Entry tags:

!tdm

TDM #1

TEST DRIVE MEME #1

Welcome to Glencola Reef's first Test Drive Meme! This is a place where anyone interested in applying a character - or just curious to see how their characters might interact with the setting and others in the game - can mingle with one another. General prompts are provided below for inspiration.

TDM GUIDELINES

Please read the rules before posting to the TDM. These still apply here and will be enforced, up to and including deleting tags/toplevels and prebanning.
Posts from a TDM are required to apply. At least three tags across any number of threads within a TDM, posted within the last 6 months, must be provided in every application.
TDM threads can be used for AC. Note that new characters only need to check in for their first AC cycle, but established characters can use TDM tags for their AC.
TDMs are not considered game canon by default. This is mostly for logistics reasons - due to how characters travel on the map, it's unlikely that non-network threads that take place here will actually happen in-game. However, I won't stop anyone from working out how to make parts of threads game canon if they really want to.
New TDMs will be posted every three months. Keep checking back into the current TDM for new toplevels!

I. ARRIVAL

You awaken on a tropical island beach, soaking wet, powerless, and without any idea how you got here. Were you carrying something important, or wearing powerful armor? How unfortunate - it looks like only the most basic clothes, items in your pockets, and simple weapons managed to make the trip with you. Are you even physically the same as you remember? If you had superhuman abilities tied to your physiology, you might be stuck in a completely different body that lacks your usual senses. You might've been whisked away from a tense battle or a near-death experience and wake up delirious, or even injured.

Thankfully, against overwhelming odds, you're not the only one to wake up on this particular stretch of beach. You and your companion have a lot of puzzling out to do.

II. NETWORK

Even if you weren't lucky enough to wake up near someone else, at least you've arrived with a military-grade radio transceiver gripped tightly in your hand (or mouth, or other vaguely opposable appendage of choice). The clunky walkie-talkie will start buzzing and crackling for every public message that starts coming your way. Answering them back is as easy as pressing the "talk" button on the side of the device and either speaking into the receiver, or using the keypad to type into the message box that appears on the screen, then pressing the button again to send. A list of ongoing conversations with responses that are less than 24 hours old can be found by scrolling through the menu, identified by the callsigns that are participating in them. It seems that you've been assigned a callsign, too - it shows up in the top right side of the screen, format AB123C. The letters and numbers picked are...probably random.

This is your easiest avenue to communicating, or coordinating with, or complaining at the other people stuck on this island; how you decide to use this tool is up to you.

III. EXPLORING

For a place that appears, by all signs, to be an equatorial island in the middle of a tropical ocean, the local environments are surprisingly diverse. Beaches range from idyllic white sand to storm-swept pebble crags to cliffs with waterfalls cascading off the edges; the interior forests can be thinned from sandy soil or dense jungles full of prickly underbrush and with towering canopies; and the central mountain peaks, perilous enough to climb on their own, terminate in ravines and sinkholes that are hidden by thick foliage until you already have one foot over the edge.

The animals that make their homes here are equally as varied, and sometimes just as dangerous. The standard Earth fare of tropical fish swim right up to most shores, especially where reefs have grown, and a multitude of seafaring and jungle birds make their homes in ocean-facing cliffs and trees. Any one of these creatures would make for an easy snack. But you're not the only opportunistic hunters here; sharks prowl the waters, big cats stalk the jungles, and feral boars raid any camps that smell enticing. And that's just the stuff that looks like it came from modern Earth. Your improvised fishing rod might have captured a trilobite, or maybe that deer you were stalking has rounded on you with a set of alien mandibles full of sharp teeth. Or maybe, among the plants and animals completely foreign to you, you've stumbled across one that's strangely familiar to your home and no one else's.

There's a lot to figure out about this place. At least, in this instance, you aren't doing it alone.

NAVIGATION

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Are you injured?" she asks, as she paces (still carefully!) closer, getting a better look at those bloodstains now. Introductions and niceties can wait; if he's in physical danger, that's more important than even the glasses.

