// TEST DRIVE MEME_

[eluviomods]

// TEST DRIVE_ Welcome to Eluvio's Test Drive Meme! Whether you'd like to try out a character in the setting, get some samples for your application, or just mess around and have fun, this is the place to do it. If you're getting samples together, remember that you need at least four comments made by you in the thread for it to count. Pick any of the scenarios below or make up any of your own. This is space! There are infinite worlds and possibilities. If you'd like to thread out hijacking a ship, do it! If you'd like to get stuck on a remote planet with only one other person for company, do it! Take the wheel and guide your own adventure! The most important thing is to have fun! ➣ SCENARIO 001. It's a normal day aboard the Eluvio. Maybe you're on your way to work. Maybe you're hanging out with friends. You can even be up to nefarious misdeeds. Whatever the case, you're having a relatively uneventful day. And then you see it. From a distance, it looks like a ball of fur. Up close, it looks like a ball of fur. If you touch it, it will chitter at you. It will vibrate and purr. Where this is coming from is anyone's guess because even if you turn it over, there's nothing to see but more fur. It's pretty harmless, though. Leave it there. Take it with you. The choice is yours. As you continue about your day, you'll begin to notice more of these little furballs. On the ground. Sitting on tables. Here and there at random intervals. By the end of the day, they're fucking everywhere. Good luck! If you get overwhelmed, maybe go talk to that bald starship captain who showed up last week. He might know something about the furry invaders. ➣ SCENARIO 002. Congratulations! You've been selected to be part of the team being sent down to the planet around which the fleet is currently orbiting. Initial scans of the surface show that oxygen is in abundance, temperatures support carbon-based life-forms, and there aren't any large quantities of poisonous gases that might pose problems. Your mission is to secure a landing site, set up a camp, and locate edible flora and fauna. Stores aboard ship are running a bit low on food and it's projected to be another three weeks before the fleet reaches a station large enough to replenish supplies. Once identified, larger parties will be sent to the surface to help hunt and gather. The good news is, scans show fruits, vegetables, and animals are plentiful. The bad news is that once your ship lands on the planet, everything goes sideways. An unexpected ion storm sweeps through the solar system, shorting out communications between the fleet and the team. It wreaks havoc with the electronics planet-side too, temporarily shorting out the smaller craft's navigational array. Until it passes, about six standard days, you're stuck down there. And the bountiful harvest isn't without its dangers. Even the most docile looking animal will attack. Sampling the fruits and vegetables will cause temporary paralysis, hallucinations, and psychosis. Inhaling pollen will bring out a person's baser instincts. The planet itself is predatory, you see. Everything on it has evolved to entice visitors from nearby systems and kill them. And the fleet's unwittingly taken the bait. ➣ SCENARIO 003. It's been a rough day. Everything's going wrong. Machines are breaking down everywhere. The owner of your favorite business wasn't there today and the store was closed when you stopped by to pick something up. A coworker didn't show up for work, leaving you with an interested workload. And now it feels like you're being watched. It started about ten minutes ago, but whenever you turn to look, there's no one there. The feeling doesn't go away, though. No matter where you are, it feels like eyes are watching. Did you hear something? A quiet, scuffling scratching sound just for a second? Maybe you did. Maybe you didn't. But it came from the misshapen monstrosity that just punched a hole through the bulkhead right beside you. The creature makes a low, wet gargling noises and darts toward you: six to seven feet tall, vaguely humanoid, and covered in strange growths over which is stretched bubbling grayish-brown skin. Maybe you notice tatters of familiar clothing hanging off of it. Or there's enough left of its eyes to recognize the shape and color. Or maybe something about the noises it's making sound familiar. It's your missing coworker and it looks like the unfortunate soul ran afoul of that weird slimy creature the science team brought back from that jungle planet a month ago. The good news: you can kill it. The bad news: it can kill you. It's fast, it's hungry, and it reproduces at an alarming rate. A single bite can transfer the parasites in its bloodstream to you. Then you'll be just like your buddy. And that shop owner you like so much. And all of the people on Level 12. And... ➣ SCENARIO 004. You're welcomed and encouraged to make up your own scenarios. As you can see, there will be a wide variety of the types of things your character will encounter in this game. So feel free to make your starters as horrific, sexy, lighthearted, action-packed, or slice of life as you'd like. Make up a planet, make up a location on the Eluvio, make up a ship in the fleet, fight off a zombie alien invasion, NPC Captain Picard, there's no limit to what you can do on the TDM.

Comments

that wasn't even intentional but aw yes good timing

[bayarm]

[ she holds out the canteen, and after a moment, he leans in to take it from her, sipping slowly at first and then with increasing speed as he realises how thirsty he is — and how tired. but it doesn't matter; he'll have to pull it together somehow. not for a team that isn't present, but for allura. ]

I didn't eat anything else.

[ he lifts his shoulders in a shrug; when they fall again, some of the tension leaves them. most of it remains. ] We can still bring back berries. Figure out what's wrong with them. [ if there's something wrong with them, he means, or if this was all on him. if it was, if he's lashing out now instead of only freezing, endangering the people around him with his actions instead of his inaction? he doesn't know what he would do. ]

or bad timing depending on how things go for shiro ( ᐛ )و

[juniberries]

[She'll let him hold on to the canteen even when he's finished drinking; he's obviously thirsty, and perhaps it will help if the berries were the cause for his outburst, helping to wash away whatever remains in his system.

