AndyC

One Universe: Unlimited - A Marvel/DC Comics Roleplay

"Have not the fear, human laborers!" shouted Koriand'r over the din of twisting metal and rushing water. "In your time of needing, salvation has made the arrival!"

Swooping down into the well of muck, Starfire took hold of a steel I-beam, one weighing over half a ton, and with a strained grunt lifted it off of the legs of a pinned worker who had been submerged almost over his head before being freed.

"This has to be the worst job we've ever done," Rachel muttered as she held out her hands, emitting tendrils of shadow that snatched picked more terrified workers out from the swirling cesspools where they had been drowning, snagged by loose cables and falling debris. A wave of sludge crashed against the side of the pool, splashing across her deep blue cloak and black tights. "The worst by far."

The Jump City Sewage Treatment Plant was falling apart in a spectacular fashion, with dozens of workers trapped in danger of particularly revolting deaths. Exits had been blocked by toppled equipment, safety gear suffered freak accident failures, and loose tools and pieces of industrial scrap quickly became potentially lethal shrapnel. Rachel and Kori had caught news of the incident over the police scanner, and were on the scene to try and keep the emergency from becoming a catastrophe.

Around them, old rusted metal groaned from pipes that had inexplicably clogged all at once. Then, with a series of pops and pings, screws and rivets burst loose from the immense water pressure, whizzing and ricocheting through the plant like bullets.

"Everyone down!" Raven yelled as she stretched out her ethereal essence-- what she had deemed her 'Soul Self'-- to snatch the speeding bits of metal out of the air, or throw up black shields to protect workers as they hit the deck. She had learned that her...unusual...circumstances of birth allowed her to do things that other people couldn't, projecting her soul into the physical world to do any number of things. Telekinesis was just the shallow end of her abilities, but it was one she had to use most often when doing 'cape and tights stuff.'

As Raven reached out with her spiritual powers to contain as much of the disaster as she could, Kori glanced over at her pale-skinned partner from the far side of the plant and could not help but feel a swell of admiration. In her daily life, Rachel Roth was dreary, dour, and put up a wall of cold contempt for people around her as a defense for her shyness and fear. When she adopted the persona of Raven, however, she was powerful beyond her own imagination, and had the courage and the confidence to use that power to become an incredible force for good. Others looked at Rachel and saw only the darkness of her regalia, the shadows she projected. Kori, however, saw past that darkness to the shining light within.

Kori felt herself distracted for a moment, musing if her friend could ever be aware of how beautiful she truly was. Then a pressurized tank ruptured behind the orange-haired alien girl and doused her with a few thousand gallons of raw sewage.

"Help!" cried a panicked foreman, trapped high up on a walkway that was beginning to buckle and collapse around him. "For the love of God, help me!"

"There is no need to make the panic," Starfire consoled the screaming man as she rose from the muck and scooped him up into her arms. "You shall be of the safeness and sounding momentarily!"

Kori plucked the frightened man from the falling structure, gingerly placing him on the ground before taking to the air again, her hands glowing with clouds of neon green plasma. Slinging the bolts of emerald fire into the mounds of twisted steel and crumbled concrete, she blasted clear a path for the workers to begin to escape, then flew back into the maelstrom of debris and sludge to save the others trapped inside.

"The structural integrity of this place is beyond the point of failure!" Starfire called out to her partner. "We must get the rest to--"

"Look out!" Raven interrupted her, engulfing an enormous gantry in shadow and catching the massive structure before it would have slammed into Starfire from behind. All around them, walls and supports began to crumble, and more sewage flooded the entire plant.

Throwing out her hands, Raven spilled forth more shadows, her Soul Self seeping into as much of the surrounding area as she could to hold it all together. While her mystic abilities cost Rachel very little in terms of physical exertion, the mental strain of projecting herself this far over so much was tough to bear.

"Can't...hold it for long!" Raven said through gritted teeth. "Get....everyone....out!"

As Raven struggled to keep the crumbling plant together, she saw her friend flitting through the disaster, bobbing and weaving between collapsing structures, swooping and diving with otherworldly grace, picking up the endangered workers one by one and two by and placing them on the path to safety. At first glance, it would be all too easy to dismiss Kori as an empty-headed cuckoo, a bubbly ditz who ate weird things, didn't understand personal space, and threw herself at every attractive person who paid her the slightest attention. Rachel knew, though, that most of the time, she was simply out of her element. When she was Starfire, the alien warrior princess and champion of the people, she was a sight to behold. Starfire moved through battles and calamity with a deftness that made it all seem trivial, making as full use of her body and her powers the way a master musician would their favorite instrument.

It was impossible to watch her in action and not be entranced.

Which, unfortunately, had the effect of distracting Rachel long enough to miss a final rupturing pipe, that splashed her directly in the face with a jet of sewer water.

"Acckk---blegghhh! Pfffbbbtt!" Raven sputtered and spat, trying to shake herself off as she was now drenched head to toe in substances she'd rather not think about. Her Soul Self began to falter, and she could feel the thousands of tons of metal and concrete begin to twist and shatter despite her efforts. Any much longer, and her powers would fail entirely, leaving her to be buried or drowned--probably whichever was worse....

