TEST DRIVE MEME #7

[futurologists]

test drive 7.0 The world has shifted. Or maybe you’ve shifted? Either way, things have changed, and it’s going to be quite a while before you see them change back again. BASICS You were going about your business as usual until the world went white around you, and when the fog cleared: Oska. You've arrived in a snag of reality between worlds, the full extent of which can be read about here. But in essence, you’ve arrived in a grand, magical, almost empty castle. Outside the castle is an empty, long-abandoned village, partially in ruin. Past that, the world simply fades out into white mist. Your best bet is probably to stick to the castle and its grounds. Suits of armor patrol the quiet hallways, but good luck getting them to speak or answer any questions. There’s absolutely nothing inside them, they move under their own power. They don’t talk, but they also go out of their way not to hurt you. You can even attack one, it will just patiently wait for you to give up and leave. If, however, you ask one for directions, it will dutifully turn and lead the way to wherever you’ve requested. Librarians lurk in the halls of the enormous, well-stocked library, in which you can find nearly any book from nearly any world. The librarians are tall, wide, and very muscular, but they’re also not out to hurt you. Provided you play nice, of course. The usual rules apply: be respectful of the books, keep your voice lowered, and never bring any source of flame into the library. That last one might make the librarians reconsider their nonviolent natures. Outside, there's a greenhouse with every type of flora you can imagine (and more, since they're from all over the universe) — be careful, though, because not all of them are friendly. If you'd like to take a dip, you can check out the lake; just be friendly to the fish. You can catch sight of almost any animal you'd like in the stables, real-world or fantasy. Most of them have been tamed, and won't do any real harm. However, some of them can be a bit testy. Stay away from the unicorns unless you have perfect manners — they hate impoliteness. Current characters in game can assume that the Timeline glitched and sent them temporarily back to Oska. You are welcome to take any threads that happen here as game canon, should both parties arrive in game. Threads done here by prospective players may be used as application samples, and threads done by current players may be used as Bonus AC. PROMPTS ONE ✗ THE KITCHEN The kitchen is always stocked with food, freshly cooked and ready to be eaten — although there was no one to do the cooking, and it might just be you to do the eating. That doesn’t seem to discourage the kitchen in the slightest, which is constantly churning out new, fresh courses. Some of them are more innocent than others today. That tart you just ate? It was harpfruit, native to Cendiares, and has a pesky side effect of making the eater blurt out everything that pops into their head. The completely average-looking salad actually has flakes of Raphian wildflowers, which cause a bit of dancing fever — it isn't contagious, but it does make the sufferer want to dance with everyone they can. The choices and effects are endless and up to you, and don't worry; ALASTAIR is working on getting the kitchen under control as we speak. TWO ✗ THE TRAINING CENTER Maybe you find your way into the Training Center. A lot of work went into setting this room up, and it can construct nearly any scenario that you can imagine. All it takes to activate this room, still and featureless until it comes to life, is the brush of a finger against one of the glowing pads on the wall. The magitek will take it from there. Just envision the setting and any enemies you’d like to train against, and they’ll instantly materialize. Would you rather go sightseeing, without worrying about a fight? No problem! The room is eager to provide you with a sparring partner, but it can be convinced to hold off -- just don’t think of getting into any fights. The Training Center also offers any games you can think of: soccer, basketball, literal freeze tag, etc. Every supply you need will be simulated for you. Additionally, the following scenarios are also preloaded into the system for user convenience, each coming with a small summary of mission objectives: ANWICK: A ruined little village with a massive, dead dragon skewered in the center of it. The goal is to protect her young in a nearby cave. The terrain is treacherous, the wyrmlings are squirmy and unhelpful, and the townsfolk are furious. But for good reason -- it seems dragons have been plaguing them for decades. Even the simulation’s enemies are programmed to say as much, and will do their best to convince you to their side. CHANTES: Chantes, Audentes' first mission, is a typical medieval town cloaked in darkness and surrounded by a winding forest. It comes in two default flavors and difficulty settings. Fairies are the easier enemy; the objective is to collect three jars of unpleasant, glowing sap from their nests without getting your eyes poked out. The fairy goop can also cause disturbances with magical powers, unwanted levitation, and unfortunate cosmetic effects. Demons are the more difficult setting. The task is to clear ominous runes off of various town structures, but when approached, each one releases a red, misty spirit. It will fight tooth and nail to protect its ‘home,’ but is largely invulnerable short of destroying its rune. To prevent this, it may resort to spells, violence, and possessing someone else in the simulation -- consider this a lesson in PvP. (NOTE: You’re also welcome to use anything from the previous events from Chantes as well.) OSKA TRAINING: The goal in this simulation is simple: outlast the timer. It’s exactly the same castle, but after it’s been pelted by a firestorm, architecture ruined to rubble and ash. Navigating the half-destroyed castle is hard enough, and the earthquakes and fireballs raining from the sky will continue until characters survive for a certain amount of time (from an hour to a day) or find a full bushel’s worth of food. And just to rub salt in the wound, all the dirt, grime, and mud in this simulation will last outside of it, so you might need a shower after. NALAWI: An island nation populated by diminutive deer people. The first setting is a mini version of the Gilligan's Island event -- it's less action-packed and more focused on survival. Marooned on the drowned island of Dakal, it's up to you to figure out where to find food and shelter. You might also want to avoid the hungry sea creatures that have made their way up on the island, too. The second setting involves lava monsters erupting out of Nalalona, the largest volcano on the Nalawi islands. Lava imps will do their best to hypnotize recruits into following them back into the volcano, and can be defeated the normal way or non-violently lured into the water. Next comes the fire golems, hulking but fast. Their weak spot is their glowing core, but it will require some cleverness to reach. (NOTE: You're welcome to use any scenarios based on other Nalawi events as well!) ZETA-12: Oh boy, a whole planet to explore! The objective here is simple: protect your delicate goo baby at all costs. Luckily for you, the simulation has seen fit to skip over the frozen wastes! Your first challenge is crossing the deep forest: carnivorous plants try to get a bite out of you, but that isn't the worst part. Eventually, you come to a deep chasm, and have to choose between forcing your wailing, distressed squidge across, or soothing it for several hours until it's willing to go with you. Scenario two is a thick bog inhabited by an aggressive plant monster. It spits a crippling neurotoxin, so anyone attempting to fight it should be wary. Outsmarting or avoiding it would be best for the squidges' well-being, but some people are too hot-blooded for that. What will you do? Finally, there's the desert; it's picturesque, but only if you can ignore the dehydration and punishing heat. There's a cave network for you to seek shelter in, but make no mistake: pretty soon a freak meteor shower causes a cave-in and leaves you trapped inside with an increasingly aggressive squidge. Are you out there dodging meteors or navigating caverns? PERDITION'S REST: This is a mining colony on a planet known only as Q-65, populated solely by an alien race who have come to mine the planet for argecite, a mineral required for their survival. Members of the fundamentalist group called the Deemers have been outed as Taraxa, slug-like brain parasites who belong to ALASTAIR's rival group, Zymandis. The parasites infect unwilling hosts and leave them a husk. The first scenario brings you to Boneyard Junction, an abandoned town at the end of the rail line that is half-sunken into the desert, surrounded by Deemers. The goal is to incapacitate your foes without killing the host body; if a Deemer is killed, a loud buzzer goes off. Use whatever tactics you need to, just keep them alive. The second scenario takes you inside the mine, where several workers are trapped. The objective is to find them and bring them back to the surface, which is made a little more difficult by the large, hungry sand worms slithering in the depths. You'll need to get rid of them to save the miners, but be mindful of the fracking equipment, please! WOODHURST: A sprawling suburb in an alternate Earth circa 1993, Woodhurst is besieged by the Bristol Virus, an infection that is spread by fluid contact. In addition to physical symptoms, its sufferers show heightened irritability and hunger in the later stages of the infection, including cannibalistic tendencies. Because of Woodhurst's "mundane" state, all recruits will be cloaked to appear human so as not to startle the native population. This is considered an advanced training scenario! In the first scenario, you must find clues in the hospital as to the origin of the virus and who is responsible. The hospital workers will bar the way for any civilians merely strolling in, so you'll either need to go unseen or be very good at lying and disguises. The second scenario is set during the final stage of Woodhurst, in which a large portion of the population is infected. Your task here is to ensure the safety of civilians while injecting any infected you encounter with a cure. (For the purposes of this exercise, your cure syringes are automatically set to limitless, but you may adjust the module to make it more challenging.) You will gain points for how many deaths you prevent and infected you cure, and you will lose points for killing infected or allowing civilians to die. THREE ✗ HOT SPRINGS EPISODE One of ALASTAIR's teams extracted an enormous, very hot core from a sentient and murderous AI. What better way to put it to use than to heat up the springs? It's a nice place to get some much needed R&R or just hang out. Some enterprising recruits have built wooden decks and stairs around and through the whole affair. It's a little bit of a hike to get there from the castle, but anyone who has visited can agree: it's worth it. FOUR ✗ THE NETWORK There is some good news, along with all these bizarre and fantastical new sights: you’ve arrived with a new piece of jewelry which, if examined, gives you access to anyone else that might be currently inhabiting Oska. You can speak into the jewelry and be heard, you can get it to project moving images of yourself and others, you can even think a message into it and have it arrive as written word to whoever you’re communicating with. It’s a useful little trinket, provided you can get it to work. FIVE ✗ CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE You are free to use any of these settings, or anything from the Settings Page. You may use any virtually created setting you can think of in the Training Center, even scenes from your character’s world (although they’ll be devoid of people, unless they’re brought in as opponents).

