"Sometimes you gamble and lose." (An OC Request Thread)

[Nineball Yamada]

SCARLET SYNDICATE
FILE NO. 402
INDIVIDUAL PROFILES NO. A97626, C36120, A13111
VERSION 0.4ß

[Nineball Yamada]

Handle: Nineball Yamada
Real Name: Classified
Age: 22
Date Of Birth: July 27th, 2028
Ethnicity: Caucasian of mixed descent, primarily Eastern European. Subject occasionally claims 1/4 Japanese ancestry; this has been found to be false.
Gender: Male
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 220 pounds
Blood Type: O-
Measurements: 39-34-37
Hair Color: Dark gray
Hair Style: Short, but sticks far out in the front, seemingly defying gravity.
Eye Color: Brown
Relatives: None living
Quotes: "Sometimes you gamble and win. Sometimes you gamble and lose."
Clothing Style/Usual Attire: Tends to dress semi-formally. Usually seen wearing a red blazer with silver buttons over a gray T-shirt or sweater, tucked into pressed black slacks. Often wears all-purpose black utility boots and large, padded and armored black fingerless gloves over his sleeves. A silver ring is on his left ring finger, though the gloves typically cover it. Seems to like wearing his old ID tags around his neck as well.
Skills: A proficient marksman. Seems to have a knack for getting himself out of troublesome situations, either through luck or determination.
Likes: Gambling, fairness, billiards
Dislikes: Cheaters, people harming those he cares for, traveling by airline
Occupation: Formerly an agent of ours, subject was exiled and now seems to have gone rogue.
Distinguishable Features: Very tall, and has hair that can put out an eye. Equipped with the ACES Mk-II test type and uses the PAS mechanical wings with it.
Mental Description: Seems older than one would expect. Subject has a keen mind and thinks very logically, though he is known to take unreasonable risks occasionally. Sometimes hesitant. While not cold or emotionless - he is actually quite jovial, compassionate and respectful - he is very deliberate in his actions and methods, and takes no quarter from those who cross him.
Lifestyle: Somewhat mild. He was an above-average student in his early years, social but not really a go-getter. His induction turned him into more of a risk-taker, but he still lives a fairly calm and reactive lifestyle, preferring to wait for problems to come to him instead. He eschews form for function and isn't averse to taking a sedan over a sporty roadster or crashing in a motel instead of the Ritz. Generally he tries not to make waves where they don't need to be, but if his Angela comes to harm or there's a battle to be won, he'll be right there thumbing his nose at death itself.
Build: Large. He is neither lanky nor musclebound, instead having a more average build.
Demeanor: Gentle yet firm, sometimes to the point of being blunt. Generally good-natured and slow to anger, but fires up quickly when someone harms a person he's close to such as Angela.
Tattoos/Distinguishing Marks: Has many crude surgical scars on the back of each hand.
Religious Preference: Protestant by birth, but not deeply attached to any one religion.
Weapon of Choice: Twin silenced H&K MP5SDs modified to fire both rubber and standard bullets. Also fond of shotguns and fighting with his fists.
Other Equipment: Nothing notable other than a multitool.
Fighting Skills/Styles: None - he enjoys hand-to-hand combat but isn't well-versed in any particular martial art, opting for simpler and less flashy methods to get the job done. Of note, however, is his almost exclusive use of rubber bullets in ranged combat following the Parking Garage Incident. While not averse to killing, he seems to prefer non-lethal methods unless he believes his target truly deserves to die.
Enhancements: Based on agents' observations and a certain late doctor's records, the subject is augmented with the unfinished ACES Mk. II test unit, the PAS Flight-Type, and Malloy in his hands and forearms. His equipment lacks the technical ability and raw power of Friska's, but he can still use the wings to hover and glide and his Malloy gives him above-average strength in his arms. Eyewitnesses have reported him wielding an automatic shotgun in each hand as if they were nothing.
Known Accomplices: Formerly partnered with Friska, the subject now seems to have taken a young woman by the name of Angela under his wing to travel with him. It would appear that Friska would stay alongside him as well were it not for Angela's presence and their disagreements over the rightful owner of his augmentations.
Known Disguises: None.
Known Hideouts/Addresses: No known permanent residence. Subject sighted in a variety of temporary lodgings with no discernible pattern to them.
Loyalties/Affiliations: Deathly protective of Angela, but otherwise has no specific loyalties. Formerly one of our agents.
Strengths: A decent shot. Clear-headed and determined.
Weaknesses: Somewhat single-minded. Not particularly strong, considering his enhancements. Has a loud, noticeable girl following him everywhere. Easily manipulated via Angela.
Threat Assessment: As a former Scarlet assassin, he has extensive knowledge of our existence and methods. His long-term motive is not entirely clear, but given his ill-gotten enhancements and relations with Friska, he is sure to become a thorn in our side eventually. She and our higher-ranking agents are more than a match for him, but he still should not be taken lightly. He is not a threat because of what he does, but what he knows. If all else fails, his consort Angela is highly vulnerable and could prove to be the strings that manipulate this puppet right off the stage.
Threat Rating: B-

IMAGES

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OLD APPEARANCE: █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █
ADDITIONAL: ACES Mk-II - PAS Rev. 3.0 (Draft)

[Nineball Yamada]

