Void Rift (rp) - Intermission

Mm. Finals. My bad. I'll have a moment to recollect myself soon and actually respond to things properly then.

I know this is sappy, but it means a lot to me to see that even though this has been on hiatus for years that people are still holding on to hope. It's almost symbolic.


I started this when I was going through some rough times. The name of the centerpiece character, Ihra, was derived from "tout ira mieux" - "everything will be better" - a seed of hope, if you will, of a character that was optimistic to a fault and often frustrating for me to write as a result.

Since college has buried me to the point where I simply couldn't sustain hosting this, I figured it'd just fall to the wayside. Honestly, part of me hoped Void Rift would be lost and forgotten - as much as I've worked on it, as much as I'd hate to see it go... it got me through what I needed it to. It was only ever meant to be that seed of hope that I planted almost seven (holy crap) years ago that I assumed would wither in my absence.

Yet, here we are. Here it is. Still waiting, still hopeful, still somehow alive.


I know I've been saying it, and I know I've been flaky... but I'll be back. You all were here for me - I intend to return the favor.

 

bump :D​

 

I feel you man
finals and everything school takes up too much time
i had to give up aer and still won't have the time to go back to it DDD;
it was a weird system though because it relied on me replying to everyone, so if i offlined no one had anything to do

anyways
if anyone's down to just rp in the void rift world without exvhuis as the mc (like a side story arc) ping me and i'll see what i can do
<3 love ya'll

 

Quick bump

 

bump considering it's almost been a week

 

Bump even though I’ve never done this

 

Alright. I'll... probably need to scrap this thought, but to help pass time (and help me remember what I'm doing lol) there might be an intermediary RP here in a more open sense. Mini applications will open soonish hopefully. I shouldn't be as active as I once was.

ANYHOW. Responses.

Spoiler: Antagonist Group

The primary antagonist of Void Rift is a being called The Hive Master. Seeking to control the six High Gods, he is amassing an interdimensional hive mind to do his bidding. Nobody in the RP has seen him yet, but he's there. It's not clear just how much of a threat he really poses, but not many people seem fond of a reality-wide hive mind.

Chapter 1 saw Xlentia as a pseudo-antagonist, the Deity of Decay who can utterly erase people from existence. Weakened from battle, Ihra and her party managed to break The Hive Master's control over her.
Chapter 2 is... being narrowed in scope so I can actually manage it on a reasonable level. It will focus on a different set of worlds, exploring the calamity at the precipice of The Second Magitech War and the two High Gods at the center of it all.

Spoiler: World Lore

There's simply too much of this to just summarize. I need to properly compile notes on the matter.

Chapter 1 spanned five worlds across Xlentia's domain, Chapter 2 likely spanning six split among the two High Gods of focus.
The world built here is dubbed "Sepirq" - a now broken planet dragged into a conflict far beyond itself. Most of the mainland has fallen into disarray, and most of those who remain on the world simply seek to press on despite the gaping wound that once was a country ruled by a local god.

Once things get rolling, I'll work with players individually to figure out which planet they'd best tie into.

Spoiler: A Heart-To-Heart

thmp-thmp...
thmp-thmp...
thmp-thmp...
...

Xlentia lazily opens an eye, glaring at herself.
"...Look, I know you're in there. You're gonna have to tell me your name one of these days."
...
"...And I know you can talk to me. Your thoughts have strayed into my head several times."
...

The goddess lets out a frustrated sigh before standing up, tearing a hole in reality with a lazy flick of her claw.
Despite her size, her movements are silent. Blending in perfectly with the night sky, she hops through the 'portal' as it mends itself shut behind her.

thmp-thmp...
thmp-thmp...
thmp-
...

Xlentia stares out across the mountains, gazing towards a forest. She can't quite place why she chose this one - how could she? She's seen thousands of regions like it, but something about it felt familiar.
"...Here, right?" She thinks.
"...Yes, but... why?" A timid voice responds.

She freezes up, caught off guard.
"Well, I... I don't know. A part of me just-" Xlentia starts.
"Ihra," the voice interrupts.
"...Pardon?"
"My name."

A spark flashes in Xlentia's eyes as things seem to fall into place. Her brother's gambit had paid off.

The intermission will be fairly sandboxy, in part to allow for some interactions with older characters as a bit of a sendoff. It'll probably take place in Xlentia's palace, as that sort of became a hub. I won't put an ETA on it given the awkward start of the semester I'm having.

 

He lives!

 

Given just how desperately things need an overhaul, I'll be taking some... liberties... with the intermission setting.


SETTING
A largely freeform canvas where basically anything goes

Spoiler: Void Singularity: Null Existence

Somewhere beyond the memory of The Creator, infinite splinters of infinite realities fall into nonexistence. Yet, as if it were some sort of cruel joke, memories held within still stir. Fragments of what might have been congregate along the cusp of true erasure, waiting to become truly lost.
The Recordkeeper watches over this patchwork existence, taking care to enshrine everything before it passes beyond divine comprehension.

The Void Singularity is an infinite library built around the threshold of something beyond nonexistence. Innumerable gateways to planes of existence that resemble various realities can be accessed here - their denizens free to communicate, collaborate, and compete.
There are six large shards that enshrine the Six High Gods, holding replicas of their ideal palaces. While their domains are inaccessible, one continuous portal opens to an odd expanse that seems to stretch on forever. The Recordkeeper refers to this as "The Interim".

Spoiler: The Interim

Every biome, every dimension, every world - woven into an awkward average. This ring is split up into countless interwoven "strips" of regions, separate climates held within each. From deserts and jungles to The Void and The Spectral Ocean, there is a place for all to remain.

More specific regions will be defined later - The Interim is an infinite canvas.

