Drunkard's Walk Forums

Well, despite the fact that I'm still having trouble with Alex and the ship's A.I. ( and I still need to hear from M Fnord on whether I can use
the Wayward Son or not), I think I've finally got enough done that I can post a rough final draft of my other characters, to see if there's anything I
need to fix, so here they are.

Erik "Rick" Hunter

Age:27

Height:5'11"

Weight:172 lbs.

Hair:Light Brown

Eyes:Hazel

Appearance/Common Dress:

********

Notable Mundane Atributes

Encyclopedia Mechanica: Erik has a near encyclopedic knowledge of fictional mecha.

Designated Pilot:Erik is the best pilot WD&F has and participates in asteroid races frequently.

********

'Wavium Abilities

None

********

Quirks

Mechaphile:Erik is obsessed with mecha (especially Giant Robots).

Impulsive:Erik is the most impulsive of the group, which has gotten him into trouble more than once.

Mischief Master: Erik is an inveterate practical joker, though he does know when to stop and be serious (usually).

********

Christopher "Christopher Robin" Grey

Age:28

Height:7'5"

Weight:503 lbs.

Hair:Red

Eyes:Gold

Appearance/Common Dress:

********

Notable Mundane Atributes

Jack of All Trades...:Will has an extremely broad and varied skill set.

Green Thumb:Will has a real talent for working with plants and has a small garden on the Wayward Son.



Gamer:Will is an excellent gamer and will take almost any opportunity to play.

********

'Wavium Abilities

Kilrathi?:Will's biomod has apparently turned him into a Kilrathi, with all the attendant physical benefits.

Warrior Instincts:His biomod mod has also given Will an instintive knowledge of how to fight in his new form, though he is still integrating this into his
own modest combat skills.

********

Quirks

...Master of None:While possessing many skills, Will has more than basic proficiency in only a few.



Carnivore:Will requires significant amounts of meat in his diet.

Competitive Instinct: Along with an instinctive ability to fight Will has also gained an instinctive desire to test himself in physical competition.

Big Kitty:Because of his size and build, Will has difficulty finding off the shelf clothing that fits properly.

REALLY Big Kitty:Being,essentially,a seven foot tall anthropomorphic tiger, Will has a tendency to intimidate people, at least at first.



********

Susan Wynn

Age:27

Height:5'6"

Weight:137 lbs.

Hair:Brown

Eyes:Blue

Appearance/Common Dress:

********

Notable Mundane Atributes

Business Acumen: Susan has a degree in business managment, she does most of the business work for Worldswide Delivery & Freight (Alex does the rest).

Contacts: Susan has even more contacts than one would expect someone in her position to have.

Cosplay Queen: Susan is an experienced cosplayer and expert costume designer.

********

'Wavium Abilities

None

********

Quirks

Don't Judge A Book By It's Cover: Unlike most of the crew, Susan looks fairly normal, and is occasionally mistaken as being fendane.



Cosplay Crazy: Susan is totally obsessed with cosplay and never misses a chance for it. She also does her best to get her friends to cosplay with her,
whether they want to or not (she's very persistant and surprisingly covincing).

********

Roll Casket

Age:14

Height:5'2"

Weight:104 lbs.

Hair:Blonde

Eyes:Green

Appearance/Common Dress:

********

Mundane Attributes

Wrench Wench: Roll is a brilliant mechanic, and a pretty good engineer.

********

'Wavium Abilities

A.I. Robot: Doesn't Sleep, Doesn't Need to Eat, Doesn't Age, potentially immortal.

Variable Tool System: Roll can use nearly any tool with proficiency after only a few minutes of examination.

********

Quirks

Tinkerer: While not a full blown mad scientist, Roll is forever tinkering with one project or another.

"I Hate Roaches":Roll absolutely hates roaches and usually reacts in a very overblown and/or violent manner to their presence. She's
surprisingly indifferent to other insects.

Quote:( and I still need to hear from M Fnord on whether I can use the Wayward Son or not),

I haven't heard anything from Mal for a few weeks now... You might want to have a backup name ready, just in case.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

It shouldn't be to difficult to change, if I absolutely have to. Any comments or criticisms about the characters Rob?

It looks like you've got a good crew here, both for the ship and for storytelling. They're a bit nebulous, but that's easily enough fixed by telling a story about them.

