Test Drive Meme | #47

[ironwood]

TEST DRIVE MEME - TU SHANSHU EDITION!

Itching to try out writing a character? Then rev up your engines, grab your accounts, and slam your way into this meme! Here is a venue for you to try out whatever character there might be tickling your fancy, from fandom to OC, for as few as one and as many as MANY. Seriously, there's no limit. How do you partake in this fantastic congregation of character testing? Why, by following these simple steps: → Comment with the journal of a character you want to test; put their name and canon in the subject line for added sparkles. → Tag around with everyone! → Profit like you live on a the back of a turtle! → Maybe even RESERVE so you CAN live on the back of a turtle! But wait, there's more! For the low, low price of $9,999.99, you can even use one of our handy prompts when you tag someone. You could even pick one with a Random Number Generator to help decide which prompt to go with! Haggling Over Something in the Marketplace! Maybe someone else saw the exact same shiny thing you did at the exact same moment! However shall this be resolved? Remember: blood is extremely hard to scrub off of turtle shell! Dramatic Chase Sequence! You're running away from something! It could be anything, from a rampaging kirin to a gaggle of overly enthusiastic children! One way or another, you can't stop, and much like a katamari ball, you feel obligated to grab everyone in your path along the way to keep them out of danger! Or perhaps you're more the sort to try and knock them into it as a distraction...? Where there's a will, there's a...? The Life and Dreaming Planes have been merged, and sometimes what starts out as wishful thinking becomes lured into reality. That slick new motorcycle or pile of kingly treasure you were just daydreaming about? Surprise! It's just appeared in front of you. Though, it may only stay for a short while before it disappears again, so make it count. Hopefully you're not the type to daydream about terrible things befalling people you don't like... Let's play cops and robbers! Local law enforcement is handled by the Keeliai Police Department, an organization of both Foreigners and kedan dedicated to keeping the peace in the turtle... and they're about to make a raid on a large, illegal gambling ring! Are you going to collar the nearest bad guy, or are you one of the high rollers now looking to make a quick escape? Or a bookie who's now getting booked downtown? Wait... you want my what now?! The kedan are a curious folk, and the Foreigners are entertainment in conveniently arriving packages, especially when they come along with unique items that the kedan might not have seen before. Maybe it's your cellphone... or maybe it's your knickers! How badly do you want to keep your stuff from some overeager native shapeshifters who want to buy, bribe, or burglarize it right off your person? Sea prunes, get your sea prunes right here! Life in Keeliai can take a little getting used to: the chickens have scales, the cows have feathers, and the fruits come in more colour and pattern combinations than your average tye-dye shirt. Not to mention that meal you just ordered from the food vendor? Has arrived on the plate, and you're pretty sure you just saw it move. Everybody needs a little darkness... The Great Enemy may have been defeated over two years ago, and people are even willing to speak Malicant's name aloud now, but there remains a taint in the city never fully purged. Those who consider Malicant a dark god whose end was unjust are the cultists of Keeliai, and they aren't always so easy to identify as one might think. Sometimes their presence is felt in the growing urge to give into one's darker instincts, especially in such a foreign place... Illicit substances, anyone? Every city has its vices, and Keeliai is no different. Perhaps you actively sought it out, or perhaps an opportunistic dealer saw you as a potential customer needing a free sample, but you're now in possession of a packet of Lucid, an emotion-enhancing drug. Interested in finding out what happens when you crush that colourful crystal and ingest it? Incoming! Tu Vishan's latest landfall stop has brought an unwelcome problem to its residents: enormous, toothy creatures who look more like pterosaurs than most people are comfortable with! With a twenty-foot wingspan, these aren't exactly harmless local wildlife, and they have a nasty habit of swooping down on targets both Foreigner and kedan! How are you going to fend them off, or help someone who might have been injured by the latest dive bombing?? (Please note: This scenario isn't applicable to becoming game canon if you choose to app your character, as an alien pterosaur attack is a major event.) WILDCARD! Go nuts. Suddenly your character is fighting dragons! Good God, they've found the Millennium Falcon drifting in the ocean! Do you really feel the uncontrollable urge to polish every paving stone in the Earth Sector? Anything goes!

