22 replies to this topic

[BottomGuy]

Welcome to the second iteration of the Character Creation Contest! I stated that we would do these fairly regularly and I am going to stick to that. People seemed to have enjoyed the first one so let's keep the momentum going. The theme for this contest shall be...



Backstory
"It is the year 2189 on Earth where little has actually changed. Technological advancement continued at a tremendous rate for several decades and the scope of understanding the universe expanded. Many of these advancements were merely knowledge for science and did not create ground breaking advancements in daily life. While technology did continue, it was mostly for consumer goods and in the end did not change much. Governments continued as they did before, religion marches on, war and peace are still at odds across the globe. As much as things change, they remain the same.

The one noticeable difference in the future is the expansion into space. It had been slow at first, but nations eventually became heavily invested in space exploration and colonization. It became practical and affordable to start colonies and to seek out resources. In time space became so familiar for Earth that it was truly like its backyard. Even here though there were limitations. Earth was limited to the immediate area of its own solar system of the Moon and Mars as travelling any farther became more an issue of time. Then came the Science Revolution.

Just as there had been an Industrial and Electronic Revolution, now suddenly there was a revolution for how scientists understood their fields from biology to chemistry to geology and most notably physics. It is not fully understood how these sudden leaps and bounds came about, but they were a blessing for space exploration. The stuff of Star Trek and Star Wars quickly became reality. Space stations became miniature wonders amongst the stars and the people who worked on or for or were associated with them somehow were tapped into the newest innovations. It quickly became possible to explore the entirety of our solar system, then the Milky Way, and finally other galaxies. Earth had finally reached the point of expansion it had dreamt of for centuries.

Many groups are suspicious of how these advancements came about. A common conspiracy is that we were contacted by aliens who helped give us the push to the next scientific level. There are certainly enough secrets still being kept by the world's governments that it is a possibility. There have also been some interesting exploration and locations visited that seem to have no practical purpose. And of course, the constant whispers of terrible incidents happening on the fringes of explored space that no one knows about, except those that are doing the whispering.

What could be waiting for Earth and mankind as they continue to explore their universe? Are they even in control of what they do anymore? The answer can only be found...in SPAAAAACE!"

Your Story
"Several of the world's governments are working together to plan a mysterious mission into the fringes of the known galaxy. Exactly what the goal of this expedition is is unknown to nearly everyone involved except for the highest political figures. All that is known is that the most specialized and patchwork team is being put together. People who are experts in their fields are being recruited along side unknown figures, questionable individuals, and plain unorthodox people. Whoever is putting these people together knows something that no one else can figure out. All you know is that you are one of these people who has been approached and for whatever personal reason you have accepted. Now let us see what you are bringing to this space exploration mission."

[b]Name:[/b]
[b]Profession:[/b]
[b]Age:[/b]
[b]Height:[/b]
[b]Appearance:[/b]
[b]*Alterations:[/b]
[b]Personality:[/b]
[b]History:[/b]
[b]Skills:[/b]
[b]Reason for Joining Mission:[/b]
[b]Other:[/b]

*Optional

As before, if you have any suggestions for the sheet feel free to tell me. Questions about the setting can be asked as well if you want more information or need to confirm something. Aliens are NOT allowed because it will make things run more smoothly. However! The Alterations field is there if you want your character to have a bionic arm, genetic enhancements, etc. so long as they are explained and don't go overboard. To determine that, just use your judgement and you will [probably] be fine.

The deadline for submissions is JUNE 18, TWO WEEKS FROM NOW

Have fun!

[Puffin]

What would altercations mean? Like, if they have had a problem with someone else...?

[Stars]

I almost asked the same thing, but then I read the rest of the post. =p

/>The Altercations field is there if you want your character to have a bionic arm, genetic enhancements, etc. so long as they are explained and don't go overboard. To determine that, just use your judgement and you will [probably] be fine.

[Puffin]

I swear, I keep forgetting how to read entirely.

[Odon]

The correct term would be 'Alterations' or 'Enhancements'.
Altercations is what Puffin first thought. A dispute. :P

Also: This is a great one idea. I like this one a lot! :D

[BottomGuy]

Yep, I goofed on the word. It should have said Alterations and I have edited it to reflect that. Sorry for the confusion.

[BottomGuy]

One Week Warning.
All submissions are due Monday June 18 2012.

Get involved! Get excited! Get some icecream!

[Stars]

I've been working on mine, and I know Puffin has been working on one. I anticipate several entries about 6 days from now. :p

[Puffin]

I'm just trying to figure out a history for my guy. =/

[Odon]

I'm just trying to figure out if I post it in this topic or not. xD

[BottomGuy]

Yep, post it here. Unless you want to be super secret, then you can send it to me and I'll post it. But then everyone would know that was your submission.

Also...*ahem*

[Puffin]

Name: Indra Jindal

Profession: Astrophysicist

Age: 34

Height: 6'1"

Appearance: Shoulder-length black hair, dark eyes. He wears glasses, although his vision isn't terrible, so he can make do without them easily.