Erik's obviously a Gearhead, possibly part of the "Church of Mecha" (a real-world informal mostly-British online group of mecha anime fen). I'm getting the vibe that he's the Mal of this ship's crew...

Christopher's "must have meat" quirk combined with his obvious biomod is going to cause him a few problems - meat is expensive in most of Fenspace, and most of the 'Danelaw doesn't like biomods. Not that you can't work around it (NinjaBurger's offerings, the steak sandwiches at Manny O'Kelly's in Moonbase Alpha, and half the menu at Meg's on Stellvia can fill his needs), but there's always the chance that he'll be stuck a day or two away from the closest non-vegan restaurant. You intended this as a plot point, right? (I don't believe anyone else has a Kilrathi on board yet - bonus points for grabbing this overlooked bit of Cool.)

What's Susan's niche in the group? Is she the quartermaster / freight boss, or does she stay at home base and run the office? Answering this will help define her personality... (Oh, and if Susan's willing to cosplay as Nenene from R.O.D the TV, Yayoi will cosplay as Yomiko with her. )

Roll is a bit underdeveloped. I'm not even sure what (if any) his/her/its apparent gender or base model is supposed to be... You might want to flesh out Roll's personality a bit.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

Roll may be based on some version of Megaman's 'girlfriend'. That's what I assumed at least.
___________________________
"I've always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific." - George Carlin

Well, these profiles are a little bare bones, but I'll be fixing that (at least a little) in the final version, I just needed to post and get some
feedback. As for your questions, I'll take them in order:

You nailed it, Erik's a gearhead through and through. I don't know much about Mal from Firefly (I assume that's who your talking about), but I
don't think they're very similar, Erik's much more of a lighthearted, somewhat impulsive, prankster type.

Yeah, Chris' biomod will cause him some problems and be an occasional plot point, it was completely accidental after all (it's also why he hates
the M.E.T.s, but they'll have to wait until I post the ship).

I couldn't find exactly what a freight boss is, but Susan tends to handle most of the paperwork, and she and Alex both work on securing cargo
contracts (if I can ever get over the trouble I'm having with his profile). Also, the ship is the home base, at least in the beginning. Susan would be more
than happy to cosplay with Yayoi, she'll probably drag most of the rest of the crew into it to.

Timote's right, she's Roll Casket from Megaman Legends, I guess I was to reliant on her being based on a pre-existing character. I intend to
include a short paragraph or two on each character's personality in the final version, but I always have trouble writing things like that, so they're
not finished yet.

Quote:I guess I was to reliant on her being based on a pre-existing character.

I've been guilty of that myself, so I can understand. No worries.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

Any comments on the rest of it, or do you think they'll be o.k. once I've added those personality descriptions I mentioned? Also, I was wondering
if maybe I should post the problems I'm having with Alex and see if getting a second opinion about him will help.

Quote:Any comments on the rest of it,

If I had any other comments, I would have posted them already. Trust me on that.

Quote:Also, I was wondering if maybe I should post the problems I'm having with Alex and see if getting a second opinion about him will help.

It's worth a try. Post them, and we'll kick the can around a bit and see what dents develop...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

O.k., I was a little hesitant to ask because I thought you might find my problem a bit stupid, but here goes. There are two problems, but both of them
stem from the fact that I have four versions of him (not counting the before biomod version). The main difference between the four is what form his biomod
takes, which will have an effect on where I take the plot later on, but the main problem is I'm not sure if any of them are any good. More specifically,
when designing characters I sometimes take their abilities to far, two of the biomods I'm almost certain are to much and I'm pretty sure all of them
need more description, but I'm not sure. If you still want me to, I'll post them and the basic thought process behind them, and we can see if
they're any good or if I should start over from scratch.

