Opening Test Drive Meme

[trpmods]

TEST DRIVE
Application FAQ | Taken Characters | Reserves | Application

Welcome to the first Test Drive for The Revival Project!

For those who do not know, this game is a spin-off from The Drift Fleet game, which is shortly closing. For more information about what this game is about, please check out the FAQ here or the premise here.

The TDM for the first round of applications is NOT required but is highly recommended. Really this is to see the interest level in the game as well as to have everyone interact on the new planet and with the new experiences offered here. There will be a post in the TDM where questions can be asked regarding the prompts/settings. We're keeping this loose though so go ahead and have fun with it. Any questions about the game please direct to the comment section of the FAQ. 

If you are a Drift Fleet alumni, please label your character as 'DFAU' on your top level so we know. Also, keep in mind you have complete flexibility on how your character comes here. They could be taken before endgame, after endgame, two years after, one year before, etc. It's up to you! The only option not allowed is to completely restart your character (because then it's not DFAU, is it?) 

So go! Explore Agra 10! And, as always, HAVE FUN! 

*ATTENTION! RESERVES ARE NOW OPEN!*
*ATTENTION! APPLICATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!*
*GAME OPENS AUGUST 19th!*

WHALE COMB PARTY


In the square near your arrival point, one building seems to be in fairly good repair. It’s large and stark white on every wall. Unlike the other buildings, all the lights are on and the windows looking out are intact. That alone would make it remarkable but it’s hardly the most noticeable thing once you step inside the open doorway.

Hanging against one wall is a piece of fabric that has ‘WHALE COMB!’ painted on it in drippy, fluorescent pink letters. A smiley is painted underneath it right on the wall with three eyes and long fangs. The fangs drip down all the way to the floor and the eyes are just a blob of paint, but whoever left it seems to have been trying, here. ‘US THANK THEY!’ is written beside it, barely legible. On every other wall is ‘EAT’ in various sizes and colors. They thankfully don’t drip as much as the smiley since, beneath them, are tables upon tables of food.

There are meats, fruits, root vegetables, and even what might be a sweet dessert of some sort as well. Bowls are full of them, apparently a welcome dinner for the Agrii’s new heroes. At the very least it will give everyone a quick crash course on what is edible around here. But some of it might have … adverse effects:

- People chomping down on the striped meat all seem to get very drowsy a few minutes later.
- The red fruit that looks like a giant cherry is the equivalent of a few shots - the more consumed, the more drunken this party is getting.
- There is a bowl of weeds that have small, daisy-like flowers all along the stalks. This tastes like chicken and gives the eater a sudden burst of energy that will have them running around the room like they’re being chased.
-There are a collection of drinks, some made from the red fruit, some that are clearly water, some that taste like a less-sweet lemonade with no effects, and then there's a blue one that tastes like an especially dark beer. People drinking this will find themselves incapable of lying for a half hour.

Of course, no way to know any of this before you chow down. So dig in and enjoy the show!

 

LOST AND ALONE


They said don’t go into the forest. If the noises there weren’t deterrent enough then the thick trees and lack of paths should have been. Yes, you’ll need food. Yes, both meat and many fruits are in the forest. But maybe you should have gotten some more information before heading in.

Congratulations: you went into the forest and are now lost. You can’t hear the murmurings from town, nor can you see any of the lights that might be flickering on and off in the city. How are you going to get back into town? How do you make sure that the creatures here don’t attack you? You probably don’t have any weapons, so you’d better figure something out quick.

Or, maybe you’ll get lucky and run into another foolish person wandering around out here. Try not to attack them - unless they attack first.

 

MILES TO GO


The first thing every survivor needs to find is shelter. Not long after your arrival at the fountain, it’s getting darker now and, even if the night is short (you’re about to find out it’s not!), you don’t want to spend your first one out on an unfamiliar street. Distantly you can hear a sound like a wolf howling through an elephant’s trunk. It’s loud and alien. Maybe you want to find somewhere to sleep a little more quickly.

Right away there are two pretty solid options that will do nicely for the night: an abandoned hotel-like structure and some empty stores.

The hotel structure seems to be the most popular option for others. Its large, overgrown lobby leads you to the staircase and over a dozen floors of rooms in varying conditions. Despite it looking as though no one has set foot in here for decades, the stairs and floors all are secure. The rooms that have doors on them open up to dusty rooms that all have a bathroom (of sorts) attached and long, narrow bed frames. Figuring out a mattress will be a challenge but at least this is a safe place to sleep. As long as no animals laid claim to this room before you got in...

But let’s say the room in the hotel doesn’t work for you. Maybe the room is too small for you. Maybe you don’t like the stairs. Maybe you want someplace private to separate yourself from the rest of these strangers and to think quietly about what to do next. Either way, the other option is any number of abandoned stores lining the block where you arrived. The glass doors and windows of many are broken but there are just as many intact as well. The rooms are all large and empty, as whatever wares inside were either taken or dissolved over the years. There may be a counter or two that will get you off the ground, though. With all this space, you’re bound to find something to sleep on.

Unless someone else got there, first...


code bases by tricklet

Comments

Steve Rogers | MCU | DFAU

[brooklyn_boy]

Whale Comb

Steve's reasons for going to the 'party' are practical: he needs to know what is edible here before his metabolism has him crashing. That doesn't mean that he is happy about it nor does it mean that he trusts any of this food. Still, if anyone could survive a poisoning, it would be him so, gamely, he sets into the buffet spread and takes a little of everything onto his plate.

It looks familiar and yet foreign at the same time. Steve never thought he'd miss the bland protein gel of the Atroma but at least that was confirmed to be just food. He could swallow down as much as he needed to just keep going, disgusting as it was. This was going to take quite a bit of trial and error for him. Just like it would for everyone else.

He stands against one wall poking at the food mostly to see if any of it is alive. Nothing pokes back. Steve figures that this is the best he'll get at proof of safety before eating it, so. Fine. Fine, he'll just dive in.

He grabs one of the red fruits and takes a large bite. It's not awful. Sort of cherry-like if it were a marachino. He finishes one and then goes and gets more to take the edge off his hunger. No pain or death yet. Presumably safe, then. Might as well fill up before he moves on.

Except. Huh...

After five or so, Steve can't help but notice he's feeling a little touch of vertigo. Or, maybe, just a bit dizzy? He steps a bit to get some water and stumbles. And it's then that the impossible seems to be true.

Is he...drunk?

Lost and Alone

He'd just been looking for some source of food. The buffet isn't going to last forever and Steve knew that food and water would be the first things needed. Thankfully, the fountain seemed to be providing enough fresh water but food? That was going to be an issue. But at least now people knew what was edible and what wasn't.

So Steve had gone out, confident that he could handle anything he found. He's still got Bucky's jacket and has made it into a basket to hold some berries. It's not what he'd want to do with it but beggars couldn't be choosers. Besides, he'll wash it clean again. Food first, sentimental things later.

But first he'd need to get back to the city. Which was... North? Northwest? Northeast?

Shit.

Steve walks slowly, trying to hear for any hint of the right direction. He should have marked the trees or something. The ground. Anything. Hindsight is 20x20.

Up ahead though, he can hear someone moving. Or something, actually. Steve grabs a large branch from the ground, just in case and holds it at the ready as he moves forward. Who knew what could be in this forest? But he's ready...

Miles to go...

People are scattering around and Steve just can't get over the idea that he's been kidnapped. Again. He's got nothing except Bucky's coat and Millicent, his cat. Never would he have thought he'd miss his spaceship but when he sees the broken-down landscape he desperately does. Along with all of his friends who, once more, could have been pulled from him.

Aliens...

Steve can't help it, though. The hotel is closer so he walks forward and into it. The rooms are decent enough but Steve needs one that has a door, windows, and no animals if Millie is going to be safe. He ends up on the fourth floor, walking around some holes in the floor that he makes a note to fix when he has time. Most of the doors here are still in place. Relieved, Steve realizes that people could have already gotten to these and, gently, moves to the door closest to the stairs.

He knocks, gently but loud enough to be heard. He has no idea if doors lock so this is the best way to check.

"Hello? Is someone in here?"

Lost and Alone

[doubled_speed]

The buffet was nice and all, but there was definitely a massive pressing problem here. People with accelerated metabolisms. Like speedsters who are totally not Quicksilver and who are from New Jersey actually. Who have literally no experience unguided in the wild. He's used to having cellphones for navigation, and plenty of opportunities for refueling if he got lost. Instead here was Tommy, hanging out in the forest, rustling through the bushes to try and find more of those cherry-like fruits. They don't get him tipsy nearly fast enough to be a concern, and every last calorie matters.

He doesn't hear anyone else until they're literally right there. Probably because, eerie as this place is, Tommy's started humming to himself as he tries to keep this place from freaking him out. Which means he doesn't notice the stranger with the branch until the last moment. Which, frankly, is enough. Tommy sees a strange form, sees a potential weapon, and takes three steps back.

At about forty miles per hour.

"Holy fuck!"

[(Anonymous)]

Quicksilver.

Steve's first thought is that this is Quicksilver. But when the guy stops running and looks nothing like Wanda's brother, he reevaluates his assumption.

Okay. Same power, different person. Steve drops the branch and holds his hands up in the universal gesture of peace.

"Woah! Woah, sorry!" He smiles and doesn't move closer. "I thought you might be an animal, here. I'm not going to hurt you.

"I'm Steve. Steve Rogers from Earth..."

[doubled_speed]

Maybe he doesn’t look like his Uncle Pietro fully, but maybe, just maybe, there is a hint of Wanda in his face, or Pietro in his expression of offense. But there is something entirely Tommy in the amusement to see Steve Rogers introducing himself. Not his Captain, but close enough.

“Yo, Cap. I don’t know if I’d call Brooklyn ‘Earth’. Now Manhattan, that’s more cultured. And produces more heroes too. Course my Jersey self just judges you city folk.”

Chattering much? Yes. Which is okay because literally he almost got whacked upside the head by Captain fucking America. Hard pass on really experiencing what this guy’s refined super-soldier serum feels like as a headache. Bad enough training with the super strong people he already knew back home.

[brooklyn_boy]

It's clear this guy knows him. Steve is at a loss since that clearly means he's from another universe or a future point in his timeline. One that he gave up on once he'd decided to not go home. But maybe this was proof that, either way, life moved on. Steve would need to worry about that later. For now he's just interested in figuring out who this is.

"Those are fighting words," Steve teases gently. He steps forward and extends a hand toward the other man. Closer now, Steve can almost see a passing resemblance to Wanda. It makes him wonder if this is another sibling. Or, perhaps, a child? That would definitely lead to some questions from Steve to Vision...

"But I'll let it slide, this time. Seems you know me. You are?"

[doubled_speed]

Well of course he knows Captain Rogers. Who doesn't? But yeah, definitely a bit more personal than just being aware of an Avenger. Still, the question is fair. He's got Steve at a real disadvantage. Which means he'll give Cap benefit of the doubt. Any Captain America that doesn't recognize the most troublesome by deliberate choice because his twin's powers are more problematic of the Young Avengers is a Captain America that hasn't wronged said troublesome almost-adult super-hero.

"Tommy Shepherd. Speed. Which is also what I do. Trying to find sufficient food for a frustratingly speedster metabolism. You're Captain America, leader of the Avengers. You know, when Stark isn't. Or when you two aren't fighting. Again."

Lost and Alone, post-reunion

[stillgotmyleftarm]

Bucky likes to think that he's decent at navigating the woods. Sure, he's not great - but he survived a couple years of largely rough living on the front during the war, so how hard can just going out into the forest at the outskirts of the city be? Especially with Steve.

Yeah, hindsight is definitely 20/20. He doesn't know how the fuck he and Steve got separated, but they did. God, he'd just found the guy again. And for Steve, it's been a whole year.

Now Bucky's making his way warily through the brush, shield on his arm and trying to look for Steve without alerting anyone (or anything) else that he's here. This is a mess. Once he finds Steve, he's, like, tying them together at the wrist or something, he swears.

Boyfriend's back!

[brooklyn_boy]

Steve has no idea how they got separated. One second they were side by side and then, suddenly, Bucky was nowhere to be seen. It's impossible for Steve to not immediately worry that this is another abduction. It's impossible for him not to believe he's alone, once more, and to feel his heart rate climb.

Steve walks forward with a jacket full of berries and the branch of the tree. He's hoping he's going to find Bucky but isn't expecting it. He shifts quickly, wanting the element of surprise as he moves behind the person, ready to strike.

"He-"

He pauses mid-sentence and drops both things he's holding.

"Bucky!"

He charges forward and wraps his arms around Bucky from behind, tight as a vice. He's here. Bucky is here. Fucking shit, he's going to get handcuffs to stop this from happening.

"What happened?!"

[stillgotmyleftarm]

Bucky would make a noise, probably, but for a second, Steve's squeezed the ability right out of him.

But okay - Bucky can't really mind. Thank God, it's Steve. He drops the shield so he can bring both arms up, hands grasping at Steve's forearms because in this position, he kinda can't really hug back.

"I don't know," he says, and he sounds annoyed because he really doesn't know. "I swear, you were right there, and then you weren't. I guess maybe there's a reason we shouldn't be out here."

He tries to crane his neck around so he can glance back at Steve. "You okay?"

