Heat

Music Appreciation Thread

@Altered Tundra 6/10, that guy's voice is ridiculous if it's real. Sounds like a woman singing. Just a solid rating for how crazy that voice is even if I can't stand that song.

Ronin: Neo-Japan

An old metal song blared through the speakers within the dive bar as a tank of man sat silent at the bar. His bloodshot eyes staring downward, the thoughts going through his mind of pure revenge. Two all too familiar faces that kept popping up even after all the years he had last seen them. The two bastards which had burnt him both literally and figuratively. He knew they were both still alive, ensured it. If anyone was going to end them it would be Max Branch.

His fingers tapped along to the drums of the song, an almost unconscious motion. His helmet was off and in front of him. He breathed out of his own nose, the metallic taste he always tasted within his mouth. The bartender stood at the other end of the bar, a nervous eye upon Max as he sat in a terrifying silence. There were others in the bar, they all kept their distance from the metal jawed behemoth. All except one idiot drunk who just couldn't turn down a dare.

"H-hey man, ya want a drink. You loo-ok like you neeeeeed one. Or maybe a girl?" The drunk asked Max as he approached, the Ronin smelling the stench of alcohol on the man's breath. He was one of the locals, some hotshot trying to impress some floozy. If Max ignored him perha-

"Come on, bro, what's wrong, why-y so cranky?" The drunk pitched in, a stupid grin on his face as Max finally acknowledged his presence. Annoyance filled eyes glaring right at the one that approached him. No words spoken yet. He would give him another kind chance to get the message.

"You really need to get laid metal man, come onnnnn." The drunk said, not getting the message. Max slide off his seat, standing with a clang. The room went silent except for the music as the tank moved to face the man that awoke him. The giant's eyes fell upon the drunk's hands, both augmented. Pitiful.

"Can you smile with that thi-" The drunk started to say before Max literally lifted him off the ground, raising him high enough to look the near seven foot armored giant right in the eyes. The drunk's friends stared at the scene, as did everyone else in the bar.

"Back off." Max uttered, his voice metallic, tone robotic. His words with just the slightest hint of rage behind them. Then he released his grip on the idiot, the man landing on top of the bar, sliding right off on impact. As Max turned to sit back down he felt something bounce into him, trying to tackle him to the floor. It was the drunkard.

"What the fuck was that you freak?" The man slurred out as he tried to push Max over, the Ronin barely getting budged by the maneuver. That was enough, it was one thing to speak to him in such away, another for the fool to lay his filthy augmented fingers on his armor. Now Grizzly was angry. He grasped the drunk by the shoulder, then flung him backwards, into the wall behind. He hit the wall like a rock with a brutal smack, his body falling onto one of the booths. A few broken vertebrate at least, not enough for the angry behemoth.

"These fucking augmentations, you did not need them, you conformed to get them. Only because all of your friends got them. Pathetic." Max spoke out as the drunk wiggled, staring at him as he walked towards him again. One of the women within the bar almost shrieked as Max began to literally yank one of the drunk's augmented hands from the limb. Blood sprayed as the machinery came loose, the man howling in pain as he was now handless.

"I'm calling the fucking police!" The bartender shouted. Max didn't care, he was done here. He flung the machine limb into the wall, it cracking on contact as it landed next to its owner. Grizzly then walked out of the bar with no more haste than he did entering it. He could hear the drunkard's friends going to help out the poor sap. Perhaps it would teach them all a lesson in manners.

---

As Max exited the bar he screwed his helmet on. The HUD came online a split second later as it revealed a recent message.

"Got a big job. Meet at the safehouse. - Mr. T."

Then the giant disappeared down an alleyway, as police sirens blared in the distance hopelessly.

Outcasts - A Star Wars Roleplay

Ielasdiko

Ielasdiko

---

Introduction

Full Name: Ielasdiko

Age: 29

Species: Twi'Lek

Gender: Female

Force Sensitive: Yes.

Appearance

Description:
Ielasdiko or Iela to her friends stands 1.8 meters, her skin blue her eyes as well. She is considered quite beautiful, this is something she knows and often uses to her advantage. She has tattoos on parts of her body, they are located on her left lekku, chest and hips. Her figure is in shape from consistent exercise.

Like many other female Twi'leks she wears form fitting clothing which accentuates her feminity. Her most common choice from her wardrobe is a tough leather jacket over a croptop with tight leather pants and hard leather boots. Though her clothing choices vary with her jobs, that's what she prefers to wear.

