Test Drive #26

[godsoffortune]

TEST DRIVE # 26



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.

Volatile Vagrant

Ayakashi generally have a particular method by which to hurt humans. But an ayakashi has appeared that seems to be completely random in its methods, and anyone merely being near it becomes a target of its malevolence in a variety of ways. Dispatch this vagrant ayakashi before it harms far too many people.

Warm Wanderlust

Hitchhiking in Japan is rare. A friendly but lost-looking foreigner on the side of the road will attract fascination, concern and compassion. But a Japanese person doing the same likely won’t attract the same positive attention. Yet here is one Japanese person praying for a way to experience the adventure of the hitchhike. What to do for your follower? Well, going as a group of three sounds good, doesn’t it? Just be sure to attract sufficient attention to yourselves so that the drivers will properly notice you!

X-Games X-out


The X-Games, popular overseas, has suddenly become a hot topic with Japanese competitors taking top spots in skateboarding events. Burning to follow in their wake, young teens have taken to the streets, parks and basically anywhere with a strip of pavement to hone their skateboarding skills (which may or may not exist in the first place). While it’s good to see kids getting away from the computer screen, they’re also becoming a public nuisance: damaging handrails, narrowly missing pedestrians, and making noise right up to sunset. Answer the prayers of the kids yearning for glory? Answer the prayers of those wishing for peace in their neighbourhoods again? (...What’s a ‘skateboard’ anyway?)


Youthful Yente

An enthusiastic grade-schooler has started a new career helping people find love! She's hooked up teachers, classmates' parents, even random strangers… but it seems like all the matches she's trying to make this month have gone horribly wrong! Is she being stalked by an ayakashi or is this just bad luck? Either way, she needs help getting her mojo back.


Zodiac Zenith

In the trendy Ginza area, a mall has set up an elaborate indoor display of lights set to represent the real night sky. The key feature is the evening illumination show, where the various zodiac constellations are lit up to music. Strangely, there are growing rumours that those who view the show become even more focused on their horoscopes (much to the benefit of local fortune tellers). It’s even said that people’s personalities shift to become more stereotypical to their respective signs. Take in the show for yourself and see what happens?




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!

Comments

Kaden | Shinki

[foxrightsactivist]

i. wanderlust

[Hitchhiking isn't anything Kaden is familiar with doing, but the whole idea of it had sounded like it could be fun. While he had initially wondered just how a favor like a ride from a complete stranger could be repaid if you might not see them again, it's all for the sake of a follower, and as a shinki it's his job to help. Something could be arranged for the nice human that pulls over for them!

... but getting someone to pull over is the problem. You'd think a human would notice a tall, well-groomed man with fluffy ears and a long, silky tail trying to wave them down.]

I just don't get it! It's like no matter how hard we try, we're being completely ignored!


ii. yente

[There's something very charming about a little kid trying to play matchmaker. Kaden is sure that it would probably be even more charming, except that the adults seem to be taking the recommendations seriously, and that's probably why none of them are working.

Probably, anyway.]

What if it is an ayakashi, though? It just seems kind of weird and backwards that so many adults are listening to a little kid for dating advice.


iii. wildcard

[Have a different idea? Hit me up with this option, I'm open for anything!]

yente

[festal]

( Sakura confesses she was a little curious about this young matchmaker. Even if she's a busy princess, she can't help but be a little curious about things like love. Based on their research though, all of these have ended horribly. This isn't the sort of thing she was hoping to find at all. It was all cute and interesting at first but now it's just sad. Listening to Kaden, she frowns and tries to think about the few relationships they'd been able to learn about, )

... I don't think an ayakashi w-would help these people get together in the first place. ( That doesn't seem like the sort of thing an ayakashi would be interested in... ) But... maybe there's something breaking them up? You're right though, it is strange that so many people would listen to a child, let alone a c-complete stranger...

wanderlust

[lightninglobster]

[Ryoma didn't have the benefit of having ears and a tail to draw the eye, but at least he was tall... ish. He gave a hum of frustration, watching the cars go zipping by with nary a thought as he crossed his arms.]

