Test Drive 020

[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!

Crisis On... An Aeroplane

The train has a game carriage and the VR video games are always popular. A good way to relive boredom as well as teaching some good skills.

Crisis on...This game can be played with two to four players. It is essentially a crisis simulator mixed with an escape room. You can chose the scenario (the bridge of a space ship, a camp in a jungle, a high rise building, a sailing ship etc) and you are thrown into the middle of a crisis of some kind. Teamwork and a cool head are important as is using the surroundings wisely.

Here you are the crew of a small aeroplane in desperate trouble and attempting to land, the wind is strong, your engines are straining and the visibility is near zero. Can your crew land safely?

Dressing up

The Voidtreckers have a new mission and the dressing carriage is open for their convenience...

The mission is taking them to a circus and the clothes sure reflect that. Clown costumes, glittery leotards, many feathers and an overabundance of sequins.

There is make up and facepaint provided as well, hopefully there are enough voidtreckers with expertise to make it look convincing.

Clowning Around

Strange happenings have been happening in Kilpi, a monster ridden land and joining a performing troupe is the best bet of protection outside of the small settlements. The voidtreckers are masquerading as one such troupe, in order to help out a small settlement that has seen a spate of killings. Voidtreckers must put on the show of their lives, investigate the killings and bring peace back to the town.

Team One

Setting up the stage for the performance is a good time for building bonds with the towns people. Everyone knows something, no matter how small and they are more likely to gossip with stage hands than talk to the town guard.

Gather information, set up a stage and get ready for the show.

Team Two

The killings always happen in the evening or at night, always when people are alone. So making sure people are not alone is the task of team two. The show is ready, it is big, it is loud and hopefully enough to draw in the whole town.

Eat fire, juggle, walk that tightrope. Music plays, sequins glitter. The show is a distraction and their task is to be the best distraction they can be.

Team Three

Whilst team two are distracting it is team threes chance to catch the killer. The streets are deserted, quiet and stealth is necessary to remain undetected.

Most people are at the show, but not everyone. Are they in danger? Or are they potential suspects.

Comments

[thawed_pride]

The sudden appearance of the drink wasn't what he expected, but one learns to take things in stride when magic is a part of every day life. He nods in thanks before taking a sip of the coffee, only to make a disgusted face and put it back down.

"This is not what I would term coffee. You seem to have gotten it confused with some form of liquid milk candy."

[guru_clef]

"The purpose of coffee is to give one the energy needed to continue their studies," he said, flatly. "The sugar adds to the caffeine and the proteins in the milk make the effect linger rather than spiking and crashing. This is a more effective beverage. And it tastes less like burnt death."

[thawed_pride]

"I've never considered myself picky about coffee, but I only have so much tolerance for sweet."

He nudged the mug and wiped his mouth with his other hand.

"And there are only a few times I've encountered coffee I would describe as tasting like burnt death."

[guru_clef]

"Whereas I rarely drink anything even half so processed. Perhaps this will be more to your liking. He Unmade the coffee and replaced it with an ice cold glass of juice. One appeared by Clef as well, and he partook.

[thawed_pride]

"Well...a brisk drink does have its own benefits."

He picked it up, glanced at it, and proceeded to down it at a rate that would give a normal human a headache. Of course, with the concept of ice so interwoven with the Nothingness of his being, he found it to be soothing more than anything else. By the time the glass clinked back onto the table, it was already empty.

"And I suppose I have been neglecting my intake of non-caffeinated liquid."

[guru_clef]

"Then water would be ideal over even juice," he said, sipping from his own glass.

[thawed_pride]

"Both have their merits. Fruit and vegetable juices have nutrients not present in plain water, often in a much more readily consumable form than the whole fruit."

[guru_clef]

"Agreed, however if you have been drinking primarily caffeine, then dehydration is the greater risk."

[thawed_pride]

"Mm, true enough...even if I'm not entirely sure this body is subject to such things. Precious little is known about my kind, as we're exceedingly rare...to say nothing of the physical laws we must violate to exist as non-existent beings."

[guru_clef]

Okay, you now have his attention.

"Oh?" he asked, as his books and pen vanished into the gem on his glove.

[thawed_pride]

"We call my sort Nobodies, beings who have lost our hearts and faded into Nothingness, yet regained form and identity through sheer force of will. Across all known worlds, one known constant is that everything possesses a heart, from lowly animals to the very worlds themselves, and that the loss of that heart spells utter destruction.

