tabularasa_memes | July Test Drive Meme

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July Test Drive Meme

Test Drive Meme #3 Welcome to Tabula Rasa's Test Drive Meme! Our upcoming August app cycle will be for current players only. However, anyone is welcome to use this meme as a way to try out the setting, test out a character for future app cycles, or just for fun. You may also borrow ideas from this meme’s prompts for use in the main game.

Threads from the TDM may be used as samples on your application. TDM samples must be 2 threads with different characters, each with at least 5 comments from your character. You may include your top-level comment if it is a thread you started.

Current players in the game may also claim an AC bonus by tagging other characters on the TDM. Please see the Activity Check page for details.

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Scenario A: This One Blows
With so many winged creatures starting to fill up the world, it was only a matter of time before someone asked: how does flight work? Aerodynamics is a complicated subject, but one cannot hope to fly at all in a world with no air or wind. What, then, would be the point of having wings at all if they can't be used?

All at once the sky becomes filled with air, and the winds begin to move. However, there doesn't seem to be much logic to where and how hard they blow - all the wind knows is that it does blow, and that winged creatures may use it to fly up and away. Unfortunately, the result is something of a chaotic windstorm, and with an infinite supply of snow falling from the mountaintop the world is suddenly whited out in a raging blizzard.

If you're outside when the wind strikes, you'd best grab onto something before you get blown away yourself. If you're indoors at the time you'd think that would be lucky, but the wind hasn't quite figured out where it's coming from, either... so maybe stay away from anything sharp or heavy, in case a sudden indoor tornado starts whipping things around.

Scenario B: Let There Be...?
Light is another tricky subject. Where does it come from? The sky seems like a reasonable answer, but not all places are exposed to it. What of caves and buildings? How does light get there, and what happens when it can't?

The change may come slowly or suddenly as the world itself seems to experiment with the idea. Anything with a roof over it is left in total darkness, while everything outside remains brightly lit. It's as if a bright spotlight were pointing down at the world from above - even windows won't do much to let the light in, as it can only illuminate what it touches. Reflecting light may still be too difficult of a concept for this world.

The idea of there being other light sources is also, unfortunately, a difficult subject. Nothing seems to be able to penetrate this new darkness. Navigating indoors may be difficult for awhile, especially if you're also battling a hurricane.

Scenario C: How To Train Your Dragon
Dragons are dangerous and powerful creatures, but the fluffier, feathery breed has quickly grown in popularity among the people of the new world. Many find the small dragons cute, and some have even adopted them as pets. They're only as big as a house-cat, so what's the harm?

Well, the winged dragons have noticed that people are much more forgiving around them if they play up their cuteness. They've grown more fearless around strangers, and with that they can be quite a nuisance. It's more common now to see them swooping down on people, stealing shiny things, or just getting in the way to beg for food scraps and attention. Though not actively malicious, their claws and beaks are also quite sharp if you're unfortunate enough to be on the receiving end.

Persistence is another strong trait among dragons, as evident from their fishier dragon brethren, so these bad habits might be tough to break.

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code bases by tricklet

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ She's seen typhoons before, she's seen blizzards. She's seen a lot of crazy weather situations, but this by far takes the cake. Seeing and being out in it are two very different things, after all. She's fortunate, however, that a kind soul comes to her aid. Sort of.

Well, he's at least made sure she wasn't going to get dragged out into that mess and sky high, so, she's grateful for that. Once the door is properly secured, and things have calmed, she manages to stagger and steady herself once more, immediately reaching up to try to fix her wind tussled tresses.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she turns to look at the tall man, who... is currently. Staring down at his downed cup. ]

Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it.

[With that task completed, Seto was perfectly comfortable letting the matter drop entirely. He hadn't involved himself for the purpose of garnering gratitude, in fact drawing attention to his actions only seemed to serve as some further frustration. His steely blue eyes darted from the cup to fixing on the pigtailed girl.]

