The calm, emotionless voice pierced through the MARCH Forward Base 1 (MFB1) as it always did, only this time it sounded different, off somehow. The robotic voice that was so familiar raised goose bumps on arms and caused concern amongst co-workers. The words were known across the whole complex; only ever spoken when it was put on complete lockdown. The cause of this specific lockdown was unknown. There were a few possibilities, such as biochemical outbreaks, a virus, or potential terrorism, but this? This seemed to have no cause.
“This is no reason to worry.”
The Director of Operations’ voice floated over the intercom, which was slightly more comforting to hear. People began to relax; the danger would pass, whatever it was. General Mariam Diarra was a trusted leader, both on and off the battlefield, and her time at MFB1 has been no different. Any bug or glitch in the system would be fixed within moments, as these things occurred frequently in the early days of establishing The Net, a self -learning AI, which the creators have nicknamed Annette. People trusted that a small issue like this could be solved.
The creators of Annette were a team of young coders and idealists, named MARCH due to their initials. Each of them had a different scientific background, and they used their combined talents to create the world’s first fully sapient AI. The more Annette’s popularity grew, the more she learned. She was in every home, every system, the entire city was powered by her. From home security to the police weapons, personal assistants to self -driving public transport. Everything was connected, she saw everything, and she retained everything. Her birthplace was in this very complex, almost 50 years ago, and she was an instant hit: Everybody adored her.
When the auto-defence systems of the complex activated, and the protective barrier erected around the entire complex, however, that was when the adoration began to die. General Diarra tried to make a phone call, and found the line dead; all of the lines were dead. Then Annette spoke,
Welcome to This is Anette, a Science Fiction Thriller about a rogue AI in a military complex on an artificial island in the future. I will be co-GMing this RP with the lovely @Lady Avalon! So questions can be directed either towards myself or towards her. Standard rules for RPing apply, in addition to (you would have seen some of these before):
1. No Godmodding, Mary Sues, Gary Stus, Metagaming etc. 2. Please notify either myself or Lady Avalon if you know you are about to become inactive, or even if you're having writer's block, it's just nice to know where everyone is. 3. What I and Lady Avalon say is law, but we will listen to reason and take suggestions. 4. Be nice, don't argue, no name calling etc. Just general etiquette really. 5. Any actions other player characters do must be agreed by that player, this includes if your post involves another player's character death or injury. 6. If you want to kill a major NPC or do something that you believe will affect the storyline dramatically, message one of us and we will discuss it. If you post something we didn't plan for, we will either adapt to it or ask you to rework your post. 7. Take things to PMs if they get too steamy. 8. Please attempt to have a standard for the quality, length, and frequency of your posts. We will understand if life gets in the way, of course, we're not monsters. 9. Decisions matter a lot in this RP, so please ensure you give people ample time to post. 10. Have fun!!
The Stage
The World
The year is 3094, and the world is moving along just fine. Wars are being waged for reasons long unknown, people are rebelling against their leaders, and "According to a study, 99% of the population are unhappy". Technology is zooming forward, and clean energy is almost the only kind of energy the world knows. Some things the human race has fixed, and others, they're still working on. International collaboration has lessened in recent years, with the possible fortune to be gained in science has skyrocketed, and every nation wants to pocket the profit.
Plasma Propelled Shell Weaponry (PPSW): Weaponry that fires shells shot forward by superheated gas, also known as plasma. The shells are so hot and are ejected so fast that a shot from a small arm could melt a hole in a tank.
HydroForce™ Weaponry: Weapons that propel extremely fine and high-pressure jets of Highly Corrosive Water (HCW) that can wear away most metals, stones, and many other physical barriers. The water is a secret mixture of different chemicals that can be easily synthesised from the atmosphere and ocean.
Magrail and Magcars: Transport that relies on magnetic lines underground, or on tracks above cities, even less developed countries have them nowadays, with off-world mining missions able to harvest massive amounts of magnetic material.
HardSpark™ Barriers: Barriers created by pure electricity, they cannot be melted or penetrated, and immediately fry any matter sent towards it. EMPs can only affect them if they reach the power box, otherwise, these barriers are pretty much indestructible.
Mindar™ Detection: A radar-like technology that can detect signals emitted specifically by the human brain, allowing subjects who cannot be detected by radar to be found. This can hardly be interrupted, apart from synthetic brain augmentations.
