Test Drive #13.

[powersthatbe]

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 December 18th-31st. Our next Jaunt, Escape from Junkworld, is a space opera romp where humans, aliens, and androids work together on mysterious scavenged, malfunctioning ships to outrun an interstellar disaster. Our next Walkabout (a more casual alternative event, for those not interested in the Jaunt) will revisit Heartbreak Academy, a shoujo anime setting where high-schoolers use Social Technology to bring shoujo special effects to life, from glitter to roses, transformation sequences to sad rainclouds, these cartoony powers are at the height of education for those who want a career in media or diplomacy, or some other means of big-stage self-expression. Both Jaunt & Walkabout will begin January 7th & run for approximately six weeks.

Prompt #37 is set in the Escape from Junkworld jaunt, as an advance taste of the fun available there.

Prompt #38 is set in a created landscape within the Telepathic Network all Travelers can access, and features characters facing their inner demons and traumatic memories together.


Prompt #37

The Coronation's coolant system has sprung a leak somewhere in its kilometers of pressurized tubing - near enough to the diagnostic centers to short out the readouts, meaning half the crew is up to their elbows in the decking, ceramic floor plates scattered along the corridors like loose shingles, making traveling between workstations like a game of holy grail hopscotch between the tiles and the potholes they left.

Besides that, the leak leaves the entirety of the ship smelling like a cross between pond scum and burned espresso, and set the radiation alarms to a distracting buzz - not enough for klaxons, just a constant, low-level warning that set the teeth on edge.

In the ship’s simulator chambers, anyone visored and gloved to work in virtual space can ignore it - but the computer environment may experience glitches in its programs, whether functional or recreational. On the bridge, other systems are experiencing occasional failures - from sensor shadows hinting at unreal pursuit and activating automated combat routines, to the translators in the comm system shorting out and creating a momentary babel.

Meanwhile, between evacuating irradiated areas, crawling through the conduits looking for the problem to fix, or quietly shooing smuggler-snails full of contraband out of the way of the search parties, there’s something for everyone to be doing...


Prompt #38


Sometimes someone’s issues lead to them being swallowed by a dungeon in Liminal Space and forced to confront their darker side, their repressed issues - but you can’t always wait for an arbitrary interdimensional force to kidnap you. Here in the Mind Palace, the world is simply a vast, blank white space, and glittering glass cubes float in the air, each holding within it a freeze-framed memory of a traumatic moment, something you’ve chosen to face here together with your companions. Maybe only one of you is going through this gauntlet, or maybe you’ve opted to face your fears together, but whatever this captive image is, you’ll have to explain it or let it play out, and come to grips with what it means to you - whether a happy memory you’ve lost, something that makes you sad or afraid or angry, or even a piece of your past that had been buried or forgotten until now - there it is, in front of you, waiting.

What happens next?

Comments

Faed pa'Varuun || Original Character

[virioncomplex]

Prompt #37 - GOD DAMN PAKSHIT STUPID SHIP

Whoever designed this ship needs a swift kick to the tenderest parts of their alien anatomy. To be fair, Faed tends to think that about any piece of machinery he didn't make. If he didn't build it, he doesn't trust it. At least not until he's crawled completely around in all it's vital areas so he knows he can fix it if something goes wrong. That's all well and good, but being thrust upon a dying ship in the midst of its own meltdown puts him outside both of those prefered scenarios, leaving him to deal with someone else's mess.

He's a bounty hunter. He's supposed to be saving his own, green plated ass, not everyone else's. Luckily for them, saving his own ass will have the added benefit of saving everyone else in the process.

Faed is tiny, easily mistaken for a child. Until it comes to the attention that not only is he tiny, but he's also green, foul mouthed, and also a giant, walking, humanoid bug. The fact that he actually has four arms is hidden by the fact that he keeps two of them strapped down under his jacket. Across the back of his shoulders is perched a robot that looks like it was built around the skeleton of something akin to a large rat.

Wandering through the fray, he seems to be completely unconcerned about the dangers around him. It's not that he's being brave in the face of danger, he just doesn't appear to have much in the way of self preservation. If nact he seems to blatantly ignore warnings like he doesn't give a damn.

His antennae twitch overhead, and he'll occasionally lift a hand to turn the dial on one of the large headphones he has plugged into his ears. When he's not ripping something apart in an attempt to figure out how to fix it, he's ripping something apart in an attempt to salvage things he can use.

[chalicejoker]

There's another humanoid bug wandering around the ship, though this one's almost seven feet tall and missing that extra pair of arms. He's mostly just looking for things he can fight and people he can pull out of trouble, hopefully by fighting said trouble. "Hey, you alright there?" For that is the sort of question one asks when one thinks one has found a kid ripping apart a thing.

[virioncomplex]

Faed spins around and narrows his yellow eyes. He doesn't recognize the species but considering how his life has been flipped upside how, shook about, and shoved in a blender recently he's not sure he should even be surprised. He's just glad it's not another human that thinks it knows something about space travel.

"Why? Do I look like I'm in distress?" His voice is barely more than a whisper, harsh sounding and dripping with sarcasm.

