TeddyBearMafia

Radio Free Metropolis

Inspired by the likes of Jet Set/Grind Radio, Mirror’s Edge, and the best of dystopian cyberpunk fiction like Neal Stephenson’s “Snow Crash” and the comic series “Transmetropolitan”, not to mention the most hilarious film ever, Pirate Radio, I bring you:

"Tee, I think we lost them!" the young green-haired man rasped, a hand clenched over his black Protot7peTM jacket as his eyes wildly searched the buzzing chaos behind them. Bright modern screens depicting models demonstrating the latest must-have gadget on endless repeat clashed with neon signs, the streaks of light caused by vehicles and drones dashing through space occupied just seconds ago by a pedestrian, and the endlessly diverse crowd that swelled and breathed across the platforms and buildings that made up Floor Fifty-Eight, Shinjuku District. Nothing. Or at least, no sign of the unmarked individuals who had caught the tail-end of the young man and his partner as they fled their hidey-hole on Floor Sixty-Two seven blocks over. It was strange... the MetPo usually were so damn proud and excited to be killing that they wore their uniforms with pride. But if not the MetPo, then... "Tee, you think that...?"

"Shut up, Ruu. I'm listening." Ruu's partner Tee was crouched on the ground, one hand pressed to his ear while the other held onto a complex device that looked like a heavily modified radio broadcaster. It was normally useless to try and hear anything over the sheer noise of Metro Tokyo, but with the special device embedded in Tee's ear, he could cut out most frequencies except the ones he was looking for - the sound of spider drones crawling over the concrete exteriors of the skyscrapers. After a long moment, he stood up with a smile and turned to his partner. "Hey, Tee, I don't hear the drones so the fuckin' MetPo must'a lost us, ya? You can't shut down, Vibe Radio Sixty-Two, isn't that rig-"

Ruu suddenly realized that Tee was no longer where Tee had been standing moments before. In fact, what was left of Tee completely covered the wall behind Ruu in a macabre display of violence. Whirling around all too late, Ruu saw the perpetrator of his best friend's murder just as the bio-chemically charged round entered his chest. As he slumped to the ground, Ruu could feel the nanobots released by the charge chewing away at his body. He had maybe fifteen seconds to live. Rolling over in agony, he blurrily saw the woman who had fired the gun reach down to his ear and pluck out his listening device. He opened his mouth to scream, to ask a question, to say something... but nothing came out but an agonized moan. The woman looked down without pity and snorted.

"Would'a worked, kid, if we were the Met. But we ain't the Met." And with that, Ruu knew no more. The woman calmly deployed her clean-up drone, and within a minute the only trace of the murders were blood stains that merely added to those already covering the concrete. Turning briskly, she walked the one block to the "chute", one of the aptly named vertical tunnels that allowed for garbage disposal to the Graveyard, and dropped the remains in. Seconds later, all that was left of "Vibe Radio Sixty-Two" was an empty apartment soon to be seized by desperate neighbours.

This is...

RADIO FREE METROPOLIS


Credit to: http://www.deviantart.com/art/Jet-Set-Radio-Future-Gum-391718154

Intro

Welcome to the year 2134. Humankind has done the miraculous, leapfrogging off of the Earth and into space. The last three decades have seen millions of tiny, fragile, all-so-moral earthlings escape the tomb they dug for themselves with pollution, waste, and most of all war. These privileged few have started the exodus, but there is no guarantee, especially not the likelihood, that humanity will make a full escape. Though the nuclear holocaust that devastated the Earth’s population in 2084 failed to produce either the doomsday or send the remnants of human civilization back into the dark ages, it did centralize the three billion remaining to a few self-governing megacities holding upwards of a hundred million people each. To name but a few of the main ones: New Amsterdam on the old Antarctic shelf, the Chicago-Detroit-Toronto Metropolitan Area, the twin cities of Paris-Brussels, the sprawling masses of poverty and suffering in both Lagos and Cairo, the mechanical marvel of Metro La Paz in former Paraguay, and the ‘natural’ New Sydney in the terra-formed Australian desert. These new megacities were formed to house the millions displaced by rising ocean levels, and those forcibly displaced to make the most efficient use of the arable land left behind. There is natural life in these new edifices of concrete and steel, but is tucked away behind miles of pipes and roads and skyscrapers, each layered on top of the next to firmly segregate the fortunate from the less fortunate. The struggle of mother earth against her most rebellious sons, however, is not so easily suppressed…

Setting, Please Read!

That brings the casual observer to the greatest offender of all the new cities: Metro-Tokyo, or simply just the ‘Metropolis’ to the most. With a population exceeding three hundred million jammed into just four thousand square kilometres, the incomprehensible mess of languages and cultures that permeates the scientific and engineering marvels keeping the entire city afloat, mostly fed, and partially clean, boggles the imagination, as does the complexity of the street language: metropolitan. Of even greater note, however, is the fantastical space elevator that sits at the centre of the city, connecting the wretched on the earth with the resources sent from their generous cousins mining asteroids and the moons of Jupiter. But this is no altruism, for there is still a fortune to be made exploiting human misery, even in the 22nd millennium. In these megacities, democracy is all but a farce to make the diminishing middle class feel better about their vanishing rights; organized crime bosses, super corporations, and megalomaniacs masquerading as philanthropists make the real rules. And yet, here in the twisting and winding mazes of Metropolis, they cannot utilize their destructive potential to recreate the all-out war of the past. All realize that the real lifeblood flows from space, and to jeopardize the elevator would be to commit suicide. Thus, as always, men and women must bleed and die on the streets of Metropolis for the benefit of ironclad, invisible, and now even almost immortal masters.

