Humanity stands on the brink, one false step from ruin. Looking on with idle interest, forces...
The Great Upheaval: A Realistic Superhero Quest
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Opening Post and Introductions
- Location
- Canada
Humanity stands on the brink, one false step from ruin. Looking on with idle interest, forces beyond our comprehension watch our every move.
You reach out and grasp a power you have never known. A power you have only dreamed of. You take what is given, but at what cost? To what end?
The pieces have been chosen. The board is set. Heedless of your doubts, the game begins in earnest.
The great upheaval approaches.
What to Expect
Hello, and welcome to my first game on this forum. The Great Upheaval is a standard quest, meaning that players will take control of a singular character whose decisions they can effect as a collective. The quest will be almost entirely narrative-based, written and run by QM fiat - rolling will occur only for special circumstances. I intend for this quest to function mainly as a personal writing exercise, so I am placing an emphasis on storytelling, character development, and incorporating the decisions of players in ways which fit the characters and established world. The overall tone I am going for is one of grounded realism - not grim-dark, but not overly lighthearted either. My target audience is people who enjoy rational fiction and, like me, spend far too much time thinking about the effects superpowers could have on modern society, institutions of authority, and notions of morality.
On the Setting
Beginning in the present day, The Great Upheaval is set in a world which closely resembles our own - one where superpowers are firmly the stuff of fiction. As the story progresses, this "ordinary" world will undergo drastic change, eventually becoming a different beast entirely. Players should be prepared for some relative normalcy in the quest's early stages, to be followed by craziness later on.
On Voting
The voting system is majority wins, meaning that the final decision is the one which receives the most votes. Players will vote on a set list of options when prompted, often with a write-in option available. Discussion and justification of votes is always encouraged. Outstanding write-in votes which receive the most support are more likely to be successful, so rest assured: rational and clever thinking is rewarded.
Stay tuned for character creation!
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Character Sheet & Relevant Information
- Location
- Canada
Character Sheet
Alexander "Alex" Bravilic
Dramatis Personae
Miscellaneous
Alexander "Alex" Bravilic
The Sage. You desire to accumulate and absorb vast quantities of information and knowledge in order to better understand your surroundings. You are intelligent, strategic, meticulous, and a fast learner. Your greatest fear is ignorance. Your greatest weakness is a tendency to think too much and never act.
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Polish-American
Height: 5'10
Family: Extended family only (aunt and uncle)
Background: Middle class
Date of Birth: July 11, 2001 (17 years old)
Place of Birth: Chicago, USA
Current Location: Chicago -- Southwest Side
Ethnicity: Polish-American
Height: 5'10
Family: Extended family only (aunt and uncle)
Background: Middle class
Date of Birth: July 11, 2001 (17 years old)
Place of Birth: Chicago, USA
Current Location: Chicago -- Southwest Side
Under construction
Stay tuned
Dramatis Personae
Under construction
Under construction
Under construction
Miscellaneous
Under construction
Under construction
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Character Creation I
- Location
- Canada
It's time for the first round of character creation! Keep in mind that this round covers only mundane aspects of the protagonist, such as their identity, appearance, personality and background - in other words, choosing specific powers will come at a later date. If you design a character with a particular power in mind, you'd better prepare for disappointment.
Name:
[] Write-in (first and last name)
Gender:
[] Male
[] Female
Age:
[] 16
[] 17
[] 18
[] 19
[] 20
[] 21
Appearance:
[] Write-in (short description of their build, ethnicity, hair color/length, eye color, general facial structure, distinguishing features, etc.)
Background:
[] Wealthy
[] Upper middle class
[] Middle class
[] Lower middle class
[] Working class
[] Poor
Family:
[] Large family, many siblings
[] Average-size family, few siblings
[] Small family, only child
[] Only extended family
[] No family (foster care)
Location:
[] New York City
[] Los Angeles
[] Chicago
[] Write-in (American city with a population exceeding one million)
Archetype:
[] The Innocent. You desire happiness and prosperity for yourself and others, but never at the expense of your own moral code. You are kind, romantic, optimistic, and uncompromising. Your greatest fear is having to betray your values. Your greatest weakness is your overly trusting nature.
