- Invitation Status
- Posting Speed
- 1-3 posts per week
- Writing Levels
- Prestige
- Preferred Character Gender
- Male
- Primarily Prefer Male
Sacramento, California, January 1st 2021
The force of the blast tore the city apart. Skyscrapers crumbled like towers of sand, city blocks vaporized in minutes. Millions died in a single breath. Millions more were distorted, stretched thin, broken down and reconstructed into things that were not wholly human.
The first Rift shattered the world in more ways than one. Its origin is unknown, as is every other Rift that followed. Some claimed the phenomenon to be natural, others man-made. Secret government experiment, terrorist attack, alien invasion, a thousand and one theories floated on the wind mattering not at all while the only important truth remained.
A new era of infinite, beautiful, terrible possibilities had arrived.
-
On New Year's Eve of 2021, the First Rift opened in Sacramento, California, United States. Reality cracked like glass, the force of it destroying most of the city and killing millions. The Rift hung in the sky for 2 hours, black as obsidian, black as a moonless night, then closed without any apparent cause or warning sign.
The country, the entire world went into crisis at the face of what appeared to be the largest and most devastating terrorist attack in history. The state of emergency was quickly enacted. All were looking for someone to blame, all saved their outrage, horror and enmity just waiting for an enemy to finally be pointed out.
It wasn't until the survivors started exhibiting unnatural reactions and abilities that the all knew there was more to the phenomenon than any terrorist attack could account for.
We human, our psyche is full of wonderful things, beautiful things, terrible things. What would happen if they are unleashed, every dream, every ambition, every nightmare?
The second Rift appeared in a small town in Romania. The third Manchester, England. And the fourth, and the fifth. These were smaller, sometimes even miniscule, barely detectable. The size and effect varies without predictable pattern. Reality itself seemed to be falling apart.
The United States of America was devastated by the disaster. Social and economical stability vanished seemingly overnight, cultural and technological development stagnated as the country tried to recover. Trust in the institution was at an all time low, sparking riots, opposition and discontent in most major cities.
Now, 5 years later, the spark of rebellion and anarchy had disappeared from the surface, but lingered in the bones and muscles of the country like cancer, devouring it from the inside. Perhaps if you close your eyes and pretend very hard, peace would appear at the tip of your fingers, like a tangible dream one can taste but never hold. -
The exposure to the Rifts changes people in ways that even now can barely be understood.
They are called Distortions, those altered. D.T.
The tear in reality somehow blurs the boundary between the mental and the physical, manifesting distorted impressions, memories and desire in the real world, binding one's soul with the thing that was created.
An orphan yearning for a family gained the ability to summon creatures that fulfil their every whim, making him feel wanted, making him feel loved. Killing those he disliked. Eventually the child is spoiled into an inhuman monster through no fault of their own, because who can blame a lonely child for wanting to be loved?
A woman who survived a fire and scarred by it gained the ability to suck heat out of things with a touch, a furnace, a river, a human body. The horror in her face when she froze her husband's blood in his veins was of no consequence to the Rift who granted her wish to never be burned by fire again.
A girl who was raped became something irresistible to men, exhaling temptation and sweating sex. One could argue that it was only self-defence when a fanged maw hidden beneath her dress ripped opened the men's guts and devoured their organs moments after they fell into bed. After all, she had been hurt before, so never again.
D.T.s are not monsters by choice, not always. They make do with the cards they are dealt and the temptations that followed. One can blame the dealer, but never the players, for they are neither in control of the game nor the hand they held.
But a smart man, a reasonable man always knew to fear the players for the things they had no choice but to become.
-
Sacramento, California
January 2nd, 2021
The scene of death and destruction stunned the world into silence. Search and rescue gathered thousands of survivors, spreading them through medical facilities in a hundred miles radius. For several weeks the hospitals were overworked, overpopulated and filled to the brim with trauma and injured patients. Within a week patients showed signs of Distortion, though in only limited and contained capacities. The first major accident happened on January 14th. The details are scarce as first account had since been removed and official records either altered or redacted. All survivor areas are quarantined by January 16th.