Comments

the wintersmith | original character

[isaz]

a

[ It's a fairly nice day in Oska, the castle corridors quiet and serene. Perhaps you're out walking in the courtyards or minding your own business in the open areas, all very innocuous and peaceful.

That is, until a dark shadow appears on the ground, followed by a whoosh of leather wingbeats and all of a sudden a dragon is diving at you from the sky. It's not a particularly large dragon, only horse-sized, but fully armed with claws and a maw presumably full of sharp teeth. Which is oddly closed, if you had the time to see. Whatever it is, the beast swoop past with a force enough to ruffle clothes and hair before zooming up to regain altitude, out of reach.

There's a disapproving click of the tongue from another direction. ]

Didn't I tell you to stop bothering people?

b

[ For someone accompanied by a dragon at all times, Boreas is faring rather badly in the Anwick re-simulation. The heat gets to him, and he's forced to dab at his forehead with a handkerchief every five minutes or so.

But that doesn't seem to be the thing getting under his skin the most. He picks up one of the wyrmlings, stares at it with an intensity usually reserved for skewering people with glares, and turns it over. ]

And you call these dragons? They're hardly lizards.

[ Someone's having a bad day. ]

c

[ There's a sudden chill out in the abandoned villages today, for anyone close enough to pass by its exterior. The air is frigid in the manner of a cold winter, and any adventurous souls out there will find its source being a rather large ice sculpture of a dragon (his dragon) sitting in a clearing. It's several times larger than the actual Bahamut, who's perched on a nearby ruin.

The dragon will see you first, upon which it emits a shriek unnaturally similar to radio static before swooping closer to its partner. Boreas turns, his usual slightly-annoyed expression somewhat softened. ]

What do you think?

iii.

[kisha]

[Her time spent in Oska has not made Hayame substantially more comfortable in the stone fortress that dominates the skyline, so different from the wood and thatch she was accustomed to in her own world. She set foot inside when need be, but she was more comfortable in the stables, or in the woods... but the village lay between the two, and it is on a routine patrol of the area, (moving, she has to keep moving), that she catches the scent of... chill. Of ice and lizard on the wind, something that makes her hair bristle and withers twitch.

Dragon. A stronger scent than the weak one that clung to the prince she has agreed to serve.

Unable to pass it by, she changes course slightly, staying off the cobblestone road in favor of the dirt paths to muffle the sound of her hooves, muscles taut. This place had proven itself lacking in blatant enemies, but putting her guard down had never been part of her life, and she wasn't about to start now. Not with the stories her people told of the beasts.

No, for those stories... she has her bow out, with an arrow notched.

But what greets her when she looks around the corner of a house is... not what she expects at all, not really- there is a man, his scent harder to pick up when the smell permeated Oska, and a statue, and he is saying something to her but the centaur's eyes have found the inspiration for the sculpture, and her fingers tighten on the bow to resist the instinct to raise it. Not yet-]

What is this?

[Take your pick of which to even begin addressing first, she means all of it.]

allura | voltron

[juniberries]

1. zeta-12
[Great...playing babysitter, again. Simulation or no, this is not the sort of mission Allura had been expecting upon entering the training room, and not only is she stuck with a whiny blob of a creature and dealing with an itch on her thigh from where a plant tried to make lunch out of her, she now finds herself (and whoever has the misfortune of being her partner in all this) stuck right in front of that small spit of land which promises a path over a chasm towards--whatever destination lies ahead.

Hopefully said destination will be the end of this simulation, because quiznak, she's had it up to here with this place. But the goo baby, which had only been a mild nuisance, has now become its own monstrosity, wailing loudly at the very sight of endlessness of the chasm.

She's cradling the baby, trying to soothe it into shutting up, but clearly not knowing how, because after a moment or so, she turns to her partner, her agitation obvious.]

We should just cross, should we not? It is not as though these things will stop their whining any time soon.

2. hot springs
[It didn't really sink in just how little time she's had to relax until happening upon the warmth and comfort of a hot spring. Sure, she has over 10,000 years of cryogenic sleep under her belt, but when fighting an intergalactic war against a despot of an evil emperor, one begins to really lose track of sleep.

Allura's already stripped out of her usual attire, though opting to keep her circlet on, and she easily sinks below the warm waters just below her nose. Her long white hair is tied back to keep it from getting water logged; there's already enough weight on her shoulders as it is, and already she can feel it ebbing away as her eyes flutter shut.

She looks quiet, peaceful. Clearly not in the mood to be bothered. So now is the opportune time to catch her off-guard and bother her. Or, more ideally, take the time to chat with someone who clearly has not had this level of relaxation in a long, long time.]

3. network; [un: altea]
[Picking out earrings when offered a selection of jewelry is the obvious choice, and it being a communication device practically feels...natural. But what interests her the most, after a bit of experimenting, is its ability to record her thoughts as written word. So she's been fiddling around with it.]

Where I'm from, we have the ability to record and store memory, though the process is not nearly as immediate or as compact.

But I'm starting to wonder if there have been any past instances of this system malfunctioning. I have some concern that anything that has immediate contact with our minds and others can have the potential for...corruption if the wrong people are allowed access.

Speaking from experience.

[NOT GONNA SAY WHAT KIND OF EXPERIENCE THOUGH. I mean you can ask but it's a ~~touchy subject]

3; un: cuttlefishCuller

[fintastic]

What kind of experience?

[ Once it was said, of course she was going to ask... ]

I guess you could send a lot of really, really annoying messages or something, but I think everyone else would just come take your magitek away from you if you did that!

tyrion lannister / game of thrones

[compensates]

(( as a heads up i'm already queued with a different character, this is just for fun. ))

two : anwick

[ Tyrion's love of dragons runs deep, right back to childhood fantasies of one day owning his own. So even with the awareness that all he is seeing is an illusion, he is deeply affected by the sight of the dead dragon, sprawled all askew. (And some less empathic part of him wonders perhaps if he could study it — what secrets its innards would hold if he abandoned the quest for the sake of enriching his understanding and better serving Daenerys.)

But there is no time for contemplation or planning. Or even introductions. Already the baby wyrmlings are starting to emerge cautiously from their cave, and the townsfolk are gathering. No doubt they, as with all mobs, shall not be easily persuaded away from violence. And yet, is it really the dragon's fault that their nature is abhorrent? ]

I think we should move quickly.

[ He eyes his companion, as if to assess their combat capabilities. Given he's barely five foot and unarmed, his own could be said to be... less than optimal. ]


five : home

[ You can't go home again. That is painfully apparent to Tyrion, standing on his balcony, looking out over the empty sprawl of King's Landing. The silence is deafening, but the smell is exactly as he remembers it, enough to make him weep — and surely that's all it is, that stinging about his eyes.

He turns and goes back into his old chambers, brushing a hand over the doorframe as he passes, another fond hand on the staircase bannisters, baffled by how solid it manages to feel. All the way to the throne room, where he mounts the dais with a low flare of exhilaration. Anybody checking up on him will find him seated on the Iron Throne, legs swinging, nursing a bleeding finger from where he cut himself climbing into the seat. ]

anwick

[selfimage]

[ this is familiar, and not in sort of way that leaves a nice, nostalgic feeling when it leaves. this was a time before Audentes was Audentes, when they were a small group of know-nothings scrambling at half-formed missions trying to make their way home. it became something else after that, especially to those that stayed.

Loki turns a half circle with a dramatic swoosh of his jacket, the useless buckles jingling. he focuses first on the dragons, and then on the voice. while he doesn't have the body of a warrior, Loki seems somewhat formidable in the face of danger. there's no tension in his shoulders, or surprise at the dragons. his shoulders roll back thoughtfully, but his body remains at ease. ]

I'm up for suggestions.

