Alright. I've been formulating this idea for utterly ages now, and I feel it's pretty much ready to go... this is another shot at an RP I ran on my own Board some time back. I'm going to paste in this initial post some explanatory and introductory stuff before I actually make the first IC post. Bear with me on this.
Setting and info
This RP is set in the Nautilus solar system, which is slightly similar to the one Mobius or Earth inhabits. There are a total of six inhabited planets, each home to a civilization or two (note there are uninhabited planets as well). All the civilizations are fairly technologically advanced; this is an RP with a fairly futuristic setting. Think Fifth Element kinda if you've ever seen it. We have all-in-one ID cards that work with your fingerprints and stuff and are usable as bank cards. We have dimensional storage (albeit without unlimited space for everyone). We have huge metropolises with massive multi-storey glass and metal structures. There are space-planes for transport between planets, and some more wealthy folk have their own craft as well. (Think along the lines of the ratio of commercial to private craft in our current day and age) This is only currently existing technology however, and exciting developments are just around the corner... Who knows, your character may even be involved in them...
Notes on the Nautilus system
This solar system is composed of 6 inhabited planets and an additional unspecified number of large celestial bodies and meteors and so forth. The sun is similar to our own, but larger and brighter. This is one of the factors contributing to more of the planets being inhabited.
Although the 6 inhabited planets are varied in size, the gravitational forces on each are roughly equal to each other. This has been accomplished by modern science developing the technology to combat and equalize gravitational pull in inhabited areas across each planet. It should be noted that all the inhabited planets have a suitable and viable atmosphere to sustain life on them, be it by natural atmospheric occurrence or by atmospheric generators having propagated the means some time ago. The only worlds that do not utilize artificial gravitational pull are Arcadia I and II, which are used as the baseline degree of gravitational force.
Planetary climate
As you'd expect, the distance of the planets from the sun determines their temperate climate. So, in order of distance from closest to furthest:
Suza
Second smallest planet in the system. Approximately 2/3 the size of our own Earth. Harsh exposure to sun means a lot of exposed dry land, and a rather hot climate. The planet is covered mostly by desert and arid rock, but it does have some nicer areas too; nearer the planet's poles the environment is just cool enough for water to exist, and therefore the environment is like a lush desert oasis in these areas. Naturally, this makes it a popular holiday destination, especially for those from the further out planets.
A point of note however is also that this planet houses a maximum security installation reserved for the worst offenders - a fitting punishment is to be sent to work long hours in the burning heat.
Motavia
Smallest of the planets. Only 1/2 the size of Earth. Motavia's climate is just that bit more bearable than Suza's. In addition, it has a higher level of water, allowing more of the world to be populated by plant life. Because of the planet's small size and water coverage, much of it is covered in dense marshland and swamp, meaning that aquatic life-forms can really flourish here. Motavia does have a few seas as well, which are freshwater rather than salt water. As a result, there are many cities that have been built either above the water and secured in the depths, or actually within the waters themselves. Motavia's main export is, as may be obvious, seafood of varying types.
Arcadia I & II
The third two planets out from the sun. Approximately 1.2 times the size of Earth. Arcadia I & II are basically identical in terms of size and climate. The climate is pretty much the same as that of our own Earth, with as much variation as we find on our own world. The main differences are the size and shape of the continents. The one other major point of note with these planets is that they share the same orbit around the sun, always remaining half an orbit from each other.
Tabiator
Fourth out from the sun, and the largest planet in the solar system, approximately 6 times the size of either Arcadia. Tabiator's climate is cooler than that of the Arcadias. A large percentage of the planet is covered by ocean. Very deep ocean at that. The winters on this planet can get somewhat harsh. Conversely, summer is always mild, with the temperature only ever rising enough to make things pleasantly warm rather than boiling hot. In addition, it often rains on this world due to the large water coverage.
Sonnenblume
Furthest inhabited planet out from the sun, second largest planet at about 5/6ths Tabiator's size. This planet is even colder than Tabiator. It still has a good amount of land though. From long-distance observation, the land masses mainly appear to be white. This is because the planet is in a state of near perpetual winter owing to it's distance from the sun. In fact, the only way the inhabitants of this world know that the time of year referred to on other worlds as summer has come is that it stops snowing/raining/otherwise dropping water from above for more than 5 hours.