Perhaps we need to do something more eye-catching... though I have no idea what that could be, with what we have to work with.

[Two shinki and a follower have to get a car to stop and agree to carry a complete stranger... what a difficult problem. It wasn't as if they had some sort of flag or sign that they could wave to make their intentions reach higher, and give motorists a chance to think about stopping earlier.

... did they?]

II. Yente

[redmare]

Backwards? Wouldn't you say it's the opposite? Adults don't usually take kids seriously.

[Not that she would, especially if it came to romance.]

I don't think an ayakashi would ask for our help, but if it is, then we just get rid of it.

I. Wanderlust

[hellishrabbit]

We gotta think out of the box.

[Because a guy who looked like he just came out from a con probably didn't stand out here as much as they'd like. Then again they were told that it would be difficult for them to being noticed considering they're, you know, dead and all.

That just means they should use things that are noticeable.

Looking to his left, Kamui twirled the umbrella in his hand in thought. This would do.

Swinging a leg around, he kicks at the base of the lampost, breaking it off and letting it fall towards the street. He wraps an arm around it before it completely falls, using it like a gate arm to stop the cars.]

So, which one do you guys want to ride?

[There may be a couple of cops headed their way.]

Yente

[cuddle_battery]

Huh? Oh, um... I guess if it is an ayakashi, we could try to lure it out.

[Yumoto is here to replace Cupid, so something like this definitely falls under his responsibilities. And he's trying. Really.

But can he really be blamed for being distracted by Kaden's long, silky tail and adorably soft fluffy ears?

He just. Wants to cuddle him. So much.

The amount of willpower he's exerting right now is far more than anyone ever even thought he had.]

shows up a couple days late with starbucks... anyway, here's wanderlust

[wingedprincess]

Oooh, it's so infuriating! (Tana's not quick to anger usually, but being ignored seems to really set something off inside of her.)

We're going to have to modify our strategy if we're going to convince someone to pick us up.

(Maybe it's because it's THREE of them. Who knows? Tana just sort of invited herself along when she saw him wandering off in this direction and has yet to leave.)

fujiki yusaku | ygo VRAINS (god)

[vrains]

X-GAMES X-OUT

[ It turns out that if you can hoverboard in virtual reality, you can more or less skateboard in real life. He's hardly doing anything extreme, but he can glide around the park without hurting himself or anybody else just fine, and he can manage a few beginner's tricks without much difficulty — with a few "flashy but easy" stunts in his sleeve, there's an obvious solution here: he could teach these kids some entry level skills so they stop riding into poor pedestrians and busting up the local park. The kids will probably get tired of the fad before long, may as well just humor them until they give up of their own accord.

There's an obvious solution. But from the way that Yusaku's looking at his Far Shore compatriot, it seems he does not want to do it that way... mostly because he doesn't like talking to other people. ]

... No, I'm not going to teach them, I'm not — I'm not good at teaching stuff. I don't think it'd work. Why don't you teach them instead?

[ And, well, mostly he just doesn't like talking to other people. On that note: judging from the way he's holding his skateboard, he's probably going to make an attempt to literally ollie out of this conversation if he isn't stopped. ]

ZODIAC ZENITH

[ Fortunately, Yusaku doesn't even know what either his Eastern or his Western astrological signs are, which is definitely not because he lacks a canon birthday. As such, he remains completely oblivious to any subliminal messaging. He's pretty sure it must be the work of an ayakashi, so he's trying to keep his concentration on the mission and root out where it might be hiding, but at some point not even he can ignore how weird his companion is acting. ]

... Hey, get a grip. You don't seriously believe in this star sign stuff, do you?

HEAVEN'S BBS

FROM: (anon)
POSTED: 20XX-10-20 22:47:02

My name is PLAYMAKER.

