RC Test Drive!

[rubycitymods]

I don't really have a fitting picture for this.

G'day, Ruby City! It's time for a meme for both testdrivers and denizens.

Been itching to test out some CR but haven't had the posts to do it? Thinking of apping a character but not sure they'll fit in the city walls?

Have no fear, a meme for you is here.

Directions:

• Post with your character with their name and canon on top!


• Choose a location and prompt or wait for someone else to tag.


• If you'd like, leave contact info for people to get in contact for plotting and other such shenans.


• Tag around! Make friends. Don't be afraid to chat OOC while tagging.

Locations:

1. Train Station: New arrival, or waiting to welcome people? Either way, the train comes in, but you still can't ride it out.


2. Cathedral: Looking for redemption? Just doing a little sight-seeing? Or just getting a little shelter?


3. The Clocktower: You can see the whole city from here!


4. The Black Stallion Saloon: You were told the burgers were great here-- but maybe you just came for the beer.


5. The Library: You came to do a little research, but it looks like all of the information's just out of your reach. Though, you can always find a way to pass the time here.


6. The Coffee Joint: Run by Lukas, a lovely place to have a chat and a bite to eat.


7. Le Cafe Anglais: A Parisian-British fusion that's as charming as it sounds and serves the best tea around.

Scenarios

1. Just walked in: You intended to get here, and you made your way in; but now someone's caught your eye and you'd like to have a chat.


2. Been here all day: You've been sitting around minding the time. Maybe you didn't notice them at first or maybe you were just working up the courage to talk-- either way, they know you're here and you know it too.


3. Inclement weather: You're here because you've gotten rained in. This wasn't your choice, but at least it's dry-- right?


4. Wild card: Got something better in mind? Well screw these prompts, try it out yourself!

Have fun, guys!

Comments

[ordnungsliebe]

Mm. [She nods slightly.] Even just the maps— [Again, her eyes flick away momentarily, and she indicates the spines of the nearby books with a tilt of her head.] Sometimes they'll show the same continents as are in my world, but things like borders and capitals won't reflect changes that have occurred in the last several decades.

[His comment on the communicators catches her by surprise, though. She blinks, he seriousness of her demeanor ebbing some.]

...Ah, really? Not even radios?

[humanwelfare]

Continents. [The word makes him thoughtful. There's no talk of continents where he's from. He wasn't entirely sure what one was, although it's a simple enough concept, if one can see the larger world. Erwin has no idea what the continent he lives on looks like. He knows the outlines of the walls and the terrain inside them like the back of his hand, but the land within so enclosed is nothing compared to what a continent must be like.] I haven't seen any maps resembling what I'm familiar with.

Radios? [It takes him a moment to place the term from his reading, but he thinks he knows what she means.]

No, no radios. [He wishes.] We use smoke flares to communicate immediately over a distance. Otherwise, it's messengers on horseback or messenger birds.

[ordnungsliebe]

[Again, she takes note of the way he echoes the word continents, the same way she noted the pauses before sea and desert. She still isn't sure what conclusion to draw from this. If he comes from a world without technology, then maybe...]

Oh. [And, of course, her first thought is how much more difficult that would make military operations. It's hard to imagine the idea of fighting something like the Nova without the luxury of instantaneous communication—so much so that the first words that come to her mind are, "I'm sorry, that must be difficult." To actually say that seems patronizing, though, so she refrains.] It sounds like we come from very different places.

[humanwelfare]

Yes, we must. [He admits this unemotionally. He would like to live in a world in which humanity isn't confined by walls and fettered by Titans, but the reality is that that is the world he lives in. Wishing it were otherwise accomplishes nothing. Regret is only a detriment.] I wouldn't mind hearing more about your world. I'd like to learn more about the advancements humanity has made.

I only wish I could take this knowledge back with me. [It's galling that it appears he can't, considering what that could mean for his men. But maybe there's some way... He's not about to give up so easily. Sometimes one has to accept reality, but sometimes one can work on changing it.]

[ordnungsliebe]

Ah, if you'd like. [It's a broad topic, but she thinks she can find a place to start.] Well, for one thing, it's rare to find horseback as a mode of transportation anymore. Mostly, people rely on mechanical vehicles, which are much faster. There are several different types of those, even, with some geared toward private use and some made for mass transportation, or vehicles made specifically for government or military use. Most are for traveling on land, but there are others like airplanes, too. Because they travel through the air, it's possible to bypass obstacles on land entirely, as well as cross oceans.

We don't have things exactly like the communicators, but there are similar. Ways to instantaneously transmit information, I mean. [She's not even sure how to describe the internet to someone in his position, so she'll just focus elsewhere, at least for now.] The ones here... They broadcast to everyone here, unless you specify otherwise. Where I come from, most things work a bit differently than that. You'd need to know the number of a phone in order to call it, for example, or the correct frequency to broadcast to in order to have your message picked up by a certain radio channel.

In any case, being able to communicate that way is incredibly useful. It can even be invaluable, during things like military operations. The ability to instantly transmit or receive new information, or learn of changes in conditions, or receive new orders... To say it has saved lives wouldn't be an exaggeration.

[She doesn't seem to realize that the subject of her explanation has wandered into the more specific.]

[humanwelfare]

[He listens to her speak, nodding and taking note of it all. It's one thing to read about it in books, but another to hear about it from someone who's experienced it.] I've read about those things. Automobiles and airplanes. It's difficult to imagine. I've seen pictures, but envisioning an entire civilization like that-- It's completely outside my experience. I assume you can travel wherever you wish, throughout the world?

I can see the possible military applications. I've often felt the lack of precise communication during missions. When something goes wrong, there's no way to convey precisely what it is using flares. If it's an anomaly, no one has any idea of what's happening until it's much too late. [He's reminded of rather specific recent events.] I've developed a riding formation to compensate for the problem, but that's a weakness I frankly can't offset.

Long-range communication... [That's an advantage he would sacrifice a great deal to obtain.] That would be invaluable. Unfortunately, our scientists haven't yet developed anything remotely similar.

[ordnungsliebe]

In theory. But cars take money to fuel and maintain, and airplanes are expensive enough that even buying a seat on one can cost a significant amount. Traveling is a matter of having the time, money, and inclination.

[She nods, and she would fold her arms, but she still has books held beneath the one. As things are, she simply looks more serious as they discuss military applications.]

I can imagine. Even temporarily jamming of communications can be disastrous. [The situation with the Nova is often strange and evolves unpredictably, after all. Not to mention the First Nova Clash—]

...So, you are involved in the military.

[Somehow, it doesn't surprise her, but it still seems worth remarking on.]

[humanwelfare]

I expected as much. Nothing so useful is comes without expense. Horses take a great deal of time and resources to maintain. Yet there's no place in your world where humans cannot go? [Time, money, and inclination. That's... it sounds almost absurdly simple.]

Clear communication is one of the most important parts of any mission, yes, but I like to think we've done the best we can with what we have.

[He says this simply, with neither pride nor regret.]

I am. I suspected you might be a soldier as well. I'm the commander of a branch of the military known as the Survey Corps.

[ordnungsliebe]

More or less. Some places are less hospitable than others, of course.

I'm sure you have. [She nods her head, respectfully.] Ah, I'm— As of now, I'm only a reserve soldier, but I'm in the last year of my training. Afterwards, I'll officially fight on the front lines.

[There's a second where she maybe seems a little flustered. He seems like the kind of commander she would like to serve under, she decides, even if the thought of a male one is a little odd to her.]

My name is Ingrid Bernstein.

[humanwelfare]

Of course. [As incredible as that is to him, to her, it's just a matter of course.]

You look the right age for it--that is, in my world, you'd be about at the age where cadets choose the branch of the military they wish to serve in and become full-fledged soldiers. [Men and women of her age are battle ready, as far as he's concerned. He'd been fighting, too, at her age.] I don't doubt you'll make your superiors proud, whatever it is that you're fighting for. [He's generally good at getting a read off of soldiers, and he knows potential when he sees it.]

Erwin Smith. [He offers his hand for her to shake.]

[ordnungsliebe]

That's more or less the case for us as well. [Though, for her, "the right age" indicates the alien tissue in her body has been allowed to mature for the correct amount of time.] Oh, I... Thank you very much. I hope I do.

[She takes his hand when it's offered. She has a firm grip.]

[humanwelfare]

I see we have some common ground, then.

[Not that he knows anything about alien tissue. His own soldiers are ordinary men and women. Well--mostly.

Erwin's grip is every bit as firm. He shakes her hand, then releases it.]

I like to think I'm a decent judge of soldiers, by this point.

And what is it you fight for, if I might ask?

[ordnungsliebe]

[Her answer is immediate.]

To protect mankind. In my world, there are entities that would cause great amounts of death and destruction if not destroyed. I am a Pandora, a soldier specifically trained to combat them.

[humanwelfare]

[Erwin smiles at her, genuinely.]

Our goals are the same. Maybe we're more similar than different. Protecting mankind is more important than anything else.

I also fight against creatures that would wipe out the human race. The Survey Corps makes incursions into infested territory in order to engage and study the enemy.

[ordnungsliebe]

Of course. [Automatically, she thinks about Marin's last words to her, as she often does. Even if there's only one civilian to protect...] It's the duty of those who can fight to protect those who can't.

Infested... [She tries to think about what an area infested with Nova would be like, and it's difficult. They've always moved on quickly once an area has been razed.] Can you tell me what they're like? Those creatures. No one really understands what the Nova really are or what their purpose is, so sometimes I wonder if I could learn anything from similar situations in other worlds.

[humanwelfare]

That's what I believe. We must devote everything we have, give up even our lives so that others might live. To defend the defenseless, to preserve the human race: these are the goals I have dedicated myself to.

The Titans are a race of humanoid giants. In most cases, they have no human intelligence, and they seem to exist solely to devour us.

[He says this all quite coolly, unemotional.]

They range in size, the smallest being about three meters tall, while the largest of them are generally around 15 or 16 meters in height. Yet there are extraordinary cases, and Titans as large as 60 meters have been seen. Their origins are unknown, and their numbers are great. They do not need to eat to survive, and research indicates that sunlight may sustain them.

They are very difficult to dispatch, as they have regenerative abilities, and can even survive having their heads removed. To kill one, you must strike it in a very specific area on the back of its neck.

[ordnungsliebe]

[His delivery is fine with her; they're simply comparing notes on factual information, after all. She does her best to keep her voice similarly matter-of-fact.]

They sound similar in some respects. Nova are very large, usually around 30 to 40 meters in height. They regenerate, too. The only way to kill one is to destroy the core inside its body, and to make matters worse, their skin is armor-like. Conventional weaponry isn't effective against them, either.

Their origins are known in a broader sense. They're aliens from a dimension different than ours. [Her face clouds slightly as she says this; the thought that their captors must be similarly capable of interdimensional travel nags at her thoughts sometimes.] However, how they're capable of traveling between worlds, what their world might be like, and why they're interested in ours are all unknown. They just...appear in populated areas and attempt to cause as much destruction as possible.

Things like whether they need to eat, how they reproduce, or even how intelligent they are... None of that is known. It's debatable whether they're even organic at all. You'd expect their core to be something like a heart or some other organ, but it's nothing like anything seen in any creature from earth. It just looks like a smooth, oddly colored pearl.