Test Drive Meme #003

[khuimods]

KHU IODUAN; TEST DRIVE MEME #003

I. AROUND AIFARAN - Getting The Perfect Shot! This month in Aifaran, there's a contest being held on the popular social site Xa Xa, which Earth-based Dreamfolk may recognize as vaguely Instagram-like -- it's all about the pretty pictures! With a top prize of 500 Rhinn per category, lots of people are getting into the game. Prizes will be handed out for awards like Best Composition, Most Creative Angle, Best Use of Lighting, etc, and this means that it won't be uncommon to see people in unusual places (even some risky ones) trying to score the perfect shot. Maybe they're bumping accidentally into you on the street, or slipping off the edge of a rooftop, or not paying attention to that train heading their way?? II. BE A GOOD NEIGHBOUR - Surprise Petsitting?! Success! You've scored a quiet day, and you're just about to settle in for a marathon of your favourite Tears of the Ocean Heart episodes when there's a knock on your door. A very distracted looking Castian is standing there, talking away on his yimo, and beside him, a very fancy Inan on a glitzy harness and leash. "Right, right," the Castian says to whomever he's talking to. "I'm just dropping Ruqhina off at the sitter, I'll be there in ten." Shoving the leash at you, he announces, "Thank you again for agreeing to watch my darling Ruqhina, I really appreciate it. Don't forget to exercise early in the day, she likes eating energy of active people only, I don't want her on a lazy person diet. Did you change your hair, I thought you had blue hair? Well nevermind, I have to get going, I'll be back in a week. Goodbye sweetheart, Daddy misses you already!" And then he's gone. III. TALENT IS A MISNOMER - You Didn't Need That Wall Right? There are a lot of Dreamfolk in the city, and all of them are dealing with their own newly gifted Talents in their own ways. Some, especially those who are used to extraordinary abilities from their own worlds, have some idea of how to train on them safely, learning the ins and outs of their new gift. And then you have some whose only exposure to "magic" is through stories, fairy tales, or really entertaining TV, and pointing a finger-gun at a target and saying "boom!" has never actually worked... until now. "Uh," the other Dreamfolk says, staring dumbly at the car-sized hole in the wall, and then glances at you who just happened to be the closest person. "That's... new. Yikes. Should we run? Wait, I've got a better idea--" Cue loud voice and frantic pointing in your direction. "IT WAS THIS ONE! THEY DID IT!" IV. SHADY BUSINESS - It's A Shakedown You're in the right place at the right time (or the wrong ones, depending on your point of view) but you're entering a shop just in time to see some Beika punks accosting the shopkeeper, demanding protection money, which they owner is stammering that they've already paid this month. Upon your entrance, the shopkeeper looks over at you with help me plainly written on their face, while the Beika thugs look very unhappy at being interrupted... V. BEACHFRONT CLEANUP - Oh That's Nasty... It's not a pleasant task, but it does pay volunteers pretty well: following a massive storm, several dozen dead Giant Jellyfish corpses have washed up on the shoreline, and they need to be cleaned and disposed of before they start to decompose. It's dirty, smelly, and slimey work... but the promise of two weeks worth of rhinn for one day's work is hard to pass up! You're assigned to teams and given some shovels and a wheelbarrow, but as you reach the latest jellyfish body, you're surprised to see that this one appears to be covered in... burns?? Is this something you should report? VI. WILDCARD - Because You're Not The Boss Of Me Anything else that doesn't fit the above prompts is welcome, just keep it within the game setting please! Applications • Reservations • Taken List • Game Navigation

Comments

IV

[meta_journalism]

[ Well, it looks like Iris has made it to the store just in time to find trouble. She looks from the menacingly glowering thugs to the shopkeeper, who is looking at her as if he's expecting her to be able to do something about these guys...

If her Dad were here he would be telling her to leave. Get yourself to safety and call the cops. Common sense, Iris.

But Dad isn't here and she is. Her heart's pounding as she takes another step into the shop, letting the door fall shut behind her. She straightens her shoulders, she's faced down bigger and bagger thugs at home... just, not by herself. Never mind. Too late now. ]

I'll just be browsing the newspapers here, alright? I'm sure having an eyewitness won't disturb you in whatever perfectly legal business transaction you're about to make, right?

[ Oh damn. And now the head thug is looking mightily pissed. So much for that plan... ]

[blinkandshoot]

[So Inga was something adjacent to a cop back on her home world, but she isn't one here, and for all that she's taken some time to familiarize herself with this world, she hasn't yet determined the common stance on vigilante justice. (Plus she's carrying a gun that she doesn't want to get confiscated. Shh.)]