I suppose not many of you are tech savvy. I advise that you not use the smartphones provided to us. They're a security risk. Unless you don't mind the fact that they're almost certainly trackable by whoever gave them to us. If you like convenience at the price of intrusion, that's a personal choice.

Also: this board is insecure.
You would be best assuming your "anonymous" posts are hardly masking your identity, if all you're doing is using the "post as anonymous" function. Same for private posts.
...
Though, to be honest, most of your private messages are more personally embarrassing than a security issue.

That's all the warnings from me.

[ And because he's a bit curious if there's anybody who's into coding or hacking like he is, he inserts here a chunk of encrypted text: complex enough that one almost certainly couldn't decrypt it just with pen and paper, but easy enough that a simple program could brute-force decrypt it. The decrypted message is literally just the first sentence of his post: "Hello, my name is PLAYMAKER." He figures if it's up anybody's alley, just seeing encrypted text should be enough to lure them in.

Also, he might unironically be behind 7 proxies right now. Paranoid? A little, it comes with the vocation. ]

x-games x-out (though i laughed super hard at the last one ngl)

[revolutionfalcon]

[Congratulations Yusaku, you may have unearthed a brand new level of unimpressed from your Far Shore compatriot. Or not. Shun's been extremely unimpressed about a lot of things since he got here, and people starting prayers without thinking about how they're going to finish them is just one of those things.

He still looks really, really unimpressed, though.]

Because you're the one who's been riling them up into wanting to learn it. So it's a bit late to start making excuses.

[Also, he's looking at that skateboard like he may well break it if Yusaku tries to literally or figuratively ollie out. Possibly while he's on it.]

text ♔ from Apollo

[priforprince]

The public messages aren't much better.

[ Hibiki sees no reason to mask who she is. In fact, all the better if someone who knows what they're about is aware of her abilities, and her genius! She shall extend this sympathetic olive branch. Nay, laurel branch - it's more Apollo's idiom.

She'll have this encrypted text, meanwhile, unveil its secrets in a moment... ]

zodiac

[blizzardrock]

[As a Scorpio, Fubuki is being distrustful and ~mysterious~ right now, so he just slides a glance at Yusaku.]

It isn't hurting anyone, is it? The opposite, in fact...people might get hurt because they ignored it.

[Why no, seriously considering reassignment to another god just because Scorpio is ruled by Mars or Pluto isn't weird or over-the-top at all, why do you ask?]

...What are you doing? [Just so you know, Yusaku, he won't turn a blind eye to sabotage.]

Ryoma | Shinki

[lightninglobster]

i. zodiac zenith

What is this display supposed to appeal to, again?

[Ryoma isn’t entirely sure what a zodiac was--especially not in this place and age. He’d never been particularly interested or instructed in the finer details of astrology; he’s vaguely familiar with the concept, but as with so many things, there are twists and strange new sensibilities. It’s all a touch beyond Ryoma--he’s never been a very superstitious man, but rumors deserve to be at least somewhat examined for the truth hidden under their surface.

… and besides that, hot tea in a durable cup is delicious. Ryoma hadn’t really been sold on the idea of carrying tea around in a paper cup with a plastic top, but they were extraordinarily convenient. He took another sip of his drink, having acquired it in the bit of time to kill before the supposedly enchanting lightshow. Even if this did turn out to be a strange hoax or an odd example of groupthink going to an ultimately harmless extreme, the mall itself was fascinating--like a noisy marketplace, but cleaner and brighter.]

ii. warm wanderlust

[No matter how much one extolled the virtues of the metal horseless carriages, Ryoma was still left with some… doubts. They were said to be completely safe--fast, reliable, and entirely more convenient than an animal, but Ryoma had heard stories, man. Still… the supplicant needed help, and Ryoma was rarely one to back down from an earnest plea.

Or, in this case, a challenge. The cars kept whizzing by, despite his best efforts to catch their attention with a beckoning wave. Perhaps he should’ve worn his full armor--he’d been told a few times that the helmet was rather good at catching attention. He’d also been told that it resembled a certain animal, and that the animal wasn’t a lion per say, but Ryoma had grace enough to ignore it.]

