To The Stars: A Sci-Fi Crossover Game (Interest Check/Signup Thread)

• Name: Susie (full name Susanna Patrya Haltmann, though she never goes by this anymore. For reasons.)
• Alias: Miss Susie, Miss Secretary
• Franchise: Kirby
• Gender: Female
• Age: 23
• Species: Neumann^note Canonically her species isn't known, but for the purpose of this universe this is what I'm going with. :V
• Appearance: "You know, my favourite thing about this company is the order, the control. I suppose you could never understand the joy of a perfectly ordered life."◊
  • Her Business Suit.◊
• Alignment: Renegade In Desperation
• Job: Secretary (her official job title is Executive Assistant of the Haltmann Works Company) - though in practice it's a bit more than that.
• Personality:
  • Susie is... complicated. A pink-haired ball of contradictions, cognitive dissonance, self-loathing and resentment all wrapped up in a nice corporate-friendly package.
  • On the outside, she seems like the perfect employee - dutiful, loyal, and polite, with a can-do attitude. Even if you're her enemy, she won't let you get her down, and any failures are taken with an almost happy-go-lucky stoicism - if you fail now, there's always next time! Probably the worst thing you could say about her is that she's condescending, firmly believing that she's doing the right thing even when she's proposing to destroy your entire ecosystem, loot all your resources and forcibly convert your people into cyborgs who work for the Company, and treating you like a stubborn child for thinking that's a bad thing. You just wouldn't understand.
  • But there's an edge to her that's easily noticeable the longer you're around her. A sarcastic remark here, a bit of passive-aggression there. These are the only hints to her true self - a desperate woman, convincing herself that she's doing the right thing for herself, her father and the mother computer, while simultaneously despising all three of them. The computer for causing all her problems and stealing her father's attention; her father for refusing to acknowledge who she really is, for treating her as a petty errand-girl, for being a doddering, overconfident old fool; and herself for being weak, for daring to even think these thoughts. The remnants of a sad, scared little girl who told herself she'd do whatever it takes to save her father, even at the cost of her soul.
• Powers and Abilities:
  • Cyborg: Susie is heavily cybernetically enhanced - ‘mechanized’ in HWC parlance - as is standard for employees of the Haltmann Works Company. She's almost unrecognizable as an organic being, with even her face mostly covered by a modular faceplate. This comes with a number of ‘perks’ - she no longer needs to eat or sleep to survive, as long as her battery is fully charged she can run at peak performance for as long as she needs (though she’s still capable of eating because, well, food is tasty - and anything she consumes is converted into auxiliary power). Her cyber optics give her crystal-clear vision, with night vision, thermal vision, motion sensing and AR capabilities. Like all mechanized employees, she has a connection with the mother computer Star Dream, and can access its database whenever she pleases, her AR systems identifying any subjects of interest the computer may have data on. This is facilitated via her antenna, which also double as listening devices, enabling her to pick up errant radio waves. They can also flip downwards and project a protective visor across her face that gives her fine control over her Business Suit (more on that later). Finally, she has nanites in her ‘internal components’ that do an exceptional job fighting infections and pollutants and giving her enhanced healing capabilities, not only enabling her to stand up in a straight fight, but also - combined with body temperature control - survive extremely hazardous environments. The HWC denies any resemblance to the ‘Nanotech’ developed by competitor Gadgetron.
• Weapons and Equipment:
  • HWC Blaster Model S: Susie’s personal sidearm, naturally given her high rank it’s a cut above the standard-issue model wielded by the Haltworkers. Typically fires an electrified blast that can be charged for varying degrees of lethality, it also - with the help of ‘exotic technology’ still not fully understood - is capable of absorbing elemental energies and in doing so adopting different properties: fire, ice, water and wind are its known alternate modes.
  • Haltransporter: A personal transportation device commonly used by HWC employees, the Haltransporter appears to be a simple helicopter blade attached to a handle, and is utilized how you would expect. Susie has demonstrated some esoteric offensive uses for it, however, such as strapping it to her back to give herself a speed boost, or flipping it in reverse to blast enemies with gusts of wind.