Somewhere in the back of her head, Rachel was begging for another shift at the Big Belly Burger, answering stupid questions from mouth-breathing customers. On the other hand, being doused with offal and refuse was still only slightly less unpleasant than talking with Kitten van Cleer....

"Friend Raven!" Starfire called out as she flew towards her. "The civilians have arrived at the safety! We must now evacuate ourselves!"

"....right..." she said with a sigh of exhausted relief, retracting her Soul Self and letting the section of the plant finally implode on itself. Starfire took one arm around Raven's waist and took them both into the air, keeping the other hand free to blast away any last bits of rubble that impeded their way.

As they rose hundreds of feet into the air over the chaos and wreckage, Kori and Rachel looked over the scene with a mixture of triumph, relief, and guilt. They had managed to keep everyone alive, but half of the sewage treatment plant was in ruins, which was going to be a major hardship for the people of Jump City.

"Well....that..." Rachel panted, "....was awful."

"We have saved many lives tonight, friend Rachel," Kori said, comforting the pale girl as globs of sludge dripped off of them. "This is a night we should remember with the pride! Next, we must report our actions to the Chief Gomez, and provide helping to the investigations into how this was made to happen."

"Maybe later," Rachel brushed her off, wringing out a sickening brown-gray liquid from her cloak. "Before we do any of that, I think I'm going to take a shower and lie down for a while."

"I am in need of the washing as well," Kori admitted. "We should--"

"For the last time," Rachel interrupted as they flew away into the night sky, "The shower is for one person at a time..."

---

"You couldn't help yourself, could you?"

"Oh, relax, I was just rehearsing. All they'll find is a freak coincidence. A grease-ball clogging up a pump here, some faults in the foundation there. The place was begging to fall apart anyway. All it needed was just a little bit of bad luck. Besides, the plan is to keep them exhausted, right?"

"Yeah, but I thought we were supposed to do it in little ways, right? That was way too big!"

"Quite correct. If the alien and the witch girl are not to detect our presence, we must be more subtle in our attempts to weaken them."

"Fine, no more pyrotechnics. Not until Friday, anyway."

"Right. On Friday, that's when we put on the real show!"

"Yes. Until then, keep them on their toes, keep them from recuperating. But don't let them catch on....not until it's too late for them to stop it...."

One Universe: Unlimited - A Marvel/DC Comics Roleplay

Imagine being the guy trying to get in as any of the FF

@Alternax

Funny thing was, I was this close to applying as the FF. But Legion of Doom just barely edged it out.

Speaking of, some of y'all with heroes who have fleshed-out rogues' galleries might want to expect a PM soon (or if there's a Discord chat, it might be easier to organize that way), as the Legion is likely going to start procuring some 'unique force multipliers' as they expand.

One Universe: Unlimited - A Marvel/DC Comics Roleplay

This one might be a bit of a stretch, but hear me out. First, a little mood music.....

Peace Through Power!

CHARACTER CONCEPT

LEGION OF DOOM

---

^{_{Political Radical Sect / Terrorist Organization ♦ People's Democratic Republic of Latveria}}

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:

---

^{"Doom does not beg! Doom denies death! Doom is supreme!"}

In the wake of the Second World War and the end of the first wave of costumed super-humans, most were all too willing to turn a blind eye to the far corners of the world for the sake of returning to some semblance of normalcy. While organizations like the Strategic Science Reserve led investigations into the JSA, behind the Iron Curtain a new power was rising.

Viktor van Domashev, a high-ranking member of Stalin's inner circle from the Soviet satellite state of Latveria, executed a stunning coup in the wake of the dictator's death. Espousing a radical totalitarian philosophy referred to simply as "the Way of Doom," van Domashev effectively split the Soviet Union in two, converting millions to his radical ways and defending his new empire against the forces of the USSR and NATO alike with a menagerie of technological horrors. By 1960, Nikita Kruschev and Soviet ICBMs seemed like a quaint annoyance compared to the threat posed by the man the American press had named "Doctor Doom."

While many feared that an invasion from Doomstadt was imminent, even a mind as formidable as Doctor Doom was not without equal. The brilliant Reed Richards quickly rose to prominence in the West, and he and his family of misfit adventurers dubbed the "Fantastic Four" (a team of "adventure scientists," a name carefully picked to avoid connections to the controversial super-heroes of the 1940s) would stymie Doom's attempts at global domination time and time again. In 1966, Viktor van Domashev and the Fantastic Four engaged in a final battle, with all vanishing in the aftermath, seemingly destroyed. Without the brilliance and charisma of Doctor Doom at its helm, the Latverian Empire quickly came undone, and was reabsorbed back into the USSR. Despite being written off as dramatic but ultimately brief distraction in the wider history of the Cold War, many still believed in the philosophy of the Way of Doom, and Neo-Doomist militias and terrorist cells would crop up over the next sixty years, typically put down quickly by organizations such as SHIELD.

In recent years, however, while the eyes of the world have turned to the likes of Superman and other colorful personae in the West, a new movement has begun in Latveria, Viktor Van Domashev's old seat of power. An extremely well-funded, well-organized, and well-trained paramilitary organization has begun a civil war against the corrupt and incompetent NATO-installed government. They offer stability, security, and national pride in exchange for obedience and service to the Way of Doom. What's more, they boast weaponry and technology that puts all but the most advanced Western technological firms to shame. As neighboring governments try and fail to undermine this radical movement, more and more people become drawn to its cause, seeing a future where they can not only stand on equal footing with the super-heroes of the West, but make them kneel.

