Test Drive #34

[godsoffortune]

TEST DRIVE # 34



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.



Jingle Jeans
The fresh new spring fashion trend is accessorized denim. Super-accessorized! Bells, chains, beads, zippers, belts and more drip from every inch of this season's hot styles, and the stores need someone to model their new stock -- and bring in the buyers. It's your job to convince the fashion-savvy residents of Tokyo that these new jeans are exactly what their wardrobe needs, without getting your five chain belts tangled.


Kitty Kibble
A huge, panther-shaped ayakashi is haunting the streets of Asakusa, and the pigeons at the local pigeon shrine have disappeared! Take care of this feline predator so the surviving sacred birds won't end up as dinner on the wing.


Lagging Laundry
The residents of an Ikebukuro high-rise have an unusual problem: no matter how sunny the day or how long it's been hanging, their laundry just won't dry! Do they have a moist microclimate? An ayakashi of mold and despair? Or do they just need someone to get all that wet laundry to the nearest laundromat with a dryer until the weather warms up?


Melon Mania
A gardener in Ueno has planted a brand-new strain of muskmelon in his window boxes, and this plant is going wild! Vines have taken over the exterior of his apartment building, and beach-ball-sized fruit are popping up all over. He needs help bringing in the harvest… but his neighbors are begging for this plant to wind up in the compost heap so their lives can go back to normal. Whose side will you take?


Nice & Neat
A community art project is being hosted at the Tokyo Art Museum! Jigsaw-shaped pieces of wood about the size of a hand have been handed out to artists and crafters throughout Japan, and the pieces have just been shipped back. Now, they have to be assembled into one giant jigsaw puzzle for display. There's just one problem: someone forgot to number the pieces before they were shipped! Now they've got a 20,000 piece puzzle whose pieces don't match, and it has to be finished this weekend for the grand opening. Help!



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

Ruler (Jeanne d'Arc) | Fate/Grand Order | Shinki

[faithstaynight]

[Kitty Kibble]

[An ayakashi the size of a panther? Not exactly a walk in the park, but not the toughest thing Ruler has ever fought. The real problem, honestly, is what happens after the final blow is struck. With the danger gone, the pigeons return, and all of them seem... eager to show their gratitude.]

Um--!

[Yep, this poor shinki is covered in birds. They're perched on her shoulders and arms, and a few on her head; the pigeons coo happily, a few are nibbling at her hair, and generally being the happy content birds they were before the shadow of the ayakashi fell over their temple.

... Ruler, on the other hand, looks equal parts amused and puzzled. This is all very cute and all, but she can't stay here forever! Nor can she try to shake the birds off! Wouldn't that be disrespectful????]

I'm... I'm very glad all of you are grateful! Believe me, I understand! B-But...!

[There's a hint of desperation when she glances over and spots the nearest god or shinki. Friend, please help...!]


[Melon Mania]

[Now this is more like it. There's something about all of this, of lugging the produce away from the vines and into crates, of trimming down the dead leaves and shriveled vines, that feels... soothing to Ruler. It was tedious work, but she liked it - and she was good at it. Or... at the very least, the manual labor part of it.

It's probably pretty amusing to see someone with all the build of a lean teenage girl balance a stack of about ten melons in her arms as if they weighed nothing, all while conversing with one of the man's disgruntled neighbors.]

I understand your concern, this must be... quite a difficult obstruction to work around. But perhaps a compromise can be made? [She offers a smile to the neighbor, who looks a bit skeptical.] Are a few overgrown plants worth starting a war over? Or ruining friendships?

[The neighbor doesn't seem quite convinced, but... not as angry?]

Perhaps working together to care for the melons will keep them from growing out of control? And in return for your assistance, he can offer you a choice of the harvest?

[The neighbor... seems to think about it. Meanwhile, Ruler returns to her work. It doesn't look like she needs much assistance, but... more hands are always welcome, right?]

