Spring Test Drive Meme!

[trpmods]

Welcome to the Current Test Drive for The Revival Project!

This game is a spin-off from the closed The Drift Fleet game. For more information about the game, including more details on the setting, please check out the FAQ here or the premise here.

A thread on the TDM will be required for all applications. Please view the FAQ for information about how this works. Any questions about the game please direct to the comment section of the FAQ as well.

If you are a Drift Fleet alumni bringing your character from the game, please label your character as 'DFAU' on your top level. 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! If you want to completely restart your character, they're not considered DFAU anymore and won't need the label.

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

Thread ideas:

- Explore the city! There's a map here and a bit more description of some of the buildings here. Most of the buildings are run down and have clearly been abandoned for years; fortunately, the water treatment center appears to be working, but power is intermittent and unreliable. The hotel seems to be the most crowded, but you might want into what appears to be an abandoned storefront and find someone else scavenging or even sleeping.

- There are spaceships! That's right, there are currently several small spaceships grounded in the hangar. They appear to have power, but only one ship will let you enter. (For test drive purposes, the ship that will let you enter is up to you, so just pick whichever name appeals, and go for it!) The other ships won't open for you, but it might be worth poking around the one that will...

- Do you hear a storm? A giant, power-altering storm has been ravaging part of the planet for a month. It shows ghosts of people you know and those you don't. It drains you of any super-human abilities and tries its best to keep you from getting to its origin. Are you going to try anyways? Or are you going to chase the whispers of people from your past? More information can be found  here.

- Can you hear me now? Upon arrival, your character will have on their person a small, handheld communications device. Maybe they know exactly how to use a computer, smartphone, or tablet, and immediately blast out a text or video trying to figure out what's going on. Or maybe they're not so tech-savvy after all, and everyone is about to get a lovely shot right up your character's left nostril.

- Wildcard! You're welcome to use any previous test drive scenarios or previous game events as a basis for a thread/situation, or simply make up your own! Keep in mind that you're currently stranded on a planet with only basic necessities, but there is enough food and fresh water. Creature comforts, however, seem to be distinctly lacking...



code bases by tricklet

Comments

Tony Stark | Marvel 616

[in_extremis]

A:
As usual, shouldn't have touched that, definitely asking for some kind of spinal malware and/or network herpes, and Tony did absolutely know that, but in this particular case there didn't seem to be anyone in particular to ask permission or forgiveness except for, unfortunately, himself. He would have to come back around to that one, there was an impressive backlog already processing, and a, so far, infinite render queue to add to. That was going to be a personal evaluation question for, calculating...108 year old Tony Stark. If he had to develop a hypothesis, though, Tony would say his future self was not going to be impressed with this asshole.

Counterpoint: he knew some stuff now. Some possibly immediately applicable, lacking any further information to explain what was going on, so it would be the working theory for now. Not that Tony was willing to accept anything he just downloaded as true, but he didn't have the resources for an alternative yet. Schrodinger's Alien Extinction Event. He couldn't be the only one here.

Tony squinted, spinning slowly in place as he took in the immediate layout, absently patting himself down to check that everything important had made this journey with him (limbs: check) and the alien interface hadn't melted anything structurally important (not bleeding from ears yet: check). A cosmic force that could either transport a whole human body instantaneously to very specific coordinates, or at least construct a very believable facsimile for a human brain to be unable to distinguish from reality, but didn't have the ability to maintain some basic infrastructure. Interesting. (Theory: Dark Ages, obscuring this people's technology and history from themselves, even as they continued to advance). Culturally, not completely unfamiliar-- nothing as shocking in his immediate vicinity as anything he had ever seen on Hala or Asgard.(Theory: Despite the body snatching, not a particularly old civilization). A weird, fat, pig-looking thing scrambled up the side of a decaying, free standing facade. (Theory: It's finally happened, Stark, you done gone and lost your marbles.) Hands feeling useless, and slightly untrustworthy, after the touching-incident, Tony held them pressed against his heart, and, searching, sniffed the air instead. There were some scents that only a living civilization would produce and this was going to lead him to his next theory: cooking food, shit, and fuel. Thataway.

