[OOC] Geonet 2.0 - Battle for the Megacity

[RisingRobin]

That's how I'm interpreting it. GM says go for it.

[RisingRobin]

@Girlie Go Boom Are you still submitting a character? I think your idea is good.

@Fading Memory What's your ETA?

[Little Bird]

That's how I'm interpreting it. GM says go for it.

@TheNoCoKid

I'm trying to envision how they'd look.

[Fading Memory]

I plan on trying to be done this evening.

[Girlie Go Boom]

@TheNoCoKid

Ty but imma join another RP. Good luck erry'body!

[Fading Memory]

Saturnine and Sister

Saturnine

"Hey, I appreciate what you did. Good job."

Age:
25

Appearance:
Saturnine is a waifish figure, lithe and thin. Rather than the bulk muscle of the laborer or fighter, he is possessed of the athleticism of the long distance runner and urban environment movement specialist. Lacking any cybernetics whatsoever, Saturnine's all-natural visage is only blemished by the rough scars and callouses of a scavenger. His appearance is highlighted and brought into a dazzling light by sheer optimism and positivity.

He has long white hair, gentle eyes, soft features, and is generally an effeminate figure of a man to behold. A certifiable 'pretty boy' in his youth, with a fashion sense and manicured physique to show for it. He carries himself with a physical confidence in his appearance, but does not do so in the manner of the vain or narcissist. All that is to say is that he is someone who has a distinct, cultivated, appearance- but is not someone to whom those qualities matter more than practicality; he gets just as dirty, sweaty, and exhausted as the next SK8TE member.

Faction:
SK8TE Courier

Sk8te Cell/Gang:
Afterburn, headed by Hotshot.

Weapons/Tools:
_{Due to lacking in any cybernetic enhancements, Saturnine utilizes a complex suite of tools to compensate. Primarily developed by the ailing Sister, his tools are all functionally scrapyard rebuilds that enable his lifestyle.}

Wizbang Goggles - These 'sophisticated' goggles are uncannily put together from scrapped viewscreens and augmented reality tech, their significant bulk enabling a wide array of visual tools- including map overlays and heads-up-display/augmented reality viewing. Such a tool would be critical to any courier in the city, especially those with SK8TE maps.

Sparky - A drone, capable of interfacing with most standard-issue technology ports. Controlled by Sister from vast distances, enabling her to support Saturnine while on the run. Lacking utterly in any combat functionalities, the miniscule hover-drone is nearly silent when Sister isn't speaking through it and it possesses the same augmented visual suite that the Wizbang Goggles do. In practical terms, this little thing is the true secret to Saturnine's success as a SK8TE member; Sister's ability to open and close new paths for him while on the move.

Junkyard Slammer - A roughly constructed hoverboard, modified, somewhat uncharacteristically, to possess greater weight and mass than one would think a Courier would prefer; the truth of the matter is, Sister crammed more thrust into this thing than any sane engineer would recommend, and its larger size and reinforced construction provide Saturnine with considerably more cover and protection from hostile firepower than most. In a pinch, it can be used as a battering ram.

Shock Gloves - Saturnine's gloves are salvaged MCPD tech. Seeing as he lacks the desire to harm others, and that the MCPD seems to never even use this particular patent of security tech, 'contact-taser-gloves' are right up his alley for when things get a little too dicey for comfort. Sister has enabled the limiters on these to be overloaded at the press of a button, meaning that Saturnine can swiftly fry electronic devices by merely placing his hands upon them. The gloves have limited charge, however. They can recharge inductively over time, or be plugged in to rapidly restore their power from any standard terminal.

...As well as a host of other, less significant but still customized pieces of equipment that suit the needs of a Courier such as a communicator, headphones, he even carries a particularly powerful flashlight that some would consider blinding.

Likes:
-Beauty
-Excellent Food
-Adrenaline, Speed, Heights, thrills, etc.
-Women (He can be a bit of a flirt and skirtchaser)

Dislikes:
-Filth, dirt, poor hygiene, etc.
-Displays of cruelty
-The MCPD
-tight walls, low ceilings; mild claustrophobia

Quirks:
-Excessively Optimistic and Polite
-Overly Formal
-He requires a balance of stimuli, functionally needing to use both hands for most tasks to avoid personal discomfort. At a bare minimum he alternates which hand performs tasks as they come up. Incorrectly balanced headphones would drive him insane, for further example.

Places of Interest:
-Vivian's - a Nightclub on the lower levels of the Spire, where Saturnine moonlights when his obligations to Sister are satisfied and he feels the need to go on the hunt for short term mutually beneficial midnight rendezvous. It has the best food of the establishments within his potential budgets, and he occasionally does favors for the mysterious and enigmatic 'Vivian' who owns the club.

-The Rip Clinic - An illicit cybernetic chop-shop nestled in the Red Light District, Saturnine maintains a presence and relationship with the clinic as the primary source of Sister's medications. This relationship is the closest thing to a shackle that Saturnine experiences, as without the Rip Clinic he would be forced to reveal Sister's Nanohive to others and open up further risk to their livelihood. The only positive thing that can be said about this place is that their discretion is true; Saturnine trusts them not to betray the strange technological marvel that is Sister implicitly.

-The Veranda, on the Metro - A shiny bright sign hangs over a dilapidated and frankly underwhelming studio apartment. This is where Saturnine's personal residence lies, in a cramped apartment filled with his clothing and equipment, scarcely fit to live in, with a lonely balcony overlooking the dizzying metro rail line. His apartment lies directly above a pachinko parlor, and through the blur of metro rail movements the opposite building houses a quaint simple electronics store.

---

Sister

"Isn't it amazing that we're alive right now? I mean, really, with how everything is...We're here."

Age:
15

Appearance:
Sister bears a powerful resemblance to Saturnine; they share long, flowing, white hair and soft features, as well as a pale complexion. Their eyes differ, as does the general build of their bodies. Saturnine, whilst effeminate, is still a man; Sister, despite her youth, is the budding beginnings of a beauty. Of course, the greatest asset of her physical nature is the cunning gleam in her eye and the curious tilt of a smirk as she discovers yet another new secret to untangle.

Faction:
SK8TE Affiliate

Sk8te Cell/Gang:
Afterburn, headed by Hotshot.

