That said, rather than moping about it, I've decided to just type up my ideas here and if someone wants to use them then great! If someone wants to collab with me as writer then EVEN BETTER! :D
If not then at least my ideas are out there and may provide some entertainment to those that read them. ^_^
Starting it off with my…
“Sunset Universe”:
The Earth has seen numerous apocalyptic events in a very short time, from World War 3 breaking out in 2020, the onset of nuclear winter only a year after that, the release of Substance 404 into the atmosphere around 2030 causing the world to rapidly heat up and melt the protective ice of the Antarctic that had been holding back a vast cache of water and thus flooding most of the planet. Humanity is in a very sorry state indeed…
Just as the dust begins to settle, the effects of Substance 404 on the world begins to show.
Substance 404, named by Lincoln Lance of Lance Consolidated, is an unidentifiable substance that effects everything in the world. It turned the sky from blue to orange, combined with radiation and a certain latent gene it mutates animals and flora. Lincoln Lance, a genius programmer and engineer, jokingly called it Substance 404 as everyone knew it existed and could see the effects but the actual substance was impossible to locate.
Sun God:
In 1185 an alien artifact called the Tapac Yauri falls to the Earth and is discovered by the young nomad Ayar. The Tapac Yauri merges with Ayar and grants him incredible power which he uses to lead his people and face off against the local tribes and clans of Peru. However, the Tapac Yauri was followed by the powerful alien necromancer Supay who wants it for himself. Can Ayar protect his people from Supay's evil forces and lead his people to greatness?
404:
The first story in the Sunset Universe. This follows Lincoln Lance and a team of specialists as they study the effects of the substance on the world and face “mutant of the week” style threats and the question of what humanity even is anymore. The story takes place in 2032.
Children of the Wasteland:
This is more a collection of short stories than a single narrative, jumping between various groups of “Wastelanders” across the world, people that wander the less hospitable regions in search of freedom and their own path in life and how they either struggle against or work with those attempting to rebuild civilization. The time period for this would start around 2025 and move up from there.
Pioneer:
Civilization has stabilized, the North American Union has reached the post-post-apocalyptic stage and walled cities protecting citizens from the mutated monstrosities and anarchists of the wastes are growing more powerful and advanced. A terraforming rig sent to Mars in the year 2050 has been gradually making the planet more fit for human colonization. Along with the second rig in the year 2142, 1000 colonists are being sent for the first wave of stage-1 colonization (simple life can survive outside though still dangerous for humans without a mask, so they'll live in habitats). This story follows Malcolm Stone as he trains for the expedition and eventually detailing his odyssey and the struggles, relationships and joy he finds on the way.
Mighty:
A re-imagining of the old AfriComics Mighty Man set in the Sunset Universe. South Africa fared a little better physically after WW3 and the planetary flood but still became destabilized enough that it split into various fiefdoms. Simon Ndhlomo is a freelance bounty hunter that travels the land to earn his keep. One fated day he follows his quarry into the Gauteng exclusion zone and is forced to abandon his plan in order to save a mutant girl from his quarry resulting in his being shot and seemingly left for dead. However, before he dies, the grateful mutant girl and her family save him and use their abilities to revive him, bringing him back as more than he was before.
The Pool:
In 1996, Elias Castello encounters a shadowy entity known as the Argus that promises to bestow upon him a guide to power and success in exchange for the sacrifice of his daughter… He accepts, and his 12 year old daughter Arianna is absorbed into the “Knowledge Pool”.
In the year 2197 she is released as the guide for Gerhard Faust, a somewhat eccentric and clumsy archeologist, in exchange for a mysterious artifact Faust had recently acquired. Arianna Castello finds that she has become a Vector of the Knowledge Pool granting her some amazing eldritch powers (think if H.R Geiger and H.P Lovecraft teamed up to design Magical Girl outfits and powers) and a mental link to the Knowledge Pool that aids in Faust's archeology.
