You find a segment from an old history book.

(You may take this in character.)

History Of

East Falls Docks

1800-1900

During the early to mid-19th century, what is now East Falls was originally a massive forest that surrounded what was originally a wetland that while wide was only around three feet deep. Early settlers of East Falls made a small set of docks along the wetlands that later would eventually become the docks.  While these settlers had hoped to make a living off of fishing, it was uncommon to ever fish anything up, thus making the job eventually obsolete. In the only instances where fish were caught, they had severe deformities as documented by these early fishermen. It is unknown why fishing was difficult for the early settlers of East Falls, and unfortunately, as a result, drove many away from the area to look for better-settling places. 

1901-1919

While fishing had failed from an economic standpoint, the town has prospered in other areas such as mining and farming. During this time people still avoided the wetlands for fear that what had caused the fish to deform would affect the local population. The only one who would stay near the wetlands was a man named Clarence Brooks, who had sworn that the wetlands was a safe place and that anyone who disagreed was a coward. However, much to the fear of the people he too became deformed by turning into a hunch-back. 

Due to the lack of proper documentation, it is debated if Clarence Brooks had ever existed or if he was an old-wives tale made up by parents to keep their kids away from the area. 

1920-1929

During the early 20th century, there was a change in the U.S. system that caused not only East Falls to begin to dabble into criminality, but most of Wyoming as well. This change was the Prohibition, which started in 1920. The Prohibition was an addition to the U.S. Constitution that illegalized the manufacture and trade of alcohol. During this time many places started to do a practice known as moonshining, where moonshiners would produce their own alcohol and sell it to nearby areas. One of the biggest places to do so was Wyoming and especially East Falls.

While at the start the transportation would be by road, taking a long journey from the mountains nearby all the way to East Falls, eventually the moonshiners got together and discussed a much better route; cutting through the wetlands instead. Some did oppose this idea, citing Clarence Brooks in the process, but a majority agreed to use the wetlands as no one ever dared go near the area, making it a perfect smuggling place away from prying eyes. 

In an ironic twist of fate to keep people even further away, some of these moonshiners would keep reciting the tale and even dress up in costume to scare away locals, claiming to be Clarence Brooks. Making the might-be-myth into a reality. They even took it a step further and labeled the brand of their spirits as ‘C. Brooks’. Doing so made discussing the illegal drinks much easier as the local population would be none the wiser. 

The 1920s saw an even bigger change for these moonshiners, as the state of Wyoming enacted the Riverton Reclamation Project. This project aimed to change many sets of natural water in Wyoming into proper lakes and rivers for proper irrigation, with the wetlands being one of them. The old docks in this process were demolished and a set of new, proper docks had started being constructed. 

While this change had halted the progress of these moonshiners for a while, when it was done in 1922 it made crossing the large expanse of the area even easier. It also made people more inclined to try and fish despite the use of the Clarence Brooks tale, a problem at first to the moonshiners. However, it proved to be an even better disguise as now they could sail using fisherman boats and no one would be the wiser. 

Initially, there wasn’t much money to be made during this time, but the end of the decade would change that. 1929 started the Great Depression, which saw many turning to crime just to keep themselves alive. What started as petty thievery soon turned into organized crime at the start of the 1930s. 

1930-1939

As The Prohibition dragged on, and the Great Depression just starting, a lot of folks in East Falls saw great opportunities with some joining organized crime and others forming their own gangs who joined the smuggling ring of the moonshine. 

This economic success would not fully last, however, as The Prohibition ended in 1933. As many of the people relied on this to make their money, instead of disbanding they pivoted to smuggling other goods instead. Unregistered guns, illegal substances, or even information all found their way into being smuggled during this time. It also caused a lot of gang fighting as well, to where certain gangs had claimed spots of the docks and they were constantly fighting with one another. 

There was an instance where some police officers were even involved in these crimes. Two brothers in particular are documented due to their trial Levard vs. Wyoming in 1934. The trial outlined just how bad the situation was for East Falls, with around 42% of the population being involved in organized crime. What was worse was due to the standing of these two officers within the crime-filled town, they were found as non-guilty even with mountains of evidence against them. The officer who filed a report on the two brothers was also removed from the records, seeming to never have existed in the first place. 

