checkyourself | THE TEST DRIVE MEME: MARCH

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( admin ) test drive meme

THE TEST DRIVE MEME: MARCH - APRIL

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.

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[He returned the kiss, leaning against her for a few seconds quietly before he began an explanation of what he knew.]

It messes with you, physically and mentally. They're capable of revoking what they give us here, capable of causing people to vanish for small amounts of time. We can't get out of this hotel, save for a courtyard surrounded by the outer walls of this building. So even that is a false hope of escape. It's constantly raining outside. Basically they seem to go out of their way to make us as miserable as possible here.

[Add to that his lack of magic, the inability to do any damage to the hotel and things looked rather bleak. The only light he's seen in this miserable place so far currently stands before him.]

[She gave him a smile despite the looming darkness and hopelessness of this place. There was always a bright side and she would find it. This place had a number of negative aspects, but it wasn't in her heart to completely hate something or feel depressed. She would find a way to make this bearable. For both of them.]

Then we'll have to make our own sunshine.

[Belle beamed at him, giving him another kiss.]

[He gave her a grateful smile for smile and words, returning the kiss.]

Yes. We will. I may not be capable of much here, but I'll do my best to keep you safe, warm and fed.

[As long as they were together, that was all that mattered. Hopefully in time either they or someone would find a way out of this place.]

[Coulson can't help but return the smile, relieved that she believed him. But it soon disappears in favor of telling her the other news he thinks she deserves to know.]

It took seventy years but we found Captain Rogers. He's alive.

That's all I need. It's all I want, just to be with you.

[She hugs him tightly, trying to reassure him in these gentle touches and gestures.]

[It's probably best that his news seems to steal away her voice for a few moments or she would say something foolish or make some humiliating sound. Instead she swallows hard, wrapping her hands around her coffee mug so that the trembling will be less obvious.]

Seventy years...

[Seventy years... They'd failed Steve for decades but he had been found alive, something she had never known for certain would be possible.]

Is he well?

[Alive isn't always a blessing. After being lost that long, anything could have happened to him.[

It might be spiked. That's what we're all afraid of.

[Howard might not be maintaining his usual tone, but Peggy knows she needs to. If they're going to get through this they're going to have to support each other. When her optimism starts to waver, she knows he'll do something to bolster her spirits, or cause a shouting match that will shake her out of her dark thoughts. She wouldn't have made it through the months after losing Steve if Howard hadn't kept her moving forward in such a way.]

So do I but I doubt we'll be enjoying the roller coasters anytime soon.

[Taking his arm, she nodded toward the open doorway.]

Of course. Just don't expect the scenery to improve.

Hook is here too?

[She raises an eyebrow and she glances around the room. As Gold speaks, her eyes move to the doors and windows of the room. She listens to him, taking note of everything that he's saying.

She blinks, turning to him and leaning in a little closer. The comment about his death really gets to her.] Just what is the last thing you remember?

Way to tell me how it really is, Peg. Don't sugar coat it?

[Howard frowns and steps back from the braekfast bar completely. He's very mad now, struggling to stay calm in the situation as it is. Kidnapped against his will, with food that might be poisoned in a place he can't get out of? It's not a great start for him. Taking her arm, he moves slowly, allowing Peggy to set the pace and the direction that they go in.

He doesn't want to think about the time after Steve. Mostly because she helped him get through it was well. While he didn't have the hard on for Steve that she did, he'd gotten to know the man and thought of him very fondly. Their time during the war had brought them closer together. Howard Stark didn't have many friends, alienating people too easily. Peggy, Steve, and Jarvis. That was it for him. And it hurt to think of two of them being gone now.]

How about we start with what you have found out and then do some investigating of our own, hmm? I'm guessing there isn't anyone here from the SSR either? [While he tries to smile, it doesn't quite meet his eyes.]

You'd be disappointed in me if I had.

[As they leave the dining room, Peggy assesses the guests, checking for potential problems. An old habit that Peggy doubts will ever fade. Part of her hoped that she'll see someone familiar but so far Howard has been the only one from home that she's met in this place.

Unfortunately, there isn't much for scenery in the hotel or somewhere to speak privately except their rooms. But the lobby is deserted enough with everyone focusing on breakfast. She can't help looking slightly disgusted at the state of the hotel before she shakes off her annoyance to focus on Howard's questions.]

I really haven't found out much. No one knows who our captors are or how we were brought here. There's rumors but nothing concrete. And honestly, I'm not certain who to trust. I've been told things...

[Things about the future that she's almost afraid to believe. Until she knows that they're true, she doesn't want to get her own hopes up, let alone Howard's.]

There's someone I've spoke to that works for an agency similar to the SSR.

[Not quite a lie since it technically isn't the SSR.]

He seems steady... and more respectful than the agents I work with.

He is.

[He notes the subtle surprise she shows at the comment about his demise. No doubt she was either further back than he was or she was like the others already here and some time ahead of him.]

The last thing I remember? Stabbing my father with my dagger, and dying along with him so you could end the threat of the curse he'd cast.

[Coulson notices but he kindly opts not to say anything when it comes to her reactions]

Well, he's coping. Aliens kind of attacked Earth about a year after he woke up.

Coping isn't a word that inspires confidence, Mr. Coulson.

[But it might be the best that can be expected considering how long he had been lost. Then she realizes what else he'd said.]

Aliens? As in War of the Worlds?

I know. It's just how it is. [he says with a slight helpless shrug]

And, yes, that kind. Except it's centered in New York.

I really would.

[While she assesses the guests, Howard looks around, taking in the hotel itself. The lobby is quiet enough, giving them a mere semblance of privacy, he's sure. His eyes narrow and he checks for cameras, bugs, anything that might be there. While he doesn't actually see it, he's sure that they're being watched somehow. A part of him wishes there was a radio that they could turn up or a plant they could hide behind. He notices that the hotel also looks old, really old. Not clean, not the best shape at least. He wonders who even runs the place.]

Don't trust anyone yet, Peg. We don't know. This could be Hydra. Rumours usually have some merit, but there's so much with that it's hard to piece stuff together. I don't even remember the trip here. One minute, I was with Jarvis, the next I'm not.

The SSR?

[The look on Howard's face is clear, it's full of disbelief. He doesn't like the SSR, not one bit. Only Peggy. Even the man with the crutch might have been a good man, but he's still SSR. They're not Commando's. They're not the 107th. He'd trust the SSR about as far as he could throw them off one of his planes.

Still, if Peggy trusts this man, Howard trusts her judgment. Half the time, it was better than his own.]

Well, maybe I'll meet him. After I go up to my room and try to make a drink. [At least he'd found enough tech in his suitcases to maybe set up a small lab. What else would he do but try to make alcohol first?]

What does he know, Peg? There's got to be a way out of here? We have to get back to Jarvis. Is there anyone else here we know? Is it just us?

[Eventually she'll find places that are more private for their discussions. Or give up any semblance of respectability and resort to one of their rooms so they could speak freely. Although she doubts that there is anyone here that cares about her whereabouts. This isn't the Griffith with its curfews.

The thought is accompanied by a faint pang of homesickness. She's going to miss her chats with Angie.]

I don't plan to trust anyone we don't already know but we do need to make alliances, Howard. If we don't, we'll be working blind. We'll just have to treat this as any other mission. Instinct and logic.

[Which sounded strange spoken aloud but it had always worked for them. Almost as strange as how they had gotten here.]

I don't remember how I got here but whoever did this would have had to break through all the office's security to get to me.

[An uncomfortable thought that has her wondering about the other agents that had been working late.]

Yes... uh...

[For a moment, a rare moment of uncertainty slips past the confidence Peggy is trying to project.]

He told me something rather surprising. A few things, actually.

[But should she share those details? After everything Howard had been through, would knowing about the future harm him?]

I'm sure that he would like to meet you. But I don't believe that he knows how to get out of here. If he did, he's the type that would already be organizing the evacuation.

[At the mention of Jarvis and the others, her shoulders sag slightly. She knows that she can get them both through this but the task is daunting.]

I think we're the only ones, Howard. Unless our captors decide they want to bring the others into whatever game they're playing.

[She has a few thoughts on the subject but she doubts that Coulson is the one who deserves her ire, and, knowing Steve, he isn't making the situation any easier.]

Not the expected welcome home party. I hope that there were other guests to keep the Martians entertained.

There was a lot of death and destruction but the aliens were successfully beaten back by Captain America and his team of Avengers.

Let's not hope for that just yet. As much as I'd love to have Jarvis here with us, we're better off with him back home. In case we need him.The whole better safe than sorry angle. I still don't think that he'd like it here. As fun as it would be having him have a go at the staff.

[Howard sighs, Taking Peggy's hand and pulling her over to a loveseat in the corner of the lobby. To anyone else, it would look like a couple trying to get closer. In a way, he hoped that they could at least whisper a little better. He wasn't dumb enough to try something with Peggy. He's not sure his jaw could take it.]

And me, Peg. I was in the vault with Jarvis. Taking me and not taking him? Through my security? It's a bit disheartening. I have better security than the White House. Not a good way to start off a mission...

