Test Drive Meme #2

[spoofer]

Test Drive #2

I saw a flower, furrow, and brook

New TDMers are free to RP here as if "new" or "established;"
"new" is likely easier to keep in continuity after apping.

When gameplay begins, the second wave will have
their own intro plot and crash log!

CREATURES IN THE DARK

Far away from the city, the wall of light that is F.A.T.E.S. seems calm, glowing peacefully. You’re on an evening walk through the city, or maybe on a camping trip in the woods, or maybe on a romantic date on the beach; whatever it is, you’re outdoors, enjoying the apparent peace and quiet, for once.

That is, until you hear a noise. It’s a rustle, or a step, a branch breaking underfoot, a heavier sound than a human would make. And that’s when you find yourself faced with one of the many Xistentia critters: the Green Backed Bison. She's massive, with small horns and a broad, mossy back, a small calf at her side. She does not appear to want to charge you^[1], but that might change, depending on what you decide to do! Either approach it, run away, or go into aggressive mode; how will you react to being introduced to the incredible fauna of Xistentia?

Glitch in the City

The city of Xistentia now boasts a population of over 200 sentient souls! Congratulations on surviving your apocalypse, now feel free to enjoy the city and outlying forest. Today, a number of local businesses are open, including the local tailor, our diner Pop's Chocklit Shop, and Sue's Salads. For now, the only bar and lounge is the atrium of the Citadel, the outpost overlooking the sea. It's a lovely day to be out and about.

But at midday, the rendering errors begin. New arrivals, those who came into Xistentia since the second crash find themselves subject to a bizarre phenomenon, where a holographic projection seems to be floating above their head! It contains data about the character's marital status, preferences for fun and dating activities, and pet peeves... and perhaps embarrassingly, it isn't necessarily accurate.

As your daemon will explain the glitch is easy enough to fix! You can either move 100 yards from the location where it began, or another character can remove it for you by touching the graphic.

RENDERING ERROR #285
Preferred Alias: F.A.T.E.S. McWeirdo
Marital Status: Hateboning Nemesis
Preferred Dating Activity: Creating new universes, maintaining the equilibrium of the multiverse, organizing temporal divergences/alternate universes, restoring damage inflicted by D.E.S.T.I.N.Y.
Other Enjoyable Activity: DJing music
Pet Peeves: Unfiltered tap water, gluten-fee pasta, unscheduled apocalypses

Optional Code
<br /><center><div style="background: url('http://i.imgur.com/YZTsdyA.gif') no-repeat; background-size: 100% auto; width: 680px; margin: auto"><br /><div style="background: url('http://i.imgur.com/m5GzmXX.png'); width: 80%; padding: 15px 15px 15px 15px; margin: auto; border: 1px dotted #d10045; text-align: left; font-size: 11px"><span style="font-family: Courier New, monospace; vertical-align: middle"><center><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; letter-spacing: 3px; font-weight: normal; text-transform: uppercase; color: #D10045"><b>Rendering Error #285</b></span></center> <b">Preferred Alias:</b> ** ALIAS ** <b>Marital Status:</b> Married/Single/Taken/Available/It's Complicated/Random GIF <b>Preferred Dating Activity:</b> ** List of activities ** <b>Other Enjoyable Activity:</b> ** List of activities ** <b>Pet Peeves:</b> ** List of pet peeves **</div><br /></div></center>

GAME NIGHT

At 6 p.m., your Daemon starts making noise - a software update is being installed. It lasts for a few minutes, your Daemon mainly unresponsive if you attempt to make it do anything else than upload the data F.A.T.E.S. is sending it. Afterwards, it resumes acting as normal as it did before the update, but if you ask it, your Daemon will tell you:

Upgrade was installed for entertainment and integration purposes; Hangman.exe was installed.

Launch the application, and you will be given a match against one of your fellow citizens who also decided to join the game. On your holoscreen is a rudimentary, simple game of Hangman, as well as a chat window to taunt your opponent if you so choose. However, it becomes clear that F.A.T.E.S. has no idea what she's doing... the first word is 16 letters long, and she has pre-filled in the letters Z, C, and Q.

