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glencolaaa2023-11-01 11:23 am
glencolans) wrote in glencolaaa2023-11-01 11:23 am
Entry tags:
TDM #3
TEST DRIVE MEME #3
Welcome to Glencola Reef's third 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. A SAFE PLACE
Whether because someone else directed you via the transceivers, or someone found you and is leading you there, or just out of sheer luck, you have stumbled your way up the western coastline and run into an abandoned airfield. At least it used to be abandoned; there are obvious signs that the area has seen recent use, from the myriad of footprints in the sand leading up to the ocean, to the racks of drying fish lined along the shattered asphalt of a runway, to the strangely complex water stills and...who even knows what chemicals are brewing in those pots next to the largest airplane hangar? Even if you find the signs of people first, you're likely to run into the inhabitants themselves sooner rather than later, as the airfield has become a surprisingly busy hub of activity in comparison to the bleak isolation of the rest of the island. Maybe some of the more experienced inhabitants will help you figure out what's going on here, or try to rope you into exploring or cleaning out the more run-down buildings lining the runway, like the smaller hangars or the desolate traffic control tower at the far end. You likely aren't the only new person trying to find your way around, either. Hopefully the person you arrived with is more interested in helping rather than just looting the place and running off.IV. STORM WARNING: REDUX
The weather on this island can be rather unpredictable sometimes. Just yesterday it was sunny and hot, then today, without warning, the sky opened up - literally, like the pale blue horizon was a vase smashed by a hammer and a billowing cyclone poured through the hole - and dumped at least a foot of rain on you in the span of an hour. This wouldn't be the first time this has happened to you, and you doubt it will be the last, but this time the freak rainstorm doesn't let up. Days pass. Did you decide to take shelter in the rainforest, only for the ground beneath you to start sinking with water? Were you camped next to a tranquil stream that has turned into a swelling river? Regardless of the circumstances it's time to go somewhere else before things get worse, and you probably ought to help the person you're stuck with come with you (or maybe you need some convincing yourself).V. TERRORS OF THE REEF
CW: Shark AttacksThe large coral reef on the western edge of the island, just south of the airfield, seems like it's come straight out of a magazine. The waters are shallow and crystal clear, and the spots that aren't full of vibrant rainbow corals are coated in a soft layer of white sand. Fish of all sizes and shapes and colors swim in shoals along the reef. This seems like an ideal place, then, to do some productive fishing, or to take a relaxing swim in the warm tropical waters. And for the most part, it is.
Except, you aren't the only one interested in the fish. The sounds of struggling prey and the scent of blood in the water draws reef sharks by the dozens - or, if you're further away from shore, tiger sharks that could grab you by the ankle and drag you underwater in an instant. Hopefully someone is around to warn you, or at least pull you away and tend to your wounds, before you become a casualty like the fish.
Merlin | Merlin(BBC)
The sun felt warm. It was nice. His clothes felt wet. That was...not so nice and more than a little disconcerting. Why were his clothes wet? Merlin scrunched his eyes, resolutely keeping them shut. He wasn't quite ready to face the outside world and instead reviewed what he could remember.
There had been a tavern and Gwain. And there had been a trouble in the tavern because, well, Gwain. That kind of excitement tended to go hand in hand with his friend. None of that helped answer his questions, but it was funny. Merlin grinned a bit in spite of things before rolling onto his back and looked up at the bright, blue sky. Huh, must be close to midday. OH. His grin vanished. Oooooh, Arthur was not going to be happy with him being late! He supposed to be polishing boots for the rest of his life in exchange for sending a certain tavern bill to him. Merlin sat up in a panic and for the first time fully took in his surroundings which were very, very much not in the realm of Camelot. This could be a problem. Well, this could be a problem if it was real. He had to be dreaming, right? Merlin brushed the sand that clung to his face and made a soft hiss as he unstuck a seashell that had been pressed into his cheek. That stung a bit. Probably meant this was not a dream, then. Perhaps this was some sort of enchantment? But why and who? Merlin felt dimly aware he was not alone and cast a glance over his shoulder. It was with no small amount of relief that he spotted another person on the beach. Even if they weren't friendly, he was bound to get some information. He offered a grin as he called out to them.
"Hey, uh, excuse me. I don't suppose you would know where we are?"
III. A SAFE PLACE
The settlement looked to be in various states of disrepair, the watchtower clearly had seen better days, but it was the most beautiful thing Merlin had seen since his arrival. Its beauty had very little to do with the unusual architecture and everything to do with the fact it was obviously inhabited, if the footprints and racks of fish were anything to go by. After not seeing a single soul since his arrival, Merlin was practically ready to hug the first person he came across. Maybe. Provided they were friendly. He did have some sense of self preservation, thank you very much. Given there was a chance he would not be welcome, he decided against immediately announcing his presence. Merlin had pretty much made "being where he shouldn't be" into an artform by this point in his life, so he didn't feel many qualms poking about while keeping an eye out for any of the residents.
What was this place? He picked up a broken chunk of the dark, unnaturally smooth road and turned it over in his hands. It felt strange and had a faint odor to it as well. Merlin absently pocketed the bit of road before turning his attention to the containers bubbling merrily. Ah, here was something passingly familiar! Even if he didn't know what was in the containers, he could recognize that Science was happening. Merlin peered a little closer, momentarily forgetting to be on the lookout for other people.
"Gaius would love this."
I.
She eyes him warily as she approaches. “You just wash up here?”
Re: I.
He notes her unease and is careful to keep his hands visible and not make any sudden movements as he gets to his feet. His new companion's physical appearance also does not go unnoticed. He frowns, concerned. "You're injured. Did you wash up here too? Were you shipwrecked?"
