This city is disgusting; a corpse of what it used to be The people are filthy, gluttonous
Welcome to the Badlands
It has been a almost a hundred years since the Badlands was created. The last of the first generation had died, and the youth of the third run rampant in the streets. There is nothing beautiful about the Badlands. It wasn't an oasis. It wasn't a utopia.
The people don't remember what the world used to be like before the Badlands. Some say it was heaven. Other say it's worse. All they know is that whatever's out there is grueling sand and deadly shadows now - the Wasteland. Those who run the city try to paint it as a haven - that they should be thankful that they're not out in the Wasteland - but the people see it for what it is. The government that lords over them is corrupt, running the poor dry when there's barely enough to go around. The shadows that lurk in alleyways are no better. Faceless, they take what they want no matter the cost.
Nothing can enter the Badlands, and no one can leave. The people are damned if they do and damned if they don't.
The Badlands is a metropolis located in the middle of a desert wasteland. The city is urban in style, resembling Las Vegas and Tokyo with skyscrapers and dark streets. The outskirts of the city is a dense forest with heavily armored soldiers stationed 24/7. The Outer Circle follows the forest. It's nothing more than abandoned and depreciating buildings. This is where most in the Badlands find a place to rest their heads for the night. As you go closer to the center of the city, the booming city life becomes more prevalent in the form of sky high buildings, and neon lit casinos and brothels. But don't be fooled. Despite their golden crowns and sleek suits, the Inner Circle no better than the Outer Circle. It's worse.
There is no standard of morality in the Badlands. There is no question of right or wrong. The only question that matters is how will you sate your hunger tonight and who are you willing to destroy for it.
A group of youth from the third generation call themselves the Young Gods. They station themselves in a small building in the Outer Circle. Here, they train. They plot. They want out of the Badlands. None of them knows what's waiting out there, beyond the Wasteland. Or if there's anything beyond it. They only need to find out how to get out. And soon.
The Wasteland is nothing but desert. There are harsh sandstorms daily and deadly animals roam the sands. But they're not the only threats out there. There is a creature that people say was the reason that the Badlands was created in the first place. No one knows what it is or what it is capable of, only that it cannot enter the Badlands.
The Badlands is an area of the world in the future. There's a booming metropolis, a city that's evolving. It's full of toxicity, probably a corrupt government. It's power exchange. The area surrounding it is a desert wasteland, and what the wasteland does is it keeps the people of Badlands captive there. It keeps anyone else from getting in. It keeps anyone from the outside world from entering the Badlands as well... The entire thing is a metaphor for a mental state. We have been living in the mental badlands for years.
- HALSEY
Name: Age: (no minimum age but the maximum is 25) Gender:
Appearance: (a picture or written description will work)
Affiliation: (Are they a Young God? Are they working for the Inner Circle?... Or both?) Strengths: Weaknesses:
History: Others: (Anything else you'd like to add about your character?)
Despite all the differences of cultures in Badlands, the city's Independence Day (or more accurately, it's foundation) was a celebrated day. During Badlands Independence Day, the streets of the Inner Circle becomes a hub of firework displays and storefronts selling various merchandise commemorating the holiday. People from both the Inner and Outer Circles find themselves on neutral ground during this holiday - everyone eagerly awaiting the grand firework display at the end of the night.
History: Ada grew up close Outer Circle, and was taught to always obey the government, and knowing no better, she would. Of course this meant that she grew up dirt poor, and so she had begun to work multiple jobs just to help her parents with the neverending barrage of taxes. This all changed three years ago, however, when Inner Circle agents came to their home and demanded more than they could pay off. So they shot them. Killed her mother, father, and her three younger sisters. The only reason she lived was because she had been working the night shift, but when she arrived in the morning, she came home only to see it cordoned off. Her neighbor stopped her from confronting the Government agents, explained the situation, and told her to run. So she did. And she found herself DEEP in the outer circle. The most derelict areas, in fact, where she would be most unlikely to survive, but working at a slaughterhouse taught her how to prepare meat properly, which she would get from stray dogs and birds that she had managed to hunt.
For half a year she lived like this, learning how to hunt using throwing darts that he procured herself out of bits of rebar and glass, and evading Government patrols as well as bandits that lived in the area. Eventually she was taken in by the Young Gods, and they cleaned her up and taught her proper combat techniques so that she could be prepared to face the Inner Circle when the time was right.
Others: Ada has proven that she has a natural talent with sniper rifles and throwing daggers, and so she prefers to use those in combat.
