The seeds of chaos had been brewing for many years, but their effects would not become apparent until early 2017, when a Clown would take the seat of the U.S. presidency. The Clown scare just a year before was only just a sign of things to come.

The Clown Party of the United States had seemingly formed from nothing during the midst of the chaotic election season, but the moment it appeared, it rapidly gained support from disaffected peoples across the political spectrum. Yet in spite of their apparent popularity, those who did not buy into their whims and wiles understood them for the threat they posed.

Soon, Clowns were everywhere. Whatever fervor drove people to rally behind the Clown president (and his equally clownish V.P.) seemed to change them as well. They became violent and prone to fits of insane laughter. When they came out in public, their skin appeared white as bleach with splotches of clown makeup splattered on.

While the president amused himself and his Clown supporters with haphazard displays and commissioning nigh impossible projects, conflict broke out in the streets. Clown sympathetic media outlets often turned the blame to common scapegoats, even when it was obvious that the violence and terror had been instigated by Clowns. Local law enforcement often remained divided and ineffective, and more often than not the police were Clowns themselves.

This all came to a head on May 9, 2017, when the President, Vice President, and several military personnel had been killed. Shortly after, many government officials, particularly those who were in line for the presidency, were assassinated, along with numerous other senators and representatives. While the circumstances surrounding this event have not been cleared to the public (though many theories, many of which are perpetuated by the Clowns themselves, have been circulating through the public), the Clowns were quick to blame those who did not support their leader.

While violence spread throughout the states, with law enforcement and the national guard attempting to keep things under control, the unexpected happened. A man stylizing himself as Batman’s “Joker” usurped and occupied the presidency, despite holding no legitimate claims to the office.

The world watched in horror as “Joker” made his keynote speech. He declared Clowns to be the master race of the entire universe, and he declared “Open Season” on those who did not fit the Clown mold. Furthermore, he would continue the projects started by his predecessor, and he would lead the Clowns in their crusade against all humanity.

In spite, or perhaps because of “Joker’s” ridiculous claims, The Clowns readily accepted the new president as their leader. Most others, in an ad-hoc move, chose to band together against this usurper, forming the Alliance of Free Cities and States, which held the backing and recognition of many nations across the globe.

Thus, the Clown Crisis would begin in earnest.

Initially, the Clowns controlled a large part of the U.S. Heartland, with a few Alliance cities interspersed here and there. Outside of their newly deployed “Flying Circus,” the Clowns noticeably lacked a major presence in the Pacific. This quickly changed with developments in East Asia.

Almost as if timed in response to the conflict in the U.S., waves of violence erupted throughout Japan and South Korea. Clowns roamed the streets of both nations, and soon both of their respective governments were overthrown. A man claiming to be Ronald McDonald was installed as Emperor of Japan, while the new South Korean government willingly joined itself to the northern regime (whose leader had become a Clown himself). The newly unified Korea and Japan then joined forces to create the East Asian Clown Prosperity Sphere (which was then subsequently supported by the Clown States of America).

With the Clown Axis growing in strength, the Clowns would turn their attention to conquering the Pacific. After crushing a large part of the Allied navy, the Clowns would seize a large number of islands in the Pacific, before subsequently moving on to occupy Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, and other nations within the region. Furthermore, the Clowns in America, after seizing Alliance-held New Mexico and Arizona, would then make headways into northern Mexico and then begin sieging Los Angeles.

These events did not go entirely unnoticed. China saw these new developments as a threat to their influence, and Russia saw the Clowns begin to press close to their borders.

During the Clowns’ Pacific campaign, China and Russia began making arrangements to remove the Clown threat in the Pacific before they grew powerful enough to challenge them directly. The two states also began making overtures to NATO-aligned states in Europe, who had already been supporting the Alliance in America.

On September 29, 2017, Russia and China issued a joint declaration of war upon the East Asian Clown Prosperity Sphere. At first, the two powers began to push into Korea, but due to a variety of circumstances, the Clowns began to turn the tide back, pushing their way into Manchuria and eastern Russia. Troubles to the west hindered Russia’s capabilities on the eastern front, and despite China’s efforts, the Clowns advanced undeterred, eventually seizing Beijing.

Around the time of this war declaration, a massive Clown uprising began in parts of Russia’s western lands. Furthermore, three more states entered the Clown axis’s fold: Poland, Hungary, and Serbia.

Compared to the incidents in Korea and Japan, the Clown takeover of these three states occurred much more quietly. It is not clear how the specter of Clown-ism seeped into these nation’s borders, but gradually, their leaders began to spew Clown-like rhetoric, and slowly they began to turn into Clowns themselves. While most of the world’s attention was focused on America and the Pacific, the leaders of the Carpathian Triad began to make grandiose claims on the territories around them. As the end of the year came around, the Triad then began to act on those claims, with Serbia occupying Montenegro, Hungary taking over Slovakia, and Poland bringing Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia into its fold.

