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!

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[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

[enflammen]

She died, actually. Car crash. Roger was driving - drunk, of course. Happened when I was seventeen, but I didn't find out until I was eighteen. The House was pretty insistent about no contact with her, and ... well, I was pretty angry with her for a while. For not leaving him. For not protecting me from him. For being an addict. That kind of stuff.

[He shrugs. It still weighs on him, sometimes, though he's mostly come to terms with it.]

I was pretty angry about everything, for a long time, so it wasn't a far stretch.

[numberedshepherd]

[Another orphan. It makes it seem so poignant somehow, knowing that Micah is already parallelling the life of his other so symmetrically. Not good or bad, maybe, but poignant. Does this kid have any clue what he's in for?]

Aren't you angry anymore? You make it sound like this is in the past, but deep hurts leave deep scars, you know?

[enflammen]

Well, yeah. Of course I still get angry, sometimes. But not like I used to. It's not so much about controlling the feeling itself, or stopping it from happening, it's what you do about it. Father Kelly used to say to me, "Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned." It's a quote from somewhere, I can't remember exactly, but the point of it is that holding on to your anger isn't healthy or productive. I had to learn that. I can choose to be angry at my dead mother, or Roger, or God, but what good is it to me? All it does is make me want to put my fist through a wall or something. So I get angry, but I accept it, and I try to let it go.

[He half-smiles, because he knows exactly how all of this sounds.]

I may've seen a therapist or two.

[numberedshepherd]

[He's nodding in agreement or support, but it's impossible to tell while he's still not showing his face.]

Father Kelly? So you're Catholic? Also, if you're curious about that quote, it's allegedly Buddha who said it...

[Trailing off. Knowing that someone said something and believing that philosophy are two entirely different things.]

You're right. It's a mature viewpoint to see it that way, even if it's not always an easy one. And therapists are underrated in my opinion. I owe a lot to one that I had in particular so I would never discount the advantages to seeing them.

[Forget that the ethics of that particular situation were questionable at best; he's also trying to let it go.]

[enflammen]

Yeah. [Again, his mouth quirks into a dry half-smile.] I know Catholics get a lot of heat for being nuts, but we're not all like that. Father Kelly's the guy who ran the House while I was there. Really good guy. He pretty much saved my life, actually. Working with therapists was part of the House program, something he'd put into place. I wasn't thrilled about it, at first, but it was better than the alternative. And I guess it worked.

[Micah snaps his fingers and nods.]

Buddha. That's right. Smart guy, by all accounts.

[numberedshepherd]

Catholics get a lot of heat?

[Resisting inappropriate and off-color joke about that burn. Lazarus has a quick wit and a sense of humor but he also has a tendency to step all over sensitive subjects like so many doormats.]

I might have seen worse, but then again, I wasn't raised Catholic.

You said that he ran the House while you were there, but what about now? Is there a new headmaster, did he...?

[Retire? Die? Vagueness might be gentler here.]

[enflammen]

Yeah, you know - crazies screaming about everyone burning in Hell, yelling about how all the shit going down in the last couple years is God's punishment for humanity's sinful ways. That sort of thing.

[Micah shakes his head, crossing his arms against his chest.]

"Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea." It's like we didn't even read the same book, I swear.

[He shrugs, mouth forming a thin line.]

Father Kelly died a couple years after I left the House. Heart attack.

[numberedshepherd]

Oh. Right, I guess that is the stereotype. I also understand that there's some criticism for the treatment of children as well as skepticism on the importance of symbolism to the point where it arguably borders on idolatry. That being said I understand the value and comfort in talismans.

[Just not why a bloody and tortured man hanging from a cross brings so many people comfort, perhaps.]

You must have had top marks in Sunday school. It's impressive; I haven't memorized that much religious text in a long time.

[A pause after hearing about Father Kelly.]

I'm sorry to hear. I thought it might have been the case. You have no family and your mentor has died, so do you have many friends, or is your work essentially your entire support system since then?

[enflammen]

You can find criticism with any group. Even the Numbered aren't immune from it.

[He's entirely factual about this, not hostile, like some might be. Micah isn't naive; he knows religion isn't appreciated or even respected by a lot of people.]

Micah 7:18-19. I have a good memory for things that interest me. I actually got pretty good scores at everything, once I got focused.

[A smile briefly flashes across his face, something like a secret. He worked hard at his studies, and he succeeded. Another thing he's proud of.]

Neither, really. I guess you could say I mainly support myself.

[numberedshepherd]

[A mirthless sound like a laugh, but not quite managing to get that far.]

The Numbered are far from immune to it, no matter what approach they take. You can't meekly sit back and take it, but you also can't bully your way into having friends. But religious criticisms are older and have had the time to put down deeper roots, so... it can be helpful to compare and draw what parallels you can.

[He must have gotten good scores, Lazarus thinks wryly, if they're from the same place and Micah's role was what he's led to believe.]

You've chosen isolation, or there just isn't time for pursuing relationships?

[enflammen]

[Micah goes thin-lipped and silent for a moment before he takes in a breath and answers.]

Let me put it this way - I know I can count on me. Can't really say the same for anyone else.

[numberedshepherd]

Well, the nice thing about Numbers is they're sort of...

[Terrible joke. Don't finish.

He bites his tongue.]

I used to feel that way too. I know how it is.

[enflammen]

Yeah? Something changed your mind on that?

[numberedshepherd]

It took a long time and a few fortuitous deaths, but I met some good people who were worth the risk.

[enflammen]

Mm. [He nods, lips pursed.] Good people who are worth the risk. They're few and far between.

[numberedshepherd]

But they do exist, and someone with a keen eye and some perceptive tendencies can spot them. You strike me as someone with both of those things.

[enflammen]

I do, huh? [Micah laughs under his breath.] Well, I guess I've been called worse.

[numberedshepherd]

Sorry. I didn't mean to bring up further unpleasant memories for you.

[enflammen]

It was a joke.

[numberedshepherd]

You're making light of something that hurt you, or you're lying and calling it a joke? There's a difference.

[And it is not clear if he appreciates either of those things.]

[enflammen]

It's not a lie; I have been called worse. "Not worth the gunpowder it would take to blow me to Hell," for example.

[Roger's words. His jaw goes taut. Must be the former, then.]

Humor's a coping mechanism. It's a lot more healthy than a lot of the alternatives.

[numberedshepherd]

Who called you that, and what alternatives? You can make a joke about it if that makes it easier to talk about.

[enflammen]

Roger's the one who said that to me. On more than one occasion, actually.

[Micah shrugs. No joking about that.]

There's all kinds of things people do when they've been hurt, when they're angry. They bottle it up inside until they explode; they hurt others who are weaker, more vulnerable. Or they simply self-destruct.

[He frowns, going silent for a beat. Micah knows well enough that he could have easily gone down any of those paths; he'd already started, before Father Kelly intervened.]

Finding a way to laugh about it seems like an obviously better choice.

[numberedshepherd]

I see. I'm truly sorry.

[He's also sorry that he's asking so many prying and personal questions. Though it doesn't seem to bother Micah as he continues to gamely answer without demanding information from Lazarus in return, he wonders, as he often does, if he's overstepping a boundary or breaking an unspoken rule.]

You sound like you know something about self-destruction and hurting others. You can laugh about it, maybe, but can you talk about it?

[enflammen]

It's in the past.

[I've overcome it goes unspoken, but it can be read in his tone, by someone with a keen eye.]

I can talk about it. I do talk about it, when it's relevant. [When it can help someone else, usually.] I don't really go looking for reasons to talk about myself, but I also don't have anything to hide, so I don't mind talking about it, if someone wants to know. the truth is, I was really angry when I was a kid, and I was kind of a shit to everyone. It's no secret that kids with abusive home lives tend to turn out abusive themselves, later on. It was the only real example I knew, for a while. The House straightened me out.