     O.k., since nobody responded, I'm just going to go ahead and post these things anyway (and hope I don't embarrass myself to much). But first I should say a few things.
     First off, these are all a bit rough and incomplete. Second, all four biomods are somewhat similar because they're all various potential outcomes of the same biomod attempt. And third since all four possess a version of the Wizards... ability (Digital Angel/Digital Wizardry/Denshi No Yosei) I should probably clarify it here, Wizard... gives Alex the ability to interact with electronics in a manner similar to an A.I., but it doesn't give him any knowledge on how to do so, and pre-biomod Alex isn't an exceptional hacker to begin with (he'll basically have to learn from scratch). It will take time and effort for him to become good at it, and even then he won't be as good as the heavy hitters ( like Trigon or Lebia). I'll put the the two more powerful ones first.
Alexander Stevens
Age: 14(27)
Height: 5'0"
Weight: 98 lbs.
Build: Athletic
Hair: Usually short, Brilliant Cyan
Eyes: Blood-Red
********
Notable Mundane Attributes
     Mad Science: Alex has an engineering degree, and before being biomodded one of his main hobbies was working with handwavium (as for afterwards, see Whispered).
     When Dad said "Get a Job", this isn't what he meant: Shareholder in Worldswide Delivery & Freight (W.D.&F.).
     Okay, lets try this: Has decent leadership and organizational skills.
     Eternal Student: Alex is always on the lookout for new things to learn, and is usually studying several subjects at any one time.
********
'Wavium Abilities
     Celestial Body: Alex's body has been turned completely into a bioroid with a physical structure similar to what you might expect from a half angel hybrid like Rei. Alex's significantly altered biology makes her a lot tougher and slightly stronger then she looks, and her healing has been accelerated nearly to the point of regeneration (while also curing her health problems).
    
     S2 Engine/AT Field: The prototype "Lambda Driver" that was implanted in Alex when she was biomodded allows her to generate Limited solid holigrams (see Thematic and [Power Limit]).
     Digital Angel: Alex's brain and central nervous system have been altered to function as a wireless capable internal cyberdeck, allowing her to communicate or interface directly with electronic systems (either wirelessly or via inductance).As a side effect, this alteration has greatly increased her information process and reaction speeds (see Whispered).
     Whispered...: While Alex was originally more of a talented tinkerer,
her biomod's subsequent rewiring of her brain has both boosted her
mental capabilities and turned her into a full fledged Mad Scientist.
********
Quirks
     Spark: Alex has manifested some spark-like tendencies, but they've been fairly mild.
     Binary Trance:When fully interfaced with electronic devices (and to a lesser extent while merely communicating with them), Alex is only peripherally aware of her surroundings, Though not so much that she's unable to notice things happening directly in front of her or respond (distractedly) to conversation.Additionally,when connected with machines binary code appears to scroll across her iris' (though the effect is only noticeable up close).
     Whispers in the Dark:Alex can here electronic signals being broadcast nearby as unintelligible whispers, normally this is barely noticeable backround noise but in places with lots of signals it can occasionally give her headaches.
     Tang: Alex requires orange flavored Tang in her diet.
     Thematic: The "Lambda Driver" refuses to produce effects that don't fit the basic "theme" of the character Alex looks like.
     (Power Limit): Using the "Lambda Driver" has the same effect as physical exercise, to much use can result in physical exhaustion. The range and strength of the holograms is also limited.
     Gender Confusion:Alex is still adjusting to his unintended gender switch and its consequences.
     Anime Obsession!:Obsessed with collecting anime and anime-related merchandise.
     Ghost Echo:
********
     This version has existed in one form or another since early 2008 (though it originally used simple shaped force fields), and is the closest to what Alex was trying to do with his biomod (He's a bit of a Super and was trying for something Green Lantern-ish). It is in all likelihood way to much (though I imagine her not being able to put more force behind her constructs than say, Ben Rhodes can put behind his punches, or what The Jason's portable hologram generators can do ). The Thematic quirk basically restricts what the solid holograms can do to what Rei could reasonably be expected to do with her A.T. Field.

Alexander "Tohya" Stevens
Age:16(27)
Height:Approximately 5'6" (169cm)
Weight:110 lbs.
Build:
Haireep Irridescent Purple
Eyes:Gold
********
Notable Mundane Attributes
     Mad Science: Alex has an engineering degree, and before being biomodded one of his main hobbies was working with handwavium (as for afterwards, see Whispered).
     When Dad said "Get a Job", this isn't what he meant: Shareholder in Worldswide Delivery & Freight (W.D.&F.).
     Okay, lets try this: Has decent leadership and organizational skills.
     Eternal Student: Alex is always on the lookout for new things to learn, and is usually studying several subjects at any one time.
********
'Wavium Abilities
     Darkly Cute:Alex's premature biomod has resulted in him (now her) being a near dead ringer for Miho Tohya, and her biomod ensures she stays that way.
     "Magical" Girl: Significant portions of alex's internal structure have been replaced with artificial equivalents, curing his multiple health problems and making him much tougher and stronger than he appears. This process is ongoing, and will eventually replace all of his original flesh and blood, turning him into a full coversion cyborg/bioroid.
     "Magical" Girl 2: The prototype "Lambda Driver" implanted in Alex when she was biomodded is a miniaturized gravity drive capable of generating antigravity (repulsor) bursts, to perform feats similar to, but significantly more limited than, an actual Lambda driver.
     Digital Wizardry: Alex's brain and central nervous system have been altered to function as a wireless capable internal cyberdeck, allowing her to communicate or interface directly with electronic systems (either wirelessly or via inductance).As a side effect, this alteration has greatly increased her information process and reaction speeds (see Whispered).
     Whispered...: While Alex was originally more of a talented tinkerer, her biomod's subsequent rewiring of her brain has both boosted her mental capabilities and turned her into a full fledged Mad Scientist.
********
Quirks
     ...Or Spark?:  Alex has manifested some spark-like tendencies, but they've been fairly mild.
     Binary Trance:When fully interfaced with electronic devices (and to a lesser extent while merely communicating with them), Alex is only peripherally aware of her surroundings, Though not so much that she's unable to notice things happening directly in front of her or respond (distractedly) to conversation.Additionally,when connected with machines binary code appears to scroll across her iris' (though the effect is only noticeable up close).
     Whispers in the Dark:Alex can here electronic signals being broadcast nearby as unintelligible whispers, normally this is barely noticeable backround noise but in places with lots of signals it can occasionally give her headaches.
     Thematic: The "Lambda Driver" refuses to produce effects that don't fit the basic "theme" of the character Alex looks like.
     (Power Limit): Using the "Lambda Driver" has the same effect as physical exercise, to much use can result in physical exhaustion.
     Gender Confusion:Alex is still adjusting to his unintended gender switch and its consequences.
     Anime Obsession!:Obsessed with collecting anime and anime-related merchandise.
     Ghost Echo:
********
     This version was inspired mostly Wave Convoy's tractor beam gun, his first ettempt at a gravity drive, and the realization that reaction drives seem somewhat similar to a Lambda Driver (from Full Metal Panic) in function. I was going to post the variation of this version inspired by the Serenity Rose webcomic (it's biomod similar to the first version in this thread, but with different Thematics)  and also post more on what Alex was going for with his biomod, but I have to go do something, so I'll just post the other two versions and maybe post that stuff later.

Alexander Stevens
Age:16(27)
Height:4'10"(4'4")
Weight:
Build: Slight
Hair:Blueish Silver
Eyes:Amber
Common Dress:
********
Notable Mundane Attributes
     Mad Science: Alex has an engineering degree, and before being biomodded one of his main hobbies was working with handwavium (as for afterwards, see Whispered).
     When Dad said "Get a Job", this isn't what he meant: Shareholder in Worldswide Delivery & Freight (W.D.&F.), defacto owner of the Wayward Son.
     Okay, lets try this: Has decent leadership and organizational skills.
     Eternal Student: Alex is always on the lookout for new things to learn, and is usually studying several subjects at any one time.
********
'Wavium Abilities
     Electronic Fairy: Alex's premature biomod has resulted in him (now her) being a dead ringer for Ruri Hoshino, and her biomod ensures she stays that way.
     Cybernetic Organism: Significant portions of alex's internal structure have been replaced with artificial equivalents, curing his multiple health problems and making him tougher and stronger than he appears. This process is ongoing, and will eventually replace all of his original flesh and blood, turning him into a full coversion cyborg/bioroid.
     Denshi No Yousei: Alex's brain and central nervous system have been altered to function as a wireless capable internal cyberdeck, allowing her to communicate or interface directly with electronic systems (either wirelessly or via inductance).As a side effect, this alteration has greatly increased her information process and reaction speeds (see Techno Shaman).
     Whispered: While Alex was originally more of a talented tinkerer, her biomod's subsequent rewiring of her brain has both boosted her intelligence and turned her into a full fledged Mad Scientist.
     Washuu's Trick: Alex's 'wavium-altered body allows her to change into the form of twelve year old Ruri and back again (but see Time Share).
********
Quirks
     Spark: Alex has manifested some spark-like tendencies, but they've been fairly mild.
     Binary Trance:When fully interfaced with electronic devices (and to a lesser extent while merely communicating with them), Alex is only peripherally aware of her surroundings, Though not so much that she's unable to notice things happening directly in front of her or respond (distractedly) to conversation.Additionally,when connected with machines binary code appears to scroll across her iris' (though the effect is only noticeable up close).
     Time Share: Alex must spend a significant amount of time in her twelve year old form, if she avoids it fotr to long she will shift into it involuntarily. Also, Alex can only shift a few times a day before feeling physically exhausted.
     Whispers in the Dark:Alex can here electronic signals being broadcast nearby as unintelligible whispers, normally this is barely noticeable backround noise but in places with lots of signals it can occasionally give her headaches.
     Gender Confusion:Alex is still adjusting to his unintended gender switch and its consequences.
     I'm Not A Kid, Dangit!: Really dislikes being treated as a child because of her appearance.
     Anime Obsession!:Obsessed with collecting anime and anime-related merchandise.
     Ghost Echo:
********

