takamagahara | (no subject)

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test drive

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TEST DRIVE # 13

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.

Illegal Irritations

Nothing supernatural about this one, there are just some guys sell illegal drugs and weaponry in some of the back alleys of Tokyo. They might solicit you to try and get your business or you might just happen upon them targeting someone else. Either way, are you really okay with letting this go on in your city?

Jumping Jellyfish

For some strange reason, a bunch of jellyfish have taken to literally jumping out of the ocean and all over the beaches. They seem to be scared of something in the water, but be that as it may, they're scaring away all the beach tourism! Quick, figure out how to get them back in the water!

Kooky Kickoff

A brand new store is opening up and, as part of their grand opening, they want people to perform for their potential customers! And they're just dragging people off of the streets and shoving them into ridiculous, off-brand character costumes to do it. Whether you're part of the show or watching others make fools of themselves, it promises to be a good time.

Lovely Lingerie

There's a great, new brand of lingerie being sold in Akihabara that is all the rage right now. They're stylish and sexy and come in all shapes, sizes, and colors! There's even some that are themed after popular shows. But people who are buying them keep winding up missing. Coincidence?

Manic Molting

So many birds are molting on the spot for no reason, shedding feathers all over the streets, on peoples' cars, and in any space they can get into. It's really not their fault, but darn if it's not making things difficult to do with all these feathers around! Either help clean up or figure out how to stop the mass molting!

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!

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[ When the explosion clears, a pillar of salt is left standing on the beach like the blasphemer it is.

Oh, wait, sorry, it's Hibiki. Covered head to toe in sand. This universe took her hammerspace sword from her but it couldn't do a blasted thing about the cartoon physics. That stuff is stuck fast.

She shakes the sand off her person after a few incredulous moments - a single shake, accompanied by another flash and outpouring of glitter to go with the sand - and pulls out a handkerchief to take care of any residue on her face or in her hair. While she attends to these ministrations, something the masked hero had said strikes a chord. She frowns. ]

...."we"?

[ Yes, we.

Not that any expressions can be seen on the transformed Kamen Rider Kabuto's face, but his body language suggests a level of confusion at Hibiki's confusion.

Most people just follow him everywhere without question. ~~Because he's so cool.~~ ]

You are a sun god as well, no? And the god of healing. Who else would be more suitable for the job?

[ ...this is true. She is uniquely capable of handling all jobs, in fact.

But only when she feels like it. Besides, something more important is going on here!

Hibiki's frown deepens. ] Don't masked heroes have a duty to keep passersby from danger?

[ YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG

0 OUT OF 5 STARS ]

[ Said masked hero mimes a sigh. His mouth is, in fact, not capable of opening and letting out breath. They just have speakers built into the helmet instead. Probably. ]

You aren't in any danger. In any case, passersby implies ordinary people. I don't count gods or shinki in that equation.

[ No, gods and shinki just get to shut up and fight instead. ]

The ocean is none of my concern.

[ If it doesn't involve a stage, and if it's not pretty, she's not gonna do it. Hibiki brushes off her jacket some more, crosses her arms, and turns away. ] Honestly. Isn't that what division of labor is for?

The sun doesn't get to choose what it shines on. [ So sun gods don't get to choose what they have to care about. ]

Besides, you can't tell me you don't care about the ocean just after you were caught sunbathing.

[ People who really don't care don't botherr showing up! ]

I was not -

[ The ocean is growing restless again. As if something is getting ready to jump back out.

Hibiki makes a low grumbling noise in the back of her throat. ]

[ Hibiki can argue the point all she wants, but as long as she's staying here and not actually storming off, Tendou considers that a small win.

Besides, the people who'll fight him on things always were the most interesting.

But that's not the most important thing right now. The most important thing is that something is jumping out of the water. Well, flying out somehow, most sea creatures probably can't jump that high.

Especially not a really big jellyfish. A really, really big jellyfish. ]

[ --Of all the times not to have her sword.

Hibiki takes a step back when the giant jellyfish appears, hand going to an empty hip. This is absurd. She may be a god of sun and healing, yes, but none of that has anything to do with engaging in fisticuffs with overgrown invertebrates! She has no reason, absolutely no reason, to -

And then she hears it. The sound of somebody else on this beach. Somebody sobbing.

Looking behind her, Hibiki notices that a girl, probably middle-school-aged, has fallen and twisted her ankle on the beach. And since she's in such a state of fear and stress already, that ayakashi is perfectly visible to her. She's terrified. She's helpless.

She is, in other words, a damsel in distress.

Hibiki heaves in a sigh through gritted teeth and moves to block the creature's path to the girl. A god of performance has no reason to fight monsters.

A Prince does. ]

Don't obstruct me.

[ It's like "don't get in the way", but for snobs. ]

I wouldn't dream of it.

[ Of course it was ayakashi. It's hard to tell why there was ayakashi living in the sea, throwing jellyfish out of the water, but there it is right now, and they have to deal with the problems before their eyes first.

Tendou's grandmother had many things to say about children, but the gist of it was that they were to be protected at all costs. So in this much, the two gods were in complete agreement.

However: ]

Do you intend to fight with your bare hands?

[ Tendou is fine alone. Being Kamen Rider Kabuto on top of everything else means that kicking monsters in the face is just part of his job. But Hibiki though? No armour, no weapons, no shinki. What could she possibly do? ]

I have my own methods!

[ Hibiki slides a leg back, then charges. One arm extends in front of herself, and from beneath her sleeve, she shoots an expanse of glowing purple rope at the creature. It wraps around one tentacle, and Hibiki flies up into the air, swinging on the rope. She shoots another one when she's above the monster, hoping to start wrapping up those unruly appendages.