What was dismissed as a fleeting bad dream has returned as a new nightmare. The Legion of Doom marches again.

C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:

---

For starters, I wanted to have a sort of 'universal villain' that absolutely everyone can run up against. I figure we have more than enough shadowy organizations carefully working on secret machinations behind the scenes, so it would be a nice breath of fresh air to have one that's so brazenly out in the open about what they are and what they want to do. It'll hopefully give the heroes some fun material to work with as well, since most of the people joining the Legion have legitimate grievances against the Western-centric super-community, and hopefully this can lead to some stories with interesting real-world parallels without just beating people over the head with heavy-handed social commentary.

I've also just been on a nostalgia kick for the old Command and Conquer games lately, so this is at least partly to live out my dreams of leading the Brotherhood of Nod.

N O T E S:

---

The Legion of Doom is operated by a triumvirate of Ministers, who maintain a delicate balance of power between the three of them:

Lucia Von Bardas: The newly elected Prime Minister of Latveria, Lucia proudly displays the scars and cybernetic augmentations she acquired during the bloody civil war that ousted the previous government. Wildly popular among the Latverian people, she is the public face of the Legion, frequently seen making speeches and public appearances to portray the Way of Doom as the path to liberating the downtrodden from the yoke of their old imperialist oppressors. Behind the scenes, Lucia also operates the Legion's vast media network, altering and censoring data and spreading indoctrinating material in the name of "combating misinformation."

Kristoff Vernard: Latveria's Minister of Science and Culture, Kristoff sees it as his duty to carry on the brilliant work of Viktor van Domashev. His inventions have catapulted Latveria to the forefront of the technological world, while his printed works expounding on the Way of Doom have convinced countless disenfranchised and disaffected people to join the cause. Many are quick to condemn Vernard's many gruesome experiments on human subjects, but he is always quick to quote his hero, stating "only Doom dares to dream, all others serve."

Bram Velsing: Also known as the "Dread Knight," Velsing is the supreme commander of the Legion's armed forces. Equal parts brash, cunning, and fanatical, the Dread Knight is a hardline believer in the Way of Doom, and especially in its ethos of 'peace through power.'

The People's Liberation Legion: An ever-growing collection of neo-Doomist militias and paramilitary groups, the PLL is a largely decentralized confederation with loose ties to the Legion proper. While LoD agents often fund, arm, and train PLL cells, each cell operates independently, fomenting revolutions, assassinations, sabotage, cyber-warfare, and other destabilizing actions in any nation the Legion of Doom sees either as a threat or as a potential asset. Currently, there are known PLL cells active in Russia, Sokovia, Bialya, Symkaria, Argentina, Japan, and the United Kingdom, and there are unconfirmed cells active in a dozen other countries, including the United States. While most if not all PLL members are volunteers who are devout believers in the Way of Doom, the Legion proper tends to view them as expendable.

DoomBots: the backbone of the Legion of Doom's armies, DoomBots refer to a vast array of robotic and AI operatives designed to carry out the Legion's will. The 'standard' DoomBot is equipped with nano-spring artificial muscles to grant it immense strength, a variety of laser and particle-based weapons, a layered magnetic and plasma shield system rendering it invulnerable to conventional weapons, and electronic warfare packages that allow it to penetrate the most robust defenses. Deployed correctly, a platoon of DoomBots can defeat a conventional army in a matter of days, and severely wound or even kill all but the most powerful of metahumans.

S A M P L E P O S T:

---

"My brothers and sisters," Lucia von Bardas began as she approached the podium, "After the long, bitter fighting that has seen so many suffer needlessly, we have at long last toppled the rotten, clapped-out regime that had been afflicted upon us for so long!"

A thunderous din of triumphant cheers rose from the throng of loyal followers before her. Next to her on the dais, a haggard, beaten man was forced on his knees, trembling and crying, a pair of green-armored DoomBots flanking him on either side.

"Vladimir Vassily Gonereo Tristian Mangegi Fortunov," she addressed her prisoner, drawing out his long name in almost mocking tones. "Former Prime Minister of an illegitimate government. For nearly thirty years, you danced on strings pulled by NATO, propagating their lies and their deceit. Time and time again, Latveria has been given empty promises of autonomy, of 'greater standing in the international community,' of free and fair trade, only for more restrictions and sanctions to be placed upon us! Time and time again, you signed away land that rightfully belonged to the Latverian people, for the benefit of NATO and EU pet projects that have only done us harm! And each time you tell us to swallow their tripe, each time you tell us to settle for less, you line your own pockets with their dirty money!"

The tens of thousands in attendance roared with boos and cries of anger.

"The people of Latveria have said no more!" Lucia bellowed. "We have seen the way forward, and it is not dancing to the tune of the Western pigs. The way forward is that promised to us by one of our own, the genius who brought us onto the world stage, who made the White House and the Kremlin tremble! This is the way of destiny! The way of fate! The Way of Doom!"

Lucia paused to bask in the cacophonous applause, before turning back to the beaten man.