[So she flips open her phone and enters practically on Iris's heels, glancing at her briefly as Iris offers that ultimatum to the criminals, and adds—]

Were we interrupting something?

[meta_journalism]

[ She tries her hardest not to let it show, but inwardly Iris feels like slumping in sheer overwhelming relief when she hears the other woman speak up as well.

She shoots her a grateful look before indeed picking up some glossy magazine, eyes on the situation by the counter. ]

It looks to me like these gentlemen were about to leave.

Re: IV

[redarrowqueen]

[Being the Arrow's sister was one thing but thankfully Thea's a mean shot in her own right. And its ironic she's about to join the team in her own right. So she's perched atop a nearby balcony watching and waiting. She had also been tracking the same bunch and was ready to fire more than just warning shots.

There's just one problem, she's not far removed from the stab wounds caused by one Ra's Al Ghul.]

Steve Rogers | MCU

[bootyshortsandtights]

I

Steve's not exactly unused to rooftops. It can be difficult to get close to the edges, at times. He has an almost uncanny wish to hurl himself off, because there's usually some reason, there's someone behind or in front of him.

So when he grabs you, it's deft, but he nearly goes over with you. "Sorry!"

II

This creature has the most beautiful, graceful, elegant limbs, just like a wolfhound or a greyhound or something. Except it's not a wolfhound or a greyhound or something, and Steve looks at the leash in his hand then at the creature's face and attempts a smile.

'Ruqhina' hauls at him so hard he nearly takes flight. Steve scrambles to get his legs under him, and hopes that she's just aiming for the nearest park.

II

[science_of_control]

It seems she is heading for the park. A park that Bruce has taken to spending much of his time in. Everything in this city is complex and lovely. Hell, they call it the SeaGlass City.

It all seems so fragile.

This is the largest open space he's found within the city itself, soon he'll venture out into the farmlands at the city's edge but for now the open expanse of the ocean feels safer than some mystical barrier in the wilderness.

So he remains where he is, nestled against the base of a tree, trying to be unobtrusive, observing the behaviors of the various cultures of the people here when he sees Steve rushing across the lawn. Then he's up and dodging around people, muttering apologies as he goes until he can catch up with the blond and grab his elbow.

As uncertain as he is about whether Steve will want to see him he has over 2 years of catching up to do. He needs to know that everyone's okay. That Natasha is okay.

"Steve?"

I

[ilda]

Ilda shrieks, holding on to Steve for dear life. Her yimo slips from her hands as she uses both to cling to her rescuer, and the device tumbles to the ground, breaking into pieces.

“Uh oh. I hope I don’t have to pay for that.”

Then she realizes what just happened, and she looks up at her rescuer to thank him. But, oh my heavens, he’s very very attractive - and she nearly loses her balance (again) as she gets weak on the knees.

She finally managers to stammer, “T-Thank you.”

III

[fuckin_spectacular]

Aifaran is a city of many peoples and because of that there seems to be architecture built to suit just about every need someone could have.

Except a wheelchair.

He's still adapting to that part too, still forgets sometimes that his legs are gone, that he can't do the simplest of things anymore. There's time. He'll fix this, somehow, once he's figured out the technology here. What he needs is a lab, resources-

An idiot with a gun?

Merlin has his fingers wrapped around the hilt of a knife immediately, prepared to throw it and at least knock the weapon from the other's hand. Only to realize that there is no weapon. It's disconcerting to say the least and as he is trying to determine exactly how they managed to make such an impressive hole without any device that he can determine, they're pointing at him. Sitting calmly in his chair in the middle of the sidewalk with the rubble of the former wall spilling out before him.

Yes, lets blame the man that can't get away. His fingers tighten on the knife briefly before his hand slides out of his jacket and he awaits the accusations of passersby and shop keeps and the true culprit runs off down an alleyway.

"Brilliant."

[bestofthevein]

The true culprit doesn't get far. He's apprehended by a dwarf with a tattooed face and a penchant for getting shit done. Kit has the magician in question seized by the back of their jacket and hauls them back into the fray.

"Try arresting the right guy for a change, salroka," he tells the Sentry, and the crowd, currently congregating around the fellow in the wheeled chair.

