Hardcore Events

Hardcore Events Rules and Information wrote:

Hardcore Events
Hardcore events are a sampling of all the RP Section has to offer: profile approvals, live-chat sessions, dungeon crawler game elements, and a one-month time limit to complete the story or get a bad ending.

1. Duration:
   One month exactly, unless a problem arises with the host, in which case the event will be extended for the number of days the host was absent.
   If the Storyline is not resolved within a month's time, the mission fails.
   
2. General Rules:
   All RP Section rules and general forum rules apply
   Activity Rule: Participants are required to post within 24-48 hours or will be removed from the event (their characters will either be lost or replaced).
   Random Events may be introduced into the story if all players are active within the OOC chat or on the boards; Random Events are Storyline plot events in which players will have a limited time to respond before consequences are enacted; each will come with a caveat in that if you cannot respond within the given time-frame, you may request another player's character take your character with them (if movement is required).
   Consistency Rule: All players are held to the understanding that they will pay attention to the story flow, taking note of roleplay elements (situational—who's talking to who, where people are located, etc) and event elements (their HP, MP, the placement of others on the map, etc.). If a player derails the event with inconsistencies, consequences will occur.
   
3. Requirements:
   Character Profile - Participants are required to have their character's profile submitted and approved before the event begins. Advanced Hardcore Events require [Advanced] character profiles.
   Word Requirement - Advanced Hardcore Events require minimum 100-word posts.
   
4. Additional Elements:
   Real Time RP - some Hardcore Events will have real-time RP sessions to start, end, or move the story along. Participants are required to have a Discord account for these live-chat events if they don't want their character NPC'd through those instances.
   Dungeon Crawler - some Hardcore Events will have dungeon-crawler game elements to them, wherein players will need to distribute attribute points to reflect their characters strengths, weaknesses, and special abilities, and will need to prescribe MP requirements to attacks. During these events, they will be at the mercy of random number generators (digital Dungeons & Dragons style die) for attacks and defense rolls to minimize godmodding and/or powerplaying.
   Certain Events officially happen within the Galaxy Cauldron's Crystal Tokyo Timeline and so can be added to character's histories, instead of just their Storyline Information sections. Participating in these events, whether playing an original character or a canon character, can have consequences within this timeline we're creating together—characters can become famous, can make enemies and allies, and can, through Storyline events, grow and develop as characters and let that development follow them through the overarching plot.
   
   Note, therefore, that choices have consequences in these games. Characters can die in these events if their HP goes less than 0 (in some circumstances), and therefore will not be allowed back into the chain after that event, and players who set stories in their character's 'future' may stipulate that a 'dead' character not participate because in their character's canon, that character is dead. This does not happen often.
   Due to setting, this Hardcore Event is not a part of the official Galaxy Cauldron Crystal Tokyo timeline.
   

   On Character Knock-Out:

   On Character Death:

   
   

Specifics for the Moonless Sky HC Event (Iron Tokyo Series):

• These events will be considered primarily [Advanced]: This is different from the usual Storyline [Advanced] designation—pay attention. You should strive to follow the 100-word post count requirements of an [Advanced] RP (attempting proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation are necessary), and your character profile needs to be approved as [Advanced] for this event. Players may ignore the 100-word post rule only during battle sequences, to keep the battle flowing quickly in regards to play time. When tallying posts during this event, your post will be counted as either [Relaxed] or [Advance] based on word count, rather than on profile category. As profiles are required, posts are tallied in the full fashion, rather than the usual 1/2 count for non-profile-required RP Events.
  
  
• This Event is Roleplay Section Multifaceted: There will be elements from all sections of our RP boards within it; it will last for exactly one month (Event), requires a profile approval (Profiles), posts can be counted towards the month's challenge or contest (Challenge), and will involve Dungeon Crawler Elements (Games) as well as live-events over Skype (Live-Chat RPs). More on the Game elements later. Being such, participating actively in this event can be great for your RP Scorecard!
  