Handle: Angela
Real Name: Angela Anna Brushwood
Age: 18
Date Of Birth: March 16th, 2032
Ethnicity: Caucasian. Irish ancestry.
Gender: Female
Height: 5'3"
Weight: 203 pounds (without leg)
Blood Type: B+
Measurements: 38G-35-40
Hair Color: Brown
Hair Style: Mussy bangs swept off to one side and the rest pulled into large drill-like curls at the sides of her head.
Eye Color: Brown
Relatives: None (Parents executed)
Quotes: "Whatcha gonna do 'bout it?"
Clothing Style/Usual Attire: Always uses a prosthetic right leg (she needs it to walk) and wears a white eye bandage over her left eye, out of tradition or perhaps symbolism. Typically wears a slanted, low-cut light purple dress with a darker purple cropped jacket. Wears loose tan boots, even on her prosthetic foot. Dresses flamboyantly, as if she was unaware of her weight.
Skills: None. She is streetwise and can be quite cunning, but has no notable skills or abilities.
Likes: Nineball, pancakes, her chest, having a warm bed
Dislikes: Being alone, The Scarlets, math problems
Occupation: None. Was homeless/a vagrant for three years prior to meeting Nineball.
Distinguishable Features: Missing her left eye and right leg. Fat. Has an enormous bosom, which she flaunts.
Mental Description: Immature and uneducated - she dropped out of school at fifteen. She is naive but clever, as living on her own forced her to learn about street life and how to "work" people to survive. She is very young at heart and has tons of confidence and enthusiasm but quickly cracks under pressure. Her accident deeply shocked her brain and is therefore deathly attached to Nineball.
Lifestyle: Lives life like a kid in a candy store. Her childhood was nothing noteworthy, but after leaving the orphanage and facing the world on her own, she had to resort to underhanded means such as car prowling, pickpocketing and petty theft in order to make ends meet. Through clever use of her wits and her figure, she was able to subsist until her encounter with Nineball. Adopting his lifestyle was a huge leap up for her, so she's always eager to experience the things she couldn't on her own, be they food, fashion or fun.
Build: Apple-shaped and overweight. Has an uncharacteristically thin face. Extremely well-endowed in the chest.
Demeanor: Childish and excitable. Smiles a lot and is satisfied with herself. Acts confident and loves to tease, but usually knows when to stop. Can be surprisingly mature on occasion.
Tattoos/Distinguishing Marks: None. Her left eye is scarred over but the bandage hides it.
Religious Preference: Lightly agnostic.
Weapon of Choice: A pop-out knife blade in her prosthetic leg is her only weapon. She doesn't fight often.
Other Equipment: She carries a magazine of live rounds for Nineball's guns, and occasionally other things, in her breasts.
Fighting Skills/Styles: None.
Enhancements: An old, stripped-down prosthetic leg, used by a Scarlet agent before his demise, is her only augmentation.
Known Accomplices: Nineball. She travels with him everywhere.
Known Disguises: None.
Known Hideouts/Addresses: Last known to reside at a local orphanage. Left of her own volition at age 15 and lived as a drifter until meeting Nineball.
Loyalties/Affiliations: Nineball. They are kindred spirits and she would follow him to the end of the world.
Strengths: Can occasionally catch an opponent off guard after being dismissed as helpless and invalid. No other notable strengths.
Weaknesses: Slow, weak and clumsy. Quickly loses all composure if separated from Nineball.
Threat Assessment: An ignorant prole aside from her involvement with Nineball, she poses next to no threat on her own. However, his devotion to protecting her and uncovering the truth about her parents' death could easily lead the two of them somewhere where we do not want them. She may be useful for influencing Nineball to our will, but caution must be exercised. Her connection is her only troublesome aspect; as anything other than a tool, she should be disregarded.
Threat Rating: D

IMAGES

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ADDITIONAL: Prosthetic Knee Joint - Eyepatch - Bullet Path

[Nineball Yamada]

Handle: Friska
Real Name: Franziska Edelweiß Träumen
Age: 20
Date Of Birth: June 10, 2030
Ethnicity: Full-blooded Austrian.
Gender: Female
Height: 5'11"
Weight: 582 pounds (Appears to be around 150 pounds)
Blood Type: B-
Measurements: 36C-24-40
Hair Color: Orange
Hair Style: Short and choppy, sticking up around crown.
Eye Color: Mint green
Relatives: Mr. Träumen (father) (deceased), CEO of Waveform Industries; Mrs. Träumen (mother) (deceased).
Quotes: "I'm the BEST."
Clothing Style/Usual Attire: Dresses simply yet sexily. She often wears a tight, shoulderless black top and a pair of yellow skinny jeans, along with a green-and-yellow neckerchief and a belt full of bullets for her revolver. To cushion her feet, her shoes are orange and white sneakers with teal trim.
Skills: Seduction, getting her own way. Extremely strong and very good at both ranged and melee combat. Oddly seems to be stricken with a run of bad luck.
Likes: Herself, money, attention, being better than others, bossing people around
Dislikes: Angela, fat people, slovenliness, those who encroach on people and things she is close to, anyone better than she is at anything
Occupation: Scarlet-employed freelance assassin. Test subject.
Distinguishable Features: An extremely large posterior, accented by her feminine swagger. Equipped with the original ACES ensemble. She prefers to keep its eyepiece and microphone extended.
Mental Description: Classified. Her comrades have been known to describe her as "vain", "self-centered", "egotistical" and "psychotic".
Lifestyle: Literally does whatever she wants. She enjoyed being spoiled with luxury and superiority as a child, but was too sheltered to do anything. Now she has the means to do just about anything, with nothing but the latest Scarlet tech keeping her in check. She always has to have the best of everything, no matter what, and enjoys flaunting it to the point of belittling others. Don't expect her to care about anyone but herself.
Build: Tall and womanly. Vaguely acrobatic. Her body is pear-shaped, with modest breasts and a large a**.
Demeanor: Sultry, with a massive superiority complex. Known to go completely neurotic if her position is challenged on anything. Aggressive and vulgar.
Tattoos/Distinguishing Marks: Two swirly angel wing tattoos on her back near her shoulder blades. Mole underneath left eye. Orange gem-like object in her belly-button with two silver piercings on either side; this is actually an interface apparatus for her enhancements.
Religious Preference: Atheist. Would believe in herself as a deity if she could.
Weapon of Choice: Likes to fight with her fists, but also carries a custom-built one-of-a-kind gold-plated revolver, derived from the Raging Bull series. She has been witnessed to have used this weapon to down a helicopter in one shot from a thousand meters away.
Other Equipment: None, though her ACES allow her to perform a wide variety of computer-related tasks.
Fighting Skills/Styles: Brutish yet flashy. She can punch a station wagon off a cliff and look good doing it. She doesn't choose any one style over another, but just goes with whatever technique will cause the most pain and make her look her best at the same time.
Enhancements: As our biotechnological test subject, she has many different enhancements, a good number of which are classified. It is confirmed that she is the sole user of the fully-operational ACES system, allowing her to interface with many electronic devices and coordinate her Malloy-assisted movements. Nearly her entire bone and muscle structure has been synthesized with the Malloy compound, which raises her body's weight and density immensely but gives her inhuman strength and endurance. She also has a greatly enhanced capacity for intelligence. She is suspected to have more but such details remain confidential.
Known Accomplices: None currently. She used to work with Nineball before his exile. Dr. Alexander seems to have taken a liking to her, though she is unaware of this fact.
Known Disguises: None. She makes no effort whatsoever to hide herself.
Known Hideouts/Addresses: Wherever she feels like staying.
Loyalties/Affiliations: Claims to have none, though she works with us due to her "addiction" to being enhanced and improved.
Strengths: Almost everything. She is beautiful, talented, smart, athletic, impossibly strong, a master at hand-to-hand combat and an impeccable shot. It would seem that she has no shortcomings.
Weaknesses: A strong aversion to bodies of water. Though her electronics are waterproof, she is unable to swim or even stay afloat due to her high density and will sink like a rock. Her pride could be seen as a weakness, were there anyone foolish enough to test her.
Threat Assessment: Were this walking bombshell not working for us, our situation could be grim. Despite the fact that she remains firmly within our grasp so long as the lure of "perfection" exists, she should still be handled with care. Agents are strongly urged to use caution around her, as she is not averse to killing her own comrades on a whim, and there is little anyone can do to stop her. Having such a dangerous person around may seem foolish, but her true purpose will become apparent in due time and she will serve as our stepping stone to greatness. So long as she is kept blissfully in the dark, she will prove a valuable asset; however, if she learns the true nature of the classified technology she carries, the consequences will be dire. Exercise extreme caution, and let the little firebrand have her fun - soon, her time will become our time.
Threat Rating: A++

IMAGES

CURRENT APPEARANCE: █ █ █ █ █ █ █
OLD APPEARANCE: █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █
ADDITIONAL: ACES Mk-I

[Nineball Yamada]

Handle: Orion
Real Name: Orion Alexander
Age: 27
Date Of Birth: June 14, 2023
Ethnicity: Southern Australian.
Gender: Male
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 147 pounds
Blood Type: O
Measurements: 36-30-34
Hair Color: Blonde
Hair Style: Fairly short but a little mussy. Thick sideburns.
Eye Color: Light brown
Relatives: Mother, father, older brother (stationed at Pine Gap Research Facility, slated for duty on the ISS), younger brother (currently studying abroad)
Quotes: "She'll be 'right."
Clothing Style/Usual Attire: Usually wears a simple all-black ensemble consisting of a black long-sleeved button-up and khakis. Dresses comfortably, but always looks like he's ready to work, with shirt tucked in and sleeves rolled up. Wears brown & gray sneakers or black boots depending on the occasion.
Skills: Well-versed in all things mechanical and electronic, with a Ph.D. in robotics.
Likes: Friska, robots, acceptance
Dislikes: Nineball, failure
Occupation: Currently acting as the lead technician pertaining to Friska's development, following the incident with Dr. Hornell.
Distinguishable Features: A scattering of faint scars on each wrist.
Mental Description: Generally he is calm and collected, opting to avoid scuffles. Occasionally he shows signs of cracking, likely due to the inner demons of his troubled childhood, as he always lived in the shadows of his brothers' accomplishments. Possible inferiority complex.
Lifestyle: Tends to keep to himself and doesn't do anything particularly daring. He is most comfortable when working, so he tends to stay at the lab far into the night, making use of the calm to further Friska's development or his own projects.
Build: Slim and lanky.
Demeanor: Generally he is shy and mellow. He tends to keep his feelings to himself, but will act on them nonetheless.
Tattoos/Distinguishing Marks: One tattoo on the left side of his torso. It resembles a snake surrounded by parallel lines, being the aboriginal symbol for lightning.
Religious Preference: Agnostic.
Weapon of Choice: None.
Other Equipment: Usually has an assortment of tools with him at all times, stored neatly. Often seen with a Fluke 77 multimeter.
Fighting Skills/Styles: None; he prefers a supporting role over direct combat.
Enhancements: None known. He professes to avoid experimenting on himself; however, the validity of this claim is questionable, as he has played a vital role in construction of the ACES Mks. I and II, the Malloy system, the PAS, and his own personal robot companions.
Known Accomplices: Formerly Dr. Hornell's assistant, he has no major partners but has taken quite a liking to Friska.
Known Disguises: None.
Known Hideouts/Addresses: A downtown studio apartment furnished to him on Waveform Industries' payroll.
Loyalties/Affiliations: Works for Waveform Industries.
Strengths: An excellent problem-solver and multitasker. Capable of repairing almost anything electronic, given proper equipment and ample time. Very easy to get along with.
Weaknesses: His emotions have been known to get the better of him on occasion. Tends to hold resentment for those who cross him.
Threat Assessment: Mr. Alexander poses little concern to us, in spite of his position. He wields powerful tools but is too connected to his work and his accomplishments to risk biting the hand that feeds him, and is content to work as long as he needs. Care should be taken when dealing with Friska; he is showing signs of attachment to her and may protest if she comes to serious harm. In all other aspects, it will not be difficult to guide him down the path we choose.
Threat Rating: C-

IMAGES

CURRENT APPEARANCE: █ █ █ █ █ █
OLD APPEARANCE: █ █ █
ADDITIONAL: Ribcage Tattoo Design

[Nineball Yamada]

[END OF FILE]

[Nineball Yamada]

Gallery
I guess our cause isn't so hopeless after all.

This is a place where I'll show off some of the pieces I've received that really struck a chord with me.
Click on the preview pics to see the full pictures. They are posted roughly in chronological order. Now, on with the show...

At the moment, many of the pictures here are out-of-date and not current with the characters' new designs.
They'll stay up, since they're quality work, but be sure to check the character's image list above if you're a prospective artist.

[Nineball Yamada]

Secondary Characters
Three's not a crowd.

Here are some of the members of our supporting cast. Click for full-size pics. They're obviously in the works, so if you feel like doodling one of these guys, be prepared to have some words dropped on you...

Disdain
Real Name: Classified
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 242 lbs.
Eye Color: Hazel
Hair Color: Brown/Bald
Nineball's mentor and superior. An early villain, he's the one who ended up cutting off his ears and breaking his hand. He's a large, brick-wall sort of guy; fairly tall and heavyset, about 6' even. He's got male pattern baldness going on. Perhaps a patch of facial hair on his chin. I imagine him wearing some sort of utilitarian, black- and/or purple-themed outfit. Maybe a bulletproof vest. There may be some surgical scars around his mouth; he tried to finish Nineball off in the hospital while he and Angela were recuperating, and Nineball ripped his tongue out with his mechanical arm, so Disdain has a silver tongue. He's generally a very pessimistic, cynical person. He's bitter and looks down on just about everyone. He's not outright malicious or sadistic like Friska, but he's just getting old and not too happy about it. Years in the Scarlets have eroded his patience, and now he just cares about efficiently completing whatever job he's been tasked with, a trait that rubbed off on Nineball in his early Scarlet days. By his logic, if there's a fault in the system, fix it and move on. (For example, he cut off NB's ears because he *heard* a scream.) Allegedly he had some sort of involvement with Friska early on, and not the good kind. We haven't figured out exactly what, but supposedly he, like, tried to hit on her or something and struck out horribly. He didn't continue to pursue her, but considering NB and Friska's relationship, he'd obviously harbor a hell of a grudge against Nineball despite being his acting "mentor". It's probably part of the reason he roughed Nineball up so badly when he fudged the assassination; he likely took a little pleasure in being able to disfigure him and leave him for dead.

Gray Gunner
Real Name: Unknown
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 130 lbs.
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Black
A sophisticated private eye (among other things), Gray works for the highest bidder and does exactly what her contracts specify - no more, no less. So codenamed because of her truly neutral stance and ability to make herself unseen, she has attracted a reputation as being cold and unfeeling, a sentiment which has driven away as many as find it an attractive quality in a hired gun. Time and again, however, potential clients find they have nowhere else to turn for her more 'delicate' services. Simply put--you don't want to meet her on the wrong end of a sniper rifle. She's a beast with all forms of long-range equipment. Nineball employs her to help uncover the truth about Angela's parents, and later Friska calls upon her to drive a stake between NB and Angela once and for all.
Her style ranges from the extremely casual to professional suits - whatever is most fitting for the job at hand. She wears no jewelry and has no visible tattoos or distinguishing marks save a wide jagged scar that runs horizontally across the back of her neck, usually covered up by her hair or with makeup.

Young Friska
While not a separate person, Young Friska was so different from her current incarnation that she almost seems like one. Here it shows that she used to be much more conservative, proper and happy, unlike the belligerent Friska of today.

[Nineball Yamada]

Blank Post
For future use.

This is gonna be a Technology post once I get some time.

[Nineball Yamada]

The History of Nineball Yamada
This is the original piece of prose in which these two characters started developing their personalities.
It makes for good reading if you wish to understand them better.

Since the beginning of history, names have been a staple of civilized society. Names are a way to differentiate one person from another. To stand out in a crowd. To distinguish friends. To define heroes and villains. Every human being who exists, or once existed, has a name attached to them. From the day they are born until the day they die.

This is the story of a man who had no name.

___ was a man whose name had been forgotten by society. Nobody knows what ___'s name was. It could have been a word, it could have been a number, it could have been anything. But no man in the world today can recall how ___ was addressed before he assumed his new alias.

In the dark streets of the city, crime is rampant. Petty thugs make their living off the misfortune of others, and syndicates and gangs have personal wars, in the shadows and the daylight, under the eyes of a corrupt, helpless government which is powerless to stop them.

The Scarlet Group is one such ring. Originally a collection of small-time criminals, they used bloody, underhanded tactics to facilitate a rise to power as a somewhat notorious crime hub. They were known in the underground for their unnatural willingness to integrate, through coercion if necessary, any individual into their ranks - they could make anyone into a gear in their nefarious machine, from the youngest child to the oldest man. The elderly were employed as living encyclopedias and computers, using their advanced knowledge of days and places past to help in planning the events of the present. Children were especially valuable, as the fact that they were easily impressioned and re-educated made them skilled assassins, with the proper training, of course.

One of these young criminals was ___. An only child in his early teens, he was spirited away by the Scarlet Group one evening while looking for new gadgets to analyze in his own little way. They had been watching ___ from afar for months, and his interest in machines piqued their interest - a meticulous, intelligent child was considered a valuable quarry. ___ was never heard of again in the "normal" world; he had been forcefully adopted by a new family, and his old one was quickly and quietly silenced soon after.

For nearly a decade ___ was mentally reconstructed, eventually emerging at the age of 20 as a trained assassin. ___ was a crack shot, with a mind as sharp as his aim, and he had the devil's luck about him - for the sake of the mission, he wasn't afraid to take crazy risks, and miraculously he somehow pulled himself out of every situation with little more than some cuts and bruises...maybe a broken bone or two on a bad day. A popular rumor around the Scarlets was that this guy had nine lives. It grew so prevalent that, combined with his reputation for taking notorious gambles, he was informally awarded the moniker "Nineball". The name stuck, and became known throughout rival organizations as something to watch out for. Soon, it became more familiar to him than his old name of ___, and in time, that name was forgotten completely. Nineball was on his way to becoming the house's star player, but soon, he would play his final hand for the night.

It was a cold night in the middle of winter. A small posse of gunmen made up of Nineball, two other assassins, and led by a man known only as Disdain, was dispatched via car to take down some important figures in a rival organization. No chances were to be taken, and failure was not an option - hence why four were sent to do the job of one. They waited in the shadows in a hotel parking lot - the targets were supposed to be leaving soon to go to dinner at a nearby restaurant.

The targets left the building, just as planned.

They walked towards their car, unaware of the four men sent to kill them.

Nineball and his comrades trained their sights on the heads of the two men who would soon be no more.

His finger applied more and more pressure to the trigger of his weapon, as if eager to squeeze off a round.

