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returnjourneymemes2021-12-10 12:00 pm
returnjourney) wrote in returnjourneymemes2021-12-10 12:00 pm
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TEST DRIVE 001
RETURN JOURNEY: TEST DRIVE 001
Welcome to the Return Journey's test drive meme! We appreciate your interest. Our TDM features a small sample of events your character might encounter in game, which you're free to embellish or improvise with your own ideas as desired. Don't worry if you haven't read everything yet; while we recommend skimming our FAQ for relevant questions, critical information should be contained or linked within the prompts themselves!
TDM threads can be used as samples for applications. Players can mutually keep threads as game canon after being accepted into the game, though threads featuring non-canon squalls or events may need to be adjusted.
We suggest putting your character's name, canon, and potential role (warden or inmate) as the subject. If you're not sure which role you want to choose, feel free to try your hand at both!
If you have any questions about the TDM, please ask here.
1. Welcome Aboard!
Welcome aboard the SFS Peregrine, a ship in the Admiralty's Transformative and Penal Reparation Fleet. It is presently circling the outer perimeter of the Oos Ring Galaxy.
Wardens have been approached personally by the Navarch with a job offer: Come aboard the SFS Peregrine to assist in the redemption of an inmate, and receive a miracle known as a windfall as payment. Even if you don't ask as many questions as you should, every warden will be treated to a short Warden Orientation video explaining their expected duties and conduct.
Inmates have died and been placed aboard the SFS Peregrine as candidates for reformation. You may have come willingly, offered a choice between death or redemption, or you may have been collected against your will. Inmates are also treated to an Inmate Orientation; you'll find you have less privileges than a warden, but more motivation for...latitude. Violence? Chaos? Bribery? Blackmail? Well, no one said the path to redemption was without a few bumps along the way.
Given staff shortages, some wardens may be asked for a favor. Rather than leaving directly for the Peregrine, you've been asked to pick up an inmate from the limbo between death and redemption. During this mission, wardens will have clearance to enter a snapshot of sorts, where the inmate died (so devoid of other living beings). You either have to talk them into willingly coming along...or bring their unconscious, fresh-from-death not-corpse with you in the Avro provided. Better hope they don't wake up on the way!
Inmates, in this case, you'll be presented with the choice of death or redemption from a warden rather than the Navarch. Or possibly not provided with a choice at all, if death has rendered you unconscious. Good luck when you awaken to find yourself in a small ship, with someone you've never met. Try not to cause any trouble.
2. Pairings
Pairings are a critical aspect of the dynamic between warden and inmate. While interactions between wardens and inmates are not restricted to those in pairings, this relationship is a bit more...inescapable. Inmates test the limits of a warden, whether they take a more typical or unusual approach to matters; likewise, wardens learn what makes an inmate tick (and hopefully cooperate). Chances are, your values will clash.
A pairing of any sort is as varied as the individuals involved in them. And today, courtesy of the Navarch's monthly announcement, you and your sorry partner have been paired. Temporary or permanent, with a warden for an inmate or an inmate for a warden, it's your first day together — out of at least a month, so good luck setting some ground rules and figuring out each other's breaking points.
3. Accidents and Sabotage
A. Lights Out
As everyone knows, when it's lights out in a prison...interesting things can happen.
Whether a natural fluctuation from traveling through heavy space debris or something more unnatural (maybe it was you), the power has gone out. While life support continues to function, it's pitch black and any areas usually locked to wardens are left with doors open. It's the perfect setting for a riot, breaking and entering, thievery...your general crimes, petty and otherwise. Wardens, of course, are expected to stymie these efforts, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll succeed. What's a little chaos between friends?
Our apologies if you happen to be in an elevator when the power dies.
B. Invasive Species
Being in space, sometimes space things happen.
Somehow (and hopefully you or someone you know isn't responsible for that "somehow"), a greater lunar tetacocien has gotten on board. Quite a feat, since they're the size of a rhino, but they have an impressive ability to squeeze through anything large enough to fit their beak. Unfortunately venomous, carnivorous, and native to the starstuff of Oos, the creature needs to be rounded up before it destroys anything (or anyone) aboard the ship. Please do not attempt to eat; the flesh is toxic.
The multi-legged predator can be immobilized with shots from an energy weapon... Too bad inmates can't carry them. Time to improvise! Or steal one, if you're canny enough.
4. Squalls
Occasionally, the ship passes through squalls, the equivalent of cosmic turbulence that can mess with little things like, say...the fabric of reality. These are shipwide effects, though who they hit is variable. Sometimes you might fall victim; other times you might be the one standing by, exasperated, as you deal with those affected.
(In other words, it's up to player discretion. And feel free to make up your own squalls!)
A. Truth Bomb
One week, those affected cannot tell a lie. Wardens and inmates alike can only speak the truth, though it varies whether they blurt out a response to any question asked or can keep mum.
B. Stuck Together
Another week, you're stuck together. Travel any farther than two meters from your buddy and you'll experience intense physical pain. There isn't anything visible to this connection; it isn't something you can sever (not that this means you can't try). So have fun with your group activities and try not to kill each other.
5. The Peregrine
The Peregrine's layout and protocols have been designed with its intended passengers in mind, who are primarily Earth humanoids and inclined towards certain social and cultural practices. If you're wondering why you are on a ship of Earth humanoids despite not being one yourself, please understand that all ships in the Admiralty have a population capacity. At times it may be necessary to assign other species to a ship of this type, based on availability.
As a warden, you have full run of the ship map. Inmates...less so, but that's nothing a little creativity can't fix, right? Just remember, if a warden catches an inmate somewhere that inmate shouldn't be, it falls on the warden to handle the matter. And if the warden turns a blind eye...well, let's hope neither of you get caught. While it won't result in anything as extreme as a demotion, wardens can expect to get a stern dressing down; inmates, meanwhile, will be reprimanded by the warden who found them.
6. Networking
Now that you've powered on your CommLink for the first time and sat through the short tutorial and appropriate orientation, you're ready to explore the wonders of messaging. Video, audio, or text, the world is your oyster and you surely have opinions on it.
There is no anonymous option and IDs must be some variation of your name. (IC, characters will have to try their luck and see what the communicator will or won't accept when they register; OOC, it's up to players to decide what name to use if the character has multiple names or aliases.)
Wardens have access to a group network filter, something that inmates lack, and can track inmates throughout the ship with their CommLink. Inmates, best avoid getting your device confiscated or monitored.
7. Wildcard
If it's in our game pages, you can use it as a prompt! The sky's the limit.
i. cw: gunshot wounds, murder, hand crush injury, violent death, mention of family death
He's on a rooftop and there are sirens, and he can hear Abby's screams.
Some odd, strange, detached part of himself wonders at this, being on the other side of this. He's been through this once before, except this time, he is not the survivor.
But everything else hurts.
Not just physically. He's lying there, two bullet holes though his heart, and he knows exactly what is happening to his body. Which systems are shutting down, what is happening to his brain, what his heart is doing.
Right now it's not doing anything. He figures he has a couple more seconds of meaningful consciousness next.
And all he can do is cry out in his mind.
Abby. Joe.
Joe will grow up without him, and Abby will be without him. And he wishes, wishes so bad that this was not happening. That he was able to survive this.
He's not going to survive this.
Something is wet on his face and it's not blood.]
i came out here to have a good time
At least until he sees Luka and everything comes to a screeching halt.
Wait. What? No.
No, nonono, wait, this is all wrong? There has to be some mistake here. Luka isn't dead, isn't dying, and most importantly, Luka isn't an inmate? That doesn't make sense. None of it makes sense?!]
Luka?
[He's suddenly by his side and his head is rattling down facts while he takes him in, two GSW to the chest, massive blood loss, bullet must have passed right through...
It's all forgotten. The whole errand, the arguments that he had prepared in his head, all the benefits of redemption. He thought he'd be really good at it? But now it's all static in his head and his hands are moving on their own accord to try and stop an injury he already knows is fatal.]
What happened!?
g o o d l u c k
...Carter?
[He shouldn't really be able to talk, he must have a little bit more meaningful blood oxygen left. Or maybe the wounds weren't as bad as he assumed? Which doesn't make any sense because he really felt his heart stop...]
Shot...
[That's fairly obvious, but he's still trying to figure out how he got here.]
Abby? Is she...okay?
no subject
[He startles, looking around in sudden panic. Is she here, too? What happened here?]
I don't know, is... was she with you? Who shot you?
[Right. Right, the errand. Luka, the barge, inmate, second chances. Carter's head is swimming, he wasn't prepared for any of this. Doing this to someone he knows so well, someone who... who died back home? Without him knowing? What is this, the future? He can't allow this to be the future.]
