The portal’s swirling colors within its mossy stone frame were of various greys and pale greens.  As Dan was falling between worlds, black streaks flew by and his vision started to blur.  Eventually, even his hand was hardly visible to him as he was enveloped in a nearly opaque fog.


Soon enough, he felt a hard thud- his back on the ground- and found that his vision had returned.  He got up and rubbed his back.  “Augh, I think my spine split in two!”


Dan turned around and took in the austere surroundings.  Howling winds pierced the heavy, greenish grey fog that enshrouded the distant land.  Trees stuck out of the ground, separated like a bunch of loners too afraid to grow next to one another.  Most shrubbery was brittle and decayed, as if life that once thrived had every ounce of soul it possessed stripped from its being in one fell swoop.  A nearby path led toward a bleak little town which existed on the border of the fog’s edge.  Dan walked toward this town, hoping that someone there could help him with his cause.


*rustle*


A sound came from some shrubs to Dan’s left.  Contemplating whether or not to examine it, he shrugged it off as him hearing things.  He took a few steps toward the town.


*rustle rustle*


There it was again, a noise from the left.  Dan was definitely not hearing things.  Something was out there and it wanted something from him.  Whatever it was looking for, it wasn’t that sandwich he ate earlier.  He decided to examine the bushes, and-


“AUGH!!”


Some small beast jumped out and gave Dan a good fright.  In startlement, he fell onto the ground with a wump.  The monster was a dog-like creature with dark particles floating off of it like loose pollen, and its glowing red eyes were focused on the large manchild in front of it.  It latched itself onto Dan’s right forearm with its yellow teeth.  “Ow ow ow ow!”  He shook his arm violently to get the savage off, but it was still holding strong.  With a large swinging motion, he extended his arm to the side and threw the beast behind him.


As Dan turned to face his attacker, it ran up and clamped its maw onto his left shin.  “OOW!!  Get offa me, you mutt!”  He tried shaking his leg as he did his arm, but he found it ineffective.  The pain in his leg started to grow.  Soon, he began to punch the monster in the snoz, loosening its grip on his shin.  Dan summoned all his energy and slung his leg around him, flinging the beast away from him.  The dark creature growled as it slouched away into the shrubs.

“Yeah, and good riddance!” Dan snapped.  He looked at his wounds.  His arm was rather unaffected, surprisingly, though the beast did a number on his leg.  Large bite marks were prevalent on his shins.  It wasn’t too bad, though, he could probably just walk it off.  Nonetheless, he quickly jotted down “dark mutt” on his list.  He turned back to the path, walking a tad faster and looking behind him with every other step.

http://omniverse-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=7762

Since we have a large group that might get larger, I figured we could use our own OOC thread for coordination. Just got the kick-off post going, and hopefully I got everyone's characters right.

Fire away, everyone!

The hustle and bustle of the upper Coruscant tiers never seemed to stop. Whatever was hidden chaos was occurring, the people of the techno-universe always trusted that some unseen power would be protecting them, regardless of whether or not it was Imperial. Unknown to the general public, their newest protectors were just exiting Doctor Regal’s Tier Two laboratory. It might have been a moment where the phrase “ignorance is bliss” took proper meaning.

Zedd looked down at his Liberator Aid only after looking amongst the common rabble with disgust. He had to keep reminding himself that Coruscant’s safety was his own future, as pathetic as it might be. Like always, he just needed to focus on the current recipient of his wrath.

“Odd wristband,” Zedd demanded of the inanimate object strapped to his wrist. “Show us the way to the Nebula lair, so that we might slaughter them with extreme prejudice.”

There was predictably no response from his construct.

“I gave you an order,” Zedd loudly barked.

“I don’t think it works that way,” Jak Mar interrupted Zedd’s chastising.

“Then tell me, wood elf, what is it supposed to do?” Zedd demanded of his new companion. “I don’t need a pedometer.”

“Probably need to get a little closer to the source before it picks up on anything,” Desman suggested.

Zedd gazed at the red machine. He was on edge regarding it, as it’s tone earlier had suggested potential treachery, but then again, Zedd tended to see that in all actions. This was already over his head, so he felt safe in trusting the robot’s judgement on robotic things.