Alexander Stevens

Age:16(27)
Height:5'1"
Weight:98 lbs.
Hair:Silver
Eyes:Gray
Appearance/Common Dress:
********
Notable Mundane Atributes
     Mad Science: Alex has an engineering degree, and before being biomodded one of his main hobbies was working with handwavium (as for afterwards, see Whispered).
     When Dad said "Get a Job", this isn't what he meant: Shareholder in Worldswide Delivery & Freight (W.D.&F.).
     Okay, lets try this: Has decent leadership and organizational skills.
     Eternal Student: Alex is always on the lookout for new things to learn, and is usually studying several subjects at any one time.
********
'Wavium Abilities
     Don't Call Me Tessa:Alex's premature biomod has resulted in him (now her) being a dead ringer for Teletha "Tessa" Testarossa, and her biomod ensures she stays that way.
     Cybergenerated: Significant portions of alex's internal structure have been replaced with artificial equivalents, curing his multiple health problems and making him tougher and stronger than he appears. This process is ongoing, and will eventually replace all of his original flesh and blood, turning him into a full coversion cyborg/bioroid.
     Wizard...but not the Hogwarts kind: Alex's brain and central nervous system have been altered to function as a wireless capable internal cyberdeck, allowing her to communicate or interface directly with electronic systems (either wirelessly or via inductance).As a side effect, this alteration has greatly increased her information processing and reaction speeds.
     Whispered...: While Alex was originally more of a talented tinkerer, her biomod's subsequent rewiring of her brain has both boosted her mental capabilities and turned her into a full fledged Mad Scientist.
********
Quirks
     ...Or Spark?: Alex has manifested some spark-like tendencies, but they've been fairly mild.
     Binary Trance:When fully interfaced with electronic devices (and to a lesser extent while merely communicating with them), Alex is only peripherally aware of her surroundings, Though not so much that she's unable to notice things happening directly in front of her or respond (distractedly) to conversation.Additionally,when connected with machines binary code appears to scroll across her iris' (though the effect is only noticeable up close).
     Whispers in the Dark:Alex can here electronic signals being broadcast nearby as unintelligible whispers, normally this is barely noticeable backround noise but in places with lots of signals it can occasionally give her headaches.
     Gender Confusion:Alex is still adjusting to his unintended gender switch and its consequences.
     Anime Obsession!:Obsessed with collecting anime and anime-related merchandise.
     Ghost Echo(GiTS Reference):
********

Now that I've had a moment to think on these, here are my first impressions:

'Rei' Mod: "Hard Light" Holograms are a late Boskone War innovation for the most part, so while not impossible (the tech rumour
sites/boards/blogs are actively followed) even limited to theme its fairly overpowering even at the personal scale here. I can think of a fair few uses for
tricks shown in the source material.

(I'm not complaining about ANOTHER Rei because, hey, what's one more?)

'Tohya' Mod: I can't count the number of times I've considered an implanted Speed Drive as a feature (I suppose technically A.C. has one). As
it stands, I see the offensive uses being too much. Flight? Probably. Super Jumps? Certainly. Force blasts? No. Shields? Iffy given 'waved drives, and I
very much doubt Noah will hand over a Hard Tech drive. Field Jacketed projectiles? Definitely not.

