Futuristic Midnight City Runners [NOW ON VHS AND LASERDISC!]

[Kazama]

*Click. Whirrrrr...*

The year is 2005... the future...

This is one of the biggest mega-cities in the world.​

This... is Midnight City.​

In a world where corporations have dwarfed major governments and cities have become jungles of neon and concrete, everything is a business. A world where city police forces pale in comparison to the private security firms and criminal underworld. A world where human augmentation is everywhere... if you've got the cash. In a place like this, everyone's got a problem they need solved. Everyone's got a few dirty deeds they need done. Everyone needs dirty hands. Everyone needs...

Runners
​

Runners aren't just up for hire in Midnight City; they're all over the world. Freelancers in every trade from mercenaries to hackers. Runners take on the jobs too dangerous or too difficult for anyone else. Some run alone, while others run in teams. Every Runner is different, and every team has its own code... if it has any at all.
​

Not everyone likes Runners. Everyone needs them. Hits, break-ins, package delivery, cyber-warfare, even gang clean-up; Runners do it all. Running might be illegal, but even the police realize they're too much a part of this city... and even they need to call on their help now and again.​

​

That's where we come in. In a city as wild as this sitting in a world as crazy as ours, your team's all you've got. And it's all you need. ​

Midnight City Runners!
Now available on VHS and LaserDisc!

...

...

Midnight City!
​

Man, this place sucks. But unless you've got the money to live on the upper levels, you're kind of stuck down here. Or maybe you wanna be stuck down here. Man, you're crazy. Anyway...

The mega-city covers most of what was once the American East Coast. It stretches from Maine all the way down to Maryland and all the way back to Michigan. Pretty much dominates the entire north-eastern part of the U.S. Just one giant landscape of city and industry. Fun stuff. There's actually a similar city over on the west coast and a smaller one near where Florida used to be.

Oh I forgot to mention; World War III fucked up a lot of the world. Remember the American Plains? Yeah those are gone now. Not like, 'Nature is disappearing.' gone, more like 'Is currently a radioactive crater.' gone. Oh and Cuba blew up and sank into the ocean. Yeah it was pretty bad. Who know World Wars could be tough, huh? The war's also technically still going; the world powers just agreed to a stalemate and have been sitting on their hands for the last couple of decades.

But none of that stuff is important. You know what Runners are, right? It'd be embarrassing if you didn't, cause you are one. Some Runners work solo and that's fine, but everyone knows the really good jobs are the ones you tackle with a team. And that's what this is. We're a team. We have our differences, sure, but at the end of the day, we need to have each other's backs. We need to cover a wide range of skills and more importantly, get along(ish).

Cause it's gonna be a wild ride.


Stay tuned for more after this short break!

 

[Kazama]

So, here's how it's gonna go. I'm looking for 4 to 5 players for this game, but it won't be decided on who shows up first. This RP will (if I'm lucky and enough people care about it) be less of a first-come-first-serve and more of an application. I wanna pick players whose characters I think have good synergy with everyone else over just going with the first couple of schmucks who show up. Basically, I gotta find you interesting. Cause I'd rather have a few good players than an army of people playing Adam Jensen clones. And yes, that's happened before.


As you can see, I don't take myself or this RP very seriously. I mean, I kinda do but at the same time not really. So don't be afraid to give characters your own charm. Don't overthink it; just remember to keep it interesting. You don't even have to be original. Even if you do something that's been done, I'm more interested if you're doing that thing well. I want characters who'd make a good team. I know that's vague, so let me put it another way. You seen Guardians of the Galaxy? Everyone's seen Guardians. So, think Guardians. That kind of team. Except we're technically bad guys.

So here's how sign-ups are gonna go.

We've got the usual stuff and then some other stuff.

Format it however you want, just have this info on something.

Alias: Runners who give away their real names are dead Runners. You need a nickname. An alias. Bandit, Gridlock, Athena, Kali, stuff like that.


Real Name: Okay now give me your real name. I know what I just said, give it to me anyway.


Age: Just cause.


Blood Type: Just. Cause.


Appearance: You can have an image (which I prefer) or a description, or both (which I prefer even more). No restriction on image so long as it looks appropriate (read: cyberpunk). If it doesn’t look cyberpunk, but you really wanna use it, send it to me over a PM and tell me why you think you should get to use it. I’ll probably let it slide if it’s a good case.


Type: Gun Bunny. Field Medic. Smooth Talker. Grease Monkey. This is weird, I know, but let's give your character a role in the team. Give me a short and snappy way to rattle off exactly what kind of skills they have or what they do. Get as weird as you want.


Wanted For: We're Runners so we've all done some naughty stuff. What'd ya do?


Relevant Skills: What can you do? Utility skills, social skills, combat role skills.


Weapon Specialization: I know, I know, most of our characters probably use a shitload of guns. But which guns are your favorites? What do they use most often? Feel free to use images and stuff.


Body Mods: Cybernetics are a thing. Write down the junk in your trunk. You don't have to have any; you can be clean. Just remember cybernetics can give you a hell of an unfair advantage.


Bio: 'Well it all started when I was born... then it was all downhill from there.' Come sit in my therapist's chair. Tell me why you're running. Start from the beginning. Where are you from? The mega-city? Somewhere else? Foreign maybe? What did you do? Be as mundane or as exciting as you want. Seriously, one of my best characters in a cyberpunk RP had been an office worker for a day job and he was still fun as hell. Catch us up to where they are today, and even tell us a little about today. They might even be living a double-life; living normally during the day and running at night.


