I'm not much of a fourm-er. Most times just a watching ghost. However, the one thing that gets me out of my shell is a good story. Anyone who has ever gamed with me can tell you I'm not a power-gamer. In fact, a fellow gamer and I have a bit of an ongoing competition as to who can make the most dysfunctional character that's realistic yet still playable, because in reality often times we have more negatives that we get points back for.
This is my first delve into Shadowrun, really. I've played it before but in my naievity (and bad reading skills) I was under that hard impression that Shadowrun was more like Paranoia. Where in everyone is just trying to get one over on everyone else.
Anyhow, so my GM (which most times I'm the GM) told me to come up with a concept I could enjoy. As I like the Shadowrun ~system~ and am trying to find a new system to run my games in, yet don't know much about it. I was running Dark Heresy as a generic system, but there are many things it just can't do. Breaking away at the Shadowrun system I've found that it's a great all around system.
Anyhow, babbling.
Drama and stories are my cup of tea. Many have told me that for posting my first character's story that I'll be "flamed" because it is odd and people will just think I'm a power gamer.
As I again reiterate this not being the fact I'd like to post my responses to the questions presented in the Runner's Companion (I think it's there. Not sure.) with a few added questions.
If you have time please read and tell me what you think.
Character Quiz-Shadowrun
Charlotte Ashby Crawford (Giga Wolf)
●We are shaped by our heritage. Facial features, skin tone, height, build, metatype, even aptitudes are influences by the genes passed from parent to child. Attitude, too, is taught by parents, informed by their own lives and their cultural heritage. Where does your character come from, what is her lineage, who were her parents, and what did she inherit from them?
She was born looking much like her father, the "elf". Toe blond hair and light green eyes. Her features were very thin and spoke of adult beauty.
In her very young years her parents where there most everyday. Excited to take her out to play places and events for children, however, about the time she became 5 that faded. They began to go out a lot together for dinner and "adult" events, leaving her behind. Sometimes for days on end sure she could take care of herself. When home during these times they spoke of the next time they would go out and "remember the time we" conversations only they shared in when they were younger and didn't have a child.
At age 6 the SURGE happened.
At about the age of 7 she got into trouble at school for hitting a elf girl who put soy milk in her hair for being a freak. This brought her parents back from a two day long absence to reprimand her for a few days. It was here she learned of how she could get them home to be with her, as crying about them leaving didn't seam to cut it.
They put her into online schooling to keep her from being picked on, but she still managed to act out and get them to come home.
She was about 9 when she had this system down, until it backfired on her. Instead of coming to see her they just cut the cable and internet. Then hired a guard/nanny to check in on her when she was being "grounded". Through nights of upset crying she first truly discovered she was a technomancer. Able to tap into other peoples internet to play her games anyhow. She told no one.
Her father and mother were "free spirits" in a bad sense for Charlotte. When it came down to it they didn't really like the "normal" life and yearned for freedom and adventure again. There lives together started with them running away from Tir Tairngire's 18 year old military action together to live in Seattle. By that time her mother was already pregnant with Charlotte.
It wasn't hard to believe they ran after her change of the 2.0 Crash.
Now, she looks nothing like her mother or father as the SURGE has changed all of that.
●Parents can be proud of their children or regret ever bringing them into the world. Some are loving and some are indifferent. All of them are only metahuman and have their own opinions of their children. Assuming they could speak, what would each of your character's parents say about her?
She feels that she could have never pleased them. That her influence in there life was seen as a hindrance to them. What they would say, she doesn't know. As in truth, she didn't know much about them.
Her father was a proud elf who liked the spunk of her human mother. He was a bit disappointed that Charlotte didn't turn out to be an elf. At least he said "jokingly" from time to time.
●Many people remember certain historical events for the rest of their lives. People remember where they were and what they were doing when they first heard of there events. Shadowrun history has significant events as well, such as the assassination of President Dunkelzahn, the Crash 2.0, and the emergence of the technomancers and artificial intelligences. Pick a few events from Shadowrun history and ask where the character was at the time, what does she remember about the event, and what was she doing at the time?
During the Dunkelzahn's assassination Charlotte was two years old. She does remember that her mother and father stayed up late with her and watched the news all night. They were both upset. Emotion mixed with anger, indigence and sadness. That's all she remembers, but it is one of her youngest memories.
Though she doesn't remember much of the event this instilled a potentially dangerous awe for dragons and love for Dunkelzahn whom she researched much in school.
The Crash 2.0 was a dangerous and painful time for her. Two days before her tenth birthday she was "grounded" with a guard/nanny again, but still having access to the internet via her technomancer abilities. Her parent's hadn't been home for months. She hadn't even gotten a call.
She remembers pain. So much pain.
She didn't call anyone though. Why bother? No one would come. For two days she was in agony thinking she was going to die. Changing and shifting beyond her "freak" form. Until it stopped. To her surprise she found out something else about herself. Again. . .she told no one.
●Very few people choose to become shadowrunners. More likely, they are thrown into the life by a chaotic and uncaring world. Even if she made a conscious decision to enter the shadows, her decision is influenced by the world around her. How did you character get into shadowrunning, and why did she take that path?
