Info-dump for Ginia/Blanc/Erika's canon.
A comment on Ginia's HMD thread made me realize something; I really need to flesh out Ginia's world more. All the basics are there, the rules are there, but I need to get all the details out of my head and down on paper as well as tweak the things that aren't working or aren't clear. So here's me kinda dumping some thoughts out and trying to get organized.
A bit of pre-history for things, Ginia's canon is the first story in what was originally designed as a trilogy. Ginia and Erika's story is the first one and focus around hunters. The second story, Synthication, focuses on a different set of characters and deals with gangs and organized crime and drug dealers. The third story, The Flight of the Sparrow, has a new set of characters and deals with the government/military and a supersoldier program involving children.
(The third story is the other one Ginia that counts as a part of her canon. If I ever decide to canon update, she'll be pulled from this point in her life. Retired as a hunter and is living a quiet life as a bartender in Santa Fe at age 35... and then an old friend comes by and recruits her help in protecting a child soldier and a child genius.)
Her world is built off the idea of what would happen if the US government collapsed and retreated into a (semi) isolationist state to rebuild. A big aspect of the world revolves around freelancers or (bounty) hunters, but it's more an exploration into a world where violence is a norm and survival is key. It's not entirely a dystopian society, but it's a country greatly affected by urban warfare, corruption, and greed. It's a world where money can buy all things and there are people willing to carry out anything for a price.
As I see it, the US can almost be split into three different categories:
1) Areas with ongoing struggles. These are the cities or states that have heavy military presence or an ongoing power struggle between criminal groups, the military, and the hunters playing each side. Usually the larger cities or more populated areas. These are places like Boston and Davenport, where the Irish Mob has a stronghold on things and pretty much run the cities. There's still military presence, but they're generally met with resistance by hunters and the Irish Mob so there's a lot of fighting in the streets. We're not talking about tanks and jets flying over head, but definitely armed patrols and snipers around (on both sides).
Washington D.C. would be an example of a city with heavy military presence (because it's still the capitol of the US) and order. Everything is strictly regulated and by the book. You still have gangs and such about, but their activity is going to be a little more covert or with arrangements made (because corruption is a big thing). Hotbed for hunter activity because there's always information to be stolen, hits carried out, and people blackmailed.
2) Areas with fewer struggles. These are areas where one side has completely taken over to the point where it's accepted, or areas so small or rural that no one really cares. Almost considered no-man's land or places where people pass through on the way to somewhere else. A lot of the central areas of the US would count, ditto for central and eastern Washington and Oregon. Places that are either beyond saving and so no one cares, or there's no point fighting around there. A cross between the badlands or no-man's land and sleepy towns and small cities that are more resting areas while traveling.
3. Areas that have shut themselves out. These are cities or even states (Hawaii and Alaska) that have completely isolated themselves and/or locked themselves out from everyone. We're talking about gated communities and highly regulated areas, most often for the rich and wealthy. Little pieces of utopia regulated by themselves. Resort and vacation spots can also fall into these areas.
The one thing these places all have in common are hunters. They're figures that play both sides and can fit in anywhere as they're people that will do anything for money (though they can be classified by the jobs they take). Mercenaries also get tossed around and some hunters fit into that category, but there's usually a military connotation there.
For the sake of things, freelancer or (bounty) hunter is the blanket term and overall profession. The bounty part is sometimes included as a lot of jobs do involve tracking down people that have skipped town and most job offers and payments can be seen as bounties, but hunter is easier to use.
The breakdown from there is more dependent on job. By and large, most hunters take on whatever jobs come their way, but everyone has their personal preferences for jobs.
Hits: These are the assassinations and simple hits carried out on an individual. The most common job to be found because to quote the Sniper from Team Fortress 2, "at the end of the day, long as there's two people left on the planet, someone is gonna want someone dead". Conflicts between hunters can occur when someone is going after the same hit or there's someone protecting the target.
Guard/escort: Exactly what it sounds like. Usually involving protecting a person for a given length of time, but may also apply to an item. Also covers making sure person/object x gets from point A to point B. Can conflict with hits and retrieval jobs.
