The Music Masters: Audio Generation [OOC and Sign-Ups]

K

K. El-Amrani

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So this is probably my fourth RP set up by now. I love juggling so many RP's at once, honestly.

So a little back story first.

I have this original "series" idea I've been working on for the last three years. I say the word series because its expanded so far out into its own universe that just using the word "story" is no longer sufficient. So it's a "series" idea, which I've recently been converting into RP's just for the fun of it. However, all these RP's are turning out to be much better than I thought they would turn out...

Anyway, here's the idea, and the reason why I need three players!
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The official title is The Music Masters: Audio Generation. It is one of the multiple Music Masters arcs that I have envisioned up to this point.

This particular story happens to be the most important arc, the main arc, I guess you could call it. In this alternate universe, everything is pretty much the same save for the existence of Music Masters; human beings with the ability to channel superhuman powers from songs. They do this by Harmonizing, which basically translates to intense visualization while listening to any song, which will within a second or two create a colorful, crazy and often surreal power or effect. Music Masters lurk beneath modern society, under the watch of Zero Beat, a powerful organization of Music Masters that has taken it upon themselves to keep watch on their kin. However, Zero Beat is pretty corrupt, and will resort to lethal force, bribery, memory manipulation, and all manner of persuasion to keep their kind in line. Through shaky alliances with most world governments and incalculable connections and funds to the real world music industry, their power is vast enough that they've actually managed to keep Music Masters a secret from the majority of the normal populace for the last seventy years.

For a very detailed and intense description on Music Masters and their universe in general, please read the spoiler below. Be warned, it is long...



