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test drive

Test Drive Meme #1

Guidelines

For this first TDM, your character has been in Newase at least a short time -- long enough to have woken up, visited the Mirage Welcome Home, and learned a little bit about their new circumstances.

Please refer to the Character Choices page for options on options for your character's species, nature, and abilities.

If you're iffy on the idea of Arts and Specials, looking for input on what choices to make for your character to bring them in, or looking to develop a setting-AU background, please post to the Character Creation Help thread. Mods will offer their insight and other players are more than welcome to make suggestions as well.

Please list your character choices either in your thread's subject, or in each individual prompt if you are trying out numerous ones! This is especially relevant for those taking Blade or Driver choices so you can partner up with others on the TDM.

Your character will have 20 XP to spend on application. Try some different ideas out on the TDM and see what might appeal.

Above all, have fun!

Training Grounds

The Training Grounds are not, historically, a busy place, and normally cover far more ground than they need to. Counselors send the Mirages who come through down there to acclimate themselves to their new ability in the sprawling range, whether it be against target dummies or targets for arrows or bullets or even against an old retired Driver named Griscol who still knows a thing or two about his Blade.

But the sudden influx of Mirages has the Sparring Grounds overwhelmed and chaotic. As the counselors and Griscol scramble about trying to give their pupils pointers, Mirages can line up at the practice dummies, take a spot behind the firing line, or match up with each other to get some practical hands-on experience. One of the counselors has a healing Art, so anyone who gets hurt won't remain so for too long. Ask for tips, practice your arts, or get some sparring done with your fellow Mirages.

The Shnid Hunt

Shnids are a pestilence and plague on Pumonia, and have been as far back as history exists. Looking like a cross between a squirrel and a rabbit and about the size of a medium-large dog, shnids devour crops voraciously and without restraint. Worse till, though they appear cute and harmless, shnids are savage aggressors who hurl themselves at any living being who comes near and deliver however many painful chomps with their powerful jaws are needed to send that other creature running.

Consequently, the counselors at the Mirage Welcome Home always encourage new Mirages to take on the Shnid Hunt mission from the merc boards -- both because shnids are not terrible dangerous foes, and because sometimes new Mirages need to learn that even the cutest and cuddliest of Newase's wildlife won't hesitate to lunge for their throat, no matter how gently that Mirage is just trying to usher them away so no one gets hurt.

Venture out into the vast, verdant fields of Pumonia, team up to take down ten of the beasts, and earn your first pay as a Mirage.

The Fire Ogre

Tumultuous storms roll off the sea with some frequency, part of why Pumonia is so fertile, but as residents depart for Tyrus and leave empty farms and plots behind, those storms bring a greater danger as well. A bolt of lightning has lit an abandoned house on fire, and despite the pounding rain the entire structures blazes brilliantly in the storm-dark twilight. The flames strain and leap, eager to jump from the roof and chimney of the house to the nearby barn, and from there into a knot of buildings around a broad river. Even with water pouring from the sky, the fire seems unstoppable...

But this is Newase, and all things are governed by the ogre. One peeks out of the flames even now, a great mass about half the size of the building and all swirling energy. To call it the fire itself is both accurate and entirely wrong; it is the ogre that governs the spread of this fire, and should some heroes destroy it, the fire will no longer be able to spread...

The Sonic Rail

By day, the view through the windows of sonic railcar is an awe-inspiring sight. Terrain blurs past so quickly the eye can't resolve it. Great sections of the highlands where few have ever ventured on foot sprawls out, offering sights of exotic creatures and curious vistas nestled too far away for safety. Occasionally the train passes a Mech, a rare chance to see some of the hardest-working patrollers on Metta.

But this one travels at night, so the countless miles flashing past outside are all uniform darkness. The cars are well-lit, making napping a struggle, but even so other passengers do their best to doze, huddled up against the windows with jackets or pillows over their eyes.

Then the car jolts, and the ogre that is its heart gives out a grumbling little noise. Deceleration presses you sharply into your seats as the whole vehicle slows, not by braking or friction but by the will of the ogre itself. And then all is silent.

No Rest in Capilong

"Best Rates for Mirages!" read the sign. "Finest hot springs in land! Fresh breakfast!" Whether because of the promises or simply the late hour and its convenience, you showed up at the front counter of this inn to receive a key from its helpful Nopon proprietor -- only to find yourself wedged into a tiny, dark room with an uncomfortable pair of beds and an involuntary roommate.

But the hot springs are real -- considering the boilers that warm the water chug away constantly right next door, that fact is indisputable. Do you go enjoy them as the sole comfort your stay has brought you, or spend the night commiserating over what the 'fresh breakfast' is going to be?

