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tdm 16

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

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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!

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Now of all times he finally noticed her. It could be purely chance of course, but she didn't think so. Lisbeth was certain he didn't know she'd been snooping through his TAB conversations for a few weeks now, both locked and unlocked. Figuring out the protocols and security measures of the TABs had taken awhile but now, the network was her free domain just as the internet had been back home. She knew as much about Isaac Clarke as anyone could here, she supposed, but Lisbeth had not expected him to suddenly call her out suddenly.

It wasn't purely chance she was here in the hallway with him. They lived nearby to one another and that was why she had taken an interest in him initially. He was in his mid to late forties, by her guess, but he was in good shape physically and seemed friendly and honest. If Lisbeth had to make an educated guess, this night in particular she did not have her hood up for once, and she had also elected to go with a mohawk for her hair style.

Once addressed, she stopped in her tracks and stared for a second, practiced expressionless for the tone she portrayed to the older man. Inside, she was at a total loss for that split second of how to behave now that they were talking face-to-face rather than her reading about him through his private correspondences.

"Hey," she finally answered, giving Isaac Clarke a quick once over.

Isaac's brows lifted and he greeted her with a half grin. "I .." He glanced to her head then her face, really he liked all of what he was seeing, she was definitely a colorful character. "I like what you do with your hair." He gestured to her head then moved his hand to wipe over the top of his head. He had a fair amount of thick grey into his hair. It would be more due to the distress he was constantly in rather than the actual age; or so he'd defend himself. Not that he had ever anticipated getting into a conversation about his hair.

"Huh." He checked out there a minute, but brought himself back to the present time before he spoke up again. "Do we live in the same building?" She was quite distinguishable, he was sure to have seen her before, she looked unlike any other he's seen and he's seen some individuals here. Not to mention the alien life that lived here. That gave him a cold shiver and he shook his head to clear his mind again, the shiver was also visible. He blinked tightly before huffing.

"Sorry, I can't place you.."

She didn't mind that he didn't recognize her. It was a refreshing change from back home, where people thought she stood out like a sore thumb everywhere. Such an odd girl, seemed to be the common opinion others had of her. Perhaps it was backwards, but she found his not recognizing her as more of a compliment than anything. That meant, maybe, he wasn't trying to label her.

The compliment threw her off and Lisbeth continued to stand there staring with wide eyes at the much older man. It was odd this, being so close to someone she had been snooping on. So far as she could tell he was uninvolved with anything illegal and had no significant other.

Before too long a stretch of silence came from her, she finally gave a quick: "Yes." Her eyes fell away and off to the side before looking back up at him again, and she stuck both of her hands in the front pockets of her black jeans. "I live a few floors up from you." After just a second longer she said, more quietly. "You have nice hair too."

Isaac chuckled and shifted his weight nervously. He brought his hand up to touch at his sorry state of hair. His hands were stained with oil and an ash-colored grease from his long hours at work. Even after work he buried himself in the various projects he had at home, it was part of keeping his mind occupied so it wouldn't wander down dark corridors. His hand fell to his side. "I had a difficult time finding the right product to.. really bring out the grey." He teased. Yet, there was some truth to it. It was like shopping in a foreign food market and all the packages were a language he couldn't read. It was a big risk if you bought some Drain-o thinking it was shampoo.

Isaac blinked over her and considered how small she was, though she clearly was an adult, she was a tiny woman. He looked then past her. "Are you," his eyes met hers again, "headed home?" If so they could at least walk together. Rather than go in the same direction and avoid conversing, that would be awkward!

There was a bit more grey up there than she'd at first realized. Maybe he was older than she thought he was. Lisbeth's expression never changed, but she could be seen looking over his hair as she took a few slow steps closer. Her tall black boots were partially unlaced and made thumping noises with both steps.

"No." Lisbeth took one more step closer and took her hands out from her jean pockets, only to put them in her leather jacket's pockets a few seconds later. The no was followed by a long silence, just long enough to perhaps make him think she wouldn't follow it up with anything, until she added: "I was going to the corner store. To get some beer."