[His voice trailed off and he scooted as close to Peggy as he could without losing his arm in the process.]

Okay... Tell me about him. Who is he? You said... Is he secret service? The Feds? I mean, he has to have told you something. I know you want us to build alliances, Peg, but I'd like to try to know some of the facts.

Evacuation. I wish. I'd need to do a little recon first. [Howard marveled at how much this place was not like home. If he wasn't trapped, he might be intrigued.] We have to explore. There has to be a secret door, a window, something. If they need to, they have to be able to get in. That's our way out. They can't just magically poof in?

It would be best if Jarvis is on the outside. Once he realizes that you're gone, he'll contact the SSR and we'll have all of them looking for us.

[Howard might not be the SSR's favorite person, but they wouldn't want him held captive by some unknown individual or organization. There was too much at risk considering what Howard could invent for the enemy if the right pressure was applied. Which made her wonder about her own place here. Was she here to be the pressure if someone needed to keep Howard under control?]

You're security is good, but there's always ways around the best systems.

[Sighing as she gathered her thoughts, she leaned closer to Howard, knowing that they needed to look like an average couple instead of like they were sharing secrets. Even if they weren't trying to keep up that image, she would have allowed the liberty. What she had been told... she needed the support even if she wasn't certain if she should tell Howard everything Coulson had said.]

He seemed to be the typical agent. Professional, unwilling to give too many details. Able to convey everything and nothing in a few words. He said he works for... an agency called SHIELD based off the SSR that we helped create.

[She still was slightly shocked at that. Neither one of them were well liked among those at the SSR. How had things changed enough that they had been influential enough to recreate it into another agency?]

I agree. We need to get an idea of what sort of place this is. There has to be access somewhere. If we can't use that, then perhaps we can catch them in the act and get information through them.

[Magic was something that Peggy didn't believe in but she had seen strange thing during the war that could be labeled as magic.]

Could they have used something like those weapons HYDRA had?

Only because they don't want to share me.

[He grumbled the words, enjoying the closeness with Peggy even if he didn't want to admit it. Shaking his head slightly, he turned to her and raised an eyebrow. His system was the best. If anyone got into his system, he'd want to know how so he could beat them properly at their own game. Since he really couldn't beat them up himself. That's what he had Peggy for. She could be his muscle.

Another thing he'd never ever admit to her.]

Wait what? SHIELD? No, that... [He blinks, swallowing slightly. The way she speaks, she sounds like she's talking about the future, but that's impossible.] Peg...

After what happened at the SSR, I put a call out to Phillips. Nothing... Nothing set in stone, but an idea I had. Something... Something above the SSR. I... [He looked away from her, unable to look her in the eyes.] I wanted to name it SHIELD after... After Steve. Make some long name that the letters stood for SHIELD. I haven't even thought that far ahead. Right now, I'm not number one on the government's list anymore, so I... It would have to wait a few years but... How could he have known that?

[Unless he was telling the truth. The thought rocks Howard to his core.]

They could have. Peggy, those weapons were like nothing I've ever seen. Even more than anything I could have invented. Like the Tesseract I pulled out of the ocean, it was foreign. If they had something at all like the power that thing could harness, then we're all screwed.

We need to find an access point. There has to be something. They provide food. They watch us. Even if it's just a camera wire back to their mission controls, we have to look around. There has to be something.

Peg... [He looked up at her, rather apologetically.] I... I'm sorry I lied to you. I really... I should have been honest.

True, but it does mean that someone will be looking for us.

[Peggy expected him to protest that his security could not be breached but they both knew that it had and if it could be done once, it could happen again. But perhaps talking of their future endeavors had been distracting enough to keep Howard from voicing that complaint.

As Howard speaks, her expression softens. Yes, she disliked the lies and evasions he seemed to think was necessary but something like this... it probably would have been best not to tell her. If he had, she would have gotten her hopes up and they very well could have been shattered.]

Howard, that... that would be a fitting tribute. We could keep his ideals going. This Coulson implied that I led this group at one time. We could have a place where anyone with merit could be welcome.

[And that was far more alluring than Peggy wanted to admit. She tried to act impervious to the mistreatment she'd been subject to at the SSR but even now, when she didn't need the approval of men who were blind to her talents, she wished that she could be thought of as useful.]

I believe he was from the future. Which means that we could be dealing with advanced technology or whatever the Tesseract really is. But I do not believe that means we can't outsmart them. We managed it during the war when their tech was beyond ours. We'll do it again.

I know, Howard. I might still be angry with you at times, but I have forgiven you. Which means I really should tell you what else Coulson said.

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THE TEST DRIVE MEME: MARCH - APRIL

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