This all came to its head at the start of World War II and the end of the Great Depression. Due to the sheer amount of violence and loss of friends, family, and loved ones most had left their criminal times behind them as it became far easier to find work. 

1940-1960

From the start of World War II, the criminal side of the docks saw a great pause for a while as the community who had initially all fought one another, came together due to their shared experiences with losing loved ones to the war which was only stacking day after day. The community even celebrated together at the market stalls at the docks on the day it was announced that World War II was over. With many sharing drinks and making merry with dancing. 

As the 50s rolled around, the criminality pause around the docks continued, though at a much slower rate. The population was still small due to both World War II and the Vietnam War which was coming up. The community that came together during hardships just as quickly evaporated when times were better, with gangs who had been around since the 30s still trying to use any last bit of power they had to control the docks. 

1970-Modern Day (1984)

Still at a relatively slow pace, once the population started to pick up again so did the crime, with illegal goods being smuggled just alongside good ones. 

Today, it is hard to know just how many people are involved with the criminal side of East Falls, but the general consensus seems to be too many for the town to handle, with the PD and other systems doing their best to keep up and uphold the town. 

Preferred Name: Sea

IGN (In-game name): Mason Reed

Discord: @SeaPlays

Age (optional): 22

OOC:

Shortly describe 5 laws or behaviors that officers in the U.S. have to follow:

1) Officers whether appointed or applied are to fulfill their responsibilities by using their police powers and responsibility that is given to them by law to protect their community against unlawful acts. However, it also helps for an officer to be ready to look into new perspectives and learn for the sake of the people. 

2) While not explicitly stated, it is better for an officer to have an open mind so they may better connect to the community that they are supposed to protect and serve. As such, keeping a calm head and being mindful of de-escalation are key things to being a good officer.

3) Sometimes firearms are necessary when apprehending suspects or when protecting the people. However, firearms are deemed to be a last resort and an officer must look to other means before using one. Firearms are only permitted for use when a suspect is resisting with extreme force such as their own firearm, or when no other option is available. All uses of a firearm must be documented and reported in a case filing.

4) In some cases, officers may interact with potential conflict of interest information about a person or persons. It is vitally important to not disclose or publicize any investigative information unless deemed necessary by law or for the justice system to be served. Disclosing information outside of these two rules is improper behavior.

5) No matter the situation may an officer turn down or deprive another of their rights, stated by the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”. This includes not reading them their Miranda Rights, any form of discrimination, or any form of cruel and unusual punishment, including both mental and physical health. 

Why do you want to join Echoes’ police faction?: 

I heard the server is looking for more officers to balance out the number of gangrpers. While I do understand people enjoy gangrp, not everyone does. To make the server a better place for myself to roleplay, and others, I want to help make a more balanced system and keep it that way. However, I also do think I would be good to do this. I am not one to cause chaos much in roleplay, I prefer dismantling it or organizing it at the very least. This would not be the first time I have roleplayed as an officer, or something akin to one. Some people simply enjoy causing chaos for a plot or narrative to move forward, and others like me enjoy being the resolution to those problems for the sake of the same reason.

What would you do if you accidentally broke a law, and someone began to argue with you OOC?:

   First of all, I would apologize but then ask a few questions. Such as which law, where I broke said law, and where they got the law from. Sometimes people may mistake laws from different states or from more modern-day that the server may not have. But hearing them out is important, as one of the easiest things to upset people is injustice or feeling that the system is not fair. Letting them air their grievances gives more place for discussion than discourse.

   Of course, then I would also say it’s not a good idea to try and argue with me out of character for an in-character reason, as I’m sure some rules will exist or already do against actions such as this. If my character broke a law, then they should be taking up with my character, not me. I would also let them know that I may have interpreted the law incorrectly and did not intend to break it, but again that is an in-character issue. 

If someone was insulting you OOC for not following a common law (such as reading their rights)  what would you do/say?:

As stated above tell them it’s not a good idea and most likely inappropriate to argue with me for something that occurred in character, but also again ask them where they got the law from and some of the details while also trying to keep the roleplay going. Perhaps also remind them that not everyone is from the U.S. and may not know common laws for one reason or another. 