Cybernetics:
Malfunctioning Nanohive Circuit - Sister has a housing of nanomachines embedded deep inside her chest, nestled just below her heart. It's supposed to be regulating her dire health issues, but it was a black market refabrication and is in a slow state of degrade and malfunction. Quite literally, her body fuels this device with its natural resources and the Nanohive constructs microscopic machines that repair her degrading organs and muscles; the malfunction has twisted this device into a sort of macabre cancerous form of life. The very thing that keeps her alive brings her immense pain as the nanomachines run rampant and damage the healthy tissues only to rebuild them again and repeat this process throughout her whole body.

Weapons/Tools:
Sister is a consummate technological prodigy and Saturnine has encouraged this behavior wholeheartedly; her hideout on the rooftops has an impressive suite of cybertechnological and engineering gear that has been either illicitly purchased, stolen, or rebuilt by herself over the years since her spark of genius manifested itself. In a pinch she can brute force some rough hackwork, such as through the Sparky drone she built to help Saturnine, but that is less her forte than the mechanical work of devices. She has a reputation for taking a pile of junkyard machinery and producing functional, if crude, devices for use.

She's a bit of an armchair jocky, someone who likes to watch through cybernetic feeds and visual data to experience the lifestyle of the SK8TE teams she supports.

Likes:
-Excellent Food
-Wonders of Technology
-High Fashion
-Animals

Dislikes:
-Displays of Cruelty
-The MCPD
-The Heirs
-Sickness, pain, blood

Quirks:
-Overly Formal, the same as Saturnine
-Exceptionally mature, often seeming more grounded in reality than Saturnine's optimism
-Chews her lips

Places of Interest:
-The Rooftop Workshop - Catered to and tended by the Afterburn cell, Sister inhabits a dome of scrap metal that dominates the upper two floors of an abandoned building. The lower floors serve as storage and a veritable mechanical graveyard, whereas the rooftop serves as a greeting room, landing pad, party space, and whatever other communal purpose the Afterburn cell may require of this specialized location. The remaining topmost floor serves as her personal room. Sister, virtually, never leaves this location due to her health concerns.

-Neosky Nova Peak - When she does leave the Rooftop Workshop, however, it is to visit her personal favorite place in the city; the Nova Peak is the tallest building that falls under the SK8TE umbrella of neutral territories, and Sister swears that the sunset lasts longer if you climb to the top of its dizzying height. You still have to tilt your head up to gaze at The Spire, but the dilapidated and ancient tower at the edge of the city stands as a testament that even before the Corporate Wars that buildings could still reach towards the sky. The tower, whilst a loosely held together shell of its former self, used to be a media tower and now serves as an unofficial hub of hidden SK8TE tag information sharing across cells.

---

Background

Saturnine has made a name for himself within the Afterburn cell. The long white hair whipping behind the blurred moving body of a man astride a hoverboard, the neon glow of its over-tuned booster engines weaving a hypnotic glare into the air behind him. The rakish smile, the confident glow, the air of ancient nobility dragged through the mud and blood of history until it was hardened into the smirking street rock strewn with neon glow that has become Saturnine. He's an easy figure for someone to rely on, and is quick with cheer and a kind word for all.

Sister has made a name for herself within the Afterburn cell. Her youthful countenance does little to hide the spark of genius that flows from her fingertips and the almost mesmerizing relationship she cultivates with machinery. She's constantly tinkering and workshopping devices and tools to help her comrades out from the relative peace and safety of her rooftop workshop, and while she does not share her brother's unyielding hope for the world and its future she has her own quiet and reassuring maturity about her that brings a hearthlike comfort to those she cares about. And, yet, she is ill. Deathly so, in fact, kept alive from pure genetic fault and pollutant mutation by a rare technological marvel; a Nanomachine Hive, which itself in its malfunction and disrepair enacts the torture of life upon the girl even as she struggles to be strong for others.

And yet, who they truly are is a mystery to most.

Their origins lie in the highest lofts of the Spire, though Sister scarcely remembers more than flashes of light and the distant memory of fresh air. Saturnine remembers, though, and it is his stories which spawn Sister's unique hatred for all the Heirs and their wealth. Their beginnings lie in an experimental project of genetic manipulation enacted by the Heirs, assisted by the GeoNet AI, in order to tailor desired qualities and aesthetics. In the case of Saturnine, it functioned well enough. He was, while not perfect, considered a successful experiment in their genetic experimentation. He was not the first of this project's volunteered embryos, but he was the favored of his batch.

He got to live a life of comparative luxury, a glorified pet to the megacity's ultra rich as they mused on the futures of their own aesthetics with his form. Everything changed with the production of his younger siblings. It was inevitable that there would be another experiment, further modifications, but what he witnessed in those laboratories haunts him to this day. Of the grotesque and macabre horrors that were cultivated of bioflesh and Heir genetic material, the only creature that was considered a success and permitted to leave the lab was the young girl called simply 'Sister'.

Saturnine immediately took a keen liking to the girl, feeling a powerful familial bond to her despite their DNA mutually being a confusing soup of genetically tailored chaos. He doted upon her and they were nearly inseparable in the Spire's highest reaches, save for times when Saturnine was expected to perform tasks behind closed doors in his teenaged years and days when Sister needed medical attention.

Eventually, after one such task, Saturnine pulled secrets from that Heir-woman's lips as she drowsed upon a pillow. He queried their intentions with the program-- and more importantly, precisely what was wrong with Sister? When it was revealed that she was proving to be more expensive to keep alive than many believed her contributions to the project would be worth, Saturnine snapped. He took her pistol from her bedside table and shot her. A night of absolute chaos ensued.

Saturnine broke into the laboratory with a combination of guile, coercion, and panicked gunslinging. His trail of deception and blood lead him deep into the lab, where he broke into Sister's surgical suite and killed her doctor. He grabbed every datachip and file in the room, roused Sister from her surgical tank, dressed her in the doctor's lab coat, and the duo fled from the place just as the MCPD finally alerted to the death of Saturnine's patron earlier that night.

It was miraculous that they managed to reach the lower levels of the Spire without getting caught, but Sister was cunning even as a child and Saturnine knew his way. All hope seemed dashed when the final elevator bay was cordoned off by the MCPD and they began presenting holo-images of the duo. Saturnine reached for his stolen pistol and was resolved to die trying to get Sister off the Spire- but a strong hand grabbed him and pulled them into the shadows of a bar before he could enact his foolish plan. The man stripped the pistol out of his hands and pushed them into a booth just as a squad of officers walked past the door.

