Plot post for April 9th!

[theearth]

This format of plot post is designed for players to ask questions and find ways to influence the plot. Be bold and ask what you can or can't do; the worst that can happen is that we will say no. As plots in Save the Earth are not self resolving nor on a time limit they can evolve in many ways. Although some potential outcomes are given, they are little more than suggestion and can be changed by character action. What role you take is up to you.

The post is also open for players to plot and coordinate between one another.



• This is another reminder that the original FAQ has been updated. We encourage old, new, and potential players alike to check it out here! Additions and edits have been marked.

• The is another reminder that the application has two new additions: Current characters in the game and Starting Location. If you or someone you know has already begun their application, please make the necessary edits! Characters who have already been accepted into the game do not need to retroactively add these sections to their applications.

• The location page for Las Vegas is here.

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Events occurring currently:

• If your character was interviewed by news crews and/or did not conceal their identity during Wise Snake’s rampage, assume they have been or will be approached by the FBI by no later than April 11th. At this point, the FBI knows of the Network’s existence, of the so-called purpose of the reincarnates to “save the earth”, and the system of how a reincarnate gains a “pulse”/“Echo”. If there is other information more personal to your character that the FBI would have reason to question (special powers used during Wise Snake for example), include it in a comment to this thread.

• The FBI is still investigating Locke City Police Department.

• Wise Snake’s body remains taped off, though the amount of guards assigned to it has lessened. Rebuilding efforts continue. Approximately 40% of the damaged Business District has been reconstructed. The loudest of public opinion is evenly split between hailing Thunder Corp as amazing and criticizing Thunder Corp as suspicious.

• The Reddit subforum of reincarnate fans have voted. They’re calling themselves the seedlings and have even designed their own cute little logo with a picture of – you guessed it – a seedling.

• Vermini are still crawling around within the Las Vegas Echo boundary. Non-reincarnates continue to fail to notice them. As with previous encounters, Vermini they will flee from reincarnates. They evaporate into steam when killed.

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Events occurring in the immediate future:

• Locke City is about to receive a new set of visitors. At the crack of dawn of April 12th, a silver-colored spaceship will land in the compound Thunder Corp constructed in the Dead District. The ship is curved and sleek, possesses no obvious weaponry, and has three inhabitants on board.

They are ready to meet the FBI agents who are quick to arrive to the scene. Every local news and radio station is talking about the ‘aliens’ that have touched down in Locke City. For three hours, the city is left in the dark as to what the arrival of this trio means.

After those three hours have passed, the leader of the group introduces themselves to the public. The introduction is broadcast live on local and national television, and consists of the following:

- The unspoken leader introduces himself as Geoff Benwick. He also introduces Badri Barkley and Meredith Chownyk, and says that they are using Earth names because their original names cannot be conveyed accurately with any of the Earth’s languages.
- They are all wearing male business attire. Geoff says they have done so because the attire seems appropriate.
- Geoff apologizes for the confusion and destruction that has occurred in Locke City.
- Geoff explains that the “alien” was a former comrade turned renegade. Like the trio, the “alien’s” name cannot be conveyed accurately, so they dub it “Tiny” for ease of communication. The trio have been watching Earth on and off for several decades, withholding involvement until now. Tiny was supposed to scout the Earth to determine whether or not the time was appropriate for them to become involved. However, Tiny deviated from the plan and took matters into its own hands – leading to the mess that accumulated in the Business District’s destruction.

The trio managed to make contact with Thunder Corp and set them on the correct path, but they were too late.

The trio are now here to set things right.
- Geoff says they will cooperate with the FBI and will take care of the item monsters currently plaguing the city.
- Geoff apologizes once more.
- Throughout the broadcast, Badri sports a casual smile and winces when Tiny is brought up. Meredith is unreadable.

Public reaction to the broadcast is favorable. Finally, an answer to all of this madness! More importantly, all of the reincarnates will consider Geoff trustworthy. In turn, they will have little reason to question his words. They will not experience mysterious feelings or “gut instincts” of suspicion or wariness. This effect of accepting one as trustworthy is limited to Geoff and in place until further notice.

This does not mean reincarnates cannot notice perceived contradictions. However, their reactions should be more along the lines of confusion rather than outright suspicion or betrayal – because they will still consider Geoff trustworthy.

