academyooc | test drive meme

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test drive meme

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 is your least favorite color? Which tool in a standard toolbox is most useful to you? What time of day do you accomplish the most? Do you have children? 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 ) Congratulations! You have been judged Drift Compatible, and sent home to pack after giving a definite yes to the Pan Pacific Defense Corps. The next thing you face down is the flight into Santiago, Chile, and the subsequent drive in to Valparaíso's Shatterdome. You and the rest of the crowd of soon to be PPDC Ranger Cadets have been gathered together to wait for the old bus scheduled to take you to the Shatterdome. While waiting in the open air, those from any Northern Hemisphere countries may find the summer weather strange. Today's high is going to be in the upper 80's, and there's not a cloud to be seen that's not clinging to the distant mountains. Welcome to Chile. When the bus arrives, it's another hour ride out toward the coastline to get to the Shatterdome. Even better? The bus Air Conditioner is broken. Safe travels, Cadets!

Please set up your own scenarios as you like. The above two scenarios are suggestions. Anything goes!

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"Espanol es facil." Yancy replied, eying his own coffee. His stomach wasn't exactly thrilled about the hostile invasion going on right now, but mabe if he choked down enough of the stuff the caffeine would kick in...

It's not such an unexpected response, all things considered. Kou refrains from rolling his eyes, but inwardly he does. Right, right. It's not exactly proper to be gleeful about sliding around the rules, is it? He srhugs, and clarifies so Yaichirou won't pop a vein or something.

"Not against their will, no." Against their initial better judgement sure, but that's not the question at hand here. "It was decided that I should be allowed."

"Something like how handy we are? Or how much thought we put behind answers? Asking for a favorite tool to use in a standard tool box may have many meanings." Including ones of cultural differences. She wondered how those were accounted for, and to what extent they mattered. Was understanding past those cultural lines going to be important?

Yes, she knew it would be. She had to resolve herself to understand as much as she could from all these different perspectives. No matter how alien, or seemingly stupid.

Neither of which she felt at present. It's a nice respite.

"Yeah, it is," Mike agreed, his rudimentary Spanish getting him through that much, "but if I'm going to actually hold a conversation, I'm going to need more than I've got, which is basically enough to get me in trouble."

Then again, that seemed to be one of his favourite hobbies.

"But I've gotta ask, man, do you always have this much trouble waking up?"

She feels an intense gratefulness, returning Mudou's bow. She also feels embarrassed, but it's a more pleasant kind of emotion. She's been gearing herself up to not know so much of what might happen that running into any piece of familiarity is immensely reassuring.

"They probably will," she says, her voice kept low as she leans out over the street as well. "Ah! I see it too!"

Her smile in return is easier, less inhibited and controlled. "One step closer to everything." A future? Of some sort. Sakura embraces that potential, regardless of what path she walks as she continues down this road.

This isn't the first time in Yancy's life someone's commented on his attraction to caffeine, but it does make him quirk an eyebrow a little. Whatever, this kid will be calling him "sir" in a couple days. Might as well be nice about it until then. Yancy shrugs. "Must be the time difference. Jet lag."

Actually, he never has been a morning person. Awake and alert took better coffee than this, or movement in the breach. At the very least a decent shower, which is the option he'd gone with this morning, considering all the press that were on the way. But that information was need to know, and anyone who still had training wheels attached didn't need to know it. The kid would find out later, if he was made of the tough stuff.

[ III ]

She'd checked the schedule early in the morning, right after waking up, then double-checked it again before breakfast. And then once more after she'd eaten, just to be sure she'd read things right. But every time she'd checked it, her schedule had stayed the same. The bus carrying the new cadets wouldn't be arriving until late in the afternoon, and if their bus ride here was anything like Joo Mun's had been a few days ago, none of them would be in any condition to explore the Shatterdome. At least, any part of the Shatterdome that didn't involve a shower.

Which meant she had just a few stolen hours to wander around the facility herself like the starstruck recruit she'd always been on the inside and not like the well-experienced transfer faculty member she would be required to be on the outside. Guiding students and directing lessons and... Wow. For a brief moment Joo Mun had to grimace over how old the thought of doing any sort of instructing made her feel. It didn't help that she'd been hearing some whispers from the other J-Tech staff about how a bunch of the latest cadets weren't even twenty yet.

"They're really starting them younger and younger..." she groaned out under her breath as she walked into the Kwoon Combat Room, too distracted by her own thoughts to appreciate the room like she'd come here to do. Or to notice anyone else currently occupying the room, for that matter.

III.

James flipped through the next patient's papers on the clipboard, skimming the details of the nurse's notes as he tried to swallow down the nervous butterflies in his stomach. Clinic visits were old hand by now, but being part of the PPDC was still new and he was always vaguely worried that the next visit would be something he'd never seen before and then what would he do? It wouldn't do to show his new employers that he couldn't live up to his resume. The best thing he could do was to learn about his new patients and put all his skills to use in their favor.

With a quick glance down at himself and a smoothing of his tie and labcoat, he put a hand on the doorknob, took a deep calming breath, and pushed his way in. Immediately he flashed a polite smile he hoped was comforting and not awkward at the person waiting inside.

"Hello. I hope I didn't keep you waiting long. I'm Dr. Wei, what brings you in today?"

IV?!

It was a quiet morning, one of the rare ones. There were no Kaiju actively roaming, and most of the cadets hadn't arrived yet. The hangar crew were mostly buzzing about doing maintenance and repairs, and the few pilots on base were scattered here and there, either eating or resting or in the Kwoon Combat Room. It was the perfect time for James to poke around and explore, familiarize himself with the layout of the base and the academy before things got busy again. After all, at any moment the alarms could ring and everyone would immediately move to their stations.

But for now? It was (relatively) quiet, and it gave James a chance to wander about with his mug of fresh coffee in one hand and his labcoat draped over his other arm. Take in the sights as it were.

> If he's maybe a little absent-minded while walking, well something had caught his eye and it wasn't you until it was too late. "AHHHH!—oh damn it, I'm so sorry, here let me check you—"

> What's a medical doctor doing in this room anyways?

[ Setsuna couldn't hide a nervous swallow as she spoke. Although he'd never think of Sara as especially sly, something about her words seemed to target his every weakness. "Bring you closer together with someone." "You might find out something you don't want to know... " Could she have said anything anymore obvious? He found himself glancing away without meaning to, unable to face the sincerity of those statements. The gentle concern in her voice—And damn it, why couldn't she just sit up!

He raked his hand through his hair, something he'd been doing a lot lately. ]

"Well yeah, the whole idea behind this thing is that you have to be willing to share everything since they're gonna see it anyway. So like, if you go in, thinking this isn't gonna work, you end up screwing yourself over. You have to be open, I guess."

[ Finally catching onto what his stupid hands were doing, he shoved the one in his pocket and leaned back against the chair, tilting it ever so slightly and redirecting his attention to the timer. It had nothing to do with anxiety about the Kaiju or the next possible attack and everything to do with needing to focus on something that wasn't Sara. ]

"I still don't get how these questions are s'pposed to help us figure out anything though. I can't remember the last time I even used a toolbox. Aren't these things usually like 'If you could have any superpower, what would it be?' or 'If you could be any animal, would would you be?' At least, those would reveal something about people."

[ He was talking fast again, anything to move the topic along, to get it out of this more dangerous territory. ]

A quirked eyebrow. "Kid, if you think skipping one meal is going to put me on death's doorstop, you need a better opinion of women." Her tone is somewhere between amused and chiding.

She produces a lollipop from one pocket and unwraps it with a flourish, popping it into her mouth. It's a wonder how she came by it, given the rationing — and from the coy look on her face, she's not planning on telling.

"I already spoiled my appetite, so don't worry about it." A wink. "Food shouldn't be wasted, right? It's just gonna end up in the trash if you don't take it."

And she would have gladly latched onto the chance for some banter. Anything to take her mind off the grim memories of loss and terror trying to crowd in, trying to sour her resolve to take an active role in repelling the Kaiju. There's a lot of pain hiding beneath her frivolous attitude, a lot of lingering anxiety. No one here, her included, wanted to die.

But no matter what, staying at home (what remained of home, that is) was simply not an option. She could barely live with herself as-is, let alone if she had to continue sitting back and doing nothing to help. To really help — to make a difference.

His "effort" yields raised brows and a disappointed noise. "Come on, is that the best you've got?" It would be fair to wonder just why she gave even a tenth of a damn. Almost as if Chelsea was aware of this, she continues with: "Piloting is a two-person job, you know. How are you gonna get along with your partner if you can't even smile like a normal person?"

"Yep. It's a smarter way to live than just crashing through everything."

She speaks confidently, as if from experience. However...Chelsea's eyes narrow a touch and she shifts back a little more in her chair. The ceiling is regarded thoughtfully for a long moment. "But I can't say you're wrong, about any of that. It's definitely a pretty flawed interview process. Considering everything at stake, you gotta wonder what the top brass is thinking."

A shrug, then, as if it had nothing to do with her. Her gaze flickers back to Hitagi's face and she asks, in a tone that's calm yet brooks no argument:

"Even so, I want to hear your answer. Color me curious."

Sara watched him intently. He was turning away from her, and Sara wished he wouldn't, feeling a faint, stinging indignation when he refused to face her. She hated the idea that anything might serve as a barrier between them. She watched her twin sweep a hand through his hair, and she felt her heart thump. She wanted to do that for him, run her hands through it and feel its softness, and caress the handsome lines of his face, but she had more important things to think about.

"Don't be so nervous," she said, still gently, but there was a firmness lurking underneath it that Setsuna was sure to recognize. "We're going to be in this together, whether you want us to be or not, so you might as well get used to it. Like you said, I'm going to see it anyway. Or somebody will, at least. You can't hide forever, Setsuna."

She kicked a little, sending her skirt slipping down with the sudden movement. That made Sara squeak in embarrassment and she right herself with impressive speed, hair swinging wildly the sudden movement. Blushing, she pressed down on her skirt. She wondered if she'd made a bad impression on the people observing them. She really, really hoped not.

She followed Setsuna's eyeline to the timers, feeling a stab of anxiety as she watched the seconds tick by, but she didn't keep her vision there for long. Still embarrassed, she let her gaze drift downward to her skirt as her hands pressed down on the fabric, smoothing it out unnecessarily. "You're changing the subject," she said quietly. "Honestly, Setsuna, do you think I can't tell when you do that?"

Edited 2014-02-15 23:28 (UTC)

Sara likes that smile. It's friendly and warm, and it's nice to see the other girl loosen up a little when she seemed so nervous before. With a mischievous grin, Sara reaches out to grab Sakura's hand, and starts to run. "Come on," she urges. "If we catch it before everyone else, we'll be able to get the good seats!"

For whatever definition of "good" the bus might have, anyway. The seats were probably all alike, but at least they'd have the option of choosing if they weren't crowding on last. First come, first serve, right?

Edited 2014-02-15 23:36 (UTC)

[ Setsuna was already turning, even before the frazzled squeak. He just couldn't avoid looking her in the eye when she was challenging him in her headstrong but still loving way. She said he was hiding. Well, he'd been doing that for a long time now. For a while, he'd thought that he might've actually gotten good at it. His words to her that last time they spoke had seemed to strike a nerve. But now he knew all his pathetic ruse had done was strengthen Sara's resolve. He should've guessed something like that would happen. People would never have suspected him of being the older one with the way she could so casually boss him around. And with all that had happened between them in the last month or so, Sara had become increasingly resistant to people telling her what to do.

But beyond his edginess around her, the warning reminded him of something he hadn't really been thinking about since he decided to try this crap. In the Drift, everything was revealed. How was he supposed to control the thoughts, the desires that haunted him every time he heard her name?

Truthfully, Sara's flailing was a welcome distraction from that train of thought, even if it happened just as he was turning back to her. After that... well, Sara wasn't the only one blushing. He almost missed when her questioning turned back to him. ]

"W-What?," his voice stuttered out, as he tried to remember what he was doing. "No, I'm not. I'm talking about the questions. We're allowed to make up our own, right? I dunno 'bout you, but I want to actually pilot one of those badasses. Anyway, don't you find it kinda creepy talking about personal shit while some psychoanalyst is watching?"

[ That was probably a bit too defensive... He paused a moment before landing the front legs of his chair back on the floor, with an audible click. This time, he did attempt to meet her gaze. ]

"I want you to do well too, Sara. You came all the way here. We need to show these guys we know what we're doing."

Edited 2014-02-16 01:14 (UTC)

Kate just listens to Sakura talk. "You seem interested in this stuff." The theory of why they're doing these interviews, doesn't really matter to Kate. Considering things like this so carefully isn't what she does.