Martin's a little concerned about getting up and stepping on his glasses, so he stays where he is, squinting at the figure as she approaches. "I don't... think so?" Which, considering the circumstances, that's somewhat alarming. Apart from some bruising and a few scrapes that aren't from here, he feels... fine. Confused. Worried about Jon.

"Sorry, but are you from here?" Wherever this is.

"No," she says, crouching next to him and peering at the front of his shirt. It's hard to tell how fresh it is when it's wet, and it's also hard to tell how much there used to be, before the seawater (presumably) washed it all away.

And then, of course, there's the fact that it might very well not be his blood. That possibility isn't lost on her, either.

"There's blood all down your front, and I'm pretty good at field medicine. Can you lift your shirt and give me a look?"

A blush blooms across his cheeks as he holds up a hand in a stop motion. "N-no. That's not- It's fine. That's not mine." A pause. "God, that sounds terrible. M-my boyfriend. It's my boyfriend's blood. We were kind of- a lot was happening before I woke up. Kind of confused about that. I thought you were him, though. You can't see any bodies along the beach, right?"

Ah.

She gives Martin a sharp nod, then pulls back again, giving him space.

"Right. Jon." Not John Reese; not the man she'd like to track down herself. Just another stranger.

Pulling herself to her feet again, she lifts a hand to shade her eyes and scans not just up and down the beach, but out towards the expanse of the ocean as well. At first, she thinks she might see something, but-- no, it's just a piece of bobbing driftwood, body-sized and a little bit body-shaped but definitely not actually a body.

"There's no one else here, alive or dead. And, just checking, but you don't have any idea where we are?"

The news she can't see anyone else is both a relief and deeply anxiety-inducing. He's not been around anyone apart from Jon for any significant amount of time for the last... long while. Is he going to be hanging around some strange woman until they find civilization? She seems nice enough, but he'd rather have Jon.

Still, Martin puts on his friendliest mien as he shakes his head. "No. I'm really sorry. I was in the middle of London, last I knew." What used to be London. But if this place has other people, they're probably going to be on a resort around the beaches. If you can help me find my glasses, we can walk along and see what we can see, Miss...?"

"Shaw."

Her attention turns back towards the sand as she paces a slow line away from Martin. At first she sees nothing, but then--

"Here you go," she says, scooping the glasses up and shaking the sand off of them before handing them over. "Sorry about your boyfriend."

He takes his glasses with a tight smile before standing up. "Thanks, Ms. Shaw. Or-or just Shaw?" Is that a first name? He doesn't think it is, but maybe? "Okay. Right." He gets a better look at their surroundings as he does his best to rub the sand and salt crust off his clothes and skin. He still feels damp, which is incredibly unpleasant. And thirsty. Which is more concerning.

At least the apocalypse had come without the need for food or water. "How are you doing on... everything? We should probably try to walk along the tree line up there." He points up the beach. "Stay in the shade. I haven't got any water on me."

"I don't think either of us are in a state to stand on formalities," she says, dryly but with no sense of hostility, as she both nods at his bloody shirt and gestures to her get-up (leather jacket over sopping wet jeans and a t-shirt, hair pulled back into a messy ponytail). "Just Shaw's fine."

She'll watch him carefully as they head up towards the treeline, checking for limping or dripping blood as he walks - a lot was happening before I woke up can mean a lot of things.

"London, huh. I was in New York."

Martin grimaces a little as they walk, feeling like he's lumbering a bit. It's mainly from the sensation of the sand and the salt rubbing inside his clothes. And the heat. If he'd have had his backpack here, at least he could have changed. It's also too warm here, even if that's probably better overall.

"Oh! I've never been to New York. What's that like?" He asks it with an earnest interest. He'll keep his eyes out for any signs of other life... and potentially some actual fresh water, but he can lend an ear. Might as well be polite.

"Love it. It has a lot more corner convenience stores than this place. Could get ourselves some hats, some sunscreen, a change of clothes..."