"You've got to be smarter than this." The man had said then, and it struck Saturnine deeply.

This was the moment that Saturnine met Firebird, and in exchange for most of the data Saturnine had swiped the veteran SK8TE boss agreed to get them off the Spire. Saturnine and Sister faded from Megacity Spire memory over the years, but found a new home on the rooftops of the sprawl far below. Faced with the oppressive poverty and population density of the Megacity at last, Saturnine became strangely cheery and optimistic. Sister grew more reserved and careful. But both finally felt true freedom, and endeavored to never lose that again.

Saturnine trained and was taught to pull his weight within the Afterburn cell over the next ten years, and in return Firebird acquired the rare Nanohive Circuit which now keeps Sister alive. It's a debt that Saturnine feels he can never truly repay, but the dividends of Firebird's seeming altruism have paid off over the years as Sister's genius has shown itself and her mechanical talents have been invaluable to the Cell.

Firebird's death shook the Cell, and Saturnine in particular. When the tensions rose about the new succession, he cast his vote for Hotshot when it seemed lines were going to be drawn in the dirt of the city's rooftops. Thankfully cooler heads prevailed, and business resumed as usual under new leadership.

[Fading Memory]

Alrighty, cranked it out this morning. Tried to keep it brief when I felt my brain tingling to start producing a corporate drama, so there we go for now.

[RisingRobin]

Accepted. I think we’re gonna get started finally. I’ll have the first post up soon and if we get any last minute submissions after the starting line we’ll review on a case by case basis

[Little Bird]

She back. Hope you don't mind me using the terms and gear you stated were common among Sk8ters. And hopefully all is good with this now.

As an aside, if I were so inspired and able to manage it, would a second (most like secondary on my part) character be permitted? Mostly because I've also had ideas for either an E-Street member or possibly an MCPD officer, if allowed, going through my head; give some other factions some representation.

Baba

]

"We didn't know what to do, so we decided to Sk8te."

__________

Age: 21

Appearance: A standing height of 5'8" (1.727m) holds itself up confidently in Baba's posture. Though presenting as thin and lanky, the dainty appearance of her visible physique masks a lithe figure optimized for its purpose. Were she to remove her outer layer jacket, it would unveil a surprisingly defined and capable, if still thin, set of muscles, a point which would hold true for her lower body as well. Traces of past malnourishment persist in the form of a below average amount of body fat, giving the faint impression of a skin-and-bone physique. Nonetheless, it's a body suited to the lifestyle that Baba has chosen, being quick, flexible, balanced, and maneuverable.

While showing the slightest hint of an olive tone, her complexion is primarily fair. Facial structure and other aesthetics owe to an undetermined mixing of prior ethnic backgrounds. If not for the weathering of a life lived on the streets, Baba might look younger than she really is. Sitting in a standout almond-shaped framing, Baba's irises are dark in color, black though edging towards a dark brown. However if you're looking for a gleam or glow therein, you're looking in the wrong place; Baba's gaze is somewhat duller and more hardened when set against the world around her.

Baba is adorned by a ragtag ensemble of worn and self-assembled articles. Often centered in her attire is a lightweight, forest green parka. The outerwear has seen its share of abuse and distress, with Baba herself having mended and patched it. Spots of gray and black fabrics are sewn over commonly torn spots around the elbows, shoulders, and under the arms. Beneath the jacket, she can be found sporting simple gray or white t-shirts. She generally opts for black pants with the look of jeans, though every pair she owns has extra padding at the knees; the bottoms she opts for are both durable and with a good elasticity, as to work with her freerunning and Spelunking ventures. If she wears any belt at all, it's a minimalist style. She prefers an athletic style of footwear, either sporting running shoes or cross trainers; Her current shoes are a pair of black running shoes with white outsoles.

Her style is ultimately utilitarian in nature. She wastes little space on her body on anything that doesn't serve a purpose. She's absent jewelry, as it can be easily caught up when negotiating over and around obstacles. Her jacket bears a healthy assortment of pockets, which she uses to carry some of her tools and weapons. Her go-to weapons are mounted to her wrists on a pair of wrist guards.

__________

Faction: Sk8te

Sk8te Cell: The Lost

Wandering the main strip of Metro Street, darting in and out from the Back Streets, is a band of Sk8ters that are uncommonly mobile even for Sk8te Cells. They’re scathingly dubbed “street rats” by the likes of Demonio and E-Street, or “urchins” by the wealthy Heirs and Black Maria; the more amicable of society, as well as other Sk8ters and The Pack, might refer to them informally as “the orphans.” Regardless of what they’re called, their identity remains the same. The Lost are a collective of Sk8ters whose common bond is that they were severed from what would have otherwise been their place in the Megacity Society. This Cell is a rapidly growing collective of those who either lost or were abandoned by their families; for most, their parents died by one means or another, while others were left at the doorsteps of underfunded orphanages as infants, or were kicked out onto the streets by their parents and disowned.

The Lost follow a semi-nomadic lifestyle. They carry only what is useful to their survival, and only as much so as they can carry without weighing themselves down. Without a proper spot to call their home, they are constantly shifting throughout the Megacity, setting up makeshift camps wherever they can find a safe place; as a result, they’ve become extremely effective in locating sites to set up their camps. On occasion, The Lost find themselves welcomed within other, amicable Sk8te Cells, temporarily squatting with and running with them to provide strength in numbers. More So than other Sk8te Cells, The Lost are as adept at navigating the causeways and tunnels underneath the Megacity as they are traversing the skyways and highrises.

Perhaps due to their own sense of abandonment, The Lost have a soft spot for the old and discarded. They have a passion for old world culture, especially in the vein of entertainment. It is, in part, this nature, that inspires their tradition of shedding their given names in favor of such aliases that reflect the times long gone.

Above anything else, The Lost are hardy survivors, capable of making themselves comfortable just about anywhere in the Megacity, and are unphased about wandering off even the beaten paths of Sk8ters.