Cultural differences
As much of a technologically advanced civilisation as a whole the Nautilus system may be, it's inhabitants are diverse and varied in their cultures.
The greatest diversity in culture can be seen on the Arcadian worlds - these worlds are where most of the different cultures found on the surrounding planets find their origins, hence there is a mix of all cultures to be found here. The different cultures tolerate each other, as the Arcadian worlds are seen as belonging to all races and not any one in particular.
The other planets' cultures have diversified along the lines of environmental and economical factors. The harsh deserts of Suza are home to smaller settlements of nomadic people, many of whom have become rugged and weather worn due to their living conditions.
The people of Motavia are a mostly agricultural people, due to the ideal conditions for raising aquatic livestock and farming of certain plants. They are usually accomplished swimmers as well out of necessity.
Moving on to Tabiator, this world is home to the largest technological sector, especially in computer development. The cool environment coupled with readily available geothermal power channelled from the depths of the oceans allows for the usage of large amounts of electrical energy, making it an ideal location for large industries. The inhabitants therefore are mostly either wealthy investors or hard working employees slaving away in underwater cities.
By contrast, Sonnenblume stands out as somewhat of an oddity. It's people live above and below the surface, although the majority live below due to the harsh sub-zero climate of the surface. This world houses the largest percentage of the population who still believe in, and in some cases, worship the old gods of legend known as "Authors". Their culture is refined and polite, but also looked on by many as somewhat quaint and old-fashioned.
Technological Advancement
The level of technological development on all the worlds is very high. The general idea is that they're all pretty much sci-fi megatropolises with technology far beyond today's standards. If you can imagine it and a plausible means of it existing, it's probably around somewhere. (Note that this doesn't allow you to overpower yourself with tech though. =P See the RP Guidelines!)
Transport
Worth noting is the transit system in effect on most of the planets. The main means of transport is by the use of vehicles capable of either utilizing a mag tube for hovering or by flying under it's own propulsion. Naturally, vehicles exist that do both. In addition, there are transit rules in effect in most of the larger cities. These operate a "layered traffic" policy that works thusly:
From the planetary surface level to approx 200ft up is the mag tube transport level. This consists of layered mag tubes with a separation of about 25ft between each tube vertically and 20ft horizontally. All traffic on this layer is made up of vehicles capable of hovering on mag tubes only.
From 200ft up to 1000ft above the surface, the traffic is layers of flying transports that are also capable of mag tube use. This is where the bulk of planetary traffic tends to exist, with a separation of 15ft between each layer of air traffic and a guideline 10ft separation between vehicles horizontally.
Above 1000ft off the planet's surface is the air exclusive layer, where vehicles built exclusively for flight move about. This is the layer where the space-faring craft are most commonly found, along with high-speed air transports for moving from continent to continent (the equivalent of today's aeroplanes).
...and I think that covers pretty much everything that needs known. I apologise for the hugeness of this post, but I figured it'd be a good idea to detail things well so people have a grasp of things.
Only a coupla restrictions here:
no characters from outside of the solar system. Reasons will become apparent later.
as a by-product of the above restriction, I'm afraid we won't be seeing any humans either... the residents of the Nautilus system are mostly anthros/furries/whatever you want to call that kind of character ;p
I'll make an IC post next, and detail how to join in that one.
"...all things came from them, and through them all things were made. It was they who made the old world as it was. The Authors were practically Gods; able to create and destroy as they saw fit. Gradually, they built the civilisations of old that dwelt on our worlds. But that was the days of old... before the great cataclysm, and the end of all things.
"What caused the cataclysm, you ask? ...no-one remains who can answer that.
"Eventually though, life recovered as it invariably does. And this time there were no Authors, simply life flourishing by it's own means. No-one remembered them anymore, and to think of them as the makers of our world today is thought of as lunacy. There are few now who even remember this legend of our way of life. Perhaps that is how it should be..."
Ash...
"My hope, though, is that you would be one of the few who will remember this legend, and at least try to keep it alive for future generations, young one..."
...Ash! Hello, are you awake?
