glencolans: (Default)
Glencola Reef Mod Account ([personal profile] glencolans) wrote in [community profile] glencolaaa2023-11-01 11:23 am
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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 Attacks

The 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.

NAVIGATION

onesideofacoin: (pic#16803418)

Merlin | Merlin(BBC)

[personal profile] onesideofacoin 2023-11-04 07:16 am (UTC)(link)
I. ARRIVAL
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."
desperate_times_right: (Neutral)

I.

[personal profile] desperate_times_right 2023-11-04 09:02 pm (UTC)(link)
The woman he’s encountered has clearly been a castaway for much longer than he has if her tattered clothing is any indication. The right leg of her trousers has been cut off just above the knee, and the revealed skin is crisscrossed with healing pink scars. She's limping a bit, but that's mostly because she's wearing two different-sized boots.

She eyes him warily as she approaches. “You just wash up here?”
meadqueen: (Outside)

III.

[personal profile] meadqueen 2023-11-04 09:38 pm (UTC)(link)
Randvi is intrigued to see a newcomer in the village after all this time, especially one who looks a little more normal than the rest of them.

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.”
onesideofacoin: (pic#16803339)

Re: I.

[personal profile] onesideofacoin 2023-11-05 05:54 am (UTC)(link)
"I...guess so?" Merlin looks from the woman to the waves and back again. He shrugs. "No idea, actually. I mean, I did just wake up here. The how I got here is a bit of a mystery."

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.
onesideofacoin: (pic#16803407)

[personal profile] onesideofacoin 2023-11-05 06:18 am (UTC)(link)
"Sorry!" Merlin steps back, both startled and embarrassed that he hadn't heard anyone approach and turns to face the woman who addressed him.

"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?"
desperate_times_right: (:[)

[personal profile] desperate_times_right 2023-11-05 07:10 am (UTC)(link)
“Nah. Well, I fell in a river but that's probably unrelated.” It’s so far from her current concerns that sometimes she forgets about it.

“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.”
meadqueen: (Default)

[personal profile] meadqueen 2023-11-05 07:18 am (UTC)(link)
“Yes, for now. I washed up on a nearby beach, and found this place abandoned.” He can see for himself the state it's in, though it's clear that there are people living here now.

“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.”
onesideofacoin: (pic#16803405)

[personal profile] onesideofacoin 2023-11-05 05:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Merlin is fairly certain there was more to the story, but he lets it go for now with a joke. "Sometimes you decide to go swimming; sometimes the water decides for you."

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.
onesideofacoin: (pic#16803339)

[personal profile] onesideofacoin 2023-11-05 07:06 pm (UTC)(link)
"It's perfect. Thank you for your hospitality. You've no idea how glad I am to see someone!" He smiles ruefully. "And I think I am well acquatinted with that same beach." Remembering his manners, he offers his hand. "I'm Merlin, by the way."

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.
desperate_times_right: (side scenery)

[personal profile] desperate_times_right 2023-11-05 08:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Chloe chuckles appreciatively at the joke. He gets it.

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.”
meadqueen: (Left)

[personal profile] meadqueen 2023-11-05 08:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Randvi remembers well enough the relief that meeting Senku in person after he had managed to safely cross the rivers had given her. The voices in the radio can be a comfort, but it's not the same.

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.
onesideofacoin: (pic#16803413)

[personal profile] onesideofacoin 2023-11-05 10:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Merlin reflexively holds his hands up in a placating manner. "What? No! No,I believe you. I agree!"

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?"

onesideofacoin: (Default)

[personal profile] onesideofacoin 2023-11-05 11:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Merlin returns the gesture. "Very nice to meet you as well, Randvi."

[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?"
desperate_times_right: (sidelong closer)

[personal profile] desperate_times_right 2023-11-05 11:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh Christ, Chloe had forgotten about that whole thing, the one with the Viking. She's still a little skeptical but it's not like he's had time to coordinate with the nerd base if he just got here.

“…don’t worry about it. It's big. Left a crater.”
meadqueen: (Default)

[personal profile] meadqueen 2023-11-05 11:46 pm (UTC)(link)
It's been rare here that those names don't mean something to people, but not unheard of. Zam hadn't known England either.

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.
onesideofacoin: (pic#16803407)

[personal profile] onesideofacoin 2023-11-06 12:34 am (UTC)(link)
Merlin raises his eyebrows and gives a slow shrug. "Well,I dunno. I might want to, you know, worry about it. Ending up at the bottom of a large crater doesn't sound like a great time." Is he teasing? Maybe a little. But lots of things are large. He'd like to know what he might have to dodge.

"Besides, it was important enough to mention."
desperate_times_right: (Default)

[personal profile] desperate_times_right 2023-11-06 12:51 am (UTC)(link)
“The guys she fell on were having a pretty good time.” She’s still not sure if the drinking had started before or after impact, but there had been surprisingly few injuries.

