Mirror_Man

Since Threads like these seem to fill up fast, I guess I'll post my Arc. It's always nice to get an outside perspective on a Story Arc

Arc Name: The Galactic Protectorate - 01

Arc ID#: 47143

Arc Description: Synapse asks for your help to defeat a new enemy who threatens his world and may one day threaten yours. (Part 1 of a Multi-Arc story)

Technical Details: The patch last week made the custom group I designed easier to defeat, but I'd still suggest either a solo-friendly character or a lower difficulty level, or both. There are no "Defeat Alls", no EBs, and no AVs, so it should be very soloable

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Level 50 Katana/Regen...

Mission 1: Manticore is our contact for part 2 of this story, taking over from Synapse. I gave part one 5 stars, and I am looking forward to this one. Lord Cosmic is the head honcho. He has 12 generals below him, each of which has a bunch of soldiers. We are closing in on one of the generals and will be sent to Faultline. The mission was a good one. The dusty old lab created a nice atmosphere for the mission and the custom group just looks great, which is now expected from this author. The mission had a number of objectives, and I had to clear the map to do it. It was a little lengthy, but I think it worked fine. The clues were intriguing. As for the story, it is moving along nicely. The general wasn't there but we found out why she left: top secret orders to report somewhere just before we showed up.

Mission 2: In part one of this arc, Synapse sends me to save Manticore. This time, Manticore sends me in to save Synapse, who was tracking the general to a warehouse. Another fun mission here with back to back EB's, but with the help of Synapse the main bad guy was very easy. The other one was a fair challenge. We also find out that Sister Psyche is a prisoner (or reminded from part one?) and we have her location.

Mission 3: We are going in for SP and I am warned General Guinevere will be there, the ultimate challenge in this arc. Manticore advises he will meet me in there. I actually go after the general alone, just to test her out. She was very tough, and it took a few inspirations to finally defeat her. I then rescued Manticore and we found Sister P and rescued her. The story wraps up with Manticore telling me that the enemy finally finds the human resistance as a threat, and that the war against them has only now begun....which screams part 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Overall, this was a great second effort by the author. The sequel can never live up to the original, but this came pretty close. Despite being only 3 missions, they were lengthy but managed to keep them interesting throughout. Sometimes long missions can be a real drain. Not in this case. We have another well done custom group, but by the third mission I was starting to tire of them. If there is a downside to the arc, it is he feeling of the story not being really epic in scope. Basically, it is check one place, check another, save a couple heroes, defeat a couple EB's. It seems like a great segway from Part 1 into a much more epic Part 3 - where perhaps we deal the enemy some real damage. In this arc, we defeated 1 of 12 generals, that hardly puts a dent in them.

Probably a 4.5 star arc, but I'll round up to 5 tonight.

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Thanks for the feedback Beach_Lifeguard, glad to hear you liked the 2nd installment

I'm already working on the 3rd Part, and you can be sure I'll post here when I'm finished with it!

Since you've already reviewed one of my Arcs and have another of my Arcs in your queue, I decided to run one of your Arcs tonight, Beach_Lifeguard!

Arc Name: PUG Hell

Character Used: Leve 48 Dual Blades / Willpower Scrapper

Mission 1:

The Story Arc contact is Back Alley Brawler, and from the mission introduction I can already tell that this is a "joke" Arc. Apparently, someone named "X-Porter" has been kidnapped while on a beer run, and my first task is to save all of X-Porter's alts. Obviously, this storyline isn't meant to be taken seriously, which is actually a nice change of pace from some of the other AE Story Arcs I've run.

I enter the mission, and am met with the "PUG Terrorists" whom are the main antagonists of this Arc. Based on stereotypical "bad" characters many players may meet when joining a pick up group, the "PUG Terrorists" are a unique custom enemy group, to say the least. The dialog between the PUG Terrorists and the hostages, however, could use some tweaking. Most of the dialog seemed like inside jokes that only those who know X-Porter in-game would "get", while the rest were stock phrases often spoken during "bad" pick up groups. I rescue the hostages, defeat the boss, and complete the misson.

Mission 2:

So, Back Alley Brawler has gotten a lead that one of the terrorists in an abandoned warehouse may have information about X-Porter's whereabouts. I go in, defeat everyone in the warehouse (including the boss), mission complete. Not much to say about this mission.

Mission 3:

So, the boss in the last mission gave up the location of the leader of the PUG Terrorists, but not his name. Walking into this mission, I make my way to the end, and find that "Big Bad" behind the kidnapping was... some guy named "Living Monument". According to his info, no one can stand teaming with Living Monument because of his horrible use of bad puns. I defeat Living Monument, and complete the mission as well as the Arc.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, this was a quick, fun Arc that doesn't take itself seriously at all. While there were some chuckle-worthy lines, the comedy seemed to be seriously lacking for an Arc like this. However, it's nice to see the concept of "bad PUGs" played around with, and this Arc did a pretty good job of doing that.

Final Score: 4 Stars

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5 stars and can't wait for the next installment. I hope you will PM me when it is up so I don't miss it.

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You wanted to know, so here it is!

