test drive meme (#2)

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Test Drive Meme The Pan Pacific Defense Corps was usually offered any of a variety of local buildings to set up their testing centers. For reasons of access and availability, most testing clinics were set up in central areas for any given community. Those of the PPDC staff on hand vary in their personal intensity. Some of the men and women wearing Strike Group insignia seemed overly serious, to the point of frowning with intensity at some of the youngest checking in for this testing round. Those from the K-Science division are tight with nervous energy as they direct prospective cadets through various activities. Everything was meant to measure potential, looking for that spark that meant they had somebody who was Drift Compatible. The majority of people were turned away after the first series of seemingly random tests, officials looking in eyes, placing odd looking contraptions over heads, asking for people to play a series of short games, one even in a virtual reality set-up.
	( SCENARIO ONE ) If you are still here now, you've made it past the first cut. You'll be sat down in a room with the rest who have made it this far, then systematically led into smaller interview rooms as pairs. If you came with a partner, they're your first interview candidate. If you came on your own, all your interviews are random assignment. All who have been asked to stay are required to sit through and conduct a series of short peer to peer interviews. The questions are straightforward. What kind of pets would you like to own? What game do you gravitate toward first in an arcade? What does the fox say? Where do you squeeze your toothpaste tube to get toothpaste on your toothbrush? What do you believe the Drift is like? Peer to peer interviews last for half an hour to an hour, and each person is asked to participate in at least three peer-to-peer interviews. There is no punishment for going off script. There is a one-way mirror looking into each interview area, and one door leading into the room with a small panel of glass located on the door. There is a clock on the wall in each room. The time they report is odd when examined. These are not digital clocks, but timers, counting up time since the last Kaiju attack.
	( SCENARIO TWO ) You've been accepted into the Jaeger Academy. You've been assigned to your barracks, issued your uniform and necessities, shown the overall layout of the Shatterdome, and told the wake up call is at 0530. You're settling in to the Academy schedule, and for many, it may be brutal indeed. When you're brought into the indoor swimming pool, it's to an overwhelming stench of chlorine. Your swimsuits are all the same for the men, simple swim-trunks, one uniform blue. Women wear a blue and white racer style swimsuit, in the same cut across the board. Uniformity doesn't disappear for swimming lessons. Lessons start out basic, teaching each Cadet to rely on themselves and each other to keep them afloat. From there, maneuvers get more complicated. Learning safe diving techniques, practicing proper holds to keep an unconscious or panicked partner afloat. Speed, agility, and endurance: all will be in demand. Then you start hearing rumors about full uniform swims coming up the next session.
Please set up your own scenarios as you like. The above two scenarios are suggestions. Anything goes! If you want to stop by and see about doing some communal AU Worldbuilding, check out the new AU Worldbuilding Meme!

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Hilda | Pokémon

[realady]

Scenario 1.5?!? (New to the barracks edition --)

Keeping a pig (even one as small as Pigsy Danger!) was becoming much, much more of a challenge than she'd expected. It didn't help that he hadn't taken as well as her to the new scenery. In fact, in predictable piggy fashion, he'd taken to being a total asshole about it the second he woke up.

Mostly by running between the barracks' beds the second she lifts him out of her duffel bag. He'd been fine on the plane -- he'd been even better on the bus -- but no, the second he sees tile, cotton, and new people, he takes off. At least he doesn't have anywhere else but back to her to go when he hits the closed door.

"Gotcha!" she crows, grabbing him the second he tries to dart past her on his way to the back of the barracks. He squeals and wiggles in her arms, and Hilda sets her chin on his head with a grunt. "You're so going to get me in trouble if you keep carryin' on like this, Pigsy."

Her admonishment and reveal of this incredibly secretive thing doesn't make him squirm and squeal any less, though...

[idealord]

Maybe someone seeing the scene will. Hilbert, freshly come in himself, couldn't stop staring at the pig. They weren't allowed pets. Right? Right. That was basic ruling, common knowledge. So she'd snuck it in?

... One of the rules was to make sure your fellow cadets wasn't breaking rules too, but. A pig shouldn't be too hard to take care of. Or to hide. Maybe.

"You'll get in trouble for talking so loudly about it too, you know. I could hear you from outside the door." Hopefully, Hilbert's sly grin and relaxed leaning against the now open door wouldn't give him too much credit.

[realady]

Open door means a one-way ticket home, in Pigsy's eyes, so he squirms again. Hilda's arms tighten and she pulls him further into her lap, holding him like one would a petulant child. Which he's definitely, totally acting like.

"You having the door open's gonna get me in it faster." She jerks her head in a come over here motion, aiming a pointed glance at the door. "Come here, would you? I can't grab his blankie if he keeps tryin' to get out."

The only thing known to calm down her dumb baby pig: a pale baby blanket.

[idealord]

Who knew that making friends would be so easy? Hilbert does as he's told and shuts the door, looking apologetic.

"Sorry. What's this about a blankie? I can get it for you if you tell me where it is," he offers cheerfully. He wasn't about to leave someone to get in trouble, even if they rightfully deserved it. That just wasn't his style.

He's gonna get himself in trouble one of these days.

[realady]

What a pushover. He's nice, if totally the kid to get himself in trouble helping someone else out -- that much is obvious.

"Bag," she points with her foot, just beside her, "left side. It's blue, kind of ratty. He can't sleep without it."

Simple solutions for simple problems. Pigsy's paused his wiggling, at least, his stress interest switching to Hilbert and Hilda's conversation. She shifts him to get a better grip that doesn't kill her arms and scratches between his ears. Good boy.

[idealord]

He absolutely, absolutely is, and he doesn't hesitate in the slightest to do as he's told and take out the ratty old blanket with a little laugh.

"Really? I'd never thought that an animal would get attached to something... But I never really had any pets myself growing up either." Hilbert holds it out to Hilda, but if she can't take he'll just end up plopping it over Pigsy's head. "Why a pig?"

[realady]

Don't worry, she can manage. Getting it around her little kunekune is harder, but she's got it. Why a pig, though --? Well.

She supposes it is pretty weird.

"They're cute, intelligent, and well-mannered," she recites. But, more importantly: "There's not a lot of people who're allergic to pigs either, so I can keep him easier."

Pigsy snuffles in the blanket and she grins, making sure everything's all tucked up around him. "'sides, he's, like, the best friend I've ever made. Even if he's still a big baby who needs his momma."

That is: Her. Or her mom.

[idealord]

He thinks about it, putting a hand on his hip as he studies the piggy. The best friend she's ever made. In other words...

"You don't have many friends, do you?" That's okay. Neither does Hilbert. He was pretty popular in school because of his friendliness, but he didn't have many friends.

[realady]

What -- That's -- Hilda rolls her eyes, turning her face away. It's starting to become red, but don't think for a second it's embarrassment: it's definitely, totally anger at the quite frankly insulting statement he's just made.

"I've got plenty of them." Not best-best friends, but friends. "None of 'em like Jaegers the way I do though, and Pigsy doesn't complain or ask if we can, like, talk about something else. I'd be kind of hurt if he did, since he's named after one."

[idealord]

Did you say Jaegers.

Sorry he's just gonna sit close to her. Hi. Yeah. Hello. Jaegers. Wow. Love 'em.

"Pigsy can't talk back to you, so he might not like them and you'd never know. But," and he'll scratch between the pig's ears if permitted, "he probably likes them if you talk about them all the time. I don't know anyone who's as into them as me, either, so I guess we're the same on that front..."

... But he doesn't even have a pet to share it with. This girl's pretty lucky. Named after one of them, and with a name like Pigsy, it's gotta be: "Gipsy Danger?"

[realady]

He's permitted, if only because the more friends Pigsy has the less stressed he'll be about a new environment. Hopefully...

"That's right." She tries not to let her excitement show, but her fingers tap against her kunekune's side in a quick beat. Like a rock song, but she's not thinking of any kind of music to pace it to. "I mean, I like the other ones too, but Gipsy Danger's just... so cool, you know? I was, like, thirteen when it first launched."

Nothing can match up to a girl's first love.

(Although, seriously? Hydra Corinthian hits pretty up there.)

"I thought boys would have it easier though. Aren't you guys all, like, about the explosions and stuff?" Her guy friends were admittedly more fun to talk about, but they still didn't want to let up on teasing her about idol crushes.

[idealord]

"Well, yeah, but... Let's just say that they were more interested in becoming Rangers than in the things they pilot." Of course it was easy having people to talk to. It's just that it was also easy to learn too much and be called names for it.

Wait, did she say thirteen?

