Pending a proper proofread, especially since I ended up doing more than I intended to ever write and in one sitting to boot, but here's my pitch.
Also, I like discord. I enjoy being able to chat idly with the others, spitball ideas around, just get to know everybody and get comfortable with the lads. Like Bork said though, up to you, I'm pretty chill either way.
Name: Kyo Kazuko (敬 かずこ.) Known by friends as "K-Kyo" and operates online under "akkd0g_".
Age: 28 (Twenty-eight.)
Sex: ♀ Female.
Nationality: Japanese citizen by birth.
Languages spoken: ◦ Japanese: fluent and a native speaker. ◦ Chinese: advanced. ◦ English: conversational.
Cybernetic EnhancementsYuutaCorp® CIT Y-750 (modified) The YuutaCorp® Cranial Integration Unit Y-series, model 750, is an overt yet powerful unit designed to allow the exchange of data between the brain and most devices. It occupies most of the space along the back of the neck and runs intrusively into the cranial nerves. While an older bit of hardware as far as CIT units go, it's still popular today among technology enthusiasts. It features four standard input/output ports alongside slots for common small memory units. This particular unit has been modified with a few retrofits, bringing it up to speed with recent advances in technology to allow for near-universal integration with modern and aged devices alike.
PropertyNTS Weiland 5 (modified) The "Weiland 5" omni-reality™ headset is a Full-Dive® integrated virtual reality headset developed and produced by Nishimura Technology Solutions Incorporated. While not competitive as far as base specifications go its sturdy construction, simple construction, and extensive modding community, make it appealing to the VR otaku market. Kazuko has modified hers almost beyond recognition, bringing it up to the leading edge. The headset is integrated with her CIU, creating a direct wire link between her brain and cyberspace. The headset is primarily used for browsing cyberspace, both innocently and maliciously, but also includes augmented reality support, a user health monitoring suite, a realspace environmental monitoring suite, and integrated BrightBulb™ lights in the frame. Several failsafes are also included in the headset, designed to prevent any cyberspace attacks or counterattacks against her from reaching her CIU with potentially life threatening results.
AppearanceThere isn't much to see of Kazuko, being a frail woman who stands at an impressive 5 foot flat. While the health monitoring suite in her headset encourages her to manage her health, the success of the suite is limited at best, leaving her with the stereotypical hikikomori BTL-junkie build: borderline anorexic. Her neck length hair - currently dyed pastel purple, check in next week to see if she's changed it yet - is often scrunched up underneath her headset, keeping it out of the way while she browses, works, and full dives into cyberspace. While her eyes were once a pretty shade of blue, they've since been paled and bloodshot after spending months at a time within the headset for years.
Background:Kazuko was born in Osaka, Japan, as the first and only child of two Japanese-born nationalists. Her parents had issues with fertility between exposure to hazardous substances in their lifetime and their growing age, making even conceiving Kazuko the result of eight years of doctors appointments and countless attempts. The two gave up some four years later, instead turning to their only child with all of their hopes and aspirations: university education, a high-paying job, fighting the good intellectual fight in the name of what Japan once was. Tragically, as Kazuko grew up, her parents high standards only made her want to spite them.
As Kazuko grew into her high school years and began to form as a person, she dabbled into delinquency. What started as a phase became a trend; what began as spiting her parents and a taste of rebellion became a lifestyle. Over the years, skipping a couple of classes turned into skipping days as ignoring her parents turned into arguing with them. This came to a boil when, one night, she assaulted her mother in a fit of frustration. She had never been hit by her parents before, but her father smacked the life of her when he put her on the ground. "Enough was enough," her parents had decided. That night, she was handed a backpack and told to find her own life. She took to the streets, thinking it was all just one big scare tactic, but after a week of camping out front of her old home turned into the police taking her away for loitering, the reality of her situation slammed into her like a truck.
She regretted it. She regretted everything. It wasn't worth it, not in the slightest. After some weeks wandering the streets of Osaka, Kazuko decided to make things right. She started attending school regularly, she found a part time job, she even found a makeshift home in a small alcove somewhere near the city. But the showers at the gym weren't enough to keep her clean and a homeless employee was bad for business. She lost one job after another, becoming more and more desperate for money all the while, until she came across what she thought was a saving grace:
Enjo-kōsai. Compensated dating.