“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.
copacetic: (21)

I.

[personal profile] copacetic 2023-11-06 06:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Jane is, at it turns out, not fucking friendly. Sorry, Merlin. It's not you. It's definitely her.

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."
onesideofacoin: (pic#16803407)

[personal profile] onesideofacoin 2023-11-08 05:47 am (UTC)(link)
Well, that's a no if he's ever heard one. In any case, your outburst is quite forgiven, Jane. Merlin is used to it. Such is his life with a boss such as his. This is why he responds reflexively by poking the bear.

"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.
onesideofacoin: (Default)

[personal profile] onesideofacoin 2023-11-08 06:28 am (UTC)(link)
The way Randvi lights up makes him smile. He feels it too - it's so good to find something familiar in such an unfamiliar place. Unfortunately, Merlin now really, really wishes he had taken a better look at those maps. None of those names are known to him. He hates to burst the bubble.

"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?"
onesideofacoin: (pic#16803418)

[personal profile] onesideofacoin 2023-11-08 06:41 am (UTC)(link)
"You realize that raises way more questions than it answers. If you're trying to avoid talking about elephants, you're out of luck!"

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?"
Edited 2023-11-08 06:42 (UTC)
meadqueen: (Left)

[personal profile] meadqueen 2023-11-08 07:37 am (UTC)(link)
Randvi can't particularly judge him for that, not being particularly well-travelled herself, at least in England.

“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.
desperate_times_right: (smile)

[personal profile] desperate_times_right 2023-11-08 07:42 am (UTC)(link)
“They were drunk,” Chloe replies drily, “I'm pretty sure it was unrelated.”

“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.”
thedreamer: (0351)

The Doctor | Doctor Who

[personal profile] thedreamer 2023-11-09 05:10 am (UTC)(link)
[ ooc: happy to adapt and match brackets or prose! ]

ARRIVAL
[ While the Doctor can't quite recall ever waking up on a beach like this, specifically, it's far from being the strangest thing to ever happen to him. In fact, it's nearly an ordinary Tuesday as these things go for him. The only truly disconcerting thing about being here is he can't locate his TARDIS at all, and he's missing a few items he'd been wearing before. At least, he thinks so. What had happened just before this? Oh, right, Clara. He was going to help Clara — or, try to work out what she is, exactly. Who she is. Questions for another day, evidently.

He works to brush the sand off his clothes, checks his pockets for a few items, and then begins to quickly look around. He was brought here for a reason, obviously, but that's the strange thing — his TARDIS would have brought him here, generally speaking, and she's nowhere to be found. There must at least be someone else here, somewhere, so he sets off looking for something or anything at all, and he's utterly delighted to come across a person, to whom he waves immediately. ]


Hi, hello, excellent! Just the person I was hoping to see.

[ To be fair, anyone would have been the person he was hoping to see. But he sounds genuinely pleased regardless. ]

Lovely day! Could be better. Could do without what I presume is an abduction, truthfully, I didn't have that on my bingo card. As the kids say.

[ Here, he'll pause for a breath. Amazingly. ]

You okay? Been here long?


STORM WARNING: REDUX

[ Some rain? Okay. A little more rain? Still okay. Endless, unstoppable, torrential, hard rain? Bit less than desirable, under the circumstances. The Doctor can tolerate a lot, has weathered his share of unpleasant situations so often through his long life. This is easy, at least at first, but as the deluge worsens the environment around him quite rapidly, even his patience is wearing thin.

The stream where he'd been keeping relative shelter has turned into a wide, fast-moving river in a matter of what seems like only a few hours, and it makes trying to even escape the area an almost impossible endeavor to imagine. But he likes the impossible! It's also what he does best.

He also realizes he's not alone, and over the heavy rain, he calls out. ]


Oh, good, has anyone told you that you have excellent timing?
wingbound: (pained // under the rain)

storm warning-

[personal profile] wingbound 2023-11-10 07:13 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It's really pure luck that Levi happens across this spot on his way to higher ground -- and it certainly looks like someone's in trouble. Trouble of their own doing, mostly, because you don't stay near fucking streams in this weather, but he's not about to abandon anybody to their death, so-- ]

[ The person that the Doctor spots is dressed in a dark green cloak with a hood, hiding most of their face and clothes, but they look... kind of small? Or maybe just short? And their voice is -- serious and practically inflectionless. Grumpy, even. ]


No.

[ (Is the river simply nearby, or did the Doctor accidentally end up trapped in a rapidly shrinking island? If it's the latter, the vertically challenged stranger will be climbing up into a nearby tree real fast and throwing one end of a long rope over a thick branch and toward him, while then making his way back down with the other one. He may be able to Tarzan-swing over the roaring waters? Maybe? Is this guy heavy enough to hold the rope steady? Stay tuned to find out.) ]

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