Technological advances have revolutionized control, placing almost the entire city under the eye of ‘law enforcement’, which enforce the law of whoever pays them enough. There is no reprieve from this eye online either. The internet is a thing of the past for most: private networks are relied upon due to the speed and invasive power of automated viruses and computer-aided hackers who can steal almost all data left unencrypted or unguarded for even a millisecond on an open network. And it’s not just computers that can be hacked; any internet-connected device without proper safeguards can be used against its owner. Cases of hacked phones, music players, cars, tablets, houses, weapons, and even pacemakers are reported regularly. For those truly wishing to keep their identity free in the new world, then, older technology is making resurgences.

Bicycles, rollerblades, skateboards, even oil-based rocket packs if the fuel can be found, replace other methods of travel, albeit with a modern twist. And even more importantly, the role of the courier has become ever more important in keeping private information private. Typewritten documents, packages, rare animals, anything imaginable is now transported daily by couriers all over the city, often risking life and limb to get their next paycheck. But hey, it’s better than starving… And now, in the greatest juxtaposition of all, ham radio operators have made a comeback, broadcasting their signals out on all frequencies to flood the airwaves with so much traffic that it is nigh impossible to track down one single broadcaster. Most are harmless, would be reporters or music-stars, who receive little attention and deserve even less. Others are bothersome, such as wronged individuals or petty criminals openly plotting crimes. But others… others threaten so many of the rich and powerful, that the one consensus amongst their ranks is that those radio operators must be eliminated.

This is the world of Radio Free Metropolis, and those allied with it, those who dare to speak truth to power, to expose lies for no benefit other than the satisfaction of doing so, to risk their lives for a chance at a better thrill or a better life than they are living now, cynical social justice warriors keen to inflict some damage, and even those few who just want to dance while human civilization on Earth burns itself to a crisp in one last great burst of passion.

Some more fluff and intro-stuff to make the following OOC more understandable.

Metro-Tokyo Layout (IC)

To truly imagine the layout of the Metropolis, one has to first imagine a city where horizontal wealth disparity has ceased to exist. There are no ‘poor’ and ‘rich’ neighbourhoods, no ‘quaint seaside communities’ or ‘up and coming hip streets’, and definitely no respect for traditional landmarks. Everything has been built over or is loomed over by a maze of interconnected and gigantic skyscrapers, reaching up ever higher to the clean air above, and using whatever technology the owners in the Penthouses have available to keep it that way. Vertical disparity is the name of the game in Metropolis, where there is a constant competition to move up floors rather than down and the claim to social status comes from whether you look down on the neon advertisements or longingly up at them.

Of course, no one wants to associate or look back at the misery from which they’ve come, so every few floors or so there is a mismatch of crossings, markets, impromptu and often unsafe platforms, and entire communities daily lives play out on top of them. Furthermore, a vast majority of skyscrapers have their walls open with the exception of supporting pillars, providing easy thoroughfares across the city if you’re familiar with the labyrinth. People work, eat, sleep, and reproduce without ever moving up or down a few metres simply out of the fear of the judgment they’d receive from their peers. At the lower levels, one rarely ever finds natural sunlight due to the smog and the sheer number of wires, overpasses, ziplines, extensions, platforms, and other contraptions hanging above them. Indeed, with so many people jammed into such a tiny space, the only way one can make a name for themselves legitimately is to be ever present and working. Be present, be interesting, and most of all be wealthy enough – or be forgotten.

Though this typifies the life and thus the structure of most residents of Metropolis, there are plenty who discard the endless rat-race for higher status and choose to pursue any number of alternatives in the shadier or outright illegal spectrum of opportunities. It is their corpses, and the corpses of people who get in their way, which most of all litter the ground in the Graveyard, the most literally named sector of the city at the very bottom of most skyscrapers. But this does not discourage the countless masses which sign up daily to rebel and seek a better life for them doing any job they can get paid for. And thus social mobility is alive and well in Metropolis: fight your way up the ladder, but if you don’t know when to stop you will fall all the way down to the Graveyard, feeding the incomes of the very poorest as they pillage your body for rags and who-knows-what-else.

The important stuff for RPing: the playground is 3D. Thus, keep that in mind when on a battlefield or doing something cool. I've kept landmarks out of it for the most part, so feel free to invent your own; they'll be important so that characters can rationally expect to meet up again in the chaos of Metro Tokyo without relying on too much technology.

OOC Setting Layout

For the most part, skyscrapers in Metropolis reach around 150 stories near the very center of the city, where the characters are presumed to all be located. The central districts ring the starport and the space elevator, which occupies the only free air in the entire city. These districts are Bunkyo, to the north, Taito, to the east, Chiyoda, to the south, and Shinjuku, to the west. These all have at various levels almost every service you could imagine, though I will mention the general composition of the various levels.

0-5: the Graveyard.