What do you do if you arrest someone? Be short, but detailed:

It would depend on the context of the situation, but assuming the situation is calm I would approach them and ask to speak privately. Not everyone wants to be arrested in front of the public or anyone they know. Once a good distance away I would put on their cuffs and inform them that they are under arrest. Following this I would read the Miranda Rights, but a key thing people forget is that they have to also understand the rights read to them, and it if the officers' job to verify that they understand. Once they have verified that they do understand, then I would inform them of why they are under arrest. 

If it ever turned into a chase, I would inform any officers nearby if I thought it was necessary and I had the means to do so, and be ready to engage in combat if I had to. This also applies to any physical violence of resisting arrest. 

If someone is behaving strangely, as if they were using illegal substances, what do you do?:

First I would make sure that they are okay, do my best to see if they are ill, very thin, or anything that would be seen as immediate distress. Secondly, I would then ask them who they are and where they are going. Doing so will let me see if they can properly understand me, and if they are talking in a way that I can understand them. Only then would I ask if they have had any substance or alcohol. If it is anything prescription-based, check for any evidence of said individual having a prescription, such as a doctor's note, signature, or the pill bottle itself. 

If I can confirm that they are under a substance I would detain them and potentially arrest if it is anything illegal. However, it is important to note that sometimes people may just be exhausted, or perhaps are just weird by default. 

If someone will not give you their identity and you don’t have probable cause, what do you do?:

 I cannot force someone to give their identity even if I really wanted it, doing so would be an act of corruption and against what rights and powers an officer has.  So, I would leave said individual alone and respect their decision. 

If someone refuses to identify themselves because of the 5th amendment, but you have probable cause, what do you do?:

I would try to verify my source of information for that probable cause, then reinsure that whoever I am talking to they are not in trouble as far as I know so far. Sometimes people are defensive because they feel the need to protect themselves and others, and reassuring them might help ease them up into a conversation. Ask them perhaps some other topics they may seem interested in and slowly try to get back to the topic at hand. If necessary inform them of the situation, if they are being detained or anything like that. 

Provide us with your character’s backstory. Please attempt to limit yourself to more-or-less 1,500 words (maximum 2,500):

       With Mason being 24, and the year being 1984, that would mean he was born around 1959-60. While he was born in the United States, his parents were from the UK, with it being Britain specifically but left during The Blitz Bombings. As such, Mason had to grow up and adapt to both his parents being from a different country, and the changing times, as the Civil Rights Act had just passed around the year he was born, causing a lot of changes within the country. Not to mention the Cold War that was going to reach its peak in a few years.

He could probably recount how the government said to listen to the radio at night for any Russian communism, that schools said to report any suspicious behavior of neighbors, or that to survive a nuclear blast to roll yourself up in newspapers. The times were very hostile, especially if you were meant to grow up in that era. As such he had a paranoid upbringing, with neighbors constantly whispering about how his family was of foreign descent. The number of times his family was called and harassed for communism suspicion was absurd, but as always nothing was ever found, even if people tried their hardest to fabricate evidence. With it happening so often Mason eventually started keeping track of all of the ‘evidence’ these people would supposedly bring in and search for it himself. The next time the police came around at just 11, he handed them all of his notes detailing every encounter he had and his recollection of events ahead of time. This started his path down journalism and eventually into investigating. While it was small stuff, it had an impact on how he would go about things later in life.

This was compiled with his dad being enlisted into Vietnam when he was 12. He grew up in a place devoid of a good father figure during his most formulaic years and a system that was pitted against him just for his descent. It caused him to grow up scared of others, of the world even, but he hid it behind a tough guy act for years. Fighting became his second nature, and he resorted to resolving things with fists rather than words despite his early debut as a ‘journalist’. What stayed with him though was his sense of investigation. From finding out where people were even if they lied to the most basic of gossip at school, he’d find out about it all and confront just about anyone on anything.

The day some military came back and handed his family a folded flag he suddenly realized that perhaps there was more to life than violence. While he wasn’t prepared to or probably shouldn’t have, he tried taking up the mantle to fill the void his father left behind, especially for his two younger siblings, Evelyn and Justin. He was just heading into high school that year when it happened and left behind a legacy of poor decisions and his short fuse. As such, his siblings became the brunt of a lot of harassment for just being related to him. 

       It only clicked to him then what he was even doing with his life. If he didn’t change, he was going to leave a trail of misery behind him that anyone close to him was going to end up being involved with, or following as it turned out Justin also started taking up violence the same way. Despite this, Mason did try to change the best that he could. Even made amends to some people he knew in the past during his middle school days and just tried to make friends all around. 

      Around Sophomore year, he met his close friend Jason, and the two couldn’t have been more of a Yin and Yang. While Mason’s family was well-off and lived a traditional life, Jason’s family was on the more poor side. In fact, they started as enemies, always bickering and fighting, even when forced to work on school projects together. It all changed when Jason stood up for Mason. 

      It was rumored around that he had the biggest prejudice around when it came to people, fueled by his middle school legacy. That he would even go around and use a crowbar to intimidate and harass the poor kids of the school and that he was just another rich kid who didn’t know what being tough really was. While Jason didn’t like him one bit, he did correct whatever he heard to the best of his ability and even gave Mason a callout about it to confirm if any of it was true. Ever since then, the two have been really close friends.

      It was even Jason who taught him one of the most valuable lessons in life though. To be more open-minded and not shun others out just for some disagreement, but to see where they’re coming from first. However, Jason learned from Mason that you still need to stand your ground in some instances. Such as the time Jason nearly gave in to a beating he didn’t deserve at school for stealing a necklace from a well-liked teacher. With Mason’s previous investigation skills, he looked into it and found out that the football coach was the one who stole it, and simply blamed it on just about any poor student. This wasn’t the first instance either. 

      After solving one case about the coach, soon many others were found out. Such as stealing some prescription medications of other staff, and even damaging the cable cords of a classroom once. Once the news broke, people were in shock that such a troubled kid could even be good at all. Some looked at Mason as an inspiration and a good detective while others were afraid of just how good at investigating he could be. 

      He and Jason ended up being known as the J and M duo, or the ‘Ason’ kids, since they both had names that ended with it and still have kept in touch after high school all these years later. Since then Mason ended up going through college for journalism where he realized he didn’t really like it all that much. From the suck-ups to the faked research and stories it really got to him that he’d be best suited to something more concrete. 

      So even after all of that, here he is now. Applying to be a police officer. Wanting to join the very system he never trusted as a kid to help make it better for those who are currently stuck in it. Because the last thing he wants is someone to have to go through what he did.

IC:

A short message would be here. It read, “Howdy! Thank you for applying to our police department here in East Falls! Please fill out the form and turn it in.”

Name: “Mason Reed. I have no middle name.”

Age: “I am currently 24, will be 25 by next May though.”

Education (HS Diploma, GED, etc.): “Bachelor’s in Journalism, from Chadron State College. I just graduated last semester.”

Why do you want to be an officer for our community?: 

“I want to help make our community safer for those who are less fortunate, and to be a good change in the system.” 

Have you had any previous training or teaching in our academy?:

“I have not yet, but that doesn’t mean I can’t catch up.”

What responsibilities do you hold as a police officer?:

“Many responsibilities. To uphold the law, to be someone people can trust, act as a sign of peace if I can. Protect our community… The list can go for hours and never stop.”

Do you plan on advancing our staff hierarchy?

“I do. If I want change I have to work hard for it.”

Another message was placed here: “Last question.. this one is optional:  what’s our real motto?:”

“Your real motto? Well, I would certainly hope not anything corrupt, but my best guess… To protect and serve. Common thing police say isn’t it? How about, ‘to protect and serve no matter the person, no matter the cost?’” 

Preferred Name: Sea

IGN (In-game name): Seagoddess

Age (optional): 22

Discord: @SeaPlays

What are you applying for (lore/event)?:

   I can do either, but I may be best suited to lore. I am mainly centered around storytelling with my writing, and building an environment through words—descriptions of locations, people, organizations, etc. I personally do dungeons and dragons as a dungeon master, so I am experienced in giving people a new perspective on a world unfamiliar to them. From my understanding, this server has its own fantasy elements of ghosts and such and is also set in the 80s. The world may be unfamiliar to any new player stepping in, but through scenes and writing, we can help incorporate them into this new world so they can have a better and easier time roleplaying in it. 

