Test Drive #14

[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 April 24th-30th. Our next Jaunt, Neapolitan Beach Vacation, is a Roman-era romp with drama, comedy, and romance, a light-hearted chance for Travelers to catch their breath between metaplot-heavy, more serious events. Our next Walkabout (a more player-driven alternative event, for those not interested in the Jaunt) will be a survival/exploration event set on a ruined island Travelers visited in the distant past... Both Jaunt & Walkabout will begin May 7th & run for approximately four weeks.

Prompt #39 is set in a synaesthetic Liminal Space where sounds become shapes and motion becomes music.

Prompt #40 is set in the Marches of Purgatory Jaunt, a contested kingdom in the afterworld where Angels, Demons, and Sithen (immortal conscientious objectors) barter over sins, virtues, and lost souls.


Prompt #39

The floors in Liminal Space are paths made of keyboards and fretboards, or stepping-stones across prismatic pools made of drums and cymbals, and they make noise accordingly. The walls, colored liquid glass, vibrate with sound, creating patterns of jagged, angry exclamations (it was a rough Jaunt), smooth soothing waves of pastels, or, at particularly apt descriptions, dislodging bubbled sculptures of the pictures discussion paints. It’s almost impossible, no matter how hard one tries, to create something discordant - and equally impossible to create silence or bland color.


Prompt #40

The Vanity Fair is a day’s flight away from Melasurei and the burning river it bridges. In a field of gently-waving asphodel flowers, underneath an impressionistic sky with swirling stars and half a hundred waxing and waning moons, a galactic spiral of colored tents is centered around a gradient-shifting bonfire in which smoke-images flicker, curl, and disperse. Within the tents, hooded souls, undead immortals, and various celestial beings sell their services, Sins & Virtues, scraps of disconnected memory and personality, and other ephemera. There are fruit that can only been grown in tilled fields irrigated with tears, blessed or cursed objects, the indentured dead themselves, and then, of course, the bonfire itself, fueled by wood from Hell, grown on regrets, mistakes, and impure thoughts. Vendor or customer, everyone here wants something, and everything here is something someone wants.

Comments

Natsumi Hikari - Kamen Rider Decade - Open to Anyone

[summerorange]

A) Prompt #40 - Investigating

This is certainly different than most other worlds that Natsumi has ever been to. An actual Purgatory? And real demons and angels existing in the same place? Even for someone who was already some kind of Traveler before she even got recruited by the Trumps, this is one for the memories...and photo archives, if a certain companion has his way with it.

But right now? She's not focused on that. Right now, she's wandering throughout the fair with an urgent air about her. If there is someone who doesn't look like a merchant - or better yet, a semi-familiar face - she'll go right up to them and blurt out, "Sorry, but have you seen a little white bat by any chance?"


B) Liminal Space

Well! This is a nice surprise to stumble across. Trees in full bloom, as far as the eyes can see. There's cherry and plum trees of all breeds, as well as apple and a dozen other varieties, too. Beneath the bigger trees sit blankets, complete with picnic baskets full of food and drinks. Occasionally, a gentle breeze blows throughout Liminal, causing a cascade of petals throughout the air.

"It's almost like a scene right out of a shoujou series..." Despite her attempt to be irritated by the cliche, Natsumi is rather pleased with such a peaceful-looking setting. After dealing with demons and angels for such a long time, it's nice to take a break and just relax. She starts to slip off her shoes before settling herself onto the nearest blanket, a smile tugging on her lips.

B

[thekingofkamenriders]

A familiar click of a shutter and winding of film comes from near to Natsumi, as Tsukasa Kadoya snaps a photo of this. He always likes it when she gets that expression on her face, the smile, and just the look of relaxation. They needed it after that last adventure. The last time he had to deal with Angels, they'd all been wearing Spandex.

After a second, Tsukasa will make his way over to his summer orange, "Oi, Natsumikan." He's got a small smile on his face, and is wearing those really dorky sun glasses again. "It's not often that you see a summer orange in a field of cherry blossoms."

