Natural Joe
Mr. Joseph Miguel Myers
Written by: Null Kit
It's common knowledge in marketting that production and price alone do not a thriving business make; having a valuable good or service means nothing unless you have the means to promote and distribute those goods and services to potential customers. There is no reason that this is any different in matters of criminal business, a fact more obvious in the ever-growing narcotics trades than in any other avenue of moneymaking, and a key matter in deciding which enterprises will succeed and which will fail. Joe M. Myers, known as 'Natural Joe' to his contemporaries, is a man who specialises in matters of discreet promotion and distribution of illegal narcotics and BTLs to prospective customers as a dedicated middle-man. To call him dedicated to his chosen vocation is quite the understatement, as he goes far out of his way to not only provide a professional and reliable service to narcotics producers/importers, but almost perpetually maintains a maverick persona and aesthetic of an 1800s medicine/snake-oil salesman, selling wares from the back of a heavily guarded tuk-tuk with a myriad of catchy phrases and slogans.Word to the wise: He might insist on his escorts keeping up the appearances, but those six-shooters they carry aren't for show. Saw a couple of 'em with Hide-Piercers last time I was shoppin'.For those of us in need of performance-enhancing substances, a man like Natural Joe is a valuable asset in his ability to provide safe and reputable product and bypass the inherent risk of finding such yourself. And for those of us in need of employment, he is a reliable provider of protection and data-steal jobs, along with occasionally 'taking care of the competition'. Anachronistic mannerisms or no, this is a man who has kept his business afloat and under the attention of the law for years, after all.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
As his nickname suggests, Natural Joe takes a great amount of pride in his complete lack of cybernetics, claiming to have solved any and all medical issues 'thrice over' through the various medicines and narcotics he's taken and sold over the years. The specifics of his actual recent health are currently undisclosed owing to his preference of the discreet Dr. Mustermann for his current medical needs and check-ups.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Despite the wild claims of daring-do and magic on the handmade labels of his 'own-brand medicines', Mr. Myers' history is dissapointingly mundane, to say the least. Born and raised in Seattle to an unremarkable corporate upbringing within Ares' creches, primed for an equally unremarkable career in one of the megacorp's pharmecutical subsidiaries.
These plans would come to a halt in his late teens however, when his father (working in the pharmecutical business himself) was caught and found guilty of embezzling funds from his company, away from corporate-approved embezzlements. He would serve time in jail where he later hanged himself, while Joseph himself found his chances of putting any of his years of education to legitimate use. He tried to take steps towards employment in other careers, but the conviction of his father along with Seattle's turbulent job-market made such prospects unlikely. It wasn't long until he made the decision to take more risky means of making ends meet for his family.
As you would expect from an individual with little experience in criminal activity, Joseph's first forey into the narcotics trade was a shakey one: Profits were made, but many deals ended in theft or injury, and in 2063, he saw his first arrest in a sting-operation by Lone Star Security Services attempting to dismantle some of the local unauthorised amphetamine-trade. Thanks to an undisclosed technicality, Joseph only served a year in prison for his participation in the deal, but his experiences in that short prison-time along with the publicity of the arrest further damming his future employment prospects were enough for him to flee Seattle entirely.
It seemed, however, that in the interim between his incarceration and arriving in the quiet little village of Raleigh, Joseph had learned from the mistakes of his previous attempts in drug-dealing. If accounts are to be believed, Joseph immediately went to introduce himself to the leadership of the Sharkteeth, one of North-Carolina's now-defunct heads of the drug trade, spending every penny he had left to purchase audience. His pitch to them must have been impressive, as soon afterwards he was seen selling the Sharkteeth's wares to the rest of Raleigh's shadows, and selling them with the vigor and success that would have been all but foreign to the person he was a year ago.
The Sharkteeth went defunct in 2069, but by that point Joseph had acquired a reputation of his own, no longer the underling of a single gang but a freelance entrepreneur by the monicker of 'Natural Joe', an independant middle-man between producers/importers of narcotics and those who need them enough to pay good money. The aesthetic he's presently well known for came shortly afterwards, after making enough money to buy himself a more dignified roof over his head and an outfit to match. Despite many opportunities to take a more central and active part in the drug-trade, Joseph has remained content over the years in maintaining a humble business as a travelling medicine-man for Raleigh's underground.
Education
Among the usual primary-education qualifications, Joseph also has a master's degree in Applied Pharmecuticals by the now-defunct Ares Higher-EduPharmecuticnology Education-Center in Seattle's Grid.
Personality Characteristics
Savvies & Ineptitudes
Neither combat nor technology has ever been Natural Joe's forte, but as you would expect he is above all a talented and competant salesman and entrepreneur, negotiating with suppliers and customers alike to maximise both profit and customer-perceived-satisfaction. Everything else he tends to leave to hired subordinates, especially security.
Date of Birth
4th of July
Year of Birth
2042
38 Years old
Children
Pronouns
He/Him
Eyes
Grey, prosthetic
Hair
Blond, curly
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
White
Height
6'1''
Weight
178 lbs.
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