As this was all happening, the Clown States of America had been establishing control over most of the Caribbean, before then moving onto islands closer to the old world (Cape Verde, the Canaries, and the Azores). These would then become staging points for the invasions of Morocco, Portugal, and the West African coast. From there, the Clowns would invade and occupy the United Kingdom and Ireland, followed by Denmark.

The Clown States now had a direct sea route to the Carpathian triad. With America still in civil war, northern China occupied by the newly established Pooh Dynasty (named after the fact Clowns in China tend to dress up in Winnie the Pooh costumes; it has alternatively been named the Po dynasty, after the protagonist of Kung Fu Panda), Russia and India undergoing widespread Clown uprisings, and Clown forces gaining footholds virtually everywhere, the Clowns seemed to be an unstoppable juggernaut. Yet no matter how unstoppable the Clown menace seemed, with their mystifying technology and their continuously growing numbers, people still fought on.

Throughout the Clown Crisis, the Alliance’s northeastern bloc remained largely intact, since most of the Clowns’ war efforts were focused elsewhere. Although there were significant casualties, most Alliance cities were able to flush out Clown influence relatively early in the war. However, this came at the cost of the free flow of information and expression. Because of the Clowns’ strong internet presence and general fear of another spontaneous Clown uprising, sweeping restrictions on internet activity, television programs, and media in general were put in place, so as to limit the spread of Clown propaganda.

Most people in the Allied States did not want to see this move come to fruition, but because of uncertainties surrounding the Clown uprisings and because of uncertainties about the Clowns themselves, it was for the most part understood as a necessary, if draconian measure. However, this, along with the drastic changes in lifestyle that came about with the Clown Crisis, began to fuel unrest and resentment, and it would also lead to the rise of old-school mafioso.

As the days of the Clown Crisis dragged on, stranger things started to take hold. Rumors of vampires and other monsters wandering about became commonplace. In the wake of the great destruction the Clowns brought upon the earth, individuals gifted with great power and potential began to appear like angels from the heavens. Many of them looked as though they had come straight from the media that had now become scarce. This resemblance, combined with the often peculiar origins of these individuals, led some to dub them Tulpas.

For many of those who were able to witness these powers first-hand, it was believed that these individuals would become the sword that would vanquish the Clown menace once and for all. But, despite their heroic potential, these superhuman individuals did not always fall into line so easily.

Some willingly joined the government in their fight to restore world order, but other chose their own odds and ends. Some chose to remain in hiding, fearful that they would become a target of the Clowns or mafioso. Some simply did not trust the government. Others chose to work for the mobs or became crime bosses themselves. And others still, because of their superhuman status, chose to embrace the madness and brutality of the Clowns, since often they could not become Clowns themselves.

By late summer of 2018, the Clown advance had mostly stalled, yet the world did not rest at ease. Even in lands outside the Clown sphere of influence, Clown riots still raged. Any gains made by the anti-Clown coalition were often costly and tedious, with Clowns fighting the coalition for every inch of soil and water.

The city of Lakeside had been one of many places largely spared from the Clown violence. Located some distance north of the Wisconsin-Illinois border, it had originally been part of the Clown States’ northern holdings, but the lack of coordination among the Clown forces at that time allowed the Alliance to place it under their control and quell the Clown presence. Now that it was under Allied control, its initial lack of infrastructure and population made it less of a tempting target for the Clowns.

Because of this, and because of the conveniently placed rail line that flowed in and out of the city, it became one of many destinations for people displaced by the conflict (for those unable to access any other means). With this, and with the help of communal cooperation, Lakeside began to thrive.

However, this prosperity also drew the attention of less than scrupulous enterprises centered in Chicago, hoping to expand their base of operations. Additionally, those wishing to escape the vigilant eyes of the city mobs and police forces have migrated here, as Lakeside struggles to adapt to its growing population. There is also the vast forest surrounding Lakeside, and with mysterious happenings all over the world, who knows what could lie in those woods now? The city had once belonged to the Clowns, and though the border lay much further north, there could be any number of Clowns lurking within those woods, waiting for their moment to strike.