Melon Mania

[towards_okeanos]

[A thunderous laughter can be heard probably by half of the ward and it certainly reaches Ruler. It source being a huge man with red hair. He's got his own stack of melons and is talking to a stern looking middle aged woman, surely one of the poor gardener's neighbours.]

My good lady but you could make a hit of it! I'm sure you can! Just think about it. You lend the guy a hand, he shares with you, you both benefit from the good harvest. You can make melon dishes for your restaurant, ask your daughter to take pictures and put them on the social media. Maybe she can invite some friends over. They're would share to their social media. Just to spread the good word. I tell you whole city won't stop talking about this new cool - that would be yours - restaurant!

[The woman doesn't look totally convinced but she's not that mad either. Maybe she was too quick to criticize the whole melon idea. The guy's excitement is quite contagious. She starts to think that maybe it could really work. Her restaurant could certainly use some publicity. And if it could make teenager eat more fruit and vegetables instead of all those fast foods...]

Just think about it.

[Red hair man nods to the lady and then leaves to unload his melon stack to the very same crates as Ruler. He smiles when he notices her. The Heavens are getting pretty crowded with all those Heroes of Humanity. Not that he's going to complain. Iskandar is always happy to see more Servants coming to Far Shore. The more the merrier.]

Hi, there! You're here to help too? That's pretty good harvest but I see where this poor guy's headache comes from.

[faithstaynight]

[As a shinki, Ruler doesn't immediately recognize the pull inside of her at the presence of another Servant, but she smiles anyway at the large man's approach. It's... hard not to have overheard his conversation with the woman, with how loud he is, and she's glad more people are trying to find a middle ground in this conflict. ]

Oh, absolutely. It's one thing if these were mere flowers, but melons? I understand their frustrations at those growing all over. [She simply shrugs, brushing some dirt off her hands.] But I'd hate to see things fall apart between all these people over something that can be solved so easily. How could I not help?

[towards_okeanos]

Ha! That's exactly what I thought myself!

I admit it's pretty invasive but it's also edible and sweet. I tried to tell the guy maybe he should organize a feast. Everybody loves feasts.

[Iskandar shrugs off the memory of this poor, timid fellow almost shouting at him "But nobody would come! They hate me already!". Well, that didn't end well. Who would have thought the guy is terrified of talking to people. Maybe that's why he prefers plants.]

He wasn't very keen on the idea so I had to intervene in person.

[faithstaynight]

Don't you need more than one kind of food for a feast, though?

[It sounds like a good idea, both as a way to manage the crop and to bring the apartment's residents together, but... hm. Could use some work.]

I'm sure there are plenty of snacks and desserts that can be made from melons, but a full feast might be tricky..

[futhark]

[ Have no fear, your call of help has been answered! But first, Caster has to shoot a quick photo- because Ruler covered in pigeons is absolutely a sight one can not ignore. It had to be immortalized you see, for, uh- idk, science? ]

Sure they like you, don't they? [ He says as he approaches with a wide smile. How friendly~ if he wasn't such an asshole to make a photo of Ruler's trouble, that's it. For what it's worth at least the pigeons shy away from the side he's close to.

Which means they are joining their friends on the other side. ]

You must have done them a great favor to earn such gratitude. [ And cooing.

And that's when he takes out something from his pocket, held in closed hand but earning the interest and trust of the pigeons - big man what do you have there, is it food? It must be food! ]

[faithstaynight]

[The teasing only gets a somewhat defeated sigh out of Ruler. She's still not quite used to Caster's antics and the way he teases... but it could be worse, right? The worst she has to worry about is that picture getting back to Zelda.

... Right?]

I was simply doing my duty. I don't need any sort of thanks for fighting ayakashi.

[Many people might come off as smug or cocky when saying such things, but there's nothing but sincerity in Ruler's voice. Helping people - or birds in this case - feels right, like she was meant to do it.]

... What've you got there?