Hilbert's grin widens and he withdraws his hand, laying both across his lap as he tries to curb his excitement. And fails, because he's gonna be leaning into her as he speaks. "You know, I was around that age when it launched too! It was the fourth Mark-3 launched, four months after the Shaolin Rogue, the Vulcan Specter, and the Chrome Brutus, and even though everyone says that the Stiker Eureka is the strongest Jaeger out there, I think that the Gipsy's 98BD Hyper-Torque Drivers give it a better edge in movement over the Striker's T-16 Angel Wings."

[realady]

And her? She's leaning away, bothered by his lack of respect for her personal space. He'd been so cool like, two seconds ago, who replaced him with a total nerd?!

"Uh --" she's a little lost, yeah. Jaeger specifics weren't her thing. Ranger specifics? That she could do. "Striker's a newer model, so it's probably safe to say it's better that Gipsy?" As much as it pains her to admit. "It's no Steel Titan, of course, and neither of them can take as many hits as Cherno."

Hilda clears her throat though, because -- she -- isn't going to be caught talking Nerd with someone. "So, uh, you're not interested in being a Ranger?"

[idealord]

Oh, whoops. He shoots her an apologetic look and scoots away on the bed, twiddling his thumbs. Good going, Nerdbert. He frowns a little at her logic - so what? - and hunches over at her question.

"... Yeah. Weird, right? But I'm more interested in the Jaegers and how they work, what makes them unique from each other, and I want to be able to maintain them. They're, you know..." Hilbert hesitates, wondering if it'd be weird to say, and continues quietly after a moment. "They're humanity's hope. I don't really like fighting, but I do like the Jaegers, so I thought that I could help by becoming like, an engineer or something."

It sounds stupid, probably, but he looks pretty serious about it. The fact that he got in is a step to that... As hard as it's gonna be.

He glances at her, certain she's bored with him now, and decides to return the question. "How about you?"

[realady]

"I want to be a Ranger!" It's a shout accompanied by a fist to the sky! Startlingly poor Pigsy, but she's quick to calm him down. Hilda crosses her ankles, and repeats her answer, albeit in a quieter voice.

"...but I guess that's not a surprise, is it?" She's sure lots of people come with the intent of being a Ranger. "I've always thought they were super cool, and kicking monster butt doesn't sound like too bad of a job."

Sure beats becoming a teacher or a nurse or... whatever it is people wanna do. Police officer? Ha! (Her second choice, if this whole Ranger biz doesn't pan out.)

"I just hope they don't kick me out for having Pigsy around. It'd suck to get past the first cut just to get booted home for a little rule breaking, you know?"

[idealord]

"Well, they might not! But if they do, I'll remember you when I'm working on the Jaeger you could've been on." He's teasing her, but... It occurs him that he doesn't even know her name. "Though, it'll be hard to do without knowing it in the first place."

It's not like it's unusual to talk first, ask names later. Right? Right.

(He doesn't have any plan b of his own. This has to go through.)

[realady]

Obviously not, because she's not missing a beat. "Hilda. Who's the nerdy engineer who's gonna be making all the Jaegers sure to fail without me piloting them?"

...She's only half-serious. There are plenty of capable people and even if he seems like a pushover, he also seems pretty into the nitty gritty bits of J-Tech.

[idealord]

"Hilnerd. Er, bert. Hilbert. Hilnerd's what they'd call me in school when they got me onto Jaegers, ha..." He scratches the back of his head in embarrassment, holding out his other hand for a shake after an obvious beat. "It's nice to meet you and Pigsy. It might seem a bit weird, but I wouldn't mind helping you hide your friend here if you need it."

Definite pushover. A kind, earnest young cadet who is asking to get himself in trouble. Hilbert can't help it. He likes helping people.

[realady]

She gives his hand a firm shake, crinkling her nose at the nickname. Maybe she shouldn't tease him. Oh, hell, she'd definitely still make fun of him if she got the chance.

"We'll be fine. Pigsy's not named Trouble, you know? He'll get used to the new sights soon enough and he'll start behaving himself again. Isn't that right?" She presses a kiss to her pig's forehead, smiling at his coarse hair, and shrugs. "You need to look out for yourself anyway, don't you? I hear they're pretty tough on new cadets."

[idealord]

"Well, yeah, but... I just thought I'd offer, that's all." He shrugs. While Hilbert really, really should look out for himself, he can't help but look out for others too. It's in his foolish nature. "I mean, we're supposed to be a team and all, right?"

Though that so does not account for recruits who don't follow rules. Come on, Hilby.