Biomechanics and Bioengineering: What the past would have called "cyborgs" now exist, and are relatively common. Cybernetics are used to both aid the disabled, and to improve human functionality already, such as mechanical limbs or in-built assistants.
Magma-Propulsion Generators (MPG): Deep-earth drills that convert power from the ever-moving magma under the earth's crust, both through its movement and its heat. It's theorised that it could cause damage to the earth, and as such has become the new "fossil fuel".
However, one new development in science has eclipsed these, and that is Annette, the world's first ever fully sapient AI. She was created by a team of scientists called MARCH, a group of hyper-intelligent individuals with unique talents. Her residence? The island of Cancairn.
Cancairn
Cancairn is the newest country to have been formed. Started on an artificial island in the Pacific Ocean near the equator, the nation was brought into life by The Cairn Project, a group of like-minded individuals from Scotland, who wanted to create a space for international security, success, and solitude. The island was created solely for the purpose of the nation of Cancairn, and the project took just 3 years, and then a further 2 years to lay the foundations for the capital city, Cancairn City, and bases such as MFB1 (previously called Cancairn City-Base, CCB), to be established.
A couple of years after the city was established, MARCH requested entry to the city, in order to continue their work in a more stable and secret environment. All of the citizens of Cancairn City were thoroughly vetted and they had background checks to ensure they were the right people for the city, and would not cause it any harm. As such, Cancairn City has one of the lowest crime rates in the world, in addition to 0% homelessness and 0% unemployment, a veritable utopia. After their vetting process, all of the scientists were allowed into the city. They even, after discussing with the leadership their plans for Annette, were given CCB to work in further secrecy, as long as they could reap some of the benefits of their projects. As such, Cancairn City was the first public place for Annette to be introduced to, and CCB was renamed to MARCH Forward Base 1, MFB1.
The city relies on 100% clean power, with wind turbines, solar panels, wave generators, and Magma-Propulsion Generators (MPG) powering it all, along with everything within the city being recycled and foot wastage eliminated by rationing, ensuring everyone has enough to eat, and no one has too much. The city has one of the most expensive and elaborate defence systems in the world, and as such has never been the target of a successful terrorist attack or war.
The city is lead by a council, which includes all of the surviving MARCH scientists, General Mariam Diarra, Adilbek Tazhin, Annette herself, and others who reside within the city. The council members are voted into power by the Congress, and each member of Congress is voted into power by the people, but ever since their arrival, the members who reside at MFB1 have always been in power.
MARCH Forward Base 1
Built in the year 3020 as an army base for Cancairn City named Cancairn City Base (CCB), it was eventually repurposed to become the MARCH Forward Base for scientific research in the year 3034. It was used as a site for various experimental testing, including weaponry and defence systems. The introduction of Anette wasn't until the year 3044, after a 10-year period in which the MARCH scientists worked on Annette. Her installation was first on MFB1, and then to the other 5 bases that had been established, and then finally it was released for use into the sprouting metropolis of Cancairn City, in a watered-down form for civilian use. The MARCH scientists were known worldwide for their work, and it was slowly implemented in other parts of society.
The Base is located 20 miles (32km) south of Cancairn City's border. To access the road, you have to show an official pass with electronic tagging to the guards, in addition to a retinal scan, fingerprints, and give a unique verbal password to a voice recognition system. All of this was implemented and developed by Dr Flórez against infiltration and espionage. The road between MFB1 and Cancairn City is owned by The MARCH Coalition, but the surrounding area belongs to nature – fern trees enclose the entire complex. There is a second gate located at the very front of the complex, with a guard tower and another security system, to reduce the risk of faults occurring or someone slipping through.
Centre of Command: Where General Mariam Diarra and her subordinates coordinate any military power they have in action, and where they discuss where to go forward from this moment in time. The building is near the central area of MFB1 and is a drab concrete building with the flag of Cancairn above the door.
Government Office: Where Chairman Adilbek Tazhin, the government head of MFB1, and of The MARCH Coalition works with other government officials and determines the outward message of the complex. In addition, the complex's main admin and HR are performed here. The building is a 10 story high glass building, and an archway through the entirety of it enters the Accounting and Admin Office Park.
Accounting and Admin Office Park: Smaller offices where less important accounting, admin, HR and PR takes place, in the centre is a park for the office workers to relax on their lunch break. The buildings all share a similar style to the Government Office.
