[OOC] Paint

[Mach2]

^I'll edit that and make it look cooler tomorrow...>.<

Media is everywhere.

It controls us. Our lives are controlled by advertisements. The latest fashion trends tell us what to wear. The celebrities show us how to look. Music preaches how to act. Every day, our brains are assaulted by hundreds, if not thousands, of images and advertisements. Everything is advertised. Food. Clothes. Books. Cars. Films. Music. The list doesn't end. Advertisements are everywhere. Television. Newspaper. Magazine. Social media. Banners. Billboards. All too often, the images that are projected into our minds are less than beneficial. The sight of an underweight model with too much eye makeup ruins the esteem of young girls. Huge billboards featuring men and women in scandalous settings do nothing to enrich the minds of those who view them.

Ten years ago, the city of Northgate took a step towards freeing its citizens from the influence of media.

As of August 17th, 2058, all public advertisement was declared illegal. Billboards were torn down. Television commercials stopped, and radio ads cut out. Initially, the change was hard to accept. But over time, it became the norm. Today, Northgate is the model city. Crime is at a low, jobs are abundant, and homelessness is hardly an issue within the city limits. Dozens of communities across the nation are following its example.

Citywide Surveillance

Along with the ban on advertisements, other changes were implemented. The government of Northgate went beyond protecting its people from the effects of media. They took the next step in ensuring safety, protecting people from themselves. The entire city is monitored by closed-circuit televisions. As one can imagine, dozens of jobs as security guards, monitoring the screens during the night. Because during the night, the curfew is active. Between the hours of 11:00pm until 5:30am, no one is allowed outside their homes.

There are countless other jobs available contributing to the security of Northgate. All data is monitored. Phone calls are tracked and emails are monitored for potentially threatening keywords. The words 'spray' and 'paint', within the same message, are an example of a red flag. Bills must be payed on time. School and work attendance is tracked. Much of the data is entered manually by low-salary interns into a huge computer system, designed to track the citizens of Northgate. Should any red flags go up, security officials are notified. Investigations occur rapidly, thanks to the CCTV systems, and if necessary, law enforcement officers are dispatched.

Law Enforcement, Crime, and Prison

Northgate follows a 'tough on crime' policy. Murders amongst citizens are rare. Robberies are rare. Rape, assault, breaking and entering...all of these are infrequent events, even in such a huge city. However, when they do occur, felonies are punished severely. Jail time and impossibly high fines are imposed for even slight crimes, such as being out after curfew. A Northgate jail is not a place anyone wants to visit.

Despite the way the city handles crime, its jails are lawless places. Within the walls of a Northgate prison, the authorities hold total power. Anything, and everything, is legal. The rumours are never confirmed, of course, but stories always leak out of its walls. There are tales of brainwashing and torture, both physical and psychological. All, of course, is done in order to force delinquents to accept the wrongness of their actions, and embrace a future where they can once more contribute to society. Many who are imprisoned do not return. It's a taboo subject, one that most citizens don't like to think about. After all, crime is rare.

The Sprayers

Just because advertisement is illegal, it doesn't mean it is non-existent. For small businesses or new start-ups, getting their name into the city is a nearly impossible task. A loophole in the law makes it possible to be advertised for. It's only the creation of an advertisement that is considered illegal. This is where the Sprayers, highly capable graffiti artists, come in. Anyone can request a Sprayer, from reputable law firms to low-level prostitutes trying to make a quick dollar. When an individual requires an advertisement, they send their request to a Sprayer or the captain of a team. In the middle of the night, after curfew, the crew goes out and paints that advertisement onto one of the city's immaculately blank walls. The work is risky, but the pay for a single piece of graffiti is worth it for many.

A crew of Sprayers can be seen as a cross between a sports team, a work force, and a family. They are incredibly close, yet still totally anonymous. They function under false names. Many Sprayers choose to 'tag' their work with a small illustration or stencil, symbolic of their pseudonym. Over time, a Sprayer can even become famous under a pseudonym as their work is seen throughout the city. Each crew of Sprayers is sworn to total anonymity. Should one be captured, the unspoken rule says that they don't give up the rest of their crew. However, in the jails of Northgate, who knows how well a person can maintain their composure.

It's not an easy job. Each Sprayer risks their life and future every time they go out to paint. Even the purchase of spray cans, the medium of choice, is a risky business. But for many, it's worth it. Some do it for the anarchy. Some do it for the money. Some do it simply to see their art.

The City of Northgate

In the year 2068, there are obvious changes from today's society. However, Northgate has been primarily focused on maintaining their state of control and order. This has resulted in a lack of advancement over the past ten years. Walking down the streets, one can see a simple, plain, cityscape. Walking down the streets of Northgate, one will see no bright neon signs or flashing megascreens. There are no billboards or posters.

