- Posting Speed
- One post per week
- Online Availability
- 5-11 EST weekdays, anytime weekends.
- Writing Levels
- Give-No-Fucks
- Adept
- Advanced
- Douche
- Adaptable
- Preferred Character Gender
- Primarily Prefer Female
- Genres
- Superhero, urban fantasy, space opera, crime thriller, supernatural
Concept: The modern world has - courtesy of some 'Lovecraftian' horror - found itself in an era of superhumans. In a world of dramatically shifted power dynamics, cities run by Powered gangs, and some air of mystery, members of the PRIT (Powered/Protective Response and Investigation Team, colloquially known as The Fuck Squad) do what they do best: save the wor- or maybe just whatever they can get their hands on.
Influences: Anybody who's read Worm, the brilliant web-novella, will probably pick up that a lot of the background stuff is heavily inspired by it.
Genres: superhuman, dark, some sort of weird gang-land intrigue, a sort of haphazard police/special forces deal, although hopefully straying away from the 'procedural' in police procedural, mystery.
The following details the general conceit and lore of Listener.
Certain preview details of pertinent characters can also be found here.
On the fifteenth day of April, 2013, satellites and ships traversing throughout the Pacific saw the Harbinger of end times.
A gargantuan colossus of tendrils and feathers, black sinew mottled together like endless string. It stood within the ocean, and its entire torso poked out from the waters. It was not faceless, but it was inscrutable, its eyes peering out - aimlessly, at first, until the first ship-crew swore that it gazed at them through its peripherals. For seventy-three days, it stood vigil - and not a single ship or plane dared cross its path.
The media dubbed it as some sort of scientific anomaly. American media - tinged with Judeo-Christian rhetoric as it was - likened it to the Four Horsemen, a sign of the end. The world erupted into bedlam, as they anticipated the next move of this… foreign invader. The committees that held themselves accountable for our safety and protection, in a wistful gallows-humor sort of way, dubbed it 'JUDE'.
As it happened, the hooplah was for naught, as Jude descended into the depths, and did nothing. It was dubbed, then, as the Calamity That Wasn't. More accurately, however, it was the Catamity That Hadn't Been… Just Yet.
The first incidence of Powered Human came on the day of its submerging.
Influences: Anybody who's read Worm, the brilliant web-novella, will probably pick up that a lot of the background stuff is heavily inspired by it.
Genres: superhuman, dark, some sort of weird gang-land intrigue, a sort of haphazard police/special forces deal, although hopefully straying away from the 'procedural' in police procedural, mystery.
The following details the general conceit and lore of Listener.
Certain preview details of pertinent characters can also be found here.
The Calamity That Wasn't
On the fifteenth day of April, 2013, satellites and ships traversing throughout the Pacific saw the Harbinger of end times.
A gargantuan colossus of tendrils and feathers, black sinew mottled together like endless string. It stood within the ocean, and its entire torso poked out from the waters. It was not faceless, but it was inscrutable, its eyes peering out - aimlessly, at first, until the first ship-crew swore that it gazed at them through its peripherals. For seventy-three days, it stood vigil - and not a single ship or plane dared cross its path.
The media dubbed it as some sort of scientific anomaly. American media - tinged with Judeo-Christian rhetoric as it was - likened it to the Four Horsemen, a sign of the end. The world erupted into bedlam, as they anticipated the next move of this… foreign invader. The committees that held themselves accountable for our safety and protection, in a wistful gallows-humor sort of way, dubbed it 'JUDE'.
As it happened, the hooplah was for naught, as Jude descended into the depths, and did nothing. It was dubbed, then, as the Calamity That Wasn't. More accurately, however, it was the Catamity That Hadn't Been… Just Yet.
The first incidence of Powered Human came on the day of its submerging.
-
The current year is 2017, and the world is still shaken from the Calamity That Wasn't. While the - dubbed by some as - 'Lovecraftian' giant appeared to do little in the way of world-ending, his submerging beneath the Pacific Ocean came on a fateful day. The first known case of a human exhibiting metaphysical powers. 'The Burning Man' as he was called, erupted into flames within minutes of Jude's submerging.
