thewizardguy

HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

Heya guys, sorry I´ve been gone for a while. It was a busy day for me. Furthermore, I've spent some time thinking about how to say this, and what to do.

Originally, when I discovered HCL2 was running properly again, I was ecstatic. This place holds many memories for me, and I had been sad to see it die out, in no small part due to my own inattentiveness. As such, I started a storyline as soon as possible, and just threw in bad guys and explosions. I mean, it's usually the best way to get the plot going. But I have realized that there are some problems, and I want to try and make some changes, to make HCL more fun. Because I'm AMAZINGLY paranoid of somehow screwing this up and alienating everyone, I'm putting these up here for everyone to judge, and we'll make changes based on what everyone thinks.

- Power Level Nerf.
The current level of 'splosions being thrown around is simply retarded. When characters can rip apart entire planets with their bare hands, and most characters are virtually impossible to either harm without using their kryptonite, fighting loses a lot of meaning. We can't have a proper battlefield, space and distance has lost all meaning. There are no civilisations or factions, there are no settings or places, because any place that would be built would be destroyed the next second. I want to nerf the raw power of all characters, bringing them down to a less retarded height. I visualize fighting on the scale of The Avengers, as opposed to playing Intergalactic Ping Pong.

- Killability.
For many characters, physical combat has lost all meaning. They're made of energy, or have massively malleable forms, meaning that fighting physically is pointless. It seems like there's almost no reason anymore for a character to use explosions, blades and fists, and only soular attacks are even useful. I want to draw this down massively, and give physical conflict meaning again. All characters must be killable in some way, and immunities to things are very special, and must be thoroughly limited. I want to make sure that a sword through the face is more than just a nuisance.

- Meaning of movement
At the moment, any character can move anywhere from anywhere at any time. Space and seperation have no meaning, it doesn't matter where you are, because anyone could teleport to any location. I mean, teleportation used to be a special ability people could have, instead of being an automatic assumption. I would like to make 'portalling' harder, or slower, or in some other way limited, so as to bring back the meaning of travel. Having an epic journey is impossible if Frodo can simply portal to Mordor.

- Single World, Many Incarnations
The Multiverse is vast. More than simply vast, it is quite literally Infinite. The sheer amount of possible places are so massive, that it's impossible for any of them to really have much meaning. My idea for solving this is to limit the events of HCL to a single planet, for now known as WankerWorld. However, in order to not limit things, we can still travel through dimensions to find many incarnations of this world. One might be a world covered in vampires waging a blood war, another might be an important Rebel Base, currently under siege by the Empire. Each of these worlds is different, and each character will originate from one of these Dimensions. Stellar travel should be possible in Dimensions that have space ships and the like, but Space will once more be treated as the health hazard it really is. Also, flying through space takes, like, forever.

- Midget Cannon.
A fully automatic weapon, equipped with a powerful Random Portal Matrix guided by radioactive bullshit. Capable of firing over 300 midgets per second at high velocity, drawn from random locations throughout the multiverse. Bob will have this. Because.... Midget Cannon. Do I really need another reason?

- Basic Lore.
I already hinted in this direction way back when Wraith originally joined this roleplay, but I like the idea that only a few specific beings are able to travel the multiverse. These would be 'chosen', somehow, and gain the capability to mvoe from one dimension to another. Of course, such people would almost by definition be drawn to massive conflicts, capable of changing the destiny of every world. This is a basic lore change to explain why some characters can move between worlds and npcs cannot.

If enacted out in it's compelte form, this would be a massive overhaul. I'm not sure how many people want that right now, so I want to hear everyone's opinions before I do anything, so please do criticise and talk. This can be everything from a tweaking to an overhaul.

HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

kishin asura said
As soon as the blade hits, thousands of runes appear on the man's body. Using the blade to drain toguro's aura. The man lets out an annoyed sigh and mutters "goddammit not again. Hate when that happens...."

((How are you draining magic from an absolute magical vacuum? By definition, it contains no magic whatsoever, it's dangerous because it exemplifies the absence of magic. It would be like drawing the moisture out of electron, there's simply nothing to drain. Of course, if you explain this in a way that makes sense I'll happily go with it, but I must warn you, if you're going to pull some retardedly overpowered abilities, like Najimmi's 'I can kill anything by weakening it and removing it's ability to remove weakness' idea, I will simply ignore your posts.))