It went about as well as you expected it to. Within a month, Kazukos demeanor of renewed determination had fallen flat on its ass after she had already gotten in too deep, and she was simply gone from school the next. Pornographic videos, prostitution, the likes: the local foreign crime syndicate owned her, and they had their way making as much money as they could off her young body. For her, life had lost its purpose; it just wasn't fair. Months past - not that she could perceive any of them in the end - before she found her escape: better-than-life chips, or DreamChips. Virtual reality experiences that took the pain away, that whisked her off to a life and feeling sa thousand times better.
One thing led to another. As she delved deeper into the mysteries of cyberspace, her skills began to develop. It took her almost three years: three years of being shuffled around the city, only a cheap headset and a chop-job computer to her name, before she made her great escape. Through cyberspace, she made a deal with a local yakuza family: if she could make one of her captives warehouses vulnerable, the yakuza cell would free her after conducting a raid. So she did - but not before proving herself to the yakuza with a test run, of course. The foreign mafia tracked it back to her and shoved her into the back of a van without her gear, but while they were transferring her, a truck rammed the van onto its side and whisked the girl away midst fire and smoke.
She had done it. She was free and her debts were paid. But that left her back at square one: she didn't have any money, nor a place to live. This time though, she had a portfolio, even if it was small. She was a bone fide hacker now, the real deal, and she had a couple of contacts in the yakuza to kick her operation off. With a loan from the yakuza to get some gear to her name, she was off and away. Before long, her debts were paid and she was making some income, even if the start was a bit rocky here and there.
Yet despite being free, Osaka still felt suffocating. It had memories of her parents, need not mention her time as a captive to sex trafficking. She wanted to go somewhere different, somewhere where she could breathe. She tried Tokyo first but that didn't feel much better, so off she went to the countryside. There was a promising job going in Suribachi with the opportunity for further work, plus she could keep working freelance in cyberspace doing jobs for people across the planet. As far as her situation went, it was a good deal.
So as she sat on the bus at the young age of 23 with her headset over her head, it occurred to her: in the end, in her own way, did she end up living up to her parents dreams for her? She screwed over a foreign mafia for the yakuza in the end, and she might even end up doing it again if the war in Suribachi calls for hackers. If nothing else, the action made it a hotspot for jobs, whether it was working for criminals or not. She decided not to think about it too much in the end - it was too inconvenient to think about. Instead, she decided that once she had made enough or once the jobs stopped coming, she would try and enroll to university somewhere. She could reach out to her parents again then. Maybe they will be proud of her.
Skills:Cyberspace whizz Kazuko is intimate with the ins and outs of cyberspace, both jacked in and jacked out alike. Not only is it a good way to make money for a shut in like her, it also helps her keep alert and aware of information she otherwise wouldn't have. Cyberspace is a great way to learn things and that goes double for all of the devices connected to it.
Elusive There have been attempts to capture or kill "akkd0g_" before: whether it be revenge, tying off loose ends, or eliminating the competition. Sometimes the chair has even been still warm when they get in there but they haven't once got a hold of them. They discover another sneaky trick of theirs every time they try. Whoever "akkd0g_" is, they really don't want to be found.
Flaws:Fragile In true hikikomori fashion, there isn't much to Kazuko's body, and what there is isn't very sturdy. What would bruise your average man could very well break something of hers and she certainly doesn't have the strength to stand up to half of the men she torments in cyberspace forums in the real world.
Min-maxed To get that critical extra speed of the competition, Kazuko has set up a direct wire between her brain and cyberspace. While the benefits are obvious, there's also the obvious risk that comes with it. There's dump shock, sure, but there's also the chance of direct attacks against her own brain. While she has several failsafes between her headset and her CIU, she might have yet to meet her match.
Escapist addict Kazukos journey into cyberspace began with BTLs: better-than-life chips, or DreamChips. The ultimate yet very illegal form of escapism: a full dive simulation that's a thousand times better and feels a thousand times better. Without her daily fix, well... what could happen to her?
@The Bork Lazer The vast majority of food worldwide is genetically modified, and some cancers and chromosomal disorders have been cured, though the tech is mostly available only to the ultra-rich. Cloning is mostly for super secret government projects.