  • Business Suit: For when a meeting turns sour and some aggressive negotiations are needed. The Business Suit is Susie’s personal attack mech, derived from the Executive Suit built for President Haltmann. What it lacks in its parent model’s flash and weight, it makes up for in speed and efficiency (not to mention costing a fraction of the price). Instead of walking, it jumps and uses its large screw-end to skitter along the ground like a spinning top, using gravitational stabilizers to stay balanced. Its modular arms can spin attack at rapid speeds, and it comes equipped with a remote drone launcher - the drones apparently have the same elemental absorption abilities as Susie’s blaster, and can double as command-operated missiles.
• Assets: As a high-ranking member of the HWC - arguably second only to President Haltmann himself - she can, in the right circumstances, call upon its vast array of assets, be they force, intelligence, labour power, or just the Company bank account. To list all of the assets at the Company’s disposal would take us all day, and this is to say nothing of the borderline reality-warping capabilities of Star Dream (for indeed, the Company owes its success to the mother computer). Needless to say, this is heavily subject to GM fiat - it is unlikely Susie will always have access to these resources, and then she has to convince her stingy boss to use them…
• Background:
  • Not much is known of Susie’s early life - born on an unknown planet (itself not her people’s home world), her only living family she remembers is her father, Max Profitt Haltmann. At the time, he was a kind and compassionate man, owner of a small robotics company, and loved his daughter more than anything, seeing as she was all he had left to remember her missing mother by. One day, though, he stumbled upon the blueprints for a Nova, a 'clockwork star' of immense power built by a long-lost ancient civilization. Finding the foundations of an unfinished Nova’s ‘brain’, he decided he would rebuild the ancient machine and use its power to build a great, prosperous galaxy. Unfortunately, during the first tests, something went horribly wrong - a portal to another dimension tore open, and the then 8-year-old Susie was sucked inside.
  • Unbeknownst to her father, she survived, and spent the next decade barely scraping by for survival in the harsh environment of another dimension. She eventually managed to find her way back, but by then things had dramatically changed. Her father’s company had transformed into a vast business empire, and he himself had become a cruel, greedy robber baron focused monomaniacally on his vision for 'infinite prosperity' (as drafted by the now-finished Nova brain, a supercomputer dubbed ‘Star Dream’), and apparently had no memory of Susie ever existing, dismissing her as a stranger. Some part of him recognized her, however, and he hired her as his secretary. Of course, to take the job she had to accept some ‘modifications’.
  • From there on, Susie dedicated herself to ‘fixing’ her father, no matter how impossible it seems. Over time, she became more and more indoctrinated into the Company’s ethos - its ultimate aim being to mechanize vast portions of the universe under Star Dream’s guidance, which it accomplishes in a piecemeal fashion by selling cybernetic enhancements, slowly forcing populations into dependence on their products - or if the planet is sufficiently primitive, just straight-up invading and claiming their resources. Not wanting to be a victim, Susie convinced herself that she was better, and by extension, everything they were doing was for the better as well.
  • All the while, her father has only deteriorated further, rarely leaving his office and barely even having opinions of his own, relying almost wholly on Star Dream. He fears he’s going insane, only to snap at anyone who dares tell him so. As such, Susie has often been sent out to meetings in his place, almost acting as the 'face' of the HWC. Some of the workers even think she’s the one really in control - an idea she laughs at. Oh, how she wishes that was the case…
• Additional Notes:
  • Susie’s text is in pink.
  • ♫Noble Haltmann, we adore him! Noble Haltmann, we adore him! Kingly lord of time and space!♫
  • Her stance on machines and robots is a little complex. She takes a ‘best of both worlds’ approach, viewing un-augmented organics as inferior, while simultaneously being distrustful at best of artificial intelligences (partly due to her resentment of Star Dream), believing that things work better with a natural mind at the helm. Occasionally she shows signs of second-guessing herself - in her lowest moments, she feels she might be improved if she wiped away her emotions and became all machine, but the idea scares her.
  • Despite having no visible legs, she still has to walk - she can't float like many of her fellow Kirby alumni.
  • She's roughly 4'5'', about chest-height with a 6-foot human.
  • Her favourite food is ice cream. In a rare act of kindness, President Haltmann once signed off on an ice cream factory on a newly-mechanized world simply because she asked. Maybe she'll get another one some day.