[] The Everyman. You wish to connect with others, to belong. You are realistic, empathetic, virtuous, and honest. Your greatest fear is being left out or left behind by those around you. Your greatest weakness is your tendency to lose yourself in an effort to blend in or for the sake of superficial relationships.
[] The Warrior. You seek to prove your worth through courageous acts and believe that anything can be accomplished with enough strength and willpower. You are charismatic, competent, and courageous. Your greatest fear is personal weakness and vulnerability. Your greatest weakness is your arrogance.
[] The Saint. You wish to protect and care for others, to help them in any way you can. You are compassionate, generous, gentle, and nurturing. Your greatest fear is succumbing to your own selfish desires. Your greatest weakness is neglecting your own needs.
[] The Explorer. You seek freedom and self-sufficiency in order to discover yourself and live a more fulfilling life. You are independent, ambitious, resourceful, and unconventional. Your greatest fear is being trapped in a gray and empty existence just like everyone else. Your greatest weakness is your inability to fully trust or depend on others.
[] The Rebel. You desire liberation from a broken system, a goal which you pursue with reckless abandon. You are an abrasive, spirited, and free-thinking delinquent with authority issues. Your greatest fear is being powerless or helpless. Your greatest weakness is either your impulsiveness or susceptibility to criminal influence.
[] The Trickster. You wish to live in the moment, enjoy life to the fullest, and lighten up the dreary world around you. You are clever, mischievous, sociable, and sarcastic. Your greatest fear is boredom, a feeling you attempt to stave off with jokes and humor. Your greatest weakness is your need for attention.
[] The Sage. You desire to accumulate and absorb vast quantities of information and knowledge in order to better understand your surroundings. You are intelligent, strategic, meticulous, and a fast learner. Your greatest fear is ignorance. Your greatest weakness is a tendency to think too much and never act.
[] The Ruler. You seek control as a means to better create a prosperous and successful family, community, or private enterprise. You are decisive, authoritative, disciplined, and gifted at attracting followers. Your greatest fear is chaos and disorder. Your greatest weakness is a tendency to become authoritarian in the face of dissent.
Voting closes tomorrow evening. Please vote in plan format.
Name:
[] Write-in (first and last name)
Gender:
[] Male
[] Female
Age:
[] 16
[] 17
[] 18
[] 19
[] 20
[] 21
Appearance:
[] Write-in (short description of their build, ethnicity, hair color/length, eye color, general facial structure, distinguishing features, etc.)
Background:
[] Wealthy
[] Upper middle class
[] Middle class
[] Lower middle class
[] Working class
[] Poor
Family:
[] Large family, many siblings
[] Average-size family, few siblings
[] Small family, only child
[] Only extended family
[] No family (foster care)
Location:
[] New York City
[] Los Angeles
[] Chicago
[] Write-in (American city with a population exceeding one million)
Archetype:
[] The Innocent. You desire happiness and prosperity for yourself and others, but never at the expense of your own moral code. You are kind, romantic, optimistic, and uncompromising. Your greatest fear is having to betray your values. Your greatest weakness is your overly trusting nature.
[] The Everyman. You wish to connect with others, to belong. You are realistic, empathetic, virtuous, and honest. Your greatest fear is being left out or left behind by those around you. Your greatest weakness is your tendency to lose yourself in an effort to blend in or for the sake of superficial relationships.
[] The Warrior. You seek to prove your worth through courageous acts and believe that anything can be accomplished with enough strength and willpower. You are charismatic, competent, and courageous. Your greatest fear is personal weakness and vulnerability. Your greatest weakness is your arrogance.
[] The Saint. You wish to protect and care for others, to help them in any way you can. You are compassionate, generous, gentle, and nurturing. Your greatest fear is succumbing to your own selfish desires. Your greatest weakness is neglecting your own needs.
[] The Explorer. You seek freedom and self-sufficiency in order to discover yourself and live a more fulfilling life. You are independent, ambitious, resourceful, and unconventional. Your greatest fear is being trapped in a gray and empty existence just like everyone else. Your greatest weakness is your inability to fully trust or depend on others.
[] The Rebel. You desire liberation from a broken system, a goal which you pursue with reckless abandon. You are an abrasive, spirited, and free-thinking delinquent with authority issues. Your greatest fear is being powerless or helpless. Your greatest weakness is either your impulsiveness or susceptibility to criminal influence.
[] The Trickster. You wish to live in the moment, enjoy life to the fullest, and lighten up the dreary world around you. You are clever, mischievous, sociable, and sarcastic. Your greatest fear is boredom, a feeling you attempt to stave off with jokes and humor. Your greatest weakness is your need for attention.
[] The Sage. You desire to accumulate and absorb vast quantities of information and knowledge in order to better understand your surroundings. You are intelligent, strategic, meticulous, and a fast learner. Your greatest fear is ignorance. Your greatest weakness is a tendency to think too much and never act.
[] The Ruler. You seek control as a means to better create a prosperous and successful family, community, or private enterprise. You are decisive, authoritative, disciplined, and gifted at attracting followers. Your greatest fear is chaos and disorder. Your greatest weakness is a tendency to become authoritarian in the face of dissent.
Voting closes tomorrow evening. Please vote in plan format.
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So, some thoughts:
Name: Eh, I suck at names
Gender: No preference
Age: I find myself more interested in younger heroes, especially in a realistic setting where they are already going through a period of trying to come to grips with authority not being all seeing and all knowing.
Appearence: Eh
Background: I would find wealthy rather cool depending on what it is combined with. I also like poor. The others can sell me, though, if we get a good description of a character going.
Family: Large Families are cool, but I think this more goes with what the character is like.
Location: Not bad, these are major cities. I have no preference myself, as I am not overly familiar with any of them. Can we do a write in here QM? Edit: If so, any limits?
Archetype: I'll probably want to build the character around this one, so I'm going to look at them a lot more carefully before voting.
Name: Eh, I suck at names
Gender: No preference
Age: I find myself more interested in younger heroes, especially in a realistic setting where they are already going through a period of trying to come to grips with authority not being all seeing and all knowing.
Appearence: Eh
Background: I would find wealthy rather cool depending on what it is combined with. I also like poor. The others can sell me, though, if we get a good description of a character going.
Family: Large Families are cool, but I think this more goes with what the character is like.
Location: Not bad, these are major cities. I have no preference myself, as I am not overly familiar with any of them. Can we do a write in here QM? Edit: If so, any limits?
Archetype: I'll probably want to build the character around this one, so I'm going to look at them a lot more carefully before voting.
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- Location
- Canada
Sure. Write-ins for location are now accepted, provided the chosen city is in the United States and has over a million people living in it.
So, I'm looking over archetypes.
There are some that I'd like in very specific circumstances, so I have a pretty major question about character creation.
Are we allowed to tack on any extra backstory to this vote?
From the way you've structured it, I think the answer is 'no', but if the answer is 'yes', I'm probably going to try and make some sort of comic book geek warrior mindset.
There are some that I'd like in very specific circumstances, so I have a pretty major question about character creation.
Are we allowed to tack on any extra backstory to this vote?
From the way you've structured it, I think the answer is 'no', but if the answer is 'yes', I'm probably going to try and make some sort of comic book geek warrior mindset.
I can agree with that mindset. Out of the two, I'd prefer the Saint myself.
- Location
- Europe
I don't think the Saint archetype would let us became part of the military, unless you are talking about theirs medic divisions.
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- Location
- Canada
Good question. You can include some brief additional information below your vote, but significant backstory is something that will be handled later in order to keep things simple and discourage everyone from only voting for their own proposal.
Dropbear
Tourists Taste Terrific
- Location
- The next tree you walk under
It says we care about others, not everyone. We can be a saint to our allies and hated by our enemies. It would let us have some mental issues as well. Are we doing the right thing? Do our enemies deserve to be treated this way? Are our orders just? We could end up being a propaganda piece encouraging the newly powered to join up with the government. Can we use that to influence our military/government policy to follow our "Saint" like beliefs?
it's not just about the bonuses it could give us, but the conflicts that could drive the story.
- Location
- Europe
I think that that description would fit better with the Innocent archetype, with its emphasis on our moral code.
Dropbear
Tourists Taste Terrific
- Location
- The next tree you walk under
Possibly. Frankly, these are just archetypes. They are just for our primary emotions/thoughts. I'm more interested in being a protector than a person seeking happiness. At least as the front runner of our thoughts.
Macros
omnisciently vague councilman
- Location
- Dirac Sea
Okay, I'll take a swing at it.
[X] Plan A Rocky Start
-[X] Tamala Locklear
-[X] Female
-[X] 16
-[X] a tall and athletic girl of native american descent, with short, dark brown hair and amber eyes.
-[X] Poor
-[X] Large family, many siblings
-[X] Chicago
-[X] The Warrior. You seek to prove your worth through courageous acts and believe that anything can be accomplished with enough strength and willpower. You are charismatic, competent, and courageous. Your greatest fear is personal weakness and vulnerability. Your greatest weakness is your arrogance.
The description is pretty barebone, so if someone is willing to expand on that, I'm all ears. I picked "large family" because sibling interactions can be fun (though ironically, I also considered picking the foster care option), and poor for the underdog factor. As for the Warrior archetype... Probably the one that inspired me the most, though each of them have their appeal.
[X] Plan A Rocky Start
-[X] Tamala Locklear
-[X] Female
-[X] 16
-[X] a tall and athletic girl of native american descent, with short, dark brown hair and amber eyes.
-[X] Poor
-[X] Large family, many siblings
-[X] Chicago
-[X] The Warrior. You seek to prove your worth through courageous acts and believe that anything can be accomplished with enough strength and willpower. You are charismatic, competent, and courageous. Your greatest fear is personal weakness and vulnerability. Your greatest weakness is your arrogance.
The description is pretty barebone, so if someone is willing to expand on that, I'm all ears. I picked "large family" because sibling interactions can be fun (though ironically, I also considered picking the foster care option), and poor for the underdog factor. As for the Warrior archetype... Probably the one that inspired me the most, though each of them have their appeal.
- Location
- London
Plan PLUS ULTRA!
[ ] Toshinori Yagi (shamelessly copying right now but I've just discovered BNHA and I'm absolutely in love with All Might).
[ ] Male
[ ] 16
[ ] Poor
[ ] Foster care
[ ] New York
[ ] The Saint
I've always wanted to play as a character from humble beginnings. A man who has seen the worst of the world, and remained hopeful/ optimistic in spite of the barrage of post modern cynicism that has plagued our world. We should go beyond! Plus Ultra!
[ ] Toshinori Yagi (shamelessly copying right now but I've just discovered BNHA and I'm absolutely in love with All Might).
[ ] Male
[ ] 16
[ ] Foster care
[ ] New York
[ ] The Saint
I've always wanted to play as a character from humble beginnings. A man who has seen the worst of the world, and remained hopeful/ optimistic in spite of the barrage of post modern cynicism that has plagued our world. We should go beyond! Plus Ultra!
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[X] Plan Tunnel Snakes Rule
Name: [X] Bobbi Zambrano
Gender: [X] Female
Age: [X] 21
Appearance:
[X] 5'6, 160lbs. Hispanic. Muscular. A little stocky. Butch as hell. Lot of tattoos. Goes for a 1950's 'greaser' look.
Background: [X] Working class
Family: [X] Large family, many siblings
Location: [X] Dallas
Archetype: [X] The Warrior. You seek to prove your worth through courageous acts and believe that anything can be accomplished with enough strength and willpower. You are charismatic, competent, and courageous. Your greatest fear is personal weakness and vulnerability. Your greatest weakness is your arrogance.
