Second Test Drive Meme

[ourearth]

Second Test Drive Meme



Welcome to the SoE TDM!

Due to the premise of the game, everyone on this testdrive must be the modern day reincarnation of the characters we all know and love. Please take a quick look at our navigation to familiarize yourself with the concept and setting of the game before you jump in.

If you have a relationship plotting post comment for your character (which is NOT mandatory to play in this tdm), please link to it when putting up a toplevel on the TDM. That way, other players can easily get an idea of what kind of character they will be tagging.

Other than that, you know the tdm drill - when commenting, please put your character's name and canon in the subject line, and write one or more threadstarters so others can tag you easily. Below, you'll find some prompts that you can use or discard at will to write those threadstarters.

1. A ghostly apparition

There are many places in Mossgate Council where one may spot ghosts, but the place that yields such sightings most frequently is the ruins at the top of the cliffs. So one beautiful night, you're up there - for a date? To smoke weed? To watch the stars with a bottle of whiskey? - as you suddenly notice something out of the corner of your eye. Perhaps it is a bearded man in a long cloak, or a woman in historical clothes, or something much more outlandish... What do you do?

2. Old ships

A new exhibit at the museum has opened! ...Or rather an old exhibit has reopened after some repairs and an overhaul of the presentation. So now the old pre-Roman-times ship that is the pride of the museum can be visited by the public again, and of course there are all kinds of advertisement around town, and a large sign in the entrance are of the building guiding visitors towards the correct room. The ship sits elevated on a platform in the middle of the room and other items and explanations are placed along the walls. A volunteer guide is always close by to explain more about the ship (if your character is the volunteer guide - just make something up!).

3. Moss Manor gathers

In Moss Manor, there is reason for curiosity, gossip and free drinking. Wait. No. Of course it's just that the village gathers to warmly welcome the new vicar of the local church, and since that church is so important locally, even those who aren't directly related to it show up to say hi.

But while they're there, why not take advantage of the free food and drink and the opportunity to talk to everyone else at the welcome festivity?

4. Water activities

In Folkton, summer has begun. People are boating on the little river, sitting near the water while studying or take an afternoon nap there, older relatives try to keep children from falling into the water or at least not going in without supervision, and occasionally someone is yelling at a dog that just took a leap into the cool waters and splashed them at everyone in the general surroundings. An ice cream van is parked near the river, and some kids play football near the river.

5. The wonderful everyday

Being people living in our regular, modern world, people need to work or study, eat and commute, shop and relax... Just that all those regular, normal tasks can hold unexpected difficulties if you were just sitting at the tills at Tesco's, and this noseless customer suddenly made you remember the day you lost your parents. Or maybe you were getting some exercise, and running down the street you developed superspeed and have no idea how to control it yet...

6. How many times will they have to tell you?

Twice a year, there are guided tours through the tunnels under the cliffs east of Mossgate. Those tunnels, dug into the chalk throughout centuries or perhaps millenia, were built without a general plan, so their layout is an absolute confusing mess. On top of that, there are cave-ins and unsafe areas. It is strictly advised to not stray from your group, as people have been harmed because they got lost in them before. But you just had to get distracted, or perhaps think that it would be more fun to explore on your own, and now you are lost without a blip of signal to call for help with...

7. Fun, fun fun!

At Mossgate's seaside, a Victorian pleasure pier extends about 40 metres into the sea. The platform at the end of the pier holds fairground rides such as a merry-go-round, a small rollercoaster and a helter skelter and along the pier kiosks sell candy floss, rock candy, roasted nuts and other goodies. A small distance down the street, a minigolf site can be found and on the street along the coast there are fish and chips shops, family-friendly arcades and souvenir shops. Maybe you are actually here for the fun, or maybe you just work here or are trying to track down a wayward friend...

8. Wildcard

And, of course, the obligatory do-what-you-want option.

Comments

Webmind aka Walter Weekes | The WWW Trilogy

[iamnotgod]

((Plotting here!))

1.

Nighttime - arguably, his time. For Walter, looking at the stars, and imagining what it might be like looking back from them, is as relaxing as he finds his work.

