APRIL TEST DRIVE MEME

[soulmods]

Test Drive Meme

Prompts Arrival: So you've just arrived in Nyoi-Cho. Congratulations! You must be so excited about having your wish granted. Or maybe you're upset that the result wasn't quite what you expected? If that's the case, then that's too bad! There are no take backs and no redoes, so you're stuck with what you have! Maybe you should have been more careful about how you worded that wish... Oh well. There's no use in dwelling on it. You're a magi now, and that means adjusting to a whole new lifestyle! Maybe one of the townspeople can help you out. Only... they're acting a bit strangely, aren't they? They're all too happy to show you around, but there's something unsettling about the way they're behaving. Almost cheerfully dissonant. Any questions about the history of the town are met with blank stares and brief silence, before they plaster a smile onto their faces and change the subject. Any attempts to tell them about your duties as a magi or anything else that relates to the magical will get similar reactions. Isn't there anyone normal here that you can talk to at all? Home Improvement: The houses that the magi are given access to really are something, aren't they? There's almost no limit to what they can do! Why don't you create the house of your dreams, or maybe recreate and relive your favorite childhood scenes? Invite some spectators over to marvel! A Corrupted Soul Gem: You neglected to take care of your soul gem, and now you don't feel quite yourself anymore. You feel like you're losing your sense of self - all you seem to be able to focus on is your old regrets and past failures. What's happening to you? A Day in the Life: Everyday hero by day, magician by night! You've got a busy day ahead of you and no time to waste! Maybe it's school, or maybe it's work, maybe it's both! Being magical doesn't make you exempt from paying those shopping bills! May Day: Uh-oh. This magical girl stuff looked easier on TV. You're in some serious trouble! Or maybe you see someone else who is! It's time to pull up your socks and show them what you have. Be the hero you've always wanted to be, or give in and be that damsel in distress. There's no shame in needing a little help now and then. A Successful Mission: Congratulations! You met up with your first Nightmare, and you fought valiantly. You even mastered that tricky power of yours! What sort of power did you get? Is it a useful one, or is it not so useful? Maybe you've mastered it beautifully, and now you're showing off to all of your friends. Maybe you're having a hard time keeping it under wraps, and now you're wreaking havoc across the town without meaning to! A Dreadful Nightmare: You had an absolutely horrid day. As you drift off to sleep, your mind dwells on all the injustices you've had to endure. In response, your bed swallows you up, and your room shifts into a horrific Nightmarescape. What sort of Nightmare are you? What kind of Nightmarescape do you create? Hopefully your fellow magi can stop you before you cause too much damage! Wildcard: Feel free to use any information from the FAQ or the World Info page to make your own prompt!

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Taiga Aisaka | Toradora!

[preparade]

[ School Days: Nice Boat or Something ]

[ Maybe you've seen this girl around class before, but never consistently. Some days she shows up, other days she's gone or skipping class, but today, she's late. The door to the classroom slams open--locals paying no mind--halfway through second period, and in meanders Taiga, bedhead and wrinkled uniform and all. Half asleep, the girl makes her way to her desk, sits down, and gets ready for a fun day at school!

Just kidding. She's promptly resting her head on her desk and falling back asleep. ]

[ May Days: Maybe? ]

[ Time for some Ghost Busting! Or uh, Nightmare fighting. Something like that. Tonight it's one of the run of the mill, boring small fry Nightmares that are barely even worth trying in, but either way it's important to take care of them! A perfect playground to hone your magic or try out a new technique or strategy.

Unless you're Taiga. This girl is brute forcing her way through, running from familiar to familiar and beating it to the ground with a wooden bokken. Once one of them goes down, Taiga casts a fearsome glance towards the next one, and breaks out in a mad dash to bludgeon it down with a loud yell.

Except, in her haste, she fails to notice a rather small rock in her path. Small, but definitely large enough for her to trip over it and go flying through the air. ]

Aaaagh!!!

[ Taiga lands directly into a group of familiars, and as she's sitting up grumbling and cursing to herself, rubbing at a lump already forming on her head, the familiars are closing in on her. She doesn't even seem to realise she's in any danger. ]

[loveedition]

[ It's not long before Taiga finds the familiars nearby slowing down quite a bit, the lump slowly, slowly potentially receding as the area surrounding them distorts just a bit. That's because Ryoko's standing nearby, slashing her way right through one of the familiars and flinging a few of her Soul Spears at the others.

After the ten seconds are up, Ryoko sighs and drops the space, running right over to check up on Taiga with a concerned yet really stunned look on her face. ]

You're okay, right? What was that, just now?

[ Ryoko didn't even see one of the familiars attack her... ]

[preparade]

[ rub rub rub... ]

H...huh? [ Okay what the hell is going on and why doesn't her head hurt anymore and WHY IS THERE A STUPID CHIHUAHUA FIGHTING NEXT TO--oh wrong person. Taiga looks up at Ryoko, perplexed. How did she take care of the familiars so quickly? ]

What was what?

[loveedition]

[ Whoever that person is, she could only wish to have eyebrows like this. Still, Ryoko's attention is suddenly diverted to this poor bite-sized girl that's still on the ground. ]

That. You falling! Did they get you? Are you alright?

[ She's a lot more worried than she's leading on, but seriously, how quick was one of them to attack her without anyone even noticing? ]

[preparade]

Get me...

[ ...

...

Oh. A shrug. ]

I tripped. I'm fine.

[loveedition]

You... tripped.

[ ......................... ]

Not very well coordinated, are you? [ Still, she should probably get up. Ryoko holds out a hand, to help her back to her feet. ]

[preparade]

[ HUFF. ]

Put a sock in it, eyebrows. I'm plenty c-ca-coordinated.

[ A grateful person would take that hand. Taiga pushes herself up to her feet on her own, brushing off her knees. ]

[loveedition]

Eyebrows?!

[ What the heck, rude! But, it's at this point that Ryoko gets a good glimpse of how... well, small this girl is. A meaner person would probably use that against her by calling her a name, but instead, Ryoko uses that to just go ahead and place her fingertips on Taiga's head, to try and get a better glimpse of her face. ]

Funny way of showing your gratitude. "Thank you, Asakura-san, for making sure I don't get hurt."

At least, you don't really seem hurt. [ And who's to thank for that one too, huh? ]

[preparade]

Oi, hands off. [ just gonna push those fingers away... it's rude to touch someone without permission! And, just for that, she shakes her head so her bangs cover even more of her face. Take that! ]

Thank you, eyebrows, for helping someone who wasn't in need of any help.

[ ...Taiga you were in need of help. ]

[loveedition]

[ Okay, fair. Ryoko pulls her hand back, not realizing that some people might not want to be looked over... this was a child, right? Like, a much younger than her child. It's fine, she's got an excuse to be immature.

Still, her tone irritated the hell out of ol' Mama Ryoko. ]

Really. From where I was, you were about a few seconds away from being picked apart by those familiars. You really need to be more careful.

[preparade]

[ Ah yes, a literal child. A child in her 2nd year of high school... Soon to be a productive member of society. Taiga scoffs at the scolding. There was no reason for this random girl to be worried about her, yet she was. ]

I would've been just fine on my own. I can handle this. I've got a sword.

[loveedition]

[ It's... a bokken. That's barely even a sword. Even though she was handling it pretty well before she got there, all it took was that one trip... ]

Listen. It's not going to get easier from here. You know that, right? If you run off on your own, you're just going to get yourself killed.

[preparade]

[ It's totally a sword!!! And does it really matter, if she just uses it as a bludgeon? ]

Oh, whatever. Like you'd actually care. I don't need someone to babysit me like an overbearing mom.

[loveedition]

[ Oh for Pete's sake... ]

Are you kidding? Of course I'd care. You're a magi too, right? We're in the same boat together, and I don't want to see you getting hurt.

[ Not that. She really knows you, but if that part didn't even matter. ]

[preparade]

[ Ugh! This girl is pissing her off! She shoots Ryoko a frustrated glare and brandishes her bokken over her shoulder. ]

I'm fine, okay? You're annoying.

[ Yup, she's perfectly fine and capable of protecting herself. That's exactly why there is a familiar approaching her from behind and Taiga seems to be completely unaware of it. ]

So stop goddamn nagging me when you don't even know my name.

[loveedition]

[ Thanks to the other girl's height, it was fairly easy to see the familiar coming close. Ryoko almost re-summoned her knife before stopping herself short. No, don't help. She was fine, right?

...

Actually. She waits for it to get close enough that she can once again, activate closed space around them. Whatever familiar was approaching was getting significantly slower, and Ryoko just decided to smile. ]

Yeah, you're right, I'm probably giving you too hard of a time. Sorry, sorry. Good luck with your friend.

[ As she points behind Taiga, at the slow moving enemy. ]

1/2

[preparade]

Fr-friend...?

[ Wait... what? She was alone here, she very pointedly left them behind... So they could be happy. Without her.

Taiga follows Ryoko's point, and upon the realisation that there was indeed a "friend" waiting for her, all color drains from her face and her expression contorts to one that is without a doubt, the face of a scared child. In similar fashion, her screaming as she wields her bokken to smash the familiar to bits is marked with fear.

Even after the familiar is dead, Taiga continues her attack two, three, four more strikes just in case. ]

2/2

[preparade]

[ Then she turns to Ryoko, eyes glistening just the slightest bit as she screams til her face is red. ]

W-what the hell?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?! Are you dense? Do you want me to die?!

[loveedition]

I'm sorry, I thought you had everything under control. I didn't want to be a distraction.

[ You're welcome, once again. It was harsh, certainly the harshest she's been since she's been here, but she had to learn somehow. ]

Ryoko Asakura. Pleased to meet you.

[ She doesn't sound too pleased at the moment, but there's also amusement there. Something about seeing a little girl here so angry and scared, it was kind of cute in a way. Oh Taiga, what will she do with you? ]

[preparade]

Y-You bitch!

[ YOURE JUST LIKE AMI EXCEPT YOU HAVE CATERPILLAR BROWS YOU TWO FACED IDIOT MOTHER!!!!! Agh!!!

As angry as Taiga looks though, and even though she's kinda... got her bokken prepared to strike... at Ryoko... she doesn't. She glares and glares and glares, but she's about as harmless as a kitten right now.

And finally, voice thick with frustration, Taiga offers her name: ]

Taiga Aisaka. Puh, you're gonna regret pulling that shit.

[ A (mostly) empty threat. ]

[loveedition]

[ Holy wow, she's rude. So much anger in such a small package, how does she keep it in there? Well. She can't really wash her mouth out with soap right now, they had business to take care of. ]

Well then, Aisaka-san. If you're done yelling, we aren't in the clear yet.

[ She turns to the side a bit, glancing onto the horizon. ]

Like it or not, you're stuck with me until we get out of here. You can make me regret whatever you want so long as you agree to behave. Okay?

[ Then, she'll let the whole language thing drop. ]

[preparade]

[ She doesn't keep it in there, that's the key. She lashes out at others and makes them regret even looking at her. ]

...Don't think you can boss me around.

[ huff ]

But I guess I'll help you out, since you need it so badly. [ TAIGA YOU ARE THE ONE WHO NEEDS THE HELP ]

[loveedition]

Right. Whatever you say.

[ It was more out of obligation at this point. If she left Aisaka alone, she'd definitely wind up hurt, and the last thing she wanted was that on her conscience.

Still, if she could help someone in a Nightmare at least once, she'd consider that a win. How difficult could she be to put up with? ]

[preparade]

[ Impressively difficult, but thankfully when she's paying attention, she's pretty darn good at beating things with a stick. Like, really good at it. So in no time, through the powers of handwaving fun, these two are able to take down the Nightmare and save the day! Maybe Taiga will actually thank Ryoko for saving her, having realised that this legitimately wasn't something she could handle on her own.

...Or she could shrug it off like she never needed the help of a fellow Magi, and just waltz down the street towards her house once everything's been cleared up, without even a goodbye to Ryoko. ]

1/2

[loveedition]

[ It's actually surprising! You guys should've been there, it was impressive. Really, for as klutzy as she seemed at first glance, Aisaka was actually pretty strong. If only her attitude was as good as her potential magi skills.

Once she's out, she sighs. Not bad at all! ]

See? That wasn't so hard, was it, Aisaka-san?

[ ........... ]

Ah... Aisaka?