'Ruri' Mod: Probably the best mix of enhancement to quirk. The Washu-Chan limit makes things (IMO at least) nicely balanced from a story telling
perspective. What's the Techno Shaman bit?

'Tessa' Mod: I remember seeing this before, but since there were no fics... If all else fails, go with this. Although I'd possibly have a
clumsiness quirk to better match the source. IMO, YMMV, etc, etc...

General:

The Wizard ability is a nice general powerup, but I see problems for the cyber-bioroid conversion. That needs a quirk to deal with after effects (odd food
preferences, need to keep up to date blood supplies, etc...).

More probably when I've had more than a hour to digest.

Quote:O.k., since nobody responded,

I didn't think I needed to say "yes" twice.

Hmmmmm...

Quote:'Rei' Mod: "Hard Light" Holograms are a late Boskone War innovation for the most part, so while not impossible (the tech rumour sites/boards/blogs are actively followed) even limited to theme its fairly overpowering even at the personal scale here. I can think of a fair few uses for tricks shown in the source material.

Yep - everything that the EMH on Voyager did, this character can copy with a hologram as well. While the Trekkies would love it, I suspect it's a bit too overwhelming for a first-generation biomod.

Quote:'Tohya' Mod: I can't count the number of times I've considered an implanted Speed Drive as a feature (I suppose technically A.C. has one). As it stands, I see the offensive uses being too much. Flight? Probably. Super Jumps? Certainly. Force blasts? No. Shields? Iffy given 'waved drives, and I very much doubt Noah will hand over a Hard Tech drive. Field Jacketed projectiles? Definitely not.

Noah will not even admit to knowledge of the existence of a hardtech gravity device (despite the fact that Sora and Kohran know how to build them), and all references to any such device will be removed from the Whole Fenspace Catalog before it's made available to anyone. I think "Tohya" is probably Sir Dame Not Appearing In This Universe, just because of this logistics issue.

Quote:'Ruri' Mod: Probably the best mix of enhancement to quirk. The Washu-Chan limit makes things (IMO at least) nicely balanced from a story telling perspective. What's the Techno Shaman bit?

Ditto on asking about the Techno Shaman mod/quirk.

Assuming that Techno Shaman doesn't break the character (in either "godlike" or "useless" mode), I think this might be the best of the bunch. The controlled ability to shift forms is very useful, even if the default form is the undesired one from the character's point of view and it's exhausting to shift into the non-default form.

Quote:'Tessa' Mod: I remember seeing this before, but since there were no fics... If all else fails, go with this. Although I'd possibly have a clumsiness quirk to better match the source. IMO, YMMV, etc, etc...

I recall seeing a Ruri before, too, but I didn't see any fics with her, either. And there are at least two Yomiko Readmans out there (one each created by Noah and The Jason) so duplication of character appearance is no big deal.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

Quote:'Rei' Mod: "Hard Light" Holograms are a late Boskone War innovation for
the most part, so while not impossible (the tech rumour
sites/boards/blogs are actively followed) even limited to theme its
fairly overpowering even at the personal scale here. I can think of a
fair few uses for
tricks shown in the source material.
(I'm not complaining about ANOTHER Rei because, hey, what's one more?)

Quote:Yep - everything that the EMH on Voyager did, this character can copy with a hologram as well. While the Trekkies would love it, I
suspect it's a bit too overwhelming for a first-generation biomod.

     You both seem to have vastly over estimated what I intended the Rei version to be capable of. This version would start out with not much more than the ability to make a hard light shield/forcefield (with appropriate hexagonal ripple effect) and what, if anything, else she could learn to do would be left up in the air.

Quote:'Tohya' Mod: I can't count the number of times I've considered an
implanted Speed Drive as a feature (I suppose technically A.C. has
one). As
it stands, I see the offensive uses being too much. Flight? Probably.
Super Jumps? Certainly. Force blasts? No. Shields? Iffy given 'waved
drives, and I
very much doubt Noah will hand over a Hard Tech drive. Field Jacketed
projectiles? Definitely not.

     Again, I think you've over estimated my intentions. The Tohya version would start with the ability to 'Super Jump', accelerate her punches and kicks for greater damage, and 'block' attacks in a similar manner to how Wave Convoy used his tractor beam gun to block missiles (dependent on her both being aware of, and being fast enough to react to, the attack). Eventually, she would probably develop a ranged attack (either by 'pushing' small objects to high speeds or a 'ranged punch' similar to what Largo can do in BGC), she might figure out how to fly but that would be a ways off (what she could learn to do with the Lambda Driver would likely be labeled basic magical girl tricks). Basically most what you've listed up there is more like what I thought the Rei version might figure out how to do (after a long time and a lot of training), note that in both cases it would take time and practice (for some things a lot of time) to learn to do more than the basics, and whether or not she could learn to do them is up in the air.

Quote:'Ruri' Mod: Probably the best mix of enhancement to quirk. The
Washu-Chan limit makes things (IMO at least) nicely balanced from a
story telling
perspective. What's the Techno Shaman bit?

Quote:Ditto on asking about the Techno Shaman mod/quirk.

Assuming that Techno Shaman doesn't break the character (in either
"godlike" or "useless" mode), I think this might be the best of the
bunch. The controlled ability to shift forms is very useful, even if the default form is the undesired one from the character's point of view and
it's exhausting to shift into the non-default form.

     Ironically, the Ruri version is actually the oldest one here, it's nearly the first one I came up with. Techno Shaman is actually an ability I dropped because I wasn't sue whether it would be to much (that reference should say see Whispered not Techno Shaman) I don't have a copy anymore but it looked something like this.
Techno Shaman: Alex has an 'empathy' with machines, sometimes to the point where he can almost feel how well their functioning when he's close to them. Also gets along very well with most machine intelligences (machines just like him).
     Rob, why exactly do you think turning into a twelve year old girl is an advantage (if anything it just makes him more of a target for Susan's cosplaying quirks).

Quote:General:

The Wizard ability is a nice general powerup, but I see problems for
the cyber-bioroid conversion. That needs a quirk to deal with after
effects (odd food
preferences, need to keep up to date blood supplies, etc...).

     Yeah, I've tried coming up with quirks for it before, but drawn a blank, any suggestions? Also, what exactly are the problems you see with it?
     As a side note, the Ghost Echo quirk that all the versions share has been left blank because I've never been satisfied with the wording, but I'd like to get your opinions on an earlier version that I kept.
"Ghost" Costume: When Alex wears a costume, he takes on a bit of the mannerisms/personality of the person he's dressed as. this isn't an actual personality change,rather it causes him to take on some of the mannerisms and/or behaviors of the character in question when he's not paying attention. This would only be an occasional annoyance, if he wasn't technically always wearing a Miho Tohya costume.
     Ghost Echo is similar to this version except the only 'costume' it reacts to is the one he's always wearing.

Quote:Rob, why exactly do you think turning into a twelve year old girl is an advantage (if anything it just makes him more of a target for Susan's cosplaying quirks).

The boskonian on the other end of the radio continued with, "The escaped prisoner is a 27-year-old male, 5'1" tall..."

Not any more, I'm not, Alex thought while walking past the field agents looking for him, er, her.

It's also useful for blending in with Hogwarts classes (say, if Alex needed to make another twelve-year-old less uncomfortable), and a smaller body uses less oxygen.

Edit: Alex/Ruri also gets the youth price at the movies, and - if (s)he's willing to act "cute" - other benefits at various other shops, depending on how well the shopkeeper reacts to cute tweens.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

Quote:Yeah, I've tried coming up with quirks for it before, but drawn a blank, any suggestions? Also, what exactly are the problems you see with it?

The main issue is with the biomod itself. Biomods as written are complete, i.e. the entirety of the change happens in one go. Sure they may self adjust a bit (a process A.C. calls curing), and maybe in times of great stress reveal new facets, but a gradual, continual change is a bit different.

If I'd planned it, I'd have say 45%-ish done at the first gasp when something disrupts it. The typical biomod has massive regeneration capabilities, which is why it's so bloody hard to get rid of them. This would be enough for me to believe that the ongoing change was the biomod (re)generating.

The problems with this slow approach are many fold. You probably eat a lot (and strange stuff too) to fuel and supply the change. The constant change means your biology is constantly changing, so drugs that worked one day won't another. Given the way The Laws of Drama work, that WILL be significant. Not to mention all the weird and wonderful things flowing through your bloodstream. I'd get an infinity blood orange tree, or your going to have to give blood a lot just to keep up. And watch out for mood swings. Sure you're healthy, but aches and pains as bits of you change will take all the gloss off of it. Not to mention all the Doctor's appointments with a reputable Handwavium researcher to make sure (and possibly teach you how to deal with the changes). And scary lumps.