Off in the jungle, she hears a faint rumbling sound that might - might be a waterfall, and she stops for a moment, straining her ears to listen.

"You actually like smalltalk?" she murmurs, eyes trained on the trees.

"Well... we've only just met." He pauses along with her and glances toward the trees. "And the circumstances are kind of awful. But... y'know? No harm in trying to make the best of it. I mean, as long as you're okay with that. Sorry. We don't have to talk. I don't have to talk."

It's been too long since he's had to act like a normal person. He's probably mucking it up royally. Is he being creepy? It's probably creepy. Martin makes an effort to slouch a bit more to seem smaller. He knows he's pretty big and that can put some people off.

Shaw sighs heavily, and flicks her gaze up towards the sky for a half-second - annoyed, but aimlessly so, the feeling directed at whatever the hell is going on rather than at Martin himself.

"I'm not trying to hurt your feelings," she grunts more than says. "Just-- you give anybody any reason to drug and kidnap you? You have any enemies, you mixed up in anything?"

There's a bit of a pause before he shakes his head, putting on his best poker face. He doesn't expect telling her why he's here, specifically, would be a good idea. Not until he finds Jon, at least. "Not that I know about. Jon's really- He's the only important one between the two of us. I don't think anyone would bother with me. Not to drop off on a random tropical island.

"It feels like they're setting us up for some sort of reality show or something."

"So he has enemies, but you don't."

That sure sounds like an equivocation to her, but then again, it's not like she's planning to tell him about her enemies, either. Especially since they should, in theory, all be dead or otherwise neutralized. And especially since she can't imagine any of them doing this to her, either. A reality show, as unlikely as that is, seems more plausible.

"Come on," she says with a sigh, turning to head into the jungle. "I might hear fresh water up here."

Martin shrugs as he pulls a face at her assessment, then starts heading into the jungle, itself. "Wish I had my backpack with me. I wonder if that's washed up somewhere else on shore. I had canteens and a thermos."

He glances around as they're walking. "We could maybe make a little scoop for the water with one of the palm tree wooden bits..." Martin's tone turns speculative.

"Me, I just wanna wash this salt off," she says, slowing as she pushes aside a particularly gnarly tangle of vines. "Then step two is finding civilization. You have a walkie, right? Those had to have come from somewhere."

Walkie. "Ah... this thing." He does have one of those that he pulls out briefly before tucking it away again. He'd picked it up as he was standing from the beach. Not his cell phone, but something technological. Rather retro, as well. He likes that sort of thing... mostly not in this context, though.

"That makes sense. I don't... know how that got near me." Is it like one of the tape recorders, maybe? Oh, god, if the Web is following him around here, as well, he's going to be really very annoyed. Martin shows some bushes aside and the sound of running water grows louder. "We've got to be close. But... ah, I think before we go into any water, we should probably check it for, like... crocodiles?" They're in the Nile, right? And that's vaguely near the equator. Martin's pretty sure America has them, as well. And Australia.

"Good luck checking a whole body of water for crocodiles," she says, shooting him an unimpressed look - and then picking up the pace. That is definitely a waterfall, and a big one too, by the sounds of it. "Just keep your wits about you."

That said, he gives off major civilian vibes, so she adds, "Don't worry too much. I'll keep an eye on you."

Martin waits until she's looking away to make a bit of a face. Maybe he's not the scion of the apocalypse or some sort of military lady, but he thinks he can probably spot a crocodile big enough to cause them problems in a water body. The little ones aren't what he's worried about. But he keeps that thought to himself and smooths his expression as they press onward, finally breaking through the vegetation to an impressive little fall. The cliff it's coming off of must be 15 or 20 feet above them, and while it's no Niagara, it's a respectable amount of water pouring over the edge and thundering into a large basin below.

His eyes are on the water immediately, searching for anything that looks like eyes, whether that's for crocodiles or snakes or... anything else, really. "It looks pretty slippery over by the falls," he says, raising his voice to be heard. "But I think it'll be safest if we're closer to it. Leeches could be a thing here, too. Or piranhas?" He has absolutely no idea where piranhas are found.