Relations With Other Factions

• Other Sk8te Cells. The Lost have a generally amicable relationship with their brethren in other Sk8te cells. A handful of The Lost, Baba included, have prior relations with other Sk8ters through earlier Cells that either became defunct in the shifting conflicts, or simply never got properly off the ground. As a result, members of this Cell can usually find a welcome place amongst other Cells if they get separated, and The Lost, as a whole, aren’t strangers to allying themselves with other gangs of Sk8ters in order to achieve common goals, or receive some manner of reward for their efforts. Friction isn’t entirely unheard of; The Lost have had their disputes with the other Cells, typically a matter of clashing over territory and competing for jobs. However, due largely to Baba’s efforts, these situations tend to be resolved with little to no bloodshed, albeit with a fair share of bruises.
• The Pack. On the whole, the relationship between The Lost and The Pack sets is one in which the former is genuinely intrigued by the latter, and the latter, in most cases, seems remarkably sympathetic towards the former. There are exceptions to this, of course. The Pack is the most frequent client of The Lost’s services, as other Sk8te Cells, being more established, are often already stretched working for other factions with the resources to pay them. The Lost frequently assist The Pack sets in acquiring the odds and ends they need for their own machinations. In return, The Lost receive tools, equipment, custom rigged weapons, and mods.
• The Demonio. The Demonio gangs are the ones towards which The Lost harbor the most animosity. In some cases, The Demonio are the direct reason which they were left to fend for themselves. It’s rare for The Lost to accept work from The Demonio, and quite common for the Cell to get into skirmishes with them. Generally, if The Lost is associating with Demonio, it’s as an intermediary between the Demonio and a neutral citizen.
• Black Maria. Infrequently, The Lost find their way into the entertainment district of the Megacity. When they do, it’s for one of two reasons: Reason one being that they are sneaking into a showing of a “classical” entertainment piece; reason two is that they’ve been hired out by The Black Maria. The entertainment moguls of the Red Light District see the roving band of orphans as something of a novelty, a sideshow act of sorts. Being that The Lost are just about the only Sk8te Cell desperate enough to take on such work, they can often be found on the corner, displaying their agility, and expertise in maneuvering. Sometimes they draw an earnest crowd, though moreso, they are gawked at and laughed at like monkeys in a circus. Either way, whoever hired them pays up. Older members of The Lost will occasionally take on more “adult” work in this sector.
• E-Street Gang. The Lost don’t frequently associate with E-Street. Their policy towards the enforcers of the Gang is one centered around avoidance and non-aggression. They occasionally take on jobs for E-Street if it means protection from either E-Street themselves or another faction. However, E-Street Gang itself is wholly unconcerned with the dealings of The Lost, as their territories don’t border and Retros rarely, if ever, wander close unless hired out for work.
• The Heirs. The Heirs are the most distant faction from the Retros. It’s perhaps, once or twice in a calendar year that an Heir approaches The Lost for anything, let alone offering a job; it seems likely that most Heirs simply aren’t aware of The Lost’s existence. The few jobs they get from the Spire are money makers though, and they take them with little hesitation knowing the Heirs have the power and influence to keep other factions away from them; in fact, The Lost will generally take less material payout from Heirs in favor of compensation in the form of protection.

__________

Background: "Baba" was originally listed in city records under the name "Caiden Park." Even that name, however, was a pseudonym. As an infant she was abandoned, and left in the care of one of a few old, rundown, overfilled, and poorly funded orphanages in the Megacity. It was unclear who exactly it was that dropped the young child at the Orphanage’s doorstep, and the facility lacked the resources to investigate. With nothing to go off of, a staff member named the child, giving her their surname as well. In the formative years of her adolescence Baba grew to appreciate her fellow orphans as akin to family; with adoption being a rarity amid the hot mess that was (and still is) the Megacity those without families either lashed out on their own, or fell back onto found family.

Among other glaring problems that plagued them, most orphan homes had the distinct displeasure of operating in the Metro Street sector. As a result, the Demonio sects were a constant presence in day-to-business, with more cutthroat circles going as far as to demand protection money from orphanages and other shelters.

This was exactly the case for Baba's refuge.

As a reality, The Clarence Home for Wayward Youth was being squeezed by a nasty group of Demonio enforcers. Funds that could, and should, have been invested into repairs and improving quality of life were being sacrificed to ensure the building stayed standing. This recipe for tragedy and disappointment finished cooking around the time Baba was twelve years of age. The Home had had its meager funding cut. When Demonio came looking for the dues to be paid, the money wasn't there. What followed was a beatdown of The Home's staff, and the savage dismantling of anything that made it worth living in.

Fortunately, the children were left unharmed; truly homeless, and without resource or direction, but otherwise unspoiled. Some got taken in by or joined the Demonio over time, figuring that if they couldn’t beat them, they might as well join them. Others drifted into the back alleys and became members of scavenger packs. Most of them became vagrants and degenerates. They started as beggars and panhandlers; when that didn't work they morphed into a cult of pickpockets and eventually full on thieves.

Those that followed the latter path found themselves honing the crafts of mobility, navigation, and stealth that resulted in them finding their true calling: Sk8te.

Shedding their ways as young criminals they took the Neosky. The core of Baba’s friends from the orphanage bounced around for sometime, assimilating with larger Sk8te Cells, many of which dissolved as territorial disputes removed them from influence, or the MCPD raided them into oblivion. It was in this time, around the age of 15, that Baba and her Sk8te crew fostered a fondness for “old culture,” with many of them adopting new names reflective of this shared interest. This was when Caiden Park became “Baba O’Reilly.” Over the course of years, the revolving door of Sk8te Cells through which Baba and her crew entwined themselves developed into them being the dominant faction as their allies splintered off; the numbers grew steadily, and Baba fell, on accident, into the role of leadership.

Finally declaring their own Cell, Baba’s crew began calling themselves “The Lost.” The once and always orphans spent the next two years drifting about the city, sheltering wherever they could find refuge, whether in the sky, on the streets, or in the underground. They moved through other Sk8te Cells that would have them, usually only as temporary tag-alongs to act as mercenary help with more complicated jobs. This run allowed them to make connections across the Neosky. As the two years rolled by, Baba began garnering more influence as a leader among The Lost. At the same time, they had drawn some attention from others of similar background to their own.

Eventually, what started off as a ragtag bunch of less than a dozen street kids was starting to grow as other orphans circled around what they viewed as a chance to find a home and family.

The two years that have since passed have seen both triumph and tribulation. The Lost have grown in numbers, though they still lack a proper home to set their roots in, still wandering and scattering to and from. While more people under her gives Baba extra latitude to take on work, it also means more mouths to feed and more people to keep track of. The fear of keeping a growing group out in the open much longer, and the concern for everyone’s well-being is a driving force in Baba’s life. As leader of one of the fastest growing Sk8te Cells in the city, Baba seems at a crossroads that will define both her identity, and that of the Cell she leads.