Lisbeth stuck her bottom lip out for a moment as she considered him. He had the kindest eyes. "Want to come?"

He probably could do with some serious distraction, going to the market didn't seem intense enough for him. However, he could pick up a few things from the store to go along with his projects. Who knew, maybe they'll run into something dangerous and he could exert some of his pent up energy into stomping the daylights out of it. Violence was something he thought about a lot as well. He often looked around himself for possible weapons, ways out as in escape routes, and danger signs. Part of the paranoia.

"Yeah, .. yeah." He should pick up some dinner too. Turkey was a good idea, that'll put him to sleep. Damn, he needed to get another fan too. "I could use a few more things.. Are you around here.. well, native...?" He let her lead the way before he followed.

Isaac seemed very distracted. She had noticed that to on his video feeds but hadn't quite put a name to it until interacting with him herself, in person. It was like his mind was floating around somewhere nearby but not planted in the moment. Lisbeth couldn't judge, she had been accused of similar herself.

"No. I'm from Earth, early twenty-first century. You?" Given his conversations she was already fully aware that he was technically of Earth if not exactly from it. She wasn't sure he was from it. She did know he was from space, far in the future, and was a nerdy and techy sort who had the promise of being very intelligent.

It was a short walk to the store, a few minutes at most, and Lisbeth did more watching of him than she did looking at the products on the shelves. She did pick up a case of beer, as well as a pack of cigarettes. She couldn't help wondering how upset he would be if he knew she had hacked his TAB. That thought made her frown slightly as she came around the end of the aisle to see what he was picking up for himself.

"Earth, right." He couldn't help but wonder in what parallel universe this girl was from earth, or if her twenty-first century was the same of his historic twenty-first century. Well, it would be interesting to meet some of the people in the past, especially influential historic figures! Leonardo Da Vinci, Shakespeare, even Cesare Borgia! They were all such important figures in their own right, turn of the century minds that were so incredibly beneficial and before their times. Leonardo is the engineer's guide in pushing the limitations of earth-bound chains; what would he think were he to find that humans had finally flown so high into the sky?

Ah, but she is from the twenty-first century. Isaac wondered what names he could think of that he knew from that time era. Yes, there have been such amazing feats; the discovery of DNA for one thing was unparalleled in his mind, yet that bled into technology that became invasive. Still, religion was such a big part of his world that it held a tight grip in the progression of the human race.

It wasn't until he felt a sudden stare that he looked from his box of noodles in his hand to the girl and realized he'd been off in his head again. "Yeah, I've been here for about two months.." He answered a question he thought she'd asked.

Where had he gone to this time? Lisbeth blatantly stared, watching his profile as his eyes became unfocused and he stood there still, quiet, lost somewhere in time and space, not really looking at the box of noodles at all but rather through it. She imagined for a second that the box was a small wormhole and that Isaac was circling around the event horizon of it.

Maybe she'd gotten lost in thought too. His sudden answer to a question which she'd never asked had her eyes widening slightly. Lisbeth blinked quickly a few times and despite herself, a crooked little smile turned the corner of her mouth.

"Same here. Grab me a box too, we'll have it with our beer." She invited herself over to his place, or him over to hers, either way. Lisbeth thought to herself that he was an odd man and maybe, if he thought she was odd too, that would be alright. "Get some crackers too."

Isaac nodded and he grabbed another package. Down the next aisle he picked up some crackers and a few bags of sweets that he'd grown fond of. He wondered just how long people from earth have been in this place, and he only assumed it was long enough to integrate food like crackers, candy, beer even in this world. What would they have eaten if there wasn't already a supply for the demand no doubt by earthiens?

There definitely were humans from earth behind the evolution of food here, as the native creatures likely didn't have a craving for microwaved popcorn and licorice.

Hell, when will there be religion established here, or is there already? Isaac didn't like that thought at all. Beer wasn't necessarily the best thing for him to drink, so he grabbed some tea leaves for himself. Pot helped, a lot. He'd have to find some more, maybe he'll make an anon broadcast for it tonight.