The buildings of Northgate consist of undecorated grey walls. In downtown, skyscrapers stretch into the sky. In residential districts, cookie-cutter apartment blocks are frequent. Throughout the city, buildings are close-packed. This results in narrow streets and narrower alleyways; a set-up that allows plenty of hiding places for the Sprayers. Walls are constantly being painted over by the city's authorities, in order to cover up the omnipresent graffiti that keeps springing up.

Due to the curfew, homelessness within Northgate is virtually impossible. Over the past ten years, the homeless have gradually faded away. Many were arrested, charged with breaking the curfew laws when they couldn't find a place to spend the night. Others fled beyond the walls of the city, forced to start a new life outside of Northgate.

Transportation

The primary method of transportation in Northgate is the large monorail system. The tracks go all over the city, and the number of trains functioning allows for optimum travel speeds at all times of the day. The monorail functions from 6:00am, a half hour after curfew ends, to 11:00pm, when it begins. Two separate sets of tracks run alongside each other. The main one is used by the citizens of Northgate. The second one, noticeably smaller, is used by the city's emergency services.

During the night, the monorail doesn't run. As a result, the primary method of transportation for Sprayers is foot. Most are capably athletic, a result of running across the city after dark.

Rules

1. No being rude in the OOC.


2. If you are going to be unable to post, please let everyone know so that we can work around it.


3. If you go 4 days without posting in the OOC or IC, I will have to set your status to AWOL. A week of AWOL, and your character will be temporarily retired. The space will open up for a new character to join.


4. No godmodding, no metagaming, all that generic stuff.

Characters
Polyphemus as Lee "Clarion" Brandt
Parteebear as Thomas " " Marshall
Sam12435 as Jace "Free" Damon
Gisk as William "Gray" Hess
Mach2 as Lauren "Sass" Hedley and Mallory Teken
Swarley as Carissa "Anarcho" Keen
Wreck as Tyven "Jager" Gorman Geier
Apokalipse as Augustyna Repinski
The book of bad juju as Matthew Van der Gelt
Commander as Trevor Westbrook

Character Sheet

Name:
Age:
Occupation: Sprayer? Law enforcement? High ranking security officer? Innocent data-entry intern?
Appearance: Pictures are great. I love pictures. If you have a picture, please include a picture. But I'd like to see some text as well. Elaborate on stuff that isn't clear in the image, such as clothing style, height, and composition.
Gear: Spray paint? The latest firearm model? Cybernetic implants?
Personality: As brief or as detailed as you wish.
Background: Anything relevant. If you've got something you don't want everyone in the RP to see, PM it to me. Ex: Your character is a street orphan, but midway through the RP, you reveal that they're actually the abandoned child of Northgate's mayor, and their father is now looking for them....yeah, that's not gonna fly. XD
Extra: In case you've got anything else you wish to add.

And, of course, if you guys have more ideas for me, please let me know. I'm only one person with one brain, and there's a limited number of ideas inside that brain. Outside input is always appreciated!

Days Since Last Post

Active: Users who have posted once within the past 4 Days.
Polyphemus: 3
Sam12435: 1
The book of bad juju: 3
Wreck: 3
Gisk: 3
Swarley: 1
Apokalipse: 2
Commander: 0
Mercenary Lord: 2

Awol: Users who haven't posted in more than 4 days. Don't panic if you see your name here, as you still have a week to post something. It's understandable that sometimes there just isn't anything to post. If that's the case, just make a quick comment in the OOC to let me know you're still here.
DR_TRAPEZOID: 4
Parteebear: 5
Chantilly: 5

Retired: Users who have spent a week on AWOL status. These characters are no longer active.

[Chantilly]

It's getting late for me, but you'll see a CS tomorrow!

[Polyphemus]

Name: Lee Brandt/ Clarion

Age: 26

Occupation: Sprayer

Appearance: Brandt is a fair Caucasian male who is extremely lean and athletic. He is extremely tall at 6'7" and has especially long arms. Brandt wears his strawberry blonde hair in an outdated middle parting. When off the job, Brandt eschews formality and tends to prefer casual clothing. On the clock, though, he makes every effort to protect his identity, wearing gloves, long sleeves, a painter's mask, dark glasses, and a watch cap.

Gear: Spray paint, satchel, painter's mask, an antique pair of rollerblades

Personality: Quiet but intense, Brandt is extremely passionate and obsessive about certain things, to the point that he'll neglect all else to pursue them. His social life suffers, and he has difficulty getting through most conversations unless the topic interests him. When he really gets going on a project, he'll even neglect food, sleep, and hygiene.