[brooklyn_boy]

Finally Steve let's go of Bucky and lets him turn around. His arms wrap tight around him again and his face buries into Bucky's neck. After a year without him, Steve just can't get enough of being close to him, now. And after thinking he was about to lose him all over again? Steve just wants to hold onto him and never let go. So what if that is childish? After everything else, he feels as though he deserves it.

After a long second he pulls back and scrubs at his eyes. He wasn't crying. The pollen irritates him sometimes. That's all. Behind him, he goes and gets the jacket. His berries are spilled out and lost but that's the last of his concerns. He wraps it over his arm and goes back to Bucky, gripping him in a hug once more.

It's only after that when he feels calm enough to kiss him.

"I'm fine. I'm fine, Buck. Just got a little turned around. Lost some berries but... It's fine."

Steve looks around them, concerned.

"Do you know the way back?"

[stillgotmyleftarm]

Bucky definitely doesn't mind; in fact, he tales the opportunity to wind his arms around Steve in return. It might not have been as long for Bucky as it was for Steve, but it doesn't mean he didn't miss him. Didn't think he was ever going to see him again. Didn't get plenty mad at whatever gods or aliens were listening, for tearing them apart prematurely. He doesn't care if they'd had fifteen minutes or fifteen days left. He'd wanted all of that time, and then it had been ripped out of both of their hands.

So he holds Steve back, just as tightly, and when they part, he doesn't say a word about the expression on Steve's face, or the redness of his eyes. He just returns that kiss with all the passion he's got in him - and maybe chases it for one more, for good luck.

And when they part a second time, Bucky's hand slides down to link with Steve's. Just in case. Because... "Shit," he mumbles, looking around as he picks the shield up out of the leaves littering the ground. "I don't think I do."

Whale Comb

[wearingthestars]

"Hey, are you okay?" Billy moves to try and offer a hand to the stumbling figure before he processes just who he's seeing. Because no matter the universe, Cap is kind of an icon, and Billy is kind of a super fanboy.

"...Cap?" Right- no- helping. He tries not to get distracted, offering someone to lean on if he likes, hands ready to steady him if he goes stumbling again. "Are you all right?"

Fanboy is so cute <3

[brooklyn_boy]

Steve sees the other person and has to blink to make sure it was really just one guy instead of three. Christ, he had to be drunk. Or drugged. Maybe he shouldn't have been so confident with what he was eating, before. Seems to have bitten him in the ass as he weaves a little towards Billy and accepts the help he's offering.

"Yeah. Yeah, somethin' I ate...I think it's not...agreein'... Should be fine soon. Prolly."

He smiles at Billy and offers a hand. Right in front of his face.

"You seem'ta know me. 'm sorry, I dunno you..."

^_^

[wearingthestars]

It probably won't help that seeing double/triple problem if Steve runs into Tommy before this is out of his system. But for now Billy flushes a little. It's not his first interaction with a version of the Captain, but it's definitely the first time he's ever seen him in such a vulnerable state. Hell, he didn't even know Cap could get drunk. Which means this stuff has to be pretty strong.

He flashes a reassuring smile, giving a small laugh at the offered hand and taking a half step back so he can take it and give a small shake.

"S'all right, don't worry about it. I don't think I'm from your reality. I'm uh... Billy. Can I- get you some water or something?"

[brooklyn_boy]

"Billy..." Steve thinks hard and nothing comes immediately to mind. "Must be a different universe." He nods at it and instantly is dizzy from it. Okay, yeah. He ate way too many of those fruits if he's feeling like this. Like maybe fifteen too many. Either way, the thought of water is a good one. He'll sober up fast but water will make it even faster.

"Yeah. Regular water. The cherry fruit is alcoholic or.... something." He gestures vaguely at himself as proof of that and as a warning for Billy to stay away.

"I'll...wait here."

Miles to go

[reconstitution]

Really, he should be more perturbed at waking up in weird places, but after the Fleet, he’s definitely unsensitized. There are far worse places to be. Siberia, for one. Things being this desolate is certainly uncommon, but he wastes little time in trying to find fortifications for the night. Something with a decent contingency plan if he needs to make an escape, but that also has a working door and isn’t easy to breach.

He meanders through the halls, focused on his current mission, making note of things like holes in the floor or a ceiling looking to be in danger of caving. On the fourth floor, he starts investigating the rooms closer to the stairwell. As he’s looking through one that seems decently intact, a voice makes his guard slam up. Metal fist raised, he slinks around the corner and blinks in surprise.

“Steve?”

