[OOC] Amongst the Lonesome- A return to Santa Somabra [Fantasy Noir]

[Kingfisher]

@JulienJaden how much do I need to pay you for the rights to "getting wood"?

[JulienJaden]

@Kingfisher Peanuts. Literally peanuts.

[Atrophy]

We did it! We made a post!

Go team!

[Kingfisher]

We did it! We made a post!

Go team!

@Atrophy

You left out the bit where Valorie gets bitten and becomes a were-pug :(

[Atrophy]

<Snipped quote by Atrophy>

You left out the bit where Valorie gets bitten and becomes a were-pug :(

@Kingfisher

Man, don't spoil the surprise.

[Kingfisher]

<Snipped quote by Kingfisher>

Man, don't spoil the surprise.

@Atrophy

I dun goofed.

[JulienJaden]

<Snipped quote by Atrophy>

I dun goofed.

@Kingfisher

*woofed

[Kingfisher]

<Snipped quote by Kingfisher>

*woofed

@JulienJaden

Eeeeeeeeeey

[Kingfisher]

The next plot thread has been set in motion. I'm open to PMs if anyone has any suggestions/ would like to be involved in a specific way.

Y'all best be getting your flu vaccines!

[Wernher]

Can we have a resume as to what would be 'Public Knowledge'?

[Lexicon]

Hey all. So, after getting my shit together, I'm coming back. Atrophy, your post involving Vigilance and the Rat attack was beautiful. You're awesome. And now Narcissa has a hate-on for Valorie breaking one of her swords. I'm going to read through the IC to brainstorm some possible ways for my brooding ljosalfr to get back into the mix. Expect a post by Sunday. Let's do this!

[Atrophy]

@LexiconYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!

Glad you got your shit right. Welcome back!

[Wernher]

Name/Nicknames: Veronika Tolstoi 'Madam Superintendent'

Race: Human

Age: 35

Appearance:

The Superintendent always placed a lot of importance on physical appearance, knowing that those you meet only enough to give a first impression are often those you want to impress the most. In her younger days this meant daily training to stay fit and excel beyond the usual police standard but now stress and skipping meals is what keeps her frame lite, although it added a certain gauntness to her face and overall her body became less curvy and more... angular. She was never a fan of makeup as it sent the 'wrong idea' about her, femininity not being something good to have in a man's world such as the police, but now she experiments a bit to try and hide what age and work is doing to her body.

Clothing wise, she seems to always be on the job and even outside of it, won't be caught in a restaurant without clean pants and buttoned shirt, her posture perfected to inspire respect and confidence. Only at home does she allow herself to walk around in pajamas. Some would laugh about this and compare her to a politician, always perfect at every moment and behind the scene its exactly the case. Veronika has ambitions for public office soon and wants to keep her public image perfect.

Personality:
The Superintendent is considered by many of the honest citizens of Santa Somabra to be a living saint. A tireless defender of the honest and hard working folk and the one who finally polished and made shine anew the badge of law and order after several... tarnishing predecessor. Although some might question her complete lack of transparency in anything related to police activity, they understand that this is of course all for the greater good, to protect the lives of those that go on the front line of the fight to protect said honest and hard working folk. Even if some might, god forbid, think this is all an elaborate facade and that there must be corruption underlying in her tight knit close circle of associates she pushes and pulls into power to make the police entirely and utterly loyal to her, they can only admit that she's an influence for the best as she keeps the worst of the worst in line and allows the city to flourish despite the extreme burden of crime it must endure.

Behind the scene its another story however. She is still all smile and extremely polite but the men of law she commands can't help but find the atmosphere she has instilled to be... oppressive. Veronika demands nothing else but total obedience and unwavering loyalty to free the police from corruption which she deems to be the most dangerous thing to society (Out of all the murderous things lurking in this godforsaken city) and curiously, it is often those who question her methods that are found to feed information to criminals, use drugs or, when said officer could be considered above suspicion, to be found shot patrolling one of the most dangerous part of the city.

To the short list of close friends she has the mask begins to crack however. She's good, or at least considers herself to be working for good. But at the same time she has a very broad interpretation of what is bad and Veronika could indeed be seen as a social darwinist. In her eyes, petty drug dealers are as guilty as petty drug users who deserve nothing but wallow in the misery they placed themselves in. It's really about class. She cannot stand the crude, the immoral and debased lowly individuals that form the mass known as 'The poor'. In fact, she considers her own popularity with them as a sign of how stupid they are since under her leadership, petty crimes, the ones that they are the most victim of, have been much less of a focus. No, all people see is what she wants them to see, the big arrests, the triumphs of the law. She protects the banks and the gated communities of the rich and powerful. Poor people could starve for all she care.

Then there is what she truly is. Veronika Tolstoi, self righteous and extremely proud civil servant who is proud to protect a social order she'd call necessary. After all, the corporations and the rich people... it is they that pay the taxes! Without them, there would be no police at all so it's only natural. But she knows such a view is unpopular. People do not know how things truly are, they don't want to know! Shouldn't know because they couldn't stomach it. It is why she surrounds herself with yes-men, why certain elements of the police, even if they are extremely competent, are thrown away. Free will is over rated, since the majority of the world cannot financially afford it.

Bio:
Veronika Tolstoi wasn't born in this hole of Santa Somabra, no she was born in a pristine community on the east coast. A gated community where everyone was while and well off, where simply having a barbecue can be considered 'Networking' since everyone there owns a business of sort. Her parents were no exception, her mother being a trophy wife, a model that had known some success to be able to stand up to elves in beauty contests, her father a well known lawyer in New York that had his own cabinet and became head of the Bar in the state. It was idyllic and her life followed a rather obvious course as she inherited the love of law and order that had driven her father. To take pride in seeing the guilty punished and the idea that somehow, people should all strive to be what her family is, a polite and educated unit of a polite and educated community. It would give birth to her love of good manners and ethiquette... as well as extreme snobbish and distaste for those less virtuous and cultured as them.

Veronika of course went to a private school and was showered with gifts although a firm hand kept pushing her 'the right way', as her father hired tutors if Veronika's grades were less than As as well as financed extra curricular activities and psychologists to keep her focused and get rid of what little 'Rebellious phase' she had. But why would she rebel really? Every time she went to the city she saw the homeless and the poor, struggling to go on their daily lives and when she got older and found the news, she saw how worst people in other countries had it and the racial and class struggles of America. All of this however didn't make her question her own life, no it made her criticize their own. People who were rioting in the streets only wanted hand outs and didn't aim to better themselves. Ogres on national TV with their impossible to understand lingos. Dark elves complaining about their lives while the next story was how they kept slaves in a sewer. Goblins... being goblins.

She proceeded to go to the Army Officer's corps as after all, women could now attend and once again went through with stellar scores as she didn't even need her family around her to act like she always did, it was a reflex. She served the bare minimum in the army afterward, gaining promotions because her superior officers were her neighbors. No, this was all because it was the proper thing to do, her father did it, his father before... It taught discipline and what it taught Veronika was that MIGHT MAKES RIGHT. What prevents people from taking your stuff at gun point? More people with more guns preventing them! Liberals didn't understand that America as the richest nation on earth needs the most powerful army to go with it. One went with the other! And that was when her love of the law joined with that newfound philosophy.

Criminals with guns must be stopped by a police with guns. Principles alone didn't stop people from committing crime, a criminal wouldn't give you back your stuff because you ask them 'What if it was you?', no. Criminals are generally too stupid to know what was empathy, violence and fear, those were the languages they knew. And so she studied law and afterward, joined the police. Her father was proud but wanted her to stay close, become a peace officer in a gated community that knew no crime. But she wanted more. It was why she went to Santa Somabra. Crime everywhere meant more criminals to stop, which meant faster promotions! She never even went on a patrol once of course, she had officer training in the army and a law degree from Harvard so she started high ranking immediately and from then on... it was trivial.

Her experience in the army brought a new kind of leadership. Veronika didn't want to 'maintain the peace', she wanted to 'rid of crime'. She'd let drug dealers do their things to use her men to bust down warehouses full of the stuff. She'd let criminals go to catch bigger fish, even proving, behind close doors, to be quite open to negotiate going easy on certain crime lords if they could in turn not attract too much heat and throw their enemies under the bus. It wasn't long until she was made Superintendent of the police force, at the delight of the elite, both of the town and of its underworld who had a person who understood them and their concerns.

Now however the game is becoming even bigger for her, because Tolstoi feels its time for the next big thing. FBI directorship? Congress, Senate or maybe Mayor of Santa Somabra... People talk but no one knows. What's certain is that the events about to happen will weight heavily in the balance and thus she doesn't want negative media attention, she has enough skeletons in her closet as it is. Plus, any career in politics will demand a generous amount of donors.

Other:
Nothing I can think of at the moment, will probably add later.

[Lexicon]

So, just out of curiosity, who is still in this? I know Kingfisher, Atrophy, and who else? I was told that Drinky, RedDusk, and Flagg had been quiet for awhile. Rockette too, I'm assuming.

[Kingfisher]

@Wernher What was it specifically that you wanted to know about being/not being public knowledge?

And that is the kind of CS I like to see. The Superintendent is accepted. Feel free to move her to the CS tab.

[DJAtomika]

Hi

[Lexicon]

Hey, DJ!

So, I've read the IC and revisited my old character sheet. My plnned post probably won't move the plot forward much, but it'll reintroduce Vigilance, flesh out her security detail, and introduce someone who might be useful later on. Looking forward to it!

[Kingfisher]

GO TEAM!

[Lexicon]

@Kingfisher Out of curiosity, is there anything we need to be aware of as far as what direction you hope to move the plot in? I know you're introducing the MRB, which is an awesome concept, but is there anything else we should be aware of right now? As far as what our characters might be hearing on the streets and whatnot.

[Kingfisher]

@Lexicon Glad to hear you're a fan of our very own Feds.

The Brotherhood of Rot are doing some dastardly deeds, which would generate whispers about kidnappings, and people disappearing off of the streets.

Also the Bloodbloom Syndicate and the Nyctari are about to but heads in a big way.