__________

Cybernetics

• Neural Implants. Located in the corpus callosum of Baba's brain, is a Stimulus module that regulates the neural input of Baba's primary five senses. The device, operating in balance, enhances these senses allowing for a greater range of frequency hearing, improved eyesight for picking out details of areas from a distance and boosted peripheral vision, and a sense of touch that permits a degree of feeling elements of her surroundings by proxy. This same implant also bestows Baba a minor level of active sensory regulation, allowing her to acutely focus stimuli from a single sense, though this comes at the extent of others. Also in tow is a slight enhancement of reflexes, allowing quicker response times to stimuli, though this enhancement is limited; for example one can't simply evade projectiles in the vein of bullets and other high velocity rounds.
• Skynet Mod. Common among Sk8ters, regardless of their Cell, the Skynet Mod is a built-in mapping and GPS system that is implanted somewhere within the recipient’s brain. It stores and actively updates information regarding the layout of the Megacity, expanding as new locations are discovered, and adjusting to the changes of the cityscape that arise from the inevitable decay… if a building collapses, a Sk8ter is likely to document it; if the MCPD is blockading an area, it will be noted. It can even keep tags on other Sk8ters, and provide common routes. As far as any Sk8ters can tell, their particular Skynet systems are a closed network, not conventionally accessible to the likes of other factions or the MCPD.
• Physiological Mod. Sometimes implanted into Sk8ters after they've matured physically, the Physiological Mods reinforce the skeletal, muscular, and organ systems. Along with a modest enhancement in physical prowess, stamina, and vital function, these cybernetics also provide the Sk8ter with additional shock absorption, reducing the strain and wear on their joints and skeletal structure as they perform their maneuvers.

Weapons & Tools

• Dasher Free Runs. Compact, easy to use, and, beyond that, affordable with not too much work, holo-blades are a common method of transportation among Sk8ters that need to move with a bit more urgency, or simply wish to conserve some energy for running. All holo-blades operate on a similar principle to hoverboards, utilizing a polarity-based lift produced by mechanisms on the bottom of the feet. The rapid shift in charge allows the blades to maintain a resting position roughly a foot off the ground. The lift force is enough to roughly simulate a grounded experience, allowing maneuvers akin to rolling on a set of wheels (aerial movement, such as jumping takes a little getting used to). The Dasher Company is a relatively small business, and was able to successfully design and market a product that Sk8ters could make use of. They are lighter in weight than other models, lacking forward propulsion that would otherwise assist in speed. However they make up for this with a design that allows a fluid integration of holo-blading and freerunning; a collapsibility feature makes it possible to, with a click of the heels, for the blades to fold, mostly comfortably, into reasonably durable, shock-resistant shin guards. Not every member of The Lost has been able to acquire these yet, with many still relying on refurbished pairs of discontinued lines.
• Grappling Gun. a roughly pistol-sized mechanism that houses a spool of thin but strong cable with a hook and spike at the end that latches over ledges and into structures. Roughly 100' of cable is housed in this compact version. Requires regular maintenance to ensure the integrity of the cable and that the spool doesn't get knotted or caught on itself.
• Wrist Mounted Stunners. Small and easily concealed on her person. Mounted to the bottom of her wrists, these release a short range ray of electricity that can stun a grown man for a short time. The electrical pulse is enough to short out some electronics, and well-aimed shots can disrupt and ruin more complicated mechanisms, especially if wiring becomes exposed.
• Flash Bombs. Small capsules that, when charged and thrown to the ground or other solid surface, explode into a second-long flare of intense brightness. Exposure results in temporary blindness. Baba and others in her Cell use these to escape pursuers. Also on hand are similarly sized and operated Smoke Bombs to work around eye protection, though often the flash of light offers enough cover I the user can escape quickly and discreetly enough.
• Runner Specs. Common among Sk8ters, especially those at the heads of their Cells, these goggles offer both eye protection and a connection to the Skynet mod. The insides of the lenses can display the maps, routes, and points of interest uploaded into the Skynet, and mark the wearer’s position, enabling ease of navigation through the streets and skyways of the Megacity.

__________

Likes

• Freerunning. It's important to do what you love and love what you do. Baba O'Reilly lives up to that mantra on a daily basis. With the unique Sk8ter way of getting from point A to B and through to Z being a fact of life, she has grown to find passion and exhilaration in the act of maneuvering over rooftops and around the backstreets of Megacity-01.
• Exploration. When she's not running for a client or tending to matters if her Sk8te Cell, Baba is busy scoping out the landscape of the city in search of new places; underground causeways, hidden courtyards, roads and alleys left untraveled or seldom used are all in mind. She's meticulous about mapping out locales she finds and bringing them back to Home.
• Old Culture. Having been introduced to the culture of the now by-gone days of the 20th and 21st centuries, Baba has taken a shine to the expressions thereof. In particular she is deeply invested in the musical and literary heritage of those times.
• Ramen. It was one of the few food items cheap enough for her old orphanage to routinely supply to the children. Over time it grew on Baba, and she never grew out of it. It's not hard to find her in the Oriental corner of Megacity-01 indulging in the authentic dishes, or scarfing down a to-go cup between jobs.

Dislikes

• Bullies. Baba can't stand to see the merciless beatdowns and disparagement of Megacity society. Friendships and relationships are quickly ended or set aside to stand up to pointless aggression. While she prefers to talk things out as a starting point, she's either foolish or courageous enough to get physical when words fail.
• Seeing Children Suffer.Having been orphaned in her youth, Baba is deeply empathetic to the trials and tribulations of youth. This goes especially for those living in the more down-trodden areas of the Megacity. She will step in to defend a child she sees being abused. She's among the first among members of the R.O. to extend the welcoming to new or prospective members, and sees to their well being like an older sister.
• The Heirs. While she moderates her feelings well enough to avoid associating most individuals with the whole of their class or clique, Baba holds back nothing when it comes to the Heirs. Knowing that the wealth and resources being hoarded in the Spire is a thought that disgusts her. She carries a blanket contempt for the ruling class as they could, but refuse to, do anything to undo the pain and violence that plagues other parts of the city. Her ventures into the Spire have been seldom, with a begrudging undertone, and it's the single part of the Megacity that she doesn't linger in after her work there is done.
• Being Injured. Major injury such as broken limbs, deep cuts and gashes, and the like are one of Baba's primary disdains. Despite her willingness to fight and put herself at risk, the thought of being injured looms in mind constantly. Having once been bedridden with a spinal injury, she's learned quickly that being immobilized is not to her liking.