EDIT (04/10/2014): Clarification of Geoff's effect.

Geoff is extremely charismatic, which is enhanced by an effect amounting, essentially, to a stronger version of the influencing effect from David Proud’s snake statues, affecting any who see or hear him; the effect is not mind control, but strong suggestion. At present, everyone will feel strongly compelled to trust him – and reincarnates are no exception, although their trust may be viewed as contradictory, baffling, or otherwise too good to be true, given the information and experiences they possess.

We ask that this questioning not happen instantly, but rather build up over time. Outside reasons to distrust Geoff and break away from his effect will, and always intended to be, given to characters.

• Two days after the arrival and broadcast of the trio, all of the item monsters will be dealt with thanks to the efforts of the trio and the FBI. This means April 13th is the last day for item monster shenanigans.

• On April 15th, Detective Sherman will be arrested on charges of what amounts to ‘abuse of authority.’ He will be tried, found guilty, and shipped off to prison to serve ten years by the end of the month along with a bunch of other corrupt cops. All of the corrupt cops, actually. This includes Chief Edwards.

Edwards’ position will be filled by a transfer from out of the city. This transfer is not appable.

Geoff, speaking for the trio again, makes another public apology, stating that the corruption in Locke’s PD was also a result of Tiny’s misconduct. He says they worked together with the FBI to sort things out and bring the guilty parties to justice.

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Potential Echo Opportunities

• Watching or hearing the trio’s broadcast will grant one plot Echo. Reading or hearing about the broadcast second-hand will not grant an Echo.
• Interacting with one of the monsters that began on March 29th and ends April 12th will grant one plot Echo. Only one Echo can be gleaned from these monsters regardless of how many monsters a character interacts with and it will always be from the first interaction.
• Recordings of the pink light that went up in Las Vegas on March 23rd no longer grant a plot Echo.
• As always, canon recurrences grant related Echoes!

Please direct questions regarding these plot points to the thread below and not the post in general.

Comments

GENERAL QUESTIONS

[theearth]

Re: GENERAL QUESTIONS

[centurian]

As always... FBI questions.

Gerald has been working with Karl in regards to corruption in the police force. Will he be able to provide key testimony at the trial. Also can Gerald get a punch in with Sherman.

In addition, since he is a KNOWN network dude (to individuals in the FBI at least, not the public), would he have the opportunity to buddy it up/talk to Geoff and the other aliens in person? Admire their suits? Ask them about space? Generally think that Geoff is an A++ guy?

Finally, does that mean that reincarnates can view the other aliens as suspicious but then decide "WAIT THEY'RE WITH GEOFF".

[originaloddcouple]

So, Miria's mom thinks her daughter is one of the people who fought the giant snake and saw another reincarnate using a terrifying power.

Meanwhile, Isaac and Miria may have been spotted at the hospital taking Rakka Yoshitoshi, a girl who had wings growing out of her back in front of dozens of doctors and nurses. Rakka is now staying at Isaac and Miria's house. They may or may not have accidentally kidnapped her, although I believe Rakka's servants are covering for her.

If Miria's mother were to voice her "concerns" to the police and or FBI agents she might get to listen to her, how would this affect the Dians' household?

[dead_black_eyes]

For a long time now I've really wanted an interaction with L and Sherman. L holds a deep grudge and really wants to confront him about being rejected from the police force; is there any way that could happen before he gets shipped off? Even if it's just a couple passing comments, I'd really like for this to happen.

Re: GENERAL QUESTIONS

[shortspoken]

The usual type of question from me: Ellie has been guarding the compound for Thunder Corp, so what will the general mood around there be like? Is there anything for her to overhear/see/etc if she does a little snooping? Anything else I/she should know? DOES GEOFF REALISE HOW DANGEROUS IT IS FOR HIS MORTALITY RATE FOR HIM TO LOOK SO MUCH LIKE SEAN BEAN??

Edit: Uh also would it be feasible for Ellie to be onsite when the aliens land and broadcast video of the ship to the network as it happens? 8|a

DOUBLE EDIT WOW I'M AWESOME: Ellie was talking with Julien about the exact properties of the jello-like forcefield around the compound, and a few things came up: would phones (and by extension things like bugging equipment) work within the barrier? And how hard would it be for Ellie to steal some extra barrier-immunity gummies, or at least find out where they were being stored?

