Listen. Listen. Listen.
IGN: lobsterrgod
lobsterrdog, lobsterrbob, and windswakefan
Describe your activity on the server:
Overall, my activity on the server is extremely good, spending at least 5 hours online everyday, but this can easily reach over 10 hours on weekends. On average, I tend to get online at around 9am, logging out at around 7pm-9pm depending on the day. I have a few roles on the server, as detailed below, that I tend to fill my time with, and despite the fact that it may seem like a lot, I’ve handled many more roles than this, taking on four (six if you include staff and crime) roles all at once while still leaving me time to indulge in my own personal roleplays. The only limit to my activity is on Sundays where I engage in my family’s religious practices which causes spotty activity throughout the day, and my infrequent working hours where my time online will more accurately resemble 8pm-3am.
HELPER - lobsterrdog
As a helper my responsibilities are relatively simple, just working as the server’s pseudo receptionist and assisting newer players with common issues on the server. Most of that help is either in the various SchoolRP help channels, tickets, or in my own DMs where players may feel more comfortable. I’m also there to mildly moderate others via verbal warnings for lesser issues or for when my higher ups can’t attend to an issue at that very moment. This just showcases how active I am on the server as a role like this does require me to spend a lot of time online to be able to carry out these duties.
COLLEGE TRACK TEAM - lobsterrdog
As a member of college track most of my time on this tag is spent roleplaying with the various teams on the server, highschool and college, and meeting up once a week for practice. These practices usually consist of run games involving running that eventually dissolves into the team all goofing off or causing chaos to their fellow sports members. Outside of this role I’m very active, simply roleplaying out this character as I always have since he is one of my main characters.
EMS - lobsterrbob
With this role, my duties are more centered around the higher-up aspect of the job, as one of the newest clinical supervisors of the faction which tends to be assisting my fellow EMS in their duties, answering EMS related questions, correcting their mistakes, and working on the responsibilities the faction lead asks of me. Even with less of an emphasis on quota points, allowing me to focus on HU duties, I still tend to excel past the max points of 40 almost every month with doctor, psychiatrist, paramedic, and veterinary duties keeping me busy throughout the day. I’m not one for sitting around and waiting for things to happen, so I tend to appear for broadcasts or whenever I see that the hospital is going through a rush hour.
CRIME
Currently, in the Crime faction I’m involved with a variety of subsections: BMDA, Fight Club, Ikigai Security, and GangRP. I’ve had the privilege of becoming fredtastic’s associate for about 8 months, allowing me a lot of the other opportunities that I have via Fight Club and Ikigai which I’ve made sure to remain as active as I can within those positions. Otherwise, I tend to do CrimeRP on my own with a majority of my roleplaying being P2L and the targets are usually my fellow EMS roleplayers, which tends to put a large target on my back- but personally I find it all the more fun. GangRP wise I currently lead my own roleplay-based crime family with two of my friends with plans to expand the family’s vigilante-like beliefs into a fully formed cult.
Specify your Discord username (USER#0000) and if you have a microphone:
lobsterrdog and yes I have a working microphone.
Specify your country of origin and time zone:
United States, EST
What are your motivations in applying for the black market dealer role?:
Of all my time on the server I’ve always found myself drawn to the more criminal roleplay aspect of things, especially as a newer player who was taken in by criminal roleplayers while I slowly grasped an understanding of the server as a whole. This connection led me to joining several different gangs, all with a variety of themes and motivations; however, nothing seemed to stick to me. Nothing except for my time as a BMDA. The shaky alliance the Black Market Dealers have with each other, along with the splendid roleplay I’ve had the pleasure of taking part in is something I adore about this faction and yearn to be a part of even more so now than ever before.
A huge motivation for me for a lot of these faction applications is being able to interact with players in a way I wouldn’t be able to before and the role of Black Market Dealers has a path of roleplay that I desperately wish to travel on myself. The Crime Faction is unlike any other, where it practically run’s itself and the workers must make their own money to be able to thrive in the criminal underworld. The only faction that could compare is the Shopkeeper Faction, but the danger and thrill that comes with the role of dealer can’t match. This freedom allows for the opportunity for creativity to thrive in this space filled with some of the servers most talented roleplayers. Not only that, but in a sense the Black Market has become a beacon for the Crime faction to look up to and strive towards, so it's hard not to desire to be in a position like it.
I also wish to assist in the future of Crime roleplay. Like I said before, BMD are seen as these symbols for Crime roleplay, the goal for so many criminals on the server to achieve, so it's no surprise as to why so many criminals not only look to dealers for guidance via the KC help channel but wish to be one of them. If put into the position of BMD I’d wish to improve upon and create more roleplay opportunities for any criminal roleplayer on the server and foster a healthier, more connected community.
In short, I’m seeking the chance to roleplay in one of the most unique roles the server has to offer, be able to help in the future of crime roleplay and create a better community for the server as a whole outside of my role as a staff member, but I’m also looking to further develop my character in a role I know he would flourish in.
What helps you to stand out from other applicants & what can you uniquely provide to the team?:
ACTIVITY
Compared to the other applicants applying for this role I believe myself to be a more active player who has the time to dedicate myself to the faction, as seen in all the factions I’ve had a part in I've made myself available for each one of them. From the beginning of my faction history, I’ve always made an effort to exceed my mandatory quota, especially in EMS or Caretaker where I’ve destroyed the maximum 30 and 40 quota with 100+ on multiple occasions. Not to mention the activity I maintain for the crime faction; attending as many Fight Club, Ikigai, Dealer openings, and general BMD events as I’m allowed to attend for any chance to indulge in this aspect of roleplay.
DEDICATION & PASSION
I have a very real passion for this faction as a creative who is brimming with ideas on how to expand it as a whole into the best it can be for the community as a whole. Every great thing about the crime faction is something forged out of creativity and love for the faction itself which I have displayed extensively in the suggestions portion of the application. I have and will talk about CrimeRP endlessly, going on about how much I love and adore this side of roleplay as it can open so many doors of development of a character on both sides when done correctly. It’s one of the few factions that defines itself on the server with how easily accessible it is to join and that just allows for so many amazing roleplay opportunities.
EXPERIENCE
My experience on the various teams and leadership positions, as detailed below, as well as my experience working alone gives me a wide range of skills that can be utilized with this role if given the chance. Not only that, but my experience as a BMDA gives me a very unique insight as to how the Black Market works like going on BMD runs with the other dealers and providing my service with protection, something that very few applicants can say they also have.
CREATIVITY
I’ve always had the unexplainable desire to create, as an artist it’s something that I’m just good at. The server has only expanded that skill to the world of writing through roleplay and has allowed me to craft and be a part of some amazing criminal based storylines even if it's just something built with a few of my friends. My goal has, and always will be, to create an amazing story that all parties involved can enjoy with interesting and unique characters and that's just something I can further expand in with the involvement of the Black Market faction. The Black Market is known for their amazing roleplaying abilities, crafting amazing stories/events with the most interesting characters and this is something I know I can contribute to.
What previous experience do you have in working with a team?:
In all of my time residing on the SchoolRP server I’ve always found my way into a team, a space for collaboration and creativity to bloom. The following is a collection of the various teams/groups I’ve been lucky enough to be apart of and learn from:
SPORTS FACTION
Being the Sports Faction it’s obviously very big on teamwork, which is something I got to exercise a lot on the various teams I was lucky enough to gain a spot on! From Highschool Swim, Highschool Female Football, and College Track; each team a place where teamwork thrived.
Highschool Swim, where I was a member under the leadership of GGremlin, was my first team and that earns it a very special place in my heart. With the lack of a plugin compared to other sports most of what we did was roleplay based, which is what really began my love for the more detailed style of roleplay, but wasn’t something the team really engaged with together outside of practice. At least not until I took charge as the co-captain. As the co-captain I brought unity to the team, encouraging jockRP and team rivalries that the sports faction is more known for with the reasoning being that it was part of the swim team’s sort of ‘revenge’ for being such an underrated sport. Our activities required our team work more than any of our typical swim activities if we wanted to survive any of the shena****ns with our spots on the team still secured.
My time on the Female Football team was short, but fun. Joining the team under the leadership of octoplush, who made it a point to exercise team bonding even outside of our triweekly practices along with emphasizing the importance of dedication to the team. As any team member would, I tried my best to assist the less skilled footballers on the field and help them learn the plugin to the best of my abilities with the help of octoplush’s fun and creative practices games rather then mindlessly participating in scrims where our knowledge can’t properly improve under the stress of scrutiny. Football is a team game, online or not, we need to work together, communicating with each other constantly to even have a chance on the pitch. As one of the weaker players, communication and playing to my teammates' strengths was a skill I had to learn in order to keep my spot on the defensive line.
And finally, the College Track team where I currently reside under the leadership of MuffinCat. I will admit, my place on this team is VERY recent with me becoming the one of the newest additions to the team with a scholarship. I’m still learning the dynamics of the team and understand my place but it’s a nice change of pace back to the detailRP actions, fun games, and such that I fell in love with in sportsRP. That being said, I’ve still paid my contributions to the team, assisting in small events and coming up with ideas for Track v. Track rivalry.
HOSPITAL FACTION
My longest standing faction: EMS. For a full year, at the time of writing this application, I have resided within this faction with no plans to leave short of 6Pancake themself prying me off her faction with a crowbar. With that being said, this faction has been a huge part in my experience with working on a team, even more so now than ever with me as the new addition to the EMS higher up team as a Doctor Clinical Supervisor, as the faction strives for constant and efficient communication between its members for their daily duties within the hospital to be achieved. Hardly any one patient can go untreated without several EMS assisting them in the process simply due to the way our system of quota is structured to encourage teamwork and offering to assist others, so people can get two points of quota for something as simple as an IV. Not only that, but training also feeds this bond and connection that the faction strives for. As a higher up, not only do I assist in training with the newcomers to the faction, but I oversee the work the other trainers have done for the trainees and ensure they’re still on the right track with their responsibilities. Literally, teamwork is ingrained into the very fiber of our work. Even with my, frankly, short time on the higher up team I’ve been able to add my own input on situations and issues that have made themselves an issue for the hospital faction, work alongside the other higher-ups to craft the future of the Hospital Faction, and that always works to be better than the last.
GOVERNMENT FACTION
The government faction, being as it is, also functions as a team. A loose one, as everyone needs to hold their own weight, but a team, nonetheless. Every trial becomes a collaborative project with each member doing their part to keep Karakura’s center of law functioning properly. This faction truly emphasized contributing my share to the project to allow the final product to be the best it can be in a short period of time. The faction is often overlooked, but the time and effort put on behind the scenes is something else. As a governor most of my efforts go to taking charge in the trials, becoming the verbal guide for the other town workers during these aforementioned trials to lead them through the process in a timely manner. This of course means being prepared before each trial and making sure to stay on top of the lesser prepared players and make up for their slack.
FACULTY FACTION
Another faction I’ve spent a very long time in and was actually the first role I ever applied to on the server. In this faction, communication was a very important aspect to keep the school rules in check, meaning that keeping in constant contact with the other members of faculty whilst a situation was underway was a MUST. However, something that others don’t realize is that working as faculty also means to work as a team with the student roleplayers, even if we seem to be on opposing sides. I was able to handle a number of situations without other faculty members coming to my aid, simply working with the students to come to a mutual agreement or some sort of understanding.
CRIME FACTION
While I claim that EMS is my longest standing faction and that Sports the one, I joined first, the Crime faction will hold a special place in my heart as one I can never seem to get away from, pulling me back in over and over again. Currently, my crime roles are abundant to say the least with me currently as a BMDA, Fight Club Fighter/Security, and Ikigai security. Each role shares the similarities of teamwork. No matter how untrustworthy the Black Market dealers are, the teamwork that goes into this work with them is important. Being able to communicate with the other people I’m working alongside while keeping a cool head under stress is something I’ve been forced to learn while in the position of these roles. I was hardly granted any form of training as one would in a faction like EMS, but I’m a fast learner and quick to adapt so learning my duties was hardly any feat of its own. I still engage in CrimeRP in forms of my own; walking my own path as a criminal and roleplaying with friends that find fun in roleplaying out the situations we collaborate on.
But of course, talk of CrimeRP is hard to do without mentioning GangRP, and at the core of GangRP is teamwork. I’ve had the amazing opportunity to join several gangs working alongside amazing roleplayers, creating and telling amazing stories that shape our characters individually. Even with the bad name GangRP has the burden of holding, I manage to find my own fun with likeminded roleplayers. I’ve joined multiple gangs; those of which are Anarchy, Man’en, and Shinriki, but there are two gangs that hold a very special place in my heart and have truly shaped me into the roleplayer I’m proud to be today: Rakkiyatsu and Valhalla, where I made it to the position of both Soldier and Asmodeusz respectively.
In Rakkiyatsu, I joined under the leadership of Aidanator14 and worked alongside my fellow members to build up my confidence in this subsection of GangRP, DeliquentRP. At the time both were out of my comfort zone, but the more experienced delinquent roleplayers at my side assisting me and boosting my confidence allowed me to perform above and beyond to push the boundaries of what I knew to be delinquentRP. Our activities at the time mostly consisted of sprays, street brawls and the occasional bonding activity all of which really strengthened our bonds as a team but also allowed me to work with people I was supposedly against to create amazing role play experience for both parties.
