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neosapienooc2019-12-30 12:51 am
neosapienmods) wrote in neosapienooc2019-12-30 12:51 am
TEST DRIVE MEME #1
JANUARY TEST DRIVE
1: SPRAWLING WASTELAND, GLOWING IN THE DARK
No sunlight reaches the Underground, but there is rain: grey, oily droplets that slowly trickle down from the city above, seeping through layers of concrete until they drip from broken light fixtures onto the aptly named black markets below. The glow of neon signs keeps the shadows at bay, just barely. What was once a system of utility tunnels and basement bunkers is now a warren of tiny shops offering reprogrammed ID chips and back-alley cybernetic upgrades, where hitmen and slave traders operate with lawless impunity. But someone is always watching... the eyes of Yakashbah, graffitied in bioluminescent paint, stare unblinking from the walls.2: A MIND OF DARKNESS, A HEART OF LIGHT
People come to this place for only two reasons: they're either looking for something, or they're trying not to be found. Whatever your reason, the Underground welcomes you.
Outside of manicured parks and glass-enclosed vertical farms, green space is rare in New Gate City, so the elites flaunt their wealth in private rooftop gardens. Fragrant, exotic flowers bloom amidst strings of lanterns, and real grass - an extravagant luxury - carpets the ground beneath partygoers' feet as they sip champagne and admire the dark cityscape below. Tonight, one of the Douman Zaibatsu's myriad charity organizations hosts its annual fundraising gala... but this year, the special guests attract even more attention than the celebrities and fashionistas in attendance. Representatives from the Neo Sapien Organization have been invited to speak on the topic of Human/Meta-human relations, and to raise money on behalf of job placement programs for impoverished Metas in the Last Ward. Of course, most within the Douman Zaibatsu would prefer that these "job placement programs" send Metas to the farms far outside New Gate City (or better yet, to the lunar strip mines), but at least for tonight, members of both factions hide behind false smiles and false words.3: AS FEAR'S REPLICATING, YOUR WORDS RESONATING
Someone gasps, and everyone looks up. Arcadia's central shopping district goes silent, save for the distant sound of pop tunes played over tinny speakers, as a massive black banner unfurls down the side of a building. A crudely drawn eye fills the banner, bisected by a line of white paint... the unofficial symbol of the Meta rights movement. People start to whisper, and somewhere, there's a cheer. Police drones buzz through the air above.4: A NEW HOPE GLISTENS OFF THE STREETS
Meta rights protests aren't uncommon in this part of New Gate City, even though they're soon dispersed by local security forces. This banner, too, will be quickly taken down and destroyed, but the photos and videos of the event will be harder to suppress. Already, the bystanders are murmuring to each other, some in support and some in fear. Others keep their heads down, wary of expressing their true feelings about the rising numbers of Meta-humans. And as security forces move to block off the area, others are frantically trying to disappear.
The blocks surrounding the Neo Sapien Organization's headquarters in the Middle Ward are like an oasis at the center of an otherwise inhospitable city. Old buildings have been renovated into bright and cheerful apartments that accommodate a variety of Meta-human physiologies, Meta schools and Meta-owned businesses are flourishing, and Meta-friendly shops and cafes line the streets.5: WITHIN THE CHAOS, I KNOW I'M NOT ALONE
The best coffee in the Middle Ward can be found at The Mean Bean, just across from the NSO building, where the shop's fire-breathing Meta owner personally roasts every batch. NSO employees and and other patrons of the popular cafe congregate to discuss local news and gossip: a proposed Meta registration and identification law, rumors of vigilante gangs near the border with the Last Ward, and rivalries between NSO university sports teams. Arguments occasionally grow heated (especially when it comes to sports), but overall the atmosphere is friendly and congenial.
The Last Ward's electrical grid is reliably unreliable, but blackouts on this scale are rare. Half the ward has been dark for the past three days, save for a few emergency generators and dwindling battery backups. As winter winds batter old, drafty concrete apartment blocks, the residents grow restless and frustrated. Police have already put down several riots, but there's no stopping the spike in looting and other petty crimes.
In the Parish, many people have opted to barricade themselves inside their homes until the blackout ends, but others are taking advantage of the chaos. Most, though, have chosen to band together to protect each other throughout the long nights. The people of the Parish may not have much, but at least they have a sense of community.
no subject
You're right; there's little in my life that has come cheaply or easily. [ In the end, he decides to address the shared spirit of those queries, rather than trying to answer each one in a rapid-fire line. ] At your age, I already knew that I would spend my life ducking through doorways and ordering specially-sized clothes. Nonetheless, I can say that I was raised in fortunate circumstances: by a man both wealthy enough to live in the same luxury that surrounds us now, [ he throws his hand out in a grand, sweeping gesture at the rooftop garden's scenery, naturally, ] and kind enough to leave it behind for the sake of remaining my father.
Yet there are many like myself who aren't so lucky. [ If the theatrical gesture and impassioned words weren't enough to give it away, he's getting really into his impromptu speech, the cadence of his voice falling into something much like the delivery one would expect from him on-stage. ] Either they can't afford the burden of more food, new clothes, and household renovations — or they're born to families unwilling to sacrifice their comfortable lives and vaunted reputations for the sake of the children they ought to protect.
[ ... ]
But to answer you a bit more succinctly, more or less. I've put my home through a number of renovations over the years, and I believe it fits me quite comfortably at this point.
[ Whew, nice save. He almost let himself get carried away for a second!! ]
no subject
[John couldn't help but feel himself go into a slight state of awe upon listening in to Magnus's impassioned statement. It felt overwhelming, and slightly intimidating, especially coming from such a big and strong looking guy. But there was something familiar about those words too.]
I mean, it sounds really tough... And I can sort of get it... Maybe...
[And then he tensed, putting his hand so up in defense as he let out a light chuckle.]
Erm! That is! Not that I really get it. I grew up kind of cushy because my dad worked hard all his life to take care of me, and we don't really have to deal with the problem meta-humans have to because we're not but--
[He looked down seeming to get a little more serious.]
My Nana was a meta-human. I never knew her, but my dad always talks about all the things he had to deal with as a kid because of it. They came from a really powerful family too apparently but, well, I guess they lost a lot of it when my Nana was revealed to be what she was.
I live a good life, and I get that, but I guess even though I'm not suffering like so many are my dad still had to struggle a lot just to get out of it and make sure I get to live like this. I couldn't imagine how hard it must be actually living it...
no subject
It's an experience that is, in its own way, as foreign to Magnus as his had been to John. Of course, Amon hadn't been lacking in post-human talent — but that remained a well-hidden secret even now, and he had been old enough when Magnus came into his life that there had been no other family to lose the approval of. ]
Then we can both say that we're more fortunate than many. [ So, he doesn't see any reason to compare them. It's true enough that Magnus has suffered his share of mistrust and hardship, but he's also well-aware of where money and education has spared him the brunt of what others would face. ] That itself puts us in a unique position: one where we can extend a hand to those below us, raising them up so that they might have the same chances or live as comfortably as we have. That is, after all, why we're all here tonight.
[ Magnus inclines his head, then, the glint in his eye turning to something appraising. ]
You are making the most of your good fortune, aren't you? Working your hardest in school?
no subject
[John says with the slightest of passive shrugs and an attitude that any teenager would have when the subject of school was brought up.]
I mean, my grades are okay I suppose. And I have a couple of friends. For me it's all about what happens just after that matters though.
[AKA his hobbies. His many, many, hobbies.]
Did you manage to go to one of the schools for meta-humans when you were a kid? I know there's a few in both the middle and lower wards. I can't imagine it would have been easy if you went to one of the regular schools as a kid.
no subject
I know it's difficult for someone your age to imagine, [ oh boy here it comes ] but good schooling is one of the greatest advantages you've been afforded. You don't need to look any farther than the man in front of you for proof of that.
[ There's a small pause here, half for effect and half for real thought, and then: ]
I'm certain that I wouldn't be sitting here beside you tonight, had I attended one of the schools in the lower wards. Of course, I also grew up in a time before the NSO and its education programs, and it pleases me to say that things have changed some in the three decades since my family was faced with that choice. [ The corners of his mouth quirk upward with those last words. ]
But I seem to have gotten off-track of your question. [ The smile turns a bit rueful, as if he's embarrassed by the admission. ] The answer, actually, was neither. I was privately tutored until it came time for me to attend university.
no subject
I dunno, homeschooling sounds pretty cool to me. You don't have to worry about waking up at butt-all in the morning. And I'm sure the lessons were more catered to your needs and 'personal development'. I mean, I think that's what adults call it. When you get to focus more on your own needs and talents and stuff.
Public school is kind of broad and it doesn't really feel like many teachers really actually care? Thet they're just doing their job, you know? It makes it kind of hard for me as a student to want to care too much either.
[That and his afterschool clubs and interests sounded like a way more productive use of his free time than the history of 'New Gate Cities unification'.]
no subject
There's probably some truth in that. [ He inclines his head, considering. ] Though, I'm not so sure the curriculum was much different. I decided early on that I would let no one say they were my better in any subject, and it was all in service of sending me to the same place, regardless.
[ There's a small laugh that makes its way into those words, and again, his smile takes on an almost sheepish quality. As if he were confessing to some embarrassing childhood foible, or his desire to learn had been tainted by some impurity of motive. ]
Very well, then. What subjects do you care about, in school or otherwise?
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Sounded kind of conceited actually...
Was that even possible?]
What I care about? Hm, well, I really like messing around with computers! Things like coding and programming. I have started a small club with some friends after school around it. I also really love movies, and magic, and games, and comics, and pranks, and jokes-- Oh and I know how to play the piano!
[This is a boy with way too many hobbies.]
no subject
I haven't had the opportunity to be acquainted with many who list magic among their interests. I would ask you to teach me about it — but I've heard that a magician is never meant to reveal his secrets. Isn't that right?
How is it that you came by that interest?