Retrieval: The opposite of guard/escort jobs when items are involved. The client wants a certain item, the hunter goes in and gets it. Can create conflicts with guard and escort jobs.
--Data retrieval: It's own section that deals more with obtaining information and goes more into the realm of technology. This is spying, collecting information off databases, spying, the works.
Data analysis: The planners and masterminds. These are the people that take information and break them down to create reports or to draft out plans. Often hired out by the military for covert operations.
Tracking: Specifically refers to tracking down a person and bringing them in. These are usually people skipping bail or more dangerous like an escaped criminal or someone running for any number of reasons. Usually brought in alive, but occasional the order for dead or alive goes out depending on the degree of danger.
Ginia identifies herself as a data analyst and retrieval specialist as those are the jobs she prefers doing the most and is the best at. It's also sounds most business-like as she often tells people she works in business. However, like most hunters, she's run the full gamut of jobs and has skills to make her versatile. But given the choice, she'll take retrieval and analysis jobs over everything else.
Contrast that with her former partner, Erika, who had a penchant for tracking and retrieval jobs. Then there's Erika's half-brother who had a reputation for carrying out hits and being an effective guard (hence the nickname "the Bloody King").
Jobs are received in a variety of ways. There are a variety of databases where jobs can be posted and picked up. This is the most common method. For hunters with a reputation and regular client base, repeat customers and direct requests are a secondary method. The first method can be hit and miss as far as the job and payout goes (some clients don't like paying up). The second method has a bit more reliability, though it's easy enough for a hunter to get trapped working for a client.
Payment for jobs can vary, though the business is quite lucrative in general. Unless she's taking a job pro bono or doing a personal favor (which happens quite often), Ginia doesn't take less than $10,000 US for a job for data analysis and retrieval jobs, more if she has to travel. Even if you consider a lot of the money goes toward expenses (travel costs, food, place to stay, supplies) and occasionally paying off people, Ginia can easily do two or three jobs a week if they're quick things. With that in mind, that's 30,000 a week at minimum. Even if she only works 40 weeks out of the year, she's still making 1,200,000 dollars in a single year, tax free on average.
A bit of pre-history for things, Ginia's canon is the first story in what was originally designed as a trilogy. Ginia and Erika's story is the first one and focus around hunters. The second story, Synthication, focuses on a different set of characters and deals with gangs and organized crime and drug dealers. The third story, The Flight of the Sparrow, has a new set of characters and deals with the government/military and a supersoldier program involving children.
(The third story is the other one Ginia that counts as a part of her canon. If I ever decide to canon update, she'll be pulled from this point in her life. Retired as a hunter and is living a quiet life as a bartender in Santa Fe at age 35... and then an old friend comes by and recruits her help in protecting a child soldier and a child genius.)
Her world is built off the idea of what would happen if the US government collapsed and retreated into a (semi) isolationist state to rebuild. A big aspect of the world revolves around freelancers or (bounty) hunters, but it's more an exploration into a world where violence is a norm and survival is key. It's not entirely a dystopian society, but it's a country greatly affected by urban warfare, corruption, and greed. It's a world where money can buy all things and there are people willing to carry out anything for a price.
As I see it, the US can almost be split into three different categories:
1) Areas with ongoing struggles. These are the cities or states that have heavy military presence or an ongoing power struggle between criminal groups, the military, and the hunters playing each side. Usually the larger cities or more populated areas. These are places like Boston and Davenport, where the Irish Mob has a stronghold on things and pretty much run the cities. There's still military presence, but they're generally met with resistance by hunters and the Irish Mob so there's a lot of fighting in the streets. We're not talking about tanks and jets flying over head, but definitely armed patrols and snipers around (on both sides).
Washington D.C. would be an example of a city with heavy military presence (because it's still the capitol of the US) and order. Everything is strictly regulated and by the book. You still have gangs and such about, but their activity is going to be a little more covert or with arrangements made (because corruption is a big thing). Hotbed for hunter activity because there's always information to be stolen, hits carried out, and people blackmailed.