[futhark]

[ That's a reasonable worry because he would absolutely click SEND soon after making that photo. Zelda needs to see this, her shinki and lots of birbs, isn't that cute? ]

Something interesting- [ He says in a conspiratorial tone as he leans closer (what is personal space) and then suddenly throws his hand up, opening it, allowing all the precious bread fall on the ground--- if his hand wasn't absolutely empty to begin with.

The gesture is so familiar it does trick the pigeons who immediately are sent into short fluttering flight as they land on the ground, awaiting the delicious rain to fall on the ground. Wait, what- there is nothing. ]

Looks like it was your freedom! [ Not one of the best of his jokes. And the pigeons are realizing they've just been tricked. A new challenger appears? ]

[faithstaynight]

[well it sure is a good thing that Ruler doesn't care one bit about the damage such a silly picture might do to her image. It just gets so embarrassing when her god gently teases her about these kinds of things...!

Before she has the chance to question his vague answer, she lets out a startled yelp at the sudden mass of fluttering wings-- a yelp that quickly melts into laughter.]

You're terrible! [Said without any real scolding tone of voice.] Tricking a god's sacred animal like that... you should hope they aren't offended by that.

[Her warning is too late, it seems; those that realize they've been tricked are pecking at his feet, like a little birdy attempt to push him around. You offered food, but didn't give it!! How rude!!]

melon mania

[sageprincess]

[Yeah... Zelda can't carry nearly as much as Ruler apparently can, and so she has taken to making herself useful mostly by cutting away at the vines crawling up the apartment complex. She has a decent sense of balance and no fear of heights, so it seems like the best place for her, even if Ruler seems to be much more adept at every step of this process...

From her place on a ladder, she listens to her conversation with the neighbor, generally ignored as denizens of the Far Shore are by mortals when they aren't directly interacting with them, and some time after Ruler finishes, she makes her way down.]

I must say, you make for quite the diplomat, Ruler.

[faithstaynight]

[With the dispute settled between the residents, it's back to the physical labor. With all the help between the humans and other gods and shinki, it's relatively quick work, but Ruler still takes her time to avoid spoiling any of the produce. So it takes a moment for her to respond until all of the melons she'd gathered are in the crate.]

You think so? [It's hard to tell if the compliment flattered her or embarrassed her, but either way, there's an almost nervous sort of flutter in her hands as she brushes the dirt off of them.] I just... didn't want to see them angry at each other. This is troublesome, but still something absurd to fight over.

[sageprincess]

[Her compliments tend to cause a bit of bashfulness in those she gives them to (or, more accurately, she tends to surround herself with people who take a compliment about as well as she does), and so the slight fidgeting goes unremarked upon. Instead, she tilts her head as if to ask if Ruler is really trying to downplay things right now.]

I agree, but sometimes it is the most absurd things that bring out the stubbornness in people. [She... might sound like she speaks from experience. Very exhausting experience.] From what I could see, you diffused that man's agitation with the situation quite well.

[faithstaynight]

[Whether it's helping the citizens of the Near Shore with mundane problems or fighting off ayakashi, Ruler's always downplayed all her achievements since awakening as Zelda's shinki. Her humble attitude has never once wavered in that time, so... it can't be anything but genuine, right?]

All I did was calm them down. The solution I offered... I think they would've come to it on their own. They just needed to listen to each other.

Melon Mania

[trustheart]

[A girl with long, white hair tied up into pigtails is working alongside Jeanne... and she's not doing nearly as well. She introduced herself at the start of the labor as Chris, and it became quickly apparent she's not very good at physical labor, able to carry fewer melons and getting winded faster than just about anyone.

At this point, she's carrying two under-arm style, moving like there are lead weights tied to her legs.]

I'm going to die. This is how I finally do it. It won't be in battle, instead it'll be while lugging fruit around.

[faithstaynight]

[With the way Chris is dragging herself and the melons along, it's hard not to notice. And Ruler, being Ruler, doesn't hesitate to (thankfully not literally) drop her armful into the nearby produce crate and head over to where Chris is struggling, scooping up one of the melons.]