Background: Lee's well-off parents, both successful lawyers, never quite knew what to make of him. Sure, he was bright enough, but in school only really applied himself in subjects that interested him, like art and especially history. They humored their beloved son, always getting him books on the subject. There was one period in particular that fascinated him: the 1990s. In his private opinion, human history had peaked at that point, especially in the fields of art. Voraciously, he studied the period. Brandt viewed the epics of the time, the sagas of Dawson Leery and Cory Matthews, the tale of Jurassic Park, the travails of the Simpson family. He immersed himself in the classical artists U2 and Biz Markie. With an eye for learning the skills of times long past, Brandt, through time and effort, became one of the world's foremost experts in the long-dead art of inline skating.

But it still seemed insufficient. Until one day, among the collection of a dealer in long-forgotten tomes, he discovered a series of books on graffiti and pixacao. Suddenly, it all clicked into place for the obsessed Brandt. This was true freedom, the spirit of the Nineties encapsulated, the attitude that was so laid-back that painting on someone else's property was seen as rebellious and cool rather than a violation of civic pride.

Brandt's obsession turned to the new art, and he tirelessly studied the discipline of the Sprayers. He began making risky midnight forays, tagging simple designs and making a quick getaway on his rollerblades. He had several close calls, but still managed to gain in experience. Until one night, when he was nearly cornered by the police but bailed out by a group of bona fide Sprayers. Elated to have made contact, Brandt begged for admission into the group under the name of Clarion (for San Francisco's Clarion Alley, a hotspot of graffiti in the Nineties). He pestered and wheedled until being allowed under their tutelage. While not the best painter, he is learning fast and earning a fair share. It's not about the money for him, though. Not one little bit.

[Sam12435]

I will make a character and have it up ASAP!

[halt]

Name: Kyle "punk" Straw
Age: Sprayer
Appearance: Kyle looks like your average street kid. Short black unkempt hair, ragged clothing, beaten up khaki jacket with dark green cargo pants and a t-shirt with the anarchy symbol. He stands about 5`11" and
though he is on the smaller size his strength greatly makes up for it. His forearms bulged and his hands
where calaced and rough.
Gear: Spray paint, old backpack containing a ski mask,
for his nightly affairs, brass knuckles, and a
sketchbook.
personality:laid.back, kind of a stoner
Background: Kyle spent his life on the street. His parents where killed by police officers during a shootout with criminals. He spents his.time drawing to escape from reality and climbing the.buildings he saw to keep his strength up. When the new.laws passed kyle adopted the.name.punk, freelancing sprayer jobs, that can lead to.problems sibce crews arent into getting money stolen from them.
Extra: In case you've got anything else you wish to add.ll write out a character sheet tomorrow

[Parteebear]

Name: Thomas Marshal
Age: 26
Occupation: Sprayer

Appearance:

Thomas

Gear:
Spray paint bottles, a smartphone with the gps tag removed, and a baseball bat.

Personality:
Fancying himself a hero, he sees the surveillance state his city is in as a crime against it's populous, one he will rectify. He is hammy, silly and extremely energetic, the first to complain if cooped up for an extended period. He likes learning new tricks, anything that will make him better at his craft or a better savior to the city. His ego is rather inflater, larger than life some might say, but he's a sweetheart at the end of the day.

Background:
Growing up in the middle class gets boring fast. Thomas loved his family dearly and never was left wanting for anything, but the simple fact was it didn't sate his lust for adventure. His whole childhood had consisted of tv shows featuring characters with clear goals, satisfying conflict and far reaching importance, while it looked like his real life was headed toward unending monotony. In college, he fell in with a group of Sprayers, and all that changed. The danger, the fight against a clear enemy, the undeniable proof that he had left his mark, it all spoke to him on a level nothing ever had before, and Thomas knew he would never be content doing anything else. Tagging became his passion, and he honed his skills whenever he could, doing anything he thought might make him better. In his quest to be the best sprayer he could be, he picked up a few skills, namely pick-pocketing and free-running, and trys to challenge his skills every day.

Extra:
-He is a pick-pocket and a free-runner, taking up both skills to become a better tagger. He only lifts keys of people so he can cut through buildings as shortcuts, never touching money or valuables. The free running has obvious benefits.
- When spraying he wears a hood, ski goggles and pulls his scarf up to protect his identity.
-He has a tattoo sleeve of bunnies.

[The book of bad juju]

Sounds pretty neat. Mind if i throw my hat in the ring?