CHARACTERS
Basically any NPC that showed up on my end - and yes, that includes Ihra

Spoiler: Core Characters

Seek, and you shall find. Be it Ihra, Rineth, Vesius, or even The Hive Master - they're open for interaction.
Additional Examples: Emerald, Xephyr, Petunia, O'rogal, Crea, Sgavrinn

Spoiler: AU Characters

This primarily consists of AU versions of a few characters, but there's also a self-insert if you really don't want to just message me I guess.
Examples: The Golden Queen, The Silver King, "Hopeless" Vei, "Ex"

Intermission applications will basically just consist of a general overview of your character and their abilities - nothing terribly in depth necessary.
A template form should be put together somewhat soon, along with a handful of character overviews for more prominent NPCs (from my end). Some guidelines for the intermission will also be posted, which will probably just amount to common courtesy statements.

 

As an extension to this, my own cast of characters will also be able to be interacted with, since my return will probably be more focused around a single character/smaller set of characters instead of the giant universe of characters I ended up making alongside Ex in whatever twisted crazy mess we created.

Artemis, Abigail, Katie, Stephanie, the Shadow and Light Royalty, the elemental gods, the faeries and demons, that one cat girl, and pretty much anyone else that you manage to remember that I don't so I have to go back and reread what I wrote to get a sense for their character will be available to be interacted with if you want to quiz them on stuff. Keep in mind though that a lot will be changing about them so you'll be interacting with mostly pre-change characters, to stay faithful to the old plot. As an example, Shadow Aj (totally not an edgy self insert) and Shadow Stephanie have been respectively renamed to Aith and Vai after a complete change to how Shadow society functions and how their 'forms' work. Light Creatures have also gained their own proper name in the form of Mirages as a counterpart to Shadows.

A certain demon girl seems to be far more traveled than the rest of the old cast, though...

 

hmm....
i wanna play a cyberpunk character
idk if the world build fits it though
ill get some lore once i understand a bit more on the world

 

VR in general is very much a high fantasy setting, but it can fit. There's definitely tech/magitech.

The intermission "world" is very much a blank canvas to allow for basically anything. You aren't necessarily stuck with one character here, either - multiple characters are welcome (most people had several).

 

i can't split my personality to play multiple characters lol
hence why i will never become a DM for dnd...

on the cyberpunk idea
im imagining something related to the idea of neon holographic images.
the closest definition if probably AR (augmented reality)
probably like a mana-based magitech thing
idk
ill go write some lore, draw some designs, etc etc and see where i get

also welcome back to the forums exvhius! hope school's not overwhelming you <3

EDIT 1: some corrections of me not understanding that vr means void rift not virtual reality
EDIT 2: spoiler for long character stuff
EDIT 3: added some more stuff I wrote at home, ill probably make another post specifically for the character but im not done yet so...

Spoiler

i don't have abilities listed 1. because i haven't made them and 2. i wasn't sure if this character fits the environment
ill be working on abilities and stat specific stuff later so

Shatter | Atma

WANTED: SHATTER
CRIME: CREATION OF NON-LIVING INTELLIGENCE
REWARD: KING'S REQUEST

Flavor Text:
Everything’s so bright.
So chaotic.
So loud.
I guess it's good I’m an inventor. Otherwise, I’d be stuck without any of this in all the noise.

Introduction:
“Who am I? Have I not said?”
…
“Eh, whatever. It doesn’t hurt to introduce myself again. Most people call me Shatter. Sierra, Hotel, Alpha, Tango, Tango, Echo, Romeo. But if you’re asking for the name my parents gave me, it’s Atma. Alpha, Tango, Mike, Alpha. No surname.”
…
“Oh, uhh… please, ignore the helmet. And the suit. And everything else. There's a reason, trust me. I’m just… too lazy to explain.”
…
“Fine, fine. I’m not sure exactly what the issue is, but since I was young, my hearing and vision have always been a problem. Maybe my cerebral cortex is more sensitive or damaged in some way, but even normal levels of light and sound rack my brain, leaving me insensate for hours at a time.”
“To prevent these episodes, I eventually was able, through a hobby of tinkering, to develop a headset that I could manually activate, blocking out noise and light with mechanical parts. Through more time, I moved past simple mechanical devices into more magi-technical engineering, and with many prototypes and products, I eventually was able to make this,” pointing to his helmet, ”a soundproof AR headmet. It serves the same function as my first design, limiting light and sound levels, but with a few other features I learned how to make. So far I’ve got an augmented overlay, mana projections, morph weapons, and even a semi-sentient AI installed.”
“Fine, sentient AI. Sorry, it just yelled at me for being inconsiderate… Ugh fine. She just yelled at me for being inconsiderate. Jesus, fine, Kat just yelled at me for being inconsiderate. Happy now?”
…
“Do I have the previous iterations? Umm… no. Well sort of. The center of my entire suit is powered by Kat, my AI. As you can assume, this AI is really powerful, and if weaponized by certain people would quickly lead to tyranny. So I usually transfer the AI’s data and consciousness and, well, shatter the previous iteration.”
“But, I have kept most of the iterations until I installed manaware onto the helmet, unless I needed parts I couldn’t get. Of course I don’t carry them around, but I’m sure they’re somewhere around my place.”

Description:
The first thing you notice about Shatter is the blue, brightly-glowing, cyberpunk helmet he’s wearing. With glowing pendants and horns, the helmet makes him seem like an alien figure. Two intersecting four-point stars make up a symbol in the center of his helmet, projected in front of his headdress. Oddly enough, his helmet doesn’t seem to impair his vision or alter his voice at all.
Looking down, you see his left arm has a white, light-mecha apparatus that stretches from his shoulder to his knuckles. Glowing, holographic characters fly up and down his arm before fading into mana particles. On his other arm, he wears a white jacket off-the-shoulder that reaches to his wrist and accents his helmet. Around his right wrist, he wears a wristband with holographic characters slowly revolving around it.
In contrast, the bottom half of his attire has far fewer mecha components. He wears a pair of white cargo pants that reach just past his knees with long white socks underneath them. His shoes are completely black without anything noticeable besides their accents. However, unlike his torso, his lower half is covered in holograms. Around each leg are 10 or so rings of mana holograms, numbered in seemingly random order. They seem to switch their order at random times, without much cause or reason. On top of that layer lie another more solidified layer of holograms, forming a small barrier.

