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

[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.

[numberedshepherd]

[Lazarus knows a few people by now who have overcome; he feels that either he is himself uncommonly weak for being so scarred and damaged even now, or that others are not so whole as they claim. Both options feel equally bleak and likely.]

It's true. I guess that really isn't a secret, though I think it depends on the personality of the child.

[Nathan came from an abusive home, for example, and came out of it very differently. Lazarus can't imagine him being cruel to another child. He also reflects briefly on himself, but even years later with a lot of proof to back it up, he's still in a surprising amount of denial about his own upbringing and what it did to him.]

What do you think makes a person "straightened out?" A successful human being.

[enflammen]

A successful human being ... I guess refraining from being a complete asshole is a good place to start.

[He half-smiles at his own statement.]

"Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." I had to learn a lot about all of those, but kindness was probably the most important one. It's not just about being nice to people and letting them walk all over you. It's about understanding where they are and meeting them halfway.

[numberedshepherd]

You could work with children with that kind of understanding. Many people go their entire lives without being able to define that kind of thing, let alone live by it.

[enflammen]

[Micah laughs under his breath.]

Well, it wasn't easy to learn. I was a real brat about it, at first. And it's still not easy - not all the time, anyway. Sometimes it's a daily struggle - to understand people, to keep from just giving up on all of them. To keep from punching out some asshole who's made it his personal mission to ruin your day. But I've got tools and training, and I made my decision a long time ago. I chose my life, and I decided I didn't want to spend my life being that guy. So now I just do the best I can and believe that it's enough.

[numberedshepherd]

Belief is an important institution to you, isn't it? You live like you trust and worship your God?

[enflammen]

Well ... yeah.

[People don't usually ask in such a pointed manner, though - he's caught a little off guard by the question.]

You gotta believe in something. I mean, I believe in myself, too, but sometimes ... it helps, believing in something bigger than yourself. You can find strength in that.

[numberedshepherd]

Do you think that God is a metaphor for "something bigger?" That He is kind or vengeful?

[enflammen]

I think God is what God is, and I think people put entirely too much time and energy into trying to define God instead of paying attention to the message. "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." I think that says it all right there.

[numberedshepherd]

Define, maybe, but... understanding Him is important, don't you think? I'd think that anyone would want to understand who they're taking orders from.

[enflammen]

I don't really think of it as taking orders.

[numberedshepherd]

Accepting guidance from a trusted advisor, perhaps?

[enflammen]

Yeah, that's closer. I mean, it's my choice to follow God. That's the great thing about being human - free will. And I choose to do so because it's better than the alternative.

[numberedshepherd]

The altnative being following no one? Or someone else?

[enflammen]

The alternative being ... living with a certain kind of emptiness.

[numberedshepherd]

You don't think that maybe some emptiness is inherent to the human condition?

[enflammen]

I don't think it has to be that way.

[numberedshepherd]

That's how every religious pamphlet and manual begins, incidentally.

It's OK. Humans always have, and always will, run from the inherent.

[enflammen]

That's a pretty broad statement, there.

[numberedshepherd]

You disagree?

[enflammen]

I think it's a stretch to say anyone always does anything, a hundred percent of the time.

[numberedshepherd]

Individuals aren't so easy to predict. General populations, though, like "humanity", are very much so.

[enflammen]

I think it's pretty depressing to think of people being empty by nature. I mean, sure, people are flawed - in lots of ways. I don't think anyone would argue that point.

[numberedshepherd]

Depressing... you know, people are applying that word a lot to what I'm saying lately. I should think about what that means.