My time in Valhalla existed under both the leadership of Soul_Demon_11 and N1K0 in both the iteration of Meifisuto and the now disbanded Valhalla where I worked my way up to the position of Asmodeusz, the third in command with the power of sheer will. My time in this gang spanned over 7 months of hard work and the things I’ve learned from BMD and such truly came into play with the intense situations I found myself in requiring me to not only communicate with my fellow gang members quickly and efficiently, but also to keep a calm and not allow the stress of the situation to put me off my game. Valhalla was the perfect environment for that. My time in the power ranks also allowed me to bond well with my fellow members, coming up with training ideas that touched on other skills rather than just brawls. At the time, I mostly focused on working as a team by communicating well with our fellow members in character along with traversing and navigating the sewers more efficiently with fun racing games.
STAFF
The most recent team I’ve had the pleasure of joining is as a Helper in the SchoolRP’s staff team. This role truly has become a collection of all my teamwork and leadership skills rolled into one and allowing for me to put them to the test every day to create a safe environment for the server. Out of all the various teams and positions I’ve found myself in I truly do feel as if this one is special as not only do I collaborate with the other members of staff in meetings to assist in making the server a better place for it’s players via discussions in meetings, but I’ve really gotten a chance to work on my own and solve some issues by myself, which I feel like if another very important quality for a dealer to have.
What suggestions do you have to help better the crime faction?:
The crime faction is one that strives for creativity and innovation due to the fact that anyone on the server can claim themself to be a criminal and engage in the act of crime roleplay, unlike other factions where applications come into play. That being said, I wish to display the creativity I could provide to the faction with some suggestions of new BMD items, additions/expansions to crime businesses, event ideas, etcetera.
I don’t believe any amount of rule changes or changes to permissions will ever ‘fix’ crimeRP as these are things that affect the server as a whole, not just the people that choose to engage with Criminal Roleplay and those sorts of discussions should be held with the staff team as a whole because of that. Most of my creative energy will be focused not only on what Black Market can do to establish and better the crime community as a whole while doing a majority of the heavy listing, but also leaving a few things to where the staff approval really lies with the BM lead in regard to weapons and events.
More BMD Items
Disclaimer: I know nothing about coding, so I’m unsure of how possible these things would be. These are just some ideas I had rattling about in my head, both as items which could be made available to the public player base and items that are exclusive to dealers.
Bleach, Public Item (LEGAL)
PRICE: ¥45,000
DESCRIPTION: A powerful cleaning agent that is far stronger than any legal, store-bought product and can scrub away any evidence of blood.
Bleach is a very popular item used in CrimeRP, being itemRP’d by criminals after their crimes in order to clean away any evidence of their victim’s blood, but of course these things become tricky when just anyone could ItemRP bleach and call it a day. I believe this can not only add a larger influx of sales to BMD, but can assist in investigations with officers so there's actual time stamped evidence of when someone actually cleaned their weapons.
It's a one-use item, so when you click on a sink with the bleach item it changes the sink into a bleach filled sink for one (1) OOC minute or until used. With a bleach filled sink you can use weapons on them similar to how water guns work, providing you with a chat message of the date and time when the weapon was cleaned. This can give the weapon the ‘Bleached’ effect to symbolize that it was recently cleaned and smells like bleach. The effect would disappear from the weapon after 30 OOC minutes.
Below is an example of how the chat messages would look in game with and without a bleach filled sink.
Kusarigama, Verified Exclusive Item (ILLEGAL)
PRICE: ¥550,000
RANGE: 5 blocks
K.O. (HOW MANY HITS?): Unable to K.O
MUGGABLE (Y/N): No (Unless unchained/K.O)
- This weapon can remove body parts when knocked out.
- To unchain this weapon from its user there must be a roll off, even from behind.
PERMISSIONS REQUIRED?: Majors
DESCRIPTION: A weapon consisting of both a sickle and metal chain with the chain part wrapped around the user's arm to resist the weapon’s ability to be stolen. The sickle can be thrown at its target to inflict slashing damage.
Range is a very underutilized mechanic within gangRP, most brawls taking place with criminals standing up in each other’s face even if both are wielding their long-ranged weapons which could work better with their intended use. This addition, its range being the longest of all the weapons in the roster, could really put a point to how range can change the tides of a fight. The kusarigama has two notable features; one being a chain which can be wrapped around the user’s arm to prevent it from being stolen but can be actioned to be unchained from the user with a roll off to decide the fate. And the other being the blade portion of the weapon thrown via an action, which gives it the long range displayed above in the mock weapon profile above.
Thank you to SP4RK5 for your assistance in creating this P2L example of the weapon being successfully mugged.
Hunting Slingshot, Dealer Exclusive Item (Legal, unless a felon)
PRICE: ¥500,000
RANGE: 6 block range
K.O. (HOW MANY HITS?): Unable to K.O.
MUGGABLE (Y/N): No
- This weapon can be disarmed, but not mugged.
PERMISSIONS REQUIRED?: Motive
DESCRIPTION: A professional, metal hunting slingshot. A high grade ranged weapon that can launch items at high speeds.
Steel Ball, Dealer Exclusive Item (Illegal)
PRICE: ¥45,000 per ball
RANGE: N/A
K.O. (HOW MANY HITS?): Unable to K.O
MUGGABLE (Y/N): No (Unless K.O.)
DESCRIPTION: High-grade stainless-steel ball that when paired with a slingshot can slow down its victims on three hits.
I know that ranged weapons are something very risky to provide to the player base which is why I believe it should only be a purchasable item to Black Market Dealers as theses players are hand picked by Hirathex themself, have shown themselves to be trustworthy members of the server, and the smaller amount of people with these items it will be easier to moderate. And maybe even the addition of BMD gaining mug permissions on those who are found to be in possession of these items, even if they weren’t the ones who originally stole it.
This item’s mechanics are quite simple, once shot in the legs three times your character would be inflicted with a slowness effect for a short period of time, 25 OOC seconds. The slingshot’s mechanics would work a lot like the watergun with a cooldown after every use, a chat notification on every use from both parties, and be restricted to an ammo amount. This item would require an action to be reloaded and have a restricted ammo of one (1) and would be tag bound like the tranquilizers, midazolam syringes, or pepper sprays. All to keep the abuse of this item to a minimum.
The only two valid motives to use these would be if you are being chased down by another player and have asked them to stop three times and they have refused/ignored you and kept the chase going. The way I see these weapons being used is mostly in chases, usually against officers as they are more of a threat to Black Market than any other gangs are.
I would like to thank windswake for assisting me in creating the P2L action below to show an example of the sling shot and steel ball in use. Do keep in mind that this item is tag bound to Dealers only despite what the image below suggests.
Bounty Hunters: Weapon Repairs and Scouting
We all know how some criminals have issues with their blunt weapons, dented beyond repair and becoming the main cause for their unfortunate detainment or becoming the final piece that links them back to their chain of sins. Fortunately, the weapon experts themselves have provided a new service to wipe away most of the evidence to tie you to this crime. For a price, of course.
Bounty hunters would be able to provide another service conjoined with their usual murder for hire work where they would be able to take weapons from paying customers and repair them back to a certain degree. I imagine this system to work in a similar way to how EMS log and use prosthetics, inserting the weapon into a spreadsheet along with an amount of days it would take to fix it, the spreadsheet automatically calculating the price for the hunters to allow ease of use. This would be rare, opening up similarly to BMD openings with a restriction of 1 opening per month from each hunter as to not overshadow the other Black Market Dealer’s work.
Now, onto scouting: This would be a crime centered mini event that people can sign up and be selected to participate in as well as include the current Bounty Hunters. The event itself would take place within the sewers, perhaps a few places would be restricted as to not have the event go on for too long. Each participant of the event would have a target and a tag with the objective being to steal the tag from your target’s body and whoever has the most tags wins. The only way to take this tag is to immobilize their opponent to some capacity whether it be knocking them out or breaking their legs. Once someone is taken down, their attacker adopts their former target to allow the game to continue. People that are taken down and tag-less are taken off by Crime Clinic to the start to be patched up, get another tag. and a new target; the target being the player with the most number of tags.
The main rule of the game would be that players are only allowed to fight their targets and their attackers, to prevent people from running around and fighting everyone to gather as many tags as possible in a short period of time. Another rule that could possibly be added is that no permissions are passed as a result of this event, This ia all just for fun and to test our skills. And to keep the event moving, fast paced, and to force people into one area, there will be these mass texts sent out to each participant informing them of a supply drop or some sort of ‘insta win’ item they need to fight for.
Crime Clinic: Plastic Surgery and Identity Theft
Changing identities has always been more of a laissez faire thing, with no definitive rules laid out set in stone having people changing their characters names almost every other week either to escape the police or otherwise. Here I present an idea for the criminals to have a real chance at escaping from the bounties on their head by finding their way through the grimy sewers and to the front door of the Crime Clinic.
The clinicians of the less than legal clinic are somewhat trained in facial reconstruction surgery, allowing them to morph their victim's patient’s face into something completely different. There are a couple of downsides to this process: The recovery time set for this sort of procedure calls for a much longer recovery time, in comparison to the other recovery times the Crime Clinic has set in stone; The price tag set on his service is one of the highest the clinic has at ¥500,000, making this process an extremely rare occurrence; Another massive downside is fingerprints. As skilled as those doctors are, they are unable to change a person’s fingerprints. Meaning, if the patient were to register their new identity with town hall then their new identity would automatically link to their old one and cause all that money to be metaphorically flushed down the drain.
To avoid this the patient could simply just be cornered into purchasing fake IDs from the Black Market and giving dealers more money to glory in. However I believe that the addition of stealing a person’s identity could be added to the Crime Clinic’s list of procedures. The identity given would be a person from the mainland, usually dead, and is completely randomized with the name and age. The person would be given a specialized fake ID with the given information of their character’s new identity to be able to hide from whatever past life they are running from while also covering their tracks from KPD as this identity would be tied to a person on the mainland, however if their face is still the same as their previous one there's no point in having the new identity- this forces the player into taking the surgery as well. Again, the price tag on this would be something steep, around ¥500,000 to have it paired perfectly with the plastic surgery to total up to ¥1,000,000 to completely avoid any sort of manhunt after you.
Racing: Betting, Live Streaming, and Illegal Modifications
With the abundance of customized vehicles scattered across the server there’s no surprise about the CrimeRP niche of Street Racing. My time in the bōsōzoku gang Rakkiyatsu gave me much longing to see more of this, especially after seeing it officialized with BMD. But, here are some more ideas I had to add to this scene’s excitement.
The biggest thing that would be an amazing addition to this side of criminal roleplay is live streaming these unsanctioned races, similarly to how the sports tournaments are live streamed to the server via twitch. In character, these streams are held on Ikigai and can only be taken in character to its verified users. This would allow for an easier watching experience and maybe even urge more to the Ikigai site to dip a bit deeper into the less lethal aspect of CrimeRP. Along with these dark web live streams there would be betting, but in a way that is more similar to traditional sports betting where rather than betting your money on who you believe will win you can bet on odds. The way this betting would work is via pre-written odds that people can choose to put money for or against. This would also allow for racers to take bribes, risking their position in this section of the faction to make a little extra cash. This strange way of betting not only differentiates itself from Fight Club, another illegal business, but adds more stakes and excitement to the onlookers watching the races.
Another addition to the previous vehicle update and the racing garage that the BMD has possession over is the addition of ‘Illegal Modifications’ located within his rented space. Racers that are not only deemed worthy enough to hold the title of rentee, but dish out the cash for it are allowed to use the BMD’s garage as their own, have free access to the BMD’s Illegal Vehicle Modifications that can cause your vehicles to be seized by KPD and the illegal modifications stripped if you are caught with them. These upgrades can only be applied to one vehicle per account to limit abuse and potential lag as well as not allowing criminals to give their friends access to this perk without actually being in the crew. However, the general public may be be allowed access to this area via openings at race meets or car shows where the driver can pay up to a certain amount of money to get access to the room containing the NPC that upgrades the vehicle, but would be restricted to the ‘Public’ illegal modifications that can still have the vehicle seized, but nothing that can cause too much of an imbalance. This would just add a bit more excitement and risk to this niche section of crime and give racers something tangible to work towards.
Fight Club: Bootcamp
Number one rule of Fight Club: Don’t talk about Fight Club
Even with that rule set in place this criminal business is a name that rings familiar to plenty of people on the server, criminal or otherwise. This underground area becomes a place where civilians and criminals mingle amongst each other and watch two people beat each other black and blue. And with such recognition why not expand on this place of community to one where people can learn from some of the best?
The idea is simple: A Fight Club training camp where players can learn how to properly combat roleplay via rolling or P2L. This allows players a friendly, inviting environment to learn the rules, tactics, and skills they probably wouldn’t get otherwise unless in some sort of gang. And even in gangs there are times where the rules on certain things are bent and twisted into their favor. Here, there is none of that. This could also allow people a way into Fight Club as fighters via in character means, which would overall promote roleplay.
New Crime Business: Informants and Information Bidding
One thing that is very underutilized in the world of crime is information, which when used correctly can become a formidable force in the criminal world. A perfect example of an organization that tapped into this niche is, the now disbanded Unverified Gang, Man’en. A gang I had the pleasure of taking part in for a short while and the idea that ‘information is power’ can’t be understated with it came to Man’en. Information can be used for all sorts of advantages within the world of CrimeRP to make deals, plan around missions, and be used as blackmail. Everything that the Black Market should have their hands on. Which brings me to the Black Market’s newest business: INFORMANTS!
