[OOC] Geonet 2.0 - Battle for the Megacity

[Little Bird]

@TheNoCoKid

If I'm making some changes to my prior Sk8te Cell, should I run it by you?

[RisingRobin]

Probably just to be safe

[Girlie Go Boom]

Hey~hey!!

I'd like to join.

My girlie is a hoverboarder that is part of a 'robin hood' type cell that steals from the rich... and yeah they steal lol. But she is like a robin hood well at least her particualr cell is. They are actually former athletes/entertainers/gladiators or wutevs is the thing now. Sooooo like they have gone off grid and using their money to sustain themselves. Then like they were blackout for a year then like returned as a group to be like batman. Well not really superheroes and not necessarily fighting crime but heists and larceny. Like they take where it needs to be taken from the Havers and they give back to the HaveNotters.

Does that work? And like what style of FC do you do?

[Pilatus]

This almost looks like slice of life in a cyberpunk setting. I have a couple ideas and might dabble.

[RisingRobin]

Hotshot

"Alright... Which one of you knuckleheads pissed off MCPD this time?"

Age: 26? He stopped counting years ago.

Appearance: If Felix looks like he hasn't slept in 24 hours, that's because he probably hasn't. A look behind his ever-present running goggles would reveal stress lines and dark circles from a distinct lack of sleep. Being in charge of one of the largest Sk8te cells in Megacity-01 ensures that he rarely - if ever - gets a moment to himself. His disheveled appearance is also a result of Felix putting the needs of his cell before his own. It genuinely annoys him whenever he hears people claiming he grew his hair out to be "fashionable" or "cool". He literally never has time to cut it. Felix has received several mods during his time in Sk8te. The major ones being ligament and joint reinforcements to increase his physical capabilities when it comes to running. He's also received the Skynet mod and an adrenaline implant in his spinal column.

Faction: Sk8te

Sk8te Cell Afterburn. One of the largest Sk8te cells on the rooftops, Afterburn boasts the fastest runners in the city. If Sk8te's M.O. is living life free from the system of the Megacity, Afterburn members - sometimes called Burners - live this to a T. Burners are rarely concerned with the day to day matters on the streets below them. At most, they interact with citizens when being hired for a courier job, or scattering when MCPD clears out their current safehouse. Because of their speed and efficiency, even some Heirs recognize that Afterburn may know the city better than just about anyone.

Burners typically don't recognize any form of authority within the Megacity. The only person they recognize is their cell boss. Said boss is responsible for keeping the cell in line and determines what types of work the cell takes on. The boss's word is the only law of the cell and rarely does it have any impact outside of Afterburn. Afterburn's cell boss is chosen by the former boss should he/she retire or is rendered no longer capable of running. Should the boss die before a new choice is made, it's up to a vote of the cell.

Background: Born on the Backstreets, Felix Ryker seemed destined for a hard life. His parents ran a back-alley Mod Clinic and barely made enough money to pay off the Demonio thugs protection racket. During his childhood, Felix would often gaze out across the rooftops and thought he could spot glimpses shadowy figures running across the buildings at night. His parents however would shake their heads every morning; saying he was imagining things. When he wasn't working in the clinic, Felix would try to imitate what he saw by running in the streets.

Things took a turn for Felix one night when an MCPD squad broke down the door of his family's apartment. It seemed his parents had broken the law and one of their frequent customers had succumbed to Program Stasis. Knowing they wouldn't survive the night, Felix's mother smashed a window and told him to run. Jumping out the window, Felix took to the rooftops. His years of practicing what he saw the from his bedroom window paid off and he managed to evade MCPD. The next morning, he was awakened by a finger standing over him, this was his first meeting with Dax Lawson aka "Firebird".

As it turned out, Firebird was the cell boss of Afterburn. Impressed by Felix's abilities, he brought the youth back to the safehouse and made him an official Sk8ter by ripping out his GEO-ID. Now off the grid, Firebird gave Felix his new name "Hotshot" in part to his red hair and his quick-footed nature. Felix naturally blossomed within his new home and learned the ins and outs of his home city like never before over the coming years. Gradually, a cocky side began to show itself as Felix quickly became of the the most notorious members in Afterburn, both for his speed and natural agility. Overtime, Hotshot began to turn into an insult among his cell mates.

The good years eventually came to an end for Felix. One evening, Firebird was approached by an anonymous party who wished for Afterburn to pull a smash-and-grab on a police convoy headed for the Spire. The pay was unlike anything the cell had seen for such a simple job. With no questions asked, Firebird had rounded up his best members - including Felix - and they descended on the truck. What they didn't expect was an armed squad on MCPD officers waiting inside! Despite securing the item, three Burners died, including Firebird.

With his last breath, Firebird announced to the survivors that Felix was to be his successor. At first, there was some dissention among Afterburn, but the words of the cell boss were absolute. Felix assumed his position and over time, his cocky attitude was replaced by cynicism as he began dealing with the duties of leading his cell.

Cybernetics:
- Skynet Implant: A black market mod designed as a neural implant. Enables the user to view a map of the Megacity and display Sk8te routes and territories. Users can also scan walls and objects to check for Holotag Graffiti. Typically indicating a user's digital signature or warning of danger.
- Matsuda Limb System: A series of endoskeleton implants designed to increase the density of the human body. Enhances the user's physical strength and agility, as well as his/her ability to take hits.
- Adrenal Implant: An Adrenaline infuser grafted into the user's spine. Injects an adrenaline shot to provide a quick burst of energy in dire situations.

Weapons/Tools:
- Mak0 Rip Current: One of the five weapons in Megacity-01 that's confirmed to be made by the legendary Pack member Mak0. A powerful handgun that fires electrically charged rounds. Cripples and deactivates cybernetics. Felix acquired this gun during the botched job that cost Firebird his life.

- Grapple Gloves: A pair of gloves with spools of high density wire. Felix can fire the gloves and latch onto the sides of buildings in order to quickly ascend from the streets or swing between buildings while running. The tips of the grapples are diamond coated, penetrating even the most stubborn surfaces. Also they're good for striking.

- Runner Specs: Specialized goggles that most Sk8ters carry. Can directly interface with the Skynet mod and display routes on the user's vision in real-time.

Likes: List some things your character likes
- Running through Neosky
- Jigen's Spicy Noodle Bowl
- Sleeping
- Maintaining his Gear

Dislikes: List some things your character dislikes
- Disobedient Burners
- Excessive Noise (Typically on the Streets)
- MCPD Raids
- Moving the Safehouse

Quirks: Add some details that make your character unique! Can be an odd habit or just some information not revealed in the image or the backstory!
- Felix actually has a surprising amount of connections within the Megacity-01 Underworld. He has contacts within The Pack and Black Maria which he tries to exploit and keep his cell off MCPD's radar.
- The Mak0 Rip Current was actually the item that Afterburn was sent to retrieve on the botched raid. Felix never delivered the item and was informed of its status after the fact.
- Despite his cynicism in recent years, Felix actually comes alive when he's free to do things as he pleases rather than babysit his 'denser' cellmates. He genuinely believes coming to the rooftops was the best choice he could have made.

Places of Interest:
- Metro Transit Hub: A massive building in the center of Metro Street where all forms of public transportation meet and disperse to the various corners of the city. Subways, Busses, and even the city Monorail all make use of the Hub. Given its large size, there's quite a lot of space that goes unused and no one has noticed the Sk8ters slipping in and out over the years. The transit hub acts as Afterburn's main safehouse.
- Jigen's Noodles: A noodle stand tucked away in the backstreets. Selling a variety of cheap meals ranging from ramen to congee, Jigen's doesn't care who their clientele is. If you have the credits, you can claim a stool. Felix asserts the Spicy Ramen Bowl is the best item on the menu.
- The Blue Door: Shortly after acquiring the "weird gun" as he called it, Felix got a strange message over his Skynet implant telling him to find a specific door in the city. Now, Felix makes regular visits to restock his ammunition supply and - if he can pay for it - the figure beyond the door acts as his info broker.

[Fading Memory]

I’m hitting pen to paper tonight myself, hoping to finish up this weekend.

[Pilatus]

I normally don't post WIPs, but i think in this case it may be helpful as we all get on the same page with plotting.

Only one "original" location at the bottom, hope that is okay. Otherwise I pretty much only have background to finish. I didn't want to give away everything in the CS, but wide open to plotting if we get a chat going.

Alessia

Name: Alessia Piety

Nickname(s): Often goes by Alese, pronounced, Ah-lease or ’Lese (Lease-E)

Alese

“This is a lot of credits… Are you sure you wanna do this?"

Age: 26

Appearance:

Alessia is petite, only about 5’5” with sapphire blue eyes and a small nose giving her a slight childish appearance that she hates when people mistake her for being a teenager. Hair is naturally a straw blonde that parts over her left eye and extends about halfway down her back. She usually wears it in a ponytail or some kind of tied style. As with the predominant fashions, she regularly has a cascaded neon gradient that blends out to the ends and she takes a lot of pride in being very good at making her colors flow and appear “natural”.

Though she can be frustrated by her somewhat less than average height, she does consider her figure to be one of her best assets. She can be very vain and if she thinks she’s being admired will almost always put one hand on her hip. Arms are normally adorned with several synthetic and metallic bracelets, some of which serve a purpose from simple data storage all the way to advanced RF jamming. She switches them up regularly according to style and purpose. This is also where she usually wears her GeoNet, blending it in with the other bands.

Similar to her hairstyles, Alese takes care when she is outside the shop to be coordinated with the “rebellious” street motifs seen on most adults under thirty. Bright neons are the norm, though it's common to find the fashion displayed by posers and members of the Heirs. Alese’s particular tastes are modeled after what was once known as “Rockabilly” lifestyle that went along with hot-rod and street culture in eons past, though she rarely wears heels, always sneakers, the twist on the popular look is unique to her and she absolutely adores getting compliments for it.

Faction:

While technically, “solo”, Alessia tries to keep at least cordial relations with all the factions as she encounters them and holds her opinions back in favor of good business. Privately, she probably has the strongest affinity towards members of the Pack and likes their aesthetic and preference for anonymity as well as the shared appreciation for craftsmanship. Pack members understand the technical aspects of her work and know what they want in detail. As her work has become more popular among the various factions, she’s starting to feel nervous about being questioned where her loyalties reside and about being pressured to break her neutrality.

Sk8te Cell/Gang: N/A - This would fall under a similar description as above.

Background:

Alesia is the only child of her father, Norris Piety’s, third marriage. She has one older brother from Norris’ first marriage that she is aware of, but rarely sees. Growing up her childhood was not that remarkable from any other, however she learned to take solace in the fact that she still had an intact family where many others had lost parents or barely survived on the labors of a single, often transient caretaker. Her relationship with her young mother, Amanda, was strong, but curiosity for the technical and the firm and protective presence of Norris put her on the path to becoming a technical wiz.

Starting as a mobile maintenance service, what would become Iron Technica was a “one man, one van” operation after Norris was furloughed from his job as a corporate engineer and city planner. Having no choice, being unable to provide for Amanda and young Alese on the meager furlough stipend, Norris chose to strike out on his own, plying his talents to the innumerable repair needs of urban MegaCity. Contracts were plentiful, hours were long, but pay was hard earned. Being a fairly clever entrepreneur and understanding the ebb and flow of the factions that ruled the ground in the city, Norris paid his dues to whatever local gang ruled his territory, but never explicitly accepted any work from them despite the temptation of huge payouts.

Alese came under Norris’ tutelage just as she was old enough to turn a wrench and Iron Technica had settled into the warehouse/garage location that could hold the growing collection of parts and projects that her father had collected over the years. At some level, especially as a teen, she could sense the repair and maintenance life was never something he wanted for his daughter and further, it seemed like the skillset he passed down to her was something that he had truly wanted for her nebulous half-brother. Still, under his careful teaching, she became a skilled technician and with age came to understand her father’s extreme reluctance towards any work associated with the factions and the value of keeping one’s nose out of street associations whenever possible- a temptation she would come to struggle with.

A small project here or an upgrade there as she gained confidence in her craft- and for a much better rate than some of the established modders; over time, Alese’s work is continuing to gain a quiet popularity among the factions to the point where she is beginning to have trouble keeping it hidden and her “calling card” stamp of a cartoon cat holding a wrench has become something of a minor fashion statement in some circles. Her father is fairly certain about the work she has been doing on the side, but has yet to confront her, though the tension in the subject is obviously growing. The core business of Iron Technica is still doing well, but his age is starting to slow him. There is no “retirement” in MegaCity and without her, the business will not survive.

Cybernetics:

None. 100% natural human… Although she owns all kinds of gadgets and tools to substitute where a modern mod would likely be easier, she has a real fear of surgery and especially needles. Seeing them equipped by other people doesn’t generally bother her, but the thought of her own body becoming part machine is absolute nightmare fuel for her.

Weapons/Tools:

The shop garage at Iron Technica has a master level of hand tools and diagnostic equipment for working on anything from a small drone to a bus. While the majority of these, often rare and pricey sets belong to Alese’s dad, she has full access and a respectable array of tools of her own. These are situated in a massive, fortified locker-box that takes up a large section of the back wall in the main shop. Some drawers are high enough that she often has to find a box or stool to reach whatever item she’s after. Considering the value of many of these gadgets and implements, she’s very wary about taking any of them far from the shop.

On her person, Alese carries a small mini-knife with a short 1.5” blade that she keeps hidden along with an equally sleek and discreet handgun that holds eight rounds. She is not a violent person at all and can’t imagine actually hurting anyone with either weapon, but understands the need. These items are principally centered on hidden defense and giving her the ability to escape some of MegaCity’s more robust denizens. A stab from the knife will deliver a one-time electrical charge that will disable an enhanced attacker for about ten seconds while the ammo for the handgun has a similar effect.

At present, she’s been working on a small, self defense drone about the same size as a basketball that can hover and follow her around as a visible deterrent to unsavory characters. It still doesn’t work exactly right, but she’s reached the point where she at least feels comfortable that it won’t shoot her instead of a would-be attacker.

Likes:
+ Actual Paperback Books
+ Orchestral Synth
+ Caffeine

Dislikes:
+ Most forms of Authority
+ Clutter/Disorder
+ Extremely claustrophobic

Quirks:
- Only sets her alarms by prime numbers, even the seconds
- Talks to herself a lot
- Very superstitious, often about things that make no sense

Places of Interest:

-Iron Technica: The family business. A cross between a shop, garage, scrapyard and warehouse all rolled into one not far removed from Metro Street and just outside of accepted Red Light territory. The plot itself is larger than most, set on a corner with a semi-storefront next to a large garage door and a high fence that extends around the rear perimeter. The main building has enough floor space to house about five standard size vehicles inside with one additional on a lift while a sectioned, lofted area above the ground floor serves as the living space. The open area at the rear of property has several large shipping containers stacked neatly and rarely is anything left out so as not to tempt prying eyes looking on from above, however most everyone knows there’s a treasure trove of tools, equipment and hard to find items behind the relatively unsuspecting appearance.

-MegaCity Expressway: The high speed traffic arteries of the city, particularly the “Outer Loop” are where large trucks can usually be found ferrying goods outside the congestion of Metro Street to distant hubs for distribution and commerce across the urban expanse. These high speed sections are both efficient and functional. Goods moving at well over 100mph are much harder to hijack than at a traffic signal though that hasn’t stopped some from the attempt.

EDIT: All done and ready.

[Fading Memory]

Made solid progress over the weekend but got swept up in some other hobbies and didn't quite finish. Just updating my progress :)

[Fading Memory]

@TheNoCoKid Apologies for the double post, but I just wanted to note that I liked the vibe of 'Afterburn' as a cell and am interested in using them for my characters as well. I'll go off of what's on Hotshot's sheet.

[RisingRobin]

@Fading Memory No worries. There’s more details I’m working on adding in to give Afterburn more of a “culture” than the generic stuff. Work’s tight this week so I’ll post when I can

[Pilatus]

I'm down for plotting if anyone wants. Hit me up.

[BigPapaBelial]

low key advertisement

Come visit thr Badger Sett, all we will take is your first born for the best Pack equipment this side of the spire no joke

[RisingRobin]

Ok so... it turns out the website that I pulled some of my references from got shut down. Fortunately I have the images saved so we're going to fix this tonight.

[Little Bird]

Been a bit distracted lately, but I hammered some stuff out on my character sheet and will continue working on it over the next few days.

[RisingRobin]

Finally done! Will start approving sheets again!

[RisingRobin]

@PilatusApproved btw. Sorry for that delay!

[RisingRobin]

I think I got the references mostly fixed! Does anyone else still need to submit a sheet?

[Pilatus]

I think there's for sure a couple still going.

Not in any hurry. I work nights so I'm up. We gonna have a discord?

@TheNoCoKid

[Fading Memory]

I’ll have mine done this week.

[Little Bird]

Am I correct in that 'holo-blades' are essentially hovering Rollerblades?