But she isn't going to assume that it was just him. While she's aware of his pre-existing PTSD, knowing how he freezes up in certain situations which had, at first, been agitating, but now worrying, she does have a feeling that the uncharacteristic behavior he did today was likely not related to that. It's unlike him to go into a blind momentary rampage.

And honestly, after a few encounters with otherwise unassuming wildlife, she'll believe it's...something about this planet, at least.]

There's still some back at camp. I'll hold on to them for research purposes, make sure that the others don't mistake them for a snack.

[Back at camp...she looks away from him for a second to look over her shoulder, out towards the mouth of the cave.]

But we should head back when you're feeling well enough to travel. You probably need to eat something. [She offers him a humoured smirk, albeit a strained one.] Something that isn't hallucinogenic.

haha....ha....h.a..... please don't remind me ヽ(；▽；)ノ

[bayarm]

[ he takes another sip of it a moment later, but keeps it in his hand just because it's something to hold on to — in his good hand, not the galra one. that one, he's keeping by his side, fingers curled loosely together. it's how he'd been able to hurt allura, the strength of it together with surprise, he figures. ]

How's your shoulder?

[ but she talks about camp, about more berries, and about eating something, and shiro gives her a nod, his posture slowly changing back to something closer to his usual, something closer to the soldier he is: shoulders going from curled inwards to straight, head lifting. ]

That sounds like a good idea.

hah hah h ah ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

[juniberries]

[Her eyes flicker down towards his Galra arm, noting how he seems to refuse to use it. She shrugs her shoulder again, rotating it as though to prove a point.]

It's fine. At most, my suit will need far more repairs. [Her look softens, her smile more genuine and less terse.] Don't worry.

[And at that, she stands, brushing off dust from her backside before leaning forward, offering him her hand to help him stand. He seems better now, back to his former self, and squatting in a cave with no food and a half empty canteen won't do either of them good for long. Maybe fresh air will even help.]

You ready?

(´;︵;`)

[bayarm]

[ she stands, and after a moment's hesitation, shiro takes her hand and lets her help him to his feet. he feels shaky, or maybe only shaken, but surely that'll pass soon. it will have to; he hates feeling like this and hates even more that this keeps happening — though if it really was the berries, at least this time was different. ]

Let's get back to camp. [ he confirms, briefly squeezing allura's hand in a silent thanks (and apology, even if she won't accept it) before letting go. ]

[juniberries]

[She wont accept his apology because she knows he doesn't need to apologize, but she does squeeze back in return, giving him a sympathetic look. She lingers for a moment, to make sure he's able to steady himself. There is, after all, little need to rush. They're stuck on this planet for who knows how long.

She'll walk next to him, just to be sure, and the pathway leading to the camp formed by fresh cut vegetation and crushed grass is obvious enough where she's sure they're going in the direction back towards camp.]

You...were easy to find, at least. With communications down I was concerned you'd get lost.

[bayarm]

[ they're going to have to disagree on that. rationally speaking, shiro knows it isn't his fault, just as he knows that the flashbacks and how he freezes, sometimes even in battle, aren't his fault. he still feels guilty for it all, for letting his team and now allura down.

the signs of his run from camp are obvious enough. it means they have no trouble finding their way back, but it's also a reminder to shiro how out of control he'd been. he doesn't remember the landscape or making his way through the vegetation here. ]

I would have found my way back eventually. Probably.

[ he lifts his shoulders for a moment. ] But thank you for following me.

[juniberries]

[She pushes aside a low hanging branch as they continue through the vague path, looking over at him every few moments as they make their trek back.]

Perhaps, but I couldn't just leave you alone on a strange planet, Shiro. We're a team.

Of course I'd follow you.

[Especially since he hadn't been in his right mind, the look on his face before he bolted having been one of sheer terror and a clear lack of cognitive thought.

She'll no doubt be keeping an eye on him throughout the rest of their time on this planet. On the off chance it hadn't been the berries. But she's not about to voice that.]

I DID THE THING ヾ(´･ ･｀｡)ノ”

[bayarm]

[ that finally gets a smile from shiro. they are a team, and while he's worried about the rest of the time, while he hopes that they're all right, he's glad for allura's presence, and equally glad that she's no longer on her own here, even if he wishes neither one of them was here at all.

they're a team, and that makes it easier to accept her help, her worry. he would have done the same for her, and he would no more blame her than she blames him, were their positions reversed. ]

I know. [ and ] Thank you, Allura.

AAAAHH! FINGERS CROSSED FOR YOU! (ノ°▽°)ノ

[juniberries]

[She's glad to not be here on her own. Both in the sense of being on this planet, but also just by simply having a familiar face around. While she's made friends and acquaintances on board the Eluvio, she knows from personal experience how important it is to have someone familiar around.

It helps take some of the weight off her shoulders, so to speak. Even if she still insists on carrying such weight, and even if the circumstances are less than desirable.

She smiles at him. Genuine.]

It's the least I can do. [However, after a few more moments of walking, she realizes that the trail thins out, and the marks left by Shiro are becoming less obviously distinguishable.

Which is worrisome. She pauses, pressing her hand to a nearby tree, trying to find any sign of a remaining path.]

I am beginning to wish we brought the Black Lion down with us.

[bayarm]

I've been thinking the same thing.

[ the trail is running out, and thoughts of familiar faces and the team aren't enough to distract shiro from that, not even exhausted as he feels at the moment. allura has clearly noticed as well, even before he did, and he stops behind her, just a little to her side.

he's pretty sure that between the two of them, they can survive on this planet even if they don't find camp again, at least if some of the food proves edible instead of causing hallucinations like his, but he'd really prefer to find camp. ] Nothing you recognize?