Personality: Indra tends to be stand-offish towards anyone who approaches him because of how anxious he gets. He usually just fully immerses himself in whatever work is available, though just because he acts like he's ignoring you doesn't mean he actually is. For people who know this, it's easy to get under his skin and rile him up. He is a perfectionist and ordinarily a workaholic, which can lead to him getting burnt out if he isn't careful.

History: When he was young, Indra had an obsession with space. Planets, comets, asteroids, stars... he wanted to know everything about them and when that wasn't enough, he wanted to know everything about the galaxy and the universe. Its laws and properties. A childhood hobby turned itself into a career when he started studying physics seriously. He went to school, graduated, and floated from one job to another for a little bit before his career started to stand out. As years passed, research and paperwork became increasingly dull and frustrating. Any recognition he got for his work eventually made little to no difference to him and he only continued his work out of necessity.
His interest in space never died down completely, but it stayed in the back of his mind. It wasn't until a co-worker of his was accepted to join this mission into space that it came to the forefront. To say the least, he found himself insanely jealous of his co-worker. In an effort to ignore it and get past his jealousy, he pooled all of his time into his job and started putting forward some of his best work in years. Then his co-worker stopped coming into work. Before even a week had passed, he received an offer to join the mission. While he wasn't complaining and he accepted with barely a second thought, he was uncertain as to why. Until he learned that his co-worker had died in an accident. He suspected that he was merely a replacement and wondered if he really deserved the position, but all the same, he was pleased to join.

Skills: SCIENCE! That's about it since he's the type to shun most non-intellectual activities and he's a pretty ruddy people person, though he is good at what he does.

Reason for Joining Mission: He desperately wants to see what awaits in the depths of space for himself.


Not entirely pleased with this character, I think he could still use some fleshing out, but I'm calling him finished now. Sci-fi isn't entirely my thing, so it's hard to keep interested enough to do more with him.

[Odon]

Name: Inari Tudon

Profession: Engineer

Age: 32

Height: 5'6''

Appearance: Dark skinned, short, and wiry with a head full of unruly brown hair. Usually running around in a battered jumpsuit with a toolpouch in hand.

*Alterations: Left hand is a bionic replacement. The fingertips each house a different tool tip (Screwdriver, spanner, adjustable ratchet.) and the palm contains
a miniature blowtorch.

Personality: Upbeat and positive, almost nothing gets her down. She loves working on machinery and can usually be found in the depths of whatever space station/vessel she's on.

History: Inari grew up like any typical girl until she hit highschool, and then she was one of the popular girls. Being in the spotlight and constantly adored she realized that it wasn't really
for her and by college and became a recluse, refusing to go out and instead buried herself in her studies. Originally she planned to study Psychology, but upon finding she enjoyed mathematics and had
a knack for fixing things, she instead turned to Mechanical Engineering where she found her true love. Astronautical engineering. She became obsessed with space station designs, the innerworkings
of spaceship engines and the innerworkings of satellites.
As time went on, Inari found herself a master of her craft and soon was one of the most sought after developers of Astronautical deployment vessels. Although she had designed and overseen the construction
of these spacecraft, she had never actually been on one, so when the offer came for a chief engineer to join a very hush hush mission to the outer reaches of the universe, Inari jumped at the chance. Now she
excitedly prepares to lead a small army of engineers into space and keep them on call to fix, replace, or just straight up make awesome stuff to keep this mission sailing with full power to the thrusters!

Skills: Mechanical genius, very charismatic with a motherly disposition, small frame can fit into tight spaces, great sense of direction, rarely loses her bearings and gets lost.

Reason for Joining Mission: Because it's ADVENTURE TIME and someone has to keep all the stiff shirt bastards in the science department from suffocating when an air-recycling unit goes dark!

Other: Enjoys hard cider, Quesidillas and turtles.

[BottomGuy]

Name: Dennis Langdon

Profession: Computer Programmer

Age: 45

Height: 5’ 10”

Appearance: Dennis has a stout figure with broad shoulders. His jawline is square and his hair is in a short, quaff style, with the lower part of his hair above his ears and neck turning grey. He wears rectangular coke-bottle lens glasses. Dennis looks halfway ready for a business meeting as he wears collared shirts and trousers, but the shirts are left unbuttoned revealing a pop-culture t-shirt.

*Alterations: Optic Nerve Implant – Projects holographic images which Dennis can see and interact with including monitors, 3D models, keyboards, etc.

Personality: Dennis is a rather laid back person that borders on being lazy. When he is doing work he usually does it on a couch or with a TV on in the background. Rarely can he be found at a desk. This makes it look like he is goofing off rather than working, but then he reveals a new astounding program he has been working on the entire time. Dennis enjoys talking about anything that is currently going on in the world from sports to politics. He doesn’t really take a firm position on much of anything and doesn’t get into arguments with people. While he does do great work, it’s only when he wants to and it can sometimes be difficult to motivate him to do work on a project or program that does not interest him.