"And your doom, comrade Fortunov," she said, drawing a pistol from the inside of her jacket, "is sealed."

The gunshot rang out through the air, followed by another deafening roar of triumph from the crowd as Fortunov's body slumped forward, before falling off the dais and into the crowd, who proceeded to stomp and tear at the corpse until there was nothing recognizable left.

"The Way of Doom has saved the people of Latveria, my brothers and sisters," Von Bargas beckoned, "but our work is far from over! There are many yet who still cry out under the lash of the corrupt and the incompetent. Our brothers and sisters in Symkaria, in Sokovia, in Pokolistan, we hear your call! Our friends and comrades in South America, in East Asia, we share your struggle! Even our perceived enemies in Russia, in China, in America....they, too, will see the way to that shining future! In time, all will know the power and glory of Doom!"

The cheers had grown so loud, the voices of the Latverian people shook the dais.

"Doom," she called out the now familiar chant, "does not beg!"

"DOOM! the voices chanted back in unison, "DOES! NOT! BEG!"

"Doom denies death!"

"DOOM! DENIES! DEATH!"

"DOOM IS SUPREME!"

"DOOM! IS! SUPREME!"

P O S T C A T A L O G:

---

Coming Soon

One Universe: Unlimited - A Marvel/DC Comics Roleplay

"Sooo....on the Number Four, the Big Belly Double-Triple Cheeseburger....does that come with cheese?"

".....it's a cheeseburger."

".....so no?"

The withering glare that Rachel Roth gave the fat balding man on the other side of the counter could have curdled milk, but its effects were completely lost on him, as he scratched underneath the folds of his substantial gut that drooped out from the bottom of his shirt.

Amid all the bright primary colors and phony smiles from the crew of the Big Belly Burger, Rachel was something of an odd duck, a "bird of a different feather," her manager once described her in a mangled metaphor. With pale white skin and deep purple hair, it would be easy to assume she applied layers of makeup and coloring to match the classic goth style, but in truth she looked that way for as long as she could remember. Her looks weren't the only thing that set her apart from the everyday crowd; there was also her charming disposition, which had about the same effect on other teenagers as a citronella candle had on mosquitoes.

And of course, there was the fact that she was only half-human, and that her father was some kind of demon who had sired her to bring about Hell on Earth, but Rachel had learned to deal with one horrible fate at a time. And for the moment, the horrific fate she was dealing with was the dinner rush.

She had working part-time here for about six months, and conversations like this were tragically common. Whether it was asking questions easily answered by the big gaudy signs festooned around the counter, ordering items that the restaurant has never carried in its decades of existence, trying to use coupons from other restaurants, or demanding special treatment because they brought their kids on a Sunday afternoon, there seemed to be a never-ending litany of mundane torments afflicted on her by the general public.

When Jean-Paul Sartre said 'hell is other people,' he must have been thinking about the service industry.

"Oh, right, right," he nodded with what must have been a painfully rare moment of clarity. "So, what kind of cheeses do you have?"

"Calling it 'cheese' would be generous," Rachel began, "But according to the packaging at least, we have American, Swiss, cheddar, and 'fiesta.'"

The fat man nodded absently, before declaring "I'll take mine with Pepper Jack."

Once again, the pale, purple-haired girl fixed him with a glare that could strip the paint off a car, then reiterated, "We have American, Swiss, ch--"

"Friend Rachel!" Kori exclaimed as she practically erupted from the break room, a soda cup filled to the brim with mustard in her hand and a bright yellow smudge on her lips, "I have the most glorious of news! I believe I now have the solution to our worries!"

Even if she didn't have orange skin, long red hair that shined so brightly it seemed to be on fire, and bright green eyes whose whites were actually just slightly less bright green, Koriand'r--operating under the extremely creative alias 'Kori Anders'-- would have still stuck out like a sore thumb. That was partly due to the fact that physically, she was flawless in a way that would give beauticians and supermodels an aneurysm. Mostly, however, it was because her personality was a chaotic mix between a cliché sci-fi android asking what love is and a hyperactive puppy.

If she came off as if she was from a different planet, that would be because she was. Kori had crash-landed on Earth a year ago, and gotten herself inextricably tangled up in Rachel's life. From there, they had stumbled backwards into a career as low-level super-heroes protecting the people of Jump City, and things only got more complicated. Kori had moved in with Rachel into the loft above her foster parents' garage, which the two used as a makeshift base of operations for their vigilante activities. While the foster family was happy to take Kori in, they also asked that the two of them start paying rent to help make ends meet, and to cover any equipment or expenses they might need while fighting villains and evading cultists.

Thus, they found their way to the Big Belly Burger, the only honest paycheck they could find that wouldn't look too closely at their applications. For a few weeks, having a pair of super-heroes working at the counter brought in big business, but the novelty quickly wore off, and by now they were no more special than any other pimple-faced high schooler while on the clock. If the blow to their general dignity wasn't enough, it also took up a significant amount of time they could be spending on more important matters. If they ever hoped to find a way to transport Kori home, or take on the various cults of Rachel's demonic father, or deal with the sinister organization HIVE that wanted them as brainwashed weapons, or get ahead on any number of other threats and crises....then sooner or later they were going to have to find a better way to make rent than peddling greasy junk food to slack-jawed morons.