• Externally, Clowns are generally shaped and proportioned like humans, except they possess bleach-white skin and have clown makeup on either their faces or bodies. However, if someone ever gets the opportunity to touch a Clown (without blowing up), they’ll find their skin has balloon-like, rubbery texture. Furthermore, both the whiteness and makeup seem to be permanent features, in the sense that they cannot be removed without removing the skin itself.
  • As a further note, some Clowns may have a mixture of bleach-white skin and whatever skin they might have had prior to being a Clown, as if the white color was powdered/painted/dabbed on.
• Although it is difficult to acquire Clown specimens for analysis, it’s generally accepted that Clowns do not possess the same internal anatomy as humans. In place of organs, blood, bones, tissue, brains and the like, there is often either candy, streamers, confetti, or other similarly whimsical items inside the Clown’s body (assuming these items are not destroyed during the Clown’s death). There are some exceptions to this, and some Clowns, despite having other important features of Clowns, may have human organs, even if they are effectively non-functional. Furthermore, Clowns don’t appear to possess anything resembling a cellular structure like most other life forms would.
• Because of their wholly different anatomy, Clowns do not necessarily die the same way humans do.
  • Clowns do not seem to succumb to sickness or aging. It is widely acknowledged that, since becoming a Clown, many elderly folks have reverted to a physique resembling mid-late adulthood.
  • While Clown deaths are somewhat commonplace because of the Clown Crisis, it is not clear what bodily functions (or cessation of bodily functions) causes a Clown to die. Decapitation and shooting a Clown’s head will not kill a Clown, as its body parts can still function even when the head is unattached. Furthermore, Clowns can reattach their head if it has gone missing. Usually, rendering a Clown incapacitated (by burning, riddling it with bullets until its membrane is in tatters, or by letting a Clown explode on its own volition) is enough to effectively kill a Clown.
  • As an addendum to the above, Clowns can also contort and twist their bodies into unnatural shapes, such as by snapping/twisting their arms/elbows/fingers backwards, rotating their heads and other joints beyond their natural limits, or by detaching their body parts entirely. They may also inflate or elongate themselves.
• Clowns are capable of levitating themselves like balloons, and they seem to be capable of adjusting their weight at will (up to 200+ something pounds).
• As mentioned earlier, Clowns have a frequent propensity to explode (with energy equivalent to someone strapped with C4, though this is a rough estimate). Clowns mostly explode on their own volition. They typically do not explode when shot, set on fire, or if they are hit by another Clown’s explosion.
• Almost all Clowns had once been human, but strange circumstances had turned them into Clowns.
  • The exact process of how a person transforms into a Clown is currently unknown, though it is widely speculated that whatever causes this transformation is also behind most of the strange phenomena that haunt the world today.
  • It is also speculated that the Clown transformation may be some form of curse or disease, though there is no clear vector or means of transmission for it.
  • There is also speculation afoot that there may be an Alpha Clown (or Clowns) from whom all other Clowns originate, in the sense that they were not human prior to becoming Clowns.
  • There is currently no known way to turn a Clown back into a human (outside of superficial appearances). All attempts to cure Clown-hood have failed so far.
  • There have been attempts to study humans as they transform into Clowns, though the results have been inconclusive (partly because of the Clown Crisis making research difficult, and partly because of Clowns’ propensity to explode).
  • While the mechanisms and causes for a person’s transformation into a Clown have yet to be understood, there are a number of factors which seem to correlate to whether one eventually becomes a Clown (a person need not exhibit or attend to all or any of these factors to become a clown, though the more factors they share, the greater the likelihood):
    • Attendance at one (or more) of the Clown Party rallies.
    • Being captured by or being in the vicinity of other Clowns for extended periods of time.
    • Having fascist or anarchist sympathies, or otherwise having an accelerationist worldview.
    • Having a pre-existing obsession with clowns.
    • Having an obsession with “art” or “true art.”
    • Ascribing to a nihilistic worldview.
    • Having sadistic or trolling tendencies (I.e. deriving enjoyment through inflicting pain on others, whether that pain be physical or emotional).
    • Having a tendency to attribute various phenomena to things with disregard to/in defiance of reason or evidence to the contrary (I.e. attributing things to aliens, the paranormal, psychics, wizards, Satan, conspiracies, miracles, etc when there’s no evidence that any of those things were involved/another explanation exists, especially if these beliefs were held prior to the Clown Crisis).
    • Having a tendency towards extreme paranoia, anxiety, hatred, or violence.
    • Extensive or debilitating drug usage.
    • An obsession with memes or jokes.
  • Clowns do not appear to be capable of reproducing.
  • It is unclear whether Clowns in general are a mental continuation of the person they once were, or whether they are a separate mental entity that overwrites the previous person’s personality. Clowns may or may not have access to the memories of their former selves. Attempts to invoke past memories to liberate a Clown’s pre-Clown personality from Clown influence have generally yielded little success, and has more often than not gotten the invoker killed by said Clown.
• Clowns for the most part can speak like normal humans (though individual Clowns may sound like a garbled mess). On top of that, however, Clowns are capable of speaking a variety of languages outside of English, even if the person a given Clown had been never had the opportunity to learn those languages.
• Clowns can for the most part compose themselves like most humans, though there are some traits/quirks which are almost universal for Clowns:
  • Clowns do not seem to be capable of feeling sadness or fear, except superficially. Clowns are capable of feeling guilt, though it tends to manifest as a sort of adrenaline rush or euphoria (often with laughter).
  • Clowns absolutely enjoy inflicting pain (whether that be emotional or physical) on others, regardless of whether they are other Clowns or humans (though there are a few notable exceptions to this).
  • Clowns love violence and explosions in general, even if they’re not the ones causing it.
  • Even if Clowns are willing and capable of targeting other Clowns, they have a stronger preference for targeting humans, especially since they enjoy watching humans suffer/being mutilated.
  • Clowns have a complete and utter disregard for their own life and wellbeing as well as those of others. Even if they prefer harming others, they seem to enjoy pain when inflicted on themselves.
  • Clowns love jokes and their likeness, regardless of whether they are good or are in good taste (though this trait may not manifest in the rp). In addition to this, Clowns despise people who would criticize their jokes for their (often inherent) offensiveness.
  • Clowns tend to follow their own train of “logic,” which more often than not tends not to hold weight under rational scrutiny. Clown explanations or rationalizations of various phenomena tend to be convoluted and/or conspiratorial/pseudo-scientific in nature. Clowns often give more credence to “alternative facts,” “Clown Science/Clown Physics,” jokes, memes, or miracles as opposed to more streamlined/scientific rationales, except when it “supports” their theories. Clowns may contradict themselves frequently, often denying said contradictions had taken place when pressed.
• Clowns may often have their own traits and interests to differentiate themselves from other Clowns, but otherwise Clowns possess most of the personality traits displayed above.
• Clowns may frequently dress in clown-like attire, even if the person they formerly were had no clown attire in question. Clowns may also have round, colored noses and vibrantly colored, often poofy hair, though neither of these traits are universal.
• Clowns seem to have latent magical abilities, though most Clowns cannot reliably call upon these abilities. Clowns often describe these sorts of magical feats as “Miracles,” especially given the unpredictable and often explosive results of these powers. However, there may be some Clowns (elite Clowns) who have reliable, controllable powers, which will vary from Clown to Clown.
• Clowns seem to have an inherent ability to distinguish Clowns from humans, regardless of whether a Clown is disguised as a human, or a human is disguised as a Clown. Incidentally, Clowns seem to perceive Tulpas (see the section on Tulpas) as fellow Clowns, except when a given Tulpa does not take a humanoid appearance or when a group of Clowns have some other reason to suspect that a given Tulpa is not actually a Clown (such as recognizing the Tulpa from a given form of media, a Tulpa begins attacking the Clowns, or the Tulpa displays personality traits not shared by Clowns in general).
• Clowns have some resistance to extreme temperatures and radiation.
• Clowns seem to have a resistance to most natural diseases. Furthermore, they are resistant to various kinds of poisons.

