sixthiteration | Test Drive 21 (October & November)

→ Holds and applications are always open. Holds are required for all applications.

→ Choose one of the scenarios below or make up your own. Feel free to try multiple scenarios.

→ Write LOGS or TEXT prompts, or both.

→ THERE ARE ONLY THREE RULES FOR THE TDM:

1. It has to take place in the 6I universe.
2. It cannot be the character's arrival into the game.
3. Please only test new characters who do not have a version in the game. Our cast list is here.

→ TDM threads cannot be used to meet AC, but if the character is accepted into the game and both players agree, you may keep the CR.

→ Character want ads are here.

Prompts

STAYING POWER - Go down to the bunker, they said. You can get yourself amazing powers from the vending machine, they said. Well, you've done that, and you've made your choice, but one thing nobody told you was that unless it's a power you're familiar with, you might be on a teensy bit of a learning curve when it comes to keeping it under control. You have a week to figure it out without killing anyone; have fun!

FORGIVE AND... - You poor thing, you've gotten into some dust moths. Not that you can remember that, because depending on how big that swarm was and how quickly you got out of it, you might not remember much at all. Better hope somebody's got some Forget Me Nots on hand.

HIT & RUN - Life in the village can be pretty sleepy... until suddenly, it's not. Were you being a troublemaker? Were you disturbing the local wildlife? Because it's now disturbing you, chasing you down the street in front of everyone. Maybe it's a herd of chupapaca or a swarm of fireflies. Or maybe you went old school and it's just a really pissed off badger. Godspeed and good luck.

WILDCARD - Choose your own adventure. Maybe play powers roulette.

Texts

All characters are fitted with a smart watch-like device on their left wrist, which they can use to send text messages to other villagers.

- Texts may only be 140 characters long
- No video or voice, text only
- Display names may be changed by characters on the fly, but anyone can tap to see someone's real full name

Please list your CHARACTER NAME, CANON & PROMPT in your SUBJECT LINE.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

She could, he thought. Fly. With enough training. Enough trust. Anyone could. And why would this fighter not try? But he mentally censured himself. Now wasn't the time to think of such things. He was here for a reason. To learn. To experience. To take in what was shown him. And with her question, he saw the chance to share some of what he'd been shown.

"There is a place some distance from here." A glance to the sky to check the angle of the sun and he pointed. "In that direction. There is a thing there called a vending machine. It has a list on it of abilities. One of them was my own when it was taken from me, but if I'm to experience something, it should be something new."

And then, in light - vibrantly light, almost amber or yellow - eyes, there was a spark of wonder before he could calm it to his usual way. "Watch," he said, and then he was, with hands and toes, climbing the tree at a near sprint without using branches. He was sticking to the side without holding on, and once he was a significant distance up, he shifted so his arm was around the trunk, his foot braced against it, while the others hung free. "It's a wonder!"

"A vending what?" It sounded like vendor, which probably meant merchant, and she knew what machines were, in the sense of what they were used for. So a merchant machine? Take out the person element, keep it cold, not a bad system really. Hawke glanced in the direction he pointed and made mental note of it. By the time she looked back he was moving, and she watched him curiously. When he showed off the power in question, her eyes widened, and then she laughed out loud in delight.

"That's amazing!" Hawke moved underneath him, not to catch him this time, no thanks, but just to get a better angle. "I wish I had one of those vending whatevers where I'm from, do you know how much time I could have saved climbing on a wall or a ceiling instead of trying to sneak up behind someone?" She was trained for stealth or long distance fighting, and while she was rather good at it, if her track record said anything, she still would always pick the easy route if she could. Stabby stabby and then the pub. Oh those were the days.

No sense dwelling though. She put a finger against her nose and then pointed at him, getting an idea. "Did you see if flying was possible? Cause if so I am going to lose my mind." It was one step closer to being the dragon she was always meant to be.

"I didn't see flying among the list--"

But then he was using his own inborne skills to leap from branch to branch, jumping from a lower one for her sake, and rolling as he hit the ground. "But if you need lessons on climbing, those I can give. Those of my Order are master climbers."

He didn't mention why. There were some things people didn't need to know. Some things that were best left unsaid. He knew many here were fighters, but how many were killers like him? There was a difference in killing someone in self defense and acting as they had - treating people as pawns.

Worst was that he couldn't regret it, even with all that had happened.

"This tree would not have been a challenge, even without this power, until the branches began to be too sparse." That was safer to say.

Hawke watched him move, and she was impressed. She knew the way soldiers moved, rogues moved, mages moved, assassins moved. She was surrounded by all of the above. There was a very knowing gleam in her dark eyes, but she wasn't about to start throwing around any assumptions. He hadn't made himself an enemy yet. She was hopeful he wouldn't. Chasing after him without those powers would be quite frustrating, but you know, beggars couldn't be choosers. It was nice, not having anyone try to kill her this week yet.

"I'm not the strongest climber, I'll admit. It hasn't really come up. I haven't been in this much outdoorsy space in a long while." Outside of the long expanse of the road she had to hide on and get around. There was a time as a child she could remember trees and fields, before things were wrapped up into darkness and death. Vaguely. "Now I can jump and roll like you just did, but with a higher risk of falling on my face." She doesn't have pride to injure, so she's always up for making fun of herself.

"I suppose I could use a lesson. Let's think about what I can trade." Hawke tapped a finger to her chin, because of course there was a trade involved. No one did something for nothing. She did, that is, she did things for nothing all the time, but that's how she ended up in a few dozen messes, so. "I'm an expert archer, I make my own arrows, I could help you with that. I have a feeling you don't need combat training." The way he carried himself? No way. "Lock picking? If you ever need to steal ... borrow something." She made quotation marks around the borrow with a grin.

Her correction from steal to borrow brought him first to smirk and then to chuckle. He held up a hand and corrected her correction: "Steal.

"I am versed in picking locks, but the tool I use didn't arrive with me. I am also more practiced in throwing knives than archery. It wouldn't do me ill to learn more. Perhaps we can trade instruction." And perhaps, a part of him thought, this was what he had been sent to do. Learn how to be a mentor by starting with these people. To make certain they would fight, in their own way, when their versions of the Templar Order began to encroach.

The more he thought about it, the more he liked it, and nodded to himself in decision. "More should know how to defend themselves this way."

"Gasp!" Yes, she says the word instead of doing it, for extra comedic effect. "Are you accusing me of being a thief, sirrah? Because I am a good upstanding member of the non-existing gentry." Hawke winks.

"You had a type of tool that you can't just replicate with a good blade or picks?" Hawke never had fancy tools to speak of, she used whatever was there. "I'm a knife user myself. Mine are gone though, they didn't come here with me. Which is a real shame, as I spent a lot of money and time on them." She knew beggars couldn't be choosers, she wasn't dead, but it would've been nice to keep the armor and the knives. And the bow, although she'd already gone about making a new one for herself here.

"Archery requires patience, stealth, and impressive biceps, which you seem like you have in spades." It's funny, since Hawke is full of life and not appearing to have the first two at all, but she gets very serious once a bow and a fight is in her hands. She tilts her head at him curiously, tapping a finger to her mouth. "You know ... I'm used to being around warriors all the time. Training's not really something I do much of. Could be fun."

"I have taught others by example, less by effort," he said, "but that was due to change swiftly where I was from."

Where he would be again, in time.

"I believe that may be why I am here. To have new experiences. To learn from them. To use them to teach when I return." So he would not be the mentor Al Mual-- No. He was no longer worthy of that name. Rashid ad-Din Sinan. He would not be the mentor Rashid ad-Din Sinan had been. He would be a leader worth following, moulded by knowledge and experience rather than enforcing his will so heavily. "It behooves me to learn."

The words came back to him, though, as they often did, reminding him of how inextricably linked knowledge was with sorrow. He had already shouldered the burden once, though. Out of pride. Now out of duty.

Hawke blinks at the man and then chuckles. "So what, we're meant to be here? Somebody kidnapped us from our worlds and brought us here, and it's divine intervention?" She wouldn't be surprised if gods or some powerful whoevers did intervene. Who else had this kind of power? "Hmmm. I did always have a mix of extraordinary and horrible luck. I'm taken here against my will, yeah, but I was also about to die." She's rather accepting of that fact, even if she'd been slightly terrified at the time. Death had been nipping at her heels for a long while.

She wonders if Varric managed to tell everyone. They'd been spread out. What Bethany might have said, being the very last of their family left alive. It wasn't a question that occurred to her when she sacrificing herself. Too many seconds spent in that question was shaken off quickly. Yuck. Bad thoughts. Shake it off, Hawke. "There's a lot of interesting people here to learn from, if that's your thing."

Altaïr held up a hand. "I cannot speak for everyone, but I have every reason to believe I am meant to be here. Perhaps your own worlds have reasons. Mine, in my view, was clear. Perhaps you were meant to come to continue your life. Perhaps one world saw that you had run your course there and another found need of you. I cannot say. I can only speak for myself.

"But you are far from wrong in what you have said. The number of people here, their different worlds - there is much for me to learn. Though I doubt there is enough that I could teach to make the exchange balanced."

Though, now, he wondered. He had kept secrets of Masyaf and the Assassins for a reason - more than one. But now, he was to be their mentor. Didn't he have the right to challenge those secrets? To reveal them, if he saw fit?

Something else to consider.

Hawke studies him as he talks. It must be interesting, to have that kind of certainty. She's the opposite, uncertain at every turn, making it all up as she goes along. The big picture was never her strong suit, which is probably why she never saw the disasters of her life coming. "I've always leaned toward the world is chaos without any logic or reason, but yours does sound better and less nihilistic."

She crosses her arms and shrugs shoulders. "I'm sure you could teach plenty. It wouldn't need to be balanced as long as there's some effort involved, yeah?" Who knows what balanced looks like, really. She certainly doesn't. "I've been offering hunting lessons. Seems like the thing to do. Though I haven't figured out all the options around here worth eating." They had to eat though, and Hawke didn't mind providing it.

The way she spoke at first - having looked into the Apple, having heard the plans of the Templars - put the thought into his mind, and he spoke it without a moment's thought: "You would fit well with my Order."

But then he knew he'd need to explain.

"We've only begun the fight, but we are determined to keep humanity free. There are those who would control our thoughts and our actions by force. Now that we know of them, it's become our task to defend against them - to keep a degree of chaos instead of rigid order. Some structure is good."

Altaïr motioned to the town beyond. "Even here, there is order in providing for others, in keeping the community strong until the full purpose can be found. Order in teaching one another skills so we all may survive. But we teach, we learn, and we act of our will instead of being forced."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Test Drive 21 (October & November)

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I see your convo with Jacob player join usssss

I think at this point I'm mostly just missing writing samples unless I want to submit a smut thread.

pretty sure your threads here can count!

I've got this one linked, and the NSFW one. Got some people looking over it before I submit. >.>