Characteristics

Personality
A very confident woman, Iela isn't exactly the most friendly Twi'lek and not the easiest person to get along with. She'll often shoot off remarks or threats to those that displease her. Her profession as an assassin does not allow her to trust very many people, she can't afford to do it or else she may risk her own safety. She doesn't have many real friends, and doesn't really try to make any unless they give her some advantage. She is not socially inept, and can act quite charming when she needs to. She'll spin her words in a way to make someone believe she is being genuine.

She's not above torture or getting her hands dirty, whatever gets her paid and the job done is something she'll consider. Cold blooded murder is something she does as an occupation, she has no qualms with killing, though she dislikes doing it needlessly. Just randomly butchering people for no reason is something that bores her. She knows that she is a wanted criminal, and has no issue with making a full retreat if the situation goes bad. Saving her own skin is a top priority to her, just above making credits. She's worked with all kinds of criminal filth and is used to dealing with them.

Fears & Flaws
Iela has a fear of intimacy, actually giving people her honest emotions and thoughts as well as letting them get too close to her. Her few romantic relationships have ended in disaster, her partners dead because she let it become known that they were close to her. Physical and emotional abuse by her slave owner in her younger years also accentuate this fear. She also is scared of suffocation, having seen it happen to others, it's not the way she wants to go out, not being able to breath for extended periods will often cause her to panic.

Her personality is one of her largest flaws, mean to many she does not make friends easily. This has gotten her into bad situations before. She also tends to show sadism, drawing pleasure from those that hurt her in intense pain. Her status as an assassin is a source of infamy to those that know what she is. The fact that she kills people, almost anyone for money is enough to automatically cause mistrust and disgust.

She's not the strongest person physically, while capable of fights at close quarters combat she uses her agility and flexibility, not her strength. She'll lose just about every wrestling match. The two brain tails she possesses are extremely sensitive, pain inflicted to them will harm Iela greatly. Yanking them hard enough could knock her right out.

Talents
Markswoman: Iela is accurate with blasters and best with the semi automatic variety. Whether that be a long range rifle or a trusty sidearm she can hit targets with great accuracy. She's not superhuman, but she is damn good with a blaster.

Assassin: She knows how to kill someone in more ways than just shooting them. Extremely capable at brewing poisons, she knows where to stick them in someone to turn them into a lifeless corpse the quickest. Her skills as an assassin also extend to the field of torture, give her a knife and she'll be able to make someone tell her their life story, with every little detail.

Twi'lek charm: Her race is well know for their beauty and seductiveness, Iela is no different. She prefers her assassination targets to be men as they are much easy to twist and seduce. Those that are interested in her fall the quickest before her.

History

Backstory
Ielasdiko was born on the Twi'lek homeworld of Ryloth, an only child of two poor parents. She didn't have much growing up, it annoyed her and is part of the reason she follows the credit flow so greatly, she never wants to be that poor again. Her father was an alcoholic who often beat his wife, Iela's mother. Her mother taught her how to dance, Iela became quite good at it. She hated her father, he never struck Iela but said cruel things to her on an almost daily basis as she got older. She wondered why until she was put up for slave trade right after hitting maturity at fifteen.

It was not a new thing on Ryloth, the slave trade, Iela had seen her friends and neighbors get sold off for a variety of reasons. There was a normality to it, and some Twi'leks like her parents engaged in it willingly. It was a way for them to get their children off their homeworld, the galaxy could be a wonderful place for a talented Twi'lek. She eventually got over being sold as a slave, understanding that it helped both her and her parents.

Iela was sold to a wealthy human merchant, Alej Graell, he was more than three times her age and she never liked him. Though she was lucky in the sense that he had bought her over one of the Hutts or crime lords, their dealings with Twi'lek girls well known amongst her people. Alej was smitten with Iela as soon as he saw her, he bought her as a consort, a beautiful piece of eye candy he could strut around and show off to everyone. He peppered her with gifts, trying to make her love him too. She never did, he was a dishonest merchant, ripped off almost everyone he dealt with.

He got angry at this and hit her like her father did to her mother. Never hard enough to leave a mark, but enough to make the young girl cry out in pain. This stopped over time as Iela realized she would have to act like she returned his feelings. She slept with him, despite how disgusting it made her feel, it was better than the beatings or verbal insults he would hurl at her. He would dance for him too, make him feel like she cared.

For almost five years she was Alej's property, this changed after a trip to Coruscant in which she encountered an assassin who was on his trail. The mmerchant had burnt the wrong man, and now his life was up for grabs. While on Coruscant Alej made sure he was safe, he surrounded himself with an entourage of bodyguards. Iela's first encounter with the bounty hunter was in the marketplace when she noticed someone in plain clothes drawing a blaster as Alej did his dealings. She pushed it down with her hand, out of sight of Alej or his guards.

