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souljammed2016-09-01 12:38 pm
soulmods) wrote in souljammed2016-09-01 12:38 pm
Entry tags:
September / October Test Drive
 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! As if in response to your masterful victory, you feel as though you've unlocked a new power. 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! |
no subject
[Bro lifts one of his hands, fingers splayed in a "what the fuck" motion.]
You got some info to lay on me, or are you just going to gawk like a prom queen watching her king get splatted by his asshole friend's car?
[Dammit, Dave. Say something. Anything. Don't just gawk at him like that. It's embarrassing.
It's funny how easy it is to get back into the swing of things, especially when fear and uncertainty demand you do. Cause it's been a long time, Dave, but class is back in session.]
1/3 or something probably
Unbelievable. Four years after the fact, he's really back from the fucking dead.]
Holy fuck.
nah more like 2/4 (watch me follow this up with 3/5)
WAIT. DID HE JUST SAY THAT OUT LOUD??]
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He supposes that might be forgivable if it were, oh, anyone other than Bro, but there are unspoken rules when you're speaking to Bro and one of them is that you don't show any sign of weakness where he can get a whiff of it, for fuck's sake.
He might as well put his entire foot in his mouth and moonwalk straight down the nearest flight of stairs right now.]
done
Depends. What kind of info are we talking here, 'cause if you were being sincere with the puppet thing then just for the record I don't keep tabs on him.
[Fuck that thing, seriously.]
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You say something bro? Not sure I caught it.
[Don't say shit you aren't going to keep pushing. How hard is that to understand, Dave? You say something, it's yours. You own it. It's been years, bro. You should have remembered that by now. Should have known better. Just acting like it was a fart you were trying to pass off with silence wasn't gonna fly.]
Having a blind spot in your info isn't really a virtue. Maybe you ought to just lay out everything you do know for me right here. Maybe you'll surprise me.
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He's not intimidated at all, though. He's seventeen years old, and he is way past being intimidated by his douche of an older brother. Hell, he outgrew that years ago, to the point where he barely even noticed Bro's been gone for four years.
Really. Really.]
You want me to lay out everything I know.
[He actually has no idea where to even begin explaining anything about this place that doesn't make him sound like a grade A chump, so clearly the best way to get past this is some good old fashioned bravado.
Again, not intimidated at all. Nuh uh. No way.]
Dude, if I start laying out everything I knew, we'd be here all month.
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Honestly. It's been years since Dave has seen him. Part of Bro's mind tells him he aught to back it down a little. Let Dave re-accustom himself to how this goes, at least a little.
But naw. No. That's not how this is going down. Dave just put out too big a boast to ignore. When he was younger, back home, when the dude was thirteen, Bro would've congratulated him on it. Hell. It was the first step to acting like a man, talking the talk.
But now Dave's older. Dude is on the threshold of being a man. And if he hasn't gotten to the step of walking the walk, he better damn well soon.]
All month, huh?
[Bro crosses his arms, resting his chin in one of his palms - you know the expression, the judgment that comes from it, the sheer way it'd make you feel insubordinate - before he speaks again.]
Summarize it for me then. You know it all that well, words oughta come flowing out like movie theater butter. Hell, your tongue ought to be slick with 'em.
So lay me out a fat beat and bring that explanation home. Rap that shit and wrap it up nice for me. Shouldn't be too hard, right?
no subject
>DAVE: ABSCOND
Can't abscond, bro. There'd be no living that down.
Instead, he thinks he's got a good excuse for not doing this right here. If he's going to embarrass himself colossally, he'd rather not air it for everyone else in town to see, at the very least.]
Look, if you want me to drop any real shit then we're gonna have to meet up somewhere, 'cause these mirrors aren't secure and I don't really feel magnanimous enough to be giving quality intel to everybody in earshot completely free of charge.
no subject
[He's got to admit: it's tempting to tell Dave to bring the thunder right here or just admit he's shooting nerf darts instead of lightning bolts. Same time, he is putting up a righteously tough front and showing he's a guy who, while not giving a fuck, isn't going to just jeopardize himself.
Alright. We can level on this.]
Sounds good to me. I didn't raise a fucking charity case. You going to lay it out, you're gonna lay it out at my comfort though.
[Get ready Dave, cause here come directions for his house.]
Same rules as always in my house, case you forgot: if you bring any weak ass shit in with you, you'll be staying on the roof for a night to air that shit out.
no subject
If anyone else made a demand like that over the mirrors - asking him for info, then having the audacity to make Dave come to them - he'd be summarily telling them to fuck themselves and flipping them dual birds while switching off the mirror.
But this is Bro, and he can't do that with Bro.
He has to go, because apparently he's just that goddamn stupid. Apparently after all these years, Bro still just has that much sway over him.
Again: godfuckingdamn, what the hell is wrong with him?]
...I'll be there in five.
[He hates himself so much right now, but there's no backing down.
As he makes his way to his destination, he's almost surprised by how not completely horrible it is. Sure, there are stupid fucking puppets everywhere; there's even a pile at the door like a goddamn doorstop, because apparently Bro just likes the stupid things that much.
But considering the fact that these places weren't bound by the rules of reality and a hail of puppets didn't start raining on him the moment he walked through the door, it's surprisingly bearable.
So far, anyway. He's not letting his guard down anytime soon.]
no subject
The house may not seem as extreme as Bro's digs back home, but that doesn't mean it can't still feel like the old place. Especially when the door slams shut behind Dave after he enters, no one there.
Guess who else got flashstepping from their wish, Dave. This'll be fun. Because of course Bro isn't just going to show himself immediately.
C'mon Dave. It's time to see what you can do.]
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Another part tells him to rebel. To tell Bro he's sick and tired of this, that he has been for a long time, that he doesn't want to do this and he's not doing this anymore.
He never really entertains either as real options; he can't help it - he's still, despite everything that's happened since Bro up and flashstepped the fuck out of his life four years ago, nauseatingly terrified of how Bro might react if he tried either of those options. Still pathetically desperate for some shred of approval from him, something - anything, really - that wasn't condescension or outright indifference.
He transforms and summons his sword.]
no subject
Alright Dave. Let's see how good you are at following his motions now. Should be a bit better than you had been, right.
Truth be told, his flashstep here is slower than back home. And from the look of his gem, if what he was told was true, this shit is draining whatever mojo he's got going. But he can fix that later after class is done.
He's zipping by, moving things in the room. Little things at first: putting a can down, moving it to another area. Then he gets a bit rougher.
Then the puppets come out.
He starts by putting them at the corners of the room, then moving that shit closer and closer to Dave. He's getting closer and closer while he does it. C'mon, Dave. Focus. Pay attention, son. If you can't see him at this distance, at this slowed speed, then what the fuck.
Cause if you see him you should be doing something. Initiate. Take a swing at him, feint, do something Dave. Otherwise he's going to start piling these fucking puppets on your head.]
no subject
Dave's stomach is still doing flips at the thought of having to face off against Bro again, but puppets are a different story. Since coming to this shitty town, this is, what, his third time having to deal with asshole puppets that won't stop flopping around? That, on top of all the negative experiences he's had with them...
Well, it's not difficult to channel all of his anger into the cause of decimating every puppet Bro puts within reach. He doesn't even hesitate as he slices them into ribbons.]
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And how much he hated it when he felt that. How much it reminded Bro that he was just here for a bit with the dude, that eventually Dave wouldn't have a goddamn need for him. Would kick him to the curb because he was self-reliant. No more need to set his clothes out, help him get his shoes on, no thank you. Time to set out and have his own pad, his own life. And the fact that that time is here just makes that tight, hard feeling of pride pound more.
And Bro a bit anger. Hell. Who did Dave think he was, thrashing his boys like this? Used to be a time when the dude was smaller and knew the kind of respect you showed his boys, the kind of respect he should show his Bro. Here they were with puppet guts scattering the floor and shit. Bro would be damned if someone was going to tear his boys apart and just pad the carpet with them.
He brings his katana out, catching it against Dave's with his hilt, of course. Having to one up Dave's one motions with his own, having to remind Dave who the big man here was.]
Not bad. You can hit a near stationary target, gotta give you a golf clap for that, Tiger Woods.
[And then Bro twists his hold on the hilt, trying to knock Dave's blade to the side so he can get a clean shot of trying to hit him in the shoulder with the hilt.]
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If it had been anyone other than Bro saying that to him, he probably could've followed that one rule. Hell, the fact that it's Bro saying it to him means even more that he can't afford to slip up so easily.
But because it is Bro, because the need to prove him wrong and prove things have changed since the last time they fought and just fucking prove himself, period settles over him like a stifling, unbearable weight, he loses his cool. His mind briefly goes blank in a chorus of shits, fucks, you done fucked up Daves and why is Bro such a fucking assholes, and he doesn't see Bro's attack coming.
His sword embeds itself into the plush felt of a nearby puppet as it slips from his hands and across the room, out of his reach.]
Shit.
[Dave flinches, then brings his hands up reflexively to shield himself and block Bro's blow.]
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Shit, bro.
[He says, craning his neck to the side to crack it a little, twirling his katana in his hand. He knew it. He knew it Dave, you were getting a bit rusty on this shit. You need yourself a teacher and buddy, he's back in town.]
That's a bitch, huh. Knew your words were slick as hell, didn't know your hands were. Better get ready to get 'em dirty though, cause this is gonna suck for you.
[He strikes out, leg kicking towards Dave's stomach. Might want to move quick Dave, get yourself rearmed. Because this session sure the fuck isn't over.]
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Bro, this is bullshit. I thought I came here to give you the lowdown on this place, not to waste all of my magic.
[The moment the words leave his mouth, he feels like he's made a mistake; it's too late to take them back, though. God, he's just shitting all over this little reunion, isn't he? This was his chance to finally prove himself, and he'd gone and fucked it all up.
Why does he even care so much? He wishes he didn't, but damn if he doesn't.]
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What did Dave just say to him?]
Well, I mean, hey Dave. You wanted to back down, don't have to make excuses.
[What, was his bro giving up? Was Dave so weak he was just going to set this shit down, when it was getting hot, right now? If Dave just couldn't take the heat by this point, then hell. Dude wasn't going to amount to shit when it came down to it.
Never mind the fact it's so reasonable. That it's so adult. Hell, if it had been anything else Bro would have realized how sane that sounded. Training could always wait a bit. But naw. No. Not this time. Dude is trying to chickendance his ass out of here. That's it. That has to be it. What else could it be.
It's not like he could know better than him, right?]
You can't handle it. I understand. Let's take a seat in the front room, you can rap it down for me. I'll even get a nice cushion for your sensitive ass.
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[The noise that escapes Dave's throat is completely undignified, and he honestly doesn't even know why he's surprised by any of the words that just came out of Bro's mouth. Really, how the fuck was he expecting Bro to react?
Still, if Bro's aim was to get his goat, the he's succeeded tremendously.
Before Dave even registers what he's doing, he's spun his arm out in a whirling motion, palms outstretched in Bro's direction. His powers kick in, spraying a jet of jpeg particles straight at Bro in what Dave hopes is sufficient distraction.
Then he's zipping across the room with his flashstepping abilities and fishing his sword back into his hands. There's no way in hell he's gonna take that kind of insult lying down.]
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Right now though, it's just pissing him off as he brings his arms up to block the assault. By the time he puts them down Dave's already across the room, drawing his steel up.
That's how we're going to play? Alright. Looks like he can play a bit rough.
Here comes Bro, Dave, swinging his blade low. Better move or block, because he's not playing easy for this.]
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He retreats back a few steps before Bro can take advantage of any of the many holes in his shoddy defense, then flashsteps forward again with his sword swinging.]