Edit: I also realised I never posted my Char sheet here. Aria, could you link this back to the first page ta
The Crash of 2064 affected a lot of people in a big way. None moreso than Cipher. For him, it was more than a catastrophe that brought institutions to their knees, it was as awakening. He could finally see.
Cipher is a Technomancer born of the crash. Only Cipher is different. For him their is only one reality and he isn't in it. He's trapped in this Matrix along with everyone else, though no-one else seems to know. For Cipher the world is an unusual place. It's all a game. If only he could learn to master his control of it.
An outsider would say that Cipher is crazy, dangerous, and should be locked away. Perceiving the world as a program can lead you to do some dark things, for what use are morals when the whole world is a game?
20 Questions for
1) What's your heritage?
The usual UCAS blend of a dozen other nationalities. Irish. Italian. A true child of the free world.
2) What would your parents say about you?
Nothing. Cipher stabbed his father while he was still a child trying to adjust to his new perception of reality. He was told he couldn't have a cyberpet, so he stabbed him in the face. His mother, husband dead and child locked away, ended her own life after a struggle with drink. When he was released a few years later, he made a very thorough attempt to erase this record of his past, and has actively stayed off-the-grid and ran SINless ever since.
3) What historical events does your character remember?
The Crash 2.0. Nothing else is real. This one, singular glitch in the Matrix allowed him to see.
4) How did you get into shadowrunning, and why?
There's nowhere else to live. The Shadows are the only place to find any truth in the world. It's denizens, the only ones not part of the corporate machine.
5) What is your living space like?
Different every few weeks. His lifestyle is always spoofed, and usually High. He has to use the mechanics of the world to unlock the mental comfort he desires.
6) What are your beliefs / convictions (if any) and why do you hold them?
All the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players. Reality isn't real. He holds this conviction because he can see it. He lives it every day as the singular truth.
7) What do you think is your most annoying / worst trait?
While normal looking on the face of it, beneath the surface Cipher is a sociopath. Anyone that's run with him will have seen him do something questionable or downright amoral without the least bit of remorse or sympathy.
What megacorp do you like the most? the Least? Why?
While he hates all of the corporations and their control over reality, NeoNET has a special loathing reserved in his heart. As creators of the Matrix it is them that have concocted this virtual cocoon we all live in. He will take any opportunity to run against them, and will act against them indiscriminately
9) How did you come to know your contacts?
Work, casual meetings, it doesn't matter. None of them understand anyway.
10) What do you do on a day off?
There aren't days off, though his attitide to life fluctuates wildly from day to day. He isn't even sure of his own motivations. If he does manage to uncover the truth does he even want to reveal it or rule over it as a virtual paradise? He'll flip-flop from aggressive action and digging to savouring the world and enjoying its spoils.
11) How did you come to learn your skills at your present proficiency?
He didn't learn how to do anything, merely discovered that he could do it. In this world you can do anything if you can unlock the key to it. There are entire skillsets contained within programs.
12) Are there any moral limits on what jobs you take or things you'll do?
Absolutely none, less than most. For what use are morals in an unreal world.
13) How do you view magic / technomantic abilities?
A blessing and a curse. It allows him to see the world for what it is, but often he longs for a return to the ignorance of metahumanity.
14) How do you view augmentation / implantation?
It's good for the people, but piling their machine code on top of you is exactly what they want. It gives them more control and clouds your ability to see clearly.
15) What do you think of ordinary life and those who live it?
Envy, jealousy and pity.
16) What would be a bad nightmare for you? Any deep-rooted fears? Why is it so frightening to you?
He's been living his own personal nightmare for years, to the point that he's started to get used to it. What could there be to fear within this world?
17) What is your 'sacred object' or 'close one', and how did they become so important to you?
Nothing an no-one, for nothing is real. He runs light, maintaining as few possessions and belongings as possible.
18) What did you want to become as a child, and what are your goals now?
As a child. Wow, that's a though. As a child; a fireman, or a soldier, or a pilot. It depended on the day. How he longed for that innocence now. His current goals are mixed and clouded. He wants to reveal more truth to himself, but doesn't know what he'll do when he finds it. He likes to enjoy the mental stimulations of life as it is now, but he also lives in fear of the machine. He knows they don't want him here, knowing what he knows. He's a loose end.
19) What does your character look like, and what inspired his choices?
Young, only 17. Brown hair and blue, dead eyes that will crush your soul if you look into them for too long. He often seems lost in daydreams, or erratically flitting about, but when he does look at you there's no mistaking that he's not seeing you the way everyone else sees you. He's looking through you.
20) How did you get your street name?
Cipher. The name came from a film back in the 20th century.
Cipher will use the Info Savant stream. I've saved the 10 karma for immersion, and I'll probably pick up Biowires as I think it fits. 'I know Kung-fu'
