October Test Drive Meme

[tabularasa_mods]

Test Drive Meme #5 Welcome to Tabula Rasa's Test Drive Meme! As of this moment, apps for both secondary characters and new players are open. New player apps will be accepted until we’re able to fill our player cap as well as our app queue. For more information on this, please see the Applications page.

Whether you plan to app or not, 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: Off to the Races
The herds of round, bipedal avian creatures that have been popping up in greater numbers can certainly be heard before they’re seen, thanks to the heavy stomping sounds they make as they run across their territory. When they get together like this, it’s often for means of competition - despite the roundness of their bodies, speed is among the most respected traits among their ranks. What better way to measure that capability than a tournament-style race bracket?

As long as you keep your distance you can safely observe them in their natural habitat, letting out deep, warbled cries as they cheer on their compatriots and try to disorient their rivals. The event is intense enough that if you’re watching closely, you may be able to parse some of the herd’s social dynamics. Interfering is also an option, but don’t think they’ll take to it too kindly; competitive races are very important. If you want to avoid getting bodied, it may be safest to remain a spectator.

Unfortunately, remaining a spectator isn’t always an option when the race ends up coming to you. The well-trodden paths around the world make for great race tracks, and these creatures don’t seem to care about sharing the road. Outrunning the racers is a hopeless endeavor, so your best option may be to throw yourself onto one of them instead if you can’t get out of the way. And if you’re going along for the ride anyway, why not have a bit of fun with it?

Scenario B: Unidentified Falling Objects
The sky above the world was once blank and featureless, but is now filled with shapes, colors and strange objects of all sizes. Normally these objects float high up above even the peak of Mount Silver, but lately some have been spotted drifting lower and lower... or dropping out of the sky entirely. Perhaps someone asked one too many questions about how they were staying up there when everything else was mostly obeying the laws of gravity.

Some of these objects are small and light, though they can still leave a bump if one lands on your head. Others are a much more serious hazard and can reach up to the size of a truck. Getting crushed by something unexpectedly is a very real possibility, so you'd best watch your head out there!

Once they've fallen, the sky-objects won't stay on the ground forever. After awhile they'll start to slowly float back into the air... so maybe don't climb onto one, either, if you're not prepared to make the journey back down again.

Scenario C: Help Wanted
Somewhere in the confusing underground pathways of Messiah Station is a stand of free-to-take job flyer advertisements. Odd, considering that this world doesn't have a form of currency or any way to stop people from taking anything they want for free… but never mind that! There’s work to be done, and you’re the one holding the flyer.

Many of the postings are incomprehensible gibberish, but there are a few that almost sound doable.

GARDENER - THE UNFORESEEN SIMULATION JOINT
Gardeners needed to water the conflagration zone and tend to flowers. Must be comfortable working while on fire.

GREETER - SHIBUMENOSAKI UA
Greeter needed to speak to everyone who enters the Academy. Payment will be based on conversational and singing skills.

CUSTODIAN - MESSIAH STATION SQUARE
Custodians needed to mop the platform and tunnels in Messiah Station and rearrange floor stickers. You will try your best.

RECRUITER - JOB POSTING BOARD
Recruiter needed to recruit recruiters for the job posting board. Payment will be ready in 5-10 business hours.

Each flyer also lists the payment promised, but most of them don't make any sense and include answers such as "a job well done", "payment?" and "+1 Charm". There are a few that promise free baked goods from the Lemon Cello, though. It could be a waste of time, but maybe something will happen if you give it a go?

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code bases by tricklet

Comments

Mel Joyner | Changeling the Lost

[moistowlet]

B
[Don't climb on to fallen sky objects? Why not? Jumping off of them before they reach a dangerous height is part of the fun. Mel's been doing it for a bit now and having more fun than they'd normally admit. Problem is, they've run out of fallen stuff big enough to hold their weight.]

Hey, have you seen any bigish bits of sky-stuff? I want another ride up.

C
[Mel's been staring at the job postings for a bit. They're obviously confused and starting to look stressed. Then they see you.]
Excuse me, but do any of these make sense to you? I'm hoping to find something to do here, but... [They wave a vague hand at the postings] I'm not even sure where to start with some of these.

