The Powers That Be ([personal profile] powersthatbe) wrote in [community profile] synodiporia_ooc2017-03-24 12:01 am
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Test Drive #18

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 March 24th–April 1st. Our next Jaunt will be Olympus Upended: a classical myth and fantasy adventure, set in a Trojan War-era Greece full of gods, monsters, and titans. During the Jaunt, the Olympians and their chosen heroes must deal with the machinations of fate when their powers and domains begin to ebb and flow, faltering or in some cases transferring to others.

Prompt #47 features a liminal space where Travelers find themselves floating down the Tunnel of Love.
Prompt #48 features a liminal space with beds, balloons, and no ground to be seen.
Prompt #49 features a space walk set in the universe from the Escape From Junkworld jaunt. Having escaped the destruction of the prison planet Junkworld Gehenna, these refugees from the four major spacefaring races--crystalline Hecatites, psychic-but-prone-to-hallucination horned Diabolin; scaled Gorgons with their petrifying abilities and tentacled hair, and your bog-standard humans, newcomers to the stars--now finally have a moment where they can slow down.

#47

You find yourself in a boat in a long tunnel, light deliberately kept low. Oh, the sides and the ceiling glitter and sparkle and the dioramas you occasionally pass seem to glow with their own inner light, but unless you’re naturally adapted for low-light, it’s going to take your eyes a little while to adjust. Once they do--or perhaps even before they do--you’ll find that you’re not alone in the boat. There’s someone riding next to you. Maybe they’re a friend among the Travelers, maybe someone you’ve grown to love. Maybe they’re a perfect stranger. Maybe they’re even someone you hate. They’re still stuck in the boat with you.

Once your eyes have adjusted properly, you’ll see that the boat you’re both in is made of chocolate--white, dark, or milk--and carved in the shape of a swan. The ‘water’ it floats down is no such thing, but instead pink champagne. Those dioramas in the wall? They’re dramatizations of various moments of passion and romance in the love-lives of you and your fellow Travelers.

Just when it seems that you’ve been in the tunnel forever, it suddenly widens into a much larger room with a ceiling open to the sky, the underground waterway flowing through the center, constricted until there's barely water in the side, so that you can easily disembark from your swanboat during the minute it takes for the boat to glide through the room, which seems to be some sort of cafe. A ‘Group Date’ cafe, whatever that is, according to the sign. Instead of food on the menu board, there are instead lists of questions to ask your date. The floor is tiled with conversation hearts. The furniture, like the swan boats, is made of chocolate. Finally, the walls are made of valentine’s cards, addressed to initials and signed by Roman numerals, all in the same loopy pink cursive that makes up the questions menu.

#48

You find yourself in bed. In fact, each Traveler starts out in their own private bed, which is suspended from a floating hot air balloon (minus the gas burner) and both balloon and bed are decorated vaguely to the taste of the Traveler therein. It’s a lovely, comfortable bed, perfect for sleeping or just plain lazing around, and it allows a perfect view to all the other beds suspended in the sky--and the doors to created spaces as well, themselves suspended from balloons of their own.

There is no ground in this liminal space. Sky above, sky below, and the great crowd of balloons which are more or less level. Sometimes they drift close enough so that they bump together and you can easily move from one to the other, though of course they’ll soon drift away from each other.

Of course, this being liminal space, there’s no reason why you can’t walk through the thin air or even fly to the other balloons and doors, as long as you realize that’s an option. Just take care you don’t panic and forget you can, because once you forget you can fly the only thing you can do is fall. At least if you do fall into the endless sky, you’ll just have a few harrowing seconds to panic before you land right on your balloon bed again.

#49

It’s been a week since the Empress of Moths reached its destination. The planet below, with no official name, merely numerical designation referring to its star, is not exactly ideal. Its temperature is on the lower end of what humans will tolerate; its bedrock is not the best suited for Gorgon caves; there are few natural resources for the Diabolins to exploit; and its external geology isn’t quite to Hecatite tastes. It is, however, an M-type planet that will support intelligent life and has, in fact, supported a small smuggler’s base for quite some time.

Despite all these shortcomings, it’s much preferable to the radioactive slag heap the refugees formerly called home. Now that arrangements have been made with the local smugglers, most of the refugees have left the ship on outrider shuttles and it’s immediately noticeable how much less crowded the Empress is--even with a few of the local smugglers aboard after the negotiations.

