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synodiporia_ooc2017-05-22 02:00 pm
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Test Drive #19
Welcome to the Synodiporia Test Drive Meme! Below the cuts there are two new prompts, and here are the prompts from previous test-drives, which you’re still welcome to use in this post. When you comment, be sure you specify what prompt you want to play with, and please put up your own threadstarter—it makes for a much more friendly environment that a forest of bare toplevels! OCs are especially welcome! Please take a quick look at our Directory & familiarize yourself with the concept and setting of the game before you jump in.
Our upcoming app round runs May 24th–June 1st. Our next Jaunt is Showtime!, a 1980s rock-and-roll romp with a light sci-fi element that features, among other things: rival bands with secrets to hide, shadowy government agents in pursuit of an uncanny fugitive, and at least one alien who’s lost their ability to phone home.
Prompt #50 features an explosive liminal space, where getting to close to the flames has consequences.
Prompt #51 takes place in the world from our upcoming Jaunt and features a warm summer night at the Santa Carlita Beach Boardwalk.
Prompt #52 takes place in the world of the Lightning Age: a alternate universe steampunk setting in which the colonial empires that ruled the world in its equivalent of the 19th century are the opposite of the ones from our own.
#50
You and everyone around you are floating in a black… well, it’s a black space. You could almost call it a void, except there are other things than Travelers in it. There are fluffy things that almost look like clouds, although closer inspection will reveal that they are actually constructed out of white-colored steel wool. And then there are the things that sit on the steel wool clouds.
They’re shaped like Grecian ruins, but that’s not what they’re constructed of. No, they’re made of waxed paper, with brightly colored logos that say things like WORLD CLASS and PHANTOM BRAND and BLACK CAT. But you might not want to stay too close to them--they’re prone to exploding at random and taking the steel wool clouds with them.
Granted, when they do explode, they end up exploding into fireworks of heart-breaking beauty and being hit by the flames doesn’t seem to burn people--but that’s not to say that being hit by the fire from the fireworks has no effect. In fact, anyone it touches will suffer a temporary loss of their sense of self-preservation and material attachment--making them much more prone to taking risks for the next minute.
#51
It’s a Tuesday night in early June and the Santa Carlita Beach Boardwalk is a veritable sea of neon, spandex, denim, and leather. Tuesday night is always the busiest of the weeknights at the oceanfront amusement park and it’s all for one simple reason: on Tuesday nights after eight, all rides cost a single ticket. Sure, the carnival food available from the various food trucks and permanent stands is still full price, but it isn’t as if people come to the boardwalk to eat.
No, they’re here for the rides. There’s a ferris wheel, of course, and the miniature gondolas that go from one end of the boardwalk and back. There’s the bumper cars--two different sets of them!--and the kitschy glow-in-the-dark cave train and the whirling long-chained sea swings. There’s a log flume ride, too, although now that the heat of the day is gone, it’s possibly not the best idea to go on it. Perhaps one of the others nearby? There’s one that ride spins you around and pin you to the wall with centrifugal force. In fact, there’s almost any kind of carnival ride you could ask to go on.
And of course there’s the two crowning jewels of the Boardwalk, its landmark historical rides: the wooden roller coaster known as Ursa Majorus, still in good repair after sixty-five years, and the antique carousel of the Hippodrome, where even today you can grab brass rings and throw them at the gaping maw of a clown’s face.
#52
The mountaintop facility wasn’t supposed to exist. Until yesterday, in fact, it didn’t exist at all, officially, and hard questions were currently being asked all around in the Khanate government as to why such an extensive complex wasn’t marked on any official maps. Whoever had constructed it had done well to obscure it from passing zeppelins. From the air you might just think it was part of the mountains.
At least until the explosions had started.
Now, however, the last of the fires have gone out and the ruins have begun to be picked over by scavengers, air pirates, and anyone else who might have seen the explosion last night and wondered. And even with the damage from fire and explosion, there’s more than enough worth salvaging, even if you have to move one of the dozens of corpses to find it. Enough of the delicate scientific equipment from extensive series of laboratories remains to fully outfit two or three home researchers at the very least. And it’s clear, even despite the damage, that the living quarters for the researchers had been lavish indeed. A name is inlaid on the facility walls: VEXATIOR, written in the exotic letters of the Latin alphabet. Another, engraved onto a brass plate outside a room that had suffered a particular amount of destruction, reads MANTIS in the familiar characters used throughout the Golden Khanate.
There’s a surprising number of people rummaging around in the aftermath of the destruction, some of whom seem… well, slightly out of it. Almost like their minds are in another world altogether… but that would be silly, wouldn’t it?
