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[astonishing_xmods]

THE TEST DRIVE MEME

Hello, True Believers!

This is for anyone wanting to test out their characters in the setting before the applications open, see what clicks. Multiples will be allowed for this post, and you can generally assume any threads are a self-contained continuity unless you feel like getting creative.

Just post a thread with your CHARACTER NAME and CANON NAME in the title with a prompt and others will reply. Prompts and threads can be action spam or prose or whatever. These threads can be used on the sample section of your application, as well. Go out and have fun!


Be sure to read up on all game information and the "!event" tag to make sure you have all your ducks in a row.

Comments

[denialism]

[[ooc: Haha, excellent. If you like bad things, then look no further, because so does Adachi.]]

[The shock doesn't hit Adachi, who appears standing behind Jack. Though of course that's not really Adachi, either. His illusion fields are small and temporary, but they can be potent. They can even make people think they've fired their weapons or used their powers when they really haven't. But that depends on the person.]

If you're not doing anything wrong, then you have nothing to worry about! This is a special holding cell. There's nothing that can hurt you here. It's perfectly safe. So just sit tight until the reinforcements get here, and we'll sort it all out.

[In spite of what Adachi says, there's a sense of dread in the air, and shadowy figures begin to appear in the fog. Hey, he's not doing anything wrong. (Also, his illusions are always creepy, he can't seem to help it.) This is an "adult", and could be anyone, up to anything! He's just doing his job. He always follows the rules. He deserves a little fun!]

[the_prodigal_son]

[[ooc: yes good. please treat yourself by getting adachi in soon and letting him discover jack's voice commands.]]

[He swings his wrench at the Adachi behind him, hard, but he's never expected that to get him anywhere with strong enemies. He just doesn't have anything better.

And those shadows are getting closer and his eyes are wide and panicked and he can hear his heart pounding in his ears. As far as he's concerned those shadows look like the monsters he left in Rapture. No no no, he wants out.]

Let me out, you asshole! [His voice has gotten oddly squeaky from panic, it sounds really weird given its usual depth and manliness.] I'm not an adult, alright!? I lied! I don't wanna die!

[denialism]

[[ooc: this sounds like a fantastic idea.]]

[The "Adachi" dissolves, with a laugh. Nope, sorry, try again, kiddo!]

You lied? To security? Why'd you do that? We're here for your safety. I'm just doing my job here.

Anyway, how do I know that's true? Maybe you're lying now, to trick me. I can't take the risk. The school's safety is at stake!

[Thaaaat's right, he is being a good and responsible civil servant!

Another Adachi appears, inexplicably floating in midair, his arms folded over his chest as he shakes his head. The greenish haze in the air takes on a faint red glow.]

Relax. I said you're not going to die. Don't be such a baby.

[the_prodigal_son]

I don't trust you!

[He has most definitely lost his trust for Adachi. In one fell swoop he has learned that some people on the surface are just as bad as the crazy people he left in Rapture. And he is not a happy mutant.

He aims another zap at the new Adachi despite knowing full well it won't do anything.]

Let! Me! Out! I'm not gonna hurt anyone! I-I just wanna smoke and go to bed, you crazy bastard!

[Jack this is the precise opposite of relaxing, when are you going to listen to authorities?]

[denialism]

It doesn't matter if you trust me. I don't trust you either. You lied to me.

Sorry. You lost your chance. I've got to follow regulations.

[The zapped Adachi dissolves, to be replaced by a new one that draws closer. Though he is technically following regulations, he's most likely going to get temporarily removed from duty and made to attend extra counseling sessions for this, but that's probably not much comfort for Jack.]

Wow, you really are a baby. It's just a little mini-dimension. No one's ever died in one.

[None of what he just said was the least bit true. However, he changes the formless void. Suddenly there are walls, a floor. They're standing in the middle of a classroom. It's mostly normal, but through the windows, all that can be seen in that red-tinged green haze. And there aren't any doors. The furniture all seems normal, but upon closer examination, nothing is exactly symmetrical, and no line is exactly straight. Even the floor has a slight, barely perceptible tilt to it.]

I hang out here all the time.

[the_prodigal_son]

Liar, liar, liar, liar, liar!

[He's barking the word out and he's shaking, nearly crying from his anger. This man is just like Fontaine, lying to him and acting like that's perfectly fine and there's nothing wrong. And he can't do a thing about it with only his wrench and his glove.]

