion with the world's governments, or given asylum on the isolated and hidden island of Genosha. Though conspiracy theorists allege that mutantkind will eventually rise up to try and usurp humans as the primary species, these claims were largely mocked by the media and outright forgotten by the time of another bombshell in the year 2017: the discovery that we are not alone in the universe, as revealed by the arrival of a particular individual in Metropolis.
But while vigilantes that would later become known as Superman, The Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and others began to operate in a similar fashion to the JSA before them, even banding together as a group called The Justice League, S.H.I.E.L.D. began to move pawns across their own chessboard within the world of anonymous metahuman heroics. Putting together a strike team under the codename of The Avengers Initiative, Colonel Nick Fury brought together the talents of genius billionaire philanthropist Tony Stark, the supremely powerful Thor Odinson, the highly unstable Bruce Banner, and the scientifically gifted husband and wife team of Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne to fight the battles that "we never could". And with the discovery of the miraculously preserved Steve Rogers in the arctic, Fury would ensure that Captain America would take up leadership of The Avengers in a bid to establish them as Earth's Mightiest Heroes.
With superhumans becoming a permanent fixture in Earth's culture following The Man Of Steel's debut, the last five years have been quite transformative for society at large. While the efforts of these individuals have saved countless lives, many others have been inspired to fight against them as enemies. In the crosshairs of their escalating battles, humanity has begun to question whether superhumans have a right to operate with impunity - and who could possibly stop them if they should decide to turn against the rest of us.
I N T R O D U C T I O N:
Welcome fans of Marvel, DC and all comics alike. One Universe: Unlimited is a sandbox-based RP that seeks to merge and mix the lore of your favorite characters into one living cohesive world. The idea behind this RP is not to embody our favorite heroes to simply retell iconic stories, but to take these characters and create a shared Earth where iconic superheroes and villains can now co-inhabit. Infact, the goal of the RP is for players to take their favorite characters and re-imagine their histories to tell their own stories. We only ask that the soul of the character remains the same. Players will take the roles of either a hero, villain, or a character that walks both lines and tell stories either alone or in collaboration with other players in order to develop and grow the world.
C O M M U N I C A T I O N:
All official discussions and announcements will happen through the OOC.
R U L E S:
- All players will be allotted two Character Concepts to be applied for at the player's discretion. This concept may be any character from a mainstream comic book. If applying as a 'Team Concept', a combination roster may be allowed at the scrutiny of the GM Team. Characters originally appearing in Manga or Anime are heavily discouraged because of their incompatibility with western superhero comics. We will judge all properties from outside of the main Marvel and DC Universes on a case-by-case basis provided they fit the themes and tones of the game, but the above limitations are definitive. No Image, Dark Horse, Dynamite or non-DC or Marvel related imprint characters are permitted. .
- Players can compete for characters if an application for your desired character is posted ahead of yours and has not yet been accepted. To compete for a character, you have a twenty-four-hour window to state your intent to compete. The GM Team will then judge the two competing applications. .
- In terms of character creation, you are free to overhaul and redesign any canon character from one of the aforementioned publishers. This means you can tell the story of the character how you believe it should be told. However, there is one major limitation, the heart and soul of the character must stay intact. The character should not be changed so much that they're unrecognizable. This means that Batman can't be a cold-blooded killer any more than Spider-Man can be a rich, well-off playboy. Every aspect of the character that isn't a key to their major identity is malleable, this can even include sex and abilities if so desired. .
- Once accepted, player characters are claimed on a first-come, first-serve basis. If the parent character (i.e. Batman to Robin) hasn’t been claimed, the legacy is just as available. If another player comes along and asks about playing the parent, it’s requested that both players be as accommodating as possible to allow the other to express their vision. It is understandable that sometimes two visions will not mesh, and in this case, we will give the player who came first precedence. If a GM needs to step in as a mediator or an arbiter, we can arrange this in a group PM. .
- The 'parent character' or 'acting parent characters' have a say in any further legacies being applied for. For instance, if you were playing Spider-Gwen, and another player applied as Ben Reilly, as the established 'parent' character, you are able to voice if the concept compliments your own, or if you would rather the character not be accepted. The GMs will take this into consideration before moving further ahead with any legacy application. .
- Absolutely no 'OOC' chatter in the In Character Thread. If you have a question or anything to explain there is an Out Of Character Thread provided. You have no excuse to make an 'OOC' comment in the IC and if done it will be heavily frowned upon. If you require a more immediate answer, don't hesitate to directly ask the GM Team or relevant player through PM's. .
- Writing expectations for this roleplay are at least two (2) well-developed paragraphs as a minimum per post. Three (3) to five (5) paragraph posts, however, would be awesome so long as you're not simply chewing the scenery. Proper spelling and grammar is also expected but small mistakes here and there are understandable. Blatant offenses will be called out. .
- You are required to post at least once per character within a fourteen (14) day period. There will be a post-check-in, once per week performed by the GMs in order to ensure the IC is moving consistently. Extensions will be given in extenuating circumstances. Please recognize your limitations before joining the RP; if you are unable to post once every ten days, then it's highly likely that you do not have enough time to keep up with the RP. In the event that you do miss the deadline, your character will be listed as 'inactive'. After a further week of inactivity, your character will be expelled, and dealt with as necessary in the IC, whether killed or used as needed and then discarded. This whole process is simply easier if you just let the GM know if you're unable to keep up or simply have lost interest in the RP. If you find yourself in a plot with another player and they disappear, do your best to move on without them and quickly finish the arc to the best of your ability, or ask for the help of a GM. .
- This is a Character-Driven RP, and as such you are encouraged and expected to take charge of your character's subplots and storylines. There will be a heavy emphasis on collaborative activities and team building as well. The GMs will be leading the RP in the traditional sense with a driving plot and will ensure the RP keeps moving; however, we do want to see you develop your characters and produce your own plots. What we don't want is to see you lock your character out of interaction and focus solely on your character and their 'world'. No one enjoys watching you play with yourself. It's always better to let someone else join in on the fun.
6x Thank