Our upcoming app round runs May 24th–June 1st. Our next Jaunt is Showtime!, a 1980s rock-and-roll romp with a light sci-fi element that features, among other things: rival bands with secrets to hide, shadowy government agents in pursuit of an uncanny fugitive, and at least one alien who’s lost their ability to phone home.
Prompt #50 features an explosive liminal space, where getting to close to the flames has consequences.
Prompt #51 takes place in the world from our upcoming Jaunt and features a warm summer night at the Santa Carlita Beach Boardwalk.
Prompt #52 takes place in the world of the Lightning Age: a alternate universe steampunk setting in which the colonial empires that ruled the world in its equivalent of the 19th century are the opposite of the ones from our own.
#50
You and everyone around you are floating in a black… well, it’s a black space. You could almost call it a void, except there are other things than Travelers in it. There are fluffy things that almost look like clouds, although closer inspection will reveal that they are actually constructed out of white-colored steel wool. And then there are the things that sit on the steel wool clouds.
They’re shaped like Grecian ruins, but that’s not what they’re constructed of. No, they’re made of waxed paper, with brightly colored logos that say things like WORLD CLASS and PHANTOM BRAND and BLACK CAT. But you might not want to stay too close to them--they’re prone to exploding at random and taking the steel wool clouds with them.
Granted, when they do explode, they end up exploding into fireworks of heart-breaking beauty and being hit by the flames doesn’t seem to burn people--but that’s not to say that being hit by the fire from the fireworks has no effect. In fact, anyone it touches will suffer a temporary loss of their sense of self-preservation and material attachment--making them much more prone to taking risks for the next minute.
#51
It’s a Tuesday night in early June and the Santa Carlita Beach Boardwalk is a veritable sea of neon, spandex, denim, and leather. Tuesday night is always the busiest of the weeknights at the oceanfront amusement park and it’s all for one simple reason: on Tuesday nights after eight, all rides cost a single ticket. Sure, the carnival food available from the various food trucks and permanent stands is still full price, but it isn’t as if people come to the boardwalk to eat.
No, they’re here for the rides. There’s a ferris wheel, of course, and the miniature gondolas that go from one end of the boardwalk and back. There’s the bumper cars--two different sets of them!--and the kitschy glow-in-the-dark cave train and the whirling long-chained sea swings. There’s a log flume ride, too, although now that the heat of the day is gone, it’s possibly not the best idea to go on it. Perhaps one of the others nearby? There’s one that ride spins you around and pin you to the wall with centrifugal force. In fact, there’s almost any kind of carnival ride you could ask to go on.
And of course there’s the two crowning jewels of the Boardwalk, its landmark historical rides: the wooden roller coaster known as Ursa Majorus, still in good repair after sixty-five years, and the antique carousel of the Hippodrome, where even today you can grab brass rings and throw them at the gaping maw of a clown’s face.
#52
The mountaintop facility wasn’t supposed to exist. Until yesterday, in fact, it didn’t exist at all, officially, and hard questions were currently being asked all around in the Khanate government as to why such an extensive complex wasn’t marked on any official maps. Whoever had constructed it had done well to obscure it from passing zeppelins. From the air you might just think it was part of the mountains.
At least until the explosions had started.
Now, however, the last of the fires have gone out and the ruins have begun to be picked over by scavengers, air pirates, and anyone else who might have seen the explosion last night and wondered. And even with the damage from fire and explosion, there’s more than enough worth salvaging, even if you have to move one of the dozens of corpses to find it. Enough of the delicate scientific equipment from extensive series of laboratories remains to fully outfit two or three home researchers at the very least. And it’s clear, even despite the damage, that the living quarters for the researchers had been lavish indeed. A name is inlaid on the facility walls: VEXATIOR, written in the exotic letters of the Latin alphabet. Another, engraved onto a brass plate outside a room that had suffered a particular amount of destruction, reads MANTIS in the familiar characters used throughout the Golden Khanate.
There’s a surprising number of people rummaging around in the aftermath of the destruction, some of whom seem… well, slightly out of it. Almost like their minds are in another world altogether… but that would be silly, wouldn’t it?
51 | what up velvet room girl
His guts is high enough. He can walk up and ask.
Akira Kurusu approaches her, hands in his pockets, bag over his shoulder, and strangely dressed for the cold weather. Not the summer nights.
"Excuse me, miss." He says politely. "Do you know this place?"
no subject
She blinks and tilts her head looking over him, "I would think most mortals know of it, or are you too visiting from elsewhere?"
no subject
Then he looks at the area around them. "I meant this whole place. It's not where I was before."
no subject
She blinks, completely not getting it, also missing the are you kidding face.
