Test Drive Meme 014

[voidtreckermods]

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

1. Post with your character, including their name and series in the subject. We’ve written out some prompts but feel free to make up your own, you have a whole train to play with!

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

3. Have lots of fun. Mandatory, mod-sanctioned fun.

Happy testing!

Making Music

The latest addition to the train is the Music Carriage, a double-decker space with reasonable acoustics and more tambourines than you can shake a drumstick at.

Upstairs, a small stage in the middle holds a piano, and seating aisles on either side run back to the ends of the carriage and the stairs back down. Curtains and basic stage lighting give some control over the performance space, or act as tools to annoy your fellow 'treckers.

Downstairs, boxes and racks of acoustic instruments up to the size of a guitar litter one side, along with sheet music, manuals, music stands and stools for the budding musician. The other end has several screens set into the wall, through which you can access either a jukebox or an extensive but ecclectic music library from millions of unknown worlds. Your SCA can store up to a hundred tracks for your personal enjoyment, so find your favourites. Or maybe you're the unfortunate soul who found that entire crate of recorders...

Green Fingers

The greenhouse is a surprisingly bright room, its vaulted ceiling made of a transparent, incredibly tough material that shows the light of the Void along the entire length of the room. The single metal support beams is bedecked in roses. The aisle of grass running through the centre of the carriage is riotous with strange plants and flowers, small stone paths leading off to this flowerbed or that.

Usually, this is a fairly calm place to be. Usually, someone hasn't smuggled a bag full of magical seeds back from a mission, and planted them all through the greenhouse. Seemingly overnight, the room has filled with a multitude of strange and wonderful plants. Dare you investigate?

Unplugged

The latest mission has the Voidtreckers in a strangely barren city, its citizens wearing skinsuits, wired gloves and headsets. Just like the ones the dressing car put you all in..? It makes more sense when you turn on the visor and the world comes alive around you. Welcome to Amp Online! The danger this time is in the virtual world overlaid with the physical, as a wave of animal-themed viruses sweep through the cyberscape, destroying livelihoods, and perhaps lives.

Team One

Primarily the fighting is limited to the virtual world. The locals are happy to upload basic combat software into Team One's gear, but the good stuff is locked behind paywalls. Hackable paywalls, definitely, but, luckily, the viruses seem to be dropping something called amp-cred when slain. Which... is apparently money, because the balance in the corner of your vision just ticked up. Time to grind. Wait, are those... limited edition skins?

Team Two

The technicians and sysads insist that the viruses are totally foreign to Amp Online. So... where did they come from? Team Two is tasked with deep-diving into the network, through back-end servers rendered by their gear into dungeon-like labyrinths. The 'monster' viruses are fewer here, but instead, paths are blocked by worms and barrier-like popups. You all have tracking apps and hacking software that looks oddly gamified. Go!

Team Three

Not all threats are online - after a while, a virus manages to follow a link back to the real world, and hijack something. A combat drone, a refridgerator, someone's car... Another follows, and another. Team Three are ejected from Amp Online to troubleshoot in the physical world, protecting data centers and civilian housing stacks from rogue machinery... or their own smart-homes. Ever fought a toaster? Alexa, play Ride of the Valkyries.

Comments

Re: C

[nocawsforconcern]

[Not only could someone find it easily... Someone did. Almost as if, well, it was drawn to her.

But she picks it up, staring at it, looking it over...]

Huh. What's this thing? Treasure? It's shiny, but it feels weird. All smooth. Doesn't seem like money... What is it?

[gene_destiny]

Riku looked up with a start as he heard a voice... and his eyes widened when he saw what she held in her hands.

"Ah-ah, that's mine!" he cried. "I dropped it! And it's not treasure, it's my-"

Oh right. The secret identity thing. Uhm.

"...It's a toy."

[nocawsforconcern]

[Enna furrows her eyebrows. It's true her treasure senses pick up on worthless things from time to time, but that's not the feeling she gets from this. It doesn't seem like some kind of bauble, or something useless... But she can't figure out what it is.]

A toy? What's it for?

[gene_destiny]

Riku gets up, and scrambles over, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, it's like, one of those roleplay toys! You know, for like hero TV shows? The kids get to mimic the actions of the hero, and it makes lights and sounds and stuff?"

