FAQ + EXTRA INFO
Welcome to the F.A.Q section! These are just specific questions that were created to give extra information or hopefully remove any confusion that there may be about the group or applying to it.
This will be updated if we receive multiple asks for the same thing.
Can my character remember their past life?
ANSWER: That would depend on the character and *if* they are reincarnated. If your character is more spiritually inclined/sensitive or has powers related to the concept then perhaps they can. Of course, if you’re writing a character that has slow aging and is the same person they were almost a century ago (i.e Captain America), then yes they do unless some event in their life prevented them such as brainwashing, memory loss, etc.
How would the group work for a character that doesn't have powers?
ANSWER: There are plenty of ways your character can still live in the building without powers, perhaps they can be more spiritually sensitive or they can be related to one of the residents of the building whether in their current or past life. They could also be staff that work at the building, wealthy socialites who ~~bribed~~ paid their way in, etc. If you need help with the character’s backstory and reasoning for joining the building/being selected, we could always help out if asked/approached!
Do I need to use a faceclaim?
ANSWER: Yes, you do. Faceclaims are not optional, however, you do not need to use the official casting choices for the character you are writing if you don’t want to. Just make sure your faceclaim is casted for your character correctly!
Why is ____ banned?
ANSWER: For characters, it's usually due to either a.) Being too overpowered, or b.) Being associated to highly sensitive / triggering content.
For faceclaims: Generally due to the discomfort of either the members or because they stated they do not wish to be used for rp. The Google doc (not ours by the way!) posted in the banned list can help you understand better. Not everyone on the list is banned, just the names we listed.
Can my character be a vigilante/hero?
ANSWER: Short answer, no. Due to the political climate and public view of powers and superhumans, being a vigilante would most likely have your character reported to the police or a de-powering authority. Of course, this doesn’t mean your character can’t do good (or bad!) deeds and use their abilities, it just means that they have to be extra secretive and protective of their identity. So the flashy costumes probably won’t be the best idea.
How often does paranormal activity occur? What kind of activity are we talking about?
ANSWER: Paranormal activity occurs often, not enough that it becomes a horror flick but also just the right amount to deem it haunted. Paranormal activity can occur at any moment in your character's day and night! It can be something as small from hearing noises in the room, things being misplaced when you remember seeing them in one set spot, lights flickering, doors opening and closing by themselves, etc. Will you see ghosts? Maybe from the corner of your eye, or a shadow but not any solid figures. We ask that you do not make any big encounters with your characters as those will be saved for future events and group plots! Of course, if you wish to create your own side plots that can affect the group, just reach out and we can plan something together.
I want to apply as a child of ___. I want to join as a character from the future/another universe. Can I?
ANSWER: For children that come from alternate universes such as Next Avengers, its hard to place them into our theme as their world would clash too much with the established premise for the group. So for now, they are not allowed. If we do decide to change this because of plot progression or such, then we'll let everyone know!
Unless they're a child of characters members write in our group or are likely to write, you can base your characters off whatever verse you like. So if you want to write MJ with spider-powers then go ahead. You can mix and match as well, as long as you stay in line with the premise of the group and remember that even if they do come from a different verse/with a certain set of powers, they are to live their lives as civilians until a certain point in time.
How would writing characters such as Janet van Dyne where they're young in one verse and older in another work?
ANSWER: This is the opposite of the children question haha. Okay, so for people who want to write characters that are meant to be old in places such as the MCU (i.e. Howard, Janet, Hank) but have younger counterparts in other parts like the comics or shows set in the past such as Agent carter you'll have a few choices to make. If your character doesn't have any blood ties to other characters in the group (as in, this character is meant to be a parental figure), you can just apply for the version you like. If your character does have parental ties to characters, you can choose to either come up with a reason as to why they look so young, use the reincarnation card, or just stick with the older version. This is a case by case scenario however, so if you're wondering how you could add your character to the group always let us know first!
Can my character be aware of their powers and how does the paranormal activity affect them?
ANSWER: This is case by case, some characters can be the actual century old myth that just lived in hiding after the legislation passed, so they know what their skillset is. For others it would depend on how their powers came to be: if they were born with it, you can decide if their powers were dormant or not and how they deal with it now. If they got them from an accident such as the spider bite, maybe you want them to have symptoms but not be aware that it's them having powers, they could just brush it off as a cold, or they're aware something is wrong and hide them, etc.
Alternatively, maybe they get their powers/have them awakened during their time in the Kosmo building and this can either be attributed to age, the activity in the building, or any occurrence. You can really play around with how they discovered their powers/got them. If it's out of theme for the group we'll let you know and give pointers if possible.
As for how does the activity affect powers: Since powers can be varied, there is no exact way to know how they specifically affect each and every ability. What we can say is that it can test people.
For example: If your characters feels endangered or on the edge, it could unconsciously cause them to awaken their powers in order to protect themselves. Or if there's a lot of negative energy around your character, it could make their powers go out of control/harder to keep their cover. One idea is perhaps it purposefully angers Bruce Banner to get him to be the Hulk.
