Round 1: Test Drive

[cordibus]

Welcome to the first test drive!

Please don't worry too much about using your Personas correctly or following the prompts exactly. They're meant to give you starting ideas, but by all means, go wild and add more options!

The objective here is to try out characters and see who you could have the most fun with in the game's setting. However, feel free to follow this link to request a Persona be generated for you as if you were part of the game. (Please try to limit this to only one of your test drive characters if you can as to not overwhelm us! Never mind generating Personas is a pretty fast process! Request for as many characters away as you like!)

If you have questions about the test drive itself, you can ask them here! If you want to play an AU don't forget this entire post can be used for you to get AU scenarios set up and see who your character might have been related too or know before Awakening.

Now then, let's begin...

Prompt 1 - From Dawn to Dusk

The city has been abuzz for the past few weeks. A new string of murders is making front page news and serving as a grim reminder why the nightly curfew is so important. As families, perhaps even someone close to you, mourn, pressure continues to rise at the many police stations and at city hall. The people are afraid and they’re demanding answers.

There's not much time for you to dwell on this.. Like everyone else in the city, you have a lot to do, and a tight schedule to do it in. You don't even notice the application that has appeared on your phone's screen. The headache that follows, however, is strange and disorienting, and it brings with it an odd sensation that something is wrong today. You’re just not sure why.

The day passes by and soon, it's close to midnight. Your body, if you're not in bed by now, is completely exhausted. Despite your best efforts, you'll find yourself closing your eyes. Too bad it's quickly interrupted by a strange noise, and movement like something pulsating softly.

It's your phone, or at least you think it's your phone, but it's never glowed this orange before. There’s mist rising above it almost like fire...something's definitely bizarre about this. Despite your fears, you forces yourself to open it, and click on that strange snake-like icon.


It opens revealing a single statement and blank box;

To begin, please write your name.

Your fingers move on their own. Before you have time to really think about it, and as the pain inside your head becomes so terrible you start breathing rapidly and sweating, you've entered a series of letters and pressed enter. Now you're in a large chatroom with many others...but your 'name' you've never even heard of it...have you? It almost feels like you have...

Prompt 2 - Awakening

The last rays of the sun disappeared over the horizon almost an hour ago, yet here you are, walking through the apple orchards located behind one of the campus wings. The strange app that's been sending you strange clues the past seven days now says you're ready to face the truth. It told you to come here tonight, but never to travel alone. Repeatedly, it warns you to make sure to have someone close by if you're to survive…but besides some friends, what else did you bring with you? Did you pack for this, or did you figure you'd make it up as you go? Are you in a position to be able to bring weapons with you that no one would suspect?

Something is out there, and it's getting closer.

Before you can think, you see it: a large, blackish mass, almost like slime, slithering along the ground resembling a vaguely humanoid shape with glowing yellow eyes. When it roars again, it reveals rows and rows of teeth. This was a mistake your brain warns. The strange name from the chatroom, the days leading up to this...you're fairly certain even if you are prepared that you're going to die.

And yet, something inside you stirs. Even as they move closer, you find yourself charging instead of running, as your heartbeat increases. A voice inside is guiding you, each movement bringing forth a surge of memories of a past that you had lost. You’re angry and confused, but your pain, your fears, your rage for all of this… all of that needs to be taken out on those creatures.

All you need to do now is to tear out your heart.

Prompt 3 - A new, old life

Now that you have your memories back, the strange veil of this world has been somewhat lifted. Things that seemed simple now seem strange. You have so many questions, but not enough answers. Then there's the new weapons you wield and the strange creature inside of you...your Heart Persona.

During the day, you are encouraged to continue to live as you did before, but with old and new memories together, sometimes it is difficult to keep acting like you did. Will it cause issues in your job or school life? Will it change your reactions to whatever life you had here? Do you notice others like you who have awakened?

Maybe it would be a good time to send a chatroom message, just to ask others what they are planning to do. Maybe you should set up a meeting to fight shadows at night. Maybe you’ll organize a plan of attack or set up a club to escape the strange looks others have been giving you. Maybe you just want someone's opinion on the best place to have pizza. Hey, no one said you had to use the AppleNET just for serious things, after all.

Comments

sakura matou ❁ fate/ ❁ ota!