[seriallylucky]

Fred intends to start going around with a sword (and, if the Echo is approved, a mask). I'm not certain, but this is probably illegal in New Jersey; what kind of official consequences might he face?

[gogoghostpowers]

Does Geoff's super-trust apply to everyone, including non-reincarnates?

Will there be a way for reincarnates to get in touch with the aliens and ask them questions?

Will Sherman's arrest be covered "live" as breaking news on April 15th, or will it only be reported on the next day?

[flamberge]

Actually got a couple questions! A lot actually so shoving them all here. Would Karl get taken in under FBI protection during all this? I'm guessing he'd be one of the key witnesses in all this and chances are silencing him would be a real possibility. And would this be trying ALL the corruption (like guys who do mob deals and whatnot) or just alien stuff? And, when would this trial take place, like exact date-wise?

And as for aftermath, Karl's probably in the list to get canned (without jail time I'm guessing cause hey major witness?), but would it be cool if he asked the FBI to stay on for a few months just steer everything in the right direction? With like monthly reports and mandatory resignation after say 6 months? Just cause the force will probably be missing A LOT of guys and he knows the ropes and whatnot.

[innovated]

For Reagan, will it be possible to pick up the trio's broadcast with Veda?

[vanisland]

Iiiii probably should have addressed this one earlier! Miranda was in the city but for the most part not trying to actually contribute to the fight (although she failed at that) during Wise Snake, but she was using her false name, Jacqli. Would the FBI have figured out who she actually is and questioned her?

(Also, is it appropriate to have handwaved itemonster stuff as having already occurred?)

Re: GENERAL QUESTIONS

[stopinthenameofawe]

When we say 'all corrupt cops', are the ones who spoke up during questioning exempt?

Re: GENERAL QUESTIONS

[sun_sun]

Annie was costumed up but didn't have her Clark Kent Effect in effect during the Wise Snake fight, then almost immediately skipped town to go to Vegas. Will the FBI still have tracked her down?

[argents]

can i get a general state of the union re: the mecha at LCU? are they/the pilots still being heavily watched? are other reincarnates (especially the tech-savvy ones) allowed to see them? are they planning to keep them at LCU or are they going to move them anytime soon? will there be any changes in the general state of things when the aliens touch down, given that the gundam pilots remember operating in space? AND LASTLY are the pilots allowed to take pictures of the robots? (i have a goofy post in mind but if the FBI is going to be like that's restricted then i'll have to nix it.)

and one for the road concerning the aliens -- other than the blind sense of trust that they instill, is there anything else extrasensory going on that a newtype might be able to pick up on?

[shineonyou]

would not watching the trio's broadcast save a reincarnation the whole trusting reaction?

[professorwolf]

Okay, now that there's no mind control involved, and I can stop freaking out... is there a way to get close enough to the aliens/the spaceship/the Thunder corp building in general to get a whiff of them, for a shaggy tawny-colored dog?

[guitar_case_vagabond]

Quick question regarding Senketsu.

So, when I was planning to app this character Mini suggested combo-apping her and Senketsu which I decided against since I was thinking of him as an NPC similar to the fairies that the Precure characters use to transform. ... But then the rest of the series happened and canon events got my questioning that.

My question is, is there any way to "upgrade" Raye and Senketsu into a combo app or is it too late at this point since Senketsu is currently technically an Echoed back item?

Re: GENERAL QUESTIONS

[jasminebloominginshadow]

I hate to be a nag, but... do you think it's possible we could expand on things so that there's more going on in Vegas besides Vermini? I mean, as students, we can't exactly have them stay there indefinitely, and Vermini we already knew would be there.

My apologies if this sounds off or anything, I've got a lot of stuff to deal with right now so I might not be thinking clearly. x_x

[testsonseashells]

1. if a character has gone to las vegas, will the FBI be able to track them down there?

2. can the vermini be captured, and if they can, will genetic analysis reveal any evidence that their genetic material has been tampered with?