“Then I would suggest we descend to the lower tiers of Coruscant.” Zedd reasoned aloud. “The closer we get to hell that is the seventh level, the more likely we are to see something trying to stay hidden. I wouldn’t give them a strong chance of survival in the Emperor’s plaza.”

Jak found himself glancing to Desman and nodding. At least Zedd was on the ball when he wasn’t weakly hiding his megalomania. Maybe they did have a chance, after all. Neither of them waited for things to go south, and began to make their way through the crowded streets.

“Great work, Zedd,” Morene suddenly chimed in, surprising the dark lord. “Way to learn and adapt.”

Zedd watched the woman follow their other companions. He couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic or genuinely encouraging. It didn’t matter, because either scenario disgusted him just the same. He let out a sigh as he trailed after them. This was going to be another long adventure.

Character Name: Cloud Strife

Character Source: Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core/ Final Fantasy VII

Character History: Taking Cloud from after the events of Crisis Core, but before Final Fantasy VII begins. (Will expand on the history in my roster)

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After going through both physical and emotional trauma due to Sephiroth, being experimented on by Hojo, and witnessing Zack's death, Cloud arrives at Midgar in a state where he has no memory of Zack. In his twisted Memories, he took Zack's place, was a SOLDIER 1st Class and defeated Sephiroth. He then makes his way to Midgar to become a mercenary for hire. Just has he steps through the gate and enters the City of Midgar, he is whisked away to the Omniverse.

Physical Description: Stands at 5'7” and has blue eyes that glow (due to having been experimented on by Professor Hojo and being exposed to Mako). He wears the standard SOLDIER 1st Class outfit; indigo pants with a sleeveless shirt, and a belt. He also wears brown boots and gauntlets with a pauldron over his left shoulder.

Base Stats:
ATK: 3
DEF: 3
SPD: 2
TEC: 2

Starting Proficiencies: (2600); Physical Strength (1000), Ranged (1000), Ranged Materialize (600)

Starting Powers: (1100/8000); Burst Movement (800), Super Jumping Basic (300)

Moves: (900);

Buster Sword (300) - The Buster Sword is Cloud's signature weapon. It is, roughly, 6ft long from the tip of the blade to the bottom of the handle. The hand-guard is made of a gold plated steel and has four slots on each side for Cloud to slot materia into. The blade has two holes near the base of the blade that sit just above the hand-guard. Cloud uses these holes to clip the weapon to his back via leather straps and clips while he's not fighting.

Materia: Lightning (300) – Cloud focuses for three, activating his materia. He then throws his hands out in front of him (whether he is wielding his sword or not) and summons a bolt of yellow electricity, from the sky, to strike his opponent's location. The bolt of lightning travels as fast as an arrow and covers an area of 2 feet in diameter, giving minor electrical burns to anything caught by the move. The maximum range for this attack is 25 meters. Unfortunately Cloud must stand still while using his materia, otherwise he will not be able to focus on it enough.

Materia: Fire (300) – Cloud focuses for three seconds, activating his materia. He then throws his hands out in front of him (whether he is wielding his sword or not) and summons a pillar of fire at his opponent's location. The pillar of fire covers an area of 2ft in diameter around his opponent. The beginning of this attack starts with the ground below his opponent heating up for three seconds. after which fire will erupt from the ground, giving minor burns to anyone caught by the flames. The maximum range for this attack is 25 meters. Unfortunately Cloud must stand still while using his materia, otherwise he will not be able to focus on it enough.

I confirm that I have read and agreed to the Rules of Conduct. You betcha.

Where did you find us? Don't remember, but it was back in 2014.

Darkness crept across the sky. Eric and Jams had been walking for a while now, but had found nothing but forest, so far. Noticing the disappearing light, Eric stops, calling for a rest. The mage sighs, glancing out into the dim expanse of plants.

"I guess we're sleeping under the stars again. Want to help start a fire Jams?"

I come to you, fellow nerds, in my time of need.