At the moment, associates' typically gather information for the dealers, but I imagine this information centric business working similar to Bounty Hunters and Crime Clinic- taking what these associates do to the next level and putting information into the hands of the public. For a price. The Informants will have a channel on Ikigai where a person can request for one of the services provided which opens up a private channel for them (similarly to how a new, private channel will open up after you purchase a custom item) where they can state their needs and be assigned an informant. There, discussions of payment and information can be shared between the buyer and investigator.
These informants will also have lots of contact with other parts of the Black Market, such as with Bounty Hunters. The hunters are allowed free information for business related reasons, such as for a contracted hit. The two will be expected to work together and communicate in order to get their job done, and split the spoils of their contract. Informants will also serve as the Black Market’s personal pawns. Any information they gather is monitored and stored by the Black Market, including information on the people buying from them. Informants can also be freely used by the Black Market to keep track of those that choose to steal from them.
However, like Man’en, there's only so much a person can do with just information, especially in roleplay. To this, I introduce: INFORMATION BIDDING.
These can take place in Nexus, similar to the way that Dark Auctions where hosted where participants are presented with the names of notable figures in the city with the promises of information being given to the highest bidder, the only caveat being that it is unknown what the information IS until it has been purchased. Imagine this: It's announced that information on the infamous Rokku Heddo is being auctioned off, this information can range anywhere from the names of his loved ones, his home address, or even his darkest secrets. There would only be one way to find out and it was to bid away your life savings hoping to find out. Somehow, you manage to get your filthy hands on that information; a paper that reads:
Rokku Heddo is in the Heddo family.
That’s a very extreme example, but you understand. Not all of them will be like that, some will possess actual useful information and others will be public knowledge which really emphasizes the gambling aspect of this. I’m aware that Nexus and the Black Market have generally no connection, but this could become something that bridges this gap.
The VAULT: Weapon Storage and Renting
Plenty of criminals know the struggles of having your weapons taken after a raid by the pesky Police Department, but thankfully the Black Market has heeded your cries and established the VAULT. This is a rentable space hidden in the sewers that allows criminals to store away their weapons in a place they don’t live in and keep it safe from the grubby hands of officers. However, make sure to keep up with rent as any space that has not been paid for in its allotted time will become the property of the Black Market.
With this new surplus of weaponry the Black Market can rent out the more beaten and blood coated weapons for a cheaper price to the less wealthy criminals for a short amount of time. These used weapons could lead to these poorer criminals being the newest suspect of a crime they never committed, forcing them into a tough spot with KPD. Either taking a potential murder charge or ratting out the notorious Black Market, both sure to leave a lasting effect on the criminal’s life. In regards to payment, renting is unlike the weapon storage, where lack of payment will result in the loss of your weapons, lack of payment or return of these rented weapons may result in the loss of their life. It’s no secret that these Dealers aren’t the biggest fans regarding theft of their property.
EVENT: Tokyo Takeover!
Thank you to the members of Geheimer Verband for helping me take this screenshot.
Events are an amazing aspect of the server, especially those that are faction specific where members of the faction all have a chance to work together towards a common goal. Most faction events that I’ve had the most fun in are in EMS where we often work alongside KPD, but for a faction like BMD where most dealers tend to work solo, they don’t tend to have these moments of unity. I think a moment where the dealers can stop their constant bickering for a single moment and work against a common enemy and enforce their status quo would be something I’d love to see. Which brings me to my event idea.
The average Karakura Black Market Dealer doesn’t truly have any natural enemies aside from an officer or a lowly criminal audacious enough to steal from them. That is until every dealer was invited to a dinner meeting hosted by Tokyo’s Black Market Dealers to discuss a potential ‘expansion’.
The dinner itself would be nice, being catered by a local Karakura restaurant that desired to remain anonymous for obvious reasons. There would be a short moment for the criminals to chat and socialize among their peers before getting to the real business at hand. There's no doubt they would be antsy, a thick haze of tension lingering amongst the chatter and small talk. Surely an attack is underway?
The mainland dealers offer to “take Karakura off their hands.” their word’s flowery and indirect, any attempt possible made to sway the dealers to their cause, but as their rambles continued it was clear to see the intent that lingered beneath the surface: Tokyo’s BMD wish to expand their own turf to the strange little island for their own overseas transport, a position that would either but our beloved dealers out of a job or demoted into lowly middleman work.
Of course, such a bold and ballsy ‘suggestion’ would only cause an argument, a big one. The mainland dealers wouldn't take this lightly, claiming this to be a simple formality and if they truly wanted to take the pitiful city it would be theirs in an instant. And with that claim, the dealer would arm himself with a Katana and whatever happens next is up to our dealers themselves. I expect a fight to break out, one that would end with the Police Department’s sirens ringing above them and the criminals scattering for safety.
Following this event would be scattered flash events where the Tokyo dealers make an appearance in Karakura to stir up trouble in the strange little city with the goal of making it their own. Of course these event dealers aren’t 100% evil and I do believe that at some point some sort of compromise will come to play, but I believe that’s up to the players themselves to decide, as with a faction like this their choices and decisions matter. And to have anything set in stone from the beginning would do their creativity a disservice.
A mixture of staff, event, lore team will have a dealer assigned to themself being allowed to play them infrequently for events and when allowed to as to remind the dealers of these enemies across the sea and spark up some roleplay between the two groups.
Are you familiar with all rules pertaining to weapon profiles, combat, permissions, and player conduct on the server?:
Yes, my time on the server engaging in crime roleplay as a criminal roleplayer has given me great understanding and knowledge on the topics. My time as a member of staff has also assisted in this prospect with others coming to me in regards to questions of this nature.
Are you familiar with that if you leave the black market at any point, the black market lead will have permanent kill permissions on your character?:
Yes, I understand and accept this fate.
Are you familiar with that if your character(s) is/are killed or permanently arrested twice, you will be removed from the black market?:
Yes, I understand and accept this as a consequence of carelessness.
Are you familiar with that you cannot reveal any out-of-character plans or potential addition to the black market to others?:
Yes, I am very familiar with this rule due to my time as a BMDA.
The silent footfalls of the masked man went unnoticed, rather the heavy, muffled breathing emitted from the filters of a plain gas mask drowned out all other noise. With a simple, steady movement a plain manila folder graced the desk of TARASQUE before the masked man lowered himself to the seat. The pages are messy, stained with coffee and blood, WRAITH’s blood. A rasped whisper muffled from the gasmask’s vents, the simple word a pained struggle to say.
‘Evening.’
IGN: lobsterrgod
lobsterrdog, lobsterrbob, and windswakefan
Describe your activity on the server:
Overall, my activity on the server is extremely good, spending at least 5 hours online everyday, but this can easily reach over 10 hours on weekends. On average, I tend to get online at around 9am, logging out at around 7pm-9pm depending on the day. I have a few roles on the server, as detailed below, that I tend to fill my time with, and despite the fact that it may seem like a lot, I’ve handled many more roles than this, taking on four (six if you include staff and crime) roles all at once while still leaving me time to indulge in my own personal roleplays. The only limit to my activity is on Sundays where I engage in my family’s religious practices which causes spotty activity throughout the day, and my infrequent working hours where my time online will more accurately resemble 8pm-3am.
HELPER - lobsterrdog
As a helper my responsibilities are relatively simple, just working as the server’s pseudo receptionist and assisting newer players with common issues on the server. Most of that help is either in the various SchoolRP help channels, tickets, or in my own DMs where players may feel more comfortable. I’m also there to mildly moderate others via verbal warnings for lesser issues or for when my higher ups can’t attend to an issue at that very moment. This just showcases how active I am on the server as a role like this does require me to spend a lot of time online to be able to carry out these duties.
COLLEGE TRACK TEAM - lobsterrdog
As a member of college track most of my time on this tag is spent roleplaying with the various teams on the server, highschool and college, and meeting up once a week for practice. These practices usually consist of run games involving running that eventually dissolves into the team all goofing off or causing chaos to their fellow sports members. Outside of this role I’m very active, simply roleplaying out this character as I always have since he is one of my main characters.
EMS - lobsterrbob
With this role, my duties are more centered around the higher-up aspect of the job, as one of the newest clinical supervisors of the faction which tends to be assisting my fellow EMS in their duties, answering EMS related questions, correcting their mistakes, and working on the responsibilities the faction lead asks of me. Even with less of an emphasis on quota points, allowing me to focus on HU duties, I still tend to excel past the max points of 40 almost every month with doctor, psychiatrist, paramedic, and veterinary duties keeping me busy throughout the day. I’m not one for sitting around and waiting for things to happen, so I tend to appear for broadcasts or whenever I see that the hospital is going through a rush hour.
CRIME
Currently, in the Crime faction I’m involved with a variety of subsections: BMDA, Fight Club, Ikigai Security, and GangRP. I’ve had the privilege of becoming fredtastic’s associate for about 8 months, allowing me a lot of the other opportunities that I have via Fight Club and Ikigai which I’ve made sure to remain as active as I can within those positions. Otherwise, I tend to do CrimeRP on my own with a majority of my roleplaying being P2L and the targets are usually my fellow EMS roleplayers, which tends to put a large target on my back- but personally I find it all the more fun. GangRP wise I currently lead my own roleplay-based crime family with two of my friends with plans to expand the family’s vigilante-like beliefs into a fully formed cult.
Specify your Discord username (USER#0000) and if you have a microphone:
lobsterrdog and yes I have a working microphone.
Specify your country of origin and time zone:
United States, EST
What are your motivations in applying for the black market dealer role?:
Of all my time on the server I’ve always found myself drawn to the more criminal roleplay aspect of things, especially as a newer player who was taken in by criminal roleplayers while I slowly grasped an understanding of the server as a whole. This connection led me to joining several different gangs, all with a variety of themes and motivations; however, nothing seemed to stick to me. Nothing except for my time as a BMDA. The shaky alliance the Black Market Dealers have with each other, along with the splendid roleplay I’ve had the pleasure of taking part in is something I adore about this faction and yearn to be a part of even more so now than ever before.
A huge motivation for me for a lot of these faction applications is being able to interact with players in a way I wouldn’t be able to before and the role of Black Market Dealers has a path of roleplay that I desperately wish to travel on myself. The Crime Faction is unlike any other, where it practically run’s itself and the workers must make their own money to be able to thrive in the criminal underworld. The only faction that could compare is the Shopkeeper Faction, but the danger and thrill that comes with the role of dealer can’t match. This freedom allows for the opportunity for creativity to thrive in this space filled with some of the servers most talented roleplayers. Not only that, but in a sense the Black Market has become a beacon for the Crime faction to look up to and strive towards, so it's hard not to desire to be in a position like it.
I also wish to assist in the future of Crime roleplay. Like I said before, BMD are seen as these symbols for Crime roleplay, the goal for so many criminals on the server to achieve, so it's no surprise as to why so many criminals not only look to dealers for guidance via the KC help channel but wish to be one of them. If put into the position of BMD I’d wish to improve upon and create more roleplay opportunities for any criminal roleplayer on the server and foster a healthier, more connected community.
In short, I’m seeking the chance to roleplay in one of the most unique roles the server has to offer, be able to help in the future of crime roleplay and create a better community for the server as a whole outside of my role as a staff member, but I’m also looking to further develop my character in a role I know he would flourish in.
What helps you to stand out from other applicants & what can you uniquely provide to the team?:
ACTIVITY
Compared to the other applicants applying for this role I believe myself to be a more active player who has the time to dedicate myself to the faction, as seen in all the factions I’ve had a part in I've made myself available for each one of them. From the beginning of my faction history, I’ve always made an effort to exceed my mandatory quota, especially in EMS or Caretaker where I’ve destroyed the maximum 30 and 40 quota with 100+ on multiple occasions. Not to mention the activity I maintain for the crime faction; attending as many Fight Club, Ikigai, Dealer openings, and general BMD events as I’m allowed to attend for any chance to indulge in this aspect of roleplay.
DEDICATION & PASSION
I have a very real passion for this faction as a creative who is brimming with ideas on how to expand it as a whole into the best it can be for the community as a whole. Every great thing about the crime faction is something forged out of creativity and love for the faction itself which I have displayed extensively in the suggestions portion of the application. I have and will talk about CrimeRP endlessly, going on about how much I love and adore this side of roleplay as it can open so many doors of development of a character on both sides when done correctly. It’s one of the few factions that defines itself on the server with how easily accessible it is to join and that just allows for so many amazing roleplay opportunities.
EXPERIENCE
My experience on the various teams and leadership positions, as detailed below, as well as my experience working alone gives me a wide range of skills that can be utilized with this role if given the chance. Not only that, but my experience as a BMDA gives me a very unique insight as to how the Black Market works like going on BMD runs with the other dealers and providing my service with protection, something that very few applicants can say they also have.
CREATIVITY
I’ve always had the unexplainable desire to create, as an artist it’s something that I’m just good at. The server has only expanded that skill to the world of writing through roleplay and has allowed me to craft and be a part of some amazing criminal based storylines even if it's just something built with a few of my friends. My goal has, and always will be, to create an amazing story that all parties involved can enjoy with interesting and unique characters and that's just something I can further expand in with the involvement of the Black Market faction. The Black Market is known for their amazing roleplaying abilities, crafting amazing stories/events with the most interesting characters and this is something I know I can contribute to.