Basics

• By human standards Clown technology and machinery is often bizarre and nonsensical. Any attempts to replicate Clown technology have almost always ended in failure, mostly because Clown machinery frequently defies physical laws. Those who were able to replicate Clown technology often became Clowns themselves soon after.
• For the most part, Clown technology can only be operated by Clowns (and occasionally Tulpas).
• EMP tends not to work on Clown machinery, mostly because Clown technology doesn’t rely on electricity.

The Flying Circus

• The Flying Circus is a flying, mobile battle-station that serves as a central base of operations in the Clowns’ Pacific theater. After the acquisition of Washington D.C. by the Alliance, it has also become “Joker’s” central throne.
• The Flying Circus features a powerful shield defense system that renders it virtually invulnerable. There is no known weapon that is capable of penetrating through this shield, however, Clowns and Clown vehicles (when they’re driven by Clowns) can pass through this shield with frequency and ease.
• The Flying Circus contains a vast missile array, which it has used to intercept incoming missiles of various sorts and strike at various targets, from allied ships to cities and fortifications. The fortress is equipped with a number of on-built mini-gun and anti-aircraft turrets, along with laser turrets.
• The Flying Circus also functions as a mobile aircraft carrier and shipyard.
• The blueprints to this ship have been leaked prior to the Clown Crisis, though said blueprints don’t offer much in the way of information.
• The Flying Circus has a roughly circular, hub-like shape, with several smaller tiers (complete with the aforementioned weapons armaments) underneath it. The top of the station features a big-tent-like hub in its center, with windows surrounding its outer surfaces. The Flying Circus as a whole spans roughly 2.5 miles in diameter, and reaches to a total height of about 950 feet. It is not clear how such a hulking monstrosity was created in the span of only a few months.

Clown-Mecha

• As the Clown Crisis went on, Clowns eventually developed a variety of bipedal (and occasionally quadrupedal) mecha. Most of these tend to range between 15-20 feet in size, though larger ones are not uncommon.
• Clown Mecha tend to have a variety of designs, though commonly, they are shaped like either Clowns, standard mecha, or Minions.
• Clown Mecha tend to have a variety of different armaments and functionalities, though most designs are equipped with enlarged rifles and something akin to energy swords.

Trash Collectors

• Similar to the Flying Circus, these giant, cylindrical constructs float in the sky. Unlike the Circus, however, these things tend not to be shielded.
• It is not clear whether these things are armed with weapons, partly because there have not been many engagements with these things.
• These constructs seem to have tractor beams, which can pick up debris and trash, though they also seem to collect smoke and soot from the atmosphere.