Name: [X] Bobbi Zambrano
Gender: [X] Female
Age: [X] 21
Appearance:
[X] 5'6, 160lbs. Hispanic. Muscular. A little stocky. Butch as hell. Lot of tattoos. Goes for a 1950's 'greaser' look.
Background: [X] Working class
Family: [X] Large family, many siblings
Location: [X] Dallas
Archetype: [X] The Warrior. You seek to prove your worth through courageous acts and believe that anything can be accomplished with enough strength and willpower. You are charismatic, competent, and courageous. Your greatest fear is personal weakness and vulnerability. Your greatest weakness is your arrogance.
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- Location
- Europe
[X] Plan The First
-[X] Alexander Bravilic
-[X] Male
-[X] 17
-[X] An average south slavic-american medium sized man, with short brown hairs and grey eyes
-[X] Middle class
-[X] Only extended family
-[X] Chicago
-[X] The Sage. You desire to accumulate and absorb vast quantities of information and knowledge in order to better understand your surroundings. You are intelligent, strategic, meticulous, and a fast learner. Your greatest fear is ignorance. Your greatest weakness is a tendency to think too much and never act.
-[X] Alexander Bravilic
-[X] Male
-[X] 17
-[X] An average south slavic-american medium sized man, with short brown hairs and grey eyes
-[X] Middle class
-[X] Only extended family
-[X] Chicago
-[X] The Sage. You desire to accumulate and absorb vast quantities of information and knowledge in order to better understand your surroundings. You are intelligent, strategic, meticulous, and a fast learner. Your greatest fear is ignorance. Your greatest weakness is a tendency to think too much and never act.
StellarMonarch
Myrmidon
- Location
- Québec
Awwww, USA only? Shame.
Hm. Too bad about the age range too, I've never seen an elderly superhero.
...I hate expies, so All Might's out of the gate. Don't impose pre-existing characters on settings that aren't meant accommodate them - this isn't a crossover.
[X] JMHthe3rd
Character's kinda charming.
White people are the norm, so some divergence there's nice.
Hm. Too bad about the age range too, I've never seen an elderly superhero.
...I hate expies, so All Might's out of the gate. Don't impose pre-existing characters on settings that aren't meant accommodate them - this isn't a crossover.
[X] JMHthe3rd
Character's kinda charming.
White people are the norm, so some divergence there's nice.
- Location
- London
Expies aren't everyone's thing I guess. But we could always go "Mexican Superman" route like Hernan in "Gods & Monsters". Being a superhero immigrant could create potential conflict. Also, a word from the OP, has this Earth's timeline followed ours perfectly and only started diverging now? Did stuff like Trump winning the election happen in this setting?
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Theaxofwar
Definitely not a Bunny Cat in disguise.
- Location
- Standing right behind you
[X] Plan Tunnel Snakes Rule
Leingod
Immaculate Blooming Lotus
[X] Plan Leingod
-[X] Gabriel T. Garcia
"Gabriel" comes from Gabriel "Flash" Elorde (1935-1985), who still holds the record for length of time holding an undisputed junior lightweight (also called "super featherweight") championship at seven years, which gained a lot of legitimacy for a division that was in its infancy at the time, as well as holding lightweight and bantamweight titles during his career.
The "T." in there is for Tony Zale, "The Man of Steel" (1913-1997), who held the world middleweight championship twice and is famous for a competition for the title with boxing legend Rocky Graziano (not to be confused with Rocky Marciano) that spanned 3 bouts. He's totally just in there because I think his nickname is just too fitting.
"Garcia" is for Ceferino Garcia (1906-1981), who held both welterweight and middleweight titles and is sometimes called the "Father of the Bolo Punch" for being the first famous boxer and world champion to use it extensively, though more famous champions like Kid Gavilan and Sugar Ray Leonard often get more credit for it in boxing circles. He's here because a hero needs a proper alliterative name.
-[X] Slightly below-average height, with a thin but muscular body. Filipino descent, with brown skin and eyes and curly black hair that's probably the legacy of some Spanish blood in the family tree. His face has a boyish charm to it that makes him look younger than he is, to his consternation. His nose has been broken at least once.
