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The HOPE Project - an idea


Asrai
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Hey!

So, basically, I've been writing a book for about 5 or 6 years now, and I've got horrible writers block and I RP has always been my refuge in times of writing trouble.

So, here we go. The HOPE Project is set in England somewhere around 2900, when being a celebrity has been outlawed, medical care is paid for by the doctors and the Government lives 10,000 feet in the air to keep themselves safe. The populace has become nocturnal, because the damaged ozone layer and inner city pollution bathes the city in smog during the day. A branch of the police force known as The HOPE Project has ultimate power on the ground, and you don't want to get on the wrong side of them. They usually act with more than necessary force and extreme prejudice. If they take you away, you aren't coming back.

The narrative begins with two runaways making their way to the port to get out of Old City (what we call London). I don't want to give too much away, but those parts are up for grabs, and I'll talk more to whoever goes for them and as there's a bit of flexibility in terms of plot progression I'm more than happy to discuss ideas - nothing is set in stone! Their best bet upon arrival is to join a ship of drug traffickers. These guys are not smuggling coke or heroin, they deal in medicines; in 2799 a law was passed requiring all medical staff to fund their own training and supplies so that the general population could afford healthcare. As such only the rich or the well-funded can afford to practice medicine, and basic pills and solutions are sold and traded on the black market. While the clients are upmarket, the drug dealers are often not. They are mavericks, and there are often bloody fights between rival ships to keep their cashflow going. In a world where your identity number is tattooed into your skin at birth, they all use codenames and keep their identity secret from everyone, even their own shipmates. One of the most revered ships is the Aguamala, specialising in poisons and anaesthetics and captained by Morph Crow, a 25 year old woman with more piercings than digits and a foul temper to match. This just happens to be the ship on which our runaways find themselves.

In terms of parts, I'm looking for two people to play the runaways, and a ship's crew. I'll give you their code names, and you can work out backstories if you like, or I can give you a little help. A few have minor bits of plot attached to them already, and some will require heavier involvement than others, so you can bear that in mind if and when it comes time to looking into auditions and all that jazz.

So, without further ado, here's a chunk of introduction to have a read of, if you'd like. Feel free to comment or PM me - I'm breezy!