History: Henryk claims to have been out in the wastelands, to have survived out there for years and have returned to help others make it out there. anything other than that is unknown, he seemingly came out of nowhere and never speaks of any other path. He usually manages to pass this off through strategic use of his mental instability, often appearing on the line between insane and enlightened, lending some small credibility to his claim...or not, depending on your perspective. though in truth he is a very effective Hitman working for an inner circle boss known only as "The Baron". Others:
Eyes: Naturally dark Blonde, at the moment though its light blonde with pink streaks. Hair: Light Blue Grey Height/Weight: 5'1" and 99 lbs.
Affiliation: Herself Strengths: She is extremely proficient in electrical engineering and enjoys working with wires, circuits and fuses. She also is good with computer code, and hacking. She is talented in counting cards, pick-pocketing, puzzles/riddles, eavesdropping, hiding, emotional control, lying, lip reading, and gambling/street games. She can play the piano, and has an ear for languages. She has a good sense of direction, and knows self defense. She carries a taser, and a gun, which she knows how to use well enough to get out of bad situations. She also has a lot of random knowledge from reading books. Street smart. Weaknesses: She does not know how to swim. She is very distrusting of others, and extremely self serving. She is incorrigible, stubborn, and unorganized. She is not at all empathetic towards people her age or older, but she has a soft spot for little kids, and animals. She can be vengeful and rather ruthless.
History:
Romy was born to her single mother Iris, who was a dancer for a Red Spark club located in the center of the Badlands. Iris was only sixteen when she gave birth to Romy. Her father could have been one of a dozen men, including the grubby club owner Kye Sparks. They lived in the apartments above the club, along with the 32 other 'dancers' and 6 other illegitimate kids, with fathers unknown. So for the first seven years of her life, she was raised by her young mother, and all the other adults that worked in the club. Free to roam the city streets, and do as she pleased. Discipline and structure was practically non existent, except for the few hours of school she had a week.
When Romy was seven when her mother joined the Leviathan cult, thus leaving her dancing days behind her. She and Romy moved into the Outer Circle areas were the cult leader had started up a small commune. The followers were like sheep, and the leaders like wolves. Her mother was made to marry Lance Whitt, a 'general' of the Leviathan cult, and younger brother to the leader Elroy Whitt. Iris was to be his third wife, and as rule she needed to be a virgin, so Romy was now identified as Iris little sister rather then daughter. Everyone knew the truth but with a few chants and prayers from the 'Messiah' Elroy it was done, and accepted as fact.
Romy had a mind of her own, and thus ended up in trouble most everyday. The cult was full of abnormal rules, and cruel unjust punishments for braking them. No running, no singing, no reading, no electronics, no games, no dancing, no laughing, no questions, you must whisper only, never stay idle always work, pray five times a day, bow on your knees to Lord Elroy, wear only the uniform given to you, eat only two meals a day, do not drink unblessed water, fasting every Tuesday, no lying, do not eat red foods, no personal possessions... Punishments for her misbehavior ranged from extra chores, to public beatings, to being locked in the shed with out food or water for days at a time, and to the worst of all, being sent to lord Elroy basement. Torture was a good word for what took place in Elroy's basement. Her mother who had once been caring and loving, turned a blind eye to the blatant abuse that Romy and most of the young children suffered, sometimes even participating in it herself, as requested by Elroy.
It was 10 month later when her mother gave birth to Romy's little half brother Jasper. And Romy was cast aside completely, sent to live in the old bunker with the fifteen other parentless children the cult had gathered off the streets. And the bunker was also where the old and dying lived. She made friends with two of the other kids, two boys named Glen, and Vaughn. They also had issues following rules, and like her didn't believe in the cults ideals. Glen was twelve and the oldest of there trio. He was the first one to suggest running away. It was a joke at first, but as the weeks past the joke sounded like a good idea. Anytime they got the chance they began planning, it became a kind of distraction from the hell life around them, but they never actually set a date for running away. They knew here kids alone in the Badlands was just death and danger waiting to happen, and that surviving on their own would be impossible.
Two years went by and she had learned to follow the rules when people were watching, she got in trouble much less, but was still a complete nonbeliever. She was only nine and a half, but she had had to grow up rather quickly. Independent, stubborn, and ready to survive. One day she was caught eating strawberries with Glen, and Vaughn in the forest outside the commune. Red foods were against the rules, and so each of them was sent one by one to get their punishment. Typically five smacks of a cane on your hands was all you'd get for such an infraction. Romy kneeled by the door of Elroy's basement, and watched as Glen was taken down stair, only to return 15 minuets later being carried out bloody and beaten. Vaughn was next to go in, and Romy could hear him scream. Scared was an understatement as she kneeled there waiting for her turn, looking at the unconscious Glen next to her. Vaughn walked out cradling a broken arm, his face mashed with snot, tears, and blood from the giant gash on his forehead. All of his fingernails were gone, and his eyes looked souless, as he sat down next to Glen who was slowly coming too. Romy refused to move from the spot she was sitting in, and had to be dragged into the room.
