tdm 16

[savmods]

test drive meme

Ingress travel can be disorienting, but there’s no need to worry! All side effects are temporary and lessen with each trip. Your body may experience several sensations at once: being pushed forward as if a hand is resting on your back, momentary and startling blindness, a gentle ringing in your head. You may have difficulty discerning whether it is hot or cold, but where you have been prodded is noticeably warmer than the rest of you. Some may suffer from dizziness while others are perfectly fine. You notice that the area you are in is filled with a soft cerulean light and feels slightly humid and dark despite the glow around you. Regardless of your current state, however, the stress of initial Ingress travel forces your body into unconsciousness.

Waking up is another story. Or maybe it isn’t.

You find yourself in a nondescript room; sometimes with others who have found themselves in the same situation, sometimes alone. A medical tech is always present to explain what’s happened before giving you some clothes, a TAB, and a guide that discusses things in further detail. This entire process also consists of a complete work-up of medical history and current health in order to obtain your signature—a specific frequency that will allow them to hone in on exactly where it is you’re from in order to get you back there.You spend your first week on the Ingress Complex while other accommodations and arrangements are made for you.

welcome to thisavrou

---

escoria

⋆ Escoria is classified as Exploration Class (EC), and travel through the Ingress is mostly smooth except for one issue: anyone with powers or abilities will find that the distortion between worlds has temporarily caused problems accessing them. Essentially, it has left all travelers depowered. Another similar issue comes in the form of the location of Escoria’s Ingress—seemingly in the middle of a vast ocean, the Ingress is balanced precariously on a set of buoys connected to a small floating dock. Once on this dock, it is clear there is no getting anywhere without some transportation. Testing the dark waters will find it unbearably cold, though not cold enough to form ice, and far off in the distance, between the mist and ever-constant gray light - where’s the sun? - some might even notice what looks like an island.

⋆ The boat that eventually comes to your rescue isn’t very big, one of a fleet used to transport visitors from the floating Ingress platform. Only a few passengers are allowed on each one--a maximum of six. The boat’s captain is quite insistent that each group remain small, handing out blankets to those who did not come prepared for the chill. It isn’t too much trouble as there are a great many boats and plenty of natives to pilot them. The weather is cool, the skies are dark with rain that might fall, but for now things seem alright. Leaning out on the rail, you might see some shark-like sea creatures breaching the surface to breathe. Of course, you might also see quicksilver figures darting underneath the water from the corner of your eye, which is then followed by a sharp rocking of the boat. Did something nudge the vessel? Maybe you ought to make sure people stay back from the sides in case they fall in...

⋆ Despite the calm appearance of the sky, the worst has happened. A storm hits at just the right time to drive your boat against one of the multitudinous reefs, roughly jarring its passengers, and then, the waves continue to batter the ship against it until it falls to pieces. You get lucky and find a piece of debris to hold onto to keep your head above the water until the storm passes, although it’s some time before even a calm comes. Once it does, you have to deal with the facts: you’re stranded with minimal supplies, all alone except for the other people who were on board with you when the ship went down in the waves. And what’s worse, the water isn’t getting any warmer. What do you do to survive until help, hopefully, arrives? Will you make an attempt to swim to shore or wait for someone to send another boat?

⋆ The few who manage to weather the storm and make it to one of the few islands of Escoria are, indeed, lucky. What lies beneath the surface of those dark waters is much more dangerous and deadly. Distant cousins of Thisavrou’s native Gorgona of Region Four, these nameless creatures are ruthless as they hunt. They slither the shallow surfaces of the reefs spread out across Escoria, waiting for even the slightest ripple of water to alert them to their prey. At first, looking into the water reveals nothing. Then, the closer these things come to the surface, the faster it begins to change and look as if something familiar, something you long for is calling to you. It can be a person, alive or dead, or it could be something intangible like a goal waiting to be fulfilled or an object waiting to be touched. This is how they lure the unsuspecting below the surface, and once they have their claws in you, it’s very difficult to escape. The urge to be with them is impossibly strong regardless of the fact that no one can hold their breath for that long or survive the deep cold of the water for longer than a few minutes.

Your only chance of escape? Someone who might have noticed that you’d suddenly slipped under without a sound. Or, if by chance, you manage to snap off a piece of the coral in the reefs. It changes with the shape of the holder, and that, if you’re lucky, might be the very weapon that saves you.