6-25: extreme poverty. People jam-packed into tiny spaces and working for even less than that. Rife with violence and crime, but an easy place to hide.

26-50: the poor. Most are still engaged in informal labour, but a number do have formal jobs and here is where you see advertising truly begin to emerge in full force, along with mechanized transports such as flying buses or hovercraft of various types. Most are decades old, though. Expect major gang and organized crime activity here, as it is exceptionally poorly ‘policed’.

51-75: the working poor. Driven by consumerism and a quest to succeed, the advertising and the extra-structural extensions and platforms reach a peak around floor sixty and continue in dazzling force until about the hundredth floor. Though these individuals have a slightly more regular income, many of them what you would call white collar workers in our day, they have been driven into relative poverty by massive wage disparities and crushing rent. Many are also involved in crime, and most organized crime is run out of this district though the bosses live far above.

76-110: the ‘middle class’. Though just as vulnerable as the working poor, these individuals have higher paying jobs and are often professionals with research or development, or even management in major corporations. A massive number of headquarters for offices are in this section, interspaced with ambitious individuals trying to escaped the crush below. Expect just as much dizzying advertising and claustrophobic platforming, though more mechanized and more secure. Around the eightieth floor, serious police efforts begin to be seen, meaning that cameras are everywhere and hidden turrets and drones can easily be dispatched to eliminate anyone the controllers desire. Prisons, where they exist, are located in the Graveyard, so don’t get your hopes up about justice in Metro-Tokyo.

111-150: welcome to the big time. More people live in floor one hundred in most buildings than live in floors 120-150 combined. Expect massive wealth, the complete disappearance of platforms, and the clean and fresh air of luxury. Oh, did I not mention the fans? Yes, floor 110 across most of the city has giant fans dedicated to blowing smog down and out of the city, making life at the bottom medically unsafe. But really, the people at the top never have to see them and only have to travel down to floor one hundred to meet all of their essential shopping needs. For the very richest, their purchases are delivered for them, meaning their life, work, and luxury happens without ever leaving their clean-air paradise.

Realistically, your characters would be from somewhere around floor 35 to floor 115. I’m okay with having characters that have a relatively rich origin, but seeing as for the most part you’ll be operating within the 60-80 range it seems reasonable to assign those limits. Don’t underestimate how stupidly powerful the technology arrayed against trespassers above floor 125 is: before that point it can be hacked, destroyed, or avoided with danger, but without the power to take down multiple networks or destroy entire sides of skyscrapers, you’re not getting access to those floors. Yet. Climbing up the side of a skyscraper in the open is a sure way to get shot by a bored and uncaring law enforcement agent.

The following is a brief overview of a few groups that will certainly be present in the RP in some form or another. Improvise and add on to them as you will. I haven't added resistance groups like Radio Free Metropolis, as those will be first introduced in the IC, but be aware that they do exist. You can invent some, if you'd like.

Politics in Metro-Tokyo

There are a number of organizations you should be aware of:

Metropolitan Senate: Five thousand senators, elected in a ‘completely democratic and fair manner’, set laws and regulations that mostly ensure the status quo. They do provide limited degrees of social welfare when they’re not concerned with managing corporate competition or offworld exports, so to see Aid trucks on the lower levels heavily guarded by Metropolitan Senate Security is not an unexpected sight.

MetroPolice: Each district has its own police force, subdivided into three categories: floors 0-75, floors 75-100, and floors 100-150. All these forces theoretically report to the Metropolitan Senate. Thus, when entering a new district or moving between levels too rapidly, be aware that the bribe you paid in the previous district or level category may no longer be effective. The MetroPolice is ridiculously corrupt, though they can be brutally effective in getting what they want.

Gangs: Too many to name, but here’s a few organized crime conglomerates that you need to keep an eye out for: the Yakuza in Bunkyo, the “Carpenters” in Shinjuku, the Metro Triads in mostly Chiyoda and Taito, and “Fetish Inc” in all districts which continues the fine tradition of organized crime in providing prostitutes and slaves for whatever your heart, and wallet, desires. Expect to encounter brutal turf wars from time to time, both between major gangs and those wishing to break into the big-time.

Corporations: WAY too many to name. The larger the corporation, the more dedicated and well-equipped their private security forces will be. Though most don’t use their forces against other corporations, it is not an uncommon occurrence for a smaller competitor to simply vanish one day from the mega-malls.

Army: The Metropolitan Armed Forces… don’t mess with them. They rarely interfere in internal affairs and deal with outside ‘acquisitions’ and so you should never normally encounter them, but they have no qualms about blowing up entire platforms to kill a single person. Seriously, don’t get their attention.

Style of RP

In this RP, I want to try something multimedia meaning if you can tell part of your story or contribute to the world of other characters through photography, art, music-writing, poetry, descriptions, or any possible creative way that you can imagine, I invite you to do so. This does not mean that if you are only comfortable writing you can’t be a part of this story: I encourage you to dig just as deeply into building parts of the world as well. You also don’t have to create every single multimedia piece you use, and can draw from your favourite artists of all kinds. However, the reason I’m trying this is because I think it deepens the connection and satisfaction when you have created something yourself that enriches other people’s roleplaying.