[SPOILI] THE RULES OF A MUSIC MASTERS POWERS






  • A Music Master is a person with the ability to channel a superhuman power or effect from a piece of music. No two Music Masters will ever have the same effect for a specific song, since all Music Masters hear the same music differently.
  • A Music Master must ALWAYS have a direct source of music within reasonable auditory range, or any song effects under their control will instantly fade out of existence.
  • Music Masters cannot switch songs in less than a 1-2 second interval. This will cause a dangerous condition known as Harmonic Overload, which degrades the ear drums and at worse can cause a deadly aneurysm. However, this limit can be bypassed while under Perfect Beat (see below)
  • In order for a Music Master to Harmonize with a specific song, intense mental visualization is required. This process will usually take from half a second to five seconds, depending on the experience level of said Music Master. Once Harmonization is achieved, the song effect will instantly manifest.
  • Song effects are broadly separated as the following; Projection effects, Modification effects, and Sentinel effects. Exceptions to these three categories are quite possible, however.
  • Projection effects are the projection of Harmonizeo for some purpose. They are usually light-based effects that can on take an unlimited array of color. Their effects are anything imaginable.
  • Modification effects involve Harmonizeo being used to modify a current physical form. They are usually light based and colorful, but some effects are incredibly discrete and hard to spot. These effects can be anything imaginable.
  • Sentinels are the equivalent of war beasts or bodyguards for Music Masters. Their appearance can be anything imaginable. Sentinels are always made of pure Harmonizeo, despite what they might feel or look like. Their intelligence varies from Sentinel to Sentinel.
  • Audio Emergence is a term used to describe a Music Master using their powers for the first times, whether voluntarily or involuntarily.
  • Audio Emergence usually occurs at adolescence, though it is possible for it to occur at any point in one's life. The biggest sign of a future Music Master is a person who can see music's physical form drifting before them. This is often mistaken as synethesia.
  • After Audio Emergence, Music Masters gain the ability to Multi-Hear. This allows them to clearly hear multiple sources of sound at once, without any chaotic intermixing.
  • When song effects are active, Music Masters within a dozen feet will be able to clearly hear the song in question playing around the Music Master channeling its effect.
  • Harmonic Overdrive is a state that Music Masters can enter when they Harmonize with live music playing within a close vicinity of them. They're powers function regularly, but a Music Master can choose to start Harmonic Overdrive during the duration of the live song. In Harmonic Overdrive, the power of any song effect increases dramatically, but at the cost of a Music Master's energy. The quick burst of power offered by Harmonic Overdrive will reduce a lively Music Master into an exhausted heap, so this state is an effective last resort at best.
  • High level Music Masters are collectively known as Track Masters. A Track Master is a Music Master who is proficient with more than a hundred songs and is capable of achieving a state known as Perfect Beat.
  • Perfect Beat is a state in which a Music Masters body and mind become overtaken by what is known as Pure Harmonizeo. Pure Harmonizeo is completely pitch black in color, and the state of Perfect Beat effectively turns a Music Master into a silhouette, save for their eyes and headphones, which glow in a specific color unique to them. This state is involuntary for many Music Masters, and functions as a fail-safe when a Music Master's life is in danger. Experienced Music Masters can initiate it through visualization, though it will take a toll on their bodies. In Perfect Beat, a Music Master's song effects will function at what they perceive as their most powerful. However, this is a psychological limit, and the levels of power attained in Perfect Beat do not represent a song effect's true potential. Perfect Beat allows Harmonic Combos, which allow a Music Master to link songs together without overloading themselves. The downside to Perfect Beat is that Music Masters will have an altered state of mind dependent on the individual's personality, and their mindset can be unpredictable.
  • Pure Harmonizeo can also be tapped into via instruments and voice. Through an instrument of music, more powerful song effects can be achieved, but at the loss of the benefits of Perfect Beat. In addition, perfection on any instrument is required to manifest song effects, for without a perfect imitation of said song they will fail to manifest or fade away mid-song.
  • The Soundscape is another dimension that is the source of all Harmonizeo, the energy source that serves as a catalyst for all song effects. It is where all music composed in our physical universe takes on physical form. It is a chaotic limbo of surreal shapes, and its landscape changes so rapidly that one can become lost after only a few miles of walking. The Soundscape varies in appearance, but all its different forms have some sort of nod to music. There are guitar-forests, towering amps, drum canyons, oceans of liquified CD's, plains of vinyl disks, and other fantastical landmarks. There is not one speck of organic life in this dimension, but it almost functions as if it has a life of its own. Music Masters remain to be the only beings that can enter the Soundscape without succumbing to the insanity of all the world's songs playing at the same time. Music Masters will hear nothing in the Soundscape, and gain the ability to voluntarily enter Perfect Beat even if they normally wouldn't be able to. It is not currently known how one can enter the Soundscape from the material universe.
  • Circles are organization of Music Masters united through a common goal, mindset, genre of music or just about anything else. They are relatively informal unless their leaders are wealthy. The largest Circles have hundreds of members and dozens of bases of operation. Circles frequently war with one another, and these conflicts may or may not be stopped by Zero Beat, depending on the circumstances or the bribes involved.






ZERO BEAT



  • Zero Beat is the largest and arguably most powerful Circle of Music Masters in the world. They operate in nearly all countries, and their role among Music Masters could be described as a self-proclaimed police force. Their main purpose is to handle any normal people who happen to witness Music Master-related events and to keep other Music Masters in line. They silence those who have “seen too much” through intimidation, bribery, memory alteration and even deadly force. In addition, Zero Beat reprimands Music Masters who publicly display their powers, even in the case of Audio Emergence. They are not above killing or imprisoning newly born Music Masters. Zero Beat is tied to the real world music industry, and so their funds are near-infinite and their resources vast. They also maintain shaky alliances with major world governments in order to keep their kind above the public eye. Zero Beat operates through a rank system, with its members having the ability to go up in rank based on their performance in the field. However, it is not uncommon for new members to unfairly find their way into the higher ranks though bribery or favoritism. All Zero Beat members have burned on their right palm a number when they are first inducted. These numbers are scanned when a Zero Beat member attempts to enter a Symphon, which are secret bases built around areas where a certain branch of Zero Beat may operate. Some of the more obvious Symphons might pose as nightclubs, record company buildings or discotheques. Zero Beat members are almost always recruited at a young age, where they are new as Music Masters and very impressionable. They undergo intense psycho-therapy and brainwashing to ensure loyalty, and they also receive training that gives them great control over their assigned songs in the shortest amount of time. The ranks of Zero Beat are as follows:



  • First Beat ~ The first rank of Zero Beat. These are the grunts of Zero Beat, and they tend to be the least bright and most reckless. First Beats are usually the ones sent out first when Zero Beat finds itself in any large confrontations. This rank can be bullied by all other ranks. They are given their uniforms upon induction, which are stark white trenchcoats that go down to the ankles. In addition, they are given Z-Phones, which are white orb-shaped headphones that clamp down around the user's ears. Z-Phones are extremely durable and are resistant to intense heat, blunt force and other forms of damage.
  • Melodico ~ The second rank of Zero Beat. Melodicos have the ability to take on one First Beat as there protege. Their task is to train their protege to be a competent member of Zero Beat, and the reward for achieving this task is supposed to be a rank up. In reality, this is rarely done. Melodicos receive a red Zero Beat emblem on their trenchcoat when they reach the rank.
  • Rythmer ~ The third rank of Zero Beat. Rythmers have Melodicos below them which they themselves are supposed to train. Rythmers have the benefit of having their own living space within any Symphon owned by their branch. However, Rythmers can be ranked down back to First Beat if they make any mistakes in the eyes of their superiors. Rythmers receive a blue Zero Beat emblem on their trenchcoat when they reach the rank.
  • Second Beat ~ The fourth rank of Zero Beat. Second Beat is the first rank to earn a trenchcoat with an alternate color. Their trenchcoats are silver. Second Beats answer directly to a much higher Third Beat, and the Second Beat rank is usually where favoritism within Zero Beat begins. A Second Beat can easily make it to Third Beat if they play their cards right.
  • Choruson ~ The fifth rank of Zero Beat. Chorusons are usually prevalent within the real world music industry, having double lives as successful musicians or music producers. Chorusons use the resources they gain to directly fund what they will gain in their next rank; the construction of a Symphon they will oversee and own. Chorusons receive a green Zero Beat emblem on their trenchcoat when they reach the rank.
  • Third Beat ~ The sixth rank of Zero Beat. Upon reaching Third Beat, the person in question is awarded with a gold trenchcoat, and they gain a Symphon assigned to them by one of the Harmonic Lords. Third Beats take all those underneath them to their new Symphon, and it is at this point that a new branch of Zero Beat has been established. Third Beats are frequent rule-breakers, and many of their chaotic actions are ignored by the Harmonic Lords. For most members of Zero Beat, making the Third Beat happy is essential to ranking up.
  • Fourth Beat ~ The final and highest rank of Zero Beat. It is unknown exactly how many Fourth Beats there are, but the number is said to be somewhere around thirty. Fourth Beats have supervision over multiple branches of Third Beats, and the Fourth Beats are the ones who receive the most benefits of Zero Beat's funding from the music industry. All Fourth Beats are also Track Masters, so their power and skill is vast. It is also nearly impossible for a Third Beat to rank up to Fourth Beat, and the few instances where rank ups have happened involved the planned death of a previous Fourth Beat who was replaced by a Third Beat “successor.” Fourth Beats wear a emerald trenchcoats and have Z-Phones that are a color of their choice. Some Fourth Beats even opt to do away with the standard Zero Beat uniform.





