Sign-Up: Discordia

[Blackwaltz]

Approved by LadyPSerenity

Discordia

History

It has been said that music is an incredible force, allowing creativity to be released into the world in such a pleasing and powerful way that it crosses all cultural boundaries and binds together those who can appreciate it's beauty. From the haunting melody of a Ballad to the visceral beat of Dubstep and even the free form adventure that is Jazz, humans can be defined and understood by the music they listen to. Music can enthrall us in its majesty, pick us up from depression with light hearted tunes, put us into a zone of thought that allows us to accomplish tasks with ease and even help us fall in love. Little do many people know that music, can also be a weapon.

Our bodies develop in the womb thanks to the genes passed down to us by our parents. Our genes are parts of pairs of chromosomes that determine how we look and how our body develops. One baby in 10,000 will have a slightly altered Chromosome 18 which in most cases causes disorders such as cataracts or neuropathy. However, in this case, the mutation slightly alters the construction of the ear drum and how it translates sound to the brain. In these babies the way the brain analyzes music is drastically different. Whereas normal people can have their feelings affected by what they're hearing. In these select few people, upon reaching puberty where the brain begins to really develop significant changes, whenever they listen to music they find themselves with enhanced abilities and reactions depending upon the particular sound waves, quality and distance of the source.

The first recorded sighting of a Staccato user was back in 1997 however it was systematically labeled as a hoax and went the way of Chupacabra sightings, UFO abductions and Bigfoot film. Those users who were born with their abilities hid them and tried to go about their lives. It wasn't until the year 2006, of an alternate timeline than our own, that these select individuals have been recognized as legitimated mutations of the human race and dubbed Staccatos. Each person is affected by different styles of music both positively and even negatively in some ways. Staccatos were the story of the century two years ago but now most just want to be left alone especially since the creation of the terrorist Staccato group Fortissimo. Fortissimo sees the coming of the Staccatos as a sign of humanity's evolution and must therefore help it along by removing the dead weight, i.e. those who were not born with the mutation.

Our story begins in the spring of 2008, three years after the creation of Fortissimo, in a small unassuming cul-de-sac where mostly everyone knows everyone, however there are some new arrivals that bring their own sense of mystery to the tight knit community. No sooner do the new residents set up their homes than the sounds of gunfire and screams of aggression ring out through the air. As the many families are dragged out by the invaders one man stands in the center of all of the commotion. He has an air about him that draws eyes towards him even when he's standing still, which is odd considering he has such a "normal" appearance. This man is Levi Ketterling, the leader of Fortissimo and the catalyst of change. Whether that change is for good or bad is up to you.

You have a choice, just like everyone else in the world. How will you live your life? Your loved ones and neighbors are being held at gunpoint by Ketterling and his Fortissimo members. Levi will pose a question in the first post, how you answer will determine what happens to whatever loved one or neighbor you decide to incorporate within your story. For your first post include the day you first move into the cul-de-sac and introduce your important loved one/parent/friend. Every user will receive a different result depending upon how they answer and from there you must make your own choices. Will you escape the cul-de-sac and live on the run? Will you establish a resistance against Ketterling and Fortissimo? Or perhaps you'll agree with Fortissimo's viewpoint and join their cause. Make your choice. Develop your own Staccato abilities and help shape the face of this new future.

Sample Character Sheet

Character Name:

Age:

Description:

Background (Have you lived in the neighborhood your whole life or did you move in? Also explain when you first noticed you were a Staccato user):

Staccato Ability (What is the nature of your own Staccato and what music does it react best to? What music compliments it? What music if heard is detrimental? Do you have a name for it?):

Enhancements: (Your Staccato ability could increase your intelligence, make you faster, stronger or anything within the realm of your imagination):

Weaknesses (Your abilities are balanced and you must have a weakness. It can be related to your Staccato ability (e.g. super speed (enhancement)<-> lower accuracy (weakness) Non-combative Staccato abilities may have weaknesses such as reduced reaction time or reduced strength. However not all weaknesses need be physical. You aren't a god, your abilities come with an inherent weakness, however you can later in the story create ways to overcome these weaknesses but they will never be fully gone):

Sample Character

Character Name: Levi Ketterling

Age: 18

Description: Standing at just under six feet with subdued green eyes and stringy black hair that always looks in need of a wash Levi Ketterling would be a very unappealing young man were he not a Staccato. http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...56JDfKDI6wE9yg

Background: Levi discovered the nature of his Staccato abilities upon entering high school five years ago. Growing up as an abused foster child Levi escaped into the internet and techno to distance himself from the physical and emotional pain he suffered at the hands of his foster siblings. School also proved challenging since there wasn't much of a tech clique at his school and as a result Levi was targeted being the "loner kid". One morning as he was idly listening to a song in the library, leaning back on the chairs back legs, he began to feel different as the song continued and discovered only as it was finishing that he was unconsiously balancing on only one chair leg. Of course upon the song ending his balance wavered and he pitched back onto the floor. After experimenting with his discovery, Levi felt powerful, in control, better than he had in his whole life. He began listening to music as long as he was awake, editing tracks together so he only had one long audio file to allow his Staccato ability to continue relatively uninterrupted. As you can imagine, given this incredible gift while your brain is developing social and logical skills can warp an individual who doesn't have the proper guidance. He resented sleeping as well but forced himself to or he would become too tired to enjoy his birth given talents. As more and more people learned of those born with Staccato abilities a prejudice began to develop. Those without the ability would look fearfully at those with it. Others would become angry at the possibility of destroyed property or person and would do their best to drive off the altered human. Imagine having to deal with such prejudicial treatment every day with the intensity of emotions that are cultivated by teenagers. Naturally Levi could only take so much. One day Levi crippled a student who had bullied him for much of his school life and had attempted to take his mp3 player, essentially, the source of his Staccato power. As the bully lay gasping in pain on the floor Levi felt a sense of power and superiority before he ran out of the school, never to return. Levi spent much of his life afterwards perfecting the use of his Staccato ability and creating a group, Fortissimo, of those who felt much like he did. Ketterling believed those with Staccato abilities were better and deserved to be treated as such. To gain this better treatment the world needed to see their powers and in seeing them be awed and humbled. Those who fear soon turn to worship and appeasement and Levi had always wanted to see what it was like to be God.

Staccato Ability: Crush Beat. The steady back beat of Techno gives Ketterling increased balance and hand-eye co-ordination while the repetitive instrumentals allow him to observe everything in "tracks". A gun being brought up to a certain level, the direction in which an eye looks or the angle of the thrust of a knife are all analyzed and quickly replayed in Levi's mind allowing him to dodge, intercept or stop the action. He can see an action and see it broken down part by part but the amount of said parts are related to the duration of the repetitive sections of the song. Faster Techno pieces allow less analyzation and prediction but increases reaction time. Whereas slower Techno allows more analyzation and allows for better predictions but ties up the thought chain process and reaction time suffers. Both House and EDM are complimentary to Ketterling's Staccato allowing a slight diminishing of his weakness. Jazz is the foil to Ketterling's Staccato, seriously hampering his enhanced senses.

Enhancements: Improved balance. Fast reaction time (fast techno). Better analyzation and prediction (slower techno).

Weaknesses: Arrogance. Slower predicting (fast techno). Slower reactions (slower techno).

Battle System

Finally I'd like to make a note on how battle will play out within the RP. Most fights/events will be instigated by myself and they will either be focused on one player or a group (if one develops). Here's how this will work. Whenever you need to use your Staccato you must first decide what song your character is listening too. Notice how long the song is, where the music may swell or become more intense/melancholy and plan your attack/strategy/mission accordingly. When posting you may insert time markers in brackets "{}" so that myself and those reading can follow along with the flow of battle or your actions. Playlists may be made but may only feature up to five songs since any battle or event would tire you and your opponent out (unless with a Staccato or mechanical exception). Time will pass as the RP continues until catching up to the current year of 2012 so only songs published in said year can be played by your character. As an example, the day Ketterling was in the library back in 2005 he was listening to a song called "Local Area Control" by the group Wake on Lan. (http://tinyurl.com/d2ffc6u). Songs before 2008 may also be used, as can any songs during the later years segments. This RP assumes song and artists develop just as ours do in our own timeline. Any other questions may be directed at me and I will quickly address them so that our RP can go smoothly.

Current Members

Galactic Pretty Boy
I A
Folter
Light Buster
Nespa
WorldDestroyer
animereality
Esiphas
Valkarma