Psyche Profile: 'They're calm, collected, calculating. They never miss.' 'They're charming, a good talker, look great!' 'They're an asshole.' Seriously though, what's your character like?


And here's the interesting part.


"Tell me about yourself, and tell me about something you've done on the job.": No not you. The character. Imagine them being sat down in front of a guy with a microphone and a camera pointed at them before they're asked this question. Sort of like those Meet The promotional videos from TF2. How would they answer these questions? They don't even need to be answers. They could literally spend the entire interview talking about their gun or just talking about themselves and how fucking cool they are. It doesn't even have to happen with them sitting. It can happen at a bar or out in the field. At their house, with their husband in the background asking, “Honey, have you seen my red tie?” and they answer, “It’s in. The. Laundry.” for the third time. Wherever. Go on as long as you want. Make it interesting…



“No, the other one with the stripes.”
“In that laundry, Jerry, they’re all in the laundry.”

“… I don’t see it.”



When we finally begin, we’ll be starting as if our characters have already been working together for a while. Mostly because I feel that RP’s that begin with the creation of a team tend to have those awkward first phases where there are mandatory introductions and junk, and then it dies cause no one knows where to go from here, etc. And because it’s the best way to get that camaraderie going quickly.
We’ll be starting as if we’ve been running for a while, so keep that in mind. We’ll get more info as we go progress.

And, if you guys are up for it and we get enough players, I can even see about starting a Discord channel.

 

[Sir Basilisk]

Do you mind if I do the character introduction completely from my character's point of view?

 

[Kazama]

Do you mind if I do the character introduction completely from my character's point of view?

Go ahead.

 

[Sludgemouth]

"THE WORLD NEEDS ME, ONCE MORE!"
-Phillip K. Dick

in all seriousness this is probably my favorite setting for an RP. i will be submitting an application

 

[FTR]

When I make a cs would I post it here or do you want it in a pm?

Kazama

 

[Kazama]

When I make a cs would I post it here or do you want it in a pm?

Kazama

I'm gauging interest, but if you guys wanna get started on character sheets go ahead and post 'em.

"THE WORLD NEEDS ME, ONCE MORE!"
-Phillip K. Dick

in all seriousness this is probably my favorite setting for an RP. i will be submitting an application

Can't wait to read it!

 

[Bone2pick]

First rate interest check - this should have more likes. I'm already in another RP where I'm writing my ass off or I'd be all over this. Good luck getting this off the ground though.

 

[FTR]

Alias: VI

Real Name: Maika Andama Diramo

Age: 25

Blood Type: O Negative

Appearance:

Spoiler

Height-170cm
Weight- 58kg
Measurements- 34-23-36
Eye color-Blue
Hair color-Pink (naturally brown)
Extra- VI tattoo on left cheek, tattoo of gears on the back of her neck and upper back, prosthetic left arm.
Her Car-

Spoiler: Sleepy Hollow

Type: Field Engineer/Mechanic


Wanted For: Boosting cars, trafficking, money laundering, pyramid schemes, illegal modifications (to man and machine), street racing, reckless driving, aiding and abetting, DUI, resisting/evading arrest, double parking, homicide, destruction of property, grand theft, loitering, aggravated assault, arson, extortion, fraud, cyber bullying, kidnapping, racketeering, stalking, vandalism, shoplifting, various 1st and 2nd degree murder charges.

Relevant Skills:
Renowned mechanic/engineer (with a heavy emphasis on vehicles. Taking old, broken and wrecked cars and turning them into fire breathing demon speeders.),

Spoiler

competent gunsmith, expert tinkerer, Maika's work is prized and respected (all) the city over. Her apprenticeship to her adoptive father and craftsman of an even higher esteem, V, laid the foundations for her market as well as her prestige. If you see the iconic "VI" or "V" on anything from body parts to body panels you know the piece is quality built. Socially, Maika was blessed with the ability to bullshit so well she'd put even the most experienced politician to shame. She could and would talk to you for hours and not say a damn thing. Her main method of offense, be it social or physical, is always unpredictability and appearing less capable than she actually is. Because of this, she is able to talk her way in and out of very unlikely situations. Combatively, her tendency to be a loudmouth, distracting and volatile when riled up, coupled with her being a decent shot and CQC, makes her a well rounded member to the team when needed. Her baseline skills are comparatively lower than most of her rivals and peers, for which she uses tools and technologies to compensate. Given these things, she usually resorts to a mixture of smart weapons, explosives, subterfuge and spewing endless nonsense to mess her enemy's focus. Plus, an inclination to more teamwork or evasion heavy battle strategies.

Weapon Specialization:
VI's arsenal is ever fluid. Every day she's selling, buying, changing and rearranging the weapons held in the bowels of her main safe-house, lazily dubbed, Shop VI. The only thing consistent about the weapons she keeps is the theme of assisted operation. As previously stated, her marksmanship is probably considered sub-par for her line of work and in order to make up for this she puts her mind to work modifying the weapons with systems to do most of the "heavy lifting" for her. Aside from firearms, she possess a wide array of explosives and gadgets, just as bizarre and complex as her, to give her the upper hand when she needs it.