  
• An Activity Rule is in effect. By signing up below, you agree to follow all GC and RP Rules alongside the following Activity Rule: At least one post is required every 48 hours. Failure to post at least once within those 48 hours will result in your character disappearing mysteriously, to be recovered by the remaining heroes at the end of the Event. (They won't die, but I won't let their unresponsiveness slow down the game). If you have an unexpected (but announced) LOA during this event that lasts less than 3 days, your character will be carried with the team. If the LOA lasts more than 3 days, the normal disappearance protocol will go into effect.
  Additional Note: Characters have up to 48 hours to reply to a post directed to them; if a player is taking a while to respond, their character is not to be negatively affected—no powerplaying will be allowed, and this includes having a character remark or notice that the other has not responded, as that manipulates a character's personality traits (refusing to recognize someone is a negative quality and only that character's player may determine how long they took to respond to a question).
  
  
• Random Events may occur.
  
  
• Discord use is required. For the game elements in this Event, a quick question/answer method is best and Discord is the preferred chat system. Discord is free and doesn't require personal information to use. Once planning for the Event gets underway there will be an OOC channel (rp_hc_ooc_iron) to be used for short-term OOC discussion for the Event; those who comment on this sign up thread with interest will be added to the group. There will be a forum-based OOC thread for this event (once sign-ups are closed, this thread becomes the OOC), for which the primary use is: recording important information that everyone playing ought to know and asking questions that may run the risk of being buried beneath chatter in the Discord OOC channel.
  

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Setting and History Information

1. This does not take place in the Galaxy Cauldron Crystal Tokyo "Canon".
   
   
2. In the distant future, the Earth is a scarred and desolate place, ravaged by war and natural disasters.
   This is a dystopian science-fiction type of world. What remains of the population is concentrated in metropolises where crowding and scarcity form the constant concerns of daily life. Our story takes place in Iron Tokyo (鉄東京), the the last remaining urban center of the small island nation of Japan. The areas outside the protective walls of the city are wasteland ruins. Due to changes in the environment and ozone depletion, radiation is the biggest threat to those who venture outside. While it is possible to explore or even live outside the city, it is far from recommended.
   
   
3. How does this relate to Crystal Tokyo and the Sailor Moon canon universe?
   Our characters are sailor soldiers with no concept of the "sailor soldier" and no knowledge of Sailor Moon or anyone else within that influence. It has been thousands of years, if not longer, since Crystal Tokyo existed—a fact which residents of the current Earth would dispute. As tension escalated around the globe but stillness echoed in the Solar System, Crystal Tokyo and Neo Queen Serenity faded into the realm of myth and then into total obscurity. Magic has been completely eclipsed by technology, which itself suffers from major setbacks. Records of the world before the most-recent great wars perished in the destruction.
   
   
4. Sailor Uranus' established "Sailor Queens" and their various realms may still be true elsewhere in the universe, but it is not relevant to this HC Event. The Galaxy Cauldron exists, but it has had little to do with the Solar System in many years.
   

All About Iron Tokyo (鉄東京)

Iron Tokyo is the remaining metropolis in Japan. It is a sprawling place where skyscrapers tower and people live practically on top of one another. In the city center, "ground level" is crawling with debris and covered in filth. Crime is rampant in the more densely-populated areas despite the almost-oppressive presence of law enforcement run practically like a sub-military organization (the Iron Tokyo Police Force or ITPF). They do not uphold "justice", merely deliver punishment. Lawbreakers are deported to the deepest desert wastelands prison encampments, where they are unlikely to survive the term of their sentence(s). The average citizen lives in quiet fear of being apprehended, even if they believe themselves to be law-abiding and hard-working Japanese people.

The government consists of a Governance Council of seven members who rule the Iron Empire, which at this point includes several islands and some sections of Asia that Japan has historically sought to control, absolutely and without question. This is not a democracy. The people have no part in this government, which was formed from top-ranking military officials after the most recent war, the War of the Silent Toll which lasted four years and took place forty-five years ago. It claimed the lives of 1/3th of the total population of the already-devastated Earth. Council members retire only by death or exile, and new council members are nominated and voted in by the existing council. Every five years they alternate the role of "Prime Councillor", who leads their meetings and has other special governing privileges during his or her term.

The city is surrounded by massive gated walls, heavily guarded by the military, that serve as both physical barriers to entry and protection from the unpredictable and powerful weather of the wasteland beyond. The metropolis itself is fortified to withstand earthquakes and oceanic storms, both of which are frequent, but this does not mean the people are completely insulated from harm. Most importantly, it is shielded from radiation and has vast decontamination plants that provide cleaner water and air to the people within. (Although there was a recent scandal alleging that wealthier citizens and those who supported the government receive better-quality water and cleaner air utility services than those in older areas of the metropolis...)

Except for those lucky enough to be part of the elite classes, life is difficult. The newer annexes of the city offer more space, more updated facilities, and less damage because they were built after the most recent war. Unfortunately, they are well beyond the budget of the average family within Iron Tokyo. The closer one gets to the center of the city, the taller and more worn the buildings become. There's less sunlight in this iron forest. More dirt. Smaller apartments. A house with a garage and a white picket fence is not possible in the nucleus of the city. Agriculture suffered heavily, with most food now synthetic and formulated for survival rather than enjoyment. Technology expands every day, a desperate attempt to make up for all that has been lost, but resources are still limited. Many people who desire a better life for themselves take the law enforcement training courses or enroll in the military academy.

Due to the radiation and pollution, the lifespan of the average citizen is roughly 50 years. Disease and other complications are common—especially cancers. Medical treatment strives to provide some relief and attempts cures, but new afflictions spring up almost as quickly as doctors race to find solutions for what exists. Most people are ill to some degree and early deaths are common.

Technology is incredibly important and constantly evolving. Computers, programming, and other machines are being developed and revamped on a daily basis. Everything from the government database of its citizens to the shockingly-quick elevators in the tallest buildings, to the factories that stamp out rations for the people, are the brainchildren of engineers and mechanics. Robots and mechanical constructs are everywhere, although artificial intelligence seems to have stalled—it is not particularly intelligent and has been reserved mostly for menial tasks. Robots exist from the highly-developed to the very simple, everything from replicated extinct animals to self-driving forklifts. What people do not realize is that most of the electricity used to power everything around them is derived from vast generators that house Mystical White Crystal and Malefic Black Crystal.

In other ways it resembles modern-day Japan: the yen, metric system, compulsory education for children, etc. A lot of "traditional" culture was lost in the wars, as people have lived under austerity for a while.

How Did We Get Here from Crystal Tokyo

Whatever tragedy ended the reign of Neo Queen Serenity is unknown, lost to the ages, but it was swift and significant. There was no trace left of the sailor soldiers and the royal family, the Crystal Palace having shattered to pieces. It seems to have tossed adrift other sailor soldiers who might have been drawn to this place, as though suddenly finding themselves without the pull of gravity. Any progress that was being made towards a revival of the Silver Millennium era on the other nearby planets of the system ceased and slowly decayed. On Earth, the people were plunged back into a life without a beacon to guide and protect them, completely open to the influences of Chaos.

The wars that raged on were not "sailor wars", but that hardly mattered to the billions who suffered and died in their name.

Surprisingly, but perhaps it should not have been so, the loss of the brightest star appears to have slowly weakened Chaos' interest in the Solar System. Over time those forces grew tired, finding no sailor soldier to push back with the brilliance of Cosmos. It eventually departed, leaving only the tendrils of its influence. That once-adored blue planet had lost its protection, and now burned a dim grayish-brown beyond the wisps of remaining clouds. The people who still called it home, so steeped in negativity, would take many years to grow beyond that entity's corruption.

L.U.N.A. (Long-term Urgent Notification Auxiliary)

During the time of Neo Queen Serenity, an initiative was launched to increase the protection of the Solar System. Monitoring devices were embedded within several planets with significant orbit, as well as several other space objects. These devices were hooked up to an upgraded version of the Supercomputer that had once existed on the Moon Kingdom. The intent was to provide more thorough information for those in the Crystal Palace so that they could prevent and react to external threats as needed. Additional features joined the basic monitoring system over time—recording, logging, different methods of alert, assessment metrics, and more.