In addition to the scars, a shipwreck might explain the state and selection of her unique attire as well.
no subject
“It's more wizard shit, isn't it? You just appear here, some of your stuff gone. I've been here for about a month now, but you look like you're fresh off the cart.”
no subject
The bit about missing things is interesting. He does a quick inventory and realizes his satchel is gone, but whether that was due to the waves or simple thievery wasn't quite clear. What really catches his attention was the phrase wizard shit and the implication that she has dealt with this sort of thing before.
"You think we were brought here through sorcery." It's a serious statement. Honestly, he had been wondering something similar, and now his mind was beginning to whir with fresh worries.
no subject
The rest isn't so funny, though.
“Don’t make that face,” she says, misinterpreting the seriousness as disbelief. “I didn't believe in all that either, but I saw a guy disappear right in front of me. An elephant fell out of the sky. Anything could be true.”
no subject
Because what she says is sounds perfectly plausible. People disappearing? Totally a thing. Objects falling from the sky? You bet. There is only one thing that gives him pause, and this time he does make a face.
"What's an elephant?"
no subject
“…don’t worry about it. It's big. Left a crater.”
no subject
"Besides, it was important enough to mention."
no subject
“Eh, worry about the everyday shit. I got caught in a regular old bear trap, that's what all this is.” Chloe kicks out her foot as if he might not have noticed the scars on his own.
no subject
Merlin grows more serious as he takes closer look at her leg. "I'd say it looks like you are lucky to still have a leg." He looks back up at her. "Are there a lot of these traps? Do you know who set up the one you...found?"
no subject
“Absurdly lucky, if we’re being honest.” With the storm delaying her rescuers and the limited medical supplies it could easily have gone another way. “Haven’t seen another like it myself, but apparently there's a guy in a cabin down south a bit, fancies himself a Hunter. Pretentious capital and everything. They say he sets 'em.”
(no subject)
(no subject)
III.
She approaches once the man starts sniffing at the mixtures in the barrels. “Please be careful! I don't know what that second one is.”
no subject
"Sorry, I was just, er. I mean, these are all so..." He grins sheepishly as he runs a hand through his hair and tries again. "Excuse me. Do you live here?"
no subject
“This is a safe place for any of us to rest. There is food available as well as clean water, and though it may not be much to look at you can sleep with a roof over your head.”
no subject
He has so many questions about everything it's hard to know where to start. "Do you mind if I ask where you're from originally?"
Perhaps they share something in common and can start unraveling the mystery from there.
no subject
She reaches out to clasp his elbow in greeting. “Merlin, well met. My name is Randvi. I was born in Norway, but my people have spent the past two winters in England.”
Things here are likely stranger than he suspects regarding their origins but it's best not to throw that at him right away.
no subject
[So close and yet so very far away as Albion is not yet England!] Neither England or Norway sound familiar at all. Merlin suddenly finds himself wishing he had studied Arthur's maps more closely. He shakes his head. "Ah, sorry. I can't say I know of either of those places."
Then Merlin pulls the first kingdom that comes to mind and decides to just go with it. "Are they somewhere near Mercia?"
no subject
This means she's much more startled by the mention of Mercia than she should be.
“Yes! Our village is in Ledecestrescire! On the river Nene, near Grantebridge. Our people call that whole land England because of the Anglemen who lived there.”
She’ll have to tread carefully, since their war chief has been nicknamed 'scourge of Merciaʼ by the locals - she doubts that most people would be as delighted as Martin at being conquered - but it's so exciting to hear something that makes sense right away.
no subject
"Well, um, truthfully, I've never traveled north into Mercia myself. Just looked a bit at some maps. I can't say I've heard of the Anglemen before either." He wonders a moment if they are of the Old Religion like the Druids. "They live...lived? In Lord Bayard's lands?"
no subject
“They came after the Romans left, I think. I don't recognize Lord Bayard’s name, but we have only lived on these lands for a short while.”
And if he's a Saxon Lord that might be for the best, anyway.
I.
Stumbling to her feet, wearing all-black clothing that hangs heavy on her thin frame from how drenched it is, Jane glares back at Merlin like he's somehow to blame for this.
"How the hell would I know?" she shoots back. "Look at me! I'm just as soaking wet as you are."
no subject
"I don't know, but you might." He turns to more fully face her and rubs his chin thoughtfully. "You do have the...uh, the air of someone returned from a relaxing swim. Maybe you've been here before." He grins.
no subject
She watches him turn to face her as she rings her hair out. Ugh. The saltwater and humidity are going to destroy her hair. But she stops what she's doing to squint at him.
"Wha?" she says, surprised by his cheekiness and, clearly, mildly affronted. She stares at Merlin, confused, not sure what to make of him. "Did you hit your head?" It's halfway between an insult and an actual question. He might actually have hit his head.
She also gestures at him broadly. "What's with this getup?"
no subject
“No. No, I’m fine! Thanks for asking. Just damp." He looks a little rueful. "And gritty.” He takes a moment to watch Jane fret over her hair and drops the cheeky grin. “What about you? Are you alrigh- I mean hurt. Are you hurt?”
As for her next question, Merlin truly doesn’t understand what she means. What’s with this getup? Or was it more: What’s with this? Get Up! He decides it’s the latter if only because he doesn't have a clue about the first option – that and he figures he is being rude by remaining seated. Merlin gets to his feet and tries to shake some sand from his jacket, showing himself to be fairly tall and lanky.
“Oh sorry, is this better?”
He very nearly tacks on “milady.” Could she be nobility? Merlin isn’t certain, but her attitude matches that of other nobles he knows.