Wildcard

Newase is a grand place, and the isle of Metta vast and rich with opportunity...

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Kotomi's head clicks slightly when she looks up. She shakes her head to muted, repeated snapping.

"I was a human in my world before coming here," she rose her wrist with the sound of gears lining up, and looked at all of the joints conforming her hand covered in a mixture of metal and silicone. Even closing her fist made her feel as if strings and cords worked in tandem like a mechanical musical instrument.

"I still don't know what to think of what I've become."

"When we Drivers bond with a new Blade, we instinctively learn how to use their weapons." Zeke reached over his shoulder to whack the haft of the greataxe slung across his back, to prove his point. "It might be something similar. You picked up how to use a weapon when you changed. These definitely... aren't our real bodies, even the human ones of us."

He brushed one hand over his chest, just beneath his jacket, where absolutely nothing was wrong, and he didn't have half a Core Crystal embedded in him like he should.

That motion caught Kotomi's attention. Her being focused on his chest, realizing he felt something that must have been similar to a phantom limb sensation, or... perhaps even opposite to it. She looked back up at his sole eye.

"I think we were all told something similar, that even humans found themselves in different bodies," she returns to her firing stance with the seamless whirr of gears, more to test her own body, "it feels almost as if I was programmed on some level to use it. And... since I read a lot about physics..."

She pulled the trigger -- and this time flinched only in preparation for the bolt that vaporized another target.

"Well, I can't fault your aim... against a motionless target. But what else have you got in that repertoire of yours, hmm? No Driver's worth his skill without three or four good Arts to call on." Surely an artificial body had to have some powers beyond simply a shooting stance, didn't it? "If you don't know everything you can do, you'll be in for a rude shock in the field!"

Kotomi's body clicked slightly as she lowered the crossbow, frowning to herself as she looked down, studying her weapons. She tested what he had mentioned, what they had all been told at the welcome center, about arts. With small lift of her crossbow and a shift in her stance, she...

... Her chest began to whirr with energy like a concert within her.

She aimed the crossbow once again as the sound holes on her back glowed with a purple light. The ground underneath her glowed with a circle with numerous musical notes...

"First Movement."

The bolt thundered forward, splintering and flying in numerous directions like violet fireflies in its wake, eating through targets like burning locusts.

Zeke took a quick step back. Not out of any alarm, but because when the ground starts glowing with circles and symbols, that generally isn't where you want to stand. Even the Bringer of Chaos could have some common sense!

"Jolly well shot!" he said brightly, masking his surprise. That was quite an Art! And without a Blade providing the power for it. Really, he had to be careful not to write off the people here just because they weren't Drivers.

The engine powering Kotomi slowed down, as her own eyes widened. She felt that! It was almost as if a single string of reality was touched, and with it she resonated over the ones around the trajectory of her bolt. This time, she was awed by her own power in a positive way... although she still held held her chest where her heart should have been. Only after the spell dissipates does her body stop whirring and sound like clockwork once again.

"My heart... my engine, it was running so fast..." She clicked her head to turn to Zeke, "the arts... it's a little frightening to have them, but at the same time it makes me feel happy to see it what I can do, now."

She smiles to Zeke, "I can help others, and you if you wish."

"That's the only attitude it's okay to have when you have the power to make a difference!" Zeke said -- a bit overblown about it, the way he lifted a fist and put a round inflection on his words like he was stating the obvious for a large audience. "There are too many people without power who suffer and endure for us not to do anything."

Grinning, Zeke jabbed at his chest with a thumb. "The name's Zeke von Genbu! Bringer of Chaos! Jolly well good to make your acquaintance!"

For a moment Kotomi paused, eyes widening, holding her chest, for a moment the machinations within her clicking into silence. She had tried to be confident for what was a new life she wanted to have, and while a tiny part of her wanted to believe she could go stronger...

... the moment Zeke introduces herself, the memories of Hikarizaka wash over her. After having practiced introductions with Tomoya, and then... fearing again the outburst of losing a close friend yet again, her body clicks softly as she frowns sadly...

Kotomi then bows, hands over her chest, gears quietly snapping as a result, "my name is Kotomi Ichinose," she then rose, "you spell Kotomi with three hiragana." When you call me, call me Kotomi-chan, she wonders if she should have added at the end.

"I have no idea what that means," Zeke said with a broad grin and absolutely no conviction that his ignorance as a problem, "so I'll assume it's not a problem. Nice to meet you, Kotomi! I'll look forward to working with you."

She would have mentioned it was part of the quirks of her language from her home, distinct from the new language she had uploaded, but when she looked up, she realized it wouldn't be something easy to explain.

At the thought of working together, Kotomi felt something similar to blushing. But... she nods.