He shoves the magician into the Sentry, who now has trouble enough to occupy him that his attention has been redirected away from Merlin. Kit glances the guy's way and sizes him up in a glance. "Hey," he says. It's probably a greeting.

V

[ilda]

Ilda arrived at the beachfront, cracking her knuckles. Finally, something to do! She'd never really liked working at sea - that was her twin's forte, and cleanups in particular were nasty - but she'd gotten so restless waiting for the storm to pass that she'd signed up the moment the call for volunteers came out.

She slipped her shoes off and waddled out to the water, her bare feet sinking into the sand. She hadn't gone far, just enough for a little seawater to reach her. And nearby was one of those giant jellyfishes, dead and smelly and slimey and...

She blinked. "Huh." There was something odd about the carcass. It looked like it'd been cooked? Or dried.

Then she remembered she'd been assigned to a team. Oh, right! She looked around, searching the crowd, realizing that she'd either forgotten who she was supposed to work with or didn't actually read the rest of the message. Oops!

[minorgod]

Luckily, Yato had been paying attention. This sort of short term job was exactly the kind of work he did normally, even if this promised to be on the messier end of his normal tasks.

He had no idea whom his assigned partner was supposed to be, so he did something he was good at instead: making a spectacle of himself. One arm thrust into the air with a flag that he'd pulled from... somewhere...

"OI! ILDA! IS THERE AN ILDA HERE?"

[dendranthema]

III... sort of

When the shouting starts, trying to blame Kaltz for a hole he most definitely did not create, Kaltz barely even considers sticking around and dealing with the outcome. He's no longer trying to hide that he's not a ribika, and so there's a much easier way to deal with this - and that way is to just teleport someplace else entirely.

He blinks back into existence on a sand dune by the ocean. It takes a moment for it to register what he's looking at, what he's hearing. He sort of knows what the ocean is, mostly from having heard the other devils talk about it once or twice. But he'd never been there in life, and never after becoming a devil, either.

It's so much bigger than he'd thought.

[ilda]

A teenage girl stands a short distance away from the sand dune, closer to the water, just enough for the waves to crash at her bare feet. Her thoughts are elsewhere, her gaze far out into the horizon, but she suddenly notices a shift in the breeze, and looks behind her.

“Oh, hello!” Ilda greets, a smile coming easily to her face. She would’ve been surprised by Kaltz’ appearance had her attention not been somewhere else.

[noteasybeinggreen]

Don has been trying to figure out where he should go next. What he should do. He's hungry, kind of? And he knows that the Galleon should be around here SOMEWHERE, but where?!

He's morosely poking at a sandcastle, with three storeys, and a moat with water that runs improbably uphill, when someone poofs into existence about three inches from his left knee.

He falls back, squawking.

[blinkandshoot]

Teleporting sure isn't something she sees every day, and her attention is lasered right on him when he suddenly appears. He's appeared far enough away that the jerk of her head probably isn't noticeable, at least, especially when he has his back to her.

Still, when all he seems to be doing is look at the water, she chills a bit. Enough to stroll right up to him and start a conversation. "I saw that... Do you do that often?"

II

[whattail]

Konoe's eyes were as wide as a cat's would be if he was handed a strange creature and some even stranger looking person just handed a leash to him, shouting a bunch of words into his face. HE didn't even process what the person said until he was left alone with the inan, who was eying his own crooked tail very curiously.

Is this what their ancestors, the cats looked like? It seemed a bit different from the descriptions, but Konoe knelt down, his ears twitching the same as the inan's, who was now snuffling in his face. The poor cat looked like he was caught in a headlight-someone should probably help him out.

[consumeation]

Kei saw that from a distance away, and as the Castian rapidly leaves, he goes over to the confused... cat person? Huh, he hasn't seen that before.

"It seems you've been left with something unexpected."

Zephyr | Tales of Link | no, i'm never letting this go

[spiralpatterns]

I | the perfect shot

[So he doesn't really know what this Xa Xa thing is all about, but he does know it seems to be making people very stupid.]

[There's a grumpy sort of a sound as he hooks the clothes of someone who looks like they're really about to do something stupid for inattention.]

Hey, be more careful.

V | oh that's nasty

[Zephyr is not about to say, at any point in time, that he likes jellyfish, or that anything about this situation is not particularly gross.]

[But it's money, and he prefers to have some stocked away when possible, and it's only this one day...]

