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  1. #21
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    Still a few to go...

    GINA WRIGHT

    "Am I going insane? Am I the only one here without a ****ing death wish!?"



    Featured in: Field Trip (retconned), Austere, West Hills Haunted High, The Reborn (spin-off).

    Gina is the only one so far without a title, and there's a reason for that. She is just a regular Leicester girl, with no special skills beyond hockey training and the first aid courses she took to try and help her career as a paramedic, who is trying to keep things together after her mum broke up with her dad and moved them to America. She's also a contender for unluckiest person in the universe, as since then I've thrown her into a zombie apocalypse, a town full of body-snatching ghosts, and a school with every classic horror character imaginable. The first plotline I have retconned as it never got off the ground, but I took the liberty of tying the latter two together into one ongoing plot so I could further Gina's character arc.

    I really like writing for this character, and mostly it's because she's the most ordinary. It's intriguing to explore how normal people react to extraordinary situations, and hopefully win through with just their own courage and wits. As a side effect I've had to write straight-faced drama through some pretty silly premises (for instance, trying to convince a newcomer that they are in danger by showing them a classmate who's been transfigured into a tree), but the human issues Gina ends up dealing with are real enough, and deserve to be taken seriously. The depth of character I've ended up cultivating for her keeps me coming back to write, and I imagine she'll be kicking about RPA for some time yet. Even if Gina herself sometimes frequently ends up railing against the crazy people and crazier situations she finds herself dealing with.

    Trivia: While talking about this character, it would be rude not to mention G and her fantastic portrayal of Gina's mum Jenny in Austere. Though the original RP was never finished, hopefully we can find out just how the two of them resolved their differences in the reboot that AliceMalice15 has occasionally dropped hints about.

    I have included two profiles for Gina, since I'm not sure yet if The Reborn is going to be part of her "canon" backstory for future RPs.

    Spoiler: Gina's profile (start of West Hills) 

    Spoiler: Gina's profile (Reborn spin-off) 
    Last edited by Azazeal849; 08-29-2017 at 06:20 AM.
    Spoiler: My RP links 

    PM me for novelised versions of any of my RPs, or ones that I have participated in. Set by the awesome Karma.


  2. #22
    The Replicant
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    For the old Warseer crowd.

    TECH ADEPT RAECHEL KUSCELIAN

    "So I am going to survive two weeks? Is that long enough to get a derogatory nickname?"



    Featured In: To Cleanse The Stars, Sins of Ambition (retconned), The Silent Forge (part 1), The Silent Forge (part 2), Penitence

    When I decided I was going to do an Adeptus Mechanicus character, I thought I'd break the mould a bit. For those of you who don't know the Ad Mech from 40K, their go-to trait is usually "cold, calculating bastard" spiced with elements of the crazy scientist. As a chemical engineer myself, I've made an interesting observation about the people I work with: although engineers get stereotyped as hidebound and socially awkward, many of the ones I know are quite social and articulate, and while they are often sparing with their words in group conversations they tend to have a really good sense of humour. I decided to carry this across into my character. A couple of other core concepts I had in mind were a news article I had recently read about a young girl with a pacemaker, and a talk by robotics professor Kevin Warwick I had attended a few years before (and particularly, a throwaway line where he admitted to "looking at something as simple as a TV remote and being embarrassed that (he) couldn't see in as many spectra as it could" - a sentiment that struck me as just so very Ad Mech).

    In a way, Raechel is both one of the easiest and one of the hardest characters for me to write. Easy because her mindset isn't far removed from my own: practical, inquisitive, and likes being around people and things that keep her creativity sharp. Hard because of the amount of research that keeps cropping up - she is a woman of applied science and technology, and when I'm quoting such things in the story I want to make damn sure I get the exposition behind it right. For all that, she can be quite an entertaining character to write; such as when she didn't see the point of explaining a Spinning Disc Reactor to another character and just told them that the rotation pleases the Machine God, or when her inquisitive naivete caused a more jaded character to instantly nickname her "Optimist" and spend the next 5 minutes psyching her out about how she was going to die. I also enjoy looking at the contrast between her and older, more serious tech adepts (who she loves to learn from, but sometimes feels suppressed by) and with more esoteric inquisition characters who tend to bring out her more human side. This conflict between her Ad Mech origins and the more "exciting" work of the inquisition is something I tried to explore more fully in The Silent Forge. It's not entirely finished - Raechel has a bad habit of joining RPs that die, a jinx that I hope will not apply to my upcoming Penitence - but I'll have another chance now that Atrum Daemon has renewed the RP for a second chapter.

    My ultimate aim with Raechel (besides to show off some ChemEng knowledge) was to create a character who is recognisably a member of the Ad Mech, with the same secret knowledge and weird mysticism, but retaining a level of humanity and individuality that endears her to the reader. You RPA folks can judge for yourselves if I've succeeded!

    Trivia: Her surname is a bastardisation of the lead singer's from Walls of Jericho. I also based Raechel's face on one of my old friends', with different coloured eyes and hair. This turned out to be a mistake as far as finding a picture for her was concerned, because not only is the red hair/brown eyes combination rather rare, my friend apparently also has a rather rare face shape. There was precisely one "actress" I could find to fit the bill, and even then it was a challenge to find a photo that didn't look too obviously model-y. Damn you Lily Cole!

    Spoiler: Raechel's profile 
    Last edited by Azazeal849; 02-25-2019 at 09:50 PM.
    Spoiler: My RP links 

    PM me for novelised versions of any of my RPs, or ones that I have participated in. Set by the awesome Karma.


  3. #23
    The Replicant
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    For the RPA awards (how on earth did I get nominated for them?)

    AULUS OVIDIUS

    Shanaar: "You ****ing traitor!"
    Ovidius: "No...****ing Namorian!"



    Featured in: Eternum: Of Gods and Demons, Eternum: Blood of the Gods, Eternum: Rise of Kronos

    A spy in the employ of house Marcius, Aulus Ovidius is not a man to influence the course of a war from the front line. However, it was he who brought news of the demon attack on the mages' guild, and he who Isis visited to warn the Namorian Empire of the necessity of making allies rather than enemies of the immortal Romans. Ovidius is less than enthusiastic about the idea of being a hero, or of being singled out by the goddess Isis, but he is loyal enough to the Marcius clan to accept his next mission: a journey to the desert land of Afragia, to try and tip the balance of power towards a potential ally.

    Spoiler: Character creation 


    Spoiler: Aulus' full profile 
    Last edited by Azazeal849; 02-01-2018 at 05:36 PM.
    Spoiler: My RP links 

    PM me for novelised versions of any of my RPs, or ones that I have participated in. Set by the awesome Karma.


  4. #24
    The Replicant
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    And we couldn't have Ovidius without...

    SURIYANA

    "And in the grand scheme of it, are you worth less? The gods know better than us who's worthy of their attention."



    Featured in: Eternum: Of Gods and Demons, Eternum: Blood of the Gods, Eternum: Rise of Kronos

    Suriyana is a character that came about through a self-imposed challenge. After using a throwaway line about fancying one of his employer's slaves to help flesh out a certain other minor character (see above) I decided to challenge myself to write a romantic subplot. It was something that I hadn't really done yet (despite making a blog about them); not because of any particular aversion to the idea, it had just never come up in-story. And so I created Suriyana - a foil to the quintessential rogue Ovidius, who could give as good as she got in their good-natured verbal sparrings that punctuated the quieter scenes of Gods and Demons. Despite her (hopefully) fairly distinct personality, I was very conscious about Suri devolving into just a satellite character for Ovidius and so I wanted to give her as much screen time of her own as possible. Fellow player The Bartender was wonderfully helpful for this, coming up with a subplot where another character begins to train Suri as a mage. She also has her own distinct part to play as a guide, translator and co-conspirator on the mission to subtly turn aside the Namorians' next potential foe - the Egyptians of old Earth (it makes sense in context).

    One of the aspects of Suriyana's character that I feel that I have to tread carefully around is the fact that she is a slave. Although I have presented the Marcius family as benevolent masters (to the point that it instils a certain loyalty) I am under no illusions that this is the exception to the historical rule; although some slaves in the Roman Empire (which the Eternum Namorians are based on) lived better than lower-class citizens, many more were treated appallingly, especially the forced labour slaves on mines and farms. To whitewash this fact was not at all my intention, and I intend to balance my somewhat one-sided portrayal in Gods and Demons with some darker scenes in the sequel, if I get the chance. I would be particularly interested in getting feedback on the slavery subject from people who have read through Gods and Demons, so please do post below or PM me with any thoughts.

    Trivia: You may notice that she shares a name with an Eldar character of mine, who has recently appeared in another RP. The Eldar actually came first (a character in my 40K Eldar army with an origin story that is detailed in an Inquisitor campaign over on Warseer), but as "Suriyana" is a slight modification of a traditional African name I thought I could get away with it.

    Spoiler: Suriyana's profile 
    Last edited by Azazeal849; 02-01-2018 at 05:41 PM.

  5. #25
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    It's probably about time I put up another one...

    MISSIONARY KIMBERLEY RAEDEN

    "We destroy sorrows. We destroy daemons. We are the messengers."



    Featured in: A Light In The Black (retconned), Shades of Grey

    Treachery is a relatively common theme in 40K, and it seems that the majority of those traitors turned because of (or end up siding with) Chaos. One question I've occasionally asked myself when reading 40K stuff is, "But why do people join Chaos?" Granted, a lot of people get fed up with the oppressive Imperium, but if 99% of Chaos converts never actually benefited from the arrangement - which is how it sometimes seems - you'd think word would get out. Or that the Imperium wouldn't bother trying to keep Chaos a secret (then again, the counterproductive nature of some Imperial policies is a topic for another day). I also wanted to explore what sort of reasons people might have for deserting their Imperial loyalties outside the relatively standard cliches of "they were naive and stupid" or "they were already a maniac". I did touch on this in a previous RP, where a Khornate daemon opines that "the heart beats only for blood" and a Slaaneshi one counters that "there's no stronger force in the universe than love" (and then, because this is a daemon we're talking about, adds "and no force easier to manipulate"). But I wanted to take the idea further.

    I created Kim so I could do a character study on the temptations of Chaos - not necessarily one that will end with her switching sides, but one that at least addesses why the prospect might be legitimately tempting to an otherwise "normal" human. As such, I designed her as an Imperial missionary turned inquisition agent who is going through a test of faith, with her duty conflicting with her own interests and morality (and, let's face it, it's not hard for the Imperium's methods to conflict with the morality of anyone who doesn't have the luxury of a completely detached view of utilitarianism). More specifically, I intended to use her as a vehicle for the age-old question of is it right to sacrifice a few for the many (or rather, can you live with yourself if you're the one who makes the call); as well as the slightly more personal question of putting your duty before someone you care about. Because ordinary human love is something that seems criminally under-represented in the 40K universe. You'll note that the exact nature of these conflicts isn't mentioned in her profile, as I intended to reveal them IC.

    I have only used Kim in one RP so far, and I have to admit that it didn't really work (firstly because the RP unfortunately died before it could really get going, and secondly because the "Chaos" featured in the story was actually a Mechanicus tech heresy that Kim couldn't really relate to, thus limiting the scope for any "temptation"). I do however have plans to bring her back if an idea currently developing in my head evolves into something I can turn into a proper RP. If it does, I will probably attempt to run it concurrently with the upcoming Prophet In Silver and Penitence, so watch this space.

    Trivia: My initial inspiration for Kim was, believe it or not, Lara Croft. Beyond that, I specifically designed a lot of Kim's attributes to go against the grain of "stereotypical" Imperial priests (who tend to be firebrand old men with giant chainsaws).

    Spoiler: Kimmie's profile 
    Last edited by Azazeal849; 09-17-2017 at 08:32 PM.
    Spoiler: My RP links 

    PM me for novelised versions of any of my RPs, or ones that I have participated in. Set by the awesome Karma.


  6. #26
    The Replicant
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    INQUISITION VERISPEX KELLY BLACK

    "Bolter round to the head, right enough. Wasnae even subtle."



    Featured in: Lucius Pembroke Is A Dead Man, The Replicants, The Prophet In Silver, Drowning for the Cure, A Wash of Black, Kaleidoscope, Penitence

    Kelly initially appeared as a satellite character to her brother Marc, acting as an information contact and providing depth to his family-vs-duty struggle. As Pembroke spanned out into an increasingly developed series, I quickly began to feel that she deserved more screen time, although imposed limits on the number of PCs per player made it difficult. I managed to sneak her in for minor roles in A Wash Of Black and Kaleidoscope, before getting her the spotlight she deserved in the midquels Replicants and The Prophet in Silver. Hopefully people don't mix her up too much with the similarly named Kally who is a PC in the same stories.

    In many ways, Kelly is a counterpoint to her brother. She has his sense of duty, yes, but she can actually switch off at the end of the day, which probably makes her more fun to be around. Perhaps more importantly, she is far better at taking a step back and looking at things more logically and objectively (which makes sense for a Scene of Crime Officer). Hopefully this dichotemy comes across in The Replicants, and I am looking to explore it further in future RPs.

    One thing you may notice about Kelly is that her accent wanders up and down in strength between stories. This is because I thought that the language barriers of an interstellar empire deserve at least a passing acknowledgement, and I chose to indicate when Kelly and Marc were speaking in their "native" brand of Low Gothic with Edinburgh slang (because I live in the city, and like the local accent). I experimented with a few different levels of the dialect through various chapters in the series (with it reaching its thickest in A Wash Of Black) before realising that it was probably getting distracting and difficult to understand. I have scaled it back accordingly in more recent RPs.

    Trivia: Kelly draws some slight inspiration from one of my own sisters. Like Marc, her original incarnation was in the Left 4 Dead fanfic Dead Origin.

    Spoiler: Kelly's profile 
    Last edited by Azazeal849; 03-23-2021 at 02:46 PM.
    Spoiler: My RP links 

    PM me for novelised versions of any of my RPs, or ones that I have participated in. Set by the awesome Karma.


  7. #27
    June MotM 2014
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    Quote Originally Posted by Azazeal849 View Post
    Hopefully people don't mix her up too much with the similarly named Kally who is a PC in the same stories.
    I only confuse the names, not the characters.

  8. #28
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    Well that's reassuring.

    Still on my to-do list: Commodore Captain Elspeth von Scharn, Septimus Comorant and his team of Night Lord serfs, the various Eldar from Blocking Out The Sun, and possibly Britta Engel (and / or Lisa Asari) from Business Is War.
    Last edited by Azazeal849; 03-07-2014 at 05:59 PM.
    Spoiler: My RP links 

    PM me for novelised versions of any of my RPs, or ones that I have participated in. Set by the awesome Karma.


  9. #29
    The Last Remembrancer
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    I'd like to see some of the NPC's from business is war. That game rocked.

  10. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by dakkagor View Post
    I'd like to see some of the NPC's from business is war. That game rocked.
    Seconded!

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