What previous experience do you have in working with a team?:
In all of my time residing on the SchoolRP server I’ve always found my way into a team, a space for collaboration and creativity to bloom. The following is a collection of the various teams/groups I’ve been lucky enough to be apart of and learn from:
SPORTS FACTION
Being the Sports Faction it’s obviously very big on teamwork, which is something I got to exercise a lot on the various teams I was lucky enough to gain a spot on! From Highschool Swim, Highschool Female Football, and College Track; each team a place where teamwork thrived.
Highschool Swim, where I was a member under the leadership of GGremlin, was my first team and that earns it a very special place in my heart. With the lack of a plugin compared to other sports most of what we did was roleplay based, which is what really began my love for the more detailed style of roleplay, but wasn’t something the team really engaged with together outside of practice. At least not until I took charge as the co-captain. As the co-captain I brought unity to the team, encouraging jockRP and team rivalries that the sports faction is more known for with the reasoning being that it was part of the swim team’s sort of ‘revenge’ for being such an underrated sport. Our activities required our team work more than any of our typical swim activities if we wanted to survive any of the shena****ns with our spots on the team still secured.
My time on the Female Football team was short, but fun. Joining the team under the leadership of octoplush, who made it a point to exercise team bonding even outside of our triweekly practices along with emphasizing the importance of dedication to the team. As any team member would, I tried my best to assist the less skilled footballers on the field and help them learn the plugin to the best of my abilities with the help of octoplush’s fun and creative practices games rather then mindlessly participating in scrims where our knowledge can’t properly improve under the stress of scrutiny. Football is a team game, online or not, we need to work together, communicating with each other constantly to even have a chance on the pitch. As one of the weaker players, communication and playing to my teammates' strengths was a skill I had to learn in order to keep my spot on the defensive line.
And finally, the College Track team where I currently reside under the leadership of MuffinCat. I will admit, my place on this team is VERY recent with me becoming the one of the newest additions to the team with a scholarship. I’m still learning the dynamics of the team and understand my place but it’s a nice change of pace back to the detailRP actions, fun games, and such that I fell in love with in sportsRP. That being said, I’ve still paid my contributions to the team, assisting in small events and coming up with ideas for Track v. Track rivalry.
HOSPITAL FACTION
My longest standing faction: EMS. For a full year, at the time of writing this application, I have resided within this faction with no plans to leave short of 6Pancake themself prying me off her faction with a crowbar. With that being said, this faction has been a huge part in my experience with working on a team, even more so now than ever with me as the new addition to the EMS higher up team as a Doctor Clinical Supervisor, as the faction strives for constant and efficient communication between its members for their daily duties within the hospital to be achieved. Hardly any one patient can go untreated without several EMS assisting them in the process simply due to the way our system of quota is structured to encourage teamwork and offering to assist others, so people can get two points of quota for something as simple as an IV. Not only that, but training also feeds this bond and connection that the faction strives for. As a higher up, not only do I assist in training with the newcomers to the faction, but I oversee the work the other trainers have done for the trainees and ensure they’re still on the right track with their responsibilities. Literally, teamwork is ingrained into the very fiber of our work. Even with my, frankly, short time on the higher up team I’ve been able to add my own input on situations and issues that have made themselves an issue for the hospital faction, work alongside the other higher-ups to craft the future of the Hospital Faction, and that always works to be better than the last.
GOVERNMENT FACTION
The government faction, being as it is, also functions as a team. A loose one, as everyone needs to hold their own weight, but a team, nonetheless. Every trial becomes a collaborative project with each member doing their part to keep Karakura’s center of law functioning properly. This faction truly emphasized contributing my share to the project to allow the final product to be the best it can be in a short period of time. The faction is often overlooked, but the time and effort put on behind the scenes is something else. As a governor most of my efforts go to taking charge in the trials, becoming the verbal guide for the other town workers during these aforementioned trials to lead them through the process in a timely manner. This of course means being prepared before each trial and making sure to stay on top of the lesser prepared players and make up for their slack.
FACULTY FACTION
Another faction I’ve spent a very long time in and was actually the first role I ever applied to on the server. In this faction, communication was a very important aspect to keep the school rules in check, meaning that keeping in constant contact with the other members of faculty whilst a situation was underway was a MUST. However, something that others don’t realize is that working as faculty also means to work as a team with the student roleplayers, even if we seem to be on opposing sides. I was able to handle a number of situations without other faculty members coming to my aid, simply working with the students to come to a mutual agreement or some sort of understanding.
CRIME FACTION
While I claim that EMS is my longest standing faction and that Sports the one, I joined first, the Crime faction will hold a special place in my heart as one I can never seem to get away from, pulling me back in over and over again. Currently, my crime roles are abundant to say the least with me currently as a BMDA, Fight Club Fighter/Security, and Ikigai security. Each role shares the similarities of teamwork. No matter how untrustworthy the Black Market dealers are, the teamwork that goes into this work with them is important. Being able to communicate with the other people I’m working alongside while keeping a cool head under stress is something I’ve been forced to learn while in the position of these roles. I was hardly granted any form of training as one would in a faction like EMS, but I’m a fast learner and quick to adapt so learning my duties was hardly any feat of its own. I still engage in CrimeRP in forms of my own; walking my own path as a criminal and roleplaying with friends that find fun in roleplaying out the situations we collaborate on.
But of course, talk of CrimeRP is hard to do without mentioning GangRP, and at the core of GangRP is teamwork. I’ve had the amazing opportunity to join several gangs working alongside amazing roleplayers, creating and telling amazing stories that shape our characters individually. Even with the bad name GangRP has the burden of holding, I manage to find my own fun with likeminded roleplayers. I’ve joined multiple gangs; those of which are Anarchy, Man’en, and Shinriki, but there are two gangs that hold a very special place in my heart and have truly shaped me into the roleplayer I’m proud to be today: Rakkiyatsu and Valhalla, where I made it to the position of both Soldier and Asmodeusz respectively.
In Rakkiyatsu, I joined under the leadership of Aidanator14 and worked alongside my fellow members to build up my confidence in this subsection of GangRP, DeliquentRP. At the time both were out of my comfort zone, but the more experienced delinquent roleplayers at my side assisting me and boosting my confidence allowed me to perform above and beyond to push the boundaries of what I knew to be delinquentRP. Our activities at the time mostly consisted of sprays, street brawls and the occasional bonding activity all of which really strengthened our bonds as a team but also allowed me to work with people I was supposedly against to create amazing role play experience for both parties.
My time in Valhalla existed under both the leadership of Soul_Demon_11 and N1K0 in both the iteration of Meifisuto and the now disbanded Valhalla where I worked my way up to the position of Asmodeusz, the third in command with the power of sheer will. My time in this gang spanned over 7 months of hard work and the things I’ve learned from BMD and such truly came into play with the intense situations I found myself in requiring me to not only communicate with my fellow gang members quickly and efficiently, but also to keep a calm and not allow the stress of the situation to put me off my game. Valhalla was the perfect environment for that. My time in the power ranks also allowed me to bond well with my fellow members, coming up with training ideas that touched on other skills rather than just brawls. At the time, I mostly focused on working as a team by communicating well with our fellow members in character along with traversing and navigating the sewers more efficiently with fun racing games.
STAFF
The most recent team I’ve had the pleasure of joining is as a Helper in the SchoolRP’s staff team. This role truly has become a collection of all my teamwork and leadership skills rolled into one and allowing for me to put them to the test every day to create a safe environment for the server. Out of all the various teams and positions I’ve found myself in I truly do feel as if this one is special as not only do I collaborate with the other members of staff in meetings to assist in making the server a better place for it’s players via discussions in meetings, but I’ve really gotten a chance to work on my own and solve some issues by myself, which I feel like if another very important quality for a dealer to have.
What suggestions do you have to help better the crime faction?:
The crime faction is one that strives for creativity and innovation due to the fact that anyone on the server can claim themself to be a criminal and engage in the act of crime roleplay, unlike other factions where applications come into play. That being said, I wish to display the creativity I could provide to the faction with some suggestions of new BMD items, additions/expansions to crime businesses, event ideas, etcetera.
I don’t believe any amount of rule changes or changes to permissions will ever ‘fix’ crimeRP as these are things that affect the server as a whole, not just the people that choose to engage with Criminal Roleplay and those sorts of discussions should be held with the staff team as a whole because of that. Most of my creative energy will be focused not only on what Black Market can do to establish and better the crime community as a whole while doing a majority of the heavy listing, but also leaving a few things to where the staff approval really lies with the BM lead in regard to weapons and events.
More BMD Items
Disclaimer: I know nothing about coding, so I’m unsure of how possible these things would be. These are just some ideas I had rattling about in my head, both as items which could be made available to the public player base and items that are exclusive to dealers.
Bleach, Public Item (LEGAL)
PRICE: ¥45,000
DESCRIPTION: A powerful cleaning agent that is far stronger than any legal, store-bought product and can scrub away any evidence of blood.
Bleach is a very popular item used in CrimeRP, being itemRP’d by criminals after their crimes in order to clean away any evidence of their victim’s blood, but of course these things become tricky when just anyone could ItemRP bleach and call it a day. I believe this can not only add a larger influx of sales to BMD, but can assist in investigations with officers so there's actual time stamped evidence of when someone actually cleaned their weapons.
It's a one-use item, so when you click on a sink with the bleach item it changes the sink into a bleach filled sink for one (1) OOC minute or until used. With a bleach filled sink you can use weapons on them similar to how water guns work, providing you with a chat message of the date and time when the weapon was cleaned. This can give the weapon the ‘Bleached’ effect to symbolize that it was recently cleaned and smells like bleach. The effect would disappear from the weapon after 30 OOC minutes.
Below is an example of how the chat messages would look in game with and without a bleach filled sink.
Kusarigama, Verified Exclusive Item (ILLEGAL)
PRICE: ¥550,000
RANGE: 5 blocks
K.O. (HOW MANY HITS?): Unable to K.O
MUGGABLE (Y/N): No (Unless unchained/K.O)
- This weapon can remove body parts when knocked out.
- To unchain this weapon from its user there must be a roll off, even from behind.
PERMISSIONS REQUIRED?: Majors
DESCRIPTION: A weapon consisting of both a sickle and metal chain with the chain part wrapped around the user's arm to resist the weapon’s ability to be stolen. The sickle can be thrown at its target to inflict slashing damage.
Range is a very underutilized mechanic within gangRP, most brawls taking place with criminals standing up in each other’s face even if both are wielding their long-ranged weapons which could work better with their intended use. This addition, its range being the longest of all the weapons in the roster, could really put a point to how range can change the tides of a fight. The kusarigama has two notable features; one being a chain which can be wrapped around the user’s arm to prevent it from being stolen but can be actioned to be unchained from the user with a roll off to decide the fate. And the other being the blade portion of the weapon thrown via an action, which gives it the long range displayed above in the mock weapon profile above.
Thank you to SP4RK5 for your assistance in creating this P2L example of the weapon being successfully mugged.
Hunting Slingshot, Dealer Exclusive Item (Legal, unless a felon)
PRICE: ¥500,000
RANGE: 6 block range
K.O. (HOW MANY HITS?): Unable to K.O.
MUGGABLE (Y/N): No
- This weapon can be disarmed, but not mugged.
PERMISSIONS REQUIRED?: Motive
DESCRIPTION: A professional, metal hunting slingshot. A high grade ranged weapon that can launch items at high speeds.
Steel Ball, Dealer Exclusive Item (Illegal)
PRICE: ¥45,000 per ball
RANGE: N/A
K.O. (HOW MANY HITS?): Unable to K.O
MUGGABLE (Y/N): No (Unless K.O.)
DESCRIPTION: High-grade stainless-steel ball that when paired with a slingshot can slow down its victims on three hits.
I know that ranged weapons are something very risky to provide to the player base which is why I believe it should only be a purchasable item to Black Market Dealers as theses players are hand picked by Hirathex themself, have shown themselves to be trustworthy members of the server, and the smaller amount of people with these items it will be easier to moderate. And maybe even the addition of BMD gaining mug permissions on those who are found to be in possession of these items, even if they weren’t the ones who originally stole it.
This item’s mechanics are quite simple, once shot in the legs three times your character would be inflicted with a slowness effect for a short period of time, 25 OOC seconds. The slingshot’s mechanics would work a lot like the watergun with a cooldown after every use, a chat notification on every use from both parties, and be restricted to an ammo amount. This item would require an action to be reloaded and have a restricted ammo of one (1) and would be tag bound like the tranquilizers, midazolam syringes, or pepper sprays. All to keep the abuse of this item to a minimum.
The only two valid motives to use these would be if you are being chased down by another player and have asked them to stop three times and they have refused/ignored you and kept the chase going. The way I see these weapons being used is mostly in chases, usually against officers as they are more of a threat to Black Market than any other gangs are.
I would like to thank windswake for assisting me in creating the P2L action below to show an example of the sling shot and steel ball in use. Do keep in mind that this item is tag bound to Dealers only despite what the image below suggests.
Bounty Hunters: Weapon Repairs and Scouting
We all know how some criminals have issues with their blunt weapons, dented beyond repair and becoming the main cause for their unfortunate detainment or becoming the final piece that links them back to their chain of sins. Fortunately, the weapon experts themselves have provided a new service to wipe away most of the evidence to tie you to this crime. For a price, of course.
Bounty hunters would be able to provide another service conjoined with their usual murder for hire work where they would be able to take weapons from paying customers and repair them back to a certain degree. I imagine this system to work in a similar way to how EMS log and use prosthetics, inserting the weapon into a spreadsheet along with an amount of days it would take to fix it, the spreadsheet automatically calculating the price for the hunters to allow ease of use. This would be rare, opening up similarly to BMD openings with a restriction of 1 opening per month from each hunter as to not overshadow the other Black Market Dealer’s work.