Once you have familiarized yourself with the setting, which I’ve tried to keep brief enough to allow you guys to develop landmarks while providing you the basics to write them in the first place, I want you to write characters that follow these few pointers:

Juxtaposition: imagine life in the 22nd millennium, in such a tight and cramped space as Metro-Tokyo. How would you innovate to meet your goals? In the face of such chaos, would you go hyper-advanced to gain a technological edge over the average person with all the risks that entails (in terms to thievery and exposure to high-tech threats), or would you fall back on old technology retro-fitted for the modern age?

Branding: Everything is branded. Everything. Even if you don’t want to fall into a subculture, you’re already there, and someone has done it before you. People make a living in Metro-Tokyo simply keeping up with the culture and fashion confusion, to absolutely no end at all.

Be a Part of the Story: Design a character that is out on the edge in some way – what skills do they have to contribute that are unique and with appropriate support could pose a threat to the existing system. Don’t imagine such power that your character could singlehandedly take down the hierarchy, but assume that they are several orders of magnitude more talented (though not necessarily trained and skilled) in their chosen niche than the people around them. The examples that I have already seen or thought of range from the expected such as an agile scout, hacker, or brute force thug, to the unexpected but useful, such as a filmmaker, actress, or weapons tinkerer.

Leave Room for Character Advancement: should be self-explanatory. You’ll all be special little snowflakes soon enough, believe me.

Please review the following character sheet, even if you've posted one, and feel free to go back over it and add in more detail if you wish given the new material I've posted above.

Example Character Sheet

I’ve completed just the first few sections of the sheet to give you an idea of where to start. Other character sheets in the IC thread are similarly helpful for ideas. You can add additional sections if you wish, but try not to limit yourself too much and leave room to record new items, personality changes, and so on. You may want to fill out these sections in greater detail than my flippant effort as well. =)

Name: (Intense racial mixing has made names mostly unrelated to the actual race of the individual. Name them whatever you like!) Jai Subramanian

Age: 34

Gender/Sexuality: Male/Homosexual

Main Skill: (What is the one thing they are exceptional at beyond all else?) Data Entry. Jai is incredibly skilled and talented at his job, for which he has worked for years, in which he enters routine shipping data into a computer for NycoTech Inc. He can enter data so fast he has won employee of the month four times, though that distinction only comes with a promotion to senior data entry clerk where Jai gets to enter twice as much data. That’s okay, though, because Jai loves data.

Secondary Skills: (list up to four, don’t need that many, leave room for growth)
1. Typing
2. Sitting Comfortably
3. Cooking

Quirk: (personality wise, what makes them unique and interesting?) Jai is unusually happy about long strings of numbers. This is matched only by his love of Cajun cooking.

Oddity: (personality wise, what makes them off-putting?) Jai is unusually happy about… just kidding. Jai has an unfortunate intensity to his personality and a focus on tasks that can make being around him feel like being around a machine. That’s just fine for his employer, though.

Flaw: (personality wise, what creates problems for this character?) Jai has missed many opportunities to advance because he’s followed protocol, whereas others who cheat or lie have taken the risk and moved up the corporate ladder. Sheer hard work can only bring Jai so far.

Secret Weapon: (personality-wise OR socially, what has this character got that nobody knows about?) Jai’s long-term partner, Rickard, is a gang-member of the Yakuza to Jai’s great shame. However, without his knowledge Jai has secretly been protected from numerous assassination attempts by people below him on the corporate ladder due to his connections to Rickard. It’s been six years and Jai still hasn’t figured out why his coworkers keep falling to accidental deaths.

Goal in Life (meta): (long-term) Provide a stable life for his partner.

Goal in Life (immediate)(short-term goal) Get a promotion to management (seven years and running)

Reason-They-Will-Ultimately-Win: (what is going to make this character succeed in their long-term quest – bring in both personality, skills, history, anything you think relevant. Paint a story in a paragraph for me.) The rest of the character sheet left out to keep length down – but the rest should be self-explanatory.

Reason-They-Will-Ultimately-Fail: (same as the above, but in reverse)

Theme song(s): (MUSIC YEAH. Any genre, absolutely any.)

Description: (art or words fine, but I prefer lots of both)

Equipment: (Everything is branded. Everything. Nike Quickshot™ Super-blades, for example. I don’t need to know everything your character will have access too, instead I want ONLY up to three well-defined and personalized items that make your character. You can have headphones without listing them here, for example, but if you want super special headphones and they’re essential to your vision of your character you need to mark it down.)

Generic Equipment: (Space for your notes about your gear so that consistency can be maintained, anything you think important that’s not in the above. One or two liners.)

Short Bio: (You can write more, but I prefer one very well-thought out paragraph that leaves lots of room of expansion and tying backstories together with other players. Please list your brief socio-economic background, such as what floor you come from and what floor you currently spend most of your time on. Feel free to identify landmarks in the central districts in your Bio that can become important in the story later.)

Radio Free Metropolis (Multimedia)

VarionusNW said
I might get interested. are bionic augmentations allowed? as I was thinking of a Hacker character who lost his arm.

Sure. Just be aware that you live in a world where if something is based on code, you better be damn sure it's protected. You're just as, if not more vulnerable, than the things you hack.

Mercenary Lord said
Also gonna swing in here and see about setting something up. Summer's on its way, so I'll have some more time. Plus it's cool.

OOC will be up today, so we'll see about characters and planning.

