raisetheearth | Factor Industries Charity Event: October 18th, 2016

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Factor Industries Charity Event: October 18th, 2016

Even for Benjamin Factor, arranging this charity event had been something of a challenge. Just as he held great influence in Gateway City, Thunder Corp's influence in Locke was great as well. But with time and money, all things were indeed possible in this case, and the Memorial Dance Hall was playing host to the night's events. It was a glamorous affair: politicians, captains of business, dignitaries, and celebrities had been invited. For whatever controversy that existed, the world legitimately wanted to heal the wounds left by the invasion, and that meant there were a lot of people who wanted to use events like this to either advance that cause, or to make themselves look good.

But they weren't the only sorts of individuals who had recieved an invitation.

Benjamin Factor had also made it so the Numbered would be invited to his little party. Arrivals through the teleporter would be greeted by drivers at the community center, and the same courtesy was extended to anyone who might live in Locke. The only stipulation? Was that anyone who came make an effort to make themselves presentable. If that was a problem, or anyone arrived without knowing, they had clothes on hand for people to change into.

Indeed, it seemed that the Numbered would be well provided for tonight. That being said, their presence would get people to talk, given the presence of news crews making live coverage. Nevertheless... "getting people to talk" seemed to be exactly what Benjamin Factor wanted to happen.

[Event Links: Event Speakers | NPC Interaction | General Mingle]

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Several hours into the evening, Benjamin Factor's secretary, Sonia Clarke, stepped up to the microphone. "Hello everyone. We sincerely hope you're all enjoying tonight's festivities. Most of you know me, but for those of you who do not, I am Sonia Clarke, Mr. Benjamin Factor's personal assistant and friend."

She paused, and then cleared her throat before continuing. "Tonight, we have some very special guests among us. I'm sure you've noticed them, and I know many of them are listening to me right now. Tonight has been about relief, and about rebuilding. Our cities, our world, our businesses... and our lives. And we can't talk about any of those things without talking about a very unique group of people: The ones we call the Numbered."

Murmurs went through the crowd among the non-reincarnates, but Sonia did not stop there. "The Numbered have been among us for over three years now. They exist throughout the entire world. And for too long, we have talked over them and around them. They and their supporters have had to endure those who make accusations of them, and been forced to allow them to set the narrative. It is no secret that Factor Industries has made numerous efforts to reach out to the Numbered and their supporters, but now... tonight, we feel it is right to give such people their own opportunity to speak."

Sonia made a small smile before continuing. "Not all of our speakers tonight are Numbered. But they are people who believe the Numbered are people who deserve respect and support, and that it's high time other voices got the chance to make a difference. Others are Numbered who wish simply to be heard. And now... this is their chance to do so."

And with that, she stepped away from the microphone, and motioned for the first speaker to come to the podium.

[If your character has signed up to be a speaker, reply with your character's speech here. People who aren't speakers can still reply to their speech, but not make top levels. You can still throw your character's hat into the ring by having them comment here or here, and you can do so as long as the event is running!]

Edited 2015-10-18 02:14 (UTC)

Honestly the realization that he was going to have to actually write a speech was kind of terrifying, when he realized that was part of the job too. He’s written speeches for school and stuff, and they’ve never been terribly good. Theater writing he understands, but a straightforward delivery of information just seems really stiff and unnatural.

But nothing about the Numbered is straightforward. And if Phillip’s learned anything from theater, it’s that persuasion is better served from innocent, often unpolished sources. And he was asked to give a speech because of his acting, wasn’t he?

He’s a little nervous as he gets up to do his speech, but it’s with an innocent wave and smile at the crows. “Um, hello, everyone!” he says, looking out- there sure are a lot of people here, aren’t there? That actually makes him less nervous, somehow. “My name’s Phillip Santorini, and I grew up in Locke City, including when everything was happening. It was pretty surprising when all of this started, and I know it was hard on everybody. It was kind of weird for superpowers to suddenly be an actual thing, and... I know for my friends who were getting superpowers, it was kind of hard to deal with. I had a few friends who ran away from home, because they were scared about what would happen if people found out.”

Phillip pauses a moment, biting his lip in a way that’s partly for show, even if he’ll never totally get over the panic of when he gotten questioned about Luke’s whereabouts when he went missing. “And... both sides of that make sense, when you think about it. Things were suddenly different. That was pretty scary, for everyone involved. Change is scary.

But that doesn’t make it bad,” he says, with a small smile lighting up his face as he continues. “Change can be really good, and just because something’s different doesn’t mean it’s automatically terrible. Sure, it can kind of freak us out as we figure out how to adjust to it all, but then we just need to do our best to use what’s changed to make things even better. And that’s kind of why we’re all here today, right? So... I really hope we’ll all be able to work together in the future, and that we’ll not only fix everything that was broken, but come out on the other side better than we started.”

