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| altruism & elitism plot: a rough draft. The huge, airy room becomes silent as soon as the lights are dimmed. Everyone has been seated, and their cameras are ready. Loud music is emitted from the speakers located somewhere amidst the crowded room, and a lengthy, glassy runway is lit. A legion of beautiful girls, dressed in the finest of clothes, saunter their way to the end of the runway, and strike a pose. They can hardly see anything thanks to the numerous cameras handled by excited spectators, and as these girls make their way off the runway, a ridiculously wealthy clientele debates on to purchase the looks shown. On the other side of town, a middle-aged man is caught working overtime once again. Shuffling papers about isn't the most amusing thing in the world; however, it puts bread on the table, although not much. He is on the edge of his seat, wondering if he is able to feed another mouth. His wife was supposed to call him two hours ago on the news, but he hasn't heard from her all evening. He looks outside of the window of his office, and looks at the thousands of people gathered around a ritzy-looking building, dressed in opulence. The people on the street have no idea that a desperate man, twenty floors above them, is envious of their prosperity. He can only dream of having the kind of money they have. These two scenes paint the picture of New York City in 2050. Things are much different than they are now, although the changes that have been made aren't welcomed by all. While some prosper, some others struggle to see the next day. The gap between the rich and the poor has gotten ridiculously large, and the values that made America the country it is now have vanished into thin air. Crime rates have been steadily rising, and the law enforcement officers are becoming more corrupt as the days go by. Changes that were made were slow, but eventually led from one thing to another. The United States began to look for a better way of managing the country, and remodeled their government after Great Britain's parliamentary government system. At this time, President Douglas Frankton, skilled in diplomacy and economics, led the country into an economic boom, and solved many domestic issues going on within the country. The new parliament seemed to be doing its job, and for the first time in almost ten years, the national debt was actually decreasing. The United States of America soon became an elective monarchy seven years after Prime Minister Frankton took office. Unfortunately, a year after this occurred, Frankton died of a cardiac arrest, and Douglas Frankton's son, Vincent Frankton, was elected as America's new potentate. Vincent Frankton possessed his father's gift for economics and diplomacy, and he also had a natural inclination for leadership, and he was well-respected growing up. He gained favor with the United Nations, as well as other international organizations. What the general public did not know was that Frankton was a hardcore megalomaniac. The nation's beloved leader, Vince Frankton, eventually had to compete in a national election once his first term of eight years was completed. Frankton had many competitors, but thanks to his good first term, he won the election by a landslide. However, in his second term, Frankton made radical changes in the nation and the government, moving the capital from Washington, D.C., to New York City. The government then changed from an elective monarchy to a hereditary monarchy, and only the members of the Frankton family were granted leadership of the nation. Frankton's megalomania drove the United States to start new trade routes, create new jobs, and diminish the national debt completely. However, Frankton did not like the idea of the poor being able to become wealthy, so he passed multiple laws that formed a barrier between the poor and the wealthy. Those that belonged to the wealthy society enjoyed a glamorous life. With plenty of money to spend, this group of high-browed citizens had the privilege to watch fashion shows of high-dollar designers, and they also heavy influence on the government and the decisions the Franktons made. As a result, businesses boomed, trade increased, and lower-class citizens that invested into companies became wealthy instantly, joining the influential circle with the promise of prosperity. On the bottom rung of the social ladder laid those that did not have much money to their names. Their influence is little, but their numbers are many. The world that they live in lacked fine clothes, fancy cars, and vacations in foreign countries. They are ignored the privileges middle and higher class citizens enjoy, but the government does insist on giving them attention, although it may not always be positive. While most of the American citizens enjoy the reign of the Franktons, some are unsatisfied with the quality of life that Frankton has given them. Having the last straw with Frankton's 'elitism' approach, a select group of former military strategists plotted out the assassination of Vincent Frankton. This group deemed themselves as 'The Resistance'. The Resistance met constantly in areas of New York where the law enforcement refused to go. Secretly, the Resistance created many convoluted plots to eliminate the head of the Frankton family. The Resistance created hope for the desperate, poverty-stricken citizens of America, eventually, thanks to agents belonging to the security chamber of the Frankton reign, The Resistance would be put to a stop. Sunday, May 12, 2047, would be deemed the true 'Bloody Sunday'. The Resistance grew in numbers, and a quiet day in Manhattan became a massacre of poor citizens. It started when the head of The Resistance, Mark Flembourg, was being taken to court on the count of threatening to overthrow the government. The faithful few living Resistance members gathered outside the city courthouse, planning to rescue Flembourg. However, security was extremely tight, and a misfire from Resistance member Devan Alford caused the life of FBI agent Kevin Baxter, and the shot also caused the killing of 28 citizens, more than two thirds of them belonging to the working class. The remaining Resistance members were found and publicly executed, and it seemed that the hopes of many were shattered. In the summer of 2049, a new resistance group arose. They called themselves The Red Conspiracy, composed by mostly former doctors of the Frankton family, bent on destroying their reign once and for all. This time, the conspiracy is being kept a secret, and it is now becoming a force not to mess around with. Time can only tell when the government will be aware of them, but both the anti-Frankton force and the Frankton allies need to prepare themselves. Which side are you on? Are you willing to fight for altruism or elitism? |
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Oh, For A Pirate's Life This is a 'Pirates Of The Caribbean' roleplay, which is slightly AU in the sense that it only follows the films up until the point where the Kraken attacks the Black Pearl and supposedly kills Jack. In our roleplay, Jack was seriously wounded but avoided being eaten by the Kraken. He managed to cling to a piece of debris and washed up in Tortuga three days later. A local woman cared for him until he was well enough to leave. He bought a ship by collecting some money he was owed, then set about finding enough crew members to be able to set sail. After hearing of Jack's apparent demise, two young pirates decided to try and take his place as famous captains. However, they couldn't decide between them which of them was to be the captain and which was to be the first mate. This caused a huge argument and they went their separate ways - the good, just and fair boy choosing to captain a blue-flagged ship and the overbearing, nastier girl choosing to captain a red-flagged ship. They travelled to Tortuga and found ships, then began to recruit their crews. There are now four main groups of pirates divided into two groups - Jack's group & the blue pirates, and Davy Jones' crew & the red pirates. As well as the existing conflicts, there is also news of a legendary treasure existing somewhere in the Caribbean. The pirates are not the only people to have heard about this treasure - the British Navy are also keen to recquisition it, although they claim it is purely for preservation of historical artifacts. The East India Trading Company, it is rumoured, have been helping the red pirates. |