Spoiler

Body Mods: The Multi-tool. Cybernetic left arm of her own design. Made more to aid in development than for use in combat...but hyper-powerful metal arms with industrial configurations aren't exactly harmless.

Spoiler

Bio: This is an uninteresting story of an orphaned girl with a knack for build and design. Having been found at 5 years old a few feet away from the lifeless body of her degenerate mother in a downtown motel. Dad long since gone, she was quickly lost in the cracks of the system. Life as a ward of the state was never an easy one, and even more so in Midnight City. Initially, she had been up for foster care but after 2 years and several failed attempts to assimilate into the structures of "normal" families, she was sent to Saint Macarius Orphanage. There, Maika eked out a semblance of a childhood, playing and learning with children her age. However, this lasted only a short 5 years before she found herself out on the street, again. It seemed the owner of the neighboring restaurant owed a substantial debt to a mob and when he failed to deliver they decided to torch his place. The fire spilled into the orphanage killing and maiming dozens. She only survived because she was up raiding remote controls for batteries to power her newest contraption when the building caught fire. Fear took hold and she ran without even saying a word to anyone, a decision that doesn't sit well with her to this day. 12 years old and she'd once more lost what little she had. A minor, alone in the mean streets, it shouldn't take long for someone to notice her. Or it wouldn't have were this not Midnight City. For days she wondered, not getting any more than a sideways glance or a menacing grimace. Here's where fate came into play. As it turned out, our underground businessman and magnet to tragedy V (As in 5, Roman numerals. Come on, keep up.), had recently also suffered a great loss. After many years and a great deal of trying he and his wife had finally achieved a pregnancy, only to endure the heartache of a still birth. V's incredibly busy and demanding schedule aided his attempts to drown himself in work to avoid confronting his disappointment and distress which made him inadequate at comforting his bereaved and grieving partner. Eventually, the pain became too much to bare alone and she ended up taking her own life. It was at this point he finally fell off. Months went by without a single job taken or completed, he spent most of his time swimming in drink and self loathing. The (in)famous V had gone dark. Once night, as he mindlessly made his way around the Northwestern sect of Midnight City he nearly wrecked in attempts to not hit an inattentive girl making her way across a road. By this point, Maika was cold, hungry and tired, having not eaten or slept in days, unsuccessful in gaining any sympathy. All it took was that sudden jump from nearly being run over to push her over the edge and when V got out of his car to assess the damage and yell about the idiocy of pedestrians he was met with the sight of Maika face down on the pavement. Being the kind of guy that would instill a bizarre, half-assed honor code into Maika later on he found himself unable to just leave her there. For hours he searched for someone who would claim her, no one did. It became clear to him that she, like him, was alone. And just like that, the unofficial adoption of took place. The workshop Maika awoke in could have been confused with heaven for her, the sheer amount of things to do was enough to knock her back unconscious. Her state of elation was brought to a grinding halt by the visage of a man that shattered her perfect world. Awkward silence between man and child was broken by a simple but incredibly significant conversation.
"Well?....It's not very polite to stare. Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"
"Oh, um....I'm Maika...Who are you?"
"It's nice to meet you Maika. I'm -----------."
"Where am I? What is this place?"
"This? This is home.....If, you want it to be."
And that was that...more or less. Don't like it? Tough, life is strange and I'm not a novelist. Fast forward 15 years. Maika spread her wings 4 years ago and is now a production guru just like her old man. It also marks the 7th anniversary of her accident that cost her her arm and apparently her sanity. The world is still in the shitter, and only a handful of companies are manufacturing anything and they sure as hell aren't mass producing so; the work of skilled re-manufactures and mechanics is ever needed. Her debut on the runner scene was relatively recently, and a product of chance having taken up the role on a whim and simply because she was essentially already doing runner jobs, now it was just official...plus she found one of the runners particularly attractive. Box of chocolates, I guess..

Psyche Profile:

'They're charming, a good talker, look great!'

That was easy.

Maika can be described in several ways. Industrious, focused, distracted, strangely charming, roguish, sporadic, insane, etc. All of which are accurate, depending on the situation. Like most human beings and ogres onions, she has layers. You'd be likely to learn something knew, have a pleasant conversation and be called a shithead and have something thrown at you all in the same interaction. Obviously, there some attachment issues we also have to address. Maika is devoted to only two things in this world; her adoptive father and herself. Everyone else is nothing personal and subject to changing fancy. That's not to say she won't warm up to you. In fact, there's almost no difference between new acquaintance and long time friend in terms of how she treats you.
For those who need a road map of her rocky personality then allow me to give you a little insight. If she's particularly nice to you, or seems somewhat reasonable; she wants something from you. If she seems completely out of left field and borderline insane; she's just entertaining herself and it probably doesn't take you very seriously...or is purposely trying to annoy you. If she seems focused or "industrious"; she's busy, fuck off. Somewhere in there is the persona only visible on occasion, one much more poised and thoughtful, kind and tactful. This treatment is, however, reserved for very few and is very fleeting. It's important to understand that Maika doesn't always (hardly ever) makes sense, trying to understand her thought process or rationale is more likely to leave you more frustrated and confused than provide any useful insight. When dealing with her, especially in terms of leadership, know that, with her, respect is earned not given and even then if she doesn't agree she'll fight you on it till the last breath. They only way to get her to do something she doesn't want to is through force and intimidation.
The unorthodox honor code V indoctrinated Maika in, as well as her demons from the orphanage fire make her very unlikely to purposefully screw over recognized allies, personally kill innocents, or do anything that directly violates her wishy-washy sense of morality. However, manslaughter, grand arson, theft and other crimes that indirectly result in innocent death are shrugged off like a sleeping limb.
What sets her apart from the rest of her kind and her father in particular is her tendency to go missing only to turn up again with a new batch of warrants for her arrest and something "neat". As well as, her insistence on mingling with the clientele, joining them on the very jobs she supplies them for, sometimes for her own benefit other times just for the shits and giggles. She's like a runner-merchant of sorts. It's unclear where this, uh...intense personality(s) comes from but it seemed to peak around the time of her accident. Explosive Ordinance...how hard could it be? Not very, but, it is explosive. So, maybe don't weld something in the same room. In all honesty, that doesn't really answer why is she crazy as a shithouse rat. Eh, who knows and frankly, who cares?

And here's the interesting part.(?)

The crew arrive at Shop VI to conduct the interview with VI only to find her hours deep in a machine gun mount retrofit to a BMW square body. Only her pink hair making her distinguishable behind a welding mask.
"Um, Hello! VI! We're here to do the interview!" an unnamed crew member tries to yell over the sounds of rotary saw slicing through metal. "What?!" Maika responds, unable to be bothered to shut off the machine she'd currently using to saw into the chassis of the car.
"We're here for-!"
"What?!"
"We're-!"
"What?!"
"...."
"What?!"

(cut away to Maika sitting in her throne-like office chair opposite the crew and camera.)

"There's just a few things I want to go over with you before we get started." The interviewer starts with an audible rustling of papers from behind the camera.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
"What? I don't-"
"Are you implying I'm not ready for this...this thing?"
"I- No, I was just trying to-"
"Trying to make me look bad in my own shop? You think I'm an asshole?"
"I never said that! I simply-"
"You simply what? Why are you looking at me like that? You think I'm cute? Do you wanna fuck me?"
"No, I-!"
"No?! So you think I'm ugly?"
"I-I-I-...."
"I-I-I what?"
"......."
"Hahahaha! Oh my god! Relax, I'm just messing with you! " She exclaims pounding the table in delight.

(cut away to Maika laying sideways across her chair, leaning her head off the side.)

"What's the hold up? Can we get on with this? I'm a very busy person.."
"Sorry, we're having some technical difficulties. We seem to have misplaced my-"
*phone rings*
"Ohp, hold on. I've got to take this." Maika chimes in, jumping up off the chair and running over to a large satellite phone, picking it up and beginning to pace as she spoke.
"Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ yǐwéi wǒ bù huì zài dǎ gěi nǐ liǎo bù, tāmen huì suǒ zài wǒ de páxíng kōngjiān, zhídào wǒ dédào wǒ de qián.
Tā mā de nǐ, Fāng! Tā mā de nǐ!" she screams the last part, while throttling the phone, at whoever was on the line in a comically shrill voice.

(cutaway to the back of Maika's chair and the table. She spins around holding a turbocharger with a wig on it like a cat.)

"You may be wondering why I brought you here today."
"Well we, uh, actually-"
"I'm in the business of sales, you see, and I'm in need of sharp....young, uh, talented individuals to expand my empire. So! I've compiled a series of questions to get a feel for you as a worker."
"Hey! Those are my questions!"
"Ok! First question. Why such a shithead? I'm kidding, I'm totally kidding! That's the second question...Getting ahead of myself. Alright,
'Tell me about yourself, and tell me about something you've done on the job.(?)'"
"VI, that's not really a question and I really think we should-"
"Bz-z-zt! Wrong answer! Next question. Why such a shithead?"

(Yet another cut away. Now. to something like an actual interview)

"Why don't we start with you introducing yourself?"
"K! *clears throat* Hello! My name is VI and I'm an addict."
"Uh.."
(forward)
"You've become quite successful in the underground and runner community. Do you have any words of advice for those just making their start?"
"I absolutely agree. I'd have to say the key to a good bouillabaisse is liberal application of vodka...and gin....I'd say a 3 to 1 mixture. You can skip out on the fish too...and the whole soup part."
"Right.....Many describe your work as art. Do you agree and if so how would you describe your technique? I noticed you were working on something when we arrived...6 hours ago...Maybe, you could walk us through your process?"
"I'd say my technique is at least 80% tongue and my process has always been the same; I start out with some heavy foreplay then work my way Back to Front."
"Ugh....this is a disaster. I'm so fired. "
"Aw, come on. I think you're doing great so far!"
"Really?"
"No."

​

Kazama (subject to revision(s))

 

[Kazama]

Alias: VI, Manic Mechanic, Pinkie and the Brain, M.A.D.