This is getting nowhere. Perhaps we need a more assertive approach.

[But what that was, Ryoma couldn’t say. He frowned as he thought, arms folding over his chest as he stepped away from the road for a moment for… safety reasons.]

iii. wildcard

[hire a samurai for any other idea that comes to mind!]

i

[foxrightsactivist]

[Kaden, in the meantime, has procured a small paper carton of takoyaki, and is delicately balancing trying to eat them while also not burning his mouth. It's a process, and one that he wouldn't be so keen on continuing if these things weren't this good. Fried stuff is never all that healthy, but at this rate, he's going to have to go back for seconds!

Stepping back over to Ryoma's side, he at least waits to swallow his mouthful before speaking.]

I don't know what a zodiac is... But if it's something to do with these lights, it's probably super pretty!

zodiac

[festal]

( She recognizes these signs. Or at least, some of them. The ones over there are similar to the ten gods diviners draw their power from. They even seem to follow a similar order, though, she recognizes a couple of additional signs. Speaking to the fortune tellers that are nearby, the temperaments of these signs seem to coincide with those of Hoshido.

... But she's unfamiliar with these signs. The ones that feature symbols like an archer, a fish, a pair of twins, and more. Speaking to a certain fortune teller who asks for her birthday and begins to divine some sort of fortune...she finds herself growing more and more curious. Sakura appears to be particularly interested when the mysterious woman begins to make divinations about her romantic life. Look.... she's a sixteen year old girl and a young lady, can you blame her for being a little romantic herself?

When she's finished, the fortune teller turns her attention to Ryoma and offers to tell her friend's fortune for free if he'd just tell her his birthday.... )

Ryoma-- ...! ( She begins to ask him for his birthday (she knows exactly when it is but she needs to maintain an act for his safety-- but then she stops herself. ) N-never mind....

( Of course he wouldn't remember. He's a shinki. She turns to the fortune teller and just... declines on Ryoma's behalf. )

Thank you, but.... I-I just remembered we had something... we need to do.

( Which isn't a lie. They should be investigating the strange occurrences at this mall. So she excuses herself and hurries back to Ryoma's side shyly, )

Uhm... sorry that took so long.

( She'd offered to ask a few questions because she was more familiar with these signs than Ryoma but... well, it looks like she'd become distracted along the way. )

i.Zodiac

[sing_for_me]

A lot of people seem to believe in their horoscopes..Umm.are you familiar with those? Those signs that represent certain birthdates? Some people give out...fortunes, I guess, and other stuff for each one that tells a person what might happen to them. They talk about personalities too..and what's lucky or what's not for them.

[Alex had seen some on newspapers and online, and she had to admit that they were interesting, but it wasn't something she personally believed in.]

Though..I think the display should be the biggest appeal. I haven't seen one like it before.

[She was rather excited for that actually, even if it was manmade rather than the actual night sky.]

Wanderlust

[hellishrabbit]

You know what, General? I like that idea.

[What, the guy looked like one? It seemed like an appropriate title. Kamui looked around, trying to find a good way to assert themselves--]

Ah! There we go.

[He walks away from the two he was with, who may start to hear what sounds like metal tearing and concrete crumbling. Next, a postbox will whiz right past them and roll onto the middle of the street, effectively making quite a few of the cars break into a screeching halt.]

[iron59]

X-Games X-Out

[While a group of teens messed around on skateboards, the young God leaned against a wall, chewing on his lip and watching with envious eyes. Every time one of the teens managed a trick, however small, Felix moved one step closer to actually bouncing with excitement.]

I don't see how they're hurting anyone. Oh, man, did you see that? The drug store isn't even right on top of the steps, I have no idea why Granny's having kittens over this. He almost biffed it, nice save! Do we really have to chase them off? I mean, Mom always told me to go outside more. Owwww.