[ when he places the voice along with the face, he keeps himself from the embarrassing screaming fanboy inside. he was writing Billy Kaplan an interdimensional letter ASAP. ]

Though my vote is for trickery. Do you think they'd mind a little trickery?

taako, from tv. and also the adventure zone.

[ex_charmer805]

NETWORK
Mmm, mm, mmmm. Hell yeah, this is a better set-up than a scrying stone.

[ The elf with the sly falsetto has worked out how to use his earring to project the image of himself lounging — there's not really another word for it, his cheek on his fist and his elbow on the bed, long brown legs splayed carelessly. There's a half-smile at the corner of his mouth, and while he looks casual you might also get the sense that he spent a long time getting himself ready: the long plaits of wheaten hair spilling artfully over his shoulders, the rakish tilt of his broad-brimmed wizard hat, the magic emphasising his features like a snapchat filter. ]

Hello and welcome, to my, my, my, very exciting, brand new tee-vee show, Truth... no, "Zone of Truth with Taako".

[ Zero cooking means zero samples means zero accidentally massacring an entire town. ]

So, um, here's the deal, bubbale. You let me in on your deepest, darkest, most sensual secrets, and I'll discuss them on the weekly with my avid listeners!

[ Taako swirls his finger in the air, illustrating something that is really only clear to him. ]

Obviously, you'll stay totally anonymous. [ He winks. ] So whaddyou say, guys, huh? Anyone got anything they wanna confess? Let's get that ball rolling.


KITCHEN
[ Total dimensional displacement can't keep a former celebrity chef down, so Taako is in the kitchen. It's actually kind of disappointing, at first. He likes cooking, even if he still has a few residual hang-ups about letting other people eat what he makes, but the kitchen seems to just pop new dishes into existence like magic. ]

Listen- listen. If anyone's going to be doing the magical cooking around here, it's me.

[ But talking to the room like it's a person doesn't seem to have any effect. Taako is glum for like, a whole entire minute, until he realizes the fancy meatball he's nibbling is having some effects on his person — namely he's slowly fading into invisibility. Without even burning a spell-slot! ]

Oh, hell yeah.

[ One detect magic later and he's started to figure out the food is more than just delicious and filling. So now he's definitely going to stick around, just to see what happens when other people try something. ]


UNICORNS
[ Taako is wearing riding boots with spurs as well as his flirty salmon skirt, and his hair is in two braids piled on his head. He looks ready to do some animal handling checks, but the animals he's trying to handle aren't fans of the rude, and Taako, unfortunately, is the rudest bitch around. ]

Well this is bullshit.

[ That doesn't seem to endear the unicorns to him any further; they snort in annoyance and stamp their hooves. ]

It's got like I'm going to hurt you, damn. The steed-shaped personification of my soul is basically a unicorn.

[ Taako, who is used to being good at any dope shit he puts his elegantly manicured hand to, is kind of struggling with this nat-1 interaction, not sure whether to push aggressively forward or try and avoid being gored. ]

unicorns

[fintastic]

[ Feferi is really only passing through the stables where the land-dwelling animals are kept, on her way to the far end of the livery yard, where a sweet young hippocampus filly is kept in a spacious pool, but she hears the commotion and she has to stop and look. She has her hair braided back, and a towel around her neck, and although she wears a wetsuit, it's clearly branded in the ALASTAIR colors.

Her fins perk up as she leans into the unicorn stall. ]

Have you tried not swearing at it? That might help.

maya / borderlands

[thoughtlock]

[ i can't app her, this is just for funsies :V help me voice test!!! ]

a. TRAINING CENTER. WOODHURST.

[It's actually hella fun to escort these simulated civilians to safety while keeping the infected at bay; Maya isn't exactly sure what all the whining's about from the people who were actually in Woodhurst, but all she can figure is they just aren't as good at multitasking as she is.

She's escorting a group of civilians on the run, keeping them at a quick pace -- the simulated people take directions a lot better than real people, she's found -- from shelter to shelter, until they reach the ultimate goal of the barricaded mayor's office in the center of town. It's when they're between shelters that an infected runs at them, howling and hungry, and her wards start to panic. (It's all very realistic.)] Settle down. I got this.

[She lifts her hand toward the incoming infected, the tattoos on her arm glowing as a ball of energy plucks the infected from the ground and holds him in stasis. Glancing over her shoulder at the quieting simulated people, she adds cheerfully,] Told you! Now hustle.

b. OBLIGATORY HOT SPRINGS PROMPT.

[This statuesque woman with blue hair and blue tattoos all up her left side is standing on the deck of the hot springs, watching the water with a slightly perturbed expression. She is wearing a bathing suit, so it's not like she's unaware of what one is meant to do here, but she still seems somewhat hesitant to go in the water.

She tips her chin toward whoever's nearby, brow furrowed.] So... is this actually safe, or...?

its been 9000 years but im here

[feytality]

[She's not the only Maya in a bathing suit. A CHALLENGER APPROACHES]

It's like a pool, but it's hot. You can relax in there.

[The other, smaller, cuter Maya supplies, helpfully.] Only.... don't try to jump in. The water's not that deep, trust me.

[She shudders, remembering a dark time, but--- oh]

Hey, your tattoos are really cool! They match your hair.

Aizen Sousuke | Bleach

[deification]

Two

Chantes: Demon

[ Well Aizen sure didn't need to train but he'd like to get a better picture of some of the things that have happened here. It isn't much of a fight as he takes on the demons of Chantes all by himself. He doesn't even seem to move as the beasts encircle him, and yet they all wind up with severed arms and wings in the blink of an eye. He however looks perfectly untouched.

He does have a sort of...sadistic content looking smile on his features as he raises his sword to finish them off. ] What a waste of time. It seems not even those from other worlds are worthy.

[ Please excuse him he is a dbag. ]

Four

What sort of world do you come? And what sort of powers do you all have? It would be best to learn and understand each others powers so as to have an easier time of these missions.

I apologize if it's been discussed before, but I'm new you see, and would appreciate anyone willing to talk.

[ Mostly he's doing it to keep tabs on people?! Because like hell if he actual cares about anyone but himself. ]

Wildcard

[ I'm open to any prompts listed or not! ]

davesprite | homestuck

[feathery]

1 | detour ahead;

[There is a suit of armor blocking the hall. Not because anyone is attacking it, but because there is a bright orange teenage something in its way. Yes, he is glowing. Yes, he has a long-ass ghost tail instead of legs. And yes, he is bleeding a very radioactive-looking yellow and missing a wing, although he doesn't seem that distressed about it. Tired, maybe, to anyone who looks closely enough, but that hasn't stopped him from pulling open the armor's visor and peering inside.]

So this is taking the video game NPC deal to the next level. I would know, I'm an expert in all things NPC; I've got a fuckin' dossier of useless video game facts loaded directly into my brain. You are dealing with a story arc pro. [...] Pretending that means jack shit in a scenario where I'm not dealing specifically with myself. Not that I did a whole lot, anyway, but sprites aren't supposed to be useful past a certain point, you feel? And constantly feeling the need to be a cagey douche gets kind of annoying, like imagine how much more engaging this conversation would be if you could talk.

[Yeah, he's too engrossed in his one-sided conversation to notice he's in anyone's way and sort of dripping blood onto the floor. Sorry, y'all.]

2 | this is way better than an alchemiter;

[Davesprite isn't really sure he needs to eat anymore. It's one of those things he absently observes in the back of his head (hmm, sure haven't felt hungry in the last twenty or so hours since he prototyped himself) and dismisses. Doesn't matter to him, in part because that isn't going to stop him from staring at more food than he has ever seen in his life.]

Holy shit. [He grabs one of the tarts off the nearest tray. It's so colorful. It smells so good. It probably doesn't even matter if he eats it, because he talks so much already.] So we get dining perks as part of this gig? Do they have apple juice? Please say they have apple juice.

3 | who gave this teenage bird babysitting duties;

[Hey, look, an option where Davesprite's cleaned himself up so he isn't oozing yellow blood everywhere. That wing is still missing, but he hovers by his squidge effortlessly enough.]

K, so Pokémon mastery is outside my purview, in cast that wasn't obvious. Being a teen dad or responsible pet owner was never on my to-do list, either. I mean the crow I crossed myself with wasnt even a pet, it just kinda hung out in my room because I kept a variety of highly thievable items on hand at any given ti—shit!

[He jolts a little when his squidge starts to wail, alarmed, and sort of helplessly lets the thing climb on him.]

Ok, I've got no idea what I did this time. [Maybe a plant tried to eat the squidge and he hasn't noticed yet. Or it's faced with the horror of extreme heights. Or maybe it's just upset about this swampy ass weather. Pick your poison.]

