/dev/grrl's development..., Because we don't want to thread-steal from a publication announcem Options

[CanRay]

So, aside from questions about the breast fairy, how do you folks like the direction /dev/ has been taking in the last, hm, year or so?

[Angelone]

I like the direction she's taken her tutelage under Kane and Fastjack it seems to have matured her. She doesn't grate on me as badly, there is a personality other than teeny bopper there now. She's still young and prone to taking chances, but it feels like she belongs on Jackpoint now.

[Pepsi Jedi]

I like her. She's got the hacking chops if she's beating Glitch and others to the punch, which has happened a number of times now. Instances of her giving out info and someone else on jackpoint being all 'That was you!?' are kinda cool.

She does seem to be coming into her own a bit more out side of just the matrix. Which is nice. I'm unsure how much actual 'tutalage' she's getting from Kane. I mean do you really see him taking time to give her lessons? And if so, how often can she get away from her corp parents and school to take them? She did track him down so she does travel and what not, but I don't see it like months long lessons. I'm thinking more hit or miss, a weekend here... a weekend there, where she tells her parent's she's staying at a friends house and going out to train and what not.

I do like her as a character, and I'd like to have a write up on her, and an image to put a face on her.

So far as best we know she's a tiny elf girl with cybereyes. I keep picturing Veronica Mars. For some reason I picture Dev with Dark hair though. So.. Veronica Mars as a Brunette.

[Angelone]

There was a time when she told Kane to back off a bit because her parents were beginning to get suspicious or something along those lines. So they do spend quite some time together.

[Pepsi Jedi]

There was a time when she told Kane to back off a bit because her parents were beginning to get suspicious or something along those lines. So they do spend quite some time together.

I missed that one. Where abouts would it be? (( Just curious. Not doubting you. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) ))

[Angelone]

I can't seem to find it, it was sometime after she tracked him down in Street Legends Supplemental.

[X-Kalibur]

So, aside from questions about the breast fairy

That's not a real thing... is it? Have you Canadians been holding back?!?

[hermit]

So, aside from questions about the breast fairy, how do you folks like the direction /dev/ has been taking in the last, hm, year or so?

Kane was a bit over the top, but fleshing her out made her, to me, a more interesting and likeable character. Especially the bits in Safehouses, SimDreams and Storm Front made me warm up to her (so she's the replacement for the guy I watched Athack kill). Te Kane bit was nice too, though a bit pink. But at least a rather cool kind of pink.

[Pepsi Jedi]

One of these days Dev is going to geek a guy. I just hope it's awesome and not a tears pouring down her face sort of event. I know she's young and what not but these are shadowrunners. Even the good guys have to kill now and then.

[CanRay]

One of these days Dev is going to geek a guy. I just hope it's awesome and not a tears pouring down her face sort of event. I know she's young and what not but these are shadowrunners. Even the good guys have to kill now and then.

Unless you're a two-legged monster, the first kill can be quite a difficult thing to experience.

Or, so I've been informed.

[Pepsi Jedi]

Unless you're a two-legged monster, the first kill can be quite a difficult thing to experience.

Or, so I've been informed.

"Can be" yeah, but again these are Shadowrunners. A very very select very very small percentage of the population. They break the law of both country and corps as a matter of course. They live and die by the gun and by the Deck.

I'm not saying they're all psychotics, but they're not the sort to cry into their drinks night after night for the people they've had to shoot in the course of their shadowrunning lives.

For Dev, avoiding the 'Crying little girl' Aspect needs to be addressed more so than on others. If she freaks out and starts sobbing after her first kill, it will destroy her 'gains' on Jackpoint and her cred and 'reason' to be there.

In my view the way to get around this turn of events and turning her into a crying softy, would be to make her first be something 'good'. I.E. taking down someone evil or someone doing an evil thing. She could be on a run that goes wrong, something big and nasty is about to kill a friend. Or she comes on a rape in progress and shoots the rapist... She gets targeted by one of the serial killers and has to kill him. etc. It can still be emotional for her with out making her 'The crying baby elf girl'.

"Difficult" and even "emotional" is fine. But with one that is 'barely' accepted by many fans (( And not accepted by some)) As being too young and a stupid kid. You gotta take very special care not to make it worse. If she 'goes on a shadowrun' and falls to pieces after having to shoot someone, it'd ruin the character.

[CanRay]

Ruin her... Or make her.

Depending on how it's done.

[Pepsi Jedi]

Ruin her... Or make her.

Depending on how it's done.

Exactly. That's my point. It'll be one or the other. Very likely nothing in between. So it has to be done right. Other wise, years of build up will result in a broken NPC that is going to be almost universally lothed.

[Wakshaani]

Careful, that way lies the new Lara Croft.

There are a few Jackpointers who aren't exactly murderhoboes. The Deckers, for instance, are pretty bloodless (Well, with some exceptions. PUCK.), while a few of the others are fairly unbloody.

Not everybody can pull a trigger on someone. You just have to manage those assets more carefully.

[tasti man LH]

...at the same time though, pretty sure the deckers of JackPoint wouldn't hesitate to bring down the Black Hammer on some poor spider...

[Pepsi Jedi]

Careful, that way lies the new Lara Croft.

