THE TEST DRIVE MEME: MARCH - APRIL

[checkingin]

THE TEST DRIVE MEME

SO YOU WANT TO JOIN THE CREEPY HOTEL BRIGADE.

Well, welcome potential apper! Here we have the handy dandy test drive meme so you can get a feel for how your character might react to the game setting. This post can also be used to cultivate some of those required sample threads for the application.

Feel free to play any scenario you so please. However please note that TDM threads cannot be used for Activity Checks (for existing players) and will not be considered game canon unless transposed comment for comment into logs in checkingout. We also recommend avoiding playing the initial arrival, so that the intro log doesn't become repetitive and boring for you. Other than that, go wild.

Here's a few additional useful links:

PREMISE | THE HOTEL
TAKEN | RESERVES | APPLICATION

BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS.

No time for losers, because we — have waffles and pancakes and crepes and delicate bowls of ripe bananas and juicy oranges. We have bacon and oatmeal and cereal and milk; we have coffee (that's really hot and will burn you quite spectacularly) and tea (that, on the other hand, is miserably cold and bland). And we have orange juice (that might just kill you)!

Basically, every component one needs to start the day off right. Which is good, because this is the only meal ever served in the hotel. So come one, come all — get it while it's hot and try to pick among seats amidst the crowded circular tables, or stand along the wall. Bemoan the lack of hashbrowns or fight over the last fork. Mix, mingle. Have "fun".

DON'T YOU LOVE MY TASTE IN MUSIC.

What starts as soft, subtle musical notes wafting out of unseen speakers?

Yeah, that quickly manifests into blaring, loud, aggressively high pitched notes — so distorted, and reverberating so magnificently in the main lobby that even those impenetrable windows rattle in their frames.

And what's more, there doesn't seem to be an off switch anywhere in sight. Good luck finding one.

GOING DOWN.

Right by the stairwell in the lobby is an old timey elevator, the sort that really ought to be manned by staff to insure that it's in decent working condition and won't kill you. But it's usually not. And usually doesn't run.

But today, your ears are treated to an oh-so pleasant ding, and the doors will slide open, offering a ride to the floor of your choosing. Finally, no more calf workouts on the stairs, right?

...well, you probably should have taken the stairs, because three seconds in the entire carriage shudders, screeches to a halt, and refuses to move.

Then the lights begin to flicker.

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE.

Don't see a scenario that appeals to you here? Make up your own. Get crazy with it! Good luck getting outside.

Comments

one;

[wentalong]

[ As a man who credits his yearly paycheck to beating up skel junkies for information or as a favor or because they owed him money, Harvey prides himself on being able to finger one when he sees one.

And boy, does he see one. Might as well cultivate some kind of network here. ]

Hey, kid. [ Gruff, barely concerned, Bullock drops an orange on the table in front of him. Once he knows he's got the guy's attention, he tosses a muffin at him. ] Eat up.

[hacker]

Yeah, well, take it from me, Ward doesn't help anyone but himself. If he did something for you, it's because he's up to something.

[ Every time he'd saved them, every time he'd fought with them, it was all a lie. One great lie. Betrayal roils in her chest, renewed by the suggestion that he might get someone else with it. She can't say for sure if that would be better or worse than the notion that he might be doing it out of some genuine altruism because she won't entertain the notion. ]

[iustitiae]

[well it works because connor was going for "junkie" and not "accidental accessory to felony murder" and considering bullock is homicide he's REALLY LUCKY that's the one the guy picks up on. a+++ for lying skills here.

he looks up to see the orange and then at bullock and is just quick enough to catch the muffin.]

Thanks? I'm not hungry.

[wentalong]

Yeah huh. Eat the damn breakfast. Nobody needs to see you twitching all over by your lonesome trying to be all sneaky. I mean, sure I'll give you a couple points for trying but you're dealing with a professional here.

[ Connor, he's GCPD and not in Gotham City anymore. Even when he WAS in Gotham, he didn't do his job that much. You're cool. ]

[iustitiae]

What is that even supposed to mean?

[like he doesn't know exactly what this conversation is about. he picks at the muffin a little bit but doesn't take any to eat.]

I'm not "twitching" I'm just reading the paper.

[facemyenemies]

[She looked up at the woman still, chin resting there as casual as can be. Skye had tried to be the casual one when this started, now she felt mildly amused at the agitations.]

[her point was a valid one though. Kara had considered that, often enough. Lay awake and wonder what the big plan was. What Ward would want with her in the end. She had talents enough, and the mask. She felt she was valuable enough in those regards.]

[So far he had yet to -ask- for anything. Just helped her because she helped him.] Have you ever played with a mistreated animal? One that has been caged and forced to follow orders, attack or else? When that animal is free they do what they want. Maybe you helped heal it's wounds, but it doesn't forget the bad things. It might be loyal to you for the help and help you out when you need it too.