Arc Name: The Galactic Protectorate - 02
Arc ID#: 117281
Technnical Details: A little different this time around, there are still no "Defeat All" missions, but there are EBs and an AV at the end. However, I've added allies for each map with an EB or an AV, and I've been able to finish it in my tests solo, so there's shouldn't be a problem. However, I know I could improve it with some outside feedback, so whenever you're ready, I'd appreciate any advice on my Arc you can give!

Thanks for the review, Lazarus. 3-Stars from you is actually more than I thought I would get, so I'm happy you liked my Arc as much as you did Just a few things...

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Then there is the objective-fest in the nav bar. This is where the plural nav text is nice to have. It should be "3 Computers to find, 3 Mainframes to destroy" not "Find Computer, Find Computer, Find..." Also, don't turn up the interact time on a glowy unless you have some good reason to do so. I just makes things take longer.


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It's to my understanding that using the "Plural" options for click and destroy objectives (such as computers and mainframes) essentially prevents you from assigning unique results for each objective. For example, I have an ambush triggered for each individual "destroy mainframe" objective. But if I were to change that objective to just a single mainframe repeated 3 times, they ambush would only come once the player has defeated all 3 mainframes. If this is wrong, please correct me, but that's how I interpreted it.

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Synapse is in debt to Manticore for his life? I wonder what happened in that Universe as I don't remember these two ever getting along in ours.

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I get up to the top floor and find Manticore in a very crowded room. After using Blackwand to pull out a couple groups I'm able to go in and free him. Fortunately he is not an escort, and oddly says that he owes me one...again.


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I'm not sure whether you mis-read or I mis-typed, but that's not the dialog I meant to write. I don't think I ever had Synapse say he owed Manticore for his life, and when you rescue Manticore, he says that he owes Synapse again, not you.

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I have a few issues with this arc as it stands right now. There is definitely a story, but not really enough to get me hooked and if this is meant to be part 1 in a multi-arc story then it really needs more work to get you interested in seeing the rest. Right now I wonder if there really is enough story to make more than one arc when there was barely enough to last three missions here. It would help if we were at least given some background on the Galactic Protectorate and the circumstances of how they arrived. It seems odd that the arc is named after them yet we find out nothing about them.


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I actually did leave a few clues about them, but according to what you said earlier...

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So after running through that base I found four clues: the location of a GP base, access codes for that base, some classified orders that for some reason I cannot read, and a log entry mentioning that Earth is a Level 5 Occupation and that resistance is expected.


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...It seems you missed some of them. There were 7 computers total in the 2nd mission: 3 required, 4 non-required. Those 4 non-required computers give a bit more information on the first contact between the Heroes of this reality and the Galactic Protectorate. You must have missed it because you were stealthing through the mission.

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Then there is the Galactic Protectorate itself. Nice visual designs, though I wonder why they're all female. Problem is the selection of powers and their settings. Two Energy Melee LTs set to Extreme? Dark Miasma minions? Storm LTs? Three different types of healers? Extreme Energy Aura LTs? They definitely can use quite a bit of rebalancing otherwise they will prove to be very annoying enemies to fight, especially for a squishy player.

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See, this is where the different preferences of the playerbase REALLY begin to show. Of all the feedback I've gotten on the mission, only 1 other reviewer thought the Galactic Protectorate was too hard. 4 players didn't mention the difficulty of the enemies, and 3 actually said they LIKED the harder mobs and "enjoyed the challenge", like Beach_Lifeguard on this page (scroll down a bit) Different strokes for different folks, I guess.

And also, Energy Dancers aren't set to "Extreme", they're set to "Hard".

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For now I can only give it 3-stars. It's just not finished enough in its current state.

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Well, I did say it was the 1st part of a multi-part Arc, but I'll see what I can do to improve it. Thanks again for the review!

Alright, so this is my review for MacGuffin Delivery Service :

Archetype Used: Brute
Level: 22
Powers: Electric Melee / Electric Armor

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Mission 1:

Right off the bat, I notice that the Contact I talk to isn't a Contact per se, but rather your character's own laptop. This is a personal pet peeve of mine (and alot of other players on the boards, based on what I've read), in that having your laptop tell you your own "thoughts" regarding each mission can be immersion-breaking if those "thoughts" don't match what my character might actually think.

That aside, the basic setup to the mission is very simple: go into a pawn shop, rob a bunch of stuff. OK, a little bland but let's see where this leads. Walk into the mission... and there's no one inside. Just alot of safes, and one artifact. I guess this fits the scenario, as you're supposed to be breaking in the middle of the night. Alright, so clicking the glowies must trigger an ambush. Click a glowie, and... nothing. Huh. Check my clues, global chat... nope, just found some stuff to pawn. I finish clicking all the glowies, and... find a "mysterious statue". Alright, where's that ambush? Checking the compass reveals you have to "take care of any witnesses". What witnesses? Oh, the Tsoo, who seem to have appeared in the main area of the map. Defeat the few Tsoo who have appeared, mission complete.