Yukari Yakumo | Touhou

[gapsandnaps]

1.

[Normally this sort of thing would have been below the Youkai of Gaps. But here she had been severely handicapped by a force even she has no knowledge of. Soooo... one who had once flown and lazily moved about between holes in space itself now walked the earth as objects fell from the sky and she did her best to avoid them.

After several rounds of dodging falling objects as if it was a game, a single orb no bigger then a baseball plunks Yukari on the head and causes her to fall over, her ornate dress flaring up in the air as she toppled to the ground.]

2.

[What could a girl do when stripped of so much of what made you you? For one, you could try to explore for a while, which she did many a place only to look foolish walking about in such an ostentatious gown. For after that? She could be found at the local bar, attempting to find someone capable of making a good cup of...well, anything really.]

2

[bridge_princess]

Craaaaaaaaaap! What are y...y...y..you doing here?!?

[That came right after the door to the bar opened and there was a blond haired youkai stammering and staring at her like she had seen what was possibly the last and least desirable person in the world right about then.]

Look! I didn't do this! G...Got it? This is n..not my fault!

Re: 2

[gapsandnaps]

I would like an answer to that myself.

[The Gap Youkai looked at Parsee for a moment, blinked several times, then spoke.]

Yes..yes, but do I know you?

[bridge_princess]

Seriously, I get that I'm beneath your notice, Yukari, and I've been that way forever, but no need to rub it in. I'm the bridge princess from the bridge into old hell. Pretty sure you remember that place.

[She grunted, feeling a little sour. Well, what did she expect?]

The bridge came with actually. I'm guessing because you didn't mention it, nobody's missing a giant bridge in hell and freaking out in Gensokyo right now?

B

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[Look, Kaiba was used to jumping off tall structures or from aircraft depending but never without purpose. This was just childish and foolhardy but since the concept of death wasn't an issue... yet, and he didn't have any connection to her, so who cares?]

Not... lately, though I can't see the point. Got a death wish or something, because I would prefer you not will that into existence.

1

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[The falling objects were getting to be a real headache, almost literally, but Kaiba could thank his quick reflexes for having avoided disaster so far. The same couldn't be said for the girl that just got klonked on the head. Although it was none of his business, and he could care less....

Sigh....

She did look awfully young in that frilly get up. Leaving the safety of his position under a tree, he made his way to her.] You should get inside and have that looked at... [Kneeling down to offer her a hand up, he raised his left arm up to shield them from further injury with his duel disk. It wouldn't do much for the larger objects.]

1

[realway]

[ ahsoka, taking note of the falling objects, has already retreated into the nearby apartment building. she hates being indoors too long, but this may be a classic rain day situation.

but she notices yukari outside, dodging, as she looks down below from her closed window. ahsoka can tell the woman isn't in danger - she grew up deflecting blaster beams for fun - and just watches her with a lazy smile. everyone has their way of entertaining themselves.

but then the woman falls and ahsoka's senses flair up. she's quick to rush out of her room and descend down the stairs, bursting open the main door in fifteen seconds flat. she doesn't leave the safety of the doorway as she calls out. ]

Hey! Get in, hurry!

Yuri Lowell | Tales of Vesperia

[wolfmotif]

A.
[Yuri's only interested in monsters when they're threatening, not when they're flaunting their strengths and challenging each other to races, but he can't deny that these big round avians are entertaining. He's happy to stand to the side, arms crossed, and observe their antics. They remind him of himself and Flynn when they were younger, competing to prove themselves to each other. The thought makes Yuri chuckle.]

Wow, look at 'em go. Never knew a bird could book it like that.


B.
[Bouncing and falling objects aren't the worst things Yuri has seen, just one of the strangest, and that's coming from a member of Brave Vesperia. Yuri is careful not to stand beneath anything coming down or touch anything going up, but he can't resist watching the show. If anyone walking nearby is terribly injured, sure, he'll step in to help, but a small bump on the head is a little funny. Yuri even participates, cupping his hands to shout at somebody:]

Hey! Watch out!

[gapsandnaps]

There is so many youkai in Gensokyou! Do you honestly expect me to remember them all?

[She likely could, but would she? Probebly not...]

I don't think so, things have been a little quiet lately.