Startled as she is by the sudden grab of her hand, Sakura schools herself into moving forward instead of engaging and breaking contact. It isn't a threatening situation, and her surprise carries an edge of amusement. She puts on speed, keeping pace with Sara with relative ease, pack or no.

"I don't think it stops early!"

Buses might wait and stop again later, but it seems unlikely to Sakura it'll pull over earlier simply due to enthusiasm, but her thoughts reach a similar conclusion to Sara's. There won't be a great degree of difference between seats, no matter if they board early or late.

She looks embarrassed, realizing she's talking too much, and too off topic. "A little," she says, waving a hand in front of her face to dismiss the idea along with her interest. "When I'm nervous, I start to talk too much." Her eyes fall back down on the list of questions. "Nails."

She shrugs off the explanation. "It's fine, I have a friend who does that all the time."

Kate rereads the toolbox question. She's not sure she's even seen the inside of a toolbox before. "Do you do a lot of building?"

In spite of all the cold machinery Joo Mun typically surrounded herself with in her career, there was something about the metallic surfaces in a doctor's office that never quite sat right. Maybe the fact that everything was so clean, without a speck of dust or wear on it. It made her shift in her seat a little, idly reconsidering the necessity of a check up for the headache she'd been haunted by a while now. It was just a headache after all, it'd go away, maybe all she had to do was walk into another sheet of metal and everything would go back to normal-

And then of course, the doctor arrived before she could follow through with her new life choices.

When the door finally opened, Joo Mun turned her head up... and met the doctor's totally-not-awkward smile with a completely blank stare, Followed by the slightest head tilt and squint, as if she were trying to discover the secrets of his identity on his cheek. Wei- she knew a Wei, didn't she? Not personally, not among her friends but a distant friend-

Somehow, in the midst of the cluttered mind of Joo Mun, recognition hit. A flash in her memories of a young man standing next to her younger brother in photographs sent back to the family...

"... You!"

Edited 2014-02-16 11:04 (UTC)

James paused and looked at her more closely as he mentally scrambled to try and remember. But nothing came up. Certainly this engineer's name didn't ring a bell when he looked at the paperwork. Maybe it was just a case of mistaken identity.

"Is... everything all right, ma'am?" he slowly asked, carefully working out the words as he tried to think of what to do next.

If James had been making an attempt at calming and pacifying, he'd be quite saddened to know he'd failed miserably.

His face, though more matured than she'd last seen it, had been blatantly familiar to her. All that time she'd spent during her... house-sitting years, to put it nicely, carefully memorizing the faces and names and general lives of every possible friend of the family and relative had paid off in the weirdest way, mostly in gaining her the connections to get the job she held now. Her mother had been the one to suggest it initially; that every good wife should be able to place a name to a face no matter how long it'd been.

Obviously the requirement hadn't been applicable to every one else in the world, but that didn't keep it from stinging a little whenever people didn't remember her back.

"Yah," she snapped, a scowl dropping onto her face, "Is that how you talk to your colleague's sister? You even stayed at my mom's house!"

There's a man slumped in one of the mess hall chairs, one foot up on the seat next to him, and a jacket spread across his lap.

He's tossing a ball up into the air, catching it, not even glancing at it. He seems to be paying the act as little attention as possible. Of course, anyone who's not been under a rock for the past five years will notice the man as one Hercules Hansen, pilot of the Australian Jaeger Lucky Seven.

And he seems lost in thought, tossing the ball, his gaze fixed on the table in front of him.

"Ranger Hansen?" A not completely unfamiliar voice calls from several yards away, excited footsteps barely kept in check.

Raleigh had been in the General Assembly hall just now, met and spoken with Chuck for the first time. He can't believe how lucky he is to be stationed with Striker Eureka. Hercules is kind of a personal hero to him. He's cool, effortlessly commends authority, incredibly effective on the battlefield and does it all while being a complete badass. Not to mention he's now got the biggest and baddest Jaeger around.

It would be rude not to say hello.

Not that Raleigh has gone looking for him or anything, he's actually on a snack finding mission. That's his cover, in any case.

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Page 20 of 24

test drive meme

*"Spanish is easy."

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No worries at all!

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Joo Mun Ahn | OC | J-Tech Division

James Wei (no not that Wei) | OC | Medical

You're fine. No worries!

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:D

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sup you (III)

Re: sup you (III)

Re: sup you (III)

Herc Hansen | Pacific Rim

o hay buddy