x


[font=georgia,serif]The streets of Old City were slowly being bathed in a sickly, penetrating light the colour of arsenic gas as the sun began to rise upon what was once called London. Old Cityâ??s inhabitants were gathering up their belongings and herding their children and animals back into their houses, turning on their gas locks and monodio extractors and staying quiet. That is to say that the [i]sensible[/i] Old Citizens were. At this time in the day, only those who were powerful, stupid or desperate wandered around in the thickening fog.[/font]
[font=georgia,serif]Two figures dressed in dark trench coats, black boots and respirators walked down the street in silence. Their coats and boots were made of synth-leather. The coats had an insignia emblazoned on the backs and lapels so that nobody could be ignorant of the fact that these men were powerful men. The words â??The Hope Projectâ? were written across the symbol. All children asked their parents what the symbol of Hope meant. There were varying theories about what it stood for, but the generally accepted idea was that the scarlet background was the blazing sun and that the grey crescent was the moon, â??Because,â? as parents would say, scooping their children into a hug, â??thatâ??s really all any of us want, isnâ??t it? To be able to see the sun and the moon again.â? The children would have no choice but to nod, because their mother or father would always seem sad somehow but the children of this generation could not understand. They had never seen the sun or moon; they did not know what they were missing.[/font]
[font=georgia,serif]When the pair had passed two more figures emerged from the shadows - a man and a woman, each carrying a section of jagged metal piping in one hand and a handkerchief firmly pressed again their mouths in the other, as if it would help. They both crept, silently, until they were each behind a Hope officer and - the woman taking a signal from the man - hit the patrollers over the head with the piping in a simultaneous movement. The soldier who was hit by the man was easily incapacitated. The one hit by the woman was less easily beaten, having a smaller brain and a thicker skull, but the woman was determined. The man staggered slightly and turned just before the woman dropped her hand from her mouth and swung for the man with both hands on the pipe. It hit him across the top of the face and sent him backwards onto the ground. He lay there, motionless. â??Beatrixx, you could have killed him!â? the man said, rushing forward and checking the unconscious soldierâ??s pulse. The woman, Beatrixx, sighed.[/font]
[font=georgia,serif]â??Who cares, Finn? I was more worried about smashing the respirator and heâ??s going to die when we take that anyway.â? Finn looked at Beatrixx and took a deep, exasperated breath of smoggy yellow air before coughing it back out again.[/font]
[font=georgia,serif]â??Ok, fair point. We should get them inside.â?[/font]
[font=georgia,serif]â??Finn! No, youâ??re wasting time,â? Beatrixx protested, but Finn had already dragged the two men, both bleeding, by their collars to a house and banged hard on the door.[/font]
[font=georgia,serif]â??Hope!â? He barked and the door flew open with a hiss of the air locks. He took the boots, coats and respirators from the pair and pushed them inside. A man on the inside looked at Finn and shook his head, mouthing in the absence of words to protest with. Beatrixx pushed past him dragging the two men by their collars. She nodded in greeting to a woman standing on the stair in a thin flannel dressing-gown who looked decidedly harried. [/font]
[font=georgia,serif]â??And what do we say when more Hope men turn up at my door, huh, with their guns?â? hissed the woman at Beatrixx, her accent typical Old City, heavy â??Hâ? sounds and half-gulped â??Gâ?s.[/font]
[font=georgia,serif]â??You say there were ten or twelve of us. And we were huge. And we had cannons,â? Beatrixx growled, grunting with the effort of lugging the unconscious men over the threshold, while Finn stared the man down, daring him to argue. The man pointed out to the street at a series of sweepcams that swung rapidly from side to side and sent pictures to Hope Headquarters in the centre of New City.[/font]
[font=georgia,serif]â??And what happens when they check the video feed?â? the man said, getting a little frantic. Beatrixx laughed derisively.[/font]
[font=georgia,serif]â??You reckon if those pieces of junk were sending live footage Iâ??d still be standing here talking to you? We looped the feeds about twenty minutes ago. They wonâ??t know whatâ??s happened until they realise the times were wrong and then you could tell them a real elephant walked down the street and they wouldnâ??t be any the wiser!â? By now the burning vapour of Old City was starting to sting Finnâ??s eyes and throat. He strapped a respirator onto his face, tossed the other to Beatrixx (who caught it effortlessly) and closed the door to the manâ??s home. The pneumatic hiss of the air locks told Finn that the soldiers were safe. He threw the smaller coat and boots to Beatrixx, who shrugged them on, before turning to his own set of stolen clothing.[/font]
[font=georgia,serif]â??This should get us through the gates into the port no trouble, right?â? the woman said, her voice sounding broken, like she was speaking through a fan.[/font]
[font=georgia,serif]â??Yes,â? Finn said, though he wasnâ??t sure, but this had been his idea, his plan. He was the foundation of this scheme, and he was damned if he was going to let it all go. â??Yes,â? he said again, putting a hand on her shoulder. â??No trouble, B, no trouble at all.â? They took off at a considerable pace, putting as much distance between themselves and the house (with the men theyâ??d attacked inside) as possible.[/font]
[font=georgia,serif]â??And when did you loop the video feeds?â? Finn asked, as they walked along, â??Stroke of genius, I grant you, but when?â?[/font]
[font=georgia,serif]â??I didnâ??t.â? Beatrixx said. The way she said it told Finn that this was the end of the conversation.[/font]
[font=georgia,serif]The tawny haired man and the raven haired woman walked with their collars up and their heads down. Hearing a siren they broke into a run, ducking down a thin alleyway. These people were desperate.[/font]
[font=georgia,serif]Behind them in a small Old City house a man and his wife told their children to get back to bed as they asked what the funny men with no shoes were doing in their house â?? and why were they bleeding?[/font]
[font=georgia,serif]Somewhere else in Old City a man held a mother in his arms as she sobbed. He looked out of the window at the air which was now opaque and the colour of vomit. He closed the blinds and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye so that it wouldnâ??t ever fall.[/font]
[font=georgia,serif]Somewhere, on his own, a small boy pointed weakly at two approaching figures that were running faster than theyâ??d ever run in their lives and cried pathetically, â??Hope!â? The figures ignored the boy, or maybe they just didnâ??t see him. â??Gone,â? the boy gasped, before inhaling a last tiny lungful of heavy air and falling unseen to the ground.[/font]
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I'm glad to hear it! As it stands, this is the crew we're working with:

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]
Arsenic North (male)â?? English â?? Guns â??nâ?? Ammo â?? 2 years 11 months[/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]
Arsenic "Nick" North has been on the Aguamala almost as long as the Captain. He knows the trade, and he knows his weaponry. [/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]
Novocaine Tennant (Female) â?? English/French â?? Pilot â?? 1 year [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]
Novocaine "Nova" Tennant is in illegal immigrant, having made her way to England by hiding herself in the Aguamala. When the old pilot was killed in combat she revealed herself to the crew, and took over at the ship's wheel. Morph, despite being angry with the stowaway she was impressed by her skill and agreed to take her on. That and necessity - good pilots are hard to come by and Nova is one of the best.[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]
Cyanide Kitts (Male) â?? African English â?? Hope insider â?? 2 years [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]
Cyanide Kitts knows one of the runaways from way back, when they were both in a state orphanage. Now he works within the HOPE organisation, but is still making his way up the ranks. He usually only meets the crew on docking to feed them pieces of info about the HOPE Project, and to tell them if and when they are being tailed. This is one of the lower-activity characters, so if you don't have a lot of time to devote this would be a good one to run with.[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]
Thalidomide Dann (Female) â?? French/English â?? Navigation â?? 1 year[/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]
Thalidomide "Thally" Dann is Nova's cousin, and grew up in England on a trafficking ship. She's the future day equivalent of a river gypsy, knowing all the ways a ship can get out of a rough spot without hitting sat nav check spots. She's got romantic history with Valium Carson, and while she often pretends that nothing ever happened, he still hopes they'll get it together.[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]
Valium Carson (Male) â?? American â?? The muscle â?? 3 years [/font][/color][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]
Valium "Val" Carson is a huge hulk of a man with a skinhead and tattoos, but a very sweet nature towards the crew. He's fiercely protective, particularly of the women on board, and often acts as an intermediary between the slightly aloof Morph and her crew. He still keeps a photo of him and Thally in his bedside drawer, and though he usually seems cheerful, there's a part of him that wonders why she's become so distant from him.[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]
Meanwhile we also have Finn Fiasco-Starr, a doctor from Old City running away with Beatrixx, a code breaker and hacker for the government with a price on her head, running away to save their skins.[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]
Bear in mind the ship's crew are all living under assumed names. Only relevant people will be told other character's real names and bits of backstory, but in the interests of keeping it fresh you'll be fed some bits of false information, and your characters will have to work out, in game who on board isn't who they seem to be. There are a few big old secrets and conspiracies and it could get really intriguing as it goes along - I hope![/font][/color]
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The technology is what we shall call inventive. Hand to hand combat is generally more common because that sort of weaponry is less restricted, so knives and maces have come back into vogue, however plasma guns are used, and in the last few years biological warfare has also come into use - particularly with the invention of the jellyfish cannon. This is a handgun which, instead of cartridges is filled with seawater and a colony of genetically modified, flesh eating jellyfish the size of a 10 pence piece. Once deployed from the gun at someone they seek water, so generally they'll find their way in through the eyes, nose or mouth. They're usually a last resort, because once they're loose they don't stop and due to their size they're a pain in the arse to kill.

In terms of cyborgs, I am being deliberately cagey in saying that I haven't ruled it out. It applies more to one character than others, and I can't actually tell you who that is... It kind of ruins a plot development!

Any more questions feel free to roll them my way!

x
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I'm very flattered - thank you so much! I'm really encouraged by the interest. I've been writing this as a book for roughly 5 years, and I keep changing where I'm going with it, so I just thought it made a world of sense to open it up as an RP. If nothing else, it should give me a hand with the writer's block!
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In case it wasn't assumed, I'm planning to play Morph because I'm a megalomaniac, basically! She's useful for me to have ULTIMATE POWER (imagine that in a scary deep voice) over, in terms of driving the plot in the right direction.
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Ok, guys, I'm feeling the love and I'm going to go ahead and post an audition thread sometime today! If you know anyone else who woul want to get involve please let them or me know asap.

X
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Cyanide sounds pretty awesome, by the way.

Speaking of Cyborgs, I just finished [i]Empire State[/i], which was pretty awesome and had the same kind of air at some points as this story, except it plays in NYC. It had jetpack super heroes and trench coats and gas masks.

And cyborgs and big (flying) battle ships and police blimps. Edited by Boo
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A question arose for me, what kind of technology we looking at when it comes to the ships design? My mind keeps going back tithe classic gallie style ship with masts and everything since I'm not sure what kind of ship they would actually have. I don't need dimensions or anything specific, just enough to know what kind of boat were on.
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  • 2 weeks later...
RIGHT!

The RP thread is up, now that we have a full cast! Yay!

This thread will remain open for questions and ideas, and I'm going to quickly put up a glossary of random terms and words.

Sleb - Derogatory term e.g. Son of a Sleb. Stems from the word "Celebrity", following the law against fame in the 2500s.

Monodio extractors - These filter air for buildings and craft in the daytime. Personal respirators should be used if going outside in the daytime, but they're expensive and hard to get hold of.

HOPE Officers - different to the police in that they work for a specific division of government, and have more power. They can search people, homes and ships without warrants and can basically do whatever they want.

I'm sure more will crop up because I've had a mind blank.

x
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  • 2 weeks later...
Just wanted to give a heads-up that I am actually writing a piece, just so you don't start missing me too much.

- I'm going a bit nuts with adding stuff to London, so when I go to far, just let me know, yo.

- - I'll continue ASAP, but first there's a busy week for me! Laterrrr. Edited by Boo
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  • 2 weeks later...
Hey guys, long story short, I'm leaving the site for personal reasons. Really sorry to let you down, and thanks for getting involved. It's got me writing again, if nothing else! Look out for the novel, someday. :)

Sorry, again!

Asrai
x
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