Suddenly, out of nowhere...a scream. There was a young girl standing in the driveway, who was walking by and noticed the scene, letting out a yelp in response.

The shock was enough to cause Nineball to instinctively look in the direction of the noise; however, his muscles were already committed to his action and the flinch caused him to pull the trigger. The bullet left the gun, flew towards the enemies of the Scarlet group, and passed uneventfully between their heads before ricocheting off of a nearby pillar into the night sky, never to be heard from again. Nineball had missed - the surprise had caused him to jerk the trigger and pull his shot off target. He had blown his chance. The two men heard the noise, and in a flash they had drawn their SMGs and were returning fire while making a mad dash for their getaway car.

Nineball's two comrades fired back and ran for their own automobile, while Disdain ran behind a partition for cover. Nineball stayed in the relative safety of his current position and took shots at the speeding car as it went for the driveway. The driver and passenger were too busy shooting back to notice that the girl who had caused this incident was still standing in the middle of the driveway, frozen with fear. The powerful car barreled toward her and she regained motion, but not quickly enough to save her - she attempted to dive out of the way, but the grill of the car smashed into her right leg, shattering the bones and inhumanly twisting it. She fell unconscious in midair, hitting the ground with a sickening thud and rolling over onto her back. Nobody seemed to notice or care as the two vehicles sped off into the streets, exchanging fire the whole way.

Eventually, the gunshots quieted down. Disdain and Nineball both withdrew from their spots and walked out into the open. Nineball holstered his weapon, looked at the ground, then slowly brought his eyes up to Disdain's. He noticed a twinge of hatred in Disdain's normally expressionless face, before his figure became a blur and Nineball felt a horrible pain in his midsection which caused him to collapse onto the pavement. He clenched his teeth and held his stomach over the pain of Disdain's punch. Disdain simply looked at him, and spoke.

"You have failed us."

Nineball was unable to respond.

"Your failure to restrain your human instincts has done our Group a great disservice. You shall be punished for this act," Disdain said scornfully.

With this, he knelt down to the still-writhing Nineball and withdrew a knife from his jacket. He used one hand to hold Nineball to the ground, and began to cut his ears off of his head - first one, then the other. The pain was excruciating, forcing Nineball to scream in agony. The act was finished in less than half a minute, but it seemed to last for hours in his mind. Disdain simply took the ears, produced a plastic bag from another pocket, and shoved them and the knife back into the jacket.

"The parts of you responsible for this have been removed, as have you from our numbers. You are no longer part of the Group, and are unworthy of even death. You will suffer, and you will be tossed back into the pit of common society berated and less than a man." Disdain paused. "Run. Run far, run fast, run away. No matter which corner of the globe you run to, you will never escape the humiliation of today."

Disdain turned to leave. Nineball groaned and extended a hand in his direction. Disdain gave Nineball one last disappointed look and brought his foot down on Nineball's outstretched hand, crushing it. With that, Disdain ran off. Nineball closed his eyes in pain; over his own ragged screams, he could barely hear the sound of a gunshot from the area where the girl had been hit.

Some time passed. Nineball finally found the strength to pick himself up off the ground. He gritted his teeth; his hand was broken, his body ached, and his outer ears were missing, crippling his senses. He was badly wounded, struggling to remain standing. Thankfully, most of the bleeding from his head had stopped, and in time, he was able to start walking over to the girl's body.

There was blood all over the pavement, and she was missing her left eye. Nineball assumed that Disdain must have tried to kill her, but was in too much of a hurry to aim properly. Despite the fact that her leg was badly broken and her eye was missing, she was still breathing...

Nineball looked down at the girl, and cursed himself. This was his fault. All of this had been caused by one moment of poor concentration. Now he had lost his only family, he was horribly disfigured, and an innocent girl had been nearly murdered simply because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time. This was unacceptable to him, and tore at him. He couldn't leave this innocent one here to die. His body ached, but slowly he knelt down, scooped up the girl with his good arm, and departed the scene. He knew someone who would be able to help the two of them.

It has been two weeks since the disaster in the parking lot. Nineball met up with a doctor, a good friend of his from his Scarlet days, who empathized with him and fixed him up using his technology and knowledge from his time as a scientist in the Scarlet Group. He attached cybernetic implants to the sides of Nineball's head, replacing what were once his ears and returning his full hearing to him. He had also had his arms replaced with bionic ones which amplified his strength, and robotic wings that granted him increased mobility and limited flight capabilities. He had gone from a small-time criminal to a mechanical avenger nearly overnight.

The girl was not ignored, either. The doctor patched her up and gave her a mechanical, though admittedly less impressive, leg to replace the one she had lost. She regained consciousness, and introduced herself as Angela. Nineball explained his story to her, and she with him. She was an orphan in her mid-teens whose parents had been killed by another crime ring recently, and she was left to fend for herself. As both of them had been wronged by similar groups, Nineball saw it only fitting to take her under his wing, which she gladly agreed to. The two of them became inseparable traveling companions.

Bidding his benefactor goodbye, Nineball left the hospital, Angela in tow. He had been reborn, and the two of them vowed to use this new power to end injustice and the Scarlet Group by any means necessary. They would travel as vigilantes, righting wrongs and playing by their own rules. As an ex-hitman for the Scarlet Group, he had the knowledge to take them down. He had a will. He had a way. This was to be a new chapter in his life, and he needed a new name for it, as he was no longer the Nineball of the Scarlets.

Nineball thought long, and he thought hard, and eventually, he decided on the name Nineball Yamada. He would retain the title of Nineball in remembrance of his old days. He would add Yamada because it had two meanings. One, it was a common Japanese name, equivalent to Smith or Jones, which was perfect for a mysterious individual re-entering into the world. In addition, "Yamada" could be translated as "It's the Yama" - the Yama being the Buddhist judge of the dead who sentences souls to Heaven or Hell. It was only fitting, given his new responsibility. He and his partner would hunt the Scarlets wherever they lurked and wipe them from the face of civilization. And he would find Disdain, the man responsible for his undoing, and send him to Hell with his own hand.

Nineball Yamada had just set foot in the world's biggest casino. It was time to play. The game was on, and he had a score to settle...

