synodiporia_ooc | TEST DRIVE #24

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 than 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 21-28. Our next Jaunt will be Digital Frontier: Legacy Mode, a return visit to the Grid, where investigation of the secrets held by a new computer system will be investigated. The jaunt will be accompanied by the walkabout Northern Lights, where a ski resort in Finland is subject to some unusual happenings during the longest night of the year.

Prompt #62 is a Liminal Space that offers a chance to get clean, if you can work with its quirks.
Prompt #63 gives players a taste of the exploration setup used on the Grid previously.

#62

Liminal Space is a laundromat - the rows of washers and dryers stretch into the distance, occasionally punctuated by the doors to Travelers’ private created spaces. If you’ve been looking for a chance to wash your clothes, you can even do that; there are stacks of odd gold coins marked with five-pointed stars around, apparently of a perfect size to slot into the machines.

Of course, first you have to free a machine of its resident hamsters.

They’re not true animals - instead, they’re made of cloth. One might be flannel, another denim, and so on. They’re all running endlessly in the washer and dryers like they’re hamster wheels, and the detergent and fabric softener dispensers in the Liminal Laundromat look more like a drip-feed water bottle you’d leave upended in an actual hamster’s cage.

#63

(For a quick rundown of the Grid’s various factions, see here. Automata are not on this short list, since their functions changed significantly after the last jaunt and we haven’t formally sorted out how yet.)

It took quite a bit of scanning, but the Defenders in this system are now satisfied that the Programs visiting from the Grid to help with their data reclamation didn’t come bearing new and unusual strains of corruption. Their wariness isn’t uncalled for, given that Programs come in one of two colors, and the Grid’s visitors apparently have another three to come to grips with.

With the conclusion of the quarantine protocol, all Programs are now free to explore the area and see what they can find. The task goes faster in groups of Programs, and a fair amount of work is required before a sector is considered fully processed. You might find nothing, or you might find something - or you might find danger, in the form of corrupted data.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"It's because I am soft and warm!" She laughs, a veritable pile of hamsters snuggling up to her as she scoops them up in her arms. "And I don't take as much effort to climb up." She stage whispers to this man she doesn't know but has seen him smile at the creatures that nest on her.

It doesn't hurt that he was telling the truth about not wanting to harm them, the certainty of the statement settling into place in her Aether.

"You are more than welcome. I am Piñara, and you?"

"A salient point. They seem much more willing to ascend your height than they do mine. I cannot blame them for it, really."

That might be a joke, but one can never be entirely sure with Lotor. Still, it was said kindly enough and he found he rather enjoyed her company.

"Lotor," he introduced simply with a bow of his head. Forgive him, he's not all that used to manners, although he's truly not trying to be rude.

"There are benefits to being this small, I must admit. Animals are far less likely to view you as a threat, I've found. Isn't that right, Fen?"

From behind her, the face of a pitch black direwolf forms. As more of him appears, Lotor will realise that he's forming ouf of her shadow.

"You are too small and chewy looking, Trickery. Like you wouldn't provide enough sustenence." He scoffs. Though, as soon as he materialises, Pinya turns around and places the hamsters on his silken fur. He takes this with surprising dignity, as if he must have to deal with this alot.

Lotor's manners are hardly the worst Piñara has encountered, so she returns his bow with a smile.

"Where is it you come from, Lotor? Rare is it that we travellers find someone from our own universe in Liminal space, but there's always a chance."

The wolf, now covered in multicoloured hamsters, bows to Lotor as well.

"I am Fenrir, Trickery's Companion. It is nice to meet you." The wolf huffs, then yawns and bumps his head against Pinya.

"Trickery, eh? I've been referred to as such more than once myself."

But he smiled, returning the wolf's bow. It seemed wise, and Lotor had always been fascinated by magic. The wolf itself seemed to be made completely of shadow, and for it to take corporeal form was a magic greater than even the witch possessed. Oh, she could build beasts, but they were machine and the remnants of people, not creatures unto themselves.

"Ah, I am afraid that I most probably wouldn't be from your universe, although you might well be from somewhere on the edges of mine that I haven't yet explored. Space is infinite and I have traveled to so few of its segments as yet."

There was a yearning there, because he wanted to explore everything and know every inhabitant of the Empire he'd so recently claimed. Having been exiled for so long made him want to know all about the parts of it he now had unfettered access to.

"I am from a place called the Galra Empire."

It was far simpler to say that than to name his ships or even Daibazaal, since it hadn't existed in so long. He truly had no planet to call home, but now he supposed he had an empire of them so it truly didn't matter. It seemed rather foolish to disclose his status as Emperor, though.

"Haaa- He refuses to use any other name for me-"

"For it is your name!"

"Oh hush, you overgrown pup." She swats him on his flank. He makes a noise as if to snigger.

"Would you prefer 'Imperial Nuisance'? Mayhap 'Eikon Slayer'? If you're feeling overly fancy we could go by your official titles, all of them, in order of Import?" Fenrir drawls. God, what as arsehole.

Pinya ignores him, because LOTR has mentioned-

"Space?! You have truly travelled outside of your planet?" She is awestruck at the idea.

"I haven't heard of such an Empire, the only Empire we have on Hydaelyn is, well, the Imperial Empire." A small frown appears on her features.
"I pray that they are two very different Empires."

"Ah, yes, I have. My people do not have a homeworld to call our own, so my life has been spent on ships and exploring planets in many systems."

He said it with a shrug. He had never truly known Daibazaal and to mourn it would be foolish. Space was his home and even now he preferred the stars and the vast darkness to solid ground under his feet.

"The Imperial Empire, eh? That does seem a bit redundant, I must say. Although any empire's name likely sounds rather ludicrous to those outside its rule. Sadly, my empire is one very stuck in old patterns, but there is the hope that we will be able to move past that."

Well. He was making the attempt, anyway. Who could say when he'd be cut down? He knew it was only a matter of time, but he was going to do what he could beforehand.

Wait. That's... Multiple?? Planets? Systems of what?? Like the star systems?

You can visibly see her thought process grind to a halt - and then:

"How is it that you travel through space?! Does everyone look like you? We have so many races on Eorzea just how many have you discovered and oh! So many planets and magic and so many different stories!" She is flooring her way through these questions. Fenrir looks at her are huffs, this seems like it's a normal occurrence.

"And Oh, no, 'tis actually called the Garlean Empire, but we have had several such in our history, and they hate that we 'Savages' call them so." She has a look of mischief about her, as if she has spent most of her career making good on her Trickery title.

"It's commendable that you're trying to change it, I suppose... Oh, I think I can show you how to use that machine now, if you're interested!" She points to the open washing machine, forgotten in their rapid interest of each other.

Fenrir is now completely buried in cloth hamsters.

TEST DRIVE #24

she's a walking lie detector just fyi ;)

no worries! xD He can lie with the best but has no reason to with her, at least at the moment

Pinya likes him already tbh.

Oh good because he feels the same xD

no subject

no subject

no subject