1968 CHARACTER POSSIBILITIES: -X-Men (Focus on OG 5? Have a school open for other characters to play in? who knows) -A Teen Titan of some kind? (Superboy, BB, Starfire...wouldn't want to do the whole team again) -Wolverine (would prolly involve a lotta time jumping/flashbacks so I can play around with how fuckin old he is. could be fun. vietnam shenanigans?) -A Justice Society type, like Alan Scott or Dr. Fate (magic is hard, but fun.) -prolly going to avoid big names like Spider-Man, WW and Flash -bring back jamie's BB (really enjoyed playing him, but the alien tech might not fit the era too well. maybe go retro?)
1968 CHARACTER POSSIBILITIES: -X-Men (Focus on OG 5? Have a school open for other characters to play in? who knows) -A Teen Titan of some kind? (Superboy, BB, Starfire...wouldn't want to do the whole team again) -Wolverine (would prolly involve a lotta time jumping/flashbacks so I can play around with how fuckin old he is. could be fun. vietnam shenanigans?) -A Justice Society type, like Alan Scott or Dr. Fate (magic is hard, but fun.) -prolly going to avoid big names like Spider-Man, WW and Flash -bring back jamie's BB (really enjoyed playing him, but the alien tech might not fit the era too well. maybe go retro?)
Charles Xavier, 40 (b. 1928); Scott Summers, 26 (b. 1942); Logan, Unknown (b. approx. 19th century); Ororo Munroe, 32 (b 1936); Piotr "Peter" Rasputin , 22 (b. 1946); Kitty Pryde 20 (b. 1948); Kurt Wagner 18 (b. 1950) A vigilante team based out of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters in Salem Center, New York The team and school were both founded officially '63, though there was a roster active less than a decade before that
Character Concept
It was February 3rd, 1953 when a nihilistic death cult attempted to end all life on earth. The Acolytes, as they called themselves, seized the U.S military base Cape Citadel, pointing its nuclear arsenal at Moscow, London and Washington, D.C. They broadcasted their manifesto to the world over hijacked radio waves.
They broadcasted their manifesto to the world over the radio, declaring the ‘human project’ a failure and calling for the next stage in evolution to rise up out of the ashes of nuclear hellfire. All attempts to stop them were met with violent reprisal.
Until the X-Men arrived.
A group of teenage heroes in black and yellow beat the extremists black and blue, halting the launch of their missiles and vanishing just as quickly as they had arrived. Though the Acolytes had failed at their ultimate goal, the damage had been done- the fear of Metahumans had been seeded in the populace before they even knew the meaning of that word.
These ‘X-Men’ were the protege of one Dr. Charles Xavier, the brilliant Oxford professor and geneticist that discovered the ‘Metagene’ and led much of the academic discussion involving the so-called mutants. He’d be outed as a mutant himself in ‘58 and subsequently lost his professorship at the university. He’d disappear from the public eye alongside his five ‘adoptive children’; but the work had to continue. Anonymous, thankless and distrusted by the people they protected, the X-Men would operate from the shadows for several more years, battling villainous mutants, bigoted radicals and more mundane threats all the while.
It was December 24th, 1962 when all that changed. Jean Grey, the team's telepathic wonder known as Marvel Girl, responded to a 9-1-1 call alone. She was met by Mastermind, the twisted serial murderer that had been rampaging across the Midwestern United States, tormenting his victims with horrific psychic illusions. Jean endured for as long as she could, but it wasn't enough. The man left her to die on the pavement and escaped into the night before the rest of the team could get there in time.
The team buried her at the mansion on Christmas day.
They didn't last much longer after that. Bobby Drake, the Iceman, was the first to part ways with the X-Men, heading to Detroit where his uncle ran an auto shop. Hank "The Beast" McCoy stuck around long enough to help Charles set up the chemistry lab at what would become the School for Gifted Youngsters before leaving for college, hoping to finish his doctorate in biophysics. The Avenging Angel, Warren Worthington, was the last to leave. He was broken up about it until the day Scott Summers started talking about putting together another team...then he punched Scott in the nose and took off to continue his career as a vigilante solo.
