takamagahara | Test Drive #32

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test drive

Test Drive #32

TEST DRIVE # 32

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.

Zip Zippers
The popularity of a certain video game has led to a spike in clothing designs featuring a lot of zippers. A lot. Whether self-altered or bought, it seems like most every bit of casual clothing now has zippers from head to toe.
This has led to a viral competition among youth: unzip as many zippers on your unsuspecting target as possible. Bonus points if you get it on video for the world to see!
Become one of the trendy and show off your zippered up clothes, at the risk of being hit by a prankster. Defend innocent passers-by from said pranksters. Or you and your cameraperson can aim for internet glory by unzipping all the things. (Is going unnoticed by Near Shore people an unfair advantage? Careful about drawing too much attention to yourself!)

Amazing Apricot
Amazing Apricot is the nickname of a dwarf bunny that has become an internet sensation. Apricot’s owner has trained her to do all sorts of tricks like a dog - beg, shake a paw, play fetch, roll over, jump through a hoop… all made delightfully more adorable when performed by this tiny rabbit.
But owner Nakazawa is in a pinch- he’s hit a mental block about what to try getting Apricot to do next, and the internet is going to move on without her if he doesn’t do something fast.
Can you help teach this bunny a new trick and save her internet popularity? Or should you convince Nakazawa that it’s curtains for this show?

Blue Blues
In the night clubs of Shinjuku, blues music is the sweeping trend. Ever beings to make use of whatever humans are passionate about, ayakashi have been clustering around the clubs. The side-effect of this is that people have been becoming very depressed after listening to sad songs, and way too wound up after listening to the up-beat ones.
Help moderate the mood swings by getting rid of the loitering ayakashi.

The Case Case
You get a strange prayer over your phone: There is a briefcase at a specific, but remote, location. The request is simply for the case to be looked after for five hours.
Should you choose to accept the request, you’ll find everything as described.
The only trouble is that two hours in, you suddenly are assailed by a knife-wielding mob, intent on getting that case by any means! Since when did you become the unwitting star of an action movie?
(For the detail-oriented, the case can contain anything from gold bars to peanut butter, and the particulars behind the scenario anything you like. It’s not game canon, so go wild!)

Digital Dragons
The latest update to a popular fantasy MMO has players everywhere glued to their keyboards trying to defeat an epic dragon boss. The rewards are exclusive but the fight is almost unbeatable: some of the dedicated (and frustrated) players are praying for divine monster-killing assistance, some are praying for a good healer or tank, and some of their friends are praying that they remember to spend enough time off the computer to eat and sleep!

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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Amazing Apricot

[How could anyone give up on such a cute rabbit? While the concept of "internet sensation" might be unfamiliar and strange to Petra Ral, the concept of morale is not. The Amazing Apricot's performances bring high spirits and morale to all, too, don't they? So ensuring they continue is important.

The petite redhead can be found sitting crosslegged on the floor in front of the rabbit, giving her a cheerful, encouraging smile. Surely, teaching a bunny how to tumble will be enough to earn Apricot a permanent place in everyone's hearts.]

Okay, Apricot. We'll start really small with a basic hop on command. I think we can do it.

[She extends her hand well over the bunny's head.]

Hop! Hop as high as you can!

Blue Blues

[There's something instinctively familiar about being around so many long faces. It bothers Petra to see so much sadness in a place that seems dedicated to providing joy. Before she can approach the maestro - she doesn't know the term 'DJ' - about playing something cheerful, a livelier, fast paced tune with heavy bass strikes up.

It doesn't take very long for Petra to realize that this isn't any better and prevents another danger. People on the dance floor are suddenly and quickly on edge, shoving and shouting at her as their passions grow inflamed from the music. She does a quick glance around to see if her god's present first before acting but after seeing no one, she enters the fray herself, clad in a cute green cocktail dress and heels, sharply elbowing a person here to knock the wind out of them, grappling someone else there in a way that suggests hand-to-hand combat training of some kind.]

Hey! Stop that. Stop fighting! There's no reason to do this!

[Petra's a petite woman and many of the fighters are a good deal larger than her. She might need some help or a call from another to direct her to the ayakashi.]

The Case Case

[The briefcase is heavy but Petra's physically stronger than she looks. She's only human, however, with human limitations so she's getting steadily getting winded in her flight from their pursuers the longer it goes on. She hastily turns to her partner, gasping out a question.]