The thing to remember is that animal now knows freedom and refuses to be caged again. It knows you as the one who helped, and it knows you can help it get farther in life. Maybe some day he will turn on you. Maybe he's just using you to get what he wants, but so long as you know this, things are good.

[she shrugged at that, picking up her fork again and poking at her egg. What she said could be really he applied to either she or Ward]

Honestly, I'm fine with it, if all Ward needs is my talents. He deserves that much for all he's done for me. [So long as he stays. She isn't sure what to do on her own...]

[wentalong]

[ If this kid's going to be a stubborn ass for the long haul, then Harv is just gonna flop down in the chair opposite. Sprawling out, he shrugs as he chomps into his impromptu sausage and egg on toast sandwich. ]

Well. [ Enjoy him talking with his mouth full. #classy ] Think you know what it means, kiddo. James Bond you definitely ain't.

[nebarimisfit]

[Chiana had been getting accustomed to the layout of the hotel, by way of any number of places (ducts and vents) that kept her mostly out of sight. The Nebari was most comfortable when she had a full grasp on a situation, and she was decidedly not comfortable with having been brought here and removed from her crew and family.

She's tried any number of windows with the same locked reaction and any of the doors that have opened haven't led her to anything helpful. She's examing the back side of the welcome desk when she catches sight of Nicholas and his scrawling over the wall. She sidles that way, head tipping slightly to one side, animal like, as she studies his notes on the wall.]

Does any... Does any of that have to do with... with a wormhole?

[Her black eyes shift from the words to Nicholas, seeming unconcerned that she might have interrupted or otherwise bothered him.]

[iustitiae]

[#manspreading but trust me even connor doesnt want to see any of what youve got]

I'm seriously not looking to be anything but sitting here enjoying being stuck in hell with everyone else.

[hacker]

Mistreated.

[ She laughs. Outright laughs. ]

Don't tell me he got you on his sob story too. [ For a moment, Skye looks like she genuinely pities Kara. As though she understands what the other woman's going through, has been in her shoes. ] Did he tell you about the well? Make you feel sorry for him, like you could fix him?

[facemyenemies]

[The Well? She tilted her head to that, unsure of the reference. The look of pity however is not a welcome look. Her head tipped a bit, questioning, though she spoke]

First of all, there is no 'fixing' people like us. He didn't have to tell me stories to make me help him. Someone shot him four times when all he wanted to do was help. To keep a promise he made that person. He didn't have to make me feel sorry for him. You did that for me.

[wentalong]

[ Please, honey, this show is for one hooker's eyes only and she ain't in the building. ]

Nobody's saying they're enjoying it, okay, but hey. You're put up in a hotel for free, no bills to worry about, no work, no nagging hostess asking if you wanna jazzercise with prune jobs, no work, and — oh right — no work? That's a kind of scam I can get behind. [ Beat. ] Minus limited breakfast options and a wet bar. That stuff blows really bad and I'd complain about it if there were somebody to complain to.

[ Another bite. ]

Also a lack of people to score from, but I'm just imagining your pain there.

chianaaaaa <3

[lottawork]

[The interruption elicits a frantic spike of vicious alarm, wrist jumping, pen slipping askew and leaving a trailed, formless chaos of straggling ink in its wake. Rush should be accustomed to the unbearable irritation of having his work unceremoniously encroached upon; to assume he would be allowed to operate in blissful silence would be rather too sanguine a notion.

The initial shock is rapidly replaced with intrigue as Rush narrows his eyes at her, head angling to one side. Non-terrestrial, most assuredly, but not a species he has any great familiarity with, with its congruent casts of pale and dark.

His arm lowers as he observes her with restrained interest.]

No.

[A flat answer, decidedly non-informative, but a question mark hovers barely outside the word's periphery. Rush does not conceal his curiosity when he continues.]

Have a great deal of experience with wormholes, do you?

hey, you don't value your personal space too much, do ya, Gold? :3

[nebarimisfit]

[Chiana was hungry. She'd been wandering around the hotel by way of vents and keeping all but out of shut while trying to locate free mates from Moya.

She'd found no one this far, though she'd seen any number of unfamiliar creatures that were either more of Crichton's kind or Sebacean; she was hoping for human. She wasn't certain she could deal with being locked up with a large number of Sebaceans.

She catches whiff of breakfast, following her nose to to breakfast spread offered to the hotel residents. That's when she spies Gold and his full plate.

Now, surely Chiana could have gotten her own plate, but where would the fun have been in that? She makes her way over, knees loose and gate relaxed while still predatory at the same time; it's not in threat, it's just how the Nebari woman moves.]

Hey... want some company? [Her voice is a low and inviting lilt. Chiana is no stranger in getting her way and is used to getting it by pretty much any way she can or needs to. She invites herself to a chair opposite Gold, smile warm and black eyes amused. She doesn't sit, however, and instead perches on the chair on her feet, knees bent as she gets comfortable. She leans over and snakes the banana off his plate, smiling all the while.] Looks better than a food cube... [She peels it and takes a bite before he can say yes or no, smirking as she chews.]

Mmm. [She swallows.] Heh. Much better than food cubes. [She takes another bite, studying the man she's just taken food from as she chews.]

[hulk]

[ He's tired those same kind of lies too, even if how he appears today says little about how well that deception worked out for him. ]

Okay then.

[ A pause, then in an attempt to lighten things up. ]

Not like there's any ghosts today, not l- You ever see Ghostbusters?

[iustitiae]

[he stares at harvey for a long time. purposeful, letting him think he's weighing the idea of just giving into him and agreeing that he's gone and figured out it. he sets his jaw and folds up the paper, setting it on the table next to the orange. then, he sighs, like he's giving up the chase because it's too tiring to keep going.]

I quit before I got here. [he pauses, as if looking for the right words.] But this is a lot to handle. It's easier when you're not. You know. Creepy hotel, lack of friends or family or support or whatever.

[iustitiae]

Everyone has seen Ghostbusters.

<3

[nebarimisfit]

[Chiana watches the ink as it scrawls across the wall, a slight smirk curling her lips. She wasn't terribly accustomed to her appearance being scrutinized by others; oogled, certainly, but not scrutinized. She returns his gaze steadily, studying him in turn as she shifts and drops into a squatting position next to him.]

Mmm, no... I think it's only Crichton, then... full of dren, if ya ask me, but it doesn't stop him from going on and on about them. [She tilts her head and looks over the words again, but rolls her gaze back to him again when he speaks. A smile curls her lips, teeth flashing in her false bravado before she laughs and shakes her head.]

No. No, not me. John... John fell through one, he says... brought him from Earth way out into space. [She gestures up toward the ceiling, but never looks away from Nicholas.] Ya human?

[hulk]

You'd actually be surprised.

[ It's a twenty year old movie, never mind the parallel universe thing. ]

But anyway, th- It could be Slimer. Then it'd be ghosts and very inedible grossed-out food.

[iustitiae]

Sure, yeah. It could be that. It could be worse in any number of ways. That doesn't make it good now.

[hacker]

[ The blow strikes. Like most, Skye takes it like it glances off of her armor, barely shows the chip. But barely showing is a big step for her, and that speaks to just how much is still digs at her. There's a reason she believed she'd been seeing his ghost with the likes of Donnie Gill and Trip.

Instead of engaging with the mess of conflicting emotions and moral gray area, she stays focused. Plants one hand on the table and leans in, intent. ]

Agent 33, I'm trying to help you see what he is because we couldn't, when it counted.

[lottawork]

[The unfamiliar cant rings soft and discordant - perhaps some form of slang, he muses pointlessly, but a talent for linguistics has seldom approached his mathematical domain. He cannot wholly decide whether the appropriate reaction would be interest or unease. His expression settles upon a wary amalgamation of both.
s
'Wormholes' appear to be an abstract concept in her context; less perplexing to one who has fashioned a life's work out of opening the lock that sheathed something distant and unattainable, acting under the pressure of a structured organization that excelled at deploying innumerable expeditions through wormholes, though perhaps of a less incomprehensible nature.]

Yes, [he says simply. It is, after all, quite obvious. Human, the disappointing convention. One brow arches.] And you - I take it you're not?

[facemyenemies]

[there is a small feeling of satisfaction somewhere inside, knowing she's getting to the other. She shouldn't be this way, but she's kind of still broken in some ways. Ward is all she has, even if he isn't hers.]

[When Skye leaned on the table to say that, Kara leaned both arms on the edge of the table as well, leaning in as if to be sure to hear her. But her reply came coolly]

Who says I haven't seen what he really is? Perhaps I'm alright with him like that...

[hacker]

[ When she speaks again, there's a warning in her voice. Crisp and ready to accept a recant. ]

You're picking the wrong side.

[nebarimisfit]

Yes? Mmm... [She nods to herself, unsure what to do with the answer now that she has it. As openly obvious as the question might have been to some, there were those of other races that resembled John's own that Chiana had intimate awareness of. Sebacean would have been the worst of the possibilities, but she's put at least partially at ease when Nicholas declares himself human. Not nearly as disappointing as he might think, considering what the alternative options might result in.

She laughs then, the sound soft and breathy before she shakes her head once, gaze falling on him once more.]

No... Heh. No, I'm not. [And even not knowing the man, she knew he was smart enough to not mistake her as such.] Nebari. [The word is all but a purr off her lips as she says it, sizing up Nicholas in her own way.] Name's Chiana. [She wasn't concerned about Nebari Prime or her supposed crimes. She wasn't concerned that she'd be found here. If she was, she'd handle it then. She had ways of taking care of herself and had been doing so for years.

Her head tilts back to one side, gaze inviting and warm as she smiles at Nicholas.] What's yours?