The Powers That Be ([personal profile] powersthatbe) wrote in [community profile] synodiporia_ooc2014-12-26 04:17 pm
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Test Drive #6

Welcome to the Synodiporia Test Drive Meme! Below the cuts there are three 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!

Our upcoming app round runs January 1st-7th, after which we’ll have a Victorian Cosmic Horror Jaunt - the madness of the Cthulhu Mythos in rural 1800s England. With that in mind, here are some darker prompts, to catch the feel of how your characters react in troubling times...

Prompt #20 is a flashback to the Cursed Kingdom jaunt, where werewolves hunted, deadly magical creatures roamed, and magical curses and traps struck without warning. Feel free to play an investigator, a werewolf, or simply a citizen of the magical kingdom who’s become unfortunately lost...

Prompt #21 is a glimpse of a Jaunt, either far in the past or sometime in the future. In the mining village of Enterrado, a gang has taken control of the flow of silver into and out of town, and the only folks with the hope of running them out are a vengeful band of vigilantes and outlaws. With half the Travelers brainwashed into believing they belong to one gang or another, friends are ready to kill friends, and it doesn’t seem like the few sane folks remaining can stop the bloodshed...

Prompt #22 is set in Liminal Space, during a time of instability, where buildings are collapsing and re-forming, and the worst fears or greatest desires of Travelers are appearing (and vanishing again) like all-too-solid mirages. What would your character imagine, and what kind of threat would it present… ?


Prompt #20: Dark Forest
The trees are too thick to let in any hint of sunlight, if there is any, but more likely the world is just as dark everywhere else by now. Tendrils of mist wind between the trees - most of them harmless, but every now and then one will latch onto a passerby like a leech and begin to turn pink as it drains blood. In the open hollows between the trees, shallow puddles of brackish green water contain hidden sinkholes, or startling arcane visions of the dead. Slowly, snakelike, briars grow and slither like a cage from tree to tree, enclosing anyone too slow and cautious in a pointed hedge-maze. And somewhere nearby, a wolf howls...



Prompt #21: Wild West
They've taken to calling the tavern at the end of the street the Bastille. Its windows have been shot out and barricaded, and some of the tables inside have been upturned for cover. But still, despite the tension, people come in to drink. For all that the miners and the vigilantes have exchanged fire in the streets, and three men have been shot dead in this very saloon in the last day, it's the closest thing left to neutral territory. Desperate bargains and parleys are discussed, struck, and abandoned. Drinks are downed in quantity, and it's almost true that nobody gives a damn any more who's cheating at poker. If you're looking for an old friend, or one of the mad strangers from out of town, or even for someone to draw down on, you won't get better terms anywhere else than you will in the Bastille. Come for the whiskey, stay for the knife-fights.



Prompt #22: Chaos Given Shape
Liminal Space bends and drips like a Dali painting, one landscape sagging into another, buildings settling, leaking water or dirt from whatever alien environment is above them; walls collapsing only to reveal something new on the other side, like a caterpillar molting into a butterfly. Calm meditation and focus by Travelers seems to stabilize the environment briefly, but if one person exerts too much mental influence, the surroundings begin to resemble the territory inside their heads. Old fears and nightmares, lost loves, desperate desires all form out of the fluidic landscape - and that's enough to break almost anyone's calm. But two people, working together, can sometimes strike a safe equilibrium...
wantedittobeagame: (Feeling queasy...)

#22

[personal profile] wantedittobeagame 2014-12-27 02:03 am (UTC)(link)
Adachi was struggling to keep his footing as the ground as his feet sagged, trying not to panic at the same time. This was bad... this was really bad; he didn't know what made the Liminal Space freak out like this, but it couldn't have been anything that would be good for his health. He had to duck aside as the wall of a building behind him (that did not mesh at all with the ground on his feet) came crashing down toward him.

To make things even worse, as the dust settled, he could hear a faint, girlish laughter, and caught sight of something grey disappearing around the remains of the building. He reached up to rub at his eyes, refusing to believe that was real; it couldn't be, she was dead and needed to stop haunting him.

But...