Toguro smiles, as he finds himself surrounded by opponents. Three foes, each of them dangerous in their own right, each of them wielding a mysterious set of powers. This might even be a challenge, without releasing his Absolute Seal. A fight where he might be threatened. The very thought of one of these fools managing to crack his invincible defense brought a nearly manic grin to his face, and right then he decided he would, if they managed to hurt him, release his seal. Damn the consequences, it was for these fights that he abided by his own continued existence. He would not hold back.

The girl had seperated her body parts, and physical force didn't seem to harm her. Her head continued to taunt meaninglessly, as blades struck his body. While the impact had no effect, the force being mirrored and reflected, each blow siphoned from his power supply. Teo, the one with the unbreakable armor, struck him from above. Once more the kinetic force from the blow was absorbed and mirrored, sending him spinning through the air into a crash landing. The cartoon man could take a lot of punishment, but he presented the least threat. He still hadn't realized how ineffective his strikes were, although the stranger in the suit seemed like he might be a worthy foe. But, first things first, he would wipe them out in time. One. By. One.

"Number 872: Oblivion Blade"

His orriginal blade dissipated, even as the black lance of absolute vacuum enveloped hsi right hand, and the head he held. It was a strangely calm sensation, being surrounded by this absolute emptiness. No air, no sound, no light. It was the closes the living could come to nonexistence, the absence of all energy. Thoughts were hard to have, as Minx's brain operated based on magic, and she found herself stumped. There was a strange sense of calm, even as some deep part of her instincts that still lingered in her far-from human form desperately screamed at her for the danger she was in. And yet, it, too, was soon silenced.

Dissipating his blade once more, Toguro turned around. From his clenched fist dripped the bright purple goo-like substance that had once formed Minx's head. Without magic to animate it, it was merely goo, hitting the floor in thick, sticky drops. Toguro's posture was different, the light in his eyes was different. This time, there was not simply the playful, powerful arrogance that he had possessed the entire fight. There was a will to kill anyone in his path. "No more play time, kids. This is a fight to the death. If you can't handle it, run. 5 deals with the cowards."

"Number 56: Precision Force. Number 89: Multiform. Number 121: Frequency."

As Toguro lists his techniques, the subtle workings of his powers start activating and moving about. It's clear he had been saving these moves for when he wanted to fight for real, his true capability. The 1001 Techniques, each of which made him a more dangerous foe by far. While the effects of Precision Force were a mystery, as he activated Multiform, large blobs of the grey rock that makes up his body started detaching themselves. What would have been muscles in a normal being, fat, the area were a creature would store it's internal organs. It became clear that he was no organic being, but rather a golem, as these pieces simply moved out on their own, forming hundreds of orbs the size of marbles, orbiting the main body. He now resembled some kind of skeletal beast, bare bones, with far less volume and yet somehow more intimidating stature, the tornado of small objects around him each emitting their own aura. Such was the power of Multiform, allowing him to spread his techniques over a vast amount of targets, multiplying his area of affect as well as his power.

However, it only became worse. As he named his next technique, Frequency, a strage whistling sound became audible. At first, it seemed it was simply from the wind moving through the new holes that had opened in Toguro's body, however the sound continued to grow in intensity. An inhuman whaling,a pitch that would shatter the eardrums of any human that heard it, rendering them forever incapable of hearing. And still, this vibration shifted it's frequency, growing higher and higher, stronger and stronger, drilling into the brain like some kind of torture device, a constant agony to all beings capable of observing sound. No creature could fight efficiently, their mind clouded by pain, incapable of hearing anything.

However, it was not until Toguro opened his mouth again that the true nature of Frequency became clear. For some reason, Toguro announced each of his techniques beforehand, perhaps it was a requirement for his power to work properly. And yet, even as he spoke, it was impossible to know what techniques he would employ. The one advantage his foes would usually hold was lost, as they were completely unable to expect his next move.

Energy concentrated in both Toguro and each of his Orbs, a complex movement of power, the execution of his first offensive technique. They spread out, covering the battlefield like hail, making it impossible to defend. Whatever it was, it would come from all directions. And yet, looking into Toguro's eyes, it was clear that this would be the most powerful technique yet.

HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

kishin asura said
He finds vetoing his weakened state to be impossible. Najimi lets out another giggle and says "silly cosmos. Do you really think I'm dumb enough to force a weakness onto you that made your body unable to handle all that power without first forcing a weakness onto you that made it impossible to reject any weaknesses I force onto you?"