Ash Fox blinked a couple of times to see his friend Ylaine waving a hand in front of his face.
Geez Ash, what's with you? You looked like you were lost in space or something.
Ah, sorry E. I was a million miles away...
Heh! You don't need to tell me that. she replied. She placed a small holo-projector on the counter in front of Ash.
I've been having a few problems with this thing recently. Reckon you could take a look at it for me?
Ash picked up the small projector, a frown on his face. I'll have a look, but I can't make any promises. This isn't really my department...
Ylaine grinned at him. Yeah, I know. Honestly speaking, I'd feel better if you have Shiro check it out.
With those words, a door behind Ash glided smoothly open, and a cheetah poked his head out the door. Did I hear my name mentioned? he grinned. Ash smiled, and tossed him the projector.
Yeah dude. E needs your brilliance. The cheetah casually caught the projector out of the air and stowed it away somewhere inside the room he was leaning out of.
The big S is on the job. he winked, and the door slid closed again.
Ash turned back to Ylaine. He's got this one. he smiled.
Right. How much do I owe you? Ylaine replied, running her index finger across a device attached to her wrist. Ash tapped a few buttons on a holo-display nearby.
Just a centi for security deposit, I think. Ylaine pressed a button on the device on her wrist, and a floating "black hole" appeared next to her. She reached into it and drew out a purse. She pulled out a card from within, and swiped it across a reader on the counter, then pressed her thumb against a panel next to it. Ash pressed another button on the holo-display, and the transaction completed.
OK. Anything else I can do for ya, E? Ylaine smiled.
Nope, I think that'll be all...
Ash pulled out a piece of paper from under the counter. He stared at it for a moment, concentrating. The paper folded itself in a number of ways, until it had formed into a delicate origami crane. He grinned and handed it to his friend.
Well, take this anyway. he said. Ylaine gave him a knowing look.
You never change, do you Ash? Ever since you found out you could mess with bits of paper like that... I envy you sometimes. I wish I'd been blessed like that. Ash shrugged.
It's not all it's cracked up to be. I'm just glad you're not one of the types who freak out when I do stuff like that. Ylaine pocketed the paper crane and turned to go.
Catch you later Ash. she said over her shoulder with a smile.
Ash sat at the chair behind his counter. Today had been relatively slow at Tiberius Electronics. Not that he was objecting, of course. That gave him time to watch something on the holodecks, or perhaps clock a game if there was enough time to hand. He idly watched a DimSci ad, proclaiming that they had just brought out their latest hammerspace access device, providing increased reliability and fewer subspace collisions. Ash just muttered to himself. Naturally he had a hammerspace access device himself. Heck, everyone had one on this planet, and on most of the other inhabited planets in the system. It was awfully handy though, to be able to store almost anything in a fairly large amount of dimensional subspace which was apparently not being used for anything else. He glanced down at the compact device on his wrist. Being a clerk at an electronics store did have it's benefits, he mused. It meant that he could get some pretty nice tech toys at a knockdown price, after all.
Presently, he checked the time. 2:30pm. Another few hours until clocking off time. He sat back and relaxed in his chair.
TBC...
Fairly normal and quiet right now... but trust me, things should get interesting soon.
Anyway, I promised I'd say on how to join, so here we go.
Take your choice of home environment and drop your character into it, doing whatever they'd be doing at the time. You can take a few liberties with place names and the like too, just so long as we know which planet you're on. You need not do more than what I've done thus far; you can give us a typical afternoon in your character's life if you want.
And finally, my main character's profile:
Name: Ash Fox
Gender: Male
Species: Fox
Race: Arcadian
Age: Early 20's
Appearance: A rather tall white-grey fox with a messy mop of light brown hair atop his head. He looks a bit like a Corsac Fox, with grey-white muzzle, ears and face. The back of his head under his hair is grey mottled with rust-orange, the same colour that covers his arms and shoulders on the top. The rest of the way down the back of his body is grey- white, including the top of his tail. The front of his body is a light white colour, which runs all the way along the underside of his tail to it's tip.
He's usually dressed in casual but neat clothing: collared shirt with the top two buttons left open and either jeans or jogging pants over his bottom half in a colour to contrast whatever he's wearing on his upper body. He usually wears trainers on his feet.
