RC Test Drive!

[rubycitymods]

I don't really have a fitting picture for this.

G'day, Ruby City! It's time for a meme for both testdrivers and denizens.

Been itching to test out some CR but haven't had the posts to do it? Thinking of apping a character but not sure they'll fit in the city walls?

Have no fear, a meme for you is here.

Directions:

• Post with your character with their name and canon on top!


• Choose a location and prompt or wait for someone else to tag.


• If you'd like, leave contact info for people to get in contact for plotting and other such shenans.


• Tag around! Make friends. Don't be afraid to chat OOC while tagging.

Locations:

1. Train Station: New arrival, or waiting to welcome people? Either way, the train comes in, but you still can't ride it out.


2. Cathedral: Looking for redemption? Just doing a little sight-seeing? Or just getting a little shelter?


3. The Clocktower: You can see the whole city from here!


4. The Black Stallion Saloon: You were told the burgers were great here-- but maybe you just came for the beer.


5. The Library: You came to do a little research, but it looks like all of the information's just out of your reach. Though, you can always find a way to pass the time here.


6. The Coffee Joint: Run by Lukas, a lovely place to have a chat and a bite to eat.


7. Le Cafe Anglais: A Parisian-British fusion that's as charming as it sounds and serves the best tea around.

Scenarios

1. Just walked in: You intended to get here, and you made your way in; but now someone's caught your eye and you'd like to have a chat.


2. Been here all day: You've been sitting around minding the time. Maybe you didn't notice them at first or maybe you were just working up the courage to talk-- either way, they know you're here and you know it too.


3. Inclement weather: You're here because you've gotten rained in. This wasn't your choice, but at least it's dry-- right?


4. Wild card: Got something better in mind? Well screw these prompts, try it out yourself!

Have fun, guys!

Comments

Sucre || OFF

[sugarsweet]

character info here (incomplete)

Train station

[Sucre half-stumbles off the train, staring wide-eyed around the area. This place is new! It doesn't even smell the same.

She takes in a deep breath, pleased with the clean smell in the air.]

No smoke, no metal.

[She speaks softly to herself, rocking gently on her heels, bouncing lightly in the grass. Her tone is sing-song, almost melodical, half-whispered to herself.]

No meat, no blood, no gasps in the air. Oh. Oh. Oh.

[Sucre takes a couple more steps away from the train, half-skipping. She even giggles. When she speaks, she doesn't sound afraid - she sounds excited.]

where am I?

[justavideogame]

[there is actually a delay in Zacharie arriving. that alone probably says how much he is not sure about this. on one hand, it was Sucre. On the other...hand...

"I guess it's better like that."

he approaches slowly. a dozen or so greetings come to mind, ones the merchant had said to many different people over the course of his stay but none of them work so...]

Sucre.

[sugarsweet]

[The girl that whirls, dances, moves towards him is definitely, honestly, truly Sucre --

but her eyes are glassier than they'd been in her younger days. Oh, yes. Sucre's had her sugar.

There's a reason she's so happy.]

Zacharie?

[She tilts her head to the side, reaching for him.]

How real is real, that you're here? In this place with no metal, no plastic, no smoke?

[justavideogame]

[he allows her close, close enough to see the haze in her eyes and Zacharie knows why she's so happy. oh Sucre...]

The same reason you are here, my dearest friend. The Puppeteers brought us here for awhile. We are completely off script and ad libbing all our lines. Ahahha...

[he tries sounding as chipper as normal but falls flat. without knowing the script, Zacharie didn't know what to expect.]

[sugarsweet]

Oh, dearest. And you were never good at improv, were you?

[Her hands lift to touch his face, cupping his cheeks.]

Dearest Zacharie, how have you managed, in this place with no rules to keep its puppets safe? How have you stayed safe? Just obeying your puppeteer?

[She smiles. When isn't she smiling?]

I missed you! We could dance, if you'd like. Dream of better days, in this better place where the grass is green and the sky is so, so blue. Would you like that?

[justavideogame]

Safe enough, although my Puppeteer neglected to mention the lack of credits here. It seems they are trying to break my poor heart!

[he laughs. and stop insulting me Zacharie, if you wanted to know you should have looked at the FAQ.]

I'd like to think my ability to improv dances were at least at a passing grade. But luckily enough, we don't have to dream. The grass is green here, or at least out of this train station. I would like to dance with you again but maybe in a place where we don't have to worry about falling off track.

[and he kind of wants you out of here before the Batter showed up. that would end badly.]

[sugarsweet]

Passing is not always succeeding, dearest Zacharie.

[Hearing a genuine laugh from him makes her giggle, and she drops her hands to her sides, skipping lightly around him, spinning slowly as she moves. She sighs happily, actually brushing against him, her fingers grazing his shoulder.]

Then show me the stage, my fellow puppet. Where are we dancing, if not here? In a place with a roof? Shining lights on the walls? A crackling fire, all the warmth of homes that we never had?

[justavideogame]

[he hums for a minute, thinking.]

The top of a clock tower, high in the sky. The roofs of the houses or somewhere in the sea. There are hills that could come alive with our dancing with no need to dream of what we no longer have. This is no longer a video game but a place we can explore, off script with longer strings.

[and he could keep a better eye on you this time.]

What do you say, my dearest friend Sucre? Do those stages sound wonderful to you?

[sugarsweet]

[She clasps her hands together, nearly bouncing in place at his descriptions.]

With you? Oh, Zacharie, yes. New stages in a new zone, one that doesn't sing of pain and madness.

[That smile is - for once - very nearly genuine, and the glassy sheen in her eyes seems a little less present than it was when they began talking.]

Show me. Please?

[greetings_puppeteer]

Ah, alas. Poor sweet girl. Look at where you have found yourself this time! Quite the sticky situation, wouldn't you say?

[Is that a cat sitting on the station platform? Of course it is. You know it is. You wouldn't be you if you didn't.]

You've been picked right up, I'd say, and deposited without even the common courtesy of a proper formal introduction! You really must speak to your player about that. That was terribly rude of them to do.

[sugarsweet]

Oh, sweet kitty.

[The cat looks like it should be familiar. At least, it nearly feels familiar, like it comes from the same places, the same plastic seas.

She reaches out to pet it, scritching behind its ears and rubbing its back all the way to the base of its tail, giving it the most loving of attentions.]

Why are any of us anywhere? It isn't a puppet's duty to know the whims of the puppeteer. I know my steps, even if this dance is on a new stage.

[She giggles, taking a second to pat the cat on the head.]

Do you?

[greetings_puppeteer]

[Petting? How droll. Ah, but what is one to do? The cat responds with a rumbling purr, as is no doubt expected of him.]

Those of us graced with feline traits tend to improvise, my girl, but your concern is duly noted. How do you think this stage will suit you? No sugar here, I'm afraid, at least not the sort you're used to. I imagine things might turn a little bungled for you if your illustrious directer chooses to make this relocation something of the more permanent variety.

[sugarsweet]

[It's the first thing that makes her stumble - the concept that she'll be without the one thing that makes her sane - but she doesn't stumble for long, because that's too dark for her to truly focus on, and she doesn't want to think of it.]

Bright days, little kitty. My puppeteer knows what I need, and I trust he will help keep things shining, won't he? [She giggles.] What use is a puppet with her strings cut?

[greetings_puppeteer]

At best, such a fate might render the toy in question instead as a doll. At worst, well.

[He continues to grin, and to purr, and to be all that he ought to be.]

The ovens do ever beg for fuel. But I wouldn't worry about that.

You might, but I wouldn't.

After all, if you ask me-- and you didn't, but if you did, I might be tempted to remark that this seems precisely the sort of venue that might no doubt well suit your particular brand of mental dishevelment. Why, those in charge might even be convinced to generously perpetuate it.

[sugarsweet]

[Another stumble, and she's stepping back, away from the cat.]

Such disturbing thoughts from such a sweet face, all miaou and purr and cryptic words. I might not ask. I will not ask.

[She crouches down, hands on her knees.]

Do you answer as you speak, or are all your words riddled with unasked-for trivias?

[greetings_puppeteer]

Are mine riddled with trivia, or are yours trivial riddles?

[He grins. Of course he does.]

Not that it matters, of course. This sort of circumlocutious exchange is hardly liable to serve you well in the long run. [He cocks his head, one ear twitching as if hearing something far away.] No, I dare say it's too late to matter much now. You might as well just go and dance your way off of that blasted train again. Perhaps later I may follow suit. Who's to say?

[His head tilts to the opposite side, and he rolls his eyes slowly skyward.]

Other than you, of course. Ever the pedant, aren't you? Ah, well. Such is fate.

[sugarsweet]

[Sucre actually crosses her eyes at the cat - not that it's easy to tell when her eyes are crossed, as they're mostly glossy, with the pupils and irises only a little darker than the rest of her eye.]

I suppose you're right, little kitten. Too much and too late, not enough questions when the asking mattered. We'll all learn, won't we?

[She skips a few feet away from him.]

I doubt my Puppeteer will cut my strings, though. I am best when I am dancing.

[yousickgirl]

[there's also another kid hanging around the train station. Smile's grin is in place, far wider than a normal human's and when he spots Sucre, it almost seems to widen farther.

in fact, he may seem a little fuzzy to her...like something that's not real. also his clothes are covered in blood, so that might be another thing.

Smile takes a few slow steps towards the girl and speaks. his own voice is a whisper but it sounds like it's being push through a filter.]

Who are you...?

[sugarsweet]

[Sucre peers at the boy, who glitches (in her eyes, anyway) in and out of existence, the edges of him never really solid.

It makes her dance backwards, bending in a way that looks uncomfortable, unpleasant, and she swings her hands forward, her tiny truffles dangling from her fingertips.

Still, her voice remains light. Playful.]

I don't think we should waste time on wordy introductions, unless you insist on knowing more. Why are you here?

[I'm trying not to focus on how scary you are.]

[yousickgirl]

[the dream figment chuckles and it too is distorted. sorry Sucre, but as a nightmare, he kind of demands you focus on what makes him frightening.]

I don't know. She's not here so I don't know. Not her dream.

[Smile tips his head to the side, almost as unpleasant as the way Sucre was bending herself.]

Like to know more if you know more. Do you know yourself?

[sugarsweet]

Not your dream either; it's too bright to be your darkness.

[She takes another step back, shoulders rolling, hips remaining jutted forth. It's almost as though she's bracing for impact, in some weird way.]

It isn't my purpose to know myself. That remains in the hands of my Puppeteer. He controls and gives me the tells. Do you? Is there any shining light left in you?

[focus on a bright thought, and maybe you'll see it tomorrow.]

[yousickgirl]

[there's nothing coming. although you probably don't want to think about hurting him Sucre. nightmares only get worse the more you fight back.]

A funny puppet on strings. Ahahhah, I know myself. Smile. Look....

[and with that, Smile places two fingers in his mouth and forces his grin wider. it doesn't look like it hurts the dream figment at all but the effect is rather disturbing.]

[sugarsweet]

[Still, she braced, even skittering backwards. Nightmares weren't something Sucre was comfortable facing, regardless of whether or not they were actually her own. Those truffles dangle in the most threatening way possible which is to say not threatening at all, just tiny sugary bear-heads on strings, and she actually gasps when he opens his mouth.]

No --

[She sinks to her knees, closing her eyes.]

I don't want to look.

[yousickgirl]

[Smile drops his hands, although his grin stays the same. he speaks and with the truffles somehow coming off as a threat, the distortion in his voice is worse.]

Are you sick too, girl?

[sugarsweet]

No. Darkness. No. It isn't time for this, this place is bright, and new, and not for nightmares.

[The words are whispered, and her eyes shine when they look back up at him, though she flinches at the sight of him.

Any hum of happiness the sugar had left in her is long burnt away.]

So dark it blots out the sky, how do you even breathe without wheezing, you fathomless void? Too much, too much, it's too much...

[She cringes, hiding her face in her hands.]