Edited by PresidentStalkeyes on Apr 9th 2024 at 12:51:47 PM

Okay y’all are gonna need a translator and HK isn’t much more of a powerhouse than half of the existing cast so he’s Accepted

Susie is Accepted, with her assets subject to GM approval and Star Dream’s effects…being negotiable.

Two slots remain before I close signups.

Edited by ZodanTheUnbounceable on Apr 9th 2024 at 8:24:26 AM

• Name: Ratchet
• Franchise: Ratchet and Clank
• Gender: Male
• Age: Somewhere in his late 20s
• Species: Lombax
• Appearance: [1]
• Alignment: Neutral Good.
• Job: Pilot, Mechanic, and One-Lombax Army
• Personality: Ratchet is a headstrong and courageous (often dangerously so) hotshot hero. He's perfectly at ease in the middle of a heated shootout or space dogfight, and even when things are at their most intense, Ratchet is always ready with a smart remark. He's struggled in the past with balancing his needs and the needs of the universe, but nearly a decade and a half of heroing and the guidance of his best friend Clank have helped him to mature into an experienced and compassionate hero who will do whatever it takes to keep the Universe safe. Even if some (okay, a lot) of the people who inhibit it sometimes exasperate him to no end with their eccentricities and lack of common sense (looking at you, Qwark).
• Powers and Abilities:
  • Pilot Skills: Ratchet is a skilled pilot, and can pilot any ship with ease, even in the most tense dogfights.
  • Mechanic Skills: Before he was a hero, Ratchet was a fairly skilled mechanic and inventor...though most of the inventions (and ships) he builds are wildly experimental and probably need a lot more testing before he actually uses them. Still, if a ship needs repairs, he's your Lombax.
  • Cat-Like Reflexes: Lombaxes are felines, which means they have natural feline agility. Ratchet is easily capable of leaping, back and side flipping, and wall jumping- which all come in handy when avoiding enemy fire and getting around obstacles.
  • Nanotech Enhanced Durability: Throughout his many adventures, Ratchet has absorbed a lot of nanotech-miniature robots that repair the body on a nanoscopic level. His continued absorption of this tech has toughened and reinforced his body past its natural limits, meaning he can take more damage than you'd expect someone his size to take.
• Weapons and Equipment:
  • Omni-Wrench:The signature tool of the Lombax race, this massive wrench doubles as both a handy tool used for fixing machinery AND a melee weapon capable of bashing in baddie's skulls. It also has a magnet feature to help make picking up things like bolts easier.
  • Swingshot': This handy tool allows Ratchet to shoot out a laser wire that he can use as a grappling hook to either swing himself across gaps or zipline to a target.
  • Omniboots: These multi-function boots come equipped with many different functions to help Ratchet around. These functions include:
  • Hoverboots: This function allows Ratchet to hover around half a foot above the ground, allowing him to skate along the ground at great speeds.
  • Gravboots: This function gives Ratchet the ability to stick to metal surfaces, allowing him to do things like walk on walls and stick to the chassis of spaceships.
  • Grindboots: This function gives Ratchet’s boots indestructible metal soles, which allow Ratchet to grind on rails and other thin metal paths.
  • Groovitron: When Ratchet throws one of these mini disco balls out onto the field of battle, anyone caught in the range of its groovy tunes and flashy lights is compelled to dance uncontrollably, leaving themselves vulnerable to attack. It doesn't differentiate between friend or foe though, so everyone best be prepared to down and get funky.
  • Hologuise: This holographic disguise unit allows Ratchet to mimic the appearance of anyone it’s programed to.
  • Guns: Ratchet's skills with the gun are practically unparalleled throughout the universe, and at this point he's collected enough weaponry to make any weapons vendor blush. Each weapon in Ratchet's arsenal is stored in a nanostorage unit and can be instantly equipped or stored at will.
    • Nova Pistol: This is your standard issue plasma pistol, capable of single or rapid firing high heat plasma rounds. It might not be flashy, but sometimes all you need are the basics.
    • Fusion Grenade: The power of nuclear fusion in the palm of your hands! This glove dispenses hand-held fusion grenades that Ratchet can throw, and when they impact, will create a small-scale explosion that’ll harm enemies in the blast radius.
    • Pyro-Blaster: This flamethrower is great for keeping the heat off Ratchet and on his enemies. The Pyro-Blaster fires a stream of fire straight forward, and is great for clearing out enemies close range.
