It's just another day on this little blue planet.. or at least, it is for all save yourself.
Well, that's not wholly accurate. Today, there were many new parents. many romances. Days of joy. Days of fun. People taking the first step on adventures, or returning home to safety. People in pain, experiencing loss, or enduring suffering.
And you were one apart from them.
What was it that defined your life? What asset did you have that was always the most valuable to you?
(Choose one)
Your Vitality. At the heart of it, your health is what let you do anything else. You were fit, healthy, and physically capable.. it meant that you never needed to worry about your diet, or having to spend weeks laid up.. and you never had to suffer the challenge of a handicap. Whenever you needed your body to do something, it was there, responsive, and available.. which is not a gift to be taken lightly.
Your Ability. When it comes down to it, you were a capable person. You could handle yourself carefully, and you were always in command of your resources. You could (and did) learn an instrument. You could (and did) learn how to run things and to make things. And whenever you needed to use stuff, do stuff, or create stuff, you had what you needed at your fingertips.
Your Mind. Without your mind, what would you have been? Understanding and knowledge was the core of your being. Knowing, understanding, processing, and the capability to see what others miss. Those were your strengths. And when you were facing difficulty, your mind, and your memory, was always there to help your efforts, whether you needed recall, comprehension, or intuition.
YourYour Friends. You have always understood that you are not alone, you were always in company. When things are hard, you are there. When things are blue, so are they. You were one of those lucky people who knew that they are not alone on their journies through life.
But.. that was then. This is now. And it is yet to be seen where you are now bound.
..but it can be said where the journey began. For what is it which brought you to believe that this day is the first day of your new life?
(Choose two.)
You were strong.You were fast.You felt invincible.You were perfect.You had the touch.All things were as one.It was easy.It just happened.Your books were open.You understood.You gave someone drive.You gave life meaning.Now.. where were you when you learned? Where were you from?
You were from Alosia.
Alosia is one of the superpowers of this world, with millions of people and hundreds of cities. And it's a new power, one that has suffered from centuries of occupation, division, warfare, and tension. But you were one of the first generation of people to not know that, and to grow up in the new nation.
Things are still poor, and much of the country is rural and less developed, but the future is bright and there are the beginnings of a new culture, one of optimism, hope and love.
Civic Duties: Medium. Lower-level education is mandatory, as is some kind of civic service, but plenty of deferments are available for students, rural farm workers, only children.. it's only one step away from a volunteer army, really.
Civil Rights: Low, but increasing. The secret police still exist, but new laws and budget cuts have restricted their capabilities. There are also some newer policies supposedly allowing for more freedom of instruction and free thought during schooling. Some cities have had their curfews reduced, and travel permits are now significantly easier to get. A few places have even reappeared on the new maps.
Still, things are fragile, and it takes someone young like you to trust that the new direction will last. Many times have held hope before, and those times have passed like a hummingbird through a lit room.
You were from the Terpis Union.
The Terpis Union is the world's other superpower. And foremost one, really, no nation can touch it's long history, deep culture, and commitment to the high ideals of scientific advancement, freedom, and peace. Still, as always, new changes bring new threats, and the combination of Alosia and new ideas have made the path forwards less clear.
The country is rich, very much so, and varies from less-developed hinterlands to the greatest cities in the world. Many people come hoping to achieve the opportunities here which were granted to you by your birth.
Civic Duties: Low. As part of the commitment to freedom, most people only have the slightest interaction with the state and its functioning. Jury duty, a volunteer army, and thoroughly civilian police are all hallmarks of the nation.
Civil Rights: High, but threatened. Unrest following various civil tensions, calls for punishment of various corrupt civil and business leader, and occasional strikes and demonstrations have become more common. As has certain actions taken in response. There have been occasional shootings, and rumors of the arrest of various civil leaders.. most of which, but not all of which, have been false. Things are still largely safe and peaceful, but between Alosia and the inevitable conflict caused by the clash of generations, who can say things will stay this way?
You were from the South Seas Federation.
The South Seas Federation is smaller than either superpower, consisting of a loose alliance between many smaller nations, who have joined together for mutual protection. None of them are terribly rich in any specific strategic resource, or possess any advantage large enough to make them either a target or an ally.
Still, there are benefits to being unimportant enough to avoid notice. The variety of lifestyles within the South Seas is unmatched, with the richest of the rich living atop spires in the jewel-cities of the desert, to the hardy whalers surviving the southern seas. Anyone can make a living here, it is said, for anything and everything is in demand.
Things aren't that joyous for everyone, however. There exists a significant underclass, several overcrowded cities, and rural folk who are only a few generations away from the feudal serfs who went out of style centuries ago elsewhere. There are the inevitable tensions between the various nation states, not to mention the various political, military, and business leaders who live with few limitations on their own power.. save for their own, less visible clashes.
Civic Duties: Low to Medium. This varies significantly depending on where you live, as lifestyles everywhere in the South Seas vary. But in general, you are free to do what you wish, provided you can pay the fare, be it in labor, money, or talent.
Civil Rights: Low to Medium. As little is demanded from the private citizen, so is little given to one. The courts are often packed, the officials are often on the take, and cozying up to the local authorities is often the price of doing business. On the other hand, there is nothing nearly as organized as a surveillance state, and there is no one power.. travel can be the universal cure to your problems, and a horrible situation might be cured by a quick boat ride, if a permanent one.
You were from the Berghan Commonwealth
The Commonwealth is in a unique position, similar to that of the South Seas. For centuries their mountainous and barren lands were overlooked by the greater powers, having nothing they desired and being full of quarrelsome tribes, who were mostly kept in check by their own internal disunion lest they attack the outside world.
These days, however, everything is different. Rich in titanium, rich in cobaltite, rich in nickel, rich in chromium. The key metals of modern civilization are available here, in quantities sometimes matched but rarely exceeded.
So modern Berghan is modestly wealthy, always balancing between the two powers, sometimes favoring one side, sometimes favoring the other side, and always looking first to its own protection. There are cities, there are modern industries, and modern infrastructure, but things are never really safe, after all. The culture that of modesty and restraint, the people are more calm than happy, and the leadership is capable.. but stressed. Life for the young in Berghan can be very fun, but everything is just a bit stiffer than it would be in a truly happy place.
Civic Duties: High. You are expected, like everyone else, to spend at least two years service in the armed forces. There are exceptions, but only available to a very few people, who are often taking alternate service. Taxes are also high, along with occasional threats of rationing.
Civic Rights: Medium. There are restrictions, between occasional censorship and various controls intended to limit the ever-changing numbers of foreign and domestic agents. Although most people are free, most of the time and in most ways, you know that the overall situation is monitored. The long arms of the state are certainly capable of swooping in and cracking down.
So..
three questions. What are your answers?
Author
Topic: Ascent. [SG] <On Hiatus> (Read 5379 times)