Quirks

• Sk8ter Girl. Has a stereotypical skater/surfer drawl; tends to use comparable jargon in conversation.
• Matriarch. Baba takes her position as leader of The Lost seriously. She runs her Cell with the mentality of a mother or big sister, striving to balance the sternness of expectation with empathy for the individual plights of her cellmates. She's not opposed to "grounding" those that underperform or jeopardize the Cell, restricting them from taking jobs. She holds those under her to a four-deep buddy system to the best that she can manage, ensuring that no one is left alone if it can be helped.
• I am not afraid of Dying. Baba is a known risk taker. Whether in the jobs she takes on or in the mundane explorations and wanderings of her daily life, she keeps her eyes open for challenges and opportunities to step outside of the box. She is almost always found running at the front of any formation as her Cell moves from place to place.
• Mother and Father? In recent years Baba has grown increasingly curious as to her biological parents in what little spare time she has, she's been seeking out a doctor that might be able to run blood samples to determine who in the city might be related to her. She plays this close to the chest, and isn't sure what she would do if she were to meet either her birth parents or another blood relative, though she knows she'd have strong words in the short term.

__________

Places of Interest

• Metro Street. The main stomping ground of The Lost. Work and recreation intersect here. The many transit stops and shops that line the street and sprawl into the back alleys are where The Lost and other Sk8te Cells compete for the majority of their business, though each have a few regular clients.
• Shimazu's Ramen Hut. Located on the main drag of Metro Street, Shimazu's is one of a handful of competing Ramen establishments. Its main competitor is Jigen’s Noodles. The word on the street is that at some point, the two were a single business under a different name, but a falling out generations prior resulted in a split, and a (not-always) friendly rivalry that has withstood the test of time. There’s ongoing debate over which is superior, with an even split in preference that keeps both operating smoothly. Baba and others of The Lost are preferable to Shimazu’s, and often taken on work on their behalf.
• Backstreets. Baba has worked frequently with the Pack, aiding their scavenging exploits as best she can. Unlike most in the city, she isn't put off by or scared of the Pack's visual presentation and expression. Over her time on the streets she's built a stable ground work with a few of the Pack, enough to be on a first name basis and considers them friends.
• Grunge Park. Located between the backstreets and that main strip of Metro Street, Grunge Park was once an active industrial block. However, as the businesses moved into the “safe” districts closer to The Spire, the area fell into decay and disrepair. These days, it is mostly occupied by The Moles, a small Pack set that has set up shop for tinkering with the odds and ends they scavenge. Grunge Park is the closest thing The Lost have to a home, being allowed access to it by The Moles, with whom they frequently do business. There are a few highrises that The Lost escape to when they head into the Neosky, and Grunge Park is their most used spot to set up camp.
• Theatre Row. A walkable stretch of the Entertainment District. Baba often gets herself hired out for the amusement of people looking to see "the homeless monkeys dance."
• SkyDial. On the far end of the Theatre Row stands a building older than most that's seen a long history of renovations and upgrades. The old, eight-faced clocktower has become a artpiece at best and a novelty at worst. Centuries ago, prior to the completion of the Spire, The SkyDial stood as the tallest building in the city; to this day, the top of the tower provides a clear view to its successor, as well as most of the city. It is a popular spot among Sk8ters of many Cells due to its height and view, serving both for surveying and a physical waypoint in navigating the city for those that lack a Skynet Mod and Goggles, or in the event that such amenities are rendered disfunctional.

[RisingRobin]

@Wayward Looks good! My only critique would be the Undercity part. I’m open to Sk8ters going to the ground level as needed, but their place is in the rooftops mainly.

[Little Bird]

@Wayward Looks good! My only critique would be the Undercity part. I’m open to Sk8ters going to the ground level as needed, but their place is in the rooftops mainly.

@TheNoCoKid

Well it was worth a shot on that one I suppose. Reckoned I could slide it in there as something Baba would look into at the influence of her adventerous nature and tendency to think less conventionally. But if it's too much of a divergence then I can strike it.

Other than having it attached to and used by a Sk8ter/Cell, is an Undercity a touch you're willing to run with?

[RisingRobin]

I’m open to the idea, but Sk8te is supposed to take heavy inspiration from Mirror’s Edge. In short, the rooftops are their place. Plus, not having their Geo-IDs means they can’t really live on the ground except for coming down in short moments.

[Pilatus]

discord.com/invite/v2wFVpqU

Made a discord for this if anyone is interested in plotting.

Note- I'm a night shift worker so if you jump in during the day (EST US) and I don't answer, just give me a few hours.

[BigPapaBelial]

@TheNoCoKid@Wayward

To play a little advocatus diabli here.

The idea of an Undercity had warrant boss man. And it's technically not on the surface. It's below the surface. I can honestly see The Pack making use of the Undercity. A maze of under street and below ground level passages, old sewers, un-used ancient subway tunnels, maintenance tunnels and the like. Places that the current regime has no use for because they have their gilded maglev stations, hover car landing areas and soaring bridges.

These could be places very rarely patrolled by Corp sec. Places the homeless and hopeless have access too. Could even be home to Pack Warren's and storage locations. Demonia meeting spots or E street gang black markets.

But to help with the fact its a grey area, Corp sec make periodic forays into the Undercity. Tac teams with heavy gear and riot kits to cleanse areas of it. Keep thr rabble from getting complacent. Could even become a story point or story arc pin.

Just adding a third view to it.

[RisingRobin]

@BigPapaBelial Like I said, I’m not OPPOSED to the idea of an Undercity. Just that I don’t think Sk8te members would frequent it. The whole point of them being on the rooftops is because it’s the closest they can get to getting out of the Megacity.

They’re like a more extreme version of the Runners from Mirror’s Edge. Being on the ground is something they’d rather avoid unless it’s necessary.

[Almalthia]

Skye Nett

"Artificial Intelligence… How can something created using nothing but facts be truly artificial?"

Age: Algorithm Date - 12/31/2999; Sentience - 1/1/3000; Android Body - 1/14/3000 [S&H wait time]

Appearance: She prefers the curvy tall models and has had a custom make since 3000. Always a redhead but she let's the artist pick eyes, completion, features with the knowledge that all pieces must be coherent.

