+ JULY / AUGUST TDM +

[vitaelamorte]

JULY/AUGUST TEST DRIVE MEME
You're like an angel with no wings.





Prompt A: Serious Event

In each trip a character makes from their room, they will have one random encounter with a monster (or monsters) that will attack them. Fight, team up with others, run away if you think you can, but there are monsters. Everywhere.

Prompt B: Lighter Event

The mansion is gone and now we're all camping! Women on one side of the camp and men on the other with a large picnic area in between. It's like summer camp except there are no counselors. You are in charge of making your own food and fun. If you wander too far out in the woods, you'll just get lost and wind up at the campsite again. Make s'mores! Tell spooky stories! Have fun!
Prompt C: ediS rorriM

Peace has been restored to the mirror side with the White Queen ruling, but she does have a request: get to know one another, dear mirrors. She's hosting a 1990s dance party and you're all invited. Jam out to Spice Girls and mingle.

Prompt D: Choices

Any scenario goes! Thread out your character's arrival, have them act like a long-established resident, let our past events inspire your scene, or write up literally any Wonderland-based scenario you feel like playing with.

Rules

Test drive memes go up every other month. Please note that any threads made as part of the test drive meme don't count towards your activity check, and they can't be used as samples for any future applications. Thank you for understanding, and have fun!



NAVIGATION ♥ RESERVES ♥ APPLICATION ♥ INPUT & INQUIRIES

Comments

Bruce Banner | MCU | let me know if you want to avoid IW stuff!

[7phds]

Monsters

Oh come on!

[So sounds the exasperated yell of one (1) exasperated scientist as he goes running through the halls. The source of his frustration would seem to be made clear mere heartbeats later; hot on his heels is what appears to be a giant brown beetle covered in all manner of refuse, as if it had spawned from the belly of some garbage dump before hunting down the rather unfortunate man.

And who knows? It may have indeed been so. This is Wonderland, after all.

But while the solution appears clear, things are rarely what they seem. Look close at the man and you’ll see him strain, not from the run, but almost against his own muscles. Veins bugle; his eyes squeeze tightly shut, and for a moment a flush of green can be seen creeping along his skin, muscles expanding beneath the surface—

But only for a moment. The effect recedes, and the man shouts once more between ragged gasps.]

You green son of a bitch!



Camping

[This, at least, is something Bruce is more familiar with. With night fallen he sits near a fire, quiet as he watches the wood burn. Granted, it’s been a long, long time since he had to spend the night in the woods. Years, between being an Avenger and Ultron and—

His mouth tightens; two years gone, and worse had followed.

(If it hadn’t—if Thanos hadn’t shown up. Would he even be Banner right now?)

He’s got a stick in hand. With it, he draws in the dirt. Calculations are far, far easier, and he works through an idle equation that’s got nothing to do with anything. Take the calculator away from the science nerd, right? Something like that.

Still. It’s nice out. Simpler.

It really has been a long time.]



Free Choice!

[Leave a prompt, get a reply.]

Monsters oh my!

[captain_america]

[ Tony had mentioned that Bruce hadn’t been able to hulk out when he had seen him, but Steve hadn’t really been able to picture that. Not until just now, when he saw it happen. He hadn’t never thought he’d hear those words come out of Bruce’s mouth but, well, it must have been an interesting two years.

He’s got a makeshift shield, and boy does he miss his old one in times like this, and he’s running towards Bruce and the giant beetle. ]

Get down! [ He yells in and hopes that Bruce’s muscle memory will respond, and he leaps, jumping over Bruce and slamming his shield down in the beetle’s neck. It splatters apart. Which is gross, so very gross. ]

[7phds]

[Oh, hey Cap. Great timing. A plus, really. Except that Bruce isn’t so much a trained and season fighter as he is a guy running for his life. He does get the general notion of “duck,” though. Enough to make a valid attempt at it—and to be fair, Bruce does get down. Just not in a graceful manner so much as a face-planting into the floor one.

It gets the job done though. And look; he’s still got his clothes on. Positives all around.

Granted, they’re a bit gross now. He’s definitely got bug guts on his pants and debris on his shirt when he stands back up.]

…Thanks. [At least someone is willing to show up. Still disoriented, Bruce leans to one side just to check—yep, yeah, the beetle’s dead—before looking up at Steve.]

You know, I was, ah. I was just about to call you. [Really. He’s got the phone clutched in his hand—the one Tony had left behind when he went after Strange. The one Bruce had flipped open just before--whatever this is.]

[captain_america]

[ Steve’s eyes travel over Bruce- making sure he’s okay, before settling on the familiar phone he’s clutching in his hand. He knows that phone. ]

You were? [ the ‘not tony?’ goes unsaid but it’s there. Though if Bruce has the phone he can sort of figure out when he’s coming from at least.

And then all at once steve’s stance changes, going more relaxed and a small smile spreads over his face. He reaches forward to shake Brunce’s hand. He had missed Bruce, it’s been a really long two years. ]

It’s good to see you Bruce.

[7phds]

[…Okay, yeah, so Bruce already looked a mess before he showed up here, but that’s probably not why Steve’s staring so intently. Especially not when his eyes settle on the phone, which makes Bruce look down at it. Steve recognizing it means he probably gave it to Tony—makes sense since it’s definitely not Stark’s style. And there’s a lot more pieces to be put together about all this, but they aren’t the important ones right this second.]

Uh, yeah. Tony—Tony went after the aliens. [Steve’s gotta know about the aliens. Why else would the man be there? He lifts up the phone just to indicate it before tucking it back into his pocket.

Good thing too. Steve’s holding out a hand now, and yeah. Bruce manages a bit of a grin.]

You too, Cap. [Words Bruce genuinely means, even if confusion is quick to follow.] Although I think I must’ve hit my head or something. I was definitely outside a few minutes ago---

And there weren’t, you know. Giant bugs.

[captain_america]

[ Steve nods, so Bruce was from about when Tony was. ] Yeah, he mentioned the aliens. I’m not- well that hasn’t happened for me yet.

[ Sorry Bruce this is confusion time. ]

No head injury. You got pulled into a pocket dimension, we call it Wonderland. And yes it’s as strange as it sounds.

[7phds]

[There’s a lot to be confused over in those few sentences, and it shows on Bruce’s face. He almost says something—“what the hell” maybe—but he can’t exactly figure out the words with all that Steve’s thrown at him. From little things, like that Tony and Steve somehow talked, to the whole pocket dimension apparently sucking them all in, it’s all a bit overwhelming at the moment.

And okay. Maybe it’s a good thing that Hulk’s being a reclusive jerk at the moment.]

…Wonderland. [It’s the first thing he manages to get out, and Bruce takes a look around them again. Dead bug carcass, guts spewed everywhere, a bunch of trash—and somehow, beneath it all, what looks like it could be a pretty nice mansion.] Like Caterpillar on an acid trip Wonderland? Cause I’ve had some experience with that stuff and—it doesn’t look like this.

[Don’t ask Steve. Bruce did some interesting things for science when he was in college.]

[captain_america]

[ this isnt Steve’s area of expertise, he’s pretty new here himself but he’ll explain what he can. And he totally does not judge, he’s a walking example of experiments for science after all. ] No caterpillar that I’ve seen yet but there are Queens, and a mouse, and some creepy twins.

Tony could probably explain it better, he’s got a workshop up on the ninth floor. We can head up there and look for him, might be safer from these bugs. [ He hesitates for a second before deciding he should tell Bruce the next bit. ] Natasha is also here.

[7phds]

…Guess the other guys are on break. [It’s stupid and doesn’t make any sense, which means it’s a pretty perfect summary for the situation at hand. Bruce runs a hand through his hair as he stares wide-eyed at Steve, curls briefly flattening before stubbornly popping back up once his fingers have passed.

But there is good news, apparently. Tony being here is pretty comforting, considering the situation last time Bruce saw him. Before he can get anything out in that regard, however, Steve points out that it’s not just the three of them.]

Nat’s here too? [Oh hell. Bruce purses his lips, head dipping down for a moment as he takes stock of—well. His dirty clothes, the smell of dead bug, that lingering sense of dread. He needs a beat or two before he can swallow. Before he can look up at Steve again.]

Let’s head upstairs first. [Funny as it might sound, seeing Tony might help ground him. More than seeing Natasha just now, he thinks.]

Camping

[outstandingbalance]

[It wasn't Natasha's intention to sneak up on Bruce, but she walks softly and he's involved in what he's doing. He might not notice her until she's almost looking over his shoulder.]

Funny place to work on math.

[Her voice is dry. Maybe a little guarded. She's not entirely sure what she's getting into here. Could be awkward. Either way, it's been a while.

For her at least.]

[7phds]

[Old habits die hard—old habits, old fears, and there’s still enough of that instinct in Bruce to let him know that someone’s behind him a beat before Natasha speaks. Never mind that Hulk’s been refusing to show himself lately; it still takes him a minute to let out a breath, to accept that yeah, he’s not going to wind up going green over this one.

Luckily.

It doesn’t exactly make everything smooth sailing though. He knows that voice too well, hears the hint of humor in otherwise dry and arid words. Bruce’s head tilts forward a bit; a huff of breath, near a laugh, and he finishes writing out the last few numbers of the equation.]

Only if you’ve never been to math camp. [Ha ha, get it? He knows it’s likely a bad joke, but Bruce looks up at Natasha anyway, turning his body so he can see her over her shoulder. Only until he remembers his manners at least; there are logs set up to act as seats, and plenty of room on the one he’s perched on.]

Well...you can sit if you want. [Nope, this isn’t going to be awkward at all. Because it’s been awhile, and it somehow hasn’t all at once. The more time that passes the more Bruce remembers—flashes and images and days fill-in. Two years worth, and in the end?

Yeah. It’s been awhile for him too.]

[outstandingbalance]

Missed out on math camp. [She circles around the log and sits, arms crossed over her chest. Not too far away, not avoiding him. Not too close. Everything with Natasha is calculated, and she doesn't want to make him uncomfortable.

At one point she might have made a joke about him being a nerd.

She doesn't joke about her own childhood.]

I wasn't sure—you might have wanted to be alone. Nice night? Fire to yourself.

[7phds]

…Yeah. Right.

[Well, someone stop the clock; Bruce has already stuck his foot in it. He idly scratches the back of his neck while she sits down. Careful, of course. Keeps her distance, but only just enough. Bruce has to wonder how much of that is for his sake.

How much is for hers.

But this won’t get any better with him fumbling around equations and words. Another glance over when she admits she hadn’t known—and coming from Natasha, that makes Bruce grin.]

It’s okay. I’m glad you’re here. Really. [Both in an immediate sense and a general one. He sets the branch aside, leans it against the log next to him, and instead clasps his hands together.] We should probably compare notes, you know? Figure out just how long it’s been since—

[Everything.]

[outstandingbalance]

You're not wrong about that. Being in Wonderland does strange things to time. People show up here, maybe no time has passed at all back home. Maybe some people are from the future.

[Business. It's easy to guide the conversation back toward work. Toward the Avengers.

There's a lot to wonder if Bruce knows.]

Did you hear about the team breaking up? Half of us are fugitives now.

[7phds]

Yeah, I heard. [Steve gave him a pretty good rundown when they weren’t being hunted by massive trash beetles. But more than that, even at home he’d gotten the short version of events from Tony.

Not that there’d been a lot of detail to go along with it. The whole looming threat of the end of the universe kind of took priority over figuring out details.]

Tony said he and Steve fell out hard. Kind of took everyone else down with them, I guess. [And so it goes. Those two had definitely been the heart and soul of the team—and Bruce had been ready to jump ship last time he’d been on earth.]

Must’ve been a crazy couple of years for you. I mean—if it has been that long.

[outstandingbalance]

Years, yeah. Though if you heard, you've been home more recently than I have. Last thing I remember is going on the run.

[And Natasha has the feeling that they'd know pretty quick if Bruce was back on the radar. They'd keep tabs.]

It's complicated. Sort of a perfect storm. I can fill you in on some of the details if you want, but sounds like you got the gist of it. [There are parts that she's never been entirely privy too, and other things that aren't hers to tell, but she knows enough.]

Sounds like you're up with Steve and Tony though.

[7phds]

[On the run, she says, and Bruce huffs out a breath without quite meaning to. Just a quiet thing, there and gone, a laugh at the irony. She’d wanted to go on the run before too. With him, and he’d wound up saying yes—except there’d been one more battle she couldn’t turn away from. One kiss, one push, and the rest—

Angry blurs of memory. Flashes. Pieces he’s slowly putting together as he pulls them out of a scream white hot light.

It’s hard not to blame her, although something in Bruce knows he shouldn’t. To hear Thor tell it, they saved the day. Saved thousands. The whole world.

The logic is simple enough.

But Bruce doesn’t always run on logic.]

I think I’ve got enough to go on. [And the truth is, Bruce kind of doesn’t want to get into that whole mess. After all, they’re trapped in some sort of pocket dimension that’s still only so big. Maybe it’s the universe’s way of throwing Tony and Steve into a closet until they fix things for themselves. Bruce can hope so, anyway. Or at least get a good nap if Tony decides to play therapy session again.

The stick that’s been poking at the ground now gets aimed towards the fire; he breaks apart a bit of log that’s been all but burned through anyway.]

Although I wasn’t exactly home for too long. Or—on Earth. [Speaking of things that are complicated. He frowns, shaking his head even though what Natasha guesses is entirely right.] But yeah. Tony’s from about the same point I am. I think Steve is too, give or take.

It’s not good, Nat. [He shouldn’t be telling her this, should he?] What’s coming for us.

[mucked]

[ wood smoke will always, always, always remind her of the howling commandos. that acrid lung-burning haze -- the kind that gets into all your clothing. peggy breathes it in as though it might transport her back to the front. canned beans and stories.

and peggy has been sitting here, a quarter-circle away, watching bruce out of the corner of her eye for quite some time now. they bivouacked with the same group. and although they've met before, they haven't really talked. right now seems like a perfect opportunity: other people have buggered off to find more wood or god-knows-what. for the moment, they're alone.

so she turns her body, shifts where she sits on a downed tree trunk, and telegraphs her intent to start a conversation. and while she could comment on the maths in the dirt -- you and tony both seem so intent on scribbling numbers where numbers have no business being -- she decides (ultimately) to table that observation for later.

for now: ]

What are your thoughts on yetis, Doctor Banner? Real or fantasy?

[ the firelight catches mischief in her eye. oh, yes, she's feeling a little bit like her old self. ]

[7phds]

[He knows she’s there, of course. Close enough to talk, far enough that a nod was enough of a greeting when she first sat down. Not that Bruce has anything against Peggy, personally. He just doesn’t know her except by reputation, the same way anyone would who listened in history class.

She helped found SHIELD—and Bruce has one hell of a history with them.

Peggy doesn’t get into all that though. Not that Bruce knows what he should expect when she decides she wants to talk, but it definitely isn’t what she comes up with.]

Yetis? [Naked surprise crosses his expression when he looks up at her; his stick frozen halfway into an omega, and it takes him a beat to break down the rest of what she’s said.

Yetis.]

…I mean. There’s no real evidence that they exist. [And a lot of good logic that says they don’t, but.] But I’m not going to rule it out.

[How can he, after everything he’s seen?]

[mucked]

I once served with a young man who swore, up and down, that he'd seen one.

[ juniper is dead, of course. dead nearly a year (back home) but she gives nothing away to suggest she might be talking about a fallen comrade. it's neither the time nor the place to be melancholic. and junior juniper did give his live fighting among brothers. she has to tell herself that there is grace in it. ]

Every campfire we ever sat around -- we'd have him tell the story all over. [ an explanation, therefore, for why she mentions it now. ] As if hearing it again and again might somehow make it more believable.

[7phds]

[Apparently Peggy likes to keep people on their toes—or so Bruce thinks as she links her question into a story, and only back to the present at the very end. But it does make sense when she gets there; in fact, it’s kinda nice, hearing about a kid who was so convinced that something like yetis could be real.

Poor guy’s mind would probably be blown over something like aliens. Or Wonderland.]

But I guess he hasn’t convinced you yet. [At least not with how she puts it. Somewhere along the way though, Bruce has managed to relax a bit. Turns out it wasn’t a bad icebreaker after all.] You’re more of the “seeing is believing” type, I take it?

[mucked]

Something to that effect.

[ she leans forward -- just enough to prop her elbows on her knees. peggy's attire suits the situation: slacks, boots, a nondescript shirt. there's no doubting she's at home around this fire, in this situation. ]

Although I've learned to trust my gut more than my eyes. [ seeing is, at times, deceiving. ] Plus or minus a few trusted opinions.

[ tony stark, steve rogers, the sorts of opinions who speak rather highly of banner. which might be exactly why peggy doesn't have quite as many of her barriers fastened so securely in place. ]

[7phds]

Fair enough, I guess. [Instinct wasn’t a bad thing. Bruce has had to learn to rely on his over the past decade to be sure. What’s harder is that whole trust thing—but like Peggy, there are a few people that Bruce would count on no matter what.

A beat later, and he realizes that that’s exactly the point.]

Like Steve. [Of course he knows about that connection—who doesn’t? A beat passes, and Bruce frowns in concentration.] Tony too, right? I think I remember him mentioning you a few times.

[During those makeshift therapy sessions. Which means Bruce could’ve dreamed it up.]

[mucked]

[ she expects steve's name to come first. and, as such, she doesn't so much as wince. beyond that, it is far far easier to seize upon the second someone. peggy nods. ]

Indeed. Although the nature of this place means that Tony is closer to me than I am to him. [ it's a fact of her existence in wonderland. and it used to cause her much more grief -- time and familiarity have helped settle those seas. ]

But he does make it clear, from time to time, that you might be the one person he sees as being smarter than he is.

[7phds]

Guess that makes sense, yeah. [That Tony would know Peggy better. She’s young here—maybe from before Tony had ever been born, now that he looks at her a bit more closely. But before he can think about it too much, she turns it around to a second-hand compliment. Flattery from Tony Stark, and Bruce gives a small grin as he reaches up to rub the back of his neck.]

Last time he said something like that, he talked me into building a murderbot. [Oh, I’m sorry, did you expect Bruce to graciously accept this flattery and somehow live up to what Tony said about him? Please.] I guess he was being sincere though.

[Unless he’s got Peggy building a murderbot now. Are you building a murderbot, Peggy?]