She gave the hunter advice, told him about Alej's security, how she was his forced consort, how she wanted him dead too. Before she was forced to follow along with her master the assassin made her an offer, if she killed the man he would cut her 25% of the payment. Iela had nothing to lose and agreed, the man slipping her a vial of poison before her master pulled her along.

That night before Alej came into bed with his consort she slipped the poison into his wine. It was slow acting, the assassin said it would take a few hours then cause symptoms similar to a heart attack. The merchant drank what would be his final glass of wine, then fell asleep next to Iela. When she awoke the next morning he was dead, she let out a genuine sounding scream of terror. A guard burst into the room to find Alej dead, Iela was released from his service after death, she was never considered for poisoning her husband, speaking of how much she loved the man and how he pampered her with gifts.

The next day a credit chip arrived in Iela's possession as it was promised. She would seek out the assassin, catching him before he left world. Iela would follow him to his next world, having no idea where to go next. She would spent several weeks with him as he taught her how some of his tricks, mainly how to fire a blaster and use poisons. At first she disliked the idea of becoming like the man, but there was money in it, something she craved.

She left his company and went her own way. Iela would enter the criminal underworld, taking up jobs to kill for payment. She got better at it with each kill, mistakes were made along the way. The largest being her capture at the hands of one of the men who she was paid to kill. He beat her badly, abused her, like Alej did. She managed to escape after putting a knife in his neck, though the encounter taught her a lesson to be more careful.

Iela made a name for herself, credits followed and she had made a nice life for herself. Enough money to buy herself a ship, weapons and the ability to pick and chose jobs as they came. She took a particularly high paying job, the killing of an Imperial office on Tatooine. It was an incredibly risky one, the Empire was not something to take lightly, but she was confident as always.

She seeked the man out, finding him in the wastes then took him out at long range. One blaster bolt to the skull. Unfortunately the man's Stormtroopers were in the area, as Iela bolted away on her speeder the Imperials were on her. They caught her, and she was imprisoned, the charges against her severe as her identity was revealed in her detainment. She was in a bleak situation.

Here is my character, sorry if I turned her backstory into more of an essay, may have went a little nuts with that part, hehe.

Adrift In The Endless Sea

@datadogie We could collab with our characters they are right near each other in the IC currently.

Outcasts - A Star Wars Roleplay

Working on my Twi'lek character, will have her up after work in a couple hours.

Outcasts - A Star Wars Roleplay

Mmmm, just when I think I've put myself into too many RPs this little one pops up. I can handle one more, this looks awesome.

I love the rogueish aspect of the Star Wars universe, so this is right up my alley, will work on a character later.

Adrift In The Endless Sea

Also waiting, not sure what to post.

Ronin: Neo-Japan

Name: Max Branch
Age: 34
Gender: Male
Nationality: American
Alias/Handle: Grizzly

Psychological Analysis:
An imposing, solitary man, Max's psych has been hit hard by long years of work as a Ronin. An intense anger is inside of him from the incident which took the lower part of his face and forced him to replace it with cybernetics. He has a natural dislike for augmentations, finding anyone that replaces their body parts with machinery hardly worthy of respect. Since there are so many augmented people around him, he does not often speak this view unless in a heated confrontation. Max is not trusting of others and prefers to work alone. When forced to work with others he keeps his distance from them, watching with a careful eye for signs of treachery, something he has experienced all too often in the past. His temper is legendary, those that enrage him tend not to do it again.

He finds real enjoyment in killing, but only those that fight back. The thrill of being in intense danger, ending lives left and right, it fills him with adrenaline and helps to put aside some of the internal rage. He dislikes harming innocents finding no fun in cutting down those that can't (try to) harm him. He tries to avoid it unless they get in his way and there is no way around it. Max has a reputation for his brutality and near insanity on the battlefield, bounding towards enemies with his shotgun raised, crushing bones with full body tackles, even removing limbs with an animalistic grace. He doesn't really care about credits, he simply wishes to exact revenge on those that betrayed and mutilated him, enough work as a Ronin will get him to them.

Employment Record:
Max was born in the United States, it is where he lived the first 18 years of his life before he enlisted in the Marines. An average student in school, he never intended to go any further than high school and enlisted right after graduation. He was stationed overseas in Japan, as part of the military police. A natural talent with firearms, much of his time was spent investigating the criminal gangs in the area. After four years of service he was given an honorable discharge, he decided to stay in Japan after he met a girl there.

Unfortunately for him, it was difficult finding a job in Neo-Japan. The young Max was offered a job by a friend of his girlfriend, when he asked the details he was told the job wasn't "totally legal". It was not, Max had gotten himself involved with gun running. While not one hundred percent morally behind the job, it was money, good money at that, and the chances of being arrested for it were very low. It was simple at first, taking a weapon from one location to another, sometimes to a private buyer, other times larger shipments to groups.

After a breakup with his girlfriend he moved on from dealing weapons, getting himself a job in security with one of the many mega corporations. He did his job admirably, making friends within the mega corporation. This is also where he met Kudo Iwao, who would become one of his closest friends. Kudo helped push Max down the path to become a Ronin, as he too wanted to be one, Max and him would be a killer team was what he always said. After a few years, both men left their jobs together, bundling their credits in order to become Ronins.

The two were quite the duo, taking any jobs they could get, both loved the work, no matter what it was, assassinations, assaults, it was all great fun to Max especially. Then Max met another Ronin, Endo Rai, more of a veteran compared to the two young elite criminals. He saw potential in them, and the duo turned into a trio. They all made a name for themselves, credits piled up, life was great. Endo and Kudo were his two best friends, he could trust them with anything. Unfortunately that changed.

It was just another routine job, though extremely high paying and high risk, the credits for all three men numbered in six digits each. The capture of a notorious crime lord who had gotten on the wrong side of a very powerful mega-corporation. The three Ronin were unfazed by the job, it involved breaking into a highly guarded building loaded with dangerous gangsters.

They executed it perfectly, Max and Kudo entering from opposite sides, guns blazing, while Endo took the quieter approach, entering from the roof. The three converged on the target, dozens of corpses left the in their path to him. Then the betrayal occurred, the blunt end of a rifle to Max's temple as they exited the building, Endo and Kudo looking down at him with smiles, him returning their looks with one of confusion. They explained their action, the corporation paying Endo and Kudo had offered a very enticing bonus if Max was taken care of, him too much of a reckless liability.

Neither could bring themselves to put a bullet in their friend, killing him like a dog. Endo tipped over a barrel of gasoline, the liquid covering Max's jaw and frontal neck, a cigarette was tossed into it, igniting it. Max screamed in pain as his skin burned, his only saving grace being a passerby who helped him by dragging him to a doctor. He barely escaped with his life, though much of his neck, jaw and mouth were badly damaged by the flames. Cybernetics were immediately put in.

Once he was able to walk he went back to being a Ronin, almost solely going by the alias of Grizzly. It has been nearly six years since then. His personality having changed for the worse since the betrayal, now filled with brimming amounts of rage. His only real goal now to find the two men that betrayed him so that he can exact his revenge. He has been a part of his current Ronin team for three months. The promise of good payment and more importantly, possible answers for where to find the two that stabbed him in the back.

Enhancement:

• C-Grade Cybernetic Jaw and Mouth (5,000 CR) - A full metallic jawline which covers his lower face. His mouth has been replaced with machinery as well, metallic teeth inside and a total reconstruction allowing him all the functions of a natural mouth. Most notably has an increased bite force.
• C-Grade Neck (2,500 CR) - A near total replacement of his neck, includes the innards lost during his betrayal, such as a larynx, thyroid gland and a trachea.

Equipment:

• Elite Grade armor (20,000 CR) - His personal suit of armor, very high quality and can withstand a beating. Used in combination with his shotgun, Max is a force to be reckoned with at close range. A full scale HUD is contained within the helmet which displays his vitals, different types of vision (heat, night and normal) and a friend/foe indicator.
• A-Grade Semi Automatic Shotgun (5,000 CR) - His most prized possession, an extremely powerful ballistic shotgun, tears through flesh and light armor at a close range. Specifically made with a recoil adjustment system, it doesn't have a ton of range but can put a hole in what is in range. 20 rounds per magazine.
• B-Grade Assault Rifle (1,000 CR) - A fully automatic, accurate at short to medium distances ballistic weapon. Equipped with a 4x magnification scope, 25 rounds per magazine.
• Hybrid Short Sword (1500 CR) - A sharp, energized sword, the blade is 24 inches in length. Similar in appearance to a Roman Gladius, but modernized.
• Jetmatic Personal Transport Unit (10,000 CR) - Uses it in combat, allows him to jump around the battlefield and attack enemies from different angles.
• PharmaCon Medical Gel x2 (500 CR) - Just in case he gets careless.

Music Appreciation Thread

@BluBlood 5/10, It's okay, not bad. Not really my kind of music.