---

OUT OF CHARACTER INFO

FAQ | LOCATIONS | RESERVES | APPLICATIONS | NAVIGATION

For mature or graphic content, please label.For questions, please direct them to the FAQ or the Feedback page. Any scenarios listed (unless otherwise indicated) can be used as game canon. As always, be kind and have fun!

Comments

my tender heart can only take so much angst, she says, not gleeful at all

[el_paso]

2011?

[ The afterlife mention makes him consider tossing that second drink back as well, but he just places a hand around it, thumb sliding up the glass. ]

Try 2029.

[el_paso]

[ His hands open, a quick up and down sweep that takes in all Blue Boy here is. What little patience his has left is wearing thin very fast. ]

I'm just supposed to believe you're Kurt Wagner. [ Flat, a ripple of real, honest hurt beneath it. ] Fuck off.

[el_paso]

[ The flicker of...what is that, confusion? in her eyes begs a question or two, but she beats him to the punch.

For the first time in forever he feels self-conscious, aware of the itch climbing his spine from the new, utilitarian clothes they gave him; a crisp grey shirt and black pants that replaced the ruined, blood-soaked ones he'd arrived in. ]

Long story. [ Pausing, disliking the silence, he glances away, gruffly warning her, ] You won't like it.

[shadowblends]

[Oh, that burns his chest far more than it should, but he plays it off by scoffing and rolling his eyes.

Don't let them see it hurt.] Who else would I be? Besides, 'Nightcrawler,' that is. Was the teleporting not proof enough?

[Since not many people have an ability like that.]

[nimbi]

[ It's clothing rather similar to what she is wearing herself, so she would hardly judge him even if she had been the type to do so. ]

I have a feeling you should probably tell me anyway.

i - sorry not sorry logan

[greyate]

[ It's one of those days where Jean has decided to explore things a little more on foot. After being on that ship for so long, she couldn't shake the urge to stretch her legs and continue to do so. Especially in unfamiliar surroundings; with how much there was, it always seemed like there were new places for her to explore.

She barely even registers the man passing her -- until the voice registers. She stops and looks over her shoulder. It was gruffer than she was used to but...

She turns around more fully, squinting at the man as he keeps going. It would be easier to reach out with her mind but she jogs after him, instead. Calling to him -- or the him she thinks he is. ]

Logan?

steve rogers | mcu

[categorical]

i. — INGRESS COMPLEX

[ steve has never been very good at feeling useless, at being idle. they've told him it will be a week before he can leave the complex, that they're arranging accommodation and the likes for him. he doesn't trust this place or their assurances, but wandering the complex doesn't yield any suspicious findings.

he's itching for something to do, but in the absence of it, he spends his time sketching — new york both as he remembers it from his childhood and as he's last seen it, aliens, the stump of an arm that fills his chest with heaviness even as he draws it, wanda's outstretched hands, twisting and glowing with magic, anything and everything that comes to his mind. it should be calming, but the downtime just feels forced. ]

ii. — NETWORK

Is everything they tell us true?

iii. — IN THE WATER

[ the storm is unexpected and violent and there's nothing steve can do but to hold on. it's odd and worrisome how much of his strength is gone, sapped from him by the ingress portal or something else. while he hasn't always been like this, while he hasn't always been healthy by any stretch of the imagination and still remembers what it had been like to have to fight for breath sometimes, he finds that he's gotten used to it, to the serum's effect on him.

now it's gone. the storm forces him not to focus on that because there are more immediate concerns, like the cold water when a wave crashes over the boat and breaks it in half, like clinging to a fragment of wood. in the grey light and mist, steve can barely make out an island, or what he thinks is one, and someone's hand coming up over the water only to sink below the surface again.

he kicks his feet, moving sluggishly through the water, toward that hand, toward whoever it is that is drowning, both his hands still clinging to the wood fragment. it's his lifeline; hopefully it can become the same for whoever's hand he's reaching right now. ]

iv. — WILDCARD

[ run into a depowered steve on the dock or in the boat, share body heat with him on the shore, send him a misfired text, i'll roll with anything. ]

lia mendes | original

[melioration]

( i. — SITTING ON THE DOCK OF A BAY )

[ lia doesn't know what to make of all this, but that isn't such a new sensation, so it's easy enough to ignore. she's in space; it's just like a science-fiction movie. kind of scary, but also kind of exciting and cool. if alain were here as well. he probably wouldn't like it, but— lia doesn't really remember the last time she had to face a new situation without alain there, without his steadying presence.

anyway! it's cool, right? she isn't hurt, and she's on another planet. even if it's freezing and she really can't go anywhere. at least she's not alone on this dock? ]