That won't do... you shouldn't be afraid to ask for help. We're all working together, after all.

[trustheart]

[Chris is taken by surprise as Jeanne takes one from her, and blinks a few times before letting our a sigh of relief.] Thanks. You're a saint... seriously. And yeah, you're right, it's just... hard. When there's new people. [She looks down, frowning like she's thinking of another time and place.

[faithstaynight]

[Ruler laughs a little at the saint comment, but shakes her head.]

I wouldn't say I'm a saint... I'm simply doing what we've been asked to do. [She's never been one to make a big deal out of her work helping others. Sure, she puts her all into it, but she never expects anything in return. Even their thanks seem a bit much for her sometimes.] I understand that... but we're all working towards a common goal, aren't we? We came here to help, so asking for it shouldn't be something to be ashamed of.

melon mania

[galrarm]

She has a point, [ Shiro says as he crosses his arms. He's pretty impressed by Ruler's ability to settle things; it shows in the way he nods approvingly. ]

In the end, teamwork is always better.

[faithstaynight]

[An enthusiastic nod!]

Exactly! This situation can be so easily solved by working together... doesn't that feel better than anger and frustration?

[... In the face of these two optimistic dorks, who wouldn't cave at least a little? The neighbor looks a little embarrassed, scratching at the back of his head before turning and heading in the direction of the man at the center of all this debate. Ruler watches them, and when it looms like their conversation won't be gettingtoo heated again, she breathes a sigh of relief.]

Thank goodness...

Kitty Kibble

[tinygreen]

[Pidge can't help with pigeons. She's tiny and they wouldn't fear her much.]

Are you covered in bird seed or something?

[Or the bird equivalent of cat nip? Because this is a first. And Pidge is trying not to let a laugh escape.]

[faithstaynight]

[Siiiiigh. Ruler's pretty much resigned herself to being the laughingstock of the day after this. Oh well... it could be worse, she guesses? At least this isn't something seriously degrading.]

Not that I'm aware of?? [At least the ones nibbling at her hair are focused mainly on the chopped short bits. It would be a bit more serious problem if they were clinging to her long braid...] That ayakashi... I was more concerned that they'd be afraid of me, if any of its scent lingered around.

[tinygreen]

[Sorry, Ruler, sorry. It's just not everyday Pidge sees someone in this situation without an outside stimulus to have caused it.]

Maybe they're so grateful they don't care how you smell? Though I doubt ayakashi actually have a scent. They just feel like a weird darkness to me. Never noticed a smell...

Kitty Kibble

[frenchfried]

[ of course, Avenger has no such compunctions about being polite to a flock of simple birds, no matter how appreciative or peaceful they were acting. just the same, she has no real reason to help whomever it was trapped under all those feathers but the sight and sound filled her with growing annoyance the longer the person pretended to behave as if such a thing was no inconvenience at all. ]

Ugh, of all things — HEY! GET AWAY! SHOO! [ she shouted, approaching with her arms waving through the air and the loud stomp of armored footsteps hitting the ground. Avenger was dead-set on scaring off the birds and just maybe telling off whomever was attracting them in the first place. it depended. ]

[faithstaynight]

[Of course, however more intelligent these birds may be than normal pigeons, they're still birds, and so the stomping and yelling is enough to chase them off. Poor Ruler, though; in the scattering panic, many of the birds clip her with wings or claws, so when Avenger sees just who it under all those feathers, she'll notice her twin looks a bit disheveled, with a few scratches on the side of her face.]

Ouch-- oh! [And that's when Ruler notices Avenger, and perks up a little.] Thank you for saving me, Avenger!

[frenchfried]

[ there is a brief moment in which she thought to herself to call back to the birds after all but it was too late now. they were gone and likely quite upset with having their calm perching disturbed as they had.

Avenger crossed her arms and pouted. ] There's... no need to thank me. You shouldn't have been so careless as to let them just perch all over you like that in the first place. Think of they mess they could have made.