Test Drive Meme #1

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✦ TEST DRIVE MEME ✦

... And when my good dream came to an end, I woke up more than ready to bend ... Game Navigation

✦ Directions A few rules for the TDM: 1. Pick a prompt 2. Comment with your thread start, with your character name and fandom in the subject line. 3. Tag into other's threads. 4. Have fun! 5. And what happens on the TDM stays on the TDM (it's not taken in game). **If you have questions, ask the MODS ✦ PROMPT ONE – Déjà Vu This may not be the first time it has happened. You really wouldn’t have any way of knowing, would you? You’ve just been living your life as a citizen of the city you live in New York, the city, they say, that never sleeps. It’s a place you always wanted to live in, hearing about it as a child, and it sounded exciting to you. Or maybe it was the place you wanted to get to in order to become something more, something interesting, something that would bring you up in the world. You wanted to be there more than anything. But anyway, right now it sure seems like the first time it’s ever happened. You experienced a sudden flash, a rending of unreality from reality, the way a person would rend a piece of cloth in two, but this is the world, and you don’t know what to think at first. Because this isn’t your life. Except it totally is. You know it is, like you’ve never known anything. This is your memory and when you come out of it you know that was your life you were witnessing. This is known as the Event, and it will change everything for you. Those around you notice one thing about you during the time you’re experiencing this memory—you’re frozen, as if you’re frozen in time. And it’s catching. ✦ PROMPT TWO – Network Life before the Event and after are a study in contrast. Before, you thought you knew who you were and what you were doing here. Now, all of that is in turmoil. Especially after your encounter with the man from the Bureau. Now, you don’t really know whether to trust the man from the organization that came to talk to you. Something about him seemed...off. Something that was enough to, perhaps, even make you feel suspicious. But now you know...you are one of the Different. You feel like it, too. Members of the Different, the man from the Bureau told you, have their own special Network to communicate on. Will you post to it? Will you relate your memories to the others among the Different—or will you come up with something completely different to say? ✦ PROMPT THREE – Support Group There’s a generic spread of food on a table off to one side of the room: donuts and muffins, coffee and lemonade. Maybe you’re hungry enough to try it—it’s free after all. Or maybe you can’t stomach anything, given the event you’re attending. The space is a local rec center, reserved for the evening. The beige-painted cinder block walls and the fluorescent lighting are a terrible combination. The meeting was interesting—who knew there were so many people like you, receiving memories of a past life? The group was led by someone from The Bureau—the Department of Medical Services. Some people are staying in their chairs and chatting—they must know each other from previous meetings. Some of them are gravitating towards the food. How do you feel about tonight? Has it helped you come to terms with the dream of memories you’re having? Maybe it’s time to talk to others, get an understanding of their experience. ✦ PROMPT FOUR – Crime wave New York City has grown increasingly more safe over the last decade or two—statistics bear that out, as well as the experiences of the people who live here. But something seems to have suddenly broken in the hearts and minds of your fellow-citizens here in the last day, ever since the sun has come up. People are being incredibly opportunistic about carrying out their wildest dreams, or at least, as long as their wildest dreams include attacking people around them to try rob them or to kill them. The longer the day goes on, the more and more people seem unable to resist giving into their bases desires. Bank robberies are happening right and left. The strangest part of it all, though, is that anyone who is defied by their victim seems to snap out of some reverie they couldn’t control. That’s right, this whole crime wave seems to be some kind of brain sickness. Maybe this means the people around you need to be cured by having someone fight back. Or maybe it means you catch the sickness yourself, before you know it. ...Maybe it’s time to hide and ride the whole crime wave out somewhere where you won’t become collateral damage. ✦ PROMPT FIVE – Zombie Universe Bleed Over - the crack option (Third person log or First person Network response are both encouraged.) One week ago you were living an average life. You were trying to make New York City work for you, a place to call home. Were you in a rough patch? Were things just starting to pick up? Or was life swimming along as you expected? Today, you are running down the street with a lumbering hoard of the Undead ambling after you. They have caught the scent of your living brain and it is a tasty snack to them. You have a weapon in hand - a pipe? a crowbar? a bat? but there are too many behind you to take them all out before they get you. You’re only option is to run, find help. (Power mode – along with your memories you’ve started getting back powers, what if you tried them out against the zombies?) When you were told that different universes bleed over into this one, did you believe it? Do you believe it now? ✦ PROMPT SIX – Wildcard What are you doing around NYC?

