Tag: 2011
#7 Sybil
#7 is a hamadryad named Sybil (hamadryad meaning that she dies if her tree does). She is an evergreen tree born in Canada around the 1960’s. She was bored being in basically the middle-of-nowhere and, after hearing so much about it from other trees (they have a rather large network) decided to dig up her tree and replant it in Central Park. She was a bit of an outcast among the other trees at first but because she was very friendly and told them strange tales of such a faraway place, she became very popular. She loves to gossip and also adores the hustle and bustle of the new, high technology place that is NYC. The only time she isn’t walking about the city is Christmastime. So many cut down evergreens…
Alcina came across her one day, deeply puzzled at what an evergreen was doing among plane trees. Sybil told her story and now the two are good friends. Although Sybil is generally more hyper about everything, she is laid back about the issues that Alcina loves so much.
#6 Lyra
I got off easy here; I already wrote pretty much all I have to say about her on my Tumblr. Copy+paste, GO!
#6 of my 30 day challenge characters and the one I like the best so far. Her name’s Lyra (from the lyre bird) and she’s a sound person. Her headphones enhance the noises around her so she can easily pick out the ones she likes. The plug at the end of her headphone cord is kind of magically a jack and a mic. She can plug it into her neck.
Lyra has the ability to mimic any sound, has an audiographic memory and perfect pitch. She can amplify and throw her voice. She can use these to create sound illusions (a good RL sound illusion would be the stereophonic barber).
#5 Alcina
My fifth character is Alcina, a faun hanging out in NYC. She didn’t live right in Ancient Greece but she was a follower of Pan’s. When she and the rest of the world’s fauns heard of his death, many of them, distraught, committed suicide. She had never met the god in person and so, though she was devastated, wasn’t quite devastated enough to out and out kill herself.
After a bunch of wacky misadventures in Europe and Asia she hopped a boat to the barely-a-century-old USA and was surprised to see how huge and thriving it was. New York’s Central Park was just being built and she decided to stick around there to see how it would go. She’s been there ever since.
Now her official job is a ranger for the park, but she also likes to make the rounds to the about 1,400 other parks in the city (yes there are apparently that many). She hides her legs with really long, fluffy skirts and boots and her horns with hats that she makes herself. She can’t hide her square pupils but tells people they’re just contacts. They don’t tend to notice or ask anyway, which is another thing she likes about NYC.
Alcina is usually pretty laid back and attempts not to draw attention to herself lest people discover her disguise. However, if anyone brings up a topic she feels passionate about, she will launch into a very knowlegable yet lengthy and opinionated rant about it. People who know her tend to try to avoid such topics as the environment, animal cruelty, urbanization, genetic engineering and the like. She is very liberal, having absorbed radical ideas for centuries. Her lectures, however, tend to be less about swaying others’ opinions and more about making hers loud and clear.
#3 Signet and #4 Answer
My next two characters are the two brothers, Signet and Answer. I have significantly less information about them. Most of my characters aren’t as fleshed out as the first two; I spent quite a while thinking about them. Anyway so the premise for these two bros is that one is incredibly pretty while the other is incredibly ugly. All the traits that make Signet beautiful are magnified and exaggerated in unpleasant ways for Answer. But that’s not it, because that’s a terrible premise. I’ll be nice and reveal why I gave them such unusual (awful?) names; Signet–> Cygnet, aka a (baby) swan, and Answer–> Anser, the genus for geese. Really the whole swan thing is the only important part. See, swans are gorgeous on the outside, but are giant assholes on the inside. So, a gorgeous guy with a not-so-gorgeous personality and, as what I feel is a natural extension of that, an ugly guy with a beautiful personality. But the beautiful jerk and the unfortunate looking nice guy thing seem overdone (Quasimodo?). Signet isn’t a jerk, he’s a creep. He’s annoying, stalkerish, awkward and rude. You wouldn’t know until he opens his mouth. There is not one part of him that can be considered suave or endearing. Answer is kind and sweet, but not in a nice-guy way. He’s Rhett Butler, “Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy” levels of suave and romantic.
Signet and Answer always hang out together. Girls always hover around Signet but when they discover and are repulsed by his awful personality, they tend to assume that Answer is even worse without even talking to him. If they talked to him first they would see what a great guy he was, but Signet tends to edge in the first word before Answer can say anything.
#1 Felix and #2 Alessa
Yeah, yeah, I’m late. My phone can’t upload pictures so I wanted to find a comouter and post from there, but I haven’t found the time. I’m worried that I’ll be kicked out before I do get the time, so I’ll just post them all sad and pictureless. I have 23 right now.
Anyway, so my first character is Felix. He’s training at a sort of supervillain academy. The school works in that you start as a henchman and try to rise your way up to be a full-blown villain with henchmen of your own. Think store worker to CEO, except, ya know, nefarious. Felix is a teenager and thus is old enough to lead his own little band of mooks to carry out deeds for his villain. He pretty much picked all of his friends at the school. They’re the ‘distracter’ group, I’ll tell you why they’re necessary to the plans soon. Anyway, Felix likes to stick to the instructions given out to him by his leader…maybe too well, since if his plans unfold wrong somehow, he’s left floundering until one of his more ingenious underlings comes up with another one.
The next character is Alessa, and she’s in a superhero academy. It works differently than the supervillain school. Here you serve in a kind of apprenticeship under one superhero and when you’ve learned enough, you either take up their mantle or become their sidekick. Sort of like knights, you know? Anyway, the superheroes have their code of chivalry too, and one of the rules is that you must always stop and help anyone in need. This is why the supervillain distracters work so well. They act as citizens, or even other superheroes in peril. They also plant evidence and create red herrings that the superheroes are forced to follow. These deeds leave enough time for the villains to execute their plots. Alessa is irritated by the rule because she constantly finds herself stopping to, oh, help someone’s cat out of a tree when she should be chasing the villain. Skipping over people gets her in trouble with her mentor. Alessa tends to try to fight whatever she feels is the biggest threat at the moment, usually letting everything else slide when she does so.
Alessa and Felix accidentally meet when she skips over a distraction that would have given him enough time to start the next one. Instead she runs into him ahead of schedule. She demands to know what he’s doing and who he is, and, being a sucky improviser, he decides just to tell her the truth. Both of their operations that day fail because she deems him not to be that bad and they pretty much spend the rest of the time just talking and finding out about each others’ pretty much opposite lives.
Anyway, to skip to the point, they start dating in a not-so-secret way. In an avoidance of the ever-annoying romeo and juliet plot, their friends and mentors do not especially care. So Felix is dating some superhero girl, so what? As long as he keeps helping them succesfully commit crimes and he doesn’t tattle to her or anything, they’re good. And Alessa is dating some supervillain guy? Fine, as long as she keeps stopping his plots. That’s the difficult part for them, being against each other while, ya know, still being with each other. And if they fail enough, they’ll get kicked out of their respective schools for good.
Kay, hopefully this wasn’t too horrid or incoherent. Hope it made up for the no picture thing :c.
#6 – Rosie Richards
Rosie Richards is the head of operations for the Motor City Majors. She has acted as the executive board’s advisor for the last 8 years, but was never promoted to be an actual board member due to Abraham Arnold’s staunch misogynist ways. Now that the old man has passed on and fresh blood has entered the organization, Rosie is finally getting the credit she deserves. She has her work cut out for her by trying to keep Alex in check and getting Eddie up to speed with the day-to-day workings of an elite level franchise. Her determination, passion for the game and natural business instincts keep the team running and save the Pratt brothers from looking foolish as newbie owners.
#21 Ed The Third World Smokin’ Baby
The video of little Ed smoking cigarettes went viral before Ed could light up another Camel. Unbelievably this two year old smoked 2 packs a day.
When asked why he smoked Ed had this to say. “It takes the edge off of my otherwise stress filled toddler day man. Oh yeah and my parents are douche nozzles.”
He says he’s going to take “baby steps” and quit tobacco in stages in what he calls “the three year plan.” As of last week Ed has quit smoking cigarettes cold turkey. He’s switched to Cigars, which he will stick to for a year and from there he’ll go to chewing tobacco for another year and then nicotine gum for the final year. He is confident that within 3 years he will be tobacco free.
When asked about the hard booze, pills, gambling, and hookers he replied ” Go F@CK yourself!”
Good for him!
#20 Diabla
By studying magic since childhood Diabla has managed to acquire the power to cast flashy destructive spells, mind control, and pretty much bend the whole of reality to her will.
One of the most dangerous beings in the astral plane, she is to be avoided at all costs. Especially when she is cranky!
#19 Chubby Ninja
Watch your back and watch your snacks! Chubby Ninja will wheeze his way into taking you and your Doritos out!
#14 – Commander Folk
To see the origin story of Commander Folk, as well as all my other 30 Characters entries, please click on over to www.geekywhiteguy.com
#13 – T’th Klaun
To see the origin story of T’th Klaun and all my other 30 Characters entries…please click on over to www.geekywhiteguy.com
2011 Day 18 a Servo from Upper City in my novel “Mentor”
2011 Day 18 a Servo from Upper City in my novel “Mentor”
Servo a small utility hover craft that responds to the voice commands of the person who has activated it. Servos can be made of components and schematics normally available at any replicator outlet if there is also sufficient bio synth available. Components can be swapped out for other components. Servo components can also be modified through modification of the schematics, creating a new schematic. Only tech class citizens have the proper identification protocols to use a Servo, as without the necessary instruction they could be dangerous.
Servo components include laser modules that can be fine tuned by degree to range between high out put for boring holes in metal, to low out put for use as a pointing device, or a safety beacon. In the case of the safety beacon the component can be detatched from the main body of the Servo an placed where needed. It is not advised to do this however until the piece has been keyed down to low level, wide beam laser.
Another potentially dangerous component in a Servo is the sonic burst. If set too high it has the capability to rupture delicate biological parts as well as sensitive electronic equipment. Although it is rarely considered useful a microwave attachment can also be replicated for this device.
Servos can be created with varying classes of artificial Intelligence, Class A being the highest and most autonomous. Class E will follow instructions to the letter and will never make executive decisions in the circumstance where it’s owner has lost the capacity to do so, though this never occurs under the watchful eye of the MAICS.
Servos utilize standard rechargeable power packs, but have the access to othe components to pwer them. These are 1) a small extendable land line with AG 291b power connector, and 2) any number of solar collection devices (see Document LZ429006: Servo Schematics and Components).
Servos can range in size from six inches (used for comm and memory tasks) to thirty-six inches in diameter(for heavy manual labour, such as remodelling walls and hauling components and other equipment. The largest Servos require that the operator be a Tech Class C or higher. Apprentices do not have the appropriate protocols and may not engage the use of the larger (class E or D) servos, for their own safety and the safety of others.
Often, a high level Apprentice Tech will be given a specialised servo upon reaching a high standard of excellence in the profession. This is usually at the descretion of the Master Tech, and is a source of healthy competition among apprentices. The servo as a prize for excellence is a valuable incentive to maintain highest standards of workmanship and safety.
See the list of Servo Schematics and Components available to the various Tech classes in Document LZ429006: Servo Schematics and Components.
2011 Day 17 Bracha of Lower City from my Novel “Mentor”
Bracha
Mentor: A science fantasy adventure, by J S Rowe
Bracha, cook and herbalist for the tribe had been cooking slither since before Tarou’s father was born.
In a small tribe like that of the people of Under City, it helps for everyone to know the rudiments of most of the tasks, and to be able to excel at more than one. Bracha was the head cook and herbalist, but he was also a great hunter, or was so in his prime. He took great pride in his hunting accomplishments, and told and retold storied of his own prowess with great relish, but his greatest pride was in his cooking. He himself had learned at the chopping slab of R’eshka of the one thumb, who had passed to the gods finally only a few years ago. He missed her. She had been a daunting tutor, but because of that he had never yet, as he liked to joke, poisoned anyone and had even made things like Slither meat palatable. And the breads he conjured from the flour of local seeds couldn’t be improved upon.
He always had a gaggle of children helping him out and learning the ways of herbs and their uses in cooking and healing, though a number of them were often just in the way and under foot. But he was used to it, and welcomed all comers. Just make sure those inconsiderate hunters are careful where they drop the carcasses. That was all he asked. This was always said with a smile too. For as much as he loved to teach and to cook he loved to tell funny stories and share a good belly laugh.
2011 Day 14 a scut, creature from UnderCity in my novel “Mentor”
A scut
Scut: an arachnoid creature with ten to twelve legs holding suspended a fleshy flattened ovoid cylinder of a body. Bulbous glossy black eyes on short stalks on top of the body draw the attention away from the cutting jaws and sucking mandibles underneath.
The body itself is fairly soft but the legs are hard chitin and can be pulled up and over the soft body to protect its self. Scuts will not attack a moving target. They are scavengers really but they have been know to attack the wounded, basically to feed on them.
They prefer to nest in the higher reaches of Under City laying their trap webs to catch the unwary Flitbirds that also nest up there. In turn the Flitbirds often feast on the flesh and ichor of the scuts. Turn about being fair play in the war to survive.
Often one of the multitudinous scuts will fall off their high nests to the ground very very far below. If they can get their legs into the defensive mode they may even survive the fall.
The scut pictured has been attacked by a predator and has lost some of its limbs, which are now regenerating. Often an injured scut will not survive, especially if it is immobilised, as its brethren will make short work of it.
Nothing goes to waste in the UnderCity.
Gibbi of UnderCity from my Novel, “Mentor”
Gibbi
Her full name Gibbil’ananat means ‘left by the gods’, as Gibbi was found as a newborn along with her dead “Lost One” mother. It was a miracle the child was alive, for there are many things in the shadows of the Under City that would relish the taste of such a morsel, and had many times in the history of the people. It was thought that the mother died form wounds received protecting her babe. The miracle child was still strapped to the mother’s breast and able to keep itself alive on it’s mother’s milk for days. The proof of this was the amount the child had defecated by the time she was found. The people often teased her about her origins in the tribe by calling her Nissi, which is short for a’lini’sanis. Which means born from the shit of the gods.
This Gibbi took with humour and equanimity like most things. But it was felt that she was marked somehow, and that the reason for this would show itself someday. And “Nissi” became even more apt when she began to play with muds and ichor from the beasts of UnderCity to make pictures on the stone walls around them. Strange pictures and sometimes portraits of the people. But by then she had been Gibbi for so long that no one insisted she change her name.
After she turned eight she was brought before the Seer, who blessed her arts. And though the Seer said naught, she kept her eye on the girl and learned much from her picture making.
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