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Xenojade

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CHANGELOG
3/12/2017 - Original Posted
3/12/2017 - Changed some of the layout to make reading easier. Made the roleplay more obvious.
Removed/changed some roleplay desires/requirements to allow more flexibility for the partner. Added 'Primary Premise'
3/13/2017 - Made what the races are more apparent.
3/14/2017 - Huge update, I rewrote most of the entire thread! None of the details changed save for some bits about Quanta, though. I just tried to make the whole setting more fun to read!
3/15/2017 - Some proofreading fixes, nothing much.
3/16/2016 - !Current hold on accepting more partners!

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This is a partner search for a very specific type of roleplay; a strange setting with the framework necessary to do all kinds of worldbuilding, not to mention character roleplay of course! I love worldbuilding, but the purpose of worldbuilding to me is always to provide interesting backdrops for the characters themselves. This thread, to that extent, showcases a 'framework' that I've created which provides a solid yet very flexible basis with which to create a world. What is written below is almost the entirety of what there is to know about the world; the only 'secrets' I have are the origins of the strange world's framework.

The atmosphere and general direction of the framework for this roleplay can be seen by looking at the tags associated with the thread. If those interest you, keep on reading to learn more! Also keep in mind that everything below can be tweaked to better fit a certain idea if the need arises; this basis doesn't have to be set in stone. Characters and plotlines should take precedence!

Arguably what's more important than the roleplay itself is the roleplayer, though. So here's some facts and/or opinions about me, as a roleplayer.

++Good Things++
➜Focus on some form of Character Development
➜I make an effort to make sure we communicate our goals and plans.
➜I am active when involved in roleplay, though my activity varies depending on how difficult every post is to make. Expect replies at most 24 hours after your post.
➜I prefer art and/or animanga pictures for face claims.
➜I'm also perfectly happy with the use of text only to describe any appearance.
➜I love romance like a lot of people.
➜I try to be patient and understanding of my roleplay partner so long as you communicate what's going on.
➜I tend to be very detail orientated in general. I like to think I'm flexible with details and flavor, but as you might notice, detail flavor is my specialty.
➜My own posting length is very detail-orientated. Usually 2 paragraphs when not much is needed to be detailed.
➜I don't care about post length from others, I care more about interesting and 3-dimensional character portrayals. That usually goes hand-in-hand with something more than one-liners, but is completely possible with less than a paragraph of reply content.
++Bad Things++
No text talk (unless it makes sense).
➜I don't like really rugged/mangy/exceedingly dark characters like hardcore werewolves, vampires, certain types of demons... so getting me invested in those is tough. I do like featuring these sorts of creatures, but not as main characters. They typically don't fit in my usual roleplay style if they're a lead character.
➜I do not find interest in one-off super short roleplays. I need opportunities for character growth.
➜I sometimes experiment with things that are a little new to me, like puzzles in roleplay scenarios. Sometimes the experiments go awry and require do-overs. Due to experience, I'll make sure to ask before I try something I've yet to try.
➜I am very picky when it comes to which settings I want to play in. This means most premises need modification for me to get interested. Likewise, I'm not against modifying my own premises because I try not to be a hypocrite!
➜I don't want players who are like a wall when it comes to communication.
➜I don't like featuring real life pictures for roleplay; at that point I would rather use text-based descriptors. It's a preference, I could be convinced to use real life pictures if you really wanted. Most of my characters don't fit real life pictures to begin with, though.
As for a cliffnotes version of what this roleplay is; take Hyper Light Drifter ((or its closest analogs; Studio Ghibli's Castle in the Sky and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind)), Megaman Legends 2 and Phantasy Star 4 and merge them together, maybe with some Metroid Prime thrown in there too. That's the quickest way to give a general feel for the setting; by far, Hyper Light Drifter's by far influenced this setting the most, though.

This setting is designed to be customized by the roleplayers to fit our needs as we go on; what is shown below is just to give a framework of what we can build off of. It can be a lot to read, but I tried to make it a fascinating read at that!

I would undoubtedly create a few more characters than just my main one, but I would definitively prefer to have a main character and at least have that character feature transformation as part of their own plotline and character development. As the tags might hint, genderbending would be preferred as part of said transformation. Regardless, my character would end up as a type of slime character, perfect for really awkward moments and for some unique situations, like teamwork while exploring some ancient technological ruin. Maybe your character can't fit into this cramped place, but someone like mine would be able to! Anyways, please look below for more info! I'll include some basics about the character I want to try featuring at the bottom of the thread. Here's some art that fits the kind of feel that this setting has, too.
Z E R C O R


Zercor isn't a land so much as it is a creation; there is no planet, no solar system. It's essentially one gigantic manmade capsule that's far too wide to reach the walls of, an artificial container which holds what existence anyone knows of. There's a sky in the opposite direction of gravity, complete with what appears to be a sun-and-moon, day-and-night cycle. There's also a 'floor' to this capsule, a mystery shrouded by a polychromatic gas which tears apart any and all matter that enters its depths. What little details of the 'surface' that anyone can make out though the clouds are strange mechanical geometric shapes, pulsating a variety of colors along what could be power lines. The sky, likewise, is similar to the surface, though the light of the sun and moon obscures even more of the ceiling's details. Considering that the surface is impossible to travel to, people instead live on floating collections of land, created within Zercor by its creators. Some of these landmasses are very vertical in design and overlap each other in layers, yet some are a single layer and stretch horizontally. Some are the size of entire continents while some are more like islands. Some are full of water while others are dry and craggy. Some are cold, some warmer. Some islands show their technological innards more easily than others, betraying their artificial origins. Either way, these floating land masses are the only places any life can flourish.

Nobody has reached the 'walls' of this dimension of existance, some might believe there is no actual end. Whatever the case may be, it's obvious that nothing in Zercor simply appeared. Ruins of an ancient civilization exist at nearly every corner, not to mention the husks of ancient war machines littered all throughout the world, often overgrown or hidden by nature thriving throughout the land. People would like to think all of these machines are dead, yet many 'ruins' function to this very day, churning out all sorts of machinery, all automated in purpose. Some maintain Zercor, some roam as machines of war, some guard important locations. Many different animals also live amongst these floating landmasses, humans being one of them. More sentient species than simply humans thrive, though! Whereas humans often depend on finding and repairing the technology of old to survive, the silvae depend on their natural bodies and power over nature to survive. This is less because they don't need technology and more because the power source used by ancient technology can be very dangerous to both humans and silvae; especially to silvae!

What are silvae? You can read a bit more about them below, but they're essentially a large genre of sentient species all lumped together. Due to the sci-fi focus of the setting I didn't call them Fey or Fae, but that's essentially what they are; beings who hold a connection to the natural world. Fairies, elves, golems, alraune, treants, elementals, mermaids, harpies, anthros, they can be all sorts of things. Humans and silvae often butt heads whenever their tribes or communities exist close together, but there's one thing everyone agrees on. Something very terrible occurred on Zercor some time ago, but very few people are privy to the details as none of the members of this ancient civilization seem to have survived. Were these ancients the creators, or did they inherit Zercor, much like the people of the current age?

Well, considering this is a 1x1 roleplay, some spoilers need to be revealed so we can plot together and get a feel for the setting! Some people in Zercor might know that the ancient civilization was called Halkai. What almost nobody would know or accept is that the word 'Zercor' originates from Zercor's true name; Core Sector Zero. Core Sector Zero was made in its entirety by Halkai, a Utopian society which had all the tools, energy and resources necessary to allow their upper echelons to play god in so many different ways. Sector Zero was an isolated dimension designed specifically for the absolute highest level members of Halkai and was incredibly well-guarded. As a consequence, however, it also held some of Halkai's most dangerous secrets.

War obviously came to Sector Zero, yet one single event ended that war and everyone participating in it. Something absolutely terrible happened, worse than whatever war that had fractured and burned Sector Zero. Certain members of Halkai who prepared for that aforementioned mysterious apocalyptic event initiated a safeguard, a drastic measure to prevent all of existence from ceasing. All life that currently exists is a consequence of this safeguard. What happened to this group of Halkaians and all the other Halkaians living on Sector Zero before the apocalypse is a mystery that can be discovered, but if necessary to help create your character or help with lore, it can be revealed, no biggy!

Below are important topics for the setting.

  • Quanta
    ASPECT COLORS AND MEANING

    Excess is the abundance of energy (Fire and Lightning)

    Dispersion is the spread of energy (Gravity and Emotion)

    Repose is the lull of energy (Water and Air)

    Ego is the condensing of energy (Life and Earth)

    Quanta is a form of energy found in abundance throughout Zercor. Study into this force of nature reveals that it is classified into four different aspects that all relate to each other in particular ways; Excess, Dispersion, Repose and Ego. Quanta is essentially one of the fundamental building blocks of reality, making it intrinsically linked to the natural world. A great deal of valuable ancient technology is also powered by quanta, though the aspect of quanta used to power technology is important. The simplest example is a flamethrower; use Excess quanta to power a flamethrower. If you use Repose quanta to power a flamethrower, however, you might damage or outright destroy the device as it would malfunction violently due to how different the quanta is! Quanta is found all throughout the atmosphere, hence why it's called abundant. This atmospheric quanta can't be used to power technology, though, you need to get a more pure form of quanta first.

    Quanta can also be found in very high quantities within the blood of living beings. Quanta found in blood is considered dirty, however, as it has varying aspects of quanta mixed inside, not to mention a lot of other junk in it. Blood can be refined to obtain pure quanta as a liquid. The color of the liquid denotes what aspect it is.

  • Aether is a more powerful form of energy found in varying quantities throughout Zercor. Aether is made from all four aspects of quanta merged together in their absolute purest form. Aether itself can be found in two forms, either as a polychromatic gas or, when condensed and refined, as a polychromatic light or even as a perpetually 'burning' flame that emits no heat. Refined aether needs to be contained within a special canister. If broken, refined aether explosively expands into its gaseous form once more.

    Refined aether is very useful as it can be used to power any form of technology regardless of the quanta aspect required to power it. What's more, refined aether is overall stronger than its quanta counterpart, resulting in technology that has a stronger 'kick' to it.

    Exposing one's body, even their skin, to high levels of aether can be dangerous. The uppermost portions of the sky or the lowest parts of the bowels of Zercor, areas full of very high-density aether, literally tear apart anything and everything that approaches. Otherwise, prolonged exposure to aether, especially aether that's injected or breathed in, has a chance to transform the user into a superfauna, mutant or genesin, depending on their species. These are individuals who have lost their sense of self and are very hostile to others.

  • Aether Infusion is a form of aether exposure that allows a human to safely expose themselves to aether... relatively speaking. The human in question must not only drink a variety of unusual potions to prepare their body for the infusion but also rise their adrenaline through life threatening experiences. Once the aforementioned preparations are complete, a blood infusion of highly refined aether is carried out, typically through a bracer.

    There are three possible outcomes of aether infusion. The first and most unfortunate is if the preparations were not made – the human will most certainly become a mutant. The second and most desirable outcome is that the human will become an esper, a human who has a unique affinity for aether without becoming anything other than human. The third outcome is that the human's body reacts more strongly with the aether infusion, becoming a demi. Although demis retain the near-entirety of their previous personality and control, they don't gain the affinity for aether technology that espers do. As a consolation, most demis have unique benefits that their new body gives them compared to their esper counterparts, like flying if they have wings.

    Only humans can undergo safe aether infusion. Silvae are much more susceptible to aether corruption so they are unable to safely be exposed to aether.
  • Humans are what you'd expect.

  • Espers are simply humans who did not transform after aether induction. They require weekly (very small) injections of aether to survive on top of their other nutritional needs. Unlike demis, espers are not immune to aether transformation; simply much more naturally resistant to it. Espers can use aether technology; special technology you control with your mind.

  • Demis
    (Examples of demis; lamia, elves, gnomes, golems, alraune, treants, elementals, slimes, fairies, anthros, human/animal hybrids, spirits, harpies, mermaids...)
    Demis are humans whose bodies changed during safe aether infusion, becoming something very similar to a silvae. Their new body is powered by quanta more so than other forms of life, allowing their body to take on more physically improbable forms naturally, such as incorporeal beings or beings made of an element of nature. There are also demis who are more 'ordinary,' such as a subspecies that looks a lot like humans, though with pointed ears.

    Demis are fortunate to be completely resistant to any further aether transformation.