Can we find a place to hide and lose them?

Edited 2018-09-12 00:35 (UTC)

[Ginia adjusts her borderline and throws out a few light slashes to deter a few of their assailants away. They have to protect the case, right? Nothing said they had to stay in the same place, especially with a mob on them. Ginia tilts her head toward the trees surrounding their clearing they're in and moves to clear a path for Petra. She may look human, but with tech running through her system, she can fight a lot longer and hold them off.]

[Sharp as tack and a seasoned survivor in combat situations, Petra's quick to read the scenario and figure out what Ginia's doing. She inhales a sharp gulp of air, quickly strengthens her grip on the briefcase, and bolts for the opening Ginia's presenting her. She keeps running and doesn't look back, not out of a lack of concern for her safety but a display of trust and faith in the other woman's strength and skill.

Secure and hide the case. Get it somewhere safe out of the mob's sight and reach then doubleback to join Ginia in the fight from a different direction. If she can mislead the pursuers for even a few minutes about where the case is hidden, they can beat them back to it once they regroup.

Petra skids and does a sharp turn down an alleyway. Oh, good, one of those big bins people throw their trash into. She clambers into it quickly and quietly as she can, pulling the lid down on top of her. It smells positively vile in here so Petra covers her nose with her shirt while hastily arranging the trash so the briefcase is well-hidden underneath.

Then she starts listening carefully for footsteps and shouting, any indication of how the fight's going or if it's coming her way yet.]

[The thing everyone learns on the first few days is denizens of the Far Shore aren't easily noticed by humans. They're part of the background of everyday life, moving in and out until they make themselves noticeable or the few exceptions - children, animals, those close to death, and the rare attuned to the magical - see them.

It's far unlikely the mob is made up the supernaturally sensitive, but as Petra moves, the mob loses interest in Ginia and tries to stick to Petra. She blocks them off with more borderlines, hitting them from behind as they leave themselves open, giving Petra a chance to disappear out of sight.

So. If it's not Petra, it must be the case.

With the mob disoriented and confused, Ginia breaks for it, easily leaping over them and heading toward Petra's general direction. She passes by the alley and doubles back, glancing around before heading in. Hugging the wall, she whistles twice, one short one long.]

[A muffled whistle in answer can be heard coming from the dumpster to Ginia's left and a moment later, the lid lifts up and Petra pokes her head out. There's a smear of some kind of sauce on her forehead and a few pieces of shredded newspaper in her tousled red hair. She grips the rim of the dumpster and hops back out, landing gracefully on her feet.]

The case is secure.

[Now that neither of them are holding it and it's firmly hidden from view at the bottom of a pile of trash most people would avoid delving into on sanitary instinct alone, they should go back to being unseen.]

At least, for now.

[Suddenly, she notices something sticky on her forehead and starts wiping at it with her sleeve.]

[Ginia huffs and glances back out into the street before throwing a thumbs up back. All clear, now it's a matter of waiting out the remaining hours. She jogs over to Petra's side, gamely wrinkling her nose at the smell as she checks for any injuries. As Petra wipes at the sticky spot, Ginia pulls out a flask of blessed water and a handkerchief and hands them over before taking her phone out.]

We can keep an eye on it from the roof. By the way, any idea what's in the case?

I don't know. I didn't ask.

[It just didn't feel necessary, honestly. And she's not experienced enough with how prayers usually work around here to notice anything unusual about this one. Petra takes the water and handerkerchief and starts washing off the sauce. Her own nose is wrinkling at the smell, too. After this mission's over, she's going to need a nice, long soak to get the stench out of her hair.]

And I didn't think to look inside. Do you think it could be something dangerous?

[As Petra speaks, she's glancing around looking for access points to the roof. Somehow it still feels a little strange to feel so grounded during missions and she just can't put her finger on why.]

[In a long list of unusual or interesting prayers, this one stands out if only because of the large group of attackers and the mystery case. Ginia glances at the dumpster. The easiest explanation is some kind of tracking device, the more nefarious is something ayakashi related or even the doing of that damn cult.