[One of the kids Felix was watching took a spill. Not a bad one, but everyone else crowded around him, talking in in loud, overlapping voices; he'd almost managed to grind the whole rail! His skateboard, forgotten for the moment, rolled half-way into a nearby bush with a rather languid air. Felix turned and leaned against the wall with a grin.]

Okay. So, new plan. I'll go down there and borrow his board while they're busy, and try some of this out, and then we'll know more about what they're doing.

What...?

[blancslate]

[With how young this god is, his shinki is nearby, leaned up against the same wall. Blanc chuckles as he watches the kids skate around. Sure, they're being noisy, but it's how kids are when they're having fun. But it's also not unreasonable for adults to complain.]

If you want, kiddo, but if the kid wants his board back, you give it back. [Without his memories, Blanc's a lot more relaxed, but there's no changing the urge to be a responsible adult.] Also don't break a wrist or an ankle. Keep things simple.

[hurricaneandpie]

[Sorry, while you were busy talking, the newly minted god of blacksmiths is already riding that board to glory. And by glory, Erika's balancing on the board, wobbling as she rolls it back to where they are.]

Okay, make it fast. If they notice you, not my problem.

Flame Princess | Adventure Time | Shinki

[pastlanternlight]

[Volatile Vagrant]

Hey, get back here!

[The "vagrant" ayakashi is fleeing through a Near Shore park, a flurry of fireballs in hot pursuit. Also in very literal hot pursuit is a vaguely human-shaped mass of flames - there's definitely a face in there if you look closely enough, but she's going so fast it might be hard to tell.

The ayakashi jumps behind a rock, which the fireballs hail against, and Flame Princess pulls up, returning to a more obviously humanoid form, even if her eyes are still burning red slits.]

I said get back here!

[There's a boom loud enough to rock the park as Flame Princess' form erupts on those last words and the rock explodes under the heat and pressure. The ayakashi is left looking a little stunned, and also a little singed.

Maybe someone should stop her before she tries blowing up the ayakashi.]

--

[Zodiac Zenith]

[This "zodiac" stuff isn't familiar to Flame Princess, so she has to figure they didn't have it on Ooo, even if pretty much all she remembers about Ooo is the name and that it's not this world. Still, she's reading a flyer about the show with a slight frown on her face, ignoring the slowly growing burn mark on the paper from where she's holding it.]

So it's like...your personality, but also some animal thing instead. That's kinda cool.

zodiac

[blinkandshoot]

It's a little bit more than that.

[But then, Inga would think so, having attempted to utilize Zodiac-based superpowers (...kind of) once.]

You're singing it a bit. [She points to the edge of the paper.] So which one are you?

ain (herrscher) | shinki

[abgrund]

[ Ain in general exhibits a very strong void/chaotic aura, though it is distinct from the corruption emitted by ayakashi and similarly tainted things. Kind of like two types of magic that so happened to resemble each other, though their core is very different. ]

volatility
[ The mission had been simple: hunt and kill. Killing is something he recognize that he is good at, so he would stalk the ayakashi through the streets in the manner of a very, very determined predator. Dark shadows are projected in front of him in the shape of hands, grasping at the ayakashi's legs and feet.

However, there is another problem at hand. It has not occured to him that he too may look like an ayakashi, given how his body is riddled with gashes. There's a prominent gap in his chest, with a pulsing eye in the center - people don't usually look like this, right?

Given how his attention is entirely on his prey, he would not notice anyone else closing in on him - whether to join the fight, or to try and kill two ayakashi with one stone.

> Engage? ]


warm wanderlust
[ Ain looks much less alien now that someone (and it might be you) has shoved some clothes onto him. Now his obviously inhuman body is covered with a cloak, and a sweater does the job of disguising the eye in his heart. When it's not time to murder, he's surprisingly docile, humming a little in response to the hitchhiker's questions.

Then he turns to you with a slight shrug, mild confusion in his remaining eye.

He has no idea what any of this are. Hopefully you're better informed to ply the poor human's request. ]


wildcard
[ Throw me anything and I'll roll with it! ]

wanderlust

[festal]

( Thank you for dressing up, Ain, she really appreciates it whether or not she was the one who requested it.
For now, the hitchhiker seems more interested in talking to Ain. Sakura doesn't mind, though, she notices the conversation seems to be a bit... one sided? As she's watching, she jumps a little when Ain suddenly glances at her. She still isn't used to him and well... being around him makes her a little nervous.

The human follower continues to babble about his adventures and plans to travel across the country "one act of kindness"
at a time and... well, it's certainly inspiration but isn't it also terribly inconvenient to travel like this? She asks and the hitchhiker only laughs and insists every road is a little bumpy. )

I suppose so... ( She frowns, glancing nervously at Ain as she tries to explain while also responding to the man, ) Then, we'll h-help you get a ride so you can get to where you need to be.

( Did Ain catch that? )

Kanata Shinkai | Ensemble Stars! | god

[seasung]

🟊1🟊 Youthful Yente

[Kanata glances curiously over at the child who is anxiously peeking out from her hiding spot behind a street lamp, then back down at the unfamiliar hand that is now linked with his own.

Without warning, the young matchmaker had shown up out of the blue, catching Kanata by surprise as she quickly introduced him and another stranger who had just so happened to be passing by the same bustling, city street-corner. "W- well, my work here is done! I'll give you two some privacy now, okay? Just... take your time getting to know each other, yeah?" she'd said, pressing their hands together before quickly excusing herself. Kanata is almost positive he heard her muttering under her breath as she made her escape: "This time... this time, for sure, I got it right. It's just got to work. It's got to!!!"

After a moment more of perplexed staring, Kanata finally lifts his head, offering his new 'perfect match' a smile.]

I don't really 'get it', but just now, that child looked very desperate. It would feel sort of 'cruel' to sink her effort before it even hits the water. So... if you do not mind, I would like to 'play along' for now.


🟊2🟊 X-Games X-out

[Dripping wet from head to toe, Kanata has settled himself in at his favorite soaking spot inside of the fountain located in the center of the local park. October has brought a noticeable chill to the air that the water god is making a stubborn effort to ignore. Fountain soaking is his favorite hobby after all. He's not about to let a little bit of cold weather stop him from enjoying it. Besides, how can he be worried about hypothermia when there are more pressing matters at hand? Like the fact that these skateboarders have been making a real mess of his beloved fountain???]

These rambunctious children must be stopped. There are scuffs all over the fountain. Who would do such a thing? Of course, they are still 'young' and are still 'learning' but all the same, shouldn't they know by now that it is not right to just bubble on into someone else's territory without asking?

[As Kanata continues to grumble, he begins to arrange his slew of little sea friends along the ledge of the fountain. The squeaky dolphin toy, the manta ray friend that he'd sewn by hand, Mr. Clown Fish who can spout out water like a little water gun.... Kanata may be talking to you right now, but it's just as likely that he's secretly conspiring with these little toys of his.]

Perhaps the next time they try to grind their skateboards and bikes along the rim of the fountain, there will be an extra big puddle there that they had not noticed, you know? Perhaps they will 'slip'....

🟊3🟊 Wildcard

[Have another idea? I'll follow your lead~.]

x-games x-out

[priforpalps]

My, how cute!!

[ Fuwari claps her hands together and smiles, peering around Kanata for a look at his friends. She'd come over here to greet some living animals - there is a cluster of pigeons following her with distinctively lovestruck looks on their faces - but these toys are charming, as well. ]

Are they yours?

erwin smith | attack on titan | god

[corps]

warm wanderlust

[ The desire to travel, to see more of the world, is an aspiration Erwin can identify with. While he can't quite understand the need to travel cross-country with strangers by car, given that the risk seems to outweigh the novelty, he has no right to pass judgement on the dreams of others. Even if he still thinks that making him of all people a god is an unfunny joke, he's done his utmost to fulfill his role. If there are people looking to him for help and guidance, the least he can do is try to live up to their expectations.