Research Labs 1-10: The labs where all new projects and research is conducted, in addition to where continued work to improve and develop Annette is happening. This is where you'll find the members of MARCH most of the time. The buildings are all heavy lead, with multiple layers of airlocks and security checks to get inside. These buildings circle the centre of the complex, with only the Government Office and the Centre of Command to alongside them.
Canteen: Where many of the people at the complex go to eat, a simple brick building large enough to feed 1,500 people at a time, with chefs both human and robotic working almost around the clock in order to keep everyone fed. This building is at the edge of the compound, next to the Military Dormitories, behind the Military Training centre.
Military Training Centre: A zoned off area with both indoor and outdoor training grounds, including assault courses, firing ranges, classrooms and more to keep the army up to a high standard. The outdoor area is covered in a variety of different terrains, marshlands, desert, snow tundra and others, each temperature and wind regulated to mimic the real environments. The building containing the indoor sections is another drab concrete building with the flag of Cancairn above the entrance. This building sits between the Centre of Command, the Dormitories, and Canteen.
Military Dormitories: The building in which all of the military personnel sleep, standing at 8 stories high, each floor with enough bedding and bathrooms for around 750 people. The building looks exactly like the other military buildings.
The MFB1 Institute: A school opened by Prof. Induwura in pursuit of new talent a few years after Annette's completion. Still, to this day, the entrance exam is one of the hardest to pass in the world, in addition to the copious security checks required to enter the base alone. Prof. Induwura was set on only letting the elite in, fulfilling his ego and desire to prove himself the most intelligent scientist in the world. The building is a piece of modern architecture, designed by Natalia Gaviria, Dr Flórez's partner, with sweeping windows and greenery covering the entire building, it stands within the Residential Park.
Residential Park: The place where the scientists, government officials, janitorial, catering, and utility staff (and all of their families) reside. The area is a sleek suburb, with lots of recreation space such as parks, coffee shops, restaurants, supermarkets and other retailers within a retail park in the centre of the Residential Park. The buildings all share a similar design to The MFB1 Institute, as they were also designed by Natalia Gaviria. This area is spread out behind the research labs, so the scientists have easy access to their work.
Artillery and Auto-Defence Systems North, East, South & West: All the defences of the base are situated in four areas around the edge of the complex. These include anti-aircraft artillery, Radar, Mindar™, infantry turrets, PPSW cannons and others in order to defend the base from any kind of attack.
Utilities Centre: This centre contains all of the power, water, and sewage of the complex, in addition to containing fire crews and a hospital, in order to keep everyone, and everything, in the complex safe. All of this is contained underground, with large ramps to fit any vehicles that would need to get in and out of the area. The entrances to this area contain further security checks, with only certain people pertaining the access to it, through more security systems similar to the ones at the entrance.
Hangars & Airfield: A set of hangars and garages in order to hold a lot of the military, and a few non-military vehicles within the base. Includes 4 runways for launching planes up to the size of a commercial airliner. The hangers are demi-cylindrical buildings, with roofs that can open completely for near-instantaneous deployment of helicopters and jump-jets. There are 3 hangars and 2 garages, and this area is located behind the Accounting and Admin Office Park.
NPCs
Major
You may control major NPCs, as long as: 1. You control them faithfully to their character 2. You maintain awareness of their current whereabouts (e.g. Dr Arup cannot both be in the canteen and at home) 3. You request permission from myself or Lady Avalon when wanting to do something major with a character (character death/injury etc.) We will be adding to this list as the RP plays out. It is unlikely that many (if any) characters you create will become this significant, but if you believe it has occurred, or we do, we will discuss them becoming a major NPC.
MARCH Scientists
Gender: Male
Age: 88
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Appearance: Prof. Induwura looks shockingly young. Due to his self-obsession, he continuously employs the best plastic surgeons and doctors to keep his body looking in peak physical condition. His smooth skin and artificially blue eyes make him seem almost more robotic than Annette. He has long, curled black hair that reaches his muscled shoulder blades
Occupation: Head MARCH Scientist, Computer Scientist, Coder, Professor of Computer Science and Coding at The University of Colombo (Former), Professor of Computer Science and Coding at The MFB1 Institute
Relationships:
Personality: Prof. Induwura is egotistical, conceited and conscientious. He believes himself to be like a god, and that the city should value him above all else. He ensures he his always in the limelight and will always think of himself before anyone else. He is a hard worker, pouring countless of hours into his work, especially Annette. He once joked he was like Victor Frankenstein, only his creation was beautiful and the answer to everyone's problems. He still has every article about him saved in his apartment.
