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tabularasa_memes2020-07-26 03:01 pm
tabularasa_mods) wrote in tabularasa_memes2020-07-26 03:01 pm
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July Test Drive Meme
Test Drive Meme #3Threads 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.
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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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no subject
I think it's fine, and hardly a mediocre attempt. At least you tried. We'll figure something out.
[ Just not... right now. ]
...does this place have any sort of library?
no subject
...
[We. There's that word. He'll ignore it this time since she did lend him her phone]
Not at this point, unless there's one inside the caves [unlikely] or in that structure in the sea.
no subject
I'm gonna assume no one's tried to get to that structure.
[ Drumming her fingers against the table, she opens her eyes again, glancing back in his direction. ]
Guess it's time to make an attempt, then.
no subject
[That span of ocean and garbage was a fair deterrent though]
[She didn't really look like the type that wanted to get their hands dirty, so her eagerness surprised him]
.... Did anyone mention the piles of refuse between the beach and the structure? You might ruin your shoes. [A little snide remark for the road]
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[ Oh, she's heard from Ren. Sort of. She smiles at him, twirling the ends of one twintail around her index finger. ]
Yeah, they did. It's cool, I've ruined a lot worse than a pair of shoes doing much messier things. [ ...Best not to ask, probably. ] You wouldn't be interested in joining me, would you?
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... [No worries about a follow up question there, because he knew better than to open that potentially loaded topic]
I'm not really into the whole- [Waving a hand flippantly in the air] teamwork thing. I'm only looking out for myself. Don't get the wrong impression.
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Yeah, but aren't two heads better than one? You could see what was in there with your own two eyes. Wouldn't this benefit you?
[ Come on, Seto. You know you want to... ]
no subject
[That depends entirely on the minds in question. Someone like oh... say.. Joey Wheeler would not be an asset to invite along. Ann seemed more clever, and much less irritating]
I could see what was in there anyway, I would just go alone. [Leaving that in the air for a few moments, he gave a groan and aimed for the door while muttering the following:] ... I don't know what's come over me...
Alright, fine. If we go now before I have a chance to change my mind. [So much for waiting for Ren]
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[ Which... okay, that's a hilarious image, even though she knows she'd hardly be a meat shield of any sort. It doesn't really matter, because he's suddenly agreeing, and she pumps a fist into the air.
Ann: 1. Kaiba: 0! ]
Sounds good to me. [ It's fine, Ren... p...robably won't mind. Or notice. Either way, she's quick to trot after him, a little pep in her step because this feels almost like she's won something. Except she hasn't. But that's okay. ]
Anyways, even if we can't get there right away, we can scope it out and make a plan of attack.
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[This was his way of trying to dissuade her from relying so heavily on such phrases, and to encourage a little less talking, and a little more walking. He didn't entertain the notion of actually shielding himself behind her- not only was it cowardly but... no. Just no. Even he had some limits on human decency]
[The congratulatory action already has him regretting this, but whatever.]
Mm.
[He affirmed as he left the darkened space of the cafe for the brighter area outside. Taking long strides, Ann had better be able to keep up... he wasn't going to set his pace based on her.]
no subject
[ This is going to be fun. For her, at least, I'd she really feels like pushing his buttons. Fortunately, she's not quite that mean.
Not to mention that she's serious, she does want to get to that structure or at least make a proper plan.
Ann has to squint at the light, wishing that she had her sunglasses on her. Alas, that is not the case. She does leg Kaiba pace a few steps ahead, though, mostly to give him his space and also to really take in the splendor and glory of... all of this.
Well. At least there are baby dragons to watch fly around... ]
no subject
All it takes is for one object to glint in the provided light and some of the little creatures begin to descend.
Kaiba emits an uncharacteristic and undignified yelp as he's startled by one of the dragons plunking down on his shoulder. With it's little claws extended it leans over and starts digging at one of the studs on that jacket.]
Not this again.... get lost! [Less patient this time, he gives the lil dragon a shove]
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She's quiet, until one of the dragons decides to swing down and land on Kaiba and... take a chance at trying to get one of those shinies off of his coat. ]
Hey-- [ She watches as the little dragon whines, and before it can digs its claws into that nice coat and totally destroy it, Ann plucks it up and pulls it off carefully. ]
It's just a little guy, relax. [ The small dragon purrs, giving Seto a look as if to say, 'yes, that's right. Just a little guy.' Or maybe Seto's just imagining that... ]
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[Feeling a bit.... like an idiot for his outburst he is nonetheless grateful for the assist]
He's the first, of many if we're not careful. [Oh, the smugness that dragon exudes....] If you've got anything reflective on, you'd better conceal it now.
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The dragon purrs and suddenly shifts, pausing so that he can crawl up and around Ann's back to just sort of. Perch on her shoulder. ]
Really? I guess I'm not surprised, all of the fairytales say that they like to hoard things. [ And shinies WOULD be one of the things they'd go for, huh? ] Oh, yeah. Thanks. You're okay though, right? His claws didn't get your skin?
[ She glances at Seto's arm -- she doesn't see blood, but you never know. The little dragon remains perched on Ann's shoulder, still looking at poor Kaiba as if to say, 'look at me, I win!' which is good because it gives Ann time to take her necklace off and pocket it. ]
...Do you think these dragons can be trained?
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[That was a common theme in works of fiction so he didn't offer anymore audible confirmation] I'm fine. [This was the answer he would always deliver whether or not it was true. He should have known better than to push the dragon- that had been another's folly and it had sunk it's talons in. Kaiba was fortunate enough to be wearing layers, but he would be lying if he said it didn't hurt at all. Aka. he was gonna lie. It wasn't anything he couldn't handle.]
Let's keep moving.
[He debated taking his jacket off to hide the silver accents, but that would just draw attention to the many, many belt buckles. That could be infinitely worse- depending]
Perhaps... [Glancing toward the side to look at her] Not this one. [At least it was making it clear that it wouldn't listen to him, it might to her]
no subject
She's still eyeing his arm, but he says he's okay so she has to concede for now. ]
Sure. [ Off they go again, albeit carting a little stowaway that Ann can't quite bring herself to shoo off. He's made himself very comfortable.
This must be how Ren feels, carting Morgana around all day. Huh. ]
He might be able to... [ He's not even paying attention honestly, too busy hitching a free ride and tilting his head back and forth at things. ] I guess what I'm trying to get at, is that if we can't get through all the stuff in the water, they can.
[ Wings and all. Ann hums, petting her little friend under the chin. ]
They could be pretty useful.
no subject
As if he can sense her looking, he makes sure to get a few paces ahead of her again.]
Sounds time consuming. [Nor did he bring any treats along in order to reward the opportunist little beast.] ... And how to you expect them to report their findings after they get there? [Doubting that she can speak dragon] One way or the other- I'll find a way in. [He'd only trust his own observations anyway.]
[When they made it under more trees, he mistakenly thought that would solve their problems with more dragons taking an interest but he was wrong. By the time they made it to the clearing that led to the beach he was coated in hangers on. Again
Which he just tried to ignore as existing, and it looked terribly comical with that scowl firmly on his features and the curious critters enthusiasm to offset it.]
There might be something in the rubbish of use....
no subject
She shrugs and follows him, happy to pace behind him once more. Mostly because she's happily giving the dragon on her shoulder love. ]
Yeah, but it might be worth it. Is there anything better to do? [ He's right, though. It's not like they can attach gopros to them or something. ] No idea, I guess it's something to figure out.
[ He's the type who only depends on himself. She can't really blame him -- teamwork does make life a lot easier, though. She doesn't comment on that, because she doesn't want to start an argument, and in the long run, he's going to do what he wants anyways.
And then something miraculous happens, and she can't stop the words from leaving her mouth. ]
Aww, look! They love you! [ This is adorable. Too bad her camera doesn't work... ]
Yeah, maybe... [ It's hard to pull her amused gaze away from him, but she has to. For a few moments, at least, to gaze out into the open water that... was cluttered. ] ...Wow, you weren't kidding. This place sucks.
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Possibly- if there's anyway to generate power. [She asked, so he was upfront with his response. Leave it to him to rely on technology first, but he'd soon learn the futility of that time and time again so he actually would have too much free time on his hands] So after you tame one, you can try and teach it sign language and by the time you've completed that... the landscape will have shifted again and the structure will have sunk into the sea. [Not likely, but he's just continuing to make adverse commentary about how becoming the next Jane Goodall to dragons might not be beneficial. Devil's advocate.]
[The dragons themselves, don't seem opposed to the association however and they swarm Kaiba has he tries to maintain his dignified air]
They have a funny way of showing it... [He drew the line at the one trying to sit directly on his head, forced to pluck it off himself. He plopped it on the ground, but it continued to bounce along after them, occasionally batting at the belt buckles nearest his shoes. Kaiba did not take the time to remove the ones on his arms.] Don't encourage them! [He snapped]
It's endless too- there have already been some attempts at cleaning the area. [Which is disgusting.. but.. also a steady supply for resources. Walking a little bit closer to get a clearer view of the dilapidated space station out in the surf, inspired the dragon by his feet to start searching for more shiny objects in the pile of wasted parts.]
no subject
I can't teach it sign language if I don't know how to sign myself, silly. Don't underestimate me, I'll figure something out. [ Besides, she's like him -- in the big scheme of things, she's going to do what she wants to do, too, whether anyone else likes it or not. At least she has some sort of idea and it's generally one she may be able to act on, unlike some of them. ]
You look cute like that, I'll bet they'll follow you home now, too. [ This has to be done. It has to. He's the type of person who is easy to tease like this because he is so serious. And these little dragons seem extremely pleased to be running after him. ] I don't think I need to encourage them, they seem pretty encouraged all on their own~.
[ Endless trash, though. That's a problem. Ann steps past Kaiba and his newfound dragon children, letting the water brush up against her shoes, and she looks out into the water, spotting the station herself. The little dragon on her shoulder trills and flutters down onto the sand to join his brethren in searching out shinies. ]
On one hand, that really sucks for us. On another, it lowers the possibilities of any sort of monsters lurking beneath the surface, I'd imagine. [ Because with so much trash, how could something survive? What a shame... I'll bet this place was really pretty at one point, too.
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You do that. [Although if the creatures could be trained, they might later be able to deliver messages expediently. Cripes, now Ann has him actually considering the possibilities. It wasn't as if there was a regular mail system here- and with the world constantly expanding... but then again, to whom would he address a letter?]
That was my only aspiration in life- to look cute. [Riddled with sarcasm and accompanied by an eyeroll. About that last part: They better not. He really was bringing this teasing on himself.Clearing his throat he tried to steer the conversation in a different direction.] If we could stay focused on the task at hand..
[The trash claims a few more searchers as the the dragons ferret about in the rubble. Two of them find a partially nice looking gear shaft and get into a tug of war with it, making a few disparaging chirps of disapproval with one another] I wouldn't be so sure... There is a monster that likes to frequent this area. It looks like a trashcan but it can be violent. [The dragons graduate to snarling, and Kaiba casually kneels down and distracts one of them with a metal rod it can have all it's own.
You saw nothing. To mask his actions, he's got what looks like a gearbox in his hand when he stands up]A lot of this stuff is useless, beyond repair... but it could still be an asset in the right hands. [Dropping the box back into the sand. He does not engage her in waxing poetic about what this place might have been.] The narrowest point between here and the structure is this way.. [Continuing down the beach a little while longer. There was a large metal object rising out of the water about midway between the beach and the station that looked suspiciously like an extended mechanized fist. Though that island would hardly have been easy to scale if an attempt was made]
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Well, if that is your life goal, you've certainly achieved it. Congrats! [ This is too easy. She'll concede for now, though, not wanting to push her luck immensely. ]
...A trash can monster? [ That hardly sounds scary. It sounds more like a children's drawing come to life. She doesn't have a whole lot of time to really think about that, though, not when there are baby dragons growing aggressive with one another at their feet. Kaiba steps in, and once again, the corners of her lips tug up into a smile as he finds a way to gently break them up. He's fortunate that she will not comment on his dragon father skills. ]
It could be, yeah. One man's trash is another man's treasure. [ She's eyeing some of this stuff -- scrap metal and gears are something that she knows Ren might be able to tinker with, and maybe, just maybe, she can, too.
Later, though. She looks up as he speaks again, nodding as she walks after him. The dragons, not wanting to be left entirely alone, squeak and scramble after the pair, the original one scrambling up Ann's leg and back up onto her shoulder as if he'd never left. Welp. ] Right... [ What a strange looking structure. She takes her eyes off of that for a second, though, slowing to reach down and take hold of a metal pipe that's washed up on shore. It's not her choice of weapon, honestly -- this is more of Ryuji's thing. But if there's a chance of a stupid trash goblin or whatever hanging around, she wants to be prepared.
She does have her whip, but it's not on her person, and she wants to avoid using that particular weapon at all costs. Mostly, because should the need arise and should her Panther alter ego ever need to surface... she doesn't really want to be identified right away. Not that it would probably really be that hard anyways, but, details. ]
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Sarcasm is wasted on feeble-minded. [Replying in the only way he could have without just issuing another audible groan. Did he in earnest thing her to be of lesser than average intelligence? Not really, or he wouldn't be tolerating her now- though he was questioning whether all the teasing and quips at his expense were worth it]
Before you ask- it looks as stupid as it sounds. That being said, they are equipped with some nasty teeth. Two sets in fact. [The outer liner and the inner piranha plant. It was likely best for all involved that she didn't comment on the attention being paid to the little dragons. Kaiba would insist that it was no big deal, or that what the beasts got into was no concern of his... but clearly somewhere in there he didn't loath the curious creatures near as much as initially implied.]
Ah- you still had one in you. [Referring back to their discussion about common phrases. The beauty of this eyesore was that they in all likelihood wouldn't have to squabble over parts for their inventions]
[The fuzzy dragons did seem to be getting awfully attached- literally. It didn't look like they would lose them anytime soon.] ... [The prospect of wading into that muck for a brief swim, didn't appeal to his fastidious side.
It's not like there was a dry cleaner here.... The light glinting of the metal pipe, got his attention enough for him to glance back in her direction. Unsure of why she wanted it in the first place, he just let it slide.][One day- one day Kaiba will get to comment on that suit, and how ridiculous it looks. That day is not today]
[Focusing on the issue at hand- it wouldn't be that hard to fashion a raft. A lot of the debris was buoyant, and there might be vines in the forest to use for binding the pieces together. For now he just gazed out at the sea silently for a few moments.]
no subject
I'll show you whose feeble minded... [ ...At another time. Mostly because she honestly doesn't care how he feels about her, or what he even thinks about her. Also, Trash Can Monster that has no name. That's a thing that she's more ore less looking out for now. ]
Ah, so their bite is worse than their bark. Got it. [ She swears she'll use this stupid pipe to knock every last one of those teeth out if she spots it, or sees anything moving towards them in a way that displeases her. She can see his look, and she shrugs, giving the pipe a twirl. ]
Just making sure we're armed. You never know. [ Also, she doesn't want it eating the little dragons who are, hilariously enough, still trailing after Seto. If only her camera worked...
Her gaze lands out on the sea as well, and while she can see the appeal of a raft, she's also just sort of thinking about trying to wade through all of the trash without drowning. Or attracting the attention of some hideous trash fish demon that may be lurking under the waves. ]
Well, what do you think?
(no subject)
sorry this got REAL LONG
Sadly, I don't think I shortened it!
LMAO IT'S FINE!!