reachlounge | TEST DRIVE MEME #001

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TEST DRIVE MEME #001

Test Drive Meme #001
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Shut The Window
Content Warnings: spores, illness, death

Living on the reach has its highs and lows. Life in the tower can be claustrophobic at best, and time drags on at an achingly slow pace. The coalition is in a constant state of "planning" the next expedition, leaving reachers to do nothing but wait for word that they'll finally be allowed to explore beyond the tower. It's Wednesday, 3 PM, and Anthony, cook and coalition guide, has a pot of stew going on the stove. An average day, and the scent is as overwhelming as it always is within cramped quarters. There are very few windows in the tower, one right above the kitchen sink, and Anthony, taking pity on the reachers, cracks it open.

Everyone eats. Everyone is fine.

Thursday comes and goes. Friday is sweltering hot but passes uneventfully. Saturday morning arrives, and everyone wakes with a sore throat. Easily brushed aside at first, the day ticks by and daily chores are finished before the first reacher succumbs to a fever. The guides usher everyone to their rooms for quarantine, locking the door behind them. The sickness is slow to start, but after the fever hits, symptoms show rapidly - shivering, exhaustion, aches, the skin turns a pale green and paranoia sets in. Death is a sudden thing, taking everyone out until only two are left. By this time, the coalition has discovered the source of the sickness and created a limited amount of medicine to stall the symptoms until a cure can be developed. A small envelope is slid under the door. A note says one hour.

There is one syringe. Who gets to use it?

Know Your Place
Content Warnings: violence, starvation, death

The haze is acting up, swirling plumes of color arching out and circling the island. Touching tree, plant, and human alike. With it comes a change in temperature. The standard eighty or above drops below zero in a matter of hours, trapping everyone inside as snow falls and ice forms over every surface. Learning from previous mistakes, the guides have everyone spread out into separate rooms, and while sleeping, lock the doors to keep all reachers inside. Using the communication devices, the tower guides inform everyone of two things: don't try to come out, and be patient, it'll pass soon.

That was two days ago, and the little bit of supplies stored in each room has been used up.

Showing more evidence of sentience, and cruelty, the haze briefly envelopes the tower and gives each person a nudge - this comes in the form of a violent, uncontrollable urge to get free. Reachers will learn, if they attempt to break out of their room, that they are met with no resistance. Traveling down to the kitchen and common rooms, there is no noise and no sign of anyone else. There's a noise behind you on the steps, and that urge shifts into something deeper, uncomfortable. Hunger. Two reachers are left in the tower. You and another. Options are limited. Go out and brace the subzero temperatures, or find food elsewhere. What choice do you make?

OOC INFORMATION
These prompts are to simulate what kind of events might come up in game. Players are more than welcome to thread out arriving, living in the tower, or general exploration if they'd like. Please mark your top levels with content warnings and if something comes up later in a thread, please put the content warning in the subject line of a comment. The threads on this meme may not be used for canon this time, but future tdm's may allow it.

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Know Your Place

[He woke up to cold. His body shivering as he pulls what little he has to body. He feel the furs against him, but it doesn't stop the goosebumps rising. He can see his breath as he breaths, each suck of cold air hurt his chest. He was use to the cold Ferelden nights, but this was a little ridiculous.]

Maldito.

[His teeth chattered as he stood up, his hands rubbing at his arms to try and get some friction and heat between his skin. His ears start to hurt as the cold gets to them as well. His eyes glance around the room and he picks up whatever he can that looks warm. A blanket, a rug, some towels-- whatever he could find honestly. It was only when he completely covers his body in linen that he went to the door. It was locked.

His one weakness. He sighs heavily as he stares down at the lock. The Warden and Leliana had taught him some lock picking, but without his tools that was all useless. His stare narrows to a glare the longer his gaze is fixed on the lock. He didn't know why the guides locked him in, but he didn't appreciate it at all. He isn't sure why it makes him so angry or why it only takes only a quick body check against the door for it to open. So much for locks.]

Hello?

[It's so quiet. He isn't sure why. There were dozens of people with him before. They couldn't have all left, but after checking every room he sees that he is indeed alone. He don't think too much about it, he's use to this so he moves on from it quickly. He needs to get supplies and move out, but looking though the kitchen proves to be worthless. There is nothing left.

He's standing on top of the counter, searching for anything he can use, when he hears a noise. Foot steps. He reaches under his many layers for the knife at his belt. His fingers wrap around the hilt of the blade as he draws it out. He pivots on the balls of his feet towards way he heard the footsteps. His hand with a blade moves across body, blade pointed outwards, in a defensive position. He's ready for a fight, but he pauses when he sees it's another who had been in the group. Guess they were both left behind.]

