Streak of Light (Dystopian Superpower RP Discussion/Sign-Ups)

[Mechanist Gamma]

The year is 2063.
After the collapse of modern civilization, people have begun building off of the ruins of the past to make something new. With this comes the four major states - NewMerica, Aseura, the South Colonies and Centrala. In NewMerica, the government is a dictatorial regime known as the Merin Empire. Many people dislike the government, but many of its members in power wish the best for the citizens. Others only wish for the eternal perpetuation of the government.
Secret government experiments are common, especially in the Northern district of NewMerica. One such experiment, however, has proven extremely fruitful... a newly-created artificial gene that allows a human to gain an incredible natural-yet-unnatural ability.
These are known as Streaks, and only a certain few have them. Those that survived know the Streak well.

This is a world that I actually just thought of, but I thought it might be cool to make it into an RP. The basics is that this is a dystopian world with America and Canada as one giant state known as NewMerica. Streaks are special color-coded abilities unique to a person (I'll list them below) that are the results of government experimentation. They're usually identified by a miscolored strand of hair (when dormant) or a new hair color/colored aura (when activated). The process of gaining a Streak is exceedingly painful due to it being a genetic modification, and afterwards the government usually either trashes the test subjects or recruits them into their military. If it's the latter, they usually get a healthy dose of memory suppressant. Due to this, there's also a rebel group of ordinary humans called the Vagabonds who discovered Streak when they found a survivor. RP characters are gonna be one of these two - a survivor or a recruit. Or they could have no Streak and be an ordinary person. Up to you.
Rules are simple here - follow regular RP rules, have quality in your posts, only one person per Streak and don't make up new Streaks without me approving them first. Oh, and have fun.

Spoiler: List of Streaks

Gold Streak - Grants super intelligence and heightened interpretation/analysis, up to the level of being able to predict an opponent's next move. - Taken by @SS-I Never
Silver Streak - Grants super speed and heightened perception, up to the level of perceiving the world as slowed down by up to 99%. - Taken by @Eeveechu151's Dexter Willamette/Swift Silver
Bronze Streak - Grants super strength and heightened dexterity, up to the level of punching with the force of a hydraulic press.
Red Streak - Grants the ability to control nearby fire and quickly heat things.
Orange Streak - Grants the ability to control nearby rock and dirt, such as creating an instant pitfall.
Yellow Streak - Grants the ability to control nearby electricity and electrical machines.
Green Streak - Grants the ability to control nearby nature, such as increasing the speed of growth of a tree.
Blue Streak - Grants the ability to control nearby water and ice, as well as quickly freezing things. - Taken by @Mystic Zander's Vincent Reese
Purple Streak - Grants the ability to control shadows and darkness, such as always covering oneself in shadows. - Taken by @Ratbag the Coward's Darios Sarisso/Black Shadow

Spoiler: Character Sheet

Name:
Age:
Gender:
Appearance:
Personality:
Home:
Allegiance:
Rank/Role: (if part of the Vagabonds/Merin Empire)
Streak: (if any)
Backstory:
Skills: (what they can do aside from their streak)

Here's my guy, by the way. Can't wait to see what you guys will bring to the table!

