Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by BangoSkank
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This is neither a DC nor a Marvel setting, though most characters from either could conceivably fit in.

- Panau -

Corruption, Corporatization, Conspiracies.
Poverty surrounded by Opulence
Government forces, gangs, guerillas and gestapo

In such a setting what good do superpowers do?


Idea in Brief:

I would want to take an approach similar to that taken in 1968. Create your character, determine their involvements, and then write a little story involving them and in time, potentially at least, intersecting with others. Be respectful to one another and to the RP in general by running big changes by other posters and the GM if you intend to make some big changes which cast a broad shadow.

Essentially it would start out as several Fan Fictions set in the same universe and timespan, hopefully evolving into several collaborations and perhaps eventually a more traditional group RP if enough find themselves of a similar mind.

If you're in Advanced you likely know the basic rule bullet points so I will just get straight to the basic idea of the world.

How do super powered people function in a country on the brink of civil war?
Do they support the people, and if so how?
Do they support the government to try to bring peace and hope this time things will work out better?
Do they operate in their own best interests?

Are you an enforcer for the Prime Minister of Panau?
Are you a freedom fighter trying to overthrow the Prime Minister because of something horrible he did, or that was done in his name?
Are you a freedom fighter trying to overthrow the Prime Minister because you believe your leader (or you) would do the right thing for Panau?
Are you a member of a gang focused on making money and expanding your territory?
Are you a lone vigilante just trying to keep the streets you live in safe?

I don't have the setting fully fleshed out, I'd be open to feedback and critique.

I think it's a good opportunity to explore some of the stuff affecting the world right now without getting into too much actual world political stuff. The idea is that there are good and bad gangs. There are corrupt and legitimate government agents. There are benign and malignant corporations. Things are not easy. There are no quick fixes. No Superman is coming to save us all.

During World War 2 every involved country was searching for a way to one up the other. To overcome their enemies, to achieve a final victory, and to assert their position in the world as the inevitable rebuilding began. Exceptional individuals were sought out. All manner of tests were performed, some considerably more intensive than others. Some did well and were recruited into the military or into military intelligence. Some did well and were disappeared to serve other purposes. It is likely that every nation capable of pursuing such ends did, though few were willing to share their approaches or results with any other nation regardless of alliances.

These separate expeditions would irrevocably change the world in the coming decades. The governments of the world did what they could to contain the existence of their own agents and of opposing agents but even the most tyrannical found complete containment impossible. World War 2 still ended through largely traditional military means, Nagasaki and Hiroshima still happened, and the United States still absorbed much of the Axis' countries scientists despite the wicked nature of their works. History went along largely the same as we know it now with the exception of alien and sasquatch rumors being replaced largely with rumors of different monsters.

Panau is a country which has battled for it's independence from many foreign influences over it's history. Depending on any individuals personal opinions that independence may live still or may have died at one of several points over the last several decades. American influence, Russian influence, Chinese influence, Corporate influence, one of several resistance or restoration movements. Which of it's rulers were legitimate, which were despots, which were puppets. Where are the bodies buried and who is responsible.

To this day there are some demanding the United States accept their responsibility and grant Panauans citizenship while others are certain that the movement to achieve this is some sort of soft coup. It would not be the first coup attempt, nor would it likely be the last.

The country has been going through one or another power struggle for most of it's history and today is no different. Multiple countries pursue their interests somewhere in Panau. Many companies wish to expand their influence. Several gangs wish to establish control of territories and move into politics. Things are, as they have nearly always been, volatile.

The Elite of Panau shuttle themselves in helicopters from one rooftop to another, eating decadent meals, enjoying magnificent sunsets, generally perfectly safe. Generally perfectly safe, because the ransom on their heads is often enough to move someone and their entire family far from the crime ridden favelas for the rest of their lives.

In the favelas there is little to no help from the government, little to no hope for upward mobility, and danger around every corner. There is also family and friends. Shootings and soccer games. Many working hard and living peacefully hoping to scrounge up enough money to allow their children to live easier lives, maybe move up above the squalor.

Each paints the other as unpatriotic.
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Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Jarl Coolgruuf
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Oh yeah. Definitely very interested.
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Auz
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I'm interested
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by MelodicElement
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Certainly an intriguing premise. Count me among the interested.
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by BangoSkank
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I'm about to go out of country so I won't be around much for the next two weeks but I'll try to post more about what I'm thinking on the slower nights.

I'm thinking primarily more street level type to keep the supers from becoming too distant from the populace and too protected from repercussions. I'm a big believer in villains you can empathize with and shades of grey. Makes it much more impactful when a bad character or a generally good character really crosses a line.

I'm thinking one of the main cities will be something wherein the streets are favelas and the wealthy live literally on the same blocks just in high rises far above them. Strata based on wealth. Some will be off by in protected hills and all that but some are just right there as in parts of Brazil.
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Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Jarl Coolgruuf
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I wanna go full black ops government agent with it. An absolute spook on that Cold War, regime toppling shit. Someone who's been sent to Pananu to help ensure the right faction wins by any means necessary.

Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Zombiedude101
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Indeed. I'm just thinking on the cliche trope of Germans emigrating to South America Post-WWII.
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by BingTheWing
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@BangoSkank Is there a specific decade/year you had in mind for the setting? Might affect my planned character to an extent
Hidden 3 yrs ago 3 yrs ago Post by BangoSkank
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Modern times, probably without Covid because Covid is just dull.