[chalicejoker]

"Hey, I'm just going around making sure no one needs help." Hajime gives a big shrug. He's not particularly emotive in this form, probably for the best when he wasn't expecting to get snapped at by a tiny person. (Then again, he's from New Jersey, you'd think he'd be used to that sort of thing...)

[virioncomplex]

"Well, hero. What sort of help can you offer?" His antennae flick about as he turns back to concentrate on what he's doing. Seems like a fairly straight forward system., not to mention unimaginative. There's a small, growing pile of electronic odds and ends growing at his side that he starts to piece back together in what he considers a more effective manner.

[chalicejoker]

Hajime starts ticking off his many abilities on his fingers. "Lifting heavy things and smashing stuff, mostly." There's a pause. "I'm also an excellent cook, but now's not the time for that." He gestures at the electronic bits and pieces there. "What are you trying to do with that stuff, anyway?"

[virioncomplex]

"Lifting things and smashing shit isn't going to help either but that's not stopping you." Faed is actually moving rather swiftly as he puts the parts together, rolling tools through his fingers with practiced ease. When he's done with one he hands it off to the robotic rat skeleton sitting near by and takes another it had waiting. "Lets just say if these people actually knew how the fuck to build a ship it's systems wouldn't be collapsing around them."

[chalicejoker]

"It'd help if something was attacking or part of the ship had collapsed," Hajime grumps. "You don't know until you try."

He looks down at those pieces and that robotic rat skeleton. "You can't rebuild the whole thing."

I COULD HAVE SWORN I REPLIED TO THIS ALREADY GAH

[virioncomplex]

"Neither of those things are happening so you're fuck out of usefulness at the moment." Faed grumps right back.

"I'm not trying to, just what's important. If I didn't build it, I don't trust it."

IT'S OKAY THAT HAPPENS

[chalicejoker]

"So if you didn't build it, how do you even know what's important?" Because now Hajime is grumbly and cross at having his only means of helping shot down, even if he could pretty easily go away and see if anyone else needed heavy things lifted.

[virioncomplex]

"Common sense." Hajime can be as gumbly and cross all he wants. Faed has zero shits to spare at this juncture. "And I know what to look for."

[what_do_you_see]

Faed may be unconcerned about the danger around him, but he will be forced to make it at least a little his business when a small man - not as tiny as the insect, but certainly not very big for a human male - is thrown into him. The man is wearing the black jumpsuit that marks him as crew, though the upper half has been pulled off and tied around his waist, leaving him in only a white tank, muscular, freckled arms bare. He has brilliant orange hair, and he tries to shove himself up off of Faed, clearly intent on going after the large man who had just decked him into the insectoid alien.

[virioncomplex]

Of course there'd be a brawl in the middle of the corridor he needs to go. Of course there'd be a brawl in the middle of a ship that's all but collapsing around them. Faed isn't very strong. He was bred and programmed to be a technician, not a solder. Doesn't mean he hasn't picked up a few tricks here and there, though it doesn't help him much when he's blindsided by a another body being hurled at him. He's easily knocked over, and instinct has him trying to use all four arms to push up at the scrambling body above him, even if two are hidden beneath his clothes.

At the last moment he gasps and manages to use all four arms as leverage to spin them both over, just as two large, meaty fist come slamming down to the floor where they'd just been sprawled.

[what_do_you_see]

Faed may not have been bred for fighting, but the smaller human clearly had some training, at least, in that area. He uses the momentum as the insect spins them to roll them again, once, twice and then neatly shoves Faed into an open alcove, dark but out of the way of the corridor. The redhead springs to his feet again, throwing himself at the larger man.

"Think you can take advantage of the chaos to get a little rape in?" he snarls, his fist pistoning out into the man's stomach, doubling him over just in time to catch the apparent miscreant's chin with the other hand, driving upward with brutal force. "Not. Happening."

[virioncomplex]

Faed slides neatly into the alcove, the open wall panel making it easy for him to practically disappear. Scrambling around, he peeks back out to watch the battle as it progresses. At first his mind is a buzz in trying to find a way around them so he can keep going, this isn't the sort of thing he'd get involved in. At least, until the redhead spoke.

There are precious few things that will get him to act. Rape would be one of them, and violently so. To say he as issues is putting it kindly. Glancing around, he disconnects a length of wire from inside the alcove, and waits for the right moment to strike. Once the large man had his back to him, he darts up and leaps up, using his clawed feet to rip into him, hauling himself up so he can wrap the wire around the bastards throat and lean backwards. He's not very strong, but luckily you don't need a lot of physical force to make this work, just the right amount of leverage.

His mandibles snap out and he hisses, pulling back as hard as he can.

[wolvering]

The first thing Faed notices is probably sound. There's a grumbling sound, animal and probably a complaint, just from the tone, and a light, cheery answer in a girl's voice.

"It smells awful to me too, boy, but it's important that we--"

It's at that point that the pair rounds the corner. The first is a wolverine, bounding along on short legs with long claws ticking on the tile. The second is a small human girl in brown and green, with pure white hair. She smiles, expression curious and open, while the animal at her side has more interest in the rat-robot.

