Genre(s): Whedonverse (Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Angel), Canon Through "Chosen", Future, Original Characters

The Setting

'City Limits' was a fantasy roleplaying game (RPG) based on the portrayed universe of the 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' and 'Angel' franchise. Stretching across Chicagoland, City Limits offered the perfect setting for good writers seeking a quality world where supernaturally-inclined characters could play.

Though it is rooted in the near-future (2014) of Joss Whedon's 'Slayerverse', City Limits took on an epic life of its own, with a primary focus on original characters, incorporating themes of light and dark, humor and horror. City Limits existed entirely on-line. We stole (with love) Whedon's creative vision of the supernatural, but branched out in a new direction.

City Limits was created on July 10th, 2008. It emerged as a spin-off concept from Birthright, a roleplaying game that lasted 4 years and included over 5,000 in-character posts. The format consisted of both solo and tag-team scenes posted to the main forum on InsaneJournal.

The Genre

City Limits was not an AU (Alternate Universe). It took place several years after the close of both television shows. It was canon (meaning historically accurate) up until the television series finales of 'Buffy' and 'Angel'.

The Game Premise

A year has passed since a series of ground-breaking media leaks exposed the U.S. government's knowledge of and involvement in the supernatural underworld. After the initial discovery, there was chaos on a global scale, as other government programs were revealed. The human public reacted in anger and fear, resorting to violence, avoidance and outright denial. As for the supernatural, some relished the opportunity to exist in the open, while others went into hiding to avoid retribution. To control the situation, strict national curfews were enforced at dusk and military units were deployed to keep the peace. In the summer of 2013, the chaos has settled and curfews are revoked, though humans and demons still struggle to adjust.

Along with knowledge of supernatural creatures came a public understanding that mystical convergences, Hellmouths and even portals to other worlds are real. With the release of an imprisoned entity known only as the 'Exile' in Nevada, all dimensional gateways, from the Bermuda Triangle to the Devil's Oval, were revealed on a global scale. After around a year, most were sealed again, with few exceptions...

One such portal exists in Chicago, Illinois.

It first opened on June 22, 2012 at 10:21pm, in 'Community Area 7', also known as Lincoln Park. The portal opened unto an unknown dimension. The breech lasted only seconds, but the effects were extensive. A mysterious type of energy briefly radiated from the portal, severely mutating some of the residents. As a result, Lincoln Park underwent a mandatory evacuation. All uninjured residents were rescued. The wounded that could be captured were removed to quarantine; it was later determined that the effects on victims were permanent, but not a bio-threat.

Military presence remained around Lincoln Park. Their rationale was to protect the population from a repeat of the event. At first, only barbed wire and sandbags separated it from the rest of the city. Within a month, a wall was erected around the community perimeter and armed guards were stationed there. All access points to and from Lincoln Park were blocked (including access by water), except one... An undiscovered freight tunnel, no longer on the city plans.

As for the portal, it remains active. At intervals it opens long enough to expel a person, creature, object, or influential energy from another dimension. The portal doesn't open to one specific universe. It wobbles, opening to a variety of heavens, hells and alternate universes, or even time periods, completely at random. The portal also shifts, never opening in a predictable spot in the city, though it most frequently opens near Lincoln Park. When it opens, there are localized electromagnetic disturbances. Knowledge of the original portal is widespread, but its unpredictable nature has led to some confusion over whether the repeat occurrences are the same phenomenon or not (they are).

Heroes and villains have begun to relocate to Chicago, either in hopes of subduing the portal's periodic effects, or to exploit the situation to their liking.

**Updates**

As of July 2013, The city of Chicago is no longer under curfew. A law has been passed, which states that any human who dies by vampire bite (or suspected demon attack) is subject to immediate incineration at the nearest morgue.

In August of 2013, the freight tunnel access to Lincoln Park was uncovered by a few characters. Exploration into Lincoln Park revealed that the community is still crawling with mutated victims of the incident, no longer recognizable as human. They are violent and supernaturally strong.

On the eve of 2014, during a New Year's celebration at the North Avenue Beach (outside the southwest corner of Lincoln Park), Leviathan's Bride destroyed parts of the barrier and released the Lincoln Park mutants onto the crowd. There was an enormous battle and most of the mutants were killed or captured, while a few retreated into the park, where the barrier was rebuilt and re-enforced. At present, military and policing forces are doing a sweep of the LP area to clear out any looters, demon squatters, and remaining mutated creatures, so that the neighborhood can be reopened to the public.

In July 2014, a mysterious source of energy appeared over the Chicago skyline and was revealed to be the portal. After several hours and much panic on behalf of the citizens, it released a shockwave of energy that affected both light and dark characters. The energy was a message from the Powers That Be, imparting a cosmic reward on those who had played their parts in the balance (wishes fulfilled). This plot sparked character epilogues and marked the end of the storyline.