Why do you want to be a writer for Echoes?:

   I mainly want to engage with the server in any way I can. This server is brand new and definitely can become something special. I enjoy role-playing, and I would like to have somewhere to role-play just in general, so anything I can do to help make a place like that for myself and others, I will do it. But for writing specifically? I've been a writer for as long as I can remember. It's a very personal and special art to me. Most places and people do not even acknowledge writing as a skill or as an art, just as its own thing, so it's very nice to see that this server has a dedicated application and place for writers.

How do you think our current writing could be improved?:

   Aside from the writing sometimes appearing off-screen, the writing does feel tutorial-ish in the game, which is to be expected.  On the forums though the writing does feel a bit rushed, mainly for the lore of Wisteria (Sorry Sqidy). We're not properly introduced into the setting in my personal opinion, just sort of told what it is, and then we skip past it into the main bulk of the story. The hook could be a lot more gripping as well instead of rushed. 

   The original line of the forum page is; "In the hour of blue, everyone is warned never to step foot into Wisteria Forest. The forest got its name from the abundance of flowers that once made it a proud landmark of the town. But that was before the incidents began." It feels a tad generic. Like any story could open with this. 

   Personally, here's how I would write it; "Just before the waking hours, they say there is a warning to never step foot into Wisteria Forest. A place once renowned for its peaceful green scenery and named after flowers that would scatter its fields. But this was all before the incidents began." It feels more flowery this way and more gripping, but this is my personal opinion. 

   A big thing in writing as well is Chekhov's gun. The principle to where if you include something in your writing, it must play an importance. Listing things such as clothing or physical descriptions without a purpose feels very forced and not genuine, such as the description of the psychiatrist. However, this does not apply to things such as descriptions. The entire point of those writings is to describe the character or setting. 

Give us a few examples or portfolio of your past works:

Example A: Excerpt from my Dungeons and Dragons game detailing a war. This was a prewritten dialogue for an NPC. 

Semi-warning for these next ones, a tad gorey. 
Example B: A character I was playing on the School Roleplay server was about to murder two other characters, but first he had to separate them and lure the other away. His arm was also broken.

Example C: Two character descriptions of the same character.

   "Dressed like a 1940s P.I. that stands tall and confident, even in the face of danger is Sam. Sounding like a mid-city accountant or a politician, his voice shifts from silvery with a deep hearty laugh to smoky as he gets more serious or tense. He's reliable, like a good coworker or friend with a deep passion for assisting anyone, or romantically like a fine aging wine."

1a) "Sam Reed stands exactly at 6'1 (185cm), unsurprising given his American heritage. From what we have been told and gathered he is in top physical and mental health. He was given to us well dressed and as requested by the givers, he has been left with most of his items. His chestnut brown hair when drug tested shows traces of nicotine from as early as of 3 weeks or so ago. He also formerly had contacts to make his eyes a slightly deeper shade of blue than his natural lighter variant, and it is unknown why as he has no medical history of needing glasses."

2a) "As he is not a part of our main group of testing, we are unable to provide a clear disposition report. However, with the provided documentation and reports we have made an informal assumption. Mr. Reed has been known to be very crafty and exceptional at investigation due to his background. Not only that, he's also very charismatic, even a leader, but also scales high in empathy while keeping some amount of pragmaticism. With his calm demeanor, it is highly likely he will not cause too much stress in our study group, so he is to be administered with the rest as an outlier."

Example D: (Final one) Location Description with the image provided.

"Agents Living Space", set in JDP HQ

"On the outskirts of the facility lay an open hallway flanked by several security on either end. The hallway was long and set to dim lighting with a plush carpet that declared wealth. Decorations such as vases and tables were placed throughout at certain intervals and even an elevator was set in the middle of the hall. The location was made to look like a rich and lavish hotel suite section, for only the most wealthy of individuals. Labeled above each door, however, were markings and letters that read out under different rooms such as "A-S" or "A-O"."