Comments

[annihilist]

5. Devin is generally quite good at moving through crowds unnoticed - it's a well-honed skill - but this place is new enough that he not only sticks out (in some cases literally, as he's quite tall) but doesn't know the ebbs and flows of the streets. He catches someone's attention before long. Or rather, his dagger does.

As someone brushes against him, Devin catches the attempt to lift it off his person, and grabs the person tightly above the elbow. "If you want to keep that hand-," he says pleasantly, but it has a warning edge to it, "-don't."

10. Well, this is about as undesirable as ever. But every city had certain similarities, and one of those is having a black market. Surely someone is willing to part with some of their blood for the right price? Being a vampire has it's awkward aspects. Devin is currently stalking the streets as the sun goes down, searching for the all too familiar signs that something illicit is going on, occasionally asking furtively where one can find a place that is rather lenient on things like laws.

"I'm looking for someplace... eccentric. Willing to press boundaries," Devin says nebulously to a random bystander.

10

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis turned, lifting her chin and analyzing the man searching for an 'eccentric' place. Tall, dark and handsome, yet his scent, sharp with hints of death and blood, told her he was a foreigner and a strange one at that.

"Someplace willing to press boundaries?" She repeated to discern if his meaning followed the same line as her suspicion.

:D

[annihilist]

Devin took a moment to take in the woman who responded, noting the way she held herself. His eyes narrowed by a fraction.

"That is what I said," he answered tersely. Unfortunately, he was probably not going to get very far without being a little more explicit about his needs. "Somewhere people are willing to part with a portion of their circulatory system for the right price."

[redlightgreenlight]

Valdis dropped her chin and arched a brow. She crossed her arms, shifting her weight to one hip as she observed him more closely.

"You mean blood? Because if you are looking for a heart or something, that's a bit horrific."

Not that needing blood wasn't horrific, but she really couldn't afford to have a heart eating serial killer on the loose in her city.

[annihilist]

Contrary to what Valdis might be expecting, Devin grimaced. "The former. As it turns out, I dislike divesting people of their lives, if I can help it. I prefer the living stay that way," he returned after a moment. This place didn't seem to have a native variety of deathless individuals, as far as Devin had been able to tell. What he's after would not be in high supply, which was dangerous to everyone around him. "I dislike divesting them of blood, too, but unfortunately my species requires it to survive."

[redlightgreenlight]

A man who smelled like blood and reeked of death, yet disliked killing people. That was definitely a new one. A Saintly Vampire. Though she supposed there must be all kinds of them, in other worlds that is.

"I see."

At least he had a soul, that meant he was far more killable than vampires in most books, but she guessed this one didn't sparkle in the sun.

"We don't exactly have any blood banks here and I'm not sure that many would be willing to part with their blood so lightly." She sighed, "In addition, the natives here are not human, though I'm not sure if species matters to you."

10 - Because this has "good idea" written all over it

[edgeoftheknife]

Erskine's been back in Keeliai for a month now, and while he's still not entirely comfortable with traipsing around the city on his own--he strongly suspects he never will be--sometimes it's a necessity. He can't hide in the Hotel anymore, the way he used to when Anton was there. There's no one left to put up with him being the wallflower he'd so desperately like to be again.

He no longer feels the need to wear the hooded jacket he used to use as a shield out in public, however. If the kedan or the Foreigners remember the fire incident, no one seems eager to dredge up those memories. No one seems to feel the need to point fingers anymore. So Erskine's walking through the city in his suit--the one borrowed from Skulduggery so long ago--with his hands in his pockets and his head down, trying to make it back to the shelter before the sun goes down properly.

Which is when he spots the stranger. Erskine can't claim to know all of the Foreigners in the city, if he ever did, but he remembers the way Foreigners look when they're new to Keeliai. They stick out like sore thumbs, mostly. He hasn't heard any of the exchange, he just knows the newcomer looks a bit lost.

"New the city?" he asks, once he's close enough that he doesn't have to raise his voice much to be heard over the crowd.