Which is how he ended up standing on a street corner around mid-morning. Ordinarily Erwin would be rather attention-grabbing all on his own, being tall and broad and blonde--practically the textbook conspicuous western foreigner. His missing right arm, too, would normally draw notice. But the veil of relative anonymity granted to those of the far shore makes it more difficult even for him. It seems people aren't taking much notice of his enthusiastic follower, either, despite the way he's practically leaning into the road with his thumb out.

A quick internet search on his phone--still a marvel, so much information available with minimum effort--brings up a few suggestions. He thumbs through them, then leans down to show his companion the screen. ]

Perhaps we should try a street where the cars aren't moving quite so fast.

[ As it is they're practically a blur, and there's not much space for one to pull over even if they wanted to. ]


youthful yente

[ Love and romance are very much not Erwin's area of expertise. He rarely receives prayers on the subject, thankfully, and when he does he most often passes them off to someone more suitable. This case, however, doesn't necessitate dealing directly with messy personal feelings--and if he's being honest, the idea of a child matchmaker is charming. He may not have a clue about matters of the heart, but her recommendations appear to have worked out more often than not. Until recently, that is.

Ueno Park, serene pathways carpeted with beautiful golden maple leaves this time of year, is the perfect place for a romantic first meeting, isn't it? It's a beautiful weekend afternoon and couples stroll past trees and shrines contentedly, finding some respite amidst the bustle of Tokyo. ]

Here he is.

[ The girl, Kiyomi, is clearly a bit nervous as she leads a woman by the hand toward where her perspective partner waits by a nearby torii gate. ]

W-well--I hope you enjoy your date! Please let me know how it goes!

[ Kiyomi waves cheerfully as the two of them depart, but when she turns to find a seat on a nearby bench, she looks dejected. Her former confidence has been shaken by bad breakups and dates gone wrong over the past month. There is some obvious negative energy surrounding her, but is it enough to call it an ayakashi? ]

Should we talk to her?

[ Standing side by side, the two of you may as well be another couple in the park today. Why not pull the old fake dating ruse in order to get to the bottom of this? ]


zodiac zenith

[ Several shopping trips to Ginza have lent Erwin a sort of familiarity with the area--and he had needed to pick up a new shirt or two. Besides, he's always loved the stars, has spent years studying and mapping them in order to chart courses for expeditions. He would want to see the illumination show regardless of the rumors surrounding it. ]

I admit, I'm not at all familiar with the zodiac. I wouldn't know how to recognize these traits even if people are exhibiting them.

[ It's clear he's still more excited about the show itself, a sparkle in his eye and an almost boyish giddiness about him that's at odds with his age and his typical austerity. It's easy to tell when Erwin finds something genuinely interesting. ]


choose your own
( more shenanigans on the near shore, hanging at his temple on the far shore--whatever you're feeling! )

zodiac zenith

[blancslate]

[Blanc's never been a shabby dresser, but becoming a god has only given him the perfect excuse to dress even better. In a designer suit, accessories to match, Ares, god of war, has never looked so ready to stage a revolution and overthrow the government.

Or go shopping. Or get to the bottom of this zodiac mystery. Either or, things are flexible. He stands next to Erwin, arms crossed over his chest. Constellations are good and all, light shows are great, but he's always been skeptical when it comes to horoscopes. Still, Erwin's giddiness is charming and he looks over with a grin.]

Well, I'm a scorpio. Resourceful, brave, passionate, mysterious. [He grins and winks.] What's your birthday? I'll look up your sign.

Mirei Minami | God

[disciprined]

youthful yente



[Oh my goodness she's so tiny.

[She's about Non's height, maybe? Small and wide-eyed and pigtailed and clearly in very little position to have any real idea what makes a successful relationship considering Mirei is, like, maybe twice her age and is very deliberately Not About That Life either. Smiling broadly, Mirei bounces so she's kind-of-sort-of more on the little girl's eye level, rocking back and forth on her heels as she forms a heart-shape with her hands.]

What's wrong, pri~? You shouldn't be so downhearted! Surely nothing's so bad it can't be helped by ice-cream, pri!


zodiac zenith



[Astrology is, of course, nonsense. Pleasantly diverting it may be - and pleasant diversions are, in themselves, nothing to take lightly, still less to sneer at - but serious attempts to draw any kind of concrete conclusion from the movements of celestial bodies simply offend Mirei's sense of order and logic. It smacks a little too much of trusting to luck, crossing your fingers and hoping things will be okay - and while that might work for some people (naming, Laala Manaka, absolutely no names) Mirei has always preferred a little more certainty in her calculations.

[Bad enough that anyone would react that way to spinning balls of gas. Reacting that way over a shopping center's sound and light show, and one several points of magnitude less impressive than even the most ill-conceived Making Drama? No, something is definitely wrong.]

So this is what's causing all this trouble...

[Mirei being... Mirei, she has of course come prepared. Armed with a sheaf of magazines, with page tabs inserted on the Horoscopes page, she takes a seat on a nearby bench and flips it open.]

Hm... Your imagination is one of your richest assets, but it's important that you don't let it spiral out of control, especially when it comes to romantic matters. Well, that hardly seems accurate.

zodpriac

[priforprincess]

[ Falulu is here for the show! It is so pretty. And while seeing a pretty show is good, seeing a pretty show with a friend is even better. Falulu is so happy.

Which is how she has ended up seated at Mirei's table, looking through the magazines. They've been considering March 21, the date of the Falulu Come Back Live, as Falulu's birthday, so.....

Hm. ]

Mirei, Mirei.

[ Falulu holds up the magazine. "You're movin' on up when it comes to the career ladder, and it couldn't be more timely..." ]

Is the "career ladder" - high?

[ She doesn't have a problem with heights, but that sounds like a very impressive ladder, indeed. ]

Rudy Roughnight | God (Zephyrus)

[westernwinds]

Volatile Vagrants

[His first instinct was to use his ARM to shoot at the strange creature; there wasn’t time to think about anything else. But of course, it didn’t do much of anything, and his eyes widened as he slowly lowered his weapon.]

Is that an ayakashi?

[The foreign word still sounded strange on his lips. The ayakashi could only be beaten by a god with a shinki. He at least remembered being told that much, but he didn’t really like the idea of using a person to fight or even having that much control over someone else. It was a cruel joke that he had to do that to save other people from the ayakashi. What else could he do, though? In the end, Rudy whirled around to face his shinki.]

I need your help to stop them. Please!


Warm Wanderlust

[Ah. He understood quite well the desire to travel freely. Part of that might have come from not being familiar with the new (well, new to him) modes of transportation. Heck, he hadn’t been set up with his temple for that long at all, but already the thought of wandering in the Near Shore sounded appealing.

Granted, all that didn’t have much to do with whether he was helping out or not. Those aspects were perks instead of reasons.]

Gettin’ noticed really is tougher now. [He rubbed the back of his neck, letting a moment pass before he began to search his pockets.] I don’t think I have anything that’d help.


Youthful Yente

It’s nice that she’s trying to help people become closer.

[Yeah, “closer.” That was definitely the right word for it. What is this mysterious thing called romance. That being said, it didn't seem to be going so well.]

I think she means well, but...

Volatile Vagrant

[iron59]

[The only problem, of course, was that the two gods had come here without bringing a single shinki along. Felix shuffles his feet, pulling out a small switch blade he'd nicked from his shinki ages ago.]

That's an ayakashi, alright. Um. It's really bad if you let it touch you, so try not to get too close.

[He hefts the knife a little; calling a shinki would be easy enough, if he was willing to listen to the long, long lecture for leaving without them, but that was going to be a long lecture. He takes a step to the side as the little creature stretches out and twists, looking at the two gods with hungry eyes.]

Maybe try shooting it again?