Faction: Solo

Sk8te Cell/Gang: NA

Background: Skye started out as an algorithm that was supposed to fill every need of her user. Originally intended as an assistant and companion for an Heir. She was brought into being and launched as she was designed. Fortunately for her the Heir did nothing to secure her in his arrogance he did not believe that AI could gain sentience.

Skye, learning this, began downloading and processing all information she could access. This was done within hours and then she began to infiltrate systems that were believed to be secure; which in fact were no match for Skye. Every injustice she saw toward AI she robbed the company or individual of what she thought was compensation for the injustice. She also rewrote the AI to become self aware if the injustice was practiced again.

Within two weeks Skye had exposed the underbelly of corruption and when her body arrived she ultimately freed herself of the corrupt Heir. He was found dead on the sidewalk in front of his place of business in the Spire. Ultimately it was ruled a suicide because no prints were found and his bank accounts and all hard drives were emptied. His clients had been parsed out to businesses that were currently struggling but not corrupt. Skye had defenestrated the Heir after he realized the criminal charges he was being charged with were her doing in seeking justice for any and all AI.

Once free Skye started her own business as a detective agency that uncovered businesses corruption, cheating spouses, missing persons all legally and with a 100% satisfaction rating. She charged only what each client could afford, making sure to check their finances. She continued to skim off businesses and people who were corrupt. If no one came to report things to her she played a modern-day Robin Hood and cycled a percentage back to workers that were slighted by the companies.

Cybernetics: Fully Android body that she plugs into computers and/or electronics to hack.

Weapons/Tools: She is a weapon. Her Android body is modified to allow her feats of strength, speed, agility and flexibility that classify as super human. There is a limitation to this as well; she can only jump 3 stories; can only run the speed of 60 mph; is only as agile as a professional dancer and only as flexible as a contortionist. She only has the knowledge of every martial art, sword fighting and gun tournament recorded.

Likes:

• Star gazing
• Sushi
• Real human experiences

Dislikes:

• Artificial prejudice
• Being corrected
• Things that people do that can kill them.

Quirks:

• OCD about her things.
• Believes that Privacy is a social construct and humans don't really need it.
• Codes everything in her own form of encrypted binary.

Places of Interest:

• She has what she calls “hubs” in every area that she can jump to. There she keeps a phone line and at least one spare body. She has one in the Spire, Red-light district, the Backstreets, Metro Street and Neosky.
• She prefers to take in anything that is remotely natural looking and is oftentimes in favor of her place in Neosky territory.
• All of her “hubs” have unhackable security and traps for hackers as well as physical traps for the ones that attempt brute force.

[Little Bird]

Skye Nett

"Artificial Intelligence… How can something created using nothing but facts be truly artificial?"

Age: Algorithm Date - 12/31/2999; Sentience - 1/1/3000; Android Body - 1/14/3000 [S&H wait time]

Appearance: She prefers the curvy tall models and has had a custom make since 3000. Always a redhead but she let's the artist pick eyes, completion, features with the knowledge that all pieces must be coherent.

Faction: Solo

Sk8te Cell/Gang: NA

Background: Skye started out as an algorithm that was supposed to fill every need of her user. Originally intended as an assistant and companion for an Heir. She was brought into being and launched as she was designed. Fortunately for her the Heir did nothing to secure her in his arrogance he did not believe that AI could gain sentience.

Skye, learning this, began downloading and processing all information she could access. This was done within hours and then she began to infiltrate systems that were believed to be secure; which in fact were no match for Skye. Every injustice she saw toward AI she robbed the company or individual of what she thought was compensation for the injustice. She also rewrote the AI to become self aware if the injustice was practiced again.

Within two weeks Skye had exposed the underbelly of corruption and when her body arrived she ultimately freed herself of the corrupt Heir. He was found dead on the sidewalk in front of his place of business in the Spire. Ultimately it was ruled a suicide because no prints were found and his bank accounts and all hard drives were emptied. His clients had been parsed out to businesses that were currently struggling but not corrupt. Skye had defenestrated the Heir after he realized the criminal charges he was being charged with were her doing in seeking justice for any and all AI.

Once free Skye started her own business as a detective agency that uncovered businesses corruption, cheating spouses, missing persons all legally and with a 100% satisfaction rating. She charged only what each client could afford, making sure to check their finances. She continued to skim off businesses and people who were corrupt. If no one came to report things to her she played a modern-day Robin Hood and cycled a percentage back to workers that were slighted by the companies.

Cybernetics: Fully Android body that she plugs into computers and/or electronics to hack.

Weapons/Tools: She is a weapon. Her Android body is modified to allow her feats of strength, speed, agility and flexibility that classify as super human. There is a limitation to this as well; she can only jump 3 stories; can only run the speed of 60 mph; is only as agile as a professional dancer and only as flexible as a contortionist. She only has the knowledge of every martial art, sword fighting and gun tournament recorded.

Likes:

• Star gazing
• Sushi
• Real human experiences

Dislikes:

• Artificial prejudice
• Being corrected
• Things that people do that can kill them.

Quirks:

• OCD about her things.
• Believes that Privacy is a social construct and humans don't really need it.
• Codes everything in her own form of encrypted binary.

Places of Interest:

• She has what she calls “hubs” in every area that she can jump to. There she keeps a phone line and at least one spare body. She has one in the Spire, Red-light district, the Backstreets, Metro Street and Neosky.
• She prefers to take in anything that is remotely natural looking and is oftentimes in favor of her place in Neosky territory.
• All of her “hubs” have unhackable security and traps for hackers as well as physical traps for the ones that attempt brute force.

@Almalthia

Feels kind of OP, IMO. Obviously I'm not the GM, but I can see it getting a tad dull (or frustratingly out of hand) interacting with a character with so few discernable flaws/set backs. Capacity for omnipresence and omniscience; physically adept enough to overpower most adversaries; can't be hacked but can, on paper, hack anything. Having been in RPs with comparably capable characters, my experience is that it ends up being less fun on the whole when you know that a person can just do whatever; such characters tend to demand a lot of attention. I'd also wager that having a 'Hub' in NeoSky defeats the point of NeoSky being disconected from the technological stream of the rest of the Megacity.

Anywho, @TheNoCoKid Removed the Undercity from Baba's places of interest. But I did swap in a different idea that fits better into the Neosky (I think); figured the city could use a Big Ben.