• Put into simple terms, Tulpas are spiritual entities which have been conjured into reality by someone’s mind or imagination (usually a human). This person or conjurer may also be referred to as a “host.”
  • For a Tulpa to manifest, the host must be capable of mentally visualizing the construct or character in question, in the sense that they have a vague idea as to what the character looks like (regardless of whether it is accurate). The host must also be capable of imbuing a personality into the mental construct/character in question, either via mentally acting out conversations with the mental construct or via identifying as the mental construct/integrating the character’s personality into themselves (whether often or occasionally). Since these actions are internal to a person’s mind, it may or may not be obvious as to whether someone has completed these requirements.
  • At some given time, a Tulpa may manifest into physicality (in the sense that the host and other people will be able to see, speak to, and interact with the Tulpa) and adopt their own existence independent of their host.
  • At this state, the Tulpa will have a personality similar to that given to them by their host, though they may develop a personality that diverges from what their host gave them.
  • Manifested Tulpas will almost unerringly look like the character/creation their host created them from. However, Tulpas will generally be around human sized or smaller (though some Tulpas may be able to become larger, depending on ability).
  • Depending on the simulated interactions with the host prior to manifestation, Tulpas may feel protective of their hosts or view them as companions. However, this is not always the case, and sometimes Tulpas may outright harm or even kill their hosts (as manifested Tulpas do not need their hosts to sustain them).
• Although the aforementioned conditions for conjuring a Tulpa can be performed by virtually anyone, actual Tulpa summonings are fairly uncommon, and not everyone is capable of identifying Tulpas as Tulpas. The exact reasons for why only some people have been able to conjure Tulpas are poorly understood. That being said, there are still a few things to note about Tulpa conjuration:
  • Although a Tulpa can theoretically be any real or imaginary construct, in reality Tulpas only seem to manifest as characters from publicly available works, whether that be movies, TV shows, literature, cartoons, comics, video games, anime, etc. Tulpas may also be capable of manifesting as entities from recognizable non-narrative media. For those aware of the existence of Tulpas, the common rationale is that Tulpas require a certain number of people to acknowledge a character’s existence in order for said character to manifest as a Tulpa.
  • Tulpas generally will have memories of the work or medium they’re from, though they may also have memories of their interaction with their host along with information their host might instinctively know. Even if the host does not have full knowledge or understanding of the work in question, Tulpas may still have knowledge and memories that they would have had in the canon of their work. Some Tulpas may have their own rationalizations of how they arrived on Earth (in the sense they were spirited off or something like that).
  • Most people who have acted as Tulpa hosts tend not to have had the specific goal of creating a physical Tulpa in mind; those who have attempted to make a Tulpa for the purposes of exploiting their powers or other dubious reasons generally have not been successful.
  • Generally, only one Tulpa can be summoned into existence per person, though some Tulpas may have familiars of their own.
  • Multiple Tulpas may exist that are based on the same character, though they may have different personalities or power sets.
• While Tulpas have existed prior to the Clown Crisis, generally their existence did not become commonplace until sometime in 2017. Even to this day, not everyone realizes that Tulpas exist (as they may identify them as “ghosts” or “superheroes” or something else otherwise fantastic). Clowns may variously refer to Tulpas as “Anime,” “Stand-os” (however that’s supposed to be spelled), “Superheroes,” or “Memes,” depending on the Tulpa in question (though they may also just call the Tulpa by their known name).
• Tulpas will generally have anatomy similar to the character they’re based on.
  • If injured, Tulpas will generally bleed or suffer damage based on the type of creature their character is (assuming no supernatural or superhuman resistances). However, Tulpas generally heal faster than humans can, and they are eventually capable of repairing lost limbs if left alone for long enough.
  • Tulpas are somewhat resistant to heat, extreme temperatures, and radiation (though Tulpas still may be affected by these factors). They are also capable of passing on this resistance to their hosts by “diving” into them (see section on powers and diving).
  • Similar to Clowns, despite often having human (or animal-like) anatomy, Tulpas are also resistant to killing methods such as headshots or decapitation. However, after taking an unspecified amount of damage or beating, Tulpas will die, after which they dissipate into a mist-like form.
  • Additionally, Tulpas will begin to turn slightly transparent as their physical endurance (in the sense of how much damage they can take) begins to wear out. As Tulpas recover, their transparency begins to fade away.
  • Tulpas are immune to most natural diseases.
  • Tulpas generally do not need to eat or drink, but many do so anyway.
• All Tulpas possess a set of abilities akin to magic or superpowers. If the character the Tulpa is based on has a pre-existing set of abilities, the Tulpa will not usually have the same set of abilities, and if the character is sufficiently powerful (which is more often than not the case), the Tulpa will often be much weaker than their counterpart character.
  • The variety, utility, and effectiveness of a Tulpa’s various powers have absolutely no correlation to how well known a given character is. In that sense, a relatively obscure character can be “more powerful” than a character that is well known. Additionally, a character who does not have powers in their canon work can have greater or more useful powers than a character that’s effectively a demigod in their canon work.
  • Generally speaking, Tulpas will start out with one, two, or more abilities, each with their own specific mechanics and limitations. As time goes on, however, Tulpas may accrue additional abilities, their pre-existing abilities will grow more powerful, or a given Tulpa will acquire sufficient mastery of their existing powers that they can perform new feats with them. There are no clear thresholds for when a Tulpa will gain additional strength in this manner, but generally it can be thought of as “leveling up” as a Tulpa weathers through life and hardship.
  • Although not known to many people, Tulpa powers are generally based around a “Core Concept,” which functions as a foundation or framework for what sort of powers or abilities a Tulpa can accrue.
    • Generally, the “Core Concept” can either be an emotion, an element (either in the magical or scientific sense), a word or idea related to the Tulpa in question, or a title/epithet relating to or describing the Tulpa.
    • A Tulpa’s initial “Core Concept” usually has some relation to the character the Tulpa represents, whether that be through the character’s canon work or through additional details/attributes the host applies to the Tulpa as they conceive it.
    • All of a Tulpa’s abilities usually have some relation to their “Core Concept” (though there is a lot of leeway as to how a power can relate to the concept).
    • A Tulpa’s “Core Concept” can mutate over the course of its lifetime. This is reflected through changes in personality and life outlook as they experience the world in actuality. The Tulpa’s “Core Concept” does not necessarily need to fit with its previously acquired powers, but the new “Core Concept” must be similar to or have some relation to the previous “Core Concept.”
    • A Tulpa is generally unaware that they have a “Core Concept,” and they generally do not know when that “Core Concept” changes. In-universe, the idea of a “Core Concept” acting as the framework for a Tulpa’s powers is not one that is explored all that thoroughly, and thus, most people are unaware that such a thing might exist (as there are not that many people who know that Tulpas are a thing in the first place).
    • In a more metaphysical sense, the “Core Concept” represents the essence of the Tulpa’s being. Since Tulpas are created from the thoughts and idealizations of other people, the “Core Concept” acts as the fundamental idea(s) which comprise the Tulpa, functioning as their brain or soul.
    • A Tulpa’s “Core Concept” generally cannot be changed or altered except through the will, experience, or death or the Tulpa itself. As such, it is extremely difficult to brainwash a Tulpa.
    • Furthermore, a Tulpa’s powers or abilities, once set, generally cannot be altered, though there may be some exceptions to this rule.
  • Powers can have a variety of affinities and flavors, however Tulpa Powers have a somewhat limited number of means of transmission or application:
    • Passive: The power is only applied to the Tulpa alone or their host, if they are fused (see section on diving/fusing). These types of powers generally apply an effect on the Tulpa/host itself, usually to enhance a Tulpa’s pre-existing capabilities/reflexes. Usually, these effects are either always present, or only require a mental command to trigger the effect on or off (or to vary its intensity).
    • Tactile: The power is applied to a person or object when the Tulpa makes physical contact with that person or object. The effect is usually instantaneous upon contact, or for however long the Tulpa holds the target object/person.
    • Area/Radial: The power applies effects to persons or objects within a certain distance of the Tulpa. These powers are typically require the Tulpa to make some sort of gesture to activate the effect, such as stomping, snapping, or swinging one’s arm. These effects may be continuous or instantaneous.
    • Blast: This type of power typically applies its effects outward (possibly in a cone) from a Tulpa’s focus point (either a weapon, palm, fist, or similar appendage). Generally these sorts of powers are limited in range.
    • Projectile: This type of power usually applies its effects outward from the Tulpa to the target in question (though if the Tulpa’s power involves something like throwing a rock a la telekinesis, the rock becomes the focus point). Alternatively, the Tulpa’s projectile may arc in any variety of fashions as dictated by the mechanics of its ability. Projectile powers may either hit a single (or multiple targets, either in a straight line or via a chain effect), or it may apply a burst effect (such as an explosion).
    • Chain: These sorts of powers apply their effects to more than one target within a close distance.
    • Medium-based: These sorts of powers can apply themselves through a single, relatively homogeneous medium (such as a clean water source or a copper wire).
    • This is not an exhaustive list of the what kinds of transmission means Tulpa powers can take, and custom means can be designed at a player’s discretion, but this should give a starting point for the kinds of powers one can create.
  • Some Tulpas are capable of conjuring or sustaining familiars.
    • Familiars in this context refer to semi-autonomous objects or creature-like constructs which function as an extension of a Tulpa’s power (and thus comprise one of the Tulpa’s abilities).
    • Familiars may either act autonomously, or they may operate via a Tulpa’s mental command. They may have inherent fighting capabilities of their own, or they may have basic abilities that are much weaker than a Tulpa that does not use familiars (though Tulpas may use their “ability upgrades/new power slots” to provide their familiars with new functions).
    • Tulpas may or may not receive sensory input from their familiars, which depend on the specific mechanics of the familiar in question.
    • Tulpas that specialize in familiars can generally only summon limited number of familiars at a time, which depend on the functionality and the quality of the familiar in question. A starting Tulpa with a fully-fledged combat-oriented familiar will generally only be able to summon one or two familiars, while a Tulpa that uses their familiar for more utilitarian functionalities might be capable of deploying three to five at a time. As a Tulpa grows in power, its growth may also allow it to summon more of a given familiar or summon more varieties of familiars.
  • If their host is alive, a Tulpa can temporarily imbue their host with their own powers via “diving” or fusing with their host. To initiate this, a Tulpa stands close to their host, and must will itself to fuse into its host. The Tulpa will then take on a semi-transparent, ghost-like form, and then plunge itself into the host’s body.
    • At any point, the Tulpa can willingly lift itself out of the host’s body and return to its normal state, after which the host will lose the Tulpa’s powers and their temperature/radiation resistance.
    • If the Tulpa sacrifices itself to protect the host while being nearby said host, the essence of the Tulpa may flow into the Host’s body of its own accord. Upon doing so, the host gains the Tulpa’s powers and resistances permanently. Additionally, the host’s power set can grow in the same manner as their Tulpa, however, the “Core Concept” cannot mutate in this state.
  • There are other powers and power types that a Tulpa can come to possess, but they will not be elaborated here.