Backstory: Mahesh was born into a family of fame and success. His parents both stars of Sri Lankan film, which was rising in popularity and worldwide appeal. Mahesh quickly became a child star, juggling his education with photo shoots and the occasional acting job. He has adored the limelight from a young age, but in addition, his parents were being told that, somehow, he was still achieving the highest grades in his school. His parents decided that he had a choice to make, he could either stay in Sri Lanka and be a child star or go to university abroad and be a scientist. Not wanting to always be in the shadow of his parents, he chose the latter and was sent off to The University of Tokyo.
At the university was when his true genius became apparent, during his first year, he always outshone the other students, and occasionally stunned the professors there with his huge intellect. He was not respected, as a life of luxury and apathy had made him distant and even cruel to other people. He saw it as a form of fear, and craved it, and went out of his way to be the centre of attention.
He was labelled a "troublemaker" at the university, vandalising repeatedly and psychologically tormenting other students. But no matter what he did, the university refused to kick him out, as his genius level intellect meant he would be a great source of income for the university. He passed with full marks in everything and completed all of the optional units available to him.
After leaving university, he no longer needed to cause trouble to get the spotlight on him, but his attitude towards others was as repugnant as ever. He often made international news, one week with an extraordinary breakthrough, another with a withering statement about fellow scientists. He began to teach at The University of Colombo, back in his home country of Sri Lanka, in order to return there to be praised by his parents and people, but receiving much less than he was expecting.
A few years into becoming a professor, Prof. Induwura heard of a young woman who had just hacked into the United States Armed Forces, Angie Flórez. She was just 18, but Prof. Induwura could see potential in her and contacted the US Armed Forces in order to get her a deal. She would not serve any prison time, but would instead become a White Hat for the US Armed Forces, while being trained under Prof. Induwura's wing. He did it mostly for the publicity he would receive, but he could still tell when someone had a spark in their eyes. The US Armed Forces agreed, and she was taken under his wing, some say she would have preferred prison.
Despite his reputation, he still attended many of the science fairs and summits in order to place himself directly in the spotlight. It was at the CodeYork fair in New York where he met Dr Rafaell Dertouzos. For a while, Prof. Induwura had been publicly musing on the possibility of creating a fully sapient AI, and Dr Dertouzos was infatuated with the idea. They discussed the AI for the entire weekend the fair was running. Dr Dertouzos suggested that the three of them, himself, Prof. Induwura, and Dr Flórez, should work on this project together, and see it become a reality. Prof. Induwura knew that being part of this would make him famous for centuries to come, and even though it involved working as part of a team, he would bear the pain for the potential of fame. Due to his exceedingly high intellect (even compared to that of the other MARCH scientists), he was seen as the leader of this new group, which suited him very nicely indeed.
Then, after the process of recruiting the other two scientists, Dr Arup and Dr Abakovskis, they became MARCH, and work on Annette properly began. Throughout the project, people heard Prof. Induwura speaking with Annette, referring to himself as her father, completely disregarding the other MARCH scientists, and programmed her to recognise him as a parental figure. And through their combined skill, Annette was a success.
Since Annette, Prof. Induwura still teaches, but this time at The MFB1 Institute, an institute set up by him as a school for those particularly skilled at coding and computer science, more to fuel his ego than to introduce a new batch of coders and computer scientists in the world. He is still seen referring to himself as a father figure of Annette, as she never ages, and she seems to be the only person in the world to have a positive emotion for him.
Skills: - Prof. Induwura has an extremely high intellect, even compared to the other MARCH scientists. It is said, and not very often denied, that he is likely the smartest person in the world. His IQ score is said to be somewhere between 300 and 400, and his mental calculation skills and problem-solving are beyond what anyone can comprehend. There is also a rumour that Prof. Induwura programmed Annette to not reach her maximum capability, as then there would be someone smarter than him. - Prof. Induwura is surprisingly good at leading and teaching a team of people. If only to prove his own intellect, Prof. Induwura often takes a leadership or tutoring role in society whenever he can, giving talks, teaching seminars, or leading the MARCH team. His lack of empathy or kindness is more than made up for by his efficiency and desire to succeed.
Flaws: - Prof. Induwura has not made many friends throughout his life, which means he tends to have no one to rely on if things do not work out in his favour. People would rather abandon than help him, and those that have tried to ever help have regretted it immediately. He has poor people skills and doesn't care about other's opinions. - Opposite to his skill in leading, Prof. Induwura has terrible listening skills, and thus makes an abysmal team player or follower. Any order given to him, no matter how logical, has to be re-issued with his own modifications before he acts upon it. He sees any order given to him as coming from an inferior mind, and will never follow it completely.
Gender: Female
Age: 72
Nationality: Colombian
Appearance: Dr Flórez never truly stopped being a Black Hat hacker, and her appearance showed it. Her hair is often some shade of purple, and her clothes are louder than anyone else's in the entirety of the complex. She has deep brown eyes and a face that seems naturally youthful, even now.
Occupation: MARCH Scientist, Computer Scientist, Coder, Black Hat (Former), White Hat for The United States Armed Forces (Former), White Hat for The MARCH Coalition, Cryptographer
Relationships:
Personality: Dr Flórez is quiet, withdrawn and reserved. An excellent scientist but a poor conversationalist, she would rather spend hours and hours staring at lines of code than speak to another person for 10 minutes. Her life revolves around her work, whether it be defending the entire US Armed Forces from cyber attack, or working on revolutionary AI. When she does have to talk to people, she keeps it short, and incredibly professional, never straying into small talk or going off topic.
Backstory: A social outcast as soon as she entered school, Angie made few friends, but those few friends were extremely close. She excelled in school and was labelled a "child prodigy", a title that put a lot of pressure on her, and slowly the pressure got to her. Her friends retreated away from her, as she became more anxious and stressed, all but one. Natalia Gaviria stuck with Angie through thick and thin, and they became closer than friends. As Angie succeeded in school, however, Natalia got into more and more trouble. From a broken home, it was hard for her to concentrate, but as she helped Angie, Angie stuck with her through this difficult time.
Once they finished school Angie went to Universidad Nacional de Colombia, and Natalia began to work on art, her true passion. They moved in together, as Angie had received a full scholarship including accommodation, and Natalia began to sell her paintings for some money, and they were very successful together. During her time at university, Angie had some fun hacking into the university's systems and changing teacher's names and images to memes.
One night, after partying hard and drinking even harder, Natalia dared Angie to hack into something bigger, such as the United States Armed Forces, of course, wanting to show off to her partner, Angie agreed. She got extremely far before she made a rookie error and allowed the US Armed Forces to trace her back to her apartment in Colombia. Fearing the worst, they attempted to run. It wasn't even 12 hours before they were picked up by the US Armed Forces.
They hardly slept over the next few days, and they feared that they would be executed, imprisoned, or tortured. So when the message came that they had been released, the shock was immense. Natalia fainted, and Angie was reduced to sobs before she controlled herself to look after her partner. As they exited, they were directed towards a car, and standing outside was Prof. Induwura. Angie was more confused than anything, she had, obviously, heard of the Professor, but to see him there was a different case entirely. He explained the situation to her, and they were both relieved beyond belief. Now she had a job working for the US Armed Forces as a White Hat, and another free education under arguably the most intelligent man in the world.
The next few years were tough, as working under Prof. Induwura was stressful for both of them, he kept Dr Flórez late into the evening to aid him with work, and they had less and less time to share with one another. Angie completed her doctorate under the supervision of Prof. Induwura, and Natalia became more and more successful as an artist. Only a couple of years after beginning to work with him, Prof. Induwura and Dr Flórez began to talk of the possibility of a fully sapient AI. A lot of what they talked about ended up in his public statement and theoretical paper, but Dr Flórez was never mentioned once. At this point, she realised this is what's to be expected when you work with Prof. Induwura.
After they met the other members of MARCH, work started on Annette. Much like when Dr Flórez was Prof. Induwura's student, she and Natalia were apart for long periods of time, but this time it was different. Natalia could tell that Angie was completely in her element, and they were both happy for each other's success. Natalia was now a world-famous artist, and Dr Flórez a world-famous scientist, her main responsibility being the cyber defence of Annette, in addition to aiding with the coding work.
After Annette was finished, she and Natalia saw each other much more, as Dr Flórez continued her work to defend Annette and all now, MFB1. She was fired from her job as White Hat for the US Armed Forces, as they believed there was a conflict of interests seeing as MFB1 was part of its own country. She didn't miss the payroll, however, as her and Natalia's work could more than sustain them.