[cherryblossoms]

((please note: for au purposes, in her non-awakened state, sakura is sachiko, a 1st year student in the senior cycle who's very shy, quiet, and likely to keep to herself. she's pleasant and friendly, though! she likes gardening (she cares for a collection of caterpillars that have newly cocooned), whipping up delicious homemade meals (that she then brings to school—need a lunch?), and participating in archery club, where she's a reluctant rising star. for some reason, she's almost always alone...

it's not that uncommon to find her lingering in the corners of the library or a darkened hallway with strange books right up until closing time. she has a few admirers and suitors that are usually older boys, but someone else appears to have caught her eye. who's that person she gazes at dreamily from around corners, blushing up a storm? is it you?

i'm definitely open to coordinating au relationships of any kind, including family, so just lmk if you're interested in that!))

prompt 1 ❁ from dawn to dusk

["sakura"? who's "sakura"? that's not her name, is it? (is it—?) there's so many people here... maybe she'll wait for the chat to scroll by for a little bit, but then she adds her own input.

um]

asl

[she's doing it right, right?]

prompt 2 ❁ awakening

[well, you know, presumably this clues-hunting thing works if you have friends. but what are those poor souls without any friends supposed to do?

if a cute first year from the senior circle stops you in the hallway at the school as dusk is settling in, please try not to be too scared by the bow strapped to her back and the heavy quiver of dangerous, real arrows at her side.]

U-Um... [it takes her a moment to find her voice. but then,] I'm sorry to intrude. But are you busy tonight? I misplaced... something in the orchard...

[bonus line, if you are a particularly dashing young man around her age:]

I'm afraid of being alone when it gets too dark.

2

[eargasmic]

[ Well uh, Hazama kinda fits the dashing young man description with his suit and all but he certainly is not around her age. But he, ironically, is going to help her here.

For now because shit would be too hilarious to miss when he abandoned her later. ]

Oh my. It couldn't wait til tomorrow morning?

[cherryblossoms]

[what a good man you are, hazama]

No, probably not— Is that okay?

[she's standing there with her hands linked at her waist, on her best behavior for an older(?) gentleman.]

[eargasmic]

[ Just doing his part, ma'am.

In any case, Hazama eyes her through his almost-always-closed eyes for a short while. She does look rather helpless and not to mention, perceives him like those from the more gullible side. Which is perfect.

He lets out a sigh, although inwardly, Hazama is probably enjoying this already. ]

Oh well. I don't think I can be that cruel to refuse a plea from such a beautiful lady. Where was it again?

the worms the worms the worms— I mean. No worms yet. Prompt 2!!

[autorejoin]

[ "Sachiko" may or may not recognize this third-year in the senior cycle. You'd be forgiven if you didn't. "Yusuke Fujimoto" was the name he believed was his, though he'd found himself typing an entirely different one into his phone earlier— who's Yue Katou? Why did that sound familiar?

Anyway.

It's honestly her call if she finds him "dashing" or not, but he's holding a long piece of pipe as though it were a baseball bat and he stops when she speaks. ]

Huh? What did you leave there....?

[ He shrugs. ]

I was heading there myself, anyway. Why don't you tag along?

hehehe wait until you see my persona plans

[cherryblossoms]

[at the very least, we can probably say that the rough masculine thugness of carrying a pipe around, presumably to bash people in the head with, has taken her breath away.]

Oh, you were going, too? [her voice chirps up, and she's obviously surprised by that admission.] —Yes! Please take me with you!

IS IT WORMS? Or maybe something that looks suspiciously like Mara....

[autorejoin]

[ There is a very distinct possibility of bashing people in the head with the pipe. At the very least, he hasn't ruled it out. ]

I was! So that works out, doesn't it?

[ He gestures with the pipe. ]

Let's get going, then.

1

[clicked]

[ Fushimi is a dashing young man! Unfortunately, she first meets him here. ]

legal/m/uncharted territory

[ And he's like this. ]

But I don't think it's that kind of app.
Unless you're desperate.

[cherryblossoms]

[don't lie to me already]

i'm not desperate...
wait, what does something like "uncharted territory" mean?
is it that we don't know what this is?
that's the case for me, at least. i don't spend too much time in chats.

[clicked]

[ well he was referring to his room but that works too ]

I guess that means you don't know what catfishing is.
No one knows what this app is either.
I thought it was malware
but I checked the source code and it doesn't exist.

prompt 1

[moonoveralola]

my names lucy im twelve

That's how chatrooms work when you're talking to older people, right? Lucy is pretty sure this is how it works.

[cherryblossoms]

[lucy no]

oh!!! oh, no!
little girl, this isn't a good place for you!
you should probably log off, okay?

[moonoveralola]

well i didnt put this on my phone
so mom must have
she did say i needed more friends
and i dont wanna disappoint her

Lucy will fight through the headache she has and do her Mom proud!! She is a good girl!!

#2 sort of ???