[bridge_princess]

[She absolutely believed that Yukari 'could.' Whether not she bothered was another matter entirely. Right now? Parsee wasn't sure if she should be ticked off at being underestimated and ignored, or grateful to not being a concern of Yukari's and therefore ignored. After a second's thought, she decided 'ignored' was better than the alternative for the moment.]

Then that means time's really really wonky here. Or it's a copy of the bridge and I'm a copy of me, and you're a copy of ...

...

Time's wonky here. I like that explanation more.

B

[bridge_princess]

Gah! Not this crap again!

[Thud. She was barely dodging one thing or another as they came careening out of the currently multicolored sky to the earth. She swore a lot in whatever language everyone spoke here and started booking it. Rocks, a buddha statue and other assorted sundries crashing down behind he like she was in a Wiley Coyote cartoon.]

*huff huff* Crap crap crap! Don't just stand there, it's gonna keep raining crap!

[wolfmotif]

[Wow, look at all of that junk falling out of the sky. Thank goodness none of it is coming toward Yuri, who continues watching the show as if he isn't in danger. He's unbothered by Parsee's swearing, more impressed by her range, really. He lifts a hand and waves at her from his mysteriously safe position.]

Yeah? I hadn't noticed. Maybe you should come over here.

[bridge_princess]

Well aren't you the lucky one!

[Huff puff, pant... ok, she was coming over. Damnit she was seriously jealous of this one. He was just standing there without a care in the world. With a last desperate push, she barely dodged a big rock and landed right in front of him, wheezing softly and getting up slowly.

Give her a sec. Hopefully there wasn't something coming right now.]

[wolfmotif]

[Yuri’s expression is plainly amused, though he has to admire Parsee’s dexterity. Dodging an opponent is one thing, but dodging a number of objects falling at different speeds is another. While she recovers from her trial, he lifts his hands and applauds her.]

You made it! Nice job. You really got some moves.

[bridge_princess]

Dodging random crap isn't a skill where I come from. It's just breathing.

[If he'd ever seen a single danmaku bullet hell magical spell card battle, he'd understand. Dodging a falling buddha statue wasn't really that big a deal in her mind. As she got to her knees, she finished wheezing and shaking her head.]

Lucky you, not even a piano falling on your head. You get to stand there the whole time. Ugh. did you just show up or something?

[wolfmotif]

[Yuri huffs through his nose good-naturedly. Parsee has an attitude to rival Rita's. It makes him nostalgic for happier, less dangerous times, because although he is safe, his safety isn't assured. There's no telling when something might come crashing to the ground in his exact spot. Yuri's willing to risk it for a bit.]

Sure did. And I gotta say, it's a lovely place you've got here. Love the decor. Is it new?

[bridge_princess]

Random crap rain? Hasn't happened since we first showed up. Couldn't tell you how long ago that was.

[Why couldn't she tell him? Because nobody had a damned clue how long it had been. Time was just wrong here. She could only get it to obey her locally and behave properly.]

The land, river, mountain, most of the buildings have been here since the first rain.

Some of 'em. It keeps adding on.

[wolfmotif]

[Humming in acknowledgement, Yuri takes another look at their surroundings. Objects continue to fall at varying levels of grace. This world is odd for too many reasons he can name. He looks back at Parsee.]

Adding on? What's with that?

[bridge_princess]

Could we maybe cross the bridge and go to the bar or something? I don't trust the rain, but I can explain a little as we go?

[Get out of this place before a piano dropped on their.... GONG! Oh, look. There was a now destroyed grand piano a hundred feet away. Yeah, she was going to stop thinking now and start moving towards the bridge. Somewhere safe!]

[wolfmotif]

[A bar? Sounds like Yuri's kind of dive; don't mind if he does go! The bang and clang of the piano slamming into the ground is enough to make Yuri startle. He glances in the destroyed object's direction and immediately agrees to move, following her without hesitation.]

