'Soko'

[Kafe]

(Character artwork by @welcome to the Retirement )



When the cascade drew it's long shadow, and the flora and fauna of unknown, alien breeds quickly spread across the earth, it's devastation went beyond the storms and skirmishes against alien beasts that most combatants recall in their past. The spores, viruses and parasites brought in a different fight, one which the doctors and medics of the time have few stories for, except the long, exhausting months spent trying to desperately understand and combat the swarm of new diseases and pandemics.

Old world doctors are challenging to find these days, the passage of time playing a smaller part in comparison to the numbers lost trying to fight the outbreaks and parasites that would ultimately claim them in turn. And for those who survived, a smaller portion would still go on to continue their practice, with past events following them silently, but knowingly.

For one doctor in particular, these events wore them down and broke them, leaving behind a fragmented shell of an individual to be left roaming the world as alien and combine life too hold, numb to the events around them.
Despite all of this, they continued to survive over time, as steadily and slowly, their mind began to return as the world calmed from the domination of the combine, a sense of clarity beyond aimless survival and wandering.

While much of who they were before remained lost in a traumatic haze, their medical knowledge remained, only needing to be awakened with practice, with these skills and a returning curiosity, a new person began to develop within a once broken shell of a human being.
This new identity formed within the unusual landscape of a post-cascade world, and through exposure to this environment, old medical history textbooks and stories of ancient plagues, their new identity took hold, alongside a new drive, or a new obsession.

Alien life would be the focus, ways to understand it, ways to mitigate it and ways to utilise it.
This body has experienced and endured more than a human being should have to face, but for Soko, this journey had properly begun.

-

Many years later after countless journeys and pursuits across the outlands, this unusual individual's travels led them to a new chunk of wasteland, in pursuit of a legendary creature known as a Gonarch, and in doing so they would find themselves involved with and witness to far more stories and events than they would expect.​

 

[Kafe]

What was meant to be another overly ambitious investigation into a poorly confirmed lead, had led to one of the most intensive few weeks for Soko in years. Her interactions with the combine in the past had been light, hidden in the shadows from their activities as she pursued the alien life roaming the planet which was not armed to the teeth.

But her exposure to the force of the combine, even in it's diminished state, has left her shaken, from the hunter attacks, the singularity of the tower, the destruction of the local weather, it made the impacts and dangers of the Gonarch feel pathetic in comparison.

With the local region devastated, the Gonarch forcefully migrated and all local groups quickly abandoning the area, Soko has elected for now to follow along with this group of individuals, where they go they seem to find trouble and very compelling circumstances.

With the likes of Markus, Trung, Zulu and a wide variety of interesting individuals she cannot put a name to, there's a feeling of commitment brewing for the time.

-

With one last wander around the dying wastes cataloguing every remaining detail she could commit her strength to find, her final set of research notes for the area were handed off to a fleeing courier and with that, she turned her back to the Gonarch's Domain for the last time, and set her sights forward to regroup with the local refugee and resistance groups, preparing to see what comes next.​

 

[Kafe]

//This idea has been an absolute bastard to write up so I'm just going to do an IC thought piece for now, I may well end up cutting this again later and have another go writing it, but the backstory concept remains. I've largely just wanted to explore the concept how badly mixing human and aliens together can backfire.

// This is not public IC knowledge, Soko has not and likely will not share this story with others for a while, she may well die with this secret, but we'll see how things go.

-

Now my mind has fixated on developing uses for the alien creatures rather than mitigating them.
I've begun to dream of some earlier days.

The headcrabs with a snake's hiss and bite that annihilated entire communities, even after all this time I do not believe a mutation so cruel could ever be natural.

I spent a year trying to understand you, and find a way to make your bite meaningless.

Perhaps this creature can produce a resistance
Or Perhaps this solution can negate the venom's strength
​

All that work, that whole year lost to you parasites, and after all that time when I thought I had finally defeated you, you carried one last trick.
If only I knew your venom took like a drug, by the time we had begun using my solution to neutralise your lethality, it was already too late, in a new way you had taken your hold.

Perhaps the chemicals you use to dominate and control your host, or perhaps this is was an intentional trick the source of your mutation brought into account, but I had never until now known of a time where a survivor of it's bite come clawing back desperately for it to strike again, for every waking moment and restless night to crave the parasite's venom.

survivors depended on it, they were restlessly, hopelessly addicted to the venom, and the solution I created to counteract it.

I could no longer stop the project, more powerful hands took claim over it when it's failures were realised, groups and individuals that saw it for something other than a mistake, they saw a new drug empire for a new earth.

'Hijack', they enthusiastically named it like they would for their first child.
'All gather round' they would holler, finding new groups to lure in. a bite from the parasite and a shot of this solution to surrender all ability of conscious thought and leave them hooked, left to follow their every word to stave off a withdrawl.

Seeing my effort and work, perverted in such a way to further destroy what we had left instead of sustain it. it has made me second guess my every action since.

The only action I've not second guessed since, was burning my old lab to the ground, every sample, every note, the only thing I was not able to burn down were the minds who knew my work, and could potentially carry on in my place, at least I could leave them very little to work with.

but now like the poison parasites, I now too have left behind a trail of devastation.
In time, if I get stronger, I will need to return back, and make sure nobody can continue that work.
The mistake has to die with me, it's a matter of principle.

 

[Kafe]

Soko has always been an inconsistent figure roaming the outlands, coming and going quite frequently to wherever her personal and research interests take her, when she returned to the city to meet up with the resistance caravan she had been a part of for the past couple of months, she had discovered they moved on, with the stalemate and exhausting campaign fighting for their outer chunk of the city region, they had abandoned their homes and moved underground.

For Soko, an underground metro system at this time does not offer her what she needs to fulfil her experimental needs, and as such has decided to not follow them into the underground tunnels

As Soko stood at the gates to the metro system, she turned away from following their path, although for the first time in many years, she paused, looking back at the group she was going to leave behind, as she had done countless times before, this hesitation was new.

The groups, and the people of this resistance caravan had left an impact on her unusual, fractured and poorly presented emotional side, creating a sense of attachment which has rarely existed before. There was a strong desire to follow them in spite of it's hindrance to her intentions, perhaps a personal compromise was in order...

-

Soko remains in her work in the outlands, tracking xenian life, following leads and keeping herself busy with her work, but unwilling to leave the caravan behind, she has remained local to the gates that would allow her to reach them once again.
Utilising Lambda couriers and other travellers, she keeps herself informed on the events underground and the resistance caravan's wellbeing, should they need her, it is only a moderate trip to their tunnels and back, waiting for the excuse to move her research back underground.

-

//Going to reduce Soko's activity as a character for a little bit, mainly to build up a secondary character ,and to continue pursuing this map building project of mine as I'm feeling quite committed to it now. I'll bring Soko in and out of the tunnels to keep the dust off her, but more of her activities will take place in roleplay documents for a bit.

 

[Kafe]

Small scale updates:

favoured weapon: Grease Gun
Long term use of the weapon throughout the wastelands, asheville city and underground tunnels has created a strange comfort with the weapon, and become the preferred choice, a lower demand ammo type, slower firing rate and competent stopping power has made it more reliable for persisting long-term.

-

Scarred: Vortbeam burns
Glancing blow to the head has left soko with a rough burn over the back and leftmost side of the head, bulk of the hair in that area was burnt off. Most of this will not be visible thanks to their mask, but this will leave it's mark none the less.

Long-Term Injury: Vortbeam injury
Whilst the bulk of the damage is upfront, the intense energy from the beam has left Soko's muscles and nerves in a harsher state, primarily in the form of random, involuntary twitching, it will likely take time for this to subside and longer to be gone entirely, this will create some difficulty in performing more precise medical operations.

Long-Term Injury: Blunt force trauma (Spinal)
From the encounter with the Gargantua, the injuries from being grappled and thrown by the beast leaves behind some trauma, and spinal injury. the most extreme of this has been resolved thanks to vortigaunt assistance (Ropot), and soko maintains her suite of movement capabilities. but for the time being it will be harder to push herself as much as before.

 

[Appetite Ruining Kebab]

Long-Term Injury: Blunt force trauma (Spinal)
From the encounter with the Gargantua, the injuries from being grappled and thrown by the beast leaves behind some trauma, and spinal injury. the most extreme of this has been resolved thanks to vortigaunt assistance (Ropot), and soko maintains her suite of movement capabilities. but for the time being it will be harder to push herself as much as before.

 

[Kafe]

The tunnels were a bust, through and through.
A damned, cursed place with no sustainability and no place for research to continue, the xenian population was barely present.
It was the right call to remain away from the tunnels generally, the few times Soko made to the tunnels were endurance tests to the body and mind.

her injuries from the Gargantua and near capture with a civil protection cult were almost forgotten in memory after the loss of Ropot.

In the past Soko had largely kept away from the Vortigaunts, Ropot was one Soko had met out of chance, when they sacrificed their body defending the groups from a crazed pyrotechnical, Soko had been there to keep Ropot from the brink of death, as a curiosity and respect grew for them.

Soko and Ropot didn't connect as frequently during his life, although in hindsight Soko would wish she had done so, Ropot was an interesting figure, his own xenian interests, looking for help in medical work, and even just assisting others instead of a life of isolation, Ropot is likely the only reason Soko can still walk right now.

His capture was sudden, and despite putting herself on the line with many others to try and rescue him, she would have to mourn his loss as well.

-

It's a strange thing, a human mourning the loss of a different creature, it managed to bridge the gap between two species, and one would mourn the other's loss as an equal, and as a good friend.
I'm sorry we couldn't rescue you, and that you died in these tunnels.
there's no doubt the surviving vortigaunts mourn the loss of their kin, at least from now I'll stick beside them.

 

[Kafe]

My first time within a combine city's walls, and this is what the alien dominators left behind to complete their task?

having seen so many groups, refugees and friends be cut down by your mutant soldiers and beasts, I know when words are spoken through gritted teeth, the Combine only seeks mercy when they're in no position to make the decision.

call us killers then, your decades long brutality makes me only want to live up to that expectation rather than respect your hypocrisy.

concede or face humanity once again, councillors.
Your dream of the combine's stars is only akin to the extinct sea turtle, fooled by false lights away from any hope of a future.

-

Whilst I will respect the decisions of my companions, your façade of concern is an insult.

 

[Kafe]

I left those I trust to make the decision for us tonight, and I hope that the guidance I place in them is not misguided.
For now a ceasefire will hold, weather or not I believe the Combine deserve it is irrelevant.

Whilst I stand amongst these people, I will respect their decisions and needs.
May this not come to bring us greater harm.

-

For now, the quiet will allow me to pursue more of my work, the local wildlife in the city has long evaded my observations, not to mention general medical work beyond emergency care.
time to correct that. make the most of this.​

 

[Kafe]

So @welcome to the Retirement went out and remade Soko's character art from 4-5 years ago and has delivered one hell of an update.
I may not be playing right now but I've gotta share.

Spoiler: Original

I think it's really bloody cool, goes harder into the more dishevelled, wandering and unusual aesthetic of the character
I'm not sure when I'll come back to play again, but I'm well equipped for when the time comes.​

 

[welcome to the Retirement]

i would rather have a russian soldier break my leg again than be involved with neb in any significant capacity

that said

management asked me to help with some projects in the near future

hope you lot are well

 

[slick]

i would rather have a russian soldier break my leg again than be involved with neb in any significant capacity

that said

management asked me to help with some projects in the near future

hope you lot are well

hope u are well

 

['77 East]

management asked me to help with some projects in the near future

hope you lot are well

welcome hoovie

hope you're okay in iceland

 

[welcome to the Retirement]

welcome hoovie

hope you're okay in iceland

east you gifted me new vegas right after i started my adhd meds so that led me to having my first ever proper playthrough and now my life is irreperably changed, ruined; whatever you call it

i'm not sure it's called okay but i certainly am something now

 

[Dallas]

listen i want to support people who make the creative work but something is bugging me and it's the bird mask what's the deal like why is that a thing, i saw it in the server once and was shaken to my core, what practical purpose does this beak thing serve

i feel like im taking crazy pills has no one mentioned it before or something

 

[Dan]

listen i want to support people who make the creative work but something is bugging me and it's the bird mask what's the deal like why is that a thing, i saw it in the server once and was shaken to my core, what practical purpose does this beak thing serve

i feel like im taking crazy pills has no one mentioned it before or something

it fucks

 

[Kafe]

i feel like im taking crazy pills has no one mentioned it before or something

Oh its definitely been mentioned, this character is ancient.

But ultimately its about time it shook someone lmao, the whole point was to use old plague doctor visuals to have a character that felt out of place, unusual and to an extent disturbing and triggering unease.

Being obsessed with aliens and experimenting on them too was to play into that.

That kinda failed as people just went 'cool mask' and vibed with it instead of being weirded out.

 

[Appetite Ruining Kebab]

Oh its definitely been mentioned, this character is ancient.

But ultimately its about time it shook someone lmao, the whole point was to use old plague doctor visuals to have a character that felt out of place, unusual and to an extent disturbing and triggering unease.

Being obsessed with aliens and experimenting on them too was to play into that.

That kinda failed as people just went 'cool mask' and vibed with it instead of being weirded out.

personally i just consistently zoned out of reading soko's full desc (not your fault, i had a dozen people hounding me for interactions any time i flagged on in c24, severely limited my attention span) but def wouldve remarked on it if i saw a /me or something

gasmask bodygroup didnt even phase me cuz im so desensitized to metro 2033 aesthetic