4 | wildcard;

[muffled hit me with your best shot playing in the distance]

1

[fintastic]

[ Now, Feferi knows a sprite when she sees one, even when she sees it from behind. Not that she knows him in particular, but it's enough to get her to stop and watch as she crosses the hallway, cradling a box in her arms, as he interacts with the suit of armor. She tries, so hard, not to giggle-- but it just sort of emerges, unbidden. How charming. ]

I think if it could talk, it would tell you that you are making a neon orange mess!

gladiolus amicitia | ffxv | here for the babes

[masterblader]

v : xcuze me i wanna borrow ur library

[ Hey, so Gladio is tall and very muscular--for some reason, the library seems like the place to be. He ends up there because of exactly that reason, locking eyes with another tall, dark, handsome satellite flying high above the crowded halls. When two tall people make eye contact, they instantly feel each others' back pain and exchange a look that secretly means, "Doorways, amirite?" With nothing better to do, Gladio opts to follow his new ally through a door--

And now his tall friend is completely forgotten. Insomnia boasted magnificent libraries, of course, but none so otherworldly as this, with its high, vaulted ceilings disappearing into bottomless shadows, the faerie glow of the crystals lighting Gladio's way as he stumbles into the beautiful gloom.

It is right here that the events of the day--the message, the gift, the maddening realization that he has been taken against his will--catch up with him, prompting him to ask aloud: ]

What in the hell is going on?

iv : troll sleepin cutie

[ It's mostly by accident that Gladio discovers the true purpose of his pretty new necklace, but we won't get into the specifics now. From there, it isn't long before he divines a method to record his voice, opting to broadcast his displeasure to anyone who will listen. ]

Noct. [ he growls in the sort of tone that one would use to rebuke a small son. ] What the hell did you do?

go crazy it's a wildcard

[ v-testing so OTA & NE1. :) ]

[diamondhack]

Taking up an incredible amount of space.

[Isha.

Though there's little to be said on her account. She's not muscular, but she's lithe, an honest-to-God gazelle who only looks taller when she wears heels. As it stands, she's only a mere 5'10" with the noise-canceling boots she chooses to wear about 90% of the time.

Behind round, black glasses, she faintly raises her brows. No one would take her for any kind of book nerd, not when she looks more like a very fashionable thief or assassin clad in all black.

Her left arm, mechanical, glinting gold and black in the faerie light, clutches a very thick tome. Apparently this is where she starts.]

Or do you mean something else? You'll have to be specific love, there's so much happening here and so very few answers.

isha devan // original

[diamondhack]

time to d-d-d-duel // training center

[Well, wherever this is, it certainly didn't lack in entertainment value. Isha has no real need to train, nor doe she want to at this current moment. She'd rather watch, see what the others are like, if there's any real value in all of the people in this place.

That had been her game since she was a child. Watch and learn. So much to see, so little time.

So she's loitering, really. Occasionally, she summons up a sparring partner or three to fight, all quick disarming movements and slashes with the knife that pops out from her left prosthetic arm. The black metal and the golden henna-patterned inlay gleam as she fights. Don't mind the matching robotic greyhound, he's a good boy, until he's not.

Join her in a spar? Or maybe, if you're feeling adventurous, call up your own scenario, and forcefully throw her into situations she'd actually hate to be in.]

this ain't no time for horsin' around // stables & courtyard

[When had Isha seen a real, live animal in person?

Did stray dogs really count, when there are horses and one singular pegasus stationed in a stable? She'd never even been in a stable, much less see live horses that weren't through her sunglasses at a horse race.

There's a wariness to her, a very clear suspicion of being near an actual horse. Fancy as a school as she'd gone, there was never any horse riding, horse training, or anything involved with horses. Most of the horses in the city had gone mechanical, and about half of those constructed to resemble real horses. You know, for the most romantic of lovers and all that.

So she frowns a little, arms crossed, both her and the greyhound cocking her head.]

Do you have any idea what to do with it, Q?

[Feel free to actually answer her... or hassle her for being Unsure about Animals.]

wildcard

[the whatever you wanna do with a fancy snobby hacker]

training centre.

[scarletcast]

[ This is the training centre, splayed out in the ragged remains of Novi Grad because Wanda is here to vent her anger. Robots materialise only to be torn apart in a blast of red, flurries of the colour weave around like they're hunting. She buried Pietro in the foundations of this city, where no one would look for the body to exhume for more sick experiments. He would want that. Sokovia would rise on his bones. ]

[ She's relentless until she senses another presence with a robot close to them, and has her hands raised, ready to rip it to pieces before she sees it's a fucking dog. Wanda lowers her hands, the red in her eyes and around her hands flickering. ]

What are you doing here?

protagonist • persona 5

[maskerading]

( But okay, the name I'll be using for this guy is Yuuto Kurohane, so he's not nameless or anything. Also I don't expect huge spoilers to crop up in any threads, but feel free to let me know to avoid them if you'd like! )

ONE; OSKA HALLWAYS
[ Taking a stroll down the halls of the castle isn't all too weird, so perhaps that's what you're doing on this fine day—whether it's to head toward the library, the kitchens, or elsewhere—when along the way, there's a teenaged boy standing to the side along the wall. There's nothing out of the ordinary about him, if wearing what's clearly a school uniform is normal to you, but he does have a hand wearing what's also obviously magitek jewelry raised, focused on a holographic screen before him. (One he can see and mess with options on, anyway.)

Walk in front of him, and he'll give a soft hum in disappointment. ]

... You made the Magimon run away.

TWO; TRAINING CENTER
[ Welcome to Chantes—or welcome back, depending. Either way, in today's simulation it's the perfect time for some monster rampaging, because that's precisely what's happening. Along the streets and what remains of the buildings, it's very likely that someone could run right into one out of the many angry chimera destroying everything in sight.

Down one road in particular, should any other simulation participants begin to head down it, a gloved hand reaches out from a narrow alleyway between buildings and yanks them in from out in the open. ]

Careful.

[ The owner of said hand is a figure dressed in black from head to toe, long, flowing coat to top it all off; covering over his eyes is a white mask that manages to hide most of his features. He cants his head to the side, and as if on cue, a rumble and the crash of glass breaking echoes out from only a handful of buildings down.

It's definitely a chimera smashing right into the local bakery. ]

Might not want to walk right into that one.

WILDCARD ME CAP'N
[ Feel free to toss a prompt my way be it action or network if you'd prefer, I'm willing to roll with whatever. ]

wildcard, yolos i guess

[thickskulled]

dude

did you see that they have a hot springs here?? wanna go check it out?

Katsuki Bakugou | My Hero Academia

[warheaded]

1. Perdition's Rest: Boneyard Junction
[If you walk in on this training session, it might just be due to concerning amount of booming, buzzing, and loud swearing. Really, this is probably a good simulation to run for someone whose fighting style doesn't so much involve finesse as obliterating anything in the way. That said, Bakugou seems to have missed the point entirely. Every time one of his explosions kills one of the Deemer NPCs and elicits that loud buzz, he just curses and gets more worked up.]

Damnit, you weak shits are pissing me off!
[When he reaches the end of the simulation, with frankly more Deemers dead than incapacitated, he just barks;]

Run the damn thing again!
[Judging by how fatigued he looks, this is definitely not the first time he's re-run the simulation. He's either definitely missing the point, or just really bad at "non-lethal" force. A mystery.]

2. Dining Hall
[You probably just wanted to come get something to eat, but while you're eating, a fight breaks out a few tables over, with a concerning large explosion. The perpetrator, this spiky haired teen, yankee squatting on the table above two members of a different team, both looking deeply agitated but also pretty apprehensive re: explosions.]

You still wanna pick a fight with me, aah? I don't care how long your shitty team's been here, I'll kick your ass!
[Whatever started this fight, it probably shouldn't continue.]

3. Wild Card
[If you have another idea! If you want a less angry Bakugou, he can be found in a less shouty and more sullen state in the corner of the rec room or wandering around the courtyard. If you catch him smiling, he's probably bullying one of the squidges.]

dining hall!

[eyeforaneye]

[ This isn't how he wants his afternoon to go, but when is it ever? The yelling rings out even louder in such an otherwise empty space, dark eyes darting to pin all three involved in the confrontation with a critical look. These are no circumstances under which to eat food, goddamnit. ]

Enough. [ His voice isn't loud but it carries enough weight to get the two harassed team members to look his way as he steps closer, a dismissive gesture intended to make them move. ]

What's the issue?

edward elric | fullmetal alchemist

[transmutate]

a - kitchen

[Edward is not going to dance. You know how you know? Because he has used alchemy to actively mold his feet into the floor. If he's still twitching spastically to some unknown music, well, shut up. He's at least not dancing with anyone. Just glowering angrily at the general everyone around.]