Alternate timeline though just so we don't have actual modern politicians in office. And then also because mutants and aliens and supernatural shit and all that.
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by BingTheWing
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@BangoSkank …Huh. That does change things, was expecting it to be at the height of Operation Condor or Iran-Contra.
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by sly13
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this seems really interesting.
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Lucky
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Friend brought this to my attention. I'm interested, if you'll have me.
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by BingTheWing
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is this still a thing? lol
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by Cohors
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I wanna go full black ops government agent with it. An absolute spook on that Cold War, regime toppling shit.


So basically a typical 60s CIA agent.

If this is still alive, I'm interested.

Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by BingTheWing
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@BangoSkank You still here? Or maybe another time?
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by BangoSkank
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Yeah, sorry. It's been a weird time. Got back from a hell of a vacation. Getting ready for a promotion. Got Covid and beat the living shit out of it. Lost a good friend to an untimely heart attack.

I was just thinking about this today. I'll try to get up a bit more of an interest check. Build up the intro post a little more with sort of like a flavor guide of what I'm interested in.

Primarily it's just low to mid power characters. Either "What If" versions of existing characters or brand new ones.

I'll use a few more recognizable characters to do it but that doesn't mean they're set in the position I put them in or that I'm writing for/as them. I'll probably write as a version of Wolverine/Logan
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Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by BangoSkank
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Little less free time than I expected. I'm going to just post a bit about where the idea for this originated. Hopefully it will help explain a bit more about it.

Influences:
The Boys - TV Series
The 1968 RP Series
Marvel Knights series' in general
The "Batman: White Knight" series

The Boys
The perspective of living in a world with supers as a normal meatsack human was very interesting as was the eventual outside influence involved in supers superpowers (no spoilers). Their intersection with government was also very interesting and something I would like to play with, but not in modern or historical America or even really future America due to the drama that would likely summon up.

The 1968 RP series
It ended up dying, unfortunately, fairly quickly before I could get much more in to stuff happening in Vietnam and back at home in America, but one problem I saw myself running in to was posting as the Nuke character. An American soldier who is basically spun out on pills and enjoying killing during an actual historical war. He wasn't supposed to be a good guy but he's also not supposed to be as utterly evil as we would often see someone killing on the scale he would be killing at. It's a controversial war and I know we have users here who are Vietnamese so while I was trying to make it clear he was not a good person I also tend to try to make characters likable on some axis and I could see the potential for that to become a problem.
I liked having an enemy that wasn't evil. They weren't super villain evil. They weren't normal terrible evil people evil. They were another government that the main characters' (both Cpt. A and Nuke) government was opposed to.

Marvel Knight series'
Though I haven't read most of them and am not familiar with quite a bit of it I liked the more gritty nature. The Punisher series in particular was ugly. The violence was unpleasant. Just close enough to real to be a bit disturbing rather than entertaining as it usually is. That and the street level nature of the series really helped separate these stories from most comic book stuff. I also read some of the Wolverine issues that looked like theyd fit in the Marvel Knight series'. Maybe he actually had one, I'm not sure. Same concept applies though.

Batman: White Knight series
The concept that Joker, if sane, might actually be good for Gotham. The concept of a Batman Related Disaster Relief Fund. The idea that there is a superhero (I don't recall his name) who is essentially the Batman of a less economically blessed neighborhood near Gotham and the idea that Batman seems to be blissfully unaware that he's not looking out for this neighborhood and they instead have their own dark knight.

I will put out a little blurb or two for character ideas. At least two. Should get the first one done tomorrow, it's the most thought out of the ideas.
Wolverine as a low level, low life, detective in the slums of Panau, dragging ass through life drinking, drugging ****ing, and not really trying to get his act together.
A Superman level character working for the current Panau government, but very apathetic. No real loyalty for the government. Sort of a Patrick Bateman as Superman. Obvious similarities to whats his face from The Boys, but without the weird fetishes, or daddy/mommy issues, or rage issues.
Hidden 3 yrs ago Post by BingTheWing
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I was thinking of a Spider-Girl/Silk iteration, where our notPeter Parker joins the underground resistance in her university instead.
Hidden 3 yrs ago 3 yrs ago Post by BangoSkank
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That's a fun idea. I don't know who Silk is, I'll have to look it up but a twist on Spidey sounds cool. What kind of resistance are you thinking of? Like is it general teenage resistance or an organized adult group like Antifa or a opposition government working toward a coup sort of thing?

One thing I thought would be fun was having something like seasons. We write for awhile, wrap up stories while planting seeds for future ones, and then either have a big Season Finale that hints at what might come next or just do a time skip.

One such finale that I thought would be fun was a crackdown or an invading army.
Hidden 3 yrs ago 3 yrs ago Post by BingTheWing
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I was thinking of a legit guerrilla movement like the ones they had in Latin America during the 70s.

Are we super set on a modern setting? 70s/80s might have the realest US-backed dictatorship vibes, but modern-day most likely means more modern skyscrapers for Spider-Che to websling from.

Also, since this setting is probably much more violent than usual I am wondering how Spidey will handle his/her no-killing rule. The guy could probably slaughter an entire platoon of soldiers in one go if he really tried hahaha

EDIT: I was also thinking of going with Vulture with a version of his Homecoming suit, or even just Venom.
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