I don't care what it is, I wanna get out! Professor Xavier won't let you- you-

[He's had his doubts about Xavier, though. He's had his doubts about most figures of authority he's met. If this is the sort of person being hired at this school...

Jack backs up as far away from Adachi as he can get. There goes all the human mannerisms he gained at the school, he's back to the cornered animal Rapture turned him into.]

[denialism]

Yeah, I'm a liar! And so are you and everyone else. Remember that.

["Adachi" smiles.]

Of course he will. I'm following Xavier's rules. You're the one breaking them. According to you, you lied to an officer, tried to sneak off campus and get cigarettes. That's pretty bad. They're not gonna like it.

[Trying to make it seem like Adachi's the bad guy! When he hasn't done anything wrong. He's only teasing a little.]

Can't take a joke, can you, kid? I told you to relax. There's nowhere to go.

[the_prodigal_son]

[Oh, he will remember that, because that is the philosophy that betrayal has engraved into his mind.]

You're gonna hurt me.

[That much he is absolutely certain of. And no amount of kind words is going to change that until he's back in reality where he belongs.]

Just let me out right now, I'm gonna kick your ass!

[Bargaining skills level: Fontaine would be proud.]

[denialism]

[It's okay, kid. You don't know it, but Adachi understands. People are shit. The world is shit. That's how it is and how it's always been.]

No, kid. I'm not.

[Not now that he was arrested and is monitored by the people in charge!]

It's really safe here.

[Or it is for Adachi. His own world.]

Okay, I might consider letting you out, since you're not being any fun, but now that you said that... it's not like I want my ass kicked.

[He really doesn't.]

[the_prodigal_son]

[Jack's eyes dart toward the windows. Is he ever going to see the real sky again? He doesn't feel like he will. He feels like he's stuck underwater again. And with that thought he fixes Adachi with a harsh glare.]

I'm gonna kick your ass anyway, let me out! [He zaps the latest Adachi to appear but he's already banking on it doing nothing more but wasting his glove's energy supply, and he instead takes out his frustration by aiming his wrench at a window.]

[denialism]

You know, you need to work on your logic, don't they teach you that in this school? All these fancy teachers, you think they'd manage to educate a kid or two, somewhere along the way!

You're gonna get out, I told you, I have to wait for the big guns to show up.

[Meaning, "actual" security. He doesn't consider himself one of them, even though he is, technically. But he's one of the pieces of refuse here, not a valued member of the community. "Adachi" is just ignoring the zaps now, managing to hide and protect himself within the context of his illusion, while it lasts.

The window doesn't shatter. The wrench seems to pass through it as if it's made of water rather than glass.]

I thought you'd like it here! Like... home. Or school, anyway. Let's see, what do kids like?

[Adachi makes a half-hearted attempt at an amusement park. He never liked amusement parks as a kid. This one forms slowly as the classroom fades away. It looks old and broken down, but there's a lit ferris wheel, slowly turning. It looks kind of stupid, but brats like stupid things, right? This guy acts a lot younger than he looks. He really miscalculated here! Although... preventing a kid from getting cigarettes is a good thing, right?]

[the_prodigal_son]

["Big guns." He's nearly bursting from his cocktail of fear and anger. He turns back to Adachi with an animalistic snarl and is about to respond-

And then the scenery changes again and this time he doesn't even get a corner to back into. Under other circumstances, he might be distracted by technically being at an amusement park for the first time ever. At this point, though, he's far more interested in wasting his energy trying to punch Adachi or hit him with his wrench.

At least he's not wasting his glove anymore?]

Fuck you! I'm gonna kick your ass and their asses and anyone else's I need to just get my fucking smokes! And- and I'll kick your ass every time I run across you if Professor Xavier won't let me kill you!

[And he's been talking long enough to get a headache, but he's soldiering on from the pure rage that only panicked four year olds can possess.]

[denialism]

You should lay off the smokes, kid. Those things'll kill you. But I know, no one wants to hear that from an adult. Probably just me saying that will make you want to smoke more! But it's true.

[Not that Adachi's ever smoked. Up to a point, he did do all the things he was told to do.]

Wow, sounds like I'm in a lot of trouble now! Well, you won't be the first person to kick my ass, and you probably won't be the last. Who knows, you might even have to stand in line. I tend to have that effect on people.

[Adachi laughs. Okay, so the kid getting that mad is kind of funny, even if he knows he's not supposed to be laughing. Kids get over stuff, though! No big deal!]

Don't want to burst your bubble, but I don't think the old man lets people beat up security guards all the time, either.

[Whoa, he has seriously underestimated how bad he is with kids! Why did his counselor tell him to spend more time with the kids again? This can only go terribly wrong.]

[the_prodigal_son]

You deserve getting your ass handed to you, I hate you and I can smoke whenever I damn well feel like it!

[Why is he laughing? Jack's not funny. He's a being of pure trauma and rage. He is to be feared because he is huge and mighty. He's actually starting to get anxious about just how angry he's getting on top of all the stress Adachi's already putting him through. He might just pass out, except he wasn't designed that way. Kind scientists in a lab made sure he was built to last until a fight was over no matter how overwhelmed he got.]

Egg- headed- jerk!! [He accents each word with a wrench swing aimed at, well, whatever's closest. Fence, tea cups, Adachi's face, he realizes it won't mean anything. None of this means anything. He has no control over the situation and no chance of accomplishing anything other than a migraine. And after all of that he just clutches his head and makes a noise of pure frustration.]

[denialism]

I'm not arguing with you. I deserve it. Most people are assholes, though, so I'm not that special.

But nah, you can't. Sure, you'll get away with it sometimes, but sometimes you'll get caught. That's life. You need to learn to deal with disappointment.

[It's nothing personal, Jack, Adachi laughs at everyone. He continues to smile as his fake self dodges.]

Egg-headed?

[He's not familiar with that idiom, though he likes learning English idioms.]

Maybe you mean dickhead. That's a better one. I feel like it's my responsibility as an adult to teach you.

[Tohru Adachi: teaching kids English—who thought the day would ever come? Not Adachi, that's for sure.]

[the_prodigal_son]

[This time Jack doesn't respond. He just stands there with his head in his hands, making deeply concerning noises of pure hatred that Adachi may not have caused, per say, but definitely triggered. He doesn't care for your English lessons, he's busy trying to cram his traumatic memories back into his head.

At least he's not underwater, he reminds himself sharply. No doubt Adachi could make it happen, but it hasn't yet. It's a small comfort against a tidal wave of anxiety.]

[denialism]

Wow, you're really mad, huh...? Go on and be mad. Why not? There's a lot to be mad about.

[Adachi stands staring at him, and though he's not where he seems to be at all, the fake version of him stands staring, too, eyes shining. He doesn't know if he should laugh, or what.]

It must have hurt a lot, right? What they did. I know what it's like, to be treated like shit.

[Yeah, he doesn't know what he's talking about, and he doesn't care, but it's easy to see that this is one of the more fucked up members of Professor X's enclave of misfit mutants.]

I get it. Well, for a little while, you can't hurt anyone and no one can hurt you, but you're not even gonna appreciate it.

[He's used to not being appreciated. He doesn't even want to do this.]

[the_prodigal_son]

[Oh, it definitely hurt. He's not sure if it's physical or emotional pain he's remembering, but it's all just a blur of betrayal and terror. Everything from his conception to the moment he shoved a gathering needle through Fontaine's chest. All the mind games and torture and so, so much pain...]

Fuck you! Fuck you, you don't know jack shit, you- he just sat back and let them- motherfucker did nothing but lie and I trusted him and-

[It seems Jack isn't completely here. No, his mind is jumping back through the snatches of real memories he has, the few bits and pieces that prove everything good in his life is a lie. Everything good is a lie. Even the Institute is a lie, he's not safe here at all, is he?]

I don't wanna be stuck in here with you, you're just like him!

[denialism]

I know more than you think I do.

[He knows the general formula.]

Me? I didn't do shit to anyone.

[All right, he did kill some people, true, but not—directly, with his own two hands. Would it have been better, if he had? Easier? Would he have felt better about it?

Well, he was just offering them a better life. He thinks.]

I'm holding some brat in detainment who doesn't know how to follow the rules. That's it. No one's asking you to trust me, and I don't remember you trusting me for one minute now that I think of it. [But this makes sense, because...] Who trusts cops?

[the_prodigal_son]

F- fuck you! [He backs up away from Adachi and shakes his head pointedly.] I don't trust you- he'd say that too- and I said I lied, it doesn't matter anymore! It doesn't- I just wanna go home!

[He's shaking heavily now, and of course he's too stressed out to think straight. Fontaine- Adachi- the line between that's actually happening and what he's scared of happening is really getting blurred.]

I killed him and I'll kill you too if you don't let me out!