  • Silvae
    (Examples of silvae; lamia, elves, gnomes, golems, alraune, treants, elementals, slimes, fairies, anthros, human/animal hybrids, spirits, harpies, mermaids...)
    Silvae are sentient beings very closely tied to quanta, yet unlike demis, silvae bodies are not only powered by quanta but they also control quanta, though to an extent quanta also affects them. They can physically perceive and 'feel' quanta, whereas demis are only automatically powered by it. A fair comparison is the difference between breathing consciously and unconsciously. This gives silvae naturally obtained powers over nature/physics that demis do not have access to. Every silvae identifies particularly with one element of quanta, such as Fire. a 'Fire' silvae would probably get along well with a 'Lightning' silvae, who is in the same aspect as that silvae. This control over quanta also affects them in kind, coloring their perception of the world around them. Many of them feel a strong connection with nature and typically judge people or places based on the quanta that's expressed. This can make silvae appear paranoid or alien, making decisions based on things that no human or demi understands. Silvae subspecies and demi subspecies are physically identical.

  • Genesin
    (Think; Corrupted silvae.)
    Genesin are silvae who were exposed to any level of dangerous aether. While they do not always change in shape, genesin are well known for a few things. First, a huge portion of them are hostile to any non-genesin. Second, genesin breathe out aether, slowly saturating whatever environment they inhabit with the raw energy. Third, genesin share some form of telepathic link with one another, though that third point is less well known than the first two. Any powers that genesin had available as silvae are amplified and any technology they come across may merge with their body symbiotically.

  • Mutants
    (Think: Corrupted demis)
    Mutants are humans whose bodies changed during unsafe aether exposure. They share some similarities with genesin, such as their symbiotic merging with technology and their hostility to non-mutants, but they lack a telepathic link. They do not usually consider genesin hostile and vice versa.

  • Superfauna
    (Think: Corrupted wildlife)
    Superfauna are non-humans whose bodies changed during unsafe aether exposure. They are typically more adaptable, hostile and generally stronger than their normal fauna counterparts. They typically respond more favorably to commands issued by mutants or genesin.
  • Gearbits are small crystalline chips used in quantum technology and are integral for processing quanta. Most quantum tech found requires new gearbits to function and, often, need to be partially rebuilt to function at full power. Most mechanics liken it to an 'update,' as even perfectly preserved technology often needs new gearbits and some reassembly to function properly. The question remains, then; why would technology kept in a safe place made by some advanced society be built in an ineffective manner?

  • Quantum Technology is technology which utilizes quanta to function. There are very few limits to quantum tech. For example, a quantum bracer using 'Repose' quanta could create holographic images simply by turning refined distortion quanta into air that refracts light in a specific way. Boots using 'Dispersal' quanta can allow the wearer to walk on water by consuming Dispersal quanta to modify the water the boots are walking on temporarily, preventing the boots from submerging into said water surface.

  • Quantum Brewing is the art of creating concoctions which use quanta to modify the substance in question, giving it otherwise impossible capabilities. 'Repose' quanta could be used to create a potion that allows a fish to breathe air or a human to breathe water upon ingestion, for example! These odd substances can be applied to objects as well, such as using 'Repose' quanta to create objects which always float at a certain altitude, or at least until the substance's enchantment wears off.

  • Aether Technology is similar to quanta technology, but specifically refers to something that can only be powered by aether. Aether technology is not exactly capable of anything quantum technology can't do; the difference, then, is revealed with the fact that aether technology is controlled through thoughts, something quanta can't do. It becomes much easier to use and adapt to unique technology when it can react like an addition to your own body. What's more, aether technology can have many more creative uses when you're not limited to rudimentary means of use like verbal commands or other primitive user-machine interfaces.

    Aether technology can only be used by mutants, genesin or espers.
  • Lucent Academy
    A location for Lucent Academy. They would have many.

    The Lucent Academy is a meritocratic organization which specializes in the salvage, repair and handling of all forms of technology. They are seen as an eccentric organization with questionable methods for a variety of reasons; their only members are orphans or naturally born as a Lucent, for example. Furthermore, the Academy is not above subterfuge and outright theft to obtain technology they deem dangerous or otherwise important. If that wasn't bad enough, every Lucent is required to go through a tradition that will give them an aether infusion if they wish to have full rights as a Lucent. Considering how many humans become demis after aether infusion, most humans don't see that as very favorable. Silvae in particular typically see the Lucent Academy as very dangerous due to their use of aether, something which is highly dangerous for a silvae to ever encounter. Even so, it wouldn't be unheard of for silvae to become a Lucent for a variety of reasons. Naturally, silvae can become full members without needing to go through the aether infusion trial.

    Lucent Academy recruitment typically swells whenever an 'aether surge' hits a populated area, an event where large amounts of aether overtake a large span of land. Lucents typically have a vested interest to contain aether when found and pouplated areas hit by aether typically have many orhpans amongst their ranks.