Mission 2:

Alright, apparently I've set up to sell the statue I've found to my "usual contact"... whom I've never met before. But alright, let's just say this woman's one of my many contacts whose name I've simply forgotten. I walk into the mission, and... there's no one there again. Oh, wait... there are some Council! Who are on my side, apparently... but wait! There's also some Freakshow... who are also on my side. This secret exchange point is a pretty popular place. But on a side note, very nice use of NPC dialog; I'm basically told to meet my contact "in the back". So, get to the back of the warehouse, and... it's filled with Family. Apparently, the same Family who own the Pawn Shop I stole from. So, I fight a few groups, take them down, and... the Carnival of Shadows shows up. Huh. Alright, so I take down a couple Carni- whoa! My contact springs up from nowhere and starts kicking (censored)! OK, that's random but kind of cool. Anyway, my compass tells me to get out, so I work my way back, take out a Carnie boss, and mission complete.

Mission 3:

So, apparently I decide this statue is more trouble than it's worth, but for some reason It just keeps reappearing on my person no matter where I toss it; kind of like the remote control from that Adam Sandler movie. So, I decide to look for answers from the Circle of Thorns, because they are the Masters of All Things Magic. I enter the mission, and... Oranbega map. Now, I know there are ALOT of players who would quit the Arc right here, but fortunately, I don't share their hatred of Oranbega. There are also alot of players who would quit the Arc if they saw even 1 Spectral Demon floating around, but I'm not one of those players, either. But I do recognize that the CoT are a pretty hard enemy group, so it takes me roughly twice as long to make my way through this map as it did the previous 2. On a side note, there are some genuinely humorous text messages in global chat for some of the non-required glowies in the map. Except one glowie was a CoT Magic Well, but the global chat message said there was a book in it... well, it's just a small detail. So, I finally get to the last room, and... there's the Carnival of Shadows again... with a boss. And on the other side of the room, a CoT boss is waiting. Since my compass just says I have to find information about the statue, I skip both and find the required bookcase. Mission complete.

Mission 4:

Well, apparently I've found the answer for my statue problem. I need to put the statue back in the box I found it in, thus breaking it's hold on me. Well, that makes sense, I guess. However, the box is in the hands of the Family, and they've probably moved it by now. But wait! I was able to "call in a few favors", and now I know exactly where it is! Only problem is, so does everyone else who's looking for it. But, with everyone fighting over getting the statue, I'll be able to slip in, put it back, and get out without anyone noticing me!

...Or not. I enter the mission, and right off the bat, I'm facing down the Paragon Police. Moving past them, I see that, indeed, EVERYONE is after this little statue. The Tsoo, the Carival of Shadows, the Family, all in combat with the Paragon Police. On a side note, the NPC dialog in this Arc continues to the be most well-organize dialog I've seen, even if the dialog itself is mostly generic threats and declarations. Anyway, after fighting through a whole bunch of bosses and wiping out twice, I decide to just run past all the fighting mobs and reach the required glowie at the end. I put the statue back in it's case, mission complete, Arc done.

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All in all, there are alot of minor annoyances in this Arc, but the story stayed solid from beginning to end. The NPC dialog was well-organized, but there were often times were things just seemed to happen randomly, to the point where I honestly didn't know what I did to trigger it. Also, there were alot of times where it seemed like a Stalker or other character with Stealth or Invisibility would have a much easier time with it, since the last two mission really just required you to click a glowie to complete the mission. That aside, it's a fun, light-hearted Arc that I would recommend to other players.

Final Score: 4 Stars

(Deep Breath) OK, here we go...

Arc Name: The Galactic Protectorate

Arc ID#: 47143

Author: Unknown Hero

# of Missions: 3

Description: An alternate-reality Synapse contacts you to help him fight a new enemy who threatens his world and may one day threaten yours.

Technical Details: I would suggest bringing a solo-friendly character to this Arc. While there are no AVs or EBs, the minions and lieutenants have VERY good synergy and can overwhelm you if you aggro too many at once. I usually go through this Arc with my DB/WP Scrapper at Difficulty Level 2 with no problems, so if you're using a Scrapper, Tanker, or Brute, you shouldn't have any trouble as long as your difficulty isn't set too high. The first mission is, indeed, a hostage rescue mission in an outdoor map, but the good news is that I've designed it so that the hostages are farily easy to spot. There are no "Defeat All" missions, either.

All right, with all that said, I'm going to go try out one of your Arcs now. I look forward to your review; please don't be too hard on me

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Re-running, challenge level 2, lvl 50 ill/rad 'troller.

Mission 1: Well, I still don't care for this mission at all. The map fits the story for sure, but it is just not all that fun. Suggestion: I see some missions where the hostage is held up in a big green glow. This might help if you can figure out how it is done.

Mission 2: Interesting text from this other world Synapse. I don't trust him one bit!!! Well at first I was hating these enemies. They are tougher than anything in the regular game. But as this mission went on, I began to appreciate how well done they were and enjoyed the challenge. The only problem seems to be there are more computers in the mission to click on than the mission compass indicates. Also in the mission conclusion with Synapse, he talks as if he was right there with you inspecting what you found, when earlier in the story it seemed like he was communicating with you over some radio transmission. Perhaps I read this wrong?

Mission 3: Story getting very interesting. I guess I do trust this other world Synapse....we'll see though. Great mission, the final room was very cool. I saved Manticore and didn't even know I was fighting the group that was guarding him - this might be something you can't control, how the baddies are placed in the room. Made for a fun fight though.

