LET'S [test] DRIVING

[cava]

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN, YOU KNOW THE DRILL. Here's a few options, all stolen shamelessly from previous iterations.

> The Park. Man, what a nice day out. Why not enjoy it? I'm sure -- shit, yep, there's some echo monsters or whatever they're called.
> The Mall. Exactly what it says on the tin! Dodge the hordes of teenage mallrats or take part, whichever suits your tastes.
> Rainy Day. Agh, it's fucking awful out. And is it raining those vermilion things?? Now you've got an Echo to contend with on top of everything else. Find some shelter, quick!
> Arts and Crafts Fair. WILL THE KITSCH OVERWHELM YOU


or make up your own whatever this is basic and just for the purposes of getting a new test drive up.

Comments

[detectivetroll]

[Hey there partner.

Guess who's also at the park on his day off, sipping a cup of coffee as he cuts through it on the way back from the stand with the really good croissants.

Then he spots Yuji, and changes course to slide up next to him.]

No karaoke bar today?

[amajin]

[He fakes a sniffle]

That's cos you're such a cute little bunny, m'dear!

[He rubs her head as she breaks away, and follows along.]

So, how about lunch and then we go clothes shopping. I'll tell my boss I can't come in cos it's hard to be a single dad. I'll buy you some new boots.

[sponsorigami]

[ The one time when Ivan wouldn't mind being noticed... He twists in order to keep his footing, but he loses his cell phone in the process. It lands on the ground with a nasty sounding crack. Ivan's heart drops at the thought of losing his work but quickly switches gears once he realizes he just crashed into a blind girl rather than some park structure.

Cue a flustered and slightly panicked Ivan. ]

I-I'm so sorry. Are you... are you okay?

[dead_wife]

[Lilly doesn't wish to be rude, but as soon as she hears that deep voice, she can't help lifting her head and looking around. The only men who tend to frequent such places are often dragged here by their significant others, suffering the onslaught of kitsch like it were some trial of the gods to prove their love.]

[She sees no men, however. Then the voice again, and her gaze is drawn towards the woman at her elbow. ...Except it's not a woman.]

[Goodness.]

[Her knuckles tap against her lip as though to apologize for her surprise, though she hasn't openly reacted with anything more than a brief wide-eyed stare. Her gaze drifts to the garment he holds. Well. Who is she to judge? Besides, he does seem to have good taste.]

It is. The stitching is quite fine.

[bonapartes]

[ even though it's a nice enough day, the sun beating down in full force, marius is still draped in a too large locke city university sweater, the oddity made complete with the grinning bliz polar bear printed on the front. he's contemplating the lecture he's just emerged from, one more specifically focusing on the intricacies of the parisian sewer systems, when he nearly ends up bumping into someone. it's a close call, marius stopping just a couple of paces away from where the blonde is standing, and he grins bashfully, after a moment noticing the pamphlets in the other's grasp.

it's only polite to take one, isn't it? clearing his throat once, he takes a pamphlet from the man, haphazardly flipping through it; taking note of some of the more... extremist idealism. ] You're looking for volunteers, then?

[ a tilt of his head, as he shoves the pamphlet away into the messenger bag slung over his side. the crunching sound as the paper folds is too loud in his own ears, and he barely suppresses a wince. ]

I'm Marius.

[sciencetank]

[His head snaps up so fast it might as well as have been on a string. His eyes are wide and startled behind the glasses. One hand jerks off the keyboard, elbow knocking into a mug which skitters off the desktop.]

[He's not a small man, despite his profession. But he stares at her like a yeti or something just stormed into his lab and he's unarmed in the woods.]

It's courteous to knock, you realize.

[... apparently he didn't hear it the first time.]

Who in blazes are you?

Marius Pontmercy | Les Misérables

[bonapartes]

[ maybe he should have checked the weather, he bemoans, before deciding to check out the town around locke university. the shag of his brown hair is plastered to his forehead, and the thin cotton of his shirt soaked through when he finally finds somewhere to take cover; on the curve of a sidewalk under the shelter of a store overhang.

there's nothing much to do now, he supposes idly, except track the darkening clouds and try not to get splashed by oncoming traffic. ]

[nishikikouji_tohri]

[He raises his chin, pretty much daring her, or anyone else, to comment. Yes, he does look like a woman. ...honestly he'd look effeminate regardless of what he wore, but he could afford plastic surgery if he didn't like it.

Seems nothing is forthcoming. Ah well.]

Don't you think so? And it's here surrounded by tie-dyed nuisances. But, so goes artistry! If a thousand flops lead to a masterpiece, so be it! I must talk to the proprietor - [and he leans one way or another, and pouts] -aaaand she's gone off to the girl's room, or something. Hmph.

[metalbent]

[ Whoa, that crack was worrying. Sophie tilts her head in the direction of the now presumably broken cell, listening. ]

Yeah, yeah, I'm fine - what was that? Is there glass around here?

[ Her irritation is still there, but first things first: determine what that was. ]

[sassymaru]

[And of course, he's going to assume that coffee is for him, and snag it. He'll give it back after a sip or two, don't worry.]

[He does, however, give a slight bow of his head, all demure in posture, while he grins a little wickedly.]

Alas, no. I'm afraid they've instigated a song limit.

[dead_wife]

[Lilly wouldn't dream of picking a fight! She'd lose. BADLY. Besides, as she listens to him speak, she can appreciate the passion in his voice. He's confident about what he likes, and well-educated to boot.]

I'm certain she will return in a few moments.

[She glances curiously at the garment once more, but doesn't reach out to touch it.]

Is this where you do most of your shopping?

Riderman {AR} | Kamen Rider Decade

[forgottendecade]

[Rider Garage was just what was on the tin - a huge box shaped building with four garage doors, two of which were propped open to let in air and out fumes. Piles of mechanical equipment laid around the concrete floor in a kind of chaotic order that most garages seem to hold while three figures in coveralls were poking at unmoving vehicles with various tools of the trade. There's a semblance of an office in one corner - a boxed-off room with windows on all sides and a door that could be kicked in if given the right pressure. Sitting at the desk, his bad leg resting on as stool, a cane sitting right next to his hand and an open ledger on his knee, is the owner Kerry "Kyo" Rider formerly called Joji Yuki.

Maybe you're here because you heard about the former racing star. Or maybe you're here to pick up a vehicle left in the care of him and his gang because the price is cheap. Or maybe you're a cop checking up on a couple parolees working at reattaching mufflers and fixing breaks. whatever the case, going to speak to Rider results in a very sour look.]

[worlddominationbaby]

[ And now he's introducing himself?

(What a weirdo...)

Wait--

Madeline stomps her foot on the floor. ]

I'm not a maniac kid! I'm Madeline Mayes, future scientific genius!

[ She puts a hand on her hip and looks at him accusingly. ]

What's an old fogey like you doing here anyway?

[amajin]

Guest lecture! I'm gonna talk about robotics in an engineering class.

[He hops up.]

If you're not a genius yet, you gotta lot of work to do, kiddo.

[He pokes her in the nose and then stands up straight, crossing his arms.]

What's your field of study?

[worlddominationbaby]

[ As soon as her shoes make contact with poor Yousha's face, Madeline somehow manages to vault herself backwards.

Too bad she doesn't know how to land properly on stairs. She ends up on her face. ]

Ow owowow ow...

[ PAIN. Soreness. Her head! Oh wait, but there's another person, isn't there. She looks up, wincing at the crumble of grad student, and wonders if she should quietly dart off.

... Yeah, she's gonna try splitting. ]

[worlddominationbaby]

[ Thrown off by the nose poke, she scuttles back a few steps. Her surprise is quickly overridden by his question, though. TALK ABOUT HERSELF? GLADLY. ]

Science!

[ That... That's a little too broad, Madeline... ]

[worlddominationbaby]

[ Too busy recovering from crashing into the wall to answer right away, please leave a message after the pity party.

One light book, still sailing in the air, finally makes its way down, conking Madeline's head in the process. ]

OW!

[ Glancing around for someone to blame, she (finally) notices Linda and shoots her a dirty look. ]

Hey! Keep better track of your stuff!

[amajin]

Oookay...

[He cocks an eyebrow]

Care to narrow that down a little?

Buttercup | The Powerpuff Girls

[buddahcup]

[Twelve-year-old Ellen Green has an older brother who she idolizes in a band with his high school friends, a younger sister who idolizes her, and an actively hypercompetitive streak, especially where they're concerned, that she developed all at once some time ago in spite of the fact that she's on good terms with them both.

It's manifested in a couple of things - one is an interest in music, even if she doesn't have any heart in the idea of actually making it that may allow you to catch her rooting carelessly through CDs at some store or another; the other is a longing to take everything she does to an EXTREME. She loves adventure. She loves excitement. She loves adrenaline. And often enough she turns to seeing how much speed she can pick up rollerblading down the street or through the park for all o' that.]

[worlddominationbaby]

Genetics! Genetics is the key to power and I'm gonna own it.

[amajin]

Are you kidding? Genetics...

[He rolls his eyes]

It's a field with a lot of potential to help people and cure disease, but power? If you want power, become a robotics engineer! Why try to generate superpowers when you can create something from the ground up that'll give you exactly what you want without having to convince them or wait for them to get control of things?

[worlddominationbaby]

[ Her smile turns REALLY FUCKIN' SMUG. This man doesn't realize that there already are a bunch of super powers ripe for the picking.

Oh yes, Madeline Mayes has been lurking on the network for months. She's going to grab DNA samples of every person with a super power, isolate the genetic "thingy" (her words, not mine) responsible for them, and then...

world domination.

That's the plan, anyway. ]

Finding a cure is power. Think of all the lives saved-- saved by my smarts. My sphere of influence will become huge. Who cares about robots? Those are for dweebs.

[amajin]

[He presses his hand to his chest as if stricken.]

Dweebs....?

[He's probably lucky she didn't realize his last name is a giant robot anime reference, really. But still, it hurts. He regains his composure quickly.]

Robots can save lives too. That's what I do, I build medical robotics. Stuff as simple as a more sensitive reader for vital signs up to something as complicated as a robot that can perform surgery.

[He flips his fingers into his jacket pocket and comes out with a business card, which is ostentatious with gold filigree. He offers it to her]

You still wanna save lives when you get outta here, give me a call. Robots or no robots, I can maybe help you with an internship. I'll tell my boss you almost kicked me in the head and he'll put in a good word for you.

[nishikikouji_tohri]

Hmph. I'd hope as much.

[Smirk, and he runs a gloved hand through his hair.]

No. No, my dear, thankfully I can afford so much better. But life deserves spice, and past a certain level they're all caught up in themselves. A pricetag is not the ultimate assessment of quality - money ruins art, if it's allowed.

[predestinarianism]

[She is 100% okay with this, and crouches over quickly to shield her bike while she runs from store to store. She pops her head inside the shop to say thank you, and to maybe ask if she can bring it inside (the girl looks around her age, even if she's not surprised that she doesn't recognize her from school) but then she sees exactly what sort of shop this is. Well, that's probably the worst place for a bike...]

Ah, thanks, I'll just wait outside.