"Are you trying to find the leak too?"

[virioncomplex]

Faed eyes the animal first. He has no idea what it is or what it can do, and he doesn't like it. Last thing he needs a limb to torn off by some kid's pet. It doesn't matter if he can regrow it. It's awful going in either direction.

"No." He says, his voice sounding like a whisper that he's forcing to be louder than it is.

"Species: Human. Female." Comes a tinny voice from the skeletal rate as it clings up on Faed's shoulder. It's tiny, lens-like eyes turn down to the wolverine. "Species: Unknown."

[wolvering]

Kiga shifts up onto his hind paws, sniffing at the rat-bot, and making inquiring crooning noises. Pod is equally curious (is that a skeleton? It doesn't seem alive as such.) but the wolverine's non-hostile reaction goes a long way to helping her stay calm about it. If it were dark magic, Kiga would know.

"We're not interrupting, are we? You're definitely doing something that looks important!" Pod thinks so, at least. She can't make heads nor tails of it herself, which is why they were looking for the source of the leak anyway. At least a smell they can find, and then tell someone who knows there it is to be patched up.

"Kiga is a woods dog, though!" Pod addresses the rat-bot. "They're shy creatures, and rarely seen."

[virioncomplex]

The robot is definitely made out of a skeleton, but definitely not made out of any magic, dark or otherwise. It blinks down at the wolverine, nonplussed. "Update." It tilts his head, and after a brief moment complies, "Species: Woods Dog."

Faed just gives a soft snort and turns back to his work. If he's going to get mangled he's not going to be able to stop it anyway. He's in the process of reassembling something he'd recently pulled apart. Technically he's putting it back together more efficiently (even if it looks more haphazardly rigged for the time being.

"I'm makin sure the rest of this ship doesn't fall apart around our asses so yeah, I'd call that important." It's mostly due to his own paranoia, but it still gets the job done.

[wolvering]

Pod peers at the mess with obvious curiosity. She knows it probably makes perfect sense to him, but not to her, and maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to learn a little while she's here.

"That is important! I wish I knew more about these things, but I'm only a 'prentice Beast Healer. My name is Pod, by the by. What's yours? And your friend's? If he's a friend, and not some kind of... construct?"

Pod is very puzzled about the moving-talking skeleton. Her concepts of robotics is basic at the very best. It's obvious that this was made, but that's about as much as she's gleaned from looking.

[virioncomplex]

A veterinarian? He's only known a small handful of humans but still, none of them talked like she does. She's coming off as even more primitive than they already are. At least she has the wherewithal to not automatically assume he was some sort of animal as well.

"Don't quit your day job." He mutters. Luckily for her he's choosing at the moment to focus his energy on actually fixing upgrading things where he can.

"I am Wotto. And I am indeed. A construct." The rat chimes in, tiny, robotic voice sounding almost proud of that fact. "But that does not mean. I cannot also be. A friend."

[wolvering]

Pod is not entirely sure what that phrase means exactly. Because she's away from the chapterhouse she doesn't have any of her daily chores to do, and most jobs would have to be done during the day anyway. Well, unless it was an emergency, or helping with a birthing or--

Strange! She wrinkles her nose a little and shrugs, Wotto having effectively distracted her from the phrase anyway. "Well met, Wotto! You sound like a fine friend indeed. Perhaps you can tell me your friend's name. I fear he's a bit busy and has forgot his manners."

There's a lilt to her voice hinting at a little bit of friendly teasing, and Pod ends it with a little laugh. She doesn't really blame the strange man (what is he, she wonders!) for not paying much attention to her, but the rat-construct doesn't seem busy and he's talkative!

[virioncomplex]

"Faed does not care. About manners. " Which is very true. He actually does know them well enough to some degree, at least enough to get what he wants when it comes to bounty hunting. There are many races in the universe and tripping up in the wrong place can be a huge hinderance when hunting.

As if to punctuate the rat's point, Faed chucks a hunk of metal, wires, and blinking lights over his shoulder where it crashes down amidst the already existing mess. An inch or so in the other direction and it might have hit her square in the knee.

[wolvering]

"So I see," Pod says dryly as she shifts a little out of the way of the thrown part. "It's a good thing I'm not one of those who thinks manners is everything!"

Kiga isn't quite so amused about the near miss, but only makes a chrrring sound that sounds remarkably like a cross parental scolding. He holds his place otherwise, because he doesn't get any malice from the action, and so doesn't feel like he needs to protect his person.

Pod clasps her hands behind her back and rocks on her feet. "Did Faed make you, Wotto? I've never seen your like before, that's for certain!"

[virioncomplex]

Faed rolls his eyes at the girl's continued perseverance. He's fairly certain that the moment any of these people catch wind of what sort of species he'd the honor of being hatched into they'll either toss him in the brig or kick him out an airlock. Not that he's done all that well to be personable to begin with.

"Affirmative. He made me out of salvage. And death."