Called Up - A WWII-esque Military RP (Alternate Universe)

Leon climbed out of the truck with a great degree of internal dismay. The entire journey had been one long slow realization that there was no way he'd be back in time for his final exams, and that the marriage he'd planned for three months later was going to have to be postponed. He'd wanted to write about it, to put down his feelings on paper and lock them away for now, but that hadn't seemed appropriate amidst the nervous and disgruntled almost half-squad that showed up for deployment. When he saw the others missing, some of them the best shots in the platoon, Leon almost wished he'd decided to stay home as well. Of course, he didn't voice that feeling to his Korporal or his comrades, and neither did he mention the pain caused by the angry shouts that had followed him out the door as he left for the muster point.

He was thankful at least for his familiarity with Korporal Kreb's brisk and straightforward command style. It kept him from thinking too much. Still, as the men industriously set to digging emplacements around him, Leon couldn't help but wonder how in the world they could hold a thin line against a full-on attack without heavy support in their sector. He almost turned and voiced these concerns to Manny, but when he saw the Korporal already talking angrily on the phone Leon trudged over to his assigned position and began looking for a good spot to dig an emplacement.

He didn't know Heinrich very well, but given the man's recent experience and recent promotion he was happy that the man was with him. At the very least, he could be corrected if he was about to do something wrong... though Leon hoped that four years of on and off practice hadn't dulled his reflexes too much! The young PFC grimaced and hefted the shovel that had been offered to him by a cute young thing vaguely reminiscent of his Sophie. It didn't help his focus any, for sure, not that any one spot in this sector was better than the other; it was all mostly open terrain. Finally, Leon pointed to an overgrown indentation in the meadow, where at least the tall alpine grass would offer them a degree of initial concealment. From then on out, it was all back breaking work as the semi-vertical dugout was made. Leon had just finished adding a narrow slot at the bottom of the foxhole for grenades to be kicked, remembering a lesson from five years ago, when he too heard the sound of engines break the evening air.

Quickly, Leon pulled the equipment he and Heinrich hadn't stored in the barn into the dugout and laid his rifle to his left in case the damned MG24 jammed. He hoisted the LMG into position in the hastily built firing groove, and aimed it towards the treeline. Leon wanted to check the feed one more time, to check everything one more time, but he knew as he flicked the safety off that Heinrich had already organized the ammo to his right and was similarly peering out of the entrenchment towards the tree line. Sweat began to drop from Leon's brow, but his eyes never left the trees ahead of him, and when the leading halftrack emerged from the trees ahead and to the right of Leon's position he could feel the droplets rolling down his face.The halftrack continued its steady advance towards the barn and the squad CP, and Leon spared a short glance at Heinrich, his mouth dry as he rasped his question:

"Orders, sir?"

IRC Shenanigans

IRC decides to form a band.

