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What it Takes: Blending in on Earth (Discussion and Recruiting)


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Have you ever looked up at the sky and wondered if there might be other forms of intelligence out there? Of course you have! Aside from the raw beauty of the night sky, this has been one of the most fascinating pursuits for astronomers around the world. We keep looking to the stars, keep stretching our gaze further and further. It’s not that we actually believe there’s something out there... it’s just that it’d be amazing if there was.

 

My colleagues and I now have reason to believe there might be. A week ago, we observed a small cluster of asteroids coming this way. At first, we thought nothing of it... asteroids come at the Earth every day, but very few actually impact the surface. But there was something different about these ones. It was almost like they were on a mission of sorts, strange as that sounds. They’d move side to side in order to avoid collisions. Gradually, over the last week, we came to believe there was intelligence behind their movement. So we plotted as best we could where they would land... providing they didn’t determine to avoid Earth entirely.

 

We set ourselves up in an RV outside of Las Vegas, expecting the rocks or whatever they were would impact somewhere in the desert there. And we were right. Last night, we watched these strange little pods come crashing down, engulfed in flames, smashing deep holes into the Nevada desert. The shock of impact caused an earthquake felt through Vegas, causing massive power outages all over the city. But that wasn’t the most remarkable thing about these little pods.

 

Each pod contained one intelligent individual. Initially, they were unable to speak our language, could barely even communicate that they did not intend to harm us. Then, the one that seemed like their leader took my hand... and transformed himself into an identical copy of me! He began to mimic the words I’d said. Gradually, he seemed to understand what he was saying and choked out one word, “Speak.”

 

So my colleagues and I spoke at great length, until the leader held up a hand to silence us.

 

“We... understand your... language,” he said. And we began to communicate. They learned rapidly; that we were humans, the only intelligent species on our planet, that our planet had never been visited by offworlders before. They seemed amused by this, but said nothing to disagree.

 

They said that, in our language the closest they could come to saying what their species was called was ‘Jabric’. The Jabrics explained that they were shapeshifters, requiring only to look at a target, observe them in action, and listen to their speech patterns to be able to mimic them perfectly. Additionally, if they can get close enough to touch their subject, as their leader did with me, the transformation can be done far more quickly. Furthermore, they said they were fleeing from their planet after a massive civil war that tore their world into several factions. They called these the Dark Days.

 

The Jabrics who’d come to Earth were the only surviving members of the Council of Jabros, the advisors to the King before his rule was overthrown. They are being hunted by some of the best trackers their world has known, and so they requested our aid in blending into the customs of planet Earth. And believe me... it’s going to be far from easy.

 

For one thing, these Jabrics are exceedingly strong, even in Human form. And furthermore, they have no understanding of manners, morals, or emotion, as humans understand the subjects. We have a heavy load on our hands. I only hope we can teach them our ways quickly... otherwise, their enemies may find them all too easy.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

 

Alright, so here’s the deal. I’m opening spots for three or four astronomers and five Jabrics.

 

Character sheets should be as follows:

 

Name: (Jabrics names can be a bit odd... I mean, look at their species name :p However, toward the beginning, they’ll be encouraged to take on Human names to blend in better. Astronomers names should be normal human names.)

Human Name: (Needed only for Jabrics)

Species: (Jabric or Human, no other options)

Age: (Jabrics are older than 41 Human years, and they are all younger than 65 (save my character)... and that’s considered young. Astronomers ought to be between 25 and 40)

Sex: (Male or female, applies to Jabrics as well)

Appearance: (For Jabrics, come up with a picture of someone they’ll be imitating)

Bio: (Really only necessary for the astronomers, but if you want to, you can come up with something for the Jabrics. Theirs is fairly self explanatory, though. They’re highly intelligent, some of the best shapeshifters in their society, but their government was shattered and now their on the run. It doesn’t have to be extremely long.))

 

 

Rules:

 

I am going to strictly enforce these.

1. NO Bad guys: Trust me, they’ll show up eventually, and then we’ll have our hands full. But do not post a bad guy charry sheet, because I’ll immediately turn it down. It’s really in your best interest, anyway. Bad guys are the odd ones out... and leave you with very little interaction.

 

2. No one-sentence posts. If you’re going to play, be serious about it. If you can’t think of more than one sentence, then wait until you can.

 

3. No random rambling. We’ve established that you’re not going to post one sentence at a time. Now, let’s cover a noob’s escape route. If you can’t think of more than one sentence, do not post a long, rambling post of nothing but your character’s thoughts on an issue. If it doesn’t help the story and if it doesn’t make sense, I don’t want it, so don’t post it.

 

4. Keep to the rules of the Forum too:

- no super characters

- no killing off PC’s

- no character controlling

- seven day absence makes an NPC rule (I know, I stole it from starmark :p )

 

 

5. The threadmaster (that’s me) has the final say in all RP matters. That means, don’t argue with me, I’m always right.

 

 

Note: If any further rules come to mind after characters start dropping in, I’ll state them at that time, and ask you to change your character.

 

 

 

 

Without further ado, I introduce my three characters:

 

 

Name: Jathan (Jay-than)

Human Name: John Davis

Species: Jabric

Age: 65

Sex: Male

Appearance: Image: Jathan as a human

Bio: Jathan is the Prime Consul, the leader of the Council of Jabros. He was the one who led the escape of the Jabrics who’ve found their way to Earth. He knows the trackers are hunting for them, but they have traveled a very long way, so he’s hoping they can learn to accurately mimic the Humans before the trackers make it to Earth. He also feels responsible for the youngest member of the Council, Jaiera.

 

 

 

Name: Jaiera (Jie-err-uh)

Human Name: Jessica Davis

Species: Jabric

Age: 41

Sex: Female

Appearance: Image: Jaiera as a human

Bio: Jaiera is the newest and youngest member of the Council of Jabros. She was elected to the position by popular vote from a list of twenty possibilities when an old Council member was exposed as a spy and cast out. Her brother, Jathan was one of the few who voted against her, and she hasn’t ever forgiven him of that. Still, she respects him as a strong leader and a good brother.

 

 

 

Name: Matthew Garrison

Species: Human

Age: 39

Sex: Male

Appearance: Image: Matt Garrison

Bio: Even as a boy, Matt Garrison was obsessed with the night sky. He wrote great volumes on aliens and how, with the universe being so massive, they simply had to exist. His beliefs only grew stronger as he grew up, and he soon found himself with a far different set of friends, all of whom loved the stars above and the great potential for life there.

 

Post-college, Matt moved out of the city and set up an observation center with his friends. They lived there, only leaving to gather supplies. Though he was not the first one to observe the descending aliens, he has been the most enthusiastic about their arrival, including the time after they finally landed.

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I'm In

 

Name: Titel (Ti-Tell)

Human Name: Timothy Allan

Species: Jabric

Age: 44

Sex: Male

Appearance: Pic

Bio: Joined the council when he was 37 which was unheard of considering his species aren’t considered mature until they hit 40. He is wise beyond his years but had little tolerance for those of other Races, making his interaction with humans strained at best. Was on the Council when the King was overthrown, Now hiding out on Earth.

 

 

 

Name: Dianne Lemmicks

Species: Human

Age: 27

Sex: Female

Appearance: Pic

Bio: A science geek growing up and continued to be one in adult hood when she became an astronomer after finishing in the top 10% of her graduating class. Born in Texas she has maintained her southern accent that often leads to people believing she is dumber than she is.

 

Set up the Observation Center with her friend Matt and was with him when he first discovered the Aliens. She is not as excited about the alien arrival as her fellow astronomers, deciding to take caution when giving any information about the earth culture no matter how small.

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I'm in for one of the aliens. :)

 

Name: Ishi

 

Human Name: Pat Connor

 

Species: Jabric

 

Age: 49

 

Sex: Female

 

Appearance:

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f256/JasraLantill/viggo.jpg

 

Bio: Ishi has been on the Council for several years now and was the primary contact for any social services and culture issues on Jabros. As such, she is very intrigued about human social structures, customs, and protocols. As she was close friends with the banned Council member that was replaced, there is some tension, perhaps even some suspicion, between her and Jathan. Because of this, she tries extra hard to foster good relations with Jaiera, the replacement Council member and Jathan’s sister, which could be misinterpreted by others as suspicious behavior.

 

Although female, she has taken on a male form for the moment, having noticed that human society seems to be primarily male dominated.

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I'll take another alien.

 

Name: Odrimae

 

Human Name: Ryan Avery

 

Species: Jabric

 

Age: 53

 

Sex: Male

 

Appearance: http://img341.imageshack.us/img341/1124/justinbarthafi3.th.png

 

Bio: Having been on the Council for about three years before going on the run, he is probably the most reserved and introverted member. While not having adding anything spectacular to the Council, he is still respected for his occasional insights and tendency to take a calmer, rational view of situations. After he was driven to Earth, he has now taken on the form of a male human ("Ryan Avery"). Due to his quiet, shy disposition as Ryan, he has been able to study humans in some amount of privacy.

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Name: Cael O'Rinn

Species: Human

Age: 32

Sex: Male

Appearance: Shortish, strawberry blonde hair, green eyes. pictar hurr hurr

Bio: Born in Dublin to two American parents, Cael and his family moved to southern California when he was 7. He grew up fascinated by the stars and the sky, which wasn't a big surprise, given that his father was in NASA. Cael fully intended to follow in his father's footsteps, even joining the Air Force in hopes of joining the astronaut program, but was unable to advance for reasons as yet undisclosed. As a result, he resigns from the Air Force and takes up a teaching position at a small western university. Eventually, he meets a group of astronomers like himself and joins them in their search of the skies above.

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Name: Alexander Johnston

Species: Human

Age: 38

Sex: Male

Appearance: http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a116/Goshman/Chars/brandon-lee.jpg

Bio: Since youth, Alex was intigued by everything mechanical and electrical. He was never that much into astronomy, but due to being competent in it as well and seeking a future in making the world of tomorrow happen, he got somehow swept into joining eventually the others in the observation center. Actually, he happened to know one of the group a little better who noted the lack of a mechanic and electrician, in which point he observed himself as the man for the job. There the man gained friends that he had once only known barely as acquaintances or as those who he would've bullied if they were in junior high. When the aliens landed, he was the first to instead of gawping at the aliens to be looking at their ships, even if bruised during the trip and planetfall. As far as the aliens or their home is concerned, he doesn't really care. Or if he cares, you can barely notice it from his bored face when such things happen to become the subject.

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Sounds interesting, I'm in, though due to my noobishness I'll go with one character.

 

Name: Shaqui (Shah quh I)

Human Name: Shaun O'Donnel

Species: Jabric

Age: 56

Sex: Male

Appearance: couldn't make a linky so: http://www.cinecultist.com/archives/041110_hugh_laurie_11a.widec.jpg

Bio: A disarming manner and an understanding of the need for compromise to get anything done, meant that he was in charge of negotiating with the other factions. After all atempts at negotiating failed, he threw his lot in with Jathan, and is now doing all he can to keep the human/jabric "alliance" going.

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Name: Pallax

Human Name: Morrigan Kimball

Species: Jabric

Age: 50

Sex: Female

Appearance: Blue eyes, strawberry blonde hair.

Bio: Pallax is the most military-minded of the Jabric Council, which is not surprising as she was the chief military counsel. Retreating to Earth has not been easy on her, as she would have much preferred to fight the usurpers of the throne. She is fiercely loyal to the King and to her fellow Jabrics and can be somewhat gruff when interacting with humans. Still, for Jathan's sake and everyone else's, she does make an effort to fit in.

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Rob, your character is too young. Jabrics are all older than 41; Jaiera is the youngest of the bunch. Change your age. And do something about the photo too... I keep getting a 'Referral Denied' message.

 

As to the rest, you all look pretty good. Wow! This filled up fast. All slots are filled.

 

We have seven Jabrics (including my own), and four astronomers. I couldn't have asked for better.

 

 

Casting is closed.

 

I'll work up a starter post and we can get this thing rolling today or tomorrow.

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Heh... the picture's a bit small small, but I know who it is. Fun choice... for a bigger picture you can drop in on Tysy's RP and swipe the web address from the picture I used there for Ash :) Or if you'd prefer to be lazy... :p

 

http://www.squarehippies.com/images/bartha/justin_bartha4.jpg

 

There it is right there... nice big picture of the guy for ya :)

 

 

The age looks good, too.

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People joined the discussion thread a lot faster than they're joining the RP. To help us along, I'm going to give a description of the observation center. It's basically a very large house. The first floor contains everything required for living, from bedrooms and bathrooms to a kitchen, dining room and entertainment rooms. One entertainment room has a big flat screen TV, DVD player, and satellite TV equipment. The other has a pool table, a ping pong table, and a foosball table. Attached to the center is an indoor swimming pool, and both the pool and the room that contains it are well heated.

 

The second floor is the true observation center. At least half a dozen computers are set up, tapped into various satellites and telescopes around the world. At the center, there is a single, large telescope pointed into the night sky, and several monitors around it which display and enlarge anything it's pointed at.

 

Finally, the roof is flat, and there is access to it from within. It was originally designed to be a basketball court, but when a full size court was installed by the pool, deck tables and chairs replaced the hoops. Sometimes, people use this place as a spot for thinking or journaling... not at this time of year though. It is January, and the whole thing is covered with approximately two feet of snow.

 

The center is surrounded by trees, and the long driveway leads back out to the state highway that goes through McCall (Hwy 55).

 

 

Now, your characters can be doing anything for the moment. I expect some of the Jabrics (especially Pallax) would be upstairs, watching the sky (even though it's daylight)... because you are aware that you're being hunted... and you expect to be found sooner or later.

 

As to the Humans, I expect you've built up a daily routine... after all, this is where our characters live too. I figure it's right around 11 AM, so figure out what your character would be doing and come up with a post!

 

 

One final point to make in this post: it has occurred to me that, if a group of astronomers such as we've got could figure out the Jabrics were coming to Earth, others would have figured it out too... so I'm introducing a couple of characters in the form of Matt's cousin and her 'boyfriend'... they'll fill in the demand for government intervention... but for now, you just know them as Matt's unemployed cousin and her unemployed boyfriend :p

 

 

 

Name: Kayla Hoff

Species: Human

Age: 33

Sex: Female

Appearance: Image: Kayla Hoff

Bio: Kayla is Matt Garrison's cousin, and she and her boyfriend practically dropped in from nowhere just before Matt and Dianne observed the Jabrics' pods. Kayla explained that they just needed a place to stay until they could get their feet back under them, but when the Jabrics were sighted, she expressed curiosity. So she and her boyfriend have remained with the group. Kayla is especially quiet around the Jabrics, but she spends a great deal of time upstairs, so they are at least familiar with her.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Name: Logan Baker

Species: Human

Age: 35

Sex: Male

Appearance: Image: Logan Baker

Bio: Before he showed up with Kayla, Matt had never heard of Logan. The man seems friendly enough, but as he rarely speaks, it's difficult to know. In the interest of getting to know the man who may one day be family, Matt has tried to get Logan to open up, but Logan is hesitant to do so. Kayla explains ever so briefly that Logan's going through a 'rough spot' in his life... which is something it seems Logan is resentful toward Kayla for mentioning. He has very limited interaction with the Jabrics.

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  • 5 weeks later...

Alright, people. This is where I want this thread to really start moving. I'm not interested in leaving anyone behind, but if you want to be involved, please make an effort ;)

 

We're splitting up into groups. Humans: Matt's there, Dianne's there, I'm pretty sure we can count on Cael being there... but we've only had one post out of Alexander Johnson... BKK, you still in this?

 

Kayla and Logan stayed behind.

 

As to the Jabrics, we need to have you splitting off and going with the humans... we have Pallax, Odrimae, Jathan, Jaiera, Ishi, Shaqui, and Titel.

 

Let's try to split us up in semi-diversified groups of both Jabrics and Humans. Now, the way I figure it, there'll be three groups, but that's up for debate.

 

So here's what I'm thinkin'. Girls go together (and that'd include Ishi, much to Dianne's dismay). So Group 1 would be Dianne, Pallax, Ishi, and Jaiera.

 

We'd have Titel with Jathan, and probably Cael (I don't want any group to be top-heavy with my characters, or anyone else's for that matter)

 

The third group, then would be Odrimae, Shaqui, and Alex. That way, we're decently diversified with at least one human 'guide', so to speak.

 

And yes, I realize I seem to have left Matt with nothing to do. That's intentional; he'll probably tag along with Alex & co. initially, but he'll be pulled away not long into the split-up, and he'll be the one to bring us all back together when I deem it's time.

 

Questions? Other suggestions? Feel free to suggest another grouping. I'm willing to consider other options, but I'd like to finish the split-up by mid-week... the weekend at the latest. :)

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... oookay...

 

 

I guess Odrimae and Shaqui will be joining Cael, Titel, and Jathan...

 

Sorry to see you go, BKK... and additionally sorry I didn't work terribly hard to keep you involved. That seems to be one of my shortcomings as a GM...

 

... on that more somber note, it's 1:30 AM, and I'm tired. See y'all tomorrow :)

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... on that more somber note, it's 1:30 AM, and I'm tired. See y'all tomorrow :)

I think you might have been more tired than you let on...

 

writerwtfztiem.jpg

 

Yeah, okay. I was bored, sue me.

 

EDIT: Curse you Mountain Time! CURSE YOU emot-argh.gif

 

And I have no problems with my grouping. Not like there's much choice!

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