Spoiler: Swift Silver

Name: Dexter Willamette (works under the codename Swift Silver)
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Appearance: As Dexter, he has long black hair running down to his waistline with a single strand of silver hair just beside his left eye. He wears a white t-shirt and black track pants with brown shoes. As Swift Silver, his hair goes completely silver from his constant tapping of his power. He wears combat goggles and a face scarf with a tight silver-and-black bodysuit covering him completely from the neck down.
Personality: Dexter is cocky and a showoff but also cares deeply for his teammates and cause. He misses his older sister and parents greatly. He usually moves much too fast for others to handle, but knows when to shut up and is a careful listener. He was the one that came up with the plan for the Vagabonds to start going public, leaving signs for the people to see.
Home: Hamilton District, Ontario Subdivision, Northern Division of NewMerica
Allegiance: Vagabonds
Rank/Role: Runner, sabotage agent and espionage
Streak: Silver
Backstory: Dexter was one of several randomly-selected people to be brought to Central NewMerica to be tested on for compatibility with the Streak gene. Initially deemed a failure, Dexter was ordered to be disposed of. The Streak gene saved his life, activating just before his group of failures were incinerated to get him to safety at the top of the smoke stack. Knowing that no one would believe a freak kid, Dexter decided not to return home - for fear of the government trying to attack his family for keeping him hidden - and ran to East NewMerica. There in the Hampshire district, he came across one of the Vagabonds - Alex West, lead tech guy. West decided to bring the 13-year-old into the team since he had nowhere else to go and wanted to help fight. Dexter was the team's first encounter with the Streak gene, but after more encounters the group has learned the various possible effects of the gene. Four years later, Dexter is a criminal rogue known by the name Swift Silver and one of the Vagabonds' most valuable members.
Skills: Acrobatics, improvised hand-to-hand fighting skill, dexterity

I think I'll invite... @Jagson, @Rohan Kishibe, @Glûk the Bard, @Mockingchu and @Mystic Zander. That should be enough people for now, right?

 

[What Did You Do To Snoke?]

So there are two things I have to ask about this. First of all, you have put that you have taken the silver streak. Does that mean we can only take one streak and what will happen when we run out of streaks? Second of all, where is Aseura, the Southern Colonies and Centralia in comparison to the modern day Earth countries?

 

[Mechanist Gamma]

1) Yeah, one streak per person would be best. We likely won't run out of streaks since I'll close the thread when all nine streaks are taken.
2) Aseura is Asia and Europe, the Southern Colonies are South America and Australia, and Centralia is Africa.

 

[Mystic Zander]

Hmmm, I may join this but IMA bit busy at the moment. If its alright to call on a streak type ahead of time, I was thinking blue.

 

[Mechanist Gamma]

Sure, sounds good.

 

[What Did You Do To Snoke?]

1) Yeah, one streak per person would be best. We likely won't run out of streaks since I'll close the thread when all nine streaks are taken.
2) Aseura is Asia and Europe, the Southern Colonies are South America and Australia, and Centralia is Africa.

Okay!

Name: Darios Sarissio (Codename Death's Bane or the Black Shadow)
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Appearance: Deep Black-African skin. Bald headed. Tall and muscular. Large hands and thick arms. Often wears hoods or cloaks, but when in casual form he just wears a Black shirt with purple shorts, when it is hot.
Personality: Brutal, cold, sinister, loves to hurt people, a true villain.
Home: Somewhere in Centralia (some suspect the Nigerian area or Sierra Leone. There are some reports that claim he lives in Zibabwawe or Madagascar)
Allegiance: Vagabonds (If you'll allow it)
Rank/Role: He appears to be an extremely high rank. But he is often used to infiltrate enemy lines, often taken out snipers and guards who are difficult to remove.
Streak: Purple Streak
Backstory: Was taken from his home at an early age by a NewMerica official. Tortured brutally when he tried to escape. The acts by the government made him who he was today. Seeking an opportunity to escape, he fled back to his home continent vowing to expose the Streak project by taking them down. He joined the Vagabonds and is searching for more people with streaks to help him and to help him aquire the ultimate streaks so he can take down anyone. He trusts noone and wishes to knock out all opponents the first time he meets them. Currently at an extremely high rank in Vagabonds, he wishes to raise an army to take out the ones who created the streaks. He has toured Centralia and gained a massive following.
Skills: He is quite strong, being able to hit hard if he need to punch someone.

 

[Mechanist Gamma]

I don't entirely like the idea of him being a true villain, but it generally works. The Vagabonds aren't bad guys though, so I'm guessing he'd have to be more of a chaotic good/neutral type. Also, he's likely in NewMerica right now since that's the only place the Vagabonds operate.

 

[Mockingchu]

First, my character.

