@OddApproved I don't know if you've seen the show Tokyo Vice. It was released fairly recently on HBO Max, but your character reminds me of Sato. He's like yours. Lives in a powerful family who is Yakuza. Runs 'financials'. Embroiled in a political war with other powerful families. Plays the villain/gangster role with a sophistication that isn't fake but there is an undercurrent of a life unfulfilled.
It's a great show and he's one of the stand-out characters.
@OddApproved I don't know if you've seen the show Tokyo Vice. It was released fairly recently on HBO Max, but your character reminds me of Sato. He's like yours. Lives in a powerful family who is Yakuza. Runs 'financials'. Embroiled in a political war with other powerful families. Plays the villain/gangster role with a sophistication that isn't fake but there is an undercurrent of a life unfulfilled.
It's a great show and he's one of the stand-out characters.
Damn, I have never heard of that t.v. show before, but you got me interested now. Is HBO Max a free streaming service? If not, I am going to have to invest. Lmao.
I'm a fool for characters like that. Probably why I am addicted to the peaky blinders t.v. show right now.
Definitely check it out. It's a great show and not just because of the one character. And HBO might have a trial situation you could look into. Do the whole subscribe and watch the show within the free trial period before unsubscribing.
@Dog It's literate. There are schools and hospitals and the like but they're subpar compared to the middle and upper rings.
HBO max is $15 a month with a 30 day trial. Used to use it for a bit.
I imagine the Lower Ring is like the shittier parts of a city like New York or Detroit or Chicago. The dingier parts of a big city, but still technically part of a civilized society... just in this case with some favela decor, lol.
I imagine the Lower Ring is like the shittier parts of a city like New York or Detroit or Chicago. The dingier parts of a big city, but still technically part of a civilized society... just in this case with some favela decor, lol.
I imagine it more a place ran over with trash and poverty aplenty. Shoddy housing and buildings. Extremely overcrowded and the works. Even the worst parts of New York and Detroit are too generous.
I imagine there are areas of straight slums, but the super poverty/places where you get shanked on the regular is probably in the underground. I imagined the majority of lower ring as basically the projects or low income/large volume housing, or the not so nice parts of the city like others have said
I mean, yeah, considering that basically Ba Sing Se is what remains of civilization to a large degree, the concentration of population is probably going to be a lot more extreme, but it's still just one wall removed from the "middle class" of society and part of humanity's biggest city.
I dunno. Probably best to let Exit chime in on this one again to tell us who's closer to the truth.
I cannot wait to write with you all lol. It's a mix of everyone's answers. If you can picture the size that this outer ring has to be and then imagine living conditions like a gradient, you get a married version of the above speculation. Not all areas are as ill maintained as others and some places are probably not so terrible. But when everything is so crowded and there are just too many people and sometimes the city just feels like an endless maze of building that are infinitely tall, every street starts to feels like a dirty alleyway. There's too much trash and too many corners for people to hide in and eventually everything gets neglected.
I wish I could find it but there's a scene in the film Blade Runner 2049 where K is returning to his apartment. The stairwell is trashy and there are people loitering inside that seem like drifters. It doesn't feel safe but it's still home to some.
@vietmyke interpretation of the difference between above and below ground is pretty spot on.
I'm beginning to feel the overall suspense for tomorrow, but I am excited for everything. Even if I don't get in, I definitely am going to put Katakuri in my character file and use him for future things (upon tweaking to what is needed that is).
@OddApproved I feel the same way! I’m definitely proud of my work on Chu Hua and can’t wait for whatever is next for her. Not sure where else I’d be able to put her, though!
EDIT: It scares me when GMs say things like that… 😂
@OddApproved I feel the same way! I’m definitely proud of my work on Chu Hua and can’t wait for whatever is next for her. Not sure where else I’d be able to put her, though!
I feel like we should all be proud. I have been reading through the characters, since I haven't had time to, and I think they are all amazing in their own ways. Whatever team is made out of these characters, the writing is going to be beautiful. I will definitely be peaking in and watching where the roleplay goes, since I am a fool for AtLA themed things.
You never know when 1x1 ATLA themed roleplays come up. That's probably the only time I'll use Kata, unless I want to change him up from this universe.