I have never played any Persona game and any time I tell an RPG-nerd that, they almost disown me and/or start doing life-saving medical maneuvers. So, with Persona 5 coming out (which, again, people won't stop talking about even though I don't know what is going on), I would like to jump into the series and give it a try. What is the best way to do this? I have a PS2, PS3 and PS4. Should I go as far as back I can or can I just jump in on a later game? Should I wait until Persona 5? Is the series worth it to begin with? Those who have me on Skype are welcome to bother me about it there, too.

Thanks for anyone who helps me out =o

Been a couple of years, but I felt, if I come back, it's gotta be back to my roots; the foundation, the initial point that ignited my passion as a fictional writer.



Here goes...

 

Character name: Kirano Jr
 
Character source: Dragonball Z (Original)
 
Character history:
Born Kirano, after his father; a legendary Crime Fighter from Planet Earth, and to a Whitelighter hybrid, Phoebe.
 
During his early years, KJ was raised in the absence of his dad, however, was compensated with love and support from people close to his father, such as Android Seventeen, Kirano Jr’s Godfather, and Paige, Seventeen’s girlfriend. The others were Prew, Kirano’s youngest sister (whenever she could be bothered), and his mother’s best friend, Billie, a full-blooded Whitelighter.
 
Kirano Jr was six, the first time he met his father. Prior to the reunion, he had heard nothing but great and admirable things about his dad; mainly, as a remarkably handsome, gifted crime fighter, with an abundance of charisma; furthermore, one of Earth’s greatest heroes.
 
Despite the little they knew about one another, there was an instant connection between the father and son, enabling them to bond, quickly.
 
Contrary to finally having both parents in his life, Kirano Junior was forced to digest the fact that they were not together. He suffered a traumatic childhood, experiencing extreme difficulty, coping with the reality of his dad – in a relationship with another woman, moreover, the sovereign of the mighty saiyan race, on Planet Vegeta.
 
KJ’s predicament worsened, later discovering that he had two half-sisters, Sage and Xena, the twin daughters of Kirano and King Bra.
 
The negative impact on his rough childhood transformed KJ’s personality; from a sweet and innocent saint, to a crafty tyke whom mastered the art of summoning excuses to avoid visiting his half-sisters. Kirano, of course, saw through his son’s deception; often clashing with Phoebe, whom sided with KJ.
 
The turning point in Kirano Jr’s life occurred as a preteen, gaining an interest in Martial Arts; aspiring to following in his father’s footsteps as a Professional Crime Fighter.
 
Kirano capitalized on he and his son’s mutual passion by booking a session at the prestigious Hyperbolic Time Chamber, where he trained KJ; enhancing his firstborn, physically and mentally.

 
(Rest of KJ’s history will be unfolded, later)


[b]Physical Description: (originals only)
[/b]
[spoiler][/spoiler]
 
Stats:
ATK: 3
DEF: 2
SPD: 3
TEC: 2
 
Starting Proficiencies: Physical Strength (1000), Ranged Proficiency (1000)
 
Starting Powers: Flight (1800), Master Acrobat (400), Burst Movement (800)
 
Starting Moves: Ki-rano Orbs, Ki-rano, Waves
 
Ki-rano Orbs (Ranged Proficiency)
The process initiates by spreading his arms by both sides and then summoning ki energy from within; immediately evoking a clear aura, enveloping his frame. A couple of seconds later, hues of golden light emerge from each palm; expending roughly, five more seconds, as the shimmering ki – forms into circles and builds in concentration. 

KJ then extends his arms frontwards; hoisting the orbs within his spread palms, towards his target.    With a burst of energy, the golden orbs eject his palms, creating an explosion on impact, like that of a hand grenade.
 
The typical size of the orbs is comparable to a volley ball; however, by summoning more chi energy, KJ can increase them – as great as ten times larger. Naturally, larger orbs create bigger explosions; at most, covering a radius – up to three feet in diameter.

Significantly, an attack of such magnitude, possesses a drawback. The more power KJ invests into an orb, the more energy he consumes.


Ki-rano Waves (Ranged Proficiency)
The process initiates by extending his arms forwards – with one palm flatly pressed against the other. A golden hue of ki energy instantaneously forms from the open palm. With the aid of his mental power, KJ releases the ki wave towards its desired location – traveling in a straight line. 

Typically, the energy wave charges within a couple of seconds, before launch. The golden wave is estimated at three feet in diameter, and can travel up to twelve metres, prior to reaching its destination. 

KJ’s signature technique also works as a continuous wave of energy – building in power, however, any longer than twenty seconds, then the physical effects on his body will begin taking its toll. Not only will it dwindle his energy, but the energy wave itself will gradually lessen in power.  


I confirm that I have read and agreed to the Rules of Conduct.

 

It was after Harlan's first sojourn into the Astral Verse, the Omniverse's version of the realm of dreams and maya. Very similar to the one back in his home verse. Harlamd had made great strides in learning how to shape and bend the form of nothing, and in connecting with the realm itself, had managed to regain another of his Vampiric Disciplines. With it, he could feel the rest of his powers, just out of reach. Blocked between barriers of Omnilium, and Omnilium was power. So, in essence his goal was largely unchanged. Instead of draining low generation Kindred, he would be looking for Primes to drink and bend to his whims.

"So, Vic. What's the plan, my slickback man?" Audrey spoke from the couch beside him, her cigarette holder everburning. She was still in black and white, which was curious, but enticing. The movie star Toreador gestured at the smoothed out piece of paper lying on the table of Harlan's private lounge where the two were alone, sharing a bottle of Cima Corgo Tawny Port mixed with the blood of some young yuppie tourist from the upper tiers. She'd met with a handsome couple who had invited her back to their privately owned restaurant and enjoyed a fine meal. Or at least, that's what she'd seen. The illusion magic was getting easier to pull off, and more complex. Harlan had taken pride in how "delicious" the meal had been.

"I've got the lads out hitting the bricks for these lowlifes, dollface. Once we get a location, I'll head out and screw their heads on straight, don't you worry. Can't deal with the greenskins if we're leaking like a sieve." He puffed on his cigar and took another swig of port, just as there came a knock on the door and a voice from the hall. "Boss? We found one of 'em. Got the lads camped outside 'is hideout. Warehouse up on Morningside."

Harlan stood up and grinned, showing his fangs. "Enjoy the rest of the Port, Audrey. I've got some chips that need restacking."

Illidan Stormrage. The name nested in Strazio’s brain, worming into his psyche like a parasite. In a matter of minutes that stranger had found his way to the top of the rage mage’s list. He wasn’t quite sure he knew what an elf was, but it did not matter Illidan would be dead regardless. Strazio glared at Kerrigan’s rapidly deteriorating corpse. Sparks danced across his flesh, fizzling out into the open air. As champions fell the battle slowly smoldered to a halt. The defenders had won, but the battlefield told a story of great loss. Defenders lay dead and dying, their bodies scattered outside Darkshire’s walls. The attackers were in full retreat, with the only remaining forces being too feral or too stupid to follow their leader.

Strazio fell to a knee, the twin afflictions of fatigue and blood loss dragging him down. He looked down at the series of puncture wounds in his gut, each of them vomiting dark red blood. A growl escaped his lips and he smacked his fist against the wounds, trying to use the pain as a means to revitalize himself. His world drew back into focus and he used scraps of his energy to sear shut the open blood vessels. The recovery process would be an arduous one and his insistence on cauterizing every cut would only make it worse. Taking a deep breath he stood and took a step forward. The battle wasn’t over until every last attacker was dead.

“Strawso!” the clown’s voice shouted at him.

He had almost forgotten about the high-blood. Gamzee broke into a half-jog and came side-by-side to Strazio. The white haired mage regarded his apprentice with a nod.

“So you won?” Strazio asked.

“Kind of,” he said and shrugged, “still in one piece ain’t I?”

“Yeah, well, wish I could say the same,” Strazio said and spit.

Gamzee leaned over and inspected his companion’s wounds, “that looks like it hurts bro, you gonna be okay?”

“I’ll be fine,” Strazio answered, his body shivering, “we’ve got a battle to finish.”

The mage started to trudge forward, but faltered and fell to a knee once again. He cursed himself and stood up again. Just how much blood had he lost? Probably more than most people could stand to lose. Gamzee followed along, his face scrunched into a worried expression. He knew Strawso was tough, but everyone had their limits. Then an idea hit him, ingenious in its simplicity. From seemingly nowhere he produced a plastic bottle filled with a sparkling red elixir. He unscrewed the cap and tossed it aside before jogging to catch up with Strazio. The troll threw one arm around the injured mage and held the open bottle up to his face.

“Here brother,” Gamzee said, “it looks like you could use some motherfucking liquid refreshment.”

The sugary sweet scent assaulted Strazio’s nostrils and his stomach turned. With a clumsy hand Strazio pushed the fizzling drink away, but Gamzee was insistent and pushed it back. There was no escape this time. Swallowing his pride the mage snatched the sugary drink from his companion. He drank and he drank, his brain lighting up as the carbonated beverage assaulted his senses. He had never had anything quite like it and, to his surprise,  it was good.

“It’s sweet,” he said in between gulps.

“That's the motherfucking miracles doing their mirthful work,” he said, “drink up.”

Drink he did, guzzling the sparkling red liquid as fast as he could. Strazio finished the Faygo and tossed it aside. He wiped his lips with the back of arm and growled. His head was still fuzzy, but his body felt full of energy, jittery, sugary energy. The rage-mage stomped forward, his apprentice matched stride. 

“All right, let's put these bastards into the ground,” Strazio said.

Cleaning up the stragglers proved to be relatively painless. Strazio and Gamzee made their way from one end of the killing fields to the other, leaving a path of crumpled corpses. It was a slog to end all slogs, several hours worth of combat stacked on end. Once they had finished their warpath they made their way back to the breach in Darkshire’s wall. Makeshift medical tents had been constructed to deal with the injured. The mage refused treatment, and Gamzee was unscathed beyond a few scrapes and bruises. Strazio found a knee-high chunk of rubble and sat down.

For a long time he sat and watched the medics go about their work. Long ago he had dabbled in healing magick, or tried to, the precise and focused movements required proved to be beyond his control. It pained him to think that his job was done, Darkshire was safe, and now it was up to others to pick up the pieces. This was his limitation, he was a destroyer and that was all that he could do. His absent thinking stumbled back to Mara and Collin, they were always there to pick up the pieces. He glanced over at Gamzee and then back across the battlefield. The war wasn’t over, but it was now time to rest. Strazio, burned up and exhausted, stretched out across the shattered section of wall and closed his eyes.

For those who don't know, a while ago a number of us did a 'project' called Windfall Island, which involved a number of Secondaries inhabiting an island in the Vasty Deep with no real storyline, just for fun. While it's more or less dead at this point, I feel like it could have worked out better, and I want to ask if anyone is interested in trying this again, with a different scene!

To improve the 'flow' and the longevity of the thread I would suggest limiting the number of participating players to prevent excessive jumbling, and opening the locations for non-participant players to join in. Of course, if anyone has improvement ideas and wants to provide feedback on what they believe was good or bad with the Windfall Island thread, don't hesitate to speak up!

A few potential ideas (and by all means, feel free to bring in your own!)
[spoiler]

-A location in the middle tiers in Coruscant somewhere - a factory, warehouse, laboratory, cheap cantina or other 'workplace', staffed by sentient robots.

-A lively bar along some crossroads, in Camelot.

-Bandits or thieves inhabiting a small hideout from which they plan their heists.

-Hunters and trappers (maybe poachers?) hunting animals for meat and hides, and selling them for a living.

-Some other nomad community (Exiles? Graverobbing necromancers? Sheperds looking for greener pastures?) moving through a verse

-In the dwarven or troll settlements of the Frozen Fields, a combat ring or small-scale colosseum acting as 'proving grounds' or for the enjoyment of the spectators.


And one that's into a slightly different direction:

-A group of NPCs for a 'mini' secondary saga who are forced to leave their native verse to move to a different one, for any reason. This could possibly be Secondaries whose homes were destroyed during the events of Darkshire and who consequently seek to start a new life somewhere in Camelot, Coruscant or elsewhere. This would be a finite thread, at the end of which our characters each go their own way and are for you to use as you see fit. Think of it as a character-development storyline.
[/spoiler]