THE POP 5



  • The Pop 5 are a group of five Music Masters who change according the to music of each decade. They were created by Zero Beat, and though their ultimate loyalty is to Zero Beat, it is most of the time to themselves. The Pop 5's ranks change every decade, and each member of the group is assigned to use music from a single popular artist in the specific decade they are currently operating in. The Music Masters who are a part of the Pop 5 are inducted as teenagers, and they tend to be Music Masters who show incredible potential. Through specialized training, they reach a power level with songs that many Music Masters their age could only dream of. The Pop 5, in return for their loyalty to Zero Beat, are heavily pampered and spoiled, and they are allowed to live in the splendor of the 5 Penthouse, located in the large skyscraper Symphon in New York City that Zero Beat disguises as a record company building. Among the normal populace, the Pop 5 sometimes masquerade as celebrities or accomplished musicians, but among Music Masters they are greatly feared. With a license to kill and take what they want, the Pop 5 usually cause more havoc even when they've been sent to stop conflicts. At the start of the year 2010, the current Pop 5 uses the artists Kanye West, Lady GaGa, Michael Jackson, The Beatles and Blink-182.


[/SPOILI]

The characters that I want to be the main cast of this prospective RP are detailed below. They've been tweaked and fixed over the last three years, with one of them being a contribution from an old friend of mine. Below each I linked a drawing that serves as an accurate picture of what they look like. I'll be playing Michael Jason Kay, and the remaining three I'm looking for to be played by a guy and two girls respectively, since those are their respective genders. (if that's within the rules of Iwaku, I forget honestly)

There's a lot that's been predetermined about these characters, but the reason I want to do this RP is because I'd like to see how other people portray and handle them. What's described below is just a base, really, and aside from the genre they prefer, their character "themes", their main song effects (they still each get four more over the course of the story), and their appearance, there's a lot of room for growth into realms that I might not imagine. Other players will provide a different perspective, I think.

It is the year 2011, and Michael Jason Kay is a Music Master in waiting. He doesn't know it, but he's on the edge of the emergence of his latent abilities, which will pretty much turn his life upside down. Seventeen years old and obsessed with the 1970's and his bass player uncle, he is oblivious, clumsy, happy-go-lucky and gullible to a fault. To make things worse, not only does he not understand the powers he's recently gained, but he has no idea that the music he intends to use will only spark suspicion and anger from those in Zero Beat, stemming from an bloody conflict that occurred years ago...

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His character theme is Main Vein By Jamiroquai, and he uses disco music. I've taken care of his song effects.

Kim Ramone
has been a Music Master for over a year, and not once has it helped quell the incredible anger lurking in her psyche. Always looking for a fight and a reason to complain, Kim has developed in a vile person in the last eight years, ever since her brother Seth was taken from her due to a car crash. Stronger than she looks, and with a mouth that makes a sailor sound clean, the last thing Kim needed now was to cross paths with some afro-headed idiot who managed to lead Zero Beat right to her doorstep...

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Her character theme is Walking Disaster By SUM 41, and she uses punk rock music. Her main song effect is described below.

Walking Disaster by SUM 41: This song allows Kim to manifest four-fingered, tentacle-like appendages that sprout directly out of the ground. They are made of Harmonizeo, and take on a glowing maroon color. The arms are relatively mindless, and will rip and tear at anything they can get their hands on if left unattended. Their strength is incredible and they can wrench even the strongest metal apart easily. The limit of the amount of arms that can be created, as well as their length, is unknown, and they can be controlled by Kim's thoughts.


Aeris Fairfield
had always wondered what the big city would be like, and Manhattan completely annihilated whatever was left from her expectation. Dirty, smog-filled, and teeming with seemingly unfriendly people; not at all like the wonderful Texas that she remembered growing up in. Stuck at her job in a large midtown music store called Audio Empire, Aeris continues to turn to God and her family whenever her problems become to frustrating. And it doesn't help that she's a Music Master too, and little does she know that someone's out there watching her, hunting her...

This Fragile Breath by Todd Agnew: This song allows Aeris to create silver lightning bolts from her hands which she can launch at her opponents. The lightning can easily destroy concrete, granite, wood and similar materials, but is non-lethal to human flesh. However, it can damage the skin on Aeris's hands, which is why she wears her black fingerless gloves at all times.

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Her character theme is This Fragile Breath By Todd Agnew, and she uses Christian rock and country music. Her main song effect is described below.

