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

[seeingscarlet]

Clint isn't the only one sporting some changes, though. He might, if he's paying close attention in his second look, notice that Wanda's wearing a ring that doesn't really match the style of her others: a wedding ring.

"The first." But he doesn't, and Wanda will let him off the hook for about five seconds before she picks it up again. "It is...different. A little floppy at the top," she says after a moment with a smile. "Was it getting in your way? Or did you lose a bet with Nat?"

[beenalongday]

They don't call him Hawkeye for nothing. He's always been good at noticing details, and while some might consider rings a small detail, nothing's too small for someone whose skillset is based around observing the things that others might miss. He makes a mental note to ask her about that later, because at some point, she wormed his way into his affections, although he hasn't admitted that to anyone just yet.

He appreciates the reprieve, even if he knows it won't last for long. "Hey, it's not floppy. It's aerodynamic." Okay, so maybe he's just a little bit full of hot air. But it's been a long time since he felt like cracking a joke, so he considers this a win. His smile falters a bit at the mention of Natasha, but he plows on ahead anyway. "Nah, nothing like that, although this is totally something she'd make me do. It was just time for a change, that's all."

And now seems like a good time to segue into a conversation about her ring. "Looks like you got something new there."

[seeingscarlet]

"It is still long enough to braid." Wanda shoots him a quick Look but so far his cover's safe. It's hard to imagine that Natasha wouldn't come back from a mission, so why would she suspect otherwise? Of everything that she's guessed might be wrong in the future, that's not it. And quite honestly she hasn't thought about it in months.

Wanda flushes and her hand automatically goes to the ring. "Oh! This isn't the first time I've been kidnapped like this. Some of the others were with me and Vision and I...we fell in love. And when I realized I could keep him if we stayed behind, I asked him to marry me. I wish you could have been there." And then, carefully because he still hasn't answered her first question, Wanda steps forward for a hug. "I've missed you."

[beenalongday]

"Is it, now?" All right, so now he's really laughing, and man, does it feel good. "I never said this, but you get a free pass to put it in a braid. It's a limited time offer, good for one use only, but it's yours whenever you want it." What? She's a good kid, regardless of her past, and sometimes there's just no turning off those dad instincts. Also, it's helpful to talk about something else, to not have to think about all the bad things going on back at home.

He can't help but smile fondly when she tells him about her and Vision. He'll get back to the part about how this isn't her first kidnapping. For now, he just wants to focus on the good stuff. "That's great. I'm happy for you, really." He really genuinely is; if anyone deserves happiness, it's her. And then she's hugging him and a lump is forming in his throat, but he's ignoring that and just returning the hug. "Missed you too, kid."

She's not a kid, but hey, dad instincts.

[seeingscarlet]

He's not her dad, but he's the closest person to it she has. It had hurt not to have Clint at the wedding, even though Wanda was glad he was safe at home and hadn't drawn the Atroma's attention. She'd just always wished she could tell him, and Pietro, and the rest of the Avengers that she was going to be all right.

Now she has the chance, but this time they're in a much worse situation. The Atroma had at least kept them fed (with food that wasn't drugged), and while her bed hadn't been comfortable at first, Wanda hadn't been forced to sleep on the floor again. Here nothing seemed assured. And anything could be lurking out in the darkness.

"I will save it for a bad day, then." His or hers, it doesn't matter. Wanda clings to him for another minute and she's still smiling when she releases him. "You didn't answer my first question," she tells him gently. "Are you all right?"

[beenalongday]

They might not be blood related, but whether they are or not, Clint plans to keep Wanda as close and as safe as he possibly can. It would kill him to see something happen to her, too. But before he can get too worked up about theoreticals and what-ifs, he forces his thoughts back to the here and now and to the fact that she's happy and married and getting to live, at least as best as she can under the circumstances.

Another question is on the tip of his tongue, but it fades away, as does his smile when she poses her first question again. His gaze dips downward towards the floor as he tries to figure out what to say, if anything. He doesn't want to burden her with the gravity of the situation back home, and neither does he want to tell her about his own losses.

So, rather than interrupt her happiness, he just nods and shrugs his shoulders, squaring them so he can at least attempt to look not so weighed down. "I'm hanging in there, yeah." It's not too much of a lie, because he is hanging in there. Things could be better, and he'd prefer to not have been left reeling from recent events, but he's doing his best to stay afloat.

And in an attempt to redirect her, knowing she'll probably catch on to what he's doing, he asks, "You and Vision doing all right?"

[seeingscarlet]

Wanda winces and is clearly not buying it, but then again, they've all just been kidnapped. She can't tell how deeply this runs without actually poking around in his head and with Clint especially she doesn't want to do that without permission. If it's more than how awful it must feel to be separated from his family she's just going to have to get him to tell her. Or call in Natasha.

But for now, if he wants a distraction she can try...to a certain extent.

"It's...it's good. He's wonderful. And he is here too." She feels a little guilty feeling relieved that they're still together - not everyone was so lucky. Wanda knows she would have managed somehow, but the thought of Vision being alone here is almost too much to bear. "We had a home on a singing planet. I wish you could see it someday."

[beenalongday]

He knew she wouldn't, but now doesn't seem like the time to pile his problems on anyone, least of all her. It might be bordering on condescension, but that's honestly not what he means by not launching into the sorry tale of what he's experienced recently. She's happy, and if anyone deserves happiness, it's her. He doesn't want to be the one to ruin it by making her worry.

And, well, he appreciates the fact that she's not rooting around in his head. He's had enough of that kind of thing to last a lifetime. It'll all come out eventually, when he can't hold it back anymore, but until then, he's just not ready.

"I'm really glad to hear that. A singing planet, huh? Sounds nice, even if I can't really picture something like that." But then Clint is crossing his arms, and a mock stern expression crosses his face. "Vision had better be doing right by you. If not, I'm going to have to have a talk with him."

He's not serious, of course. He may not be so well acquainted with Vision, but he does know Wanda, at least enough to know that she can stand on her own two feet. She doesn't need anyone playing the dad card, but he does want her to know that if she ever needs anything, she just has to ask.

[seeingscarlet]

"She sings in your mind. It was...comforting. My powers always felt better, more part of me, on the singing planets." She's not sure Clint would have found that kind of constant mental presence as pleasant as Wanda did, but it had made for a more accepting society. No flinching when she sneezed, no deliberate avoidance of physical contact. It had been nice not to feel like a freak.

"You don't need to worry about that. He is...he's everything I could have wanted. I didn't think this was something I could have anymore but..." Wanda smiles that same soft grin she always gets when she talks about Vision and shrugs helplessly. They've been together for a total of two years now and she's still just as hopelessly in love as she's always been. "It works."

[beenalongday]

He chuckles lightly. "You're losing me, Wanda. But hey, sounds like you had something good going on there, so- Who knows if singing planets are a thing around here, but I hope they are." She deserves good things, because her past aside, she's a good kid. And of course, no one deserves to be made to feel like a freak. He'd fight off anyone who did that to her, but he also knows sometimes it's hard to stop the negative thoughts.

"Good. 'Cause you deserve someone who treats you right." It's nice to see her like this, relaxed, happy, and as content as anyone can be in a situation like theirs. "That, and I'd hate to have to fight off anyone who hasn't gotten that message." It's partly a joke, but there's an element of seriousness in it too. Not that Wanda can't handle herself, but there's something about her that makes him want to stick up for her.