January 19th, 2021
There are reported sightings of Government agents and officials around hospital facilities containing survivors, many of which are questioned repeatedly and their files locked. A large number of survivors were seen escorted away, officially to more advanced facilities for fear of potential infectivity of suspected biochemical agent present at the Rift site. All records and accounts were, again, altered or removed.
Minneapolis, Minnesota
March 24th, 2021
The Jackson Detention and Research Center was founded outside of Minneapolis. Few official records existed regarding the purpose of working of the Center, which was popularly believed to be the facility for detaining and studying Distortion.
September 2nd, 2022
The Jackson Detention and Research Center was burned to the ground. Reports of explosion, strange lights, unnatural phenomenon and a large number of individuals fleeing from the scene made it into several local newspaper but disappeared entirely after a single mention. No further detail could be found.
A list of 47 names and pictures were passed down to law enforcement as top priority. Lethal force authorized. Until 2025, 24 names on the list had been confirmed deceased.
Washington D.C.
October 4th, 2026
Election day drew near. Republicans candidate Harry Powell with an aggressive approach against D.T. attained great support from victims and sympathizers from across the country. Powell's Vice President, Daniel Mayhew had been the most vocal advocate for extreme policies against D.T. since his venture into politics in 2023.
A disturbance near West Riverdale was reported to be a minor assault between two homeless men, nothing more. At 11:24 PM of the same day, an hour before said disturbance, a file was uploaded to a popular leak website regarding Daniel Mayhew. The file included a brief position as Executive Manager of one Jackson Detention and Research Center in Minnesota. The file stayed online for exactly 2 minutes before disappearing, gaining next to no attention. The next day marked the tragic passing of famous journalist and information activist Jim Davidson who was found ODed in his home.
A few weeks later, a strange report of the sighting of one of the names on the 2022 list came into the 32nd Precinct. The sighting was said to be of James Morrison, a notorious D.T.. The report was dismissed out of hand.
-
Your character is a D.T., someone distorted by the Rift in reality. Your character is one of the first D.T.s, present at the First Rift in Sacramento, and was subsequently captured, tortured and experimented on in the Jackson Detention and Research Facility. Together with 47 others, your character broke out after a year and scattered to the wind, hiding from the government D.T. - hunting Special Force called the Vigil.
Now, catching wind that the running Republican Vice President candidate was the Head of your prison, you have come to Washington D.C. under the call of James Morrison, a past acquaintance from Jackson.
You are not a good person. Cruel, perhaps. A monster, even. Either of your own choice or twisted by your abilities it matters not, because you have come for only one thing that is, in every aspect of the concept, true justice. Vengeance.
CHARACTER SHEET (no code this time either, I can't be bothered)
Name/Nickname (every good villain has one)
Age
Gender
Description and (optionally) character image - realistic art if you could. I will murder any anime image I see. For real. Fucking stop your thought right there Shiz. Yes you. Don't fucking do it. Just don't. I know you're thinking about it right now. Stop. Unless you're not even interested in this then good riddance I don't need u go away.
Personality
History - including the event, or at least sufficient reasoning for the manifestation of your ability. Also how you have avoided detection for the last 4 years, how you earn money, fake identity, that kind of thing. A single mention is enough.
Distortion: Your ability. Must be tied to your backstory somehow, or even personality trait. Weave it tightly so that it is a distorted reflection of your character's psyche. That is the entire point. Ask me if you're not sure.
There is no defining category or system for your ability, it can be anything.
Limitation: However, your ability will need to have some sort of limitation to balance it out. What's good storytelling without flaws and weakness to make characters vulnerable and ultimately, relatable?
Tags: @Nemopedia @DayDreamer @SkittlesAndSpike
Last edited: