Name: Black Dragon Height: 5'9" Weight: 157 Age: 26 Race/Species: Human
Tier/Influence:2 (Local); Skilled and experienced traveler, very accomplished martial artist. While experienced and knowledgeable in the supernatural, his transition to this universe has caused his own powers to reset
Group(s): None yet
Appearance: Dragon rarely allows his face to be seen by those outside of his immediate family and other such loved ones. Of what can be seen of him, he's of average height, carries a slim, athletic build, dark skin and black hair if his beard is anything to go by. What can also be seen of him is a series of intricate tribal tattoos drawn about his body. He also has a small scar on his left knee.
Personality: Black Dragon's personality is a tale of extremes at best. What can be definitively said is that he believes very much in the good fight and doing what's right. However, his travels and experiences have taught him there's a difference between fighting for those who can't fight for themselves, and being caroled into fixing other people's lives for them. He has very little patience for those who can't appreciate this line.
Nextly, Dragon believes in doing what's morally right, which may not necessarily be what's legally right. In universes he's traveled to before, Dragon has knowingly and willingly broken the law. But, only expect this in oppressive governments with laws that violent basic human rights... or those that are kind of pointless.
While stoic and reserved in most cases, Dragon can also be very expressive and animated when feeling energetic or comfortable enough to cut loose. He is also has very little filter when it comes to language. His ultimate goal in life is to explore as much of the multiverse as he can, train his skills and abilities to their peak, and just have a good time kicin' ass and saving the day.
Abilities, Talents, Traits, Powers:
( 4 )Shapeless Style:
The name of this style is coined from quote from Bruce Lee, “Be formless. Shapeless, like water....” As such, the aim of this style is to free oneself from the conventional confines of technique, and instead understanding principles of motion in the context of combat. Dragon considers Shapeless Style less of a style in itself, and more of a personal expression. It can not be taught, stolen, or replicated as it's completely unique to Dragon and Dragon alone.
However, as any skill, this style has foundations, which are built on styles that Dragon had learned back in his home universe, as well as some of the universes he's traveled to thus far. There are the Core techniques Dragon had studied in his home universe, which make up the backbone of his style
And supplementary techniques, used to complement his technique. These are either bits of styles, or martial concepts rather than complete systems, used to supplement Dragon's technique:
( 1 )Knowledge of the Supernatural: Dragon has gotten to wield various types of supernatural energies; from Qi-gong and Qi-based sorcery, to mana-basedmagic, to Force/Psionic powers, or even the raw spiritualenergies of the hereafter. Hence, Dragon's knowledge of the supernatural is surprisingly vast.
However, as is the nature of the Multiverse, not all universes are compatible with certain types of powers. Some are completely mundane. To deal with this, Dragon's Multiversal Console can change the metaphysical makeup of his body to make him more compatible with the supernatural laws of the universe he travels to, should his current powerset not be compatible. However, this causes Dragon to lose his power and have to start over. This time is no exception.
But, in a universe which can seemingly support various powers, which ones Dragon will wield remain to be seen.
( 4 )Skilled Weaponsmith: Dragon had studied the art of weaponsmithing in various worlds he's traveled to. He can forge high quality weapons and some tools from common bronze, iron & steel, to more exotic materials such as Dragon byproduct, Starmetal and the like. This also extends to his lightsaber, but that's as far as futuristic weaponry knowledge go for him.
( 2 )Basic Survival: Dragon's experience in travel and exploration as well as being a former boyscout allows him to survive in most environments, as long as he's properly supplied.
Items:
( 4 )Equilibrium – A pair of lightsabers reconstructed by Black Dragon with the assistance of his former companion, Bao-Dur. The hilts of the sabers are black and bear white or silvery blades. They are fitted with crystals which act as a siv for Dragon's supernatural powers; collecting the excess and growing more powerful in proportion to Dragon's power. Because of his weakened state, the crystals bare little power, hence the cutting power of Equilibrium is barely above that of a standard lightsaber.
Equilibrium has many features:
Dual-Phase Mechanism: This allows Dragon to adjust the power output, and thus the intensity of the blade from a mere beam of light, to the famed weaponized plasma-cutter. This also allows him to adjust the length of the blade. It can be as short as a dagger, or the length of a Miao Dao
Coupler Links: The are various knotches on each saber which allows Dragon to join both together at the hilts to make a dual-bladed lightsaber, one near the bottom of each hilt to attach a small grip to make Elbow Sabers. The bottom of ether hilt can also attach an extension to turn it into a polearm. Dragon also has plans to install a means to make a crossguard feature, but hasn't figured out how to do this yet.
( ? )Multiversal Console: Better known as just “Consoles” where Dragon hails from. This is a device which allows users to travel across the multiverse, provided they have a Coordinates Disk (CDs) loaded into the console, or have said coordinates downloaded into the console directly. Despite their name, Consoles are only capable of traveling from one universe to another. The user still needs a means of traveling within the universe itself.
In Dragon's world, there are a few companies that develop and distribute Multiversal Consoles, as Multiverse travel has become a booming industry.
