Test Drive (December & January)

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Test Drive

→ 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 NETWORK 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

1. SNOW BLIND - It's snowing, a lot, and pristine landscape though it might create, it also brings plenty of problems, especially when you live in an Edwardian-style village with a serious lack of snow shovels. It's currently blizzard conditions and visibility is nil — Maybe you gave in and ducked into the nearest house for temporary shelter, and discover someone else had the same idea (or just lives there, oops). Maybe you're stubborn enough to still be out in it, struggling against the wind and snow. Or maybe you've tromped into the South Village Inn like a human popsicle, and are just hoping you don't lose any fingers before you make it to the fireplace.


2. JUMPED-UP - Winter's here, which means it's the perfect time for an expedition to warmer, southern climes. You've joined a group following the river all the way down to the far southern beach, for fun and for science. On this latest break in your journey, you've spotted a large, jewel-colored feather and picked it up, maybe as a specimen to bring back or just a feather for your cap. Turns out it's an archaeopteryx feather, and you're now, well... let's call it a little gravity-challenged. Not a bad benefit once you figure out how to control it.


3. COLD CALL - The snow has slacked off, leaving behind a winter wonderland. Sure, there's plenty to do, but after being cooped up inside for days, most people won't blame you for a morale-booster — That is, unless your way of starting a snowball fight is to pop up and throw them at unsuspecting passers-by. Making a snow man or snow angels might come with a little less retribution, but you do you.


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

Network

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

- Text and/or video, any length
- 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.

Comments

Seifer Almasy | Final Fantasy 8

[firacrux]

Snow Blind

Of course it's a blizzard. It's just his luck that it'd be a blizzard. Why? Because the universe enjoys throwing its worst at him at every turn, so why wouldn't it be a blizzard? Can't a guy just go out for a walk at night and not get snowed in? No, of course not. However, Seifer Alamasy isn't the type to let a little weather get in the way of whatever goal he has in mind and Hyne-damn it all he's not about to start. If anything this has made him *more* determined to find an open diner somewhere for a hot meal.

Cursing to himself he tugs the collar of his coat higher to block out the pelting snow as he stubbornly continues to trudge through the building winter storm. That is, until the wet and cold grows to be just a little too unbearable and he's forced to duck against the side of a building to try to huddle in the faint shelter offered by tall walls and an overhanging roof. A logical person would try to go inside. A stubborn person insists they can stand out in a blizzard and not freeze to death. Guess which one this fool is?


Cold Call

The defenses are prepared. He's dug himself a snow trench behind which he hides with his pile of ready-made ammunition. The snowballs aren't packed as tightly as he would have were he planning on ambushing fellow mercenaries though that doesn't change the fact that he's still planning on being a massive pain to anyone who dares to walk within range of what he has decided is the bulwark he will defend.

Upon hearing footsteps crunching he pops up behind the barrier and launches a couple balls in the general direction of whoever might be approaching.

Cold Call

[skyward_eyes]

Perhaps he should have made more tightly packed snowballs, because it turned out Seifer was in fact ambushing a 'fellow mercenary.' One who was busy carrying chopped wood across town as an assistance to some of their less able residents. He hadn't found a place to fit in yet, so he was happy to help out for other people to do what they need to do. Arms full, sounds muffled by the snow, and no enhanced senses to speak of at the time, that meant both hit him, one exploding on the side of his head, the other on his pile of wood.

It was cold too. Nida grit his teeth, carefully lowered the wood beside the path, and immediately scooped up a snowball worth of snow.

"Come out and this won't get ugly," Nida called out as he prepared another snowball. He's going over the edge of the trench to put these in someone's face.

[firacrux]

Hah! Score. Right on the head. He's taking a few points for that one. Snickering he loads his arms up with a few more snowballs before turning to peek over the edge of his snow barricade.

"You're gonna have to come in here and make me!" He counters right back, popping up long enough to launch another snow projectile right for Nida. Something is faintly familiar about him, he thinks, but he's not really going to think too much on it right now. There's a barrier and his honor to defend. Or something. Really this is just what happens when you let hands get too idle.

[skyward_eyes]

This time Nida can see where he might be attacked from, he can protect himself better. He didn't wait for another comment. Just secured his snowball and rushed for the barricade. Yes, he was going over, and he didn't think Seifer was quite ready for that. At all.

What was more, he was trying very hard not to focus on the sound of that voice. Because it was almost familiar. Probably not. Probably hearing things.

"Can do," he shouted at whoever the person messing with him was.

[firacrux]

Oh good, a worthy challenger to his tomfoolery. He can hear the guy charging so makes quick work of darting out from under the cover of his trench to try to avoid getting tackled. He doesn't get that far, mind you, before he whips around to blindly launch the last two snowballs he has. The ammunition pile will just have to be abandoned, he's been ousted.

Seifer never was very good at holding a position before getting bored anyway. There is a booming laugh though, because someone actually playing along is great sport. Honestly he was expecting to get into a fight. This is a much better outcome.

[skyward_eyes]

A fight might have been more realistic if Nida wasn't cold already. He puts a hand over the edge, flips over it lightly, and rolls to his feet. And is so shocked by what he found there that he froze and thus got pelted with the snowballs.

"Seifer Almasy?" he asked, sputtered really because how did Seifer manage to hit him in the head again?

[firacrux]

How about a fight to warm yourself up with? There was enough time to observe that the guy chasing him was pretty agile, might have been a good game had he not frozen the way he did. Seifer hesitated a moment, it's no fun if you just stop playing in the middle after all, but then he himself froze.

"What?" How did... immediately the somewhat playful demeanor hardened into something defensive. Harsh. "...Who the hell are you?" And how did he know him? He knew the guy was familiar, still couldn't quite place how.

[skyward_eyes]

Life here just got weirder and weirder. Even with all he had heard about this place he hadn’t expected Seifer. As Squall and Rinoa hadn’t warned him about Seifer maybe they didn’t know. A new arrival then.  “We went to school together,” Nida answered cautiously. He didn’t want this to be a fight. More than anything he needed to know whether Seifer was a risk to the people here. And if not... there are more than a few reasons the man needs to eat snow. 

[firacrux]

No kidding. Don't worry, Nida wasn't the only one that thought this was far too weird to exist. And yet here he was, throwing snowballs at passers-by because what else would you do in retaliation for a snowstorm that really inconvenienced your evening plans? Seifer just looked incredibly confused for several long moments.

Still couldn't quite place the face. Definitely familiar, couldn't remember exactly who though. Still, with that proclamation he puffed up, crossing his arms over his chest in an attempt to look as defiant as possible. "Don't recall." He stated flatly, which was both true and not. Something in him knew there was about to be a fight for an entirely different reason now. Not one he really wanted to have at this juncture, either.

Couldn't escape the guilt even in his own hallucination crazy dream either. "Must not have left much of an impression." Just had to put his foot in his mouth didn't he?

Snow Blind

[awall]

The building that Seifer was pushed against, of course, happened to be Squall's house. Because if Seifer was having bad luck, somehow it could come around to Squall, too. They were bound together, like it or not, even in completely ridiculous situations like this.

He saw a figure go by a window and then heard a ump as he ducked against the wall. His brain took a moment to realize who it was, and then Squall rolled his eyes. Now, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He didn't want Seifer to freeze himself to death out there, not really. But he also knew that Seifer was less likely to listen to him than a T-Rexaur.

Eventually, he pushed open the front door and called over to the huddled man. "Not the time for a walk, Seifer."

[firacrux]

Have to share the bad luck with someone, and unfortunately for him that someone is usually Squall. In this rare instance it wasn't even intentional.

There was no way for Seifer to know what house he'd hunkered down next to, and like hell would he have picked this one if he knew whose it was. Of course there was a good chance he might have just pounded on his door instead, but odds are he'd have ducked elsewhere to be cold and miserable. Last thing he wanted is to look weak in front of Leonhart, and yet there he was huddled up in his coat looking pathetic. With the last person in the world he wanted to see him like this.