Elroy stood wiping the blood off his hands, as the door closed behind her, and she was left in hell. "Well hello again, my dear girl. I'm afraid I have tired out my arms after teaching those boys their lessons. Now Romilly as you know, red is the color of demons, and as you have been told before eating, drinking, or wearing red is to accept the demons into yourself. You need to be cleansed, and the gods have enlightened me in how to do so." He said to her in a sickeningly sweet way, as he smiled at her. He stood close to her and gently brushed the stray hairs out of her face, only to then grab and drag her by her hair to the mattress in the corner of the room. What followed was savage and brutal, and no amount of screaming, or clawing stopped him. Two hours later she was carried out of the room and had to sit next to Glen and Vaughn as they were all lectured and yelled at for another hour by one of the 'generals'.
Glen spent a week in the clinic, recovering from three broken ribs, a fractured wrist, a concussion, second degree burns on his arms, and twenty deep laceration on his back. Vaughn needed nineteen stitches to close the gash on his forehead, and his arm was put in a cast, his hand wrapped in bandages. Romy never talked about what happened to her down there, her friends wondered why she had been down their for so long and had only gotten away with a butch of bruise, and a cut on her lip. But they stopped trying to asked her once she glared at them. Romy had vowed to herself that she would never let what happen to her in the basement happen again. She wanted Elroy dead, and to be away from this god forsaken hole. She told her mother what happened in hopes that she would save her and take her away from this place. But Iris called her a lair, and went to her husband to report Romy as a rule breaker again.
Luckly Elroy was out preaching in the center of the Badlands, so her punishment for 'lying' was carried out by Elroy's wife, the second in command Hera. Romy's hair was buzzed off publicly, as the whole commune was gathered to watch, and then she was flogged and sent to the shed to stay for three days without food or water. Betrayal and anger with a twinge of abandonment was all she felt as she laid on the cold dirt floor of the shed. A ratty blanket and smelly bucket was all that decorated the unheated place. Well into the middle of the night Vaughn came to slid her some food under the crack of the door. "We're leaving tomorrow night, when Glen gets out of the clinic. Romy...just stick it out till then, and will come get you." He said, and with pity in his voice. "You and Glen better not forget me. Ok?" She said to him. Sliding his bandaged pinky finger under the door, they made a promise. The next night came, and all was silent. Till Glen showed up, and picked the lock to get Romy out. Vaughn stood behind holding three backpacks, and a flash light. They were out of there, running for a few miles till they slowed.
Life in the inner city badlands, was hard. But they survived together. Stealing what they needed, and cheating people out of their money. They later joined up with a gang of street urchins, and all seemed good to Romy compared to the last two year of her life. This was her new family. Free and happy none of them regretted leaving.
She was twelve when she picked a pocket she really shouldn't of. It had been an Inner Circle mans wallet and two days later she would come home to find four of her friends dead, including Vaughn. Turns out the man she stole from had secrets in his wallet, that he would kill to get back. Nadia and Glen were not among the dead, and she met up with them at the emergency hideout the next day. Nadia blamed her for the death of her brother Mac, and the others. Glen had been shot and wasn't looking to good.
In the end Glen bled out, and Nadia ran off with all the money, after punching Romy in the face. Twelve year old Romy was on her own in the badlands, the workhouses sounded as bad as the commune, she had no one. The grief of her friends murder turned to anger an guilt. She wanted revenge, and she knew were to start. The gang called Razors worked as thieves and thugs for the Inner Circle, and joining them was her way in. Using the wallet she knew who her target was, a man named Wilkin Harris. Sadly the Razors were not taking newbies, especially twelve year old girls, so she needed to find revenge elsewhere.
For the last two years she has been living around the city, doing odd jobs, as well as working as a hacker for hire, she spends the rest of her time in the city library.
Can I just say I honestly love her backstory? This is the kind of horrible shit that Badlands is all about.
[EDIT] And on that note, I think we should be starting soon. Monday maybe.
Super excited for this! And thanks. The history was complicated to write out without going into to much extreme detail. Added Halsey album on spotify! Its soooo Good.