Skills: - Dr Flórez is both a skilled hacker and a skilled Cryptographer, excelling at both breaking through and building up cybersecurity systems. She's worked for the US Armed Forces in addition to MARCH, and almost no defences can stop her and her security systems are informally known as "fortresses" for how impenetrable they are. - Dr Flórez and her now-wife Natalia Gaviria are both incredibly wealthy, probably more than even Prof. Induwura, as they have both the wealth gained from Dr Flórez's work and Natalia's art. They have more than enough money to support them for life and continue to earn more.
Flaws: - When not talking with Natalia, Dr Flórez is a shy individual. She doesn't get accredited for a lot of the work she's done due to this, as it's easy for people (like Prof. Induwura) to speak over her and dominate the conversation. Her published papers are still highly respected, however. - Dr Flórez doesn't handle high-stress environments very well. In order to properly work, she has to be in a completely calm environment, and cannot be rushed. This has held her back a few times in her life, but she's slowly beginning to manage it.
Gender: Male
Age: N/A (Deceased, died at the age of 50 around 33 years ago)
Nationality: Greek
Appearance: Short brown hair and deep brown eyes stood out in the shaved, pale face of Dr Dertouzos. Before his passing away, he was in peak physical health, with a well-built muscled body, but his pale complexion was reflective of time spent in his indoors research lab and personal gym.
Occupation: MARCH Scientist (Former), Computer Scientist (Former), Coder (Former), Personal Trainer (Former)
Relationships:
Personality: Dr Dertouzos was an excellent scientist and an even more excellent conversationalist. His friendliness and openness were a comforting change to the rest of the scientists in MARCH, who either can barely talk to people or people would rather not talk to them.
Backstory: Raffael was born into a poor family in the middle of a recession, and his hopes of life were minimal. Raised pretty much on the street, he learnt that you had to be tough to survive in this world, and so worked on physical fitness more than anything. He became a part of a street gang and earned money through extortion and robbery for his family, but they knew nothing about it, in order to cover for it, he also assisted a professor of computer science and coding called Prof. Joseph Papanikolaou, and stated he earned a lot more for it than he actually did.
Slowly, he began to fall in love with what he was seeing in Prof. Papanikolaou, both in terms of romance and in terms of his work. Unfortunately, Prof. Papanikolaou never seemed to feel the same, and Raffael tried to impress him, worked on his computing and coding skills whenever he could. All this seemed to do, however, was impress Prof. Papanikolaou, and make him take him on as a student. While this meant that Raffael received a free education, and eventually completed his doctorate, he still felt a longing in his heart.
After realising that he would never be successful in love, Dr Dertouzos moved out of Greece and into London. There he worked on research papers while he established his own business as a personal trainer. There read up on Prof. Mahesh Induwura, a horrible man, but an excellent scientist. He was reading on his musings on the possibility of a fully sapient AI, and Dr Dertouzos became infatuated with the idea, working on it in whatever spare time he had.
When he heard that Prof. Induwura would be attending CodeYork in New York, he just had to go and tell him of his ideas. He did so, and Prof. Induwura, along with his then-assistant Dr Flórez, eventually agreed to work as part of a team to create the AI. Dr Dertouzos was wary of working with someone with such an awful reputation, he knew that he needed the Professor's mind in order to complete this extremely ambitious project.
Their work on Annette was surprisingly quick, only a decade to create a fully functioning, sapient AI. Dr Dertouzos was amazed by what they had done and awed by Annette, constantly fascinated by her and working on improving her processes.
Unfortunately, 7 years after she had been completed, Dr Dertouzos was killed in a seemingly random shooting, and the murderer was never captured, even to this day. He was mourned globally but had a small funeral mostly consisting of family, close friends, the MARCH scientists, and Prof. Papanikolaou. His death is still felt today, and a memorial to him is in the Centre of MFB1, reading "A beloved friend, brilliant scientist, and someone who will never be forgotten."
Skills: - Dr Dertouzos was both strong in mind and body. He was often called "The World's Hottest Scientist", much to his disappointment. Unlike the other MARCH scientists, he trained alongside the army during his brief time at MFB1, and his skill in combat and fitness were equal to his skill in science. - Dr Dertouzos was a genuinely kind person but wasn't liable to be walked over or pushed aside, due to his tough upbringing. He would help those in need, and punish those who wronged others and was one of few people to put Prof. Induwura in his place.