• The Alliance functions as two semi-autonomous blocs, each led by an executive who directs military and foreign affairs. These regions are often referred to as the Western Bloc (formed from the East Coast states), and the New England Bloc. Previously, there had been a third, Chicago Bloc, but this had been integrated into the New England Bloc after an advance from Canada-Detroit occupied a belt spanning southern Michigan and northern Indiana (combined with advances from New England forces), forming a land/road connection between the two territories.
• The elected Clown President had been a dominant upstart candidate during the Republican primaries, but was ultimately barred from the nomination (though some suggest that the election results had been tampered with). The elected Clown V.P., on the other hand, had been a candidate for the Democratic primaries (though he had previously been independent) who had been unable to unseat the preferred candidate. Aside from their gradual clownification, it is not known how these two were able to reconcile their views.
• Weapons regulations within Alliance territory would likely be on the lax side of things (so as not to draw the ire of newly empowered individuals or mobsters). Weapon confiscation (outside of bombs) would not likely occur unless an individual was clearly using it for unlawful purposes or was using it to endanger townsfolk.
• Notes on the state of Police Forces in Lakeside
• Notes of the early days of the Clown Crisis (and Mexico), and notes on Clown behavior / hypothetically trying to go through Clown territory (read paragraphs 2-6 of my response to Locoman)
• More notes on the status of Lakeside