[Wreck]

Name:

Tyven Gorman Geier, or just Tyven Geier (GEE-air)

Alias:

'Jäger'

Age:

25

Occupation:

Sprayer

Appearance:

Picture

Hat + Bandana

Usual outfit/what he looks like from a distance

A collection of thick, bleached hair grows from the top of Tyven's head. It's not long, but it's slick and loosely combed to the side as the other is shaved down to his scalp. He's like someone you would see outside of a mechanic's shop in a 1950's greaser movie, but with way more venom. His face is pretty and has delicate features: high cheekbones and supple, pouty lips. A thin fragrance of opium is always laced around his neck like a collar. Long eyelashes trace the lids of his deep brown puppy-dog eyes that always seem watery. He's mostly caught wearing his nose ring and in his loosely laced combat boots, saggy jeans cuffed up to their tops, lounging around on a corner with a pair of sharp sunglasses. He'll also occasionally wear a hood around his face but not so often that's it's a regular thing. Many days he has a thin, stubbly shadow underneath his sharp jawline simply because he couldn't be bothered with shaving, as it takes more time away from his lounging. He's tall enough to look down upon someone, but still short enough to be intimidated. His facial expression is kept in an unconscious, safe glare and it could come across as snarky. Tyven has an average body type: fit, well-muscled on his arms and legs, carries defined abdominals, all underneath a sun-kissed tan. Small craters of pockmarks are scattered on his face and cheeks from past acne giving him a weathered appearance. On his torso there are several knife scars, obvious fight wounds, and scabs that won't heal. His arms are decorated with black and white tattoos of various origin. Being Tyven, he doesn't like to talk about them. Or maybe he does.

Gear:

Bandana- Used to cover his face while he's working.
Hat- Also used to conceal his identity.
Fingerless gloves- Enhances his grip and also aids in soothing his carpal tunnel.

Butterfly blade- Self defense weapon
Pill bottle- Obvious reasons. Filled with white tablets
Backpack- Used to carry paint and other needed items

Personality:

Tyven is emotionally reactive and he has a higher tendency to experience anxiety, anger and depression. However, he's mostly enthusiastic with a tendency in smaller groups to talk and assert himself. Sometimes he feels strong cravings and urges that he has difficulty resisting. Being open-minded to new and unusual ideas helps him to interact with the world. Tyven has a healthy skepticism of the motives of others, and a belief in being self made. Strike up a conversation about Van Gogh or Bach, however, and you've lost him. He finds art and crafty things boring and might even resent you for liking aesthetic value. The majority of his time outside of his life is spent just enjoying sounds and cloud watching alone, for he's quite an old soul. Tyven has a refreshing impulsiveness about him but many times he takes things too far and can be immature and brash, rubbing wrong people the wrong way. But if you tell him you hate him, he's the kind of guy that just laughs in your face. All things aside, though, he's a unique cocktail with a toxic chaser.

Although being a 'bad boy' is what he's best at, poor Tyven can feel the pain of others vicariously and is easily moved to pity. However, a superiority complex haunts him and sometimes he's seen as arrogant by other people. Sometimes, a small thing that doesn't go his way can set him off and he experiences panic, confusion, and helplessness when under pressure or stress. Things like leading a large group, making a challenging decision, or figuring out a complex solution can make him panic. Strangely, selecting which cologne to wear or deciding where to take someone out for a date is no trouble at all since he makes these decisions often.

Even though he puts up a good front, Tyven has little desire to openly rebel against positions of authority. He's perfectly content to get by with a minimal amount of work, and is seen by others as lazy, but he just thinks that the rest of the world is working too hard. On a battlefield, he knows he way around easily and tends to charge forward rather than hang back for instructions. He could be seen by others as volatile and idiotic. Don't misjudge him however; in a relationship, he likes to wear the pants and might sacrifice everything to save the one he loves.

History:

Tyven Gorman Geier, or the man of many lives.
His past is all mottled because he leaves things unfinished, burning so many bridges that he can't keep things organized in his head.

He was born Jackson Conner in a small town near the north border. His parents worked day jobs and were saving for his college fund like a good family. Everything seemed perfect -- until the party.

Long story short: he picked up a habit he couldn't support and ended up on the street. He had to leave everything.

Following the abandonment of his own home, Tyven (or Jackson at the time) needed to restart somewhere far from where the past was imprinted. So, he packed up his backpack and hitchhiked to the place where everything seemed to be okay: New Orleans. Upon his arrival, he changed his name.

When he heard about the Sprayers, he was living in New Orleans with a few friends and a soon-to-be ex boyfriend. With them, he experienced tragedy intertwined with gang violence, and saw the unfortunate deaths of many people he knew that were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. He slowly tried to distance himself by staying out all night spray-painting buildings and parking garages under the name 'Jäger'. For a while it worked, and under the cloak of night he was like another person. Despite operating illicitly, the authorities know his presence and jail was like a revolving door for him. Eventually he went into hiding for a few years to douse the heat he had gained in the city. All of those exhausting hours alone made him discover himself and realize his full potential. The Sprayers took notice, fortunately, and gained Tyven as an ally. Jäger began operating again, and the authorities took notice. After he severed ties to pursue this newly encountered adventure, he changed his name again and disappeared from history. Another chance to start over for him and his flippant heart.

