When Universes Collide (also known as Aetherverse) is a roleplay server hosted on Discord that has been running since 2018. However, it traces its roots back to a line of roleplay servers on Google+ named Fandom Wars. It has had multiple exchanges of ownership but is now currently operated by two individuals who are officially known as portalguy and Darth.
The basis of When Universes Collide is the concept of a grand multiversal collision that merges all possible universes, whether they host various television media, literature, video games, alternative media, or even just your own creations, together into one massive conglomeration - but with these universes come the rise of their respective villains lusting for power thanks to the whole new universes ripe for conquest. However, accompanying these villains come heroes of all shapes and sizes, and adventures beyond even the wildest of imaginations.
You can find the server here.
These tropes always come back swingin':
General
- Aborted Arc: Has happened many times in WUC thanks to the inconsistent schedule of members running story arcs:
- There was a plan to reenact Part 5 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. So far, nothing has come of it.
- Once, there was a fighting tournament event called the Contest of Champions. It never concluded.
- There was a Civil War arc planned similar to that of the Marvel Comics story arc, prompted with the passing of the Superhero Registration Act, but it was quickly shot down by other politician characters and the story was cancelled.
- Season 6 has faced cancellation several times.
- Cool Starship: Applies to a lot of space-bound vehicles featured in WUC.
- The STARBORD is a compact little spaceship created by Zach's father, outfitted with retro-grade plasma cannons and a mounted plasma minigun, as well as a specially-crafted transdimensional engine known as the Superdrive.
- Composite Character: Applies to many characters featured in WUC:
- Arya Stark becomes the vessel of Mathael from Diablo III, dubbing herself the "Night Queen".
- Meanwhile on the OPPOSITE end, Sansa Stark becomes the vessel for the Phoenix Force and eventually becomes possessed by Ramsay Bolton.
- WUC's version of Spider-Man combines his appearance on the Raimi films with his Iron Spider suit from the MCU version.
- Leitmotif: Many characters in WUC use themes from other medias as leitmotifs.
- Penny's theme is lifted from Jojos Bizarre Adventure, specifically Jotaro's theme, as her main ability is based off Star Platinum.
- While some original characters use themes from different medias, canon characters will often be matched with their own musical leitmotifs, mostly villains such as Sephiroth and his theme, or DIO and his.
- Penny's theme is lifted from Jojos Bizarre Adventure, specifically Jotaro's theme,
Season 6 arc
The Season 6 story arc of WUC was originally intended to be the canonical ending to WUC, and as such was written with higher stakes for the WUC merged universe in mind.The evil swordsman Sephiroth is set to unleash the ancient evil deity Aldruidt unto the merged universe to destroy everything, and it is up to Penelope Bartlett, a girl blessed with the powers of an ancient line of space warriors, to stop him.
- Adaptational Badass: In the original Final Fantasy VII, Sephiroth was already pretty imposing, responsible for the infamous Nibelheim Incident. However, in WUC, where he manages to get to Earth after mysteriously disappearing after the Incident, Sephiroth repeats his destructive ways at least four more times in mounting fashion, including feats never seen before in his original incarnation:
- He burns down a hamlet in the Bavarian Alps.
- He burns down Port Royal in the Caribbean.
- he infiltrates a heavy containment SCP facility, slaughters its staffing as well as SCP-096 and then proceeds to blow up the facility itself.
- He slaughters the College of Cardinals inside the St. Peters Basilica and unleashes Ghirahim from his ancient imprisonment inside of a sword.
- The Quest: Follows this trope pretty faithfully.
- Villain Team-Up: Sephiroth is not alone. He is able to convince a group of some of the most dangerous villains in the multiverse to aid him in his quest to release Aldruidt:
- Dagoth Ur from Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind.
- Kylo Ren from The Force Awakens.
- The Cyberiad from Doctor Who, and its army of Cybermen.
- Ghirahim from The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.
- Hisoka Morow from Hunter x Hunter.
- Lord Dominator from Wander over Yonder.
