Test Drive 018

[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.

Happy testing!

Heated Debate

The spa carriage, the newest addition to the train, boasts sunlamps and loungers, massage tables stocked with fluffy towels and a variety of oils and lotions, an enclosed sauna… Soothing birdsong fills the warm, scented air, and the terminals offer several masseuse courses or a playlist of relaxing music.

In pride of place, a three-tiered heated bath in the centre of the room, each tier able to fit five people comfortably.

‘Comfortably’? Well, it could definitely fit more, but it might get a little awkward, depending on your feelings on personal space. Ditto with the sauna, really. But the important thing is, you got here first.

Didn’t you?

Getting Draughty In Here

The lower floor of this carriage is open and sprawling, with two wide, low tables and plenty of cushions and beanbags. The walls are lined with shelves and wooden chests, both filled with games. Board games, card games, you name it, though train themes feature heavily. On a shelf of its own sits a case of Duel Monsters cards.

The upper floor is split into two. One half has a pile of oversized games - lawn jenga, twister, giant connect4 - and the other, sectioned off with soft rope barriers, hosts a screen, a console, and a variety of video game controllers, including four VR headsets.

Perhaps you’re testing yourself in one of the VR Crisis simulators. Perhaps you’re learning the rules of a competitive card game a little too well, and your friendships are suffering accordingly. Perhaps you’ve convinced someone to play twister with you..?

Shiver Me Timbers

You are aboard the PNV Vexation, a first-rate ship accompanied by several escort vessels currently halfway through a voyage across the Sunsea of Yarra, AKA #59352110. The cargo she carries is of utmost importance, and must reach the Shining Port intact.

The pirates who sail the Sunsea have other plans.

Team One

The Vexation has several sloops in tow - the best of which are the Gemstone Heart, the Fallen Lord and the Duckling. Team One is split across the three sloops, and can use their greater speed to good effect in boarding actions. Your job is simple - sink every unmarked ship that approaches the Vexation. The captains are cooperative and daring, and happy to lend out boarding axes and pistols. The pirates are less happy.

Team Two

Back aboard the Vexation, it seems that either the crew are playing tricks, or something more sinister is going on - whispers of spirits roaming the deck at night, strange screams or whimpers in the hold. Lights off the starboard bow. The day holds no such terrors, and shipboard life is mostly ropes, deckwork and stints on the masts, but as the mission continues, the crew are getting more and more restless… Team Two needs to figure out the source of these strange events, before they incite the crew to mutiny.

Team Three

Unbeknownst to the crew, on the second day of the mission, the precious cargo is loaded onto the fourth and fastest of the Vexation’s escorts, the Sun’s Edge, and sent ahead, while the fleet remains as as a decoy. Team Three are sent aboard the Edge to crew the ship and keep the treasure - something sealed in a large, padded steel pyramid - safe. The pirates don’t notice the deception, but the sea serpents definitely do, and with just one serpent able to wrap its entire length around the Edge, the third day is a harrowing one.

Comments

[melodiouspacifist]

"Sure, sure." Demyx chuckled a bit and morphed the water as requested. "Ta-da!"

[fun_thementalist]

Gen hummed, looking like he was actually taking that seriously. He plopped down in a chair in front of her, tapping his chin, thinking it through.

"So, you're thinking that whoever or whatever took us is now taking requests?" Gen asked. "A world changing God ..."

He was chewing it over. "You've heard the theory that time works differently here, right? Of course, there's no way for us to confirm it, not really."

[inquisitor_lavellan]

"I suppose," Alley liked fighting. Didn't like killing, which was why her weaponry of choice was a big shield and a blunt mace.

But fighting?

One of her drugs of choice, really.

"So is that considered magic where you're from?"

[inquisitor_lavellan]

"Or whatever it is was just fine with accepting an extra in the ranks," Alleyana stayed standing, for now, leaning against the side of the back of the seat across from Gen's new spot. "Maybe not having to do the work of taking someone suits it just fine."

Or it was just a big fat coincidence that she'd been removed from the chess board when she had been. But she didn't have much faith in coincidences anymore.

As for time, the Inquisitor shook her head.

"Haven't talked directly to many of you, so no. What's this theory about time?"

[melodiouspacifist]

He didn't like fighting very much. It was more fun to fool around and play music, but fighting was what he was supposed to do, in theory. He could do it. He wasn't even terrible at it.

He just didn't want to.

"Yeah, you could say that. Every Nobody had a power." Demyx answered with a grin. "This is just mine. I can't really do much else magic though."

[deadwenwalking]

There's an odd expression on Wen Ning's face as he looks over both options. It's somewhere between confused and... something else. Disgusted? Insulted? But also trying not to appear that way because this is Wei Wuxian.

He wants the red and black one, but it also makes him mildly uncomfortable with how fitting it is, so he points at the purple one instead. It's just something to wear while he's bathing, it can't matter that much.

"Th-that one's fine."

[zechs_isonfire]

A small smirk. "Fair enough. It was more a turn of phrase than a threat assessment. Though I will say, a stubborn will and high tolerance for pain does get a person pretty far, through my experience."

Zechs shrugged a little. "Depends on the slight. And the tools they have available. If someone's determined, I'm sure they'll quickly have another person here killed - but there's already been a murder which has caused more cautious people to try to limit the number of arms available."

His skeptical tone, mild though it was, said more about his opinion about that half-hearted measure than his actual words.

[fun_thementalist]

And, perhaps gratifyingly, Gen clapped, like he was impressed.

"That's amazing!" Gen said again, not letting on that there's more to this than just enjoying magic. "Do you just play around with this, or - what kinds of things can a guy use this magic for?"

[inquisitor_lavellan]

"'Every Nobody' sounds like a riddle," the Inquisitor noted dryly.

[inquisitor_lavellan]

Alley issued a noncommittal grunt to that, and reflexively dropped her right wrist to her opposite hip to make sure her mace was still hooked there. It was.

"Well, if I piss someone off enough to take a swing, they'd better get it done in one hit."

[melodiouspacifist]

"Oh no, nothing like that, it's just what I am." Demyx answered with a grin as though that was not a strange statement at all.

"I wasn't the only one." Although, now that might be true, he wasn't clear on that. It didn't matter enough for him to look into it too deeply. "And every one had their own powers."

[melodiouspacifist]

"What's wrong with playing around with it?" He chuckled lightly, at least, playing with the water amused him.

"This and that, you know." Demyx said, sliding away from the question. "It's great if you're ever stuck needing a drink!"

[zechs_isonfire]

"That single strike wouldn't be enough to spare them - you'd just regain consciousness in the luggage carriage," Zechs told her. "Death isn't permanent here, which I suppose eliminates a lot of people's motive to kill other passengers."

Unless they were into killing someone over and over again, but he did hope without much optimism they'd never get a sadist like that on this train.

[inquisitor_lavellan]

"Seems like a pretty shitty name to be what someone 'is'," Alleyana raised one scar-crossed eyebrow, "you're really fine with that?"

[inquisitor_lavellan]

"Well, cyclical revenge-murder would at least pass the time."

That joke's so dry it might just blow away in a stiff breeze.

Rose Quartz | Steven Universe

[lovelikeyou]

i. heated debate

Hi! Do you want to come in, too? It feels nice, doesn't it?

[Rose does not have a particularly strong sense of personal space! This is great! At somewhere around eight feet tall, she's naturally taken the lowest tier, but even so she has to sort of lounge to get most of her body in the bath. Half of her thick pink curls trail into the water, and her long white dress floats and flares around her legs - it seems like she didn't totally get the memo about what you're supposed to wear into the bath.

(She does have somewhat mixed feelings on the heated bath in general, but...well, it does feel nice.)]

ii. team two

[Rose isn't sure she really believes in ghosts. She's heard human stories, but...she would have seen one by now if they existed, right? She's sure she would.

Of course, that doesn't mean that much. Obviously something is out here bothering the humans, ghost or no ghost. So here she is, out here waiting for it. She's barefoot and in her long gown still, despite being on a pirate ship; she never really seems to change clothes. For now, she isn't armed. The gem on her stomach is glowing, emitting a soft pink light that illuminates the decks - but lengthens and deepens the shadows cast by sails and masts, wherever she isn't standing.]

What do you think it is? Oh, isn't this exciting?

iii. team three

[Rose really, really wishes the other gems were here. Alexandrite would handle this so easily - even Rainbow Quartz would be better than just - just her by herself.

