Test Drive Meme 010

[voidtreckermods]

Welcome to our Test Drive Meme! Here is the place to see how your character might fit the setting, grab some samples and start having fun!

1. Post with your character. I’ve written out some prompts but feel free to make up your own, you have a whole train to play with!

2. Assume they have been around long enough for threads to jump right into the action!

3. Have much fun!

Happy testing!

Greenhouse

The newest carriage is a greenhouse.

The ceiling is a dome shape, a single metal beam runs from one end to another, mounted on this beam are large bright lights.

The aisle of grass runs down the middle, from one door to the next. Stone paths branch off around raised beds of soil. Nothing is growing yet but there are crates in which passengers can find a whole host of seeds and bulbs for various flowers.

Plenty for passengers with green fingers to do! Plant some seeds, tend to those they have planted already. Chase away people who have no idea what they are doing! Remind them they have to take the seeds out of the packet first!

If planting is a new thing then the ICP has some handy gardening tips or they can always ask their fellow Voidtreckers!

Sports Balls

For those who prefer their hobbies much more energetic then the gym's cupboard is full of balls. Balls for every sport they can imagine! The space is long and narrow which means a little bit of adapting but there is plenty of fun to be had. Start a game of football, or basket ball.

Make some new friends and get some friendly rivalry going!

Monkey Madness!

It's a strange mission to be sure but the Voidtreckers have been called to help a huge zoo tackle a problem. Every monkey enclosure has been broken open and the creatures have gotten out and into the city, where they are causing mayhem.

Team One

Though the monkeys don't pose much threat to human life they cause quite a big of damage. Team one is to try and get as many businesses and homes safe as possible. Bring things indoors, reinforce doors and windows. Warn those in the city of the incoming horde!

Team Two

Round up the monkeys! The aim is to do this without harming and luckily they have some capture devices, that can be thrown to spring straps around a creature. Bribing them is also encouraged. The city has prepared vans for the creatures to be lured or taken to. Careful though, these monkeys are cunning and mischievous and clever enough to steal the capture devices and throw them back at the Voidtreckers! Who is catching who?

Team Three

Back in the zoo there is plenty to do. First and foremost the enclosures need fixing and reinforced. Also an investigation is underway to figure out what happened and who is responsible. If DIY or investigating work is not in a passengers skill set then there are still many other animals that need fed and cleaned!

Reward time!

Soon all the monkeys are back in their proper homes and the city put back to rights! As a thank you the zoo is handing out free ice cream and a free pass to enjoy the zoo for the day.

Have fun!

Comments

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin, looking up, keeps a careful eye on Shikeo. And on the monkey.

And wouldn't you know it, Shikeo gets hold of the animal but misses his footing and comes plunging down from the shaky branch, into empty space.

Curufin leaps to get beneath the falling man and catches him again. "Got you!" The monkey is in Shikeo's grasp, but is obviously trying to escape.

[luckybucky]

Bucky tilts his head, making a couple more holes before he decides what he wants to ask. "Are the scars from what killed you?" his voice is soft enough that Levi could easily get away with pretending he didn't hear.

[lostwithinatrace]

Shikeo nods, working on each hole carefully, mimicking the last hole he did before burying the seeds with its rightful pile of soil. He picks up a seed packet and looks at the back for the instructions each has, noticing his errors and the corrections to be made.

This makes much more sense for him now.

He almost drops his spade, his face going red at Fandaniel's... explanation of his scent. And he can't help but throw a seed packet in the direction of Fandaniel's head with as much force as he can muster for a thin envelope, practically growling.

"I am NOT in heat!"

Of anything that could be used as an explanation, why that?

He grabs a handful more materials within arm's reach - seed packets, trowels, even a small planter or two - and backs up as he glowers at Fandaniel, prepared to defend himself.

"I'll fight if I have to; stay back!"

I can't see icons from phone ;;

[popotostudies]

Fandaniel smiles faintly, but it's humorless. The assault seed packet is inspected for damage. "Child, if I wanted to hurt you, I would have done so by now."

Trowels wouldn't stop him either. But he's not getting up, moving for a better whiff or even particularly.. interested. "If it isn't your season and you're not seeking a mate, perhaps you should not be wearing such a fragrance."

If it isn't heat then it's deliberate. "I do presume you are aware of what it might do to your kind."

Lmao, it's a baked potato. Thank you, I needed that this morning. xD

[lostwithinatrace]

"Shows what you know!"

Well, of course Fandaniel doesn't know what a Trace is. Shikeo only just heard of them himself a few months ago.

And Fandaniel's reassurance does nothing to appease Shikeo. He throws one of the planters at him next. Then another seed packet.

"I'm not wearing anything!" Nope, he's not worried about his wording. Not even a little. "It's not like I want to attract perverts!"

delicious potatos.

[popotostudies]

And that look is back. That horribly critical I'm-dealing-with-an-idiot look that had crossed Fandaniel's face when he first realized what Shikeo had been doing to those poor, helpless seeds.