Now, onto scouting: This would be a crime centered mini event that people can sign up and be selected to participate in as well as include the current Bounty Hunters. The event itself would take place within the sewers, perhaps a few places would be restricted as to not have the event go on for too long. Each participant of the event would have a target and a tag with the objective being to steal the tag from your target’s body and whoever has the most tags wins. The only way to take this tag is to immobilize their opponent to some capacity whether it be knocking them out or breaking their legs. Once someone is taken down, their attacker adopts their former target to allow the game to continue. People that are taken down and tag-less are taken off by Crime Clinic to the start to be patched up, get another tag. and a new target; the target being the player with the most number of tags.
The main rule of the game would be that players are only allowed to fight their targets and their attackers, to prevent people from running around and fighting everyone to gather as many tags as possible in a short period of time. Another rule that could possibly be added is that no permissions are passed as a result of this event, This ia all just for fun and to test our skills. And to keep the event moving, fast paced, and to force people into one area, there will be these mass texts sent out to each participant informing them of a supply drop or some sort of ‘insta win’ item they need to fight for.
Crime Clinic: Plastic Surgery and Identity Theft
Changing identities has always been more of a laissez faire thing, with no definitive rules laid out set in stone having people changing their characters names almost every other week either to escape the police or otherwise. Here I present an idea for the criminals to have a real chance at escaping from the bounties on their head by finding their way through the grimy sewers and to the front door of the Crime Clinic.
The clinicians of the less than legal clinic are somewhat trained in facial reconstruction surgery, allowing them to morph their victim's patient’s face into something completely different. There are a couple of downsides to this process: The recovery time set for this sort of procedure calls for a much longer recovery time, in comparison to the other recovery times the Crime Clinic has set in stone; The price tag set on his service is one of the highest the clinic has at ¥500,000, making this process an extremely rare occurrence; Another massive downside is fingerprints. As skilled as those doctors are, they are unable to change a person’s fingerprints. Meaning, if the patient were to register their new identity with town hall then their new identity would automatically link to their old one and cause all that money to be metaphorically flushed down the drain.
To avoid this the patient could simply just be cornered into purchasing fake IDs from the Black Market and giving dealers more money to glory in. However I believe that the addition of stealing a person’s identity could be added to the Crime Clinic’s list of procedures. The identity given would be a person from the mainland, usually dead, and is completely randomized with the name and age. The person would be given a specialized fake ID with the given information of their character’s new identity to be able to hide from whatever past life they are running from while also covering their tracks from KPD as this identity would be tied to a person on the mainland, however if their face is still the same as their previous one there's no point in having the new identity- this forces the player into taking the surgery as well. Again, the price tag on this would be something steep, around ¥500,000 to have it paired perfectly with the plastic surgery to total up to ¥1,000,000 to completely avoid any sort of manhunt after you.
Racing: Betting, Live Streaming, and Illegal Modifications
With the abundance of customized vehicles scattered across the server there’s no surprise about the CrimeRP niche of Street Racing. My time in the bōsōzoku gang Rakkiyatsu gave me much longing to see more of this, especially after seeing it officialized with BMD. But, here are some more ideas I had to add to this scene’s excitement.
The biggest thing that would be an amazing addition to this side of criminal roleplay is live streaming these unsanctioned races, similarly to how the sports tournaments are live streamed to the server via twitch. In character, these streams are held on Ikigai and can only be taken in character to its verified users. This would allow for an easier watching experience and maybe even urge more to the Ikigai site to dip a bit deeper into the less lethal aspect of CrimeRP. Along with these dark web live streams there would be betting, but in a way that is more similar to traditional sports betting where rather than betting your money on who you believe will win you can bet on odds. The way this betting would work is via pre-written odds that people can choose to put money for or against. This would also allow for racers to take bribes, risking their position in this section of the faction to make a little extra cash. This strange way of betting not only differentiates itself from Fight Club, another illegal business, but adds more stakes and excitement to the onlookers watching the races.
Another addition to the previous vehicle update and the racing garage that the BMD has possession over is the addition of ‘Illegal Modifications’ located within his rented space. Racers that are not only deemed worthy enough to hold the title of rentee, but dish out the cash for it are allowed to use the BMD’s garage as their own, have free access to the BMD’s Illegal Vehicle Modifications that can cause your vehicles to be seized by KPD and the illegal modifications stripped if you are caught with them. These upgrades can only be applied to one vehicle per account to limit abuse and potential lag as well as not allowing criminals to give their friends access to this perk without actually being in the crew. However, the general public may be be allowed access to this area via openings at race meets or car shows where the driver can pay up to a certain amount of money to get access to the room containing the NPC that upgrades the vehicle, but would be restricted to the ‘Public’ illegal modifications that can still have the vehicle seized, but nothing that can cause too much of an imbalance. This would just add a bit more excitement and risk to this niche section of crime and give racers something tangible to work towards.
Fight Club: Bootcamp
Number one rule of Fight Club: Don’t talk about Fight Club
Even with that rule set in place this criminal business is a name that rings familiar to plenty of people on the server, criminal or otherwise. This underground area becomes a place where civilians and criminals mingle amongst each other and watch two people beat each other black and blue. And with such recognition why not expand on this place of community to one where people can learn from some of the best?
The idea is simple: A Fight Club training camp where players can learn how to properly combat roleplay via rolling or P2L. This allows players a friendly, inviting environment to learn the rules, tactics, and skills they probably wouldn’t get otherwise unless in some sort of gang. And even in gangs there are times where the rules on certain things are bent and twisted into their favor. Here, there is none of that. This could also allow people a way into Fight Club as fighters via in character means, which would overall promote roleplay.
New Crime Business: Informants and Information Bidding
One thing that is very underutilized in the world of crime is information, which when used correctly can become a formidable force in the criminal world. A perfect example of an organization that tapped into this niche is, the now disbanded Unverified Gang, Man’en. A gang I had the pleasure of taking part in for a short while and the idea that ‘information is power’ can’t be understated with it came to Man’en. Information can be used for all sorts of advantages within the world of CrimeRP to make deals, plan around missions, and be used as blackmail. Everything that the Black Market should have their hands on. Which brings me to the Black Market’s newest business: INFORMANTS!
At the moment, associates' typically gather information for the dealers, but I imagine this information centric business working similar to Bounty Hunters and Crime Clinic- taking what these associates do to the next level and putting information into the hands of the public. For a price. The Informants will have a channel on Ikigai where a person can request for one of the services provided which opens up a private channel for them (similarly to how a new, private channel will open up after you purchase a custom item) where they can state their needs and be assigned an informant. There, discussions of payment and information can be shared between the buyer and investigator.
These informants will also have lots of contact with other parts of the Black Market, such as with Bounty Hunters. The hunters are allowed free information for business related reasons, such as for a contracted hit. The two will be expected to work together and communicate in order to get their job done, and split the spoils of their contract. Informants will also serve as the Black Market’s personal pawns. Any information they gather is monitored and stored by the Black Market, including information on the people buying from them. Informants can also be freely used by the Black Market to keep track of those that choose to steal from them.
However, like Man’en, there's only so much a person can do with just information, especially in roleplay. To this, I introduce: INFORMATION BIDDING.
These can take place in Nexus, similar to the way that Dark Auctions where hosted where participants are presented with the names of notable figures in the city with the promises of information being given to the highest bidder, the only caveat being that it is unknown what the information IS until it has been purchased. Imagine this: It's announced that information on the infamous Rokku Heddo is being auctioned off, this information can range anywhere from the names of his loved ones, his home address, or even his darkest secrets. There would only be one way to find out and it was to bid away your life savings hoping to find out. Somehow, you manage to get your filthy hands on that information; a paper that reads:
Rokku Heddo is in the Heddo family.
That’s a very extreme example, but you understand. Not all of them will be like that, some will possess actual useful information and others will be public knowledge which really emphasizes the gambling aspect of this. I’m aware that Nexus and the Black Market have generally no connection, but this could become something that bridges this gap.
The VAULT: Weapon Storage and Renting
Plenty of criminals know the struggles of having your weapons taken after a raid by the pesky Police Department, but thankfully the Black Market has heeded your cries and established the VAULT. This is a rentable space hidden in the sewers that allows criminals to store away their weapons in a place they don’t live in and keep it safe from the grubby hands of officers. However, make sure to keep up with rent as any space that has not been paid for in its allotted time will become the property of the Black Market.
With this new surplus of weaponry the Black Market can rent out the more beaten and blood coated weapons for a cheaper price to the less wealthy criminals for a short amount of time. These used weapons could lead to these poorer criminals being the newest suspect of a crime they never committed, forcing them into a tough spot with KPD. Either taking a potential murder charge or ratting out the notorious Black Market, both sure to leave a lasting effect on the criminal’s life. In regards to payment, renting is unlike the weapon storage, where lack of payment will result in the loss of your weapons, lack of payment or return of these rented weapons may result in the loss of their life. It’s no secret that these Dealers aren’t the biggest fans regarding theft of their property.
EVENT: Tokyo Takeover!
Events are an amazing aspect of the server, especially those that are faction specific where members of the faction all have a chance to work together towards a common goal. Most faction events that I’ve had the most fun in are in EMS where we often work alongside KPD, but for a faction like BMD where most dealers tend to work solo, they don’t tend to have these moments of unity. I think a moment where the dealers can stop their constant bickering for a single moment and work against a common enemy and enforce their status quo would be something I’d love to see. Which brings me to my event idea.
The average Karakura Black Market Dealer doesn’t truly have any natural enemies aside from an officer or a lowly criminal audacious enough to steal from them. That is until every dealer was invited to a dinner meeting hosted by Tokyo’s Black Market Dealers to discuss a potential ‘expansion’.
The dinner itself would be nice, being catered by a local Karakura restaurant that desired to remain anonymous for obvious reasons. There would be a short moment for the criminals to chat and socialize among their peers before getting to the real business at hand. There's no doubt they would be antsy, a thick haze of tension lingering amongst the chatter and small talk. Surely an attack is underway?
The mainland dealers offer to “take Karakura off their hands.” their word’s flowery and indirect, any attempt possible made to sway the dealers to their cause, but as their rambles continued it was clear to see the intent that lingered beneath the surface: Tokyo’s BMD wish to expand their own turf to the strange little island for their own overseas transport, a position that would either but our beloved dealers out of a job or demoted into lowly middleman work.
Of course, such a bold and ballsy ‘suggestion’ would only cause an argument, a big one. The mainland dealers wouldn't take this lightly, claiming this to be a simple formality and if they truly wanted to take the pitiful city it would be theirs in an instant. And with that claim, the dealer would arm himself with a Katana and whatever happens next is up to our dealers themselves. I expect a fight to break out, one that would end with the Police Department’s sirens ringing above them and the criminals scattering for safety.
Following this event would be scattered flash events where the Tokyo dealers make an appearance in Karakura to stir up trouble in the strange little city with the goal of making it their own. Of course these event dealers aren’t 100% evil and I do believe that at some point some sort of compromise will come to play, but I believe that’s up to the players themselves to decide, as with a faction like this their choices and decisions matter. And to have anything set in stone from the beginning would do their creativity a disservice.
A mixture of staff, event, lore team will have a dealer assigned to themself being allowed to play them infrequently for events and when allowed to as to remind the dealers of these enemies across the sea and spark up some roleplay between the two groups.
Are you familiar with all rules pertaining to weapon profiles, combat, permissions, and player conduct on the server?:
Yes, my time on the server engaging in crime roleplay as a criminal roleplayer has given me great understanding and knowledge on the topics. My time as a member of staff has also assisted in this prospect with others coming to me in regards to questions of this nature.
Are you familiar with that if you leave the black market at any point, the black market lead will have permanent kill permissions on your character?:
Yes, I understand and accept this fate.
Are you familiar with that if your character(s) is/are killed or permanently arrested twice, you will be removed from the black market?:
Yes, I understand and accept this as a consequence of carelessness.
Are you familiar with that you cannot reveal any out-of-character plans or potential addition to the black market to others?:
Yes, I am very familiar with this rule due to my time as a BMDA.
The silent footfalls of the masked man went unnoticed, rather the heavy, muffled breathing emitted from the filters of a plain gas mask drowned out all other noise. With a simple, steady movement a plain manila folder graced the desk of TARASQUE before the masked man lowered himself to the seat. The pages are messy, stained with coffee and blood, WRAITH’s blood. A rasped whisper muffled from the gasmask’s vents, the simple word a pained struggle to say.
‘Evening.’