[Nineball Yamada]

Odds and Ends
If you really feel like reading.

► I get a lot of people wondering about Nineball's wings. They're not permanently attached - they do come off. However, he (and I) would rather leave them on because they add a lot to his overall character. But if you're an artist and mecha just isn't your strong suit, they can indeed be removed if it's absolutely necessary.

► There's actually a reason Angela looks the way she does - not her missing parts, but her body type in general. History lesson time!
Before her time as one of my OCs, she was a simple girl from the Shabby Meadows orphan set. You can see her next to my avatar, the same place she's been since I first took her in. However, this particular incarnation of Angela doesn't seem to be particularly definitive about her age; judging by this picture of her, she could logically be as young as 8.
As much as I loved her, I didn't want to have a child character as an OC. They might be cute, but they usually don't make for good serious character interaction unless you go with the overused "child prodigy" cliche, and a 10-year-old Angela just wouldn't fit in Nineball's world. I wanted him to have a partner he could converse with and shoot the breeze with. So I decided to make her older and use the fact that Nineball is really tall to explain the height difference. But then a new problem arose - since the "avatar" Angela looks so young, I needed a way that it could be discerned at a glance that "my" Angela was comparatively older. She obviously isn't OLD old, so the best way to solve this problem was to give her an *ahem* large chest. Of course, if I left her the way she was, she would fall into another cliche trap - the horrendously overused "female OC with a perfect body" cliche I see so often. I wasn't having anything of this, so I needed to do something. Then it hit me: what if she wasn't perfect? Think about it. According to my story, she's been forced to live alone on the streets for a number of years. She's obviously not gonna have much money to afford to eat right, and the money she does have is gonna go to funding a welfare-style diet. So obviously by the time her path crosses with Nineball's, she's not gonna be the typical supermodel-bodied waif.
It might seem silly to have a "chubby" OC, but in my opinion, that's part of her uniqueness and charm. You NEVER see an imperfect original character - they always have perfectly toned or musclebound bodies without any flaws to them, regardless of their background and actions. But, like Nineball, Angela is meant to be like a real person - she has her own imperfections, and the world takes its toll on her, just like any of us. So that's the reason for her appearance. See? It's not all about sex appeal!

► If you've got questions about Nineball or Angela, don't be afraid to ask! Hit me up with a PM or something. I like hearing what people have to say about them, be it good things or bad. I also just love to talk. Nobody ever PMs me any more...

► If you feel like being proactive and drawing these two, you don't need to ask me for permission. A heads-up is nice, but you don't need to ask if it's all right - I'm not gonna be like NO YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO DRAW NINEBALL or anything. As long as I get to see the end result, I'm happy.

► Free art is always appreciated. I tip well for high-quality stuff, too.

► I loooooove couple art of these two. Even if it isn't free. I'm almost always buying, and I'm in the market for some good, definitive art of them, so if you think you have mad skillz, talk to me and maybe we can work out a deal.

► On the other hand, I'm also easy to please. You don't have to be an art god to make me happy; I love art of all levels of quality. It's not always the art itself that matters - it's the heart the artist puts into it.

► Pretty much everything after this post is just bumps. I guess that's what you get when you decide to just reuse an old, abandoned thread...

[Nineball Yamada]

Old info that has been outclassed but I still wanna keep around:

Name: Nineball Yamada.
DOB: July 27th.
Age: Claims to be 22.
Gender: Male.
Eyes: Brown and calm, yet piercing.
Hair: Dark grey/black. Fairly well-kept, yet sticks out fairly far in the front. Doesn't cover his eyes, though.
Height: Around 6'3".
Build: Large. Not lanky, but not particularly toned or musclebound either.
Race: Caucasian.
Typical Outfit: Wears a basic gray shirt and black slacks with a red blazer, along with a pair of well-worn, simple black steel-toed utility boots. Has a pair of dogtags around his neck, which he wears over his shirt. Also wears a pair of large black fingerless gloves, which extend up and over the sleeves of his blazer.
Typical Equipment: Usually carries a pair of HK MP5SDs, along with a small multitool.
Notable Physical Traits: Has a pair of mechanical, headphone-like appendages in place of ears, with glowing red columns protruding parallel to his head up and back at a 45-degree angle. His forearms were reconstructed with bionics, granting a small increase in strength while appearing otherwise normal. Also has a large pair of mechanical wings on his back; these appear to interface magnetically and do not puncture clothing. They are self-powered, using an array of small rockets and compressed air nozzles to allow him increased mobility and limited flight capabilities.
Background: Around the age of twelve, his parents were killed and he was forcibly adopted into a crime ring known as the Scarlet Group, where he was trained to be an assassin and earned the name Nineball from his crazy gambles. He botched a critical mission due to being distracted by Angela's screams and was punished by having his ears cut off, getting horribly beaten and being exiled from the Scarlets. Angela was nearly killed by them as well. Knowing that it was his mistake that caused this girl so much grief, he resolved to atone for his sin by protecting her and destroying the Scarlets. He took her to a hospital in the underground, where they both recovered and Nineball received cybernetic enhancements. He and Angela then bonded together, and he adopted the name Nineball Yamada to reflect his status as an avenger. The two of them now seek to end the Scarlet Group.
Personality: A heroic gambler with a conscience and a warm heart. He's not afraid to take risks to get the job done, but he values life highly and won't harm anyone unless absolutely necessary. Typically stone-faced, he can be very blunt and a bit of a smart-a** at times, but he's got a heart of gold and never means any harm unless the person's done something to deserve it. He values justice and fairness above all else. Because of this, he feels deeply indebted to his companion Angela, and protects her as the two of them travel in search of the criminal group who wronged them both.

