assguardians | JULY'S TEST DRIVE MEME

Entry tags:

!test drive meme

JULY'S TEST DRIVE MEME

THE TEST DRIVE MEME

• Got a character you're thinking of reserving/apping next round? PUT THEM HERE!
• Threads here can count as your log sample!
• Comment with your character's name and canon!
• This is open to everyone! Also, test drivers can tag other test drivers. :)
• You're never late! This doesn't "close" until next month's opens.
• Make up your own scenario or have them walk into all the doors or leave it blank for others to do it for you!

Reserves are here, and are open from June 29 at 12:01AM CST to July 5 at 11:59PM CST.

Application information (including the list of pending apps) is here,
and they are open from July 6 at 12:01AM CST to July 12 at 11:59PM CST.

OPTIONAL SCENARIO: After your character receives his or her bracelet and the run-down from the faceless maids in the castle, they walk out into the city, they may realize that Asgard is, at least for now, a literal ghost town. Natives - gray and colored alike - flit through the streets in varying levels of transparency. Those with bracelets seem unaffected, but the natives are in their own little worlds. Good luck trying to get directions or purchase things from native-run shops: none of them seem to even so much as see you!

Head toward your god house, stop to try to get the attention of a ghostly native, or loiter somewhere to check your map for anywhere else you might want to see. You're in the city of Asgard now: you may as well get acquainted, because it's time to choose your own adventure.

Make sure to have fun, and as always, feel free to hit the mods or players up with any questions you might have! ♥

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[It was quiet. Really quiet. So quiet that Zatanna could actually hear herself think...and suspect that she had a surprisingly dirty mind.]

[Jokes aside, she absently fiddled with the bracelet on her opposite wrist as she slowly made her way out into the street. Creepy didn't even begin to describe it. Wherever this was, it definitely wasn't Happy Harbour. Or Rhode Island. Possibly even Earth. What was it the faceless(!) maid had said to her? Something about an ass guard? (Again with the dirty mind. Her bad.) Gods? A noticeable lack of color?]

[One thing was for sure: if nothing else, that last part certainly wasn't false advertising.]

Gotta say, so far?

Worst kidnapping ever.

Not by a long shot.

[The girl stood by the entrance to the street, lanky and narrow-shouldered and fully in color, long-sleeved in the warmth. A bow and a quiver of arrows was slung across her back, over her backpack, hands in her pockets, fist curled around something.]

First time being kidnapped?

Not by a long shot.

[She grinned slightly at the younger girl...although, at a glance, probably not that much younger than her. It was easy enough to keep her spirits up for the time being. Especially when she caught sight of the bow and arrow, and her thoughts instantly traveled back to another blonde archer she just happened to know.]

At least they had the common courtesy to let me in on it the whole time. [A strange declaration to make, unless one realized that she was talking about a "kidnapping" by her friends.] What's your name?

Some people have all the luck.

[Grinning right back, the girl relaxed her shoulders and slid her left hand from her pocket, empty. The smile was relaxed and even edging on friendly, but her eyes were still a little suspicious, and she didn't offer her hand -- the bracelet was set a light greenish-yellow stone.]

Ellie. What's yours?

( Luna had been on her way to the Freyr Welcome Hall but had become distracted by the people. While not unfamiliar with those who preferred their own company, there was something different about these grey people. Something interesting. It was like they weren't even part of this world at all.

Not that such an impression would dissuade Luna. She approaches a ghostly native and clears her throat. )

Excuse me.

( Maybe once she had their attention she could ask them for more information about this place, or even just directions. A conversation - any at all!- would be quite fascinating. )

[Suspicion was good. Healthy. Honestly, Zatanna herself might have been more suspicious if the girl welcomed her with open arms. Absently, she fiddled with her own bracelet. The stone, a sort of darkish amber-orange color.]

Zatanna.

Sorry, but you aren't going to get their attention, I'm afraid.

[Rose gives Luna an apologetic smile from the front stoop where she's fiddling with her bracelet.]

( With a small, serene smile on her face, Luna turns her attention to the girl who had spoken up. )

Oh, I know. ( a beat ) I thought I would try anyway.

[It looks familiar. As soon as she saw the stone, Ellie's shoulders marginally relaxed. She didn't come closer, but she did let go of whatever was in her other pocket, slid her hand free.]

So. Did you show up here alone, or have you checked out the network for familiar names yet?

Not that you need them, but it makes it easier.

Can any of you hear me?