    • Buzz Blades: The Buzz Blades fire off two razor sharp saw blades that will hunt down foes, and even double back once they hit to keep hacking at a foe until they're down for good.
    • Bouncer: When fired, the Bouncer fires off a massive bouncing grenade that'll keep on bouncing until it hits an enemy. But the fun doesn't stop there! When the grenade hits, it'll explode into a bunch of smaller grenades, which will go on to hit any other enemies in the vicinity. Go ahead! Have a ball!
    • Glove of Doom: This handy Glove tosses grenades that deploy four small robot pals who’ll chase after foes and try to chomp them. If they manage to bite down on an enemy, they’ll then explode!
    • Alpha Disruptor: This Lombax engineered nanoweapon fires off a supercharged beam of plasma! Its ammo capacity is sadly limited, but it hits hard enough to more than make up for that.
    • Peacemaker: When going into a warzone, nothing brings peace like the Peacemaker. This bag boy can fire 10 deadly heat seeking rockets that, when they hit a target, explode in a blaze of fire and shrapnel.
    • Plasma Striker: This crossbow-like gun functions like a sniper rifle, and can fire precise plasma rounds at great distances. It also has a bioscope that allows Ratchet to pinpoint weakspots on an enemy’s body!
    • Trans-Frog-Rifier: Any enemy, be they organic or inorganic, who’s exposed to the beam of this gun long enough will be transformed into a harmless little frog.
• Assets:
  • A lot of Bolts, which are the main currency in Ratchet’s corner of the universe. The Stella system takes Bolts, right? Right?
  • Ratchet has his own ship, the Aphelion.
• Backstory: Ratchet grew up out in the boonies of the Solana Galaxy, on a little dustball of a planet called Veldin. There's not a lot to see or do there, so a teenaged Ratchet quickly decided he was going to ditch Veldin to see the Universe. But even with a ship he built from scratch, he had no way of leaving in it without a Robotics Ignition System. Fortunately for the universe, a little robot named Clank crashed into his life (literally) and offered to help get his ship off the ground if Ratchet helped him with one simple task-track down intergalactic superhero Captain Qwark and inform him of the Blargg race's diabolical mission to tear apart innocent planets to build themselves a new Homeworld. Ratchet agreed (though he didn't care much about the Blargg's plans at the time) and the two left Veldin behind on what would soon become anything ‘’but’’ a simple quest. What followed was an origin story of epic proportions-daring rescues, infiltrating enemy bases, extreme sports, dramatic betrayals, redemption and a gratuitous amount of firefights with hostile aliens. Where Ratchet started the adventure a selfish teen (he went on a whole revenge quest and everything in the midst of a galactic crisis) he eventually heroed up with some help from Clank when he realized that Veldin, the little dustball planet he had left behind, was on the Blargg' planetary chopping block. He and Clank swooped in, defeated the Blargg's leader and stopped the Blargg’s conquest, truly beginning them on the path of galactic heroes.
  • After that, Ratchet and Clank would step up to save the Universe time and time again, defeating nefarious supervillains, despotic corporate executives, space pirates, galaxy conquering tyrants, witches, and entitled fanboys.
  • Along the way, Ratchet discovered more about his species, the Lombaxes. Once a proud race of inventors who saved the Polaris Galaxy from the threat of the Cragmite empire, they fled to a different dimension when the last Cragmite in the universe, who the Lombaxes had taken in and raised themselves, turned on them and used their tech against them. Ratchet had been sent to Veldin by his Father to save him from Tachyon's attack on the Lombax homeworld of Fastoon, separating him from his people right before they jumped dimensions. Ratchet was able to track down the device the Lombaxes used to travel dimensions-The Dimensionator-but every time he could conceivably use it, it was damaged in some way. Eventually, after a string of adventures that resulted in the loss of some loved ones, Ratchet gave up on his dream of reuniting with the Lombaxes, claiming that he had everything he needed in his home universe.
  • It’s been quiet for the duo of Ratchet and Clank these past few years, with no new major galaxy spanning threats. However, the Polaris Defense Force has recently gotten a request for aid from the Galactic Federation in securing the Stella Galaxy, and naturally their solution is to throw its two greatest heroes at the problem.

