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Waking the Dead 2.0 || June 12, 2063 || Tuesday
[Things in Metro Manila and pretty much all over the rest of the country have been festive for the past week now. The reason for this is simple: all of it was building up to Philippine Independence Day.
Streets within this beautiful metropolis are flooded with tourists and locals, and energies run high as everyone is out to enjoy themselves and watch the parades and the performances. It's a national holiday, which means that no one has work and everyone is free to party --
-- well, almost everyone. While leaves have been granted, some others - by choice or otherwise - are still at work. Nevertheless, the Falner Estate has a whole lot of Philippine flags set about in places both discreet and obvious, and some of the kids are going around with face paint and temporary tattoos that reflect the moment.
Nevertheless, Keepers of the Vigil and supernatural communities outside of the Philippines have their own reason to celebrate today. News channels all around the world are abuzz with the coverage of something VERY interesting: the unveiling of the Arcis Fortress City Project. For those of you who happen to be at the base of your home compact or conspiracy, a large screen has been set up for everyone's convenience.
Verges Productions has taken point, and is covering the event: a gathering of all of the leaders within Pax Deorum - world leaders, Keepers of the Vigil, and representatives of the different supernatural communities in the Fifth World - at the groundbreaking ceremony of the large island that has been created (yes, created) off the coasts of Hawaii.
Wiseman Elias Tagabigay walks right over to the center, and turns to address the gathered crowd. The air around the lot of them, to the awe of billions of viewers, lights up as he uses his magic to show them what Pax Deorum envisions.]
[Elias walks the entire crowd through the construct he has made, and explains the project for the benefit of the masses. Here are some of the key points that anyone who watches the broadcast will get:
- The Fortress City of Arcis is going to be a metropolis by supernaturals, for supernaturals, open to all. The artificial island that it will be built on will be capable of sinking underneath the water or going airborne accordingly. It will also be divided into sectors that can be blocked off or opened through its central control system.
- Supes communities, in cooperation with Pax Deorum, sponsored and generously funded by Vice Enterprises, Henry's Abubot, and the Rhiannon Group, are banding together for the first time since the Armistice at Blaece to create a city-state of their own.
- Arcis will run solely on magience and magitech, making it the first city-state of its kind in the Fifth World. It will also have direct access points, via teleportation and magitech devices, to each and every capital city beyond its borders. Going through those will, of course, require special clearance.
- Hawaii - now an independent country from the United States of America - will serve as the main gateway that the Fifth World has into Arcis.
- Each compact and conspiracy of today's Vigil will have a power base there. Governance of the city will be handled by a body of representatives, patterned after the current Wiseman's Committee of the Methuselah.
- All supernaturals will automatically be citizens of Arcis, regardless of where they actually live.
- Arcis will be politically neutral, and its agenda will be geared towards protecting the rights of supernaturals around the Fifth World. It will be built to be perfectly capable of sustaining itself.
- The Project is scheduled to finish in 2064, on exactly this day.
Beyond zoning in on the world leaders of the "human end" of the Fifth World, the camera occasionally cuts out to touch upon the reactions of the following individuals as Elias is leading everyone through the area. There's commentary, of course.
- Claire Anders-Caine of Aegis Kai Doru, smiling, listening intently. She's in one of her usual sky blue dresses that makes her seem like a woman out of the early 1900s rather than somebody from 2063. Willow Caine, her wife, is nowhere in sight.
- Maes Mordechai of the Brotherhood of Violence. He's smoking a cigarette, and winks at the camera when it swings his way. He's walking beside Godhand Yue Rukia of the Order of the Mani dello Spirito Santo. Yue seems intent on listening to the tour.
- Shane Duskrider of the Midnight Riders actually isn't a part of the tour. There's quick outtake during one of the lulls to where he's out on the perimeter, working his way quite steadily through a cigar. When asked why he isn't joining: "Eh. Nothin' I need t'hear there."
- Kaisers Liandrin Delacroix and Aidan Clayce of Netsach. Liandrin's expression is cool, neutral. Aidan eventually notices the camera, and smiles once before turning back to Elias.
- Ayame Rhiannon of the Rhiannon Group is accompanied by Wiseman David Young and Inquisitor Henry Lim, owner of Henry's Abubot; the two of them chat with each other as if they are old friends. The commentary states that Wiseman Young is substituting for Jessiah Vice, as the Inquisitor Vice is "unavailable at the moment".
- Thrones Number 173 - Thomas Regardi - is there to represent the Thrones together with his husband Bryce: they are both substituting for 108 - Samuel Crowley - who reputedly cannot make it to the event.
- Hikaru Shinta, the Blade King, is walking with Satsuki, the Princess of Japan: the camera catches the pair sharing a private joke, and laughing together. Commentary states that the Blade King came around just to join in the tour: he'll be leaving early in order to return to an "important engagement in the Middle East". There is some brief commentary on his relationship with the Princess, and how perhaps his appearance at her side is a symbol of their "eternal friendship" between the Wolf of Zangyaku and the Imperial Family of Japan in light of the cancellation of their engagement.
Commander Nelson Howard, head of Taskforce Valkyrie, is conspicuously absent. President Catherine Stone of the United States of America is, interestingly enough, accompanied by Tohru Fukuzawa, the Assassin of the Searing Wind of Zangyaku. He appears to be serving as her escort in Howard's place.
Once the walking tour is done, the rest of the event is devoted towards a grand party for the different members of Pax Deorum. It starts off with a speech from Elias, which ends on the following note:
"We hope that Arcis will serve as a symbol, that it will stand for what could be: not what has passed, and not what we are at present. This is, in a way, a step towards redemption, towards leading all of us down the road - walking hand-in-hand, side-by-side, towards a better future."
Before the program starts, the news anchor from Verges Productions tries to snag some commentary from the bigwigs of Pax Deorum. Here are some interesting outtakes of note:
- Hikaru Shinta, when asked if he had anything to add to Tagabigay's statement, merely smiled and said, "I'm sure that the Peacemaker knows what I'm thinking." And then he proceeds to Bloodwalk out of the area.
- Liandrin Delacroix, with Aidan quiet beside her: "Netsach stands by this Project 100%."
- Yue Rukia: "My only wish is that the Lady shines her face upon this endeavor."
For all of you Keepers of the Vigil: new engagements geared towards helping the Arcis City Project are up on the Hunter Boards.]
OOC Notes:
- All NPCs with journals are technically available to bug, if you happen to have their numbers - or, in the case of NPCs who weren't actually at the party and may be around base, just by approaching them. All Malice Kings that aren't out on an assignment are in the Great Hall; Kalika is also in the area for the people at Kibo.
- This post is open for shenanigans with each other, or for pinging your NPCs of choice: just set up a thread with an OOC note in the subject header for reference with regard to who you need to speak to, and the time that you're pinging.
- Feel free to use this post, as well, for Independence Day stuff around Metro Manila.
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[So that is what he meant. Turning away now. (Yes, that might have been a trigger.)]
Interestingly enough, it may have sounded like "special treatment" for supernaturals, but trust me when I say that it won't be. Citizenship is a thing that can be revoked, Brigade, especially if they happen to be troublesome. [Taking another drag.] And "automatic" is just a convenient diplomatic term more than it'll be a reality.
[He'll get to the part about screening for Deadwalkers later, perhaps.]
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[Walking, walking, all the while peeking in, even as he's focused on his conversation with Brig, on the proceedings back at Ground Zero for Arcis.]
It's more of that than it is an automatic free pass to a new place. Hence "automatic": by merit of a sort of "birth". A possibility that still needs to be explored and measured properly, as a matter of security.
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So physical entry into the city is monitored and screened, sir, supernatural or not. [ I can roll with that. He nods and takes another drag ]
But as to citizenship, only supernaturals and their deadwalker relatives gain this new second citizenship from the get go? The rest have to apply for citizenship? [ He's just trying to synthesize. ]
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[Which is part of the reason why he personally thought that it was too soon for Pax Deorum to push for Arcis, but...]
There will be other exceptions, though. The Methuselah is currently negotiating for citizenship to be granted to anyone who helped make Arcis happen, whether they're supernatural or not.
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[Glancing at Brig.]
You may want to do more reading into the issue, Brigade, before drawing up your own conclusions. All of us have been thinking very carefully about this, and - at the moment - this looks like the best thing we can offer. [Shrugs.] It's a work in progress, hopefully in the right direction. Alleviates some fears, drives points home through action, not speculation.
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But I think, based on what I've read, even though a pro-supernatural nation is the exception to the rule, it in no way means that supernatural acceptance in the world is also the exception. Aren't we relatively accepted in the general majority of the world? It's the general feeling the public files seem to give off. "We're in control". And that worries me. Some fears are alleviated, but others are strengthened. Just thinking like one of the little guys, sir. [ Cause he's always been one of the little guys ]
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[Softly.]
Lots of works in progress. This one is the best step that we have at hand.
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Permission to give a tactical assessment, even though I'm sure you've already thought about it, sir?
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[Pausing now, glancing towards the east. He's being Summoned. All of him is being Summoned.]
That, and I think you might find the takes of some of the others more interesting, if you can get them to talk about it.
[His delivery is smooth, as if he's not hiding anything. To be fair, he isn't: he's just not touching on his own sentiments on the matter.]
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Not quite looking forward to going back, but eh. Work is work, and this Project requires a LOT of it.]