Lisbeth paid for her half of the items, and let him pay for his. As they walked out together she glanced up at him (being as he was considerably taller than she), but said nothing. He had gone silent again and she found that she didn't mind. It was nice, being with someone without having to say anything. Besides, she was preoccupied.

She couldn't believe she was breaking all of her own habits to watch some TV and drink some beer (and tea?) with some man. This wasn't back home where she could find out anything she wanted to about someone's whole life. The TAB network hardly offered much in the way of clues about Isaac. He seemed a decent sort, but who really knew? For all her poking and snooping around, the 40-something could turn out to be a complete psycho murderer.

But then there they were. Lisbeth had lead them up to his apartment, and waited for him to let them in. Before she actually stepped through the threshold she suddenly spoke up, her expression intense. "If you try to hurt me, I'll cut off both your hands. Got it?"

Her sudden voice startled him and he turned to look at her with wide eyes, although the words weren't necessarily offensive, hell he's been in plenty of situations where he had to risk and put some trust with someone he didn't know only for them to come around and try and hurt him. "Fair enough." He nodded before he finished walking into his apartment. He shut the door behind her and hung up his keys on a push pin beside the door. He'd forget them otherwise, and gestured for her to go in further.

Isaac took in a deep breath and followed after her, although a bit cautiously after her warning. He wasn't interested in hurting her, for all he knew she could be yet another figment of his imagination. Thus far she was his nicest visitor, save for Nicole who dared pop up even after the fact.

Nicole, she was his ex-girlfriend. She was where it all began, though he encouraged her descent into madness (unknowingly), the USG Ishimura. She took the job out there on that damned ship and reeled him in for revenge, or he went out of penitence. As if he too deserved the load of madness that was to follow. So, he's been here a few months, but how could he be sure he wasn't dreaming all along? Or dead.

Better not ask her something that would freak her out, something like: are you real? Staring at her was much better, surely. Isaac was still as he stared at the girl. He didn't even know her name, right?

She felt on edge as he closed the door and she watched to see if he locked it. When he didn't, Lisbeth relaxed just slightly. Immediately she looked around the room for potential weapons in case he did try to hurt her after all. Beer bottles. Those keys hanging up. Knives in the kitchen? Pen on a side table. Lamp. Lisbeth took in a slow breath and looked back up to the man and found she was being stared at.

Her brows furrowed slightly and while she tried to remain expressionless, some wariness came to her face which might be mistaken for annoyance. "You don't drink?" she ended up asking, while walking side-ways towards the kitchen she spotted. Once at the counter she set the case of beer down before pulling the new pack of cigarettes out of her jacket pocket and setting those on the counter too. She took the jacket off, tossing it on a nearby chair, and somehow making herself look even tinier than before with just a simple black t-shirt on over a black tank top. "You mind if I smoke in here?"

Isaac gently shook his head. He blinked down at his kitchen table where a pile of gears, tools, scraps of metal, and a block of something or other was on. He never used the kitchen table for himself. Some nights he got fancier than his package of noodles and takeout with a home cooked meal but still he parked himself in the living room to eat over a show on the tube or the network. "If you like." He didn't mind smoke. His apartment smelled like a grease shop anyhow. There was one project in the kitchen, another in the living room and even a small one in the bathroom. He'd gotten into taking apart some of the machinery here to see how it works and found it comparable to what he'd know of earth.

Some of it was old machinery, some of it new. But he needed to know more, he wanted to know more. Christ, if the whole planet(x2) was a machine like Tau Volantis and it was just sucking them all in for the ride one by one then he'd be fatefully appropriate for such an end.

Didn't matter where he was, the shit followed him to no end. "I .. I get worse when I drink, I .. hm, it's just not good for me." He shrugged and gestured to her. "But .. I mean, I'm not dangerous.. to you."

Lisbeth took that to mean that he was either a mean drunk or a seriously depressed drunk. She frowned slightly, looking over his face carefully and noting when he again tried to reassure her. It was so easy for men, she thought to herself, they didn't understand she was taking about a twenty-five percent chance of either being killed or at the least attacked while alone with him.

Why was she even here?

