Test Drive for August 2014 Apps

[highseasmods]

Welcome to your monthly Test Drive for high_seas! Here is where new players can test out their characters' voices, old players can try out new muses, and everyone can help each other get some threads for their applications! Feel free to use one of the prompts below, or come up with something on your own! Comment around, have fun, and remember that any CR formed here does not carry over to the game!

See you during the application round!

♦ So you're new to this world and have just woken up in the Town Square. How do you react? What do you do?

♦ You're lost at sea. Maybe you got separated from your crew. Or perhaps you're on an abandoned island. You need help!

♦ "Pirates off the starboard bow!" It's an enemy ship! Attack!!

♦ You and your crew are hanging out on your ship. Just another day at sea!

♦ "LAND, HO!" Hey look, a new island! How about you go explore it? Tell us what you find!

♦ Arrr, here be buried treasure, but not all that glitters is gold! Will ye be telling your mateys what ye found, or keeping it for yourselves?

Comments

[tactilelearner]

Yeah? What kinda weird? If you don' mind me askin', that is.

[Some people didn't like to talk about it. Rogue barely liked to talk about it. But... Well. This girl is pretty friendly, so. Rogue will give it as best a try as she can.

Like she sometimes does with Kitty.]

[alovingheart]

I don't mind! And weird as in I kind of learned that my sister is magical? I mean, in the literal sense. She has magic. She can turn things to ice. And snow. It's really pretty amazing. That and I also made friends with a guy who talks and sings with his reindeer, aaand a talking snowman.

[tactilelearner]

[Magic. The old-school word for mutation. The power to create ice and snow.

Rogue can't help but smile just a little more as she offers:]

I've got a friend like that. His name's Bobby.

[alovingheart]

Really? With the same powers and everything? I've never met anyone that can do the same things that Elsa can. I mean, a lot of people here do have powers, all sorts of them, but no one but Elsa can do the ice thing. As far as I know, anyway.

[tactilelearner]

Yeah, Bobby can create ice. Even turn himself into ice. And he's oh-so-creative with his codename. "Iceman."

[She can't help but chuckle a little, shaking her head. The younger kids were... different. They just weren't quite the same.]

[alovingheart]

Woah, uh, I've never seen Elsa turn herself into ice. But she can make clothes out of ice. And she can make her snow creatures come to life!

[She laughs a little as well.] Well, at least it's accurate? My sister doesn't really have a codename, as far as I know. Just... Elsa. Or, well, Queen Elsa. But that's really more of a title than a codename.

[tactilelearner]

[Snow Queen.

Rogue doesn't say it, but her mind supplies it. She's been hanging out with Kitty and Kurt too much to come up with it that easy. Or maybe she just misses them that much.]

Most people where I'm from don' go by their real names. Some do. Depends on the company, too.

There's a lot of us -- like your sister. We've got a teacher who finds us. His power is sensin' when other people use their powers. He brings us together.

[alovingheart]

Really? That's amazing. I mean, that must be really nice...

[She thinks that Elsa probably would have felt a lot better growing up if she'd known that there were other people out there who were just as extraordinary as she was. But, Rogue had said that he 'brings them together.' Which sounds an awful lot like it would mean Elsa having left her. Which... makes her sort of glad that such a thing didn't exist in her own world, though she feels a bit guilty for thinking it.]

A teacher... So what does he teach you?

[tactilelearner]

It's... Yeah, it's pretty nice. Most of us don' have anywhere else t' go.

[They weren't wanted. Or were wanted to be used.

But Xavier offered them a safe haven. Somewhere to hide from the world while they learned what they were and what they could do. She didn't want to imagine a world in which she never knew about the Institute.]

He teaches us how to use and control our powers. How to help people with them and how not to hurt anyone -- ourselves or anyone else.

[alovingheart]

[She finds herself looking down at her hands as she listens. She wouldn't say that Elsa hadn't had anywhere else to go, Anna had always been welcoming to her, but... Well, their kingdom wasn't, for that brief amount of time... And having someone to help teach her how to control her powers, how not to hurt anyone. That would have been good for Elsa. It probably would still be good for Elsa. But...]

So, uhm. Does he ever let people without powers come too? Not to be taught or to... to hone in on any of it, just... Just so that they can still be close to someone they love, because that person has powers?

[tactilelearner]

...We don' have any non-mutants living at the Institute.

[It's an interesting thought, though. But she catches the word.]

That's what we're called where I'm from. People with powers. Mutants.

[But. Back to the real point.]

But the ones who've got family see 'em a lot. Closer they live, the better. Kurt goes home every summer, so does Jean. And over breaks, too.

...I doubt the professor'd mind, though. If someone really wanted t' come. We... haven't had anyone ask before.

[alovingheart]

["Mutant." That doesn't sound much better than "monster" to her, but if it's a name they came up with for themselves, then that's not so bad. She just isn't sure she'd ever want to call Elsa that, not after she'd already been called a monster.

But besides that, she seems surprised at Rogue's answer.]

Oh. Well, it's just... I don't really have anyone else, back home, besides my sister. After our parents died, it's mostly just us. So that's why I asked, but... I'm surprised no one else has asked before.

[tactilelearner]

We...

Most of the kids who go there...

[It's hard to say. Everyone has their own stories. Their own problems. They don't really discuss them. Because some people want to talk and others don't, and Rogue's very much one who likes to avoid talking.]

A lot of 'em are runaways. People... don't like us. Most of the time. They think we're dangerous.

And some of us are.

But we... Most of us aren't wanted. Not a lot of people want to stay with family members like us. They prefer us out of the way.

[alovingheart]

[Anna understands. Even their own kingdom had been frightened of Elsa, in the beginning. Their parents had even isolated her and Anna both, out of fear that someone would learn of Elsa's powers. But, still...]

That's awful. I'm so sorry. I'm glad that your teacher gives you a place to go, though. With people who have similar pasts and stories as you, too. I bet that's helpful...

I actually didn't even know of my sister's powers for a long time. But I think they're pretty amazing, and I'm glad she is who she is. I wouldn't change her for the world. And I wouldn't leave her, either.

[tactilelearner]

[Rogue can't help but smile a little at that, looking at Anna.

It isn't just talk. This girl means every word, and that? That's good to see. Especially with what mutants are facing where she's from. No more hiding -- they've been dragged into the light.

And there's no end to it in sight.]

Sounds like she's pretty lucky t' have you.

[alovingheart]

Oh. Well... I'd like to think so. [She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, giving a one-shouldered little shrug.] I'm really happy to have her as a sister, too. Even after the whole frozen kingdom and iced over fjords and me turning into an ice sculpture thing, really I'm just glad we're talking again and she's able to control her powers a little more easily.

[tactilelearner]

Frozen kingdom, huh?

[Now, that gives her some scope. She can imagine it. "Kingdom" sounds a bit strange, but... Girl didn't really know what electricity was. Might work out, strange as this place was.]

That's... Not too surprisin'. I mean. Powers like that. They... go pretty haywire.

[alovingheart]

Yeah... It got pretty bad, but... We fixed it.

[She smiles for a moment, then starts to wonder.]

So you have powers too, right? Uhm, you didn't mention what they were, though... [She's not sure if she should really ask, since the information hadn't been offered, but... She is curious.]

[tactilelearner]

Good. Glad t' hear it.

[And there's the question.

She hates this question.

But, she's been confided in. She's been told about her sister. Least she can do is offer a bit of trust in return.]

I... yeah. I've got powers.

They're... why I wear m' gloves. If I... If I touch someone, I get their mem'ries. Emotions, abilities... powers or jus' skills. Hurts 'em, too. Usually knocks 'em out.

[...And now to wait.

And pretend not to notice the probably inevitable scooting away.]

[alovingheart]

[It's not inevitable with Anna. Mostly because Rogue's been a nice person so far. If she'd been told of her powers right from the beginning, she may have been a little wary, but only because she wouldn't have known anything of her personality. She's only been kind to Anna so far though, and obviously if she's wearing gloves then she's taking precaution not to hurt others, so she feels no reason to be afraid.]

Oh, I had been sort of wondering about the gloves. My sister used to wear gloves all the time too, to try and help control her powers. So is it just your hands that do that, then? [Mostly there's just curiosity here.]

[tactilelearner]

Any bare skin.

[Which is why, regardless of weather, she covers up as much as possible. Sometimes in sheerer, lighter fabrics because as long as it's solid, it doesn't matter. But covers up.

At least the girl hasn't scooted away. That... is a small comfort, and small comforts are something Rogue knows to appreciate.]

Grew up bein' told I had a skin condition an' had t' cover up. 'Cause they knew what my powers'd be, just not when they'd start workin'.

wow sorry for slow tags

[alovingheart]

[She frowns a bit, because that sounds pretty awful. And she can imagine how hard it would be to have to avoid any skin contact with anyone, though she can't imagine her skin contact hurting people, she can't fathom how she'd be able to deal with that. Obviously, Rogue is a really strong person.]

I'm sorry you had to go through that. Not that my apologizing really helps anything, I know... But I'm glad you found a place that helped you, with people who can relate. [She'd sort of already said that before though...] Anyway, I know it's not exactly the same here, but I think you'll find that a lot of people here are pretty understanding. And many of them have powers, too. So you're not alone.

No problem! I totally understand.

[tactilelearner]

Yeah, it's just... I don' like tellin' people, an' here... It's pretty dangerous not to, 'cause if they don' know, they don' know t' be careful.

[Which is frustrating enough.]

But if they do know, well... Let's jus' say I've seen a lot of people -- mutant or not -- who hear 'bout my powers an' think they'd be pretty useful, whether I wanna help or not.

[alovingheart]

I don't think you'll find many people like that here. At least, I hope you won't... My crew is full of really nice people, at least?

The only thing bad I've really heard about any of the crews is one lady who, uhm, set an island on fire. More than once. But that's it. [Not that that's not a big thing in and of itself. It certainly makes Anna upset.]

[tactilelearner]

...Someone settin' islands on fire?

[Now that. That sounds like something that needs to be taken care of. But she's alone here. So, well.]

Have t' avoid that one, then.