Rachel raised an eyebrow, turning to her friend and ignoring the fat guy at the counter, and the twenty other people in line behind him. "A solution to our problems? You've discovered the secret to overthrowing the stranglehold of the corrupt and exploitative ruling class in order to bring about a worker's paradise?"

"No, but I have learned of an exciting business opportunity!" she beamed. "During my allotted fifteen-minute breaking of the room of baths, I was speaking to our co-worker Trevor..."

"The one who keeps trying to take pictures of your butt when he thinks you're not looking?"

"Yes, the same!" Kori nodded enthusiastically, her cup of mustard sloshing over. "He suggested that we engage in the starting of a small business, and said that we could make the fortunes! According to the Trevor, we would be perfect for selling ventilation equipment!"

"...ventilation equipment?"

"Uhhh, excuse me," the fat man at the counter muttered, "I'd still like to order a--"

"One second," Rachel dismissed him before turning back to Kori. "Trevor thinks we should sell ventilation equipment?"

"Oh yes, he was very enthusiastic about it! He said we should sell exclusively ventilation equipment!"

"Wait," Rachel's expression soured. "...'exclusively ventilation equipment?' What did he say, exactly?"

"His words with exactness were 'you two could make tons doing Only Fans!'"

"Of course," Rachel gave a deflated sigh. "First off, no, we are absolutely not doing that. Second of all, that has nothing to do with air conditioning."

"Then I have the confusion," Kori puzzled. "If 'only fans' does not mean selling equipment for conditioning of the air, then what is it?"

"It's...." Rachel stopped herself, looked back to the line of people, then back at her expectant friend, "it's...just come here, it's--"

Rachel whispered the answer into Kori's ear, and the orange-skinned girl went pale with shock.

"....oh," she managed, before her expression brightened. "Oh, that is even easier than selling ventilation equipment! We--"

"Absolutely not."

"Hey, can I please--"

"Number four with Pepper Jack that this restaurant chain has never carried, got it," she turned back to the register. "Will that be for here or to go?"

"Oh. My. God, it's true!"

A tittering laugh rang out through the dining room, and all eyes turned to the smirking blonde that stood in the doorway, flanked by a half-dozen teenage girls and boys fawning over her.

"Oh good," Rachel muttered, "my evening wasn't going badly enough."

"Kitten," Kori narrowed her eyes. Kitten van Cleer was the daughter of Cameron van Cleer, a millionaire playboy who was touted as the "Bruce Wayne of the West Coast." Growing up the lap of luxury, Kitten was equal parts spoiled and rotten, able to buy the affection and adulation of everyone around her-- or more accurately, have her dad buy it for her. She'd been used to getting her way, right up until last spring, when every boy in school voted "that crazy hot orange girl" as junior prom queen instead of her. Since then, Kitten had devoted her time and considerable resources to making Kori miserable.

"You know, normally I wouldn't be caught dead in a place like this," Kitten began as she approached the counter, "but when I heard the heroes of Jump City had to resort to flipping burgers for a living? Well, I just had to see it. How the mighty have fallen, hm?" On cue, her nameless entourage laughed.

"You made the big mistake," Kori said indignantly, "for we are not engaging in the flipping of burgers! We are presiding over the registers of cash this evening. Friend Ralphus is the one who flips the burgers!"

Looking through the order window, a hideously obese wiry-haired old man gave them a big friendly wave hello, smiling wide through half a dozen missing teeth, before turning his attention back to the dozens of patties sizzling on the griddle.

"Well, it's nice to know you've found some friends your speed," Kitten said condescendingly, drawing another big laugh from her sycophants. "What are you two even doing here? Don't you super-types all have, like, secret underground headquarters or space stations or whatever?"

"Ours is under construction," Rachel said flatly, refusing to be antagonized. "Anyway, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to go to the back of the line. There are people waiting to order."

"Yeah, like me!" the balding man chimed in. "I want a--"

"This doesn't concern you, sir."

"Oh, I'm not ordering anything," Kitten stated, giving the restaurant and everyone in it a contemptuous glare. "All the food here makes you fat."

"Ah, a good idea!" Starfire nodded. "If I were you, I would avoid any more fattening foods as well!"

Kitten stared cold death at Kori, while Rachel suppressed a grin.

"Anyway," she resumed, "I came by to let you know that my Daddy is booking a party cruise on Friday night for my birthday. Absolutely everyone is going to be there."

Kori tilted her head to one side in puzzlement. "And you wish for us to attend, even though you have the hatred for us?"

Kitten burst out laughing, which prompted the same from her crowd of hangers-on.

"Ah-hahaha ohmygod noooo," she answered. "This is an un-vitation for you two. I wanted to make it nice and official that you freak shows aren't allowed anywhere near my party or my Daddy's boat!"

"I'm devastated," Rachel deadpanned. "How ever shall I live with the disappointment?"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll manage," Kitten said in a patronizing tone. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know about the good time you'll be missing," Kitten said as she began to turn back towards the door, before looking over her shoulder. "Oh, and that I personally invited Frankie Crandall to come."