Flaws: - He was consistently looked down upon due to his upbringing, sexuality, and sometimes even for his kindness. While it didn't affect him personally, it affected his friends and sometimes his career when his successes were overshadowed by his personal life. - While he was a brilliant scientist, it was never is his original dream, as he never believed he could achieve it. Even after Annette, he still doubted his own abilities and believed it was through other's work that he succeeded. He struggled with this anxiety up until his death.
Gender: Female
Age: 89
Nationality: Danish
Appearance: Caroline has intense, steel blue eyes, which is often the first thing people will mention when describing her, she has a gaunt face and slim figure, and her hair is short and curled. Her gaze is long and deep and portrays true concern or interest in the person it is directed towards. She doesn’t give much attention to her attire and tends to be seen with just a shirt and a pair of jeans for ease.
Occupation: Member of MARCH, Psychologist, Psychotherapist, and Sociologist, Developer of Annette’s “personality”
Relationships:
Personality: Dr Arup has been described by her colleagues and her clients as “intense, but unfalteringly caring” on multiple occasions, and that description strikes true. She cares for and is fascinated by, all of the people around her. She has a desire to assist humanity as a whole, but also on a much smaller, individual level. Her working methods may seem a bit harsh and brisk at first, but people who stick around her realise this is due to a passionate desire to help others.
Backstory: Arup’s interest has always been other people, born and raised in the Copenhagen Mega-Centre of tourism, she saw possibly millions of people from different walks of life before the age of 10, and she knew that every single one of them had a story to tell. With education as good a quality as it was in Denmark, she easily earned a scholarship into The Mind Project (TMP), an international project to aid and further the studies of Psychology and Sociology, to make mental health at the forefront of international care programs. Her work there was revolutionary and changed the methods with which people were studied and cared for. She used her success to open psychological care in places where it didn’t exist, and her studies of human nature cause what critics call a Grey Age, an age of the mind and thought. She was hailed as the “mother of modern thought” and she took the title with grace and respect.
She then, for reasons unknown to the public, faded into obscurity. Some say she was working on a gargantuan project or research paper, others say she had gone insane, others just said she was tired of seeing the world still fall into war and anger when she had done so much work. The truth, however, was that she was incredibly ill. Over the past few years her mental and physical health had been fading, she was extremely sick and unable to keep up with any form of work. Her family had the best doctors working on her condition, and after a long, long period of years, she started to make a recovery.
5 years after falling from the limelight, she was ready to work again. This was when she met three budding coders, wanting to change the world for the better, with a fully sapient AI, unlike any the world would ever have seen. She spoke with them, and slowly, they realised they had no idea how to create a personality from scratch, no matter how much they knew how to code one. And so, they asked for Dr Arup’s assistance, and after carefully considering how much good this could do, she agreed, believing anyone else could cause more harm than good. Her work was endless and incredibly difficult. She had never taken a project as large as this one, and there were many who doubted her ability, including some of her fellow MARCH scientists. However, she powered through, and Annette is sometimes called “More human than human” for how believable she is as a person. Some people point similarities between Annette and her “Mother”, in their personality and idiosyncrasies, but Dr Arup is insistent that it wasn’t intended, and she doesn’t recognise the similarities.
In the past half-century, Dr. Arup has been focused on speaking with Annette and helping her learn and grow, in addition to testing her in aiding the treatment of mentally ill people, with a great amount of success, as Annette’s genuine tenderness combined with her computing capability allows her to help with a multitude of different cases.
Skills: - Dr Arup’s continued work with people allows her to easily tell social queues, and assist most people who come to her with issues, as she is incredibly skilled in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. - Dr Arup is known around the globe and loved by most who know her. People will be more than willing to help the mother of modern thought and of Annette, as she has helped more people than can be counted.
Flaws: - Her connection with Annette, and the similarities between them, mean any issue with Annette tends to be attributed to Caroline, whereas it was the other MARCH scientists who did most of the coding, this may become an issue for her in the next few days. - Her passion can sometimes be her downfall, and many speculate that the cause of her disappearance was due to her desire to aid others, and not focusing enough on her own health. Even today, she sometimes relapses into illness and disappears for days at a time.
Gender: Male
Age: 117
Nationality: Latvian
Appearance: Bald and an incredibly aged face, Dr Abakovskis has the stereotypical markings of an army man, including a permanent scowl and a dramatic slash across his eye, resulting in blindness in his left eye. Apart from that, however, his appearance is almost entirely mechanical. His torso is dominated by sets of breathing, blood-pumping, and filtration devices, all hooked up to a solar and wind-powered miniature set of all-terrain tank legs. A small display screen portrays his PAIA (Personal Assistant Artificial Intelligence), Athena, who assists him in research and other tasks.
