Mutants Unite ....?
Is anyone interested in this scenario besides Droo and I and Andrew and possibly Dee and Raz? We'd planned some slight retcons to Cullen's, including a new headmaster character and erasing the x-men connection with the school so that forming a group like the xmen could be a new development and possibly in conjunction with Treadstone on the east coast.
There's other stuff too, but Andrew and/or Droo are probably better able to explain the ideas for Plot.
ice, ice, baby
It would be helpful to know not only how much interest there is, but also where that interest lies with regards to faction or even geography. Our stories have typically unfolded on either the east or west coast of the United States. I know a lot of the old guard have a certain fondness for Cullen's and the X-Men and east coast shenanigans. Personally, I don't ever want to revisit any of my old Cullen's characters ever again, but I have at present a few characters I'm developing in New York and I'm definitely interested in playing in those old sandboxes in a new way.
There are also things, like the presence of Treadstone and SHIELD, that have fallen by the wayside. I'm curious what people's feelings are on these things and if or how we should at all implement them in our mutants universe as we move forward.
There are plans to increase the presence of the Jericho Foundation across the United States and also to develop the Brotherhood into a larger, more menacing, sort of beast. Going forward, I think the word that encapsulates what I have in mind for our roleplaying sandbox is escalation.
I am not planning on continuing with my Treadstone or SHIELD plans... or with any of my mutants characters at all, to be honest. I really enjoy the characters I've created for the setting, but I think we had too many big plans and not enough coordination. There were too many isolated pockets of activity and not enough interaction/coordination, and it all turned into a bit too much of a waiting game.
It sounds like you're thinking about trying to consolidate things a bit more (geography, faction wise, etc) to get as many of the active people clustered together as you can... and I think that's a very wise idea.
It's like that, and that's the way it is.
^ What he said.
Nah, in actuality I adore the mutants characters I've made (and dear god the amount I've made) but yeah, finding it really hard to get up the inspiration to start any of them up again. I'm a giant fan of huge obscene plots (as if the setup that was happening last round wasn't obvious of that) but I gotta admit it did feel kinda isolated and no one's big plans really overlapped and you'd have people saying "yes! Totally! Let's do it!" and then drop out entirely a few weeks later just as you were about to get the ball rolling full steam ahead and suddenly *poof* there went a good chunk of planning.
And maybe that's kinda the problem of trying to spread out too much with SHIELD and such, but I have to admit the reason I kinda latched onto that was (and I really, really don't want to admit this but I think it needs to be said a bit) was that even when I first started with a single character in this universe (Alice) that I just kinda couldn't join in with the Cullen's/X-Menish group(s) (Which is why I started her over in Los Angeles) but I felt the same way about Redencion House and Brotherhood side of things as well. It just seemed like I couldn't be all "Oh hey guys!" Overall it's a bit hard to feel welcome to join into anything currently going on so that's probably why there wasn't any real discussion of how all the different groups could/should interact.
I guess with the Star Wars stuff we have (somewhat) clear guides/expectations on who to talk to and how to join the different factions but I'm not sure if that's as well known with Mutants. It might be worth making a sticky *somewhere* to know who to contact...give a small breakdown of the factions that are actually involved... etc.
Sorry if this sounds overly negative, it really isn't supposed to. You can blame my finding out I only had enough coffee to make one cup this morning, ok?
ANNNDDD the TLDR version: I'm not planning on writing any of my mutants universe characters again at the current junction. Which I suppose between me and Jace kinda knocks out what was mostly all of SHIELD/The Avengers. Which I don't think really affects anyone.
Last edited by Emelie Shadowstar; Sep 27th, 2014 at 12:11:50 PM. Reason: Apparently I don't know the difference between affect and effect today
Good to know.
Last edited by Anna Fernandez; Sep 27th, 2014 at 12:22:16 PM.
I'm glad you've both been so forthright regarding future involvement. It frees up our options regarding SHIELD, which could be potentially reworked for future stories.
I think that's part of the problem of the small, close-knit group formula, unfortunately. On the one hand, it's fantastic to have big threads that include everyone within a particular small group... but if those threads take a long time to write, and you're not already part of that small group, it makes getting involved a little tricky. I tried to get involved with Redencion at one point, but because there was a big arc going on at the time, I was basically told to wait: and a couple of years passed without any of those events even happening. That approach is great for the people lucky enough to be involved already... but it's not so great for new people wanting to get involved, like Sarah just pointed out.
And if a long time veteran of the site like Sarah doesn't feel welcome, that doesn't bode well for new people. Creating new groups like SHIELD or Treadstone every time someone feels like they can't get in on what is already there... that's not a particularly sustainable approach, IMO.
Not trying to shoot holes: but if you guys are trying to work out how to keep Mutants afloat, making it more accessible is probably one of the things you should be considering.
Also, for those who are interested, it is important to note that, while there are old plots some of us would like to eventually wrap up, we mean to resume things further along the line so that we aren't tied up by any chronological constraints.
Yes, The Times They Are A-Changing takes place at the end of October, so a few months post the La riots.Originally Posted by Droo
It's probably best if we put together a short re-introduction to the setting, to familiarise people with what has happened, where people are at with their characters, and a rough idea of the direction in which things may be going.
I loved my mutants characters. Seriously.
Made some solid plans with them, some involving other people here who then turned on me and went 'No, I don't want to do that now.', after I had already put several posts / threads into certain stories on topics I never would have done had they not been part of a greater picture that I thought was a done deal.. That or people just up and jumped from what we were doing in NY to the LA stuff which to be honest - I never really felt welcome to join either. It's put a real bitterness in me for the LA side of things, but I would still like to continue what I've done with the NY / Cullen's team at some point when I can get people who actually want to write with me to reply. So just disregarding all of those threads (NY / Cullen's) which my primary mutant character was greatly involved in would not make me happy. Just saying.
The headmaster retcon idea was just so that RPing at Cullen's could take place in the absence of the prior headmaster. Previous RPs have still occurred.
As I remember it the "jump to LA" took place after the NY stuff had been dormant for a while, as a means to open up the storyline/universe to new stories and ideas. Obviously the people who were most active made plot plans that involved their characters which unfortunately ended up hamstringing the chronology when people would drop in and out, but I hope everyone knows that "exclusion" was never intended. Hell, Redenćion House was a place where any young mutant was welcome to drop in at any time. Any adult mutant could get involved at any time. If people didn't feel welcome because people had already made character arc plans for their characters.... I mean, isn't that what we do? Create characters and plan out plots? I had certain plot points I was not willing to give up, and I wouldn't ask someone else to give up their plot ideas either.
I thought Ethan Daniels was the headmaster? O_o
It's just.. most of my threads as Jacinda were done at Cullen's beginning as a new student, progressing to training in the Danger Room, and then ultimately becoming part of the X-Men team herself, so just saying all of that never happened kind of negates my character's entire history. Might as well not bother returning to playing her at all if the plan is to erase the X-Men connection to the school etc..
I suppose if Dani wants to play Ethan then a new headmaster isn't needed.
edit: the thought with the xmen change was that it's pretty problematic from a rational point of view to have an illegal jet and vigilante group operating out of a school. But we could say that in light of current events the xmen at Cullen's have decided to take things off campus.
Also Andrew was considering making the Brotherhood a newer development and a smaller organization. I don't know if any of those ideas will stick, but they are ideas that we were considering.
Edit2: ITS A SOFT RESET *shoots self in head*
I agree with Holly insofar as it is irrational to consider a school with an illegal jet and a vigilante group, but that is what the X-Men is in a nutshell and, in and of itself, is no reason to rationalise it out of existence. Personally, I have no problem with the Cullen's history remaining intact, as long as the Cullen's with which we move forward is a fun and accessible venue for characters old and new.
Perhaps then, we could say that in light of the introduction of the Registration Act in LA, the consequent riots, and the escalation of hostilities against mutantkind, some of the old members of the X-Men have become disenchanted with their mission and have left the team. Perhaps some have even sided with more radical groups like the Brotherhood, or perhaps some have just retired due to injury, old age, or even death (which, in fairness, isn't much like retirement at all). What I'm getting at is, for those who are still around - Jacinda, for example - they have a task not unlike that of Charles and Erik in X-Men: First Class, whereby they must recruit and rebuild a new team. This preserves history, and keeps things fresh for the old guard, while making things accessible to any newbies.
Any people who wish to have their characters still around and involved would be welcome to, of course. This is not about trying to rewrite history, but to try and consolidate disparate storylines.
^ this.
Thank you, Droo.
Droo and I did some extensive brainstorming tonight. I'll try to outline what we came up with. All these pieces are in motion, and we can continue to develop them as more people chip in with their input.
The Villains: The Brotherhood, Jericho, and Vanguard are all going to be active antagonists for whatever heroes rise to the occasion. They're all large enough organizations that their schemes could manifest anywhere, but we're assuming the bulk of the action will be centered around Cullen's and New York, so that's where the villains will be focused as well.
The Headmaster: Holly will need to weigh in on her headmaster character, but rather than do any kind of reset/retcon, I think it's a more natural option for us to just have a new headmaster, and say Ethan's disappeared for reasons - perhaps to support Francoise, to find himself in a Buddhist temple in Nepal, to start a new dotcom business, whatever. The new headmaster does have a history with Dr. Cullen. The duo of Ethan and Hektor was once a triumvirate, but this fellow's been away and has come back to take the reins in Ethan's absence. Not only does he have to deal with keeping the school running in these tumultuous times, he also has to earn the trust of the current faculty and students, who likely view him as an outsider.
The X-Men: One of the new headmaster's decisions, in order to deflect suspicion from the school and the students, has been to move the X-Men training program and base of operations off campus. Treadstone could definitely help with that, merging the school's resources with the resources they've earmarked for X-Force. As a result, we have a much more mobile and flexible superhero group without the unpleasant implications of using a school as cover. The squad's members include some of the teachers at Cullen's, but not all of them have to be affiliated with the school. Meanwhile, the training and operations facilities in the subbasement are still under the school, but mothballed and covered in plastic, ready to be unearthed again at some plot-convenient point in the future...
The Brotherhood: Following the riots and the revelation of the Sentinels, the Brotherhood is amping up its campaign across the US. There will be more frequent attacks against Vanguard/Jericho targets and anything else that can be viewed as an instrument of mutant oppression. If there's any interest, I rather like the idea of following a small Brotherhood cell for one of our storylines. It could be led by Jane and could include some young recruits like Alex and Lana, and it could potentially absorb disenchanted students from Cullen's as well.
Vanguard: The Sentinel business is booming, and Vanguard is extending its tentacles further into the realms of mutant law enforcement and homeland security. Given its concerns about the local radicalization of mutants, especially mutant youths, they have a strong interest in Cullen's. On penalty of closure, the school has been forced to accept one Major Mackenzie Keller into its faculty as an undercover observer. The other teachers know her identity but aren't supposed to discuss it with the students.
Jericho: Droo has a Jericho-centric villain planned, and I'll let him reveal those details as he sees fit. But suffice it to say they'll be stepping up their programs all across the country, including in New York City. This will have some interesting implications for...
John Rhee: A one-time refugee from the hellish North Korean Mutant Development Program, John sees his worst fears being realized in the US in the form of Jericho and Vanguard. He believes the new headmaster means well, but isn't doing enough to counter these threats. Over time, I'd like a rift to develop between him and the headmaster, to the point that John begins running covert missions without the headmaster's knowledge, even handpicking students to assist him. This, of course, will remind the headmaster of how Hektor Vespasian got started, and will lead to divisions in the student body as well.
Jacinda, if she's still around, will likely be one of the marquee members of the X-Men, and could easily be one of the teachers to boot. John's exploits will likely have her caught in the middle given her loyalty to him. Meanwhile, Major Keller is lurking around the school actively spying for Vanguard. Outside the school, we have Jericho clinics and relief centers popping up all over the place, and the Brotherhood recruiting push growing more and more strident. I think there's some good potential there for a lot of complex conflicts.
I have some characters I'd love to involve in this, if possible.
Headmaster ideas sound solid to me.
Edit: I'm having Antonio head to the East Coast to live at Cullen's. He'll help teach science/assist the teacher while finishing his degree at another college after nearly being flunked out of UCLA.
Last edited by Anna Fernandez; Sep 28th, 2014 at 11:05:33 AM.
In order to ease people back into the setting, I'm going to have a stab at a summary of our Mutants Unite history in its broadest sense. If there are details omitted that you feel ought to be included, please mention them. So, in the beginning, there was:
Dr. Cullen's Institute for the Gifted was founded by Dr. Gregory Cullen. It is a school in Kingston, New York, where mutants can not only acquire an education but learn to manage their mutations away from the scrutiny and prejudices of others. Dr. Cullen had three notable students - Ethan Daniels, David Stevenson, and Hektor Vespasian - each of whom had a different opinion regarding how to best serve the interests of mutantkind. Vespasian favoured a more proactive stance and was instrumental in establishing a team of highly-trained mutant operatives known as the X-Men, who were tasked with safeguarding the welfare of vulnerable mutants, and preserving the peace with the human majority.
In 1997, Dr. Cullen was assassinated. The loss caused a rift between his most prominent disciples, and Daniels, Stevenson and Vespasian each went their separate ways on account of their irreconcilable ideological differences. Ethan Daniels became the school's new headmaster while Vespasian would go on to found the Brotherhood of Mutants based on his own militant views. In the years that followed, the Cullen's Institute prospered, and became known as a center of excellence for education, while its team of X-Men expanded its ranks with not only members of the teaching faculty, but some of the resident students too.
Redención House was a non-profit shelter for estranged mutant youths, run and founded by Anna Fernandez. The house was located in Los Santos, California - a place which, in the summer of 2009, became embroiled in a territorial conflict between local gangs. Some of the residents were even drawn into the hostilities, targeted on numerous occasions by the mutant-hating Tres Onces. And when the government revealed their plans for the implementation of a Mutant Registration Act in California, tensions flared all over the state between the mutant and human populations. Vanguard, a military sub-section of the United States government, was called upon to assist with the so-called mutant threat, armed with anti-mutant countermeasures researched and developed in conjunction with the Jericho Foundation.
In response to the escalating violence, it was announced that mutant registration would become compulsory for all residents of California as of September 1st, 2009. This sparked outrage and protest amongst the local mutant population, which culminated in the Los Santos Riots. Once again, Vanguard were tasked with taking care of the problem, except this time they deployed their secret weapon, Sentinels: autonomous mobile weapons platforms designed to target and eliminate extreme mutant threats. In the chaos, Redención House was damaged beyond repair and the residents suffered a fatality amongst their number. The surviving house mates have since dispersed or been relocated, but the story of Redención House remains as a cautionary tale of the fragile relationship between mutant citizens and the government that is supposed to protect them.
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