B:
[A video message posted to the network of a man frowning down into the camera, chin propped up in one hand and looking equal parts bored and skeptical, but occasionally glancing up, just past the camera, possibly betraying his alert tension]

I'm used to having some, you know, guidelines-- hard to read the room here, hard to read the audience. Um-- Tony. [He quickly touches his chest, that's me, before holding his chin again.] Looking for: just some fun, nothing serious. Likes: long walks on the beach, particle physics, black coffee. Dislikes: The smell of bookstores. I know, you'll try to convince me, and it will be a very good date, because I've never had a bad one, but I still won't like the smell. What else goes on these things...? [He's looking past the camera again, like he's waiting for the response to come from out there.]

B

[doubled_speed]

[Oh great. Stark is here. Joy. Which is what Tommy would say if he was actually excited. Or felt like he could truly deliver sufficient sarcasm. Which he of course cannot. He’s not a Hawkeye.

So instead there is a very less than impressed Young Avenger frowning at this undignified display of Stark’s and shaking his head.]

I don’t know that serious is in your vocabulary, Stark. Except when you’re seriously on the wrong side of some sort of important heroics debate.

Re: B

[in_extremis]

[That looks like it could maybe be Quicksilver, which is such an interesting new data point that Tony actually sits up, communicator in both hands, wondering if this place looked so run down because these aliens weren't actually good at reconstructing anything, just pretending. Because that's not a very good Quicksilver.]

I didn't know we went to bed angry, sweetheart. Remind me, what debate were we in now...? [If it was fashion again, there was no way Tony was budging.]

[doubled_speed]

Sweetheart? The actual fuck‽

[Not something Stark should be calling him. Ever. And why would he ever want to be Pietro? His uncle is hella repressed.]

You have no clue who I am? Which means you’re either an alt-Tony like all the other people aren’t from home, or you’re younger. In which case my only advice is listen to fucking Captain America.

Anyway, ‘Mutant’ mean anything to you?

[in_extremis]

[Message received: no petnames. Mea culpa, very serious face.]


Hold on, future-kid-- yes, mutant, whatever, what?-- you know me well enough to be mad at me, fair, that tracks, but 'listen to fucking Captain America'? I guarantee you, you've got the wrong guy. Put the claws away.

[doubled_speed]

Well, at least I don’t have to explain what mutants are.

[That got old. Fast. For even him.]

I’m Tommy, go by Speed in costume. Really don’t know what the fuck I can say without, like, timeline shit issues. Like...

[And the. It hits him. He can have FUN with this. And given he isn’t the greatest fan of Stark it is worth it.]

No, can’t tell you about President Rogers. And your Skynet initiative is totally off the table.

B [Video]

[wearingthestars]

[Billy blinked a bit owlishly, like he still hadn't processed even after hitting reply, though there's was an amused look on his face if you looked past the shock.]

...Mr. Stark?

[That felt a bit weird. But 'Tony' felt way too personal. And...Billy definitely got lost in his head for a moment.]

Are you- uh- wait- before I say any timeline breaking stuff- what year is it? For you?

[in_extremis]

[That was awkward for both of them, enough so that Tony couldn't immediately correct him like he wanted to. Instead:] Mr., uh, Boy. [Ahem.] Weird question, love it, let's let her purr for a bit. Is the timeline something we're worried about here?

[wearingthestars]

Billy.

[Oh shit. His eyes widened a little, brow twisted with concern.] Do you not...know me? [Because that's a good enough answer all on it's own, really. That put him far enough back that his existence might be a spoiler all on it's own.]

It could be. You're the genius. I just don't wanna break time...or anyone's brain, I guess.

[in_extremis]

[Now he's really looking, trying to put this puzzle together, picking out pieces of this image that seem familiar]

Mr. Witch-Boy? That Billy? Look at you. All...out of puberty. How 'bout that.

B

[waterwhip]

What's particle physics?

[ Katara is probably going to regret asking this, soon, as she's only just recently learned about things like electricity, robotics, and space flight. Still, her eyes are bright and she's obviously young. Her curiosity is understandable. ]

[in_extremis]

Excellent question. First, let me hit you with one back: what's the smallest thing you can think of? [Is this one of the aliens? Are there just kids here?]

[waterwhip]

[ She seems to consider the question for a moment, and knows enough at least not to say something like 'a grain of sand.' ]

I know that mist and clouds are made of water, but... drops that are so small that you can't see them individually.

[ As if to demonstrate, she makes a sweeping, circular gesture with her hand. Water condensed out of thin air into droplets first, then into an amorphous sphere floating above her upturned palm. ]

Maybe that?

[in_extremis]

Fantastically well put, stellar logic-- [That's not a trick you see every day. The implications, should it be real, of that little bubble were profound-- a power on the level of Storm. There's no way this one is from Earth, that wouldn't be an easy secret to keep] Did you make that? Or just like... [He makes a similar gesture, like he's trying to mimic her, but closer to scooping the water out of the air to form it]

A

[stillgotmyleftarm]

The face of the man approaching might - kind of - be familiar, but it depends on your ability to picture and/or remember Bucky Barnes with short hair and slightly younger features than he probably had, the last time you saw him.

If you were expecting the Bucky Barnes you know, though, there's a problem with his left hand - in that, it doesn't appear to be made out of metal. It is also carrying Cap's shield, but that's probably neither here nor there.

For Bucky's part, he is definitely wondering if this is actually the guy it - mostly - looks like it is. That would sure as hell make things interesting.

"You... okay?" he asks, like he knows the answer cannot possibly be yes.

[in_extremis]

The last time Tony saw Bucky Barnes was grainy newsreel footage of a plucky teen in a mask-- or it might have been a trading card, or war bonds poster from his collection that survived the ruins of the mansion. Certainly, the Bucky that Tony expected to see wouldn't have any metal limbs whatsoever, so this one, in a way, would be a step closer to what Tony would imagine Bucky could be.

As it was, it didn't occur to Tony to relate this man to a long dead Invader of any stripe, even with the shield in his hand. It might be the way the shield draws Tony's gaze, sharp an calculating, fingers drumming reflexively over his heart as he seemed to map the angles of the object, Bucky's face, and the trajectory of the conversation or confrontation that could take place in the next five minutes, it could be this demeanor that was most familiar about Tony. But that gaze was a cold blue, and the furrow in his brow hadn't lined his face with age yet. "Of course," he replied, slowing cautiously to a very casual saunter as he approached, veering to start to circle this new puzzle and leave no face unexplored. That shield looked real enough, Tony had never seen a replica get the balance right. "And yourself? Out for some frisbee? Nice night for it."

[stillgotmyleftarm]

Well, that mostly makes this easier - probably. Fewer preconceptions are generally better than more, Bucky's learned, even if they can be hard to avoid. But he's learned that most of the people here he thinks he recognizes are not, in fact, people who recognize him (for himself) right back. It's easier if you don't walk into a conversation assuming they will.

But he does notice the way the shield gets the guy's attention, even if that could be for a lot of reasons. Still, his lips twitch into a wry half-smile at the comment. "I mean, there's not much around here a guy could break more," he points out, although he is of course not, in fact, out and about to play frisbee. "You look pretty calm for a newcomer. This kinda shit happen to you before?"

