Test Drive Meme: April/May 2015

[undergroundmods]

Update: 19/05/15: Looking for characters to tag you in advance of applying? Look no further than this volunteer list from our current batch of players who are willing to help out! NB. TDM threads are not necessary in order to apply. But you do need threads from somewhere, so feel free to start here.

"The Jam - Start" (Watch on YouTube)

Welcome to the first Underground test drive meme! This is where you can try out the AU version of your character, start some potential CR and get a feel for the world of the game. Choose your character's species, read up on the available factions and you're ready to go.

Put your character's name in your subject line when you post, tag out, and have fun!

Here are some prompts to inspire you:

1) START. Welcome, newcomer! You've just moved to London. Go see the sights, enjoy the Thought of the Day at the Tube station, take pictures of Buckingham Palace. Just try not to lose your way.

2) IT'S A HARD DOUBLE LIFE. So, you're trying out this "normal" thing. Pretending to be human, paying the rent, working or studying, having a drink at the pub, etc. You're trying, that's the point. But anyone can slip up...

3) RUN/CHASE. Whether you're hunting humans or other supernatural types, there's always a thrill in the chase. London at night is brimming with life and who knows what lurks out there in the darkest alleyways, the bars and clubs, parks or tube stations. Perhaps you're the one being hunted after all.

4) LIGHT IT UP. (30th April) The fire festival of Beltane is a time of celebration for witches, marking the beginning of summer. Come along to the bonfire for music, food and drink, flower crowns and fertility rituals.

5) SLIDING DOORS. (1st May) Beltane is also a time when the barrier between the human world and the Other Realm is at its thinnest, making it easy to pass from one realm to the other by chance. You might even have an encounter with the mysterious and mischievous fae.

6) ENEMY ENCOUNTER. Bad luck. You've come across a member of an enemy faction or species in a place you wouldn't expect. Maybe you're waiting for the same bus. Maybe they walked into your favourite café. Maybe – horrors – you work in the same office. This is going to be awkward.

7) FULL MOON. (4th May) Uh oh, it's that time of the month. Werewolves, have you been feeling more aggressive lately? A little short of temper? Better start preparing for your monthly transformation and hope that you don't get interrupted. And then there's the morning after, which feels like a massive hangover. Wait, where are your clothes?

8) CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE. Anything goes.

Comments

[viduation]

Some days, the coyote finds him, and Derek catches sight or scent of it before it darts away. He never chases - it - she - always shows up again. Some days, he finds the coyote, always when her guard is down and only ever briefly. Today, it's the latter. Maybe it's coincidence, but even if Derek was inclined to believe in that, the fact is that this city is too big to keep running into someone, or something. She's no stray dog, hanging around where she knows there'll be food or a safe place to sleep, but she doesn't do much in the way of staking claims, either. She just hangs around. Wanders.

And that wandering happens to have their paths crossing. Once had been weird. Twice had made him think.

Laura had told him, during one late night conversation, where they felt brave enough to talk about what was lost (rather, he felt brave enough - Laura never seemed to struggle with that they way he does), the rumour about their uncle. But it had been a story, something she'd over heard between their mom and dad when she was sneaking home from a party late at night. There had been no confirmation, and then suddenly there had been a thousand more important things and nobody to ask.

So Derek wonders. London's zoos are still not missing any coyotes, and she still doesn't smell like just an animal. Frowning, he watches her root around in the trash. She's a shifter, he's convinced of that much, but he wouldn't expect a feral one to be out in the centre of London.

Eventually, he makes his mind up. Leaping off the roof and striding across the quiet street, he comes to stand in the mouth of the alley. He doesn't come closer, not yet, and he doesn't say anything. He simply stands there, watching, curious to see what she'll do, if she'll take off again.

He might even be hopeful.

[tippytoes]

She remembers him. Or, more accurately, she remembers hearing about him, his sisters and his mother. Her mother always had kind things to say about the majority of the Hale family, but was quick to mention that she'd never really heard much from them. Peter had made sure of that. Her mother knew enough, though, to know that Talia was a good Alpha that took care of her pack. Peter, on the other hand—her mother never had a good word to say about him. Malia still doesn't know the details, but she does know that he's not someone she wants to know.

Funnily enough the first time he sees her is entirely on accident. She's waiting for the green light to cross the street, and she catches his scent on the wind just as she's about to cross. Panic at being found by him when she's not ready for it overrides any kind of curiosity and she bolts quickly into the dark alleyways, ignoring her initial desire to return to her hidey hole for clothes so she can change back into human for a while. When she's calmed down, she reconsiders. And the next time she catches wind of him (literally) she follows. But she doesn't approach.

After a while it becomes almost like a game of chicken. She knows when he's watching her, and she knows he knows when she's watching him. He is extraordinarily good at sneaking up on her and she rarely manages to realize he's there before he realizes she's there.

Tonight is one of those nights. Her ears twitch at the sound of footsteps coming towards her, but she ignores it because tonight she's actually managed to find good food. The restaurant's garbage she's managed to dig through has yielded an almost intact steak, and she's tearing away at it with gusto. She doesn't get fresh meat, very much. Malia stops when he does, downwind of him now. She swallows and lifts her head slowly, watching him.

It's the closest they've ever been to one another. And if he's going to take that next step—then Malia will, too.

She licks her jaws and then steps towards him slowly, coming to stop just a few feet away. And then she sits. And waits.

[viduation]

( continued here )