- Sundowner and the Winds of Destruction from Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.
- And last, but not least: DIO from Part 3 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.
STARBORD: Phantom Blood
An adaptation of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood, Zachary Higgins has been misplaced in time, dropped in 19th century London, and has to find a way back while contending with the Joestar family and the villainous intentions of Dio Brando.
- Adaptation Deviation: Attempting to prevent Dio from becoming a vampire, Zachary Higgins breaks the Stone Mask and creates a future where the Pillar Men rule the Earth. Also applies to Nice Job Breaking It, Hero.
General
- There are many close relationships within WUC:
- The STARBORD crew are all effectively tight-knit, and despite their consistent bickering, do actually seem to share a familial bond with one another, always appearing to each other's beck and call.
- With his father gone, Zach shares a kindred relationship with his mother instead, going to extreme lengths to keep her safe from the villains hunting him.
- Gon and Kilowa of HxH fame are close friends, as per usual, with Kilowa often correcting Gon's mistakes.
- Despite embracing the mantle of the "Night Queen" and being fully aware that her family despises her, she still has a soft spot for them which grew more apparent following the trauma she went through at the hands of Dark Phoenix evidenced by how she freed her older brother Robb from being crushed by his horse in the Battle of Winterfell.
"Get out of here, Robb."
"Die on your own terms."
"Because if you leave the North, and he realizes you betrayed him... Your death will not be swift."
"I'm know what fate will await me if I stay with him, and I know what fate awaits me if I leave."
"Both are just as bad, so why not not do the latter?"
"I don't care where you go, just go."
Season 6 arc
- When the STARBORD Crew meets a young Penny at the beginning of the Season 6 storyline, they take notice of her nightgown printed with the symbols of Marvel heroes, and so decide to take the pseudonyms of several Marvel superheroes to try to enchant her.
- When Penny eventually needs to go to bed, Zach decides to tuck her in, singing her a lullaby before she goes to bed...only for it to become her favorite song years later, even as a young teenager. It's even the thing that breaks her out of her berserker rage at the end of the Morrowind arc of Season 6.
- When Penny eventually needs to go to bed, Zach decides to tuck her in, singing her a lullaby
- The relationship that Penny shares with her mentor, Muhammed Avdol, is very close.
- The fact that, despite her(?) abject hatred of all things mortal, The Phoenix is still protective of her own family, represented by a remark made to Griffith about whether or not Penny is found, alive or dead:
"Find her. If you don't, or if she dies-"
"Flayed alive. Got it. I've suffered worse."
- This is only compounded by the fact that Griffith, the primary antagonist of the manga series Berserk and generally a pretty bad dude ( He killed his entire gang of mercenary comrades to become a god and raped his buddy's girlfriend to create a horrifying demon baby! ) is genuinely interested in Penny's wellbeing, even going as far as to address her in courtly manners such as "Lady Penelope" or "Your Grace".
Featured are some of the most prominent characters in When Universes Collide. Keep in mind that there are a variety of canonical characters used within the server, and thus will not be noted here. Listed will be original characters, and canonical characters that have enough changes to differentiate themselves from their original counterparts.
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STARBORD Crew
General
As A Whole:
- Kid Hero: Nearly the entire group consists of children, including the captain.
Zachary Higgins
Zachary "Zach" Higgins
- Badass Normal: Despite being probably the most normal person in WUC, Zachary takes on malignant alien overlords, evil androids, and authoritarian societies on the regular.
- The Gunslinger: His main weapon is not one, but two revolvers. At fourteen years old.
- The Leader: Zachary Higgins is the leader of the STARBORD group, often manning the ship himself.
- Parental Abandonment: From a very early age, Zachary's father had been missing from his life, the only thing in his life relating directly back to his father being the ship he pilots, the STARBORD.
- Wake Up, Go to School & Save the World: Subverted. It is made apparent that because of his frequent adventuring, Zachary doesn't have an active school life, much to the distress of his mother.
Kherrack Kro'gonan
Kherrack Kro'gonan
- Aliens Speaking English: Kherrack is able to speak fluent English despite not being human.