[summerorange]

Ah, yes - that all-too-familiar click. But this time, she doesn't mind. It just reassures her that Tsukasa is still there, and hasn't wandered off to yet another world on his own. Again. Even so, she huffs as soon as she sees that he's wearing those sunglasses again.

"Maybe you just haven't been looking hard enough last season?" Though there's still traces of her smile lingering even as she snarks back at him. She's already peeking into the nearest basket to see what kind of food was in there.

Meanwhile, a tiny "hmph!" comes from above them. Should Tsukasa look up, he'll see a certain white bat perched on an overhead branch. Upside down, of course. "Or maybe you just missed it the last few times around~?" There's a bit of a bite beneath that haughty, girlish tone of voice.

[thekingofkamenriders]

Tsukasa actually looks a little sheepish behind those glasses as he makes his way over. "Maybe I've been traveling a bit too long alone, because I have missed missed it the last couple of seasons. Looks like that won't be happening again for a while."

Unless Natsumi doesn't let him, Tsukasa will sit down on the blanket next to her, leaning back on his hands and looking up. He blinks once, seeing Kivara up there. "Huh, the little bat made it too?" He'll readjust and then take a picture of her, too. "I guess that's a good thing. Means that if Yuusuke makes it, he'll have a girlfriend waiting for him."

[summerorange]

"I hope so~! He'd be much better company than a certain rude person~," the bat quips from behind her folded wings.

"Kivaara..." Natsumi gives her tiny companion a warning glare. But that doesn't last long as she finds and pulls out a pair of fancy-looking bento boxes and matching chopsticks. "Well, at least it's usually better to travel with someone else, isn't it? Especially if it's something that you might need help with..." She hands Tsukasa one of each, hoping that he gets the point.

[thekingofkamenriders]

Tsukasa takes the bento and the chopsticks, then pulls the glasses off his face. "Last few trips I've gone on...haven't been good. There was the war with the Sentai, then trying to help Wizard...and then the battle between the Heisei and Showa riders." He shakes his head, sighing a bit, "I'll be honest, I'm happy to be doing this instead. It doesn't feel as...dangerous, I guess." What he's not saying is that he didn't want her to get in the middle of those wars, because he was worried about her.

"I'm happy to be able to take a break, right here." Right here with her, that is. The bat he could take or leave.

[summerorange]

Natsumi's in the middle of opening her own box and admiring the really nice, flower-viewing-themed meal within when she hears all that...and pauses to look at him in surprise. "While I'm glad you're finally resting...when did another Rider Wars happen without me knowing about it beforehand?"

She's not surprised that he tried to help another Rider - in fact, she's happy that he's doing such things. And while she may have heard about the Sentai thing thru a mutual companion... That last bit stirred up some really bad vibes - and memories - inside of her.

[thekingofkamenriders]

"Those wars were...weird. I teamed up with Captain Marvelous of the Gokaiger pretty quickly when I learned of what was going on. We kept everyone in the dark, to make things more believable. I kept you, Daiki, and Yuusuke out of the loop...he kept his crew out of it. We had to look like we were really trying to destroy each other, and bringing all of you into the fold wouldn't have worked. Dai Shocker and Dai Zangyak wouldn't have believed it." He smirks a bit, "Though, I'll be honest that I was a bit more concerned with Daiki trying to steal something and throwing a wrench in our plans, which he did end up doing...but, I forgave him."

He looks up at the sun, "The war between the Riders was...a misunderstanding. The Ichigo and the Showa Riders thought that we were too dark, too violent. That we didn't believe in Justice in the same way that they did...but thankfully, a young dancer showed him that we were all still the same...it also didn't help that Kamen Rider Fifteen and the Badian Empire were trying to invert the land of the living and dead. It happened very quickly. We could have used you there, I think."

A

[failgoyle]

Jules doesn't look like a merchant at all.

But here, his Mask seems to be malfunctioning, leaving him looking like his normal Lurkglider self to everyone, making him look like a scrawny little demon. "N-no, no, can't say I've seen any bats here..."

