TEST DRIVE MEME 001

[ataraxites]

T E S T   D R I V E   M E M E A R R I V A L You wake up, alone in the dark. There's a breathing tube jammed down your trachea, and you're suspended in a tube of clear blue fluid. Through the fog you can see shadows of movement, the muted sound of alarms crying. Upon registering your level of consciousness, the gravity couch drains the fluid surrounding you and retracts the breathing apparatus; the doors in front of you open, and you're suddenly dropped several feet onto the opposite wall. It takes you several minutes to catch your breath and gather strength in uncooperative limbs; more time still to climb up through the debris to the hole in the outer wall high above. You emerge in bright sunlight, surrounded by an immense jungle. As your vision clears, you realize you stand on the hull of a colossal spaceship, crashed on an alien planet. There's a shout behind you, and as you turn, figures climb over the curve of the ship towards you: your rescue party, weathered and scarred by the efforts necessary for survival. B A S E   C A M P A ramshackle spread of tents and shelters built out of resources salvaged from the ship and gathered from the jungle. Not sleek, not clean, but alive: people coming and going from tent to tent, heading out into the jungle or returning with freshly foraged food. Some are working to build more shelters or improvize working tech out of parts salvaged from the ship; some are cooking; some are just taking shelter from the sun for a while. Whether you find somewhere to help or apply your skills, it's probably a good idea to get to know your neighbors. E X P L O R A T I O N The jungle is dense and green, teeming with life, high calls and cries of strange animals and birds, the low buzz and murmur of insects. There are no paths or notable markings; go too far into the trees and you may not be able to find your way back. Dangers hide in the shadows but there's also food, water - or perhaps you're looking for more, pushing further in a search for answers about this planet you're now living on. Or you can turn your attention to the crashed ship, the huge bulk of it balanced precariously on the edge of a cliff. It creaks and groans in its delicate position, audible from a distant but all the louder should you venture inside. Dark corridors made even more dangerous by the damage to the internal structure, debris and obstacles blocking progress, and any wrong step could cause it to collapse in on you, or send the ship over the cliff. But finding any tech, resources or supplies might just be worth the risk. C H O O S E   Y O U R   O W N . . . Hunt or flee from strange creatures in the jungle, take a try at rock-climbing down the cliff-face, or practise in-game gained abilities. Ataraxion is currently without a network until one is built, but test-driving on a prospective one is also totally fine!

Comments

Re: BAAAASE CAAAAMP

[sicklesforsass]

[ James' eyes widen marginally as he's suddenly faced with his reflection. He hears what the other man says, but he's too busy inspecting this facsimile of himself to respond for a beat.

The hair is like his -- right down to the way it sticks up in the back (he takes a measured step to the side to confirm this). James doesn't immediately note the scar, but there's his nose -- the near-identical heights. For a moment, the eyes strike him with an overwhelming sense of familiarity, bringing Lily Evans to mind.

He shakes it off. ]

Y'know, I always fancied how much better the world would be if there were two of me, [ he says, narrowing his eyes. ] But this is weird.

[ To put it mildly. ]

Don't suppose you're going to mimic me if I-- [ James lifts one hand suddenly, wiggling his fingers. Then drops it. ] Suppose not.

[bespectacle]

No, I don't think that's how it works, [Harry says by way of agreement. He'd actually started to raise his arm, automatically, but it'd become very clear immediately that he was a tick of a clock-hand too slow and doing it voluntarily, so he'd let it fall back to his side. His eyes drink in James' face very closely, in a way that would easily be considered weird if context weren't just as much so.] But I agree on that count.

You look a bit younger. I'll, um, endeavor not to let you know what's coming so we don't muck it up, [he says, rousing himself suddenly, and making a mental commitment to tell Hermione about this. Never has it become so extraordinarily important to make plans for these manipulations and visitations from timelines.

The thought of Hermione is like a totem to him. He decides to try to be practical and helpful. He forgets to check the color of James' eyes; the light does all kinds of weird tricks with jungle canopy anyway.] Listen-- if someone talks about Lily Potter having been 'round before, it's true; more weird stuff, basically. We had a nice mother-son bonding moment. I think she might still come back. Sometimes people do. [He tries to sound kind of casual about this, as if it has not been his deepest and most desperate desire since the Jump her gravcouch turned up empty.

As he's on the wrong train of thought at the moment, he doesn't expect at all that he just totally hijacked James' and dove it off the tracks and into a screaming ravine.]

[sicklesforsass]

[ James scritches at the back of his head. He's having a little trouble catching on to what his near-double is trying to explain to him. After a moment, he gathers that the other bloke must think they're the same person. James is of a different opinion -- there are enough small differences that he picks up on, thanks to his natural instinct to not assume the world can handle more than one of him at a time. ]

Look, mate, [ he begins, looking over his glasses and preparing to attempt to be as soft as possible about this, but then -- ]

Sorry. Lily...?

[ His gaze jumps again to lock with Harry's. Now he's definitely reminded of Evans.

Suddenly, he feels disconnected. Like that train of thought from Harry's end may have crashed into his reality and momentarily shattered it. There's a conflicted moment where he stares hard at Harry, trying to find some clue to the questions blossoming one after another. He knows he hasn't got a brother. Aside from Sirius, who does count.

No real cousins to speak of who quite have the Potter look down this firm.

No Lily Potters for certain. ]

Lily Potter. Not Lily Evans? We're going to take two steps back, mate. And you're going to tell me exactly what you're trying to avoid mucking up.

[ And he's going to try to contain that little jolt his heart does thinking about Evans. And a Potter where the Evans should be. ]