Mistress

Carpe Diem

From what I understand, Medusa also requested that we drop it in her previous post. Frankly I don't understand what she did wrong other than maybe appear too aggressive. Her point stands correct: mental illnesses are not a joke, and saying that we don't have the proper experience to fully understand them is judgmental of you as well, @Wind Wild. I don't think Medusa was in the wrong here. I agree with her sentiments, and it appeared like OSIEIPPO did as well. I don't understand why this escalated to this point seeing as it seemed the problem was solved with OSIEIPPO changing his character. I'm going to repeat what I stated before; mental illnesses are of the same nature as physical illnesses, so standing up for accurate and compassionate portrayals of such struggles is a good thing. It isn't even about GM duties so much as having empathy. I do have a problem with the easy dismissal of this subject on your part, Wind Wild, honestly. For me, accurate depictons of such sensitive topics matter more than the comfort of the roleplayers. If that isn't the case for you, then I can't be a part of this RP any longer. I wish you all well.

Carpe Diem

Thanks for the compliment, @Tracyarmav. My issue is that I think criticism should be considered welcome, not unwelcome. I can't speak for everyone, but I know my main goals as a role-player are to develop accurate characters and improve my writing. It's certainly an escape and something we do for fun, but that doesn't mean we should be insensitive or inaccurate in our depictions of people. Ultimately, our characters are people: not real-life people but representations of them. That's why I understand what Medusa's trying to get at; if we were here to create unrealistic characters, we'd join different role-plays in different forums - and unrealistic does not mean problematic. Critical analysis is good as long as it's defended with evidence and is not too harsh. I'm here to play, as you mentioned, but my immersion is disrupted when someone creates a character I believe is unrealistic, and that makes my experience worse. Personally, I expect realism and research from my role-playing partners. I stated before that we're here to work as a team, and that does mean voicing concerns. Being critical is the way to go, in my opinion, because it helps us all grow as people and as writers. My assumption is that everyone here (in the Advanced forum) is interested in improving their writing and characterization, and if that's not the case then you're probably in the wrong place.

Carpe Diem

@Wind Wild I don't really want to get into a conflict, but I think everyone has the right to their own opinion. @Medusa didn't actually demand @OSIEIPPO change his character. She only pointed out some of the things she thought were problematic, and that's not the prerogative of the GM; everyone is able to point out their opinions on other characters because this is a group roleplay that requires we function as a team. If there are some grievances, I'd prefer people express them in the open rather than harbor some sort of secret dislike. OSIEIPPO took Medusa's comments super gracefully, too, so I don't see what the problem is with her pointing it out.

In terms of the actual quarrel being discussed, I have to agree with Medusa here. Mental illness is just as serious as any physical illness. If you wouldn't say, "...has an extremely slender build which can often be mistaken with cancer" then you shouldn't make a comparison to an eating disorder. It doesn't improve the reader's understanding (eating disorders are illnesses, not body types), and it's not really a valid point to make. Again, I'm not here to pick fights, but mental illness is an extremely serious issue that affects a large number of the population, so we shouldn't trivialize those struggles as something that can be plopped into a sentence without any explanation. Sure, Ralph isn't my character either, but I think everyone should take other people's input into consideration, especially if they're voicing their concern over something that they think is unresearched/offensive. (No offense meant to OSIEIPPO either because I'm very glad he's taken this so well and is willing to mend that particular part of his characterization.)

Notice me, Sentai! A High School, Romantic, Magical Person roleplay!

I'm glad you're informing us, but you should have stated this in the rules beforehand because if you had, I wouldn't have joined. I have nothing against others creating multiple characters, but I typically only play one (or two, at the very most). Three characters is impossible for me. If you're going to be enforcing this rule, I want to let you know that I can't adhere to it.

Ronin: Neo-Japan

@vietmyke@ClocktowerEchos I'm an idiot and basically meant "up to 400x magnification" seeing as, for whatever reason, I thought that lenses would just magically come in intervals and I could then use my gun as a microscope. I'll change it to 40x.

Also, I don't actually have 5,000 extra credits. I'm assuming you slipped up where I put that I have two energy daggers. From my understanding, each costs 5,000 credits, so I am right on the money. I won't mind 5k more though, lol!

The street chem Hiro developed is called Slam because it fucks you up. ;) It's a very strong hallucinogenic which causes powerful "trips". I'm basically assuming its effects mirror that of LSD but are much longer-lasting with generally more substantial trips. It is also highly addictive.

Notice me, Sentai! A High School, Romantic, Magical Person roleplay!

e d g e m a s t e r .

f a c e .

Hider

m a g i c .

Hider

w e a p o n .

Hider

n a m e . Orochi Shibata
g e n d e r . Male
g r a d e . Year Three

b i o . When Orochi was little, his mom told him he was special, and it all went downhill from there. He grew up spoiled and self-entitled, a brat who wanted gold spoons instead of silver because he believed silver was for commoners. These childish tantrums dissipated as he grew into adolescence and were replaced by something his parents were even more horrified by: edge. The moment Orochi turned thirteen, he promptly shut himself in his room and spent his mornings mindlessly sulking in the corner. His wardrobe, previously mostly composed of expensive argyle sweaters, started to overflow with equally-as-expensive but purposefully-worn-down black skinny jeans, metal band tees, and leather jackets. He was determined to transform into what he had seen in animes he had coveted as a child. He would become an OP main protagonist.

This transition went smoothly upon entering high school as most of his classmates began to ostracize him due to his exceedingly callous and rude manner of speaking, which he assumed was due to his burgeoning "bad boy" reputation. By reading internet guides on how to look like a mysterious cool dude, Orochi eventually memorized how to act charming, seductive, and satisfactorily dark. Instead of studying, Orochi skipped class and smoked weed in the school bathrooms. In his free time, Orochi terrorized innocent girls and convinced himself the terrified look in their eyes was actually tentative adoration, and as he became more skilled at acting the brooding archetype, those looks eventually did turn into adoration. Finally, girls were flocking to him despite his dismissal of their feelings.

Orochi was living the dream anime life. All he needed was superhuman powers, and he was set for life.

s e m p a i . Despite his numerous female admirers, Orochi refuses to tie himself down with one girl for longer than a period of two weeks, in which he stalks her and then flees, screaming "I'm too dangerous for you!" Inside his cold dead heart, he yearns for a girl just as unrealistic and attractive as him.

[closed]

Yo, honestly I don't know whether this will take off, and we really can't do this with just four (three?) people unless y'all are willing to make this into one or two competitions. This will place much more emphasis on the few challenges rather than characterization because there just won't be enough time for people to get to know one another before everyone is eliminated.

---

Ok, it doesn't look like anybody is interested, so I'm closing this.

Ronin: Neo-Japan

Hiro Nagaya

Name: Hiro Nagaya
Age: 23
Gender: Male
Nationality: Japanese
Alias/Handle: Spider

Psychological Analysis: At his best, Hiro's abrasive and blunt, a master of clinical explanations and logical, if unfeeling, analyses. However, at his worst, Hiro amplifies his considerable intelligence and sizable paranoia to morph into a puddle of anxious, crackling electricity; due to his line of work, anxiety remains at a constant high, which means Hiro usually falls into the latter category of his core personality. He's prone to panic attacks and fits of rage, and he's always on guard. To him, everyone is an enemy with ulterior motives, which completely depletes his ability to trust anyone on an emotional level. As a matter of fact, Hiro trusts no one but himself, though he's gotten better at hiding his apathy for most other lives. He holds natural sway over people due to the pervasive aura of self-confidence (however false it may be) he emits, but for obvious reasons, Hiro prefers to work alone. He is, however, willing to override his introversion in order to go down the most lucrative path, whether that means safety or whatever little power not controlled by mega-corporations. Hiro is also extremely cautious and secretive, but his paranoia prompts him to learn as much as possible about anyone he interacts with; he tends to weave conversations away from himself and compulsively lie about his background in order to protect himself.

Employment Record: Hiro had been born conventional. His parents made a living as glorified wage-slaves, eking out a sub-par income by serving one of the Tokyo District's top manufacturers of standardized cybernetic enhancements, which in turn was controlled by Neo-Japan's largest mega-corporation. Like the majority of the population, Hiro spent his formative years crammed into a shoebox apartment; his mother taught him how to write when he was four, and whatever scraps of paper he could find as a child were filled with complaints of "it smells" and "the sink leaks" and "there are rats under the floorboards". Even as a child, he displayed symptoms of anxiety, jittery pale hands twitching and thin legs shaking incessantly to an internal beat as soon as he opened his eyes in the morning. He woke up early, dreams of rats crawling across his chest startling him awake (one day, he woke up early enough to realize that those rats were not, in fact, just nightmares). Despite the poor living conditions, Hiro led a completely normal childhood. He went to school and learned about the benefits of consumerism and coloring within the sharply-drawn lines, but despite the traditions and rules heavily enforced by all sectors of society, Hiro was plagued with purposelessness.

By the time he turned eighteen, Hiro had established himself as a fantastic, if somewhat distracted, student and a generally productive member of society. Upon graduation from school, several corporations had expressed interest in him; he had the potential to become an biomechanical engineer, designing the same cyber-bodies his parents assembled for 10 hours a day, or a doctor, or even a politician. Instead, he turned to chem dealing with low-level hacking on the side. Hiro had always been very logical and analytical, able to sit down and solve a complicated problem, but rather than using those particular skills in more conventional pursuits, he assumed that the black market would make him far more money (and therefore grant him far more happiness) than spending his life rotting away for whatever mega-corp hired him. So one day he woke up, kissed his parents on the cheeks, and packed ship in favor of the underground.

The first year was a struggle to survive, but eventually Hiro developed a more potent formula for a powerful street chem and immediately began to rake in credits. His presence as a drug slinger eventually grabbed the attention of a group of Ronin who recruited him to their team as a makeshift tech guru and assassin's apprentice. Hiro, though physically fit and relatively strong, proved far better at trapping victims than manhandling them; his skills leaned towards distraction, chem-use, and stealth rather than pure punching power, and generally speaking he preferred speedy captures and swift slits of the throat to pools of blood and dozen-body massacres. Hiro stayed with the team he was initially recruited into for several years before a more lucrative opportunity split the group apart; alone and unwilling to go back to selling chems as a full-time occupation, he joined his second and current team, which he has been a part of for two years.

Enhancement:

• A-Grade Cyber Ears 10,000Cr - Hiro's inner ears are completely replaced with cybertech which greatly enhance his hearing. Specifically, Hiro is able to hear sounds far above and beyond the decibel ranges typically audible to humans from a distance of up to 1,000 yards. His ears also sense electrical coronas and magnetic signals; in order to control their volume and sensitivity, Hiro had a switch installed on the back of each of his ears. When particularly annoyed, Hiro can effectively put the world on mute.

Equipment:

• Combat Grade Armor 5,000Cr - Hiro sports fairly lightweight camouflage armor which covers his entire body, even his head. Though it makes him a bit clunkier than he finds comfortable, Hiro is still able to move around decently while being much more heavily protected than he is while wearing his preferred stealth coat.
  
  Armor Appearance

  
• Stealth Coat 5,000Cr - Even when not on a mission, Hiro tends to wear this extremely long black coat, which covers his shoulders down to his ankles. Surprisingly, despite its length, walking is easy due to the lightweight nano-fabric.
• A-Grade Assault Rifle 5,000Cr - When not using his energy daggers, which are his primary weapons of choice, Hiro shoots an impressively high-quality assault rifle. Hiro's rifle has smart-aim, recoil adjustment, 40x magnification, and a long barrel and magazine which fits 50 rounds easily. Though the rifle comes with an extremely advanced silencer, it is not exactly a stealth weapon and Hiro only uses it in direct combat.
• B-Grade Semi-Automatic Pistol 1,000Cr - As a secondary firearm, Hiro carries a durable pistol. Its light weight and small size make it less accurate, but it remains powerful especially in close-range combat. The pistol also comes with a powerful silencer and is easy to conceal.
• E-Nade x2 250Cr
• Energy Dagger x2 5,000Cr - Typically hidden by his stealth cloak or neatly sheathed in a specially-made compartment in his combat armor are two energy daggers. These are far more lightweight and therefore easier to maneuver than their metal counterparts but are just as, if not more, deadly. Because Hiro wields a dagger in each hand, he is able to stab quickly and efficiently from both directions.
• Jetmatic Personal Transport Unit 10,000Cr - This device straps onto Hiro's back with sturdy magnetic clasps. It weighs about ten pounds and is relatively small, about the size of a schoolchild's backpack. When switched on (a button is situated inconspiciously on his left shoulder pad), the Jetmatic propels Hiro up into the air either vertically or horizontally, allowing him to traverse the roads and skylines of Neo-Japan without much effort. Hiro can control the trajectory of this by angling his body in whichever direction he wishes; to shut it off, Hiro simply has to press the same button again. A similar button on his right shoulder pad unleashes a firm grappling hook for easier landing. For short distances, the Jetmatic also contains a jump-pack and shock absorbers for longer, more dangerous jumps.
• High Quality Forged IDENT Card 2,500Cr - Hiro's IDENT card is so well-made that only a trained specialist would be able to tell it apart from a real one.
• Hacking set (Trade Tools) 1,000Cr - Because Hiro specializes mainly in hacking and stealth, these tools are composed of materials used to supplement his hacking ability. Mainly, this kit contains high-quality technology in which versatile programming templates have been encoded for quick use and tweaking.

Ronin: Neo-Japan

I'm super interested in this.

Carpe Diem

@Doc Doctor I feel you, Doc, but you gotta learn how to spell your own character's name right. (Maybe hijack some other RPs while you're at it, eh? Maybe less serious ones with players who'll actually appreciate it?)