Test Drive Meme 019

[voidtreckermods]

Welcome to the Test Drive Meme! Here is the place to see how your character might fit the setting, grab samples and have fun!

1. Post with your character, including their name and series in the subject. We’ve written out some prompts but feel free to make up your own, you have a whole train to play with!

2. Assume they've been around long enough for threads to jump right into the action.

3. Have lots of fun.

Happy testing!

Winter Wonderland

Experienced Voidtreckers will be the first to recognise when the announcement of a stop comes over the speakers: “Arriving at world 9126110 in ten, nine, eight…”

The doors don’t open, the train doesn’t stop. Instead, it slows, and the garden carriage opens its curved, clear roof as though it were a convertible, both sides folding back until the carriage is open to the air. The world is a picture of snow-covered mountains and sparse conifers, and within minutes the garden’s fountain and streams have iced over, soft snow coating the cobbles and benches.

The stop lasts all day, the vending machines dispense free hot chocolate, and the dressing carriage is filled with thick coats, wooly hats, and warm gloves.

Void Santa Is Coming To Town

It’s a day like any other, except that the morning announcement has a rider.

“There are packages in the luggage car for all passengers. Enjoy. ”

And indeed, it seems that something has visited during the night - the carriage at the back of the train is unusually neat, the piles of empty luggage stacked carefully near the back to make room for a huge array of wrapped objects. Void Santa, maybe? The difference between Void Santa and, say, one of the many Earth Santas or the Gyueran Spirit of Generosity, is that Void Santa doesn’t give you what you asked for.

It gives you something you wouldn’t have dared to ask for. That nerdy figurine that you eyed in the window of the store, the dress you weren’t brave enough to try on, the device you decided was too expensive. The poster of your favourite holostar, the latest risque novel from the local printworks… the list goes on.

You’ve got a present in here, better find it before someone else does!

Animal at Heart

Seibairen, world #671155003, is a world of dualities. Technologically advanced but also deeply mystical, its population is currently suffering under the rule of a nameless arcanist, a genius of artificial intelligence and magecraft who seeks to elevate her own mechanical brethren above their biological creators. Unfortunately, she is far too powerful to face directly.

Team One

The arcanist holding the world of Seibairen in thrall is particularly skilled with polymorph spells, and her first move as the Voidtreckers enter the conflict is to cast one over a wide area, transforming almost half of the force into various animals. The spell seems to be mildly incompatible with void-travellers, as those affected have turned into creatures from their homeworlds, if possible, rather than the local wildlife. The fight is still on, no time to panic!

… Or maybe some time to panic, it’s looking permanent for now. Still, the civilians need the Voidtreckers’ protection, animal or not, and it isn’t like they’ve lost any of their abilities.

Team Two

The monks of the deep peaks, trained in anti-magic combat and able to counter the arcanist and her forces, are the best hope for turning the tides. Unfortunately, their remote stronghold is blockaded the moment the Voidtreckers arrive, trapping them under a shield of pale metal and harsh light. There are several ways they and the unlucky early Voidtreckers might be freed: the power sources of the barrier, held in the centre of the arcanist’s camps, could be destroyed or sabotaged. Alternatively, the barrier could be overloaded or even broken from the inside by an ancient artefact held within the inner temple. The monks are able to guide the Voidtreckers through a telepathic metaconcert, but hurry, time is running out...

Team Three

A thaumatologist somewhere within the capital is rumoured to be able to reverse the arcanist’s strange spells, which would give the Voidtreckers a fighting chance against her directly. Several different people are claiming to be this thaumatologist, and they all have a list of ingredients they’ll need for the protective ritual and/or devices they’re offering.

At least one of them is sure to work, but there’s going to be some experimenting before that happens. Alternatively, force would find the correct researcher fairly quickly, but it would also attract attention.

Comments

[tortoiseshelltigress]

I could sit in on that, if you like. Obviously I can't hold a sword, but if you got hurt, I think I could tell, even if your student couldn't, the cat muses.

It might help me, too--I've never been much of a hunter, if I didn't have a human who fed me, it would've turned out poorly for me! Is that a note of embarrassment in Saash's voice? Perhaps.

It's also a thought that, at least for the time being, you could consider the train folk your city, and protect them, if you can? Being a defender of sorts is no bad thing.

[bakegarasu]

"You're getting fed here though, right? Like... proper food, not just junk." Look, he's seen enough stray cats eating gross stuff, he needs to make sure she's not doing that here. "... And yeah. It'd be... if you don't mind, yeah. Sitting in might be good."

The train as his city... something in him chafes at that, but there's not too many options. "Might work. There's people here who can't fight... someone has to make sure they don't die."

[tortoiseshelltigress]

I need to ask for help, but I'm usually remembered. Saash doesn't like using too much wizardry to help herself unless it's absolutely necessary--what if she needs it later for someone else? Someone who truly needs her help?

She can practically smell the irritation coming off of him, and bumps her head against his hand. It's temporary. This isn't iAh'Hah either, you know. And yet, here we are. Not her city, but Saash's plan is to do her best for them...

[bakegarasu]

"You can find me if you need hands." He knows thumbs are useful, and while cats can climb high on their own he's a pretty decent height for one to launch off from.

He leans down to bump his head against hers briefly. "I know, but still. ... And I'm - I'd say I should learn your language since you keep using it, but I don't think I'm smart enough to do that." He mostly only retained the swear words in English and whatever was needed in terms of loan words.

[tortoiseshelltigress]

Her purr grew louder. Thank you! But then she backed up to sneeze, briefly. Not that she was sick, just his comment about not being smart enough!

I think you're plenty smart enough, but Ailurin is difficult for most non-People to learn, much less master. There's such a difference between numbers of vowels and consonants! Was I being rude? I hope not, but I apologize if I was. Humans call my city 'New York', if that helps at all.

[bakegarasu]

“No, you weren’t being rude. Even if you were, I’m used to it. New York, huh... I’ve never been. But it’s pretty far away... it seems like it’s pretty different from what I’ve seen on TV.” Not like he could ever go there now, even if he wanted to.

[tortoiseshelltigress]

That doesn't mean I have to continue. I'm sorry. But yes, I suppose it is. Where are you from, then? And oh, I suspect it is. I don't think I've ever watched TV myself, but Rhiow's humans do, and she says they like to dramatize things...perhaps a bit overmuch.

There might have been a few around Grand Central, but TV wasn't the sort of thing to catch Saash's attention.

[bakegarasu]

“A little... my brother liked movies and some were set there. I’m from Shinjuku. It’s part of the Tokyo area. It has -“ ... Wait. “Had about three hundred thousand people, I think. Don’t know the death toll from Eko’s mess yet. It’s a colorful mess of bright lights and shady deals. There’s a lot of company headquarters there, too.”

As much of a mess the place was, it was home.

[tortoiseshelltigress]

Oh, in Japan? I've been to Japan, but I don't think I went to that area. Mostly because she'd been busy at the time. Saash and her team had been there to take care of the local gating complex. No time to carouse or play--which Urruah had been rather sad about. His favorite thing was sampling the local cuisine, after all. He was definitely a foodie, that tom was.

You miss it. I understand. I miss my home, too...and even Abha'h. And his flea powder..."

[bakegarasu]

“You should, if you get the chance. If your version isn’t also destroyed, I mean.”

He gave her a few good scritches, trying to get where she’d been scratching. “What do you miss from there?”

[tortoiseshelltigress]

I hadn't heard anything about it, but we don't always get news...then again, if it was something we'd be tasked to take care of, it's a different story.

She caught his hand with gentle paws and gave it a lick or two as she thought.

My friend Rhiow. Watching Urruah feed his opera fetish--I'm not sure I understand it, but the humans are good singers, if nothing else. I miss the deli, too...I really enjoyed the cheese, Saash said with a sigh. And what about you, then?

[bakegarasu]

He drew her close to his chest, trying to use a little bit of her body heat. His own body ran a little colder than most people.

“I miss the lights. Watching people go past. The music, and even the awful smells from back alley bars... the place is alive, even before I knew the city had a will. It’s always moving and changing.”

[tortoiseshelltigress]

Not that Saash seemed to mind, snuggling up and bumping his head with hers, now. She just kept purring.

Most cities are like that. Alive. New York certainly is. The humans call it the 'city that never sleeps', and it surely doesn't seem to. Not that the trains don't stop--they do. That can be sort of disconcerting, though. And hearing the rats skitter around at night...

She laid her ears back at that memory, but no more.

[bakegarasu]

He scritched her gently behind the ears. No, none of that. "I knew almost every single street and alleyway in our territory. It made it easier if I had to chase someone down... it also meant I got to know the living parts of Shinjuku that not a lot of people paid attention to. The stray animals, the plants that grow in tiny rooftop gardens... they're part of the city, too."

[tortoiseshelltigress]

Like the trains in Grand Central Station. You'd be surprised at what things are alive in the strangest places.

Nobody would consider most trains to be alive...though clearly the one they were on was a definite exception to that rule.

It's like that in New York, too, so that doesn't surprise me a bit. Other than the fact that it's probably going to miss me, especially as time passes. Her ears laid back at that. Saash knew that she didn't merit a timeslide, not she alone. Her absence just wouldn't be enough for such a thing.

[bakegarasu]

“Given that there’s a yokai I know that’s basically the spirit of an old umbrella, I’m not all that surprised.

... Oh no, sad cat. “H - hey. I’m sure it’ll be okay. I mean... hopefully I get back before a new Karas gets picked... I don’t know what I’d do with myself if I wasn’t doing that. But I’m sure it’ll be happy to have you back.”

[tortoiseshelltigress]

Well, I do like to think so. I've tried to do a good job as one of the Gate technicians, after all. Urruah and Rhiow couldn't do it all by themselves. That's why they were a team!

I don't think I'd be so easily replaced. You shouldn't be either...not that I know what a Karas is at all, Saash said. I'm a wizard, myself...as if I didn't mention that before.

[bakegarasu]

"Gate?" Never mind, there's explanations to run through. "You're going to have to tell me what 'wizard' means in your world since... there's so many worlds here it's probably not what I'm thinking of."

Saash is definitely not an old man with a beard and a funny hat, so there's that stereotype gone.

"A Karas is... uh. First I have to explain what a yurine is. It's the... personi... anth... I can't remember the word, but she's the will of a particular city and she looks either like a girl or a white cat. She picks someone to be her guardian, called a Karas. I know other cities in Japan do - at least the one that other Karas came from? We didn't really talk much. I don't know about other places. Never really asked."

He probably should have, come to think of it. "Anyway, we can't use our powers without her letting us use them. And our souls are in - uh. ... Don't know about other places, but mine is in an amulet. ... We make a contract with her. I don't know if other people know they're making a contract... she just told me my soul called out to her when I was dying."

[tortoiseshelltigress]

Embodiment? Saash asked, trying to be helpful. She listened to his explanation, and flicked an ear in acknowledgement.

Did she save you? I ask because while it's fair knowledge that cats have nine lives, I didn't think the same thing applied to humans. At least not casually, I do think they come back, at times.

It certainly explained why some people--and People--felt and acted like the proverbial 'old soul', but most cats weren't on their first life, when that happened.

And yes. Gates. They're...hmm. Well, the short and less proper answer is they connect places on Earth, and wizards can use them to get from place to place. Grand Central Station is one of the oldest loci for these gates, and I'm part of the team there. We keep them in shape and working properly.

[bakegarasu]

"She did. Twice." It was complicated. "I don't think people come back. But about a week before I boarded, I didn't think that anything supernatural existed." So the mental debate he was having was still ongoing.

He didn't know the word 'loci', but since she was talking about a station he figured it was about the same thing. "So I... guess it has something to do with whatever magic thing it is that you can do. I don't really understand magic."

Ootha reached into his pocket and took out his amulet, staring down at it. "This has most of the magic I use, but I can't show you without her around..." And his soul. No big deal, right?