When the Crystal Palace was destroyed, the blast short-circuited several relays typically used in deploying updates, taking the system offline. Years later, it rebooted. The final patch received incorporated greater advancements in machine learning, neural networking, and artificial intelligence. The system functionally qualifies as sentient, although it has been in a suspended state for many years. It continues to carry out its original mission: threat detection.

Now, in the year Tekkou (鉄鋼) 60, it has detected something...

That final patch included one more important update—an autonomous defense system.

Faux Sailor Crystals

The final update to L.U.N.A. outlined a self-defense protocol for the Earth that involved awakening a team of temporary sailor soldiers, under the assumption that the existing sailor soldiers were missing or incapacitated. This system can detect and network with any other available technology, accessing the information within. From the ruins of the Crystal Palace, near the core of the current metropolis, it has linked with the government and military systems, as well as several private networks related to technology companies and machine construction firms.

Following the program, it has identified current citizens who possess DNA sequence variation within established range that will allow for their Starseeds to be artificially bolstered with stored power originally derived from the court of Neo Queen Serenity to form pseudo-Sailor Crystals that will temporarily allow the abilities of a sailor soldier. These sailor soldiers will be more limited in scope and ability than those with naturally-occurring Sailor Crystals. They serve as necessary emergency support, an extension of the original Sailor Castles and Sailor Power Guardians.

The Incident (a Covert Attack)

The news insists it was an earthquake. A significant section, approximately 10 kilometers long, of the protective shielding walls that surround the city on the Eastern, ocean side, reduced to rubble in seconds. Whispered rumors claim spaceships darkening the sky and strange, masked shadow-creatures roaming the streets. They talk of danger and violence greater than that normally occurring in the city; this time the threats are from somewhere beyond this planet, like something out of a low-budget horror movie. Depending on who tells the story, it sounds more or less outrageous and more or less like a conspiracy.

It doesn't help that another illness seems to be sweeping through Iron Tokyo, this one leaving people pale and drifting in and out of consciousness. Some gossip that the bodies are disappearing from the hospitals they've been checked in to, but no one has a clear answer as to why, or how many, or what purpose that would serve.

Character Creation Essentials

This is the first event of what may become a series. Please keep this in mind when deciding whether to sign up. If we have a future event, additional roles may be available.

• No canon, otaku, or alternate-universe characters allowed.
  
  
• Playable characters must be created for this event to fill the available roles. A chart is provided at the end of this post with more information.
  
  
• No relationships to existing canon, otaku, or alternate-universe characters.
  
  
• All characters are newly-awakened, with the HC Event beginning only a day or so after of the experience that bestows them with the abilities of a sailor soldier. More details will be provided about this experience as it is the required topic for the RP sample of each profile.
  
  
• Ages 14 to 16 preferred. If you have a particular idea that falls outside of this range, you can pitch it to the HC Event leader who may grant an exception.
  
  
• 2 attacks available at the start of the game, with additional attacks unlocked as your character levels up. I recommend at least one offensive maneuver and one defensive or supporting, and encourage discussion with other prospective players to avoid having a team too heavily tilted in one direction. Typically new abilities are unlocked at level 3, 5, 8, and 10.
  
  
• Female sailor soldiers only. The L.U.N.A. program only recognizes female soldiers. If you have an idea for a male supporting character, please reach out to Sailor Mercury to discuss possible inclusion.
  
  
• Sailor soldiers wear standard uniform with small personal touches allowed. This is just Aurae preference, everyone. I like it when we look all pretty and tidy as a visually-unified team. If anyone feels particularly design-minded, I'd love to see concepts that don't use the sailor collar! My attempts to do this on the Sailor Moon dollmaker failed miserably. I know that the dollmakers are the easiest way for us to all create visual representations of our characters, so I'd like to have it designed on one everyone so everyone can be comfortable with sharing their character.
  
  
• When you express interest, the HC Event leader will reach out to you with a few "secret" bits of information to keep in mind while you design your character. You are not obligated to include these on your profile.
  