Name: William Dante (Doesn't have a codename)
Age: 24
Gender: Male
Appearance: William has smooth, sandy blond hair and fair skin. He has pale blue eyes, and a round face. Wears whatever he can find.
Personality: He has a strong moral code, but believes killing terrorists is not immoral. He sees the Vagabonds as violent insurgents that threaten the government. He has a heart of gold, and fights for what he thinks is right.
Home: Chicago, Belt District, NewMerica
Allegiance: Merin Empire
Rank/Role: Footsoldier, low-ranking, has some connections thanks to his parents
Streak: None.
Backstory: William's parents raised him as a person who saw corruption in the world. William realizes that the Streak testing is a gray moral area, but knows it furthers worldwide technology. His parents worked in the government, so he has respect for leaders. When the Vagabonds began to destabilize the government, William joined the Empire, ready to save what he loved. His parents have grown old, so they no longer fight physically, but dedicate themselves to strategy and funding for the the Merin Empire.
Skills: Good with a gun, decent at hand-to-hand. Fairly tactical.



Second, what advancements in technology has the world seen by this point?

 

[SailorMystic]

Hello! How would you feel about a Streak that works on a socio-political level? For example, a popular celebrity/politician/whatever trying to bring more attention to less humane aspects of NewMerica, while also hiding the fact that they're a Streak. Also, if it's okay with you, can I reserve yellow?

 

[What Did You Do To Snoke?]

I don't entirely like the idea of him being a true villain, but it generally works. The Vagabonds aren't bad guys though, so I'm guessing he'd have to be more of a chaotic good/neutral type. Also, he's likely in NewMerica right now since that's the only place the Vagabonds operate.

To the Merlin Empire and the non-Vagabonds Streaks, he'd seem extremely evil, but to the Vagabonds, he's a hero. If the Vagabonds only operate in NewMerica, then i suppose he would have a house there. Maybe he's trying to extend the operation to Centralia. I don't see the point of having the other continents if this is all happening in NewMerica.

 

[Mechanist Gamma]

@Mockingchu;
1) Looks good. I'm noticing quite a surplus of Vagabonds, though. Hopefully we can get some people in the Merin Empire to counter the Streaks of the Vagabonds, as the Empire brainwashes the successful-in-their-eyes candidates.
2) I'm thinking this is a steampunk world, so cars and flying machines working mainly on gear technology.
@SailorMystic;
1) That seems like a character that would work, yeah, but if they have a Streak then they're probably going to use it for fighting at some point.
2) Sure, you can take the Yellow Streak.
@Glûk the Bard;
1) Nnnnno, the Vagabonds have morals like everyone else. The farthest stretch with it would be a "necessary evil".
2) Centralia doesn't have the problems of NewMerica, so there wouldn't be much of a point.
3) The other continents are there purely for the purpose of world-building.

 

[What Did You Do To Snoke?]

@Glûk the Bard;
2) Centralia doesn't have the problems of NewMerica, so there wouldn't be much of a point.
3) The other continents are there purely for the purpose of world-building.

I strongly believe that there's no point in having the other areas if just for world building. NewMerica could easily take over the rest of the world anyway. I don't know, it's just how I feel. Like, you have these newly formed areas but they serve no purpose. And what if someone wants to start an anti-government organisation in Centralia? The focus seems too much on America. If I had been tested by the government and didnt want to be associated with them, I wouldn't stay in that country. I would run to another one. Hence, having Vagabonds purely in NewMerica doesn't work as you've set up this world and it seems empty compared to the high concentration of what is happening in NewMerica. It's a typical scenario where the American region is the sole focus and should not be.

 

[Mechanist Gamma]

The other regions have their own problems, but the Streaks are only in NewMerica. And for the record, the other countries DON'T want to associate with NewMerica. The other countries exist mainly to show that there's other things in the world going on and NewMerica isn't the only place in the word, even if NewMerica is the only place we focus on during this RP.
An entire continental plate is good enough to focus an RP on.

 

[What Did You Do To Snoke?]

An entire continental plate is good enough to focus an RP on.

But when the continent to focus on is basically America, is it still interesting? I know that Canada is part of the NewMerica agreement, which is nice and all, but I imagine the USA would still be the dominant force. It's just an enlarged USA. The problem I have is that almost every single piece of creative media, especially on this site, is focused on that America region. The idea of a united Africa with all the African states that we know today coming to form Centralia sounds a lot more interesting to focus on and, to be honest, sound like more of a threat.

 

[Mechanist Gamma]

HAH. HAHAHAH. No, NewMerica can hardly be considered a superpower whatsoever. Centralia, the Southern Colonies and Aseura are the dominant countries while NewMerica is kinda just there. America got hit the hardest when the world fell apart and is the hardest to rebuild.

 

[Mockingchu]

Changed my bio. William Dante is a footsoldier of the Merin Empire. Since most people are Vagabonds, can I write in supporting characters to interact with Will?

 

[Mechanist Gamma]

Sure, sounds good. Superior officers and stuff.
But I'd like to be the one handling the royal family and leadership of the Vagabonds.

 

[Mockingchu]

Of course. I just meant, I'd like to write about other footsoldiers, and his parents. Friends within the rankings and stuff like that. Tris had Will, Christina, and Al in Divergent. William needs his circle of friends. Also, superior officers would be fun to write from the perspective of William.

 

[Mechanist Gamma]

Never read Divergent. I hear it's pretty good.

 

[Mystic Zander]

Ooooh, steampunk huh? That happens to be one of my favorite genres of all time.

Since mist things are gonna be steam powered, I suspect water/ice control could come in handy.

I'll have a sheet up later.

 

[Mechanist Gamma]

Definitely - hell it might even be OP given the scenario. You might be able to, say, take out a Merin mech suit.

 

[Mystic Zander]

One question, are those of us with nonphysical abilities able to generate our source of power or do we need an already existing source?

E.g. Could I shoot water from my palms, or would I need to manipulate a puddle or something?

 

[Mechanist Gamma]

You'd need a preexisting source, so it'd be best to carry ten water bottles on a belt around your hip or something.

 

[Mockingchu]

I've got another question about the tech: Does the whole steampunk theme mean we can have advanced gadgets, they just have to be powered by steam/gears? Or does it mean it's all fairly industrial era stuff? I've never gotten into Steampunk stuff.

 

[Mechanist Gamma]

Advanced gadgets and stuff but it's steam/gears can work, like computers and junk. But this does mean there's grappling hooks a plenty if anyone wants any of those. And I mean XC2-style grappling hooks.

 

[Mystic Zander]

Hm, that makes some of these Streaks rather uneven in terms of usability.
The guys with physical/mental abilities will be at an advantage from the start.
But I like the challenge, I'll find a way to work around this with his gear.

Edit: Just realised the yellow streak user will be mostly useless in this steam powered world.

 

[Mechanist Gamma]

Not necessarily, due to the fact that there's still some electricity. Also bioelectricity.

 

[Mystic Zander]

Ooooh, so is there no limit on the scale in which we use our powers?

E.g. Could I soak up the water molecules in the air/clouds? I made the assumption that we weren't starting at our peaks.

 

[Mechanist Gamma]

It depends on the level of control you have. It takes quite a bit of practice to master something like a Streak. You probably could soak up the water molecules in the air/clouds but it'd require a lot of concentration and practice.
Also, one thing I want to make ABSOLUTELY CLEAR is that Streaks MUST be represented through the hair. The color of the Streak affects a character's hair, and even while dormant the hair will have one hair the same color as the Streak. It's why Dexter always has a silver hair even if he's not using his power. When the Streaks are used, that's when the hair changes color fully to the color of the Streak.

 

[Mockingchu]

Congrats, you got me super invested in this world, so I must ask- does this take place in our universe in 2063? If so, what made our technology evolve into a steampunk world? Currently, our trajectory looks like it will take us to a sleeker, more stereotypical future. You know what I'm saying?

 

[Mechanist Gamma]

It's our universe, yes. Some disaster in the past essentially destroyed modern tech as we know it, and the world had to start over from basically the medieval era. From there we've managed to make it to steam technology in a short amount of time due to fragments of information left behind by the previous civilization.

 

[Mystic Zander]

Name: Vincent Reese
Age: 17
Gender: Male
Appearance: Vincent has dirty burgundy hair in messy spikes with a small blue streak that's been thoroughly mixed into the other hair as to hide it, and pale blue eyes that appear far more rested than they are. He has a semi-athletic build, not as fit as he'd want, and pale skin due to lack of sun. A white cloth shirt with the long baggy sleeves rolled up to just below the elbow, lightly scattered with faded oil stains, a pair of fitted dark blue jeans, and matte black dirty combat boots. A strange contraption is fitted to his body, flexible golden/bronze tubes run down his arms and legs, a strange hole resides at the end of each tube connecting to his palms and soles respectively. A pair of brown fingerless gloves with armored knuckles are connected to said tubes. And all four tubes run to the center of his back where a strange glass cylinder is strapped. This cylinder appears to be filled to the brim with ice and is connected to an odd brown switch on his chest via a series of gear mechanism's.
Personality: Vincent is the optimistic type, always ready to face a challenge head on. Although the boys cynical attitude may sometimes get him in trouble, his high intellect allows him to back up his words.
Home: NewMerica
Allegiance: Soon to be Vagabond
Rank/Role: Tactician, multi-ranged fighter, professional smartass.
Streak: Blue (Da best!)
Backstory: Vincent was born into a lower class family of NewMerica in a time where the government was desperately trying to collect the last few Streaks as quickly as they could manage. Vincent, being a boy with compatible genes and a family with no power, was swiped up quickly, undergoing the excruciating experiment at a very young age. Unfortunately, his young frail body simply couldn't handle the incredibly stressful process of gene splicing, appearing to die quickly after the process was complete.
And so, Vincent's nine year old body was tossed into the trash hills like a garbage bag after appearing to be yet another 'failed test'. Several hours later, an old engineer by the name of Malik Reese, discovered the young boys lifeless body while searching the fields for scrap metal. He quickly rushed the boy to his shack on the edge of the Outskirts, a highly secluded location by the trash fields where he instantly began trying to revive the boy. After many attempts, Vincent's tired eyes fluttered open, life finally breathing back into him. Old Man Malik attempted to search out the boys family, but because of his memory seeming to have been affected by the traumatic experience, most of his prior life was completely wiped away except for his first name and a vague outline of his mother's face. After failing at finding his home and much contemplation, Malik decided he would take Vincent in as his own, the boy quickly taking to engineering with a burning passion. Several months later, Vincent's powers manifested, scaring he and Malik alike, but the old engineer had grown fond of Vincent in there short time together, deciding to help the boy control his newfound powers.
By the age of seventeen, Vincent had gained a decent grasp of how his power works, along with some incredible engineering skills to back it up. He had caught word of people sighting beings with multi-colored hair and matching auras appearing across the country, Vincent quickly realizing these people may have gone through something similar to what he had. The young man set out in search of others like himself, that was a year ago, now he's on the right track, he can feel it.
Skills: Engineer and a natural fighter (though some training wouldn't hurt)

 

[Mechanist Gamma]

I like him, approved! Let's wait for one more person before starting this RP.
Lemme see... Maybe @SS-I Never, @BlueMew392 or @Godjacob might be interested?

 

[SS-I Never]

I'm intrigued, it's kind of like Code:Breaker. I would like to have the Gold Streak on hold as I make my character.

 

[SS-I Never]

Name: Katrina Burnt
Age: 18
Gender: Female
Appearance: Stands at 5'07" and has a lean figure. She has short, blonde hair, with bright blue eyes, but they are usually covered as she wears orange-tinted sunglases. She also wears a suit similar to that of C.Viper from Street Fighter.
(Picture for reference and it's from the official Street Fighter games)

Personality: She tends to be very serious and over-analytical of every situation. She rarely if ever shows any emotion, but it is quite obvious that she has goos intentions as she is always read to help others and isn't afraid of joining in the fight. She will pull of the role of a leader of necessary. She is also not interested in any kind of romance whatsoever, and tends to reject anyone who ever asks her out.
Home: NewMerica
Allegiance: Vagabonds
Rank/Role: Intel, Inventor/Scientist, Weapons Engineer, Tactician, and Combat Expert
Streak: Gold
Backstory: Being injected with the syrum for the gold streak at an extremely young age gave her the intelligence of an 18 year old at the age of 2 years old, and it wasn't long before Katrina figured everything about the government experiments and what exactly would happen to her. So, she mapped out the whole facility she was trapped in while she was living there, as most of the government officials didn't expect a toddler to be able to do so. At the age of six, she successfully created an escape route to get out of the facility and even took some other kids with the Streaks with her while doing so. Later, when she became 12, she heard of the Vagabonds and joined the group. Her goal is to save everyone she can who has the Streak gene and stop these governmental plans to proceed.
Skills: Incredible planning and leadership skills. Can learn any fighting style from observing it once.

 

[Mechanist Gamma]

1) Bronze is super strength - you mean Gold.
2) The Streak gene is artificially inserted and has different results based on your chromosomes. Her advanced intellect would have set in during the implantation of the gene.
Aside from that, looks good.

 

[SS-I Never]

1) Bronze is super strength - you mean Gold.
2) The Streak gene is artificially inserted and has different results based on your chromosomes. Her advanced intellect would have set in during the implantation of the gene.
Aside from that, looks good.

Thank you for the heads-up. I edited the bio.

 

[Mystic Zander]

Awesome, can we hope to see this spring to life sometime soon?

 

[Mechanist Gamma]

The RP should be coming out soon.
And I assume that Katrina was counted as a successful experiment and "brainwashed" (which wouldn't work due to her high intellect)? Because otherwise she would have been killed.

 

[SailorMystic]

Name: Min-seo Han
Age: 23
Gender: Female
Appearance: Min-seo is a fair-skinned woman, standing a 6' 2" tall, her most noticeable features are her narrow shoulders and long arms. Her blond hair is long and straight and styled in a way that pulls it out of her face. Min-seo has a round face, almond-shaped brown eyes, a mole on her left cheek, and freckles. Due to her profession, she dresses fashionably at all times, with her showing favoritism to dotted skirts and flowery perfumes.

Personality: Min-seo is a determined and strong-willed women with a ruthless sense of business. She as no problem with manipulating anyone to get what she desires, which is typically money or blackmail material. Min-seo had been put on a pedestal since a young age, raised to believe that no one can get the best of her. This leads to an abundance of stress, especially since her stubbornness and pride lead to her often refusing to accept help, with her perceiving those who offer her help as underestimating her. Min-seo, if she believes her assumptions about others are correct, will be upfront about it. It comes off as rude, most of the time, but she doesn't see it that way. Outside of this, she is also very mischevious, with a knack for getting into trouble,

Home: Jung District, Seoul, Aseura
Allegiance: Undecided. Possible Vagabond.
Rank/Role: Aristocrat. Lead Technological Engineer. Resident Bitch.
Streak: Yellow Streak

Backstory: She was born Jaehee Kim in the Jung District of Seoul, Aseura. Due to her parent’s being young, she was put up for adoption shortly after she was born. A few months later, Jaehee was taken in by a family, with the parents both being NewMerica officials. Due to them believing a child would be more easily groomed into believing their cause, they volunteered their daughter After many months of experimentation, she went catatonic, being deemed a failure. To make her death look like an accidental, Jaehee’s body was dumped by a river. She was found a day later, suffering from hypothermia, but alive. Due to her family never filing a missing person report and Jaehee’s memory being completely wiped, she was assumed to be a nameless orphan. After spending years in the foster care system, she was adopted by a wealthy couple, her name being changed into Min-seo Han. She became the sole heiress to their fortune, with her powers presenting in her teens. Her parents have only noticed that technology tends to act strangely around her as Min-seo has good control over her powers. She heard of people with streaks in their hair, just like her, and is seeking them out for answers. Thankfully, the cover story of her attempts to secure potential business partners was believed.

Skills: Engineering, Inventing, basic self defense.