Translation: Consoles are already pre-loaded with all known languages on the Earth of Dragon's universe. CDs for more exotic universes will also have the languages used in that universe uploaded to the console. Translations are either dubbed or subbed. Dubbing alters the user's audio-sensory so it seems as if the people they speak to are speaking their native language, and vice-versa. While subbed causes the user to see little subtitles appear under the people they speak to and vice-versa. Evidently, Dragon prefers to use Dubbed mode.
Recall: Especially useful during mishaps when traveling between universes and so on. Dragon can use the recall feature to recall back to the last universe he visited, or back to his home universe. Most consoles include a feature to recall the user back to their home universe once they die, but Dragon has had this feature disabled in the black market.
Anti-Premature Aging Compensation (APAC): Because time moves differently in different universes, it's possible for a travel to go to one world for a week, and come back twenty years older. In order to prevent premature aging, consoles are built with Temporal Wards that regulate the aging of the body in accordance to the passage of time in their home universe. This feature only activates in universes whose flow of time differs from that of Dragon's home universe. Hence, it won't activate in this one.
Social Functions: The Console is allows communication with other console users via text messaging, voice and/or video chat. However, this feature is only possible between consoles of the same manufacturer. Evidently, Dragon's console is always set to private to avoid spam messages.
Ethernet Connection: Each console can connect to the Multiversal Ethereal Network, or just the “Ethernet” for short. It's essentially an internet for console users who may travel to a universe that has no internet or technology for that matter. If the user is in a universe that has internet, or an equivalent, they can simply set their console to connect to that.
Metaphysical Compatibility Modifier: As aforementioned, some universes has supernatural forces, which users can learn to tape into. However, there are universes that can't support certain powers, if they can at all. If entering a world that cannot support the user's current powerset; the console will alter their metaphysical makeup to make them compatible with the new world they travel to. However, this has the side-effect of erasing all the power that user has accumulated prior, causing them to have to retrain their new abilities.
Digital Backpack: This Mod allows Dragon to store items in a separate memory back on installed unto the console. This is done by converting the item into data and then storing them unto the backpack. Of course, the backpack labels and categorizes these items for ease of use, and can even store items of mystical power. However, this doesn't protect the item from what happens if brought out into a universe that can't support its powers.
Cross-Platform Communication: This Mod allows Dragon to communicate with console users with consoles from different manufacturers. It also acts as a makeshift cellphone, allowing him to call, email, video/audio chat with people in different universes. For this to work, Dragon needs to load the CD of the universe of the person he wishes to communicate with, then type in the phone-number, email address, or whatever contact information required.
Recording Mode: This allows Dragon to use the built in face cam feature of the console to take pictures or record audio and/or video or whatever he points this camera at. Very useful for sending information about a world he's in.
*Please note, if the console sounds too OP at this point in time, I'm perfectly happy to make so Dragon can't use most of its function, if any. But, I would like for Dragon to be able to use the full function of the console again at some point.
History: To understand Black Dragon, one must first understand his world.
The means to travel between dimensions was discovered. Each universe was separated by a barrier known as "The Threshold" and there were in fact an infinite amount of universes. The way to travel between them was to create a Dark Energy vortex that would drill a hole just big enough for the user to enter. This vortex would act as a bridge between the world the user is in and the one they mean to travel to. Once the transport is complete, the residual energies would repair the holes opened and dissipate. This device was known as "The Multiversal Transport Console" or just "Console" for short.
While the prospect of traveling to an alternate universe was hugely fascinating, the consoles were damned expensive, and could only travel to one universe: One where people used the game of pong to determine everything. As the 80's came, the technology for consoles was improved upon. For example, a console could be programmed to go to a specific universe by inputting a very long and highly complex algorithm into the console. This was done with interchangeable Coordinate Cartridges or "CCs" for short. And with the apparent prosperity of the 80's, Console technology was much more readily available.
But, this was not without problems. Between the Console Crash of '83 from the over-saturation of Console development companies. The solution came from Japanese developer Nintengo, which they began to market consoles exclusively to young boys. Advertisements enticed boys of all ages with the allure of adventure, fame & fortune, and bodacious women. While this shift in focus managed to recover Console travel, it was also given the impression of being a child's hobby and little else.
Another hurdle came in the 90's: The inherent dangers of Console travel became much more apparent. In the case 12 year-old-Chester Walters: The boy and his friends had acquired a new CC and planned a weekend trip to a futuristic universe to explore its exotic galaxies. Despite having only been gone for that weekend, Walters and his friends returned over 30 years older. One boy had lost an arm and a leg that were both replaced with cybernetics and another had been captured and later confirmed dead.
To make things worse, Nintengo and a rival company, Sena, had engaged in what would be known as "The Console War" behind the scenes, in which supporters of either company waged bloody battles in the universe they offered travel to, away from this world's authorities. Public outcry demanded that all Console related technology be outlawed in order to protect children, ignoring that many adults also made use of the technology. Much of this outcry was spear-headed by John Jackson, who called Console companies "Evil" and said Console travel was "... Raising a generation of serial killers...!"