Which probably makes him an oddball on several counts, but that's not his problem...

"Eh?"

He turns, half-expecting someone there - but is there?

5.

Just focus on breathing, he reminds himself - or tries. He swears he was never this uncoordinated when puberty hit - or when he more-or-less had to go through it again, for that matter. If it'd been up to him, he'd have stayed inside, but that just wasn't happening.

Walter stumbles back from whoever the latest person he ran into was.

"Sorry!"

7.

Sometimes, he really wishes he could walk around wearing headphones and have that not backfire on him. Apart from that, though, Walter won't deny that this is a nice place...

Someone should drag him onto the rides.

1

[runs]

A head pokes over the remains of one of the reddish walls, though not in the direction where Walter noticed... whatever it was.

Just checking what's going on, and most of all checking what's up with him. And then promptly dies back under. That person looked way too adult to be supposed to see her up here, at this time. Whoops. Double whoops that her investigation caused a rustling in the dry grass around her.

Re: 1

[iamnotgod]

Distraction? A somewhat paranoid part of him thinks, as he turns back towards the source of this noise.

Or maybe he had imagined that first noise, after all. Harrumph.

"I don't suppose you heard anything, either?" Walter asks, as if to open air.

"I mean, you don't have to answer. It's not like I was expecting company..."

He doesn't sound angry, which may be a good sign?

[runs]

"I'll answer that if you promise to not be an annoying adult."

What's the chances that he hasn't just heard but also seen her? High, probably. Better not risk pretending to not be there.

For the moment she's staying behind this wall, though. That way he'd at least not have seen her face if he decides to be a tattletale.

[iamnotgod]

Walter internally scoffs.

"Annoying how, exactly? I promise I was only stargazing... so, yes, I promise."

[runs]

"Annoying like telling me that I'm not allowed to be out this late and threatening to call the police or my parents of something." Not trusting this yet.

And her voice, even without the tone and words, makes it probably clear that she can't be older than ten.

[iamnotgod]

And boy, does she ever sound young. Walter tries to restrain his double-take.

"... Tired of people going over your head, huh?"

Because at her age? He didn't have places like this to run to. Like hell is he going to withhold it from someone else. Still, he has concerns.

"Since, I mean, this can't be the first time you've gotten all the way out here." Right?

[runs]

It absolutely isn't the first time. It's far enough away from town that typically nobody sees her, and yet there's some shelter. And she just likes it up here. It's quiet and always the same. Something about the government protecting this place, but the ruins never change.

She likes things that don't change. There are barely any of them out there.

"Yeah. Everyone always thinks that they know everything better than me. Which is stupid, and also wrong." She definitely knows best what she needs to be there for in school and what not, for example. ...And yep, she's going to ignore that implied second question.

[iamnotgod]

Subtly, Walter sits up straighter.

"Usually, when people say they know better than you, they're covering something up. Insecurity, pride - sometimes they actually won't know better, or at least not better than you. Best case scenario, though?"

And here he sighs.

"They're just scared of what will happen to you if you act anyway and get hurt in the process."

Thaaaat's not one he's spent most of his life in, though - and that impression bleeds through.

[runs]

"It's probably a mix."

She honestly doesn't know, and has never spent too much time on the reasons. She knows that it is annoying, and limiting, and that there is no point. It's not like anyone will remember if she was good or bad in a year, anyway, since she'll be with another family.

"And best case scenario, they'll never notice that things aren't going the way they think they go because nobody will tell them." Which brings them back full circle. "So you won't call any adults on me, right?"

[iamnotgod]

Walter nods, then quietly snorts. And that's where the protective secrets come in... Does she even have a support system?

"As long as you don't fall off a cliff or something, there shouldn't be much reason to."

Except in ways that were either counterproductive (giving her fuel for her understanding of the world) or just plain harmful for her in and of themselves (if she hadn't gotten herself hurt yet, having to run away from people might change that).

"... I remember asking you a question earlier, though."

1

[dragoonrouge]

Sadie hadn't really expected to encounter anyone on her little nighttime escapade to go and look at bats. So she may have screamed. Loudly.