Oh. [His arm falls back to his side.] Is this what is called the 'short end of the stick'?

[Waking up laying face down in the grass, warm air brushing his skin, rather than the confined chill of a cryo chamber had been an unsettling surprise.

Bucky hadn’t gone far before he’d been surrounded by the coalition and the explanation he’d received had been decidedly lacking of anything resembling truth. He kept his guard up, friendly or not, they could be an arm of hydra. He had to play it smart, careful. Paranoia was an old friend and this island, the reach, ticked it up in droves every passing hour.

Settling into the tower was easy but becoming comfortable with his roommates wasn’t going to happen. He spent more time outside than he did inside but never went too far south, uneasy with the haze and what it could do.

As cold settled in and around their makeshift home, Bucky had to exercise a lot of control not to break his way free. He didn’t want to be confined, trapped inside such a small space. He’s stretched his supplies along but frustration gets the better of him and his metal arm makes easy work of his door. He didn’t need a nudge to want to get out. Bucky heads down to the first floor and finds a blond, another that he’s seen but never spoken to, crouched into a defensive position on the counter.]

Guess so.

[Buckys eyes don’t leave that knife.]

Wanna put that down?

Sorry, old habits and all.

[He puts the knife back into it's sheath at his belt. He jumps from the counter top and lands with knees bent. It's then that he gets a good look at the man. He's seen him before, a handsome man. He's wanted to speak to him but each time the other sneaks away before Zevran can say a word.]

Did you hear anyone leave?

[He was glad to see he wasn't the only one who hadn't gotten the memo.]

Also, how are you not freezing right now?

[Zevran still felt the need to pull the blankets closer to him. It was just so cold.]

[He could understand that. Bucky had a blade strapped to his thigh and would carry a gun if he had one. His roommate is agile, flexible and clearly skilled. While they were all abilities he could appreciate, it didn't leave much room for trust. Not when he was hungry and felt caged in.]

No. [Not a peep. Bucky hadn't checked each room on the way down and as unusual as that might be, he doesn't mention it.] I'm used to the cold.

[That didn't mean he liked it, but he could make do for now. His body would tell him when it became too much.]

Are you hungry?

[He was. To the point that it was becoming an issue and the strangest part was that he's gone much longer without eating than this.]

We should find food or some other people.

[Stepping back, body angled to keep the stranger in view, he heads over to the window behind the couch. The glass is frozen over, fractals of ice obscuring the world outside. Going by what they'd been told, the Reach was in warmer climates, it shouldn't have dropped this low and definitely not so quickly.]

Starving.

[Which is odd. He has gone days without food before, and he knows it hasn't been long since he ate. But it feels like a week has past since his last meal with the way his body is reacting.]

There is little here though.

[He says as he gestures to the empty cabinets.] They left us with nothing it seems.

[Their only option was to leave, and try to find the group or food. Whatever they happen upon first. He takes a few steps towards the other man, still keeping his distance for the other's sake. He can tell from his body language that he is tense and unsure of this. He peers out of another window, the glass is cold to the touch as he wipes the fog from it.]

It looks like a frozen wasteland out there.

[The scenarios for how this can go play through his mind. Outcomes that are each equally unfavorable and for the first time since his arrival, he’s furious with the strange mist that brought him here.

If the haze was dangerous why did they force them all to stay here? No boat ride out and sometimes they brought others in. For a place that was obviously affected by something no one understood, the coatliton was oddly alright with subjecting them to this life. Bucky stiffens when the other approaches but stands his ground.]

We can make it.

[To where? Anywhere but here. Bucky didn’t want to be Idle when this sharp hunger grew more intense.]

Something isn’t right. We can’t stay.

[A pause, he turns to face the blond.]

I’m Bucky. We need to work together.

If it's out there we are going, we need a plan and supplies.

[They couldn't just walk out with nothing. They would surely die then. Zevran really wasn't on planning that. He takes two of the blankets that he has gathered on his body off and with a smile he offers them to Bucky.]

Well met, Bucky. I am Zevran, but my friends call me Zev. Here, even if you are use to it. I bet that handsome face doesn't look good with frost bite.

[He starts to make a mental checklist now. They had some protection from the cold, but they would need weapons just in case something happened, or if they could hunt. He's already grabbed a kitchen knife, but a few more wouldn't hurt. Maybe he can even find a bow if he is lucky.]