There are a few Jackpointers who aren't exactly murderhoboes. The Deckers, for instance, are pretty bloodless (Well, with some exceptions. PUCK.), while a few of the others are fairly unbloody.

Not everybody can pull a trigger on someone. You just have to manage those assets more carefully.

Well there's a difference between a 'murderhobo' and "Being a Shadowrunner". Sooner or later a Shadowrunner is going to have to kill. And chances are it's going to be far far sooner, than later. Some go out of their way to avoid it, but I doubt any with careers longer than a few months to a year can retire with unbloodied hands. Sooner or later something happens on a run and you have to shoot your way out. The Decker that cowers in the corner screaming isn't brought on the next run. You can try your best to avoid it (( I mean I know I'd TRY not to kill people. Again. Not saying they're psychotics)) but the world is a dark place and if you're breaking into governmental or Corp (Same difference)) Places and pulling illegal activity, sooner or later you're going to be in a fight for your life. When you are, it's you or them. And if you're a 'successful' Shadowrunner. I.E. still breathing... it means it was them.

I'm not saying Dev needs to turn into Hard Exit, or Picador. But if she continues to be A Shadowrunner, sooner or later she'll be forced to kill to defend herself and others. If she does it and totally breaks down "Like a kid" The NPC will be hated for "Not deserving" to be on Jackpoint with the Real runners. She'll be seen as a failure.

Again she doesn't have to shoot old ladys or baby's between the eyes and lick the barrel of the gun while giggling like a loon. But -when- the time comes and she has to kill, I personally hope she 'Lives up' to the trust that FastJack and others have put into her to 'deserve' to be there, and not punk out.

This is significant due to some of the things cited above. She IS getting out of her protective corp life and going out into the field at least a little. I mean she tracked Kane down and actually hired on a runner team to back her up as she walked into a bar in the CAS (( If memory serves at 5 am)) And she's from North Eastern UCAS. Putting a gun to the guy's head.

So yeah... when she's forced to pull the trigger, or draw the blade. I hope the char isn't scrapped and thrown away. I like her. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[MrGlee]

As someone who only got into Shadowrun like, a year ago, and only started reading the non-crunch parts of books 6 months ago, I think /dev/grrl is awesome. She reads like new blood, and from what I have read has done so without becoming obnoxious. She is not a complete know it all brat, and does seem to hold some respect for those who came before her. Overall she is in a nice place.
While I disagree with her having to need to kill someone, if it does happen, it does need to be handled properly. There is no reason it shouldn't affect her or make her upset, but having her completely break down or be unable to take a shot, I think would be detrimental to her character.

[SpellBinder]

...at the same time though, pretty sure the deckers of JackPoint wouldn't hesitate to bring down the Black Hammer on some poor spider...

Netcat on Clockwork, for one example (yes, I know Clockwork isn't exactly a spider). I also think she wouldn't hesitate to shoot to kill him, either.

[Grinder]

I like the direction she's taken her tutelage under Kane and Fastjack it seems to have matured her.

Learning from a ruthless, soulless dude like Kane will certainly help her. Not. Seriously, when has Kane become one of the cool guys? I mean, the same guy who sold ship containers full of unwilling organ donators and is wanted as war criminal iirc?

[KarmaInferno]

Careful, that way lies the new Lara Croft.

Eh, even the new Lara isn't particularly weepy about her first kill, a little shaken perhaps.

Half a day later she's murdering folks by the dozens.


-k

[X-Kalibur]

Eh, even the new Lara isn't particularly weepy about her first kill, a little shaken perhaps.

Half a day later she's murdering folks by the dozens.


-k

They apparently didn't want to go with a "Spec Ops: The Line" version of Lara who suffers from crippling PTSD.

[ChromeZephyr]

Not having read all the relevant documents, has she ever melted someone's brain on the Matrix? Because that would be a good way to go about a first kill, I would think. And afterwords while she's giving an after-action report, have someone go "...and you know that that person's dead now, right? Like, 'blood pouring out of the nose and brains leaking out of ears' dead." Hell, maybe even a stolen vid feed from the corp security cams of the opposition twitching and pissing themselves before sagging to the floor. Just a thought.

[Patrick Goodman]

Someone remind me why we're so eager to make /dev a killer. I think I missed it somewhere. (I do not subscribe to the theory that says, "All shadowrunners are killers and there's no way to avoid it." But I'm weird like that, I guess.)

[hermit]

Someone remind me why we're so eager to make /dev a killer. I think I missed it somewhere. (I do not subscribe to the theory that says, "All shadowrunners are killers and there's no way to avoid it." But I'm weird like that, I guess.)

Here's the kick-off to this discussion:

One of these days Dev is going to geek a guy. I just hope it's awesome

As to why? All I'll say is: Because reasons. I'd have more to say, but that's against ToS and not for this Forum, I think.

[ChromeZephyr]

Someone remind me why we're so eager to make /dev a killer. I think I missed it somewhere. (I do not subscribe to the theory that says, "All shadowrunners are killers and there's no way to avoid it." But I'm weird like that, I guess.)

Maybe I'm parsing this too finely, but I don't think people want her to be a killer (someone who kills people routinely), but are curious about what happens if/when she is required to actually geek someone. What is the aftermath, and what direction does she go afterwards? I (and others, judging by the thread responses so far) expect that if you're a shadowrunner you're going to have to kill someone at some point in your career.