You're... you're going to be fine. You can be fine!
no subject
[It's so hard to sort through the last few minutes. Honestly it's a miracle he can sort through any of them at all. How has he not lost consciousness yet?]
She was with--she was with Joe, she had Joe.
[He trails off, still confused, and mildly disoriented.]
...can be?
no subject
[He's confused, that name means nothing to him. Neither does Joe and he wants to ask but maybe now is not the time. They can sort through that later.]
Then she's safe.
[She has to be.]
Okay, listen. This is going to sound crazy and you're probably gonna think it's the blood loss but it's not. I'm here to offer you a second chance. To change what happened here tonight and to live.
no subject
Something desperate in Luka's face finally relaxes, and he looks almost at peace, for a moment.]
Good...that's good.
[He then frowns, confused at what Carter was talking about next. Shouldn't he be treating him? Even if it was obviously fatal, he's still conscious and talking, shouldn't he be assessing him and--]
What...?
To live? A chance...I don't understand...
no subject
[--spaceship dies on his lips and he has never felt more helpless, more at a loss for words.]
Uh, so, okay, do you remember that time we all hung out in the lounge after that 72 hour pile-up shift and were too tired to even eat and someone started talking about that movie where the guy goes back in time to make different choices? It's like this. Only real.
[The helplessness just grows with every word.]
I met some people who do that. Helping people to... to change, make different choices.
no subject
[That actually made sense, and then again, no sense at all. Because he should not be conscious right now, not with the kind of damage he has to his heart. And yet here he is, perfectly conscious. The pain is...dulled, somehow, and a part of him wonders if this isn't some dying brain's misfiring neurons...or a vision.
Unless Carter was an angel.
...or apparently something out of a movie?]
What?
[But if he's dying, no matter what he says, he will still die. On the off-chance this is something...real, as wild as it may be, he would only gain from it.]
What...choice? What change?
no subject
[This is so dumb. He feels so dumb. He feels so angry that Luka is lying here, bleeding to death.]
Work on your problems and become a better person and then, if you can do that, you can come back. Change what happened here. That's it, that's the sale's pitch. And I know it sounds stupid but actually it doesn't matter because you're coming with me.
[It's suddenly decided because he's not leaving. Not without Luka, not knowing how this night here will end.]
no subject
To pay penance.
[Of course. Of course. Maybe Carter is an angel after all, or perhaps one is using the guise of Carter to make it all easier.
He's not insulted by the insinuation that he's a bad person, that he can't move on until he fixes things. He should expect nothing less, even if things are better than they were.
Well, who is he to say no to redemption?]
You...have made the decision for me already?
[Can he move? Can he get up? He tries, gingerly, unsure, expecting to not be able to.]
no subject
[He's actually reaching out now, taking his hand in an attempt to pull him up. The anger is back, suddenly, at the world, at whoever Ames is, at Luka for dying, at the whole insanity of the situation.]
You're going to graduate and you're going to be a better person and, and then you're going back home and then that's that.
no subject
[His eyes open in wonder as he just...gets up, Carter's hand solid in his, making this more real.
This is all so very real.
He pats his chest, where he was shot, a soft gasp of surprise and utter disbelief escaping him.
This is all really happening.]
no subject
[There's a pause and he frowns.]
You're probably gonna love it.
[Well, maybe not the therapy bit, but the being in space bit.]
no subject
[This is most definitely and surely very real and happening very much.
Luka's eyes widen and there's the barest hint of an awed smile.
He's probably going to love it.]
Like what kind of sci-fi?
no subject
[Look, he can't tell Star Trek from Star Wars, what is he supposed to say?]
So, there is this barge. And there are inmates and wardens. And the wardens are supposed to help the inmates to better themselves. And if they do... they can go back to their lives. Make different choices.
no subject
[It is a very important distinction, Carter.
But what he says next is...interesting. He's not sure if he should be insulted but how can he be? He knows he has to pay his penance.]
So you are saying that I am an Inmate. And...are you a Warden?
no subject
[He suddenly feels a little self-conscious about it. Which is weird, he would have thought it would feel better to brag to Luka about it. Or maybe to tease him a little, look who's in charge now, something like that.
But now, in the middle of all this, he doesn't feel like doing that at all.]
It's, uh, it's a similar kind of deal. Only I didn't die, I just... I need to help people getting better. So hey, kind of like my day job.
no subject
[He trails off, tilting his head, curious.]
Are you the Warden in charge of me?