:V

[annihilist]

Devin looks over at the man, studying him for a moment or two. Like everyone else he's encountered in the city, this man has a heartbeat - it's a bit odd, finding himself apparently alone in that way, but also refreshing.

The vampire appreciates the stranger's appearance, as well, noting in particular the golden eyes. Interesting.

"Guilty as charged," Devin answers. "Although it pains me that it's so obvious."

10

[wolfishflame]

Aly gives this guy a quite epic side-eye. "Mm-hmm...that doesn't sound suspicious at all." She looks a little eccentric herself - a drab olive cloak pinned with a brooch resembling a Japanese maple leaf over what are obviously modern Earth street clothes.

"Lucky for you, bruh, I'm a little eccentric myself. But if you're looking to get off, you'd have more luck in the Fire Sector. This homie don't play that." She shifts, and underneath the cloak a copper-headed mace is revealed.

Hashbrown, no filter.

[annihilist]

This is what he gets for being ambiguous. He studies the young woman's appearance; her clothes appear modern like his own, albeit in an odd contrast with the cloak. The vampire has seen stranger things. He himself is wearing very nondescript clothing that allows for movement, all tending towards darker colors.

"I'm looking for nothing of the sort," Devin replies, eyebrows raised in something like amusement. He spots the mace, and seems entirely unconcerned by it. "But duly noted, for future reference. My needs are somewhat more... nutritionally eccentric, you might say," he adds, grinning and exposing sharp, elongated canines.

[wolfishflame]

She raises her eyebrows right back, in something like less-than-amusement. She knows when she's being mocked. She, too, seems unconcerned by the canine teeth.

"Mmkay. No sale, I don't want to sparkle in the daytime. I bet the Healers' Guild could hook you up, though. People bleed all the time over there."

[annihilist]

"It would take far more than a bite to turn you, young lady, and I wouldn't consent to turn you in the first place," Devin returns easily. "If I did for some heinous reason, you wouldn't be capable of walking in the sunlight to sparkle."

Daywalker was beyond rare, as a trait.

"I prefer not to bite people at all, as it happens. Sometimes options are limited." Like now. He's not about to admit that this whole situation makes him extremely uncomfortable. "Healer's may not take kindly to my presence, but the suggestion is appreciated. Where is the Guild located?"

[wolfishflame]

"Neat. 'Cause I'm not too keen." There's an amused glint in her eye. "You could say I'm sort of a werewolf. Besides, you wouldn't want to eat me, I'm all tough and gamy."

She grins. "Psh, they get all sorts here. Water Sector. Come on, I'll walk with you. Y'know, never met an actual blood-drinking vampire before. Just the energy kind. And they suuuuuck." She snickers.

10

[gammavirginis]

As the sun goes down, Porrim's supernatural nature becomes more clear as the natural glow of her skin becomes more visible. It's something she's long learned how to 'turn off', but why? It's a good icebreaker, and if you couldn't tell by the way she dresses, she likes being the center of attention.

She's sitting at an outdoor table in the fire sector when Devin approaches her, and she can't help but smile.

"You know, there's a lot of ways to interpret that," she replies. Her smile exposes a familiar pair of fangs between her pierced lips. "Care to narrow it down?"

[annihilist]

He's starting to get used to all the strange appearances around here, so the woman (creature? he can't quite tell what she is and how to describe her) doesn't get much more than a pair of raised eyebrows for her oddities.

The fangs are suggestive of vampirism, but not conclusive. Lots of things had fangs.

"I find that being specific in this case is very off-putting for most people," Devin answers mildly. "It's difficult to get answers when you can't engage in the first place. This is why I prefer conversation to interrogation. But since you asked, I'm looking for someone willing to part with a pint or two of their blood, lest I become unmanageable."

She seemed like the type to at least be aware of his kind, if not among them, and therefore less fearful of his requirements.

[gammavirginis]

"Ah, a rainbow drinker then. Or- you call them 'vampires', right? It's still strange to me that humans only have the one blood color." It was an interesting thought experiment for her, if every troll had Kankri's mutant blood. Would it solve the hemospectrum problems? Would the loss of diversity really be worth it?

"But that's off-topic. You're a foreigner, yes? Do you know if you can consume Kedan blood or not?"

[annihilist]

Rainbow drinker? Devin wasn't quite sure what to make of that, but this woman was entirely strange. "Technically, they have blood in two colors - oxygenated and not. One is quite darker than the other, and appears blue under the skin. And yes, vampires."

He glanced around them, mostly out of habit and situational awareness, and then nodded. "I am indeed one of the Foreigners, much to my displeasure. I haven't yet had a chance to explore the possibility of the kedan, but given how humanoid they are I would imagine their blood would do. I would still need to find someone willing in order to try."

5

[byinbitation]

Ah, violence. That's adorable.

It's not about him, but Melek ambles over anyway, just to see what's happening, and takes a moment to consider the scene. Pickpocket versus -- well, someone lacking a heartbeat, which has upped his interest significantly. "That sounds like a promise," he says, leaning far too closely into the tall man's personal space to peer at the hand that might be getting lost. "Is it?"

oh goodie

[annihilist]

Devin peers at the newcomer curiously, and doesn't let go of the would-be thief despite the fact that he's started to struggle in the vampire's grip. The apparent lack of respect for personal space is interesting in it's own right, albeit unwelcome.

"I'm assuming you don't understand the difference between a promise and a threat," he answers after a moment. "However, I can demonstrate if you don't leave me to my business."

[byinbitation]

"Aren't they the same thing?" Melek wonders aloud. He leans in a little bit more, to be contrary, though he's not obstructing Devin's ripping arm. By all means, demonstrate. "A threat doesn't mean much if you won't back it up, I've always thought. Makes it more like a gentle suggestion. So you promise violence, and keep your word if conditions aren't met." He sounds nonchalantly pleased with himself about this one.

[annihilist]

The thief continues to try and wriggle away, and has started to look between the two other men with fear in his eyes. He's also long since let go of Devin's dagger. The vampire sighs and releases the thief, smacking him on the back of the head as he flees. "Go, learn something instead of stealing," Devin calls after him.

And then he turns to the newcomer, who still won't get out of his space and in fact has gotten closer. "Threats become promises when acted upon. Sometimes threats are enough on their own to produce a desired response. Case in point - he still has a hand, I still have my property, and he'll think twice before trying again. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to be anywhere but here," Devin says, bowing slightly as he takes a step back and hopes the stranger won't follow him.

10. hello buddy

[dadpire]

That turn of phrase usually meant one of three things, in Baqir's long and storied experience:

1. sex;
2. drugs; or
3. rock and roll that the speaker was a creature like him.

"Asking questions like that is likely to attract the wrong kind of attention, you know," he says, just as nebulously. "Because something that vague doesn't mean that you'll find what you're looking for. Please. Elaborate."

wheee

[annihilist]

Devin takes a moment to take the stranger in, studying him. "Being straightforward doesn't generally win me any favors, either," he counters without venom. "I've often found the seedy underbelly of a place is at least a good start."

Not always, but often. Still, this is a new city and he's found himself in a situation out of his control yet again. Despite his general distaste for relying on other people, he does need the help.

"But since you've asked, I'm looking for someone willing to part with a replenishable portion of their circulatory system." He may as well be blunt. "Blood. And preferably not directly from them."

huzzah

[dadpire]

That actually makes Baqir smile. "That's rather a roundabout way to say it, then."

He studies the stranger right back; you don't get to be his age without noticing when you're being observed.

"Unfortunately for the both of us, they aren't exactly accommodating. No little lemonade stands with A, B, AB, and O, choose your flavor," he says, chuckling. "May as well search together."

[annihilist]

There is a moment where Devin hesitates, instinct reminding him that he's chosen to spend his life killing other vampires. But he also knows that killing one here wouldn't be very permanent, and that his time is better spent doing things that are not repeatedly trying to kill another vampire every few days just because he won't die.

He seems oddly friendly, as far as vampires in Devin's world go. And still willing to help, which is useful. Survival is sort of an important thing here.

"I'm not used to situations in which I have to go searching for it so blindly," he admits. "But I suppose there's no point in going about it separately. Have you been here long?"