[plainest]

[ idk man everything is up in the air for me rn with AU and name so let's just go with his name as it is... im sorry im woefully unprepared..

anyway, yuuri is. well. finishing off with work. admittedly he's taken longer to do the usual work than he would have normally, but also he was dawdling between whether to go to the orchard like how they instructed, or not. whoever 'they' were. he had already texted sachiko to know that he might be a little late, but this was maybe a little more than being late.

well, he can't put it off any longer. he should at least leave his office before it was curfew, because it means that he'd have to spend the whole night on the tiny couch in his office, and he really doesn't want to leave his little sister by herself????

but it doesn't seem like he has to, because as he rounds the corner of the corridor, he spots a familiar figure. ]

...Sachiko?

What are you doing here?

[cherryblossoms]

Onii-san?!

[she's more shocked than you are, big bro, (maybe) despite the fact that he has an actually credible reason to be here this close to curfew. in fact, sachiko's so shocked she drops her quiver of arrows down... only for it to slump against the floor with an empty thud, echoing through the hallway.

perhaps she'll just stand there for a few seconds, covering her hands over her mouth. that's doing something, isn't it? muffled now,]

Onii-san... Um...

[plainest]

[ well, he does work here....

yuuri is just going to step in closer, only to bend down and pick up the quiver of arrows up for her by the straps, slinging it over his shoulder instead. that was strange -- wasn't it full just a minute or two ago?

maybe it's a trick of the light. who knows. ]

Sorry for scaring you. Didn't you get my text?

[ a thought occurs to yuuri that maybe she was going to meet with someone ... but she can't be. it's getting late already, and he really didn't want her staying out here like this. this was already pretty unusual for her. ]

1 welp

[probablynoteren]

american sign language? i don't think that's what this is for.

[Then again, who knows what this is for. He does use the Internet, of course, but his knowledge of slang is a bit all over the place because he keeps using it to look up things like planting seasons and walkthroughs for Animal Crossing.]

[cherryblossoms]

[jeez! get on her level]

no, it's not "american sign language".
oh, forget it.

2

[neverbeentogeorgia]

[Akira recognizes Sachiko. They don't share any classes--he's in his last year of the senior cycle, preparing to go off to college a semester early if he can manage it, even--but they've never really spoken before except in passing niceties. ("Excuse me," "pardon me," and the like.)

Akira sets his book down and takes off the glasses he wears for reading--she did find him in the school library, after all. He puts on his Liar's Smile and tsk's gently.]

That's a pretty big favor to ask a boy you barely know, isn't it? What would my girlfriend think?

[cherryblossoms]

[it takes a lot of guts to even come into the library this late and with full archery gear, so she won't be rattled by her nerves, now! ... even if she's still quite shy. he's handsome. he isn't one of the upperclassmen constantly pestering her for dates, either, so he already earns some respect for that.

she ducks her head, folds her hands neatly in front of her, and looks slightly away, eyes lingering on the nearby table.]

You seem... strong and dependable, for a man. If I'm frightened, I'd like you to be with me. That's all.

[oh, and he asked her about his girlfriend, too, didn't he?]

... She'd probably think you're cheating on her... with all due respect, Senpai...

2!

[sunderings]

Intrude? [ Lofting a brow high, Sion gives brief pause in surprise before shaking his head, the fringe of his hair bouncing lightly with the motion as notes of reassurance and warmth touch his smile— ] You could do no such thing, Sachiko.

[ Not Sachiko, who has only ever been reserved and polite, soft-spoken even in this: asking for help. Though Sion has volunteered as a student-teacher for the senior cycle for quite some time, he realizes in this moment that he hasn't come to know Sachiko quite as well as he would like. But ah, perhaps now is the time to remedy that: it would ease his thoughts, calm his mind, and being the person by the name of 'Lucien' who she knew--...

It is by far more simple than entertaining the memories which lingered at the back of his mind like stories; like fairytales. ]

What is it that you've misplaced? If we cannot fetch it before curfew, I would be happy to search for it in the morning before class.

[cherryblossoms]

[one wonders if he'd think differently of her if he knew she's only doing this for her own safety...

but sachiko, as she faces him, is still quietly determined and unfazed. lucien says bothering him is no problem, so she faintly nods her head in understanding. well, it doesn't look like he'll give her trouble by, like, preventing her from going outside close to curfew even if he is a student-teacher. so, that's good.]

It's— [the briefest of pauses. she could be lying, or it could be an intentional breather between her words.] a cookbook I rented from the library. I'm still working on the recipes at home.

1

[repugnant]

[ hello fellow youth ]

Is that slang?

omg, great timing, i've seen a few eps of jojo and it was an Experience...

[cherryblossoms]

[hi fellow kids]

yes, sort of.
basically, i'm trying to ask for people's locations and some identifying information...
i'm still not convinced this chatroom isn't a hoax...

2, any particular spoiler cutoff date?

[aceofalosthand]

I don't blame you. It's not safe here. [Robin is profoundly freaked out, but... he always figured courage was more 'overcoming' than 'not having' fear.]

...better two than one, though. What did you lose?