Don't mention it. [A brief pause followed] Really. [Although he wasn't above occasionally helping others he didn't want that becoming common knowledge. Besides, he could always argue that he'd sealed the door for his own benefit, not hers- although that gale had caused his jacket to flare out in that dramatic fashion that it was designed for.]

[He leaned down to scoop up the cup, before going to wash it off in the sink. Following that he refrained from filling it back up. The lack of electricity meant the coffee had been lukewarm, and it wasn't as palatable at that temperature. It wasn't as if he needed it anyway, not here where sleep and sustenance weren't necessary]

[ Okay, so as kind as this young man was, there's still a little bit of chill to him that kind of reminds her of Akechi. Just a little. Maybe less homicidal, but, whatever, it doesn't particularly matter. He was nice enough to help her out, so, that's that. ]

Right. [ She glances off to the side for a moment, before looking back at him as he cleans up the cup and mess that came with it. ]

So, do you come here often? [ Maybe he knows Ren. She hopes he does -- Ren's a good person to know, after all. And he also seems to be able to take the chill off of particularly cold people, he's just good like that. ]

[Maybe- being the key. Although there was nothing to outwardly indicate this, Kaiba had harbored murderous intentions in the past. Now, he preferred to crush others through humiliation and financially-based pressure. So, sure- he was a real peach. Eh, he reserved those measures for those that deserved it, which was subjective to his whims.]

[~~LBR, Akechi is most likely the more homicidal of the two~~]

[Oh-goody. This was swiftly unraveling into small talk.] Unfortunately. [Answering coolly, he placed the cup away, before turning back to face her again] It's not as if there's anywhere else to go... [Does he honestly look like someone who enjoys camping?]

[Since there was no avoiding it by this point he offered up a contribution to the conversation of his own while trying to refrain from the standard and obvious "are you new?"] Look- I'll keep this brief. Unless you know how to get out of here or you have knowledge about whose behind this, there's nothing for us to discuss. [Unfortunately, his negative attitude hadn't lessened with time. He had somewhere else he needed to be- yesterday.]

Edited 2020-08-05 02:07 (UTC)

[ Well, he certainly does remind her of one of the many, many business people she's bumped into in Shibuya. Everything about this guy screams business, in fact, from his expression, attitude, and his exceedingly dramatic coat.

Huh.

Well. At least he's honest. ]

I wish I had an answer for you, in that regard. I'm just as stumped as you are, though. [ If not more, honestly, because she is new, but she shrugs her shoulders and offers him a tired smile. ] Oh. Yeah... okay. Sorry.

[ She slides into one of the booths, the one that she'd usually sit in at home, and she looks down at the table. She could go upstairs, she doesn't think Ren would mind if she took a look around to see if he had books or something, but she'd rather ask him before snooping around.

So, instead, she settles for folding her arms on the table and laying her head down. What a bummer. ]

[Her assessment was dead on. Despite his age, Kaiba was already running a major corporation- one that he'd left in jeopardy upon his arrival here. That fact was fueling his perpetual ire, there literally was no pleasing him at this juncture- not that he ever needed much encouragement to be off-putting.]

I assumed. [Said without any hesitation or fluctuation in tone. It would have been far more surprising if she could provide any of those key details.]

[Well... that was.... remarkably easy and kind of impressive. Out of all the people he had met here she was the only one that was capable of taking a hint. For an instance, he almost felt guilty for shutting her down, but he'd been straight with her. There was nothing for him to gain from this interaction.]

[Still there was a tension that remained whether it was actual or invented so he debated doing the courteous thing and giving her space and leaving the café. Looking to the bar table- then to her once more, he expelled a breath and aimed for the door. There had to be something he'd overlooked, some proverbial stone left unturned. The solution had eluded him for far too long. Reaching the door he opened it, to find himself met with more of that damnable wind. Bracing himself, and raising an arm to cover his face, he decided to press onward...