But then, not everyone plans to stay planetside. There’s a sizable contingent who want to keep flying with the Empress, finding work among the stars to support their newfound home. It’s why she still hovers over the planet, instead of coming to an undignified landing on the surface. And before the Empress leaves, her new crew and any visitors currently aboard (smugglers and Investigating Travelers alike) have the opportunity to undertake a space walk together. It’s time to don one’s space suit and helmet, attach one’s air supply, and take a step outside into the beautiful, cold vacuum of the sea of stars.
not_the_question: Dark Water (lick lips angry)

XD

[personal profile] not_the_question 2017-03-27 09:21 pm (UTC)(link)
"Sea of..."

And he's now completely distracted by what she just did. He looks down at his bed and his feet securely on it. Then he looks back up at her.

"I think you just proved my tests might not mean anything..."

Which is disturbing and fascinating at the same time.
butthemiracleneverhappen: (:easymoudo)

Re: XD

[personal profile] butthemiracleneverhappen 2017-03-27 09:24 pm (UTC)(link)
"Oh no, do continue them. For all you know, this may be an innate ability of mine rather than intrinsic to this probability space. I assume someone with the foresight to test for gravity would have diagnostic tools to answer that question?"

Bad news, Doctor. She likes you. You can think.
not_the_question: Hell Bent (thumb rubbing lip)

[personal profile] not_the_question 2017-03-27 09:28 pm (UTC)(link)
"Well of course I do. But it's far easier for electronics to be wrong."

Doing his tests are more accurate anyway. And no, she can't like him. He doesn't stand for such things. He might have to make her stop.

"What planet are you from?"

Because, well that's slightly more polite than asking what kind of being she is.
butthemiracleneverhappen: (:default)

[personal profile] butthemiracleneverhappen 2017-03-27 09:31 pm (UTC)(link)
"If you say so. They were not so advanced as yours when I was born."

Not having the attention of Frederika Bernkastel is probably good for most people's health, yes. The Doctor might be able to handle it; as stated before, he can think.

"My people called it Earth, but you're approaching the right question to ask."
not_the_question: Knock Knock (confused box)

[personal profile] not_the_question 2017-03-27 10:08 pm (UTC)(link)
"Very few things in the universe are as advanced as mine..."

He can think, doesn't mean he likes attention. No, he does like attention, just doesn't like the wrong kind of attention.

"You... don't look like any Earthing I've seen before."

Which is true. He looks her over.

"So, what are you?"

There, he was polite, now he can be rude.
butthemiracleneverhappen: (no need to be cruel right now)

[personal profile] butthemiracleneverhappen 2017-03-27 10:12 pm (UTC)(link)
If she considers the question rude, she doesn't show it, instead bowing with a flourish of her arm.

"I am Frederika Bernkastel, the Witch of the Miraculous, born of human desperation. It is a pleasure to meet another being of intellect."
not_the_question: Thin Ice (grading)

[personal profile] not_the_question 2017-03-27 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)
"Well, humans are the most desperate - and excitable - creatures I know, but not sure I can call anyone who calls themselves a 'witch' to be an intellect."

Humans don't have tails, though. So, this is rather... disturbing for a lot of reasons.
butthemiracleneverhappen: (Default)

[personal profile] butthemiracleneverhappen 2017-03-27 10:45 pm (UTC)(link)
"Perhaps, given the genre you inhabit, you would prefer to call me a psychic construct. Or perhaps you wish to draw your own conclusions. It seems to me that you are sufficiently advanced enough to make the distinction; It's always seemed to me that science fiction so easily shades into fantasy."

She's not trying to canon puncture: she just comes from a very meta universe herself.

"Make no mistake, it is to your credit that you'd argue the point."
not_the_question: World Enough and Time (flip)

[personal profile] not_the_question 2017-03-27 10:53 pm (UTC)(link)
"I've seen psychic constructs before. They're... nothing like you. So. You're a witch from Earth. Are you expecting me to believe you're human?"

Because that might be pushing him a bit to far.

"I don't need any more credits, thanks. I have plenty."

He has been watching her and decides to walk off the bed.... He falls about ten feet, before he rights himself and brings himself back to her level.

"Not so bad once you remember there's something under you."
butthemiracleneverhappen: (:smug)

[personal profile] butthemiracleneverhappen 2017-03-27 10:59 pm (UTC)(link)
"What a fascinating assumption to make," she says in reference to 'something under you,' smirking.

"And no, I am not human, or no longer so. What made me who I am split me from... let me call her my 'mother,' for lack of a better term."
not_the_question: Lie of the Land (clapping)

[personal profile] not_the_question 2017-03-27 11:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, it's as near as he can describe. Now, he's running gravity tests on empty space. Which is, in a word, weird.