Alright, start with the basics. Where, why, and how?

makina | tales of crestoria

[tinyterminator]

( A )

( these giant creatures were not transgressors, but!, they were still extremely amusing! makina had realized when she attempted to use her abilities to crush one of the running creatures ( and the being on it, why should she care about them anyway? ) that she wasn't capable of tapping into her artes anymore. it nearly made her cry! but the enforcer still had her puppet-like chain ball at her side, so, she could rely on it for the time being. besides! it was the one she usually hurtled at transgressors anyway.

tiny and looking as though she might be just some adorable little girl, makina continued to watch as the oversize birds stampeded onward. was she afraid of being struck? no, bring it on! in fact, one of the large creatures was heading dead on for her and rather than attempt to move, she threw her small head back and giddily cackled. lifting the chain of her so-called pet, the cat-like ball spun in the air in preparation to be thrown at the innocent racing creature. ) Come on, come on, come onnnnnn!!!!

( B )

( CRASH! the ground shook with the fall of a large ship hitting the solid earth. wood split to all but destroy any hope of the hull being used in the water ever again from the connecting fall. other persons would have fled, shrieked, ran to safety...

makina was dancing, a ballerina's twirl ( or the best attempt at one ) was her method of cheering for the hit of the boat. ) Wheeeeeeee again, again! Another one, agaiiin! ( throwing her hands up carefree like any other child might, she bounced around with anticipation for the next item that might fall. maybe it'd be something bigger! maybe it'd be on fire! ) More, more!

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[In general, Kaiba tried to avoid the witless birds and their indiscriminate path selections but there was one motivating factor preventing his retreat. Apparently, some moron chose this moment to display their utter lack of survival skills and it just had to be what looked to be a young child. Despite being under no obligation to assist anyone, moral or otherwise, he still found himself unable to just leave the little girl to face the horde]

Don't just stand there! They'll trample right over you!

[When he really took in the scene and saw what she was doing, and how she was acting he briefly wondered who really needed saving, the girl or the birds. He also considered that she might be someone from Gensokyo; and that wasn't a good thing. All the same he raced towards her to close the gap between them.]

[tinyterminator]

( kaiba was severely misjudging whom was in need of protecting here. makina might only be a few hours days old but she was more than capable of holding her own. it was definitely a sight to behold. a girl who looked to be no more than seven or eight, tiny in stature and yet swinging a large metallic cat-like mace with ease. the giggling that left her lips matched her childlike form but there was something altogether wicked about the sound — like it really shouldn't be taken as a form of sweetness whatsoever. ) ...huh? ( the voice was heard and it registered however the little girl frankly didn't care. why would she move? if she moved, she'd lose her aim. )

Duuuuhhhh~ If I move, Mister, I'll miss! Watch this! ( artes might not be working, no, but physically striking something sure was. with a grunt, she hurtled the metallic feline, chain rattling through the air. it seemed to extend forever in spite of it being only a certain length. ) Come onnnnn... ( —bullseye. there was a loud CLANG that sounded when the puppet-mace met with the bird, sending it reeling into another one nearby. the jockeys thereon meant nothing to her, in fact, she sort of hoped they'd get trampled! at least then there would be some really super great death involved in this! she threw her arms up and a shrill bit of laughter peeled from her lips~ ) Yay, yay! All the points go to Makina!!

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[All of this was lending credence to his hypothesis of her origins. It was a shame he didn't have time to seek counsel on this before proceeding. The situation being what it was didn't afford them much time. The only thing that prevented him from taking an active role once he reached her was that wildly spinning mace of hers. Despite her stature it wasn't difficult to ascertain that it was heavy by the way it moved through the air, gravity being the one concept you could reasonably depend on in the absence of wind]

... [Heeding her words for now, he stopped and folded his arms over his chest. There was something about her confidence levels that was compelling. Should she miscalculate he'd have to depend on his quick reflexes to avoid injury. Coolly, he watched the display with marked interest] If you're wrong about this... [Warning issued, it wasn't much longer before she set off her own personal domino effect. His eyes widened when he realized there had been people riding some of those overgrown chickens. Look- he held no great love for most people but even he drew a line somewhere. Unless one of them happened to be someone he didn't particularly like. Like.... Blue. COUGH.

Eh- Death as a concept didn't exist yet, so ... they'd heal. In time. If he needed anymore confirmation that the stranger was crazy however.. he received it. Best not mention that Parsee was here in case it was one of her many enemies] This is all some sort of game to you?