[The latest one, though, is weird. Not like Zephyr isn't glad for the excuse to haul up, pausing to give the dead jellyfish an assessing look. That's... not usual. As far as he knows giant jellyfish corpses. He spikes his shovel into the sand and leans on it. At the nearest teammate:]

Hey, it's not just me, right? This one's unusual.

I | a tales character is perfect for this, right

[choiced]

Hey! No, wait --!

[There's a bridge over a train track. Zelos was leaning over the rail, trying to get a photo of an oncoming train to win the 'Most Creative Angle' category. Then some idiot pulled him back and ruined the shot, and now it's too late; the train's passing below them.]

Argh! I was so close! What's your problem? Did the competition hire you?

[The fact Zelos hasn't actually met any of the 'competition' in person nonwithstanding.]

V

[blinkandshoot]

It's not just you.

[Inga looks it over.]

Looks like burns. [Unfortunately, she doesn't know enough about the ecology of this place to know if it's entirely natural, but considering it's the only one so far...]

I'd rather not attract the attention of the Sentry right now. How much does it worry you?

Yuuri | Girls' Last Tour

[dumbingofage]

V. BEACHFRONT CLEANUP

[And here's the new girl...well new enough for her to get used to everything and everyone but still a relative stranger to some of the other newbies here. Truth of it is, Yuuri only took this job because somebody said "fish" and fish are tasty...these are not fish, she wasn't sure what exactly these things are they were picking up, as she curiously stares at each of the creatures she picks up.

She can't help however to lean in to her partner and ask...]

Hey, are these things edible, like can they be eaten?

Handsome Jack | Borderlands

[amaskofmyownface]

IV

[ Wa-hoa! What was this? A shakedown? And just when he got here too. Wow, bandits are going to be bandits wherever they go, huh? Degenerate, bullying, baby-eating sons of bitches. He hated them. For a moment, he fantasized himself taking them all out and leaving the last one for him to play with personally, but with limited bullets and a lack of knowledge of the situation, it wouldn't be a good idea to have an itchy trigger finger right now.

Besides... why waste a perfectly good opportunity to network, huh?

Bandits are bandits, but they always have more influence than shop owners. They know the ins and outs of the city, and they usually have caches full of weapons and money. If he could get in good with them, he could have access to all that. It's despicable, but Jack needs that right now. Survival. He doesn't like floundering around like a dumbass fish out of water. He needs power. Resources.

Jack glances at the owner, then flashes an easy smile at the bandits. He raises his hands to show them he comes in peace. ]

I see what's going on here! This old fart -- [ wags finger ] -- this ingrate is on your naughty list, huh? After you've been so considerate in protecting him too. You know, some people are like that? They just don't think of other people? And that kinda pisses me off, actually. You know what, I'll do you guys a solid. I'll watch the door for you.

[estrangedheir]

[ Cade slides into the shop shortly after Jack, just in time to catch most of what Jack and the bandits had said. His stature plus the sword on his side gives the impression of someone from the military, but only initially; he then folds his arms and leans against the doorway lazily, disinterestedly. Whose side he’s on, he doesn’t give away yet. ]

They don’t look happy to see you, man.

[whattail]

[Konoe wasn't exactly one to stick his tail into things other people were doing, but he'd been going around to see what these shops were like, since everything seemed different than in Ransen.

And what he didn't like, was bullies. He'd had enough of those people at home and the guy was just trying to make a living; and this strange looking outsider seemed to be trying to help them.

Konoe growled, his ears slicking back and pupils going straight to slits. Anyone who knew cat body language would know he was ready for a fight, especially with the sword at his hip.]

Hey, what do you think you're doing?!

[afoolsgold]

[Maybe the bandits listen. Maybe they put up a bit of an argument, a fight, before conceding. Regardless, when Jack steps outside of the shop to do his duty and watch the door, he'll discover that he has an audience.

The Fool has a peculiar habit of simply seeming to appear places, almost as though he has always been there in the periphery of one's vision, waiting to be seen. And right now, he is standing on the opposite side of the street from Jack, a brightly coloured umbrella held over himself to shield him from the rain. His expression is peculiarly inscrutable, as though he is deliberating to himself over how best to respond to what he's seeing.

He waits a moment for an Erol'an rickshaw driver to pedal past, then takes a light step forward, intending to cross the street.]

You might have put a stop to that, rather than encourage them. [He stops a considerable distance away from Jack; slight of frame and hardly suited to rough-housing, the Fool knows his limits. Then again, he is also a Fool, or at least foolhardy. Approaching Jack at all is probably evidence enough of that.]