She huffed and shook her head, stowing the beer on the back counter instead and she started looking through his cupboards. Lisbeth didn't want to drink alone. When she found a kettle, she filled it and set it on the stove to warm up. They could use it for their tea and their noodles.

"Got any eggs?" she asked while sticking the cigarette in her mouth and taking the time to light it up. Lisbeth had no interest at all in cooking but she could handle a poached egg with her ramen.

Isaac palmed the left side of his cheek and rubbed at his check before he drew his palm down to scratch at his chin. "Yeah," he then went to the fridge to obtain the egg carton from it. "You know.. I went to the chicken farm.. where we get these eggs.. I just.. I guess it was a few weeks ago, it's huge.. all they do is chicken. They told me there's a cow farm too.. haven't been yet. I just.. I guess it's comforting seeing some of what we're use to.. here. Food wise." He said though stared at the carton in his hand before he moved his hand over to the other, "what was your name?" Had he told her his? "I'm Isaac." Hadn't she asked when he'd come from? Right: "2514, the year.. I come from.." He looked then back to the egg cartons. "I haven't seen anyone yet.. that I know.. but I know that there's a few of us from Earth." He licked his lips and glanced to the table. "I worked as an engineer.. so.. I like to do these hobbies around.. keep my mind busy." He drew in a breath. "What did you do?"

It was good, him talking. He had a nice voice and Lisbeth was content to get watch the kettle as its water warmed up. Every ten seconds or so she'd take a drag on the cigarette and every time while she was, her eyes would be on Isaac as she exhaled the plume of smoke. He was very good-looking.

At the mention of the hobbies, she glanced at the electronics which she had noticed upon first arriving. Lisbeth was a fair hand at such things herself but not at the league of a professional engineer from 2514. Just as her eyes went up to Isaac again, the kettle announced itself ready and she took it off the heat. Lisbeth held the cigarette between her lips as she pulled out two bowls and cracked the noodles in each, cracked an egg in each, then poured the water over them.

"Lisbeth," she answered, somewhat quiet in the response. "I worked at a security firm in Sweden." She looked back up at him. "Were you good? At your job?"

"Oh, very." Isaac said with half a grin. There wasn't much he had to smile about but he could at least be proud and smile about his work. He was brilliant, especially under pressure. He was an expensive disaster as well, though he couldn't and wouldn't take full credit of the Titan; after all it wasn't his demons he had unleashed. Rather it was to do with the religious plague that brought Titan's downfall. All of those people, all of those kids. Isaac shook his head. "Well, I'm just trying to figure it out here.. how the technology is different and what .. forces of power they use. I never believed in magic.. but that's what the popular thought was on things that were science back when we couldn't explain as such." He licked his lips and he gestured to the table. "Toasters, microwaves, it's interesting that they're built with the same concepts as we knew them back home.. I haven't come across one yet that used a material I couldn't explain." He blinked and looked to Lisbeth. "Were you good at security?"

Alright, he was smart. She'd give him that. While she listened, she only watched what she was doing enough to make sure she didn't burn herself with boiling water. As she poured them both a mug of water with a tea packet in, her eyes were mostly directed towards the older man. At the return question, she stopped and stared at him for a good long few seconds without even blinking.

"Yes," was the simplest answer. People weren't secure from her, but for those whom her boss was hired to protect the interests of, she supposed she was security for them. Back home she never had any interest in sharing with people what she did but here, it didn't matter so much, and he was being friendly.

"I was a researcher. Big companies or rich old bastards would hire our firm to look into other people for them, like the CEOs of other big companies they were going to merge with. It was my job to find all the skeletons in their closets: gambling debts, pedophilia, how often they beat their wife, how often they fucked their mistress, all their off-shore tax-free bank accounts. The usual." Lisbeth looked down at the bowls and the quickly boiling eggs in them.

Maybe it was better now to admit what she'd done than later. "I looked into you too but I can't find much here. The TAB isn't linked into every aspect of everyone's lives like the 'net was on Earth." She brought her eyes up to him again. "You seem okay." Not that he would know, but from her, that was rather high praise.

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tdm 16

test drive meme

welcome to thisavrou

escoria

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