"Why would one wish to ride gravity into a wall? That seems far less interesting. How would that help anyone achieve a greater destiny?"
Still pondering that last thought she then continues, "This place is the realm of mortals, or at least one of them. It is hard remembering which is which, though I do not believe this is the one I left my previous position to understand. Still, every bit leads one closer to their own answer."
no subject
Akira glances at the ride before looking back at her. "The best way to find out why someone would want to ride it is to try it."
Maybe helping her understand the ride will get an opening so he can ask his question. Since it isn't appropriate to ask about that room in public. Considering every time he tried to explain it to his friends, they brushed it off.
no subject
Oh she seems excited at that prospect.
"Like beating the reaper with one's own bare hands! Yet, not as dangerous to those around you as you try."
no subject
"Do you have anyone to go on the ride with you? It's usually more enjoyable when you have someone with you."
no subject
With that she ponders though, she ponders the nature of the fool, she ponders the nature of not getting this ride thing, she ponders the sheer number of food carts outside the line, all in a few seconds before nodding.
"If you wish to accompany me, then I do not mind. May I ask your name?"
no subject
His hand slide into his pockets as he shifts the weight from one leg to another again. "Kurusu Akira. It's nice to meet you."
no subject
"So, do you challenge gravity to stick you to a wall often? And I am Elizabeth."
no subject
"Usually it's whatever my friends want to do." Akira admits. Although the Ferris Wheel with Haru was his idea. "Have you gone any rides here?"
no subject
"No. Earlier I was challenging the booths to the side. The ones where it is tasked that you knock over milk bottles glued to the ground or throw darts that are poorly balanced into targets to free small animals filled with fluff. There was also talk of an eatery where you simply are allowed to return to sample the delights prepared by the chef an unending number of times! However, they threatened to call the local constabulary on me if I did not leave after my 19th sampling."
"I must admit, I do not exactly understand the appeal of most of these rides."
no subject
At her statement, he turns to look at her as he pushes the small gate open. "I guess the best way of putting it is that they're for fun. Some of them are scary, so people test to see if they can conquer their fear. Like the roller coasters. Or they want to see if it'll make them throw up."
no subject
Looking mildly horrified at that thought she walks through the gate and pokes the wall for a minute, seeming to test its rigidity before nodding.
"Though, throwing up to experience more food is also another thing that boggles my mind."
no subject
"Humans don't always make sense." He offers. "Come on, this way."
He sets down his bag and steps up the stairs, waiting for her to join him.
I may be terrible at naming Persona Protagonists, just a warning.
"No, the do not. Courting Erebus does not make sense in the least, but that is what I am trying to figure out the reason to."
With that she sighs, almost a sad look in her eyes for half a second before she follows in.
It IS Elizabeth....
"...Courting Erebus?"
Which is the last question Akira gets to ask before the attendant is motioning him to one of the places on the wall. There is a security belt that is put a foot in front of him.
Not that it makes him feel anymore comfortable about it.
Well, it is more I have named every Persona Protag Kickass McAwsome so the names blurr
With that she rests against the wall, looking about, actually looking offended at the security strap put in front of her.
"So another bond to break, one would think that being a prisoner is the way things are here."
It works for every version of Persona at least tho!
It sounds like a Shadow you would find in Mementos. Somehow, though, it feels like there is more to it. She may not tell him about that right away though. And for now, he is just interested to see if she really does have a connection to the Velvet Room. The way she talks, her dress, and she even looks like the Twins.
He is about to make a comment when she says her next words. Prisoner. Akira frowns slightly. The Velvet Room is a series of cells with two wardens and someone overseeing his rehabilitation...
"It's just there as a safety measure."
no subject
"I am not experienced enough in the matters of humanity to say if I am sane or not. I simply understand what is behind what makes one sane or crazy."
Still, she seems to give the chain one last dirty look and close her eyes, leaning back.
no subject
Part of him wonders if this woman is for real, but then he remembers the conversations the twins would have. Akira shakes his head and takes his glasses off. Just in case. He presses his back up against the wall as the ride begins. First it goes slow, then it speeds up. Then he realizes this is one of the ones that tilt on its side.
Thankfully, his guts is high enough that he can take it without needing to throw up afterwards.
no subject
"I have mastered your challenge! I have bested your control over gravity!
no subject
Maybe it's just better to let Elizabeth think what she wants though.
no subject
"Ah, but I am standing, despite the universe pushing me into the chained confines of the little box!"
no subject
(no subject)