Test Drive Meme: Feb/March 2016

[undergroundmods]

"Pulp - Common People" (Watch on YouTube)

Welcome to the 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!

Note to current players: Activity in this meme counts as game canon! So you can use it for activity check. If you end up playing anything that you can't or don't want to use as game canon, it's fine to ignore it. (In that case you shouldn't submit it for activity check.)

Here are some prompts to inspire you:

1) COMMON PEOPLE. What do normal Londoners do every day anyway? Sometimes you just want to blend in with everyone else. Make friends with humans. Talk about the weather. Go on, try it.

2) PENTHOUSE SUITE. But wait. Maybe you want to see how the other half live. The elite of the elite. You've been lucky enough to be asked to a meeting, or a luncheon, or a date. Find out what the most powerful people in London are really like.

3) GET OUT YOU FILTH. Supernatural prejudice is a regrettable fact of life in London. It doesn't matter what you are, there's someone out there who hates you because of it. They'll shun you, heckle you, even hunt you down and kill you. Of course, you're probably not immune to a few prejudices yourself.

4) SPEED DATING. Oh god. Why did you sign up to this. You should have known it was a bad idea when someone mentioned it was supernatural speed dating. Help.

5) THE REAL UNDERGROUND. Down in the darkest corners of the Tube, there are supernatural vagrants of all kinds, especially vampires. That friendly busker may well be a fae. That girl waiting for the next train is a ghost. Once you've seen it, you can't escape from it.

6) IN THE SUPERMARKET. On the other hand, you never know what you might find just walking around your local supermarket. You haven't forgotten how to do normal things like groceries, right?

7) A CURSED EXISTENCE. Maybe you literally are cursed. Maybe you just feel like it sometimes. There are things you can't do, weaknesses that normal humans aren't subject to, but they make everyday life in London that little bit more difficult. Try not to get too mad about it.

8) CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE. Anything goes.

Comments

Connor Walsh | How To Get Away With Murder | Human

[iustitiae]

speed-dating

[this was probably a terrible idea. speed-dating? with supernatural? this was maybe like replying to a craig's list ad that ends with AND WE PROMISE WE AREN'T GOING TO MURDER YOU but really you're totally gonna get murdered. i mean, there were supernatural creatures that, like, ate people and stuff, right? vampires? maybe werewolves?

and yet

and yet

curiosity is a terrible thing. curiosity is always such that, once you'd started to think about the what ifs, you couldn't stop. and connor was never good about temptation. what if he didn't get murdered, though? what if he just had really really great sex with someone with cool powers? that could be worth it right? little bit kinky.

so, yeah. speed dating. speed dating. what a concept. and here he was, dressed all nice in a suit, presenting himself like he's 100% confident and not as if things had been going to absolute shit for him lately. what a great distraction this could be. and, oh? what's that? brandy? don't mind if he does.]

So tell me, [he looks at your name card and says your name, probably hopefully pronouncing it right] you're stuck on a desert island and can only bring one book, what is it?

the real underground

[connor can't really explain the feeling. it feels stupid, every time he practices it out loud. "i just feel...haunted?" what a joke. what a great big fucking joke. of course you'd feel haunted, if you fucked up so badly. that doesnn't mean ghosts are real.

and yet, knowing there's this whole side of london that no one knew about - maybe he wasn't wrong. maybe he was being haunted. and if that was the case maybe he could just take his ghosts (would they follow him? he's totally just making this shit up, right?) with him to the underground and...he doesn't know, hang out until someone notices?]

Well this is just pathetic.

choose your own adventure

(hit me up, yo!)

speed-dating c;

[falsify]

[You'd be surprised the kind of people you meet at these things. Wayward souls just looking for a human (for lack of a better word) connection. Curious folks who just learned about magic and desperately want to know more. It's a great hook. One he's used to reel in many a useful contact.]

[And sometimes he just gets laid, which is pretty good too.]

[Kathryn is great at these things, but today Eames wears his own face. Swilling his drink idly as he sits across from Connor. Human, this one, not a hint of magic on him. But hey, if he's a waste of time, at least he's not bad to look at.]

Really? [He laughs] That's your 'let's get to know eachother' question?

[iustitiae]

One book, desert island.

[eames isn't so bad himself, but connor isn't about to buckle under the pressure and seem embarrassed that he asked it. if anything, the challenge just makes him dig in, an amused smile on his face and he reiterates the question with mock force behind it.]

[falsify]

[Well fine. Eames sighs heavily, exaggeratedly put-upon as he he searches for an answer.]

The complete works of Edgar Allan Poe. [He takes a sip of his drink, deeming it a satisfactory answer, and gestures back at Connor with the glass.] Yourself?

[iustitiae]

That's a little morbid. [but his smile is fond, if a little surprised. He's quiet for a moment while he considers in kind, before replying:] Madame Bovary.

[did he pick this because he really means it or is he just trying to sound impressive who knows really]

[falsify]

[A more honest laugh bubbles out of him this time, both at the unexpected response and, well.] And you said my answer was morbid.

[iustitiae]

Yeah, but at least Madame Bovary gets to enjoy herself. Poe, on the other hand, spends so much time crying over women he's already lost that you have to wonder how he ended up with any of them in the first place. [he takes a sip of his drink, trying not to just launch into a rant about edgar allen poe, and yet...] And those are the "love" poems, you know? Unhappiness everywhere, murder, guilt. What a life.

[murder? guilt? ha ha ha]

real underground

[crowedthedead]

[He came to London two years ago from a small town in Missouri to set out on his own, to get away from his father, as much as he hates to admit it. His dad was... worried about him, about the way he had acted since the death of his best friend. That was years ago, but the scars never went away. Dad's coven had frowned on a lot of Soeki's magic-related inquiries. He thought it'd be like a breath of fresh air to move somewhere new and find a new coven, but so far he's just been kind of directionless and lonely.

That's probably why, when he sees the guy wandering, he actually stands up from the bench he was sitting on, sets his book aside, and quirks an eyebrow.]

What's pathetic? You seem kind of lost. Looking for something?

[iustitiae]

[oh. he hadn't meant to say that out loud and now this is kind of super embarrassing. but it's not like he can go back in time and take it back or anything so now he's just left with that question hanging in the air.]

I'm not lost. [at least not in the sense of direction. the supernatural stuff, that was a whole different story.]

[crowedthedead]

[Not lost. Well, he does kind of seem like he's looking for something, and Soeki... it's not like he's got much else going on. Besides, he can feel something hanging on around Connor, a presence. A spirit? Multiple spirits?]

Just hanging out with some buddies, then? [He quirks an eyebrow. But really, who knows if those ghost(s)? are wanted or not.]

[iustitiae]

[at the comment, Connors demeanor changes completely, letting his guard down entirely. It's confirmation of something he thought was true but had been trying to tell himself it was just anxiety. That he was just going crazy. The surprise - and to be completely honest, relief - that writes itself on his face is so obvious. He's not just going crazy. This was a really big deal.]

You can -- you can see them?

[crowedthedead]

[Well. That's definitely a reaction. Had the guy actually known about his little friends, or just suspected? Soeki's frown takes on a slightly more sympathetic note.]

Not exactly, they don't want to be seen I'm guessing, but... I can tell they're there.

[iustitiae]

Okay, uh [he has no idea what that means. he's not good at any of this...supernatural stuff. whatever it is.] That's a start, right? I mean it's good to know they're. Real.

[this is seriously like the worst way soeki could meet connor - flustered and nervous and out of his element, but it is what it is.]

the real underground!

[fourthsaken]

[Jade would be lying if she said being a new student at the Redbright Institute was easy. It was pretty much exactly the opposite, and even after two months there she still hadn't gotten her bearings. Of course, she could never say it out loud though, not after begging her dad and brother to let her go to the fancy boarding school in the big city and swearing she could handle it. Not to mention the fact that only her brother knew the real reason why she'd wanted to leave- to finally be able to understand and control her powers.

She had hoped that leaving her small town in Iowa to go to a school specifically for kids like her would mean the end to her outcast status, the stares and hushed whispers of other students, and the constant loneliness that threatened to take over her ever since her mom's death. But it turns out that even other meta humans are going to avoid the new girl with weird dreams of the future, resurrection abilities she barely understands, and a tendency to spontaneously set things on fire whenever she gets mad. She hadn't made any friends and spent most of her days on her own, telling herself that this would all be worth it if she could learn to control her abilities.

Still, it meant that sometimes she desperately needed a break from her school. Many of the students went home to their families after classes, but Jade wasn't that lucky. She didn't have a family to go home to London and she certainly couldn't afford her own place. So she lived on campus with a group of other students who didn't have other options. It was suffocating to Jade, and she found herself sneaking out to the city on nights when she'd had a particularly bad day at school.

It was only a temporary solution to her problem, though and eventually she has to take the train back to school. She's waiting for said train when she hears Connor. She looks over, unsure if he was talking to her or himself.]

Uh, what? Are you okay?

[iustitiae]

[oh man, this didn't go as intended. she heard him and some kid is just talking to him and she's judging him too probably]

Nothing, sorry. I was just thinking out loud.

[fourthsaken]

[Jade raises an eyebrow. This guy is obviously lying. She should probably just let it go, but for some reason she can't help but want to help him out.]

About what? Must be something important if you're that distracted.

[iustitiae]

[what is he supposed to tell her? i'm looking for some magical beings i know exist but most people don't who'd probably kill me if they knew i knew they were real? that's not gonna work.]

Personal problem I'm trying to solve.

[fourthsaken]

[Jade rolls her eyes at his non-answer. If it was so personal, why try to figure it out on a public train platform?]

Fine. Don't tell me.

Speed dating

[planetdialup]

One book? That's hard to choose.

[Aerith tilted her head, smiling as she considered the question. Speed dating was still a rather novel concept, and she thought that it would be a good way to familiarize herself with the area. Instead...it was person after person, stumbling and stammering through their introductions. And drinking. Lots of drinking.

But he asked her a direct question, so she had to answer it as well as she could. Answering a question directly wasn't the fae way, and it wasn't her personal way either. Even for something as simple as this.]

I'm not much of a book person. But I'd take something I could read over and over.

[Not that she'd use it very much. It'd bore her after awhile, and she'd have more fun trying to make a garden on a desert island.]

It's my turn, right? So...let's say you're going through a box. You pull out a precious keepsake. What is it?

[iustitiae]

[the drinking was a great bonus to the speed dating thing, especially right now because he couldn't help this from getting a little bit awkward.]

Wait, hold on -- before I answer, I'm gay. [he tries to give her his best apologetic smile, like he's not entirely sure how this happened. she looks sweet? she seems sweet. but he's still going to play the game regardless; he just wants her to know. it seems a little dishonest to him, otherwise.]

But, uh, precious keepsake, hm [he takes some pretzels from the little munchie bowl and pretends to consider them] Lacrosse trophy. I played a lot in school, it was a big deal for me.

[planetdialup]

That's all right. I thought this would be a good way to make friends anyway.

[She shrugs, and offers a smile in return. She's still not entirely sure it'd be a great idea to try dating, and his admission eases something in her chest. This is fine. What she said is true: she'd rather find people she likes as people, not dating or...whatever. His response offers a way out of a possible awkward situation.]

But...a lacrosse trophy? I've never played, but I've watched. Do you still play?

[iustitiae]

[at least everyone seems to be winning in this situation, which works just as well for him.]

I haven't in a couple years - law school. [that was a great excuse for a lot of things, as far as he was concerned.] Did you play any sports?

[planetdialup]

Law school? That's impressive. Good work.

[She grins, and raises her hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. Mostly.]

I haven't played that many. Mostly in the gym and in the parks. Volleyball and soccer mostly, though I've played baseball before.

Speed Dating

[paenumbra]

[Speed dating is Matt's thing. He can tell all he needs to know about a person in a ten minute Q & A session. Like the guy in front of him - impeccably dressed and with an air that says Matt had better say something of interest at that first question. Basically, a challenge. Matt likes a challenge.]

Hamlet. It has it all - betrayal, madness, timeless soliloquies on the nature of existence. Of course, that's an ideal answer. In reality it would end up being whatever trashy two dollar paperback I've in my travel bag. At least I wouldn't be stuck on the island without any stimulating entertainment.

[Matt grins. His Yankee accent gives him away as a non-native to London. He just hopes it's enough of a curiosity to intrigue Connor into continuing the conversation.]

[iustitiae]

[it's definitely curious - plus, honestly, he kind of likes the accent. americans are cute (sometimes), this guy seems cute. and his answer is fun, if nothing else. connor smiles.]

Yeah? Death isn't stimulating enough for you?