Keep in mind, that as of now the activity is speculated to be from spirits trapped on the property rather than outside interference. However, as an ooc note and maybe slight spoiler: it's not just the spirits behind everything, so perhaps things that happen to your character are specifically done to create some kind of commotion with your character. After all, there is a reason they were picked to live there.
When can I choose an apartment?
ANSWER: After you're accepted, it'll be one of the first things to do
Can I get FC ideas?
ANSWER: Yes! Just make sure to specify the age range you’re looking to make your character and if you want a specific ethnicity/look.
Speaking of Faceclaims, why was my primary choice rejected?
ANSWER: They are either on the banned list or already taken/reserved Rarely will we pick a backup just because they fit better as faceclaims should usually be at the writer's choice, with the exceptions stated above.
Can I apply for characters from on-going Disney+ shows or future MCU projects?
ANSWER: For reference, this is being written halfway through Loki's run (ep 3 being the latest), I'll be using it to answer this question but will not be posting spoilers (aside from Owen Wilson's character name.)
In the case of Disney+ shows like Loki, yes you can apply for the ones we've seen so far like Agent Mobius. If it's someone we haven't seen on screen yet or hasn't appeared for longer than 1 second on screen (I'm exaggerating obviously) then I'd say no as we don't really know how the MCU will go about using the character or portraying them. This also applies for future MCU projects.
Yes we have the trailers but those can be misleading and even if it's AU, their story in those films and shows can affect their viewpoint in life/personality. So no, you can't apply for characters that will appear in the future.
For the Multiverse/Spider-verse, there are multiple versions of Peter Parker, if Peter is already taken, can I still write an alternate version of him like Peni Parker or Spider-Noir?
ANSWER: I'm only using Peter as the subject for this question as he's the first one to come into mind but I know this also relates to characters like Hope and Nadia who are basically considered the alternate versions of each other. This would depend on how much they differentiate from the character. If they're using the exact same name and only have the settings around them changed, then probably not.
I'd say maybe Peni would be an exception but let's discuss it first before making a decision. I
n Nadia and Hope's case, they're not copies of each other and can pass off as different characters so they'd both be accepted. Also, yes clones like Ben Reilly and Kaine are allowed.
Do organizations like SHIELD and SWORD exist?
ANSWER: Yes, but they don't exactly work in the same way. SHIELD is a small underground organization with only a handful of agents. Not many people know about SHIELD and moonlights as a charity project to gather enough donations for equipment. Its focus is still on superhumans and the paranormal, attempting to prevent any dangerous incidents from happening. However, they are also trying to scout people who are superhuman in order to revive superhero teams. So far they have not made much progress and are awaiting the right moment, and instead are just trying to make sure superhumans are safe in public and vice versa.
SWORD is a bigger agency and is focusing on space, trying to figure out how superhumans came to be and if there is life outside of Earth that could answer the questions. They also protect Earth from anything outside of its peripheral. They are a privately funded organization and have much more upscale equipment.
The only truly government funded organizations as of now are AIM and Weapon X which are the hosts for de-powering superhumans, capturing them and well, endangering them. These two mostly work the same way as they do in the comics, with Weapon X obviously being the most feared.
As of now, HYDRA only existed in the 40s.
Xavier's school for the gifted will still be a private academy for mutants however, people won't know the students are mutants or much of its existence as it wishes to remain as secret as possible and is on paper just a private school.
Will we be able to create our own teams? Like the Young Avengers, Runaways, F4, etc.?
ANSWER: As superhero/villain teams that fight crime? Not at the moment. However, for now, they can be secret support or resistance groups, clubs for non-super powered reasons or just a quirky little name for friend groups. It's best to discuss this once the majority of a team is present in the group before establishing anything.
How do mutants fit in? What about those from space? (I.e. Guardians, Skrulls, etc.)
ANSWER: Excellent question! The plot of the group does seem pretty mutant/x-men inspired which it is however, that does not mean every character is a mutant. Mutants will still be born with the x-gene and will struggle the most because mutants are the most heard about on the news/ known by the government. Unless they have a gene that allows them to age slowly, most of them will not be incarnations of past heroes, rather, they'll be what's mostly considered modern superhumans, aka mutants. They're the most targeted by the government because some mutations are harder to hide than others.
As for those who are not mutants in the comics or other forms of media, they can be incarnations of the Golden age Heroes, reborn into the modern world, are the actual heroes from that time, that survived by a reason the writer decides to create or, they gained abilities from accidents.
To answer the space question, yes there can be people from space in the group but they look and act human to fit in with Earthlings. This can be through simple cosmetic changes such as makeup or using technology to camouflage themselves, or through their own shapeshifting abilities. A big note to make, however, is that for now we will not be dealing with space travel or threats since we want to keep the focus of the plot on the current climate and the residential building. Therefore, if you want to alter your character's backstory to be from Earth rather than space in order to fit the theme, then you are more than allowed to.