Do you think someone's coming for us? [ she asks the person next to her, wrapping her arms around herself to ward off some of the cold. ]

( ii. — ON THE SHORE )

[ someone did come for them and the captain of this boat hands her a blanket, which is really nice of him — and then a storm hits and the boat breaks and lia only barely manages to swim to shore, none of the magic she's only beginning to discover any help at all because it doesn't seem to be there anymore. that's something to freak out about later, after she stops being so cold. it feels like the cold is all-invasive, and lia knows just enough to know that the fact that she's tired and not shaking, that her teeth aren't chatting are not good signs.

there's someone else on shore, too, and lia manages to make her way over to them, her clothes and hair dripping with water. ]

Are you all right?

( iii. — NETWORK )

hi everyone! i'm lia and i'm totally new to space so i was wondering if anyone's got a space 101 guide for me? tips and tricks? the location of the closest pizza place? i could really go for some greasy food right now

[categorical]

I'm wondering the same thing.

[ steve figures those words weren't meant for him, but the response is immediate and unthinking, a little dry around the edges. the dryness at least hides how much not knowing, the relative idleness and being constrained to the complex bother him. ]

[melioration]

[ he's really tall. that's the first thing lia notices about the—what is he? it? a robot? must be a robot—robot she almost runs into while walking down the corridor. she's exploring, or at least she's decided that she's exploring and learning more about this place. mostly, she's just been walking around aimlessly with no idea what she's doing. in the movies, there's always something to be discovered, something to be learned, but this isn't a movie, is it?

maybe it's just a really weird dream, but lia's life has been taking turns from weird to weirder lately, and she's not sure she could be making this up even if she tried.

he's really tall, and he's not human. ]

Whoa. Hi. [ smooth. ]

[el_paso]

'Ro please.

[ It's a quick, sharp jerk of his head. No. His fingers find the hem of her shirt, rubbing the stiff fabric between his thumb and forefinger. ]

Not here.

a, pardon my shakiness!

[arcanistic]

[Etienne isn't the only one who has a hard time believing where he is, let alone how he's even managed to be here. Alphinaud has arrived with a troubled look on his face and his Obsidian Carbuncle by his side, sniffing at everything around it. Baelsar's Wall had been a frightfully eerie sight after they'd left, Yda's demeanor a ghost of what they had all felt. Now he's completely away from Eorzea, and Alphinaud has difficulty fully grasping what lies in front of him, despite his knowledge of Sharlyan works. Cid would probably know more about this than he would- and what the elf wouldn't give to see the other man have at it.

Still, it's a moot point when he's not even sure where to begin. There's talk of adjusting, of the Ingress and how it works; and then they speak of his housing, a place for him to live, but Alphinaud's head is spinning and he can barely make sense of it.

He's been a fugitive before- but at least he had Vheras and Tataru with him when they journeyed to Ishgard for aid. Here, he hasn't seen a familiar face at all.

While he's doing his utmost to follow along with the explanations, it's Carbuncle who curiously walks over to the black mage, feet pitter-pattering along the cold floor. It doesn't escape the arcanist's notice- Alphinaud's head turns, eyes coming to meet with the other elf, and his attire. Almost immediately, he's pushing himself past the doctors and trying to get towards Etienne.]

Your pardon- you wouldn't happen to be from a place called Eorzea, perhaps?

[It's a long-shot, but if Carbuncle noticed this elf, maybe it was for a reason.]

iii (couldn't resist, sorry)

[modelsixtythree]

[She'd thought she was being so clever, going exploring in full armor, but it had only taken a few seconds of being on the planet for Natasha to realize that something was very, very wrong with it. The armor was still working, technically, but it was sluggish in a way she wasn't used to anymore, all of Extremis' helpful connections completely blank.

Worrying at that silence was probably the reason she only barely paid attention to the boat, and was definitely the reason she didn't even notice the storm until she'd already been dumped into the water. Water-tight the armor might be, it's still damn heavy, and gravity is very helpfully working just fine.

It's not until she glances up to see something floating against the surface, just barely visible against the storm, that she starts finally trying to push upwards for real. It's exhausting, but finally her gauntleted hands break the surface for real to latch on to the floating wood, only for her to startle hard at the realization that someone's already on it.] Jesus! Sorry!

[Immediately she tries to back up a little, though one hand stays the on wood, and keep herself afloat the best she can. The last thing she wants to do is sink them both. In the haze, she can't make much out other than that the person seems to be in mostly one piece. Hopefully. She finds herself shouting, partially over the noise of the storm, and partially because she's not sure the voice protocols in the helmet are even working at the moment.] Are you okay?

[nimbi]

Alright. Where?

[ He didn't seriously think she would just let this go, did he? ]

Sora _ Kingdom Hearts _ manga flavor

[keymemory]

The boat. The boat! Sora waited impatiently while the soft lap of waves crept ever closer to his unsettled feet while he waited for this boat. He had a bit of a frown to his face and a complicated dip to his brow. His hands were between a grip to his hips and a grip to his forearms as he went from crossing his arms and uncrossing them. He didn't understand exactly what was going on or how he veered so far off course and where the heck his friends were at! Just how did he end up getting to this world and how in the world did he lose his friends in this process?

Were you feeding each other paopu fruit or something? Riku's words teased in his mind as he thought about his journey from the start. Fate would have a better vessel to bring him to the new worlds than their simple raft. He ended up riding down on a gummi ship for Pete's sake! Yet here he was waiting for a boat like this was full-circle or something.

Just as he shifted his weight a noise vibrated out from his gut and his hands clenched at his shirt over his stomach. He was hungry too, real hungry. "Ohhh, man.. C'mon!" He then gestured out to the water with a frown. "Bring a fish back with you at least!"

[el_paso]

[ He has no answer.

"Deny everything" is rapidly falling apart, because all his senses are telling him the boy's words ring true, and that only intensifies the sharp need to disengage as quickly as possible. So he just growls, impatient, ]

Just. Move. I am not dealing with this right now.

Lisbeth Salander | The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

[waspling]

1. Chioni: Kh'Chat Encounter

She was bored, uncertain, apprehensive, but not quite lonely despite being all alone. Lisbeth wore isolation as comfortably as she did her all black clothing, the spikes down the spine of her cardigan, the multitude of rings in her ears and nose, and the black lipstick which matched the dark liner neatly but thickly around her eyes.

Today she was visiting Chioni, wondering if she should make her permanent home here or on Kauto. The Ingress Complex was tempting but just a little too busy. Lisbeth was a city girl and more at home in the glow of a computer screen than the sun, but something about Chioni was fascinating to her. Maybe it was that isolation she sought, hiding away from everything, indulging in the wild feel to this planet and the amazingly clear air. Lisbeth wondered if any air, anywhere on Earth, would ever be this clear again. She doubted it, with some pessimism to her thoughts. Lisbeth was mostly looking at the sky as she strolled along the path of one of the Chioni burgs, residential houses in the distance which she would soon come to.

It was while she was lost in such thoughts that a pebble hit her in the shin. Lisbeth made a small grunt, despite it not at all hurting, and looked down to see a small rock rolling around. It was glowing softly, and seemed to be... laughing at her? Lisbeth gave a brief sardonic smile as she crouched down and reached out to touch the small rock. "What are you?"

2. Wildcard: Your Choice

1

[keymemory]

Sora was rushing after his pet-rock, well, companion might be a better word for it. It'd slipped from his pocket and hop, skipped, and shot away like a crazed gecko! "Come back Waka!" Okay, so he might have been homesick and started to name some of his new and shinnies names of friends from home. Currently, Kairi was the toaster, basically the best piece of familiar machinery he'd had in his humble possession. It also reminded him of Kairi, she was always bursting with optimism and bringing him joy–– like the toaster!

Riku was the lump on his wall, looming over him with that judgmental bubbling to the paint.

"Woah! Thanks! You caught him!" He huffed and puffed before he bent over and gripped his knees with an obnoxious draw of breath. For some reason, he'd been really out of shape the first few weeks he'd arrived here!

[waspling]

Lisbeth looked up sharply to the point, her gaze sliding up to that pointed hair, and she couldn't at all be mad at the excited boy. She remained crouched, not unlike him, and she wasn't all that much different in body. He was only an inch taller than her, and didn't look all that much heavier.

"Waka, that's its name?" It was as good as any name for a pet rock, she supposed, with good humor towards the teen and the teen's pet. Her eyes moved to return her gaze back down at the shiny little thing. It had stopped giggling and was rolling over to roll around one of the teen's shoes and bump constantly into it. Its movement reminded her of how a steel ball would react to a magnet.

"Or is that what it is? A waka?"