[The faceless servant had at least been kind enough to take Bran as far as the gate around the castle plaza, but that was where their use of this city's natives seems to have fallen short. Despite his attempts, none of the eerie, gray people have taken any notice to him. Slumped against the fence, in a fur cape and doublet dusted with mud and wear, the small boy makes a miserable sight. A map, a confusing note, and a strange bracelet filled with stranger magic - that is all fine and well, but what Bran doesn't have are a pair of working legs. He sinks back into his furs, feeling far younger than nine.]

I need to- [Find Hodor and the Reeds? Find an exit door? He's a broken boy lying in the street. None of that seems likely, not from this vantage point. He frowns up at the gray ghosts.] Just listen!

Haven't really got a fix on the local systems just yet. It's slightly different than what we had back home.

[In other words, she hadn't actually thought of that. Whoops.]

But, as far as I know, I'm going solo right now. Could be worse, I guess.

[He heard a small voice pierce the air, filled with something akin to trepidation or anger, probably both knowing this place. Garth looked around, trying to determine where the voice was coming from, and with a sharp intake of breath, he spotted the boy.

He was propped up against a fence, attired in furs, and was a little more than averagely dirty. He rushed over to kid, kneeling down beside him.]

Hey, you alright?

[Amidst the crowd of colorless people in a colorless city, the voice is rather startling. Bran gasps audibly, turning towards the stranger. Sharp-minded as he is, it takes a moment to register that he's being addressed, after so many minutes of shouting with no response.]

You- you're not...

[Grey. His eyes dart back to a man whose attention he'd been attempting to catch, Garth's question taking a backseat to the urgent curiosity jumbling Bran's thoughts.]

Why can't they see me? Are they ghosts?

[He frowned at the boy, trying to determine his age. Garth knew that all this was hard enough to deal with, without throwing youth into the mix.]

No, it's more like they...well, they are ignoring you. I suppose.

[That wasn't right, but he wasn't sure how to explain it. The people here were lifeless, not technically speaking, but there just wasn't much going on inside of them.]

The natives seem to affected with something, like a disease. Which is why some of them are grey. They still do regular stuff, but there isn't any emotion or personality to them.

[He took a short breath before continuing.]

Which is why you're here. Why I'm here.

[Robb hears a familiar voice, cutting through the air as he's walking past. He knows that voice, and he's already turning in its direction and all but sprinting there, dodging grey ghosts and calling out,]

Bran! Bran! [It's easy enough to find Bran, lying in the street clad in furs, and Robb rushes to his side once he spots him, kneeling down next to him.]

They're sick, you mean?

[The thought of it makes Bran's skin crawl, and he uses his arms to pull himself closer to the fence.]

That's what they said, inside. But I can't help them. I'm supposed to be somewhere else.

[The familiar shout seizes him like a fist, and Bran can barely gasp in surprise before his brother is right there, stooped in front of him, in the flesh.]

Robb?!

[There's doubt, and relief, and trepidation, all at odds with one another. This isn't right. Badly as he wants to see his brother again, this isn't possible. Maybe it's a dream, a new dream.]

Is it actually... you? Is this a trick?

[Robb isn't entirely sure this isn't some trick of some kind. It wouldn't be the first time, after all, but--gods, this is Bran, and he doesn't remember his previous stay and Robb will never get used to that, will he now. Bran's question is like a knife in the heart, and it's a miracle Robb manages to muster the strength to smile, even a fragile, disbelieving one.]

Aye, Bran, it's me. [Tentatively, he takes Bran's hand in his. Part of it is to reassure Bran that, yes, he's here and he's not ging anywhere, but part of it is also to reassure himself his brother's here, and real.]

Yeah, they're sick.

[Though he wasn't entirely sure if it was the kind that was contagious, so he'd avoid taking the conversation that direction.]

We don't really have a choice. They decide who comes and goes, and when.

[He knew it was a lot to take in.]

I'm Garth, by the way.

Am I the ghost or are you?

[That's said to one of the natives, rather coolly. Charred, shredded and bloodstained clothes probably explain why he thinks he's a ghost, and what a world of confusion they'd be in if they could see him--he'd be a lovely woman, he's wearing a skirt, and his voice is too low to be a lady's.]

[Next, he's sarcastic.]

What good has this done, o mighty gods?

I'm Bran.

[He bites back the rest of his name, unsure as to how safe it is to be himself here. He's supposed to be dead, after all.]

You're a captive then, too? How many of us are there?

[Question after question. Bran's always been curious.]

[Bran squeezes his brother's hand back, almost by reflex, his eyes still shifting and suspicious. The consolation of seeing Robb here, however, overcomes that doubt, and Bran lets out a short, shuddering sigh. He rubs a hand across his nose, dirtied from travel, and looks up at his brother.]

The woman, she said that gods brought us here, but it has to be a mistake. They're not our gods.

[And he has an important task that he can't just abandon, though his throat ties up at the thought of the disapproval Robb would give it. Perhaps Robb hasn't heard of the goings-on in the North. Perhaps he won't ever ask.]

Nice to meet you, Bran.

[Pleasantries aside, he moved on to his question.]

Not sure. I haven't been here all that long, myself. There are a bunch of houses, lots of us living in them. [He paused.] I don't think captive is the right word.

[He grimaced, he was probably scaring the kid with his messed up way of explaining things.]

We may not have any control on the coming and going, but they brought us here because they need our help. Us just being here makes the greyness go away.

[Too bad Garth didn't know someone who could explain things better, 'cuz he'd take Bran to them.]

If we were taken without permission, and we can't leave, then aren't we prisoners?

[He is not easy to scare, but these days, he is quicker to anger. His brows crease in frustration, and his voice has a weary edge to it.]

It doesn't matter if you live in houses. Someone can be a captive in their own castle.

I guess it really depends on how you look at it.

[He moved from his kneeling position, to sit, legs crossed, opposite from Bran. More comfortable, he made a better attempt at expressing himself.]

I'm nobody's prisoner. I don't want to be here, but I'm not gonna let anyone make me feel like I'm under their control.

[Garth's frustration matching the boy's.]

So, I'm gonna work and live just like I did, until I can find a way to go back home.

[He eased back, leaning on his hands. Forcing himself to revert back to a more careless attitude.]

And I'm gonna look at this like it was somehow my choice. There's food, shelter, clothes, good company. More than most can hope for.

Pretty sure neither of you are ghosts.

Perhaps we are all ghosts, here.

[ The vaguely amused voice that drifts down to Kuja comes from the nearby oak, where Maglor is perched on a low branch, back pressed against the trunk. ]

As for whether our patrons are truly gods or not, well that remains to be seen. They certainly have power enow to match their lofty titles.

[ He drops down easily and comes over ]

You seem to have seen better days however - need you a hand stranger?

And what makes you so sure?

[Pointed ears. Was it plastic surgery or is the strange man not human?]

What I need is a coherent explanation, if you can. It seems the bracelet left a lot out.

[ In Asgard Maglor lacks the glow, the Light of being that has always defined the Eldar (it is there still in his eyes, if you look, but banked and subdued, most of the time) - but when he isn't being careful, it is still obvious that he is inhuman (too graceful, too lovely). He sighs with a small wry smile. ]

Ah, the bracelets. Lord Loki was obviously not feeling particularly helpful when he wrote that - although the basics are accurate enough. What did you want to know?

[He gives Bran the most reassuring smile he can muster. Considering that he's reeling a little from Bran being here at all, it's tinged with a hint of sadness and disbelief, like he can't quite believe it, even with Bran's hand in his.]

They're not, but I don't think it matters to them whether we worship them or not, or even if we can fight their war at all. [Bran's a cripple, and there's enough children around here that he doubts they know who they're pulling in, sometimes.] I've a house nearby, I can take you there.

[Funny then, that this man is 'inhuman' in a similar way.]

How are we chosen? What are they looking for?

[ obvious enough to draw Maglor's attention in the first place, perhaps ]

Ah! Now that is the question is it not? I do not think they can afford to be overly picky - not with war on their doorstop

[ elves are the worst people to ask questions of ]

[....

you know, Hizumi showing up at the hospital was one thing. He'd expected that, known their meeting was an inevitable occurrence, and so yesterday hadn't been a surprise for Ayumu.

But suddenly showing up in some strange city, being handed a note that told him he'd been chosen by the gods, by a faceless... person, no less, was beyond even Ayumu's ability to predict, and he'd slowly limped into the city on his crutches, map and letter in one hand as he tried to navigate his way to the god house he'd been assigned.

He was really kind of getting tired of this gods business.]

[Hizumi had been in much the same boat, figuratively speaking. Finding himself stuck in that room, only to be greeted by that - well, with an outfit like that he supposes she must have been a maid. After a short Q&A session, he's hit the streets, making brisk progress as he checks his surroundings. Although he does make note of the buildings around him, his mind is admittedly elsewhere.

After all, he had been waiting a long time for that meeting, and if it was truly interrupted...

No. He didn't want to be alone. Not again.

He spots Ayumu long before the other teen could possibly have a chance to see him. Not that it's difficult to do, given his struggle with the crutches. His initial relief is quickly masked by a mischievous grin as he sneaks closer, throwing an arm around Ayumu's shoulders once he's close enough.]

Found ya!

[The friendly sneak attack nearly sends Ayumu tumbling forward with a startled jolt, fingers gripping the crutch tighter to keep his balance.

His surprise doesn't last for long, though, not when he hears Hizumi's voice and looks up with an annoyed scowl. He did not just nearly meet the concrete with his face, ok.]

You're here too, huh?

[Figured.]

[Totally not. But it's okay, because his arm is firmly on Ayumu's shoulders to stay.]

Looks that way. Guess the gods didn't see any reason to split us up!

[Don't you just feel super lucky today, Ayumu?]

[Lucky isn't quiet the word for it, considering they were in this mess to begin with.]

It'd just figure you'd get dragged here, too. I'm taking it you got the same note I did?

Brought here by some gods to make friends and save the worlds, was it?

[Plural. How odd.]

Yep. What do you think? [Hizumi personally hasn't even lent much thought towards it yet - his priorities were elsewhere.]

Yeah. It sounds crazy, but.... [He glances around, gaze lingering on the bits of unnaturally grey scenery and people here and there. Whatever was going on, there was at least a bit of truth to the notes they'd gotten.]

I've heard a lot of crazy stuff lately. And the note was at least telling the truth about something being wrong here.

The maid I met wasn't exactly normal, either.

[He's still not entirely sure what she was supposed to look like. Her features changed far too quickly for him to really grasp her form.

And hadn't she talked about some sort of power? It's a pretty silly idea, but then again, he can't exactly claim he's lived a life devoid of the supernatural. The fact that he's still alive and kicking, to say nothing of what his life in general has become is testament enough to that. So if she was telling the truth...]

Hey, did anyone happen to mention something about powers to you? What's yours?

[If it worked, it would be some fairly good evidence for their current situation.]

Healing is what she said. [He had no clue how though. Did he just will injuries away, just like that....? He glances down at himself, well aware of the lingering injuries from the fight with Kanone only a week ago, hidden under his clothes.

Normally, he'd be inclined to entirely skeptical of the idea of magic.....]

It'd be kind of nice to not walk with this thing, if it were true.

Healing, huh... It'd be useful if it's true!

[He almost sounds amused, even if inwardly he's already questioning that choice. Were the gods trying to hint at something there?]

The lady I talked to told me mine was "body control." Doesn't really have the same ring to it, huh?

[Actually, it sounds downright ominous.]

[He could say that again. Ayumu gives him a questioning look, wondering what exactly sort of gods they were dealing with here.] ....Sounds a bit creepy. Why are they giving people powers like that?

If it's true, anyway. I don't feel like I've suddenly gained magical powers.

The goddess she named was creepy, too. Hel, she said.

[Gee, wonder why he ended up in that particular house. If the gods were trying to say something, they were being awfully heavy handed about it.]

Anyway... Wanna test 'em out? [They're smart kids. They should be able to figure out how this power thing works.]

Hel? [Ayumu wasn't that familiar with mythology, but the sound of the word 'Hel' was familiar enough, and he grimaced.] The goddess she mentioned to me was called Sigyn.

....And maybe. If I can get mine to work, it might make moving around easier.

Never heard of her.

[Weird. Just what mythos was this...?]

Well, it's worth a shot! The way it goes in comics, they usually just focus or whatever, right? Try it out!

Me either. [But that didn't necessarily mean anything. If this really was another world, who knew what kind of crazy deities they had....]

Alright..... let's see... [He glances down at his leg, brows creasing slightly as he focused his attention on where he knew a half healed bullet wound lay hidden under his pantleg. After a moment of nothing, he decides to try to visualize it... closing, or something, the skin knitting back together good as new.

Ok, that was a little weird for a mental image, but after several moments of focus, nothing seemed to be happening.] ...Absolutely nothing.

[He watches with some interest, though it clearly deflates once Ayumu confirms the lack of results.]

Maybe you aren't concentrating hard enough? Here, lemme try.

[Body control, huh... So if he thinks hard enough and focuses on, say, Ayumu's arm lightly bopping himself on the head...]

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

JULY'S TEST DRIVE MEME

Zatanna Zatara | Young Justice

no subject

no subject

no subject

Luna Lovegood | Harry Potter

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Bran Stark | A Song of Ice and Fire

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Kuja | FFIX

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Ayumu Narumi | Spiral: The Bonds of Reasoning

/dusts off icons

/dusts her own off, too

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject