cracktheearth | Fall 2015 Test Drive

Entry tags:

*test drive

Fall 2015 Test Drive

Hello, and welcome to the test drive for August, 2015! We're doing things a little bit differently this time, as three of our test drive prompts are the same as events 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!

In addition to these, we've got a few sample prompts for you to choose from; don’t worry about actually sticking to these, though! Go wild and enjoy what you’re doing with test drives. We should note, though, that you can’t use test drive threads toward AC. One note: characters can get Echoes from test drive threads that will be game canon! They count toward the starting allotment for their application, so don’t go too crazy there. You don’t need to request these, so long as they’re in keeping with the general Echo rules - just put them on your application. If you’re at all unsure, ask us and we’ll be happy to give you advice there.

Since nobody’s going to know who your reincarnation is yet, comment to this post with your character’s preincarnation and canon in the comment title! You might also talk just a bit about personality, appearance, and/or reputation for your character’s reincarnation, so we know what we’re in for.

Event Prompts

[A - Echo Incursion, Gateway City]

It's a particularly hot day in the Gateway City zoo. What else could you expect? It's not like it's not to be expected, it is the middle of August, after all. But there's plenty of things to see here at the zoo, and the visitors' center is air conditioned well enough.

Just a normal summer day in a typical summer vacation spot. Right?

Well, that's when things change. Those in the visitor's center would find the building changing around them. There's suddenly a dinosaur skeleton in the middle of the place, with the banner "When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth" hanging from the ceiling.

That's not all. The animal enclosures are now different. What used to be a pen for the african elephants now has very large, very long necked reptiles in it. A gigantic, meat-eating dinosaur just tromped its way out of the lion habitat it's too much too large for, and unfortunately for the people around it, its vision is based on movement. The monkey house? Well, those are velociraptors breaking out of it. The aviary? Now filled with particular aggressive flying pterosaurs.

These are just some of the creatures making their sudden emergence, and it's not long until they spill out of the zoo and into the city proper. Dinosaurs are now walking the streets of Gateway City.

Yes, indeed. Just a normal summer day.

[OOC: For a guide on what to expect for this prompt, see here.]

[B - Shepherd's Haven]

Shepherd's Haven is one of the safest places for Numbered, but at night, after the sun has set, it seems that things are very different. People are appearing in the streets of the small community, as well as Christchurch and Woodend. People who are clearly "not all there", in that they are transparent and thoroughly nonsolid. Their behavior is strange, in that they either ignore people entirely, or start following them wherever they go.

This is oddly similar to an event that occurred in Locke many many months ago, but why is it happening here, halfway across the world? The ghosts seem that they can literally be anyone, possessing a diverse number of traits and qualities, not specific to this part of the world. Some of them might even look like people your past life used to know...

What are they doing here? Where did they come from? And how will you react to them?

[C - Locke City]

Everyone remembers the monstrous serpent that ravaged Locke City. That fateful day is somewhat foreshadowed by the horrors of the invasion, but it's not as if you can forget the fact that a giant serpent appeared and wreaked destruction across the entire city. But it was destroyed, and now, a new creature lays beneath the city, waiting to protect it should the need arise. Wise Snake is just a memory now.

Or... is it?

Snakes are appearing all over the city. Normal-sized ones. Why is this newsworthy? Because the little snakes appearing all over Locke are made of stone. They behave otherwise normally at first, and are nothing but a disturbing reminder of an event that changed Locke City forever.

But time goes on, and the snakes suddenly aren't so little anymore. They get as large as dogs, and turn aggressive. Attacking people, much like their larger progeny did. Thunder Corp is on the scene, rounding up as many of these snakes as possible, but they can't get all of them. And any Numbered they see? Well, they're gonna be pulled along for questioning.

It appears Wise Snake isn't ready to be forgotten or replaced.

Normal Prompts

[D - 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?

[E - The 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…?

[F - New Los Angeles]

Far away from the gleaming jewel of Gateway City, in New Los Angeles, there are far less things to celebrate. The city is one of the last few bastions of civilization left in the western half of the United States - now called the “western territories” after the collapse of most state governments - and its here that a great many people have fled. Though the city is in the process of being rebuilt, the majority of it lies in ruins after the aliens’ attack, and most of the people have to live in camps. The luckier ones have spaces in shelters, but that just guarantees a roof over your head instead of a tent.

People have formed communities here, however. Some come together to share what they have, while others consolidate power and lord it over the other refugees. Most of the time, the governor and General Miller allow them to function independently, save for when a new city ordinance is in effect. And just your luck, one of those just happens to BE in effect today.

See, a shipment of relief supplies was discovered savaged and destroyed; what wasn’t ruined was taken, and the damage to the facilities led Miller to decide that Numbered could have been the only ones responsible. So, a curfew is in effect, and anyone suspected of being a Numbered is being brought in for questioning. You’re out past curfew? Well, now you’re suspected of being a Numbered. Little does Miller know that the real beings responsible are pack of Vermedi roaming the city. And while this is going on, groups of thieves are prowling the city waiting to take advantage of anyone stupid enough to be out and about after dark.

Are you one of the refugees living in New Los Angeles, or did you come to help with the relief effort? Either way, tensions are high, and the nights are dangerous, and monsters both human and inhuman are lurking the streets at night.

[G - 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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[B]
[He's known that he's one of these 'Numbered' for a while. After all, there's no denying it when you wake up with superpowers and a weird number in your head one day. (Which is how Dima learns how the term 'Numbered' came about.) But superpowers is one thing.

Seeing these...ghosts? is entirely another.

He just came here to visit an old high school friend in Christchurch, he wasn't looking for any spooky Number-related stuff. And yet, walking down the street after dinner surrounded by these translucent people is making his chest hurt. He's having trouble breathing and he's somehow...seeing double, or remembering something.

Thank goodness there's a bench nearby, because Dima collapses into it to try and ride out whatever this is.]

[E]

Hello. It seems that new people generally introduce themselves here first, so my name is Dima Korolyov. I've been having what you seem to call "echoes" for several months now, but I did not know the echoes could do things other than give you powers.

Is anyone in Christchurch, New Zealand? I've been seeing strange semi-people there, and now I seem to know about places I did not before.

Nathan doesn't venture out into Christchurch all that often. He knows it's a bit irrational of him, and he's not really publicly Numbered anyway -- though he sometimes gets assumptions based on his natural pallor and white hair -- but he worries about larger cities occasionally. But it had been necessary to come here today, even if he'd wound up staying longer than he'd intended.

The ghosts are unsettling enough back in Shepherd's Haven. Seeing them in a city is somehow even more surreal.

He keeps his head down for the most part, but the reaction the other young man is having does not go unnoticed. It's out of place, given the lack of reactions from any others in the vicinity. Nathan stops briefly, considering. He doesn't want to intrude, but just passing by seems callous.

Finally, he decides. His approach is tentative, quiet. He looks sort of ghostly himself, albeit fully solid. "Ah, excuse me. Are you alright?"

That's a silly question, isn't it? It sounds like a silly question to Nathan, anyway. But there hardly seems anything else to say.

Dima was not expecting anyone else to approach. He startles a bit at the sight of the almost entirely white person, but then calms down. No, this one is solid. He's speaking to him. This one is real.

"I...I think so." He pauses to swallow and catch his breath. He has a prominent Russian accent--clearly foreign, but not so thick as to be hard to understand. "I just need to catch my breath. I--I thought I saw something." Which should really be in the present tense, but he doesn't want to sound like a lunatic.

He hardly even blinks at the startled reaction. He's become used to it over the course of his life, the widening eyes, the uneasy looks. Nathan dislikes making people uncomfortable, but there is hardly anything he can do about how he'd been born.

He catches the accent easily. Distinctly Russian, but easily understandable. And the answer in conjunction with the overall reaction just makes him more curious.

"What did you see?"

Dima blinks a few moments and then squints. That's certainly an odd question. Is he looking for a specific answer? ...Can he see these people too?

"What? Why do you want to know?" He's suspicious, but the question comes out sounding innocently curious. An accusative tone would not help here, he thinks.

His own tone is . . . well. Not much of a tone, because that's how he usually speaks.

"Some people see things others cannot. You seem to be that way." His eyes shift a bit, watching one of the ghosts pass them by. "It can be unsettling, I admit."

Dima Korolyov // ????????

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