We should search the rooms before we leave. Something of use could be there.

[Bucky nods, stepping back to case the room. There wasn't much in the way of a weapon unless they were creative, but they could make it work.]

Thanks.

[His voice is gruff, but not because he isn't genuinely thankful, he's just not accustomed to kindness or any bit of human decency. It was hard enough to adjust to T'Challa being that way with him before he went under and woke up here.]

Lets go together. [If they split up it put them in a position to get hurt and Bucky didn't like the idea of not knowing where the only other living person was.] Gather what we can and decide how we're going to do this.

[Zevran takes note of his voice. How deep it is, and how the man only really speaks when he needs too. He don't prattle on like some. Guess he will be the talkative one in the bunch.]

Understood.

[He might as well mention what he has found so far.]

I've a few knives, but that's all. Would you like one?

[Zevran wouldn't like to be the only one unarmed in this place. He starts to move again, towards the doorway to search the other rooms.]

If we are lucky we might find a bow or blade.

[His lack of knowledge about modern weapons is showing.]

shut the window
cw: prompt, careless disregard for the concept of 'death' as a permanent state

[ For all the chaos of arrival, the introductions, the oddity of uniformity of clothing, of all things- Ochre felt rather at home in the tower. Chances of death, of torture and change, those were, well.

He hadn't gotten used to them, but he'd learned to live with them.

Basically everything ached, the slow burn of the fever wrecking him with a slow torture he'd not gotten used to, but still, he figured out that there was likely some end game goal here.

When the note arrives, it takes him a while to pick it up, and then longer to crawl back to where he'd left his phone. ]

take the meds

[ Ochre- actually has no idea who's on the other end of the line, who else is alive, but. He's died before, both in the last place, and back home. He's got this. ]

know your place
cw: prompt

[ Screw waiting.

Ochre gives one message out to the rest of the network before he leaves his room. He ran out of food a while ago, and he doesn't have patience to wait for a response.

If they didn't want people breaking down the doors, they should have left more than a day's worth of food. ]

The hell's it so cold for?

[ It takes him three steps of freedom before he goes back into his room, snagging his blanket for warmth. If anyone says shit, he can just beat them up, it's too cold for this crap.

The kitchen's easy to find, and Ochre starts rummaging through the cupboards, looking for anything that hadn't been portioned out to the rooms already.

He doesn't make much of an effort to keep the noise down, having already found and stolen a chair, dragging it along with him as he digs for food, never letting it leave his arm's reach.
It's nothing like the shield he'd used before, or even the folding chairs he's more used to,
but the wood looks solid, so it'd be good enough to keep people off his back. ]

( death is inevitable. it comes for all manner of man or beast; they all have their time. the caretaker is no exception. he too will eventually die and if it must be tonight, then it must be tonight. he is at peace with the idea, at peace with the idea of dying at any time. there is nothing else for him to live for. he has lived for many decades, has committed many crimes, found forgiveness for those same crimes, and even been blessed with many young charges to look after. the days with them were short, but eventful and by now they have all returned safely to their homes.

he is ready.

fear strikes at his heart, loud and true, but he wills himself to ignore it. he cannot greet death with any fear in his chest. the sickness is rough, he is cold, tired, and in so much pain. he ready is to be done. he must be.

there's a note. "one hour". then a message.

it urges him to take the medication.

however, the caretaker cannot do that. )

i am sorry. i cannot. please forgive me. you must take them.

[Is it wise for her to bother someone tearing through the kitchen while keeping a chair with them for... Well, she had assumed maybe it was being used to reach the higher cupboards, but the reason probably isn't so innocent given how its being dragged around.

Were it any other situation she would return to her room and leave him be, but the hunger pushes her on to find answers. Mei clears her throat, making no effort to hide herself as she enters the kitchen.]

I'm guessing... There's not a lot of food left?

[She forces a smile, along with the hope that there's something left for them to eat. Her room, the common room, everywhere else seems completely empty. If there's nothing in the kitchen then they're really stuck in a bad situation.]

Shut The Window (cw: see prompt)

[When the fever set in on Saturday she had to chuckle to herself over it really. A lovely, warming meal only a few days earlier and a couple of days peace ruined by illness. Mei's optimism takes a blow when it becomes apparent this isn't just a small bug making the rounds though.

By the time the sickness has progressed and the envelope is slipped under the door, making the short walk to retrieve it has become a whole undertaking in itself. Her body is wracked by shakes and pains, never mind the discolouration of her skin and growing paranoia. But all the same, she crosses the room to grab the letter and check what's going on...