Band Time

Nixxen|Harmonica|Drums starts with an amazing filler that will blow the minds of Greek Gods.
12:33:37 <Ezekial|Base> Darn, you're right!
12:33:47 *** Ezekial|Base is now known as Ezekial|Bass
12:34:07 teddybearmafia|keebord drops in the funk groove bassline.
12:34:18 Ezekial|Bass supports the song, giving it the perfect atmosphere.
12:34:44 Just_Cassy|Vocals starts singing softly.
12:35:05 teddybearmafia|keebord hits the harmony, pumping up the intensity.
12:35:09 *** Sini quit (Quit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client)
12:35:20 Nixxen|Harmonica|Drums slowly intensifies the beat of the bass drum.
12:36:14 <teddybearmafia|keebord> HOW YOU DOIN' TOKYO?
12:36:25 Just_Cassy|Vocals 's voice grows louder, flowing beautifully throughout the music.
12:36:35 <Just_Cassy|Vocals> WAIT WHAT
12:36:53 *** Ayleth|Posting quit (Quit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client)
12:37:00 <Nixxen|Harmonica|Drums> YO, ZEEK. DROP THAT BASS!
12:37:09 Nixxen|Harmonica|Drums symbol crashes, sets snare on fire.
12:37:13 Ezekial|Bass drops that bass fantastically.
12:37:15 *** Ayleth joined #roleplayerguild
12:37:27 Ezekial|Bass spills that bass all over the place.
12:37:31 <Ayleth> wtf Mibbit.. I didnt even click the ad!
12:37:38 *** Ayleth is now known as Ayleth|Posting
12:37:40 teddybearmafia|keebord sets up the crazy drum solo.
12:37:42 <Nixxen|Harmonica|Drums> Ayleth: It tends to do that x.x
12:38:22 Just_Cassy|Vocals taps her foot to the awesome beat.
12:38:37 *** TheFish joined #roleplayerguild
12:38:41 Nixxen|Harmonica|Drums kicks the drumset over and screams at the top of his lungs as he begins drumming against the dropped bass.
12:38:55 teddybearmafia|keebord just goes with the flow.
12:39:03 <TheFish> ..What's going on in here
12:39:17 <teddybearmafia|keebord> We are
12:39:17 Just_Cassy|Vocals didn't know we were that kind of band...
12:39:21 <teddybearmafia|keebord> The best band
12:39:26 Ezekial|Bass drops the bass even harder, making the crowd scream.
12:39:31 <Ezekial|Bass> We are the greatest!
12:39:36 Ezekial|Bass suddenly has shades.
12:39:50 <TheFish> Sweet, there's a gig.
12:39:52 teddybearmafia|keebord miraculously pulls the chaos together back into the chorus.
12:39:53 Nixxen|Harmonica|Drums rips his shirt off, whips his hair back and forth, then proceeds to sit back down after having a glass of water as he keeps the beat steady and aflow.
12:40:23 Just_Cassy|Vocals struts over, still singing, and steals Ezekial's shades.
12:40:34 <Shurikai> I HAVE POWER!
12:40:58 <TheFish> *Seeks out drinks and dames*
12:41:13 Nixxen|Harmonica|Drums picks his harmonica up and begins a sweet blues riff along with the vocals.
12:41:22 Ezekial|Bass steals his shades back from Just_Cassy|Vocals as he executes a perfect sequence with one hand.
12:41:43 teddybearmafia|keebord hangs the F7 and matches the blues riff.
12:42:11 *** TheFish quit (Quit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client)
12:42:24 *** Exie joined #roleplayerguild
12:42:53 Ezekial|Bass 's not even sure what song it is anymore, but he keeps playing.
12:43:01 Just_Cassy|Vocals starts singing blues as she re-steals the shades and puts them on after walking away from Ezekial.
12:43:20 <Just_Cassy|Vocals> Bluuusss Eze, bluueesss
12:43:22 Nixxen|Harmonica|Drums offers backup vocals.
12:44:15 Just_Cassy|Vocals accepts the backup, smiling at the occasional harmony.
12:44:30 Ezekial|Bass plays a fantastic blues rift while stealing back his shades once more from Cassy.
12:44:41 teddybearmafia|keebord puts on his funny hat.
12:44:54 Lozen hops in the piano and bounces around on the strings
12:45:35 teddybearmafia|keebord reveals his piano to actually be a massive trampoline.
12:45:50 teddybearmafia|keebord switches to the synth instead.
12:46:12 Just_Cassy|Vocals pouts at Ezekial, wanting his shades.
12:46:33 <Xig> im getting payed
12:46:37 <Xig> 500 dollars
12:46:40 Nixxen|Harmonica|Drums breaks into a song with the bluesiest feels of a harmonica solo.
12:46:52 <Xig> I have a job and now i bet youre really mad and i bet youre really sad cuz
12:46:55 <Xig> Im getting payed
12:46:59 <Xig> 500 dollars
12:47:05 Ezekial|Bass gives in and hands Cassy his shades.
12:47:20 <teddybearmafia|keebord> we have a gig yo
12:47:26 <teddybearmafia|keebord> we dun need no 500 dolla
12:47:36 <Xig> Its a song
12:47:40 <teddybearmafia|keebord> I know.
12:47:48 <Xig> And ofc, one always needs 500 dollars
12:47:48 <Xig>
12:47:53 Just_Cassy|Vocals smiles and hugs Ezekial the best she can while he's playing, before putting the shades on.
12:48:04 Lozen is kept entertained by the brilliance of teddybearmafia|keebord
12:48:20 teddybearmafia|keebord pulls in the chaos once more for one last chorus.
12:48:21 *** Xig is now known as Xig|Bowafridgeophone
12:48:41 Xig|Bowafridgeophone plays my epicly weird instrument like a boss
12:48:42 <Just_Cassy|Vocals> B)
12:48:42 teddybearmafia|keebord introduces the surprise guest, Xig|Bowafridgeophone!
12:49:04 Ezekial|Bass is even cooler without the shades. He drops that bass so hard that it smashes in to oblivion.
12:49:31 Nixxen|Harmonica|Drums ends the harmonica solo with a bow.
12:49:43 Just_Cassy|Vocals notices that the drums and now the bass are ruined.
12:50:03 <Jorj> lol, Xig, nice
12:51:01 <Xig|Bowafridgeophone> Dude
12:51:04 <Xig|Bowafridgeophone> I just found this
12:51:05 Ezekial|Bass made a big mistake.
12:51:06 teddybearmafia|keebord idly finishes the chorus with a left hand while accepting flowers from the crowd with the right.
12:51:19 <Ezekial|Bass> How long is this song anyway?
12:51:39 Just_Cassy|Vocals shrugs
12:51:39 *** Lozen quit (Quit: http://www.mibbit.com ajax IRC Client)
12:51:44 <teddybearmafia|keebord> I dunno, I guess until we stop introducing new instruments.
12:51:48 *** Lozen joined #roleplayerguild
12:52:04 <Nixxen|Harmonica|Drums> Until all the instruments are destroyed.
12:52:06 Xig|Bowafridgeophone takes out the tesla coils
12:52:12 <teddybearmafia|keebord> ruh roh
12:52:16 Nixxen|Harmonica|Drums snaps harmonica in half and throws it out into the crowd.
*** Xig|Bowafridgeophone is now known as Xig|Teslacoils
12:52:18 <Xig|Teslacoils> https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&list=PL6E376E441D1EFA09&v=8LAhKkPUo_AGetting info...
12:52:19 Nixxen|Harmonica|Drums begins break dancing.
12:52:19 <sanguine> Xig|Teslacoils's YT Title: "In the Hall of the Mountain King" - Played on Musical Tesla Coils - YouTube (Views: , Likes: 6,747 || Dislikes: 34)
12:52:55 Just_Cassy|Vocals also notices that the song has gone from funk to screamo to blues.
12:53:34 Ezekial|Bass believes that the audience is shrinking ever so slightly.
12:53:37 teddybearmafia|keebord wraps this baby up.
12:53:40 <Xig|Teslacoils> IM PlAYING MUSIC WITH MOTHA FRICKEN LIGHTNING
12:53:42 <Xig|Teslacoils>
12:53:48 teddybearmafia|keebord turns it over to Cassy and Xig to conclude.
12:53:54 teddybearmafia|keebord goes and bounces on the trampoline.
12:54:04 Ezekial|Bass supports with the Theremin.
12:54:12 <Kurohasu> Wait, if you guys are going until everything's broken...doesn't that mean you guys'll have to eventually break Cassy's voice too?
12:54:12 *** Ezekial|Bass is now known as Ezekial|Theremin
12:54:21 <Ezekial|Theremin> Wait, what?
12:54:31 Ezekial|Theremin hadn't thought of that.
12:54:35 <Just_Cassy|Vocals> o.o
12:54:35 <Nixxen|Harmonica|Drums> ...
12:54:39 *** teddybearmafia|keebord is now known as TBM|Musical
12:54:54 Ezekial|Theremin 's theremin suddenly breaks without anything touching it.
12:54:58 Just_Cassy|Vocals hides behind Eze.
12:55:00 *** Ezekial|Theremin is now known as Ezekial
12:55:10 *** TBM|Musical is now known as teddybearmafia
12:55:19 Xig|Teslacoils grabs Just_Cassy|Vocals and pulls her to the telsa coils
12:55:24 <Xig|Teslacoils> >: D
12:55:27 <teddybearmafia> Well that's the show folks.
12:55:31 Ezekial breaks Teslacoils.
12:55:36 <teddybearmafia> Hope you enjoyed it!
12:55:38 *** Ezekial is now known as FriedEzekial
12:55:43 <teddybearmafia> We'll be here all week.