"I do not know how much exploration might I be doing after this. I would like to collect knowledge about this world if possible," Kotomi clicks as she looks up, "but... I hope we can work together."

"It'd be a pleasure!" Zeke said, and also a little bit of a relief for him. She seemed utterly unexperienced in anything adventurous, but it sounded like Mirages got sucked into that sort of thing no matter what. He might not be in tip-top shape, but he still had the sort of experience she didn't. "Tromps across the wilderness always go better with a partner. As soon as you're feeling comfortable, why don't we go out and do one of those paying mission things they've got?"

Kotomi looked at her left, then at her right with the respective sounds of gears and clicking as she processed the possible dangers. She looked down and closed her eyes... breathed in, or at list did the motion that would be the closest to resembling breathing in her mannequin body, and looked up.

"Hn! I will do my best to help you, and serve as support for the mission, while I research the rest of the world through either books or reconnaissance."

She really DID remind him quite a bit of Poppi. Maybe the second-model Poppi, QT. Except she spoke a lot more formally, and less Noponly.

Can't complain about that.

"Support? I think you're going to be the one blowing away our foes while I'm holding their attention!" One hand flicked back to rap knuckles on the haft of his greataxe. "It's not my usual gig, but a Blade like this is more suited towards taking hits than giving them."

"Me?" Kotomi pointed at herself in confusion. She takes a look at his greataxe, "but you are the one with the bigger weapon and experience. But if I am..."

Well, there were also the changes Kotomi had, and the magic she now casted... it made too much sense. It was humbling to have so much power...

She nods with a soft click, and holds Zeke's hand with both of her palms, "I will do my best to protect you with what I can do."

"And I'll do my best to get you up to speed on this whole business! With your power and my advice, we'll make you a hero of the land in no time flat!"

And maybe a little less uptight about it all, but Zeke wasn't going to put money on it.

"So what do you say? Get started now, or do you need a moment? Me, I'm always ready."

Hero of the land...

Kotomi imagined herself for a moment at least as a folk heroine. Having spells and powers to destroy those sorts of evils. It made her tremble her, but... the mental image of herself as a knight of those tales dissipated those fears.

Strong. Powerful.

She nods, "Hn! Please lead us."

"Right!" Zeke took one step forward, planted his foot with far more force than it needed, then brought one finger around in a sweeping arc that practically shone with conviction and righteousness! "ONWARD!" he cried, pointing his finger --

Wait a minute, where was he pointing his finger!? Zeke yanked it back hurriedly, clutching it to his chest like he'd been burned. "Where ARE we going anyway?"

Look, he didn't ALWAYS have to be the competent one.

Kotomi stands perfectly in place the moment Zeke points forward and realizes he has just as much of an idea as she does respecting where to go. At that point, it's as if Kotomi was left like a computer with its command entry left pending, as she stands behind Zeke.

Her head clicks back and her eyes glow with lines of code as she mentally processes the numerous locations of the continent and the available locations to them, particularly accounting for a close march without any means of transportation, making the closest possible route for a rapid hunt...

The Upload girl turns her head somewhat close to where Zeke pointed and walked forward, intending to hunt something ranging from an ogre, to angry squirrels which were essentially rats with fluffy tails.

Zeke stared off into the distance a moment more, still clutching his hand, before her movement finally registered.

"Uh -- is that an answer?" he said, scrambling to catch up. "Because I'm all for random exploring, but only when I know that's what I'm doing!"

"There is a location in which there have been reported outbreaks of Shnids, alongside potential ogre activity further that way," she blinks as the lights on her eyes dim back to normal, as she clutches her crossbow, "shnids are an extremely aggressive pest that represents a danger to people if left without control, and... if we do come for a potential ogre, our presence would be even more required."

"Shnids, huh." Zeke fell into step besides her, slowing his own large paces down a lot to accommodate for her shorter legs. "The little guys, right?" he said, holding one hand flat as low as he could reach without bending, though still high for a shnid. "I can see how they'd be a pain. I don't get the whole 'ogre' thing though."

"From the study I received, ogres seem to be beings that can modify elements in reality from either expected events such as wind or fires, to even the smallest events outside of human eyesight, almost in a complete violation of the laws of physics of my world."

She then looked up, "it is entirely likely as well that it might be a form of fauna not appropriately registered, which would still require Mirage intervention to neutralize for public safety."

... then clutched her weapon, "which I hope can be on our level."

"Not to worry on that sport, chum," Zeke said with a confidence that befitted his swagger. "I know a secret technique, which I've mastered over countless battles across the lengths of Alrest's Titans. Even without my accustomed Blades and lacking much of my incredible power, this is a trick that will serve us without fail should we meet a foe that can stand up to even our fearsome might!"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Test Drive Meme #1

Guidelines

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