Despite the first mission, this aarc got better and better as it went along. Although I feel they are overpowered a bit, and some might disagree, they are still a great custom enemy group. Very nice costumes and theme - looks like something that would actually be in the game.

5 stars and can't wait for the next installment. I hope you will PM me when it is up so I don't miss it. Just think about changing the map on mission 1.

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Thanks for the positive feedback, I'm glad you like the Arc and my enemy group

While I also want to make the captives more visible in the first mission, the whole "green glow" ala Circle of Thorns rituals just doesn't seem to fit my enemy group. I'll look and see if I can find something else, though.

Glad to hear you warmed up to my enemy group in the second mission, but the reason there are so many computers in the mission is because the clues you get from the ones you don't have to click on flesh out the story a little bit. It sounds like you didn't check your clues to see them, though. Also, in the return dialog, Synapse is inspecting what you found in his reality as he's talking to you, but I can see where the confusions comes from. To be honest, I thought it was a bit awkward when I was writing it, but I wanted the player to be able to hear Synapse's reaction.

Thanks for the review!

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Mission 1: Yikes. I was looking forward to this mission based on the starting story, and I know that map fits the story well, but it feels like work hunting around a smoky, uneven terrain looking for 4 hostages. They are guarded by some pretty tough critters as well. Without running any toggles I ate through 4 blues and still had no endurance. They drained me quick and painfully. Like a trooper I went back in prepared for these guys and they took me down quicker than before. Wow, not only do they drain energy, they are pretty resistant to holds and confuse. Darn, should have brought a break free. OK, third time was a charm for Nurse Bannister, but that group of baddies needs to be toned WAY down. Spent the next 5-10 minutes searching for the mayor, never to be found. Also died again cruising around on the search when I was immob'd then held, then drained and wiped.

I won't rate it, but if I did it wouldn't be that good based on my experience.

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Ouch. Sorry you had such a hard time, but thanks for the feedback anyway.

In hindsight, I probably should have warned you about the enemy group ahead of time; from your post, it sounds like you tried to tackle the Arc with one of your Controllers, essentially making it 10 times harder than a more solo-friendly class would have. I actually did beat the Arc with one of my Defenders - by turning my difficulty down to Heroic Of course, I had the advantage of knowing what I was walking into.

When I first created the mission, I had the hostage placement on "Anywhere", but much like you, I found that it was too much of a hassle to look through the entire map for them. I've since then changed the placement of all the hostages to "Middle", which, from my experience, seems to always place them in front of the steps to City Hall, on the yard in front City Hall, or in that small area to the right of the steps to City Hall.

I'm a bit confused as to the Endurance Drain problems you had Of all the critters in the group I created, I can only think of two that actually have Endurance Drain powers: the Storm Riders and the Energy Dancers, both Lieutenants. (I may be wrong though; I'll check through my critters later to see if any else have End Drain). The Storm Riders have several attacks that drain a little Endurance, while the Energy Dancers (to the best of my knowledge) only have one attack that drains Endurance... but it drains ALOT of Endurance.

Overall, the power of the enemy group I created comes from their synergy. Individually, they're pushovers, but when you get a whole bunch of different types of them together... well, you already know. I don't know what difficulty you're using, but it might help if you choose one that actually spawns higher level critters, but less of them, rather than one that spawns lower level critters, but alot of them. I usually tackle the arc with my DB/WP Scrapper. I used to run it on Difficulty Level 3, but I wanted to test how much harder it would be with larger groups (thus getting the aforementioned synergy to kick in), so I lowered it to Level 2. As expected, they were much harder (despite being lower in level), but I was still able defeat them so long as I didn't recklessly charge into several groups at once. I can definitely say this: If you accidentally aggro more than one group at once, your best bet is probably to run. Either that, or be prepared to burn alot of inspirations.

If you ever feel like trying my Story Arc again (again, sorry about the bad experience ), it might help to use your Fire/WP Brute over your Controllers. Or, if you can tell me what servers you have characters on, I could help you out with the arc. It always helps to have a teammate

If you're still reviewing Story Arcs, I'd greatly appreciate any feedback on mine

Story Name: The Galactic Protectorate

Story ID#: 47143

Technical Details: The entire story arc is 3 missions long, it contains no Arch-Villains or Elite Bosses, and there are no "Defeat All" maps

I tried my best to balance the story with the gameplay, and any improvements you could suggest would be helpful

2 years... has it really been 2 years? Man, time flies...

Anyway, after a long hiatus from the boards, the Mission Architect System has managed to rekindle my interest in writing.

I've just finished my first story arc; I did my best to balance the gameplay element with the story, and I tried my best to make the custom group I created challenging without being unstoppable. Overall, I would really appreciate any help in trying out my Story Arc, and suggesting any improvements that could make it better.

The Arc is called The Galactic Protectorate, and the Arc ID code is 47143.

I'm also in the middle of creating a supplemental fanfic that adds to the story I've created in the arc. It's not necessary to read the fanfic in order to understand the story (I know many players don't visit these boards), it's just something extra I've created for the few people who enjoy the arc enough to learn a bit more about the characters.