However, considering that Console travel was a billion dollar industry, gave people access to worlds that had much to offer their own, there were many that opposed this outcry. In 1994, a compromised was made and the Multiversal Technology Ratings Board, or MTRB was founded in Canada. Their purpose was simple; whenever a Console company discovered a new universe, the MTRB would examine this world along with them and determine the relative safety level of it. Afterwards, CCs would come with a safety rating so parents and Console Technology distributors could regulate which kinds of worlds children had access too.
Also around this time, console technology began to move from a cartridge-based system to a disk-based system that used Coordinates Disks, or CDs for short.. Other features were also implemented, such as Temporal Compensators, so users would age as according to their home world and avoid premature aging, and parental controls, so parents can block their child's console from being able to go universes with restricted danger levels. Unfortunately, not many parents were aware of these implementations, and some willfully ignored the ratings on more violent universes, leading to their children being harmed or killed anyway.
There was also an incident in 1999 where two teenagers committed a mass-shooting in their high school, using advanced weapons they acquired from a universe they traveled to, then used their consoles to travel back to that universe and escape authorities. In the year 2000, it would be declared that users of Consoles were prohibited to,
1. Bring anything or anyone they found in other universes back home.
2.This universe is the only "Real" universe, and all others are mere fictional. Thus all peoples, places and things outside this universe are considered non-existent, and any events or actions occurring outside this universe are considered "Fictional"
3.Distributing Consoles and related technology to inhabitants deemed "Fictional" is prohibited. In 2002, following a major terrorist attack, this was considered an act of terrorism.
This was met with great confusion by Console technology developers, Console travelers, and the general public at large. This also led to mass deportation of individuals brought to this universe by Console travelers, many of which had gotten married and started families, sold the items they found and became very wealthy, or used the skills they used off-universe to find careers. Regardless, all Console developers were required to program their Consoles' recall function to bring users to a specialized checkpoint should they return to this universe. This had actually led several console users to simply stay in the universes they traveled to.
This had given rise to Console company-run black markets off-universe, in which distributors therein offered Consoles, CDs and mods that allowed the user to bypass restrictions such as parental controls, or the checkpoint recall feature. Despite growing concerns from Anti-Console citizens, the governments of the world have done nothing about these black markets. The U.S. government even asserting that patrons of Black Market dealers will be apprehended if they ever came to this world.
Which they didn't.
As for Black Dragon. There was a time before he called himself such. There was a time when he lived a normal life. Raised by Jackie Chan, Power Rangers, and video games; he had a fascination with martial arts and adventure. His life's aspiration was to be a Console traveler and wander the multiverse as a monster-slaying, princess-rescuing, sword-swinging badass ninja... Until a friend told him he could get killed doing such.
Then he opted for something less dangerous like a lawyer, and later a film-maker. But, hey, he did eventually begin training in the martial arts, so that was something, right? Except years later having earned a useless degree, stuck in a dead-end job, and growing increasingly lonely; He began to slip in and out of depression. While this typically where someone in his shoes would turn to drugs or alcohol, commit suicide or something else destructive, he didn't believe in such things.
Instead, he awoke one night poured all his money into a console and just left without a trace. He was happy for the first time in a while.
Sure, his adventures started off rough: He got his first exposure to violence, which was far beyond anything bullies dished out in his school years. He got his first exposure to tragedy, seeing the village that welcomed him burned to ashes over a trivial grudge. And it was his first exposure to real betrayal, where the man who took Dragon in as his student had been using him to further his own agenda all along.
But, this wasn't like home. Back home Dragon was pushed around and expected to do nothing but take it. Back home, Dragon would hear about all the corruption and tragedy in the world and be expected to quiety, if begrudgingly tolerate it.
Now that he left home, things were different. And so, Dragon fought. He fought until his slaughtered friends were avenged. He fought until those who oppressed innocent were destroyed, and he fought until the man who betrayed him was laying dead at his feet and his throne awaited him.
Yet, instead of taking the throne, he gave to an ally he met on this journey. And so had Dragon's life continued. He traveled from one world to another, fighting evil, rescuing villages, to cities, to nations, to entire galaxies.
But, every friend he made, he had to eventually leave behind. Every treasure he found, he eventually left behind. And every maiden he met.... Things wouldn't have worked out. Regardless, this was Dragon's life now, finally wandering the Multiverse as he dreamed.
@WanderingDragon The multiversal console allows what is essentially a teleportation with unlimited range and uses. That is currently outside the scope of what is allowed in Expanding Horizons.
Also, I would like to see tier/influence levels next to each ability of the console to better gauge where you feel they fall.
Actually, it's meant to be limited to teleporting the user from one universe to another. I'll need to edit the profile to better explain this.
Edit: Apparently, there were some typos. I meant to say, I can edit the profile so Dragon can't use most of the consoles functions. For the purposes of this rp, I can make it so multiversal travel is unavailable, hence Dragon can only use its other functions such as the translator and the like.