Quirks: As above, I forsee strange cravings OUTSIDE the typical food craving a biomod gives. Maybe motor-like sounds when moving fast. The occasional klutz attack. One leg longer than the other at times (or similar). And I wouldn't fall asleep on piles of electronics, because you may absorb them (likewise carrying electronics next to your skin for long periods).

Quote:Maybe motor-like sounds when moving fast.

Or needing to make "vroom vroom" noises in order to move fast, thus forcing Alex to choose between moving fast and talking...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

Huh, that wasn't what I'd intended at all, I was just trying to make it a bit different then a straight cybernetic conversion. Maybe I should just
go with the straight conversion, and come up with something else to make it unique (If I remember correctly, that was my original plan anyways, but at the time
Cobalt had just recently posted his character, so I was trying to find a way to make mine different). Also, were the ability and the quirk I posted good or
bad? And did my clarification on the first two biomods change anything, or are they still to much?

Sorry, I don't really have anything to add, except...

Quote: robkelk wrote:

---

I recall seeing a Ruri before, too, but I didn't see any fics with her, either.

That would be my doing. My Ruri will be the majordomo infomorph at 36 Atalante. Gina's good, and got excellent hardware from AC, but someone
more specialized for the task was called for, hence Ben made himself a Ruri-AI, seeing as how good the character was at Operations in Martian Successor Nadesico.

Quote:That would be my doing. My Ruri will be the majordomo infomorph at 36
Atalante. Gina's good, and got excellent hardware from AC, but someone
more specialized for the task was called for, hence Ben made himself a
Ruri-AI, seeing as how good the character was at Operations in Martian Successor Nadesico.

     Any objections to another Ruri? I'm leaning slightly towards the Ruri version, but I'm waiting to see Cobalt's (or anyone elses) response to the stuff in my last two posts.

Quote:Any objections to another Ruri? I'm leaning slightly towards the Ruri version, but I'm waiting to see Cobalt's (or anyone elses) response to the stuff in my last two posts.

The person who put the second Yomiko Readman into Fenspace has no objections to two Ruri Hoshinos...
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

Sorry on the lateness of this reply.

Ditto on the replicating of characters (CURSE YOU, YOU ZOMBIE-LIKE ENERGIZER BUNNY OF AN UNFINISHED FIC! Ahem).

We read so much into your original proposals because that's how WE'D see them progressing. Like, hoggin' all the cool stuff Dude. Potential's
great and all, but for first gen it's a bit much.

Like I pointed out in my previous post, it's possible to have a slow change. You just have to work out how the continuous process ties into the nature of
the biomod. Frankly, I think it's a good idea. We don't yet have a main-line character undergoing a long term (ish) cyberisation, and exploring the
effects of the continuing changes will be interesting (not to mention character building in both the literal and story building sense).

Quote:We don't yet have a main-line character undergoing a long term (ish) cyberisation,

That we know of. Who knows what some of the writers have planned for their characters?

But since nobody else has actually said anything along these lines yet, you'd be the first up to bat with the idea, Shinkaze.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

     O.k., looks like going with the Ruri version is my best choice. I'm really not certain about the slow cyberisation anymore though, even though you make it sound pretty interesting (and it might give me the chance to bring in the Lambda Driver much later on), the way you described it makes it sound like the character would be almost constantly sick (and since I was going with it taking a decade or more to complete, that's a long time to be sick) which doesn't seem to make much sense for a biomod that was induced to keep someone from dying. Maybe I should post an outline of the scenario that caused the biomod? I'm also not sure I could do the idea justice.

Quote:We read so much into your original proposals because that's how WE'D
see them progressing. Like, hoggin' all the cool stuff Dude.
Potential's
great and all, but for first gen it's a bit much.

     Yeah you're right, even with all the limitations I put on it, it's to much for that point in the timeline.
     Also, what did you guys think of the Techno Shaman ability and the Ghost Costume quirk?

The ghost costume quirk is, IIRC, a RL psychological effect. So... *stamp* ...Approved!

Lessee, I seem to remember a Bugs Bunny cartoon, "Bugs' Bonnets," that plays with that psychology bit, with the truckload of hats scattered
across the forest as Elmer is chasing Bugs. Hilarity ensues.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll