Vonghese

The Work and the Shoot: A Pro Wrestling Meta-RPG

Polished up my CS a little bit. Billy is extremely protective of his finisher. If he lands it, he will fight a kickout, and behind the scenes he will fight any proposed kickout till he's blue in the face.

Ravenholm

I think I'll be bowing out of this one. Good luck!

The Work and the Shoot: A Pro Wrestling Meta-RPG

May I recommend putting as little detail as possible into the NPC wrestlers? That way players who join later can take a spot with as little rectonning as possible.

We can always wrestle jobbers till the roster fills out.

Ravenholm

The Ghost drifted lazily along the hallway, his feet moving in a rolling heel-toe gait. His dark eyes glittered in the dim illumination of the wall sconce lights, turned down in this area for efficiency's sake. Coming to a smooth halt at last by one section of otherwise unremarkable wall, he paused and seemed to stare at nothing.

In truth, he saw much more than the unremarkable walls.

The Ghost saw right through the wall in his mind, having no need of his physical eyes to direct his attention. The thick interior wall was load-bearing, almost four feet of solid stone. Beyond that was a little-used conference room. Tonight, two men would be meeting there. They intended to exchange money and words, then walk away. One man was the presiding judge of a small court, where a case was being examined with great discretion. The other... Aito's jaw rippled in silent anger.

He couldn't hear through the stone, that wasn't his gift, but he didn't need to. What else could the two men be discussing? The case in question was a rather messy accusation of rape, and the details were open-and-shut. That the girl had been brutalized was beyond question, Aito had ghosted into her hospital room and seen her injuries himself. The accused had been the only one seen leaving her home, she'd recently insulted him, he'd sworn to hurt her... it was very clear. With those facts, the only ones presented, it was damning evidence. Aito would have voted guilty himself.

But Aito knew something more.

The judge was being bribed to speed the trial along. Swift justice, closure for the poor girl so she could begin to recover, that was the excuse. It was understandable, almost forgivable, the judge thought he was honestly doing the family a favor, and enjoying the opportunity to make a little cash while he was at it. That wasn't worthy of death.

No, the wickedness he was here for stemmed from something else.

The man giving the bribe didn't represent the family of the girl. He was from someone else... someone who didn't want a certain piece of evidence being discovered. Someone who knew that if the standard times were observed, something overlooked would come to light. Someone who was related to the true culprit, and who was enjoying this opportunity to shame a rival family. Who they were, Aito didn't know. Nor did he especially care.

It was easy to find out, after all. All he had to do was prevent this meeting from taking place. And that would be easy, the judge was running late. Aito had seen to that.

The stranger entered the room on the other side of the wall, and Aito grinned. Perfect ambush. This was how he liked it... a nice, solid piece of stonework that would not be moved or broken up for many generations to come. Nobody who knew his target was supposed to be there. No other witnesses. Rolling his neck, he allowed himself to ghost into the wall.

His power was... hard to describe. It was as if he just reached out and pushed every single molecule out and away, just a little out of alignment, into a place where they wouldn't collide with anything in the world. Then he walked forward as if his feet still had traction, and watched himself sink into the wall. His physical sight went black at once, but his mind's eye could still perceive his journey. Two steps into the darkness, then he was out again, right behind the man with the envelope of money. He re-entered the physical world, drawing a knife. He then did three things very quickly. Seizing the man's hair, he yanked backwards savagely, stomped on the back of his knee, and held the knife before his victim's face, where it could be plainly seen.

The man began to babble. Aito ignored his yammering, allowing him to fully embrace panic and appreciate his position, then cut him off at last. "The money," he growled. "The money, ass. Give me the money, that's all I want."

An envelope was produced in shaking fingers. Clamping the knife in his teeth, Aito grabbed the envelop and stuffed it into his pocket without looking at it. Then he seized the back of the man's belt, and forced both his body and the stranger's into Ghost. This was much harder, and much more tiring. This was always the most dangerous part of his ambush. Stepping backwards, he re-entered the wall, dragging the man with him. Darkness enveloped both of them. The man kicked and struggled, trying to scream into solid stone to no avail. Aito let him, every moment deliberate, remaining fully aware of his body, his timing, and the world in his mind's eye. The moment his victim was fully within the heavy stone wall, Aito let go.

There was a horrible sensation of utter wrongness, and a vibration in the stone that resonated horribly in his ears. Such a sound had never been given a name, and Aito had yet to find a suitable word for it. Molecules were horribly compressed and fused together as laws of nature fought to reassert themselves. When Aito stepped the rest of the way out of the wall and returned to the physical world, he was grinning savagely. It was horrible. It was barbaric.

We live in a fallen world, he thought. Man's sin has created this state. This was not how it was Meant to be.