    Life within the Lucent Academy itself is generally of high standard. Food isn't hard to come by and their affinity for technology and quantum brewing can make typical life chores much less of a hassle! However, many Lucents tend to be eccentric due to the nature of their studies; often times paranoid of other Lucents stealing their hard-earned work and claiming it as their own. Much of the Academy is marred by needles passwords, secrets and defense mechanisms that hinder their own members as much as it would hinder an outsider.
Do note that this 'primary premise' is mainly for people who don't have any particular ideas themselves but are still interested in the roleplay, or for people who are curious as to how a roleplay might proceed for Zercor.

Here's a bit about the character I want to feature, what she will inevitably look like. Most of her story is flexible, the below is just one idea I have for her.

Final Form/image (Not Safe For Work)
[spoili]
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[/spoili]

She would have been a part of the Lucent Academy who transformed into a demi after she went through the aether infusion trial. Maybe your character would have been present during this trial. They could have had plenty of reasons; following Lucent activity because your character (or their superiors) distrust Lucent activity, someone interested in following Lucents around because they usually find valuable technology, someone who just happens to run into my character during their trial, or perhaps your character was also a Lucent and was either 1. helping the trial or 2. also undergoing their own trial. The trial took place in a still-functional ruin somewhere in Zercor.

Regardless, my character's trial would have had an unforeseen consequence; your character would have come into contact with an unusual artifact that reacted to the presence of both of our characters in unison.
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If both of our characters touched the monolith simultaneously, the monolith would change, opening up to reveal a very well secured holding chamber of metal with a handle lock mechanism. Upon grabbing and twisting the handle to unlock, they would be able to pull out a cylinder holding a bright polychromatic semi-solid crystal, never sustaining any single shape. Upon pulling it out, however, the crystal would disappear in a flash of light!

The crystal disappeared because it imprinted on both of our characters. It could cause a transformation for your character if you want, or not - that's 100% up to you! Regardless, this imprinting links our characters together.

The extent at which this links our characters together is up to you as well. It could just be that maybe we have a bit of an empathic link between each other, or maybe our characters physically depend on one another to some extent. For example, the thought ocurred to me that maybe your character became a mermaid (meria), but they need to sleep inside of my character's body and can breathe in it like water. Your character would shrink in size whenever they get their head inside of my character's body, like down to a big goldfish or something. When they leave, they'd eventually grow in size. Just a thought, this is all just theorycrafting!

Regardless, this link would also eventually draw them to an unexplored, massive ruin that had yet to be opened by anyone previously. Throughout the roleplay we would have to unlock this large ruin/dungeon over time by exploring more of Zercor for more monoliths holding these strange crystals. Gaining more of them could give our characters special powers if you wanted, as well, but they don't have to. Again, just theorycrafting!

Regardless, our characters would also run into secondary problems as they're drawn to this 'primary' end goal. Like finding communities attacked by monsters as they explore, political intrigue between budding city-states or tribes or what-not, the gradual reveal of an overall antagonistic force behind aether surges, and other antagonists to boot who'll come and go!

This event would naturally garner a lot of interest from the Lucent Academy and they'd undoubtedly try to get your character swept up in their investigations even if they didn't want to get involved!
 
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This is a noteworthy date as I re-wrote the introduction to Zercor as a setting from scratch! It should be a lot more fun to read and give a better feel of the setting, I hope. I'm good at the reiteration of ideas, if nothing else. I also added more pictures, changed up some descriptions, changed Quanta a bit, it was a big edit.
 
I would like to express my interest and while reading I had a few ideas for characters. You also said, "Do note that this 'primary premise' is mainly for people who don't have any particular ideas themselves..." so does this mean I can suggest ideas to you or is your plan to keep close to what you have written in the Primary Premise?
 
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Interested after a quick skim but will read in detail further
 
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As of very early 3/16/2017 ((like 0100 my time)) I have to put a hold on accepting more people into this roleplay. I garnered a lot more support for it than I thought I would ((I was expecting someone interested in maybe a week, and even then maybe not interested enough)) and I would be doing all of my roleplayers a disservice if I took on more partners. To that end I apologize! Who knows what the future may bring, though, as plans don't always go as planned.

I was exhausted when I went to sleep at that time, so I'm sorry I didn't post this up sooner.
 
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