Languages Spoken: Japanese - Fluent English - Fluent Korean - Conversational Cantonese - Basic
Cybernetic Enhancements:
Yamatetsu Cybernetics DynamoarmTM - A military grade cybernetic arm, the DynamoarmTM is one a favorite of military personnel seeking to replace missing limbs or 'upgrade' existing ones thanks to its high strength, light weight, modular armor plating, and its extremely precise manual dexterity. While at home in Japan, Donny uses a lighter, treated aluminum alloy instead of military grade armor plating.
Yamatetsu Cybernetics DynashokTM Knuckles - A proprietary add-on for the popular DynamoarmTM, a set of pads built into the knuckles of the cyberarm can deliver an adjustable amount of electricity upon impact. Designed to provide its user with a more subtle means of personal defense, and is powered by a small power core within the arm, which needs replacing after every few usages. While lethal settings are possible, such settings were locked upon Donny's discharge from the military, though a skilled hacker could easily bypass the lock.
Shiwase Subdermal Bone Lacing - Placed within Donny's left arm The lacing's primary function is to counteract minute muscle spasms and random motions, allowing for extremely precise and fine motor control when needed-such as when applying stitches or operating on patients in hectic environment. The lacing can also stiffen upon impact protecting the arms from bruising. This particular augment is very popular amongst military snipers and combat medics alike.
Shiwase BriteLite Cybereyes - A basic set of cybereyes that provide zoom functionality, and a backlight.
Property:
Armalance Streetwise Compact - Another popular pistol by the ubiquitous Armalance, the Armalance Streetwise Compact, is an accurate, rugged and reliable pistol, well loved by military, police, and sport shooters alike. Utilizing the ever common 10mm round, and 10 round magazine this pistol isn't an uncommon site in Japan.
Shiwase Solar Powered Micro Medical Center (SSPMMC) - A 'portable' medical operating unit, with everything one would need for a variety of field care. Portable in the sense that it can be packed up into a whopping 30kg backpack, but utterly dreadful to actually carry around. A hold off from Donny's days in the military, nowadays it usually stays up in his room collecting dust.
Appearance: Tall, and relatively brawny, Donny stands in at about 6 feet in height, and has a build of one used to physical activity. His body bears a couple of scars from a tour in the military, and his hair is short and dark- save for a single shock of white hair. His most noticeable feature would definitely be the cyberarm replacing his right arm- its white aluminum plating a far cry from the tan and olive drab of its original military plates. He dresses fairly casually most of the time, but will often throw a leather jacket on depending on the weather.
Personality traits:
Earnest
Brave
Loyal
Honest
Trusting
Adaptive
Resilient
Background: Born and raised in Suribachi, Donny is the youngest of two, and the only son. Donny and his sister spent most of their childhood living with their grandparents, as their parents worked in the city, and their father often traveled for work. Around the age of 8, his parents were divorced, and after a rather messy legal battle, Donny and his sister moved to America with their father.
Not entirely sure of what happened, Donny spent the majority of his teen years with a city sized chip on his shoulder, and held his father responsible for the apparent separation of their family. Throughout his early school years, Donny regularly got into fights and got in trouble for bullying and fighting. Despite his status as a foreigner, Donny quickly pushed and shoved his way to the top of the elementary schoolyard as a kid.
His older sister spent most of her time as Donny's primary caretaker for much of his early life, as their father was often out late for work leaving the kids at home to fend for themselves most of the times. Despite his bold and argumentative demeanor, Donny and his sister Tara got along incredibly well. Donny often regarded his older sister with a sort of reverence, and Tara was able to influence his actions with little more than a word. With more guidance from his sister than anyone else in his life, Donny would eventually turn himself around, eventually graduating from high school.
Donny would forgo college- his father could barely afford to send Tara to school- and instead joined the military after he graduated. Scoring well on his aptitude tests, Donny would find himself in the role of a combat medic, putting himself onto the battlefield with the role of both a fighter and a healer. While not an active or avid combatant, Donny would spend several years and a few tours in foreign countries, and found himself anywhere from the front lines of combat to field hospitals tending to soldiers and civilians alike. After a 4 year career with the U.S. Marines, Donny discharged himself from the military and moved back to Japan, his grandparents failing health being cited as his main reason for returning.
Now back in Suribachi for the past two years, Donny spends most of his time taking care of his grandparents and doing volunteer work around the town- mostly helping out at the Hospital, where his military training is most applicable.