It was May 8th, 1965 when Charles founded Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. On the same day, he christened the X-Men, declaring them to be a public-facing force for good. They would protect the next generation of mutants, snuff out evil wherever they found it and fight for their shared dream of a better, more equal world.
Its been a long time since my last run at the X-Men and honestly I couldn't pick a better game for it. The '68 setting gives me a ton of material to work with that doesn't exist in most modern games- the Cold War and the civil rights movement in particular offer up a lotta great themes I can build off of. The X-Men came out of this era for a reason, after all.
My goal for the team this time 'round is to learn hard into the characters, the school and collaborating with other players. I'll be putting much less of a focus on complex plotting and arcs, which tends to drag down my posting frequency as I struggle to juggle a bunch of story threads behind the scenes. I want to make something I can work without stressing too much, in all honesty.
Key Notes
Just a place to put ideas and shit.
Characters of Note
Professor Charles Xavier Charles was born into a wealthy family in Upstate New York, inheriting their property and a great deal of wealth when he was just a young man. He was a brilliant mind even from a young age, attending Oxford when most boys his age were in high school. Charles pioneered the study of mutant genetics, discovering and coining the 'Metagene.' He was outed as a mutant himself by his colleagues and lost his professorship as a result. Charles went on to found the X-Men with his young ward, Scott Summers, and the rest is history.
Scott Summers Scott's parents were killed in a plane crash when he was very young, and he spent much of his adolescence bouncing between orphanages and foster homes. Charles adopted him when he was just fifteen. Scott was the first of many in the odd little family that would go on to become the X-Men. They were heroes- inspired by the Justice Society- fighting for a more equitable world. It wouldn't last. A mission went wrong and Jean Grey, the girl Scott loved, lost her life, and the team broke apart. Summers stuck with Xavier despite it all, founding the school with him and convincing Charles to give the X-Men a second chance. Scott's led the new team since and though there's been no shortage of troubles, he's still hopeful.
Logan Logan is a man out of time. He came to Xavier a drifter; a broken man without any memories before he awoke in a shallow grave a few months prior. Charles has spent a few hours every day helping to restore Logan's memories, but its been a difficult, painful process for both of them. Even after five years he only has fragments of his past, some from many centuries ago, and he still doesn't understand who he is...not really. His gratitude to Xavier keeps him around the school despite himself.
Ororo Munroe Ororo was born in Kenya, immigrating with her family to America when she very young. She spent much of her life living in Charlotte, North Carolina, working as a journalist and civil rights organizer in that community. She'd put down roots there, meeting a man with whom she'd have a daughter; they were engaged and had plans to marry, but it'd never come to be. A group of Purifiers cornered her fiancé when he was alone and threatened to kill his family if he didn't pack up and leave town immediately. She never even got the chance to say goodbye. Ororo would soon choose to take her daughter, Kymera, and leave as well, hoping to find somewhere safe to raise her. She showed up on the doorstep to Xavier's school on the first day of enrollment.
Piotr "Peter" Rasputin Piotr and his two other siblings grew up on a collectivized farm in the heart of the Soviet Union. All three of them were revealed to have mutant abilities, and all three of them were scooped up by the government to serve its interests. Piotr would join the Party-backed Winter Guard, Russia's equivalent to the Justice Society of America. He'd serve alongside the Crimson Dynamo, Ursa Major and others for a number of years before- supposedly- the Colossus was lost in the Korean War. Piotr wouldn't be seen again until his first appearance alongside the new X-Men.