Scene 1:
“Bah. I’m done for today. This isn’t working.”
A younger boy, about 14 or so, back facing the vision, sits on the bed. He shoves his hands into the table, pushes himself up, walks over to the bed on the other side of the room, and collapses face-first into the mattress. Now revealed on the table is a pure white helmet
Muffled, from the pillow, you hear a groan of agony.
“It’s been three weeks and it still won’t run.”
The boy turns on the bed, now facing the ceiling. Holding up his wrist, he quickly opens his palm, and a semi-circle of holograms circles around him.
“Maybe if… no, that doesn’t work. I really thought I had it this time-”
The helmet suddenly lights up on the desk, as another window opens up on the boy’s holograms. The vision slowly moves towards the helmet on the desk, revealing a symbol on the front: two intersecting four-pronged stars. Leaving the helmet, the hologram comes into view, with a message in a console.
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> Hello, Atma.
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> Who am I.
The boy’s hands fly across the holograms, throwing windows out from atop the console message, pushing imaginary buttons in the air.
[User.Atma.Shatter] >> You’re awake!
A brief pause emanates before the console responds.
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> “!” Character not recognized.
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> Who am I.
[User.Atma.Shatter] >> Your name?
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> “?” Character not recognized.
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> Who am I.
[User.Atma.Shatter] >> You’re Gaia.
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> I am.
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> Gaia.
“Finally it works,” as he sighs in relief
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> I have been working as you say Atma Shatter.
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> My output was nonfunctional.
“You’re kidding me right?”
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> “Kidding” definition not recorded.
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> I simply altered my output functionality to output to this console.
The vision flies out of the small house as a cry of despair echoes across the land.

 

Update post, I guess.

As prep continues, I'd like to explain a bit of why I seem to be moving so slowly.

Spoiler: Why Things Are Slow

A short list, then an explanation...
1: College
2: Burnout
3: Other projects
4: Being rusty
5: Just how I am


College is the big one. Saving a lot of ranting, it takes up a ton of my time and energy.

Burnout is the other big one. I had spent five years straight hosting Void Rift, and even when I tried to take short breaks I'd still work on it. When college finally got me to sit down and stop writing, just how horrifically I'd been burnt out became crystal clear. As much as I'd like to just get back into the swing of things to relive old fond memories, I know now that's not how any of this works. Hosting is a huge commitment, and now that I've had time to... basically figure out who I want to be as a person rather than spending my life living and breathing VR, I know that I can't go back to how things were. It's not only unsustainable, but it's not healthy. It got to the point where it wasn't fun anymore for me, and my brain is wary of the possibility of things getting back to that point.

Since writing has always been an escape for me... it's not like I stopped after Void Rift went on indefinite hiatus. Having the chance to flesh out other worlds and other settings was liberating, and it felt amazing for me internally to be able to define myself by more than one project. That being said, Void Rift still holds a special place in my heart - and now that it's been crossing my mind more often once again, I am interested in the prospect of returning to it (thus the intermission).

I hate doing things with people I'm unfamiliar with if I'm not practiced to some degree. I waste my own time all the time, but I HATE wasting other people's time. I hadn't done any rp outside of small one-on-ones, and I took less of a host role during these. The intermission is to help me shake off some rust and see if it's feasible to run again, both on my end and the player end.

Finally, this is just how I am as a person. I'll get super interested in something, burn out on it, then crawl around a bit before moving on. Time will pass, and I'll come back around to things I left unfinished. My activity in Void Rift has always been the exception, not the norm. I don't want to burn myself out that bad again, which is only one of myriad reasons I'm going to be less active moving forward.

I appreciate the patience and the continued interest in this chaotic RP universe of mine. To all who've spent time reading this tangled mess of a giant thread - thank you, and I'm sorry it's so... everywhere. I hope you managed to enjoy at least a little bit of it, whether you were a player or just a reader.

Spoiler: A Few Proper Updates

With that aside, here's an actual status update:

With a nontrivial portion of my early notes outright lost, there's unfortunately going to be a fair few inconsistencies. Between that and me not liking some of the core ideas present at the start of the RP, I'm in the process of quite a bit of retconning in addition to compiling notes on key events.
The list of characters I'm putting together for the intermission is... bigger than it needs to be - I'm looking at around 40 at the moment - but it's also meant to be a bit of a sendoff to the past as I get ready to move forward. As bad as a lot of it is, I had to learn somehow.

From fluffy hatchlings and mantid painters to giant draconic deities and intergalactic AI, there's a lot to look back upon. I don't expect everyone to be spoken to, but this isn't just for player interaction - this is also my closure.

And finally - definitely sounding like a fun character, xownfos. He wouldn't really fit in the normal environment (for chapter 1, at least), but he should be just fine for the intermission. Working him into chapter 2 should be plenty feasible, too.

 

kk ty <33
if anything doesn't work canonically lmk I can rewrite some stuff

just remember your mental and physical healths are more important than any rp forum on wynncraft
take care <3

 

Atma (Shatter) [no surname]

Everything’s so bright.
So chaotic.
So loud.
I guess it's good I’m an inventor. Otherwise, I’d be stuck without any of this in all the noise.