He shouldn't enjoy the opportunities that the Perversion of Creation gave him quite so much.

"God, forgive me," he muttered aloud. He pulled out the envelope and thumbed through the money nestled inside. They said that the love of money was the root of all evil. Whoever said that was probably right. Aito told himself he didn't do this for money, but these dark deeds of his didn't take up much time. He certainly could have held down a full-time job and never missed a beat.

But it would have been just wasteful to leave that money inside the stone wall. And Aito didn't much care for honest work, it was highly overrated.

The Wicked West

No problems at all. Thanks for that.

The Wicked West

He could be. But there really wasn't any sharpshooting then. And no repeating rifles either.

Ravenholm

Aito Morgan

Basic Information

Name: Aito Morgan
Gender: Male
Age: 29
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Relationship Status: Divorced, now a confirmed bachelor

In Depth Information

Appearance: Mixed race, with narrow dark eyes and high cheekbones, he's handsome and he knows it. Aito presents himself professionally. Normally he walks tall and proud, utterly at ease with the world around him, owning every room that he enters. His eyes are direct, he likes to make and hold eye contact with those around him. Occasionally a hint of a swagger enters his gait. His ears are both pierced, but he usually doesn't wear anything in them. When he takes off his jacket and rolls up his sleeves, tattoos are seen covering both arms. His jet black hair is always cut fashionably, and he maintains a cleanly shaven face.

Personality: Gregarious, cheerful, and very polite, Aito firmly believes in making people like him.

Clothing: Always acknowledging the cutting edge of fashion, Aito is not a poster boy for what is currently fashionable. His own personality bleeds through too much. He usually wears several bracelets on one arm, an old-fashioned dial watch on the other. He favors boots over shoes. Despite the modern cut of his clothing, though, he always picks dark colors, wearing mostly blacks and grays, and nothing on his body jingles. His boots are unusually soft-soled, and while he normally shuffles or clomps when he walks, he can switch to an utterly silent gait when he wishes.

Weaponry: Aito favors knives heavily. One long weapon hangs from his belt at his right thigh, with a blade almost twelve inches long and a flashy silver hilt. He hardly ever draws it, using it more as a misdirection. You seldom see the knife he kills you with. In addition to his blades, he carries a garrote and a single-shot scatter-pipe.

Equipment: A simple set of lockpicks that he hardly ever needs to use. A sharpening kit for his blades.

Spiritual Information

Beliefs: A staunchly religious man, Aito attends church regularly. He's not a church zealot, though, and is disgusted with the utter corruption that he sees as blatently running the show. As far as he's concerned, the higher church officials are politicians in another outfit, and just as sincere in their creeds. He doesn't attend large services, preferring small congregations with simple messages that actually teach from the Bible and not from Church tradition.

Religious Trinkets: A small cross around his neck.

Powers: Able to go insubstantial, fading from sight almost to the point of invisibility. When he's in this state, he can walk through solid objects without difficulty. He calls this ability 'ghosting'
- Strengths: This power allows him to walk through walls, or allow weapons to pass harmlessly through him. He can project this power, taking his clothing, gear, and occasionally other people through with him. Passively, he's able to observe the world around him in terms of mass, which is quite useful for spotting hidden weapons on other people, seeing in the dark, or observing events through opaque screens.
- Weaknesses: This power cannot last for long. If he takes nothing but himself 'ghost', he can remain in this state for approximately two minutes. If he pushes this, he risks fusing himself into whatever material he happens to be passing through. Bringing any object with him adds to the effort necessary, proportionate to the object's mass. Clothing and knives aren't difficult, but large objects and other people rather are. Bringing double his personal mass into 'ghost' can only be sustained for approximately 20 seconds, and the time restraint continues to compound from there.

Skills: All applicable skills from his background as a soldier.
- Strengths: Fast reaction to incoming threats, and the ruthlessness necessary to kill. Proficient in firearms.
- Weaknesses: Highly mistrustful of authority figures. Cynical, very low expectations of human behavior.

Traits:
- Likes: Women, dancing, and social interaction. Occasionally joins his neighbor's children for a game or two.
- Dislikes: People who abuse trust. Large open spaces. Popular music.
- Fears: Exposure of his powers. He likes being liked, and would flee the city if he was thought of as a social pariah.

Historical Information

Biography
- Unremarkable upbringing, served eight years in the military before going his own way. Killed his first man when he was 15, which shook him deeply. Afraid of exposing himself as a demon, he allowed himself to be captured and prosecuted. It was ruled manslaughter. He was given 10 years of penal servitude, and was allowed to join the military after 2 years of good behavior to serve the rest of his sentence. During that two years in prison, he spend a great deal of time in introspection with himself and the Bible, building a firm foundation for the faith that he would choose to stand on for the rest of his life. He has grown to loathe corruption, especially abuses of trust in authority figures, and has decided to put his powers to good use by punishing such figures he deems worthy of death. He works in secret, and wants no public knowledge of his deeds, choosing only the very worst of the worst for death. He can't make the full purge he desires, as that would create lethal instability in the higher power structure, but he can work just enough to make rumors float around the high circles of power and give wicked men something earthly to fear.