Full Legal Name | ████████ ███████ Saint Salvador The previous name is scribbled out. |
Criminal Alias | |
Age & Occupation | 45 Freelance Photographer Black Market Associate Fight Club Fighter Fight Club Security Ikigai Security MOTHER’S CHOSEN. Handwritten words, more sporadic than the last |
Gender & Marital Status | Male, Married |
Ethnicity & Race | Mexican-American Latino |
Known Languages | Spanish (Native), Japanese, JSL, and Russian |
Former Associations/Occupations | Student Resident of University Health System Teaching Assistant of UT Health Valhalla Asmodeusz |
Highest Level of Education | Bachelor's Degree in Biology |
Known Family Members | Mother - ████████ ███████, Dead MOTHER LIVES ON Father - Hugo Salvador, Alive Brother - Angel ███████, Unknown Ex-Fiancé - Cornelius King, Alive Wife - Kozue Tsukizaki, Alive [SP4RK5] Son - Ryōki Itō-Salvador, Alive [windswake] |
PHYSICAL AILMENTS
Clipped to the page were several medical documents. WRAITH visibly tensed as mysteries, half truths, and answers unraveled under dim lights. At first glance it was clear to see how frail the man seemed, his old age and ragged breathing not doing him any better in this regard. Any assumptions only proven true at the turn of a page to a prescription and clipped to a doctor’s note signed: Dr. Tempest. The living skeleton expelled a splutter of coughs, as if his lungs threatened to collapse in his own body, into his inner elbow before croaking out an answer himself, the words almost a murmur.
‘I have chronic bronchitis.’
[This is a genuine doctor’s note from Saint’s checkup which was given in character. This information found here can only be taken in character by TARASQUE.]
MENTAL AILMENTS
It was a mystery as to what was truly rattling around in the corpse’s head, mysteries that were finally solved by the pages crumpled and messy, the edges ripped beyond repair pressed in the hands of TARASQUE. More medical documents, more of WRAITH’s blood splattered across the surface. Stained on the page’s surface, past the blood, one name was clear to see beyond the rest: Naomi Inoue-Ziháo, a man who had the unfortunate curse of knowing WRAITH better than the man knew himself. Salvador cleared his throat, not like it did anything to aid the rasp in his voice.
‘Wasn’t easy to get my hands on this.’
[These are genuine notes from Saint’s therapy session which were stolen in character. This information found here can only be taken in character by TARASQUE.]
Describe your character's appearance to the greatest detail:
A slender, bandage wrapped hand pulled the gas mask clinging to the living corpse’s face to reveal the true identity beneath the mask to TARASQUE.
Salvador possessed a face one couldn’t help but stare at, much to his own distaste, a tad feminine but wrinkled at the brow; evidence of the anger that’s simmering just beneath his tanned skin. Deep, wavy brown hair cascaded down his back and past his shoulders, a few strands falling down and dusting past his sleepless, sunken eyes. Under dim lights brown eyes darkened to black, burying a void into his skull. A scar sliced right through a squinted eye, starting at his cheek bone and cutting up to his eyebrow.
The rest of WRAITH’s skin, at least the skin that TARASQUE could see from his spot across the desk, was adorned in scars and ink. The ink branded the corpse, tagging his body like cattle ready for the slaughter. Lily of the valley surrounded by a bed of thorns stretched across his forearm: an omen perhaps? The sleeve of the corpse’s shirt dipped back down to hide the ink with no muscle hanging on his thin, delicate bones to cling to. Salvador, despite his aggressive and abrasive nature, possessed a weak and frail body. His clothes dipped and sagged from his body, only causing him to look smaller than he already did. Saint’s poor, slouched posture didn’t help. From here, sat hunched over, one wouldn’t even be able to tell his true height of 5’ 9.
Finally, Salvador spoke: ‘Avert your gaze.’ Even with his words a wheezing whisper on his tongue the sound boomed in the emptiness of the room, the command echoing off the walls and into the lead dealer's head.
WRAITH didn’t enjoy becoming the subject of staring.
Art by zacktimekiller. Thank you, Zack!
Describe your character's personality to the greatest detail:
MASK OFF.
‘It’s kill or be killed and I refuse to be like a lamb off to slaughter.’
A majority of Salvador’s life was spent on the streets, fighting is all he could do to survive whether that be to save his own life from the hands of another or to get his own sinful hands on the things he desired. Fear was all he ever knew. When a man, if you could even classify Salvador as such, has lived almost his entire life clawing his way from the depths of an incomplete grave it's hard to determine what isn’t going to turn into a fight. And Salvador would rather not sit around to fight out. His paranoia doesn’t alleviate this in the slightest, his mind twisting innocent comments into threats sending him into a spiral of fist and misguided anger.
This is the true Saint Salvador, the one who’s allowed his figurative mask to fall as he equips a literal one.
MASK ON
‘Pick a role and play it well. Your wants are just a few sweet words away.’
Karakura was not kind to Salvador, it’s hardly kind to any of its inhabitants, but the whiplash of change from his home on the streets of San Antonio, Texas to the strange crime riddled city on a little island off the coast of Japan had his head spinning. Home fear ruled over the people, threats and fear held him afloat, allowing him to survive. In Karakura, a threat will only lead a fist to your face- something Saint learned the hard way. Instead of cowering, instead of wilting to the wills of his own consequences he evolved. His sour glower and wicked whispers twisted, transformed, into sweet nonsense, unfilled promises, and flirtatious remarks.
This is a faux Saint Salvador, where the literal mask is replaced by a figurative one, filtering his truest thoughts and feelings in favor of that of what his victims wish to hear.
[None of this is to be taken in character. It's simply here for flavor.]
Describe your character's backstory to the greatest detail:
Chapter ONE
The curse of life was forced upon Benjamín Cordero-Salvador, the eldest son of Isabella Cordero and Hugo Salvador on November 1st, 1979, in a little religious commune in Loving County, Texas. Loving County was a small, rural area with only a few small tight knit communities scattered throughout the vast expanse. One of those communities being the aforementioned commune the Cordero-Salvador family called home. The commune was just a small neighborhood of people, no more than 23 people all living in the area for miles, but even then they made it work.
Benjamín’s early life has hardly left without love, or at least what he learned to be love, a small community of people all taking up the responsibility of caring for him till he was old enough to do the same with the new life brought into the world after him. It wasn’t uncommon for the small population of people to collectively take care of those who wouldn’t take care of themselves, often by the youth, widowed, or elderly.
Most notably the kind retired middle school teacher who lived right across the street from the Cordero-Salvador family that took up the burden of homeschooling the young, despite the presence of a real school not too far. His education became less and less fulfilling as he grew older, the retiree’s attention pulled to the life that came after him. Still, even if he never officially ‘graduated’ he was able to learn the fundamentals along with learning both English and Spanish, the two main languages of the community, by the time he was in his teen years.
Without the burden of real school the boy spent most of his days with a polaroid camera clutched in his hands as if a gust of wind alone would have the device flying away. The subject of the photos were mostly, of course, of his mother. Isabella Cordero was often at the center of Benjamín’s life, in fact the entire commune revolved around her as if the Earth spun on its axis on the very spot she stood. She was somewhat of the pseudo lead of the community, proclaiming herself as a god made of stardust sent from the above to save them. Cordero’s claims didn’t always generate such praise, rather the opposite. The mother was condemned for her declaration by a particularly outspoken neighbor, Emerson King. An elderly man who soon perished from a heart failure soon after his rejection of Isabella’s ascent to godhood.
Emerson has always had issues regarding his heart, nothing his medication couldn’t fix, still his death was all too sudden and unexpected. The local police didn’t even so much as consider an investigation, they never did with deaths taking place in such a small town, and Emerson’s old age wasn’t much help in convincing them no matter how much his family insisted that his medication seemed off, that it was tampered with. Grief made people hysterical, so there was no reason to waste time and resources on what was clearly just some old man who finally croaked, right?
It only took one death for the people to change, her claims that “It's the will of the stars. Only believers are granted the gift of eternal life” instilled enough fear in her people to have them worship the woman like the god she claimed to be. Her promises to protect the people, give them all they've ever desired, allow them to live forever as long as they believe made it easier for them to believe as they so desperately wished for this all to be true. In such a small town with such a big world they needed this to be true, to feel less alone in the vast expanse of the universe. How could they be alone with such a gracious god as Isabella watching over them?
Like a shepherd, Isabella led her people to what they all believed to be the right path, the path to an eternal life.
Benjamín didn’t share his mother’s charisma, at least not this early on in life. Conversations with others often revolved around his mother and her grace, treating him as an extension of her. A son born from stardust has to be star-kissed as well, right? How could he not be? What an embarrassment for the son of a self proclaimed god to be a nonbeliever himself. This disconnect only had the male stray further from the metaphorical herd of his community, keeping to himself and exploring the outskirts of the commune- much to his mother’s dismay. There, away from the people, away from his mother, he was allowed to enjoy the silence of the scenery and take photos of what he knew to be real and see it was fact as it was printed in ink.
The control his mother commanded over the community extended to his home life. Isabella was overbearing and protective of her son, vetoing any decision he made in favor of what she believed was right for him at the time. On the other hand; his father, Hugo Salvador, was a contract worker who often had to leave town for work, leaving Benjamín with not much protection from the authority of his own mother. Not like his father would care much, he too bent to the will of Isabella. It was hard not to. Benjamín truly was alone as his own protector against his mother’s authority.
This almost oppressive control that his mother had on Benjamín’s life only worsened as he got older. At the age of 20 Benjamín was practically forced into an arranged marriage against his will with his neighbor, Cornelius King, the grandson of Emerson King the first victim of the star's will. The way his mother spoke of the marriage was the same way one would speak of two fictional characters or puppets to bend to the will of the tale she wished to tell. Cornelius’ marriage to himself would spark the age of worship, the next generation understanding the star’s will with Benjamín himself ascending to his own level of godhood once Isabella took her leave back to the stars. Benjamín rejected his future, his marriage to a man he hardly knew, his supposed ascent to godhood, and his mother’s claims of grandeur.
Isabella was kind at first, at least kind in her eyes, at the refusal to what she saw as her son’s fate. She simply continued the wedding plans as normal for the next year, ignoring Benjamín’s protests. She knew what was best for him. The wedding was to be something small, fitting for an equally small town, yet grand for the son of a god. The only thing it was missing was Benjamín himself who left his husband to be standing at the altar. Benjamín took his chance to escape this life with the rest of the town being too preoccupied with the celebration and his mother to even notice the groom was yet to make an appearance.
All except for Isabella.
This newspaper can be taken in character with valid IC motives approved by me. This newspaper is written in Spanish but can be translated into Japanese.
Benjamín’s early life has hardly left without love, or at least what he learned to be love, a small community of people all taking up the responsibility of caring for him till he was old enough to do the same with the new life brought into the world after him. It wasn’t uncommon for the small population of people to collectively take care of those who wouldn’t take care of themselves, often by the youth, widowed, or elderly.
Most notably the kind retired middle school teacher who lived right across the street from the Cordero-Salvador family that took up the burden of homeschooling the young, despite the presence of a real school not too far. His education became less and less fulfilling as he grew older, the retiree’s attention pulled to the life that came after him. Still, even if he never officially ‘graduated’ he was able to learn the fundamentals along with learning both English and Spanish, the two main languages of the community, by the time he was in his teen years.
Without the burden of real school the boy spent most of his days with a polaroid camera clutched in his hands as if a gust of wind alone would have the device flying away. The subject of the photos were mostly, of course, of his mother. Isabella Cordero was often at the center of Benjamín’s life, in fact the entire commune revolved around her as if the Earth spun on its axis on the very spot she stood. She was somewhat of the pseudo lead of the community, proclaiming herself as a god made of stardust sent from the above to save them. Cordero’s claims didn’t always generate such praise, rather the opposite. The mother was condemned for her declaration by a particularly outspoken neighbor, Emerson King. An elderly man who soon perished from a heart failure soon after his rejection of Isabella’s ascent to godhood.
Emerson has always had issues regarding his heart, nothing his medication couldn’t fix, still his death was all too sudden and unexpected. The local police didn’t even so much as consider an investigation, they never did with deaths taking place in such a small town, and Emerson’s old age wasn’t much help in convincing them no matter how much his family insisted that his medication seemed off, that it was tampered with. Grief made people hysterical, so there was no reason to waste time and resources on what was clearly just some old man who finally croaked, right?
It only took one death for the people to change, her claims that “It's the will of the stars. Only believers are granted the gift of eternal life” instilled enough fear in her people to have them worship the woman like the god she claimed to be. Her promises to protect the people, give them all they've ever desired, allow them to live forever as long as they believe made it easier for them to believe as they so desperately wished for this all to be true. In such a small town with such a big world they needed this to be true, to feel less alone in the vast expanse of the universe. How could they be alone with such a gracious god as Isabella watching over them?
Like a shepherd, Isabella led her people to what they all believed to be the right path, the path to an eternal life.
Benjamín didn’t share his mother’s charisma, at least not this early on in life. Conversations with others often revolved around his mother and her grace, treating him as an extension of her. A son born from stardust has to be star-kissed as well, right? How could he not be? What an embarrassment for the son of a self proclaimed god to be a nonbeliever himself. This disconnect only had the male stray further from the metaphorical herd of his community, keeping to himself and exploring the outskirts of the commune- much to his mother’s dismay. There, away from the people, away from his mother, he was allowed to enjoy the silence of the scenery and take photos of what he knew to be real and see it was fact as it was printed in ink.
The control his mother commanded over the community extended to his home life. Isabella was overbearing and protective of her son, vetoing any decision he made in favor of what she believed was right for him at the time. On the other hand; his father, Hugo Salvador, was a contract worker who often had to leave town for work, leaving Benjamín with not much protection from the authority of his own mother. Not like his father would care much, he too bent to the will of Isabella. It was hard not to. Benjamín truly was alone as his own protector against his mother’s authority.
This almost oppressive control that his mother had on Benjamín’s life only worsened as he got older. At the age of 20 Benjamín was practically forced into an arranged marriage against his will with his neighbor, Cornelius King, the grandson of Emerson King the first victim of the star's will. The way his mother spoke of the marriage was the same way one would speak of two fictional characters or puppets to bend to the will of the tale she wished to tell. Cornelius’ marriage to himself would spark the age of worship, the next generation understanding the star’s will with Benjamín himself ascending to his own level of godhood once Isabella took her leave back to the stars. Benjamín rejected his future, his marriage to a man he hardly knew, his supposed ascent to godhood, and his mother’s claims of grandeur.
Isabella was kind at first, at least kind in her eyes, at the refusal to what she saw as her son’s fate. She simply continued the wedding plans as normal for the next year, ignoring Benjamín’s protests. She knew what was best for him. The wedding was to be something small, fitting for an equally small town, yet grand for the son of a god. The only thing it was missing was Benjamín himself who left his husband to be standing at the altar. Benjamín took his chance to escape this life with the rest of the town being too preoccupied with the celebration and his mother to even notice the groom was yet to make an appearance.
All except for Isabella.
This newspaper can be taken in character with valid IC motives approved by me. This newspaper is written in Spanish but can be translated into Japanese.
Chapter TWO
Benjamín’s escape from the hospital was not without its consequences, such as legally being documented as dead once the search for him ended after a man somewhat matching his description became the victim of a car crash. Attending his own funeral was surreal, the way people could only speak of him in reference to his mother, how even in his own ‘death’ he was only ever her son to them and how this pseudo end to his life was the only true way of escaping the identity cultivated from years of restraint under his mother’s thumb. Still, death may be a better fate with the state he’s in now; bruised, beaten, and bleeding. He would have a hard time escaping anything.
Somehow Benjamín survived the struggles of living on the streets even with the injuries he sustained, couch surfing in strange homes and exchanging manual labor for hitchhiking to make his way from state to state, traversing along the northern border of Texas for a few years till he landed in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Years being on the streets allowed Benjamín to form connections with the lawless, granting him access to a way of changing his identity and stripping him of who he used to be. He wasn’t quite sure how it worked, just that now he’s stolen the identity of his uncle ‘Saint Salvador’ and in return he would dedicate his life to this nameless criminal organization.
Saint didn’t mind this life, starting off as a lowly store runner for the men on the streets getting the things they needed and acting as a distraction for those higher than him to get the job done as quickly as possible. What he did mind was the way others hushed their voices to a whisper when he was near, as if they were planning something, planning to hurt him just as his mother has. He tried his best to ignore the lingering stares and instead focus on the benefits. As he rose in the ranks, he was granted a bed to call his own with the downside of more danger making it harder for him to make it back home in one piece. A majority of their crimes consisted of thief, breaking and entering, and vandalism. Just things to keep themselves safe on the streets and keep money in their pockets. Saint gained the name ‘SHEPHERD’ on the streets from the way he herded his men in and out of jobs with ease and precision, his anxiety always on high alert and keeping a look out for witnesses and officers alike.
Even with the man so focused on just staying alive on the streets, he couldn’t help but seethe at the way his fellow criminals looked at him, each word spoken slid off their tongue like vipers piercing into his skin, threats ready to make themselves a reality. It came to a point that even the slightest sudden movement sent the man into a frenzy, a barrage of questions that bordering on interrogating sent the way of his gang members. It was clear to see that Salvador had become more of a liability than anything else. Alas, setting a man free from the jaws of a criminal association was never quite simple.
The only man that doesn’t snitch is a man 6 feet underground.
It's almost ironic how in some ways, Saint was correct in his assumption that this gang had ill wishes upon him, only that his own paranoia is what caused it. By some divine intervention or just pure luck the man was able to survive the attempt on his life, the crew running off from the scene of the crime at the sight of witnesses and leaving nature to finish off their former member. The witnesses chased after the perpetrators whilst Saint dragged his body through damp alleyways till darkened the doors of the first cab he spotted. Thankfully, all the money on his person was enough to have the driver send him back to Loving County, Texas without question.
Salvador practically tossed his broken form from the cab, dragging his would-be corpse to the graveyard in search of his mother. It was no surprise to Saint that his mother perished in prison, she always foresaw her death to be soon. It surprised him less and the memorabilia the cemetery adorned in her honor, her headstone stationed in the center of the burial ground the biggest of them all, dwarfing his own which was placed beside hers. He could only sigh, too tired to fight against his fluttering eyes and weak bones. Instead, he allowed his body to collapse at the foot of the headstone as he spoke with his mother in what he believed to be his final moments alive.
Part of him wanted to believe that all she’s said is true, that he is stars-kissed, granted the gift of unending life.
“Please.. I don’t want to die.”
Somehow Benjamín survived the struggles of living on the streets even with the injuries he sustained, couch surfing in strange homes and exchanging manual labor for hitchhiking to make his way from state to state, traversing along the northern border of Texas for a few years till he landed in Carlsbad, New Mexico. Years being on the streets allowed Benjamín to form connections with the lawless, granting him access to a way of changing his identity and stripping him of who he used to be. He wasn’t quite sure how it worked, just that now he’s stolen the identity of his uncle ‘Saint Salvador’ and in return he would dedicate his life to this nameless criminal organization.
Saint didn’t mind this life, starting off as a lowly store runner for the men on the streets getting the things they needed and acting as a distraction for those higher than him to get the job done as quickly as possible. What he did mind was the way others hushed their voices to a whisper when he was near, as if they were planning something, planning to hurt him just as his mother has. He tried his best to ignore the lingering stares and instead focus on the benefits. As he rose in the ranks, he was granted a bed to call his own with the downside of more danger making it harder for him to make it back home in one piece. A majority of their crimes consisted of thief, breaking and entering, and vandalism. Just things to keep themselves safe on the streets and keep money in their pockets. Saint gained the name ‘SHEPHERD’ on the streets from the way he herded his men in and out of jobs with ease and precision, his anxiety always on high alert and keeping a look out for witnesses and officers alike.
Even with the man so focused on just staying alive on the streets, he couldn’t help but seethe at the way his fellow criminals looked at him, each word spoken slid off their tongue like vipers piercing into his skin, threats ready to make themselves a reality. It came to a point that even the slightest sudden movement sent the man into a frenzy, a barrage of questions that bordering on interrogating sent the way of his gang members. It was clear to see that Salvador had become more of a liability than anything else. Alas, setting a man free from the jaws of a criminal association was never quite simple.
The only man that doesn’t snitch is a man 6 feet underground.
It's almost ironic how in some ways, Saint was correct in his assumption that this gang had ill wishes upon him, only that his own paranoia is what caused it. By some divine intervention or just pure luck the man was able to survive the attempt on his life, the crew running off from the scene of the crime at the sight of witnesses and leaving nature to finish off their former member. The witnesses chased after the perpetrators whilst Saint dragged his body through damp alleyways till darkened the doors of the first cab he spotted. Thankfully, all the money on his person was enough to have the driver send him back to Loving County, Texas without question.
Salvador practically tossed his broken form from the cab, dragging his would-be corpse to the graveyard in search of his mother. It was no surprise to Saint that his mother perished in prison, she always foresaw her death to be soon. It surprised him less and the memorabilia the cemetery adorned in her honor, her headstone stationed in the center of the burial ground the biggest of them all, dwarfing his own which was placed beside hers. He could only sigh, too tired to fight against his fluttering eyes and weak bones. Instead, he allowed his body to collapse at the foot of the headstone as he spoke with his mother in what he believed to be his final moments alive.
Part of him wanted to believe that all she’s said is true, that he is stars-kissed, granted the gift of unending life.
“Please.. I don’t want to die.”
Chapter THREE
Benjamín Cordero-Salvador, the eldest son of Isabella Cordero and Hugo Salvador was granted the gift of death on January 13th, 2017, in a little religious commune in Loving County, Texas. The hollow husk of his remains allowed for Saint Salvador to be born in his place.
That night a certain Cornelius King took notice of the strange figure lurking through the cemetery and against his better judgment, he took a look to be greeted with his ex-fiancé: The man formerly known as Benjamín. Unlike everyone else in Salvador’s life, Cornelius was no monster and carefully hauled the injured man back home to carefully tend to his injuries. His home becomes somewhat of a place of rest for the living corpse.
Key word: somewhat.
Once he came to, Salvador cautiously lurked through the home preparing for a worst-case scenario that never happened. Cornelius never had to explain himself, not in a way of words at least. He never lingered for too long, made no sudden moves, and was naturally far too loud to ever attempt at a whisper. He just knew and it was both a comfort and nauseating. Salvador didn’t wish to stay in Loving County for long, only long enough for him to regain his strength and contemplate how a dead man can continue at a second chance at life. At the time his thoughts often brought him back to visit his mother’s grave; silent prayers given in her name, begging for her good graces and his own safety.
This was one of the few topics Cornelius and Salvador discussed. It always ended the same, Cornelius offering his ex-fiancé a rent free apartment in San Antonio, to truly make use of the second chance his mother graced him with. The offer was always met with a firm rejection, that the man was fine, and he would be out of King’s life forever soon, but soon only came after Cornelius’ final offer: to get therapy alongside the rent free apartment, just enough till he was settled. It was a hard offer to deny.
After moving to the city, Salvador pursued therapy, despite his and Cornelius’ frequent disagreements regarding the subject. Finding the proper one to tend to him was troubling, going through about four different psychiatrists in the span of only a month till one just clicked. Dr. Susan Smith was a firm yet understanding woman. She never pretended to be his friend; a thing Saint found unsettling about the last four he’s dismissed. She pushed for answers when needed, noting when he deflected or lied yet never did anything about it. She allowed him to truly reflect on the person he was rather than telling him who or what he was.
That was for Saint to decide for himself.
As much as he hated to admit it, therapy was helping. Not only with his mental state, but it granted him access to the resources that allowed Saint to take his GED and make up for his lack of education before being admitted into a local community college with the goal of becoming a doctor. Getting his bachelor's degree was no easy feat, especially when getting it under the name of someone else, but by his mother’s grace he’s able to just barely able to waddle his way into a residency program for University Health System all the while sustaining his job as a TA between studies. He’s caused enough harm in the world, and if he was truly a child of the stars then this should be the path he takes… Right? He still prays to his mother from time to time, part of him is scared to stop, as if the day he doesn’t show his thanks for this second chance the life will be stripped from his bones. He doesn’t bring this up to his psychiatrist.
As his sessions continued, Dr. Smith prescribed him medication with a name his accent wouldn’t allow him to pronounce as they neared the end of one of their final sessions. Susan hurriedly clacked out the door with the instructions that the pharmacist would alert him to any notable side effects. The pharmacist did no such thing. Instead the man simply handed over the bottle reading: Fluphenazine.
Milestone after milestone, feat after feat, Saint continued to make strides in improving himself, writing his wrongs and growing into a better Saint Salvador. Even if he was cautious of the medication he somewhat trusted Susan and her judgment, so he did as he needed to and took it as prescribed.
After a few weeks of the antipsychotics, things only went from good to bad, while some symptoms made a slow improvement to things such as his hostility or increasing his mood at times and the unmentioned side effects took hold of him. His body slowly weakened as the days went on, the almost constant nightmares and loss of appetite not helping him regain his strength in the slightest. The symptoms only continued till the man tossed them out, alongside his trust Susan- or any medical professional for that matter.
Anger fueled his veins and clouded his judgment of any sense he had left. His lungs swelled with the flames, cooking hot coals of anxiety in his lungs as he twisted a tourniquet around his first patient’s arm far too tight than he was taught. What was he taught– was anything he taught helpful? If a doctor could hurt him in such a way why is he not in the right to retaliate? The IV cannula pierced the patient’s skin, air bubbles gone unnoticed a
A flatline has never been more deafening.
That night a certain Cornelius King took notice of the strange figure lurking through the cemetery and against his better judgment, he took a look to be greeted with his ex-fiancé: The man formerly known as Benjamín. Unlike everyone else in Salvador’s life, Cornelius was no monster and carefully hauled the injured man back home to carefully tend to his injuries. His home becomes somewhat of a place of rest for the living corpse.
Key word: somewhat.
Once he came to, Salvador cautiously lurked through the home preparing for a worst-case scenario that never happened. Cornelius never had to explain himself, not in a way of words at least. He never lingered for too long, made no sudden moves, and was naturally far too loud to ever attempt at a whisper. He just knew and it was both a comfort and nauseating. Salvador didn’t wish to stay in Loving County for long, only long enough for him to regain his strength and contemplate how a dead man can continue at a second chance at life. At the time his thoughts often brought him back to visit his mother’s grave; silent prayers given in her name, begging for her good graces and his own safety.
This was one of the few topics Cornelius and Salvador discussed. It always ended the same, Cornelius offering his ex-fiancé a rent free apartment in San Antonio, to truly make use of the second chance his mother graced him with. The offer was always met with a firm rejection, that the man was fine, and he would be out of King’s life forever soon, but soon only came after Cornelius’ final offer: to get therapy alongside the rent free apartment, just enough till he was settled. It was a hard offer to deny.
After moving to the city, Salvador pursued therapy, despite his and Cornelius’ frequent disagreements regarding the subject. Finding the proper one to tend to him was troubling, going through about four different psychiatrists in the span of only a month till one just clicked. Dr. Susan Smith was a firm yet understanding woman. She never pretended to be his friend; a thing Saint found unsettling about the last four he’s dismissed. She pushed for answers when needed, noting when he deflected or lied yet never did anything about it. She allowed him to truly reflect on the person he was rather than telling him who or what he was.
That was for Saint to decide for himself.
As much as he hated to admit it, therapy was helping. Not only with his mental state, but it granted him access to the resources that allowed Saint to take his GED and make up for his lack of education before being admitted into a local community college with the goal of becoming a doctor. Getting his bachelor's degree was no easy feat, especially when getting it under the name of someone else, but by his mother’s grace he’s able to just barely able to waddle his way into a residency program for University Health System all the while sustaining his job as a TA between studies. He’s caused enough harm in the world, and if he was truly a child of the stars then this should be the path he takes… Right? He still prays to his mother from time to time, part of him is scared to stop, as if the day he doesn’t show his thanks for this second chance the life will be stripped from his bones. He doesn’t bring this up to his psychiatrist.
As his sessions continued, Dr. Smith prescribed him medication with a name his accent wouldn’t allow him to pronounce as they neared the end of one of their final sessions. Susan hurriedly clacked out the door with the instructions that the pharmacist would alert him to any notable side effects. The pharmacist did no such thing. Instead the man simply handed over the bottle reading: Fluphenazine.
Milestone after milestone, feat after feat, Saint continued to make strides in improving himself, writing his wrongs and growing into a better Saint Salvador. Even if he was cautious of the medication he somewhat trusted Susan and her judgment, so he did as he needed to and took it as prescribed.
After a few weeks of the antipsychotics, things only went from good to bad, while some symptoms made a slow improvement to things such as his hostility or increasing his mood at times and the unmentioned side effects took hold of him. His body slowly weakened as the days went on, the almost constant nightmares and loss of appetite not helping him regain his strength in the slightest. The symptoms only continued till the man tossed them out, alongside his trust Susan- or any medical professional for that matter.
Anger fueled his veins and clouded his judgment of any sense he had left. His lungs swelled with the flames, cooking hot coals of anxiety in his lungs as he twisted a tourniquet around his first patient’s arm far too tight than he was taught. What was he taught– was anything he taught helpful? If a doctor could hurt him in such a way why is he not in the right to retaliate? The IV cannula pierced the patient’s skin, air bubbles gone unnoticed a
A flatline has never been more deafening.
Describe an interaction that your character may have as a black market dealer:
Metaphorically speaking.
The man’s attention pulled from the dimly lit screen, device still buzzing away in his gloved palm, across the dank corridor where his gaze met a faceless figure, cloaked in darkness, lingering with no eyes to stare; yet their gaze burned into him- scarring his skin and branding the watcher as the observed. WRAITH wasn’t a fan of eye contact, but this was hardly any better. Brittle bones lazily shifted with the help of his ornate cane, the only piece of his past tethering him to who he used to be, he quickly tucked away the phone, taking hold of something concealed in the shadows of his cloak instead. A hushed phrase uttered and echoed into the darkness, harmonizing with the dying buzz in his pocket. “10-45?”
Nonsense spoken into thick air, followed by a lingering pause. Each growing second, the dealer’s grip tightened, ready to strike at the shadow as it stepped closer. A tight, muffled laugh finally broke the tense silence followed with a response clear as day:
“10-45D.”
No tension eased by this response, only a mutual understanding. “NINE-ONE, I don’t appreciate the tardiness.” WRAITH croaked, his hand still dipped into his cloak and still prepared to cut down his own associate with a single flick of his wrist. WRAITH was hardly a fool, despite what popular opinion may suggest. Him and NINE-ONE’s left much to be desired in regards of trust, seeing neither held the other to such a belief, but WRAITH would rather be paired with a man he knew would cut him down than a man whose intentions remain unknown. As they say, friends close and enemies closer.
His shadow-darkened eyes gazed over the man once more, keen to spot even a single hair out of place to indicate the man before him was not his beloathed associate and instead an imposter. All seems the same; loose fitted top adorned in a floral pattern, kept close to NINE-ONE’s person with the assistance of a harness strapped around his figure. The associate was never one for practicality, a steel chain and well decorated katana linked to his belt loops and harness respectively, both jingling to the tune of his clacking steps. Dress shoes with two inch heels. Only he would wear anything remotely similar to that while trailing through the muck of the sewers.
“And I don’t appreciate the starin’, WRAITH.” The associate, NINE-ONE, replied. The mask muffling his voice couldn’t hide the way that sly smirk teased his words. That alone was enough to confirm his identity. “Maybe make use of that camera of yours. A picture’ll last longer.” His hands mimicked the action of holding a polaroid camera, the same Polaroid Now+ that the dealer had hanging off his shoulder. The associate clicked his tongue, parroting the sound of a flash.
“Everytime you speak without being spoken to is another day your son will lay in a hospital bed.” The dealer grunted, leaned against the nearest wall. Vines clawed up along the surface in search of light only granted the fluttering bulbs lining the ceiling. The corridor fell silent, the associate thankfully knowing where they could tread with their remarks. A masked WRAITH hardly made a false promise, he had no reason to hide who he was in this state. Salvador huffed as he fished the phone, again buzzing away melodically, from his pocket. One glance and there it was, the same string of numbers printed across the digital screen. Calling back was hardly uncommon, especially for this caller; an all too excitable young man too impatient to wait his turn.
“K—..tan—a,” whispered the muffled voice on the other end, static fragmenting the words. Just before WRAITH had the chance to enquire more about the order the phone filled with garbled static before abruptly ending. He could only hum, brows pulled taut across his forehead as he was only left with the silence of his own ragged breathing. Salvador knew his callers, especially one that called so often, and this one was not one for simple, one word requests. His mind buzzed with possible answers, as if a swarm of flies made a meal of his mind and ate away at any sense he had left.
Still, the dealer had a job to do and he will do it well. WRAITH swallowed down in his panic to weave a whispered prayer in his native tongue. The action was almost automatic, robotic in its nature, but prayers were answered with his mind falling silent long enough to allow him to type the order into his phone. Saint watched as his draining bank balance was replaced with a GPS, highlighting the location of the weapon. Still, Salvador’s stomach twisted, the buzzing paranoia broiling about in his rotten mind.
That was not the same man who has called him almost every opening, words like ‘famalama’ or ‘big bro’ tagging the end of every sentence or the way the phone somehow always picked up on the curl of his grin. Saint knows his callers, he knows the way they talk, their weapon preferences, he just knew. “Bring something sharp and keep five steps behind me…” WRAITH finally spoke, tucking his phone back into the depths of his pocket. “I don’t trust this..”
NINE-ONE only nodded in response, his hands messing with the little crocheted Director shaped ornament attached to the hilt of his katana as he trailed behind the dealer with halted steps. WRAITH’s idly mulled over all the ways his associate could have twisted the blade between his ribs as the sound of that sinner’s steps echoed his own, his head still infested with any possible answer of who he was delivering this weapon to as they took the journey under the city.
The wail of police sirens overhead sang as a warning to the criminals below; a warning that was hardly given the attention it deserved, perhaps another gathering turned brawl in the abandoned powerplant. It was nothing for the two respectable criminals to worry about in the slightest and yet Saint’s gut twisted with doubt, his mind connecting nonexistent dots and jumping to conclusions like it was a sport. Who knows what those officers are doing? What if his phone was being tracked at this very moment and that's why the sirens song culled, officers ready to drag him back behind a cell to rot away. What if it’s an ambulance called in advance to send this walking corpse to the morgue after this ‘caller’ slices him up with the freshly purchased-
“You gonna open it or just stare at it?” NINE-ONE’s echoing voice cleaved through the swarm of ‘what ifs’ buzzing about in his brain. WRAITH sucked in a breath the best he could with a gasmask strapped to his face. He has a job to do and he will do it well. As the air was forced from his lungs he summoned what little strength he had to pry the crate open and with a clattering echo there it was in a pile of wood and nails. A steel katana. The sinner pressed his gloved hand to the blade of the weapon as hushed prayers fell from his tongue, prayers for both the blade’s wielder and its soon to be victim. whilst the impractically dressed associate played watch out as Saint’s words echoed down the corridor.
His careful words of well wishes come to a premature end, the once melodic hum now a grating buzz as it tore through his words, shrieking down the echoing tunnel. The unholy saint tugged the offender from his pocket, staring down the screen of his phone to be greeted once more by that caller. The rude interruption to his ritual couldn’t go ignored, no matter how much his gut churned and his mind hissed.
Click.
“Heeey dude! Can you meet me at the um…” Faint, distant sirens are heard. Not in his head this time. “The beach sewers?” The voice on the other end spoke clear as day, as if the man stood right before him. No masks to muffle his voice, no static to warp his words. He was, indeed, a young man. “I gotta dip soon- outta town, I mean- but I really need this thing, like, right now and I’m just sittin’ here.” Again, there's a distant wail of sirens; the sound so loud it's almost ringing in his head, ringing everywhere. Breathe.
“No..” Saint hissed, his voice harsh and hushed. “You will meet me in the abandoned Graveyard sewers. Now.” It’s WRAITH’s turn to cut the call short, his fingers squeezed along his phone’s buttons in a struggle to type away a command to the rest of his associates, loyal to his life or not, they would do as he commanded as the aforementioned collateral didn’t end at only his callers.
A simple command, one they couldn’t possibly mess up; Patrol the city and alert me of the locations of any officers. He tucked the phone away as he trailed his way to his new destination, blessed blade in hand. He has a job to do and he will do it well. Breathe. The splash of combat boots against the murky water below gave his mind something else to focus on, grounding him in the present rather than sparking up another way for this all to go wrong.
The pair made short work of the trip to the walking corpse’ second home, the destination not too far from their location and allowing them to take center stage before the show began. The criminals stood back to back in the doorway of the sewer’s entrance, with the associate surveilling down the sewer and the dealer peering down the hall at an unmarked grave. Perhaps the body beneath the surface could gain a friend.
Just as the thought graced the unholy saint’s mind a figure stepped down the stairs. The figure wore a plain black suit and a plain black ballistic, an attire adorned by many of the more well established criminals of this city, but nothing the young man would wear. He has a job to do and will do it well. Breathe. The suited figure pulled out an envelope bursting with yen notes.
“Do you have what I asked for?” The figure inquired, his voice almost booming even with the mask muffling his voice. This isn’t right. None of this is right. “I have your money.”
In response, WRAITH unsheathed the katana to display its blade to the figure. In turn, the figure’s head lolled to the side, hand brushing off the soot clinging to their shoulder. The faintest buzz of static plagued WRAITH’s mind, the man tried to push away that sound stinging his brain. It's in his head. He has a job to do and will do it well. Breathe.
The sound of the katana clicking back into its sheath echoed under the still air as WRAITH forced his feet forwards, his hand extended to take hold of his share of the transaction. The figure clasped Salvador’s hand. Firm.
“Don’t touch me,” was muttered, harsh and rasped.
Only a silent nod in return.
The dealer’s gaze turned from the figure and to the envelope, gloved hands flicking through the notes to ensure the allotted amount was counted for. A faint hiss of static rung in his ears. He tried to shake the sound from his mind, free himself of the anxiety burning a hole in his lungs. He has a job to do and will do it well.
Breathe.
NINE-ONE jabs at his side, ripping him away from his own mind. “You hear that?”
Uniform footsteps shake the world around him. Fuck.
WRAITH was never a man for a fight, at least not one on fair terms. His old age and frail body made any sort of hand to hand combat near impossible and gave birth to the criminal’s favor for weaponry. Granted, he wasn’t a man of much skill regarding the katana as naginatas or kusarigama tended to be his weapon of choice and allowed him as much distance away from the situation as possible, but this would work for now.
In a single swift movement, the dealer slithered his way behind the traitor and forced the blade of the weapon to reflect against the soon to be victim’s neck; one wrong would mean the end of this man’s life. He has a job to do and will do it well. Breathe.
“Evening officers.” WRAITH murmured, his voice all too loud in the silence that hung in the air. Shadow-darken eyes shift around the room in search of anything that may impede on his escape as officers one by one clog the main entrance. NINE-ONE stood firm in the doorway wielding a katana of his own. Good. “I’m afraid I don’t typically do business with your kind, but it seems like special conditions make for special exceptions.”
“What are your demands?” The officer leading the charge only sighed, his muffled voice unable to hide his annoyance. Must be one that’s dealt with the dealer more than a handful of times.
The assembly of law enforcement shuffled, possibly anxious trigger fingers ready to put the dealer down like a dog. More static chatter fluttered through the air, not so secretive discussions between the officers.
“You set me free, and he lives. Easy, really.” WRAITH hums, the sound more of a soft thrum as it reverberated in his rotten chest. The criminal tapped the flat side of the blade to the hostage’s neck, just to bring emphasis to his point. “So, go ahead and take a few steps back.”
A few officers in the rear complied, possibly cadets just tagging along, but the foremost half of the officers stood firm with their eyes trained on the dealer as WRAITH slowly shuffled backwards from the collective till, he neared the associate.
“May your grave be beautiful.” The ghoul hissed into the suit fitted figure’s ear right before the blessed blade plunged straight into the hostage’s chest, steel toed boots shoved the blade’s newest victim towards the rapidly approaching officers as WRAITH turned on his heel to dive into the darkness with the associate at his side.
Echoes of yells, tasers and tranquilizer darts bounce against the walls of the sewers as WRAITH makes his hasty escape. After all, he never was one for fights not in his favor.
Describe any other additional information that is notable in considering your character for the role of a black market dealer:
No one was harmed in the making of this application contrary to what my weapon examples may display.
(Edit: Naomi Inoue-Ziháo was harmed in the making of this application.)
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