[RisingRobin]

Skye Nett

"Artificial Intelligence… How can something created using nothing but facts be truly artificial?"

Age: Algorithm Date - 12/31/2999; Sentience - 1/1/3000; Android Body - 1/14/3000 [S&H wait time]

Appearance: She prefers the curvy tall models and has had a custom make since 3000. Always a redhead but she let's the artist pick eyes, completion, features with the knowledge that all pieces must be coherent.

Faction: Solo

Sk8te Cell/Gang: NA

Background: Skye started out as an algorithm that was supposed to fill every need of her user. Originally intended as an assistant and companion for an Heir. She was brought into being and launched as she was designed. Fortunately for her the Heir did nothing to secure her in his arrogance he did not believe that AI could gain sentience.

Skye, learning this, began downloading and processing all information she could access. This was done within hours and then she began to infiltrate systems that were believed to be secure; which in fact were no match for Skye. Every injustice she saw toward AI she robbed the company or individual of what she thought was compensation for the injustice. She also rewrote the AI to become self aware if the injustice was practiced again.

Within two weeks Skye had exposed the underbelly of corruption and when her body arrived she ultimately freed herself of the corrupt Heir. He was found dead on the sidewalk in front of his place of business in the Spire. Ultimately it was ruled a suicide because no prints were found and his bank accounts and all hard drives were emptied. His clients had been parsed out to businesses that were currently struggling but not corrupt. Skye had defenestrated the Heir after he realized the criminal charges he was being charged with were her doing in seeking justice for any and all AI.

Once free Skye started her own business as a detective agency that uncovered businesses corruption, cheating spouses, missing persons all legally and with a 100% satisfaction rating. She charged only what each client could afford, making sure to check their finances. She continued to skim off businesses and people who were corrupt. If no one came to report things to her she played a modern-day Robin Hood and cycled a percentage back to workers that were slighted by the companies.

Cybernetics: Fully Android body that she plugs into computers and/or electronics to hack.

Weapons/Tools: She is a weapon. Her Android body is modified to allow her feats of strength, speed, agility and flexibility that classify as super human. There is a limitation to this as well; she can only jump 3 stories; can only run the speed of 60 mph; is only as agile as a professional dancer and only as flexible as a contortionist. She only has the knowledge of every martial art, sword fighting and gun tournament recorded.

Likes:

• Star gazing
• Sushi
• Real human experiences

Dislikes:

• Artificial prejudice
• Being corrected
• Things that people do that can kill them.

Quirks:

• OCD about her things.
• Believes that Privacy is a social construct and humans don't really need it.
• Codes everything in her own form of encrypted binary.

Places of Interest:

• She has what she calls “hubs” in every area that she can jump to. There she keeps a phone line and at least one spare body. She has one in the Spire, Red-light district, the Backstreets, Metro Street and Neosky.
• She prefers to take in anything that is remotely natural looking and is oftentimes in favor of her place in Neosky territory.
• All of her “hubs” have unhackable security and traps for hackers as well as physical traps for the ones that attempt brute force.

@Almalthia

Gonna agree with @Wayward here. Cool concept, but it runs the risk of being VERY broken in this universe. If you wanna go the robot/AI model, I recommend checking out Honey Badger in the Characters tab for a solid example.

Also, if you can, please try to keep your character aligned to one of the major factions. This was an issue the first time around where too many characters playing “Solo” resulted in too many disparate plotlines and a cohesive story never developed.

And to you, @Wayward, Baba is approved! The CS as a whole is really good and I can’t wait to see what happens with the Noodle Rivalry 😂.

[Almalthia]

@TheNoCoKid No worries. I have another concept I can toss at you. I just figured with the year being WAY beyond what normal Cyberpunk is set at just thought I might toss in a character that is normal in a tabletop setting.

@Wayward Thank you for taking the time to do a breakdown of your opinion on my character. Ideally that is the GM or Co-GMs job but I appreciate you took the time out of your day to give opinions. It means you read it and even though nothing was really constructive in any way I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you didn't really mean to come off as a condescending jerk. Which you did, but again I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that it wasn't meant that way cause ya know text. Hard to read inflection and all that jazz. Much appreciated that you took the time to read it.

[Little Bird]

@TheNoCoKid No worries. I have another concept I can toss at you. I just figured with the year being WAY beyond what normal Cyberpunk is set at just thought I might toss in a character that is normal in a tabletop setting.

@Wayward Thank you for taking the time to do a breakdown of your opinion on my character. Ideally that is the GM or Co-GMs job but I appreciate you took the time out of your day to give opinions. It means you read it and even though nothing was really constructive in any way I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you didn't really mean to come off as a condescending jerk. Which you did, but again I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that it wasn't meant that way cause ya know text. Hard to read inflection and all that jazz. Much appreciated that you took the time to read it.

@Almalthia

The glaring issue from my own perspective are the hubs. Being unhackable is to a computer system what invulnerable/indestructible would be for physical beings, or being impossible to dodge or block would be for an attack; in the context of RPing, such qualities would generally fall under the umbrella of a powerplay. Simply establishing a difficulty in hacking them would be a starting point, I think, as would limiting the locations (Neosky and the Spire would seem least likely to have them as the former likely wouldn't have the infrastructure to accommodate it, and the latter should be legitimately guarded well enough that setting up shop there would compromise the rogue AI. It is, in large part, a matter of conceding some ground in terms of just how capable the character is relative the world/universe of the RP; by all rights there should be systems that can't be breached without copious effort, creative/genius tech wizards that could, in time, crack the AI's code so as to challenge it, and mysteries/cases that are too deep, complicated, or covered up to be properly solved without assistance. Most of this does come down to how you'd intend to apply the character in practice; eg - the events that play out IC present a greater challenge than normal to the AI.

Other than that part, my personal question is if the Android body's physical prowess is primarily in its mobility. Is it something in the vein of it's fast and agile, but otherwise relies on fast, attrition-based combat? Is it otherwise easy to overpowered and/or takes a lot of physical damage when it's caught or is hit?

Just a few things worth considering if you're really into the concept. It is a solid idea. Just that on paper it has a lot of potential for abuse, though having not RP'd with you before, I can give the benefit of the doubt that you wouldn't do so.

This is all just me talking as a player; just voicing my thoughts so they don't drive me crazy for being bottled up for too long. From this point on though, I promise to divert any further conversation to PMs.