Fall 2015 Test Drive

[raisednpcs]

Hello, and welcome to the test drive for Fall, 2015! Similar to last time, one of our test drive prompts is the same as an event presently going on in the game! And that's not all; both players in the game and out of it can treat everything that happens with these prompts as canon to the game, and that they happened concurrently with what's going on on the main community. So, if you're looking to apply to Raise the Earth, here's a chance to get in on the ground floor of what's happening in-game!

---

[A - Factor Industries Charity Event]

Even for Benjamin Factor, arranging this charity event had been something of a challenge. Just as he held great influence in Gateway City, Thunder Corp's influence in Locke was great as well. But with time and money, all things were indeed possible in this case, and the Memorial Dance Hall was playing host to the night's events. It was a glamorous affair: politicians, captains of business, dignitaries, and celebrities had been invited. For whatever controversy that existed, the world legitimately wanted to heal the wounds left by the invasion, and that meant there were a lot of people who wanted to use events like this to either advance that cause, or to make themselves look good.

But they weren't the only sorts of individuals who had received an invitation.

Benjamin Factor had also made it so the Numbered would be invited to his little party. Arrivals through the teleporter would be greeted by drivers at the community center, and the same courtesy was extended to anyone who might live in Locke. The only stipulation? Was that anyone who came make an effort to make themselves presentable. If that was a problem, or anyone arrived without knowing, they had clothes on hand for people to change into.

Indeed, it seemed that the Numbered would be well provided for tonight. That being said, their presence would get people to talk, given the presence of news crews making live coverage. Nevertheless... "getting people to talk" seemed to be exactly what Benjamin Factor wanted to happen.

[This prompt is the same as this current event. You can have your character start a general mingle thread, but we ask that your character not serve as an event speaker for the test drive, as that's a rule best suited to characters already in the game.]

[B - Pest Control]

Beta testing. "A trial of machinery, software, or other products, in the final stages of its development, carried out by a party unconnected with its development." A crucial, important step in ironing out the "kinks" in something, to ensure it's ready for whatever it has been designed to do.

In the last weeks of October, someone is beta testing. Just what are they testing, you might wonder? Diminutive little robots with powerful, fangy jaws. They appear to be designed for pest control, and their hardware includes tracking software. Indeed, they're apparently being deployed in secret, acting autonomously in Gateway City, Locke City, Woodend, Christchurch, Tokyo, and even Shepherd's Haven. No one would see who is setting them loose, beyond nondescript men and women who disappear as quickly as they first emerged.

The robots are autonomous. They seek out their prey with zeal, without being controlled by a central source. Alone, a single machine is far from a threat, but they have been loosed in sizable groups, making them fairly dangerous. And it seems there's a bug: all animals are targets for these things, and they're not all. It seems they're capable of identifying another, more unique target: Anyone who might be Numbered.

[C - Sudden Storm]

Rain wasn’t planned today. The forecast had called for sun and minimal clouds, and a warm breeze. Instead, the falling drops seem to sparkle in the sunlight peeking through the clouds. Out a window, strolling down the street, sitting at a bus stop, it’s hard not to feel the drops coming down. And should you stop to stare at the rain for a bit, something seems to shift. A hollow feeling, a certain vertigo, that passes in a moment.

As it clears, something changes. A new memory, from a life that isn’t familiar and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense; a tingling at your fingertips of some new energy; a certain knowledge of the world that shocks you with the new information it provides; something in your hands you weren’t holding before. Maybe you’ve already had an Echo somehow, and you recognize the feeling; maybe you haven’t, and it brings back memories of the people talking about “pulses” on TV, what seems like forever ago. If the latter’s true, the fading sense leaves behind a number, that seems to worm its way into your mind and not leave. Does this mean… you’re Numbered, now?

[D - Network]

The number stuck in your head refuses to go away, so to work it out of your system, you decide writing it down on something is a good idea. Maybe you punched it into your phone; perhaps it’s on a piece of paper, or a mirror, or almost anything else.

The thing it’s on comes alive, filling with text and images. None of it was there before, and you can interact with it. Hundreds, maybe thousands of posts, all tagged with a number that looks similar to your own. Tales of fighting, of betrayal, of loss and sacrifice; stories of heroism, of gain, of victory and the elation attached. Questions about life, about the network, about the future of the Numbered. Idle conversation, videos of stupid things. Three years of history, from the beginning to the original incident on April 1, 2013, through to today.

You could add something. Clearly, it need not be profound, and if you don’t put a name, a face, or a voice to your number, nobody would ever know it’s you. It’s there, at your fingertips. What would you say…?


[E - Wild Card]

Don’t feel pressured to stick to our prompts - you’re welcome to do whatever strikes you. Lighthearted, serious, dangerous, mundane, spectacular… Raise the Earth is a game designed around everyday life getting a lot more interesting in a hurry. Play around with things!

Comments

micah kelly (mello; death note) | option d; network

[enflammen]

[It's like that expression, about how you can't unring a bell - one minute, Micah is the same as he's always been, and the next, nothing is the same. Everything changes when you realize you're one of the Numbered, and no amount of wishing you'd ignored that stupid set of numbers instead of typing them into your phone will restore you to your former self.

He's not stupid. It doesn't take a genius to puzzle out what the sudden appearance of this overwhelming database of information signifies; it's certainly not some hidden phone app he's just unlocked. Micah takes his time scrolling through, reading, watching, processing information as best he can. There's a lot to sort through, and he's exhausted by the time he decides he's had enough, brain overly full to bursting. He could almost laugh at the absurdity of it all, but he doesn't. This isn't actually funny. Not at all.

He could try to hide this, of course. But somehow, something as significant as this bound to come out, and anyway, hiding has never really been Micah's style. He'd much rather meet this challenge head-on.

Micah doesn't hide his face, doesn't tilt the camera away from the scar that covers the left side. His chin tips up to whoever's watching, a nonverbal dare, see me, acknowledge me. Then, he speaks:]

So. I guess I'm one of you now. [He smiles, thin, grim. It's not a sort of belonging that pleases him, not at all, and it comes out in the tautness of his voice, the flicker of anger behind the sharpness of his gaze.] Where do I go to pick up my membership card?

Voice

[solvethepuzzle]

[Now, Nathan is a skittish person. There is a lot that makes him flinch, or curl in on himself. But in comparison, there is fairly little that makes his seize up like a deer in headlights. This post? Does that.

[He knows that face, from the ghostly presences that have wandered Shepherd's Haven after dark, and the photo he'd Echoed back upon first encountering them. Mello.

[He feels obligated to respond to this, though he does not know what to say. He takes a deep breath, then swallows thickly.] We never did get to issuing any.

[The world's most pathetic attempt to go along with sarcasm, probably. Delivered in a near-monotone, edged with nervousness.]

video forever :')

[enflammen]

[There's not even a flicker of recognition from Micah's end when he hears the voice that responds; this is just another voice, not even one that he remembers from the glut of voices in the network archive.]

No? That seems like a pretty big oversight. You've all been around for years, right? No one thought membership cards were a good idea?

[He clicks his tongue, giving a shake of his head in mock disappointment.]

Not sure how I feel about being part of a group that's that disorganized.

Voice forever. (Probably)

[solvethepuzzle]

[Should he be relieved or not that there isn't any recognition? Nathan isn't sure. Maybe he should be. Knowing how their Others decidedly did not get along . . . A blank slate is likely best.]

Not everyone is comfortable with being so readily identified. [You know, like him. Who has done all of one thing publicly as a Numbered and even declined inclusion in Lily's book. To most of the world, Nathan is an unknown.]

[enflammen]

[He knows that. In a lot of places, being Numbered means being feared and mistrusted. It's a lifestyle Micah now has the displeasure of looking forward to, and he's decidedly not thrilled about it.]

Not even among yourselves? Surely you at least have a secret handshake.

[solvethepuzzle]

[Even without being publicly known, Nathan gets assumptions sometimes. Numbered can have a varying range of odd appearances. Unlike many others, though, Nathan's distinctive appearance is entirely natural.]

I suppose the idea was never a priority. [He almost feels like he should apologize for this somehow.]

[enflammen]

Really? Isn't that rule one of secret societies? Step one - create secret handshake. Step two -

[He shrugs.]

Whatever.

[solvethepuzzle]

Yes, well . . . [No, he . . . really doesn't have anything. He is normally a bit better with new people. But here, there is much more for Nathan to worry about. It doesn't help him at all.]

Is there anything you wanted to know? [There, that might be vaguely helpful.]

[enflammen]

[Micah sucks on his front teeth, thinking for a long moment. Then, seriously, intently:]

What can you tell me about time travel?

[solvethepuzzle]

[It's an odd thing, how flippant that question should sound, but everything surrounding it suggests something more serious. Unseen of course, but Nathan tilts his head, furrows his brow marginally.]

That is a very broad question. I would need something more specific to give a useful answer.

[Audio]

[numberedshepherd]

[Even with the scar, Lazarus recognizes the familiar face, both from the ghostly presences in Shepherd's Haven and his own echoes. What he's pieced together from these, along with conversations he's shared with Nathan, informs him that this young man's role in L's life was similar to Nathan's: insurance, legacy, successor. Just knowing this already makes this different from any of his other introductions. There's pressure, expectation, and a little bit of hope and dread alike for what his existence might do to this young man.]

Welcome. My name is Lazarus, and I want to tell you that while this probably seems very strange right now, you'll get used to it faster than you think. Most of us look out for each other, so... if you need anything, whether it's information or help following a personal upheaval, those things are available to you.

What do I call you?

video forever for this loser

[enflammen]

[Micah quirks an eyebrow; he hadn't expected an actual welcome wagon-type response. And he doesn't much trust it, either. His own reply is dry as can be:]

Well. Aren't you all just a bunch of sweethearts.

[By which he means basically the opposite. People are, generally speaking, awful; he doesn't trust them to be anything more.]

You can call me Micah. Micah Kelly - that's my name. And yours is really Lazarus, huh?

[He doesn't wait for an answer, just barrels on with his analysis.]

That's a pretty old-timey name. You don't hear that one so much anymore.

[Because "Micah" is so modern.]

Still, it's got a certain panache to it. "Lazarus, come out." That just wouldn't sound right with a George or a Steve instead.

[Audio, but might change...]

[numberedshepherd]

[Very quickly, a personality is starting to emerge. Lazarus has known of the existence of Mello for a long time, but relatively little about what the boy is like. So far, the precise opposite of Nathan seems to hold fairly true. It's like fire and ice.]

It's really Lazarus. My father chose it, but I never had the chance to ask him why. So I keep it, and use it, and have certainly dealt with my share of teasing as a result.

[A pause.]

Micah, how much do you know about who your Other was? The person you're getting your Pulses from?

[enflammen]

Yeah, people can be real assholes about stuff like that.

[Shrugs. It's how people are.]

Not a whole lot. I know he was a teen runaway, like me, and I know he thought it was a good idea to blow himself up at one point.

[He points to the left side of his face, the angry scar of burnt flesh left behind by the Echo.]

Seems like the kind of guy who probably wasn't all that bright. Why do you ask?

[Audio]

[numberedshepherd]

Some people.

[The correction is gentle and soft. Despite having had a very rough life, Lazarus is determined to see at least some good in a fraction of humanity. Otherwise, what's the point?]


I ask because our Numbers connect us to someone in another life, and while they're all as different as the people involved, it's the one thing you inherently know about someone who posts to the Network. It's not even an assumption, it's a 100% certainty.

[And doesn't he love those?]

How long ago were you a teen runaway? Do you have somewhere to stay now?

[enflammen]

[Micah takes the correction with little more than a one-shouldered shrug. It's a small thing, not really worth arguing about.]

I haven't been a teen, much less a runaway, for years now. [He's factual about it, a little amused by the question; he chuckles, quietly.] Nah, the House got me all straightened out, turned me into a proper upstanding citizen. I've had a job and a place of my own for a while now. I'm on the up and up.

[And there's a hint of pride in what he says, because he beat the odds that were stacked against him, and he knows it. It's an accomplishment worth being proud of.]

[numberedshepherd]

The House?

[That piques his interest immediately, as well as his apprehension. He feels like he is walking on eggshells in so many ways, just because the very existence of his Other (and, by extension, Lazarus) can potentially cause a lot of upheaval for this relatively new member of the Network.]

I'm glad to hear about your success, but which House are you referring to?

[enflammen]

Father Quill's House for Wayward Boys, I think is what it was originally called, but most people go with Quill House, these days. Or just "the House," for those of us who lived there.

[He quirks an eyebrow; there's something like recognition in the question.]

You've heard of it?

[numberedshepherd]

Not of Quill's House for Wayward Boys, but one very like it.

[Unfortunately, he doesn't add. He hopes that this place was more... conducive to producing healthy members of society than the competitive, dead-eyed creatures that came out of Wammy's.]

Do any of your Pulses concern a similar house?

video;

[justwatchmeburn]

Hey, welcome to the team. As much as this mess can be called a team.

[She grins. She's a blonde-haired young woman who looks rough around the edges; like she just got out of a fight. Or maybe training?]

I don't think there's a membership card, but I'm new to this business myself.

video;

[enflammen]

Well, hey, thanks.

[His smile is about as thin as his words are dry.]

Some team, huh? No membership cards, no secret handshake ... are there team colors, at least? Or a mascot? Maybe a big anthropomorphic hashtag. That would be fitting.

video; - [sorry for the delay]

[justwatchmeburn]

I'm... pretty new myself. So I don't know about any of that. I'm not sure whether or not the whole "hashtag" thing really works on this network or not, either.

video; - [nooooo worries!]

[enflammen]

Nah, I just meant - like a sports team mascot. Someone could dress up in a goofy inflated hashtag suit.

video;

[justwatchmeburn]

... Oh, I get it.

Because "Numbered". Ha ha, that's pretty clever. Man, that's a pun you can be proud of!

video;

[enflammen]

You're easily impressed.

[But there's a slight smile here.]