"You would not dare!" Kori blurted. Frankie Crandall was elected Junior Prom King the same year that Kori had ousted Kitten as Queen, and Kori had been head-over-heels for him ever since. "The Franklin would never tarnish our love by g'narff-blorking with you!"

"Calm down, nobody said anything about "g'narf-blorking,'" she said with a mocking playfulness. "We're all just going to dance to some music, maybe help ourselves to the wet bar that Daddy will conveniently leave unlocked...and who knows what'll happen after that.....nothing to worry your little tangerine head about. Frankie did seem awfully excited about coming, though. And when I say he's looking forward to coming, I mean--"

"Don't be gross, there's kids here," Rachel cut her off.

"Oh, I don't know what you're talking about," Kitten feigned innocence. "Your mind must really be in the gutter. The same place you get your clothes, I imagine."

Rachel rolled her eyes as Kitten's bunch of lackeys all had a good laugh.

"Well, I'll leave you to toiling away as wage-slaves," she waved, before turning once again. "Actually, now that you've reminded me, if Frankie isn't willing to play, I did just have a nice tutoring session with that cute goth boy from our creative-writing class. What was his name again? Mal...Malcolm? Malomar? Malachite?"

"Malchior?" Rachel asked with a slight gasp, the break in her composure just enough to give her away. Malchior was the only person at Jump City High that Rachel could stand talking to for more than a few seconds. Apart from Kori, of course. On most days.

Kitten smiled evilly. "That's his name! He's been such a good tutor, and I've been such an attentive student. Maybe at the party I'll take some time to thank him for all his hard work. Until then, enjoy yourselves, losers!"

As Kitten strutted out of the Big Belly Burger, her pack of suck-ups in tow, Rachel seethed and fought the urge to open a portal to the darkest pit of hell under Kitten's feet. Meanwhile, Kori clenched her drinking cup of mustard so hard it burst, splattering the two girls and the fat balding man in globs of bright yellow sauce.

"Hey! This is not acceptable! I demand to see your manager!" the balding man bellowed.

_{"Damn it, she's good,"} Rachel muttered.

---

As the snotty rich girl strode out of the Big Belly Burger, three figures watched from a van in the parking lot.

"Excellent, contact with the targets has been made. Phase one begins...."

"I still don't see why we don't just run in and smash them now that we know where they work!"

"Don't be dense! I want payback against those two just as bad as you...especially against that wannabe witch girl....but we've gotta play this smart."

"Quite right. Our last attempt demonstrated that they can overwhelm our efforts in a direct assault. Such raw power, when turned to our purposes, will be unstoppable...."

"So....what do we do now?"

"Now that the bait has been laid, we set the trap. We weaken the targets so they cannot escape...."

"And then we finally have them...."

One Universe: Unlimited - A Marvel/DC Comics Roleplay

<Snipped quote by AndyC>

Operating-as-Nightwing-in-Bludhaven-years old.
Make of that what you will.

@Roman

One Universe: Unlimited - A Marvel/DC Comics Roleplay

On the topic of using legacy characters, and with the understanding that I'm actually playing a big-ticket character with an extensive portfolio, rather than a c-lister I can pretty much do what I want with, I have plans to involve Barbara Gordon as Batgirl and Dick Grayson as Nightwing in upcoming posts.

They will be effectively cameos, one-and-done guest spots of each character that won't have a lasting impact on the status of either, but if anyone was thinking about a sheet for them, or had other ideas or plans for where they were in their respective careers, do let me know so we can hash something out.

I don't have anything in the works for any other member of the bat-family, so they're free-reign (but please do consult).

@Roman

About how old is Mr. Grayson? Asking for a potentially interested orange alien friend.

One Universe: Unlimited - A Marvel/DC Comics Roleplay

<Snipped quote by Lord Wraith>

This is how all of the best writers do it!

Grant Morrison...

...other writers who are also not Grant Morrison...

@Hound55

I believe it's more accurate to say that drugs used Grant Morrison to help them write.

One Universe: Unlimited - A Marvel/DC Comics Roleplay

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T P R O P O S A L

^{_{Rachel Roth / Princess Koriand’r “Kori Anders” ♦ High School Students / Fast Food Employees ♦ Jump City, California, USA ♦ Unaffiliated}}

C H A R A C T E R C O N C E P T:

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^{"When there’s trouble, you know who to call…"}

^{”GHOST BUSTERS!”}

^{”No, Kori, we worked on this, you call--….whatever….”}

^{”My apologies. Correction: you call the WHAT EVER!”}

Rachel Roth and Princess Koriand’r are about as different as can be. One is an eternal optimist, the other is a perennial pessimist. One is cheerful, friendly, and outgoing, the other is gloomy, sarcastic and withdrawn. One is the exiled princess of the planet Tamaran in the Vega star system, the other is the half-human daughter of the demon lord Trigon destined to lay waste to all worlds. One would think these two would never find enough common ground to become friends, let alone best friends, but stranger and more ridiculous things tend to happen when they are around.