"I hear piranhas aren't so bad as most people think," she says, picking her way over a rockier bit of the lagoon's shoreline - though admittedly, she doesn't exactly have personal experience with them, either. "But I don't want to be messing with leeches right now. How good are you on your feet? You okay with slippery terrain?"

"I'll be careful." It's not really an answer to her question, but he follows her slowly, picking out his steps with serious consideration and a bit of testing. Martin's learned to walk with a quiet step in spite of his size, and he's not about to make himself a liability by falling suddenly into a leech-infested lagoon. If that's actually a thing. Maybe not? But he'd really rather not find out. They're too much like worms.

"If you wanted to wash your clothes and yourself off, I can stay over here a little ways. Keep a lookout."

Edited 2023-05-02 17:56 (UTC)

"You shouldn't go too far. We don't know who or what else is out there, and my gun's not in optimal shape right now."

But yeah, the last thing she wants to do is deal with a skin rash from walking around all salty, so washing off needs to happen sooner rather than later.

"I'll be quick."

"Not planning to move much from here. I just, um... y'know? I want you to have some privacy." He can't give her much, but he can offer that. Of course, once he's truly alone again, the sound of water muffling everything, he's reminded of a different, much colder and colorless place. The sea lapping gently, the mist over everything. His own domain had featured rain over the ocean, but it was still an oppressive, quiet place.

Somewhere you could sit with your thoughts. He loses time as he stares out at the jungle, not actually seeing anything with his focus turned inward. From the outside, he looks like he's staring off into the middle distance, but there's a loud slop of water nearby that isn't from the waterfall, and Martin finally breaks from his reverie to see that a deer is stooping to drink from the lagoon.

Perhaps it's nothing to get excited about, but he does like animals, and having one come this close without apparent fear is a delight. He watches it for a few moments before it lifts its head and turns to look at him. Where its face should be are a set of mandibles, opening and closing. He realizes the splash it had made was due to the claw-like structures wriggling on its hind legs.

It stares at him. Martin stares back for several seconds, and then proceeds to shriek in a thoroughly undignified way as he reels back from the monstrous creature. The deer goes shooting off into the woods and Martin falls into the shallows of the lagoon.

Edited 2023-05-02 21:28 (UTC)

It's a nice, chivalrous sentiment, if one that's ultimately unnecessary, because Shaw couldn't really care less about stripping down to rinse off in front of this guy. But as long as he sticks close enough to let her keep half an eye on him, she won't argue the point - though she also won't bother to wait until he turns away before she starts hiking up her t-shirt.

She is, as promised, quick about it. Leaving her jacket spread out on the shore (salt water may be bad for leather, but dunking it again would just make the problem worse), she strips out of the rest of her clothes, letting them soak while she quickly rinses off her skin. The water is nice and cool, the lagoon is beautiful, yadda yadda yadda. As far as Shaw is concerned, not a single one of those things matters right now. She's not here for sightseeing, she's here for-- well.

She doesn't know what she's here for. And that is entirely the problem.

By the time Martin screams, she's finishing up, in the process of redressing and no longer buck naked - which is a good thing, because she sure isn't going to take the time to put anything more on. Wearing nothing but her sports bra and boy shorts, she zooms over to where Martin is standing-- no, scratch that, to where he's fallen on his ass in the lagoon.

"What?" she asks, her eyes sharp and alert as she looks aroun for danger. "Did you just slip, or--"

She spots the tail end of the deer disappearing into the trees - moving too quickly for her to notice the claws, and facing the wrong direction for her to see the teeth. Spinning back around to look down at Martin, she gives him the most unimpressed look.

"Tell me you didn't just freak out because of a deer."

TEST DRIVE MEME #1

TDM GUIDELINES

I. ARRIVAL

II. NETWORK

III. EXPLORING

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject