Behemoth and Leviathan (Post Apocalyptic Mecha Kaiju RP) - Sign-ups

Brainstorming, worldbuilding, and interest-check thread

Discussion thread

The golden age of progress is over, the hopes of humanity are broken. The world belongs to the Leviathans, now. Monstrous creatures, illogical in structure and terrible in power, which rise from the depths of the sea, from great fissures in the earth, and from the furthest reaches of space.

Humanity dwells within its cities, living on the left-overs of the golden age, recovering what little it can. We defend, we survive, we preserve, but we do not grow. Be they cities that float upon the clouds, or travel across the world on great wheels, or nestled in the mountains, or resting on the sea, the old ways, of roads and villages and freedom, mean nothing, now.

The weapons of man proved ineffective, in the grand scheme of things. But with time, we did build weapons that could slay the Leviathans - terrible giants, called Behemoths, built out of Leviathan meat and bones, controlled by teams of humans and maintained by the efforts of entire cities.

So. Behemoth and Leviathan is a post-apocalyptic RP that's kind of like a mixture of Mortal Engines, Pacific Rim, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Suisei No Gargantia.

On the aquatic, boat-like city of Shaleden, trouble looms. After attempting to cross the Pacific ocean, there was a devastating attack by a Tier 2 (Titan) Leviathan. Although the beast was slain, one of their Behemoths was completely destroyed and another one, Sapphire Edge, was severely damaged and its skilled, veteran crew were all killed. Between this and the many repairs that have needed to be done to keep the city from sinking, the city is now forced to stop its journey half way, and repair itself, all while in Leviathan infested waters.

So, recruitment begins afresh - whilst the remaining Behemoths do what they can to protect the damaged city and Sapphire Edge is being repaired, a new crew must be found: two pilots to control it, a repair team to maintain it during battle, and a coordinator to, well, coordinate.

This is where you come in. Through a series of exercises, lessons, day to day experiences and inevitably several attacks, you will need to rise above yourselves and prove to be the best this city can muster, all while competing to see who shall receive such glorious (and terrible) responsibilities.

And relax - if you fail, it's only going to get everyone killed, right?

Rules:

• The usual - you control your character, not everyone else's. Don't post in extremely rapid succession, give others the time needed to reply. Don't be overpowered, and I won't be unfair.
• Try to keep things PG-13.
• Don't be a jerk.
• If you're going to apply for a 'veteran' position, on one of the other two Behemoths (Aquamarine and Deep Blue) then you'll also be in a 'teaching position' for characters who will be new to this stuff, so I may PM you extra information.

Template:

• Name: (this is the distant future and Shaleden has people from all over the world on board, so feel free to go with whatever for this, though try to avoid being too silly with it)
• Sex:
• Age:

• Appearance:
• Usual Attire:

• Personality:
• History:

• Current career: (if you character is going to be for something other than joining the crew of the Sapphire Edge, then this will likely be their only career - if they're not old enough to have a job already, then just put 'student')
• Position applied for: (only applicable for characters attempting to join the crew of the Sapphire Edge, though the character doesn't have to be a 'student': the city is desperate, they'll take on anyone willing to put the effort in, so age isn't a big factor)

• Skills and Training: (what are you good at?)
• Other Details:

The cast so far:

From Eventua:

• Jonath Herse - Coordinator Training Officer/Coordinator for the Aquamarine
• Shao Yi - Repair Team Training Officer/Repair Team for the Deep Blue

From Karl Kadaver:

• Stephan Nikolas - Repair Team Applicant/Engineer

From Sixth Saint:

• Rukhsana Albrecht - Pilot Applicant/Fighter Pilot
• Sergei Albrecht - Pilot Applicant/Fighter Pilot

From Aken Jizo:

• Richard Briggs - Pilot Training Officer/Pilot for the Deep Blue
• Martin Briggs - Pilot Training Officer/Pilot for the Deep Blue

edited 29th Jul '13 3:31:49 AM by Eventua

I sign up.

Consider me interested. Will post signup posthaste.

Interested. Will look into it.

Eee, yes, thank you! To all three! :D

Also, I should mention - if someone has created a player character whose applying for a role on the Sapphire Edge, that doesn't they will 'take up a slot' automatically. Remember, as fresh recruits there will be various tests and lessons and some characters will effectively be competing, and you will still get opportunities to face off against Leviathans in a big stompy monster robot (both 'for real' and in training via Virtual Reality simulations).

Below is a character example (to give some idea of what to expect), one of the major NP Cs I'll be controlling - the coordinator for the Aquamarine. Not exactly your typical coordinator, though.

• Name: Jonath Herse
• Sex: Male
• Age: 43

• Appearance: Tall (about 5"11) and athletic, Jonath is a man with the physique of a thug and a wrestler, but the face of a (slightly rough around the edges) saint. His face is surprisingly soft and rounded, despite his baldness and stubble, his face is always one of a welcome grin or cheeky smirk. His nose is crooked, unfortunately, from an accident in his childhood, but that (along with the scar on his left cheek and the mole on his forehead) gives him a look that is simultaneously both pitiable and really scary. Almost like an over-sized, deformed puppy, just that it'll break your face if you cause too much trouble.

• Usual Attire: Often dressed in simple, loose clothing when the opportunity presents itself. He doesn't really like stuffy military suits, and certainly not the tight, rubbery plug-suits worn by pilots: one of the many reasons he chose to become a coordinator instead. Usually, he'll dress in browns, greys and blacks, sometimes with just a splash of colour to make things 'interesting'.
  • His coordinator uniform and helmet are dark grey, with a silver-blue stripe on the left shoulder to indicate the Behemoth he's trained for. The uniform, like most military uniforms, is made of a blend of cotton and nylon.

• Personality: Jonath is a friendly guy, good with kids and animals, A Father to His Men who has long stood up for the weak and does what he can to make other people happy - a helper and a good friend, through and through...
  
  ...is what I would say, regarding day to day life. Many of his students have remarked that he almost undergoes a 180-degree turn when in dangerous or serious situations, changing from a lovable bear to a not... lovable bear. More like a grizzly. He's also known to drink a bit too much, particularly when stressed. Claims it gives a bit of extra courage, which is a necessity when fighting giant monsters that threaten humanity.

• History: Born shortly after the initial construction of Sapphire Edge, Jonath recognizes that 'brawlin' runs in the family', as he likes to put it. His father (Gregory) was a professional boxer and his grandfather (Armath) was a wrestler - his mother (Isabelle), meanwhile, was the coordinator for the legendary Aquamarine. Despite such famous parents, he himself was largely left to fend for himself and frequently got into trouble with other children, growing up as they did within the poorer areas of the city (within the bowels of the boat, towards the front).
  
  But fate smiled upon him. For through it all, he never forgot what his mother stood for, or the bigger picture - because at the end of the day, you and the guy who was trying to kick your teeth in were still both human, you were still both weak and you were still both going too, one day, be Leviathan chow. Recognizing that becoming a coordinator would not only make his mother proud and would be supremely badass, he realized that it would also allow him to essentially give the Leviathans the middle finger: they were the worst bullies of all, unreasonable and violent. By taking them down, maybe he wouldn't be weak.
  
  Maybe he would be badass, then. The rest, as they say, is history: when his mother was injured in a battle, she encouraged him to sign up as her replacement, and so he did - for both revenge, and adventure. Receiving private tutoring from her at home, he quickly built up a lot of skill. And now, well... now he's looking to pass on a few old tricks of his mother on to the next lot of schmucks. Not all of them, though. Got to keep some things in the family, of course.

• Current career: Coordinator for the Aquamarine and current Coordinator Training Officer
• Position applied for: N/A (this guy'll be teaching, not learnin')

• Skills and Training: Basic hand to hand martial arts knowledge, extensive knowledge of Behemoths (particularly the Aquamarine) and their support systems, as well as a good knowledge of the Leviathans (both as a whole and previous encounters with them). Is a good cook, especially of curries and other spicy food. Good with explosives, has a limited knowledge of brewing alcohol. Also fancies himself to be a bit of a poet, though his actual skill at this is dubious at best.

• Other Details: Prone to cracking his knuckles, neck, and toes when danger is afoot. Has an accent that would have been described as 'Cockney', were London still around and the UK was a nation rather than a spot on the map. Is married, but his wife (Sharon) is infertile, so they adopted an orphan named Lee - who, though small, excitedly wishes to follow in his dad's footsteps, one day. Maybe when he's more than a few foot tall and has an age in the double digits first, though.