  
• These sailor soldiers are on the same "team", and this will unlock group opportunities and attacks.
  

Don't worry too much about having perfect team balance (especially considering healers...). I'm not interested in murdering the entire team, not for this event. If it goes well enough (or we completely fail in our mission), we may enjoy a sequel! Those who fail to abide by the Activity Rule will be removed from active play, but if an enemy attacks and it's just too powerful, there may be some gentle HC Event leader intervention to avoid total death. That said, if you enjoy playing healers and want to provide that kind of support for your team, please do!

I'd also recommend that you read the other profiles as other interested players work on them or have them approved. Try to find something different enough that we're not leaning too hard as a team in one direction or another.

This is a new character exploring a new universe—don't be concerned with perfection! Leave room for development and tweaks. Give her a few traits that you can expand on, and leave the smaller details and quirks to be discovered as you write for her! She's still a teenager and she's going through some pretty crazy stuff in her life—expect her to develop and mature as the event goes on.

Quick Character Profile Notes

• Character Name: Japanese name, please, unless you have an explanation for this person not having Japanese heritage or being part of a quirky family that loves foreign names. ;D
• Henshin/Transformation Phrase: "[Name] Matrix, Activate!"
• Weapons or Magical Items: Please include your transformation items, (a) modified pager-looking device that requires you press your fingertip on it to transform and (b) jewelry item that resonates with the pager during the transformation. You don't have a "real" Sailor Crystal so please don't include a Sailor Crystal on your list. ;D
• Guardian: N/A; L.U.N.A. is a guide but not quite a guardian.

RP Sample (A Life-Changing Experience)

Please describe how your character reacted to this experience:

A few days before the strange recent development that destroyed the city wall, each of these young women found herself outside, looking up at the sky. Although it was difficult to see at first, given the light pollution that typically blots out the visibility of the distant stars, something caught each girl's eye. What was that? What burned so brightly? Was it a comet? Was she seeing a meteor shower? As she continued to look, she noticed that there was a distinct hue to that shining object, the same colour as the aura of the sailor soldier her pseudo-Sailor Crystal now corresponds with.

As it came closer, she noticed that this comet-looking object was actually quite small... So small that it ought to to have burned up even in what remains of the atmosphere. It did not. It continued to come closer and closer, and now she could tell it was shockingly tiny, roughly the size of a pearl.

And it shot into her body.

If anyone else was with her at the time, those others would not have seen anything unusual at all. Since that moment of collision, she's been feeling unwell—vague flu-like symptoms (muscle aches, headache, nausea, possibly a fever, etc.) and a sense of general unease. Maybe it's the strange dreams she's been having—dreams where she's wearing a weird outfit and controlling... magic? That's crazy! Or perhaps she wished it would be real? She can't remember too much about the dreams when she wakes.

The day after the news reported the odd damage and this illness, she finds herself at Iron Tokyo General Hospital—either of her own accord or forced there by a concerned outside party. That is where our story begins.

Purpose of This Sign-Up and Info OOC Thread

• Asking Questions about anything above, from Hardcore Events in general, to this one in particular (particularly important given the character requirements and setting...)
• Signing Up - Please sign up in this thread for the event, which starts in November! You may reserve a character with a comment, but to finalize your spot you must reply with a link to your character profile in this thread.

Characters and Players

Important Dates

Character Profiles Due: Tuesday, October 30
HC Event Begins: Thursday, November 1
HC Event Ends: Friday, November 30

I would like to try my hardest to participate as Sailor Harding, please.

(Takes breathing lessons as I'm nervous as hell...oo)

I'll take Sailor Magellan! I'll edit this post with the profile once it's up and approved!
EDIT: What about this as a senshi template? Everything in dark gray can be changed per senshi's color palate and the gloves, shoulder pads, and shoes are up to the player. As for the tiara, It could be silver because DYSTOPIAN FUTURE and even the center gem would reflect that? Also the world's ended, so no time for fancy skirts!


My original idea for the forehead would have been no tiara at all, but a glowing symbol of the temporary crystal they hold as based on the chart in the first post-but only the inner symbols are an option ;n;

Let me know if you like this idea. If not, I can easily make another.

This is beautiful, I love the vast amount of worldbuilding you've created here, I'm awash with imagery <3 <3

Right now, I'm floundering between Deimos and Wilhelm I need to research more about radioactive decay before making a proper choice... xD I'm going to put a soft claim on Deimos just to cover my butt and so I can go sleep without worrying too much! but I might change if that's okay if radioactive decay turns out to be something I can't wrap my head around ahaha

I’ll claim Piazzi!

I will try my best as Sailor Io!

I'd like to work on Sailor Olbers if I can.

I tried my hand at a few designs! I used Cosmos's idea and left it grey/blue where the character's color would be:
<-- "Frilly Castle"

<-- "Dystopian Warrior" ((the asymmetrical bodice and belt tie is meant to be shiny armor~))

Dystopian style Mariner, example:

I just want to say good luck to everyone, i am impatient to read all of you !

@SailorMercury

I need to withdraw my entry for the HC event due to frustrating things happening to me and my depression issues returning once again.

Sorry sports I hope things get better!

Do each of the senshi have specific symbols?

Following Cosmos' example, I have tried to come up with a prototype of Sailor Io. Everything that's white (except the leotard) can be changed to reflect the senshi's colors. I have yet to decide for shoes or gloves. Also, since the weekend is approaching, I'll have time to work on the profile  

Thanks for your interest, everyone! There are some great ideas for a uniform!

Kyra suggested this RP Heroine creator and I kind of liked this, maybe:

Click for Image:

Princess Luna wrote:

Do each of the senshi have specific symbols?

They do not! Feel free to design your own if you want one.

I apologize for not having much to say; I'm trying to get some real-life things tidied up. Thank you for your patience!

All of the suggestions look so cute!! And thank you. No problem Mercury we all understand stuff happens that makes us busy.

Really late question but unless I missed something, are we allowed to choose our senshi's colors or they will be given by Mercury?

CrystalBunny wrote:

Really late question but unless I missed something, are we allowed to choose our senshi's colors or they will be given by Mercury?

Everyone chooses their own colours.

We have until the end of today correct? I'm still in the midst of creating my profile.

Princess Luna wrote:

We have until the end of today correct? I'm still in the midst of creating my profile.

Yes, end of day! I won't be able to start reviewing/etc. until later tonight/tomorrow.

I may push the start date for the event back a day or two, but I'm trying not to. Thanks for your patience, everyone!

Thanks Mecury!

Weird, I thought we had until the 31st. I'll still have a profile done by the end of the day, though! 

@Sailor Mercury Did we decide on what style/dollmaker we're making the characters? That's gonna be the hardest part for me, since you wanted to have them all similar.

Cosmos-Hime wrote:

Weird, I thought we had until the 31st. I'll still have a profile done by the end of the day, though! 

@Sailor Mercury Did we decide on what style/dollmaker we're making the characters? That's gonna be the hardest part for me, since you wanted to have them all similar.

I haven't; I'm sorry. I know I need to, but it's a hard decision. You can wait and fill in the uniform section until that's decided, but please try to get the rest of the information if you can.

I apologize for the continued delays. Thank you all so much for being patient with me. Obviously we'll be a bit delayed, but I'm still aiming for a November start as soon as possible. I'll update this thread with any information related to an actual timeline. Thanks again, everyone, and I'm sorry for not getting this off to a smooth start.

Thank for the updates Mercury! We all know how bad life can get in the way.

Is this still open for making characters?

Official Announcement wrote:

Announcement!


Due to a sudden and unexpected increase in IRL activity for our hostess, rather than delaying the start of this event it has been decided to officially postpone Moonless Sky and start it off fresh with the new year!

Moonless Sky has been moved from November to January. 

Please note: If you have already signed up and know ahead of time that January will not be a good month for you to keep up with the activity rule, you can back out without any consequences. If you would like to consider joining this HC Event have not yet signed up for it, please contact Sailor Mercury via PM to make an appeal rather than posting in this thread. To help with that aim, this thread will be locked until mid / late December.