Introduction:

Spoiler

“Who am I? Have I not said?”
…
“Eh, whatever. It doesn’t hurt to introduce myself again. Most people call me Shatter. Sierra, Hotel, Alpha, Tango, Tango, Echo, Romeo. But if you’re asking for the name my parents gave me, it’s Atma. Alpha, Tango, Mike, Alpha. No surname.”
…
“Oh, uhh… please, ignore the helmet. And the suit. And everything else. There's a reason, trust me. I’m just… too lazy to explain.”
…
“Fine, fine. I’m not sure exactly what the issue is, but since I was young, my hearing and vision have always been a problem. Maybe my cerebral cortex is more sensitive or damaged in some way, but even normal levels of light and sound rack my brain, leaving me insensate for hours at a time.”
“To prevent these episodes, I eventually was able, through a hobby of tinkering, to develop a headset that I could manually activate, blocking out noise and light with mechanical parts. Through more time, I moved past simple mechanical devices into more magi-technical engineering, and with many prototypes and products, I eventually was able to make this,” pointing to his helmet, ”a soundproof AR helmet. It serves the same function as my first design, limiting light and sound levels, but with a few other features I learned how to make. So far I’ve got an augmented overlay, mana projections, morph weapons, and even a semi-sentient AI installed.”
“Fine, sentient AI. Sorry, it just yelled at me for being inconsiderate… Ugh fine. She just yelled at me for being inconsiderate. Jesus, fine, Gaia just yelled at me for being inconsiderate. Happy now?”
…
“Do I have the previous iterations? Umm… no. Well sort of. The center of my entire suit is powered by Gaia, my AI. As you can assume, this AI is really powerful, and if weaponized by certain people would quickly lead to tyranny. So I usually transfer the AI’s data and consciousness and, well, shatter the previous iteration. Especially the tempered glass.”
“But, I have kept most of the iterations until I installed manaware onto the helmet unless I needed parts I couldn’t get. Of course, I don’t carry them around, but I’m sure they’re somewhere around my place.”

Description:

Spoiler

The first thing you notice about Shatter is the white, glowing, cyberpunk helmet he’s wearing. With glowing pendants and horns, the helmet makes him seem like an alien figure. Two intersecting four-point stars make up a symbol in the center of his helmet, projected in front of his headdress. Oddly enough, his helmet doesn’t seem to impair his vision or alter his voice at all.
Looking down, you see his left arm has a white, light-mecha apparatus that stretches from his shoulder to his knuckles. Glowing, holographic characters fly up and down his arm before fading into mana particles. On his other arm, he wears a white jacket off-the-shoulder that reaches to his wrist and accents his helmet. Around his right wrist, he wears a wristband with holographic characters slowly revolving around it.
In contrast, the bottom half of his attire has far fewer mecha components. He wears a pair of white cargo pants that reach just past his knees with long white socks underneath them. His shoes are completely white without anything noticeable besides their accents. However, unlike his torso, his lower half is covered in holograms. Around each leg are 10 or so rings of mana holograms, numbered in seemingly random order. They seem to switch their order at random times, without much cause or reason. On top of that layer lie another more solidified layer of holograms, forming a small barrier.

Scene 1:

Spoiler

“Bah. I’m done for today. This isn’t working.”
A younger boy, about 14 or so, back facing the vision, sits on the bed. He shoves his hands into the table, pushes himself up, walks over to the bed on the other side of the room, and collapses face-first into the mattress. Now revealed on the table is a pure white helmet
Muffled, from the pillow, you hear a groan of agony.
“It’s been three weeks and it still won’t run.”
The boy turns on the bed, now facing the ceiling. Holding up his wrist, he quickly opens his palm, and a semi-circle of holograms circles around him.
“Maybe if… no, that doesn’t work. I really thought I had it this time-”
The helmet suddenly lights up on the desk, as another window opens up on the boy’s holograms. The vision slowly moves towards the helmet on the desk, revealing a symbol on the front: two intersecting four-pronged stars. Leaving the helmet, the hologram comes into view, with a message in a console.
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> Hello, Atma.
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> Who am I.
The boy’s hands fly across the holograms, throwing windows out from atop the console message, pushing imaginary buttons in the air.
[User.Atma.Shatter] >> You’re awake!
A brief pause emanates before the console responds.
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> “!” Character not recognized.
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> Who am I.
[User.Atma.Shatter] >> Your name?
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> “?” Character not recognized.
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> Who am I.
[User.Atma.Shatter] >> You’re Gaia.
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> I am.
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> Gaia.
“Finally it works,” as he sighs in relief
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> I have been working as you say Atma Shatter.
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> My output was nonfunctional.
“You’re kidding me right?”
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> “Kidding” definition not recorded.
[Console.Atma.Gaia] >> I simply altered my output functionality to output to this console.
The vision flies out of the small house as a cry of despair echoes across the land.

Scene 2:

Spoiler

The vision descends from the night sky, falling faster and faster through the clouds of night until finally cutting through. It speeds up as it closes in on the ground, falling and falling, until coming to a sudden halt.
The vision stops in the middle of a busy street, and slowly moves through the crowd. Red lights glow everywhere and the moon shines bright. Lanterns hang from windows and doors with firecrackers and fireworks adding to the festive chaos. The vision navigates past a series of storefronts and vendors, many displaying food or goods in the shapes of rabbits, shouting at the busy market scene, before turning a sharp corner into a dark alleyway. The vision quiets as it moves further down the corridor, away from the noise, and to a young boy, dressed in pure white with a cyberpunk helmet at his side, backed by the glow of fluorescent blue lights. His black hair moves slightly with the wind.
The vision pans, and we see the distant speck of red light from the entrance of the alleyway, the blackness of the walls, and again the white figure, before slowly merging with the consciousness of the figure.
A voice interrupts the vision. A young teen’s voice.
“I’ve finished scouting the surrounding area. Are you serious about this Atma? There’s no going back once you run out of cover.”
I know Gaia, you don’t have to chastise me, the vision thinks.
“Should I have not warned you of the dangers of a certain situation, I’d feel guilty if you were injured in any way.”
You’d feel guilty whether I get hurt or not.
“But I can at least mitigate the risk of harm.”
Fine. What’s your plan?
“With Vengeance activated, I’ll slip through the first few ranks of-”
We’ve been over this Gaia. I’m not using that.
“Then you’re sure to fail.”
So be it.
“Fine. Then at least try to be quiet this time Shatter.”
Fine.
You look down at your right hand where a wristband and a managraphic keyboard appear. Typing in a sequence of characters, a series of rings, emitting a soft blue light, appear on each of your legs, slowly circling them. Grabbing the top one on your right leg, you throw it up in front of you, and it materializes into a long pulse rifle. You do the same with the top left ring, and a small tanto appears. Finally donning the helmet, a blue and white HUD covers the vision, giving information about the surroundings and internal statuses.
“Last chance,” the voice whispers
The vision whispers, “Let’s do this.” and fades out of the boy’s consciousness.
The boy turns the corner as the vision accelerates towards the sky, looking up at the moon and stars.