- Anti-Hero: Because of forced Sith training, Kherrack had been introduced to the Dark Side of the Force, and often has outbursts of unwarranted violence because of it.
- Kung-Fu Kid: Kherrack is trained in martial arts in accordance with the alien people he hails from.
- The Lancer: Generally faithful to this trope. Kherrack is often critical of his leader Zach, disarming him with snarky comments and the like.
Jonathan Joestar
Jonathan Joestar
- Alternate Universe: WUC follows the same continuity as the original Phantom Blood, in which Jonathan Joestar dies in the end after a final confrontation with the bodyless head of Dio Brando, however this version of Jonathan hails from an alternate timeline in which he survives.
- The Big Guy: Subverted, sort of. Jojo doesn't represent a stereotypical big guy, but he does exhibit signs of being a Gentle Giant, often acting as a sort of father figure for Zachary.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: Jonathan Joestar appears through a temporal rip, transporting him from the past to the present (2066 in WUC's case). As such, he is subject to the changes in society brought upon by a century of human development.
Penelope Bartlett
Penelope "Penny" Bartlett
- Chosen One: Penny is the ninth in a line of legendary warriors known as the Valkyr, which, as described in ancient texts, would be the Valkyr to emerge during the return of the evil deity Aldruidt and the one to lead the galaxy against him. Or so she is led to believe.
- Henshin Hero: Penny has a superpowered form inherent to her bloodline that she can trigger at will.
- Prehensile Hair: One of Penny's abilities is to stretch out the length of her hair and use it as a weapon. It can also conduct electricity.
- Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs: Penny's primary method of attack, and probably the closest hint you're ever going to get that her powers were inspired by Jojo's Star Platinum.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!"
— Penny
- Socially Awkward Hero: Penny barely has any friends outside of the STARBORD crew, and often falls behind when it comes to social interactions with others.
- Superpowered Evil Side: Aside from her normal superpowered form, Penny also has a more bestial form in which an animalistic, ravenous persona takes over.
- Wake Up, Go to School & Save the World: Generally more faithful to the trope than Zach, considering that they live quite a few states away and she doesn't have a trans-dimensional spaceship at the ready, evil usually has to come her way.
Antagonists
Aldruidt
- Eldritch Abomination: This.
- Destroyer Deity: According to ancient texts, Aldruidt is destined to make his return and destroy everything.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: Aldruidt had to be sealed away in a dimension made just to contain him, since he was one of the more powerful of the pantheon of gods, however the seal gets weaker and weaker with every passing eon.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Aldruidt's goal is to destroy the omniverse, however by doing this he means to end the cycle of war and destruction that he believes the omniverse is stuck in.
Arya Stark/Mathael
- Bio-Augmentation: Malthael begins to genetically modify Arya's internal anatomy to resemble an Angel's the longer he's inside Arya's body, simply by his presence alone. An example of this is that her body no longer contains a single drop of blood. When she's injured in any way, the skin around the wound disintegrates into metallic dust and heavenly light seeps through the open wound.
- Mind Rape: Often a tactic employed by Arya Stark upon her victims. And Sansa Stark upon Arya.
- Willing Channeler: Arya Stark willingly allows the Angel Malthael of the Diablo franchise to possess her body in order to take revenge for the apparent death of Jon Snow at the hands of Dark Phoenix.
Sansa Stark/Dark Phoenix
- Many Spirits Inside of One: Sansa Stark had long struggled with the Phoenix Force within her. Adding her deceased serial rapist/torturer husband Ramsay Bolton's soul into her psyche allowed this altered variant of the Force a more "mentally-appropriate" mind to bond with, causing horrific results.
- Fallen Hero: In the mythos of WUC, the Phoenix represents the spirit of the First Valkyr, originally responsible for imprisoning Aldruidt eons ago in order to protect the living creatures of the omniverse. However, through time, her opinion on mortals soured as soon as she saw their bad side, and thus is no longer willing to serve as their hero.