((Well, well, well... it's been awhile I enjoyed this Open RP when it began months ago, and I was a bit disappointed when it ended before I could finish writing a rather dramatic moment involving my characters' storylines.
While my characters haven't played the largest part in this Open RP, the revival of this Thread has revived my interest in continuing their storylines, which hopefully involve more intereraction with the other characters in this Thread.
I look forward to continuing this RP with all of you, even if the OP doesn't return and we're all stuck wandering around and scattered like a pick-up group in the Hollows
Now, let's see if I remember how to do this...))

Hunter Darrow, sprawled across the couch in his living room, took another tense look at the clock.
It's already noon, and he still hasn't come back yet... Hunter thought to himself. He's never been THIS late before... what could he be doing?
"Hunter!" His sister's voice calling out from the kitchen broke Hunter's train of thought and caused an expression of anxiety and impending doom to spread across his face.
"Hunter, we're out of orange juice." Justine said, walking into the living room with several dollars in her hand. She was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday, a fact which didn't surprise Hunter since she usually slept in their mother's bed most nights anyway.
"Jeez, Justine. It's noon already." Hunter grumbled, shaking his head slightly as he took the money from his sister's hand. "Shouldn't you have changed clothes by now?"
"OH?" Justine glared at Hunter, the sudden change in mood causing Hunter to break out into a cold sweat. "What right do YOU have to say that to ME when you wear that stupid outfit for three or four days in a row?! I can't believe Dad actually bought you that-" Justine stopped, her expression changing from anger to confusion as she looked around the living room. "Hey, where IS Dad anyway? He doesn't usually leave for work until 4."
"He didn't come home last night." Hunter said testily, turning away from his sister and stuffing the money into his pocket. "I guess he loves his job so much he decided to stay there 24/7. I figured it was only a matter of time."
"Hunter..." Justine began, but in the next moment Hunter was out the door and running down the streets of his hometown once more, so lost in thought that he didn't notice the row of white vans that sped past him as he turned the corner, each one coming to a stop right in front of his house.

Huh, I've been away for awhile, so I didn't see this. Sounds interesting; if this story is anywhere near as well-written as "The New Empire", then it's definately a fanfic worth reading Makes me wish things in my RL weren't so hectic right now so I could continue mine... (checks calendar, checks date of last update on fanfic)... 4 1/2 MONTHS?! Where does the time go?

Anyway, I'd love to lend you one of my characters, Blood_Wolffe, but I'm having trouble deciding which one would fit your proposed plotline best. I should have something for you tomorrow, so if you don't mind, keep a spot open for me! Good luck with your new fic!

((OK, after a long hiatus I'm back on the RP Boards, this time trying to start a new Open RP Actually, this Open RP is sort of a remake of an Open RP I tried to make almost 2 years ago, but it never went anywhere (it never received any responses)
The premise of this Open RP is simple: Alternate Universes. However, unlike several other RP Threads, the Universe that this Open RP is set in will constantly be shifting (thanks to the crisis that occurs at Portal Corp., which will be the driving factor behind the shifting Universes)
Here's how it will work: At the start of this Thread, and from then on anywhere between 3 - 12 days (depending on how well the Posters are doing in the current Universe), a "Universe Change" will occur. The Portal Corp. Generator (located in it's own, seperate Universe) will send out signals to the Universe that this Thread takes place in, and the entire world will change under your characters' feet (similar to Recluse's Victory in-game). Since I myself won't actually be in control of any characters in this RP Thread (my only job in this Thread will be to change the Universes and give information to the Posters about each individual Universe), I'll probably give a heads-up a day or two before the Universe Change will occur, so any Posters who are in the middle of something in the current Universe can resolve it.
If you feel any of your characters need more time in the current Universe, feel free to PM me. I don't mind holding off changing Universes for a couple days, but I don't want to leave this Thread hanging around one single Universe for too long, so I might have to change it anyway
Whenever a Universe Change occurs, the entire world will change as well; however, I will leave it up to each individual Poster as to how their characters react to the Universe Change. If you want your characters to have some type of "shield" that protects themselves from being altered along with the rest of the world, feel free to do so. If you'd rather have your character altered to fit the new Universe whenever a Universe Change occurs, you may do that as well. The only thing I ask is that whatever "shield" you come up with to protect your characters, it should be limited to a small area (i.e. no shield that's large enough to protect the whole world from Universe Changes, as that defeats the whole purpose of this Thread )
I will try to give enough information whenever a Universe Change occurs so that every Poster has an understanding of how each Universe appears and works in terms of government, day-to-day living, etc. However, I will also try to leave things open for each individual Poster, so that their characters can operate somewhat freely in this new Universe.
Overall, the purpose of this Open RP is to see how each of your Heroes/Villains would react if the entire world were different, and I think it will be interesting to see how your characters react to the many different situations that this Open RP can offer.
Alright, I'm going to leave the first part of this Open RP alone so Posters can show how their characters act normally in Paragon City; I'll probably get the first Alternate Universe started sometime tomorrow.
Thanks in advance to anyone who joins this RP; and try to have some fun with it ))

It was a rather big day for Portal Corp.; the day that the new, experimental Generator would finally be replacing the old generators that powered the enormous Portals that gave Portal Corp. it's name.
There were several hours before the test was scheduled, though, and for the time being, life resumed as normal in Paragon City and the Rogue Isles; or at least as close to "normal" as things could be when a City of Heroes and a City of Villains were right next door to each other...