[summerorange]

Natsumi's used to dealing with so-called 'monsters' at this point in her life, so one more monstrous-looking person doesn't phase her very much. Especially one that doesn't seem to be very threatening at all.

"Not even a tiny one that speaks with a lilt? Or would want to trade information for a bit of blood?" Sadly, it wouldn't be the first time it's happened since their arrival here. She just only hopes that her partner doesn't try and make a horrible deal just to get a meal.

[failgoyle]

"It wants blood and you want to find it again?!" No. No, thank you. "I haven't seen anything like that, and I don't want to see anything like that."

[summerorange]

"She doesn't drink that much blood...though it'd better if she doesn't drink any at all." Sighing, she shakes her head. "And I have to find her - she's one of my companions."

[failgoyle]

"Not that much is still more than enough, thanks." He makes a face, which is largely a weird wrinkling of his snout. "Good luck with that, this place looks like it's hell to navigate."

He knows exactly what he did there.

[summerorange]

Natsumi resists the urge to roll her eyes and groan at that joke, though her face is still Not Amused by that horrible pun. Demons, she mentally sighed, not realizing that he might pick it up across the psychic network.

"Well, thank you for your help. If you do see her, though, please let me know. I just hope that she doesn't get herself into any trouble by making the wrong kind of deal..."

[failgoyle]

Hey, comes a mental whine in response, I'm not a demon.

A

[justakamenthief]

There's a shout from a stall further down the line, and an incoming commotion coming towards Natsumi. A blue-clad figure bounds around the various people, a cocky smile plastered on his face.

"This might not be the time for a missing-persons case."

Kaito will pull down a stall's awning and throw it towards his pursuers, then motion for Natsumi to follow him in his escape.

[summerorange]

Natsumi stares for a brief moment, and then goes running after him. Not with him - after him. "What did you do now?!" Because of course, he must've done something to have that kind of commotion behind them.

[justakamenthief]

"Do you have to ask?"

He'll flash open a satchel he's carrying...full of various spoils from the stalls.

"Just some treasure hunting."

[summerorange]

"How many times do I have to tell you?! Steal from the enemies only!" At this point in their relationship, she's just about given up on breaking his klepto tendencies. The best that she and Yuusuke have tried to do is direct it towards any foes that they come across with.

[justakamenthief]

"I am, I am."

He'll turn back, still keeping the same shit-eating grin from before. And this is even after a dagger narrowly misses his head.

"They clearly wish me bodily harm. Therefore, they're MY enemy. Am I right? Or am I right?"

[summerorange]

"Daiki!" She also dodges a dart thrown in their direction as she closes in on him. "We don't know who exactly is the real enemy yet!" Because why else would they be in this world if there isn't an actual enemy to fight? "For all we know, the demons here could be no different than the Fangire in Wataru's world!"

b

[forgottendecade]

"No."

Of all the faces in all the worlds, his was probably not one of them certain people wanted to see. Joji had his own agenda and while part of it included a healthy want to punch Tsukasa a couple more times, another part of it was to collect as much stuff he could get his hands on in order to build something. What that something was he wasn't going to tell anyone, but he was going to hold a small crystal up and look at Natsumi through it before tossing it back on the table in front of him.

"I'm sure she just went to get a bite to eat."

[summerorange]

"You--" She stops herself short; no need to make a scene if he's not doing anything hostile. Yet. So, she lowers her voice. "What are you doing here? Did you get pulled into this world as well?"

[forgottendecade]

"Me."

So much deadpanness here. So much not caring as he examines another bit of something shiny from the pile while the merchant babbled on about how much it was worth and exactly what he would get from it before he tossed it back onto the pile. He sorted through all of it, frowning as he found nothing that matched the design in his head.

"I'm looking for a pinch of this and a dash of that, but they're only willing to part with sins and dreams and a few broken souls. Nothing worth bothering over." He looked up and gave a shrug. "Does it matter how I got here?"

[summerorange]

"...I suppose not," Natsumi admits, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "but wouldn't you have better luck on the other side of this area?" The 'other side' being where the more divine beings congregate.