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test drive | 1
Welcome to the first test drive for Systemwide! We are excited to have you. All prospective players are welcome to tag in and test out their characters, be they unplugged or free born. We would like to offer a range of scenarios that can be expected during gameplay, which are also useable prompts for app samples, and of course, if something else about the setting strikes you, feel free to come up with your own!
Please put your character name and canon in your subject line, and indicate which prompt you are launching from.simulation | maybe this is your first time. perhaps you've been here countless times. it's a room, as confined as a boxing ring, as expansive as a battle field, whatever you need it to be, whatever you're here to train for.
1. Before you is a city of rooftops, empty of human life. This is a safe place, because while it may hurt you, at least it won't kill you. Perhaps you are practicing your influence over reality, leaping from rooftop to rooftop. Are you successful, or are you failing to free your mind? Perhaps you're helping someone else overcome their fear of heights.
And of course, an operator can always load up some Agent-like training programs to make it interesting.2. Congratulations, you know kung-fu, or maybe some other system of combat, like crazy parkour archery, cartwheeling with guns, or sword fighting on horse back. Perhaps you're trying out something even more fantastic, a magical skill or a superpower.
Show me. Or a friend.mission | whether on board a ship or with your mind sunk deep into a Matrix, you will have to join the battle eventually. sometimes things go terribly wrong. what are you gonna do about it?
reality | as much as many Matrixes are designed to be a comfort, you have to face the real world sometime. or maybe this is the world you have only ever known.3.
Something's gone wrong with this extraction.There's a lot of information to process. Your target's been extracted, and that's the good news -- your ship, in reality, is heading to their location now -- but the bad news is your team has been scattered. You could be anywhere within this Matrix, deep in the jungle, or lost on a subway train, or staggering out of the crashing waves of a night time beach, and the operator needs a minute to figure out your exact location before they can direct you to a port out of here, or send another operative to collect you.
All you have to do is stay alive for that long. Easy, right?4.
You were warned of this. You've been prepared in endless simulations, with a dozen cautionary tales, training sessions with the EMP. Still, it's nothing like you imagined, when the operator shouts: "Sentinel closing in at seven o' clock. It's gaining."
And then the shriek of metal.5. Annual celebrations are rare to come by, but the anniversary of Neo's Truce is one that always draws in the crowd. The event takes place in a massive cavern in Zion known as the Temple, and there is music, and there is dancing [a little NSFW].
Everyone is there.
Where are you?6.
The wind on your face, up here on the desolate surface, tastes bitter, different to what it feels like in a simulated reality. It's freezing cold and always dark, but sometimes, you need a reminder about what it is you're fighting for. Or maybe you're seeing the wasteland of Earth for the first time.
Either way, you shouldn't be out here for too long. The machines might find you.wildcard | choose your own adventure.
7. Perhaps you're riding with the Dothraki, or sitting under the Sorting Hat for the first time. Maybe the pleather bodysuit is pinching under your armpits as the traffic of the 90's roars by, or the Nova Empire's sprawling city glitters, towering above you. Maybe you're showing someone around the place you called home for your entire fictional life.
Or perhaps it's nothing as fantastical as that: the Council meeting droned on for two hours, and you're just happy to be home, even if it's a tiny enclosure with rust-edged furniture. Maybe someone's coming over for lunch, and there are real greens in the protein slurry today; maybe you're about to ask to join a crew.
There are infinite worlds to explore, but try to remember that only one of them is real.
I think the machines will have things to say about that!
NOBODY LIKES A TATTLE TALE NOW DO THEY?
If one was familiar with Cossack-style traditional dances, they'd note a terrible rendition going on right about now. Captain's 'whoop's had turned into 'hohp's to the bass beat of the massive dance floor, and their legs bounced one to the other in time with the music. Their arms, firmly crossed over their chest as they grinned with a regal wall-eyed superiority up at Derfie, remained out of the action until a nearby crescendo caused the Captain to spring forward and upright again, at which point they minced into a lumbering spin back and forth, clapping their fingertips to their thumbs over and over as though holding tiny thimble chimes.
This, of course, morphed into a proactive dance display: they spun three times, unwrapping the only vestige of reddish clothing on their body in the form of the ratty pants secured about their neck, and came out of the horrifically dizzying move bellowing, "toro!" as though this was some sort of coy invitation for Derfie to challenge their dance prestige. By now a nice little ring of empty space surrounded them: nobody wanted to be wailed upon by this red-faced enthusiast!
Well then how about a twirl tail instead! /shakes rump
Thankfully, it was a cultural reference that Derfie was aware of, though if she hadn't already been herself red with exertion she would have flushed at being thrust into the role of the bull! But she was game, it seemed like good sport!
Therefore the waving pants saw the Dragonchaser's operator lowering her head, trotting forward in a sprightly step to the beat to 'charge' them.
EXCELLENT! YOUR PASSPORT TO CAPTANIA REQUIRES THE STATUS OF 'BACKUP DANCER'! ACCEPTED!
"View the power of our milkshakes, Beyla! Look upon ye mighty works and weep!" True to their mad yelling, people had gathered around the ring not to dance, but to watch and even clap in time to the makeshift tauromachia being performed. It might not be as exciting as the bacchanal hip-grinding happening a few people-piles over, but it was at least unusual!
Captain waited until Derfie had reached the periphery of their clear space, and then, pants-flapping wildly a couple of times, bellowed, "toro! Toro I say!!"
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Then, letting out a "raugh!" that wasn't really fierce enough to sound like a bull proper (there was too much laugh to it) she went for the pants again. This time her impromptu dance partner would have to leap aside, at least!
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Captain flung one finger high, raising it as though demanding a pause. Then they worked themselves upright, bringing their finger down over one hip and jutting into a discotheque pose worthy more of a sparkling white suit and a burly patch of chest-hair than moth-eaten sweats and completely ambiguous, gasping features.
Still, Captain wasn't one to be spent after a few high-falutin' dance moves, or so they thought. They minced with the red pants now, this time flapping the 'cape' neatly to either side of them and skipping from one foot to the other. It was entirely derogatory in nature: with that sort of skip-to-me-loo posturing, it was impossible to deny that they were having a little fun at Derfie's expense. "Toro, bully wully! Toro, vooly mooly!"
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As Captain skipped away from her, Derfie prepared herself for a third charge. She was panting a bit but the adrenaline just made her idea more appealing. If she could pull it off it would be funny! If she didn't, well, she'd just have to pull the strange fellow back out into the dancing mass. A party was no place for a proper wrassle, it'd ruin the mood.
So on this third response to the flapping red fabric, Derfie barrelled forward, bringing her upper body down as she did. She'd snatch the Captain around the waist, briefly hoist the giant, and perhaps win the mock-match!
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This was not the matrix of Captain's lifetime, however, and in reality they were just as prone to surprise and victimization as any other feckless boob. They gave a huge, bellowing squawk as Derfie rammed into their kidneys, throwing their cape-pants as high as a bouquet of flowers into the crowd that was watching, and flailed like a jiggly fish. Their hollering resolved into a desperate cry: "Snippy!! Save me from this harpy!"
They then proceeded to make a raucous racket that could only be considered poorly rendered crow or raven caws, as though summoning someone in this fashion were only normal in emergency situations.
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It was not without effort and strain, but she had bench-pressed heavier and after all, the motion was more symbolic than anything! She let out her own cry, another ostensibly-a-bull-roar, straightening her legs and back so that the Captain was lifted more than a foot off the ground, and, as people cheered, she carefully gave a spin of her own. "Never underestimate the bull!" she laughed, short-of-breath with the effort. This one was not light!
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But then Captain's mad cawing began and he knew this was one of those moments where if he ignored it, he was going to end up with Captain leaping about him Caw Caw Cawing even if he'd already wended his way into his partner's bed. He groaned and stilled.
"I'll be back in a minute, I promise." He murmured, stealing a kiss before plunging into the crowd.
Captain wasn't hard to find, given the loudness of the caws, but the situation the big lunatic had gotten into made Snippy pause. He was not going to jump into the middle and get himself decked by a woman that buff.
"Whatever Captain did to you, I'm sorry." Because of course Captain would only have been hefted by an Amazon if she'd been wronged. He circled nearer warily, keeping his palms open. "Captain's crazy but probably meant well, so just be gentle if you need to give a beating, okay?"
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In the real, it amounted to their craws turning to a singular ululation as Derfie brought him around to the sight of a shortish, dark haired and scowling man cutting through the crowd. Unlike Captain, whose accent was a senseless mixture of french and german, Snippy's british whine helped to mark him as a coppertop even if he otherwise seemed well adapted to real life by now.
"Mr. Snippy!" Captain cried, voice less terrified and more joyous than it probably should have been. It was a dangerous tone to one familiar with Captain's capriciousness. Attempting to noodle out of Derfie's arms, they flapped their massive hands like a pinned bird -- not helping their case of being called crazy! "Meet my muscley native guide! She is strong like bull, but quick like bee! I've taken her on a magic carpet ride that... where is my carpet!?"
The pants-scarf in question were currently being violently twirled overhead by a sweaty dancer just on the sidelines, a victory dance all its own. Captain was tired, overstimulated, and more than a little bit manic. This was a melt-down waiting to happen. He turned his attention directly to Derfie, unbothered by the lack of distance. Kicking feebly at her shins, they exclaimed, "you were the magic carpet all along!!?"
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The Captain was creeping up her list of strange people she'd met at dances like these.
To be fair, though, he was being complementary and Derfegertz was in a particularly good mood. "Well now that you've said so the magic's gone!" she exclaimed, and (with care) lowered those kicking feet back onto the dust-and-stone floor.
Taking quick advantage of the moment it might take the Captain to get their balance, Derfegertz shot a sunny smile at Snippy and assured him over the din of the dance, "not to worry, we've just been having fun!" What on earth kind of fellow would be such trouble that their friends assume they need a beating?
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"Good! Good, you keep having fun! Have fun all night, just make sure Captain remembers to get a drink of water soon!" Could his night really be going this well? Could he have finally found someone to share the burden of being the lunatic's pet? Rather than try and break up the happy couple he backed and turned to wend him way back to his partner.
Who, rather than wait for him, had started dancing way too close to someone else.
"Oh, come on! I said I was coming back!" His former partner didn't hear him over the din, being far too preoccupied stripping off another layer. Charles whirled around and stormed back over to Captain's empty circle, flapping his arms as he yelled. "You've ruined my night! You ruin everything!"
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"Ah, my little wandering biscuit has gone in search of butter patties," Captain mused, disappointed but not entirely surprised. They'd been hoping to put both Derfie and Snippy into a simultaneous headlock to show gratitude, and also perhaps to rest their weary feet! They made do by turning back towards Derfie and clapping her shoulders with surprising force. "You have been a true backup dancer, suitable to mein entourage! I shall dub thee zee twinkliest of toes," accompanied by stocking toe-waggling, of course, on their part. "Miss Twinkly, Delegate of Zion to the Outreach Branch of Captania!" She had just been knighted, albeit with sternly pointed fingers to either shoulder and to the crown of her juicily coiffed flaxy hairs.
They heard Snippy's whinging dopplering off the crowd as his trajectory brought him around again, and, when the short man came close, Captain turned and made good on fulfilling their headlocking destiny. It wasn't hard to judge where Snippy would be (storming right their way for payback) and how hard he was going to fight back (with all the power of a wounded dickens), so hopefully a gently coconutting on the top of his head would show Captain's appreciation for the short orbit. "Snippy! Did you bring the water?!"
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In any case his return derailed the Captain's most recent comedic act (that had to be a comedic act, right?!) which was a shame, although the bizarre giant seemed happy enough to leap topics entirely and headlock their friend.
Derfie laughed, then covered it with a hand, and laughed again. She had water, but she wasn't going to tell these fine fellows just yet -- lest Snippy had, against every indication, actually returned with water enough to impress his Captain!
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"Get off my G-damn head!" He punched again, hoping quantity would make up for the lack of quality, but then the laughter began and he lost it.
"Why are you laughing!?" He howled, wounded that his public humiliation was now drawing mocking attention. "This isn't funny! Get the bastard off of me!"
Snippy liked to think he had some principles, but in this situation he needed to play dirty before the circle of onlookers grew larger. He shoved his arm under the hems of Captain's clothing and jerked his arm upwards.
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They worked their way up back to their feet in an attempt to put some spring in their step, but they were tired and the effect wasn't quite managed. "My Snippy, showing off the chickens before the eggs are counted!" They boom as though to include the entire room, vast as it may be, though their voice probably only reaches the pair of them in this mess. "Twinkly is my Mistress of Giggles and Fun! You two--" They briefly put their hands to their mouth as though a thought had struck deep into their heart, "must meet!"
Prepare to have your hands mashed together, like matter and anti-matter, Derfie and Snippy. Captain has seen your friend-ship and is going to make it happen.