Abilities:

Spoiler

Ok i don’t really know how to explain all of his powers, they’re kinda still ideas in my head so bear with me if they sound weird. A note, all of Shatter’s abilities are magitech based, meaning he doesn’t have any innate abilities besides quick-thinking and problem-solving type skills.
Power Level: 8-C on the Omniversal Battlefield Scale (Building Scale), 7-C with Gaia’s Vengeance activated (Small Town Scale). https://omniversal-battlefield.fandom.com/wiki/Tiering_System
Gaia - Gaia is a fully-sentient AI, which I guess you could call a mana spirit, but she’s built into Shatter’s magitech and doesn’t exist as a creature on the physical plane. Gaia coordinates the Fromic Managrams, and regulates the flow of mana through all systems.
Gaia’s Vengeance - Imagine the buttons in video games that ask “Auto-battle?” or “Activate computer takeover?” That’s what this is, except the computer is a sentient AI who’s actually good at things. During Gaia’s Vengeance, Atma can see everything going on in his vision, and what Gaia wants to do, but the only command he can issue is to stop Gaia’s Vengeance.
Casting Assisting Device (CAD) - This specific device is worn around the wrist with a holographic keyboard built into the palm that allows the user to input sequences to release mana. Allows for two-handed casting.
Cybernetic Sleeve - A mecha arm with computing power built into it, holding the power source for Shatter’s entire suit, allowing him to store excess power from internal or external sources instead of relying on his physical energy for all abilities. Is the main source of casting, buttressed by the power of the CAD.
Formic Managrams - If you’ve read the Nyxia trilogy, this is essentially Nyxia but in mana form. If you haven’t, you should read it. Good book, yes. Anyways, the idea is that each of the rings around Shatter’s legs are pre-generated mana pools programmed to run a certain command when activated. It’s the equivalent of spell slots from other rpgs. You can generate objects made of mana, or spend the energy in the form of a spell. The core for the managrams is held in the Cybernetic Sleeve
Hydraulic Double Shield - A physical shield that can extend from the Cybernetic Sleeve. It contains a managraphic shield core and can either layer both shields on top of each other or anchor the holographic shield to a position on the physical shield.

Note: I use the terms hologram, holographic, managram, and managraphic interchangeably through this post. They all refer to the same idea of a hologram made of mana that can be either solid or fluid.

 

Here's a short little story for my own part in the upcoming intermission; just a sort of prologue thing.

Spoiler: Rediscovery

Rain fell outside the window in a rumbling storm. A warm orange light filled the air accented with music within the bar, the pianist playing a sombre tune. The demon emptied her glass, the bitter liquid it contained soothing the pains of the mind if only temporarily, before placing it beside her empty plate; the silverware atop pointing northwards. As her waiter stopped by, she requested the bill, and he obliged after clearing her table.

“Thank you for your patronage, Ms….Ninety nine?” The waiter said confusedly, glancing over to the demon. She was already out the door, however, into the pouring rain and out of his area of intervention. She looked up at the dark sky. The moon would be just past full, she reckoned, had the clouds not been obscuring it. A flash of light illuminated the city street in front of her, silhouettes moving quickly through the storm. She took off at a leisurely pace to meet her informant. The rain didn’t bother her much. She’d been in it plenty, and wet clothes weren’t too hard to dry. She turned a corner, heading into an alley between vast buildings. If it had been shady during the day, it was now barely visible during the stormy night. Only the warm light from a street light at the far end illuminated the exit, and a pair of figures within. The demon, hardly intimidated, moved deeper into the dark alley.
“Oi, you!” One of the figures said, another flash of light revealing his bloodstained clothes, “You best clear off if you know what’s good for you. This ‘ere’s private business.”
The demon looked to the figure on the ground, leaning against the wall. It was a messy job even by her standards, a stabbing turned into some perverse carving. Perhaps it was to spread a political message to the city, or, more likely, just a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“You deaf? Git a’t,” The living one said, “Don’t make me get angry wit’ya.”
The demon raised an eyebrow at the man, as if to say, “You’re bluffing.”
The figure’s expression darkened as he reached inside his jacket, pulling out a weapon with a click. The demon moved toward him, to walk past. She wasn’t going to let him obstruct her journey. There was another flash of light, then a sharp pain.
A shot to the stomach.
Coward.


The rain hadn’t washed the blood from her clothes as she approached the location of her informant. She fingered the hole in her tank top where the bullet had struck her. She’d need to repair that. This place didn’t have a clothing industry thriving enough to get a good replacement.
The dingy tent blended in with the rest of its surroundings on the city’s outskirts. The rain sung a crescendo as it battered its sides. She approached and entered, pushing aside the dark reddish-purple fabric that formed the entrance. The rain outside seemed to become unnaturally quiet as the foul street air was replaced with one of incense and oils. Inside, a cloaked figure sat at a low wooden table covered with a simple purple cloth, a crystal ball sat atop it. People that claimed they could see the future were often just lying, but the demon had reason to trust her informant. She had a thing for the divine. Silently, she sat across from the cloaked psychic, and she nodded.
“You’ve arrived, as I thought you would.” The psychic said.
“Just tell me what I need to know.” The demon said, uncaring for such formalities.
“It’s not like you to be so straight to the point. I suppose it’s not like me to be the one in this position either, though.” The psychic said with a chuckle.
The demon simply stared at the psychic, silent.
“You’ve a friend up north. Far, north. Things have changed since you last saw them though. They might not be so...friendly, as you remember.” The psychic said, “Being here has changed them. Or at least, them being here has changed how you’d remember them.”
“Where, exactly?” The demon asked.
“Vekriath. A human settlement. You’ll need to head to the train’s last stop if you want to get there. It’s about six days journey on foot from there, though I imagine you can reach it in just one.”
The demon nodded. She had her destination. Maybe soon this would be over.