"...dammit," he growled under his breath, fumbling up the melting ground to try and follow that glimpse of grey.
sfoils: 𝑑𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 (𝑨𝒓𝒕 001)

Wedge Antilles | Star Wars (Legends) | Prompt #21

[personal profile] sfoils 2014-12-27 02:42 am (UTC)(link)
[ This is the seedy sort of tavern where a Corellian should feel at home. Someone like Han Solo would've already cleaned all the patrons of their money, gotten the information he wanted and be light years away from this mess.

Wedge is, sadly, not that type of Corellian. He also lacks the freighter to make his escape.

His clothes are conspicuously out of character (and out of period) for the locals. Still better than his other choice, the rebel flight suit standard to every X-wing jockey. Notorious as he looks, after the blaster incident, no one's bothering him; there's a sizable hole on one of the tables from the blaster's bolt, which didn't destroy the hard wood as much as went right through it.

So, sabacc and whiskey, two things Wedge appreciates whether on or off duty. Ends up some of the locals, eager to gamble, where intrigued by Wedge's strange card deck. Enough cajoling (in the form of free alcohol and, more valuable, free info) meant Wedge didn't have much of a choice but to start a sabacc table. Luckily, the rules weren't too complicated. Before long, everyone was betting.

To whoever approaches the table, Wedge gives them the same spiel: ]
We're closed for new players, but feel free to bet on the current players. [ He wraps his fingers around a bottle's neck and drinks, then puts the half-filled bottle next to four empty bottles.

If he's drunk, he doesn't show it. ]
Edited 2014-12-27 02:44 (UTC)
purseownerisme: (stand tall)

[personal profile] purseownerisme 2014-12-27 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
She was unsure of what this kind of space was. Always cryptic and yet showing a clue as to where they would be heading next. If it's one thing Yua appreciated at that moment was the fact that it was quiet and calming. No need to try and brain about the male version and his Naoto or feel that god awful loneliness.

But perhaps...those thoughts were starting to blend into the landscape itself. And she was unaware of the man coming her way.
wantedittobeagame: (...oh damn...)

[personal profile] wantedittobeagame 2014-12-27 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
It was her all right, and as Adachi came up onto the building that somehow turned into a path through a dark wood, he felt his heart leap up into his chest. It was the right her... right?

"Seiki!"
capital_punishment: (Yoshitsune - Good luck to you)

[personal profile] capital_punishment 2014-12-27 03:11 am (UTC)(link)
Well, there was a face he hadn't seen in a while. "Yo."
purseownerisme: (Hmm?)

[personal profile] purseownerisme 2014-12-27 03:14 am (UTC)(link)
Yua was snapped out of her thoughts as she heard that familiar voice. She would be in an attack stance with katana out but the name he called out made her think twice about it, instead looking behind her with a neutral expression on her face.

"Do I need to reteach you my name?"
wantedittobeagame: (If you say so...)

[personal profile] wantedittobeagame 2014-12-27 03:19 am (UTC)(link)
It took Adachi a moment to piece together why she would stay that. After a moment, he sank back slightly, only to have to fumble with his footing as he actually started sinking.

"Yua... guess I'm back here, hunh?"
wantedittobeagame: (W-wasabi!!!)

[personal profile] wantedittobeagame 2014-12-27 03:20 am (UTC)(link)
See Adachi. See Adachi leap clear out of his shoes.

"G-geeze!"
capital_punishment: (Yoshitsune)

[personal profile] capital_punishment 2014-12-27 03:24 am (UTC)(link)
Man, that never got old. "Long time no see."
wantedittobeagame: (This world is still shitty...)

[personal profile] wantedittobeagame 2014-12-27 03:27 am (UTC)(link)
Adachi let out a grumble, moving like he was going to rub at the back of his neck, only to have to skip it in favor of keeping his footing on the melting ground.

"Yeah, funny how we keep bumping into each other like this."
purseownerisme: (really?)

[personal profile] purseownerisme 2014-12-27 03:31 am (UTC)(link)
"Both of us are. I got back not too long ago and in the middle of a dance."

Something was wasn't comfortable with and-oh dammit. She sighed and grabbed his arm, pulling him out from the sinking.

"You should be careful here."
capital_punishment: (Yoshitsune)

[personal profile] capital_punishment 2014-12-27 03:37 am (UTC)(link)
"Didn't know you missed us that bad." Yeah, he knew the guy probably hadn't gotten a choice in the matter, but that didn't mean he couldn't needle him anyway. It wasn't as if he had much else in the way of entertainment around here.
assimilation: (hesitant • never committing to anything)

Regina | OC | #20

[personal profile] assimilation 2014-12-27 03:40 am (UTC)(link)
In all honesty, Regina has always been bad at discerning when she should be scared and when she should be curious; the latter has always seemed like a much more important thing to her, especially in places that she's never been. So while somewhere in the back of her mind she considers the possibility that being trapped in briars might be bad, a more pressing question occurs to her.

"How do you move like that?"

She voices the question to the briars, half expecting an answer out of them -- but none comes, and so she's left standing silently, eyes trained on the briars as they slowly move to trap her. Honestly, it might be best if someone just came to get her out before she was closed in completely...or perhaps you got stuck in the maze she allowed them to build as well? If you get nearby she'll turn her attention to you, asking the same question.

"Do you know...what these vines are? And why they move?"

(ooc; If you want more information on her before tagging, you can reference the app-in-progress!)
wantedittobeagame: (I didn't just wake up!)

[personal profile] wantedittobeagame 2014-12-27 03:41 am (UTC)(link)
"Yeah, no kidding," he replied, holding on to her and letting her pull him over to most stable footing. Adachi let out a breath once his feet were on more stable ground.

"...glad to see you're okay," he finally said after a moment.
stophamatime: (009)

#22, will match format!

[personal profile] stophamatime 2014-12-27 04:12 am (UTC)(link)
[Places that look weird aren't exactly new, and there's something in the current state of things that reminds Ken of Tartarus - it's not a mirror image, but something about the colors, the way his footsteps echo on the tiles, the eerie silence just waiting for something nasty lurking around the corner to break it and give itself away -

- the way it suddenly cuts off into a landscape that could've been lifted straight from Mars definitely does not remind him of Tartarus, nor does the way space seems to bend at the seams there, the ground twisting upward so violently he trips on it and falls forward face first.

He's quick, though - quick enough to slam the butt of his spear against the ground to catch himself before he hits the ground.

And then he straightens himself up, looking around with a slightly embarrassed expression. Nobody saw that, did they?]
purseownerisme: (stand tall)

[personal profile] purseownerisme 2014-12-27 04:33 am (UTC)(link)
"Yeah, glad to see you're alright too."

Her face didn't show it but she really was thankful. It left her feeling like she wasn't the only crazy one running around, or that she shouldn't exist. Funny how running into the original version of herself did that.
wantedittobeagame: (Not the hero you expected.)

[personal profile] wantedittobeagame 2014-12-27 04:51 am (UTC)(link)
He spared her a faint smile at that, before glancing around at the messed up landscape around them.

"Any idea why it's like this this time?"
moonsets: (096)

[personal profile] moonsets 2014-12-27 08:44 am (UTC)(link)
[ Sorry, Ken.. of course someone would be around to see it - such is Murphy's law when it comes to tripping. The good news is that said spectator doesn't look like he's about to laugh at the kid nearly falling on his face.. although the bad news is probably the identity of said spectator.

One hand shoved into the pocket of his coat, the other one curled around the bus stop sign he's carrying around, he watches Ken with a look that's a little hard to decipher.

It only lasts a moment or two though before he instead lets out a heavy breath. ]


Careful.

[ Shinjiro Aragaki, king of being eloquent and working out issues. ]
shiroganeheir: (a little dark)

[personal profile] shiroganeheir 2014-12-27 02:50 pm (UTC)(link)
This was not good. Naoto was certain of that. From the first moment, she'd summoned Yamato Takeru, who was flying ahead of her, slashing debris grumpily with his sword.

When she sees the other figure, she pauses, hand on the top of her gun for a moment, just watching.
shiroganeheir: (serious face)

[personal profile] shiroganeheir 2014-12-27 03:04 pm (UTC)(link)
From another seam that looks suspiciously like some sort of lab from an action flick, two figures emerge, one short with a blue hat and a drawn gun, and another floating behind the first.

Naoto walks over to the boy, returning her gun to its holster under her jacket. "Good day."
Edited 2014-12-27 15:04 (UTC)
wantedittobeagame: (Eh heh heh...)