Kitty Pryde For the first leg of her life Kitty Pryde was a perfectly ordinary girl with a perfectly ordinary life: she did well enough in school, went to synagogue every week, would hang loose with her pals at the mall every weekend. It wasn't until she became a teenager that everything started to change- now she was getting taller, her friends were getting acne, and Kitty could walk through walls. Everyone knew what it meant to be a mutant. There were PSAs about them hiding in your communities playing every day; if the neighbor you didn't like wasn't a communist, they were certainly a mutant. So Kitty did her best to keep it a secret and go on with her life, but it wasn't easy. Her grades were slipping, her friends were getting suspicious, and her parents worried incessantly. The stress built and built and built until one day she'd finally had enough and snapped in the middle of class, using her powers in front of everyone. Her family started to search for 'experts' that could help Kitty with her 'condition,' and it was Dr. Xavier that showed up at their door.
Kurt Wagner Kurt Wagner nearly killed his mother during childbirth, and the midwife lifted up a baby with yellow eyes and blue fur. The neighbors in their tiny German village were quick to descend on his father's house, demanding the demonic child be killed, and that the Wagners pay for whatever sin had caused them to be cursed so. The priest decided Kurt ought to be tossed into the river to be scattered on the rocks; the boy's parents were quick to agree. Its a wonder Kurt survived the experience. He was carried along by the water until he was rescued by a stranger, who took pity on his hideous form and raised him until he was old enough to care for himself. Many years would go by with Kurt drifting across Europe, begging and stealing to survive. It was only by happenstance that he ran into an abusive circus master that took Kurt into his freakshow and brought him to America. He'd be trapped there until the X-Men arrived to see him freed, offering him a place he could finally call home.
Full Name - Andrew Gray Age - 20 Place of Origin - Indiana, USA Occupation - Gas station clerk
A V A T A R
Character's Name - Graves Pathos Affiliation - Draethir Role - Melee DPS Profession - Bounty Hunter Weapon of Choice - Nodachi Domains - Life, Restoration -
P E R S O N A L I T Y
Arrogant It isn't just that Graves thinks highly of himself. He doesn't believe he's the best- he knows he is, and the only reason he fails is when others are holding him back. There is no challenge he won't take on, no enemy he's afraid to challenge; he has mastered the art of combat in Pariah Online and he's eager to show that off.
Belligerent His mentors always hammered into his head that the one thing a good fighter had was aggression. A full-bodied willingness to commit violence, directed violence, against their opponents. To hesitate was to admit you were the weaker combatant. To allow the enemy initiative was the equivalent of surrender. Graves has taken those lessons to heart, allowing that belligerence to seep into every aspect of his personality.
Driven For all his many, many faults, none can deny Graves's desire to succeed. He is driven beyond rational boundaries, to the point where Graves believes he can do anything he wants- often times bending the situation to make this fact true. He doesn't allow himself to slip, to lose, to give in, ever.
B E N C H M A R K S
Violent Transfusion The linchpin of Graves's fighting style is his ability to heal himself by wounding his enemies. He strikes at them with his signature weapon, drawing the blood from their bodies using his unusual primordial magics, and then transmutes it into a healing energy that stitches up his own wounds at a rapid pace. This allows Graves to maintain full throttle aggression without putting himself in total mortal peril.
Surgical Precision Studying the anatomy wayfarers and monsters alike was a necessary component of Graves's chosen battle strategy. He's learned the best places to strike to disable his opponents, or to produce the greatest flow of blood. In addition, He's also internalized where he can safely wound himself if the need ever arises.
Human Bloodhound Graves pursues his targets like a predator tracks a wounded animal. He treks across great distances, following even the most subtle of clues for weeks at a time. Nothing ever seems to deter or distract him, so singular is his purpose.
Pain, Life's Great Motivator Pain is something every wayfarer is familiar with. Some shy away from it, while others manage to grit their teeth and soldier onward despite it. Graves revels in it. He practically falls into his attacker's blade at any given opportunity. It makes for a terrifying display when he walks through a debilitating stab wound to make his counterattack.
Physical Description
Andrew is unusually tall, measuring more than a few inches over six feet- a trait he inherited from his father. He's far thinner, however, with an unhealthy gauntness to his long face. Dark circles around his eyes stand out against harshly pale skin, and long hair falls down to his shoulders. Most wouldn't regard him as particularly good-looking, owing in no small part to a lack of effort and little self confidence.