Radio Free Metropolis (Multimedia)

Lovely. I'll have an OOC post up today or tomorrow, hopefully clarifying a few things and cleaning up the character sheet format, and we can start (or continue!) making characters. More people are, of course, always welcome!

Called Up - A WWII-esque Military RP (Alternate Universe)

Question:

What are we doing about support for LMG fire? AFAIK it's possible to fire the BAR without an assistant, just a bit more complicated and unwieldy. In this kind of situation would both LMG trained characters attempt to fire individually or group up to fire one more efficiently?

Radio Free Metropolis (Multimedia)

Charlie said
This Interests me, Could I make mine audio logs? I have a good idea of how to do conversions.

All I ask is that you work it convincingly into other people's story - i.e. you follow the same RP rules of no-godmodding and accessibility that we all do. You might also want to have a transcript in a hider.

All possibilities, I'll wait for one or two more responses (tell your friends!) and I'll get to work on clarifying everything in an OOC.

☄For Divine Entertainment☄

#1: Tian Jin

credit to http://www.deviantart.com/art/sketch-425119777

Character Name: Tian Jin
Character Theme: Shaping of the World
Age: 25
Height: 6’2”
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Rank/Title: Captain
Persona: Tian Jin lives for the thrill of the hunt. All aspects of it, the planning, the trap, and the execution… each is a part of a careful game that he loves. Because of his upbringing, he knows little else; caught at a young age and trained almost exclusively in archery and tactics, no one bothered or dared to divest him of what he came to believe was the underlying purpose of his life. It would be a mistake to characterize Tian as purely single-minded, but he can be predatory and focused almost to a fault when he has found a target.

His success has caused him to become relatively hot-headed and arrogant when it comes to taking on challenges, though he mocks and disdains the brash demeanor of so many of his countrymen. For him, the true beauty of warfare lies in the silence before the bow is fired, where the only sound is the bowstring stretching to its breaking point. Tian is seen as somewhat odd and standoffish by his fellow soldiers, but then again few truly understand his almost religious devotion to perfecting his one particular aspect of warfare. Tian’s self-worth comes from his ability to excel at archery – his entire life was spent learning it, warping his body and mind to fit the role he assigned himself, and as of right now he has nothing else obvious to strive towards.

As of right now, Tian lives to kill for his Empress. After all, what else could there be?

Equipment:

• Heavy Recurve Longbow: Most likely one of the stranger contraptions ever developed by the Thaos Academy of Archery, Tian’s bow is the product of one of many questionable attempts to emulate the technological styles of the Donians. It is around two metres long and possesses two separate interlocked parts connected by a complex pulley system. As such, the tension in the bow is so strong that even the strongest of normal men would have an immensely difficult time drawing and firing it once, let alone for an entire battle. In order to fire the full bow, Tian relies upon his specialized ki techniques, developed specifically for this purpose. Adjustable range markers are also attached, much like those found on the primitive Thaos artillery. When using the full potential of his bow, Tian can volley arrows up to a maximum of 450 metres away, and accurately shoot targets up to 200 metres away. It is an unwieldy and somewhat fragile weapon, especially since it was not designed specifically for Tian, but it is nonetheless dangerously effective.