Calvin Altberg trusts no one. Everyone is the same in his eyes; just another person for him to con, just another sucker to take advantage of. A natural drifter for as long as he can remember, he has no real memory of his family or his past home. One of the more slippery Music Masters, he's made many enemies over the course of his life, but nothing close to someone he could call a friend. But that's all about to change when he meets an certain Michael Kay on one fateful day...

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His character theme is Angel In The Night By Basshunter, and he uses electronica music. His main song effect is described below.

Angel In The Night by Basshunter: This song allows Calvin to manifest sinewy techno-armor that covers every inch of his skin except his hair. Instead of his usual blonde hair, Calvin's hair becomes a light copper. The armor is neon yellow in color with red veins pulsing throughout it. In this armor form, Calvin can fire bolts of neon light that detonate on impact, and can fly at great speeds under his own power. The armor is fragile, however, and can easily pummeled into submission.

Really, when it comes to all this, I want to see how creative people can be with something I originally created. I've always wanted to create this story with the help of three other people. One of the reasons I find RPing to be so much fun is because people can pool their ideas together to create a truly fantastic story. And that's what I want to do with this; create an epic and truly fantastic story on the scale of works like Avatar: The Last Airbender. I understand how specific I'm being when I ask people to play specific characters that I've already kind of worked on, so I don't expect too many posts. Still, I'm going to try, because maybe somebody is interested in all this, and maybe I'll get lucky.

PM me or post here if you're interested. Exact rules and posting and such will be figured out once I see if there's any interest. Also, there's still quite a bit about the characters that hasn't been said yet, as I'll wait on people first before I subject myself to more typing...

 
Is it wrong that I kinda want to make another character than the ones you have listed? The character would be opera based and... Well, the voice is a powerful weapon. The words a man says can cripple their foes and make their allies achieve greatness... As well as summon a powerful goblin by the name of Erlking.

Would a mentor be alright for this roleplay, or should I pack the idea away for now?
 
Is it wrong that I kinda want to make another character than the ones you have listed? The character would be opera based and... Well, the voice is a powerful weapon. The words a man says can cripple their foes and make their allies achieve greatness... As well as summon a powerful goblin by the name of Erlking.

Would a mentor be alright for this roleplay, or should I pack the idea away for now?

There's nothing wrong with that at all. The only thing is that I've done that many, many times, and so far the RP seems to always only work if it's just me and one other person. This is mainly because things...get boring, or people change the storyline too much or maybe I've been on sites with uncreative people.

I am open to ideas, of course. The mentor thing sounds cool. It's just that I have been waiting so long to get three other experienced RPers like myself who'd actually be willing to play the three other characters and help me create the best story/RP ever. The problem is that it's incredibly hard to find those people...

It depends on who answers to this thread really. But I'll consider your idea, because it's good. Sorry. I am being beyond specific with all this, I know.
 
Thats fine... Lets see...You were talking about headphones but what about someone who can not only remember songs but play them in their head? Like songs are ear worms and their head is a giant apple ripe for the digging?
 
Thats fine... Lets see...You were talking about headphones but what about someone who can not only remember songs but play them in their head? Like songs are ear worms and their head is a giant apple ripe for the digging?

In one of the arcs, specifically one in 2037, The Music Masters: Futuresound, Music Masters become public knowledge to the rest of the world, and soon after breakthroughs are made in PsiBeat technology. These are basically chips that are implanted in the brain, and can actually play songs inside the mind simply by force of thought. In addition, I was thinking of making a deaf character for the present era, Audio Generation, and he manifests song effects by feeling the vibrations of the songs themselves and Harmonizing with them through that.

I guess those two things are the closest to what you're trying to say?
 
I'd like to snag the position of Kim Ramone, if that's alright with you? c:

I was wondering, however, if I would be allowed to change the name. xD If not, that's fine, I just figured I'd ask. I intend to keep everything else the same.