TEST DRIVE.

[futurologists]

test drive Firstly, thank you for your interest! Secondly, since the game hasn't begun and therefore characters haven't actually gone to a world yet, this test drive is going to be a little different. It's intended to be presented as a mini-mission of sorts, on a much smaller scale and timeframe than a real mission in-game but with a somewhat similar feel. Because of this, if you join the game, you're allowed to count this as game canon, so make sure you make choices you want to follow your character into the game! You know how this works, so go forth and have fun, and don't forget to reserve! BASICS Anwick might have been a beautiful town once. It's hard to tell now, since most of the buildings are scorched and crumbling, but they do resemble some rural modern-day buildings. Likewise, the people don't appear to be living too much in the past; several are carrying intimidating guns. For years, Anwick has been terrorized by dragons, living in fear of the next attack. Not anymore. The people have just ended a bloody battle. Several people limp towards the outskirts of town, holding their bleeding wounds or new burns. In the center of town lies a slain dragon, the last full-grown one left in the world. To be honest, it looks like they've already taken care of their own problem. A monotonous voice comes through your communication device to explain. You aren't here to help the townspeople; you're here for the dragons. The one motionless on the ground may have been the last adult, but it certainly wasn't the last dragon. Her children are located in a nearby cave, alone and orphaned. They're the ones you need to protect. WYRMLINGS The wyrmlings are still growing up, only the size of a small dog. Each has a slightly different appearance, but all of them have at least a few bright copper scales. They're beautiful, and they look a little bit harmless... at least, until they notice you. These dragons have never been exposed to humans before. Or anyone outside of their family, for that matter. They're small and scared, and they don't know any other way to protect themselves than to attack. Luckily, because of their tiny size, they can't do much more than small burns at a time — but make no mistake, it still hurts like hell. The cave they're located in is pitch-black and labyrinthine. Every footstep echoes throughout it if you aren't light enough on your feet. It'll be difficult to navigate if you don't MacGyver yourself a torch or other form of lighting. Cell phones will work decently, at least until their battery dies, but you don't want to get stuck deep within the cave with no light. If you do manage to get through the cave and rescue some without getting burned to a crisp, the trouble's not over yet. You'll have to find a safe place to stash them until they can be relocated; the townspeople aren't done with their dragon-slaying yet, after all. Walk into town with one in tow, and you're putting a target on your back. (Of course, this doesn't mean you can't do it.) PROMPTS ONE ✗ GOING ROGUE Not feeling too obedient? Maybe you're ignoring the orders and helping the wounded people in town instead... or just coming to gawk. Maybe you're coming to slay the wyrmlings yourself. Whatever it is, at least try to be sneaky about it. TWO ✗ THE DRAGON'S CAVE Try to navigate the cave, fail to navigate the cave and get lost, or try to take the wyrmlings without getting barbecued. Somehow, you get the feeling that you aren't alone. Those footsteps are probably just your imagination... or they could be townspeople coming to kill you and the dragons. Of course, they could also be an ally, but you'd better hope you don't find out. THREE ✗ HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON You've gotten the dragon(s) to a secure campsite out of town, but the fun's not over yet. They're kind of freaking out a little. Some of them are still spitting fire. Even the less aggressive ones are crying shrilly, bound to attract townspeople or at least annoy everyone nearby. It can't be too hard to calm them down; they're basically scaly, fire-breathing babies, right? FOUR ✗ NIGHT TIME It's been a long day, and now it's time for the crew to sleep. Get to know your tentmates, try to ignore them, pray that they don't want to bring along a wyrmling to cuddle... or maybe you've been put on night watch with a few others, in which case you'd better find a way to pass the time until your shift's over. FIVE ✗ CHIT CHAT Network option! Maybe you've got a little downtime and you're bored. Or maybe you're frantically asking the rest of the team how bad a dragon bite is. Maybe you're just trying to figure out how the hell this magical jewelry thing works. No matter what, you get one username to identify you and one only — if you don't enter one, it will default to your real name (for example, Voldemort's would be tomriddle.) Choose wisely... or make it assfarts69, if that's your thing. More information on the network is here! SIX ✗ WILDCARD Do whatever the hell you want. Explore the ashes of the burned city, try to run as far away from this crap as possible, or try to teach a wyrmling tricks. The world is your oyster.

Comments

emma swan — once

[dreamcatcher]

THREE ✗ HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

( Emma probably isn't the best choice for watching baby dragons. she's never even had a pet before, other than the fifteen minutes they held onto Pongo before it turned out Archie wasn't as dead as everyone thought. a few foster homes had pets, but she'd never stayed long enough to really know much about it. she'd only been a mother for a handful of years, watching dragons should seem simple in comparison, but Henry had never come after her with a flamethrower, either. )

Shit. ( she winces at the burn that archs over her arm as one of the wrymlings tries to shake her, and she pulls her arm back quickly, gritting her teeth. she'd almost rather the pain, but without even thinking the burn sinks away and fades, back to normal skin before even a minute passes.

her stomach falls and if she looks terrified, it's because she is. not of the little dragon trying to slip past her ankles, either, but of the magic roaring in her veins, protecting her and healing her even when she doesn't want it to. )

FOUR ✗ NIGHT TIME

( if anyone pays any mind to the blond with dark purple circles under her eyes, they've probably noticed she's not much of a people person. she keeps her distance, pretty much all the time. doesn't start up a lot of conversations, and will even walk away from people without even introducing herself. she has to keep that distance, even though it's something she wouldn't rely on anymore if she had a choice.

it's just, as Emma sees it, she doesn't have a choice.

she sits by the fire, tucked into a ball and utterly silent, and she doesn't have to say anything to make it clear that she's really not looking for conversation. you can try, though... just don't expect it to be particularly personal. )

FIVE ✗ CHIT CHAT

username: swan

does anyone know how long it's gonna take to earn our way back home?

( Emma feels like a danger to everyone around her, not that she wants to broadcast it. she needs to get back to Storybrooke, to the people that can help her, to someone who has the ability to stop her if she can't control the power she's taken on, and there's nothing like that here.

she's wistful, and maybe somebody knows more than she does. )

NIGHT TIME;

[disheartening]

[ and then there is regina mills.

who, usually, would be only to glad to sit in her corner of brooding and gloom and imagine herself exploding a baby dragon with a fireball only to have dragon stew for dinner; but when it comes to emma being so painfully obvious about her concern, she's willing to put her usual regal air aside and just nudge her aside so she can sit ]

you look terrible.

[ which, in regina-talk is really a 'how do you do' ]

i was mean with her canon point

[dreamcatcher]

( you'd think she's projecting more than enough signs that she needs and expects people to keep their distance, so someone bold enough to ignore all of those is rather unexpected. Emma stiffens just at a slight touch, fists tightening, and she might have said something sharp if she didn't notice the familiar swath of dark hair and pristine tailored blouse.

Regina had never been good at respecting her personal space, so wasn't too much of a shock she didn't do it now. even if she should.

Emma is too startled to see her at first to really think about why it is a terrible idea for someone to be close to her. ) Regina? ( gaping like an idiot is probably not going to make her look much better, but oh well. she could have scales, you know. ) Wait, but— Henry isn't—

( if both of them were here, then Henry was alone, and that was nearly as overwhelming a thought as holding onto all the darkness in the realms. )

hush ilu

[disheartening]

Henry isn't here. You and I, however, are here, miss Swan and now that I have finally found you, we can begin planning our return to storybrooke before anyone thinks to touch our son.

[ this all said very primly and to the point which is really a sign of what storms beneath the calm facade. yes, regina is pissed off. yes, she is doubly so now that she actually sees emma alone and realizes that henry is left only with two brainless idiots and a pirate that's only good with applying eyeliner.

but emma seems to be troubled and so regina takes the reins ]

I'm guiding you through it as you seem inflicted with slowness tonight.

[dreamcatcher]

( Emma can't decide if she's pissed off or not. in some ways, her being here is safer than her being at home. she can't hurt her family if she's nowhere near them. the biggest problem is she was kind of anticipating the people that cared about her being there to help her find a way to destroy the darkness she is now harboring for the good of everybody, and well...

her family isn't here. or at least, she didn't think there was anyone from home, until now.

realizing suddenly how close she is to Regina, she shifts away suddenly, hands lifted. )

You shouldn't be that close, Regina, we don't know what will happen. ( or, maybe Regina did, but Emma sure didn't and she wasn't willing to risk it. it felt like magic was a steady boil just under her skin at all times, demanding an outlet, and she was terrified it might just develop a mind of its own. ) Slow? Seriously? ( it's almost comforting that Regina is determined to be an ass to her, even after everything... but almost and not quite. )

[disheartening]

Whatever it is you have can't be worse than what I do. Miss Swan, I've done evil before you were even a fleeting thought in your parents' mind.

[ ok, she's kind, she didn't said 'barely existent minds' now did she. and yes, she's perhaps a bit worried about emma possibly possessing a meteor sized amount of darkness but hey, they've been through worse.

ish. ]

Slow. Seriously. You're catching up. Now, we can sit here, roasting marshmallows over the fire and talking about our feelings or we could start thinking about getting at least one of us home back to Henry.

[dreamcatcher]

I didn't take on a curse to protect you to end up accidentally roasting you with dark magic, Regina.

( well, she'd taken on the curse for everyone, but still! she's freaked out, and she doesn't know how safe it is to be close to people. she shifts to the side in a clear hint, and hopefully Regina will take it. she'll think clearer if she's not spending her time terrified she'll hurt someone. )

I'm listening. They say they're going to help us, that means they know how to send people back.

( Emma doesn't exactly trust that anyone will help them, but the fact that it's possible is actually reassuring. )

[disheartening]

You give yourself far too much credit, Swan. So you happen to be hosting a whole fleet of darkness. At least it didn't make you giggle and chuckle like a monkey the way it did Rumple.

[ she rolls her eyes ]

and they could be lying. I do believe they can send us back, I also absolutely believe they won't tell us how which means, we'll have to find out by ourselves and set ourselves free.

[dreamcatcher]

( Emma looks tempted to argue. Regina can probably see it in the narrowed green of her eyes and the squirrelly look she's wearing. in the end, there's no point. Henry is a more important concern than her current condition, however troubling. )

No, they won't tell us how. Which means we'll probably have to play along until we get a chance to understand how this operation is running. I doubt the answer home is on this... ( world? planet? she has no damn idea. ) They got us here somehow. When they move us next, maybe we can get an idea of how they do it.

five.

[sickbays]

[ username: mccoy ]

Haven't got a clue. But if you find out, you be sure to share the message with the rest of the class.

[ Or just him. Because he really would like to know. ]

[dreamcatcher]

yeah, sure, if I figure it out the class will be the first to know.

( there's at least a slight amount of sarcasm in that, sorry, but she isn't heartless, she'll let people know as soon as she does if she has the chance. )

I can't be the only one wondering if they're actually going to send us home, right?

[sickbays]

I'm sure it's a thought at the back of everyone's mind right now.

[ Unless they don't want to go back, for whatever reason. McCoy doesn't have the time to sit around and speculate it. They've got a laundry list of other things to worry about. ]

The fact that we haven't been told anything doesn't look too promising, though. Maybe it's just the cynic in me, but I don't think they're gonna cut use loose once this little babysitting fiasco is over.

[dreamcatcher]

yeah, I don't think so. baby dragons are a handful, but if I had to guess they're going to get as much out of us as they possibly can.
if they even intend to send us back at all.

[sickbays]

Jesus.

I get enough of this 'saving the species crap' at home, why the hell should I keep doing it here? [ Why do things always happen to him? What has he done to deserve this roller coaster of a life? ]

Glad I've got someone that feels the same way, though. Guess we'll have to just find out when this over.

[dreamcatcher]

I'd rather babysit dragons than slay them, trust me when I say that is a bigger pain in the ass.

( she still isn't sure how she managed that one. sheer luck, probably. )

all I can say is keep your eyes open. if they're not going to live up to these broad promises, I'm sure there's a hint of it somewhere.
and it won't hurt to look for our own way home in the meantime.

[sickbays]

You slayed a dragon and lived to tell the tale? [ Color him impressed. About the surviving thing. The slaying thing is a bit of a hard sell for him, mostly because he abhors killing in any shape or form, but he'll just keep that thought to himself.

She might have a reason for it. Like the threat impending death or something. Anyway... ]

That's what I thinking. If there's a way we came here, there has to be a way back, somehow.

[dreamcatcher]

( it was to save her kid, Bones! and besides, Mal turned into a zombie and is still somehow kicking so, maybe she didn't slay her after alll... )

yeah, apparently. long story, but I did what I had to.

if the people that promise us a ride back don't come through, then we'll have to find another way. I'm not giving up on going home.

five.

[thetruestbeliever]

[ Okay how many people are gonna have a username like this and not be his mom, right? It has to be her...but. Here's the thing: if it is her, then awesome, he'll go find her right away and be relieved she's okay. If it's not her, they can just keep having a normal conversation. But he kind of likes the idea of playing along for a minute and surprising her since he's pretty sure his identity isn't obvious by his username. ]

username: everafter
hopefully not too long, I miss my family :(

[dreamcatcher]

yeah. I miss mine too.

( it seems like she spends most of her time missing her family, instead of actually being with them. she knows they'll be looking for her, and that they're not gonna give up until they find her... but that doesn't make her miss them any less. )

these people won't tell us how long they expect us to work, I'm not even sure I believe they'll ever help us home.

[thetruestbeliever]

[ Well, that's a troubling thought. He hadn't really figured these people wouldn't be telling them the truth. Even with the way he's been lied to before by people like Pan, he just...trusts others. ]

I don't know about that.
why do you think they won't help us?

[dreamcatcher]

they've got an unregulated army of workers, why would they give that up?
especially when there's so little chance of somebody from home being able to help us.

( if Emma realized who she was talking to, she probably wouldn't be so openly pessimistic. still, Henry knows how her mind works, and it's not always the brightest place. maybe it's darker, now. )

[thetruestbeliever]

[ He'll feel silly about this in a moment if he's wrong, but that cynical nature combined with the username 'swan' can only mean one thing... ]

hi mom :)
it's Henry

[ And then he just waits. ]

[dreamcatcher]

( it takes her awhile to respond again, and it's good that he can't see her freak out. because it's the exact kind of freak out he cannot see, complete with a spark of magic blasting the campfire she's sitting next to into an upward flame. )

Henry.
promise me.

whatever you do, you can't try to come find me.
we can talk like this but you can't be near me right now.

[thetruestbeliever]

[ oh no, this isn't good at all. what's wrong, what's she hiding, is she hurt? ]

what??
mom what's wrong, are you ok??

[dreamcatcher]

Henry, please, I need you to promise me.
I can't hurt you again.

( she has no idea why Henry doesn't remember what happened, but the fact is, it doesn't matter that he doesn't remember. if there's a chance that she'll hurt him, she can't let him be near her. )