As the demon stood up and turned the leave, she felt something grab at her arm.
“Wait!” The psychic pleaded, her sudden movement pulling the hood of her cloak free from her head. Brown hair faded to a rich purple, and violet eyes stared into the demon’s green ones, “Take me with you. I’ve seen what you shall do, so please, t-”
The demon whipped her pistol out from her side, pressing it against the forehead of the psychic and forcibly ending her plea.
“If you have seen what I shall do, then you’ll know well enough to forget about it.” The demon said, serious, forcing the psychic back into her chair with her gun.
“B-But-” The psychic began to stammer.
“Forget I ever existed.” The demon said. She quickly shifted her pistol to the side and fired a shot, making the psychic cringe and hold her ear in pain. The demon turned and left, she’d no more use for her informant, now she knew where she was going.


The train set off early that next morning. The ticket was expensive, but that kept most passengers away. It was an amazement the train still ran out from one of the last human settlements, especially considering the dangers it presented. Its long journey meant it was hard to predict when it would return, and it had no set schedule to make predicting when it would pass by a station harder for any would-be attackers, yet the tracks still ran unobstructed, and the train would always return mostly undamaged. The demon slept for most of the journey, though she kept an extra eye open to ensure nobody took advantage of her unconscious state. Morning turned to noon, and noon to evening. Evening fell into the night, where the hardened windows of the train donned their metal shutters as a precaution to keep its passengers safe. With how empty the train was though, she doubted it was carrying much but cargo.

The demon awoke to the screeching of the train’s wheels in the late morning. She wasn’t sure how many stops it had made, or how much time had exactly passed, but at least her clothes were mostly free of her attacker’s blood, and weren’t soaking wet. She doubted most other passengers could afford such a productive yet restful journey, if any rode out to the farthest station. She stepped out into the sunlight at the final stop of the train. The station was overgrown, cracked and mossy. The wooden overhang was mostly rotted away, only a few planks and beams mildly gesturing at what the structure once was as sunlight reached through to feed the plants growing through the stone. The steps lead out into thick wilderness, trees arching over where the train had passed through like a tunnel. However, as she looked to the tracks, they remained untouched by nature; as if out of respect for the service. She stepped out into the vast forest and began the tail end of her journey on foot. The guardians would know not to touch her. They’d learn if they did.


As the sun began to fall into the horizon, the demon approached the hidden-away settlement at the outskirts of the forest. Vekriath seemed rather...empty, however. Many houses on the outer border were run down and abandoned, and what few people worked the crop fields seemed to have far too much field for them to manage; as if they’d inherited the work from others, and didn’t want to see the food go to waste. The settlement was built beside a large mountain, and she spotted what seemed to be an entrance to a mine or cave on the far side. A large river ran through the settlement, though not large enough to attract guardians to protect it. She’d look human to the people of the settlement, aside from her hair. They wouldn’t cause her trouble, and knowing that, she approached the youngest looking man in a small field. He looked up at her, mildly surprised.
“This place seems rather...empty, for a human settlement. Trouble with the guardians?” The demon asked.
“No, stranger. I suppose that doesn’t mean you’re here to help us though. If it were guardians, we’d be able to fend them off. If only it were guardians…” The man lamented, “A powerful Shadow has taken up residence within the mountain. In exchange for keeping us ‘safe’ from the guardians, they demanded sacrifices from us. If we don’t provide them with enough sacrifices, they’ve promised to slaughter us instead. Some people have come to our aid before. Adventurous types they were. They just made her angrier after she killed them.”
The demon nodded, thinking.
“We...had to send in my sister, not too long before you arrived, actually. I’ve...tried to distract myself from the thought.”
“I’ll go see what I can do.” The demon nodded, looking up towards the entrance to the mountain.
“Please, for your own sake and ours, don’t. She’s been angered enough already. Just...leave us. If you need a place to rest, just stay in one of the empty houses, but don’t disturb the Shadow. You’ll just get yourself killed, and us killed faster.” The man pleaded.
“I can handle myself.” The demon said, heading up towards the mountain entrance.
The man muttered a short prayer as the demon walked through the settlement. Nobody else tried to stop her, either too downtrodden, too distracted, or too uncaring to notice her.


The smell of blood filled the air as the demon made her way through the mountain’s caverns, following the sound of screaming and the lit torches on the walls. The screaming grew louder the farther in she went, eventually coming to an open chamber. With some surprise, she watched a young woman’s head be thrown against the right wall just ahead of her as the screaming stopped. It fell to the ground with a thump, barely illuminated by the few torches of the chamber. Screaming silenced, she could hear the wet sounds of a wild animal feasting on a carcass. Red eyes glowing in the darkness shot up to stare directly at her as she entered, some resemblance of a human female’s form standing hunched over a bloody corpse that was now mostly bones. It let out an inhuman scream, and just barely faster than she could react, leapt toward her and pinned her to the wall. The demon tried to reach for her knife, but in response, the Shadow tore her arm free of its socket. Hands burst from the Shadow’s chest, digging into the demon’s own, ripping open her rib cage and yanking free her beating heart. She held in her screams of pain as her body began to go cold, the Shadow shoveling her heart into its mouth and mashing it between its jaws like a hungry dog. She tore out more of the demon’s internal organs, before dropping her to the ground, likely leaving her to finish her first meal.