• Plate and Chain-mail: Though far less mobile than leather or simple mail, Tian’s awareness of the firepower available to the Donians and the hellish magics of the Kaien ‘witches’ drives him to wear a somewhat more protective armour on the battlefield. His armour is therefore a mixture of a few solid plate pieces over light mail and padded leather. However, his joints are relatively unprotected compared to the rest of his body due to the need to be mobile enough to draw and fire a bow at speed


• Jian: 28in sword, kept in a red leather sheathe slung across Tian’s back to prevent it from interrupting his archery. Double-edged and used in a single hand, though it is possible to wield it two handed for additional force.


• Archery Gloves: These long, expensive, and nimble gloves stretch up to Tian’s elbows, and are designed to stop the skin on his forearms from being ripped off by the force of the bow being fired. However, the runes and characters embroidered into the back of the hand also serve as very useful conduits for the release of Tian’s ki, and assist him in the exercise of firing his bow. He is not incapable of using his ki energies without them, they just greatly speed up the process.

Abilities/Magic/Technology:

• Ki Techniques: Unlike a number of generalist Thao warriors, Tian was trained to be a specialist as soon as his uncanny accuracy was detected by his teachers. This means that though he can direct his body’s natural energy to wherever he wishes, the vast majority of it is tuned towards the act of firing a bow to the detriment of other abilities. In order to be accurate over long ranges, he must sometimes spend many excruciating seconds calming the trembling in his arms and finding his mark. However, his ki abilities also allow him send a tiny bit of his energy with every arrow that he fires, adding to the kinetic force of the arrow and allowing it to more easily punch through armour, magical shields, and flesh alike.


• <Ki Technique: Steady> Can provide unnatural strength and endurance to the specific muscles used in drawing and firing a bow for short periods of time.


• <Ki Technique: Pierce> Tian’s arrows glimmer slightly, and a blue shadow of the arrow seems to fly slightly before the actual arrow, allowing for Tian’s energy to be used up before the force of the arrow is diminished. Essentially, this enhances the penetrating power of Tian’s shots.

Physical Techniques:

• Archery: Tian is an exceptional marksman. He is not the best by far, but his skill and reputation continue to rise as he continues to add improbable achievements to his record.
  o Long-range: This is Tian’s speciality. In particular, he was trained to shoot down targets in the air, such as the damned Doniaeth dragons. Thus, he typically regards himself and his role on the battlefield as oversight rather than an assassin. He is slightly less capable at sniping, anyway: his bow is not the most perfectly accurate weapon at extreme distances unless shooting down the larger targets that he prefers to aim at. Nonetheless, if someone were to stay standing in a location for long enough, there’s no doubt that Tian would eventually hit them; he certainly does not lack persistence.
  o Short-range: Though Tian does not regularly carry a short-bow on him, he is an entirely competent archer at close ranges. Obviously, his heavy longbow does not possess the mobility to be effective at close ranges, but should he be pressed Tian can and has quickly felled approaching enemies. When freed of the burden of his longbow, Tian can also be a surprisingly mobile skirmisher, though as mentioned above he rarely adopts this role out of scorn for its perceived lack of refinement.


• Swordplay: Like all Thaos youth, Tian was trained in a variety of weapons. He is by all standards at a veteran level in the use of his sword, but suffers from lack of specific muscle training and related ki techniques. Therefore, Tian’s defensive sword-fighting far outmatches his offensive skills.


• Mathematics: Though perhaps out of place in a Thaos soldier, Tian’s intuitive grasp of trigonometry and rudimentary calculus made him a prodigy in Thaos even if he would have just been an average student in Doniaeth. Tian has spent a great amount of time applying his knowledge to his archery craft, and is therefore extremely adept with his scopes and the range markers on his longbow. Understanding more of the physics behind his craft has also allowed Tian to become better at comprehending flight paths of arrows and calculating the angles needed to hit fast moving targets.

Strengths:

• Analytical and Confident: Rarely backs down from a challenge, and plans his attacks with some degree of care and forethought. Able to overcome minor setbacks without losing focus.


• Heavy Weaponry: Able to provide accurate, long-range, and absolutely devastating fire support.


• Specialization: Years of training in one particular aspect has allowed Tian to become faster and more efficient in his trade than his contemporaries, especially regarding his ki usage.

Weaknesses:

• Lack of Mobility: Tian is far less effective without a team to provide him with support. He can be swarmed and taken down fairly easily if caught out.


• Arrogance: The flip-side of his confidence, Tian is always driven in a hot-headed fashion to take down the newest challenge, even if it is clearly beyond his reach.


• Less adaptable: Tian’s bow requires time to string and set up, as well as extensive care. It also does not fire fantastically quickly. As such, if caught in an ambush situation or forced to adapt to a new environment, Tian will be at a disadvantage in the early stages.

Radio Free Metropolis (Multimedia)

Love it, that's the sort of specific goals I'm looking for that draw characters into conflict. If/when the OOC gets up and running, I'll let you know if there's anything I want updated, but I love your items especially. Will be fun to see him grow.

Also, casual bump.

Steam Powered Europe

ONL said
In Northern Europe, so France isn't included. But fine then, I challenge you to a duel!

Hey, I'll have you know that it snowed in Montpellier last year! Like one whole centimetre!