edited 16th Jul '13 10:44:16 AM by Eventua

• Name: Stephan Nikolas
• Sex: Male
• Age: 26
• Appearance: They're Safety Glasses...
• Usual Attire: A whitish Shaleden Repair Crew jumpsuit. The letters "S.R.C." are emblazoned in bold, black letters on the back. His name, "S. Nikolas", is sewn on the front right of his chest. He wears a lanyard (for keys and such) under his uniform. When not on duty, he unzips the torso and wraps the arms around his waist. He usually wears dark colored t-shirts. When on duty, he also wears ear protection in the form for earbuds.
• Personality: Usually friendly and easygoing, it's fairly easy for someone to mistake him for a slacker. This couldn't be further from the truth; he is often seen working, in some capacity or other, even when chatting with friends, co-workers, or..."the ladies." He likes to think he has a way with women, although his advances often fall flat. He has little patience for people with "no brains" and doesn't like doing work for "snobs", though he performs every one of his tasks with a smile on his face. After all, he actually does love his job.
• History: Stephan was born in one of the poorer districts of Shaleden, the son of a Maintenance worker (Cecil), and a line cook (Gabrielle). He has a younger sister named Beatrice who is currently a middle school student. For most of his childhood, he resented the day to day life in Shaleden: Wake up, go to school, come home, repeat ad nauseum... When he finally was old enough to join his dad, that's exactly what he did. He quickly became known as one of the best people who did what he did. When his dad suffered a career-ending injury, Stephan quickly took on his workload, as well as his own, but the money that Cecil had saved up as quickly depleting. It was then that the Sapphire Edge was nearly destroyed and required a new crew. Stephan quickly put in his application for maintenance crew in order to earn more money for his family.
• Current career: Engineer/Repairman/General Maintenance
• Position applied for: Repair Crew of Sapphire Edge
• Skills and Training: Extensive training in the repair/maintenance of various mechanical systems aboard Shaleden, Knowledge of First Aid (some accidents can be pretty catastrophic and can occur far from a qualified medical professional)
• Other Details: He's a passable cook, as his mother taught him a few techniques. At the moment, he lives in a small place by himself, but gives a portion of his pay to his parents. His sister is known to visit from time to time, and occasionally stays there. She thinks "it would be cool" to be a Coordinator.

edited 16th Jul '13 12:25:04 PM by KarlKadaver

Eee, looking awesome! Truth be told, I was worried no one was going to apply with Repair Team characters (since it's not as glamorous as the other roles - when you think of giant robots, they generally don't have poor schmucks using an internal network of tubes and ladders too get around inside them, mid-battle, to perform surgery on that damaged fuel vein or to put out a fire in the shoulder mounted pulse cannons etc.).

It's not glamorous or easy or *safe* in any way, shape, or form (arguably it's the most dangerous job, since you're not in a comfy, well-protected control room like the other three) but someone's gotta do it.

Welcome aboard, Karl. I'm sure Stephan will find it very... enlightening. Which reminds me, I should create the Repair Team teacher. o_O;

edited 16th Jul '13 1:34:59 PM by Eventua

Umm...

"Stephan". It's Stephan, with an A. >.<

No worries. Maybe it could be a Running Gag.

Also, your post made the Repair Team sound even more awesome!

edited 16th Jul '13 1:34:13 PM by KarlKadaver

XD

Sorry, my bad. And I'm glad if that's the case - we'll need several characters of all the types, methinks.

Below, meanwhile, is another major NPC - the training officer for the Repair Team.

• Name: Shao Yi
• Sex: Female
• Age: 34

• Appearance: With short, smooth black hair and a confident smirk, Yi is one the best - and she knows it. She's a tad on the short side - 5"3, to be exact - but for a repair crew member, that's a blessing. Athletic despite her petite frame, her brown eyes have a glint to them that speaks of adventure and daring, but also the knowledge that her responsibilities are vast. Doesn't wear a lot of make-up: off duty, the most is usually just some eyeliner and lipstick.
• Usual Attire: Tends to wear fashionable clothing, elegant patterns and a variety of colours (though generally just two at a time: too many colours looks gaudy, she feels). Generally wears flat, dark shoes with ankle-height socks, and always wears a necklace containing a variety of very small, very personal items - a chip from what looks to be a Kaiju tooth, some sort of small locket, and single, tiny blue jewel.
  • Her repair crew uniform is tough and possesses many layers and pockets (as most repair uniforms do), essentially being a cross between a hazard suit, a space suit, and a diving suit all in one. Coloured in various shades of white, black and orange. But marked on the shoulder and on the helmet is a series of navy blue lines - a sign that she belongs on the Deep Blue.

• Personality: Charismatic, confident, occasionally very stupid. Yi is an odd-one: at once recognizing the many dangers of her job and the ease with which she could die, and simultaneously not really giving a care over it at all. She's largely an introvert, but can be maniacally aggressive when agitated or people ask her stupid questions.

• History: Yi doesn't talk much about her past, and few ask about it - all they know is that she had long been involved with the maintenance of the engines for Shaleden before becoming a member of the repair team for Deep Blue, which suggests that she is of a relatively wealthy background.
  