Real Name: Maika Andama Diramo

Age: 25

Blood Type: O Negative

Appearance:
View attachment 314703

Spoiler

View attachment 314704

Height-170cm
Weight- 58kg
Measurements- 34-23-36
Eye color-Blue
Hair color-Pink (naturally brown)
Extra- VI tattoo on left cheek, tattoo of gears on the back of her neck and upper back, prosthetic left arm.
Her Car-

Spoiler: Sleepy Hollow

View attachment 314713

Type: Grease Monkey, Tech Wizard, Grease Tech, Wizard Monkey, driver, equipment


Wanted For: Boosting cars, trafficking, money laundering, pyramid schemes, illegal modifications (to man and machine), street racing, reckless driving, aiding and abetting, DUI, resisting/evading arrest, double parking, homicide, destruction of property, grand theft, loitering, aggravated assault, arson, extortion, fraud, cyber bullying, kidnapping, racketeering, stalking, vandalism, shoplifting, various false 1st and 2nd degree murder accusations (Maika never walks into any situation wanting or intending to kill people, it's just an occupational hazard.)

Relevant Skills: What can you do? Utility skills, social skills, combat role skills.
Renowned mechanic/engineer (with a heavy emphasis on vehicles. Taking old, broken and wrecked cars and turning them into fire breathing demon speeders.),

Spoiler

View attachment 314709 View attachment 314710 View attachment 314711 View attachment 314714 View attachment 314707

competent gunsmith, expert tinkerer, Maika's work is prized and respected (all) the city over. Her apprenticeship to her adoptive father and craftsman of an even higher esteem, V, laid the foundations for her market as well as her prestige. If you see the iconic "VI" or "V" on anything from body parts to body panels you know the piece is quality built. Aside from a mechanical expertise, Maika has been gifted with an uncanny ability to sell a painting to a blind man. Possibly due to the fact that her innate air of confidence, reputation and charm can make her rather convincing. At least, in the moment. She is able to talk her way in and out of very unlikely situations. Combatively, her tendency to be a loudmouth, distracting and volatile when riled up, coupled with her being a decent shot and CQC, makes her a well rounded member to the team when needed. Her baseline skills are comparatively lower than most of her rivals and peers, for which she uses tools and technologies to compensate. Given these things, she usually defaults to talking her way out of bad situations. After which, VI resorts to fighting with tools, subterfuge and more teamwork or evasion heavy battle strategies.
Being one of the less combat oriented runners in Midnight City, VI normally takes up the roles of armorer, handler, agent, driver, and Plan B.

Weapon Specialization:
VI's arsenal is ever fluid. Every day she's selling, buying, changing and rearranging the weapons held in the bowels of her main safe-house, lazily dubbed, Shop VI. The only thing consistent about the weapons she keeps is the theme of assisted operation. As previously stated, her marksmanship is probably considered sub-par for her line of work and in order to make up for this she puts her mind to work modifying the weapons with systems to do most of the "heavy lifting" for her. Even then, she prefers to only use them if she absolutely has to and makes more of a habit of arming her friends with them.

Spoiler

View attachment 314706 View attachment 314708 View attachment 314712

Body Mods: The Multi-tool. Cybernetic left arm of her own design. Made more to aid in development than for use in combat...but hyper-powerful metal arms with industrial configurations aren't exactly harmless.

Spoiler

View attachment 314705

Bio: This is an uninteresting story of an orphaned girl with a knack for build and design. Having been found at 5 years old a few feet away from the lifeless body of her degenerate mother in a downtown motel. Dad long since gone, she was quickly lost in the cracks of the system. Life as a ward of the state was never an easy one, and even more so in Midnight City. Initially, she had been up for foster care but after 2 years and several failed attempts to assimilate into the structures of "normal" families, she was sent to Saint Macarius Orphanage. There, Maika eked out a semblance of a childhood, playing and learning with children her age. However, this lasted only a short 5 years before she found herself out on the street, again. It seemed the owner of the neighboring restaurant owed a substantial debt to a mob and when he failed to deliver they decided to torch his place. The fire spilled into the orphanage killing and maiming dozens. She only survived because she was up raiding remote controls for batteries to power her newest contraption when the building caught fire. Fear took hold and she ran without even saying a word to anyone, a decision that doesn't sit well with her to this day. 12 years old and she'd once more lost what little she had. A minor, alone in the mean streets, it shouldn't take long for someone to notice her. Or it wouldn't have were this not Midnight City. For days she wondered, not getting any more than a sideways glance or a menacing grimace. Here's where fate came into play. As it turned out, our underground businessman and magnet to tragedy V (As in 5, Roman numerals. Come on, keep up.), had recently also suffered a great loss. After many years and a great deal of trying he and his wife had finally achieved a pregnancy, only to endure the heartache of a still birth. V's incredibly busy and demanding schedule aided his attempts to drown himself in work to avoid confronting his disappointment and distress which made him inadequate at comforting his bereaved and grieving partner. Eventually, the pain became too much to bare alone and she ended up taking her own life. It was at this point he finally fell off. Months went by without a single job taken or completed, he spent most of his time swimming in drink and self loathing. The (in)famous V had gone dark. Once night, as he mindlessly made his way around the Northwestern sect of Midnight City he nearly wrecked in attempts to not hit an inattentive girl making her way across a road. By this point, Maika was cold, hungry and tired, having not eaten or slept in days, unsuccessful in gaining any sympathy. All it took was that sudden jump from nearly being run over to push her over the edge and when V got out of his car to assess the damage and yell about the idiocy of pedestrians he was met with the sight of Maika face down on the pavement. Being the kind of guy that would instill a bizarre, half-assed honor code into Maika later on he found himself unable to just leave her there. For hours he searched for someone who would claim her, no one did. It became clear to him that she, like him, was alone. And just like that, the unofficial adoption of took place. The workshop Maika awoke in could have been confused with heaven for her, the sheer amount of things to do was enough to knock her back unconscious. Her state of elation was brought to a grinding halt by the visage of a man that shattered her perfect world. Awkward silence between man and child was broken by a simple but incredibly significant conversation.
"Well?....It's not very polite to stare. Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"
"Oh, um....I'm Maika...Who are you?"
"It's nice to meet you Maika. I'm -----------."
"Where am I? What is this place?"
"This? This is home.....If, you want it to be."
And that was that...more or less. Don't like it? Tough, life is strange and I'm not a novelist. Fast forward 15 years. Maika spread her wings 4 years ago and is now a production guru just like her old man. It also marks the 7th anniversary of her accident that cost her her arm and apparently her sanity. The world is still in the shitter, and only a handful of companies are manufacturing anything and they sure as hell aren't mass producing so; the work of skilled re-manufactures and mechanics is ever needed. Her debut on the runner scene was relatively recently, and a product of chance having taken up the role on a whim and simply because she was essentially already doing runner jobs, now it was just official...plus she found one of the runners particularly attractive. Box of chocolates, I guess..