Extra

- Is bisexual
- Unfortunately, the losses he had experienced impacted his psyche to the point where he now needs substances to hang onto what coolness he has. Addicted to pills.
- A relatively skilled gambler
- Panics easily
- Lies often
- Has arthritis

I'd love to have a twist in his story, so if anyone's interested in collaborating PM me.

[Sam12435]

Kay, here is my CS. Let me know if anything is wrong or needs changing and i will get on it tomorrow. Its almost midnight here and im tiiiiiiiiiiired.

---

Name: Jace Damon/ Free

Age: 19

Occupation: Sprayer

Appearance:

Jace

6 foot in height and a slightly larger than normal build. His hair is a sandy brown and his eyes are a sky blue. When he is spraying, he will wear his mask, hiding both his face from paint and his identity from anyone who may see. But when in the eye of the public he just blends in, appearing like any other faceless sheep in the crowd.

Gear: Always has a supply of spray paint on him. His gas mask he wears when he is out of the public eye. Grappling launcher for easy navigation of the rooftops. Small dagger for protection. Smoke bombs for quick escapes.

Personality: You are spraying when you hear a noise. Cops. You can go left, to a dead end, or right, and try to fight your way out. These are the easiest options to see. But Jace sees things a bit differently to the rest. To him the best, most used, and most preferable route is always up. He is a dreamer, head in the clouds, often imagining a place where everyone is free to live their own lives. It’s because of this dream that he became a sprayer. He wants the world to have its colour back, to be free like the birds he so often admires.

Background: What can be said about Jace. Growing up in the slums makes thing hard for a kid, especially in times like this. Well, slums is a bit of a harsh word, more like ‘lower class’. While the other kids were working or running around, Jace would just sit and stare at the clouds as they wafted over head, forming amusing shapes that would enrapture Jace for hours. Is was only as he reached 10 that he saw something he found strange. After watching the clouds for years he thought he had seen everything there was to see, all the birds and all the shapes. That’s when he saw it. A mural on the side of a building that in an instant captured everything he had ever felt. Bright and vibrant colours, the likes of which he had never seen. The whole thing was amazing, but one part drew his attention the most. Right in the middle was the word “Free”. That was it, but to Jace it was everything. He watched as a figure jumped from the building that the mural stood on and shot out a rope. The figure swung from one building to the other, running along the roof before disappearing out of sight. That was the day that Jace decided what he wanted to do.

Through the rest of his childhood, he would practice running and jumping from objects until it became like second nature to him. And when he wasn’t running, he was drawing. Mostly clouds and birds, but whatever he drew it would always have the word ‘free’ in it somewhere. He would never draw in the open though, not after his parents caught him drawing and beat him.

Despite his obsession, he knew nothing about the Sprayers or what they did. It was only when he was halfway through high school that he learnt of their existence. He decided that’s what he wanted to do with his life. To add some colour to this bland world that he had endured till now. So he started to paint. He would use the little grapple launcher that he had built over the years to scale buildings to the very top. It was there that he would paint his clouds, and let the world know he was free. It was only after a few scrapes with the law that Jace started carrying a knife. That wasn’t enough though, so he used his tinkering skills to whip up smoke bombs, making for a quick escape. His pieces got bigger and bigger until he covered the side of a building with clouds, birds, rainbows and of course, the word free right in the center. This is what caught the attention of the Sprayers. Jace was happy with his life of solo spraying his message, but he was happy to meet fellow artists. These connections eventually lead to Jace becoming a member of the Sprayers. This is the life he lives now, and he loves every minute of it.

Extra: Summary – He loves birds, clouds and the concept of freedom. He is a parkour runner. He is good at tinkering and can make little gadgets. His main mode of transportation is his grapple launcher that lets him swing from buildings. This mechanism wraps around his wrist and has a launch button and a release button. He uses it to swing from one building to another, running across them before launching again.

[Gisk]

My idea for a character: a Sprayer who was only recently released from prison. He was talented and well respected in his "team" before, but he's come back changed, somewhat. I'll get started on writing.

Name: William Hess/Gray
Age: 23
Occupation: Sprayer, semi-retired.

Appearance

Has tattoos for various members of his old crew, using each of their "signatures."
For Trigger: A bomb, placed on his left elbow.
For Data: 01000100, Binary for the letter "D" down the inside of his left forearm.
For Sass, who he believed to have died of her bullet wound: A red X on his right elbow.
For Mouse, who was jailed with him, but died in prison, a cartoon mouse on his right wrist.