I can't believe food betrayed me like this.

b - hot springs

[What a calm, beautiful lovely place to relax... oh nope. Here comes Ed in swim trunks, charging along the deck at a reckless pace until he jumps off the dock and cannon balls into the water. He surfaces, grinning, and bobs onto his back, floating despite the way his heavy metal limbs sink a little ways into the water.]

It's so warm!

[He shuts his eyes, actually relaxing in a way he doesn't often allow himself. It won't last very long. But for the moment, it's... nice.]

c - wildcard!

[HIT ME UP.]

a

[keystaff]

The food can be...ah, well. A little different. Yes.

[Sakura has become more cautious and aware of the kitchen at times, having been with ALASTAIR for over a year now. But that doesn't mean she isn't sympathetic with some of the effects it could have on others. Especially new arrivals who might not know any better yet. At least she assumes he's newer? She doesn't think she recognizes him.]

Um, are you okay?

Velma "Velveteen" Martinez | Velveteen Vs.

[fuckeduptimes]

a - training

[The problem with training simulations is that Velveteen is always extremely aware of just how easy it would be to wrest control of any simulated enemies and simply win by default. She's an animus. Anything inanimate with a face is fair game for her powers. But it's not an entirely useful exercise.

Then again, neither is just letting her army of toys do the fighting for her, but hey, she knows her talents. And sure, she probably should work on her parkour skills or something with her training time, but right now, she doesn't feel like it. Instead, she sits on a bench, wearing her burgundy and brown leotard, domino mask, and bunny ear headband as usual, and reads a book while an army of toy soldiers, teddy bears, and one extremely vicious little pony swarm all the enemies the training center thinks to throw at her. The teddy bears, it should be noted, have somehow grown claws, and the pony has real hooves and a horn that looks like it could bore through bone, though it's still sparkly and purple.

Velveteen yawns. A ragdoll walks over to her holding a cup of iced tea. She smiles.]

Thank you.

[The doll nods, then flings itself into the fray. Velveteen goes back to reading.]

b - viewing hall

[Velveteen walks through the viewing hall, looking around at the different mirrors that are so clearly not reflecting her own face. She's still in costume, domino mask, bunny ear headband, everything, and she looks... very lost in thought.]

Huh. This is....

[She shakes her head. Familiar, but not familiar. She's been to the Hall of Mirrors in winter, but it still reflected her. Sure, different versions of her, but her nonetheless. This is just... different.

She walks through, pausing every now and again to see what's happening in the mirrors, especially if she sees a flash of brightly colored costume, something to indicate it's from a world that's like hers. Filled with superheroes.]

I guess that makes sense.

c - video; un: velveteen

Anyone know where you can get toys around here? My supply's dwindling, and there aren't exactly any thrift stores I can go to.

[Velveteen scowls into the camera, face half obscured behind a domino mask. She shakes her head, making the bunny ears on her headband bounce annoyingly.]

Fucked up times a thousand. Alternate universes are even worse about not leaving me alone than the Super Patriots. But I guess since I'm here, I should at least be here and prepared. So. Toys?

a.

[beatupgrass]

[in lieu of anything to shoot that will actually matter, Rocket has decided that the training room is his best bet to let off a little bit of steam. he comes bearing his unfeasibly large gun on his back and a look of procyon determination on his face.

and then he sees what's happening. he stops. he stares. he rubs his eyes.]

...The hell am I lookin' at here?

leopold fitz | agents of shield

[pesto]

( NOTE for anyone canon familiar, i'm caught up to the end of s3!! canon points are flexible, but please don't spoil s4 for me 8( )

ONE

[ One would think, after years of working for a spy organization, Leopold Fitz would have more sense than to just stuff his face with whatever he comes across.

But in his defense— the tart is really, really good. Maybe a little strange, nothing like the classic fruit tart that Sci-Tech has on Thursdays, but still delicious. It helps that the kitchen is open, and for a multiverse-wide organization, ALASTAIR looks like they're a bunch of good people ( there you go, Simmons, one alien planet that doesn't want to kill them ). It also helps that Fitz is starving.

Which explains the once tart-filled cups on the counter, and the third in his hand. ] God, these are so good. [ He's talking with his mouth full. That, and a heavy Scottish accent, is basically a recipe for being unintelligible. Fitz doesn't seem to realize that just yet, though he does pause to swallow the last of the tart, turning the now empty cup in his hand. ] If an alien walked into this kitchen right now, told me to recite the god-damn periodic table of elements — backwards, while naked — if I ever wanted to have another one of these tarts again, I'd probably do it.

[ ... Oh, shit. Did he say that outloud? He didn't say that outloud, right? ]

TWO

[ It starts with an earthquake — the earth trembling beneath his feet, what's left of the castle's infrastructure shaking. Small bits of the ceiling fall on his shoulders, and suddenly he's torn between the need to run, or to stay and look up at whatever disaster's coming up next. He doesn't understand how things could get so bad so quickly, it's barely been an hour and... this is probably what people at Operations do on the daily. Gross.

Only hesitation's the last thing Fitz needed right then and there, and from above him ( them? Hope you weren't standing too close, whoever you are ) there's a loud crack, a piece of ceiling is dislodged... from the ceiling... and the last thing Fitz sees when he looks up is oh god

— And then the castle disappears, leaving behind the soft glow from the lights and the room's control panel in front of a very dirty, very exhausted Fitz. ]

... [ All that's coming from him are harsh breaths, before he eventually plops down on the floor ( he can feel the mud on him as he moves, gross ), lying down on his back with the grace and beauty of a rock. Letting out a quiet groan. ] For the record, [ He begins, between pants, glancing at whoever his partner in misfortune was this time around... ] I'm not doing that again. Oh, I'm bloody gonna feel that tomorrow—

WILDCARD

[ Come at me!! ]

one.

[scarletcast]

[ Wanda's watching him with the kind of grotesque fascination that colours staring at something she really shouldn't be staring at. Somehow, after his fifth poptart disappears into his mouth, she manages to say, ]

Those are not safe to eat.

Connor Walsh | How to Get Away With Murder

[sadgay]

( one. the forest & hot springs )

[Connor doesn't freak out, not right away. The weight of what he is told doesn't sink in all at once like a stone shattering the placid face of a pond: this is more like a rock sinking through mud, slow against the resistance of the matter. He might think he is dreaming, except that all of his dreams for the past year, all the ones he remembers, have distilled to the same few nightmares, and this isn't one of them. He only starts to unravel when he pulls out his phone and starts to call - who? Michaela? Oliver? - only to realize that he has no signal. That is when he decides he needs to get the hell out of here. He devises no great plan and scavenges no provisions for the flight, however far he must be from the nearest road, the closest sign of sane civilization. Every nerve in his body and every thought clattering in his head drives him down the corridor, and he looks back only out of paranoia that someone will stop him.

He stumbles outside and sprints over the hills that roll away from the imposing castle. His furiously pounding feet soon carry him into the shade of the forest, which thickens around him as gradually he slows to conserve his energy. After some time, the dappled sunlight spilling through the crowns of trees disappears in the dense fog that swallows branches and trunks, and Connor can barely see his feet below him. He can barely hear anything over the rough sound of his own breathing. Now he pokes forward with his hands before him, feeling his way through the mist.

And when the mist finally dissipates, a sense of relief rises tepidly within him - only to vanish much like the mist itself, when he realizes that beyond the steaming pool that lies before him and through the maze of branches he can once again see the castle he had escaped. Drained now, he sinks into a crouch and cradles his head in his hands.]

This is some bullshit...

[Yes, he is one hundred percent handling this.]

( two. TEXT | un: wtfwhocares )

[The next day comes and he is no more settled than he was, but he has the thin skin of sarcasm to fall back upon.]

Sooooo let me get this straight. We get everything from magical Netflix to magical DDR and magical freakin Call of Duty, but no magical dating app? Come on, get a pulse. Or, I'm sorry, are you all too busy being big damn heroes to even think about boning? You realize we'll probably all be dead before the year's out, right? Don't worry, it's what the Timeline would've wanted. Or whatever it is you people believe. Anyone seriously buying this wackadoo cult garbage?

Wait, I just remembered that I don't really care. Any guys looking to relieve their boredom for a few hours can hit me up. I'll make you forget how much this whole deal sucks. And hey, if any straight dudes are feeling curious, I could use a little challenge.

( three. wildcard )

[Surprise me! P.S. I already regret this journal name.]

[kisha]

[Hayame is really, really tired of this happening.