It's a good day to complain about technology, or start a new game afresh.

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

hells yeah

Footnotes

1. Note any violence or injury in your subject headers, thank you.

Comments

Jace Wayland | Shadowhunters | OTA

[estrayer]

A: FOREST WALK

[ There are worse places to be than a weird alien forest on a planet that shouldn't exist. Jace keeps telling himself that. Maybe one of these times, he'll believe it.

He'd been here five minutes before activating his Speed, Surefooted and Unseen runes. The wildlife of this place is far more easily dealt with when they don't know he's there. It makes the journey much faster than it ought to be, and has the added value of keeping him far away from his daemon. At current estimate, it's a good few hours behind him. While he has no doubt that it'll catch up, because it always does, he has a few moments free of it.

So of course, Mama Plant Bison and her cub choose that second to show up. Jace skids to a halt. He'd move on, but there are other people here, and that means he can't ignore it. It also means that you happen to be the lucky character standing next to him when he becomes visible again, and appears to step straight out of thin air. Sorry about that. Here he stands,
his hair a shock of windswept blond, his clothes entirely black, and his skin covered in a series of tattoo-like runes. ]

Careful. Don't go near the baby. We'll go around, okay? Just stay with me.

[ He says, with all the authority of a man who knows exactly what he's doing. In actual fact, he's never seen one of these things before. That doesn't mean he's not your best hope of dealing with it, though. Trust him: he's a Shadowhunter. ]

B: GLITCH

Rendering Error #285

Preferred Alias: Jonathan Christopher Wayland Morgenstern Lightwood-Bane
Marital Status: Unhappily Available
Preferred Dating Activity: Tequila, Vodka, Rum, Spiced Rum, Whiskey Sour, Cuddling
Other Enjoyable Activity: Spilling the blood of my enemies
Pet Peeves: Cat people

[ This is just not even funny. It takes Jace a minute to realise why people are staring at him, and then he realizes what's come to life above him. It's irritating enough before he reads it, but then read it he does, and his eyes roll right around to fix on his daemon.

The falcon may or may not be responsible for this. As with almost everything that's gone wrong today, however, Jace will not be slow in blaming it. ]

Cat people? Seriously?

[ It blinks slowly at him. ]

User is reporting inaccuracies in profiling?

[ Jace clenches his jaw. ]

Yes, I'm reporting inaccuracies. Count them with me: One, it's the cats I don't like. Two, this makes me sound like an alcoholic, three, it also makes me sound desperate and four, Lightwood-Bane? That's not a thing.

[ The daemon briefly takes this in. Its lens-eyes do a refocusing thing that reminds Jace of a camera. ]

User must walk 100 yards or request another User to remove the glitch phonetically.
Inaccuracies will be updated. Would User like to confirm Preferred Alias?

'User' would like to turn this whole thing off. Just...stop talking to me.

[ He turns away, despite the fact that he'd started that interaction. He starts walking, trying to get the required distance in before anyone gets a good look at his hologram. He hates this place already. ]

C: CHOOSE YOUR OWN

[ Prompt Jace! Or hit me up for plotting at halfbloodly on plurk. ]

b.

[lacquers]

[ Here's the deeply saddened huff of your one-time landlord, impeccably dressed as always and looking at Jace's profile before tutting softly. ] As I thought.

[ What did he think? It is a mystery. He does not elaborate. Just looks very Magnus about the whole thing.

Whatever the thing is. ]

[estrayer]

[ Jace turns at the sound of that thankfully familiar voice. With any luck, at least Magnus might be able to help him turn this stupid glitch off. ]

You thought what?

[ To which of those mostly inaccurate statements are you referring, Magnus? ]

Magnus, help me, I can't get rid of this thing.

[lacquers]

[ For the time being, Magnus just shakes his head to the first part. He will elaborate momentarily.

He takes a step forward, hand outstretched. ]

May I? [ Pointing in the direction of the graphic now. ] Someone told me how to be rid of them.

