takamagahara | Test Drive Meme #36

TEST DRIVE # 36

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.

Testy Testers
Welcome to being part of the test market! Here, in this small room filled with other volunteers, you will be asked your honest and unfiltered opinion on any number of products. Potato chips made only from the peel (clearly the best part), candy themed after the latest fashion trend (zippers), gloves made from 100% recycled paper (just because we can)... the list of odd and fabulous items goes on.
Conversation brings out more opinions, so you’re free to discuss your thoughts with other testers, but just don’t get in a fight over it, okay?

(Real-world inspiration for items can be found here!)

Umpire Usurp
Recently, one baseball umpire has been making headlines for an unfortunate reason. His calls at the plate have been getting progressively worse, calling obvious balls strikes and vice versa, to the point where the fans are livid and ready to riot.
Protect this umpire and get to the root of his problem? Join the side of the raging fans? Or maybe dig a little deeper and find out that someone stands to benefit from this umpire’s fall from grace.

Violence vs. Violin
After the disastrous earthquake and tsunami in East Japan, a violin maker made a violin from the driftwood. The sound of that violin is incredibly beautiful and soothing, touching the hearts of all who hear it.
Turns out, the power of the “tsunami violin” extends to the Far Shore as well.
At this concert, a grouping of small chick-like spirits that resonate with positive wishes have gathered. Unfortunately, that group attracts a pack of snake-like ayakashi that would love to devour those positive spirits.
It’s an unseen battle that will hopefully go unnoticed by the concert-goers and performers, if you do your job of dispatching the ayakashi well!

Wandering Whippoorwills
Traditionally, the Whippoorwill bird isn’t found outside of the Southeastern United States, but now astute birdwatchers are reporting seeing them in the vicinity of temples and shrines to Amenohiwashi-no-kami. Nature professors, veterinarians, auguries, and many others curious about the event have flocked (!) to the area to see for themselves if this is true.
The congestion around such a minor god’s temples and shrines is a little much for the caretakers to handle, though - from birds and people both - if you’d care to help out. For starters, there’s garbage collection, crowd control, rinsing off the sidewalks, or restocking some of the temple and shrine supplies that visitors want to take with them.

Xièxie
There are plenty of Chinese restaurants all over the globe, and they draw in crowds for many reasons. A less common one growing in popularity is young students trying to practice their language skills by reading the menu and ordering in their clipped Mandarin.
At the threshold of some Chinese restaurants, small pig-faced ayakashi are loitering, waiting to catch a ride in on a student’s shoulder. Then, no matter the student’s natural personality, they become progressively more brash and insulting as the ayakashi affects them.
The ayakashi are nimble despite their pig-like look, and if threatened will run around between people’s feet, making them difficult to catch.

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I wouldn't trust anyone who likes arguments.

[Blake smiles and winks. Already the table is starting on the next presentation. Some kind of new candy flavor? Hmm, the food ones are interesting, though what is with the obsession with savory sweets? Fish and cream do not belong in jelly beans.]

I guess. Talking is easy, so's trying to help people out and make others feel good.

[That is what they're trying ultimately, right? Sure, some of the ideas are bad, but that only means there's space to improve. Blake crosses his arms and huffs, voice dropping to a stage whisper.]

Though between you and me, ma'am? I'm ready for a nap.

[Blake's certainly managing to make her feel better. Yaone's not exactly shy but she does tend to be quiet and cautious around most people. She is rather sensitive to the moods of others in some ways; it is easy for her quickly become uncomfortable in the midst of large groups of loud, disorderly people. The atmosphere among the testers had become progressively uncivil. Yaone never knows what to say or do in situations like that. All too often she freezes up until a shock snaps her back to her senses.]

Perhaps we should both rest then. I am certain there is something relaxing and enjoyable for us to do.

[A calm, peaceful interlude might be just what they both need before taking on the rest of the tasks for today.]

[It's a shinki's job to take care of their god, right? Blake's also sensitive to the needs of others while keeping calm, weathering crowds well. But even his mood is slightly frayed on the edges.

Blake pulls out his phone and looks at a map app to study the area.]

Some restaurants around, looks like there's a riverwalk and park nearby.

[He gives a playful bow and offers his arm to her.]

Shall I escort you, ma'am?

[The cellphones they'd been given are very useful, fascinating devices, indeed. While the technology level in her own world is advanced in some ways, Yaone had never seen one before coming here. Since then, she's become rather attached to it, keeping it on her person at all times. Sometimes she uses it for communicating but she also uses it to read articles and e-books and to play charming little games to pass the time on slow days.

Yaone chuckles lightly at the bow, slipping her arm through his while maintaining proper platonic distance from.]

If you do not mind. I would like to stroll along the riverwalk unless there is somewhere else you would prefer to go instead.

[Yaone is slowly getting better at taking the lead and making decisions with increased practice. In this case, she does not have a strong preference for where they go as long as it's not back inside with the testers.]

[Blake took to his phone like a fish in water. It did not take long for him to download some sets to the texting program, begin sending cute animal videos, and find some games to play, all while setting up a few social media accounts and keeping an eye on the network.]

The riverwalk sounds great to me. No plans for the day, save for helping you out.

[The weather is nice, cloudy but warm enough for a nice walk. It's a little noisy from traffic, but still better than constant chatter in a closed room. Blake relaxes as they walk, hand tucked into his pant pocket.]

I was thinking I'd cook dinner tonight. Any preference?

[The network and social media interest Yaone. In her own world, she'd been in the practice of idle chatting with those who did not mind her company or quietly listening in on others conversations as a means of gathering intelligence. The advanced technology has made it much easier for Yaone to stay up to date on current events and socialize others from a physical distance. It's been nice.]

Dinner, you say? I am not a picky eater but I do hope you have something healthy and nutritious in mind for us to eat.

[Yaone has a strong preference for fresh, organic ingredients and avoids anything that is processed as much as possible. If there is one thing that Yaone has come to dislike a little about this new world, it's the abundance of chemical additives and preservatives in everything.]

[Blake's expression is perhaps slightly deer-in-head-lights. He's not an unhealthy eater, but his eating habits are perhaps more acclimated to the heavily processed foods of the world.

He's also largely the reason there are boxes of cookies and bags of chips in the pantry. And look, sometimes you just want a corn dog.

The gears in Blake's head quickly whir as he considers what to make that would past muster. Okay, maybe not pizza tonight.]

Would chicken cooked with lemons and herbs with a green salad meet your liking?

[Pizza might take a little extra persuasion in the form of nutritional information to prove to Yaone that it's not on the same level as greasy takeout food. As for the cookies and chips in the pantry, she's been pretty tolerant of her shinki's diet choices and willing enough to purchase those things if asked. It's simply not in Yaone's nature to force others to conform to her personal opinions and wishes or make decisions for them. She's more inclined to focus on disciplining and controlling herself that someone else.

At his suggestion, Yaone nods with a satisfied smile, however. That particular dinner is perfectly acceptable.]

If you would like, we could stop someplace for dessert to take home. I am fine with purchasing whichever treat you would prefer.

[It's fair compensation for Blake cooking dinner tonight, she thinks.]

Test Drive Meme #36

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