One hour? And a syringe. Great.

Mei makes the trek over the bed of the person who had been quarantined with her throughout this whole ordeal. It's hard, painfully so, but she manages a smile and holds up the syringe so the other person can see it.]

It looks like help has arrived! The question now is would you rather me poke you in your right arm or your left?

[Of course she's passing on the medicine... Though the paranoia growing in her mind soon causes that smile of hers to vanish.]

Know Your Place (cw: see prompt)

[The dropping temperature as the cold set in reminded of her home, of her time at the Ecopoint. Perhaps things will go better than the last time she was trapped out in the cold with dwindling supplies...

No. It's just as bad.

Breaking out of her room was easier than expected, but perhaps that's thanks to the urge to escape bubbling up inside her. The sore and bruised shoulder was worth being able to walk around again.

Making her way to the kitchen while taking note of how unusually quiet the whole place is, hunger soon takes over. Nothing comes from scouring the kitchen however as she searches through cupboards and cooking utensils. Pots and pans slam against the floor, cutlery rattles as Mei pulls out a draw in search of food.]

Oh no, no no no... Is there really nothing? It can't be... One of these cupboards must have something, anything...!

[While Mei panics about the kitchen, one thing she seems to be handling well is the cold. She has her clothes and a blanket around her shoulders, but other than that it's as though the temperature barely matters to her.]

[ She isn't the only one defiantly breaking the room door and out towards freedom. Ky has done the same, taking similar steps towards freedom. Or what's supposed to be freedom. He may be able to walk around and investigate the area now, but the silence and lack of everyone begins to fill him with tense dread as he wanders around the rooms, knocking on doors to receive no answer, and moving on to the common and kitchen areas.

It's actually a relief when he hears the cacophony coming from the kitchen. A surprise, absolutely, but also a relief. He watches Mei for a moment as she flutters about the area in a panic. Part of him can't blame her for her reaction at all; his stomach pangs with disappointment and hunger as his eyes confirm the empty cupboards. ]

Is there nothing left?

[Being caught up in her search, the voice behind her has Mei whirling around with a gasp. Without thinking she grabs whatever is closest, a frying pan, and holds it up as though to defend herself!]

Oh, I could have sworn I was the only one left! Sorry, I'll just...

[Lower the pan now. Yeah. Whoops. Though Ky showing up was a clear shock, knowing there's someone else around and she isn't completely alone is definitely reassuring. Not that company does much to help with how hungry she feels.]

I'm sorry to say it but we're completely out. I'm tempted to check this entire place again in case there was a little snack or something hiding from me. [Though she knows full well there isn't.]

[ Ky instinctively reels back, holding an arm up for defense, just in case. It isn't a bad thing to be ready to defend oneself when caught off-guard, but he'd rather not add 'pummeled by a cooking pan' to the list of unfortunate events that are already marking this cold day.

He relaxes his stance when Mei lowers her makeshift weapon. ]

If you're going to double-check, please allow me to help, [ he offers. ] It will be quicker with another pair of eyes... and it will also be my apology for surprising you.

[ It might be a waste of time, but maybe it's also better to be sure. Perhaps it's a thought fueled by denial, but he just can't believe nothing remains in the kitchen when they were all locked away. ]

A. SHUT THE WINDOW

Ky has never been this ill before. He's endured body aches and injuries and fevers, but not something that feels like he's deteriorating from the inside out. The sickness is painful in a way that isn't sharp like a wound; instead, he's burning and slowly turning into ash, wasting into nothing by simply breathing. The effect is made a hundred times worse by the invasive, anxious thoughts that continue to creep into his mind. Thoughts that make him question what they had eaten, whether he could still move his limbs, whether he isn't already dead. Thoughts he knows he shouldn't dwell on, but can't help it.

When the note appears beneath the door, he barely suppresses the irrational urge to angrily shove it back. People are already dead. They're too slow. They're too late. But he forces himself to read it anyway, for the sake of finding answers.

"It's medicine," he finally announces to his fellow survivor. Ky tenderly picks up the syringe to show it off. "It doesn't cure, but it should stall the symptoms."

He stares at it warily for a moment before adding, "...so they claim."

B. KNOW YOUR PLACE

Another disaster? Ky wonders as he steps through the seemingly deserted common room. Ky's desperate attempt to escape his room was successful, but the surge of victory he felt was dampened by the cold that greeted him from the empty areas. He thought their guides had done better in response to the emergency this time... was it really all in vain? Were the guides alive? Was anyone?

