Bonus Content - Dregs of Eden

In the far-flung future, an apocalyptic event left the human population ravaged overnight. More than half the world's population disappeared, overnight as you've heard it told, and the chaos of that moment jagged its claws through generations. 

Now a century later, the world you live in would be unrecognizable to your ancestors. Built into the shells of once-chrome cities are solar panels and vertical gardens. Rain barrels collect fresh water on every occupied roof, the hum of half-lost machines tracking weather and soil conditions. Every day, the city of New Eden is addressed by President Kirkland. Every day, you get up and haul yourself to a mindless, thankless job that you used to think meant something. Every day, you lose just a little more sight of what you're here for. 

Not today. 

Today, you riot, even if that means facing the consequences.

The Dregs of Eden is a project I've been contemplating for a bit. It's mostly intended to be an exploration of Twine, to see if I can make that program work for me, but there's a couple little other experimental bits of it that I'm excited for, too. 

The player takes on the role of Polaris (that's the last name; you can choose your own first name), who, whether intentionally or accidentally gets caught up in a rabble-rousing protest against the corporatist policies of New Eden's government. Though some aspects of Polaris will be customizable, like gender and aspects of appearance, I'm looking to try a more 'fixed' style of PC, more akin to a Geralt of Rivia or a Shepard from Mass Effect than the usual totally-custom situation. The player will get to choose their actions and customize their skills and such, but some of their personality details will be fixed, as will their history and such. 

The genre is sort of a solarpunk situation, but post-apoc and with some cyberpunk elements thrown in. What's above is basically the initial setup: Polaris gets caught up in a protest, then subsequently arrested and exiled with the government, along with several other people. They've got no choice but to get several days away from Eden City, out into a wilderness they've never known, with nothing but what they can carry on their back and a bunch of strangers for company. 

What follows is a survival adventure with travel, settlement-building, and group politics and interpersonal relationship-building! I… don't really expect it to be the cup of tea of most FoA readers, just being so wildly different in genre haha. 

The group Polaris travels with would be relatively small, and I think I'd keep it to three RO's, one male, one female, and one nonbinary (though I might also make the third gender-selectable and trans no matter what, or something like that. I actually have tentative artbeeders of them and blurbs below!

Michael "Mick" Sánchez
Gender: M
Age: 35
Height: 6'4"
Build: Athletic
Occupation: ??

Born to a working-class family in Eden City, Mick was radicalized against its corporatist government at an early age, when his mother was unable to be treated for her mental health conditions due to the family's low income. Himself listed as 'unemployed' in city records, there are those who would say it's no surprise someone like him ended up exiled eventually. He's hard to get a read on, but perhaps his general athleticism will help the group survive their journey. 

Lily van der Waals
Gender: F
Age: 32
Height: 5'4"
Build: Slim
Occupation: Clothing Designer

It was something of a surprise when a minor celebrity proved to be among the arrested parties at the protest. Though not commonly-known, Lily actually has a fairly extensive rap sheet, though everything on it until now has been minor. She hadn't expected to be exiled, and is a little put-out about it to say the least. Though she is not as lacking in useful skills as she might at first seem, she fully intends to let other people do as much of the hard work as humanly possible. 

Gabe/Gabby
Gender: TBD
Age: 34
Height: 5'9"
Build: Wiry-Strong
Occupation: Guide

Not a face Polaris recognizes from the protest, G is in fact their hired guide to the fringes of Eden-controlled land. They are well-versed in the ways of survival, at least to a point, and may prove to be the most helpful initial lodestar by which the group navigates exile. Though, they're technically employed by Eden City, and fully expect to leave the group once they reach the fringes of its territory, so who's to say how that will work out?

I should note here that uh… work would not begin in earnest on this project until considerably more of FoA is done, if I get to the point of writing it at all. I just occasionally have an idea that simmers long enough for some details to emerge, and thought perhaps you'd care to see some of the process. We'll return to regularly-scheduled FoA content next week, I promise. :)