Extra

- He believes that if you've read the Bible yourself, and still follow the Church's teachings, you're beneath contempt.
- Also believes that non-cisgendered people have some sort of mental disorder. Especially gay men (boobs are awesome, guy, wtf?). He still treats them with all the same dignity he grants to anyone else with a mental disorder, reckoning that they shouldn't be despised for starting life with the short end of the stick.
- Married young and foolishly to a younger and more foolish girl. Despises the person his ex-wife became.

The Wicked West

Ugh, I'll have to redo my character, then. Civil War hadn't happened yet.

The Work and the Shoot: A Pro Wrestling Meta-RPG

Billy Brice

Ring Name: Billy Brice

Gimmick: Rocker. Comes out playing a guitar. Wears big shades, fringed leggings. Always flirting with the fans.

Alignment: Face

Age/Height/Weight/Hometown: 27, 190, 6'

Entrance Theme: Whatever guitar solo he likes, set to a generic rock track.

Finisher and Signature Moves:
Finisher is a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker he calls Roll 'n' Rock
Signature moves include a double axe handles clothesline called Crushing Dreams, an axe kick called Big Boy, and a suplex toss that drapes his opponent over the top rope and bounces them back into the ring called Hung to Dry.

In-Ring Style: Very flashy. Not a lot of high spots, but not a ground-and-pounder either. More of a striker.

Tale of the Tape: Starting out life as one half of the tag team Heartbreakers, he managed to transition successfully to singles wrestling after a real injury retired his partner. He started off as a heel, but got switched to face after a rather compelling storyline revolving around the transition to singles. He's entertaining, dramatic, and building up steam.

Real Name: Danny Lovegood

Backstage Bio: Danny is the oldest of three brothers, and the only one to leave the family ranch in Texas. Having always been enamored with wrestling, he incurred his father's eternal wrath when he left home and began training. He hasn't been back since.

In-Ring Skills/Reputation: His double axe handles are considered one of the hardest clotheslines in the business. He's fairly safe to work with, and works very hard to maintain his reputation.

Mic Skills/Reputation: A good speaker, he primarily focuses on firing the crowd up. He frequently quotes lines from popular songs.

Backstage Reputation: A yes-man, Danny likes to be liked. He encourages camaderie, wanting to be friends with his co-workers, and frequently helps the non-talent crew out with setting up the ring and other work around the arena. He's addicted to painkillers, but stays away from the hard stuff. He can be counted on to buy at least one round at any bar he visits.

Motivation: Fear of loneliness. Danny lived in a very small town, spending too much time isolated on his ranch. He wants to be popular, he wants to be surrounded by adulation and appreciation. He loves the parties, the crowds, the fans, the sex and adrenaline and variety.

Hindrance: His eye is all too frequently drawn by some of his younger female fans. He swears every sexual partner he's had has been of legal age, but there's been some awfully baby-faced eighteen-year-olds seen leaving his room. His addiction to painkillers is currently supported by several doctors who are unaware of each other's subscriptions.

The Wicked West

I'm down.

Character Sheet

Name: Nathanial Cade

Appearance: Tall and rawboned, a mix of Welsh and German with dark hair and eyes. Missing the top half of his left ear. Scarred knuckles. Early thirties. Clean-shaven when he can manage it.

Biography: A former confederate sharpshooter, Cade has since made a name for himself as a bounty hunter. He won't attack peaceful Indians, but will cheerfully collect scalps and bounties on tribes who have attacked white men. In work, he likes to ambush his target, usually at range. He will shoot a man in the back quite cheerfully and produce his warrant immediately after. He usually doesn't bother with the bonus 'alive' money. Despite his violent profession, he's a cautious man and doesn't like unnecessary risks. He also has a very low tolerance for bullshit. When a local sheriff tried to cheat him out of his bounty money, Cade called him out on it and killed him in a public duel.

Equipment: His favorite weapon is a Winchester repeater 45-70, a 'real man's gun' he dryly quips before letting some poor fool batter his shoulder to bits trying to handle the recoil. Also carries two .45 Long Colt revolvers in crossdraw holsters and a derringer on his right ankle. A bowie knife rides across the small of his back, hilt to the right, and another is in his left boot.

Skills: Aside from the usual soldierly skills of shooting, riding, and sitting around waiting, Cade has some knowledge of blacksmithing and working cattle.