"To put it in less specialized terms, it is as if a computer were to continue running even following the removal of its central processor, by relying instead upon its hard drive - an empty shell, somehow functioning on the mere memory of what it once was."

He paused to watch the apparent boy's reaction and allow for questions, though he seemed fully prepared to keep going if allowed.

[guru_clef]

He sat back slightly, blinking once. "Like Demyx?" He had no clue Demyx was on the train. He had met him on a different world all together. And of course, it had been a different Demyx, not that they had the meta knowledge to know that. "I do not have the texts of notes here with me that I made when I helped him, but Nita worked with me. Perhaps we can recreate what I had done," he said, also not knowing that Vexen was waaaaay too clever to be tricked by a placebo, as Demyx had been.

[thawed_pride]

"Yes, Demyx is an...associate of mine."

Maybe a friend? He's not sure. His feelings toward the people he met in the old Organization are all so complicated.

"Restoring my humanity is not necessary at this time. I underwent the transformation willingly, already knowing of a way to reverse it, and I've scarcely changed from my original self this time. However...I will keep your offer in mind, should I notice myself straying. Actually, I'd be eager to hear what exactly you did to aid Demyx. The heart was the central focus of my studies, and I know from experience how difficult it is to create even a workable facsimile."

[guru_clef]

"And I would be fascinated to know what your plan is, in case it should become necessary, or in case you should need aid with it." So long as there WAS a viable plan in place... it was probably alright for him to explain his, since it would not be needed.

[thawed_pride]

"It...would be best for others to be aware. My heart remains free, separated under controlled conditions that did not give rise to a Heartless. Should a Nobody be destroyed while their heart is unrestrained, the heart and soul will rejoin each other, and the original body will reappear at the site of separation. Not the most pleasant of solutions, but given the proportion of Nobodies who become extraordinarily selfish in their heart's absence...it is fortunate that a method exists that can be forced upon one who finds far too much freedom in the quieting of their conscience."

His eyes dropped to his desk, memories of his own behavior with that 'freedom' rising up in his mind.

"But should such extreme measures be unnecessary, there is strong evidence that Nobodies can grow new hearts simply by continuing to live and interact with whole people. Hearts connect to one another, and those invisible lines can form a sort of blueprint for replacing what it is we've lost, in the absence of a heart of our own to carry the connection."

[guru_clef]

So he was actually right with his attempts? It was always nice to have a theory validated. "I see. There may be an additional complication that you have failed to account for however. The void itself invalidates many known modes of travel between worlds. Even the Ascended cannot pass between worlds at our choice. I do not know what would occour were your body to be destroyed within the void."

[thawed_pride]

"Yes, I had noticed that neither my Gummiphone nor the dark corridors appear capable of piercing the void, despite having worked reliably between worlds thus far."

He frowned and tapped his pen against his notes.

"But should I lose myself so far that I must be forcibly recompleted, the man I am now would prefer to risk an eternity of the limbo that awaits over utterly abandoning my sense of morality. Of course, such a thing would be the worst case scenario, and hardly the most likely. The natural regrowth of my heart should make it easier to stay myself with time, rather than harder."

[guru_clef]

"How can we facilitate the process so that you might regrow it more rapidly? And when you do, what happens to the heart that had been yours previously that is still out in the worlds?"

[thawed_pride]

"There is still much that isn't known about heart regrowth. Until recently, we were unaware it was even possible...but so far, the evidence suggests that forming connections with others speeds the process. As for what happens to the heart...thus far, there are no known instances of a Nobody recovering a full heart, but those with clear partial growth were able to recomplete without issue. Based on what I know of hearts, I suspect the two simply merge.

"However, I am admittedly quite curious as to what happens to a Nobody who achieves full regrowth. As our non-existence has a number of physical ramifications, I can't help but wonder if it would result in the subject returning to their original species, or if they would become an even more paradoxical being, a Nobody who is also a complete person."

[guru_clef]

"It would be interesting to observe, so long as we document it clearly throughout the process so we can go back and study the trends later. Since we are not removing anyone else's heart for further experimentation, we should get as much information as we can as we go, incase the information can help anyone in the future."

"That said," he added, a new book appearing before him. He started making notes as they spoke. "It sounds as if the best way for you to hurry the process would be to be social." He looked like he wanted to offer sympathies, but didn't. He looked at his notes, then sighed and stopped writing for a moment. "I suppose I found the first silver lining to my son not being present, and to the fact that he will never read my notes." He sighed again. He missed his son. He did. A lot. However... Link would have pounced on the chance to give his father a hard time about not being actively social.