-[X] Male
-[X] 16
-[X] Poor
-[X] Large family, many siblings
-[X] Los Angeles
A lot of great boxers came out of beginnings like this (because boxing can pay decent money to someone with a good punch but little education, and it provides a valuable skill to someone growing up in a poor neighborhood on top of that), including a lot of the great Filipino boxers of the past like those mentioned above; Ceferino Garcia had to drop out after 1st grade to work for a blacksmith and Gabriel Elorde had to do the same after 3rd grade to work for a carpenter.
-[X] The Warrior. You seek to prove your worth through courageous acts and believe that anything can be accomplished with enough strength and willpower. You are charismatic, competent, and courageous. Your greatest fear is personal weakness and vulnerability. Your greatest weakness is your arrogance.
As all the boxing inspirations above probably imply, I'd like a character with more of a melee-focused build. I haven't been part of a lot of superhero quests on SB and SV, but whenever I do the one that gets traction is always either magic, tech or both, and half of the votes are researching/building this or that. I kinda want a hero who doesn't need prep time for everything and just goes out and punches things. Besides, series' like JJBA and MHA prove that you can still be smart with a superpower predicated on punching things really hard, so it's not like we're going to be stuck as a dumb brute.
-[X] Gabriel T. Garcia
"Gabriel" comes from Gabriel "Flash" Elorde (1935-1985), who still holds the record for length of time holding an undisputed junior lightweight (also called "super featherweight") championship at seven years, which gained a lot of legitimacy for a division that was in its infancy at the time, as well as holding lightweight and bantamweight titles during his career.
The "T." in there is for Tony Zale, "The Man of Steel" (1913-1997), who held the world middleweight championship twice and is famous for a competition for the title with boxing legend Rocky Graziano (not to be confused with Rocky Marciano) that spanned 3 bouts. He's totally just in there because I think his nickname is just too fitting.
"Garcia" is for Ceferino Garcia (1906-1981), who held both welterweight and middleweight titles and is sometimes called the "Father of the Bolo Punch" for being the first famous boxer and world champion to use it extensively, though more famous champions like Kid Gavilan and Sugar Ray Leonard often get more credit for it in boxing circles. He's here because a hero needs a proper alliterative name.
-[X] Slightly below-average height, with a thin but muscular body. Filipino descent, with brown skin and eyes and curly black hair that's probably the legacy of some Spanish blood in the family tree. His face has a boyish charm to it that makes him look younger than he is, to his consternation. His nose has been broken at least once.
-[X] Male
-[X] 16
-[X] Poor
-[X] Large family, many siblings
-[X] Los Angeles
A lot of great boxers came out of beginnings like this (because boxing can pay decent money to someone with a good punch but little education, and it provides a valuable skill to someone growing up in a poor neighborhood on top of that), including a lot of the great Filipino boxers of the past like those mentioned above; Ceferino Garcia had to drop out after 1st grade to work for a blacksmith and Gabriel Elorde had to do the same after 3rd grade to work for a carpenter.
-[X] The Warrior. You seek to prove your worth through courageous acts and believe that anything can be accomplished with enough strength and willpower. You are charismatic, competent, and courageous. Your greatest fear is personal weakness and vulnerability. Your greatest weakness is your arrogance.
As all the boxing inspirations above probably imply, I'd like a character with more of a melee-focused build. I haven't been part of a lot of superhero quests on SB and SV, but whenever I do the one that gets traction is always either magic, tech or both, and half of the votes are researching/building this or that. I kinda want a hero who doesn't need prep time for everything and just goes out and punches things. Besides, series' like JJBA and MHA prove that you can still be smart with a superpower predicated on punching things really hard, so it's not like we're going to be stuck as a dumb brute.
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- Location
- London
Eh... what the heck my plan doesn't seem to be gaining traction so I'll just hedge my bets with:
[X] Plan Leingod
Seems like character I can get behind.
[X] Plan Leingod
Seems like character I can get behind.