[brooklyn_boy]

The voice immediately has Steve turning to look at the speaker. He knows this voice as well as he knows his own. And, more than that, when he sees him, he can tell from the way he holds himself that this isn't just Bucky, it's Winter. His face breaks out into a smile as he goes over to yank the guy into a hard hug.

"Winter! It's you, right? Christ, I'm glad to see you either way!"

He pulls back and looks him over.

"You alright?"

[reconstitution]

There really aren't words to describe the relief that he feels, knowing that Steve recognized him and that they'd come from the same place. As far as he knew, he'd been the only one.

"Glad to see you, too, pal."

He offers him a nod. Of course he's alright. It takes a lot to make either of them not okay.

"'m good. You?"

[brooklyn_boy]

"I'm good! I'm good. Bucky is here and so are a lot of other people from the Fleet." He pulls back and squeezes Winter's shoulders tight. It's good to see him. Really, really good. Steve doesn't know what Nat would do without him again and he honestly never wants to find out.

"Looking for a place to stay? There's some rooms around here. Some of them even have non-broken windows."

whale comb

[seeingscarlet]

Wanda's been picking at her food, so while she hasn't had a lot of the red fruit...she's definitely had some. Whoops. But she's not feeling bad enough to stagger over to Vision for help yet. She's fine...probably. Probably just tired, but not tired enough to sit down, especially when her eyes land on someone she hasn't seen in a while.

"Steve?" She takes a few unsteady steps closer. "You should be more careful. We will have time to make friends with the floor later."

Don't mind the little fairy dragon perched on Wanda's shoulder chirping at you curiously, Steve.

[brooklyn_boy]

Steve hears the familiar voice before he sees the speaker. "Wanda!" He smiles wide and matches her unsteady steps with his own. Just enough to get closer, see the wedding ring on her finger, and visibly relax. It's the Wanda he knows from before. Thank God. He doesn't have it in him to go through introductions and explanations right now.

"It's good to see you. Not...good with the kidnapping. But..." He frowns as he concentrates on what he'd meant to say. It disappears with another chirp from the dragon on Wanda's shoulder that Steve now notices.

"Friend?"

Miles to go...

[waterwhip]

He might be able to hear a rustle within the room--it's a noise of surprise, of someone jumping up from a bed and scrambling over the floor. The room is occupied already, it seems, and that fact is confirmed when the door creeks open to reveal a sliver of a young, tan, tear-streaked face.

Katara looks up at him with thinly-veiled suspicion, blue eyes narrowed slightly at Steve as she assesses him. He's got blue eyes like her, but he's pale--not Water Tribe, obviously. Stranger still, his hair is light, almost golden-yellow hair, unlike anything she's ever seen.

It's only when her eyes land on the cat in his arms that she opens the door fully, her guarded expression shifting to open curiosity. "Who are you?" she asks, "and what kind of animal is that?"

[brooklyn_boy]

She looks so young. Steve can't help but have his heart go out for her when he sees the tears on her face. He offers what he hopes is a warm smile and shifts Millie in his arms.

"This? This is a cat," he explains, understanding immediately that the girl must not come from Earth. Or at least not an Earth he'd recognize. It's okay. He's experienced way more bizarre things in the past.

"Her name is Millicent. And I'm Steve Rogers. Did you just get here?"

[waterwhip]

"Yeah, I did. Just a few hours ago. I couldn't find any of my friends, so... I'm guess I'm alone." She's not sure why she's telling this random adult that she's all by herself. Maybe because he has such a kind face, but that's no guarantee of a good heart. He's a big man, but he doesn't seem like a threat, and Katara isn't exactly defenseless.

She wipes her arm surreptitiously over her face, sniffing once before straightening up a little. It's not good to let strangers see her looking vulnerable when she has no one to back her up. At the very least, her water skin is hanging draped across her chest, ready to be popped open at a moment's notice.

"Millicent. Steve Rogers," she says, repeating their names as if to test them out. They sound a little strange coming from her, like she's never heard the name 'Steve' before. "I'm Katara, of the Southern Water Tribe. You haven't heard of it, have you?"

[brooklyn_boy]

"The Southern...Water Tribe? No, I'm sorry. Can't say that I have." Another universe, then. Or at least another planet. That would be interesting to learn more about but not while she's still so upset. Right now all Steve wants to do is assure the girl that she's safe. Hard to do in a rundown hotel after being kidnapped by aliens.

"I'm from a place called America," he explains with another smile. "My job there is protecting people as part of a team. Some of that team is here." Katara doesn't need to know about the Avengers breaking up or any of that. It's not important right now.

"I say that so you know, even if your friends aren't here, you're not alone. Okay? We're all in this together."