That look of utter contempt and reproach doesn't fade this time. It's definitely not lust or desire. It's closer to disgust. As a planter comes flying at him, the Ascian finally stands, catching it and setting it aside. The seed packet as well.

It's getting darker. The lights are on full and bright, but their light doesn't seem to be getting through. "I know more than you do, if you have that effect on so many people you react like this, but then claim it's 'perverts'." The shadows grow long and sharp, as if cast by a particularly bright light, but that's definitely not happening. And one hand rises to point. "Throw one more thing, child, and I will defend myself and this garden. My patience with your abuse of these poor plants wears thin."

That. That sure was a faint rumble, like distant thunder.

Apologies for the icons; he's getting some new ones sketched as we speak.

[iamnotgod]

There's a robot of average human height trying not to fall face-forward into the dirt, Matt. He was interested in what the man was doing, however - and amused by his remark.

"While this place's calendar is obscure, I suspect the answer is still only yes if you consider Halloween a state of mind, like some people do," Webmind answered.

"Perhaps, in a place divorced from regular seasons, however, it won't matter so much what holiday it supposedly is."

[lostwithinatrace]

Shikeo tightens his grip on a spade as Fandaniel stands, but his eyes go wide as the shadows seem to darken. No way, is the light playing tricks on his eyes?

He can feel himself cower a bit, swallowing nervously as he stumbles back. All of this ability. If it weren't for fear, he might be able to better pay attention to what Fandaniel is saying. Especially since some of it sounds similar to the first time he met Timber. The rumble has him shaking, and he can't make a sound, gaping wordlessly.

If he has this much power, then maybe...

It takes him a very long moment to find his words again, and his voice trembles when he does.

"Are... A-are you one, too? A Trace?"

He tries his best to sound strong as he says it, but... God, this person is terrifying. He didn't know Trace powers like that existed.

Trace = Echo. Clearly.

[popotostudies]

Well. At least the barrage of poor helpless seeds has stopped. It's a move in the right direction. "I am an Ascian. This body is merely a convenient tool with which to interact with mortals."

Thaaat's not a human. He's just human shaped, up to and including the glasses! Which he actually needs; swiping random bodies has serious downsides.

But it's awfully human the way Fandaniel sets his hands on his hips, expression dark, like an irritated schoolteacher and not some strange malevolent Other. "I am not so young and uncontrolled as to fall prey to a mere enticing perfume, so cease your ridiculousness this instant. You would have better luck attempting to lure me with a nice cheesy baked popoto."

Which incidentally, if Shikeo actually HAD, they'd be having very different conversations right now.

Homg, that's perfect! I approve of this headcanon, lol.

[lostwithinatrace]

"Ascian..." Shikeo finds himself quietly parroting, trying to wrap his head around it. Is that some subtype of Trace? A Trouble? Some of the Trouble's look human enough, but if that were the case, then Fandaniel definitely would have attacked him, and not in the perverted way that Shikeo was just accusing him of moments ago.

There's a lot to unpack here for Shikeo, and he almost misses something while trying to process it.

"Wait, a what? You mean a potato, right?"

What on Earth is a popoto?

A pause, then quietly:

"Are you immune to my scent?" The hushed tone is almost hopeful. It would be nice not to have to worry about, y'know, being assaulted every time he walks by a person.

[beastofthedeep]

"Oh..." Of all the things, he hadn't been expecting that sort of question. He should have; he was the one who brought up the afterlife to begin with. There was so much to explain about it, but he hardly knew where to start; he hadn't talked to anyone who wasn't a demon in a very long time. "No, it's... there was an accident-" but it wasn't really an accident, he just didn't want to get into the fact that he'd been trapped with a fire on purpose "-I survived the fire," he said quietly. "I...I was born in heaven."

Ape Escape!

[pleple]

Ple Two is getting around fast enough on her feet, sprinting out and napping a monkey with a capture device. "Just... keep them... occupied!" she shouts, a little out of breath as she tries to keep up with too many dang monkeys.

Hoopz

[subject_f]

The pretty, slightly spacey girl clapping for Duo has her sleeves rolled up too, but she's not really doing much here other than watching.

Exercise is. Y'know. Exhausting. "Woo! You got this!" Whatever he's... actually trying to do.

[popotostudies]

Fandaniel sighs and holds out what does look suspiciously like a potato, and it hadn't been in his hand a moment before. "This is a popoto."

It's a potato. It could have grown in any field in Idaho.

"They are excellent baked, especially this variety. I spent a very long time developing them." Some Ascians ended worlds, other Ascians had side projects to go with that goal. And Fandaniel has had a long time with which to mess around with local horticulture.

The follow-up question draws a delicately arched eyebrow. "No, this form certainly wishes to react. I simply have learned a modicum of self control over time; these bodies are hideously primitive but simple enough to keep in reins. If you do not like the effects your scent has, why don't you change it?"

It seems simple enough to him. This isn't one of those tattered shards of a soul, although young and rather fragile it seems perfectly intact, and thus should be capable of simple modifications like that!

[sacrament_of_blood]

Indeed I would not very much like to have to capture one. Kill one? I probably could, but capturing would be difficult. Not that I wish to kill them, they look fascinating. Perhaps they are not as cunning as the monkeys, however, thus not likely to throw capture devices back. I had to capture monkeys by hand just because of their cleverness.

[lostwithinatrace]

"That's... That's a potato."

Maybe this guy's a foreigner? Terms like Ascian and Popoto would make sense, then. Ascian must be another term for Trace, just like popoto is a potato.

Shikeo agitatedly huffs, looking a little disappointed, when Fandaniel offers the point of changing his scent or the effects of it. Shikeo holds out his arms, indicating the layers upon layers of clothing he's buried himself in.

"This is it. This is me trying to change it. I can't control it. And I certainly don't plan on taking up smoking. So do I have to worry about you or not?" He's clearly unsatisfied with Fandaniel's answer to the smell-resistance question.

[lostwithinatrace]

Oh, man, that job sounds easy. I got stuck chasing the monkeys.

[A beat.]

Do you think the animals like singing? If they do, maybe I can trade you jobs next time.

[popotostudies]

"It's a popoto."

Different words for the same thing, it seems, but Fandaniel's going to keep calling it a popoto, because that's what it's called! The idea of anything else was simply absurd.

The clothing is for a moment squinted at, as if the Ascian is trying to discern if the fabric is anything particularly unusual, but it seems utterly mundane to him. This is considered in dead silence, the sleeves stared at, and then Shikeo's face, then back to the sleeves. "...You must be humoring me."

He has lived a long time and nothing has quite prepared him for this. He takes off his glasses for a moment, rubbing his eyes with the other hand, looking immeasurably weary. (What happened to the popoto..?) "You have to worry about me, I might strangle you instead of molest you." The shadows are still long, but the ominous rumble hasn't repeated itself. He draws in a slow breath, lets it out equally slowly between clenched teeth, and points. "Begin going through those seed packets. Look for ones named 'lavender', 'lemon balm', 'mint' of any kind, or 'gardenia'. You're .. what, two, three hundred? Why hasn't anyone taught you anything?"

[lostwithinatrace]

Shikeo nods again.

"My best friends. They always come first."

He hopes they're okay. He can imagine them frantically searching for him. Or maybe the forces that brought him here took them somewhere else. He doesn't like that he's separated from them, and a worried frown crosses his features. Is this some government operation or something? It might explain why he and his friends are separated. He doesn't know if the government would keep Traces who know each other together. But then, would that make everyone else on this train a Trace too? Maybe...

The more he thinks about it, the more his head begins to hurt. There's just too much he doesn't know.

He gives pause at the question, considering his options.

"Uhm… maybe pastries? Or hard candies."

He's lived poor okay? Decadent is not something he gets to experience as far as sweets get to go.

[tevinteraltus]

And why less? [He smiles.] Perhaps they live in colder climates...

[Maker knows he'd want for more padding if he were in a similar situation.]

All monkeys are mischievous. They steal fruit, shiny jewelry. They're adorable until they make off with something you'd rather keep.

[tevinteraltus]

"What I mean refers to the crafted verse itself, not the tales. Poorly stated words are an insult to literature."

The man makes a fine point, of course. This was not the Fade, or anything remotely comparable. By all rights, it shouldn't exist, and yet here it was, persisting in revolution to rational thought.

"And no one's improved upon it. It could be better."

[popotostudies]

Fandaniel's smile is utterly innocent. "I'm sure nobody would mind if you were to take it upon yourself."

Clearly if this fellow had preferences the only thing to do was imply he should just take over and do what he wanted with it! "After all, libraries are best not left in the hands of children, even if they are enthusiastic and mean well."

He is not stepping up to the plate himself, no sir.

[lostwithinatrace]

Two, three hundred what? Kilograms? Why is he asking for his weight? That doesn't make sense. There's no way he looks like he weighs three hundred kilograms. He doesn't even weigh fifty four.

He begrudgingly begins sorting through the seed packets.

"Because I only found out a few months ago, after my mom died."

A heavy pause and a breath.

"Timber taught me what I was. And he protects... protected me. From everything that tried to get me. From Troubles to people."

Any packets of the aforementioned herbs get gently tossed into a smile pile to his left as he continues to sort.

"Now I guess I'm here on my own. I only learned to avoid people and layer my clothes. I never needed to do anything else. Though I did grow up surrounded by lots of flowers. Probably because of my scent."

He eyes Fandaniel carefully for a moment, wondering if he should ask.

...Yea, it's going to bother him too much if he doesn't.

"What do you mean by 'two or three hundred'?"

[magicurls]

"Pastry it is!"

Mami claps her hands, a little smile on her face, and sets off for the kitchen, waving for him to come along.

"Want to learn how to do it? We'll start with something simple, sugar cookies."

[magicurls]

"Okay! Come here, little monkeys...want to play?"

She switches tactics, now twisting her ribbons into banana shapes and throwing them out on a line to lure them in. It's not perfect, but she does have a few following the bouncing yellow trail.

"Target locked?"