Skills:
Medic - A military trained medic, Donny is capable of a variety of medical procedures, from stitches to surgery and sprained ankles to bullet wounds.
Combat Arms Training - Combat medics are expected to be riflemen as well as medics, and Donny is a capable shot with rifle and pistol alike. Donny is also relatively well versed in personal defense techniques, and can hold his own in a street fight.
Resilience - Bearing copious amounts of physical and mental fortitude, Donny can keep going where someone else would collapse from exhaustion, whether that be carrying heavy things for hours on end, or staying up in a surgery room.
Flaws:
Broke - Altruism is nice, but it doesn't do much to put food on the table. Compound that with the increasing costs of his grandparent's medications, the slow trickle of money from Donny's sister just isn't enough to cover the costs of living. Once what few savings Donny has runs out, well who knows what will happen?.
Medically Indiscriminate - When it comes to helping people, Donny doesn't really care much about who he helps. Unfortunately, looks like other people of more... criminal persuasion take issue when Donny helps people of opposing organizations.
@The Bork Lazer Much like police in areas controlled by organized crime - ineffective and out of the game. Most people would rather call their local Sycamore or Yakuza enforcer than the nearest koban.
And here she is! I felt I could've done more with the background, but I was REEAALLY trying to keep it in as few paragraphs as possible. I have ideas for her though, so the rest will just have to be discovered or revealed in character! I hope you like it! If you have any concerns or nit picks with the character, let me know I can happily make edits.
Serrice Ward
DISCLAIMER: All art is made and owned by RaikoArt, the character is Tess.
"I've got everything you'll ever need. Weapons, body armor, vehicles, and more. For the right price, I might even be able to supply you with an army. Just remember where not to point your new toys."
Name Serrice Ward
Age 30
Sex Female
Nationality Canadian
Languages Spoken English [Fluent] French [Fluent] Japanese [Conversational] Cantonese [Conversational] Mandarin [Conversational] Korean [Conversational] Russian [Conversational] Serrice can understand all other modern languages through the use of her SpeechMaster Implant, but she cannot speak them. She'll often have a translator as a part of her entourage if she knows a client doesn't speak the same languages as her.
Cybernetic Enhancements SpeechMaster LX - This implant is a small chip located in the ears that records languages and translates them into the wearer's native language. While it only serves the purpose of allowing the wearer to understand other languages, its data can be downloaded onto a computer for later studying and learning. This implant is popular for its ease of use and low cost, making it accessible to the masses. What separates the LX from the standard edition implants, is that it can be customized with new languages, whether they be officially recognized by the world, or a homebrew language shared between a small group.
Arm Scout 3rd Gen - These are ocular implants not much different from other sight enhancing augments. They improve eye sight, allow for better night vision and limited zoom. The Arm Scout's advantages over more common and cheaper ocular implants are focused on firearms. The implants are directly connected to the world's firearm database, allowing the Arm Scouts to identify and provide information on any cataloged firearm. The latest 3rd Generation model of the Arm Scout, identifies modern weapons, and attempts to interface with the firearm's onboard computer. If the weapon's data isn't properly encoded, the 3rd Generation Arm Scouts can provide 'active information' to the wearer, such as the weapon's current ammo count, the safety status, the last time the weapon has been given maintenance, and if there is a bullet currently in the chamber. Additionally, if the safety is off and the Arm Scout can interface with the weapon, it can then show the wearer, in real time, the direction and trajectory of the weapon. 3rd Generation Arm Scouts are very new, not even three months on the market. Arm Scouts are favored by arms dealers. Larger firearms corporations often pay to have their sales representatives augmented with arm scouts to improve efficiency.
HoloPalm - A simple augmentation located in the palm of Serrice's left hand. It allows her to create holographic projections with her palm. Obviously, Serrice can't always carry around the hardware her company sells. After all, driving convoys of tanks or flying loaded attack helicopters across national airspace is a quick way to get shot at. The HoloPalm allows Serrice to show her company's stock to buyers without the need to struggle with customs. She can easily show off a new rifle, an armored personnel carrier, or even a cruise missile. Better yet, small sensors linked to the holopalm in Serrice's fingertips, she can manipulate the holograms, rotate them, and pull parts away from the projection to showcase components and interiors of her products.