Residence. Outside Ba Sing Se Walls Occupation. jack of all trades -- odd job hopper
Who are you?
I'm Indigo, it's nice to meet you. I'm what you call a drifter. I haven't had a home since, well....let's just say it's been a while. That being said, I try to scavenge for odd jobs, grueling tasks outside and inside the walls that no one else wishes to take. Whatever can get me enough to get by, you know? My sister's the same way, she's alot less conventional about it than I am, but I love her either way. At this point, I'm just glad that she's found something that can support her, even if it is taboo.
These days it's hard to get an honest pay from honest work; most of the people I've had interactions with have grown crooked over the years, struggling to maintain what little semblance of humanity they have left while also trying to earn enough to feed their families. Outside the Inner Ring, it's slim pickings, and it seems like every day, the crime cartel grows more and more. Of course, the cartel is offering people a way to survive, or even thrive if they play their cards right. Most know it's a bad idea to put a foot in the door of something tied so close to a mafia, but for people like me, it's a chance to live a somewhat normal life without fully succumbing to the corporate fat cats that bled the lands dry decades ago.
Sorry, I kind of got a little babbly there. Hey, I'm hungry. Wanna find some place to grub really quick?
What is your opinion on Benders?
I think they've been wrongfully sought after, however my opinion is quite biased. I believe that there are definitely terrible people in this world, but terrible comes in all shapes and sizes. Coming from someone who has worked with all sorts of baddies, let me tell you, non-benders have definitely got their own evils buried deep down in them without the help of elemental manipulation powers.
Growing up in the slums, you see some pretty nasty people come and go, manipulate and destroy, feed and kill. It's a constant cycle our society has played into. Bums me out just thinking about it.
Extra.
Color Hex Code: bd33a4 A familiar- black cat named Rorschach. Jewelry- More metal than person at this point. Two bars in their tongue, a bar in their cupids bow, a ring in the middle of their bottom lip, a bridge piercing, chest piercings, stretched ears and 4 extra piercings on each ear. multiple rings, necklaces, and bracelets. Very Jonny Depp-esque Trinkets- A memento from their mother.
Violet (Sibling) Occupation: Smuggler Violet is a stand-offish, cold character. She's seen too much in her life to be able to make genuine connections with anyone outside of her immediate circle anymore.
She helps run the drug ring that imports into the city, and has been doing so since she was a teenager. The only person she keeps in contact with that isn't part of the drug ring is her sibling, Indigo, who tries to keep in touch with her as much as possible. You can only discuss so much over a dying burner phone. Though she longs for a more peaceful life, this is all she knows, now, and it's what she's good at. There are people who depend on her for their vices, and Violet isn't one to disappoint.
I was busy but I snuck it in before the deadline. I had trouble picking an element but I ended up choosing the one that I felt had the most contrast with her (initial) personality, and so would lead to opportunities for drama and character growth. Hope I didn't cause trouble for anyone.
Name. Yukiko Age. 25 Gender. Female Element. Air
Residence. Lower Ring Occupation. Day Laborer
Who are you? Yukiko has a lot to say and not much of it is subtle or gentle. She will tell whoever wants to listen about her politics (an incoherent ideology dubbed Anarchro-Kuvirism), what people should be striving for (physical strength, inner toughness, self-reliance), if violence is an acceptable way to solve problems (almost always), what's wrong with technology (it makes people weak and passive), and what's wrong with modern society (same). If she has the chance she’ll talk about her theory that all of this will inevitably lead to either a long slide into oblivion as humans lose the ability to desire or accomplish anything unaided and no longer are worthy of being called human, or result in a massive and sudden outburst of violence that overturns everything. You can guess which one she wants.
Though her thoughts are always restless, Yukiko's life is simple and dominated by repetitive cycles. She lives in a flop house in the lower ring that's built like a shoddy imitation of the capsule hotels found inside the inner rings; its minor miracle the place hasn't collapsed yet. All of her belongings fit into two large dufflebags, the only ones that would have any resale value are her phone and the old conventional pistol she keeps stashed away for self-defense. When there's jobs that pay well, or when rent is creeping up, she puts in long hours doing whatever needs doing around one of the endless construction sites in the lower ring. She doesn't have the skill for fine work, but she's strong and has the stamina to keep going, and that is enough. Nothing is ever finished being built, especially when so many are lost to poor construction or the RSF clearing out "unauthorized" buildings. When she has the time she trains martial arts with a crew of local toughs, they all get along well even if they have trouble finding a consistent gym. Whether she is working or training, she keeps at it until the sheer exhaustion stops her, going to be drenched in sweat every night, and relaxing by reading whatever bootleg literature is circulating around or listening to radio broadcasts full of anger and conspiracy theories. That's most of what there is to her routine, she doesn't venture far from her neighborhood, after her last stint in jail the RSF gave her an exhaustive list of conditions specifying everything from what areas she can travel through to the hours she has to stay off the streets. The RSF might be understaffed in the lower ring but she would prefer not to play the odds by getting lost in an unfamiliar part of town and having a pack of them corner her.
For all of Yukiko's bluster and confidence, there are many things she prefers not to discuss. If someone prods her she'll tell them that she grew up in Jiulong, a neighborhood in the lower ring that used to be where descendants of war refugees lived before a bit of "urban renewal" came to it. Sometimes she'll mention that she hasn't seen her family in a while or that she has a criminal record; those are other things that she doesn't want to dig into. What Yukiko buries deepest, underneath the anger, the striving for power, the judgment and the proud exterior is fear, the ever encroaching feeling that the world is ruled by uncaring, irresistible forces that will grind her into dust the same way they have countless others.
What is your opinion on Benders?
In Yukiko’s mind, there were great benders in the past, people who shaped history; yet when the world saw their power they choose the wrong response. They treated as if they were gods or saviors; that is the road to stagnation, passivity, and slow decay. Instead of being inspired to emulate them, to sharpen oneself in hopes of being able to challenge them, they chose the path of awe and blind obedience. Non-benders lived in a sleepwalking state, going through the motions of life while trusting that the benders would tell them what to do, what to think, and take care of all the difficult problems in life. The Benders themselves grew self-assured, forgetting their own struggle and getting distracted by philosophical navel-gazing and robotic repetitions of the same motions. The panic was the result of weak minds, people so terrified of self-reliance and self-discovery that they would burn the world down in search of the Avatar before they would be willing to stand on their own two feet.
As benders have disappeared, humanity has come to rely on an even more pernicious evil: high technology. Technology has supplanted benders because it has been better at coddling humankind, everyday these artificial gods are entrusted with more and more of the responsibilities of the human race. Although Yukiko hates the new order, she does not long for a return to the old one either, she dreams of something better: a time when every person, bender or non-bender can realize their own potential and fight their own battles instead of outsourcing them to someone or something they see as above them. Yukiko is uninterested in the teachings of the benders, their spirituality, their ways of training, but she does see value in learning from the biographical details of them. If someone succeeded in carving their name into history, their life is worthy of study and emulation, regardless of if they were a Bender or not.
Extra. Nothing at the moment
NPC:
Name: Ah Jong Age: 35 Gender: Male Residence: Lower Ring Occupation: Labor Representative (officially) Low-level triad leader (unofficially) Ah Jong the guy you see in the neighborhood if you need to get something done. His biggest business is making sure construction work goes smoothly, and he has the right combination of friendships, bribes, and people willing to throw down in a street fight to make that happen. Yukiko connected with him during her stint in prison. On paper he’s an Earth Kingdom restorationist like the rest of his gang, but really he just cares about making money off his construction and Pai Sho rackets. Although she dislikes his politics, Yukiko admits he’s easy to talk to and a man of his word. He helps her find work, and she’s happy to do odd jobs for him, over the years they’ve developed a sort of brother and sister relationship
her politics (an incoherent ideology dubbed Anarchro-Kuvirism), what people should be striving for (physical strength, inner toughness, self-reliance), if violence is an acceptable way to solve problems (almost always), what's wrong with technology (it makes people weak and passive), and what's wrong with modern society (same).
Wait, wait, wait, I've seen this one!
If you get it, you get it XD
Also we now have every element in contest... *nervous sweating intensifies*