[alilyinthemoonslight]

Seconding the Vegas question, but with more specificity -

It had been my impression with the various rounds of discussion at the start of the season that we would have been getting more information on things happening around Vegas after a few weeks. I'd assumed this would have been in this plotting post, but... All we have to go on is what we started with, that being the Vermini.

Which isn't really a whole lot, plot-wise, to work with in such a small area for such a lengthy period of time. While not a lot of characters have ventured there yet, it strikes me there probably needs to be more incentive before that happens.

Can tracking the Vermini turn anything up? Because... it's all those of us there really have to go off of, and if not things there don't really have a whole lot of legs. Because if we're waiting for the next plot post then, that's an awful long period of time, which is going to make it harder to justify hanging around if all the important things are still happening in Locke. (Or again, to draw other characters to Vegas.)

Re: GENERAL QUESTIONS

[pianistofraielin]

Would the vermini in Vegas grant a plot Echo to characters who'd never encountered a vermini before?

Re: GENERAL QUESTIONS

[thebalrogslayer]

For anyone who decides to reveal themselves as part of the numbers club around now (just before or after the FBI questioning cut off date) what would the consequence be? Would the FBI still seek them out?

Not because it's something that I/Gabriel would want, and he hasn't been purposely avoiding it, just putting things off, I just want to know what would need to be played out if that's what happens.

[youngestone]

If they don't watch or hear the broadcast, are reincarnates spared from the suggestion effect? I'm assuming it's based on hearing Geoff's voice

Re: GENERAL QUESTIONS

[detectivetroll]

A couple of questions here! One: will the "you want to trust this guy" vibes have the same affect on reincarnates who have abilities that make them resistant to forms of mind control/persuasion, or will the affect be lesser/not there at all?

Obviously I'm asking this one for Nick, since he echoed back this ability, but given how things about this aspect of the plot kind of blew up a little bit, I wanted to add a note that I'm in no way trying to get around not being able to question things immediately. Nick's reaction will pretty much be "it's plausible but weird, I don't know," either way, mostly I just want to know if it should go along with "I'll wait and see" if it doesn't work on him, or "I want to trust this guy but don't know why" if it does.


And second! Will reincarnates have any opportunities to speak to the aliens? This is for Benjamin, who is totally buying into their story, and wants to talk to the other aliens about science. Because science is awesome and he should share some of his alien tech with them and see what they think, and maybe see if they're willing to tell him about some of theirs.

[gobybessie]

Quick question about the item monsters! Is it possible to find any sort of connection between them if you gather them up and look into it more?

And then about police/FBI investigation-y things. With all the investigating going on, would a mysteriously disappeared man get any attention? John's been reported as missing because of the whole regeneration business and seemingly disappearing off the face of the earth, and his last sighting was on the day of the wise snake attack. He's been trying to stay low and not make it public at all that he's a part of the network.

But if anyone were to look into that disappearance more closely they could probably find traces of his phone being used after the disappearance because he didn't change any of that right away, and also possibly that there's been activity in his apartment (although I handwave that he's moved at this point) after it too, like lights being on and him using the computer and. Things. I don't know what exactly can be traced when it comes to these things but. Just checking if the people investigating the network could get interested in this and screw up his attempt at not showing his face in public. :')

[orangehoodie]

Hi there mods! I've got a question today regarding something I want to try for my character here.

Before I get into the explanation, my question is: Is there any possible scenario for a 15 year old and 13 year old to get involved in any incident that will end in one of them getting injured, specifically shot, to protect the other?

Now for the explanation --> Within the Persona 3 canon, on October 4th 2009, Ken Amada calls a member of the group he resides in, Shinjiro Aragaki, to an alleyway to confront him about an incident two years prior when they are approached by a man named Takaya, who is the leader of a small opposing group called Strega. Strega is against the operations of Ken and Shinjiro's group, SEES, and at the end of this confrontation Takaya attempt to kill Ken, but is thwarted by Shinjiro taking the bullets by shielding him.

As this is a very large and dramatic part of Ken's life, I'd like to play this out with a non-NPC so he could face the consequences of it as the reincarnation, too -- I'm asking this because I understand the Blood Keys activity has been low, and I was wondering if they were still a possible NPC to use, or if there were any alternative routes we could work out to make it possible!