Property
Schwertkämpfer P633 A modern semi-auto pistol made by the German company Schwertkämpfer Arms, a young sister company to Sauer & Sohn. The pistols is chambered in .45 ACP and can carry a magazine of 12 rounds (plus one in the chamber). Serrice's personal P633 has a white slide, equipped with hologram sights mounted on a picatinny rail. The onboard computer in the P633 interfaces with Serrice's Arm Scout, allowing her to keep updated on the ammo count of her weapon. If she needs to, Serrice can rely on her Arm Scout to provide trajectory information for a more accurate shot. That said, Serrice uses the weapon for personal defense, and would much prefer to leave the fighting to her bodyguards if and when the time comes.
The Black Card A globally recognized credit chit often found in the possession of the elite one percent. The Black Card is hyper secure from hackers. In the event of a cyber-whizz hacking through the card's defenses, it can ping local security companies, notifying them of the location of both the card, and the location that the intrusion was detection. The black card then automatically transfers funds from the cardholder's account, and can even be programmed by the cardholder to pay a premium fee for expedited services. This extends to any service that the cardholder has subscribed to, emergency, luxury, and more. For Serrice, the black card is linked to Falcon Logistics, and has access to the company's deep pockets. Holders of the Black Card often automatically included into exclusive events, and immediately approved for VIP services.
Appearance Serrice is a lithe, pale girl with long blonde hair. She often dresses in fancy clothing when not on business, and more enticing clothing when working with a client. She keeps herself fit in case she finds herself working in an active warzone, and needs to keep up with her bodyguards in extreme scenarios. Her icey blue eyes are highlighted by bits of HUD data from her ocular implants. She has a tattoo on her right thigh, a garter with an old baretta resting in it.
Background Serrice was born and raised in Canada along with her older brother. Her parents weren't anybody of importance, even less so in Serrice's rise. She wasn't anybody special growing up, just another pretty girl in a middle class family. Serrice went through all the normal phases, a darling when she was a child, a rebel when she was a teen, and a bachelor living paycheck to paycheck when she was a young adult. She was never sure what she wanted to do when she was older, so she ended up taking out student loans for college and university to go through courses she thought might interest her. While she made it through all of them, Serrice was never too keen on the field by the end. This of course resulted in Serrice being buried in student debt, with nothing to show for it.
Her older brother was far more rebellious than she was. He had fallen in with the wrong crowds, and might have slipped on the opposite ends of the law on occasion. But Serrice saw the money he had, and figured he might be able to provide a solution for her debt. One day, she approached her brother, and asked if he could show her how to make the money he was making. Serrice found out that her brother was selling handguns and machine pistols to local gangs and wannabe hitmen. It intimidated her at first, but after she and her brother made their first joint deal with a corrupt businessman, she was hooked. They had managed to get their hands on a pair of ultra modern handguns, fresh in the market. The corpo who they sold the guns to, paid double to keep the entire affair hush hush. In just one deal, Serrice had already managed to make a huge dent in her debt. Things changed when a deal went south with a powerful group of local mobsters. Serrice's brother was beat after the kingpin claimed their price was too high for the quality of the guns. They had grabbed Serrice, and tried to take her to another room. In a panic to protect himself and his younger sister, Serrice's brother pulled an autopistol, and cut down the gangsters. Knowing that they hadn't seen the end of this, Serrice's brother took her and all of their money, and ran.
Her parents were obviously concerned, and had the police looking for them. But they never realized that their children had already left the country with spoofed identities. They ended up in Europe, eventually catching the eyes of Europe's largest weapons dealer, a man under the alias of Falcon. Falcon was looking to expand his operations into Asia, and he needed more people familiar with the business. But beyond that, he wanted somebody young, fresh faces that hadn't been seen in the industry that he could mentor. Beyond that, the Falcon was getting old, and he wanted a successor to take his place. Most of the people in his employ either never saw his face or he couldn't trust implicitly. When he heard of two upstarts coming to Europe with nothing more than their money and the clothes on their back, starting to trade firearms in his turf, he was interested. One of the Falcon's personal assistant, one of the few people to have ever met the Falcon in person, contacted Serrice and her brother. He posed as an interested buyer for a very wealthy man, a half truth at least. When the truth was out, Serrice's brother seemed skeptical, but Serrice was on board. She reasoned that it wasn't a difficult choice, and that they could easily make good lives by working for the Falcon. After some convincing, Serrice's brother finally conceded to her tenacity. They agreed to meet the Falcon.
Years later, Serrice was the Falcon's best associate. She took to larger scale gun deals almost immediately, and had a knack for developing strong relationships for the Falcon's clientele. She learned more than just guns over the years. Her knowledge of protective armor and all kinds of vehicles expanded. Soon she was selling columns of tanks, squadrons of helicopters, and containers of cruise missiles. She went from selling small arms on the streets to gangsters and ill-intended white collars, to governments, rebellions, and private militaries. In return for her exceptional work, Falcon Logistics provided her with an entourage of talented bodyguards, hand picked veterans from all over the world to watch over her and keep her safe. He also gave his full financial backing to her, not that she was struggling with her own income. And lastly, he gave Serrice access to his operations in Asia. She had become the sole representative of Falcon Logistics in the continent, while her brother took over Europe and Africa, as well as the Falcon alias.
Japan was a hotspot for Serrice's business. With mafias constantly moving into the country, it was no surprise that they needed proper supply lines to keep themselves going. Turf wars weren't an uncommon thing as the country soon became flooded by a number of feuding crime families. Most of the business went through the Sycamore family, who had made a fortune of their own on gun running. Serrice knew that she could extend an offer to the Sycamores. She supplies the arms, and they run them to wherever they need to go. Customs would be the Sycamores' problem, and they practically owned the port she'd ship the weapons to. It was the perfect time to expand into Japan, and Serrice knew she had to move before rival dealers beat her to it.
Skills Lord of War As a successful arms dealer, Serrice is well versed in hardware designed for war. With the assistance of her Arm Scout augmentation, there isn't a weapon that Serrice doesn't know (unless it isn't listed on the database). She might share her assets with allies if its suits her. If somebody needs hardware, Serrice can likely supply them.
Wealthy Serrice is rich. Very rich. Her bank account was built on her own success as an arms dealer, and is backed up by the company she works for, Falcon Logistics. There is rarely a situation that Serrice can't buy her way out of.
Connections Her work has taken Serrice across the globe. While she deals with governments mostly, Serrice has also worked in the both the Gray and Black market as well. She knows some very dangerous people, some of which she has supplied before. Serrice keeps some of these connections loyal by making them preferred clients, offering them discounts for her wares and choosing to supply them over their competition (that they know of). If there is a service that Serrice can't provide by herself, then she will point you to somebody who can.
Flaws Dependent Serrice has become quite comfortable with her assets. As a matter of fact, she's so adapted that without them, she'd be rather lost. Losing assets like her money, her high life, her security, and her job connections would making Serrice feel exposed, powerless, or inadequate.
Untrained She is so reliant on her bodyguards, that Serrice rarely gets involved in conflict. This makes her not very capable of fighting. While she does carry a firearm around, and certainly knows how to use it, her lack of combat experience makes her an inadequate fighter. Anybody with any real fighting experience could easily overcome Serrice if not for the entourage of combat specialists watching her back.
Loyal to a Fault Serrice does as she is told by her superior. And in a world of cybermasking and spoofing, it wouldn't be impossible to mask as her boss and order her into an easily exploitable situation. Fortunately, Serrice's boss rarely interacts with anybody directly, so his identity is well hidden. Serrice is one of the few people who speaks to him, so if one could record a phone call, a gain access into a virtual conference, then they'll have a method to manipulate Serrice.
Also, I'm sure one of us can find a very easy way to leave Serrice without her bodyguards, money, or both. Perhaps that can be how she ends up with the crowd. A deal with the Sycamore's gone south, a rival dealer thinning out the competition, another mob attempting to sabotage the Sycamore supply train. The possibilities should be quite exciting if this character gets approved in her current state.
I can always downsize her operating area from the entirety of Asia to just the Pacific coastline if you're not too keen on the original concept.
@Whoami My main problem is that the RP is about scrappy underdogs trying not to get killed by the feuding families. Serrice in her current incarnation would most likely be an antagonist herself trying to hunt down our characters. I would be fine with the concept, however, if her scale was way smaller (perhaps limited to a couple of countries, for example), and she was more vulnerable, politically, physically, or socially speaking.
@BingTheWing Is there a limit on the number of characters allowed? And if so I may have to pm you with a few questions so I can get some things done right.