2

[full_of_bad_ideas]

The Ingress Complex was hustling and nearly always full of people. Isaac liked it there the best, it was a constant pulse of life that kept him busy and focused on what was before his eyes rather than what lurked behind them. He took up a job that was more labor intensive than it was not and he preferred that as well. Maintenance was his type of speciality and in some ways it helped desensitize his fears of monsters beneath the machines. Still, he was wary around vents.

His shift was over and after a good long one he was nice and tired! Which was exactly how he liked to be, too tired to think, too tired to be afraid, too tired that all he needed and could do was sleep. Which was what he desperately needed. He had been up for a few good long nights and it was about his time to crash. The dementia wasn't any better, but it wasn't any worse. Or at least that's what he told himself for the sake of remaining placid.

He didn't have much to look forward to, his apartment was small and he didn't have any friends, even the food waiting for him back home did little to appease his appetite. Things seemed to head down one specific direction and it was alright with Isaac.

Coming across the hall he'd glanced at a familiar face. He's seen her around, on the network or maybe just around the station, but something called him to greet her. "Hey, hey..?"

[demonwinged]

Beneath the lapping waves, Illidan had been in a great battle with the water people who had lured him down. Unaware of the teenaged boy up above him, Illidan gouged against the images of a certain female night elf which plagued him in the waters. As powerful as he was, as much fel energy as coursed through his veins, none of that helped at the moment. His powers were completely tapped and he was running out of air.

After nearly three minutes trapped in the claws of the mer-people, Illidan broke free and came crashing up out of the surface of the ocean. This caused a big splash, which Sora would fall victim to, and then a few gasping and angered curses to really appropriate for children. The large demon-like Illidan pulled himself up onto the platform near to Sora and his wings spread out wide with a snapping sound, sending even more water flying in every direction.

Illidan stood there panting so hard his bare chest was rising and falling, his ragged trousers clinging to legs which ended in hooves, water dripping from his long hair and large curled horns. The tainted night elf pulled off the soaking wet blindfold from off his brightly glowing eyes, so that he could ring it out.

[keymemory]

"Awakka!" He giggled. "Wakka is named after my friend back home, Wakka.." He gestured to the rock and squatted down with a huff before he leaned back to plop on his bottom. There was another long sigh before he hummed and gave her a cheeky grin. "He's a great blitz ball player and this little fellow is .. very animated like a ball, flying all over the place!" He gestured to the woman, "well, it must like you! Come'n all this way.. making me chase it all this way!" He huffed and puffed.

"So," he cleared his throat. "I'm Sora! Who are you?"

[keymemory]

The sudden erosion of water scared Sora off his feet and he fell backward with his keyblade materializing in his hand by the time he hit the ground. Your strength comes within! A phantom voice rang in his ears though muffled by his heart beat that drummed there as well. When the creature stretched himself out from the water and spread its wings Sora was pushing himself back roughly on the ground and held his blade up between himself and the demon! Though, he wasn't convinced this was a heartless; despite his most recent past prior this world, would have him believing anything jumping out at him like this was indeed a heartless!

But a demon?! Those horns!

"What!? Whoa! No!" He pointed his keyblade at the intruder. "Stay back!" Yeah, that sounded better! No time to be afraid! Sora jumped to his feet and rushed forward with all the intentions of a hero and with a full breath taken in he brought his keyblade down on the monster's knee. Which proved to be about as effective as if his keyblade was made of plastic complete with a squeak ball inside of it.

"Oh.... uh oh."

[demonwinged]

He was so unused to being utterly and completely blind that it took him a moment to recognize he really should be following the sounds of nearby movement. Illidan paused in his motions of wringing out the blindfold and blinked once, eyes narrowing slightly, as he turned his head in that direction.

The startled yelling sounded like a voice of youth and Illidan turned slightly to better face the stranger. His eyes, glowing as they were, would be a little more difficult to tell where he was looking but it was still possible. And, was not looking at quite the right spot to where the teenager was actually standing and currently telling him to stay back. Illidan didn't move.

A moment later there was the unmistakable pattern of someone running towards him. Illidan shifted his hooves slightly to get better balance and try to prepare himself for whatever might come. It felt as if there was a shove on his knee and he hunkered down slightly waiting for something- anything-- and it didn't come. Confused, he relaxed enough to listen again to the young person before he spoke up. "Is there danger nearby?" he asked, voice low.

[el_paso]

[ You know, part of him was hoping... ]

I don't know, I just got here- [ Finally, finally he pulls his hands away, fumbling for the device he was given with shaking fingers. The tech who attended to him had mentioned "accommodations", but what that meant is unknown. ]