"FUCKING HELL!"

Re: 1

[iamnotgod]

So much for it being quiet...

Walter jumped, landing forward into a defensive kneeling stance.

"What- what's wrong?" He called out; he couldn't see Sadie, but he definitely recognize her voice.

[dragoonrouge]

Sadie pulls her mobile out of her pocket and switches the torch on. "W-Walter! I-er-I thought you were something else."

Sadie's face is bright red in the light if the torch, "Sorry."

[iamnotgod]

Walter breathes a sigh of relief.

"I'm just glad you're all right," he says honestly, swiftly pulling himself up to standing position to work off some of that adrenaline.

"I swear, this place isn't always a garden of startles," he adds - it might make her laugh, but it's true either way.

[dragoonrouge]

She does giggle at that as she walks over to him.

"I wasn't expecting anyone else to be here...I was following the bat's."

1.

[amonsterbyanyothername]

Leith pauses for a moment as Walter turns to face him, telescope bag in his arms. He smiles and waves at Walter, then motions at the space next to him. He sets his bag down to sign properly.

Is this spot taken? And do you mind if I set up here? You can look through my telescope if you like. I promise I won't mind.

If it makes more sense that they'd both sign at each other, can fix tag. |D

[iamnotgod]

Walter can read the signs easily, and his returning smile is familiar.

"I don't mind," he says clearly, "And I'd be glad to!"

Nah, Walter talking is just fine <3

[amonsterbyanyothername]

Leith nods his head and unzips his bag, carefully setting up the equipment. Once everything is fastened and adjusted properly, he glimpses through the scope real quick, and sets it to look at Venus. Once it's there, he steps back and motions to Walter to let him know he can look through it as he likes.

And then he reaches into his bag for a notebook and pen, flipping through a few pages before he starts scribbling down notes. If Walter cares to glimpse at what he's writing, he'll read an idea on how to make a design revolving around Aphrodite for his latest star chart project.

[iamnotgod]

Walter will spend some time looking through the telescope, true - being as he was genuinely interested in looking at the stars and planets - but he'll also take frequent breaks to look around them, just in case someone decides to creep up and...

We're safe here, Walter attempts to chide himself, though it doesn't take all that well.

Catching a glimpse of Leith's notebook, he nods in approval.

"Plotting constellations again? Nice work."

[amonsterbyanyothername]

Leith notices on one or two occasions that Walter is looking around them, and it causes him to look around, as well. He's not entirely sure what he's looking for, but...

Well, he has his notebook to worry about. And with the acknowledgement, Leith is back to smiling, and sets down his pen and pad to sign:

Maybe I should make you one. These are a lot of fun for me.

And, well... despite it all, he does appreciate all the help that Walter has ever given him. It would be nice to give something back to him.

[iamnotgod]

Walter relaxes a little, and the suggestion...

"I would like that very much, Leith. No rush, though."

He lightly rubs Leith's shoulder, smile intensifying.

[amonsterbyanyothername]

Leith smiles brightly in return, and flips the page over for notes to start on Walter's star chart. But before he can put the pen to paper, his eyes widen as he looks behind Walter, and he points.

There's nothing actually there. But if Walter dared to turn look behind him, then when he turns back, Leith will be giving the scariest face he can manage. Which... isn't that scary, to be honest. His head is cocked almost lifelessly to one side, his tongue hanging out, and one eye closed halfway for mock-dramatic effect.

Look, just because acting isn't his strong suit doesn't mean he can't pull a prank. Though taking advantage of Walter's obvious anxiety might be a little mean.

[iamnotgod]

Walter does look - but quicker, perhaps, than Leith might expect, and so he's not as surprised by the attempt at a scare when he looks back.

He's not scared, not really, but his expression does shift to one of surprise - and a little (fake) affrontment.

"Was that really necessary?" Walter asks, without anger.

[amonsterbyanyothername]

Hey, Leith will take surprise. It's just as fun. Leith smiles and sticks out his tongue. Then signs:

Maybe not, but it was still worth it.

Leith looks thoroughly pleased with himself. Then:

Are you expecting someone, anyway? Someone you got your eye on?