[center]______BACKGROUND______[/center] As the world approached a new century, the government approved funding for a clandestine project called only by the nickname "SKINTIGHT". This was the start of extensive research into the areas of nanobot health and enhancement methods, as well as developing weaponized systems and literally turning humans into robots. Disregarding ethics and morals, the scientists began to dig deeper. A growing interest in the use of nanobot technology in the military, combined with the ideas of a few mad scientists, gave birth to the project's most daring experiment. A way to "make" the perfect soldier--to grow machine and human right alongside each other, starting from conception. This was BIRTH. The future of nanobot implants, the first set of raised-for-war cyborgs, and the scientists worked tirelessly to perfect it. Unfortunately, the project was no longer the under-the-radar research it had begun as. When word got out that the company was working towards perhaps a different goal than the government had in mind, that humans were being bred for battle, the protests became louder and louder. And in the end, the police caved--the facilities were shut down, the years and years of work either destroyed or confiscated. Researchers fled into hiding. SKINTIGHT was finished, the newspapers said. Except, there was one thing they neglected to mention--they were too late. Project BIRTH had already begun. Free to operate without suspicion, the scientists decided they needed a new area to test their findings. So, creation of a small village, in the middle of the woods, complete with labs and housing, was funded through personal finances--in most cases, whatever they had left. They became self-sufficient. Secretive. In nine months, the first offspring of project BIRTH arrived. The 20 test subjects of the first trial reported 15 healthy children, 2 stillborn or otherwise dead soon after birth, 1 death of both mother and child due to complications, and 2 missing--runaways. This, they believed, was a success. The 15 children were to be raised quietly, and receive monthly examinations of their implanted systems. For now, though, all they could do was wait. [center]______SETTING______[/center] In this rp, you can play as a either a Mechanic or a Birthed, which I will go into detail about down below. You can also play as a military soldier/general/pilot/etc if you'd like that better. The Birthed are the 15 children born after the SKINTIGHT labs were destroyed and The Village was built. There are also two runaway children--ask me if you'd like to play one of those! The Birthed are basically cyborgs, 50% human and 50% robotic. As such, some of their parts can be manipulated as they wish, but others are still fragile and human. The Birthed were all raised in the quiet woods of The Village, a lab compound that also doubles as a small town. Their parents vary; some are scientists, others mere test subjects. Due to the scientists encouraging normal human development alongside the training of their more robotic traits, their proficiencies and personalities differ; in short, they are still very much human. One thing is clear, though: they were meant for war. That is the one true fact of their existence, and while some may fight against it, it is the truth. The Birthed are adept a number of skills, included manipulation and shaping of body parts, force field generation, electricity control, and more. The Mechanics are a more motley crew. A ragtag lot of the intelligent, clever, and often near-broke, hired for their phenomenal knowledge of SKINTIGHT's technology and enough skill to put it together, the Mechanics are in charge of one Birthed each and have complete responsibility to keep their tech running and their combat skills top-notch. Mechanics will stay off of the battlefield, but can take full control of a Birthed when things go awry, giving them orders or even self-destructing them if necessary. These guys come from a ton of backgrounds--former criminal, military engineer, childhood friend living in The Village--there are tons of options. The Mechanics all know a high level of technological and combat skills and probably a bunch of other random stuff, too. The Birthed and Mechanics are paired together in teams of two, with the Mechanics taking control of the Birthed--sorta like a video game avatar--and coaching them on how to best use their power in any situation. This can range from shouting "do that!" to one-on-one lessons on how to throw a punch. Like a tutor, but also a nurse that makes sure these infant fighting machines are running properly. [center]_______RULES_______[/center] All Birthed are 16 years of age, unless you can give me a plausible reason for anything otherwise. The Birthed aren't killing machines--at least, not yet--and it's up to you on how you want to develop them. They've lived pretty sheltered lives up to this point, though. Please post your character sheet in ooc so I can give you the ok to post it in the character tab! That's about it. I love to chat about settings, so don't hesitate to ask me stuff. I don't usually have a character sheet template--just the basics like name, age, skills, position, personality, background? I dunno. We'll work on it.