Psyche Profile: That was easy.

Maika can be described in one of 3 ways. Industrious and focused, silver tongued and charming, roguish and sporadic. All of which are accurate. You'd be likely to learn something knew, have a pleasant conversation and be called a shithead and have something thrown at you all in the same interaction. Obviously, there some attachment issues we have to address. Maika is devoted to only two things in this world; her adoptive father and herself. Everyone else is nothing personal and subject to changing fancy. However, the unorthodox honor code V indoctrinated Maika in, as well as her demons from the orphanage fire make her very unlikely to purposefully screw over recognized allies, harm innocent people or intently seek out someone's death. However, manslaughter, grand arson, theft and other crimes that can indirectly result in death are shrugged off like sleeping limb. What sets her apart from the rest of her kind and her father in particular is her tendency to go missing only to turn up again with a new batch of warrants for her arrest and something "neat" . As well as, her insistence on mingling with the clientele, joining them on the very jobs she supplies them for, sometimes for her own benefit other times just for the shits and giggles. She's like a runner-merchant of sorts. It's unclear where this, uh...intense personality came from but it seemed to peak around the time of her accident. Explosive Ordinance...how hard could it be? Not very, but, it is explosive. So maybe don't weld something in the same room. In all honesty, that doesn't answer why is she crazy as a shithouse rat. Eh, who knows and frankly, who cares?



The crew arrive at Shop VI to conduct the interview with VI only to find her hours deep in a machine gun mount retrofit to a BMW square body. Only her pink hair making her distinguishable behind a welding mask, Peace Sells by Megadeath blaring over the sound system in the shop.
"Um, Hello! VI! We're here to do the interview!" an unnamed crew member tried to yell over the sounds of rotary saw slicing through metal. "What?!" Maika responded, unable to be bothered to shut off the machine she'd currently using to saw into the chassis of the car.
"We're here for-!"
"What?!"
"We're-!"
"What?!"
"...."
"What?!"

(cut away to Maika sitting in her throne-like office chair opposite the crew and camera. Burn by Deep Purple now playing.)

"There's just a few things I want to go over with you before we get started." The interviewer starts with an audible rustling of papers from behind the camera.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
"What? I don't-"
"Are you implying I'm not ready for this...this thing?"
"I- No, I was just trying to-"
"Trying to make me look bad in my own shop? You think I'm an asshole?"
"I never said that! I simply-"
"You simply what? Why are you looking at me like that? You think I'm cute? Do you wanna fuck me?"
"No, I-!"
"No?! So you think I'm ugly?"
"I-I-I-...."
"I-I-I-I what?"
"......."
"Hahahaha! Oh my god! Relax, I'm just messing with you! " She exclaimed pounding the table in delight.

(cut away to Maika laying sideways across her chair, leaning her head off the side. Sexualizer by Perturbator now playing)

"What's the hold up? Can we get on with this? I'm a very busy person.."
"Sorry, we're having some technical difficulties. We seem to have misplaced my-"
*phone rings*
"Ohp, hold on. I've got to take this." Maika exclaims jumping up off the chair and running over to a large satillite phone, picking it up and begining to pace as she spoke.
"Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ yǐwéi wǒ bù huì zài dǎ gěi nǐ liǎo bù, tāmen huì suǒ zài wǒ de páxíng kōngjiān, zhídào wǒ dédào wǒ de qián.
Tā mā de nǐ, Fāng! Tā mā de nǐ!" she screams the last part while throttling the phone at whoever was on the line in a comically shrill voice.
(cutaway to the back of Maika's chair and the table. She spins around holding a turbocharger with a wig on it like a cat.)
"You may be wondering why I brought you here today."
"Well we, uh, actually-"
"I'm in the business of sales, you see, and I'm in need of sharp....young, uh, talented individuals to expand my empire. So! I've compiled a series of questions to get a feel for you as a worker."
"Hey! Those are my questions!"
"Ok! First question. Why such a shithead? I'm kidding, I'm totally kidding! That's the second question...Getting ahead of myself. Alright,
'Tell me about yourself, and tell me about something you've done on the job.(?)'"
"VI, that's not really a question and I really think we should-"
"Bz-z-zt! Wrong answer! Next question. Why such a shithead?"