And by this, she means strange men stumbling upon her bathing. It seemed as if every so often the mists shifted, and people were deposited in certain areas... like if someone truly committed to a scientific exploration of the phenomena they might discover a pattern.

But she really doesn't care about that, so much as the appearance of people she ought to have heard coming a mile away. At the appearance of the man she starts, looking up suddenly from where she stood in the deepest part of the springs- deep enough that her equine hind end wasn't clearly visible beneath the steaming water, merely the upper half of a dark-eyed woman caught halfway through untangling absurdly long hair.

At least, to Connor's benefit... she's been in Oska long enough to not be attacking every person who surprises her any longer, though her bow and quiver sit on the side of the pool on top of neatly folded garments.

But she hasn't actually been anywhere long enough to make her friendly, so though she recovers her wits fairly quickly, one hand moving to cover modest breasts... she doesn't actually say anything, only looking him over critically. Human, male, completely unarmed (not a threat in the slightest, then), looking rather lost...]

sebastian michaelis - kuroshitsuji

[cutlery]

one

[ because there's absolutely no way I can ignore a kitchen prompt with sebastian ]

[ Though even so, Sebastian had come to the kitchen to make something rather than have it served. He doesn't quite need food for himself, but he's come to enjoy cooking in his service as a butler. The challenge of making a new dish and thoroughly impressing anyone that ate it was always quite enjoyable both intellectually and for his ego.

So. He'll be doing the same here.

He's been working on his dinner (for someone else) for a while now, and that's been enough time to see some people come through, grab their dish of choice, and then be subject to... interesting effects. He's indulged in a dance or two, since he's simply the person that's there to be danced with, but at this point, it's becoming a slight problem. He really needs to finish this dinner, thank you.

So by the time you come in to grab some food of your own, Sebastian will sigh lightly and speak up almost immediately. ]

Excuse me— But before you make your selection for the evening, may I suggest you refrain from the salad?

[ Of course he doesn't actually explain why... You should clearly just listen to and trust the elegant man busily and fussily working on a beautiful dinner, duh? ]

two (anwick)

[ It's not the first time that Sebastian has had random townsfolk furious at him, and he really doubts that it'll be the last. In fact, as one of them goes on quite a heated explanation of why protecting these creatures is so awful, Sebastian seems... bored, if anything. He just sighs lightly, and he turns his attention away from them to look dragon in the square.

Briefly and quite privately, he laments that the easiest solution isn't the one that would be acceptable. If it's so important to his employers that the dragons be protected, then it would certainly be easier to simply eliminate the threat against them. However, he also imagines that's not quite what they had in mind for fufilling this little training session.

It's troublesome, really, and as such, he decides it may not be best for him to make the decision on what to do completely on his own. As you're his partner for this little exercise, he withdraws from his thoughts to instead turn towards his partner. He's still quite thoroughly ignoring the ranting, which is only making it more heated, too... ]

The directions were clear enough, and yet this makes things more difficult... Shall we simply ignore their complaints quite thoroughly and be on our way?

two (any others)

[ Kind of barely a prompt BUT if any of the other training scenarios interest you, just let me know and I can write a prompt! It's a bit easier to write them when I know who Sebastian is paired with. ]

four

It seems that some of you have been in the service of ALASTAIR for quite a while, and as such, I find myself a bit curious about that service. It is not quite so much the particulars, but simply curiosity as to how you may navigate a set of conflicting duties. One to "home," as it were, and another to dutifully working here.

I imagine I am not alone in that sort of conflict, so I was hoping to hear how some of you may have managed to have the two work together in the best of circumstances, or if not, then simply to manage two sets of obligations. It is rather unlike me to double-book myself, so to speak, but navigating the slightly awkward situation has become necessary.

However, I do have another question, though I assure you this one is not nearly as serious. What is your favorite food? I may not be cooking for the young master, but it would not do for my skills to diminish... So if you would be interested, please allow me to make something to your liking.

wildcard

[ Have something else in mind? Hit me up! I'm open to new scenarios of any kind. ]

one

[rosewitch]

[Ordinarily Anthy wouldn't gravitate towards salad anyway. She prefers sweets. And it isn't as though anyone is here to tell her to eat anything otherwise. She will eat as she pleases, and she doesn't want salad.]

[Today isn't any different. She was just about to reach for the cookies, because it isn't even properly lunchtime yet, and then--this man tells her to avoid the salad.]

[Something deeply contrary in her . . . hates this. She offers him a faint, perplexed smile.]

Oh? Why . . . ? I thought salad was good for you.

anthy himemiya | revolutionary girl utena

[rosewitch]

i. greenhouse.

[There's someone new in the greenhouse today. Maybe it's your first day back after a mission; maybe you know everybody's face already. Even if you do, this girl is as new to you as to the other fresh-faced recruits.]

[At the same time, she looks as though she's been in this greenhouse since the beginning of this particular timeline. She seems to have surpassed the standard confusion of where-am-I-what-am-I-doing entirely; she seems to be acquainted with every plant and flower in this greenhouse, although they all come from entirely different places in the multiverse.]

[Really, what she looks like is a fixture. She's picked up a watering can from somewhere and is, with an even and practiced hand, tending to the roses. (One does have to wonder if there were this many roses yesterday.)]

[She looks up and smiles faintly whenever anyone enters, but doesn't relinquish her watering can. New as she is, her] Good afternoon [carries with it the slight implication that you are intruding on her space.]

ii. anwick

[So far, Anthy has been something of a non-presence on Team Audentes. She's been helpful, but only in small ways; she has no combat skills, or at least professes not to, and as such refuses to engage in or even discuss battles of any kind. She's tactically more than proficient, but reticent to share this with most.]

[Anwick is different. There's something fierce in her here, an undefinable eeriness that swells around her like an aura, oppressive to anyone who comes close. It makes the air around her feel like it's crackling, although of course that's ridiculous; there's nothing to see, or hear, or even feel, not really.]

[The nest of wyrmlings is rose-scented. Anthy stands at its mouth, hair pinned up for the first time since she's arrived. She offers any newcomers a faint smile and a simple warning.]

If you step on them, I'll let them eat you. Do you think it would hurt to die in a simulation?

iii. network; un:himemiya

I have a question for everyone. There has been much debate on the subject of morality lately, so I thought I would ask:

What is the worst thing you'd do to save someone you love?

Thank you very much.

text; un: unseen

[scallopstrategist]

What a boring question. People are willing to do all sorts of horrible, irrational things in the name of saving someone they love.

"What is the worst thing you'd do to save a stranger?"

That one is a little more telling, I think.

kenya oshitari | prince of tennis

[naniwa]

( 1 )

[ The kitchens are a great place for a teenager to raid, especially when you've been living on simple necessities at a hardcore camp for the past few weeks. Sleeping on a clifftop in a sleeping bag, being teased by the luxuries of the "winners" and having to cope with the grossest coach means that Oska's kitchens are a blessing in disguise.

It's also why he has three plates of a mix of stuff in front of him, and seems to be eating it all at the speed of a vaccum cleaner hoovering up the floor.

He barely takes time to stop, and is probably quite a sight. Gross. ]

I-- [ He says it around the food in his mouth. ] --bet you can't do this as quickly!

[ Maybe he should stop eating to actually ensure they have something to test that with??? ]

( 2a )

[ The first training scenario is actually a simple tennis match, something he misses already from home when it's practically been his life since camp started. Of course he misses school as well, the constant jokes and laughs they have, but in the end he's an athlete and there's just something that makes his heart pound at facing off with someone.

Sadly, not even Oska's training room can keep up with his tennis... literally, most of the time. Kenya duplicates himself by running faster than the human eye can keep track of, taking point by point from the system with ease. ]

It's no match for Naniwa's Speed Star. Can you check if there's another setting on this thing?

[ Whether the other person in here intended to be a spectator or not, he needs help adjusting the settings. Normal tennis is not Prince of Tennis tennis after all. ]

( 2b )

[ Alternatively, you might wander in on a scene that looks like it's out of a picture book. There's nothing much here other than fields, and a long river in the middle. It's flowing pretty quickly, and there's no bridge...



but off Kenya goes anyway.

There's a splashing noise then a loud groan of effort as he starts... running on the water. That sure is a thing. ]

Just a... bit ... more...!

( 4 )

Yo what's up? The one and only Speed Star here. As everyone's been pretty down lately I thought it might be a good idea to get some cheer in here. Let's have some jokes. I'll start! (ﾉ^ヮ^)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧

A soldier and a fish are in a tank.
The fish asks the soldier: “hey how do you drive this thing?”
And the soldier says: “blub blub blub”

4. un: wtfwhocares

[sadgay]

[Who is this person and why must he refer to himself in the third person by a ridiculous nickname.]

Sure, I'll bite.

A horse walks into the bar, and the bartender asks, "Why the long face?"

...And the horse answers, "I got evicted today."

:\

travis touchdown | no more heroes

[metafictions]

[i was late to the last tdm too so forgive my reposting. . . .....]

ONE - network; un: bizarrejelly5

[You'd think that a lifelong nerd, flung into an awesome, terrifying new world full of excitement, danger, and all sorts of incredible new possibilities would have something profound, or at least appropriate, to say about his new adventure.]

yo team
fuck marry kill: centaur chick, elf chick, emoji girl???? ;3c

[Unfortunately, you would be wrong.]

TWO - training; perdition's rest

[Oska doesn't have a fire alarm, but it sure sounds like it right now. Travis Touchdown, bloodthirsty as ever, has completely missed the point of this training exercise: instead of tactics and care, he's decided to use this as a workout.]

Come an' get some!

[A wild, near-manic grin spreads across his face, ear to ear. He couldn't give less of a fuck about how badly he's failing the exercise or how loud he is. His blood's pumping, and his heart is pounding. This is the most fun he's had on this stupid team since he'd arrived. The harsh intermittent blare of the fatality warning buzzer-- less and less intermittent as he picks up his pace, hacking and slashing left and right-- muddles with the sound of Travis' fake lightsaber beam katana, crackling with plasma and electricity as it collides, over and over and over again, with the bodies of the Deemers he's routinely eliminating.

It doesn't take Travis very long. In minutes, the simulated Boneyard Junction's an utter mess of blood and gore. Don't slip in it.]

THREE - training; zeta-12

[This setting, however, is a lot less fun than the murder. Trudging his way through Zeta-12's verdant underbrush is one Travis Touchdown, with a screaming, wriggling squidge strapped to his back with a desperately MacGyver'd baby harness. Made out of vines.]

Damn, I picked a good name for you. Would you quit fuckin' crying already, Shinji? Geez.

[Travis is in little more than a t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers during this expedition; all the mud and damp earth had been sucked up into his shoes and socks what seems instantaneously, which means he's been utterly miserable the whole time.]

Is there anything not green here? I'm gonna go apeshit. I swear.

[He's soldiering on, occasionally stopping to rock his squishy little charge. He might be a city slicker, but he can (kind of) care for an alien if he needs to.]

FOUR - wildcard

[go crazy ok]

one; un: 12th

[avoracious]

hey
i'm new to this
but given ;3c

aren't you emoji girl

thomasin | the witch

[curdle]

the very, very beginning (of staring at things)
[ She has a great love of pretty things, Thomasin, and it has been a source of guilt and self-doubt from the very first. Before they ever were banished, before they even went from England, she found joy in the refraction of light off her mother's cup, or through the glass panes of a window.

So she's staring with awe at the whole vast selection of Magitek up for the choosing. The sudden horror of it all is a bit lost at the sight of so much jewelery. Where does she even begin to choose? Is she meant to choose? How is she expected to know?

She presents a strange picture to anyone who somehow managed to fall through a rift at the exact same moment she did, hanging back from the chest in what looks like an old timey nightgown, which has blood down the front. There's dried blood on her chin and forehead too, and when she reaches out tentatively, almost touching a bracelet and then pulling back just as quickly, it's on her hands. ]

it's me recycling the kitchen prompts from the last time
[ This is the second time she's been to the kitchens since showing up, but the first time she's eating there. The sight of such a feast as this, with no apparent human hand in its making, strikes her as diabolical -- or unnatural, at the very least -- but she is beyond worrying about it now. After all, is she not now wearing the finery this strange band bade her take? Has she not slept in their lodgings? If this is some devilish contract, she has surely already bartered away her soul in exchange for hospitality, and it makes no difference whether she eats of their food or starves herself to an early damnation. Also, she hasn't really eaten in almost three days!

i. This last fact means that Thomasin is also uncertain as to what kind of sustenance she can take in without sickening herself. This also provides her with an excuse to dither around the kitchen, staring at every single dish it has to offer up with great suspicion, and probably standing in the way of anyone else who might come in.

ii. Eventually, she ladles out some broth from a rich, steaming vat of stew, cuts herself a large piece of bread, and, in a moment of impulse, grabs a tart. After finding a seat she's dead to the world for a good five minutes, dipping the bread, sipping directly from her bowl, and generally eating like the wildly undernourished teenager she is.

By the time she's moved on to the tart, Thomasin's gnawing hunger has been sated enough for her to remember that other people exist and might well be breaking fasts of their own. She promptly reverts back to the propriety that has always been expected of her and eats the tart slowly, using her spoon rather than her hands. When she remarks on the flavor, which she feels the unaccountable urge to do, she politely covers her mouth with her hand and finishes chewing first. ]

I've tasted no fruit like this, [ she says, looking down at what remains of the tart as though hoping to puzzle it out by sight alone. ] Not even in England was there any such. Dost know its name?

general wanderprompt (with more staring)
[ This little forest of slender birches couldn't be further from the primeval horror of the wood Thomasin knows, but still she can't bring herself to broach their limits for too long, nor those of the village that seems half-consumed by all the wildness the woods themselves lack. Right now, the castle itself is strange and new enough to satisfy her natural curiosity.

She goes through the greenhouse, stringently avoiding any of the ALASTAIR staff and marveling at all the plants she doesn't know while searching for those she does. Her primary goal is to find things that are edible, but if there's anything that looks suspiciously tall and purple, or maybe kind of similar to this, she stops and seems to ponder them for a while. In the stables, she's content simply to take catalog of the animals, but after spending a few hours attempting to cozy up to a unicorn and realizing it's getting dark, she beats a hasty retreat, looking spooked.

The viewing hall, however, is what truly has her spellbound. She stares at mirror after mirror as if trying to scry in them, absorbing snippets of other people's lives, until the moment she sees a flash of her own. It's nothing special at all, just a grey moment of mucking out the goatshed, but it rattles her enough for her to draw in a gasp, knock over the lamp she brought down with her, and go stumbling backwards straight into you. ]

Pray pardon me!

[ You're welcome. ]

training room: oska
[ Anyway, after all this calm slice of life bullshit, here she is, running for her life! Thomasin has accepted the concept of being part of Audentes, and even of participating in its work, no matter what her suspicions might still be of their motives. She's even accepted wearing pants! But the motivation behind all of that is the same thing that leads her to eventually test her luck here: she wants to survive. She needs to keep herself alive, and perhaps keep herself of use. It seems logical that the best choice she's presented with would be Oska itself, rather than some strange land she knows nothing of.

As it turns out, even the gentlest version of this was a bad choice! Wandering through the wreckage to find her way out of the castle is hard enough, but the moment she thinks she's found a place to huddle in the simulated village, the ground begins to quake, and she runs out in fear of everything collapsing on top of her. Thomasin has nearly forgotten that she's been here only half an hour, and that this can stop at any time, when the fireballs start. The only thing to be done, besides falling over, running, and cowering beneath whatever overhangs she can find, seems to be to quietly spit curses at the room, as though this wasn't her idea in the first place. At least it keeps her spirits up. ]

Devil take this damned chamber, [ she mutters sourly, wiping the dirt and sweat from her face with a sleeve that isn't much cleaner. She definitely just said "damn-ed." ]

kitchen, i

[hundredths]

[People standing around in the kitchen isn't really anything new to Mob, at this point; a lot of times it's hard to choose what to eat with how much there is, and sometimes they might be waiting on something else entirely, or are just hanging out there in general for whatever reason. At least it's not usually too crowded for long, and most everyone tends to be on pretty polite terms.

With all these possibilities in mind, Mob's quite content to leave the girl staring about in peace--all he really wanted to do in here was grab some lunch to eat, and he's about halfway to success with this particular task, a plate full of steaming noodles already carefully balanced in one hand. But...the difficulty becomes clear when, after spending half a minute or so looking for the rice pot, he realizes it's actually sitting right next to where the girl's standing. And there's no real way to get to it without going around her...ah.

Having been trying to keep his presence as lowkey and inoffensive as possible up to this point, Mob now finds he has to approach anyway--so he does, slowly, drawing up beside her with his plate of noodles.]

Um...excuse me. Could I reach over there, for a bit? [His tone almost just as quiet as his approach had been; he points to the rice pot with the pair of chopsticks in his free hand.]

ZIM | Invader ZIM

[squeedlyspooch]

∀ Kitchen.

[Since GIR isn't around to do reconnaissance for him Zim is left to his own devices. Which is, of course, absolutely no problem at all since he's had extensive Invader training on the subject. Yup, he knows exactly what to do!