Personality: A fairly warm-hearted and optimistic guy with a bit of charisma mixed in, Ash is someone who's easy to get on with.
He's also got a roguish sense of humour and isn't averse to playing the odd trick on his friends now and again.
If he has any faults, it's that he sometimes isn't too open about when something upsets him, and can sometimes end up getting into trouble by not admitting when he needs help.
And a note on what he did with the paper - that's an ability he's had for a while now, he's found he can manipulate pieces of paper by concentrating on them and forming an image of what he wants them to do in his head. It doesn't seem to have any practical application though.
...and I think that's all that's needed.
Feel free to jump in folks. ^^
OOC: Profile for now.
Name: Keedis "Sparky" Underwood
Gender: Male
Species: Feline
Race: Arcadian
Age: Adolescent
Appearance: A fairly meek looking dingy white cat. Seems to wander the streets in rags. Normal height for his age, dull blue/gray eyes. The first thing noticeable is a barely stub-sized tail, as if it was cut off. Almost usually covered by his clothing his back has a long ugly scar across it as if he was cut with some type of sharp instrument.
Personality: Unless he knows someone his reactions range from shy to goofy. He will not talk to adults he doesn't know, and he will feign stupidity in an attempt to get other children to like him. Once he's used to someone his personality becomes rather clingy and rude. If there's more to him than that, noone's found it yet.
First one to wander the street gets to babysit!
Yulan sat half-reading, her book resting on one of the many tables that occupied the silent study area of the library. She was only half-reading the book because her mind was on other things, mainly family matters. A few weeks ago she had finished school, and soon her family would want to know which college or university she wished to attend. Choices like that could be quite challenging for a 16-year old. Then there was a formal family event- associated in some way with her father's business- that was scheduled for this evening. If she turned up late for that she'd be in trouble. Yulan turned the page and paused, her eyes fastening onto a picture. It was a sunny beach, and resembled one she had once visited during a family holiday on Arcadia II. Glancing through a window at the weather outside Yulan sighed to herself. Where did she wish to go? Right now she wished to go back to Arcadia II, the winters were warmer there. Not that winter had set in yet, it was still a few months away, but winters on Tabiator were always fierce.
Yulan turned the page again, and continued to brood. She could easily afford a holiday to Arcadia II but then again, she could easily afford almost anything, for her family were amongst the wealthiest people in the solar system. That was partly why they lived on Tabiator; a large planet meant plenty of land available for large private estates. Recently though, Yulan had come to resent her families' extravagant wealth, since it seemed to come at the cost of her personal freedom. She was hardly able to go anywhere in public without a retinue of at least a dozen armed security personnel. The only reason she was alone right now was because she had taken to sneaking out. What, Yulan wondered as she turned another page, was the point of being trained in armed & unarmed combat if you were never given the opportunity to fend for yourself? Or, for that matter, the point of having incredible wealth if it didn't make you happy?
Yulan's thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a high-pitched beeping sound. She clapped her hands to her ears, then muttered something vicious under her breath and reached for the device on her wrist. She pressed a button and the beeping stopped. Then a voice emanated from the device. "Yu-Yu this is your mother," the voice intoned, "just where do you think you are?"
"I could be happily thinking myself anywhere mom," Yulan replied whilst adjusting the volume to match her own near-whisper, "but if you want to know where I actually am; I'm only in the library".
"Don't you lie to me!" the voice from her wrist said, "that's the first place I looked..."
"Not the library at home mom," Yulan clarified, "the one in town".
"Which one?" her mother asked, "there are hundreds of libraries in town".
"The one I usually go to," Yulan replied. "I have no idea which public library you usually go to Yu-Yu," her mother informed her. Glad that her wrist device had audio-only for incoming calls, Yulan smiled as she said, "I know". "You needn't sound so happy about it!" her mother's sharp tone retorted. Deciding to change the subject quick, Yulan asked, "so what did you call me about?"
"I was just calling to remind you about the event this evening," her mother told her, "remember; it's very important to your father". Like I can forget , Yulan thought to herself. "And since you're in town," her mother continued, "you'd best start making your way here soon. If you show up late..."