Technically a kid could do all that with it, which makes at least part of what he's saying true.

[nocawsforconcern]

[She squints again.]

What's a 'TV show'?

[But at least she's tossing it back to him...]

Show me?

[gene_destiny]

Uhm.

"You don't know what a TV show is?" he said, laughing nervously... and hoping she'll forget about asking about a demonstration. "That's a shame. That means you don't know about Donshine!"

[nocawsforconcern]

[No such luck, unfortunately. She's just staring at him expectantly.]

What's Donshine? I know about moonshine. Can you drink Donshine?

[gene_destiny]

[Riku nearly falls over.]

N-No! Donshine is a hero! He defends the helpless from evil! I've watched his adventures ever since I was a kid!

[nocawsforconcern]

Oh.

[She pauses, and then reaches out to just... Pat Riku's head.]

You shouldn't believe that sort of thing. People who say they're heroes usually doing bad things in secret.

[gene_destiny]

"Ehhhhh?!"

Riku nearly falls over again. He rights himself, and then protests, loudly:

"N-No! Donshine would never! I've seen all of his stories! And I'm the one calling him a hero!"

[nocawsforconcern]

... Oh. Wait, stories? Is he a story? If he's not real, then that's fine.

[story heroes can be fine, then!]

[gene_destiny]

Yes! It's a story! Right!

[He stands up straight, looking smug.]

I'm glad we could clear that up!

[And hopefully not have him "show off" the "toy's" functions.

[nocawsforconcern]

[YOU WISH.]

... So, that toy is... something about the story...?

[gene_destiny]

[Dang.]

Uhm.

No, uhm, this toy isn't based on Donshine! It's based on a different hero! Ultra...human! Ultrahuman Deeg.

[Nailed it.]

[nocawsforconcern]

That's a stupid name.

[IMMEDIATE.]

[gene_destiny]

[Almost falling over again. Riku turns and scratches the back of his head nervously, gritting his teeth.]

I-I suppose it could be better...

[nocawsforconcern]

What makes him an 'ultra' human? Sounds dumb. Dig sounds dumb.

[yeah, she's mispronouncing it.]

You still haven't shown me what that thing is, either.

[gene_destiny]

... Well, he's giant! And he has amazing powers! And it's Deeg....

[He turns back around, a nervous smile reappearing on his face.]

You wanna see it, hm? Well, uhm, okay...

[Just putting in one of the capsules should be fine, right? He takes out one from the holder on his belt, and presses a button on the top of it.]

I go!

[And... please ignore the fleeting transparent image of a red and silver warrior that briefly appears by his side.]

... These toys are very advanced...

[He hasn't even used the Riser part yet.]

[nocawsforconcern]

[She squints, and puts out her hand right through where that image was.]

Was that a spirit? You have a spirit in your toy?

[gene_destiny]

A spirit?

[Well... technically...]

Uh-uhm. No, it's... it's more like an image? That it projects? And it only appears if I say the right phrase! I'd show you how it works with the Riser, but... I only have one of the capsules that goes with it, so far!

[Another lie, but it would have been too quick to closely see the other capsules in the holder, at least.]

[nocawsforconcern]

[Enna stares. She's odd- Weirdly perceptive, but also rather innocent and guileless. It's a difficult combination to deal with.]

If it's a secret, just say it's a secret. I hate lies. They itch.

[gene_destiny]

...

[Riku slumps.]

I'm sorry. It is a secret... and it's not a toy. But I have to protect a lot, and it'd be bad if someone found out everything...

I'm really sorry I lied. Heroes shouldn't do that.

[nocawsforconcern]

[She's going to reach out and smoosh his cheeks, now.]

It's okay now, but you shouldn't call yourself a hero, either.

[gene_destiny]

[He smiles, actually nodding.]

Yeah, that's for someone else to decide. But I mean, like... I just try to live up to a hero's example. I understand if you think I'm a long way from that.

[He can't promise he won't lie again, but here in this world... saying it's a secret seems to be enough, at least.]

[nocawsforconcern]

Good, you're learning.

[She nods.]

Living up to example is fine. And it's not my place to judge if you are or aren't. But... Caw.

[She pauses here, cawing to herself as she tries to organize her words in her head.]

As long as you do what you can when you can, that's all that matters.