Ever since Kori’s escape pod crash-landed on Earth a year ago—and by a staggering coincidence, landing right on top of a group of cultists who were attempting to abduct Rachel for their own nefarious purposes—the two have found their lives inextricably tangled. Be it demon-worshipping cults who want to sacrifice them, shady government or corporate organizations who want to brainwash them, mad scientists who want to dissect them, alien warlords who want to enslave them, super-villains who want to annihilate them, or an endless parade of jerks and perverts who just want to screw them, Rachel and Kori—operating publicly under the aliases Raven and Starfire –can’t seem to stay out of trouble. In the precious little downtime they have between dealing with all the various crises in Jump City, Kori has agreed to help Rachel unravel the mysteries of her past and master her newfound powers, while Rachel has agreed to help Kori find a way back to her home planet to liberate it from her treacherous sister Blackfire, all while attempting to achieve some semblance of a normal life in the margins.

C H A R A C T E R M O T I V A T I O N S & G O A L S:

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I am a huge fan of both of these characters, at least in their incarnations from the one cartoon that everyone actually likes, but I haven't really been a fan of any other iteration of them. DC seems to have no idea how to handle what, in my opinion, should be an easy home-run by keeping them as an odd-couple/buddy-cop duo. And while yes, I am a dirty old man with all the class and sophistication of an episode of the Benny Hill Show, I want to do more with these two than just lean on the "tee-hee, boobies" humor that I did last time I wrote them. I think I can tell some pretty entertaining character-driven stories with these two, especially since having the cosmic and occult sides of both the Marvel and DC universes gives me a lot to play with.

C H A R A C T E R N O T E S:

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Supporting Characters

The Williams Family: Rachel's current foster family, who are supportive, caring, and wholesome to the point where it's almost nauseating. Alice and Jack Williams have taken in several foster kids over the years, and were all too happy to take in a troubled teen and make a difference in her life. Though they really do wish she'd outgrow all this demonic nonsense and join them on Sundays at the First Brotherhood Church.

Chief Stella Gomez: The no-nonsense chief of the Jump City Police Department, Stella more often than not finds herself cleaning up the mess left behind by the various crises that befall her city. She doesn't have a particularly high opinion of costumed vigilantes and so-called superheroes as it is, let alone a pair of superpowered teenagers who barely know what they're doing.

Kitten Van Cleer: The pampered princess of Jump City High, and queen mean-girl who takes delight in making life miserable for rejects and weirdos like Rachel and Kori. Her father, the millionaire philanthropist Cameron van Cleer (real name Drury Walker), secretly makes his fortunes as the minor super-villain Killer Moth.

Silkie: Kori's pet mutated caterpillar...thing, liberated from Killer Moth. It is both adorable and revolting at the same time, and usually has to be hidden from the general public.

Villains

Blackfire: Kori's older sister, Komand'r, the despotic Empress of Tamaran. Always jealous of the love and attention her sister received from their parents, Komand'r betrayed the royal family and sold their world out to the militaristic Shi'ar Empire, in exchange for being made planetary governor. Knowing that Kori is still out there, however, has made Blackfire paranoid, and she has dispatched agents to have her sister destroyed once and for all.

Brother Blood: The leader of a vast and powerful cult with members all over the world, Brother Blood claims to be the high priest of the demon lord Trigon, and has promised his followers incredible wealth and power in the world to come. He is obsessed with capturing Raven and bringing her into the fold, the 'Daughter of Darkness' that will bring about Trigon's reign on Earth. As if his enormous wealth and army of fanatics weren't bad enough, he is also a vampire, with all of the powers and abilities that come with it.

Psimon: A high-ranking member of the shadowy organization HIVE, Psimon is a powerful telepath who has been tasked with capturing Raven and Starfire and 're-educating' them.

Jinx: Psimon's right-hand operative, Jinx is a devious, mischievous, and slightly sadistic probability-bender who delights in causing others misfortune. She also has something of a one-way personal grudge against Raven, since as far as she sees it, the HIVE only needs one 'witch girl' in their ranks.

Mammoth: HIVE's heavy-hitter, usually paired with Jinx as a brains-and-brawn duo. He's as solid as a mountain...and about as smart as one.

Killer Moth: Millionaire philanthropist Cameron van Cleen by day, terrifying mutated super-criminal Killer Moth by night. Despite the name, Killer Moth is more interested in acts of robbery than actual killing, but he has no problem endangering lives to get his way. He dotes on his vicious brat of a daughter Kitten constantly, and has a deep-seeded vendetta against Starfire for embarrassing Kitten at last year's prom.

The Mad Mod: A disgraced fashion mogul inexplicably turned super-criminal after stumbling onto a cache of weapons and gadgets intended for the HIVE organization, Neil Richards has set out to punish the people of Jump City for "crimes against fashion." He is more of an annoyance than any sort of actual threat, but he tends to make quite a scene whenever he appears.

Doctor Light: The worst of Jump City's supervillains, if only for his personality. While Arthur Light is an extremely dangerous foe with a long list of photo-kinetic abilities ranging from lasers to invisibility, he is most infamous for being a lecherous pervert that even the other villains want nothing to do with.

S A M P L E P O S T:

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"Sooo....on the Number Four, the Big Belly Double-Triple Cheeseburger....does that come with cheese?"

".....it's a cheeseburger."

".....so no?"

The withering glare that Rachel Roth gave the fat balding man on the other side of the counter could have curdled milk, but its effects were completely lost on him, as he scratched underneath the folds of his substantial gut that drooped out from the bottom of his shirt.

"Oh, right, right," he nodded with what must have been a painfully rare moment of clarity. "So, what kind of cheeses do you have?"

"Calling it 'cheese' would be generous," Rachel began, "But according to the packaging at least, we have American, Swiss, cheddar, and 'fiesta.'"

The fat man nodded absently, before declaring "I'll take mine with Pepper Jack."

Once again, the pale, purple-haired girl fixed him with a glare that could strip the paint off a car, then reiterated, "We have American, Swiss, ch--"

"Friend Rachel!" Kori exclaimed as she practically erupted from the break room, a soda cup filled to the brim with mustard in her hand and a bright yellow smudge on her lips, "I have the most glorious of news! I believe I now have the solution for our financial worries!"

Rachel raised an eyebrow, turning to her friend and ignoring the fat guy at the counter, and the twenty other people in line behind him. "You've discovered the secret to overthrowing the stranglehold of the corrupt and exploitative ruling class in order to bring about a worker's paradise?"

"No, but I have learned of an exciting business opportunity!" she beamed. "During my allotted fifteen-minute breaking of the room of baths, I was speaking to our co-worker Trevor..."

"The one who keeps trying to take pictures of your butt when he thinks you're not looking?"

"Yes, the same!" Kori nodded enthusiastically, her cup of mustard sloshing over. "He suggested that we engage in the starting of a small business, and said that we could make the fortunes! According to the Trevor, we would be perfect for selling ventilation equipment!"

"...ventilation equipment?"

"Uhhh, excuse me," the fat man at the counter muttered, "I'd still like to order a--"

"One second," Rachel dismissed him before turning back to Kori. "Trevor thinks we should sell ventilation equipment?"

"Oh yes, he was very enthusiastic about it! He said we should sell exclusively ventilation equipment!"

Rachel's expression soured. "...'exclusively ventilation equipment?' What did he say, exactly?"

"His words with exactness were 'you two could make tons doing Only Fans!'"

"Of course," Rachel gave a deflated sigh. "First off, no, we are absolutely not doing that. Second of all, that has nothing to do with air conditioning."

"Then I have the confusion," Kori puzzled. "If 'only fans' does not mean selling equipment for conditioning of the air, then what is it?"

"It's...." Rachel stopped herself, looked back to the line of people, then back at her expectant friend, "it's...just come here, it's--"

Rachel whispered the answer into Kori's ear, and the orange-skinned girl went pale with shock.

"....oh," she managed, before her expression brightened. "Oh, that is even easier than selling ventilation equipment! We--"

"Absolutely not."

"Hey, can I please--"

"Number four with Pepper Jack that this restaurant chain has never carried, got it," she turned back to the register. "Will that be for here or to go?"

The fat man sputtered indignantly for a moment, and then with a thunderous crash, the ceiling collapsed.

The dining room of the Big Belly Burger filled with dust and rubble as people screamed and ran for cover, trying to scramble under tables or hide in the bathroom.

"Oh, thank God," Rachel muttered to herself, as the sudden violent burst of destruction at least broke up the mind-numbing tedium of her part-time job. When Sartre said 'hell is other people,' he must have been thinking of the fast food industry.

A tall, imposing figure floated down from the makeshift hole in the ceiling. A powerhouse with rippling muscles, purple skin, gleaming orange eyes, and a foot-tall, neatly-cropped mohawk.

"At long last, I have found your hiding place, Princess Koriand'r," the figure boomed. "I am Kallark, warrior of the Shi'ar Empire and supreme leader of the Imperial Guard. As per the bargain made between the Majestrix and Komand'r of Tamaran, you are to return with me to the Empire, to be my concubine. I offer you a choice: come peacefully, or watch the people of this world suffer."

Kori's sunny expression hardened as she wiped the mustard away from her lips, and engulfed her body in a flash of bright green light. In an instant, her tacky Big Belly Burger uniform was gone, replaced with the violet and silver dress of the Tamaranian royal family.

"I am not your property to take, Kallark," Princess Koriand'r challenged as she rose in the air to level with him, "And the people of this world are not the property of your empire. I offer you a choice: leave peacefully now, or be destroyed."

Kallark smirked at the Princess's challenge. "You have spirit, girl, but in time you will learn that--....you, pale one, what are you doing?"

Rachel stood at the counter register, pressing buttons.

"Clocking us out," she explained, before the air grew cold and shadows swirled around her. "The manager said we can't kick your ass on company time...."

P O S T C A T A L O G:

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COMING SOON

One Universe: Unlimited - A Marvel/DC Comics Roleplay

@AndyC's approved for his slashfic Raven and Starfire.

@Master Bruce

I will neither confirm nor deny that. But I especially won't deny it.

One Universe: Unlimited - A Marvel/DC Comics Roleplay

So some of us have done this dance a few times.

What's a character you've never seen portrayed or an idea you've never seen that you'd like too?

@Sep

I've been trying for ages to do a take on Ghost Rider that doesn't speak, but communicates by generating an ambient soundtrack of classic heavy metal songs. Sadly, once I get past the initial concept, I have no idea what to do with it.

As for characters I've never seen portrayed, I imagine one could do an awful lot playing Lois Lane or Jimmy Olsen as a dedicated protagonist rather than an NPC.