(Yet another cut away. Now. to something like an actual interview)

"Why don't we start with you introducing yourself?"
"K! *clears throat* Hello! My name is VI and I'm an addict."
"Uh.."
(forward)
"You've become quite successful in the underground and runner community. Do you have any words of advice for those just making their start?"
"I absolutely agree. I'd have to say the key to a good bouillabaisse is liberal application of vodka...and gin....I'd say a 3 to 1 mixture. You can skip out on the fish too...and the soup part."
"Right.....Many describe your work as art. Do you agree and if so how would you describe your technique? I noticed you were working on something when we arrived...6 hours ago...Maybe, you could walk us through your process?"
"I'd say my technique is at least 80% tongue and my process has always been the same; I start out with some heavy foreplay then work my way Back to Front."
"Ugh....this is a disaster. I'm so fired. "
"Aw, come on. I think you're doing great so far!"
"Really?"
"No."

​

Kazama (incredibly rough and ugly draft slapped together with what little time I had to spare. Hopefully, it conveys the message tho. If the rp takes off and I make the cut, I'll def rewrite and final draft it. Thanks!)

You may indeed need to work on it cause the draft doesn't really convey what kind of character she is until the interview at the very end. Without it, I would have assumed your character to be a very different person than what you showed me, so work on that.
I do like the character though. She's interesting and has a specific flavor to her.
Though I do have trouble seeing how someone as 'unstable' as her could work a charisma angle. Screaming at people tends to have the opposite effect of charm, so you may want to focus more on what you showed me in her interview. Or change her to fit the charisma thing, but I gotta say I do like the direction the interview went.
Maybe chill out on constantly dropping song names because I usually don't need to know specifics. Just genre for background atmosphere. Plus, if someone doesn't know that song, then you've just shot your own environmental writing in the foot because they're gonna fill in what they think that song sounds like and when people have to guess, then you haven't given them enough detail. And people usually don't search up song names while reading and you don't want them to; it interrupts flow.

Also:

Alias: VI, Manic Mechanic, Pinkie and the Brain, M.A.D.

Pick one.

Type: Grease Monkey, Tech Wizard, Grease Tech, Wizard Monkey, driver, equipment

Pick. One.

Overall though, you've probably got a good shot of making it in if you keep up the good work. If we get more good quality sheets, I'll start up the RP thread with more info and whatnot.

 

[Sludgemouth]

how acceptable is power armor around these parts (particularly in lieu of bionics)

 

[Kazama]

how acceptable is power armor around these parts (particularly in lieu of bionics)

Part of the reason Running was called Running was because it involved a lot of getting from point A to point B. Cybernetics keep you mobile and still give you an edge. It's why Runners prefer them. Plus it's way more cyberpunk.
Real power armor is heavy. This setting's not going to have the kind of tech for Halo power armor; full power armor here is going to be a lot more like the MAX from Planetside. And it needs a power source. If you can figure out a way to move it around quickly and still have enough juice left in it then fine.
Otherwise if we wanted a stationary turret, we'd buy a baseball machine and teach it the sin of murder.
It can be done. Exo skeletons are often like power-armor lite. The character I was gonna write up was actually going to use pseudo-power armor that would be an exo skeleton underneath a suit of armor than actual tank-like power armor, but if you end up taking the idea then I can't really stop you. (Oh wait I can just reject your application muahaha... kidding.) Just make it interesting.
In theory I can't stop you from writing whatever you want and if you manage to do what I said not to but in an interesting way, maybe you'll get away with it. Or maybe not.

Also if you give it energy shields you better give me a good reason why you just made yourself nigh invulnerable.

 

[FTR]

You may indeed need to work on it cause the draft doesn't really convey what kind of character she is until the interview at the very end. Without it, I would have assumed your character to be a very different person than what you showed me, so work on that.
I do like the character though. She's interesting and has a specific flavor to her.
Though I do have trouble seeing how someone as 'unstable' as her could work a charisma angle. Screaming at people tends to have the opposite effect of charm, so you may want to focus more on what you showed me in her interview. Or change her to fit the charisma thing, but I gotta say I do like the direction the interview went.
Maybe chill out on constantly dropping song names because I usually don't need to know specifics. Just genre for background atmosphere. Plus, if someone doesn't know that song, then you've just shot your own environmental writing in the foot because they're gonna fill in what they think that song sounds like and when people have to guess, then you haven't given them enough detail. And people usually don't search up song names while reading and you don't want them to; it interrupts flow.

Also:



Pick one.



Pick. One.

Overall though, you've probably got a good shot of making it in if you keep up the good work. If we get more good quality sheets, I'll start up the RP thread with more info and whatnot.

Roger dodger!
.....well kinda. I wasn't totally sure what I did and didn't convey very well from your perspective. But, I did change some things you pointed out, tho. I think.

 

[Kazama]

Roger dodger!
.....well kinda. I wasn't totally sure what I did and didn't convey very well from your perspective. But, I did change some things you pointed out, tho. I think.

Alright. I think you've got a good concept though and I get the idea so don't sweat the CS sheet.
I do wonder one thing though.
What is she going to do with the rest of the group if she's just a merchant/repair person in a workshop. Most of the RP will follow the group as they run jobs so what will she do during those?