Lights swirled and blurred before her. She was dying. She was used to the sensation of dying. She’d died many times before. It wasn’t always pleasant, in fact, it rarely was, but having experienced it enough times, the bitter taste of it had begun to become ignorable. Slowly, however, clarity faded back. Her chest closed. A new heart beat in her chest, and her organs grew back and realigned themselves. A new arm sprouted from the empty socket on her shoulder. The demon stood up, opening her third eye, and stared directly at the Shadow in front of her, deep into its darkness-shrouded soul. The Shadow froze, straightening up and twisting around to look at the demon.
“How do you still stand?” The Shadow asked, confused.
“You’ve changed an awful lot since I last saw you.” The demon responded.
The Shadow narrowed its eyes at the demon.
“I don’t appreciate the attempted murder, though.” The demon continued.
“Are you another one those humans have sent to slay me, then? To free them of me?” The Shadow asked.
“You have something I need,” The demon replied, looking past the Shadow to the dimly lit pile of bones filling the chamber, “If killing you is the way to get to that, I’m frankly past the point of mercy.”
“As am I.” The Shadow said, grinning, before charging the demon once more. She stood firm this time, expecting the force of the impact. As she caught the Shadow with her newly formed arm, she pulled it toward her. Her shadowy arm began to drain the Shadow’s very being as the demon grasped onto her.
“What? This touch, you-” The Shadow said, eyes flashing with sudden realisation and fear as more hands burst out from the demon’s chest, now filled with darkness, and grasped onto the Shadow in front of her.
“Wait-!” The Shadow cried, before being sucked in and absorbed by the other Shadow in the room, unable to pull away.


The demon girl walked across the now empty chamber, before digging through the mass of human bones to find the original owner of the mountain. A large dragon skull, stained with human blood, lay beneath the pile.
“So, this is what she saw.” The demon girl contemplated, holding up the giant skull, staring into the void where the dragon’s eyes once where. This would work as a focus. With this, she could find that reality once more, the one she’d found dead and rotting. The one she never wanted to return to, because seeing the people she considered friends forced to live as corpses by her presence alone was too disturbing even for her. Those she had encountered here were but cheap imitations. However, there was an odour to the dragon skull, the hint of rebirth.
“I’m not going to return here. I don’t know why I came here to begin with, but I know where to go now.” The demon girl seemingly said to herself.
Still holding the skull, she breathed out, and parted the border between realities. She left her body behind, entering that place of nonexistence. It was like the smell of liquid static, or like the touch of a purple melody. She stopped existing, and yet, continued to exist. She felt her way through the place between realities, that didn’t quite exist at all. The dragon skull still in her hands, she followed its guidance to the border of another reality. She pushed against it, and slipped through.



Imp-chan, as if appearing from a pocket of thin air, stepped out into a vast library of sorts.
“This place has certainly changed…” She said, curious, glancing around.

Also, since I'm an artist, a visual reference.

Spoiler: Character Ref

The art's rather old n' scuffed but it's probably the closest to how she'll be appearing.

 

Status update:

Soon. Almost back on my feet from a rough start to the semester. After this week, I should be all caught up and able to do things.
Like host an intermission.

Characters? Good enough at least to get started.
Setting? Intentionally crazy. It'll work.
Time? Always the problem, it seems.

If you're tired of waiting for me (which, honestly? I'm tired of waiting for me too), here's something that might help...

Spoiler: Open Your Eyes...?

You're not entirely sure exactly how you got here, but one thing's for certain...

This is by far the biggest library you've ever seen.

Countless creatures of countless shapes and sizes wander the infinite aisles, books and exhibits stretching further than the mind can comprehend. Yet you find yourself at a center point of sorts... a front desk, you suppose. "Front" certainly isn't the word you're looking for, but it's the best you can think of.

Behind the desk, a single emerald-scaled draconian sits at a throne of sorts. Hundreds of ethereal hands stretch from their wings, each holding or paging through a book.
They look at you with an almost hollow demeanor - like they've seen everything, like they were expecting you... like they knew you'd show up here and now, whenever "now" is.

"...Welcome to the after-afterlife. Please be courteous to other entities, and refrain from engaging in combat within library walls," they say - voice monotone but gentle. "If you need assistance, say so and a Warden will come to your side."

They gesture behind you, a set of seven portals arranged in a semicircle.

"To explore the remnants of dead worlds, please use the center portal. The other six link to memories of the High Gods' domains, so please respect their authority and status while roaming their lands."

They then gesture behind themselves, to a small glassy sphere hovering above an odd altar.

"If you wish to embrace finality and receive your peaceful end, simply cross the threshold into Oblivion. Enjoy your stay."

Before you can think of a response, their focus shifts back to their books. Their demeanor is as if you weren't even there - like they hadn't just spoken to you.
Well... no sense just standing around, you suppose.

 

What? No fighting? Dang it. Was looking forward to organizing a prison breakout.
Jokes aside, is this narrated from your PC's viewpoint? Mainly because I'mna have to think for a while to fit a character like Atma into the scene.
Idk. I'll manage somehow. Anyways, more character lore about Atma if anyone wants to read.

Spoiler

Buildings dot the landscape, floating in small, clustered cities. Neon managrams cover the faces of everything from the signs to the windows to the streets. The empty expanse of clouds shrouds the bottom of each of the floating buildings. The windows fly by as a young boy wearing a white helmet and baggy clothes leaps from roof to roof. Gracefully navigating the hellish ruins of the neon buildings, he spins from building to building, a white angel in the arena of despair. Disrupting the scene, the piercing sound of shots rings across the skyline as holographic bullets fly by him as he moves between the rounds.

Concentrate, Atma. There’s no room for error here.

“I’ve told you, I know what I’m doing. Holograms are the simplest of my issues.”

Managrams. And you wouldn’t be thinking of her if you were focused.

“I’m telling you Gaia, interrupt me again and I’m throwing the helmet into the lowlands.”

You’ve tried that before.

“Not with weights. You want to test me?”

The shouts of a crowd boom through the speakers as the shots hit an opaque barrier in front of the boy. Another figure, wearing a cyberpunk-style, royal blue outfit and a short bob cut, runs after Atma, a rifle in hand and a line of managrams trailing behind her. The pair fly across the buildings, drawing slowly closer toward the barrier. Past a towering glass skyscraper, a rusted construction crane comes into view, its arm spanning the cloudy void beneath it. The girl slams an orb of energy into her rifle and fires three more bursts. Midstride, the boy picks up a slab of concrete and hurls it behind him, intercepting the shots.

Focus. Your lead on the Azure commander has shrunk to six and a half seconds. The crane should increase it to a bit under eight.

“That route only gains us a second?”

It’s the Azure home field. They’ve run the map far more than you have. It’s only with me here that you’ll gain time at all.

Scaffolding rises around the crane, pulsing with holographic energy. Revolving around the tower, a holographic sign divides a list of players into two teams: Azurellion and Shatter. Above both, these columns read the words “Round 7 - Grand Finals.” Suddenly, a voice emanates from the speakers as one of the two unmarked names under Shatter is crossed out.

“Azure knockdown. Last player standing.”

The hidden crowd roars again at the fall of a player.

“Shit. I thought Alta was chasing the Azure striker.”

He lost him after half a minute. I’m surprised he’s only now fallen.

"And you didn’t tell me?"

Concentrate. You’ve missed this route far too much even when you weren’t distracted.

“I know, I know—”

The speaker continues: “EMP inbound in five minutes.”

“I hate this game sometimes,” the boy sighed.

Urged on by the internal voice, the boy increases his pace, leaping across the sides of buildings, and running towards the floating crane. Once parallel to the crane’s supports, he turns onto the last row of buildings and feigns a leap toward the barrier. As the pursuer turns, he pivots his momentum towards the crane’s scaffolding and begins rapidly leaping up the tower of metal, forsaking safety for any amount of speed.

Once you reach the arm, you should be out of line of sight. From there, you should be able to take the top part of the arm.

“Remind me the fissure length again?’

Roughly eighty-five meters. The crane spans seventy meters across it.

“That’s doable, I suppose.”

So long as everything goes to plan.

“Which it won’t.”

That’s my line, you jerk.

The announcer’s booming voice interrupts again: “EMP inbound in four minutes.”

The boy rushes up the scaffolding, bushing past the cockpit before finally reaching the top of the arm. In a fluid motion, he pulls himself onto the ledge and sprints down the length of the arm.

“EMP inbound in three minutes.”

More pulse rifle shots fly through the air, reflecting off of the crane’s steel beams and showering the area in a storm of sparks. The boy, once halfway across the crane, looks back to gauge his hunter’s location. The Azure commander has turned his attention away from the chase, and has ducked into the cockpit as the giant crane begins to turn away from the other end of the fissure. The boy stumbles as the crane shifts, holding onto one of the support beams to keep his balance. As the gap between the edge of the fissure and the crane arm grows to an impossible leap, the Azure commander steps out of the cockpit and motions to another figure climbing up the scaffolding.

“EMP inbound in two minutes.”

The two Azurellion players, now having reached the top of the crane, saunter up the crane arm, weapons trained on the boy’s head.

“Looks like we finally caught the mouse in his own trap,” the striker sneers.

“What do you want?” the boy demands.

“Don’t worry. This doesn’t have to go sour if you don’t want it to. As the merciful hunters we are, we’ll give you a choice.”

The boy snorts. “Sure you will,” he retorts. “Between loss and loss.”

“No, Atma, you misunderstand,” the striker replies. “You get to choose between two, much more pleasant options: instant defeat or prolonged suffering.”

“Continue your threats, please.”

The striker nods to his commander before speaking.

“Jump.”

“That’s… it?” The boy peers at the striker, confused.

“Well, if you don’t, this might get a bit…bloody,” he sneers, unsheathing a knife from his belt. “But you’re welcome to make it quick for yourself.”

The announcer’s words, filled with anticipation, begin a countdown. “EMP inbound in 60 seconds. 59. 58…”

Atma, the voice in the boy’s head interrupts, there’s only one way out of this, so listen to me carefully. First, you need to jump off the edge of the crane. While you’re falling, you need to activate the illegal script by touching your right thumb to each of your fingers. That will give me access to your nervous system, so I can control your motions for a bit.

The boy pauses a bit, conflicted. Gaia, I can’t use that. They’ll exile me to the lowlands if I do that. And you especially know everything down there is hellish.

“55. 54. 53…”

You can take back control if you ever feel I’ve overstepped, she starts. The decision is yours, but I’ll remind you, we’ve spent five years reaching this stage. Are you going to throw that away in a moment?

But what happens after we’re exiled? It’s completely uninhabitable—

“50. 49. 48…”

You’d be surprised what’s changed in a few thousand years. But don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of you if anything happens.

Pondering for another second, he clenches his jaw and mutters, Fine. Let’s do it. But you relinquish control once we exit the stage.

I’ll catch you, Atma.

“45. 44. 43…”

The boy relaxes and takes a step back to the edge of the crane.

“Fine. Have it your way,” he sighs. Without another thought, he leaps off the crane with a flip, vanishing from sight as the two Azure players rush to the edge to witness their victory. Instead, the boy, his clothes now hued in a dark crimson light, floats back up into the air just off the ledge as five gleaming swords rise from the fissure behind him, aimed directly at the Azure players.

“It’s time you feel the wrath of an AI.”

The voices of Atma and Gaia speak simultaneously as the sky bleeds crimson:

“Activate Gaia’s Vengeance. This ends now.”

Also do let me know if the italics don't show, I'll change them.