The Knightmare (AU plot open to all members!) May 1, 2021 6:16:21 GMT -5 Diana Prince, Jason Todd, and 3 more like this
Post by Cassandra Cain on May 1, 2021 6:16:21 GMT -5
'We live in a society, where honour is a distant memory...'
In the not so distant future, the world as we know it has ended. Following the explosion of a modified nuclear device, its core laced with the substance widely known as kryptonite, the Earth's atmosphere was filled with particles of the interstellar rock. The initial blast killed thousands, but many more perished as unpredictable nuclear storms rolled across the globe, blotting out the sunlight, irradiating the seas and scorching the earth. The planet's heroes did all they could to aid in the fallout, but many of the strongest found themselves weaker in the aftermath.
Then he struck.
Having lain in wait for decades, shrouded by the shadows of the cosmos, a reborn Darkseid capitalised upon Earth's weakness. Summoning armies borne from Apokolips, the New God's invasion was swift. Many that opposed him fell, his greatest enemies easily slain in their drained states. Humanity's time was over - mankind became slaves to this higher power, forced into the service. Any that stood against Darkseid's rule were swiftly dispatched, or changed - warped into loyal parademons.
With each passing day, Earth loses more of its splendour, becoming evermore like Apokolips - a barren waste.
But hope remains. A resistance exists.
Small groups of meta heroes, vigilantes and villains rose from the ashes of the old world, banding together, refusing to let mankind's light be extinguished. Split across the continent, they are always on the move, constantly at war with Darkseid's forces, looking for anything that might turn the tide and overthrow the apocalyptic regime, anything that might end their waking knightmare.
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Having seen ZSJL, I really fell in love with the 'Knightmare' AU he set up and wanted to do something similar on the site. The goal of this AU is to allow us to throw together strange and random teams of survivors, pitting them against a world that is no longer their own, and against enemies far too powerful for them to really challenge. Depending on how many people wish to take part, and which characters they'd like to utilise, I might create us a little Knightmare AU sub-board, so we can have multiple threads for multiple surviving teams, with an eventual goal to gather and unite.
If you are interested, please do drop your character's name in the thread, and tell us a little bit about what they've suffered through. Remember, it's an AU, so this will have no impact on the forum itself - it's a totally fun side project for characters that exists outside the wider site. Once people have had chance to respond, I'll organise a team or two and get writing some opening threads! Please remember, before mentioning another person's character in your 'Knightmare history', check they're ok with what you're suggesting, even though it is totally AU.
Before dropping in 'meta-heroes', note the following 'changes' to Earth: the atmosphere is laced with Kryptonite, severely weakening Kryptonians. Sunlight is dim, often clouded over, thus severely weakening the ability of some heroes to 'empower' themselves with the sun's rays. Water is scarce and large bodies of it are highly irradiated - not much can survive within it. Sea levels have drastically dropped, and continue to do so. Be assured, these caveats aren't meant to put anyone off dropping in their meta heroes - if anything, it might make them more interesting to write, struggling with the new limits they find imposed upon them - but I really want the survival and 'against all odds' aspect of the AU to shine. We can't just have the Kryptonian family flying up to Darkseid and punching him into space, or the plot would be over quickly!
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Characters involved:
Team 1 - East Coast
Cassandra Cain/Black Bat - After witnessing her closest friend, Stephanie Brown, turn to dust in her arms, Cassandra Cain swore vengeance upon the New Earth's tyrannical despot. Silent and deadly, the Black Bat leads a small band of survivors through the wastelands of North America, seeking Darkseid's generals so that she may exact her retribution. To cross her is to cross the living, walking embodiment of revenge, whose quiet quest is less about inspiring those about her, but inspiring fear in those she opposes.
Marco Mardon/Weather Wizard - Marco never realized how connected he was to the earth's atmosphere until Darkseid turned it to sh*t. For a while, he was lost to the poisoned pangs of it all. Now that he's finally in his right mind, Marco fell in with a group of survivors hoping to make a difference, more out of a lack of an alternative than anything. With his powers, Marco helps divert or adjust the volatile weather phenomenon to help them survive.
The Joker - Father J is a born again Holy Man! The world is fire and sand, heroes and villains live together, and Batman is gone. Hell is on Earth and people are scared. They need hope, they need love, they need a leader, they need Father J! Father J and his merry Fellowship of the Welcoming Tabernacle and Latter Day Jokes...of Faith travel in caravan from haven to haven preaching the gospel that is peace through subjugation, but not to the overlord Darkseid, the new savior: Father J, savior of Spirit, Mind, Body, and Soul. Only by accepting the love of Joker into your heart can you free yourself from the fear-inducing sanity of the world. Insane or In-pain. Thou must chooseth!
Bruce Wayne/Batman - Both Bruce Wayne and Batman have been MIA since the original cataclysm. The vigilante is presumed dead, because what other explanation could there be for his disappearance? Somewhere out there, though, there's a man with a striking resemblance to the lost billionaire, but with no memory of his past.
Edward Nigma/The Riddler: In a role similar to the one formerly held by the Oracle, Eddie is the literal (and figurative) “man in the chair” for his group. He can hack into security systems of nearby buildings, map locations of objectives when such information is needed, and scout surrounding terrain through the use of a Waynetech satellite that he has commandeered. He can also give his team supply drops and assist then in fights (at times) through the use of drones that he can send out for assistance.
Team 2 - West Coast
M'gann M'orzz/Miss Martian - The mind of a telepath can be a fragile thing. When the nuclear device preceding Darkseid's invasion went off, M'gann M'orzz's mind was assailed with psychic backlash, a chorus of fear and desperation that caused her to see fragmented memories and experiences from the thousands that died. Overwhelmed, the Martian fell into a coma, finally waking to a world in ruins. After being found by a group of survivors, M'gann has taken on a leadership role of sorts, using her telepathic gifts to scour the planet for others that might join their cause, or pinpointing humans that can be saved.
Virgil Hawkins/Static - When the World started to go to Hell, Virgil did all he could to stay with and help M'gann. The young man however found himself torn between his partner and his home. Eventually Virgil broke off and went back to Dakota City. Doing everything the electrically powered being could to protect his home, Virgil seemingly sacrificed himself to save those he could. Tapping into unforeseen depths of power, seemingly brought on by the Earth itself, Virgil attempted to hold back a city-destroying explosion with his powers. While nearly all of Dakota City fell, Paris Island remained nearly untouched. Though Virgil's electrical powers were enough to save a sliver of land, the hero was nowhere to be seen. Seemingly though, his powers remained, as Paris Island soon found itself surrounded by a nearly impenetrable wall of electricity, powerful enough to even negate a Parademon swarm. Now the once poorest and most crime ridden areas in the United States, Paris Island is one of the few bastions of hope for humanity, watched over by Hardware, and a seemingly never ending storm. Could the storm be Static? Or something else entirely?
Raven - The empathic backlash of Darkseid's attack has wrought a lasting change on the Daughter of Trigon. Only one person hears her speak anymore - she's usually mute and falls back on ASL for communication, if Jason Todd isn't there to interpret for her through their psionic rapport. Tormented, haunted and hanging on by a thread, Raven is still doing her all to put an end to this terrible evil.
Jason Todd/Red Hood - Death is still waiting on Jason Todd. Custom to less than stellar conditions, Jason took to the apocalypse with only some colorful cursing before he went about what needed to be done. Unable to track down any close associates except for Raven who was with him at the time, the two travelled alone before stumbling upon a group of survivors. Jason's since taken them under his wing, because in this screwed up world, he's somehow the best option they've got.
Gemini de Mille - When the cataclysm happened notorious criminal Gemini de Mille was in the bathtub of a luxury penthouse, enjoying the wealth her stolen wealth could by. All of that ended in a moment and when Gemini oozed up out of the rubble she found a broken world. The Brotherhood of Evil were all dead, as was her arch-enemy Beast Boy. Feeling lost and without purpose, Gemini wandered the ruins, until she ran into a resistance group and with no better plan decided to join them. As she didn't think she would be accepted, she took the identity of a deceased vigilante, Flamebird and blended in. To her surprise Gemini has come to care for the group deeply; they're the first real friends she's ever had and one of them has even become much more than that.
Curtis Metcalf/Hardware - It took the world going to s#it for Curtis to realize people are worth caring about and holding dear. Dakota was erased from the map in the blink of an eye and Hardware was powerless to do anything about it. The people he held at arm's length and took for granted are gone and he can never get them back. Curtis has shed his callousness and has much more personable now, caring deeply for the small band of former heroes and villains that he has come to view as a family. On the other side of this change, the brutal landscape of the world has made Hardware see killing as a necessity once again; there lie no qualms in taking the lives of parademons nor any person who may threaten the safety of his family.
Team 3 - Space Cadets
Lois Lane - When the world went to hell, Lois packed up her husband Clark Kent , stole a spaceship from a nearby military base, and headed into the cosmos. Lois wished to stay and help those in need, but the planet was no longer hospitable for Clark. She was torn, before an idea came together between the two. This whole problem started with some space rock and an invader from space. Maybe, just maybe, there was a solution, or some help, in the vast expanse of space. Now she and Clark along with one or two others travel in search of that last ray of hope.
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