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

Mr. Gold {Rumpelstiltskin} | Once Upon a Time

[magicsprice]

[Gold is no stranger to world hopping by now, but at least those trips had been planned and he'd expected them. Needless to say the man is far from pleased as he surveys the breakfast line up while leaning on the cane in one hand. His one apparent piece of luck in this forsaken building, having the cane readily at hand, especially given he actually needs it again here.

He's already tested the tea and found it lacking, thus he's settled for the coffee, debating on the rest of the menu and wondering if the rest of the food is just as hit or miss.

After a time he's filled the plate with pancakes, bacon and a banana. Carrying it and the coffee is a careful balancing act as he makes his way to seek out a table with an empty chair.]

[carjacked]

[ Reuniting with his father had been a strange and emotionally exhausting affair, and watching him struggle now without his magic in this rat trap motel was interesting to say the least. It takes some measure of restraint to watch from a dispassionate distance, arms crossed, one eyebrow raised, as his father sorted through the tedium of a breakfast buffet.

Yeah. Weird.

Watching him struggle with a plate, a cup, a cane, and a chair, though was a little too cruel. He heaves a sigh and strides forward, cutting past his father to tug a seat out for him without a word. He was jaded and things between them were weird, but he wasn't an asshole. ]

[magicsprice]

Thank you.

[It wasn't easy to come to terms with what has been thrown at him, if he were to be honest with himself, he's still not actually come to terms with it. It's worst than having used his foresight and gotten a bad vision of a future he didn't want. At least he could have sought to make certain it didn't come to pass.

He set the cane against the edge of the table to free his hand to set cup and plate down on the table, seating himself in the chair afterward.

He opened his mouth to ask his son to join him, then hesitated before he'd actually gotten the first syllable spoken. It wouldn't hurt anything to ask surely, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the refusal that he half feared would come.

He sighed, briefly glancing between the meal before him and his son. He'd never know if he didn't take the chance and ask.]

W-would you care to join me for breakfast?

[carjacked]

[ His father's question is met with something of an instant huff. Not necessarily of derision, just a huff, something lacking in humor though it resembles a laugh. His eyes dart away, arms shifting where they're crossed against his chest.

He can't say it's an unreasonable request. He also can't say it's something he particularly wants to do. ]

Yeah, no thanks. We pretty much live on breakfast food 24/7. I'll take a pass on pancakes.

[ He mutters unhappily.

But his father's new here. Kidnapped into this strange place, crippled again, faced with his dead son. One sit-down session isn't going to kill him.

So with some measure of begrudging reluctance, he lowers himself into the seat across the table from his father, surveying the man and his flapjack stack warily. ]

[magicsprice]

[At first the negative answer and the noise have him certain he's about to eat alone. It shouldn't hurt as much as it does, he'd expected it really, but he'd hoped to at least get to spend some time with his boy. Thus it's to his pleasant surprise that despite Bae's obvious desire not to be here with him, that his son sits down at the table with him. He squashes the desire to attempt to express apologies for both past and future mistakes once again. He's already given them for his errors in the past and nothing he can say can do anything about the future. He'd rather not come off like some kind of broken record. He can only try to prove to those who know him here that he's capable of change, and learning from his mistakes. He offers his son a small grateful smile for at least keeping him company and turns his attention to the plate before him. No doubt given that bit about breakfast being served twenty-four/seven here, he'll soon enough end up sick of the fare, but for now he approaches it carefully, eating at a reasonable pace once he's certain the food is decent and not miserable and cold as the tea had turned out to be.] There's no way to supplement the menu with something different? [It was possible there was nothing but food to be used for breakfast in the kitchens, or the guests here weren't allowed to access the kitchens.]

[carjacked]

[ Neal's lips twitch down at that smile, just a flash of a thing, a twitch, before they're back to neutral again. Like he's contemplative, like he's immediately second guessing his decision, but surpressing the urge to act on it. Him and his father may have been on moderate terms during Neal's passing, but there's no denying a lingering tension that probably won't ever fully fade. At least, not that he'd put money on.

Forgiving and showing affection to your father on your deathbed and having small talk with him are two very different things. There's, like, a level.

This is a weird level. ]

We get popcorn once a month. It's practically christmas.

[ He comments dryly, like it's the oh-so-brightest silver lining on their cloud. Not. ]

[magicsprice]

[The twitch has him quietly withdrawing into himself, wondering if he'll ever be able to actually re-gain anything close to that acceptance and forgiveness he'd briefly gotten after being released from Pandora's Box. It would seem that whatever had caused him to do what he had in the future had ruined such a chance.

Taking a careful sip of his coffee he tries to find a topic that isn't a potential land mine, and comes up lacking. He's not very good at this small talk thing.

Especially when it's with someone he cares so much about. He's too prone to sticking his foot firmly in his mouth then.

He's tempted to ask for a tour of this building, but that might be pushing what tolerance he has too far. For now he lapses silent, alternating between small drinks of the coffee and the rest of his meal.]

I TOTALLY STOLE THE PLATE IDEA SRY NOT SRY

[villainously]

( he shouldn't be surprised. with all the terrible things this place has been known to throw at them, it was only a matter of time until a crocodile slithered in. the months have not been kind to the pirate, and he's not-so-slowly slinking into the darkness he wore so readily in Neverland. so seeing the monster that has caused so much disaster in his life in the breakfast room really doesn't hit him well.

he isn't blind, he notices the limp. even the Dark One has no magic here. it makes him think it'd be so bloody easy to kill him, the coward has no strength without magic. wouldn't it serve the dark one fucking right, to kill him with the evil hand that he'd refused to take back without a proper payment? it'd be easy, and considering Milah is still shadowing him with hatred painted in her eyes, for a moment he really does consider it.

instead, he takes to casual cruelty as he always does when he has power over the dark one. in Storybrooke he'd used it to get favors for free, in the Enchanted Forest he'd used it to make him look the fool, and here. . . well, Hook just wants to make him feel as powerless as he has, trapped unable to trust a part of his own body not to harm the people he cares about. it just takes a slight tap to tumble the precarious balance of the plate and send it to the floor. )

What a pity. You could use an extra hand.

( his hostility is obvious, and hints that he'd like to be a great deal more violent than just knocking over a plate. )

[magicsprice]

[The hand over his cane tightens in response to that hostile mocking statement, a slow steady hiss escaping him as he deals with the simple fact that with the plate also went his coffee which has nicely set his good leg to burning like fire. Brown eyes move to give the pirate a look that if possible would have the skin flayed off the man.] Resorting to petty violence now are we? A pity you don't have your hook. [It's a fortunate thing for him the pirate doesn't, because he's quite certain the man would see to it that it found itself once more in his chest in a reenactment of that moment in Manhattan. He turns away from the pirate, leaving the mess upon the floor as he seeks to leave the room. He's grateful he's no stranger to pain, because walking with the way his leg is burning is killing him, especially with how his pant leg is sticking to the injured area. While he'd like to eat, he has no intentions of giving Hook a second chance to knock a second plate out of his hand.]

[villainously]

( he doesn't look particularly repentant for the spilled plate or the spilled coffee. a burn really doesn't compare to watching the woman he loved die in his arms, so, they're not even close to even actually. considering the Dark One has left him stuck with a hand that could send him back on the path he's trying to escape. you know, the path of redemption; the one he was doing so well on, considering he was flipping plates of food out of a man's hand unprovoked.

well, his hand was evil, right? could he really be blamed?

Hook mostly expected the Dark One to retaliate, and not with words. he'd experienced quite well how much pain that cane could inflict. his eyes narrowed, petulant when the crocodile chose to walk away instead. it won't be that easy to escape him, not when he has a bone to pick. )

If only, Crocodile. I came to you to get my hook back, and instead I wound up here. Considering it's just as demented as I used to be, you shouldn't be shocked at a little spilt milk. Tell me, is this some bloody ploy to get Baelfire back? I should have bloody known.

[magicsprice]

[Of course the bloody pirate just has to follow him and natter nonsense at him. He makes his way toward a chair in the lobby. At least he could get off both legs as he's being pestered.] This is no ploy of mine, pirate. I was perfectly content where I was before I was brought here. I didn't ask to be brought here, assaulted both mentally and physically, and told that my life is about to truly become worst than I ever thought it could. [Reaching the chair he'd aimed for, he lowers himself into it with a faint wince and gives the man an annoyed look.] So excuse me if I don't feel sorry for you and that stupid piece of flesh you're blaming for your own bad attitude.

[villainously]

( well they can both get points for nattering nonsense, because Hook doesn't particularly understand what he's on about. who told him his life was going to get worse? the pirate doesn't sit and join him, keeping his place standing, even as he set both palms on the table and leaned toward his mark. )

Blaming for my bad attitude? You're the one that told me it was cursed, when you restored it. ( surely he couldn't have forgotten that, it was a month or longer considering how long he'd been trapped, but the Dark One is not one to forget anything. neither, for that matter, is Killian Jones.

granted, Rumpelstiltskin never told him it was cursed, just that it was the hand of the man he used to be. cursed simply makes him feel less responsible. )

[magicsprice]

[The award for letting him know his life was undoubtedly going end up going pear-shaped would be his son. Nothing like learning that despite his best efforts to keep his son alive, his boy still died and he still lived.

He gave Hook a look of disbelief at the words delivered.]

And you believed him? Really? I would have thought you smarter than that. To set things straight however, I didn't restore your hand. At least not yet I haven't.

[He had to wonder just how Hook had managed to get him to restore his hand. He suspected it wasn't anything pleasant. Especially given the captain had been given the suggestion the hand was cursed.]

[villainously]

What the. . . ( the pirate straightens, annoyed. he will pretty much always hate the Crocodile, but it's harder to throw things in his face when he doesn't remember doing them. they've gone into this at least once, now; Regina is apparently from his future, which means it makes sense that it's possible for Rumpelstiltskin to be from his past.

he just doesn't like it, is all. )

Kindly don't refer to yourself as someone else. You're still the Crocodile, past present and future. ( doesn't matter if he hasn't done it yet, because he will. ) I didn't believe it until it was too late, and of course you had a price to take it off again. ( Hook doesn't even know the price, as of yet, but he knows how foolish he would have been to pay it. to spare the risk of hurting someone he actually cared about, the knave didn't qualify. ) When the fuck did you get here? Are you honestly trying to claim you've no idea what's going on? I don't buy it.

( Rumpelstiltskin had to have fingers in this pot, somehow. Hook doesn't believe any alternative. )

[magicsprice]

It's the fact that you actually do believe it that has me in disbelief. [The statement is half serious, half a quip. He can guess why Hook is so inclined to believe that the hand is cursed. It's far easier to blame something else, than admit to one's faults after all. A thing he knows too well.]

Well, you should know all magic comes at a price. If you want the hand removed and the hook restored via magic, then you should be prepared to pay for it. It isn't like you can't cut it off yourself. [Well, back home he could have. He's uncertain if there are any knives in this place which would be suitable for such a task here.]

I arrived yesterday, spent the day adjusting. Yes, I am saying I have no idea what is going on, here or back in Storybrooke at your apparent timeframe. When I was taken, Bae was alive.

[Which should be enough to tell the man he was from some time in the past, given he's learned his son died at some point in the near future. Sorry, Captain, the ol' Croc has no claws in this particular pot this time.]

[villainously]

( he's not in a mood to quip back and forth with the Crocodile. (when is he, really.) he just glowers darkly and says nothing at all. this confrontation is not going the way he'd like, because for once Rumpelstiltskin is not holding all the pieces. he's not sure what to make of that.

differentiated timelines were incredibly confusing. Regina remembered more, Neal had died and obviously didn't remember things past that. and now the Dark One had arrived before Baelfire had even passed. the pirate exhaled an annoyed note, rubbing at his forehead.

as much as he hates it, having the Dark One might be an aide in finding a way out. even without magic. )

He's clearly not dead here, Crocodile. We find a way out, we take him along. We've done it once, we can do it again. ( it's not said to comfort, really, it's more of a stop sulking so we can solve this. ) You're not the only one without magic, but surely you can think of something. ( he had his fingers in too many pots, it was rare that Rumpelstiltskin didn't know something. sadly, this would be that rare moment, wouldn't it? )

[magicsprice]

[He'd been about to say that it was rather obvious that his son wasn't dead here, but that latter line of Hook's about 'he'd done it once, he could do it again' has him pausing. He gets the hidden message in a manner of speaking. Straightening up as best he could in his seat without aggravating the burned left leg that had finally begun to die down to a manageable dull throbbing.] We can try, yes. Mind if I ask what you mean by 'You've done it once, you can do it again'? [Because to be honest, he's not entirely certain what you mean by that. Dead was dead, unless you happened to be the Dark One unfortunately.]

[villainously]

Try? Really, you'd curse an entire land to get your way, and now we're going to stick it at try.

( if only Hook knew enough about pop culture to quote Yoda. do or do not, there is no try. he shakes his head, utterly uninterested in taking try as an answer. he would be getting out, as would Emma, as would Bae. and now, unfortunately, as would the crocodile. ridiculous as it was, they weren't explicitly on opposite sides...

or so he thought.

he isn't sure how much it's wise to tell the Dark One about his own future. though a part of him is surprised he doesn't remember. apparently his foresight has been lost to him, too. )

Dreadful business to spoil your future, but we might know with actual proof that it's possible to go back in time. And that you can bring someone from the past along with 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.]