.. That was until the wind managed to whip the card-shaped locket right off his person. Letting go of the door, he made a scramble to catch it, but it clattered to the floor and slid across it until it tapped into Ann's shoe. The clasp had given way and the smiling face of a young boy beamed up at her.

Muttering something under his breath, Kaiba was forced to retreat inside the building, closing the door again] ... It's official, I preferred when there was no wind...

[ He's got no reason to feel any sort of guilt -- this isn't the first time she's been shut down, it won't be the last. That's been the majority of her entire school life, up until a few months ago, at least. No friends save for one, rumors swirling, the works. Her only saving grace had been Ren and Ryuji, and then the others came into her life and she's not sure how she's meant to function without them now.

It briefly makes her wonder how Ren must have felt, all alone here, save for Akechi of all people. He's determined that the others must be here somewhere, too. Where Ren goes, Ann will follow, and if he is so sure, then she is, too.

Her little train of thought is disrupted at the sound of wind and something sliding across the floor. Something that does, in fact, tap into the toe of her shoe. She lifts her head, peering at the locket at her feet. The kid in the picture is cute, all bright eyed and bushy tailed. He seems sweet.

She picks the locket up and closes it, because it's not her place of business, and she stands up, walking back over to him with her hand extended to safely deliver the locket back to its rightful owner. ]

Here. Ah, you don't need to leave on my account. I'm good with hanging out on my own. Stay in here and be safe for a while longer. I'm just waiting on Ren to come back, anyways.

[If he had been able to hear her thoughts he would have grimaced at how this backstory was starting to sound as if it would transition into a glowing oration about the benefits of friendship. Had he actually listened however he would have realized that she had every reason to distrust others as he did. ~~In some ways, perhaps even moreso~~

He met her halfway, as he moved to collect the locket. When it was safely back in his possession he clutched it tightly and regarded her with renewed interest. There was no way that she hadn't seen the contents, but she once again had sense enough not to pry.

The locket held an image of the one person Seto cared about. ~~So he would claim~~. He hadn't exactly left his younger brother in the best postion either. This whole time, he had promoted the concept that this world and all it's oddities was really just a simulation- if that were true then none of the people or their possessions were real either, and yet he still guarded that locket protectively.]

... [He was silent for an extended moment as she drew attention to his consideration- again. Although he wanted to refute it, he didn't. Maybe he was losing his edge if this stranger could see through his motivations so easily.]

[The name was mildly familiar to him..] He's the one that used to work at Leblanc café. [Aka. one of the two people that had identified the various components of this new structure]

[ Fortunately for him, they're not at home, and he's not one of the Phantom Thieves targets, otherwise there may have been a question or two tossed in his direction about the sweet little boy in the locket. But this isn't home, and he's not, and so it's not any of her business.

Once the locket is back safely in his possession once again, she drops her hand back down to its respective side, pausing only to push her hair back over her shoulder. ]

Yeah. He and I are from the same place. [ Place seems a better word to use other than 'world', mostly because it's all a bit confusing. She's heard others mention that they're from Japan, or have businesses there, too, yet she's never seen nor heard of them at all. ] He's a good person. It's a shame he's here, because he's desperately needed back at home.

[ The system isn't going to fix itself ~~with all those rotten adults~~, after all. ] Anyways. Sorry to have bothered you again.

[Now that was an interesting statement, that Kaiba filed away for later. As of yet he hadn't met anyone he recognized but he knew that was not the case for at least two groups. He was looking for some sort of pattern- might be useless or it might hold some clue to how to beat this]

[Thinking back on the boy in question... he doubted the validity of her assertion that Ren was 'desperately' needed] Isn't there anyone else that knows how to brew coffee, and serve drinks...? [Delivered with a sarcastic edge in his voice] He's not the only one that has somewhere else to be- and I'm certain that my absence is more damaging than his.

[Rather than answering in words, he gave a short grunt to acknowledge that he'd heard her but he didn't need her apology.]

[ That bit about Ren has Ann bristling almost immediately. She can't help it -- she's extremely fond of her friends, Ren in particular, and she frowns loudly. ]

Ren is far more than a barista, he's more important than you or anyone could ever realize. This isn't a competition about who is more important or needed. [ Blunt and to the point, just as he'd been. She glances off to the side again, folding her arms over her chest. She can't say much more than that, because of the situation. Even if they never bumped into one another at home, there's still that slight chance -- and the last thing any of them needs is for anyone, here or at home, to know just who the Phantom Thieves really are. ]

I know we all need to be places, but this is what we have to deal with for now. It is what it is, and right now, we should focus on just trying to survive and figure things out.

[Not surprisingly, this subject got a rise out of her. It did not cause him to retract his disparaging remarks. His own self-importance was quite inflated.]

When he's running an entire chain, instead of a single café then you'll have room to talk. [Giving the impression that he doubted that this would ever come to pass] You're the one that brought it up. [Not a competition, exactly, but the matter of importance. So he had taken exception to the implication that his own time was somehow of lesser value by extension. Since she was unable to divulge the group's secrets or activities it just sounded more like she was infatuated with this barista... a subject Kaiba had zero interest in exploring]

That is what I've been trying to do.. I haven't been sitting on my hands the entire time. [Although by now it felt as if he had] You just got here- save the lectures.

He doesn't need to run a chain or any sort of business. He does enough behind the scenes, more than any person I know. And he doesn't even get any credit for his hard work. [ She doesn't care, Kaiba. ] I did, and now I'm finishing it.

[ Ren's been dragged through the mud enough, and she knows that he probably wouldn't even want her defending him like this. He isn't the type to take offense to things, he's far more laid back than she will ever be. But she can't help herself. ]

I'd imagine you haven't been, no. You don't seem like the type. [ She shrugs her shoulders again, moving back to her booth to plop down. ] Not lecturing, just stating facts.

You're really not helping his case.. now he just sounds like a fool and a doormat. [Shaking his head as the corners of his lips started to pull upwards in a sedate smirk. As a pragmatist Kaiba didn't generally engage in any activity that didn't benefit him personally in some way. Well, if you excluded the present.] Remind me never to call you for a character reference.

[What little he knew about Ren that was easy to confirm. He did give the impression of being fairly easy going.]

[He remained standing, listening in part to her.. and in part to the wind howling outside. Surely, it would die down soon...] facts that needed no such reminder... [With some distance back between them, he quickly swung the cord of the locket back over his neck, before tucking it safely away. Once he got tired of standing, he returned to the bar area and sat with his back towards her. Well- that was unnecessary. ~~As he assumed most interactions to be~~.]

You know what-- [ Her temper flares, briefly, before she forces it back down. There's no point in flailing and causing a scene. ] ...nevermind. You're too typical. Don't worry, I'd give you a shining character reference.

[ Just like most of the other people she's had interactions with at home. It actually makes her feel a little sorry for him, not that she'll voice that out loud. She sighs again, shakes her head, and rests her chin in her palm. ]

Reminders aren't always a bad thing. Do you have a name? [ Mostly, so she can rant to Ren later. She needs a name to huff about, after all. ]

[The near slip only seemed to serve as further amusement for him. It wasn't difficult to tell that she was struggling to remain civil at this moment.] The word is exceptional. [Don't lump him in with anyone else]

[Thinking in error that the proceedings had reached a natural conclusion......

.. He expelled an exasperated sigh when she spoke up once more. He could just ignore her... but it was still a source of irritation that literally no one could identify him. Marketing couldn't have dropped the ball this hard.] The name is Seto Kaiba, and you'd do well to remember that. [He spun his stool around, and crossed his legs tightly together as he looked for a flash of recognition. There was none] President of Kaiba corp. [Still.nothing] The top-ranking duelist in the world? [...................................]

I'm firing my PR department at the nearest convenience.

[ Wow. This just keeps getting better. ] I could say something right now, but I'm gonna refrain.

[ Ah, there it is. Ann just stares blankly at him as he finally gives up the ghost, along with... a bunch of other information that she did not care for or ask about. She's not particularly surprised, or impressed, either way. ]

Seto Kaiba, President of Kaiba corp. So, I was right, you are a businessman. [ A young one, but whatever. She still wins, what's her prize? ] Oh, you're a duelist. So like, you duel people with swords or whatever? That's cool, I guess.

[ N e r d a l e r t-- ]

A dueling CEO. That's a first. You should tell them to do a better job, yeah. Maybe they need to give you a cool name.

[Although he was mildly curious as to what she'd been about to say, he didn't care enough to press her]

[For someone that had complained about idle chit chat earlier, he was offering up more info than was necessary. Guess it was only ok when he was personally guilty of it. Her expression wasn't difficult to read, she'd neither heard of himself or his company.]

Not that sort of duelist. [This was getting ridiculous on an unprecedented scale. Duel Monsters was prevalent across the world and yet no one here was familiar with it. Raising his left arm slightly, he pointed to his duel disk] .. As in duel monsters. You couldn't have missed seeing this device....

[With a groan] Tell me you haven't heard of Pokémon, either. [No really. This is what he wants to hear. There are at least three dweebs here into those discount duel monsters and they all think their monsters are real. It's pathetic.]

Eh... [ She hadn't missed that device, no, but she hadn't really thought much about it, either. She glances at it, before she looks back up at his face and shrugs once more. ] Never heard of it. I'm going to assume it's some kind of video game or something.

[ Which sounds nerdy as hell. Not that she's one to talk, she loves video games. But that isn't the point. ]

I have no idea what a Pokémon is, no. We don't have duel monsters or Pokémen where I'm from. Or Kaiba Corporation. [ She shifts a little, tipping her head to the side. ] I'm from Japan. I live close to Shibuya... what about you?

Edited 2020-08-06 01:01 (UTC)

[Dropping his arm back to his side, he just sat there for a few moments.... staring. The girl's body language didn't indicate that she was yanking his proverbial chain. No. Just like the others, she was completely clueless about this cultural phenomenon.] It's a card game. This is called a duel disk, and it's technology that I pioneered which displays the cards in play as holographic projections.

[~~He's definitely a nerd~~... and an obsessive one at that]

Least there's something.. [Straightening his posture, and resuming his stern expression] Domino- also from Japan. [Here was another disconnect. While Kaiba had heard of Shibuya- chances were she hadn't heard of Domino]

[ Ann just sort of stares back at Seto, because this is... different. Very, very different. ] Wow, that's pretty impressive! Sounds fun, we don't have anything like this at home. Life would probably be a lot more fun if we did, though.

[ Or not. Life's pretty busy and stressful, right now. She's pretty sure they're all going to get arrested -- or rather, they were. Not... so much now. Maybe this really is more of a blessing than a curse. ]

Domino... I've never heard of it. Is it small? [ Maybe that's why. Except she's traveled all around the country, and she's pretty sure she'd have... heard of it, if it existed. ] Huh. Small world, regardless.

[Well there was a surprise. Her moderate disinterest was momentarily broken. At least she could recognize something revolutionary when she heard it.] It, is. Isn't it? [~~The most modest~~] If electricity is ever functional here... [He'd be able to give a demonstration]

[Things weren't exactly sunshine and roses in the time period that Seto had left behind either. A madman that had claimed to have stolen souls over the course of 10,000 years and was actively trying to resurrect the lost city of Atlantis was .. more importantly,was also trying to take over Kaiba Corp (cough. more importantly). Kaiba couldn't allow that- so he'd ended up in a tag duel versus the man.... one in which he had just lost, then he ended up here. Yugi had better not do the same..]

No. [The city was a sprawling expanse of urban expansion.] Too small...

[ She's no Futaba by any stretch of the imagination, but she does appreciate technology and those who are able to understand it enough to develop neat things like this... disk thingy. ] Yeah, that's really neat. You must be a genius to be able to develop something like that. [ She drums her fingers against the table top in front of her. ] Maybe the electricity is the first thing we should try to figure out....

[ If Futaba were here, she thinks that she'd probably be able to crack it real quick. Or... die trying, because Futaba without some sort of computer or gaming system doesn't even register in Ann's mind, honestly. ]

You don't look like you're much older than I am. You must have a lot of responsibility on your plate, to run a company at such a young age.

[Go on, further inflate his massive ego. Honestly he wasn't expecting the compliment so he has no reply for it. Note, that he also doesn't refute it. Yes, he is a genius.] .. And this is only the beginning. [Implying that the sky is the limit for the technological advances he has in mind.] There's likely a reason that we've been denied access to a power source. From what I've found the preexisting cords don't actually lead to anything. [So it's a no-brainer why they don't work] .. but that doesn't account for the objects that run on battery power.

[Futaba sounds like a kindred spirit for Kaiba.. you know if he believed in such things. The lack of electronics was driving him nuts already]

That's putting it mildly, but age has nothing to do with it. [Whether his was 18 or 82 it wouldn't reduce the responsibilities attached to running a major corporation. He just didn't want his lack of years to be equated with a lack of experience.] Under my guidance, the company has flourished and it's expanded into markets worldwide.

[ It's almost hilarious how quickly he's gone from saying he had nothing to talk about with her, to holding an entire conversation with her and even allowing her to stroke his ego a little bit. Nice. ] Well, I can't wait to see what else you come up with. [ Y'know. Assuming he does it... here. ] Yeah, you're right. Still... maybe there's a way to harness it or something. Ah, maybe not though, with the lack of rain and thunderstorms...

[ Maybe not. It's hard to believe that there's no electricity at all. ]

You're right. Age is just a number, it's the amount of work and determination that you put into something that really counts. [ Something that she has to remind herself of a lot, lately. Had, rather -- her dream of being a big time model is pretty much dead in the water now. ] You've done a lot of hard work, then. That's amazing.

i just want you to know that i am ridiculously happy that you tagged me, i love kaiba

I hope I do him justice then, I was glad to see an Ann!

I'd just told a friend that if I got in, I was looking forward to CR with Kaiba!! <3

I'd certainly like that, so I hope you get in! Kaiba will have to deal with more peopling!

Poor Kaiba, at least Ann's not quite as peppy as #shiningfriendship LMAO

That certainly is a plus! He can't take those friendship speeches.

To be fair, I don't really know how ANYONE could stand them.

Kaiba feels so vindicated right now.

His time has come!!

He'd say it's long overdue!

A win that has nothing to do with card games!

Now that just sounds insulting 8|. He's going to beat Yugi, ok. Eventually.

He can do it. If he believes in the heart of the cards......

We can no longer be friends 8/. (j/k)

SORRY THAT'S NOT IN THE CARDS... EITHER

He still hasn't forgiven Yugi for having the audacity to lose to someone else.

It's really all Atem's fault, if you think about it

Oh gawd. You believe those Egyptian fairy tales? (It totally was Atem's fault. No doubt)

how can they be fairy tales when the hieroglyphics say otherwise?! (everything is his fault tbh)

Kaiba's putting his money on modern science. (That pharaonic troublemaker)

SHUN THE NON BELIEVER! (and the pharoah screw the rules)

Things were going so well, we were denouncing friendship speeches, then this happened.

s h u n

Let's see if I remember what I wrote. Also, sorry! I thought it sent the first time.

no worries fam <3