"Point taken," Yulan said,"if I start for home now will that make you happy?"
"If the homing device in your bracelet still worked," her mother replied, "the chaffeur would already be on his way to fetch you".
"As I said; point taken," Yulan answered and cut the connection. She turned back to her book and started flipping through it. Where had she got to? Suddenly she noticed a small child staring at her. She gave herself a mental slap and started flipping through the pages with her hand. That was another thing she'd been thinking about: Telekinesis. She'd discovered her talent when she was 12. The dictionary defined it as 'the ability to manipulate matter by the power of the mind alone'. This had filled her head with all kinds of ideas. Perhaps she could change her looks? She was a dhole- a fox-like creature- and looked a fairly typical member of her species: Deep cinammon fur, with white around the muzzle & a black tip to her long tail. The only feature she felt distinguished her was her eyes. They were large soulful eyes, violet in colour, and very useful for adopting a pleading expression. As for her height, she was small enough to be considered cute- even adorable- by older people, tall enough to be considered cool by younger children & bang on the average for people her age. That last was a constant source of irritation to her, since she had a deeply-held belief that no-one was average.
There were other possibilities her talent offered her: Could she make herself fly? Could she alter the environment around her to whatever she wanted? Yulan closed her eyes as she returned her book to the shelf. When she was 14 she had attempted to answer that last question. Her brother had been helping her to redecorate her room & when he was absent she had tried to use her power to speed up the job. The resulting bang had been audible from the other end of the estate. Her brother had rushed back in and had been unable to believe his eyes. The paint was spattered all over the room, clinging to the floor and ceiling in thick strands of vivid colour, with the texture of mucus. Huge shards of metal had burst through the walls & twisted into rose-like formations. And in the centre of the room Yulan stood, covered in streaks of paint, but seemingly unhurt. At first her brother had demanded to know what had happened. Then, seeing her wide, frightened eyes, he had asked her if she was okay. Even as she had nodded, shock set in, and the tears started. Then her brother had wrapped her arms around her and told her nothing else mattered as long as she was okay.
Yulan shook her head as she wandered out of the library. Even now her family wondered what could have happened to reshape the room like that. Though she now had greater control over her talent, Yulan had been careful never to do anything like that again. She wasn't looking forward to the scene that awaited her at home. Everyone would be fussing over family affairs & her father's business, her mother would probably fuss over her- Yulan being her only daughter- and there would be no peace for anyone for the rest of the evening. Yulan sighed to herself again, and began her walk home...
IC:
Ash snapped back to reality from a brief daydream, as the clock nearby chimed five. He yawned and stretched, then scratched briefly at an itch between his shoulder blades. A door nearby slid open, and the familiar feline face of his manager, Shiro, poked out.
Yo Ash. Heading home then?
Ash smiled. Yep. It's five after all. Time I headed home and got some rest.
Shiro nodded. Have a good evening then, dude. Oh, and if you catch Ylaine at all, let her know I'm pretty much done fixing her projector.
Ah? Groovy, thanks man. Ash nodded. He then made his way to a door at the back, marked "Staff Only", making his way out through the store's rear exit after changing into some more casual clothing. Heading down the street, he sighed happily at the sight of the sun beginning to set. He decided to make his way toward Edenia Park rather than take a taxi home tonight, seeing as it was such a beautiful evening.
Solaria Avenue was his eventual destination; a street in one of the nicer areas of Sector 5 of New Exile City.
An interesting name for a city... he mused as he walked along. He'd once been told that the old Exile City had been a hulking metropolis in it's time, though that had been way back in the days not long after the great cataclysm, and Exile City had actually been almost ruined shortly after during a war of some sort... Apparently the name came from the fact that it had been founded by outcasts and wanderers from other areas of the planet. New Exile City, on the other hand, was simply named as such because it had been built over the old, and in comparison with it's predecessor was many orders of magnitude larger. If anything, it certainly didn't look like the work of outcasts.
Thus lost in thought, he waited at a sub-tube crossing for a lull in the pedestrian traffic, before crossing over to Archer's Square, a large open area of ground that lead into Edenia Park, and made his way toward the entrance...
TBC