[ That "someone" may have been the giant monarch butterfly that's flitting around at shoulder-height near Magnus. ]

[estrayer]

[ That would make Magnus' butterfly a good deal more helpful than Jace's falcon. That might also be because Magnus is willing to give the butterfly the time of day. Jace stands still, and gestures for Magnus to go ahead. ]

Please. No one needs an introduction like this.

[ The falcon makes an attempt at landing on Jace's shoulder, only to be waved off. It settles on a tree branch instead, and chirps unhappily at the butterfly. Jace has the distinct impression it's complaining about him. He focuses on Magnus instead. ]

Does that mean this happened to you?

[lacquers]

[ Magnus' butterfly, like Magnus, is pretty chatty. Not in the same kinds of ways, but nonetheless. Ironically, she's said not a word since he and Jace crossed paths.

If you think that smile on Magnus' face looks a bit sympathetic, you'd... well, you'd be right. He leans forward, just enough that he can tap the graphic and make it disappear. ]

There! Easily sorted. Walking 100 yards will also do the trick, but this was quicker. [ He folds one arm over the other now. ] I had some pretty interesting information on mine.

Not all of it totally incorrect. Like yours, some of it more accurate depending on where you're standing, I'm sure.

[estrayer]

[ Jace grimaces. He's not sure he wants to know which parts of his Magnus thought were correct. He's glad to be rid of it, all the same. ]

From where I'm standing, mine had plenty of problems. Thanks for the assist; walking around with that over my head wasn't my idea of fun.

[ He makes moves to walk again, but keeps talking to Magnus. ]

Where were you going?

[lacquers]

[ A raised brow serves as Magnus' initial reply. ] Of course. I'm not a fan of people being forced to reveal information they'd rather not, moreso when it's not entirely correct.

[ He sounds mildly apologetic there. ] Oh, I was out, looking for something for Alexander and I to have for dinner.

[ A beat. ] Yourself?

[estrayer]

[ Jace turns to find an unknown quantity looking at him. He gives Axel a quick once-over, although honestly, Jace is the one with a literal warning light over his head right now. He gestures vaguely at it. ]

Don't believe everything you read. Do you know how to get rid of it?

[ The daemon said something about other people being able to help, after all, and if this guy's offering, who is Jace to turn him down? ]

[estrayer]

[ Jace gives Axel a blank kind of stare. It's possible that his irritated, tattooed self perhaps does not cut the most welcoming figure, but he's not about to lose his cool over someone waving their hand near him. He looks up, and thankfully, the sign is disappearing in front of his eyes.

That draws a brief smile. See? He can do things other than frown, here. ]

Thanks. I guess that's what the bird was talking about. Just in case you believed any of that, I'm Jace.

[ And honestly, a lot of what the sign said was at least close to the mark. That doesn't change how annoying it was. ]

[estrayer]

[ Jace nods, but there's no evident recognition on his face. He takes that in like he would any other piece of information.

Note to self, though: this guy's weirdly cheerful. He kind of has a Simon vibe. That's unfortunate for him. ]

Yeah, it's good to meet you.

[ There's something off about this guy, though. Something beyond the Simon vibe. He'll get there, eventually. ]

I'm gonna guess you aren't a native? I've yet to see one. Correct me if I'm wrong.

[dipendente]

That's a mouthful of a name. ( she's heard his whole tirade, and honestly she's a bit amused by it. Following behind her flits a little bird with black around it's eyes. it cocks it's head at the falcon, but otherwise doesn't add to the conversation. )

Need help, I assume?

[estrayer]

[ Jace lets out a sigh. ]

Just call me Jace.

[ You know, the last time he checked, 'preferred alias' did not mean 'every name that's ever been attributed to you plus a hyphenate that hasn't'. This whole thing is ridiculous.

On the positive side, though, this girl's hot. She gets a better attitude out of Jace than most. ]

Depends. Are you offering? If you can get rid of it, I'll owe you one.

[ Meanwhile, Jace's falcon lands on a nearby branch, and regards the little bird as if it's considering dinner. Good thing it's not a real bird of prey. ]

[dipendente]

( for a small bird, the sparrowlark doesn't seem to be concerned with the falcon. it watches the falcon for a moment, before turning back to jace. )

It's like the bird said... ( she responds as she approaches. she reaches up and touches the screen above his head, watching it disappear. ) It just needs a touch.

You can call me Lark.

[estrayer]

[ Jace watches the panel of weird information vanish. That's a definite improvement. The weirdness of it will stick with him for a while, though. How had it even happened? IS this what he can expect on a regular basis here? ]

Lark. Like the...

[ He gestures at her daemon, then lifts his eyebrows. ]

That's pretty literal. You seem like you know what you're doing. How long have you been here?

[dipendente]

It reflects my true heart, clearly. ( her voice is practically venomous with the sarcasm that drips from it. )

I've not been here that long. I just pay attention. ( she may even pat the little bird on her shoulder as she says this. )

a

[hasitsthorns]

[ It isn't Rose he needs to worry about having startled but her dogs. Soon as he blips into being next to her, all eight of them are on the defensive with teeth bared and hackles raised. The bison and her baby probably seem a lot less intimidating by comparison. A couple low growls sound and one or two even take a couple threatening steps closer. ]

Boys, [ she snaps, the canines coming to attention. ] Boys, it's okay. [ Soothing, this time. They go from hostile to wary, still looking at Jace intensely. Uncertainly. ] If he wanted to hurt me, he would have by now. -Right? [ puntuated with a glance up at him. She nods her head towards the dogs then and raises her eyebrows. Talk to them, she seems to be trying to convey. Make them see he's not a threat. ]

[estrayer]

[ Try to help out, and the dogs start turning on you. This day is going just perfectly. ]

I'm not the trouble you have to worry about.

[ He says, with a glance at the bison. Jace hasn't backed away from the dogs, but he has one eye on them now. Their attacking him had not been part of this plan. ]

I'm just trying to help. Do...all of them belong to you?

[ Because they're basically a pack, let's be honest here. Maybe he should be more worried about one of them going for the bison baby. ]

[hasitsthorns]

All eight of them, yeah, [ and one cat that isn't present. Charlie would probably just as defensive, actually, for as much as Rose claims they don't get along.

As he talks to Rose and she answers easily, the dogs seem to sense that there isn't anything to worry about. They ease up - just a touch - in their hostility. Though very much still on guard, slows of tails start as they huddle in close to Rose. Curiosity takes the place of wariness.

Sniff snoof, hello. Who are you, manfriend? They seem more interested in Jace than the bison, but. The bison also seems intent on them, which Rose not recognizes is because of the baby that she's got in tow. Ah. So that's what he meant by he was trying to help. ]

Where did you come from, anyway?

( b. ) i'm not sorry.

[creatio]

[ The first thing Jace sees is Pikad as it bounces round the corner, an unwitting announcement of Clary's arrival before the redhead herself makes it too. She has her hands in her pockets, a frown on her face though that smooths away when she sees him. The smile is instinctive and real, a fondness to it that even the things they've been through were unable to do away with. She's glad he's here. She's glad he's alive.

Slowly, her gaze rises to above his head causing one eyebrow to arch. ]

So I guess you don't want to meet Whiskers Van Gogh.

[ She is resolutely not going to mention his relationship status, because that is none of her business. Nor will she comment on the long list of alcohol, though she thinks she could use a drink too. Instead she just steps closer and then swivels on her heel to join him at his side while he storms across the city street. ]

I didn't realise Alec had adopted you. [ Lightwood-Bane. How do you feel about your mother remarrying? ]

[estrayer]

[ For maybe the first time since they've known each other, Jace's full attention does not immediately go to Clary. That's because it's focused on the crazy yellow rabbit that's just run into his path. It's clearly not a threat, but it's like nothing he's ever seen. He's about to ask the question of the falcon beside him, but then Clary is there, and his eyes flick up to her. They're holding a frown. She should absolutely not be here. ]

His parents did. [ Which he says in a tone that says you know that, Clary. More pressing matters now. Obviously she is the one responsible for the rabbit. ]

What the hell is that thing? And what are you doing here, Clary? I just left you at the Institute.

[ And yet, somehow he's not surprised. No one has the ability to find trouble like Clary Fairchild. ]