  Some say, however, that her father (Yoko) and her mother (Chen) came from squabbling families, and that in order to prove herself, she dedicated herself heavily towards the repairing of complex machinery. Eventually, despite a lack of interest, someone recommended her for the Deep Blue. When she succeeded in dislodging a massive tooth that had broken off into one of Deep Blue's arteries before sealing the damaged tube, all while water was rushing into the injury and threatened to drown her, it became apparent (both to herself and others) that what she was doing was both dangerous, and supremely bad ass.
  
  And it was then, they say, that she gained a taste for it. And she's never looked back.

• Current career: Repair Team Member for the Deep Blue and current Repair Team Training Officer
• Position applied for: N/A (teaching)

• Skills and Training: Of course, she's had extensive training and experience in engineering, programming, and surgery. However, she's also something of an athlete, and is known to enjoy swimming and diving. For the most part, though, her skills are limited to her job - her social skills are less than brilliant, it must be said.

• Other Details: Likes classical music, though she's only heard a few bits and pieces.

edited 21st Jul '13 1:53:19 PM by Eventua

Veeeeeeeeery very interested.

Template: • Name: Jacob Jansen • Sex: M • Age: 37

• Appearance: Negroid, six foot one, brown eyes, black hair. • Usual Attire: random

• Personality: introverted • History: Jansen was one of the designers on Dai-O, the first Behemoth. After the destruction of his home city, Washington DC he fled with what remained of the World Governments to a series of bunkers, always working on the defence project in one way or another, he was assigned to the crew of Albion Hope and upon it's demise, he is eager to continue to serve.

• Current career: Electrical Engineer, focus Cyberetics • Position applied for: Lead Behemoth Engineer • Skills and Training: Bio mechanical Engineering. • Other Details: Likes Humanity, doesn't like humans.

edited 16th Jul '13 6:19:50 PM by hyperalbion

Eee, more interest!

Also, Hyper, I like the direction of your character! (also, if you want help with formatting it - if you use two back-slashes (\\\) at the end of a line, you can then write on the next line of the paragraph without trouble.

Like so
See?

Regarding the character himself - at the moment, the descriptions of stuff are kind of vague (so if you could go into a bit more detail, that would be extremely appreciated).

Unfortunately, there is also a timeline problem, namely... if he's 37, he wont have been around when the first Behemoth was built. If he was 300 years old, he wouldn't have been around when the first Behemoths were built. By this point in time, the 'golden age' is a distant, poorly understand, practically mythological era and likewise are the first Behemoths (the creation of which is generally felt to be the last great creation of the golden age before humanity fell into decline and even more giant monsters showed up).

Overall, an interesting concept that does have potential. Actually, during the golden age, they did succeed with the creation of cryogenic freezing that could preserve people (and its believed there may be several underground bunkers, somewhere in the world, containing various experts, politicians, celebrities and scientists just waiting to be woken up one - maybe a future plot point). So perhaps he could even keep the 'worked on first Behemoth' thing?

Overall, good, but still needs a bit of work. I look forward to the final result! :D

(Though I would appreciate people not introducing really big worldbuilding stuff too much without warning me first - remember, if you've got a question about the setting, there's always the brainstorming thread, here: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13737452640A13014600&page=1#1 )

edited 17th Jul '13 1:55:29 AM by Eventua

Oh wow, that would have been a good thing to put in the first thread I had no idea. Maybe work in a captain America Buck Rogers style vibe with the cryo tube? Bit of Walking Dead too now that I think of it.

Well, this is quite opportune, since I just watched Pacific Rim.

Let me think about this.

edited 17th Jul '13 8:10:13 AM by Icarael

More interest, huzzah! (though I'm hoping more people will apply, truthfully)

Also - I just finished Shao Yi's template, that makes three complete characters. But we need more applications! -angry face-

@Hyper: I was thinking, perhaps Jacob is already awake as of the RP, but if you PM me some of his back-story details, something like that, then maybe during the RP he gets flashbacks and stuff, or I can PM you some of the 'actual facts' about stuff from his time (AKA the end of the Golden Age)?