 

[FTR]

Alright. I think you've got a good concept though and I get the idea so don't sweat the CS sheet.
I do wonder one thing though.
What is she going to do with the rest of the group if she's just a merchant/repair person in a workshop. Most of the RP will follow the group as they run jobs so what will she do during those?

I thought I put something in their saying she'd take up more supportive roles like handler, driver, distraction, Plan B, etc. She'll be the one screaming "GET IN THE VAN!", feigning seizures, blowing the place up if the other guys get the upper hand and telling you when you "Reached your destination"
She can be a part of the regular team if needed tho. That's were the "smart" guns and gadgets come into play.
I kinda wanted to see if I could make a "main(ish)" character fill a background role and not be boring. Idk, it might be dumb

 

[Semblance]

Wow this looks super interesting and unique! I will definitely be submitting a character

Would you rather I wait until the thread comes up or shall I post a draft here?

 

[Kazama]

I thought I put something in their saying she'd take up more supportive roles like handler, driver, distraction, Plan B, etc. She'll be the one screaming "GET IN THE VAN!", feigning seizures, blowing the place up if the other guys get the upper hand and telling you when you "Reached your destination"
She can be a part of the regular team if needed tho. That's were the "smart" guns and gadgets come into play.
I kinda wanted to see if I could make a "main(ish)" character fill a background role and not be boring. Idk, it might be dumb

If you think you can handle it and won't get bored then I won't stop you, but sitting in a van and waiting for something to happen might get dull.
You may want to consider focusing on her mechanic support role and then giving her a second skill she can use so she can actually accompany the group.

Wow this looks super interesting and unique! I will definitely be submitting a character

Would you rather I wait until the thread comes up or shall I post a draft here?

Post a draft here. That goes for everyone. If you wanna submit something, do it here. I'm not gonna make the actual thread till I'm sure we've got a roster.

 

[FTR]

If you think you can handle it and won't get bored then I won't stop you, but sitting in a van and waiting for something to happen might get dull.
You may want to consider focusing on her mechanic support role and then giving her a second skill she can use so she can actually accompany the group.



Post a draft here. That goes for everyone. If you wanna submit something, do it here. I'm not gonna make the actual thread till I'm sure we've got a roster.

Maybe just remove the kill code and make the demo and smart guns a bigger part of her character? then balance by making her completely useless in a fight without the assists?

 

[Semblance]

Post a draft here. That goes for everyone. If you wanna submit something, do it here. I'm not gonna make the actual thread till I'm sure we've got a roster.

Got it! I should have one up sometime tomorrow

 

[Kazama]

Maybe just remove the kill code and make the demo and smart guns a bigger part of her character? then balance by making her completely useless in a fight without the assists?

It's less a matter of balance and more a matter of "Is this fun to play?"
Cause you can be as balanced as you want, but if your job's boring, then what's the point?
I only really worry about balance if it's something that'll have a character take on entire encounters that should require the party, so that others don't get left out.

Got it! I should have one up sometime tomorrow

And I look forward to it.

 

[FTR]

It's less a matter of balance and more a matter of "Is this fun to play?"
Cause you can be as balanced as you want, but if your job's boring, then what's the point?
I only really worry about balance if it's something that'll have a character take on entire encounters that should require the party, so that others don't get left out.

Right!
But...I don't want to make my character a Jack of Aces. Which no one likes, me specifically.
I think I'll drop the no kill code, switch it for a strong dislike for explosives, blame it on the accident and free up the demo slot for someone else
then pick up some auto-aiming guns and use the multi-tool for a field engineering role thus keeping that mechanic, technician theme?

 

[Kazama]

Right!
But...I don't want to make my character a Jack of Aces. Which no one likes, me specifically.
I think I'll drop the no kill code, switch it for a strong dislike for explosives, blame it on the accident and free up the demo slot for someone else
then pick up some auto-aiming guns and use the multi-tool for a field engineering role thus keeping that mechanic, technician theme?

You should definitely drop the no-kill honor code thing. It doesn't fit her. It isn't the kind of trait I'd imagine on a character like her, and I even feel it would limit her in the long run.
It's a shame she's not a demo cause that personality would be great on a demolitions expert, haha. Especially since building a bomb is supposed to be similar to building a machine. I'd say consider it.
But yeah, she can go for a mechanics angle if you'd like. Maybe she could have designed a set of portable, deployable turrets she can set down.

Something like that, but about the size of a briefcase that shoots small caliber rounds where it detects movement.

 

[Kazama]

My advice to all of you: Write the interview first. It'll give you a much more solid grasp of who your character is than just trying to describe them on a sheet. Cause you often get a lot more mileage out of writing a character as opposed to just describing them.

 

[FTR]

You should definitely drop the no-kill honor code thing. It doesn't fit her. It isn't the kind of trait I'd imagine on a character like her, and I even feel it would limit her in the long run.
It's a shame she's not a demo cause that personality would be great on a demolitions expert, haha. Especially since building a bomb is supposed to be similar to building a machine. I'd say consider it.
But yeah, she can go for a mechanics angle if you'd like. Maybe she could have designed a set of portable, deployable turrets she can set down.

Something like that, but about the size of a briefcase that shoots small caliber rounds where it detects movement.

Torbjörn, ready to party

 

[Gradous13]

this still open?