((Cosmos created his own universe. He can basically make up the rules there. One of the rules is that your powers no longer affect him. And just like that, they're gone. Also, he's a master magician capable of breaking almost any enchantment with the same thought a human would give to wiping their shoulder.

To put it simply, Cosmos is at least ten times more powerful than Toguro. Just saying.))

Najimi's words fall on deaf ears, as Cosmos walks out of this realm, leaving it behind. With the fading of his magic, the robed man disintegrates into a floating cloud of blood and organs, and although the vacuum is no threat to her, she can feel the reality of this universe breaking down. Most likely, if she did not leave this realm, she would be dragged with it into the Void. And the Void is a BAD place.

HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

supertinyking said
Minx laughs a bit as well. "Pretty cool move. I got to admit, you're stronger than I thought. Maybe after I beat you, I'll let you go and lick your wounds. You would make a great sith." She chuckles, as she does something really unexpected in a sense. Her head detaches from her body, which forms two large arm blades, and tries to slice off Toguro's arm right above where the energy was stored. The held head simply keeps laughing, as if stuck on repeat, as the body proceeded with it's attack.As the large soul blob...thing, that is number five searched for the dark lord to try and destroy him, out stepped another man, obviously something in the same vein as his target. A woman, clad in black robes, but with bright red skin. Beside her, another man, one who showed not a single inch of skin over his body. Behind him, a good 40 armed guards, each eminating darkness."So, this is the thing the dark lord wants destroyed?" The woman asks. "Tis such." The man replies, before verbally scoffing. With a snap, he sends his guard out to fight the soul creature, each other aiming to strike it with sheer blasts of the dark energy. It would be telekinetic, if not for how the energy seemed to still move a soul, as if it was solid.

A flood of zooming can be heard,as a massive tide of souls rushes towards the Guardians. It's as if they stood in the path of a tsunami, formed from the seperate souls of billions of different beings, all moving in eerily perfect harmony. The dark energy seems to strike it, and yet, even as some souls are surrounded, a wave of soular energy absorbs the impact. Like the power of millions of Jedi, the souls moved forward at once, completely surrounding the poor Sith who had opposed this primal force. And even as it did, the strangest thing happened.

Even as the Guardians prepared a second wave of attacks, each found themselves struck by a memory. The sight of a grocery list, dim neon lights. Slowly chewing on a patch of grass, surrounded by kin. A busy street, fading away in a massive flash of light, Siblings, wrestling over the cup with the smiley face. Random, mysterious images, from a thousand lifetimes, popping into their minds, as they experience moments of lives cut short by tragedy. Humans and animals, magical and mundane, a strange, fractured image of life as a whole. And even then, a picture forms before each of them. A memory, formed from their own thoughts, their own minds. Peace. A strange moment of perfect clarity, a single mote of happinesss among the despair that filled the lives of those serving the Dark Side. The childhood memories they had clinged to, the inanimate objects and imaginary friends that had formed their only point of relevance. A construction of escape, free from all the horrors that had undoubtedly followed. For that one moment, each of them felt a supreme bliss, a peacefulness, induced by a perfectly crafted dream.

They let their guard down.

Millions of souls reflected off of each other, energy gathering and multiplying, a song of power as thought and power combine. The Sith, each of whom had bared their souls, synchronised with the mass of life, their own powers multiplying the soular energy, a soular blow powered by those who had fallen before. A chain of power lit up the magical spectrum of the universe, as the Sith neared the end of their dream-state. And in those last moments, those Sith were at peace. Then, everything went white, bodies and minds ripped to pieces by the force of the soular charge.

Perhaps, it was their training. Perhaps, it was their natural aptitude. Or perhaps, it had been a strange mercy from this mysterious being. Maybe, even as their souls had been tearing themselves apart, they had realized their perils. Whatever the cause, the Guardians had not been killed by this otherwise fatal attack. Their bodies rendered asunder, their minds filled with conflicting bliss and hate, their souls a shadow of their former selves. It would take them long to recover, but they would live. The being known only as 5, not taking the time to harvest these souls, simply moved on, chasing it's prey.

Those who have been bathed in hate their whole life, are often the most vulnerable when shown the light of hope. Such beings are blinded by it, they hold onto it, and burn themselves in it's warmth. Perhaps, if the Sith had been inherently evil, they would not have fallen so easily. But, as foolish children, they were drawn to a flame, and wiped out, as a picket fence before a storm.

HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

supertinyking said
"You will do no such thing." The robed man says, as what would of appeared to be the Dark one explodes, covering Cosmos in the black pain tar, as the robed man shoves the young monster into the arms of....... The Blood Seeker, with blinding fast speed, as he then throws the dog man, into the paladin, knocking them both into a portal to a far, far off universe. As far as his powers could throw them, and the man turns to the remaining people."Fly fools! I will hold him back!" He yells, as he turns to the would be god Cosmos, lunging forwards, trying to buy the others a few moments to flee. It would be best if the others heeded his words, lest this stranger's gift would be squandered..... As the man charged, his left arm reached into his right sleeve, bringing out a sword made from the tar like liquid. He then tries to impale his foe, hoping the goo still to blind him, both in the ability to sense magic, and sight, if only for an instant.

Cosmos was a powerful being. There were certainly a million ways he could crush the man who now charged him, who had so foolishly opposed his plans. However, Cosmos harbored no resentment towards this human. To blame a human for clinging to survival was like blaming the stars for shining, or blaming water for freezing. They could not help it, they were mere lesser beings, incapable of grasping the truth. In reality, it was a mercy to destroy them, to allow their pitiful, embarrasing existence to come to it's natural conclusion. However, it was something he had no time for. After all, his goal had been moved further away from him once more, and it would require further effort to retrieve it. He simply turned, and walked through a doorway of light.

Even as he left, the runes that had once illuminated this world dimmed, fading away into darkness. There was no light, there was no floor, there was no space, really. In the absence of it's master and creator, this space was simply an empty area. And, as his magic faded, the laws of nature took effect. The robed man only hurt for a moment, as the force of the vacuum ripped him into tiny pieces.

HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

supertinyking said
"You will do no such thing." The robed man says, as what would of appeared to be the Dark one explodes, covering Cosmos in the black pain tar, as the robed man shoves the young monster into the arms of....... The Blood Seeker, with blinding fast speed, as he then throws the dog man, into the paladin, knocking them both into a portal to a far, far off universe. As far as his powers could throw them, and the man turns to the remaining people."Fly fools! I will hold him back!" He yells, as he turns to the would be god Cosmos, lunging forwards, trying to buy the others a few moments to flee. It would be best if the others heeded his words, lest this stranger's gift would be squandered..... As the man charged, his left arm reached into his right sleeve, bringing out a sword made from the tar like liquid. He then tries to impale his foe, hoping the goo still to blind him, both in the ability to sense magic, and sight, if only for an instant.

Cosmos was a powerful being. There were certainly a million ways he could crush the man who now charged him, who had so foolishly opposed his plans. However, Cosmos harbored no resentment towards this human. To blame a human for clinging to survival was like blaming the stars for shining, or blaming water for freezing. They could not help it, they were mere lesser beings, incapable of grasping the truth. In reality, it was a mercy to destroy them, to allow their pitiful, embarrasing existence to come to it's natural conclusion. However, it was something he had no time for. After all, his goal had been moved further away from him once more, and it would require further effort to retrieve it. He simply turned, and walked through a doorway of light.

Even as he left, the runes that had once illuminated this world dimmed, fading away into darkness. There was no light, there was no floor, there was no space, really. In the absence of it's master and creator, this space was simply an empty area. And, as his magic faded, the laws of nature took effect. The robed man only hurt for a moment, as the force of the vacuum ripped him into tiny pieces.

HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

((Teo, you're STILL in a completely different location from Cosmos. You're with Toguro. These things are happening in different places. If you want to switch locations, please tell us that, and state WHY you're changing locations.))
Toguro smiles at the trash talk, and he gathers his power in his hands. With tremendous force, he punches forward, as the very planet rocks with the force. The ground explodes sideways, as the very earth splits open. A massive chasm is revealed, the bottom of which is illuminated by the bright glow of magma. Undoubtedly, had Minx not moved aside, it would have been a deadly blow, ripping apart everything in it's path. However, Minx had managed to teleport with remarkable skill and luck, avoiding the attack the instant before it was fired, and giving her a good view of Toguro's destructive power.

A blow came in from the side, and Toguro knew his opponent planned to outmaneauvre him. Nobody could match his strength, and thus one would try to beat him through speed and flexibility. However, even as it connected, Minx found the exact physical force of her attack reflected back into her fist. Had she had bones, they would have been shattered by her own strength, but as it was, it simply interrupted her energy drain progress with the instant retort. Mirror Force was still active, and any attack on Toguro would be returned instantly. However, it had been enough for Toguro to notice the drain on his power, even if it was just slight, and it amde him smile.

minx, of course, was fully capable of sensing arcane energy, and even as she moved in for the second blow, now ready for the Mirror Force, she could clearly feel him move all the energy in his body to his right arm. This observation came less than a millisecond before the realization. He now had both the speed and strength of his entire form focused in one limb. It came too late, however, and Toguro's massive hand closed around Minx's face, holding her aloft, even as he laughed. "You're a scrawny fish, girl. Should I throw you back, or put you out of your misery?"

HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

Toguro looks around, and he forwns, clearly annoyed. When he speaks, his voice is almost inhumanly rough, like the sound of an avalanche rumbling down a mountain side. "I'm getting sick of my opponents running and hiding. 5! Hunt down the magical man." As Toguro speaks, another presence can be felt. It's an alien presence, strange and unsettling, flowing without visible body past this area. There are no signals of life, no Life Energy, no sense of a mind, nothing. Simply a legion of souls, billions of them, each alien and complex, impossible to understand. "If you two are little bitches as well, then do me a solid and die right now."

Toguro raises the Oblivion Blade, and instantly, it expands. Within a millisecond, it's enveloped the stranger in the jeans, devouring magic, kinetic force, heat, everything. Even as the figure is forced backwards by the blow, it's as if a part of his soul has been sliced open, his power converted into more energy for Toguro. Toguro simply grins, as the blade returns to it's original size, his aura seeming not to be shrinking at all, between the power he's putting out and the power he's absorbing.

HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

((Teo, Cosmos is in a completely different location. Different planet, different solar system, most likely different dimension as well..... there is no way you could attack Cosmos with a hammer from the other side of the Multiverse.))
Cosmos nodded, as the small glob floated through the air towards him. However, even as he did, he sensed the presence of a powerful magical being. A set of weakening enchantments were cast on him, and he held up one arm curiously. He observed the eroding of his own skin with something akin to scholarly indifference, as if he were merely beholding an intriguing experiment. He then holds up one hand, and reality begins to twist and bend, this area closing itself off, as the fabric of reality itself began to warp according to his will. He diverted the stream of life, which flows through all things, and the stream of Mana, from which most beings draw magical energy. And as he did so, he ripped apart reality itself, only to build it up anew.

Visually, there was little difference. And yet, it was clear to any of those with any magical capabilities that they were no longer in the same dimension. Using the string from which the Fabric was woven, Cosmos had forged a new dimension, a new realm completely of his own, his magic woven into the very walls. As thos present looked out into the darkness of space, they saw no stars, no other worlds. This was all that existed within this realm.

"A curious power indeed, young one. But did you really believe that defeating one such as myself would be so easy?" Massive arcane runes covered the walls of this world, they were inscribed on the very template of existence. They were visible when you closed your eyes, they could be seen everywhere, just in the corner of your sight. A magical focusing array the likes of which had never been seen before. Cosmos smiles, as his magical energy flows through this entire universe. "Within my world, my word is law. I am it's Creator, I am it's God. I control Creation itself, in order to destroy it. And I, Cosmos, veto your power." Even as he speaks, the enchantment seems to be rejected by this new dimension. Ripped from Cosmos, the power of weakening is completely nullified.

Cosmos smiles as he holds out one hand towards Najimi. "What shall I veto next? Perhaps lungs? I don't need them, but I doubt beings such as you have the same luxury. Or maybe I should simply erase your existence within time and space. Tell me, bug. What would your preferred method of destruction be?" Even as Eclipse stood between the creature and Cosmos, it was clear that, in this realm, Cosmos was far more powerful than he would normally be. And normally, he was not weak. The overwhelming power he owned was controlled and multiplied by the runes he had inscribed upon the fabric of reality.

HCL 2: Twisted tinkers' triumph

No, Cosmos is on a different planet altogether. He's with the Dark One, and anyone involved with Tiny's plot there.

Toguro is with Micheal, Darkside, Mystery Girl, and Teo. Although that planet's getting wrecked as well.

Keep in mind that Cosmos is most likely more powerful than Toguro is.