But she is by herself. So.

She stumbles back as the sea serpent wraps one great coil around the ship. Oh no, that's really bad. Rose snarls in sudden anger - no, defensiveness. It's going to sink the boat! It's going to throw all the humans in the water, make them drown!]

Get off of it!

[Summoning her shield, she smashes it over the serpent with what looks like a great deal of force.]

[deferences]

Sizhui shakes his head, “It's alright, no harm done.” Maybe it should've been realized, but he could have also just explained better. Acting so nonchalant about death of all things shouldn't be something he's used to, even with a game, but especially since it's something his uncle doesn't understand.

Frankly, it's more than likely the latter rather than the former, although neither of them has anything like this back in their homeworld to make proper sense of it. If it'd been something created there, maybe positioning would make more sense? But as it stands, this was how he was taught, so Sizhui's guessing it's the only way to teach others, too.

Ah, of course. That's why they aren't doing anything yet. “Right, uhm, we should probably turn the game on.” He shifts, moves toward the console and the screen, turns both of them on before scooting back to sit beside Wen Ning once more. “Now, we might get somewhere.”

heated debate;

[deferences]

[while sizhui isn't unused to sitting in a public pool, he's far more used to one, it being cold and two, having just a little more coverage than the pale blue board shorts he's currently wearing. there's so much of his legs showing, for immortals sake, what sort of modesty does this leave? blessedly, there are plenty of towels around, one of which he has wrapped around his waist for the moment.

this is why he'd been hoping there wouldn't be anyone else here, but the woman sitting on the bottom tier of the bath seems friendly enough. goodness, she's tall, far taller than even siebren! and he has to admit, he's glad he wasn't the only one uninformed by the bathing suits at first.]

So long as you don't mind? I mean, I could come back later, too...

[wisdominshadows]

"A small skill," Zelda agrees, eyes sweeping over the older woman. Yes, it seemed unlikely any single new scar would phase her.

"But I'm glad it worked. The train revives the dead and wounded in time, but I imagine it would be bothersome to go through the trouble."

With her patient sorted, Zelda turns to her surroundings- and oh, there's the pirate from before stirring. How unfortunate.

She regards the next Deku Nut to flash in his eyes as a favor. If he has sense, he'll take the suggestion to remain down.

Heated Debate

[hotheadwarmheart]

[Where else would Demyx be indeed? Unfortunately, it's not where he's supposed to be, which- while hardly unusual- is still annoying.]

What's up is the laundry, no thanks to you. The last of it is hung up and drying, finally, though it would've been done sooner if you'd helped.

[Probly not the kind of attention you were hoping for, huh Demyx?]

[melodiouspacifist]

[ Oh, was it his turn to do the laundry? He lets out a bit of a laugh and waves his hand. ]

I totally forgot! [ Was he lying? Probably. ]

You should check out this spa!

[melodiouspacifist]

He shrugged in a bit of a lazy, dismissive manner. "I didn't pick the name. I don't really care." Demyx didn't think it was worth kicking up a fuss about it.

Heated Debate

[hotheadwarmheart]

Lea too had hoped to take a dip, though he paused at the edge as he noticed the way the pale man next to him was staring at the water. He couldn't see anything that would particularly warrant such hesitation, but waited a moment to see if the other guy would do something.

When it eventually became clear that that wasn't going to happen any time soon, he spoke up. "It doesn't bite, you know," he said.

[inquisitor_lavellan]

"Well, that's your business, then," Alley grunted, fine with dropping the subject. There were so many awful names for elves where she was from, said so freely by so many humans...

If he wasn't bothered by something that sounded kind of shitty, though, who was she to argue.

"I'm going below deck to look for booze," the scarred elf pushed away from the railing, finally. "Give a yell if any of those ships get near enough to care about."

[inquisitor_lavellan]

"I've been on enough battlefields to know there's nothing small about healing," Alleyana gazed out over the ship's deck. She'd really taken down quite a few pirates, and the rest weren't doing too much better by this point, either.

She pointed her mace at the guy the healer had taken down, since he was waking up. "Think carefully about your next move, friend."

Yes, he'd stabbed her. No, she didn't care. If he stayed down, he was safe enough from having his skull rung like a bell.