[in_extremis]

This was a very elaborate production for some kidnapping alien-being to just show their hand with obvious hooks like the shield and just knowing stuff like how new Tony was to this scene, so at the moment that was feeling like a half-baked theory. Then again, Tony didn't know how smart these aliens were, maybe they really thought this was a good trick. For now, some alternates: this guy was the guardian at the gate and saw him arrive, whatever that looked like; his arrival came with some kind of signal to the rest of this planet; the community, as it was, wasn't nearly big enough to blend in with the crowd. In most cases, the data suggested this guy was for real. For good, that was a much more complex question.

"Honestly, kind of my midweek standby," Tony replied, his feline stalking slowing to a stop now that he had made his Abductor Likelihood Assessment. He didn't seem to be in a hurry to get any closer yet, though. "You've got to keep active, you know, keep the social calendar full, the momentum is important. That Wednesday lull, perfect time to pop over to another dimension, you never know, maybe that's their Friday night. Now, have I been to better parties...?" He finally took his eyes off of Bucky then, glancing around at the decor again, just briefly, with a tsk.

B

[brooklyn_boy]

[ Steve has to stare at the message for a long time before even hearing a word. It's been so fucking long. So long. And, the last time he's seen this man, they were battling each other. Really, really battling against each other. Steve wasn't sure if that was what this Tony would remember but it was definitely what he remembers. He didn't even know that he would see Tony again, let alone here.

Steve's hand shakes as he presses the button to respond.]

Tony? Tony...hey. It's...it's Steve. Steve Rogers. Not sure if you know me or if I am the one you know. But... It's good to see you.

[in_extremis]

Jee-zuzz, yeah, you really look like you mean that, Capitán. Maybe try the line read again, but with a little less abject devastation at the sight of my face. Go ahead, hit me. [That definitely looked like Steve; Tony is far too familiar with that frown to mistake him for anyone else. But something isn't right, and it's not just that Tony is sure he left the good Captain sleeping soundly at the Tower, like the senior citizen he is, just a couple hours ago.]

Oh my God I love you.

[brooklyn_boy]

[Steve actually laughs. Yep. That's Tony alright. And given that he isn't looking at Steve like he killed his favorite robot (or helped protect the guy who actually killed his mother), it's probably not his Tony. It's good news and bad news all at the same time.]

Christ, Tony. Alright, alright. Look, I haven't seen you in... Jesus. Years. Forgive me for being maybe a little shell-shocked.

:D

[in_extremis]

You've been here for years? [Tony genuinely cannot imagine another reason they would be apart for that long. It's body snatching or nothing, and, so far, body snatching hadn't been strong enough yet. No, he wouldn't call himself naive, why would you ask?] What have you been doing? This place looks like you left the Hulk in charge of city planning.

video

[theladyofwinterfell]

I don't think I've ever met anyone who has discussed their likes and dislikes before on the network. What do you have against the smell of books, though? My husband rather likes the smell of a library. He might even like it better than me.

( A brief laugh and then - )

I am Queen Sansa Stark, Lady of Winterfell. I think you forgot your full name, Tony.

[in_extremis]

[There is so much to unpack here.]

Hey, you know, you're right, and you just reminded me, this is really going to tickle you...It's Tony. You can call me Tony. Your Highness. [Now he doesn't want to say, it's too weird. Either this is another inscrutable alien trick to get under his skin, or she would definitely think he was lying.]

I figured, a network's a place for sharing information, I'll share what I got. [He doesn't really want to get into the bookstore thing now, though. It suddenly seems less funny with a Lady.] Are you Queen of this place? Is this Winterfell?

[theladyofwinterfell]

( Sansa shakes her head with a bit of a smile. No, she's not a queen here any longer. It's just so natural to introduce herself as a queen and as Lady of Winterfell that it rolls off her tongue even in this place where titles no longer matter. He has a very real point about that. )

Ah, no, this is most certainly not Winterfell. It's just simply habit to introduce yourself as a queen if it's what you are - even if you're far from that place. I should know better, really, but here we are. Sansa is perfectly fine. As to sharing information...well, we all try to from time to time.

Where do you come here from, Tony?