As expected Squall's met with a scowl, after a brief moment of looking like a deer caught in headlights. "What are you talkin' about? The weather's fuckin' gorgeous." He snapped dryly. Well now he has to stand out there and freeze to death. It's a matter of pride.

[awall]

Six years without Seifer being around, and Squall still instinctively tensed at his rival. It didn't matter how pathetic the man looked--and he did look very pathetic in this weather--Seifer was never weak in Squall's eyes.

"Fine," Squall said with a huff. He wasn't going to try to cajole Seifer into the reasonable path--Seifer wouldn't listen, and Squall didn't cajole anybody. If Rinoa had been in, she could have managed that, maybe. "I'll go back inside. But the door is unlocked."

An open invitation to come inside without having to really engage with Squall.

[firacrux]

Old habits die hard. Especially for the stubbornly contrary who, despite ample evidence that perhaps it would be a good idea to change methods, staunchly refuse to listen to good advice. Perhaps purely on the grounds that it came from someone else.

It was probably the better method to simply let Seifer stand and suffer for his own pride and stubbornness until he finally came around to understanding that the only person making him freeze was himself. It took some time, standing there shivering, but eventually the weather won out forcing Seifer to abandon his pointless quest to prove... who even knew what at this point. Even he didn't know what.

As quietly as possible he stepped just inside, not daring to move any further into the house with his parade of room filling elephants. No, instead he'd simply hover there, grateful for the warmth and lack of wind, but still refusing to move too far away from the door. Too proud to admit defeat, even against elements no one can hope to win against. There was a mountain of things he could say, thanks might be a good one, instead he opted for silence. Awkward.

[awall]

He was stubborn and contrary, but that was part of what Squall envied about him, weirdly enough. Squall worried so much about what people thought about him and whether he was letting them down. It was something that was a constant struggle for his leadership skills. But there was Seifer, just doing whatever he chose, damn the consequences.

It had many drawbacks, but Squall saw some positives to it.

He didn't mind silence, though. Silence was Squall's comfortable place. He was seated next to the fireplace, sitting on the floor, whittling an attempt at a table leg. He had to pick up some more useful skills here, and wood was one thing not in short supply. Carpentry was the skills he chose, especially because he could burn as kindling bad projects.

Rather than ask Seifer to sit down, Squall shifted a little further away from the chair that was near the fire. It was an olive branch, whether or not he took it.

[firacrux]

Don't envy him too much, Squall. Those consequences have certainly knocked him down a few pegs, not that it's something he'll admit to any time soon. At least he mustered up enough sense to accept the peace offering of a warm place to huddle while the storm raged outside. Even if it was in one of most awkward situations possible.

Though he was right, there were some positives. Many negatives. Perhaps with luck one day Seifer will learn to walk that precarious balance with more grace.

For a long, silent while Seifer just watched. Listening to the sound of the storm rage outside and Squall working. Woodcarving. That wasn't... exactly anything he'd have ever expected. There were a lot of questions running through his head, some more rude than others, but he just kept finding himself fixated on the wood carving. Garden didn't teach them a lot of useful skills outside of combat and warfare related situations.

"When did you learn that?" He finally asked, moving just a little more into the room to accept the chair. He knew an olive branch when he saw one, and if Squall was going to tolerate his presence long enough for the storm to pass perhaps he shouldn't toss it aside recklessly.

[awall]

A few years maturing would probably do Seifer some good; it certainly had helped Squall. Not that Squall had exactly become Mr. Charming and Well Adjusted, but he also wasn't curled up in his bed in the fetal position. Nor did he have any urge to stab Seifer in the face.

He focused instead on making a smooth rectangular cube from the block of wood. A plain table seemed like the best place to start with the craft.

"I started working on it when I got here. There is only so much monster hunting I can do." And Garden hadn't trained them for much more. The creatures here weren't even monsters. They had some special powers, and some of them were aggressive, but none of them were that dangerous. Of course, neither of them have their gunblades, so that did make fighting more difficult.

Part of Squall wondered if that comment opened himself up to Seifer's criticism about his skill. But he let it be.

[firacrux]

Maturing and not having his brain scrambled by memory eating spirits or Sorceresses, he could use some time for all of that. The not stabbing was greatly appreciated. He was still feeling a little too cold to react amenably to that.

Having no idea on exactly how one was supposed to make a table with a knife, Seifer had no real opinion on Squall's skill one way or another. Frankly he never considered the process it took to get a table out of a tree. Couldn't even tell what it was Squall was supposed to be making. "The monster situation's pretty boring." He agreed, they barely even counted. And without their gunblades, well... A sword might work. Boring compared to what they're accustomed to.

A few more beats as he watched Squall work, brows furrowed. "...The hell you making?" He simply cannot resist the need to be nosy.

Snow Blind

[alittlelonger]

It was warm in their home but only because Rinoa was pretty much always cold and sealed everything snugly. It was howling out and she already told Squall that he was insane to go out for more wood and to check on others. But that was Squall. She hoped he'd stick to wherever he went and stay there until this was over. She thinks at first when she heard someone outside of the house that it is him being stubborn and coming back, so she peeks out.

She recognizes Seifer instantly and while there may be some hesitance in her mind later, her response immediately is: "Are you crazy? Get inside! It's snowing like crazy out!" Rinoa leaves the door open and steps back a bit because she doesn't want to freeze, but her tone was very insistent. He knows how tenacious she is when she says something, so if he doesn't listen to her there will be an earful in store.

The inside of their house is inviting and clean, and there's a peakitten sleeping on one of the couches. There's not much in way of decoration yet, but some day she hopes to make it a little homey. She assumes he's going to listen to her, so she's already going to find one of their blankets for him to use to get warm. "Take off your shoes at the door!" She calls behind her. No tracking in snow.

[firacrux]

At first Seifer thought he was just hearing things in the wind, or maybe going crazy. More crazy. The fact he was living this weird delusion was fact enough of his insanity but that was neither here nor there in the midst of a blizzard. When he glanced over to find the house door wide open, however, he realized that maybe someone did just shout at him.

Someone who sounded an awful lot like Rinoa. Great, the insanity had only gotten worse. Sure, might as well entertain his hallucinations or whatever the hell else was going on. So grudgingly he moved over to peek in, frowned upon discovering that yep he's pretty crazy, and decided to take his chances with the snow.

There was a weird feathered cat-thing and Rinoa. There is only so much mental torture Seifer's willing to put himself through at any given time and right now if it's that nightmare or snow he'll take snow. Thanks. She might have to employ some of that good old fashioned tenacity of hers here.

[alittlelonger]

Rinoa came back out to the main area with a blanket ... only to see that Seifer hadn't actually come in! She made a noise somewhere between an irritated tch and a gasp. She put the blanket to the side and walked back to the door. "You would seriously pick freezing to death in a storm over being in a room with me, Seifer? You are so immature!" Yes that was what she was assuming his hang up was.

It was very cold and she did not want to step outside, so she stood on the other side of the open door, shivering and glaring at him. She's only wearing indoor clothes at the moment, all in blue, and therefore not storm-ready. "Get inside or I'm going to drag you!" But she was not going to shut the door on him so they were at an impasse.

[firacrux]

Really? Seifer just shot her an incredulous look, was that really the conclusion she came to? Not the numerous other issues and hang-ups associated with his mere presence? Either he was the insane one, or she was, and for the briefest moment he dared to consider that maybe this was real and he was actually dealing with a real Rinoa here.

Man crazy just kept getting more convincingly strange didn't it? And cold. Can't forget the cold.

"You're going to freeze." Instead of coming inside he decided he'd just argue her back into her own house. Totally reasonable for him to continue standing out in the cold of course. Like an idiot.

[alittlelonger]

"Seifer Almasy!" It would be a very imperious and demanding sounding voice all on its own, but she may have undercut it by stomping her bare feet like she was in the middle of a tantrum. Which she was. She was cold and he was stubborn and she didn't want to yell at him that this was why they didn't work out, but, well, it wouldn't be entirely incorrect. There were a lot of reasons they didn't, but being a little too similar in their temper was one of them.

Ugh. She was not going to deal with this. Her peakitten Julia looked up, confused about why mommy was so upset, but she wasn't going to that door nope. Rinoa moved forward and grabbed a very firm hold of his jacket and tugged him as hard as she could into the house. She meant it when she said she'd drag him. She warned him!

[firacrux]

If he was uncertain about her before it was impossible to argue that she certainly sounded like the Rinoa he remembered. Which begged the question of whether or not he should really go risk the snow, or her wrath, because neither prospect looked particularly appealing right now. Sorry Rinoa he'd love to come inside but you see there's all this baggage and it's really heavy. So he's just going to have to...

Be pulled inside anyway. All he managed to utter in protest was an undignified half-squawk when he found himself quite forcibly pulled along into the mercifully less windy building. Okay. Well. Since he was inside now he didn't see a lot of reason to go back out into the snow, at least immediately, so for the moment Rinoa had won her victory. Even if it came with an irritated looking Seifer scowling at her. "Are you nuts?" Because she'd have to be to bring him into her home. Just saying. That and he really wanted to know what was up with the weird bird-cat.

[alittlelonger]

"Am I nuts?" Rinoa whacked him on the arm lightly. "You were going to freeze out there!" She glared at him for a moment and then stuck out her tongue, a very Rinoa moment. Things were so complicated between them, and she had not forgotten. Not a minute of it. In some ways the urgency of the storm was what made it easer for her to act like herself and not keep things awkward. She wasn't going to leave him out in the snow because of everything that went wrong between them. Because she really didn't want to have that be it.

She pushed the door closed so he was stuck for now, so there. The peakitten looked up at him and didn't seem interested in greeting him just yet. She'd been sleeping peacefully until now, thank you very much. "Take off your boots, also don't touch Julia unless it's with your gloves. She's a native here and their touch makes you feel like you're drunk." Rinoa had only made that mistake once since getting her. Julia was her mother's name, so of course it was her first choice. It explained why Rinoa herself was wearing gloves even inside. It was something both she and Squall had to do, but it was worth it.

"Will you relax? I'm not afraid you're going to kidnap me or anything." Her smile was wry. "You wouldn't be able to get us anywhere ini this." She knew it might not be funny to joke about, but honestly, she preferred joking about it than making it stay out there in the open, awkward and raw.

[firacrux]

Fortunately he managed to bite back the first retort that sprung to mind, which was his certainty that delusions probably couldn't kill you. Instead settling on a vaguely amused huff at her sticking her tongue out at him. "Tch." Like nothing had happened between them. That there weren't several large elephants in the room all of which were leering at them both for attention. If Rinoa wanted to ignore it Seifer was perfectly content with playing along at something akin to normalcy for the moment. He'll go back out and freeze once the wind lets up some. Too much to unpack for one evening, none of it Seifer's quite willing to face.

Rather than address any of the things troubling him he settled instead on watching the strange creature with extreme suspicion. As if he expected it would somehow balloon into a towering monstrosity and try to eat him. With the creatures that roam their world, he wouldn't be terribly surprised by it doing that. "Why do you keep a monster in your house?" Obviously that looked as weird as that had to be related to monsters, right? Fear not, Rinoa, he was in no rush to try to pet the weird animal. Or move away from the door, much less take off his boots.

Her comment didn't exactly make him inclined to relax. Instead that wary glance just settled on her. For a brief moment there was grief there, a hint of apology before he hardened his features into the standard scowling mask he faced the world with. If things weren't so awkward he might have been able to join in on the joking. Right now he strongly considered running away. "I really shouldn't be here." Seriously, he'll take his chances with the snow.