The moment the thought crosses his mind, he hears the footsteps of another. His stomach suddenly lurches for a moment, reminding him of his need for food soon, as he turns to face the source of the sound.

"You survived as well?" He isn't sure if what he's feeling is hope or hunger.

C. WILDCARD

( Feel free to adjust these prompts or toss another kind of prompt my way! A quick character summary: Ky is a lawful good type of character who strives to defend those in need and fight against injustices. He has experience in fighting in a war, can be prone to emotional outbursts when he's angry or upset enough, and comes from a 'future' Earth where 2017 technology is illegal. I'm cool with poking at these for a thread!)

There were times in the past where the Masters of the Crows would try to weed out the weak, and make everyone in the cell stronger. Times when they would lace their ale or food with poison. Some would die, many would become sick, but everyone felt the effects in some way. This reminds Zevran of the times when the fever hit, the cold chills came, and the aches begin.

He sits against the wall, his knees up to his chest as he rests his head against them. He feels so drained....and then the other man starts talking, something about medicine. Honestly he wasn't paying much attention.

"Have it then." He gives a tired shrug.

Ky's attention diverts away from his own paranoia for a second to focus on his roommate's response. It's concerning, to say the least, to hear such indifference over what might be something that can help them. As demanding as his suspicions are, his ingrained desire to help people still manages to emerge. And Zevran just seems so tired that it makes Ky want to compensate with enough resilience for the both of them.

"No," he says surprisingly firmly. Ky's exhausted as well, but his stubbornness gives him the strength to speak. "You can have it. You need this more than I."

And, hopefully, there will be another provided to them soon. The thought that there might not be flutters through his mind, but he ignores it and rubs at his temples with a grimace. As if he can physically pinch the concern away. He can handle this, the other man needs it first. He can't doubt himself now.

Know Your Place

The chill of the air was reminiscent. The excursions through the Paramina Rift had left her with bittersweet nostalgia. In retrospect, those times had seemed so... warm. And welcome. In comparison with the present, anyroad. Mayhaps it was the company. Even with Vaan's oft immature demeanour, Fran couldn't help thinking she missed his childish banter with Penelo. In truth, she missed them all. Not that she would have found herself saying so.

Except perhaps in the quiet of her own mind.

Bundled up on the floor, Fran was locked into thought. Caught between the past and the present, the former being without practicality in the face of the situation. Appreciating the past and missing it would not help her survive. She needed to survive. In hopes that one day she might be reunited with the others.

Survival would depend on what to do, however. Find food. Scavenge. Find shelter from the biting cold. It wasn't until she was trembling that she truly understood how cold she was. And how concerned she was over her own future prospects. What if she... couldn't survive this? Nay. That was a defeatist notion. She could not suffer herself to think like so.

Bound up in a thin blanket that might as well have been naught at all, Fran trudged slowly toward the door and resting her weight against it, she forced it open. Not that it took much. Freedom didn't seem such a precious commodity, after all. In the hallway corridor she saw nothing at first. No one. An eerie silence. Unpleasant. Disconcerting. Her Viera senses did nothing to help her.

But her eyes still worked. And so too did her ears. She was certain she saw someone in the distance. Hallucination or not, perhaps even delusions would be better than her solitude. Fran could only stoically hope.

The chill seeped through everything, even the thick layers of his uniform. Ky could feel the tips of his fingers protesting the exposure as he slowly walked through the hall. Having broken out of his room a little earlier than Fran, he spent his time cautiously examining his surroundings to get a better idea of what was happening. So far, everything just seemed so... empty. It made the cold that much more difficult to ignore. It was freezing, the silence was deafening, and as he continued taking steps down the hall he could feel the creep of denial settling into his heart. He couldn't possibly be the only one here. Not after everything their guides had tried to do to help them.

The same denial turned his feet towards the closest door. He knocked on it, loud and firm, in the hopes of getting a response.

"Hello?" He called out. "Is anyone still there?"

He tried the doorknob, but it was locked. Undeterred, Ky was back to banging on the door again, purposely making enough noise down the hallway to rouse the dead.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TEST DRIVE MEME #001

Zevran Arainai | Dragon Age

know your place

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Kanji Tatsumi | Persona 4 | CRAU

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know your place

Mei-Ling Zhou | Overwatch

> know your place

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Ky Kiske | Guilty Gear

Shut the window

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Fran | Final Fantasy VII

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