Adrift In The Endless Sea

Andreas had left the ship a short time after the captain did, the human had appeared in the medical lab, asked if what supplies were needed and Andreas gave a short, but exact list of everything he deemed was 'needed' to ensure the best operational standard for the ship. As he exited onto the station, alone, one thing stuck in his mind. How the captain had referred to him as 'his man'. It was a common type of slang used amongst humans which indicated friendship. Andreas was no man, he was an android, and the captain certainly knew that. Perhaps the captain thought of him as a human? Though he displayed so many signs of an android, odd.

His eyes scanned the his new surroundings as he quietly wandered, the sensors which were in essence his 'ears' picking up tidbits of information. Some of it was innocent talk, other that which was obviously illegal business, even some from a human male complaining that his wife wasn't 'giving out', though the android had no idea what that meant. Perhaps she didn't give to charity enough for the man's liking?

Just then he received the message from the captain about an incident, apparently one of the crew had angered some of the station's denizens. Andreas was curious what exactly had happened, and then if any of the vengeance focused locals would be able to figure out if he was a member of the crew. If they did they would surely try to take their rage out on him, or at least question him. That would be troubling. He was not able to lie, if they asked him where the captain was or where the ship was docked then he would have to tell them. It would be best for him to meet up with the others.

Andreas made his way to The Spinning Schooner, avoiding conflict or any other interaction with the people around him. As he approached the tavern he noticed an obviously intoxicated man being escorted out. Alcohol never appealed to him, it did not affect him but it did affect humans and other races. Always in a negative way, slowed reaction time, slurred speech, just some of the issues the substance caused. He disliked that so many were addicted to it, some of the crew drank it and he disapproved.

He carefully entered the tavern, sliding past any of the people in his way. Then he found himself in the bar room, right in front of the bar where one of the bartenders eyed him as Andreas stood silent, recalling where the others were.

"Hey there handsome, why don't I buy you a drink?" A feminine voice said to him, on his left side from a seated position. He turned towards the source, finding it to be a tough looking human girl, short blonde hair, heavy makeup, tattoos on one of her arms, likely quite painful to receive. She had offered to purchase him an alcoholic beverage, why he wondered. Perhaps she wanted to be his friend.

The word 'handsome' meant his appearance pleased her, though he wasn't certain how that connected to friendship. It was more of a signal of romantic interest, which was not something the android was familiar with from experience. He had seen it before occur in organics, though many parts of it confused him. Why would a human female make a gesture of romance towards him, he was incompatible with her. Reproduction between the two was impossible.

"Hello." Andreas replied with a smile. The woman returned the smile before she spoke as the android noticed her state, she was intoxicated, a glass of aged whiskey in front of her, also a hand held firearm on her belt. Alcohol and firearms did not mix, incidents had occurred in the past when the two were mixed.

"Have a seat, I'll get a drink for you." She replied, signaling for the bartender's attention.

"That is not necessary, I do not drink alcoholic beverages." Andreas said as he sat down next to her. Just then he felt a hand on his shoulder, a strong firm one which belonged to a large human male.

"Just what do you think you're doing, pal? That's my girlfriend, and my seat. Why don't you move before I make you?" The man said to Andreas, his tone unfriendly. The usage of the pal a sarcastic use. A threat of physical confrontation was also spoken by him. All because Andreas had sat next to the man's lover.

"There is no need to resort to violence. Medical expenses on this station would be extreme for any with severe injuries caused by violence." Andreas replied, as he turned towards the man.

"What the hell does that mean? What are you, one of the fucking robots?"

"An android to be precise, robot is a crude term. Used more accurately for early, primitive labor units. I am the third generation model of Synthetic Avenue's mark II android, designed to appear completely human-like in more ways than just physical appearance." Andreas said, the man did ask him if he was a synthetic.

"What the fuck does that mean. Tony, I thought you didn't let robots into your bar." The man said to one of the bartenders.

"Only if they are with actual people." The bartender pitched in as he cleaned a glass with a rag.

"Well he just wandered in here by himself and started talking to my girl."

"That is incorrect sir, I am here on business with the members of my crew. Your lover offered me a drink, I simply continued friendly conversation with her." Andreas said, correcting the man.

"Then go sit with your damn crew, circuit-brain." The bartender said.

"As you wish," Andreas replied with a nod, then nodded at both the intoxicated woman and the man. "A pleasure to make both of your acquaintances."

He then rose out of his seat and found two members of his crew at the corner booth. His fellow android and the captain. They were in close proximity as Cyl shed tears. It was a confusing sight to Andreas. Other androids were capable of producing human like tears, he just had not seen it before and was unsure why she was doing it.

"Why is Cyl crying, captain?" Andreas asked as he took a seat in the booth.