He looks confused and curious again. "Something split you from something else?"

Donna would flip over this. "Are you like worms or something?"

Because that's what Donna would say and it makes him smile a little.
butthemiracleneverhappen: (:bored)

[personal profile] butthemiracleneverhappen 2017-03-27 11:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, that annoyed her. "Hardly," she says. "My aspect would be feline rather than annelid. Depending on your point of view, and who you think is authoring my story. But worms? No, they would clash with my thematics."
not_the_question: Hell Bent (no way)

[personal profile] not_the_question 2017-03-27 11:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Finally! "Well, I should've guessed that. But feline and human DNA are incompatible..."

Or so he thought. This is, not good and weird.
butthemiracleneverhappen: (:bored)

[personal profile] butthemiracleneverhappen 2017-03-28 04:58 am (UTC)(link)
"You persist in thinking I am the way I am because of physical laws. There are very different worlds than the ones you've traveled - and you must be well traveled to ask about my, what is the phrase? 'Homeworld.'"

She sighs.

"Some worlds are much less probable than others, of course, but I am the Witch of Miracles."
not_the_question: Before the Flood (pockets)

[personal profile] not_the_question 2017-03-28 12:59 pm (UTC)(link)
"You said you were from Earth."

Which establishes specific rules in the Doctor's head.
butthemiracleneverhappen: (:smug)

[personal profile] butthemiracleneverhappen 2017-03-28 09:28 pm (UTC)(link)
"I am certainly from at least one Earth. As I said, it was a passingly unlikely one."
not_the_question: Empress of Mars (whispering)

[personal profile] not_the_question 2017-03-28 10:09 pm (UTC)(link)
He's doing quite well now. "Seems to me your entire universe is unlikely."
butthemiracleneverhappen: (Default)

[personal profile] butthemiracleneverhappen 2017-03-28 10:20 pm (UTC)(link)
"My position makes me keenly aware of that fact. I do have very good relations and regular contact with the Witch of the Certain, who presides over likelier worlds than mine."
not_the_question: The Pilot (Default)

[personal profile] not_the_question 2017-03-28 10:23 pm (UTC)(link)
"Witches of the Certain. What are those?"

Because just the titles makes them sound suspiciously like Time Lords.
butthemiracleneverhappen: (:smug)

[personal profile] butthemiracleneverhappen 2017-03-28 10:27 pm (UTC)(link)
"There is only one, as a Witch cannot share a title, and her name is Lambdadelta." She pronounces it as two greek letters slurred into one word. "Her powers govern the likely, the probable, the inevitable, the 99% chance. Mine govern the black swan taking flight, the million-to-one chance, the virtual impossibility. The Miraculous."

She smiles. "There are other Witches with other purviews, but Lambda and I are counted senior among their ranks."
not_the_question: Death in Heaven (cupping mouth)

[personal profile] not_the_question 2017-03-28 10:30 pm (UTC)(link)
"I see."

He pauses in thought.

"Well, that explains a great deal. You all think you're gods."
butthemiracleneverhappen: (:easymoudo)

[personal profile] butthemiracleneverhappen 2017-03-28 10:34 pm (UTC)(link)
She cackles.

"There are similarities, aren't there? Occasionally we're responsive to prayers and wishes, if they're audacious enough. Mostly we try to keep ourselves from becoming bored."

And the Doctor has proven entertaining so far.
not_the_question: Robots of Sherwood (f you)

[personal profile] not_the_question 2017-03-28 10:37 pm (UTC)(link)
"Well, good, then the table have been turned on you. Now you are the entertainment play-thing of someone else."

Mostly because he's not sure if he likes any of this, but he really didn't like that cackle.
butthemiracleneverhappen: (Default)

[personal profile] butthemiracleneverhappen 2017-03-28 10:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Wise. Not for nothing is she called the Cruelest Witch in the World.

"The Arcana, yes. All of us here are pawns and rooks and knights, waiting to be placed on the board. At least for the moment. But we all know what happens to a pawn that advances to the board's end."

She allows this much, with a magnanimous sweep of her hands.

"Would you believe me if I said that I look forward to seeing a game from the inside?"
not_the_question: Doctor Falls (missy handcuffs)

[personal profile] not_the_question 2017-03-28 10:47 pm (UTC)(link)
He's the Great Destruction of the Universe, pretty sure he wins.

"I've played such games before, the ones like this rarely work the way you expect them to."

Celestial Toymaker, the Black and White Guardians, the Key to Time, the Confession Dial, he's faced them all.

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