• World Map (note: purplish-pink represents Clowns, blue represents Alliance.)◊
• U.S. Map (same color designations as world map)◊
• Lakeside City Map◊

Basic Guidelines and Rules

• If you are playing as a human only, you need only sign up using the Human template.
• If you are playing as a Tulpa only, you need only fill out the Tulpa section.
• If you plan on playing as a human and their created Tulpa, you must fill out sign-up sheets for both characters: one human and one Tulpa. You cannot sign up/play as both characters if the human character is not listed as the Tulpa’s host.
• If you are playing as a human whose Tulpa had given their powers to the human through sacrifice, you must fill out sign-ups for both the human and the Tulpa.
• If you are signing up as both a Tulpa and a human, try to place them in the same post. I mainly ask this for ease of access.
• Try not to post incomplete sign-ups. Make sure you have a complete sign-up when you post it so I can examine it right away, and so I don’t have to look back through previous posts to find it.
• As of now, each player can play as a maximum of one human-Tulpa combination, though I may expand this limit later. It is strongly recommended that you sign up as either a Tulpa or a human-Tulpa combination, simply because of the custom utility the Tulpa’s powers will provide.
• The world of the Clown Apocalypse is kinda bleak, but try to keep your characters’ backstories from being too disturbing or uncomfortable.
• Although I mentioned that multiple Tulpas of the same character can exist in this world, I’d prefer if no two players sign up with Tulpas of the same character.
• While I may have implied that meme Tulpas may exist, I will not accept sign-ups that are too meme-y.
• If there is something about your character’s backstory that contradicts something in the setting (whether I’ve mentioned it or not), I shall try to notify you and ask that you correct this discrepancy.
• Players cannot sign up as Clowns, though it is possible that a character that starts as a human can transform into a Clown throughout the course of the RP. You will have to communicate with me (possibly via PM) if you want to do this.
• Other creatures may become available to sign up as or become throughout the course of the RP. I will update this post with details on these creatures as they become relevant (when people will be able to sign up as them).
• Once you’re accepted, I will list your character sheet in the accepted characters/players folder. I also intend on making a Discord server for this game, and once someone is accepted, I will send and invite via pm after the server is established.
• I’ll add other rules as I feel they become necessary to state, but standard forum rules and stuff apply for rp and discussion posts and whatnot.
• If you have any questions, feel free to ask them, as there are probably things I forgot/neglected to mention.