Name: Angela Brushwood.
DOB: March 16th.
Age: 18.
Gender: Female.
Eyes: Brown, with a bit of a spark.
Hair: Brown, with bangs swept off to one side and the rest pulled into large drill-like curls at the sides of her head. Occasionally wears her hair in twin pigtails if she's feeling lazy.
Height: About 5'3".
Build: Unlike the usual anime female, she's actually kind of a stout, heavyset girl. Her bust is quite large as a result.
Race: Caucasian.
Typical Outfit: Wears a red summer dress that resembles a flower, with gold buttons down the front. Also wears a smooth maroon shawl over her shoulders, held in place by a silk rose. Wears brown socks and plain brown shoes.
Typical Equipment: Genrally opts not to carry a purse or backpack unless necessary, so she's typically barehanded. The only thing she carries with her regularly is a small wallet in her pocket.
Notable Physical Traits: Most noticeably, she is missing her left eye and her right leg. She appears to have no other major defining physical characteristics, though.
Background: Originally an average girl, her parents were murdered by the Scarlets when she was fifteen and she was forced to live on the streets. Three years later, her life was changed when she happened to stumble upon an assassination attempt by the Scarlet Group and screamed in shock as a result. The scream caused a huge incident, which ended with her being hit by a car, shattering her right leg, and later having her left eye shot out while unconscious. Nineball took her to an underground hospital and nursed her back to health. They were kindred spirits, having both been wronged by the Scarlets, and she swore to help him out and accompany him wherever he may go, both out of gratitude and to get vengeance on the Scarlets once and for all.
Personality: A spunky little spitfire. Has a trademark smirk that screams, "Whatcha gonna do about it?" She's somewhat energetic and isn't afraid to speak her mind, but sometimes her mouthing off can get herself, and occasionally Nineball, into trouble. Since her parents were killed while she was a teenager, she learned to be independent by living on her own; however, she knows the importance of having trusted confidants. While her words and actions don't always show it, she is in fact fairly good-natured and will pay respect where it is due. She is fiercely loyal to Nineball and almost never leaves his side. Occasionally her morals may come into question, but she has a deep-seated hatred of all forms of criminals, so she can always be counted on to do the right thing when it comes down to the wire.

On the topic of Nineball and Angela: The relationship between Nineball and Angela is a difficult one to describe. Since they travel together and each of them feels they owe a life debt to the other, they have grown extremely close. They don't love each other, but at the same time, they do. However, it's not the same as a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship, nor a brother-sister one. While it's true they can be somewhat intimate with each other at times, perhaps because circumstances have made them so close, they don't see the other person as a "love interest." I guess you could say there's a touch of sempai-kohai in there, but the best way to describe it is probably just "really close friends". I just wanted to cover it because sometimes people aren't too sure of how these two are related and should behave around each other; say, whether it's okay for them to be hugging/kissing and things like that. With that, I'll leave it up to each individual artist to determine the best way to pair these two.

Name: Franziska "Friska" Träumen.
DOB: June 10th.
Age: 20.
Gender: Female.
Eyes: Vivid green.
Hair: Orange, or "red" in real-world terms.
Height: 5'11".
Build: Thin and toned. Very womanly.
Race: Caucasian.
Typical Outfit: Fond of the color orange, she usually wears a tight-fitting sleeveless orange shirt and orange jeans. She has matching striped sneakers and a long orange scarf that fades into a slight yellow at the tips. She also contrasts her clothes with a long, tattered black bandana.
Typical Equipment: Friska usually travels fairly light. Her weapon of choice is a golden revolver with red trim, though she usually keeps it put away in a matching red-banded leather holster on her waist. Her scarf is stronger than it looks, and serves as sort of an all-purpose rope, which she can use for a variety of things including rappeling up and down walls and swinging from anything she can tie it to, a la Indiana Jones. Out of habit, she wears a set of loaded bullet belts across her chest and waist, even if she has no gun with her - her tight clothing tends to make pockets impractical and unfashionable, so the belts have small pockets on them to carry whatever gear she may need. Most other functions are covered by her headset, which is similar to Nineball's, being the prior version to his set. It is a light blue instead of red, and it projects a rectangular orange eyepiece over her right eye, which allows her to perform various scans and check readouts. There is also a microphone which allows her to communicate electronically in various formats and to various subjects, including her robotic companion Gigi. Gigi (pronounced "gee-gee" is a mechanical robotic sphere about the size of a baseball she found in her travels; it is supposedly a defective prototype of what would have been a mass-market robot companion, and it befriended her after finding her down on her luck. Gigi has a red lens in the center of its "face", and Friska painted its once gray exterior to be yellow so it would match her usual color scheme. Its exact functions are unknown; generally it just rolls and bounces around making "geee~" noises due to its damaged audio system, though it is capable of floating and moving in mid-air for a short while through as yet unknown means, and it can communicate to Friska in plain English via her headgear and eyepiece. Gigi in itself is something of a mystery, as there seems to be more to it than meets the eye. Whatever it is, Friska never leaves it behind, and she loves it as though it were a childhood pet.
Notable Physical Traits: While Friska's outward appearance is generally normal aside from her headgear, she is somewhat muscular due to the way she is "built". She has Kevlar fibers woven beneath her skin and in most of her muscle tissue, rendering her skin practically bulletproof. This added weight forces her to exert much more effort to move; however, she's obviously gotten used to it over time and has built up quite a bit of muscle as a result, giving her superhuman strength capable of overpowering even Nineball's cybernetic arms. The primary flaw of this dermal armor is that it significantly increases her weight to over three hundred pounds. Her bone structure has been modified through surgery, so she suffers no ill effects to her health, but she does have difficulty with light automobiles and unstable ground. Water is something she legitimately has to avoid (though it doesn't stop her from putting herself on display at the beach and poolside); she's capable of functioning in it like any normal human, but her armor gives her a density far greater than that of water, so she sinks like a rock and cannot swim to the surface. If she falls into water deeper than her head, her only hope is to walk to a shallower area before she suffocates.
Background: As the only daughter of a wealthy businessman, Franziska was a prim and proper teenage lady until her father incurred nearly the full wrath of the Scarlets. She was taken as a guinea pig since nothing would scar the proud man like seeing his pride and joy defaced. Repeatedly loaded with experimental technologies and pumped full of drugs and hormones, then paraded out in front of her horrified father after each operation, she was transformed into a battle-ready sex object. She was mortified at first, but gradually came to love her new body and life after realizing each operation put her closer to perfection. Franziska caught the attention of every guy in the Scarlet Group, but she only had eyes for Nineball since luck like his was the only thing she lacked. Nineball's skill and Franziska's raw power made them an unstoppable team until Nineball's exile forced them apart. When she learned that Dr. Snow, the brain behind nearly all of her exotic equipment, had bestowed the latest set of upgrades meant for her on Nineball instead, she flew into a jealous rage, which was only amplified when she learned a girl named Angela was traveling with her lover. She is now on a personal mission to hunt down Nineball and reclaim what she believes to be rightfully hers.
Personality: Aggressive, haughty, sultry and spoiled. Friska is well aware of herself and will do whatever it takes, be it showing a little skin or grinding some poor sap's face into a wall, to get what she wants. She has a massive superiority complex, and her ego causes her to be very possessive and vengeful, holding grudges for months and even years. Almost nothing will stop her from relentlessly trying to seize that which she thinks she owns or deserves, be it a physical item or the upper hand in an argument. Because she was raised in a wealthy family, she is used to things coming to her effortlessly and gets very angry when things don't go her way. She's got a pretty foul mouth, too, and is quite lewd, though this tends to be true whether she's upset or not. Franziska is capable of showing compassion; however, she typically hides it under a cross exterior. She's far from a saint. She treats the few people she does have respect for very well, but everyone else can go die in a fire for all she cares.

RELATIONSHIP INFO

Nineball to Angela
Nineball originally sees Angela as sort of a little sister. He works to protect her and gives his life meaning by taking care of her and walking alongside her as they live from day to day. Estranged from the Scarlet Group and subsequently his lover Friska, Angela becomes his only confidant. Being emotionally alone from everyone but her causes him to learn of her true colors and feelings, and he begins seeing her as more than just a partner. He realizes that after playing such a large role in Angela's life and doing so much for her that he simply couldn't be emotionally satisfied with anyone else; despite all of her so-called flaws, he sees both her inner and outer beauty and loves her as a man to a woman. Little changes about their day-to-day routine; they just hold hands a little bit tighter and sleep a little bit closer, more or less.

Nineball to Friska
During Nineball's time in the Scarlets, Franziska was his main squeeze. The two of them met at a fairly young age in the halls of a shady Scarlet-owned hospital. Nineball was on his way out after being patched up when he ran into a girl, sitting against a wall covering her face. Nineball asked her what was wrong and she choked out between sobs that she was hideous. He told her to buck up and that she was "pretty damn cute." With renewed confidence, Friska and Nineball became an item. They did all sorts of things together, from missions to dates, even after Friska's rise to power. After Nineball left the Scarlets and took Angela under his wing, things changed. While they obviously couldn't be together any longer, Nineball still had respect for Friska, up until she tried to harm Angela. While he still kept a place in his heart for her, he made it very clear that if she ever hurt Angela, he would kill her on the spot. She learned her lesson, but did not stop her assault on Nineball to reclaim what she believed to be hers. Things continued like this for some time, and though Nineball defended himself, he remained mostly apathetic to her offensive, until one fateful showdown where he finally called her out on her crusade. They fought to a stalemate, and remained at a standoff until finally Nineball let out a sigh, doffed his jacket and threw his wings on the ground, asking her what it was she fought for. He said that if she wanted them so badly, she could have them, and that he would still accomplish more than she ever would. Her motivations challenged, Friska retreated and disappeared for a long time to find herself. She eventually returned, a changed person, having defected from the Scarlets and seeking to join Nineball and Angela in their travels. While tensions were high at first, Nineball welcomed her with open arms, and while his romantic attention was directed elsewhere, the two of them were once again fast friends.

Angela to Nineball
Nineball is Angela's knight in shining armor. Disfigured as she was, the fact that the man responsible stepped up to care for her and give her a home touched her heart. The accident sent her into a shock-induced coma, and Nineball waited by her side through every minute that he could; when she learned of this, she was moved to tears and begged to return the favor. Of course, once the emotional episode was over, she was back to her usual playful self. Angela always was a bit of a tease, and after surviving the incident, coupled with having Nineball around, her self-confidence increased tenfold. Despite being an amputee - and an overweight one at that - she loves to show herself off (especially her enormous rack, which Nineball is constantly made aware of, whether he likes it or not). For all of the showing off she does to everyone, Angela does know where her loyalties lie. She genuinely loves Nineball romantically, yet also sees him as a big brother of sorts. A large chunk of her teen years were spent alone, so she has to play a bit of mental catch-up, and she tries her best to learn from Nineball as the world throws obstacles in their path. Regardless of what may come, she absolutely refuses to leave his side - even simple things like going to the bathroom cause her to tap her foot with impatience, and she gets quite antsy if he goes away for an extended period of time. Whether this is a sign of disorder or dedication remains yet to be seen, but she doesn't care as long as she's got her Nine at her side.

Angela to Friska
One would think that these two firebrands would be at each other's throats, but this is amazingly not always the case. The two get off to a rocky start; after learning of her lover's new companion, Friska attempts to deal with the problem in her typical manner and is seconds from flat-out killing Angela until Nineball steps in and mandates at least a partial truce. Angela isn't quite sure what's going on, but she gathers that these two have some kind of history together, so even after the attack, Angela still holds respect for her. That doesn't stop her from being a wiseass, though - while she knows not to egg Friska on, she matches her blow-for-blow in their constant verbal scuffles and loves to tout her larger bosom, given that it's one of the very, very few areas in which she can legitimately claim to be superior to Friska. Angela doesn't really like Friska, but she doesn't hate her, either. When she and her partner happen upon an unconscious Friska after the decisive conflict, Angela is actually the first one to speak up and rush to her aid - for all the bickering they've done, Angela couldn't stand to let someone who was once so important to Ninball just lay there and die. She tries her best to extend an olive branch, and eventually the two women learn to accept one another and become friends. Doesn't mean there's any less arguing or insulting, of course.

Friska to Nineball
W.I.P.

Friska to Angela
W.I.P.

[Nineball Yamada]

From here on out, everything is just leftovers from the original topic.

[Nineball Yamada]

At least, I think so...

[Nineball Yamada]

Slow day...