thetube | Test Drive Meme: April/May 2016

"The Jam - Going Underground" (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 and canon 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) GOING UNDERGROUND. For some people, London is an escape. A place to be anonymous. A place to be themselves. Or a place to hide. Steeped in ancient magic, it attracts supernatural types from all over the world. Of course, that doesn't mean its inhabitants are always friendly to newcomers.

2) CHOOSE YOUR LEADERS. The Night Council election campaign is in full swing and on 5th May the supernatural community votes for its leaders. Visit any supernatural haunt and you'll find people arguing about who to vote for – not to mention the volunteers handing out badges and flyers in an effort to win your support. Try to keep it civil, folks.

3) THE PUBLIC WANTS WHAT THE PUBLIC GETS. (29th April) The Night Council candidates gather in a town hall in Westminster to explain why the supernatural community should vote for them. Traditionally a noisy and raucous event, it's your last opportunity to ~~heckle~~ question the candidates before the election. There are four separate Q&As: first up are the candidates for Shapeshifter/Meta Human representative; then candidates for Witch Representative; then Vice President; then finally the candidates for President will take to the stage. They each make a short speech and then take questions from the audience. Or if you want, you could just turn up for a free meal: in the room next door there's a sandwich buffet plus tea, coffee and fruit juice, so it's a good opportunity to mingle.

4) FIRE FESTIVAL. (1st May) 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) SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES. (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) WHAT'S DONE CANNOT BE UNDONE. You've gone too far, done something you know you'll regret. Maybe you ran away, broke a promise, even committed a crime. Maybe you've been supernaturally transformed. Either way, there's no going back.

7) WHAT ANGEL WAKES ME FROM MY FLOWERY BED? Oh, sweet mortal. There's an enchantment on you that makes you suddenly, devastatingly attractive. Especially to more magical types.

8) CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE. Anything goes.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Jessica assumes Natasha is referring to the fact that she has been slightly obnoxious about trying to get this drink. She's annoyed and already just a bit above her baseline buzz. She doesn't want to sober up just because this bartender can't do his job.

"What, I shouldn't expect a certain level of service?" she asks, gesturing down the bar vaguely. "I just want a goddamn drink."

"I'm just saying, if you want another drink, the best way to get it might not be acting like you've had enough."

Natasha sips her own drink, clearly not enthusiastic for it.

"The bartender will come back over here in a moment. You probably won't sober up before he does."

Wow. Jessica looks positively offended at the implication that she is belligerently drunk. That certainly has no basis in reality whatsoever and who does this woman even think she is.

"Look, if I had had enough you would know it," she tells her, "and you don't know the day I've had."

"Nope. Neither does he," Natasha says, glancing at the bartender pointedly. "And I don't think he cares all that much."

Shrugging, Natasha leans back slightly. She's not really bothered by the other woman's temper. She offers a slight smile, meeting Jessica's eyes.

"I take it it was really something, though."

Jessica, on the other hand, frowns a little and narrows her eyes at Natasha, wondering what her game is. Is this her idea of flirting or something? Worse, does she know who she is and she's just here to mess with her?

"Yeah, well, people are idiots. It's the same shit every day, but the more idiots I have to deal with, the more I have to drink."

That earns a soft laugh. Probably not the reaction the other woman was looking for.

It might not be flirting, but Natasha can use the distraction.

"When you put it that way, sounds like everyone's day."

"Yeah," Jessica says. She's not about to elaborate on why her day was clearly worse than most, partly because that would involved describing her job and that's not really something she is looking to share. Thankfully, a bartender comes by with a glass of whiskey and sets it down in front of her to save her from the awkward silence that follows.

"Thank you," Jessica makes a point of saying, before she digs into her back pocket for the wad of bills she carries around for lack of a proper wallet. After a glance at Natasha, she throws down a ten pound note and says, "just keep it," before she picks up the glass and brings it to her mouth with both hands like it's a mug of hot chocolate on a cold day.

Natasha's posture softens some when Jessica gets her drink, at the thank you as much as the tip. And at the way the other woman seems to fold in n herself. She can't say she feels bad for getting involved, but she's not entirely without sympathy.

She's had enough bad days herself lately.

"See? More flies with honey, they say."

Jessica sighs in concession. She's not going to argue that point; she knows if she were nicer people might be a little easier to get along with, but she doesn't really care that much. Time to change the subject to something that isn't her awful personality.

"So, what has you in here drinking? You're in too good a mood to have had a day as bad as mine."

Natasha makes a sound that's half laugh, half huff. It's kind of funny. She doesn't know what the other woman has been through, and even if she did, who had a worse day wasn't a competition Natasha was interested in entering.

Still, the idea that she hadn't had a bad day was fun. Or funny. Or something like that.

She lifts her glass and forces down a sip.

"It's not that complicated. I was thirsty. I came here."

Well, she's not going to get any details on that front. Not that Jessica wanted to engage in small talk, but she is curious about what kind of lunatic would sit down and strike up a conversation with someone like Jessica. She can forgive people being ignorant of how hard she can punch, but there's a reason she isn't very nice.

"Most people don't come to a bar if they're just thirsty," she says skeptically.

Natasha taps the rim of her glass, still mostly full.

"Depends how thirsty you are." She raises one shoulder in a shrug, meeting Jessica's eyes. If she's put off by Jessica's attitude, Natasha doesn't give a sign of it. "And what you're thirsty for."

Okay, Jess is leaning a little more on the flirting theory now. Either that, or Natasha wants to eat her. This bar isn't exactly a vampire hot spot, but that doesn't mean they can't just waltz in whenever they want.

"That seems a little ominous, doesn't it?" she asks, after a moment of frowning at Natasha as she tries to figure out where this interaction is going.

It could be both? With Natasha, sometimes it's both. Or maybe it's neither. The vampire's not entirely sure what she's looking for out of this herself. Maybe a distraction. Maybe to provide a distraction.

"Is it?" Natasha looks into her glass, considering. It might be; probably is. "I guess it depends what you read into it."

Test Drive Meme: April/May 2016

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