His persona's appearance in Pariah differs significantly. While Graves stands just as tall, he's extraordinarily well-built, with a chest as broad as a barrel and muscle coiled like steel cable. Scarring earned from many an encounter pepper his body thanks to his light armor and penchant for reckless aggression. Graves is much better put together, too, with shorter cropped hair and strong features his player could only dream of.
Character Conceptualization
Graves is a controversial bounty hunter whose history stretches back to the first days of Pariah Online. He’s renowned for doggedly pursuing his targets no matter where they run or for how long. Quick tempered and arrogant to the core, Graves is a difficult man to work with if he believes you’re holding him back- and he thinks everyone does. The few friendships he still holds are troubled, to say the least, yet it wasn’t always so.
Back when the game first launched, Graves was a member of a guild called the Strange Reign Club. They were a highly competitive group of raiders and PVPers with a reputation for extraordinaire toxicity. It was hard to argue against their results, however. Graves showed great promise as one of their earliest recruits, competing with some of the Club’s best duelists. He’d stay with them for many months before, without much warning, he’d be cut from the team and blacklisted by its raid leaders.
A solo player ever since, Graves has been quietly grinding away at his profession, stewing on whatever drama had happened behind the scenes...
Two little boots crunched into the snow with nary a sound. Chip drifted away from the carriage, his gait more akin to a leaf on the wind than a normal walk. His body spun as he took in his surroundings. Auonar was unfamiliar to him. The conclave had sent him this direction on a few occasions, but he'd never come close to the city let alone entered it.
There were twice as many people around as he'd seen in the last month. Buildings, carriages and crowds cut off his sight lines in every direction, like he was standing in the center of a dense woodland. At least in the woods he could rely on his ears to warn him of danger, but here? It was loud. Horses were neighing, wheels were turning, people were yelling.
'How does anyone live like this?' He grumbled. 'Can barely hear myself think.'
Chip shook his head and turned to face Dular, answering a question she'd asked him minutes earlier that he'd chosen to ignore until now. "Like to eat as I go. Sitting around wastes time." He explained, tracing his gaze along the street until he spotted what looked like a tavern sign. When was the last time he stepped into a place like that? "Don't like tables, either. Or plates. Just eat with your hands, you know?"
After a beat he turned around again. "Someone else should talk in there," he looked to Entyrea, crinkling up his nose. "You talk a lot."
Two little boots crunched into the snow with nary a sound. Chip drifted away from the carriage, his gait more akin to a leaf on the wind than a normal walk. His body spun as he took in his surroundings. Auonar was unfamiliar to him. The conclave had sent him this direction on a few occasions, but he'd never come close to the city let alone entered it.
There were twice as many people around as he'd seen in the last month. Buildings, carriages and crowds cut off his sight lines in every direction, like he was standing in the center of a dense woodland. At least in the woods he could rely on his ears to warn him of danger, but here? It was loud. Horses were neighing, wheels were turning, people were yelling.
'How does anyone live like this?' He grumbled. 'Can barely hear myself think.'
Chip shook his head and turned to face Dular, answering a question she'd asked him minutes earlier that he'd chosen to ignore until now. "Like to eat as I go. Sitting around wastes time." He explained, tracing his gaze along the street until he spotted what looked like a tavern sign. When was the last time he stepped into a place like that? "Don't like tables, either. Or plates. Just eat with your hands, you know?"
After a beat he turned around again. "Someone else should talk in there," he looked to Entyrea, crinkling up his nose. "You talk a lot."
Probably the first Mass Effect for me. Absolutely loved its writing and characters but ohhh boy was it clunky to play. I didn't have a huge problem with that the first time- because I was 100% engrossed in its storytelling- but the two times I tried to replay it I couldn't get past the first mission
Member
Master EffeX
Half Pint
Lemons
Sep
Eviledd1984
AlteredTundra
Master Bruce
Izurich
Simple Unicycle
Damycles