It's something they can worry about later. Ginia pockets her phone and studies the layout of their surroundings. The buildings are tall, but they're shinki and with signs and ledges to work with, Ginia plots out a path. Striking down a borderline wall that can repel both of them, Ginia focuses on being lighter than air before she jumps up. The lightness carries her into the air and she uses her own borderline as a wall to push off of, angling toward an old building sign. Grabbing the edge, she pulls herself up and perches on the top, jumping up toward the building itself and landing on the roof.

Leaning over the edge, she smiles at Petra. Coming?]

[She's a rookie shinki, still developing her skills and understanding of how borderlines and magic work. The lightness of their bodies and tremendous jumping abilities has been extremely easy for her to pick up. Petra doesn't need borderlines at all as she ascends to the roof. Bouncing from ledge to window sill to sign to wall on both sides of the alley, using the kicking strength of her legs and quick mental calculations of angle and momentum is all she needs.

She doesn't glance down once during her acrobatic climb, every movement as smooth and natural as a stroll across level ground. Once she reaches the top near Ginia, she sits comfortably on the edge, legs dangling over.]

This looks like a good vantage point.

[The two types of people. Ginia dismisses her borderline as she watches Petra ascend the buildings; she's quick, fast, and strong. It raises questions about her background, but isn't that the case for every shinki? She's reliable and smart with a good heart. It's reason enough to watch out for her since Ginia knows Petra will watch out for her in turn.

She sits on the ledge next to Petra, phone back out. They can see the mouth of the alley and the dumpster below. If anyone comes by, they can even get a good jump on them. For now, it's quiet. Hopefully it stays that way.]

Back to the case. I don't think there's anything dangerous, but there's something trackable inside, I think. Those assholes lost interest in me and continued after you when it should have been the other way around.

[There's certainly a number of things to make a person wonder about Petra's background. For all her good natured friendliness and kind treatment of others, she comes with a share idiosyncrasies. The way she tenses up when ayakashi speak about how tasty they are or how merciless and unhinged she can be when they move to strike against her god after saying such things. How uneasy and hypervigilant she'd been during her first visits to the Near Shore before she'd gradually realized it wasn't the deadly landscape her instincts kept trying to tell her it was.

Her heightened reaction times to danger, tendency to quickly assume they're in the worst case scenario, and fast, mental leaps to ruthlessly cutting down something or someone that could endanger them all, especially her god, only add to the mysteries enshrouding Petra Ral.

But back to the case.]

Tracking device? Like... a machine?

[And here's another mystery. Petra's lack of recognition or comprehension of modern technology.]

Edited 2018-09-12 06:05 (UTC)

[As someone who lives and breaths technology and the world around feels familiar - if not a little antiquated - it's easy for her to forget it's not the same for everyone. Ginia turns her phone toward Petra and pulls up a map app, their location marked on the map with a simple dot.]

There are plenty of devices you can use to track a person's location. Most phones have GPS tracking built in. It makes sense someone would want to keep track of the case.

[Ginia looks down at the dumpster, heels tapping against the wall.]

Not everyday you get a prayer over the phone. Does your god advertise out or something?

They don't usually come that way?

[Petra looks up from the phone screen, genuinely surprised at that revelation. Then she thinks about it. Maybe her god did advertise somewhere and leave a method of direct contact.]

Maybe he did.

[Her god didn't mention it to her directly but he doesn't with most things and that's usually fine with her. After all, she can always ask all of his friends to see if they know anything. One way or another, she'll find out something about it.]

It seems a little strange to pray to a god to watch over a case, unless there's something important inside. It must be to have one of these machines in it. So many people want it.

Most prayers come through a god's shrine or offered some other way. A cry for help, a desperate prayer. Gods can also give each other prayers. For example, a non-combative god may pass prayers requiring violent action to a war god.

[All sorts of prayers for all sorts of gods and just as many methods too. Ebisu's temple is perhaps the only one where the printer and fax machine spit our prayers for sorting and processing all day. It's also pleasant going to Alex's or Caster's shrine and looking at the emas to manually sort.]

A prayer through a phone stands out because it implies a direct connection of sorts.

[So many people would be happy having a direct connection to a god, she's sure. But the how isn't as important as the eventual outcome. Ginia glances at the time on her phone.]

We still have a few more hours to burn. Did the prayer say we had to take the case back to the original spot or elsewhere?

It didn't say it outright but I assumed from the phrasing that the person planned to pick it up there.