He did not die, as the flames in truth did not burn him, they became him just as he became the flames. The world's first pyrokinetic. On the very same day, thousands of incidents of Powered individuals became known - with many of them ending in chaos at best, tragedy at worst.
Eventually, the world realized it would just have to cope. The rising of a new sub-race of sorts, the Powereds, necessitated changes in policy, and the way the world approached matters of infrastructure, military and economy. A select few Powereds were potent enough to register as international-level military threats all on their own, while even more arose that had it in them to shift the power dynamic on a municipal to city level. Over the years, came the startling realization that, for whatever reason, power incidence was higher amongst the 'problem populous'; the socio-economically disadvantaged who had a tendency to turn to crime and violence.
This occurred on a global scale. America's own answer was to establish the PRIT - the Protective/Powered Response and Investigation Team - a unit comprised of Powereds and Normals alike, instituted to combat the dangers to come. -
About ten percent of the world population - no small figure - can be considered a Powered, humans blessed with unfathomable abilities - to bend nature, themselves, minds and other such phenomena. The comic book dreams of superhumans made reality.
As stated in the Lore section, incidence of Powereds seem to be highest amongst the socio-economically troubled, those likely to turn to crime and violence. Despite this, however, there is no outright proven link between the manifestation of powers and one's current situation at time of manifestation. While there have been cases of those near-death manifesting powers to save themselves, there have also been cases of well-adjusted, happily married middle-aged men who on one otherwise incredibly uneventful day, suddenly manifest. Along similar lines, Powereds are not necessarily known to have abilities that correspond with their background or personality (although, of course, the numbers game means that it certainly does happen).
The nature of Powereds have changed the dynamics of the world (and in this rp's case, America) entirely. In particular, their rate of occurrence amongst prospective criminals have led to an era of increased criminality and violence. Criminal organizations - now typically armed with their own retinue of Powereds - hold an increased influence in society; after all, extortion is much easier done by a superhuman.
One final lore note is that an even smaller percentage of Powereds are known to experience recurring voices and visions in their head. The voices are known to vary - being voices from an individual's past, or newly conceived ones entirely - but the visions have a recurring theme: the face of Jude, flickering in and out. Those that experience these visions are termed 'Listeners', and in many cases serve as the foundation for new religious sects and cults.
OOCly, however, it should be noted that player characters should not have the following types of powers: mind-reading, mind-control, time travel, and instantaneous teleportation of self or others. -
All player characters will be part of, or at least heavily associated with, the PRIT.
The PRIT (Powered/Protective Response and Investigation Team) came about when the powers that be quickly realized that experience was all well and good, until you became horrifically outgunned by a superhuman. The PRIT was established to, first and foremost, pluck Powereds off the street, and then mold them into upstanding operatives with a singular directive: maintain order against those who would use their powers for crime. To mixed results.
In practice the PRIT is an esoteric, poorly organized group of Powereds and Normals who nonetheless have quite a bit of experience dealing with other Powereds. While some of their number are model professionals, maverick-syndrome and problems with authority run rampant throughout the rest of PRIT. With that said, they have a track record for effectiveness in light of the job's difficulties; the mavericks of the PRIT, for this reason, have grown fond of the PRIT's primary nickname - The Fuck Squad.
The PRIT is considered a federal entity, and are given a high degree of autonomy. As far as jurisdiction goes, they naturally have first crack at any matter that deals with a Powered. The player characters of the PRIT will function in the New Jersey and New York jurisdictions (which are merged jurisdictions).
It should be noted that while PRIT members are typically known to do their own thing, there is one commonly spouted mantra. When it comes to Powereds: shoot first, and shoot to kill.
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The story of our particular unit will begin with the case of missing girl Allison Munir, daughter of New Jersey Governor Arnold Munir, and her dog. A documented 'Listener', persons of interest in her case include the notorious Camerata Clan.
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