Through her internet and game addiction it wasn't long before she was already paying for her internet bill herself, or getting it turned back on. She did this to other people's account as well to not directly target her. Running the shadows was just the next step, and it pays.
●People have control over their own living arrangements. From the child young enough to use crayons and tape all the way to the elderly shut-in who plasters her walls with family photos and cat pictures, everyone makes their living spaces more personally pleasing. What is your character's living space like, and what has she added or changed to make it her own?
The house she lives in now is the same she grew up in. The furniture left over from her parents who just disappeared after a time, but the house strangely paid for, for two years. Though she has made some modifications.
One room has four Wall Spaces. Like big TV's she can make look like anything as well as a Virtual Weather in that room. Here she can "sit in the park" on a sunny, rainy or cloudy day (whatever it is outside) and play in the Matrix as children run about playing games and not pointing at her, starring, spitting vitriol or people hurting her.
The house is moderately well maintained. Comparatively, though, the other rooms are most times dark aside form the "Matrix" room/ her living room.
Most of the other walls in the house that were blank have game posters on them now.
●Everyone had beliefs, and many have beliefs strong enough to be convictions. Some are religious, some are political, some are social, and some are just about why people are here. What does your character believe in, what are her convictions (if any), and why does she hold them?
Charlotte doesn't like many people. She feels the world is dark and harsh and those who try and make it better, like Dunkelzahn, die. To her there are very few people who are not out to get one over on everyone else, or kill them outright for being different. She, herself, though is a "good" person. She wishes and yearns for the day that she might be able to step outside and help others, even if that meant a short life.
This outlook comes from her social worker, Richard Cunningham. The closest thing she feels she has actually had to family.
●Everyone has aspects of their personality that grate in someone. Even the best of friends annoy one another from time to time. The flaws in a person's character are as important as the qualities. What do you dislike most about your character's personality?
She is quiet, most times, but when engaged she personality is a bit negative. IRL, anyway.
In the Matrix, she is confident and noble. Here she takes the image of the loan wolf who guards over "her world" as the Matrix is the new wilderness that doesn't judge on appearances.
●The Sixth World is considered by many to be spinning our of control. If anyone could exert control over it, it would be the "Big Ten" triple-A megacorps. These transnationals exert a lot of influence on everyday life in the 2070's. Which of the Big Ten does your character hold in the highest (or least low) regard, which does she like the least, and why?
She is enamored with the Draco Foundation. Eating up every bit of news or post about them, trying to better understand the message "he" has left and what it has turned into.
EVO she holds in high regards. There actions to make products for metahumans is a sign of acceptance the rest of the world should take, in her eyes.
In general, though, most of the megacorps disgust her. Even EVO does things she doesn't like, but that is the world we live in.
●People make acquaintances and friends; we're hardwired for it. Humans are social animals. This is especially true in the shadows, where often it is not the power you have, but the power you can borrow, and not who you are but who you know. There's a story behind each and every one of these relationships. What is the story with your characters and her contacts?
The first person she truly got to know is Richard Cunningham. A Troll social worker who retired from police detective work to help children whom he often times saw abused in the system. He has been the only thing keeping her from spiraling down a bad path. In truth she is ashamed of herself. If he knew she has hacked and run the shadows she feels he would be disappointed, as he seems to genuinely love her, at least she thinks.
The other person she "knows" is a gamer friend who she has, at some point, actually gotten to see Charlotte in person. Her name is Candis Baits, aka Neko Cat. She is the closest to a RL best friend Charlotte has. Longest running gamer friend that Charlotte has "let in". Charlotte has told her ~almost~ everything. About her family, her Technomancy, her hacking and Shadowrunning (Which Neko Cat think's is "cool!"). Candis is human but doesn't hold hate for the SURGE victims. In fact, other then Richard, Candis/Neko is the only person Charlotte has called in a pinch to come over, get food for her or otherwise when she is feeling lonely and just needs a physical friend. Coming over most times just consists of playing Matrix games together anyhow. Candis is now 19, coming on 20, still lives with her mother, father and two brothers. Currently she works as a barista.
Brook Fizzgut, an orc ganger, is the only other physical person who has seen her and was introduced to her by Candis. I can't say meeting/knowing him is a great thing as originally he was just her and Candis/Neko's drug contact. However, this developed into her "fixer" for her first Shadowruns. He doesn't know much about her and in truth he kind of makes her nervous.
Void Stalker is a fellow hacker she met on Shadow Point. She is as much a contact to him as he to her. Void Stalker is not aware of any personal info regarding Charlotte. Their relationship mostly consists of talking about hacking discreetly and playing Matrix games. He is usually Charlotte, Candis/Neko and Village Idiot's mage in groups.
Mostly a hacker "dabbler" to what Charlotte understands. The "group" (being Charlotte, Candis and Void) met him on the Matrix while playing Dark Eye. He grew to be the group's regular for DPS and later developed into a hacker acquaintance whom she introduced to Shadow Point.