... What dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil, must give us pause ...

( return to top | Last updated: January 23, 2020 )

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Anakin Skywalker | Star Wars

[darkforcerising]

[Prompt 6 - Wildcard - Chess in the park]

Anakin dropped his backpack to the ground next to the cement bench and sat down. With one hand – his right hand – he held the backpack and with his left he opened it and retrieved a beat up wooden box. If anyone is pay particular attention to him, they’d notice his right hand looks very much mechanical and not biological. You crash one fighter jet and…

He set the box down on the table and opened it, started setting out the black and white pieces with his left hand.

His right, he tapped the fingers on the table to the tempo of the music blasting in his ears. Anyone in a five foot radius could tell without straining that the song was all electronic sounds and a fast tempo.

Re: Anakin Skywalker | Star Wars

[neverjedi]

He sat down across from Anakin once he saw him setting up, but he also simply folded his arms on the table between them and stared at the familiar - from chess in the park - face until Anakin at least turned the music down enough to hear him.

He wasn't going to start yelling to be heard, dammit.

[darkforcerising]

Anakin couldn't stop the half grin from forming on his face.

"I know you're there, Old Man."

But it wasn't until he was finished setting up that he popped an air pod out of his ear. That was the compromise he'd give.

"Fast or slow today?"

[neverjedi]

"At the volume you're blasting that nonsense you call music?" If he was going to be called an Old Man, he was going to play the part. "Fast. We'll see if you've found your attention span after you clean the board with me. Take the first move."

He didn't even make a joke about quickies. He was very proud of himself for that.

[darkforcerising]

Anakin would have liked a joke about quickies. He appreciated puns and innuendo. He moved his pawn in front of his king forwards two spaces with his left hand. Right hand still tapping the beat.

"You break a major case and need something to lower your self-esteem?"

[neverjedi]

"No, but my ego is secure enough to take a beating to stroke yours." He made his move immediately - also a pawn out - because they were going at it, at Anakin's pace, this time. "Just play, brat."

[darkforcerising]

“Is that what we’re doing here?” Thoroughly amused, Anakin moved his next piece.

They did this, barely talking about their real lives. They new just enough about each other to banter over chess.

“I’d never turn down a good ego stroking.”

[neverjedi]

They didn't know much about one another, but he knew enough to be comfortable with the banter.

Sometimes, that was enough.

He kept moving, rapidly, just so Anakin could maintain the speed he worked best with.

"At your age I'd be concerned if you turned down a good stroking of any kind."

[darkforcerising]

Anakin kept up with the speed, he took one of Obi-Wan's pawns. He liked this. This was easy to deal with. The person across from him was pleasant, presented a challenge for his mind, but there was nothing complicated, or anything that might trigger something from his crash.

"Why are you worried about my stroke life?" he said, tone good natured. "Should I be worried about yours?"

[neverjedi]

Yes, yes, they both knew ANakin was going to win. He made an aggressive move with a knight, anyway, because fast was the point but throwing the game was not.

"You're the one who brought up stroking, though no, my 'stroke' life is just fine, and thank you for your concern." He's not offended. He even stops and smirks at Anakin across the board.

[darkforcerising]

"I brought up your ego," Anakin said. Taking another piece. "You brought up stroking."

[neverjedi]

"Prove it." He's still smirky and playing, finally taking one of Anakin's pieces.

[darkforcerising]

"Next time I will be recording our conversation," Anakin warned. "I know I don't need your consent in this state."

[neverjedi]

"But do you know the laws concerning entrapment?" This was completely easy, play even. "Do you think you want a second round or coffee when you finish beating me?"

[darkforcerising]

"Telling you in advance that I'm going to do the thing hardly counts as entrapment," Anakin snorted.

"No on the coffee, but I will take a rootbeer."

[neverjedi]

He blinks and briefly studies Anakin more intently for a moment.

"I don't care at all what you choose to drink, but tell me you are at least old enough to legally buy alcohol."

[darkforcerising]

Anakin stopped, and looked up from the game. He was confused.

"Yes... Are you carding me for a rootbeer?"

[howkickassiam]

York enjoyed a good game of chess. It engaged parts of his brain he hadn't known were possible to engage when he'd been in school. As a teen he had been way too 'cool' and too into his own image to join the chess club, but now he wished he'd known how fun it could be. He would have learned how to play way younger.

After learning, he had started taking walks out toward the park every weekend and spent hours upon hours playing, skipping lunch just to get the high of winning games against the less experienced—though he hadn't perfected his technique yet, so he was just as likely to be beaten instead. No matter; it just fueled his desire to win the next time.

On this particular day he arrived just after Anakin had set his pieces up. He doesn't know this man, so he's not sure if it's someone new to this park or if they have just never run into each other before. Whatever the reason they've never played, though, it's time to remedy that.

"Hey," he calls as he approaches. "Can I have this dance?"

[darkforcerising]

With the air pods in, Anakin didn't notice the other man until he was closer to the table. As soon as he noticed, he pulled out one pod. smiled, and nodded to the bench across from him. He was rarely picky who he played, and his reasons usually had nothing to do with the game itself.

"What's your speed?" The answer, as odd as it might seem, would determine which hand he used to move the pieces.

[howkickassiam]

York normally took chairs and spun them around and sat in them backward. Seeing as how there was just a bench here, he just plunked himself down and lounged back against the seat back.

"Oh, I'm not a speed chess guy." He wanted to learn that, one day, but he wasn't to that level yet. "Is that cool?"

[darkforcerising]

"It's fine with me."

For Anakin, this would be a different game. His aim wasn't going to be to win. If he did, this man was either really bad, or Anakin would get lucky. His focus for this round was about forcing himself to practice using his right hand to grab and move the pieces. He'd already taught the prosthetic how to do it, he just needed to practice it over and over and over. It was just hard to set aside time to practice like he should when his attention wandered so easily.

He dropped his left hand to his pocket so he wouldn't use it and gestured with his prosthetic.

"Your white, you start."

[howkickassiam]

"Thanks," York said, not really noticing that Anakin had a goal other than winning the game. That's what his own goal would be, after all.

He took a classic opening, moving a central pawn. Any comments about the prosthetic wouldn't be forthcoming just now. He did notice it, of course, but it'd be kind of rude to make any comment that simply pointed out its existence.

[hoponpop]

Hopper takes a seat across from Anakin, giving him a stern look that could almost be interpreted as a glare. He doesn't mind these chess-in-the-park guys, but he does mind the messes they've been leaving lately.

"Hey, you watch you don't leave a bunch of crap over here. Someone keeps leaving McDonald's bags on the benches."

As for himself, as soon as he's acknowledged he intends to move on. He's never really learned to play chess.

[darkforcerising]

It took a moment for Anakin to fully register what the man was saying to him- scolding him for. Simply because Anakin clearly had no McDonalds with him and no 'crap'. He gave the older man a deadpan look, then looked pointedly at his backpack, the box for his chess pieces, and then the chess pieces themselves, all perfectly reasonable things to have in a part - especially one set up for playing chess - to emphasis how uncalled for the scolding was.

And Anakin wasn't here to be accused of something he obviously wasn't doing.

"Do you want to try again?" he said. "A respectful 'hello' or 'I'd like to play a game with you'?"

[hoponpop]

Hopper snorts a bit. Also looks at the man's stuff. Rolls his eyes and sits back.

"Hello. I hope you're not one of the idiots leaving crap on the benches here."