raisednpcs: (Default)
raisednpcs ([personal profile] raisednpcs) wrote in [community profile] cracktheearth2015-08-10 01:05 pm
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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!
gone_streaking: (pic#9433425)

Jason East - Barry Allen | The Flash

[personal profile] gone_streaking 2015-08-10 10:48 pm (UTC)(link)
F - Flash patrol

After curfew in New L.A., not a good time for anybody to be out and about even on a good night but people who do dare the streets at these hours have started reporting a mysterious phenomenon roaming the town. A crackling storm of yellow lightning streaking through the streets, there and gone again in the blink of an eye. More strangely, wherever the bolts go things seem to just happen.

A gang of thieves chasing a victim find themselves surrounded by lightning, and then on the ground with their pants and shirts tied together and a hell of a wedgie for each of them.

Some of those self-proclaimed lords transporting stolen goods find themselves with their load suddenly considerably lighter.

Hungry refugees suddenly find extra rations sitting right in front of them.

General Miller's troops end up with their shoelaces tied together and a lightning bolt spraypainted on a wall behind them.

But those are all fun and games that can wait for now. Tonight, the young man in the midst of that lightning is on a mission. Aside from the goods that could get a guy a few bucks, that stolen shipment contained medical supplies. Medical supplies that the city needs and there's no way he's leaving finding them up to the slowpokes in the military. So, he's out there, decked out in the dark red suit that had magically popped up in his possession one day to push his speed as far as it could go and cover all the ground he can. It's out there somewhere and eventually he's going to come across something or someone that can tell him where.


A - Was that a dinosaur?

It's a nice day in Gateway City, albeit a particularly hot one. The sun is shining, the birds are singing... any Factor employees watching the teleporter are scratching their heads as it activates only for a gust of wind and a flash of light to emerge from it.

It's just a quick stop today. Run into town, drop off some "legitimately acquired stuff" to a contact, maybe grab a bite to eat and head back home. The streets are a lot busier here, so he needs to be a little more careful, sidestep that taxi, weave between the people running from the t-rex.

.....

He comes to an abrupt stop about four blocks away.

"Wait a minute. Was that a dinosaur?" Blinking, he reverses course, running straight back to where he was and comes to a halt... directly under the massive reptile's head. "Yep. Whoah--!"

Massive teeth come down and try to slam shut around him, only to close on thin air as he suddenly blurs to the side, stumbling one or two steps. Angered, the rex turns towards him with a roar and starts to charge forward.

Keeping out of the rex's jaws isn't too hard as he zig-zags up and down the street, baiting the lizard, but he doesn't have the firepower to take it down and zooming off just means somebody else gets on the menu, which even his conscience isn't going to let him get away with. Maybe he'll think of something or, help will arrive.

Either way, I guess we're playing dino keep-away now.

"I thought these things were supposed to have feathers!"
gone_streaking: (Default)

Re: NPC Requests

[personal profile] gone_streaking 2015-08-10 11:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Just tossing in an NPC request if possible on my first prompt here.

Bad guys, good guys, people to save. I'm down for it all.
jasminebloominginshadow: (surprised)

A

[personal profile] jasminebloominginshadow 2015-08-11 12:13 am (UTC)(link)
Jasmine may live half a world away, but waking up early and checking the news had alerted her to the madness that was going on in Gateway City. Oh hell. This was a lot heavier than slime everywhere.

After contacting everyone she had to, and mobilizing, she ended up on the city streets, flying over them looking for people in trouble. And that's when she spied someone about to get eaten...

... and then speed right out of their way, causing the dinosaur no end of confusion. Amused, she watched as he led it up and down the street, and after a point, decided to swoop in and join him.

"Man, you have NO IDEA," she said, hovering down nearby. "My dad complains about this all the damn time. Also, holy shit, you're fast!"
gone_streaking: (pic#)

[personal profile] gone_streaking 2015-08-11 12:24 am (UTC)(link)
Oooookay, this doesn't look good at all. As fast as he is, he isn't sure how good he'd do at dodging bullets and this really isn't the way he wanted to find out. Man, maybe he should leave this up to the jarheads... except if he even tried to talk to them he'd get tossed into the hole and by the time he might get anybody to listen to him the stuff would already be moved.

If this stuff left the city, there'd be no way to track it, and if that happened....

"Aw, what the hell." He straightens up from his hiding spot, picking the closest sniper and watching that little red point of light track across the ground between him and the building. "It's only five guys, that's easy. Right."

With that little bit of psyching up, he takes a breath, shakes out his hands... and runs. His sprint carries him across the distance in a heartbeat, leaving a just-visible trail of crackling light behind. His foot hits the wall and he's shooting straight up toward the window, watching the rifle track back toward him in super slow motion. He comes up next to the window and reaches out, grabbing onto that creeping arm and yanks forward with all his strength.

Maybe a whole two seconds have passed by the time he's on the roof and looking back over to see the sniper's fate. It isn't that big a drop, he's probably fine....
gone_streaking: (pic#9433318)

[personal profile] gone_streaking 2015-08-11 01:07 am (UTC)(link)
Left. Right. Left. Right. Left. Left. Right. Right. Left....

Okay, this is getting ridiculous.

At the very least, the giant predator seemed pretty determined to get its teeth on this speedy little jerk hassling it so the rest of the people on the street were getting out of its way safely. On the dim side, it's starting to look really pissed off.

The rex lunges again and he dashes forward, ducking under the teeth and between its legs, stopping a good distance away to catch his breath and figure out his next move. ... When a girl in a black dress with a single, huge bat wing drifted down beside him.

... It's just that kind of day, apparently.

"... Yeah, thanks." He manages after a second of staring, shaking his head. Fortunately, any awkward moment is diffused as the dinosaur lets out an enraged roar and turns their direction. "Does your dad know that dinosaurs don't get tired?"
gone_streaking: (pic#)

[personal profile] gone_streaking 2015-08-11 01:19 am (UTC)(link)
Crap. Yeah, they saw that. So much for surprise... although, Sam was probably pretty surprised but that doesn't really help much. The thought suddenly occurs to him that he'd just picked a fight with a bunch of very serious armed guys who probably wouldn't have any problem putting a lot of bullets into some kid, and all he has is a dumb suit and an impressive landspeed.

The thought holds his feet down for a few seconds before it clicks that those guys are coming up here right now, goddamnit, so move! A quick look around and he speeds over to an air vent, taking cover behind it and immediately thumping his head against it. Great. Nice pick, Jason.

It's that movement that brings his eyes down to the rooftop, and to the layer of gravel covering it and a lightbulb clicks in his head. An idea that just might work, if he moves fast enough when the bad guys make it up to the roof.
jasminebloominginshadow: (unpleasant surprise)

[personal profile] jasminebloominginshadow 2015-08-11 01:21 am (UTC)(link)
"Well he's an archaeologist! Not a paleontologist! So it's more an academic solidarity thing!"

This time it was Jasmine's turn to act, and she rushed forward, grabbing the dinosaur's snout... and managed to hold its jaws closed. "We've got to get this thing off the street! Try to herd it away from everyone!"
gone_streaking: (pic#)

[personal profile] gone_streaking 2015-08-11 01:40 am (UTC)(link)
He never needs that much time anymore. ... A few more seconds would have been appreciated, but it is what it is. As soon as the word "vents" finishes, he's out and moving, reaching down and scooping up rock with each step.

The gunmen will find themselves treated to a display of lightning running in random patterns on the rooftop for a little while. ... Before the rocks start flying. Small and not normally packing much punch to them.

But right now the speed they're traveling is measured in three digits.
gone_streaking: (pic#)

[personal profile] gone_streaking 2015-08-11 01:59 am (UTC)(link)
... Wow. Okay, that's impressive. He takes a whole three or four seconds to marvel at the display of strength before nodding.

"Okay. Gimme a second." Before Jasmine can respond, he's just... gone, leaving behind a crackling trail of light that streaks off down the street and takes a sharp turn several blocks away. It's not enough to just get it off the street, they need somewhere to put it.

... To add to the mess in Gateway is a trail of slightly smoldering street clothes simply dropping to the street. Hey, he needs to move fast for this and he's carrying just the change of clothes to handle that. Nothing wrong with changing on the run.

A circuit around the city in less than a minute and he's back, yelling up at Jasmine and now dressed in what could only be called a freaking super suit.

"I've got a plan!"
Edited 2015-08-11 02:00 (UTC)
radiantchicken: (a rubber bird suit)

A

[personal profile] radiantchicken 2015-08-11 02:01 am (UTC)(link)
"The theropods should," comments a voice from above. A bright blue feather falls to the ground as the owner of the voice touches down nearby. "I don't think they're ordinary dinosaurs." He's holding a strange dinosaur-looking handgun, and it looks like he's about to stuff a battery down its barrel.

Also, he is a gigantic blue bird-dinosaur-man. That seems like an important detail. "If you can keep him still, I'll have a clear shot." Not that the handgun looks large enough to bring down a dinosaur of this size, but that doesn't bother Torin at all.
gone_streaking: (pic#9433429)

[personal profile] gone_streaking 2015-08-11 02:29 am (UTC)(link)
Another quick step brings him away from the dinosaur. Enough time to get his bearings and consider his next move before the dinosaur starts to bear down on him again.

... And enough time for the shout from up above to get his attention. Oh, what the hell is going on today?

"Oh, right, of course the theropods should." He has no idea what a theropod is, but he's already fighting a dinosaur so... why not roll with it? "Clear shot, okay...."

He takes a breath and then shoots forward, zipping around the angry dinosaur's feet in a blur. It's enough to get it to stop in place and angrily attempt to snap at the blur around its legs.
gone_streaking: (pic#)

[personal profile] gone_streaking 2015-08-11 04:16 am (UTC)(link)
A blur that stops for a second as gunfire starts to go off and armed goons start dropping.

"Ooooh, shit!" He winces at the sight, looking around for a second. "Uhh...."

And then he's back to that blur of movement and light, zipping between the shot men for a second before vanishing down the stairs and into the warehouse to see what there is to see down there.

The guns are all gone, unloaded and deposited across the rooftop with their ammunition pitched somewhere over the horizon. ... But at least the worst of those wounds are tied off so they don't bleed too much until help arrives.

That's something.
jasminebloominginshadow: (and that's why you're an idiot)

[personal profile] jasminebloominginshadow 2015-08-11 04:19 am (UTC)(link)
While Barry is off doing that, Jasmine is having to deal with the violent thrashing about of a very large and very angry animal. Her power is considerable, but this is an animal the size of an elephant, and she's also holding back because this isn't an evil monster and she doesn't want to kill it.

By the time Jason is back, she's lost her grip and being thrown to the ground by the beast. "Then maybe you'd better start that plan!" she cried as she avoided being stepped on by the beast's massive feet.
gone_streaking: (pic#)

[personal profile] gone_streaking 2015-08-11 04:27 am (UTC)(link)
"Hey, don't rush the plan, alright?" It's a plan in progress. Still, y'know... cooking.

Oh, God, this plan better work.

"Hey! Hey, stupid!" He yells at the dinosaur, waving his arms to catch the animal's attention. "You still want a piece of me, right? Let's go!"

Oh, does it ever want a piece of him. The Rex ignores Jasmine for the moment and stomps after its source of irritation, who takes off at a... relatively leisurely pace. Because he wants it following him and how fast could that thing move? What? Maybe fifteen? Twenty miles per hour?
jasminebloominginshadow: (worried)

[personal profile] jasminebloominginshadow 2015-08-11 10:58 pm (UTC)(link)
"I'll not 'rush the plan' when the plan keeps me from being stepped on!"

True enough, though, Jason's dashing about does get the tyrannosaur's attention, and it lets out a low rumble as it stalks towards Jason. Jasmine's eyes widen, and she floats up off the ground and towards him, managing to keep pace with him at this speed.

"Uh, sorry about that," she said. "Where the hell are we leading this thing?"
gone_streaking: (pic#)

[personal profile] gone_streaking 2015-08-12 12:20 am (UTC)(link)
Yep, that'll teach him alright. ... Maybe not.

The streak of lightning zips down the stairs into the building... only to stop on a dime at the guns pointed at him, a flash of panic crossing his face for an instant. Fortunately, the gunmen probably wouldn't see it as instinct kicks in having people this close, people who might have even a small change of identifying him later. His whole body starts vibrating, leaving him blurry and indistinct to the men facing him, a quiet whirring sound filling the air.

Okay... at least they're scared. Maybe he can work with that.

"I'm not here for you." His voice is just as odd. Echoing with an unnatural reverbration and almost sounding entirely alien. "I came here for the medical supplies you took. Hand them over and this can all stop right now without anybody else getting hurt."
gone_streaking: (pic#)

[personal profile] gone_streaking 2015-08-12 01:19 am (UTC)(link)
Yep, the tyrannosaurus is hot on his heels. Just as planned! Now it's just a matter of keeping that internal screaming where it is because even if he can leave this thing in the dust any second, this is freaking terrifying.

"Don't worry about it, I get it!" He looks over at Jasmine when she catches up to cruise beside him, casting a glance over his shoulder at the angry creature behind them. "There's a construction site about ten blocks away, and I guess they're still doing foundation work because it just looks like a big hole in the ground."

A shrug.

"So, I figured if we got this thing there we could... trick it into falling in."

Yes. That is the whole plan.
jasminebloominginshadow: (say what-?!)

[personal profile] jasminebloominginshadow 2015-08-12 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
"Make it fall down the hole, huh? Won't that hurt it?"

Just then, the beast let out a tremendous roar that quite frankly made Jasmine almost leap out of her skin. She flinched, and nodded.

"You know what, forget it! You lead it over and I'll give it the extra push!"

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