2) Areas with fewer struggles. These are areas where one side has completely taken over to the point where it's accepted, or areas so small or rural that no one really cares. Almost considered no-man's land or places where people pass through on the way to somewhere else. A lot of the central areas of the US would count, ditto for central and eastern Washington and Oregon. Places that are either beyond saving and so no one cares, or there's no point fighting around there. A cross between the badlands or no-man's land and sleepy towns and small cities that are more resting areas while traveling.
3. Areas that have shut themselves out. These are cities or even states (Hawaii and Alaska) that have completely isolated themselves and/or locked themselves out from everyone. We're talking about gated communities and highly regulated areas, most often for the rich and wealthy. Little pieces of utopia regulated by themselves. Resort and vacation spots can also fall into these areas.
The one thing these places all have in common are hunters. They're figures that play both sides and can fit in anywhere as they're people that will do anything for money (though they can be classified by the jobs they take). Mercenaries also get tossed around and some hunters fit into that category, but there's usually a military connotation there.
For the sake of things, freelancer or (bounty) hunter is the blanket term and overall profession. The bounty part is sometimes included as a lot of jobs do involve tracking down people that have skipped town and most job offers and payments can be seen as bounties, but hunter is easier to use.
The breakdown from there is more dependent on job. By and large, most hunters take on whatever jobs come their way, but everyone has their personal preferences for jobs.
Hits: These are the assassinations and simple hits carried out on an individual. The most common job to be found because to quote the Sniper from Team Fortress 2, "at the end of the day, long as there's two people left on the planet, someone is gonna want someone dead". Conflicts between hunters can occur when someone is going after the same hit or there's someone protecting the target.
Guard/escort: Exactly what it sounds like. Usually involving protecting a person for a given length of time, but may also apply to an item. Also covers making sure person/object x gets from point A to point B. Can conflict with hits and retrieval jobs.
Retrieval: The opposite of guard/escort jobs when items are involved. The client wants a certain item, the hunter goes in and gets it. Can create conflicts with guard and escort jobs.
--Data retrieval: It's own section that deals more with obtaining information and goes more into the realm of technology. This is spying, collecting information off databases, spying, the works.
Data analysis: The planners and masterminds. These are the people that take information and break them down to create reports or to draft out plans. Often hired out by the military for covert operations.
Tracking: Specifically refers to tracking down a person and bringing them in. These are usually people skipping bail or more dangerous like an escaped criminal or someone running for any number of reasons. Usually brought in alive, but occasional the order for dead or alive goes out depending on the degree of danger.
Ginia identifies herself as a data analyst and retrieval specialist as those are the jobs she prefers doing the most and is the best at. It's also sounds most business-like as she often tells people she works in business. However, like most hunters, she's run the full gamut of jobs and has skills to make her versatile. But given the choice, she'll take retrieval and analysis jobs over everything else.
Contrast that with her former partner, Erika, who had a penchant for tracking and retrieval jobs. Then there's Erika's half-brother who had a reputation for carrying out hits and being an effective guard (hence the nickname "the Bloody King").
Jobs are received in a variety of ways. There are a variety of databases where jobs can be posted and picked up. This is the most common method. For hunters with a reputation and regular client base, repeat customers and direct requests are a secondary method. The first method can be hit and miss as far as the job and payout goes (some clients don't like paying up). The second method has a bit more reliability, though it's easy enough for a hunter to get trapped working for a client.
Payment for jobs can vary, though the business is quite lucrative in general. Unless she's taking a job pro bono or doing a personal favor (which happens quite often), Ginia doesn't take less than $10,000 US for a job for data analysis and retrieval jobs, more if she has to travel. Even if you consider a lot of the money goes toward expenses (travel costs, food, place to stay, supplies) and occasionally paying off people, Ginia can easily do two or three jobs a week if they're quick things. With that in mind, that's 30,000 a week at minimum. Even if she only works 40 weeks out of the year, she's still making 1,200,000 dollars in a single year, tax free on average.