Human

• Name: (self explanatory)
• Alter-Egos: (This section is optional, but if your character has any alter egos/identities, list them here.)
• Age: (self explanatory)
• Pre-Crisis Occupation: (What did this person do for a living prior to the Clown Crisis?)
• Current Occupation/Affiliation: (What does this person do currently? If they are a part of any organizations, what organizations are they a part of, and what does said organization do?)
• Appearance: (What does this person look like/how do they normally dress?)
• Personality: (Self-explanatory)
• Skills: (What sorts of skill-set does this person have? What is their primary trade, or what is their field of expertise? One should list what sorts of one would know how to do because of their experiences.)
• Backstory: (Describe your character’s experiences up to this point.)
• Belongings/Equipment: (List common things that your character would bring with them. Additionally, list anything your character would own and have easy access to that they would likely use, such as any cars, vehicles, computers/electronics, machinery, guns, weapons, etc.)
• Relations: (If your character has people they commonly interact with (friends, family, affiliates, etc), list them here and briefly describe their personalities. They may appear as NPCs.)
• Other: (Anything that doesn’t fit the above categories that you feel like mentioning goes here.)

Tulpa

• Name: (What is the name of the character this Tulpa is based on?)
• Alter-Egos: (If your character has acquired alternate identities while on Earth, list them here.)
• Source Work: (What is the name of the work or thing this character is from? This should ideally be a work with a TVTropes page so I can verify the character actually exists, and it shouldn’t be one who’s page is just a stub.)
• Current Status: (Is this Tulpa alive or dead?)
• Character Age: (How old is the character in the work that they’re from?)
• Date of Manifestation: (On what date did this Tulpa manifest on Earth?)
• Species: (What species is the character this Tulpa is based on?)
• Occupation/Affiliation: (If this character has a job or group they affiliate themselves with after arriving on Earth, list it here.)
• Appearance: (What does this character look like?)
• Personality: (How does this Tulpa act and behave? Because of the nature of Tulpas in this setting, this can potentially diverge from what a character is like in their original work.)
• Backstory: (What does this Tulpa remember about their “past?” What does this Tulpa remember experiencing, and what has happened in their life after arriving/manifesting on Earth?)
• Core Concept: (A Core Concept is the idea, element, emotion, title, or epithet that personifies the Tulpa as a whole, and acts as the framework for its powers. See the section on Tulpas for more information on creating a “Core Concept.”)
• Power Threshold: (You should list this as 1 for now. This number will increase as your Tulpa character gains more power.)
• Powers: (Here, you should list and describe the powers this Tulpa has in full detail.)
  • (Each major power should be listed under a separate, major bullet point, and the properties/attributes of those powers should be listed in sub-bullets underneath each major bullet point.)
  • (Powers should generally fall under Super Weight 3 or lower.
  • (I shall be judging sign-ups the most based on your your character’s powers and how they are written. I currently don’t have any major rules as to which powers I am and am not willing to accept, but I will be judging things on a case by case basis. You must be absolutely thorough in describing the mechanics of how your character’s powers work. If I feel you have not fully described the properties of your character’s power set, I will ask that you supply details, and you must update your sheet to include them. I will also require that you make any modifications to your powers if I feel they need nerfing.)
• Familiars: (If your character uses familiars, list them, their abilities, and properties here. The same guidelines for the Powers section goes here.)
  • Familiar Limit: (How many familiars of each type a Tulpa can summon at a given time)
• Belongings/Equipment: (Fill this section similarly to the one described in the Human sign up.)
• Host: (Optional if the Tulpa does not currently interact with the host. List the name of the Tulpa’s host here.)
• Host Backstory: (Optional. If the Tulpa’s host was not listed as a sign-up, feel free to describe their backstory here.)

• Jaroline Hitaisho & Nepbike/Neptune - Boomer75
• Garrus Vakarian - LightToAll
• Tira - Meanken
• Coco Adel - nman

• The Swarmlord & Monika Wierzchowska - FergardStratoavis
• Ilyasviel von Einsbern & Zulkifli ibn Hamdi - JustSomeGuy732
• Owena Constance Idle & Harry Potter - LizardOfAus
• Rattrap - Locoman
• Johnny Bravo - Makaioh
• Joseph Joestar - Ore-O
• Tim Gold & Scrooge McDuck - pillowmantis
• Princess Luna - secretlyasuperhero
• Suzuki Satoru/Ainz Ooal Gown - Stephen Reiken
• Hunter Crenshaw & Clark Kent/Superman - TruthHurts22
• Yuuka Kazami - Wikkit