Gear: Keeps a satchel with spray paint, and grappling hooks carbon fiber cord. Wears a climbing harness while on the job.
Personality: Before his imprisonment, he was a genial, friendly young man, and a brilliant Sprayer. Members of his old team still remember him like that, but now he's quiet, slow and can be jittery at times. Just six months in a Northgate prison has had a profound effect on his psyche and even his physical appearance.
Background: William was the son of a pair of German immigrants, who moved to Northgate before he was born, due to issues in their own country. He was always an artist and an adventurer, his family was well off and they were big on vacations, usually to scenic or out of the way places, rather than tourist trap cities. Climbing and painting were both hobbies he already possessed. When Northgate started its little police state experiment, Will was among the first to break away. He was one of the founding members of (insert Sprayer team here). He was six months ago, and spent five of those in Northgate Prison. His older brother, who lives back in Germany, wired some money to pay his absurd fines, and possibly a little extra for a bribe. William was released. He's been out for a month but hasn't tried to make contact with his old team. For all the world he looks like he's quit.
It's impossible for him to get employment now, and finding a place to stay was almost as difficult. He currently lives off of money that his older brother sends him.
Extra:
-He used to be called Kraut, in(slightly offensive) homage to his ancestry, but has taken up a new monicker since his old one is known by the authorities. "Gray" is based on his premature loss of hair color, a result of his harrowing time in prison.
-Is a particular expert at climbing and reaching difficult or high places.
-His "signature" used to be a German flag. Now it's the same pattern, but all in shades of gray. Most people don't recognize it anymore, as it just looks like three gray bars.
-Though he still uses a fake monicker, his real name is on a public list of convicted felons, listed along with his old street name. The fact that he never gave anyone up while in prison lets other Sprayers know he's trustworthy.
-Doesn't know that Sass is still alive. Thinks that he and Scarecrow(still imprisoned) are the only surviving members of his old team.

[Mach2]

Hey, there are character sheets in here! That's pretty awesome to wake up to.

@Polyphemus: Accepted. Very nice sheet. I love the 90's culture obsession.
@Parteebear: Accepted. Thomas's tattoo is going to be the death of me. That's adorable. XD
@Sam12435: Accepted. I could see your character being a really effective 'watchman' for the group with all his smoke bombs.
@Bad Juju: Of course, make yourself a sheet, we'd love to have you!
@Gisk: I'm gonna assume you're adding more to your sheet yet? I loved the idea you PMed me.

@Everyone: Just a reminder, the anit-advertisement law is a relatively new thing, only being implemented ten years ago. All of our characters are old enough to remember a time when there was still public advertisement. Just in case that plays into anyone's background or character motivation. ^_^

I'll probably end up doubling up on characters for this one. I'll get started on my sheets now. For now, here's a quick overview of my character concepts:

Lauren "Sass" Hedley: By day, Lauren works part-time at a small library in downtown Northgate. By night, she becomes Sass, leader of one of the city's most capable Sprayer crews. However, six months ago, her crew was arrested. Two were killed, two were arrested, and Sass managed to escape with only a bullet in her shoulder. Today, she is picking up the pieces of her career as a Sprayer, working to find herself a new crew. Sass is back, and everyone knows it.
She'll be the one who gathers everyone together into a crew. Yay teamworks1!!!!11! :D I imagine she'll have particular interest in Gisk's character, considering he was released from prison.

Mallory Teken: Cold, heartless, and career-driven, Mallory is a rising star in the city's security system. She has no mercy for those who abuse or break the laws. Mallory measures her success by how many criminals land in the jail cell because of her actions. She comes from a family of disrepute, and is driven by the fact that she wants to be better than them.
Mallory's got a nice potential for background story with some characters if you guys are interested. :3

[Gisk]

Do you think Gray was part of Sass's old crew? I'd have to change the timeline a bit, but that wouldn't be a huge deal. It would definitely add some depth to both of them, if they knew each other for a longish amount of time.

[Mach2]

I was actually thinking that, and the only thing in the way was the timeline. That'd work very nicely. Let's do it.

[Gisk]

I think my CS is more or less finalized now.

[Mach2]

Looks good. Accepted, Gisk.

[Mach2]

Name: Lauren "Sass" Hedley

Age: 20

Occupation: Sprayer

Appearance:

Image:

Sass stands at 5'4", shorter than she'd like, with a slim build. Years of sprinting around the city have made her athletic, despite her day job as a librarian. Her arms and legs are slender, but there is muscle clearly defined beneath the skin.

During the day, Sass's unruly red hair is her most distinctive feature. At night, she pulls it back into a messy ponytail and covers it with the hood of her thin v-neck sweater. The grey garment is the least colourful piece of clothing she owns, but nondescript enough to allow her some anonymity when painting. The rest of her night time attire consists of slim-fitting black pants, bright red runners, and a skull-printed bandana over her face. Her eyes remain uncovered, but she never makes eye contact with the security cameras.