There's a weird-looking green kid with stupid Elvis hair wandering around, eventually making his way to the kitchen. It smells weird - bad weird, not interesting weird - but he's holding out hope that the smells are perhaps a defense mechanism used to keep people away from some super important Thing he can use to get the heck out of here. Or something.

He doesn't even really realize it's a kitchen, since it looks nothing like the skool cafeteria, and his base's approximation happens to have a toilet smack in the middle of it. Also, everything is way too high up for his tiny stature. He doesn't like any it.

Having found the roast pig, he's trying to get onto his toes to examine it.]

Why would they torture a pig? This room is stupid.

∀ Hotsprings.

[The kitchen was weird, the hotsprings are just baffling. Having abandoned the castle in favour of exploring the ground Zim eventually finds the area, and makes his way over utterly confused. He doesn't want to get too close but the decks and stairs are obviously human creations, so... people are using these things for something???

Probably more torture, is his conclusion.]

Boiling pits of water, perhaps to punish insubordinate slave-drones.... It'd be genius if it wasn't so horrible!

[This is, apparently, some kind of hideous torture castle. Yes.]

∀ Wildcard.

[Feel free to toss whatever at me! I apologize in advance for Zim being a stupid trash fire.]

jay | tales of legendia

[rebells]

a: kitchens

[Someone has, eventually, made his way down to the kitchens, perhaps reasoning that if he can't (yet) figure out just what is going on, he can at least get something to eat while he works on the problem. If he's raiding the kitchen, though, he's being awfully methodical about it: opening cupboards and drawers one-by-one and peering in, ignoring the actual food in favor of pushing aside ingredients and shaking decorative flowerpots.

Finally, he stops with his hands on his hips and watches the food making itself before his eyes. There's a thoughtful frown on his face.]

I suppose it was a long shot. I did think this was a little complicated for one of the Wonder Baker's tricks . . . .

b: network [un: unseenshadow]

Well, this is an interesting little dimensional rift.

Let's play a game. Tell me something about you the people on your world don't know.

c: wildcard

[COME AT ME.]

a: kitchens

[currentdisgrace]

[The man a few cupboards away is in the middle of his own perusal of the contents of the kitchen--but in his case, it seems focused on the food: suspicion of the strange place warring with obvious and covetous hunger. He picks up a roll and tosses it experimentally into the air, catching it again; he lifts a pitcher by the handle and peers into the top, like he's trying to make heads or tails of the liquid inside. At the boy's words he glances over his shoulder and thins his mouth noncommittally, setting the pitcher back down again on the counter.]

I take it you aren't a native.

[Not that there are any, as far as he can tell.]

takeda takahashi | mortal kombat

[takeedabanana]

two - anwick.

[ The training room simulations were nothing new for Takeda, in fact, it was something that he had actually almost equated to home, in a sense. It wasn't too different from when he had done training with the others at Special Forces HQ, and even while the situation he's being put into is a bit different from what he's used to, it still is familiar enough so that he isn't completely blindsided by it.

And I mean. Dragons. Come on.

Even if the little buggers are a pain in the ass and generally unhelpful as he's trying to herd them into the cave. Takeda didn't even need to try and read the thoughts of the projected villagers trying to pass him (not that he probably could do that in the first place) in order to get inside - he's at least learned well enough on how to read people's body language where telepathy fails.

Still, once he sees someone else who looks just as out of place as he does, he'll try to make contact with them - not by thought, of course, mostly because he doesn't want to scare them on accident. It's sadly happened before.

Instead, he turns to look behind him while he's manhandling one of the wyrmlings, which is a feat in and of itself while he's trying not to get his eyes clawed out by the little bugger - ]

Got any good bedtime stories for these guys?

two - perdition's rest, boneyard junction.

[ While Takeda isn't a stranger to having to incapacitate rather than kill, it's still a bit more difficult for someone who was trained as an assassin for most of their life to really do it. Granted, he'd be disappointed in himself (never mind his master and squadmates being disappointed in him as well) if he couldn't hold back well enough.

Though here it was getting harder to do so. Didn't help that he was without his usual loadout, and his back felt strangely empty without the rigging system that he usually had on-hand for his razor whips.

He quickly shakes his head, ducking under a wide swing that was aimed at his head before tripping up his current opponent, though he was aware of the other Deemers that were coming in to try and overwhelm him. However, he is able to slip away from them momentarily, swiftly dodging and ducking around blows that were definitely more set to kill rather than stun. Hanzo would probably commend his self-control.

Probably.

But wondering what his master or any of the others would say is interrupted while he staggers back from a body blow aimed at his back. He lets out a pained grunt before shaking himself out of it, immediately twisting around and ramming an elbow into the gut of his attacker, only to pull back and ram it up against their jaw to further stun them.

He can do this, this is nothing compared to what he's dealt with-

And it's only a few moments later when there's only one left and it's on its last legs as well, thankfully. Takeda squints at it with a frown. ]

Last chance, buddy.

[ Not that it'd make a difference with this being a simulation and all, but. Y'know. Authenticity and all that. So, with that in mind, there's certainly an opportunity for someone else to swoop in, save the day. Distraction's also an option, of course. Nobody said this was gonna be easy. ]

three.

[ An opportunity to relax for a bit is always welcome, in Takeda's eyes. Even if it's a bit of a hike.

Granted there's a lot about this place that he still needs to explore and take inventory of (never let it be said that he doesn't know how to properly scout, certain parties would kick his ass if he slacked off in that department) but this is also welcome. Never mind that hey, if he can get some gossip out of the people here, it might help piece some things together, get a better feel of what he's dealing with from the perspective of those that have been here longer than he has (a grand total of only a few hours, by his count).

That being said, he's finally made it to the edge of the springs in nothing but a pair of swim trunks, pensively staring at the water for a moment while trying to collect his thoughts before getting in. (Probably should be in the reverse order, but here we are.) ]

wildcard.

[ If you've got any other prompts you want to slap me with, feel free! ]

anwick

[digiorno]

[Ah. Here is a man in dire straits. Giorno should probably help him.]

[Instead, he leans in and pets the dragon's neck, managing by some witchcraft not to get bitten.]

Once upon a time, there was a large man who didn't know how to hold a dragon correctly, and he got eaten up by their tiny little teeth . . .

ymir | attack on titan

[inhumen]

ONE - KITCHEN

[The first thing she figured she should do is figure out where the hell the food is. It's frankly been awhile since she's even had military rations, and there's no way she's putting up with that any longer.

What she doesn't expect out of an organization that basically drafts the people showing up at their doorstep is a shit load of food.

Ymir stands in the doorway, momentarily startled as she looks over the entire table. This looks like a meal fit for kings, not soldiers.

She looks over her shoulder at you.]

Hey.

Where's our food? Or am I supposed to just figure that out?


TWO - ZETA-12

[She isn't eager to train, but if there's any truth to going back to where they're supposed to, then Ymir's opted to take some level of responsibility and make sure she can train up for these missions.

Though maybe picking one at random has only come back to bite her in the ass.

These damned gooey baby things are a real pain, and she hasn't been hiding that opinion from the one she's been stuck with, especially with how it's been shrieking about the chasm.]

Lumpy, it's not like I'm gonna make walk the damned thing. I'm the one doing all of the legwork.

[It only somehow manages to cry louder, and Ymir grits her teeth.]

Screw this. [She hauls the squidge under one arm and marches toward the thin land bridge. Heights are of no consequence and she isn't wasting anymore time to try to coddle this thing.]


THREE - NETWORK
text; username: what

Hey.
I just want to be clear on this. It's true what they say, right? That they'll send us back home, eventually.

Not that I don't have a problem with trusting complete strangers or anything. But I want to hear it from the rest of you.

So what's real? Have people gone back? Or are they just dangling the idea in front of us?


FOUR - CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE
[make your own scenario!]

Itachi Uchiha | Naruto

[bloodlinecrossed]

Training Center : Osaka
[It had been some time since he had been in this particular training simulation but he had not expected someone else to follow him into it. He sat lightly on the ruins, watching from the broken wall of the library, ash from the burned books blowing past him on the wind that felt so very real. Despite the fire having taken much of the room, once it was quelled, the structure of the library was mostly sound. He needed to decide how long to wait for the person he was expecting.

To "win" they both had to outlast the clock. He couldn't sacrifice whoever else was here to prolong his own trial. He had sought them out at first, then upon reaching the library decided to wait for them. He could sense someone coming from a distance. He wasn't hiding his own presence so if they had worthwhile skill, they should recognize it and come to him. The fires wouldn't stay gone from this area for long.]