((We're STILL not up to the next day? I've had some RL stuff to deal with, and I thought we'd be halfway into the next day when I came back, but... come on! This has to be the longest night ever.

Oh, and DM...

1) It's not "The Legion of Science" it's "The Science Coalition"

and

2) B.L.Z. Bub isn't a "devil", he's 100% human, and a reasonably attractive one, at that

I still have to wait until the next day before continuing my characters' stories, so I'll re-join once the next day FINALLY starts ))

Reverend Ghost used the slight confusion amongst the police and Father McMahon to his advantage. Removing a small Cross from his pocket, he began to quietly recite a prayer.
“...In the name of the Lord our God, let thy children move with Blessed speed.” Ghost threw the Cross onto the floor, where it erupted into a Cross-shaped white light. By the time the police turned their attention to him, Reverend Ghost had disappeared into the light, the silhouette of the Cross remaining for a few more seconds before fading into nothingness.

Several miles away, a large, black helicopter rode silently throughout the night sky, the symbol of the Cross embroidered along the side of the helicopter in gold.
“Approaching Rockwell... ETA 15 minutes.” The captain’s voice crackled through the helicopter.
“In the Name of God and the Holy Catholic Church, those who disobey the Will of God shall be cast into the depths of Hell forevermore. Amen.” A young man’s voice could be heard inside the helicopter; he was one several others who called themselves “The Children of God”.

Justine sat up suddenly in her mother’s bed, instinctively checking the time on the clock; it was still the middle of the night, not quite morning yet. Looking around the room, she observed her mother sleeping peacefully in bed. Smiling, she wrapped the bed’s blanket around her mother’s shoulders, then made her way out of her mother’s room. As Justine walked down the hallway towards her room, she shivered slightly, wrapping her arms across her body.
“It’s colder than usual tonight...” Justine sighed.

B.L.Z. Bub was able to move his body fast enough to avoid a fatal blow, but now fast enough to dodge the Father McMahon’s blade completely. The blade slice into B.L.Z. Bub’s side as he jumped away from the priest, sending pain throughout his body. But this was not the first time he had been injured, so he was able to quickly recover... just in time to be hit in the shoulder by one of Reverend Ghost’s bullets.
“Damn it!” B.L.Z. Bub cursed, ducking behind the long-abandoned front desk, blood pouring from his wound. He grabbed the corner of his red trenchcoat. “Looks lik’ I got no choice... hafta use THAT tech’nique...” At that moment, the device in his trenchcoat went off by itself, and in the next instant B.L.Z. Bub was gone.

“Why ta’ HELL ‘ja brin’ me back, Natas?!” B.L.Z. Bub demanded the moment he arrived at one of the Science Coalition’s many Relief Stations. Doctors and nurses immediately rushed to treat B.L.Z. Bub, but his attention remained on Natas, who stood smiling just several feet from the teleporter. “I’d a’ KILLED them ‘ligious bastards if’n ya’all had waited 2 MORE MINUTES!!!”
“I didn’t bring you back because I doubted your ability to kill them, B.L.Z. Bub.” Natas smiled at his hot-headed ally. “But, if you received any more injuries during your fight with them, you might have died before we would have been able to treat you properly. Besides, the police are already involved, and we can’t allow you to bring any more attention towards us then you already have.” Natas smiled, chuckling slightly as he continued. “After all, the words of two obviously troubled holy men doesn’t amount to much, now does it? Now...” Natas turned away from his ally. “I must be returning to our good friend and newest ally, Dr. Darrow. After all, if I stay here any longer, he might become suspicious of me, now won’t he?”

"Now what ta' fu-" B.L.Z. Bub turned towards the SWAT members bursting through the door. Unfortunately, at that moment, his cannon finished charging up and unleashed it's full force on the charging police officers. The enormous blast completely engulfed the entire squad, blasting the front doors of the hospital open and rushing throughout the front parking lot, where the armored SWAT Trucks also met the full force of B.L.Z. Bub's B.L.Z. Buster, immediately exploding. The few SWAT officers who were fortunate enough to be out of the cannon's path immediately called for backup.
"Oops..." B.L.Z. Bub looked back toward his two opponents in surprise. "Well, ta' nex' one 'll get ya'all, just wait abou' 15 t' 30 sec'nds fer ta' Buster t' recharge..."