During the day, Lauren's clothing is slightly precocious. She has a tendency for deep v-necks and slim-fitting pants. However, sleeveless or shoulderless shirts are out of the question. Lauren's left shoulder is marked by a horrendous scar. The bullet wound is six months old, but damage within the muscle and bones still pains her when she moves her arm the wrong way.

Gear: Sass carries her gear in a dark canvas backpack. The bag allows her to keep her hands free while sprinting around the city or scaling the side of a building. The main pocket of the bag contains her extensive collection of spray paint. Also contained within the bag is a digital camera, a switchblade, and a small booklet filled with reference pictures and hand-made stencils.

Personality:
There's a reason Lauren took on the identity of 'Sass'. She is precocious, confident, and sometimes even slightly arrogant. She knows her views and her beliefs, and stands by them confidently. Dare to contradict her opinion, and chances are you'll get a passionate lecture on the subject. Her temper is just as volatile as her views and opinions. Do something to set Lauren off, and you'll be looking at a violent outburst. She is fiery when angry, and she angers easily.

Despite her volatile temperament, Sass is a natural born leader. She always seems to know what to do in a given situation. She plans carefully. Nothing matters more to her than the safety of her crew. As a result, the loss of The Devil's Own, her former crew, causes her feelings of horrible regret to this day. There are nights when she wakes up from nightmares in which she watches them drop from gunfire before her eyes. However, Sass puts up a brave front. To those who know her, she is fearless. It's only when a person gets very close that they realize the damage the loss of her crew did to Sass.

Background:
Lauren was born to a fairly well-off family. She was raised well, but was always the kid on the playground who you didn't want to mess with. When the anti-advertisement laws were established, she was ten years old. Even at that age, the girl was a budding anarchist. Dozens of times, she was sent home from school for scratching messages into the paint of girl's washroom stalls. "Free hugs afternoon recess by monkey bars" was her trademark. For a child, it was the most basic form of advertisement. For her teachers, it was a delinquent behaviour that would lead to trouble for her later in life. Lauren's free hugs set the example for her classmates. Every afternoon recess for several weeks straight, the children would gather around the monkey bars and hug one another, laughing as they rebelled against the rules in the most innocent way possible.

Eventually, Lauren's schoolyard antics came to an end. She went beyond hugs, scratching messages advertising chocolate bars, folded paper airplanes, and other childhood toys. She also started charging, fifty cents for each of her goods. For a ten year old, she managed to make a good bit of change. When her teachers found out, they gave her one warning. Lauren refused to stop, feeling the need to rebel. She was expelled.

In her next school, Lauren kept a lower profile. Her acts of rebellion became subtler. She excelled in art class, but her pieces frequently contained controversial images or a graffiti-esque style. She completed all of the assignments she was given, but always found some way to make them hers. To make them different. In eleventh grade, Lauren became involved in the Sprayer movement. She took on the pseudonym of 'Sass', a nickname several of her classmates had already taken to calling her when she back-talked her teachers. By the time she graduated, Sass was piecing together her own crew, "The Devil's Own".

After a year, The Devil's Own were famous throughout the city. Their tags were known. Their monikers were on the tongues of Sprayers everywhere. Even their art styles could be recognized. The crew consisted of Sass, Kraut, Scarecrow, Trigger, Mouse, and Data. The six of them were unstoppable...almost, anyways.

Six months ago, a job went wrong. The six of them were working on a huge mural, an advertisement for a struggling clothing boutique, when Scarecrow and Trigger sounded the alarm. They'd been sighted, and law enforcement were on their way. Even though the crew wasted no time in sprinting away, they didn't make it. Trigger was gunned down first. Data fell when he went back for his friend, and took a bullet to the brain. Mouse, Scarecrow, and Kraut were subdued and arrested. Sass took two bullets to the shoulder, but kept sprinting. She returned to her tiny apartment, where she began the bloody task of removing the bullets. With a pair of kitchen shears and a set of tweezers, the job was messy. She nearly lost consciousness several times. When Sass finally managed to get herself bandaged up, she had nearly bled out.

She hasn't painted since then. For weeks, Sass mourned the loss of her friends. The guilt of letting her crew suffer harm weighed heavy on her. Finally, she began going out again after curfew. She found her old paintings, all tagged with a bold red 'X'. But she also found others. New artists, painters without crews, ones she had neglected to notice when she'd still had The Devil's Own at her side. Finally, Sass brought a can of red paint with her. She painted a red 'X' beside the paintings of a few of her favourite artists, along with cryptic clues as to where to meet her.

Sass is back, and she's gathering a crew.

[Mach2]

Name: Mallory Teken

Age: 19

Occupation: Head of Northgate surveillance team

Appearance:

Mallory

Mallory considers herself to be a professional, and she looks the part. The girl wears her light brown hair tied back in a tight ponytail. Her features are cold, with sharp cheekbones and a perpetually intense expression. Her eyes, a pale shade of blue, have been compared to ice. When she is angry or irritated, they seem to stab into your soul like a knife. Everything about her is cold.

In terms of clothing, Mallory's wardrobe is clean and put-together. She wears sleeveless white shirts, and loose black dress pants. A firearm of some sort is always seen at her hip, for self-defence purposes. Her shoes are practical, a simple pair of thin black cross-trainers. They allow her to run and be active at a moment's notice, while still maintaining her professional appearance.

Gear:
Handgun: Mallory's gun is always found in a holster at her hip.
Bullet-proof vest: When the situation calls for it, Mallory will don her vest.
Earpiece: Mal's earpiece is wirelessly linked to her cell phone. She receives and sends updates on Sprayer locations at a moment's notice.

Personality:
Mallory is selfish, and cares little for others. If she stands to gain as the result of an action, she will take that action. Consequences for others are meaningless to her. She cares only about how things affect her.

Having worked hard, harder than most, to get where she is now has made Mallory an incredibly determined person. Even with her past working against her, she strives every day to contribute to the safety and well-being of the city. For her, that means monitoring security and making arrests. In Mallory's eye, those who break the law are deserving of the punishments that befall them. Slightly malicious, she is all to willing to carry out those punishments.

Background:
Mallory was born into a large family in New Orleans. She was the youngest of seven, with an age gap of nine years between her and the next youngest child. As a result, Mallory never was particularly close to her family. This is probably for the best, as many of the Teken children grew up to be criminals or met unfortunate ends after becoming involved in gang warfare.

Mallory was left to her own devices as a child, for the most part. She was incredibly intelligent, and excelled at school with ease. However, in high school, she started to fall in with the wrong group of people. She made friends with the type of people her older siblings were in contact with. Gang members. Delinquents. Even though she graduated with A's and B's, her grades had still fallen from the perfect scores she was used to. After graduation, Mallory was quick to leave. She had watched several of her own family die as a result of gang disputes. It wasn't the future she wanted for herself.

Instead, she moved to Northgate, hearing about the revolutionary steps that were being taken within the city. Seventeen years old, barely graduated from high school, Mallory signed on with the security team. She worked hard, taking the longest shifts and putting in more hours than anyone else. The girl's effort and determination didn't go unnoticed. It took a year for her to make it into the higher ranks of the security services. Six months later, she was appointed as the head of the surveillance team. Mallory is the one who is alerted when laws are broken. She is the one who dispatches enforcement officers. It is because of her that felons find their way into the jail cells.

[Swarley]

Name: Carissa Keen/Anarcho

Age: 24

Occupation: Sprayer

Appearance: Carissa's clothes are usually ragged and dirty, embroidered with logos of punk bands she enjoys. She has lots of tattoos, usually of her own art with anti-establishment sayings and such. Taller than average (about 6 feet tall) and quite skinny.

Gear: Spray paint, a black bandanna and small paint mask for spraying, an antique MP3 player with earbuds for listening to music

Personality: Usually very relaxed and downbeat, when not tagging she's at "home" and listening to music, however if you get her angry her temper is not to be underestimated and can get quite unruly at times.

Background: She was raised in the city by a more lower class family. She tried to grow up normally, she went to school and had friends. Most of her friends were really into anarchist and socially liberal music as most teens were at the time so she also got into her fair share of protesting and delinquency as the world slowly fell apart around her. Though she liked her family well enough she couldn't bring herself to be a burden to them, with the low amount of rations her family was given on welfare she didn't want to seem like she was taking all their food, so when she was in her senior year of high school she ran away from home and tried to become completely off the grid. She squats in old abandoned houses outside the new metropolis, and couch surfs with friends if she really needs to be in the city. All her transactions are done in cash only and she pays off an old friend who works as a data entry clerk to help keep her off camera and off records which allows her to get away with not paying bills and not being seen.

Extra: Bisexual (4 on the Kinsey scale), smoker, athletic and engages in "parkour" in order to get to the best spots and away from the cops as quickly as possible, passionate about punk rock and 90s indie rock (Modest Mouse, Pavement, Sonic Youth, here's a sample)

[Mach2]

Looks good, Swarley! One thing I haven't written into the OOC yet is the topic of homelessness. Because of the curfew, homelessness within Northgate is virtually impossible. So having Carissa in abandoned houses outside the city, and couch surfing, those work well. Sleeping in alleyways, not so much.

Wreck, also accepted. :D I'll edit you both into the character list later tonight.

Also, Parteebear, does Thomas have a pseudonym for working as a Sprayer?

[Swarley]

Alright thanks, I've edited my post accordingly.