aurorastation | TEST DRIVE MEME (9)

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TEST DRIVE MEME (9)

test drive meme

Your character wakes up in a neat bedroom in their team carriage, in nondescript underwear. They might be missing their memories, or their special abilities, or they may just feel a little queasy. Next to them is what seems to be a smartphone, which they know how to use even if they never had before, even if they don't know if they have before. On the screen is a simple message:

Welcome aboard the Aurora!

You have been selected by the Star Prince as a potential hero, tasked with saving the universe from Malice. As a passenger I, your Construct and Conductor, will attempt to provide you with quality lodgings and safety. In return, we ask that you join your fellows in making bonds and doing your utmost to bring joy back to the Stars.

Due to the process of restoring your body, you may find some things are missing. We apologise for the inconvenience and hope to return them to you as soon as possible. Thank you for your cooperation.

★ One
Upon investigation, you'll find some basic clothes matching your team's theme in the storage provided in your room. Or, perhaps, you're wandering out of the room still undressed. Either way, downstairs you'll find someone has left a tray of cups of hot tea on the living room table. Drinking it may be simply pleasant, or it may cause you to feel a sudden need to warm up to the others in your carriage -- emotionally or physically. Welcome to the team, newbie!

☆ Two
Shortly after your arrival, you find yourself wrapped up in some monster NPC's Game. You're inside what appears to be a stone temple, with a massive golden scale on one wall. Suddenly, on one side, a heavy metal weight is dropped. As the scales tip out of balance, the floor begins to slowly disappear, brick by brick, ready to drop you -- and whoever is with you -- into an abyss. Your only hope comes in the form of an inscription on the altar:

How much do your secrets weigh?

Every secret you tell causes a weight to fall onto the other side of the scale. The bigger the secret, the bigger the weight. If you can collectively tip the scales, the floor will quit dropping bricks and a door will appear to allow you back to the train. If you can't, you'll fall, seemingly forever, til you pass out. When you wake up you'll find yourself unable to lie.

★ Three
You've been on the Aurora for awhile, but you've never heard this kind of noise. It's just dawn, and the backdrop of chirping insects and singing birds is smashed through by the screeching of microphone feedback and the twang of an electric guitar being thoughtlessly strummed. After a moment it goes silent, but when you exit the game you find yourself facing a trial. The setting: a dirty dive bar. The goal: serenade the next person to pass in front of you. You have a stage full of rock instruments, and sparks on the line. The more you emotionally affect your target (any kind of emotion -- laughter included) the closer your team gets to winning!

☆ Four
Wildcard. Make up your own prompt! Check out the setting and team pages for info on the train. If you have any questions, ask on the q&a page. Otherwise, apps open on August 8! In the meantime you're free to join us on Discord.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Welcome to terrible pink clothes.]

Check the lower cabinets. Didn't want the coffee novices wasting the stuff. [We may have a kiddy team set up, but we got a nice coffee maker.]

[ He hates every minute of it but a nice coffee maker makes up for it. Partly. ]

Good thing I'm not a novice then.

[ And also, that it's in the lower cabinets. Once he finally finds coffee he's going to put it into the maker so he can finally, finally get some caffeine ]

[Listen, Midnight and Dawn scream eat raw coffee beans, its better this way.]

I'll let Twilight judge. I'll drink battery acid if that was all there was. [Reason he's got eyebags.] Interestibg priorities though.

Battery acid. [ He repeats, a little incredulous like "shouldn't that kill you tho", but pretty much rolling with it. He's going to pull out his device and show it off, shaking it before putting it aside again ] I've already got the gist of it.

Getting coffee seems like as good a way as any to start the day. I'm surprised you got decent beans.

What one would call incredibly strong, and incredibly terrible coffee. It'll do the job, but you'll hate it and hate yourself for drinking it.

Familiar with....smartphones? [Yeah, that's what they were called.]

Twilight learned how to make it for work and we're not hurting for Sparks.

Sounds like most cups of coffee I've been forced to drink recently. And no, I've never had one in my entire life before. But it's not exactly hard to figure out, and I could read the explanation just fine.

[ Coffee's ready and that's more important, so. Getting to that, and taking a sip. ]

Finally. This is decent enough. A nice piece of change for once.

Been spending time around a lot of busy folks?

Well, at least you know what phones are. And used to things being bizarre?

Let Twilight make you some later, his is really good.

No, people just make shit coffee.

[ He's going to pause a moment to look at him, though, because the guy's been fairly welcoming and despite the message on his phone, he wasn't actually expecting that. ]

Most of my life has been pretty bizarre. So yes, you could say my tolerance for it is high enough.

Just out of curiousity. How much do you believe all that bullshit they gave us about this place?

Its based in some truth, but how much is debatable.

Seen the presence of corruption, seen the affects of bonds, trust people who've seen more. So going along with things for the time being doesn't seem like a terrible idea, but I highly doubt we're being told the whole truth even in the best case scenario.

[How much he sincerely believes changes day by day.]

Fair enough.

[ He seems satisfied with the assessment and answer — this is something he can work with ]

I'll look forward to our cooperation then.

[He is a paranoid man who believes in people, its a whole lot of teeter tottering.]

Well, we are teammates. I make it a point to be a good one.

Though I'm seriously judging tge adults in your life. [What kid acts like you????]

For what, the coffee habits?

[ With the way he says that it's clear he knows it's for his general being him, and there's a lot he could say regarding that - and adult figures in his life, but for now he's fishing for reactions and observing him ]

Yeah, probably should, but who knows when I started drinking.

More the whole treating this like some kinda business partnership and it not being an attempt at doing what you think control looks like. [Someone made him grow up too fast, clearly.]

[ There's a little smile at that, though it's hard to say if it's genuine or not ]

Like I said, I've got a high tolerance for the bizarre. But if it's going to put your mind at ease, you'll be happy to know I'm not an actual child.

Edited 2019-08-27 18:17 (UTC)

[The fact its hard tells him whole hell of a lot.]

[He likes none of it on a kid.]

Oh? [He's looking thoughtful, but also more neutral. Also coming over and he's gonna get started on breakfast, watching Five from the corner of his eyes while he does so.]

My consciousness is fifty-eight. The age regression was an unplanned mistake.

[ He's going to sit down and take another sip of his coffe, just finishing it off shortly after ]

....unplanned mistake.

You know, as opposed to planned ones. Ever drank an entire bottle of vodka on your own?

[ those are planned mistakes ]

Thought keeping it a secrer could be an advantage. People lower their guards with kids. But I've decided to trust you. For the time being, anyway.

Probably not, all things considered. Did walking around all night in heels the other day though.

[Boy, was that fun. Not.] How does age regression happen accidentally.

For the best, that. Special ops. Thirteen year olds should be open books and it's not a good sign if they're not.

"Special Ops". Interesting.

[ he scoffs, and the way he says it makes it clear there's something he find extremely funny about that, but his smile is now very obviously fake ]

Like I said, I'm not an actual child. With any luck, you won't need to pay too much attention to those signs. Bad or not.

[ For the time being, he doesn't answer the question ]

[He shrugs.] It's pretty apparent in my memories and most everyone on the train has seen my scars anyway. [Pushes up the sleeve of his hoody, a number of scars just on his arm before he lets it fall back down.] And no point hiding it in another dimension anyway.

[He snorts.] You're my teammate and I'm a mother hen. I'll pick up stuff whether or not it's something to be concerned about.

I'd appreciate it if you kept your mother-henning to the others. I can handle myself an I'm older than you anyway.

[ He's definitely checking out those scars though, examining him like he's trying to figure out what sort of special ops are they dealing with]

I assume you have a name?

[Bullets, knives, and fire. And veeeeeeeery faintly there's scars along the length of his arm, but they're definitely done with more surgical precision and care.]

[Of course, less covered by the hoody are the two computer chips implanted at the base of his skull and the open port. And. A whole lot of old scratch scars. The hood makes it so it's not obvious, but enough moving and shifting does make it possible to see.]

And there's a guy whose five hundred years old on the train and he definitely needs someone to sit him down when he's being an idiot. Mother henning isn't about age, it's a state of mind.

And I have no idea what age I am. Face says mid-thirties, gray says older, extremely questionable experimentation plus possible time travel says literally anything.

I'm Dusk. I assume you can remember your name?

[ He is very familiar with each of those types of injuries - and vaguelt with the ports. He's not bothering to hide that he's staring either, though his interest is shifted to the actual words once he mentions time travel ]

Let's put it this way, then. Treat me like a child at any point, and next scar you get will be because of me.

[ A pause, and then ]

Name's Five. Works well enough with the theme so far.

You can certainly try. [He's also very confident in his abilities.] Though that will also depend on if you can differentiate between 'child' and 'a fairly normal level of concern for another human being' which seems to be a common challenge on the train.

We do have a time theme.

....is numbers normal for your culture, or do I need to judge your parents again?

Re: Number Five | The Umbrella Academy

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