takamagahara | (no subject)

TEST DRIVE # 09

Whether you're trying to figure out how your character would fare in this setting, trying to get some samples together, or just dipping your toes in the water, you've come to the right place! The Test Drive is here to make your life easy by letting you see what the game is like without actually joining it first. So here is how it works:

1: Post a starter with your character, including whether they are a god or shinki in the subject line.
2: Act like your character is established enough in the setting to allow your thread to go places.
3: Take on any god/shinki of your choosing, as long as they're not already in the game!
4: Comment around to the other people on the meme.
5: Have lots of fun!

To get you started, here are some ideas for thread-starters! Feel free to come up with your own ideas if these don't strike your fancy, though.

Old Officials

There's a business that is desperately wishing the older members of their workforce would bow out. They've been sitting on death's door for so long and are doing little to help the company. The younger managers only want to step up and take their place! Help convince these ancient businessmen to step down.

Peanut Party

A celebration for peanuts is sweeping through the city. Peanut butter, peanut cookies, even just plain peanuts are being sold, thrown, and praised all over. It's your job to help spread the peanut love, either by helping to make the tasty treats or by buying more peanuts from the next town over.

Quiet Quail

Oddly enough, a request has come in from a quail, of all creatures. It thinks very highly of itself and knows that it's super mega important, but it has such a hard time being anything but quiet. Your job, should you choose to accept it, is to draw attention to this quail - make it stand out like not other quail has done before.

Roaring Riders

A rowdy motorcycle gang has been plaguing the streets for a few weeks. Every night, at midnight, they make their engines roar out in unison, waking everybody in town. The riders themselves are good guys, they just have this one nasty habit that they refuse to give up because it pays tribute to their patron god. Do you have the heart to get them to quiet down?

Slick Sevens

The newest tourist stop is a large casino. It's said that everyone who enters the casino has their luck stolen from them at the door. That might just be silly superstitions and bad gamblers talking, but there is definitely an ayakashi there who seems to feed on people's luck. Maybe that's what's causing everyone to lose so much.

If you're uncertain about anything, feel free to check out the Premise, Rules, and FAQ posts. And don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have on the FAQ!
When and if you're ready to join the game, check out the Taken Characters before throwing in a Reserve and starting on your Application
Have fun!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He's holding a jack. Three on the table. There is no possible way that he'll get hit with another face card. None. But before he can call for the hit, somebody drops a sweating pint in front of him.

The voice -- hell, the hand -- register before his brain can really accept what he's seeing. There's nothing but joy in Gojyo's face as he turns, tension he didn't even know he was holding draining away as Doku's face comes into view. He's here. ...He's another hostage of whoever kidnapped them, yes, sure, but he's here. If he's going to be kidnapped an his team mindwiped, there's nobody he'd rather have at his side than his brother.

Which means this is probably a trap, but god, how can he doubt Doku? The man's face is probably in the dictionary under 'steadfast'. For a moment, all he can do is grin like an idiot.

"Took you long enough."

They've been living apart for so long, but he can still see that flash of excitement across Gojyo's face. He can't help but soften his expression in response too; Gojyo recognizes him. It's not a flippant 'took you long enough' like you'd give an errand boy who didn't act quick enough. This is his same kid brother alright, down to the smart-ass remarks, heavensent personal hell illusion or not.

"Was I expected?" He asks genuinely with a bit of laughter in his voice. He lets the beer go and sits down next to Gojyo. "Not in ten million years did I expect to see a familiar face 'round here." Especially with the short explanation he'd been given by the Messenger. It sounded like he'd been bounced from one task-based job to another, this one just on a higher authority he still didn't think he'd earned.

Oh, it's not a 'higher authority', and at some point Gojyo'll have to sit Doku down and explain all about how this place isn't what it seems. They aren't gods, this isn't heaven, and the shinki memory loss isn't permanent. But that's a conversation for another time. Right now, Gojyo's just glad to have his brother back.

He takes a deep swig of his beer -- ah, that's good! -- and wipes the foam off his mouth with the back of his hand. "Everyone else I've ever known has shown up here, so I figured it was just a matter of time before you dropped in." He takes a quick moment to really look at Doku, quickly scanning for injuries, shadows under his eyes, that telltale tension in his shoulders when things are going badly. "You and your boss."

If that's true - and he's never known Gojyo to lie to him, even in the middle of Ikkou vs. Kou-tachi combat - then that meant his whole team could be there, possibly people from his past too, the ones Doku wouldn't know about after they split. He was also reasonably sure that meant Mom wasn't one of them, or Gojyo wouldn't be looking so happy to see him. He'd expect more relief and less joy. But enough of that. The main thing was maybe - just maybe - this meant Gojyo had escaped the insanely powerful warrior like Kou had. Maybe the warrior hadn't even found him or wanted to pursue him - he was after Youkai. Maybe that red hair had finally done some good for Gojyo.

Doku slumps in his seat at the slight personal hope, relief and hope on his face. "Nope, no prince here." He uses that topic to try and cover the strain of not telling Gojyo his own fate. "And I hope it stays that way." Because he already had to worry enough as it was how Kou would fare without him. "Who knows what the Witch would do without Kougaiji-sama around." His eyes fall. "Especially to Lirin-chan. Nah, better they're not here." But he looks back over to Gojyo. "Your whole Ikkou got sidetracked again?"

No Kougaiji. And no Lirin (and, he assumes, no Yaone). Well, that's not so bad. It's not like Doku's here by himself! And it's probably for the best that Hothead-sama isn't here -- Gojyo wouldn't like to see what the heavens would do to a guy who tried to summon a fire monster to burn the place down.

Although, come to think of it, that's basically what Susano'o did, isn't it? And the heavens didn't do a goddamn thing. Huh.

"Oi, don't say it like that!" He socks Doku (with brotherly love, naturally) in the shoulder, tapping out a cigarette onto the green baize tabletop. "We don't get sidetracked that often... and when we do--" This, with a finger jab to Doku's arm. "--it's because your side's done something to distract us again!"

But there's no animosity here. They might be on opposite sides of the ultimate battle, but from what Gojyo's seen, Kou's a pretty good guy. In a different world he might have even been working for the guy, alongside his brother here. (He still files that bit about Lirin and some witch away for further thought, however.)

"Sidetracked again. Fuck you!"

Dokugakuji recoiled slightly, as if the punch packed way more strength than Gojyo put behind it, laughing and holding up one hand so that any subsequent pokes from Gojyo end up going to his - incredibly roughed up - hands. "Hey now, don't lump Kougaiji-sama in with what the scientists and she do! That whole thing where Kou wasn't himself?" He reached out and grabbed Gojyo's hand - not hard at all, but enough. "Yeah, not something 'our side' wanted in the least bit."

It was a little freeing, he thought guiltily, to not have to worry about if Gojyo heard that or not. Was it really a big deal, even if Kougaiji was still trying to save his mom, that Gojyo knew there were scientists back at Houtou Castle? They'd shown their true colors as far as he was concerned. Them and the Gyokumen-koushu herself. Right now, he didn't even know what Kougaiji would be up to - if he would turn right around and tell her to shove it. Maybe he'd just doomed his lord's mission...? Damn. Can't think about that right now.

So with that hand grabbed, he tries to pull Gojyo into a headlock so he can give him a noogie. "C'mere, no talking to you big bro like that--!!" Because if he's going to be stuck here with an afterlife that can't help Kougaiji, then damnit he's at least going to enjoy having his brother around.