Ronin:
Follows the tale of Ryoshi Tetsuo, a middle age Japanese robotics genius who travels to the Chinese city of Shiyou in Antarctica to rescue his family from a nefarious group that wishes to use his technology to incite a war in Asia. Rather than sit idly by he crafts a suit of robotic armor and fights back. This takes place around 2195. (Due to substance 404 northern Antarctica has a climate similar to that of modern day Northern Europe. Before anyone else, China evacuated a large percentage of their citizens there and started “Oil Cities” around major resource deposits.)
NLPD:
Meta-Humans, Mutates and anyone not quite human are viewed as criminals in the city of New Lincoln and Kasey Cooper leads the Meta-Human response unit of the police force. At first the epitome of loyalty to the force, Kasey and her team gradually begin to question their duty when their opponents start making just a little bit too much sense. As time goes on more and more powerful Meta-Humans start to pop up, people that look human but have fantastic abilities. What would you do if you were forced to arrest a lifelong friend because of something invisible they were born with? Set in the year 2198.
Lightbringer:
Alexander wakes up in a Chinese SynthoFood (flavoured cheap 3D printed food) restaurant with no memory and energy pretty much seeping from his body. Apparently, Jin Long, the owner of the restaurant, and his adopted grandson Jacob Prince, took him in after he fell from the sky interrupting a “protection money” shakedown from the Cerberus gang, an underground group of Meta-Humans and Mutates that use their abilities to control the poorer West-Side Slums of New Lincoln City. Jin and Jacob aid Alex in learning to control his powers as well as hiding him from the NLPD, and he uses his abilities to repay them by taking down the Cerberus gang. Set in the year 2198
(Note: Recently become aware of a certain other “Lightbringer” webcomic after reading Mindmistress, name is totally coincidental and all characters, the powersets and the world are totally different.)
I've done quite a bit of world building with these and have quite a few story arcs planned out for each, this is pretty much just skimming off the surface and these can pretty much all work as standalone stories independent of each other. Let me know what you think, if you have any ideas and if anyone is up for collaborating. ^_^
More ideas to plop into my knowledge pool when I can. :P
Types of “Meta-Humans:”
Meta-Humans: Those that mutate via Substance 404.
Mutates: Those that are mutated via genetic tampering, technology or other means.
Vectors: Those that gain powers through Argus and the Knowledge Pool.
Nano-Bloods: Those that gain powers through a very special kind of nano-technology.
Meta-Human Ranking:
Level 1: Nearly impossible to differentiate from normal humans, powers are subconscious and possibly can also be achieved by normal humans via training. Eg: Enhanced mental faculties, savant skills, strong immune system…
Level 2: Powers are consciously controlled or are noticeable. These powers can also be achieved by non-mutant animals. Eg: Physical mutations, animal like abilities, highly enhanced physical abilities…
Level 3: Powers can only possibly be replicated by humans via technology. Eg: Telepathy, telekinesis, powerful energy discharge, teleportation…
Level 4: Theoretically level 4 Meta-Humans would be near immortal, powers can possibly affect reality subtly. Eg: Invulnerability, immortality, reality warping.
Level 5: There is no real limit to what a level 5 Meta-Human could do.
Meta-Human levels can range wildly though are more commonly either level 1 or 2, same with Mutates. Vectors are always Level 4, though personal skill depends how effectively they can use their abilities. Nano-Bloods are a whole different kettle of fish, as of 2198 there is only one but through various means there are more in the future. Nano-Bloods are generally level 3.
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Edit: Since no one has replied yet and I had an idea I thought was cool but didn't think it right to double post. :P
“Daydream Multiverse”:
Everything that isn't in a single shared universe would go here.
God Games:
Once every few thousand years the Greek gods face off against each other in a tournament… Vicariously. Rather than battle it out in a coliseum themselves they instead get assigned a random person from Earth to act as their avatar, endowed with the power of the god they represent, these avatars face off against each other in various events ranging from gladiatorial combat to olympic sports. The prize? They get to keep the godly power for five years longer upon returning to Earth.
The catch? These avatars are truly chosen at random, the soccer mom with the power of Zeus, the garbage man with the power of Poseidon, the demure librarian with the power of Ares or maybe the Pygmy with the power of Hades! Who will win the God Games?