• Name: Clank (Birthname: XJ-0461, Serial Number:B5429671)
• Franchise: Ratchet and Clank
• Gender: Male
• Age: Chronologically around 15-20, though being a robot means he's always been mentally mature.
• Species: Zoni Robot
• Appearance: [2]
• Alignment: Logical Good
• Job: Support Bot
• Personality: Clank, in contrast and compliment to Ratchet, is a logical and polite being, and often the duo's voice of reason. He’s incredibly intelligent, and has a comprehensive knowledge of sciences, math, history and more thanks to access to his databanks. He isn't just some emotionless encyclopedia though-Clank is a kind and optimistic soul, with a strong sense of what’s right. He’ll always do what he can to help save the universe and its peoples, and always see the good in others as well (for better or for worse).
• Powers and Abilities:
  • Intelligence: With instant access to a vast reserve of knowledge thanks to his internal databanks, Clank is an incredibly intelligent being. This, coupled with his scanners, means that He's even able to calculate the final digits of Pi (a number that's supposed to be near infinite).
  • Highly Modifiable: Clank can be upgraded with just about any kind of modification imaginable. Traversal mods, weapon mods, coffee maker, you name it, you can probably modify Clank with it.
  • Helipack-This upgrade allows Clank to manifest propeller blades that allow him to slow his and Ratchet's descent to the ground, as well as give them some sick extra height on jumps.
  • Aquapack-This upgrade allows Clank to propel him and Ratchet through water at speed.
  • Jetpack-This upgrade allows Clank to act as a full-on Jetpack, allowing him and Ratchet to maneuver freely through the air. It requires certain types of fuel to work though, so its use is sadly limited.
  • Quantum Actuator-This Upgrade not only allows Clank to make use of quantum energy to slow down time in a small localized area through use of time bombs, but also makes him immune to changes in the flow of time.
  • Giant Clank-if exposed to a certain type of energy, the tiny Clank is capable of transforming into the devastatingly huge warbot Drek had intended him to be. When in this form, Clank is several stories tall, and can fire off missiles and energy bombs.
• Weapons and Equipment:
  • Clank Light-this handy hyperflux anti grav torchlight not only helps light up dark areas, it's also capable of detecting interdimensional rifts! Also responds to the command 'Order Pizza'!
• Backstory: Clank was created in a factory on the planet Quargg in the Solana Galaxy. He was intended by the factory owner, one Chairman Drek, to be a ruthless and loyal warbot like the countless other robots being pumped out of the factory, but Clank instead came out tiny, intelligent, and with a strong sense of morals. Discovering Drek's plans to chop up innocent planets to cobble together a new homeworld for his own people, Clank knew he had to act. He stole an infobot containing Drek's plans and then stole a ship, hoping to reach someone who could stop Drek. He was shot down over an out-in-the-middle of nowhere dustball of a planet called Veldin by Drek's forces though, and crashed into the planet's surface. Luckily, he was rescued from the crash site by a brash and adventurous young Lombax by the name of Ratchet. Ratchet had a ship he was eager to use to get off-planet, but had no way to start it. Clank, fortunately, had the latest in Robotics Ignition systems. The two struck a deal-Clank