History: Dennis grew up with a normal family and for a good while nothing special developed with him. Then when he was 13 he began to develop an interest for computers have an IT worker came to his house to fix a problem with the AI in the kitchen. An interest quickly turned into a knack as Dennis began to learn how to program. It was not long before he was able to program the toaster to toast his name into the bread. When he entered university Dennis started to turn his fingers toward creating more useful and serious programs. He also joined the wrestling team after he was pressured by a friend and helped him keep a stocky figure rather than a fat one. Dennis was really enthusiastic about creating new programs that would improve the lives of people and make the world run a bit smoother. After college he entered into a career at a major technology company and he did indeed create some programs and algorithms that were used all over the world. He also married his college workmate and girlfriend of several years and soon after had a daughter. He enjoyed a successful career and money was never an issue, allowing him to live the ideal life with a loving family, friends, and surrounding himself with the latest geek toys. In his mid-thirties Dennis started to get run down and tired of the work he was doing though. While it was true that his programs were having an impact on the world, he started to feel they were such small tweaks that what he was doing was less and less important. He became a recluse and started to work at home more until he eventually never went into work. Dennis is still making programs but he just sends in any progress or patches to his bosses through e-mails. The benefit to this was that he was spending more time with his family, even though he hadn’t been neglecting them before. Those close to him wonder if he will give up programming altogether and retire.

Skills: Knows 9 languages*and has a deep knowledge of current operating systems and AI structures. He still retains a bit of his wrestling ability.
*Note: 8 of these are computer languages.

Reason for Joining Mission: The company that Dennis works for volunteered him for the mission to serve as an on hands IT person to make sure the computer systems work and get optimized. At first Dennis refused the assignment and actually threatened quitting instead of going. His wife and daughter convinced him that he should do it for his own sake. He had become sluggish with programming because he felt like his work meant nothing and this mission would make his programs and skills highly valued by such a high profile mission. After enough prodding Dennis accepted, hoping himself maybe this would rekindle his programming passion.

Other: Attempted to have laser eye surgery in his 20s but his procedure was the one in a thousand that went wrong, resulting in the need for his current thick prescription.

[Stars]

I'm...uh...working on mine.



Puffin reminded me that it's due today.

[Stars]

Name: Otto Czarnecki

Profession: Taxonomist

Age: 36

Height: 5' 7"

Appearance: In a word, frumpy. Otto is average height, could stand to lose a few pounds, and has a bald spot encroaching upon the back of his head. He often wears slacks, buttoned shirts, and sometimes a tie, but his clothes are almost invariably wrinkled and/or mismatched.

Alterations: Otto has a synthetic left eye that he can use to capture videos and still images. A special port on the back of the eye allows him to transfer these images and videos to a computer terminal, although the eye itself must be physically removed from its socket to accomplish this.

Personality: Otto prefers to be noticed as little as possible. He doesn't like attention or accolades to any great degree. He enjoys work and a few hobbies, which generally involve as many (non-human) living things as possible (or, at the very least, books about such things).

History: Like any other day, Otto was doing his best to mind his own business. But this day was different. On this fateful day, Otto found himself in the uncomfortable position of being witness to a crime. The specifics of the crime are unimportant. What changed Otto's life was the fact that he went to the trouble of recording the crime and the culprits with his synthetic eye and submitting the evidence to the authorities.
The criminals were apprehended, Otto had been an upstanding citizen, and that might have been the end of it. However, the mafia would never let that be the end of it. Otto had unknowingly gotten the nephew of one of the region's biggest crime lords thrown in jail. Otto received a short, concise letter soon after - "Erit consequatur." - and he knew he needed protection.
Little did he expect his government to protect him by sending him billions of miles away from the mafia.

Skills: Fluent in Latin. Extensive knowledge of zoology and botany.

Reason for Joining Mission: Otto was told he would be placed under witness protection. He is pleased that the mafia can't reach him now (assuming they haven't bought the loyalty of anyone accompanying Otto on this mission), but he is quite sad that he has to leave all the plants and animals of earth behind.
On the plus side, Otto was told that if the crew discovers any extraterrestrial flora or fauna, he will be given the honor of assigning their taxonomical names.

Other: The threat letter Otto received reads, "There will be consequences," in Latin. More or less. I think.

EDIT: Changed the message in the threat letter.

[BottomGuy]

As there were only four submissions this time, I am going to slightly tweak the voting process.

First of all vote for ONE character. Send in your vote to me in a PM. And of course we encourage everyone to vote. If only the people who submitted characters vote then there are only four votes. So yeah, we'd appreciate it.

Second, character submissions will remain open through voting. This is because again we only have four characters. It does come with the disadvantage that the later you submit, the more people will have voted for other characters.

Voting is open until the end of SATURDAY June 23 and the winner will be announced Sunday.

[Odon]

Can't you just edit this post and turn it into a poll??

[Puffin]

That's a good point... people would probably be more likely to vote if they could do so quickly and without any real effort, too.

[BottomGuy]

Suppose so. I forget why I did not do it, but I know I had a reason. Maybe it was to prevent people from voting for themselves secretly, or people randomly voting without actually looking at the characters. Really don't remember but if people want to I'll add the poll.

Edit: Had no idea you could make voting public. Which...wait, should probably change that. Or not. I don't know. Prevents people from voting for themselves, but then people will know how people are voting and that does stuff. I don't know, I just like secrecy and formal voting method.

It's 5AM! WOO!!1