edited 17th Jul '13 2:42:54 PM by Eventua

• Name: Rukhsana Albrecht / Callsign: Orphan Black
• Sex: Female
• Age: 29
• Appearance: A five-foot-eight woman with pale skin, gray-blue eyes and shoulder-length brown hair.
• Usual Attire: A sweater, jeans and a pair of shin-high boots.
• Personality: A person that enjoys combat a little too much, but a very somber and detached person out of combat to everyone but her husband.
• History: Spent her youth in Madras, which was all but destroyed when she was 15 in a Leviathan and Behemoth battle. She relocated to the city of Shaleden with whatever family she had left and entered college to major in medicine, since that was what her remaining family felt was best for her. Halfway through her college years, she switched majors to aeronautics, feeling that medicine wasn't the best career for her, since a long-time goal of hers was to pilot a Behemoth since she saw one fight in her adolescence.
  • She met Sergei near the end of the year when one of his friends pointed her out to him, which prompted him to come over and make small talk, eventually asking her out on a date. Bemused by the request, she nonetheless decided that discretion was the better part of valor and decided to accept. One date became two, two became three, and eventually, they became a long-term couple.
  • After she got a Bachelor's in Aeronautics, she decided to join the city's air force with her boyfriend at his urging and got assigned the callsign Orphan Black. After a few years of flying as Behemoth support with her boyfriend, Sergei proposed marriage to her, prompting a squeal and a hug from her. They got married in a quiet ceremony that only his brother and father and her uncle, mother and younger sister were invited to.
• Current Career: Fighter Pilot
• Position Applied For: Pilot of Sapphire Edge
• Skills and Training: Knows her way around a gun and is decently proficient in martial arts, mainly aikido. Has experience flying a fighter plane as Behemoth support.
• Other Details: Enjoys a good glass of wine.

• Name: Sergei Albrecht / Callsign: Silver Devil
• Sex: Male
• Age: 30
• Appearance: A tanned six-foot tall man with cropped dark blonde hair and pale green eyes.
• Usual Attire: A dress shirt rolled up to the elbows and slacks, with a vest over the dress shirt and designer shoes.
• Personality: A very laid back person out of combat, but in combat, is very detached and somber, in contrast to his wife.
• History: Grew up in Dresden, Germany and was forced to evacuate during a Leviathan attack when he was 12. Spent his high-school and college years on board Shaleden, majoring in aeronautics, since he wanted to eventually gain enough experience to pilot a Behemoth and got a Bachelor's Degree in Aeronautics. Also, in college, he met Rukhsana after a friend pointed out the woman sitting by herself. He went over to her and made small talk, eventually asking her out on a date, which went off without a hitch and led to future dates.
  • After college, he joined the city's air force with his girlfriend of 3 years, doing decently enough to warrant inclusion into the Behemoth program and was assigned the callsign Silver Devil. He proposed to Rukhsana after a few years of acting as Behemoth support and she accepted hesitantly. The wedding was a quiet affair, with only the immediate family of the bride and groom being invited.
• Current Career: Fighter Pilot
• Position Applied For: Pilot of Sapphire Edge
• Skills and Training: Is about as good with a gun as his wife. Also has experience flying a fighter plane as Behemoth support.
• Other Details: Enjoys sparring with his wife, who beats him more often than not.

edited 21st Jul '13 9:21:05 PM by SixthSaint

Eee, more interest! This is a good sign - I was worried that this might be dying! D:

Plus, an application for one of the Pilot roles! Aha! >:D

Looks good so far, I can't wait for the rest of the template.

On another note, I have just launched the Discussion thread, here: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=13744370580A29725500&page=1#1

I'm planning on giving her a husband that will die during their 1st fight for the evulz.

Hang on... do you mean another guy piloting a fighter plane? Or he's also hoping to become a Behemoth pilot but dies during the first Leviathan attack of the RP?

Would he be an NPC? Or a regular PC?

ALSO Either way, it sounds like an awesome idea.

edited 21st Jul '13 1:48:44 PM by Eventua

A PC, for added angst factor.

Ahem, an excellent idea! -sinister finger steepling-

Accepted?

-reads through templates-

Excellent, both accepted!

Which reminds me, I need to create a 'Pilot Training Officer' NPC. I will do so over the course of the next few days (unfortunately, it's getting late right now). The profile will be here:

• Name: Eugena Smithe
• Sex: Female
• Age: 69

• Appearance: Tall, well-built, blonde hair done into a bun.
• Usual Attire:

• Personality:
• History: Former pilot for the Aquamarine, before retiring due to personal reasons and the death of her fellow pilot.

• Current career: Pilot Training Officer
• Position applied for: N/A
• Skills and Training: Giving orders, piloting Behemoths (out of practice)
• Other Details:

edited 21st Jul '13 3:13:40 PM by Eventua

I'm pondering switching to Aquamarine since Sapphire Edge is still being repaired.

The focus of the plot is on the characters effectively becoming a tighter team and improving their skills whilst Sapphire Edge finishes its repairs - Behemoth regenerate damage fairly quickly, so it'll be up and running fairly soon, I should imagine.

At the very least, it's reformed upper torso should be able to wield the massive, rifle-shaped railgun that they built for it.