[personal profile] wantedittobeagame 2014-12-27 03:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Adachi hadn't seen Naoto yet, more concerned with following the glimpse he'd seen. When he managed to get up to the path, however, there was nothing; nothing but a dark path shooting straight through the buildings and into nothingness. That... was not something he wanted to look into, not again; too many bad memories of manacle laughter from a normally quiet teen.

He shook his head at that, turning around and finally spotting her. His face broke out in a wide grin, genuinely happy.

"Naoto-kun! Man, I'm happy to see you."
shiroganeheir: (eye on you)

[personal profile] shiroganeheir 2014-12-27 04:05 pm (UTC)(link)
There isn't much that makes Naoto actually look confused. This is probably at the top of the list. Yamato-Takeru goes into a defensive stance for a moment before Naoto waves a hand at him.

"Adachi-san." She looks at him for a moment, eventually speaking. "From your manner towards me, I must assume we are from different universes." Her tone is not necessarily cold, just confused and dry.
capital_punishment: (Moh Shuvuu - Splash page)

[personal profile] capital_punishment 2014-12-27 04:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Of all the times for new humans to start popping up in here - especially clumsy humans.

[Moh Shuvuu really hopes this human doesn't need or want guidance of any sort; she's not keen on babysitting some stray human while she's trying to find her own. Why had she had to get separated from him now of all times? He's much better at dealing with clumsy humans who have no business being here. Then again, that's probably because he is a human; Moh Shuvuu sometimes lets herself forget that fact.]
wantedittobeagame: (Totally a protagonist)

[personal profile] wantedittobeagame 2014-12-27 05:25 pm (UTC)(link)
Adachi stared at her for a moment, before his expression -- and his posture -- quite literally sunk. The expression on his face said it all: he was already reliving the nightmare it was to obtain Naoto's trust and her social link. Not that he didn't deserve it, between getting her censored from the case and his general shitty attitude.

He finally straightened after a moment, letting out a sigh as he reached into his jacket pocket.

"I'm not even going to ask if you need proof. I know better," he said, pulling out his pair of Midnight Channel glasses and slipping them on.
loyalrebel: (Default)

Malik Al-Sayf | Assassin's Creed

[personal profile] loyalrebel 2014-12-27 07:00 pm (UTC)(link)
#21

Malik isn't difficult to pick out of a crowd, there aren't many one armed men who walk with his confidence... or have been known to put people in the dirt if they come at him with either a raised fist or a knife. He may have billed himself as a 'preacher' on his way 'up north' to the townsfolk and others who ask, an image his even tone and dark dress certainly give credit to aided by the fact that he can read and speak latin.

The Bastille is a good place to listen to people though, and some buy him his drinks sometimes (in a likely attempt to get whatever god they believe in to send some sort of kindness their way in exchange) and others mostly ignore him. He forgets at times that the name he's given them isn't his own but he still gives them a polite smile as he raises his hand in greeting.

"Safety and peace, friends." He greets back, crossing deeper in to the building to what has been declared 'his' seat at the bar. It's far enough from the card games that he's not likely to be caught by flying glassware or flying bullets but still close enough to step in if he feels the urge to do so.

#22

Malik is not a man without nightmares, quite the opposite even especially after the tragedy in Solomon's Temple and the betrayal of the man they should have been able to trust as Mentor. Dark walls grow from the landscape that create a cave that smells of dust and forgotten things left to the lacework of spiders. It's a twisted rendition of Solomon's Temple, a recurring place in Malik's nightmares and one that is never pleasant to go through.

"KADAR!" It's a shout ahead, through the gloom and followed by an almost inhuman noise of rage and grief made fresh.

There are also the fears of an Assassin, though they appear in a different set of walls that grow from the shifting landscape. Masyaf's stones are something Malik knows nearly better than his own body, walls and staircases that he has drawn the maps of hundreds of times and walked his entire life. There are things that are wrong however; the utter emptiness and silence, the weapons forgotten in the dirt, the torn banners of red and white. It is a place abandoned, the white robed men who brought life to it long fallen and their order forgotten.

Malik is on the wide entrance before the crumbling doors to the fortress proper, one knee in the dust as he holds a distinct eagle hilted sword with a mix of horror and sadness.

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