would start Ratchet's ship, and Ratchet would help him deliver Drek's evil plans to Captain Qwark, the (at the time) greatest hero in the Galaxy. The two set off on what was soon to become an origin story of galactic proportions. The two would butt heads over their quest as things got more complicated, Clank’s desire to save the universe at odds with Ratchet’s more selfish desires, but Clank was able to help Ratchet come to his senses, and through daring rescues, infiltrating enemy bases, extreme sports, dramatic betrayals, redemption and a gratuitous amount of firefights with hostile aliens, the two soon discovered they made a hell of a team and ultimately saved the Solana Galaxy.
  • After that, Ratchet and Clank would step up to save the Universe time and time again, defeating nefarious supervillains, despotic corporate executives, space pirates, galaxy conquering tyrants, witches, and entitled fanboys. Clank would also become the star of his own widely popular Holovision show, Secret Agent Clank.
  • His and Ratchet's adventures would eventually take them to the Polaris Galaxy in search of the Lombaxes and Ratchet's origin, though Clank would soon learn that there was more to his origins as well. He met the mythical Zoni, strange beings of energy said to control time itself, who called him their Chosen One. Clank would soon learn what they meant when the Zoni stole him away from Ratchet, bringing him to the Great Clock-a massive space station located in the center of the universe (give or take 50 feet) used to preserve time and take care of temporal anomalies. This accidentally broke Clank, however, and he spent the next 2 years asleep while Ratchet desperately searched for a way to find him. He eventually awoke to discover the Great Clock had been taken over by his and Ratchet's archnemesis Dr. Nefarious, who intended to use the Great clock as a time machine (which is not at all its intended purpose). He also learned that his creation was no accident-his soul had been deliberately and lovingly crafted by Orvus, the Zoni's leader, Caretaker of the Great Clock, and Clank's proud father, to save the Universe and someday take up Orvus' work on the Clock. Though separated, he and Ratchet both worked to stop Nefarious' plans and eventually reunited, once again saving the universe. And though he had a home on the Clock, Clank knew he couldn't leave Ratchet's side. He abdicated his role of Caretaker of the Clock to his new friend Junior Caretaker Sigmund and returned to being one half of the greatest heroes the universe had ever seen.
  • It’s been quiet for the duo of Ratchet and Clank these past few years, with no new major galaxy spanning threats. However, the Polaris Defense Force has recently gotten a request for aid from the Galactic Federation in securing the Stella Galaxy, and naturally their solution is to throw its two greatest heroes at the problem.

I'm absolutely okay with negotiating what guns Ratchet is allowed to use in RP.

Edited by Dezmo on Apr 9th 2024 at 8:20:41 AM

Subject to discussion about the availability of guns and/or giant mechs, the Playstation platformer duo and the Sentai duo are both Accepted.

With that, signups are now closed.

Are signups ever gonna open back up? I'm bummed I missed out on signing up for this since the concept is so neat :(

I can open them back up either if players drop at some point down the line or if I eventually just get acclimated to a bigger player base. Still closed for the moment.