Occupation: Member of MARCH, Military Scientist and Tactician
Relationships:
Personality: Dr Abakovskis is a calm individual, preferring the quiet solitude of a wood-panelled office than the busy bustle of a research lab for his scientific endeavours. His reclusive attitude has earned him both respect and disdain, respect for his dedication to his work, and disdain for the damage his work has done. He cares for neither the disdain nor the respect; all he cares for is science.
Backstory: Having come from a family of wealth, Abakovskis could spend much of his life doing what he loved, learning. He spent over a decade studying Physics, Psychology, Computer Science, Engineering, and History, achieving record-breaking results in Eastern Europe, and then went to join the army for another two decades. He worked his way up to the rank of Colonel, the highest rank possible in the reduced army of Latvia, and throughout his time he studied the technology used in the army and the tactics they employed to use them. He pioneered the use of Plasma Propelled Shell Weaponry (PPSW), a form of firearm employing superheated gas to propel tank-melting shells in a compact form, which can be used in small arms and similar weaponry. This technology is still used nowadays, including within the confines of MFB1.
After a well-decorated period of service, Dr Abakovskis left the army and began to focus more on a life of science, and his research made him extremely wealthy, and extremely infamous. He met the other scientists of MARCH when they approached him, as the UN had requested Annette could be used for military purpose, and his success had gotten him noticed by many parties, and they would rather have the skills of Dr Abakovskis on their side.
His work of Annette was as his work before her, infamous but successful, and she was implemented into UN armies all over the world. Since Annette, his work has focused on ensuring her success, and ensuring his longevity. Using complex biomechanics and engineering, he has created a mobile life support system to ensure his life continues much past what most people could even dream of. It is not unlike a heavy-duty wheelchair, with his body becoming part of the machine, and his mind assisted by a less-developed version of Annette, which he calls Athena.
Skills: - A genius scientist, historian, and tactician, his skills spread further than most scientists would, and he is as respected on a battlefield as he is on a research paper. - Due to his focus on work, he wishes to work and learn as long as possible, and thus has developed a fully mobile life support system, which will support him well into hundreds of years, and prevents illness and disease from taking over.
Flaws: - His extreme focus on his work can often make him lose sight of other things in life, such as social changes around him, and maintaining a close network of people he can rely on, and his social skills are lacking, to say the least. - His longevity does have its drawbacks, as he is incredibly reliant on technology, and any form of EMP or short-circuiting would perhaps deal more damage to him than a bullet could.
Minor
You may control minor NPCs, as long as you are faithful to their character. Character deaths etc. do not need to be requested, but please make sure it is significant, and that it is roleplayed successfully. More characters will be added to this list as the RP plays out, and you may request/we may add characters that you feature in your posts.
The partner of Dr Flórez, and a world-renowned artist. She designed The MFB1 Institute and most of the Residential Park area. She doesn't cope well with stress (much like her partner) but will push herself beyond what she believed capable for Angie.
Character Sheet
You can create up to two characters, and we will approve them when we get the chance.
[center][hider=Character Name] Gender: Age: Nationality: (Country of Origin) Appearance: (Just a description is needed, if you wish to add a picture, please put it in a hider with the character’s name in this section) Occupation: (Military / Scientist / Government / Janitorial / Engineering / Support)* Relationships: (Set up relationships with other characters if you wish, with the permission of the other character’s player / us if it’s an NPC) Personality: (Min. 1 Paragraph) Backstory: (Min. 1 Paragraph) Skills: (Min 2, at least a sentence each) Flaws: (Min 2, at least a sentence each) *Any other jobs that would fit the setting is fine, please first request any jobs that don’t immediately fit into the setting, we don’t want you to waste your time on a character we were never going to approve.[/hider][/center]
Again, if you notice any mistakes / have any queries, feel free to ask me or @Lady Avalon! Thanks for looking at our RP!
@mercenarius: It's definitely not too late! We're still working on the OOC, as there's a lot of backstories to type up. We apologise to everyone for the waiting time.
@ReusableSword: That would be perfect, as one of the MARCH scientists was implementing new weapons, and had integrated Annette for use in the army, we will have more info on that soon. :)
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