Arguably the most important and first thing to develop for a Fighter, you want a diverse cast of personalities for the fundamental variety in playstyles, but also for a diverse cast of choices to help new players pick up a character with an appealing visual design or personality.
I've had a pool of characters and some minor worldbuilding for a few years, some which have been developed further than others but none of which I've pushed further than conceptual stages. I feel that this project is a great place to implement them to combine my current interests and personal style into a sort of dream project for myself, at least as a prototype. Some have pixel art, others are nothing more than text descriptions but I plan to develop at least a few of them into animated, mechanically functional 3D models.
The Horror - The main character of Temp Work Mercenary, The Horror is a blue-skinned, gaudily dressed mercenary from an obscure pocket dimension inhabited by shapeshifters. He is characterized by his optimistic grin, rose-tinted shades and gaudy poncho, as well as a strange obsession with all things antique, especially from the 20th and 21st century.
Ish Tarkous – A veteran mercenary, high in the ranks with only three years of missions under her belt, she is characterized by a hyperaggressive attitude that aids her in combat. Her greatest pride is a collection of Pulse and Plasma Rifles of different makes and customizations, which she maintains and selects from depending on the parameters of the mission. She also pilots a shell ship known as the Venus Comb, an agile combat-ready ship often used for high-speed chases.
Ulon Iskill – A clueless member of an extraordinarily rare, almost infinitely resilient species, Iskill is unfortunately prone to deadly circumstances, yet due to advanced regeneration on a cellular level, is impossible to kill, at least not permanently. Wholly unimpressive as a mercenary, he is often hired for minimal pay as a "Coalmine Canary" who runs in to trigger traps and gauge security at a mission location.
Belb Loomy – A young Jellian woman, Belb is not a mercenary herself but finds herself drawn to their escapades in her profession as an eyewitness reporter. Secretly she's just looking to eventually get her own start by inheriting a merc's belongings should he/she die on the job. Deceptively innocent, Belb is fueled by her desire to become one of the big-shots of the Outer Colonies.
Pasho - Distinguished bartender of Ghost’s TexMex Bar & Grill, he’s an old man of few words, but rumor has it that long ago when he still lived on Earth, he competed in the 2084 AMMA (Actually Mixed Martial Arts) fighting championships, bringing his unorthodox Drunken Boxing style to the ring. Not only does he serve drinks, he also serves as the restaurant’s security, and quickly resolves any disturbance to the peace of the establishment, with flying fists if need be.
Neornot City Police Department/Martian Colony Guardian Forces - Cyclopic sentinels, the NCPD are intent on keeping the peace, no matter the cost. Given the rogues' gallery they're tasked with stopping from wreaking havoc in the city, they generally cause more collateral damage than good in stopping the city's criminals. Though their ranks are numerous, the most commonly dispatched team consists of clumsy rookies, who tend to trip over one another while trying to coordinate.
Lackadaisical Dapris - A carefree alien creature native to Mars who is sometimes seen hopping about the city outskirts. Dapris is something of an unofficial mascot for Neornot City, bounding ever-forward with untamed curiosity. Dapris is prone to mischief and enjoys playing pranks on the colony's inhabitants, sometimes with unintentionally dangerous results. The NCPD are hellbent on capturing Dapris despite his celebrity status among the city's inhabitants.
Imp Gail - Well-tuned to the going ons on the city underworld, not for any ulterior motive or criminal intent, but just because she prides herself in knowing where to find the best night life spots. You can often find Gail in a foggy, bass-boosted rave, and she's always ready for a dance-off against challengers, especially who would crash the party, like the NCPD and Phantom Merc. Co. bounty hunters. Unsurprisingly, she is a practitioner of Capoeira-style martial arts, blending dance-like rhythm with quick offensive strikes.
Zarephath: Worshipped by some as a goddess, Zarephath is a celestial being long-separated from her kind. In learning of the multitude of species inhabiting Neornot City, she decided to settle down and learn of this universe and its people. She abhors senseless violence, and uses her numerous tentacles to ensnare aggressive beings and if they do not stand down, toss them about until incapacitated. By nature, she is able to call forth the arcane arts to help protect her and her worshippers.
Characters are fine and good but you also want some settings to place the action in. For that purpose I've tied some stage selections to a few key characters based on where they might be found in Neornot City. More to come but this is a decent starting selection.
The Horror’s Stage: Horror’s Apartment – A humble man’s home, The Horror makes his living in a quaint space until the day Ulon crash-lands right into Horror’s apartment. It’s difficult to separate the antique junk laying around from the debris left in the wake of Ulon’s ship. The cityscape can be seen through the windows in the background.
Ish’s Stage: Hunter’s Haven – Ish’s favorite store in all of Neornot, this mercenary hotspot provides a wide selection of strange and powerful weapons from the galaxy over. The owner prefers clients don’t start fights, with some of these colorful personalities they'd rather not get involved. Just don't steal anything!
Ulon’s Stage: Pacho’s Earth Antique Store – One shared hobby of Horror and Ulon is picking up strange antiques from the planet Earth, old forms of media like MP3 Players, Smart Phones and Film Laserdiscs. No better place in Neornot curates these 20th and 21st century oddities than Pacho’s Antique Store. The older brother to Pasho the bartender, Pacho has collected interesting pieces in his travels to and from Earth for decades and hosts them in his shop.
Pasho’s Stage: Ghost’s ‘Out of this World’ TexMex Grill – The main trios' traditional meeting spot, food is cheap and reasonably tasty and the booths are comfy as all get-out! Basically Space Chili’s. Logo is a Ghostly Pepper with text complementing the color palette of the Ghost Pepper.
Imp Gail’s Stage: City Underground Rave Stage – Challenge Gail to a duel at the center of the dance floor, this party heats up as two combatants exchange blows to pumping beats and pulsing lights.