“Wha’ ta’-?!” The real B.L.Z. Bub managed to dodge the dagger coming toward his head, scratching his cheek as it whizzed by him. His Phantoms weren’t so lucky, as the dagger hit each one dead-center in the forehead, the illusion over as the single, real B.L.Z. Bub eyed Father McMahon with rage.
“Why ya… Take this!” Several whirling blades flew out of B.L.Z. Bub’s trenchcoat, spinning in various directions as they headed straight for the priest. “My deadly ‘Whirlin’ Shur’ken Blades’!”
Before the blades reached the priest, however, Reverend Ghost fired his gun with perfect precision, destroying each and every blade in mid-air. Quickly turning to B.L.Z. Bub, Ghost fired several more shots, most of which B.L.Z. Bub avoided. One of the shots, however, nicked B.L.Z. Bub’s belt, causing an explosion that sent B.L.Z. Bub flying back against the wall. Looking down at his belt, B.L.Z. Bub saw that his force field generator had been damaged beyond repair.
“I see…” B.L.Z. Bub growled, rising to his feet. “I guess I hav’nt ben’ takin’ ya’all serios’ly…” B.L.Z. rose his head towards his adversaries, a look of hatred on his face. “NOW YA’ALL GONE AN’ MADE ME MAD!!!” Reaching into his trenchcoat, B.L.Z. Bub pulled out a large, oversized cannon. “Dis’ here’s one a’ my fav’rite weapons, ta’ ‘B.L.Z. Buster’! ‘Structed out a’ HUNDREDS of them fancy ‘Sault Rifles ta’ Heroes carry ‘round, it's got ‘nuff punch to d’story half a city block!” B.L.Z. Bub smiled as he attached a small device to the underside of the cannon and pulled the trigger. Instantly, the barrel of the cannon lit up and a whirring sound could be heard as the cannon prepared to fire.

In an instant, B.L.Z. Bub moved his own sword to block Father McMahon’s, stopping the priest’s attack only several inches away from his wrist.
“S’ry, but ya’all don’ get t’ be 3rd ranked member a’ ta’ Science Co’lition’s Shock Team by bein’ a slouch-” B.L.Z. Bub jumped back quickly, barely dodging Reverend Ghost’s incoming bullets. Activating a device on his belt, B.L.Z. Bub was surrounded by a force field in the next instant, Ghost’s bullets bouncing off the shield harmlessly.
“Su’prised ya again, didin’ I?” B.L.Z. Bub smiled. “See, I was ‘sponsible fer’ ‘verse engineerin’ enemy techna’gy durin’ ta’ War.” B.L.Z. Bub reached into his trenchcoat. “An’ I’m proud t’ admit I’m STILL one a’ ta’ best n’ ta’ world t’ dis day.” B.L.Z. Bub pulled out a small, spherical device from his trenchcoat and held it in the palm of his hand. “’Course, now I us’ly ‘verse eng’neer from idjit Heroes who stre’ch their necks out too far.” B.L.Z. Bub smiled wickedly. “Lemme’ show ya’all a l’il toy I lik’ t’ call ta’ Rain Ball.”
B.L.Z. Bub lowered his shield and threw the ball at his two adversaries simultaneously. Ghost was about to use the opportunity to fire at B.L.Z. Bub, but in the next instant the Rain Ball exploded in mid-air, sending shards of sharp metal and iron flying across the entire room.
“[Censored]!” Ghost yelled as he did his best to dodge the incoming attack. Several shards managed to hit him in the arm and the leg, but otherwise Ghost successfully dodged the barrage. Looking back towards his adversary, Ghost’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Now try dis’ on fer size.” A room full of about 20-25 B.L.Z. Bubs announced. “I call dis’ l’il num’ber, ‘B.L.Z. Bub’s Phantom Blitz’!”

[ QUOTE ]
"Hmph, further distractions," Father McMahon said as he drew a pair of short swords from under his coat, "As for disregarding commandments...I operate in the name of God, He has chosen me for this mission, to not exact punishment would be my most grievous sin. After all, there have been many within the bible who have slain sinners in His name."
McMahon faced B.L.Z. Bub and held his swords in such a way that they formed a cross and blocked his mouth with his right forearm.
"For your attempted assault on a man of God, despite his difference in affiliation, there can be only death and the Judgement of the Almighty," McMahon said, his face unwavering.

[/ QUOTE ]

“Heh.” B.L.Z. Bub chuckled under his breath as he observed his adversaries. “’ts a’ways ‘mazed me jus’ how STUPID ya’all ‘ligious types can be.” He narrowed his eyes at Father McMahon. “Spoutin’ yer r’diculous ideas ‘bout God an’ what-not… na’mally, I’d a’low n’ idjit like ya t’ go free, but…” B.L.Z. Bub’s smile faded. “Seems lik’ ya’all am one a’ dose ‘ligious priests o’ monks o’ w’tever t’ hell ya’all call yerselves.” B.L.Z. Bub raised the gun in his hand. “Ev’ry trace. See, dat’s one a’ ta’ mos’ ‘portant goals a’ ta’ Science Co’lition. ‘Ev’ry trace a’ ‘ligion must be ‘radicated from ta’ face a’ dis Earth.’ So’s I can’ just’ go round lettin’ someone lik’ ya’all go fillin’ people’s heads wit’ yer’ ‘ligious trash.” B.L.Z. Bub smiled wickedly once more. “T’ere’s only one cure fer’ ‘ligious stupidity lik’ what ya’all b’lieve… now stan’ still lik’ good l’il ‘ligious idjits an’ DIE!” B.L.Z. Bub fired his weapon.

"Hmph." Ghost narrowed his eyes once more. "Just like a Catholic to disregard one Commandment to uphold another." He trained his pistol on the priest. "And to uphold the Will of God on Earth, I have no choice-"
At that moment, a bullet whizzed past Ghost's face, a very narrow miss. Jumping back, Ghost looked past the priest to face this new attacker.
"Well well well..." B.L.Z. Bub smiled, observing his quarry. "Two 'ligious idjits n' one place... Mus' be m' lucky day." B.L.Z. Bub steadied a sword in one hand and a gun in the other. "Name's B.L.Z. Bub, 3rd ranked member a' ta' Science Co'lition's Shock Team... an' ya'all dun' hafta wor'ry 'bout whish one a' ya'all s' right." He smiled wickedly. "Cuz' ya' both 'bout t' fin' out ta' truth 'bout ta' secrets bey'nd death right NOW."

((Yes, Christopher! Come on, "Christ-bearing"! It's the best first name for any male religious-oriented character ))

[ QUOTE ]
"My business does not concern you, heathen, nor does it concern these scientists," Father McMahon said, not even turning around to face his accuser, "If you wish to visit your judgement upon the heretical scientists, that's your business. My business is with a witch who could very well be the anti-Christ. So says His Holiness and our Lord Jesus Christ. Squashing heretical scientists means nothing to us, as it would just serve to defame the name of Jesus Christ."

[/ QUOTE ]

Reverend Ghost couldn’t help but smile inwardly at his adversary’s comment. Of course, the Children of God didn’t officially exist, and even some of the highest-ranked members of the clergy weren’t aware of their existence. Ghost himself only knew of their existence from his past encounters with them... the numerous scars on his body were proof enough of their existence.
True, the fact that a secret group of Catholics, acting on direct orders from the Vatican, were at war with scientists WOULD be seen by many to “defame” the name of the Catholic Church... but that would only be the case for those who knew half of the whole truth.
Though Ghost hated the Children of God and the Catholic Church with a burning passion, he had never once faulted them for their actions against the members of the Science Coalition. He had seen first-hand the lengths that the members of the Science Coalition would go to attain “the logical advancement of human society”. No, if the public knew the truth, the REAL TRUTH...
“An Anti-Christ, huh?” Ghost said, narrowing his eyes at Father McMahon. “So tell me... what did that paramedic you’ve killed have to do with this ‘Anti-Christ’? Or was that just another way of serving ‘His Holiness’ and Jesus Christ?”

[ QUOTE ]
The ensuing chaos saw fit to allow a new knight to enter this complex game of chess.
Father Christopher McMahon, a devout catholic 'Paladin' strode up to the hospital, forcing orderlies and nurses pushing gurneys to go around him, swearing all the way.
His objective had made itself known. The tall, dark haired man grinned behind a pair of spectacles.
Without warning, a careless paramedic's gurney slammed into him. He didn't flinch.
"MOVE IT YOU [censored] [censored]! THIS PATIENT-GURK!" the paramedic couldn't finish before he was impaled by a cross-shaped dagger.
"Thou shalt not take the lord's name in vain, child. Now thou must repent in hell," the priest said calmly, letting the paramedic's body flop to the ground.
"Mina Leslios," he said to himself, "Thou must repent as well."

[/ QUOTE ]

The unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked sounded behind Father McMahon’s back.
“Now what’s this?” Reverend Christopher Ghost observed the fallen paramedic, his eyes settling on the cross-shaped dagger in his chest.
Reverend Christopher Ghost, a devout Protestant, wore a long, flowing white robe over his black shirt and white pants. He had short, black hair and piercing blue eyes, which were at the moment watching his opponent for any sudden movements. He held his dual Holy Pistols in his hands, the symbol of the Cross marked over the barrel of the gun, and aiming straight at the priest’s head.
“I only came to this city because I had heard rumors that the Science Coalition was once again up to their usual blasphemous actions, trying to convert a local scientist into their fold, so that he could continue to commit sins against God’s Will. But...” He narrowed his eyes at the priest. “It seems that the Vatican has already sent one of their lap dogs to this city so that they can continue to extol the will of the Catholic Church rather than the Will of God. Now tell me...” Ghost’s voice grew even lower and deeper. “Are you a member of the Children of God? If not, what’s your business in this city? Did you come in search of the Science Coalition, as well?”

“Ah, s’a real shame.” B.L.Z. Bub shook his head as he watched the police and fire department begin to deploy around the office building. “That ‘mount a’ ‘splosives woulda been ‘nuff t’ kill 50, no... 60 top a’ da line soldiers.”
“Yay! It’s done it’s done it’s done!” Lucy shouted happily. She showed the monitor of her computer to B.L.Z. Bub. “All electronic data of Natas’s project has been completely wiped from Tharomar Enterprises records.” Lucy smiled proudly. “Even the most skilled technician wouldn’t be able to find a trace of the data!”
Even though the explosives were planted all over the R & D Section of Tharomar Enterprises, the actual target had been Dr. Darrow’s laboratory. Each explosive had been planted close enough to Dr. Darrow’s laboratory to cause the maximum amount of damage, but far enough away from Dr. Darrow’s laboratory to make the attack look like simple corporate espionage. Indeed, at this moment at Tharomar Enterprises, Dr. Darrow’s lab was completely destroyed, and every trace of Dr. Darrow’s and Dr. Natas’s work was burnt to a crisp.
“A’right. Looks like r’ job’s done ‘ere.” B.L.Z. Bub said, activating a small device in his trenchcoat. In the next moment, B.L.Z. Bub and Lucy Fir were gone.