[At least, that's what Petra planned to do with it once she had visual confirmation of the owner.]

He said he'd be wearing a purple scarf and glasses. I think he plans to meet there for a hand off.

[Petra's brow furrows slightly as she frowns.]

It sounded like no one else had access to it but how did a tracking device get in there then? Would he have put one in it himself? And if he did, how did these other people find out where it was?

[Now that there's time to kill and she isn't in direct contact with the owner, Petra's finding herself with a few puzzling questions. Not so much suspicion as curiosity.]

[Purple scarf and glasses, that's distinctive enough. Make it back, hand it over, they're done at that point. If there's any more trouble, it's his business.

That's the easy way out. If there's no trouble after handing over the case, good. If the mob goes after him, then they're duty bound to protect him. It's how Ginia sees it.]

He could have put it in, someone could have attached something to the case, lots of ways. There's also the question of the mob. Are they after the case, after the person, or did he set us up?

[After a pause, Ginia appends on:]

Not saying he did, but I'm looking at all possibilities.

(no subject)

wingsofaid - 2018-09-12 21:48 (UTC) - Expand

I'm not a fan of hiding.

[But Dust has yet to draw his weapon. He's also not a fan of cutting people down unless he absolutely has to, and he doesn't know enough about this case or what the heck is going on to put any confident in that choice here. So. Rrr. Maybe she has the right of it.]

Let's get somewhere high up, where they won't expect us to go.

[Petra's no coward or slouch in a fight but in her gut, she knows that unnecessary fights lead to equally unnecessary casualties and if a fight can be avoided, it's better to do that instead. She points to a fire escape snaking up the side of a building.]

Up there, then?

A little too obvious for my tastes, but it'll do. At the least we'll have the advantage.

[Putting on a burst of speed, Dust springs up to grab the ladder of the fire escape and haul it down. He's guessing Petra can't leap quite the way he can. Once they're on it they can pull it back up.]

[In life, Petra wouldn't have been able to make that leap but with how light spirit bodies of shinki are and her past training and experience in moving in three dimensions, it's easy enough to figure out a path to the spot using the surrounding buildings. By the time he's got the ladder down, Petra's already wall jumping her way onto the fire escape, landing on her feet with a metallic thud. She looks up to the roof for another access point or fire escape to try to reach.]

There might be a path to somewhere higher up.

[Really, she's not trying to show anyone up and much of a proponent of teamwork she is, this is one area she doesn't need as much help in.]

Do you want me to see if I can find one?

[Dust pauses in mid-ladder wrestle, then sheepishly yanks it back up. He'd underestimated her, and now he feels remarkably foolish. His own fault, though. He's got to learn.]

We can both jump better than they can. If we just get across a gap they can't...

[Petra smiles, unoffended. His intentions were good and it was thoughftul of him, that's all that matters to her.]

I'm sure there's some pretty wide gaps up top they won't be able to cross even if they make a running leap.

[While Petra's got a fairly good gauge of how far and high she can jump from a standing position, she's yet to really test the limits of her running leaps just yet but she's confident they'll be much farther than any mortal can manage.]

Edited 2018-09-13 03:07 (UTC)

[She'd have the right, honestly, and though he's glad she didn't take it, his mistake still rankles him because he expects better of himself.]

[But this makes things a lot easier.] Right. That way.

[As they scramble up the steel steps, he points to a building across the street -- the narrow street, to be sure, but definitely not a leap one would ask of a normal human.]

[It says something about Apricot's disposition and how used it apparently is that Sunny's wings don't remind it of a big bird of prey and send the bunny into a panic. But despite the calm demeanor of the rabbit, Sunny keeps her distance. She hangs back, arms folded over her chest as she watches Petra trying to encourage the thing.

Her gaze sweeps slowly around the room, mouth turned down in a seemingly permanent frown and bored expression.]

...Isn't this a waste of time?

Of course not! If the bunny can be taught this many tricks already, I'm positive she can still learn more.

[Well, there's a rock solid cheery tone that refuses to be swayed. Morale is important. And Apricot's purpose is to give morale.]

Hop, Apricot! Hop!

[Finally, the bunny hops.]

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Test Drive #32

Petra Ral | Attack on Titan | Shinki

The Case Case

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The Case Case

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Amazing apricot

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