With that, he flashes the most bizarrely charming smile a thirteen year old is capable of producing. And not a bit of it looks faked.

Winter's not carrying anything more than a note card for her speech - scandalously light for most people, just right for Winter, who likes to kind of go with the flow for things like this. In an elegant but largely understated blue dress (not the ice blue that seems to be associated with Diamond, and in turn with her, which she's happy she got away from), she eventually makes her way up to the podium. She's in no hurry, really.

As she looks out over the room, over the assembled Numbered and various others, Winter feels a certain vindication, and she takes a deep breath. "I'm Winter Tsukuyomi. You know, it's funny. Two years ago, I would have done a lot to be able to speak like this. I'm almost saddened by the thought. We wanted, so much, to be heard and understood, then. But we hid. For our own safety, and the safety of everyone that didn't understand. Now, I just... had to ask, and here I am. Maybe it's a sign that the world is changing already. In tiny ways, little steps that most people wouldn't even notice.

"But those are the steps that can mean the most to us," she continues, picking up steam. "We have jobs now, even when people know what we are. We can go to school, buy homes, all of those other things that felt so far away before. I've talked before about the hardships we've faced, in some detail. They're covered in my lovely wife's book, for all three of the people that haven't read it yet, going off the sales numbers. But that's not what I want to talk about tonight. Tonight, I want to talk about the things we've accomplished. The things we've gained.

"Because we have made strides forward. In coming out into the open, we've given ourselves legitimacy. People know what we are, now, and that we can be a force for good. We've carved out a place on the world stage all our own. In driving back the Invasion, we've proved we have the capacity to rise to the occasion and band together to keep our world safe. Since then, we've built homes for ourselves, an entire community. We've worked to improve our image, to become better people inside and out. We are stronger than we were a year ago."

She hesitates, no more than a second before she continues. It's kind of a sore subject at the moment, but... "The girl I was, in another time and place. I've learned things from her, too. From her shortcomings, her mistakes, the things she couldn't do herself. Though I have a connection to her, through the pulses she's shown me and the power I wield, I am myself, and I will make my own place in history. It's a very romantic idea, but... wouldn't you want to be the best person you could be, if you might be reincarnated someday into a new life? If you could guide a new self to great things? That's the kind of life I want to live. So someday, in the far future, maybe on another world... a young woman can stand on a stage like this and overcome her limits. That person will be able to make herself heard, because I've put everything I have into making my life a fulfilled one. Because we've all worked hard to make ourselves better people. And maybe it's forward of me, but I believe we can make the whole world a better place through our actions and our efforts.

"All of us - Numbered or otherwise - have that potential, to become something more than we are today. And I think that potential is something worth betting on. You don't have to be able to fight to change the world. It doesn't take superpowers. Having wild hair doesn't make a difference. What matters is that we have the desire to make that change happen, in our hearts. That's all I wanted to say. Together, we'll fix our world. We'll find solutions to all our problems. There's a lot of work to be done, but we can rise the to the challenge. I'm sure of it."

Of course, Lily's heard Winter talk before. She hears it every day, but this is kind of different. It's different than staring into a camera for something to put online. It's different even than when they're standing side by side talking down something they're fighting. This is...

It kind of says a lot. When Lily met Winter, she was still a girl who was sometimes uncertain in her words. She stuttered, and while admittedly Lily found that cute, that in their time together she'd become more confident in those words, able to say them without hesitation... It meant a lot, to her.

So when her wife is finished and descends from the stage, she'll find a teary eyed Lily rather promptly wrapping arms around her and hugging her tightly.

"That was wonderful, Winter!"

If you knew how to listen for it, three years ago, you could hear bits of this smooth confidence. It was just obscured by crippling shyness, which certain people have drawn her out of since then.

The small amount of tension she'd built up, standing up to address a room, is starting to drain by the time she steps off the stage. Which is right about when Lily stops one step short of glomping her, and she laughs lightly. "I'm glad you think so. I got nervous for a little bit there. I didn't want this to be about me, but..." A little bit of her cheer bleeds off, though her smile holds. "I've seen what's at the bottom of the deep darkness. And I want to keep everyone in the light if I have anything to say about it. So something like this is... not nothing, but it's a way I can make a difference." She takes in the warmth and affection from her precious person, and the rest of her unease drains out with a small breath. "It helps me put the bad things behind me, if I can make more good things right in front of me."

Lily doesn't let her go right away, in fact she squeezes her just a little tighter. If she was a step short of glomping her, is she close enough now?

"We've both seen that," she murmurs lightly. She finally peels herself off enough to look down at the other woman, and grins. "How far people can sink, how hard it can be to climb back up... We've both been there, and been there together. It's why I wrote, and... I feel like every time we take some step like this, if we maybe help or convince one more person, that's enough. Hopefully... this'll do a lot more than that."

She leans down, giving her a small peck on the lips. "I've had good things in front of my for quite awhile, and that's what keeps pulling me forward. So... I think you did the right thing here, Winter. Maybe it can help pull a few more towards that light."

She's not prepared to be hugged even tighter, and when Lily lets her go, it's kind of a relief. Is this what anime characters feel like half the time? "I try not to think about the bad days too much, but I don't let myself forget them. They've made me who they are. They've reminded me what I fight for... so, yes. I want to be able to help anyone I can reach." The kiss makes her heart flutter for a moment, even after so long, and she grins warmly. "We'll pull the world into the light, together. Love and justice for all, right?"

Laughing, she adds, "Maybe I should be a motivational speaker in my ample free time. Winter Tsukuyomi, inspirational magical girl! Provides her own security."

"Mm, it's... hard not to dwell on them, too. But... you're not wrong. Not focusing on them, but not forgetting them. I think that's how both of us have gotten where we are. But... I guess we don't exactly have to make that speech to each other, hm?"

Well, this time. Seeing her reaction to the kiss gives Lily a small confidence boost, and she shifts herself to link one arm with her wife's and lead her along.

"You know, though, that's... ah, not exactly the worst idea you've had."

Winter nods, tone light. "I think we've been over that one in some detail already, yes." At the other thought, though, she tilts her head in question. "You really think so? I hadn't really thought of doing things like this for an actual job..."

She gives a light laugh, nodding. "Well, maybe not exactly like this, but... You're good at making your voice heard. There's all sorts of things you could do with that, in the long run."

Amy was, to be frank, quite nervous as she stepped onto the stage. She was doing an admirable job of holding it in, but inwardly? She was running over her words over and over, making sure that she had everything she wanted to say in order, and that she wasn't going to slip up.

The memory of that creature in Gateway was still fresh in her mind, so that was weighing on her mind too.

But once she was behind the podium, a switch flipped, much like the kind when she was behind a stove or in the suit of her machine. Smiling, she looked out over the crowd, and began to speak.

"Hello, everyone," she said. "My name is Amy Dylandy. I am a Numbered, and... just as importantly, a native daughter of Locke City. My parents raised my brothers and I here, and built a business. This city is important to me.

"... That's why I've returned here today. Because certain people have leveled the implication that I, and the people here, don't care about what happens here. I can't speak for anyone else, but I want to make it clear that even though I have turned my eyes outward into the wider world, my thoughts have never left this city or their people."

She closed her eyes, and paused for a moment, before opening them and continuing. "Locke City is where I changed. Where I came to terms not with the person I 'used to be', but with the woman I am. Where I discovered myself. Where I met lifelong friends, where I tested myself. I am not unique, or special in that regard, because I'm hardly the only person who was changed by the people here. And Locke itself... it's changed too. In a way that, has at times, not felt welcoming."

Amy smiled. "But that doesn't change anything. This place is still important to me. And I will do everything I can to defend it, or benefit its people, just as I would anywhere else. Two years ago... someone taught me an important lesson."

At that moment, tears formed at the corner of Amy's eyes, though her expression remained unchanged. "His name was Neil Dylandy. He was my brother. He died, defending the people of Las Vegas, when the giant beast emerged from beneath the city, and defending me. I've written about him, talked about him so many times, but that's because he continues to be an inspiration to me. That day was, in many ways, the worst day of my life... but it was also the day when I learned to take a stand. To not buckle when things seem impossible. That when things seem insurmountable and hopeless, that you don't back down."

With those last few words, Amy's voice cracked, and she needed to regain her composure. However, she took a deep breath, and wiped her tears away quickly with a handkerchief.

"Our fight isn't over. Whether it's against monsters, or people who hate us, or... even the day-to-day challenges of everyday life. Our fight will never be over, and... I will continue to honor the lesson my brother, my girlfriend, and all the wonderful people I've met have taught me. We will continue, we will persevere, and... we will thrive."

With that, Amy bowed her head. "Thank you, for hearing me speak."

And with that, she turned, and left the stage.

Edited 2015-10-23 04:23 (UTC)

Speeches were not necessarily Rakka's strong suit. Sure, speaking at the parliament, and likely being recorded while doing so could be considered easy when a monster was destroying the city in a nonthreatening manner. That was a pretty good motivator. In a sense, this was much the same thing - help the world. Stop a threat that some people thought wasn't a threat. It was the other way around, now.

So, why was she so nervous? Maybe she hadn't watched enough speeches on youtube last night, trying to get the general idea of how to make an impressive one. Maybe it was the lack of focus she and Fougere had when they got there. Or... maybe it was just her heart telling her she'd do fine.

It may have taken her a bit longer then some, but soon enough it was Rakka's time to take the stage. The crowd seemed to beckon her forward, drawing out words before Rakka realized she was speaking. "Uh, hello, everyone." A curt little nod as she stared out at the many face, looking for the familiar ones. "I'm Rakka Yoshitoshi, but... a lot of you may know me by the other name I chose: Cure Feather?"

A small amount of mumbles emanated from the crowd, and a few nods. so, Rakka continued onward. "I moved to Locke city a few years ago; I wasn't among the first people that became Numbered, but I've been one of them for so long that that doesn't matter anymore. I didn't have powers at first - I just grew out the wings and found a halo on my head one day..... And, I was scared."

She lets that sink in a little, drawing in a much needed breath. There was still an air of anxiety present... but she wouldn't let it control her anymore. "We we're all scared, I think. We had to hide who we were for a while, until the Wise Snake woke up and we needed to put it down to protect the city. After that... a lot changed in this place, in the world." Her expression changed to a more caring one. "I have a lot of friends that aren't around anymore, that aren't Numbered anymore. I don't know how it happens, and... I'm not worried."

A brief pause.

"I-I mean, I'm not not worried about them - of course I am!" Well that was a mixup, time for a sheepish cough before she moved on. "I'm worried about everyone, including this place! It was my home, too! And I want to see it fixed again, even if I don't live here anymore. We're all here to help the city... and I think we can do more then that. I want to hope that. So, thank you for your time."

One little bow towards the crowd later, and Rakka was making her way down from the stage, discreetly trying to wipe the effort tears from her eyes. Fougere was already there, wrapping his little arms around her face. "You did awesome!" He said in a stage whisper.

"R-really?"

"Totally. Now can we get some food?"

Truth be told, Kirara hasn't had to give many speeches in her career just yet. It's not like she has a history of reward speeches behind her, and getting up on stage alone and giving a speech is a pretty different beast than showing up on camera and acting. That said, she's committed to this now and there's no way she's going to back down now.

She was still off the stage, nursing her elbow after that nasty fall from a bit earlier. It's aching pretty good and there's definitely a bruise happening... but by the time her foot hits the stage there's no sign of pain or discomfort on her features. This time, there's a cheer from the crowd in the room and she smiles and waves while letting it die down.

"... So, I guess you guys have heard about me." A laugh goes through the crowd, and she shares with it, before giving a glance off stage. "Wow, how do I even start following those last few speeches? The truth is, it's hard for me to know what to say... I'm not from here and I'm not one of the Numbered, so I couldn't possibly speak from the same kind of experience as them. Still...."

She pauses for a moment, closing her eyes, one hand over her heart. When her eyes open again, she's looking down. Pensive, troubled.

"... I remember the invasion. I had just finished filming and was actually going back home in Japan, and I was so... so scared. Monsters were coming out of the ground, and from the skies and, like so many people, all I could do was hide. Even now, no matter what I might have done in shows or movies, I'm just an actress, and I can't do anything to change the world."

She lifts her head, smiling a little and looking out over the crowd.

"But there were some people who were able to do more, and not just the ones with superpowers. Soldiers, doctors, anybody who helped to fight or take care of people in their own way, and to the people who are helping to rebuild right now... everybody came together and everybody did their part to save the Earth."

"Since coming here I got to meet some of those people and I already consider it one of the greatest points in my career, getting the chance to talk with so many amazing people and hear their stories, and I truly believe that every one of them wants nothing more than to help the people of this world in any way they can."

"It might be a little cheesy to say but... I guess I'm trying to say that I still believe in this world. I believe in a world that came together when things were at their darkest, and I believe that we can all still come together to make a new future. All of us. Both Numbered and non-Numbered."

She pauses for a moment, blinking a few times. If there's one upside to the pain in her arm, it's that it's giving her something to draw from to get realistically misty eyes.

"I guess... that's all I wanted to say, so I'll wrap this up before I go on too long. Thank you all so much for letting me come here, and letting me speak in front of everyone here and for all the support you've given me since I came to this country. You're all wonderful."

She gives another wave as the crowd begins their applause and she steps off stage, smiling widely even as her hand goes back to her injured arm.

Nailed it.

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Factor Industries Charity Event: October 18th, 2016

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