If rose petals and sparkles happen to be trailing in her wake, well, just because she has to fight doesn't mean she can't do it elegantly.

Or with any concern for what the opponent's going to do next. ]

[ That's certainly a way to fight. It's more like a dance than a battle, really, but for the most part it works. Slowly, rope by rope, the many tentacles of the jellyfish ayakashi are bound up.

The thing about jellyfish though, is that they have a lot of tentacles. And ayakashi aren't bound by the laws of animal intelligence, and are perfectly capable of cunning not expected from actual brainless invertebrates.

Which is why there's a tentacle pointed at Hibiki's back, stinger firing right at her.

Not that Hibiki is likely to ever find out, as Tendou taps the button on his belt that sends him into the ultra high speed Clock Up, allowing him to grab the long needle out of the air and return to his original position faster than the eye can see. ]

So? How do you intend to finish it off?

[ He asks, as though he was still a completely passive observer. ]

[ What kind of masked hero just stands there while....Never mind. Hibiki'd already more or less written him off as a traitor to the genre, and therefore unreliable, and this seals it.

She tugs on her most recent rope to make sure the thing's bound good and tight. ] I suppose you have some scintillating suggestion.

[ Rumor has it only shinki can defeat ayakashi. Hibiki finds that a laughable idea. What use is being a god if you're forced to rely on others? ]

Edited 2017-02-10 03:20 (UTC)

[ Tendou, for all his grandstanding, has the courtesy to let people have their dramatic moments uninterrupted once in a while. Especially if they've piqued his interest. Fortunately(?) for Hibiki, her obstinacy has intrigued him. ]

Only as far as all my suggestions are scintillating. [ Tendou doesn't have his shinki around either, but of all the things masked heroes are supposed to do, kicking monsters in the face is definitely high on the list.

He taps the three buttons on his belt buckle as he walks towards the ayakashi, pulling back the horns of the kabuto beetle on the device. A disembodied voice counts for him: "1-2-3, Rider Kick." ]

Rider Kick. [ Why does he have to say it too? Nobody knows, but he does, and energy surges to his foot, crackling as he delivers a swift roundhouse to the squishy, eyeball covered head of the jellyfish monster thing.

And there is, of course, an explosion. ]

[ This would all be highly educational, and perhaps improve her opinion of this gentleman slightly - he did, as is necessary, say his attack name out loud; it's good he understands propriety - if not for one crucial fact.

Hibiki is physically attached to this jellyfish right now. ] Wha--

[ Oh shoot. She manages to leap out of the way before everything explodes, dashing over to the distressed damsel to try shielding them with her body.

A gentle smile. ] Don't worry. Everything will be - Hrk!

[ That would be a piece of jellyfish hitting her in the small of her back. She better not blight, bucko. A transcendently pure, refined form such as hers daren't be marred by corruption. ]

[ In truth, the explosion couldn't have hurt Hibiki. They're more dramatic than violent, and Kabuto himself has to stand right in them all the time because the monsters are blowing up at the edge of his feet.

Probably. There's also the fact that he's wearing a full suit of armour.

But then again, the ayakashi are clearly different from the Worm. The Worm were, contrary to their name, buglike creatures. An exoskeleton filled with a whole bunch of unpleasantness to be sure, but none of it was especially toxic. Ayakashi however, blight on touch. Having them blow up everywhere might be dangerous.

Tendou will have to take note of that next time. ]

That's taken care of. Perhaps people will be able to use the beach again.

[ The masked hero nods, clearly satisfied with a job well done, as he tosses a needle to the ground behind him. ]

I should get someone to clean all this up before declaring it open though. There may be dangerous things still lying around.

[ Hibiki's status is clearly not his top priority. ]

Hhhh....

[ Okay, yes, this is a problem. The girl lying beneath Hibiki doesn't seem to notice the way she's gone all ashen, though. She's too busy not knowing where this mysterious savior came from all of a sudden, and also not caring.

They make a good couple. One with too much blood rushing to her cheeks and one without nearly enough.

Hibiki will not be, let us say, assisting in the cleanup process. Or sampling anything Tendou chooses to cook out of what's left. ]

[ Tendou almost wants to start competing over who can make girls start blushing better, but there aren't that many girls around given the jellyfish infestation, and really, this isn't the time for that.

Besides, considering that he's not the one currently experiencing total colour failure from having a bit of dead monster touch them, Tendou will consider that a win for himself overall.

Then again, he considers most things a win for himself overall. Mostly because they are.

He starts to leave, scratching his chin in thought. ]

What should we have for dinner? It's a good day for seafood, it seems...

[ Only a few steps later does he realise he's forgotten something. ]

Are you coming, or will you keep holding on to that girl until morning?

[ Because that too, is a thing that can happen. He won't stop you. ]

[ Oh, goodness! Now there are two attractive men on the beach and, from this girl's perspective, she has no idea where either of them came from!

Hibiki, meanwhile, exhales, and begins to gather said girl up into her arms. She doesn't actually know whether she's blighted through the fabric of her shirt or not. It doesn't matter. The scion of the Shikyoin Conglomerate cannot abide the presence of disharmonious, corrupt poison like ayakashi. Even if she isn't blighted, she still needs to detox.

First, though. The Prince escorts the lady to safety. She has made it to her feet, girl in her arms, and begins walking away without another word.

She doesn't even know who you are, sir. But your doll is going straight into the idiot box. ]

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