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

Augustine Sycamore | Pokemon XY/XYZ

[megabond]

I.

[Augustus is still confused at what happened as he stares at his phone. One of the reasons is that not only a strange app was installed on his phone, but also the fact that instead of his own name, it instead shows "Augustine Sycamore". That is a strange name, yet very familiar to him.

But then again, that might be his headache talking. Regardless, he cautiously decides to enter the chat to get some answers.]

Bonjour. Did anyone got this app recently?

More importantly, I think it somehow has a small technical problem.

II. (Pre-Awakening)

[As these messages from the app start to popping up with these strange clues, Augustus grew more cautious and worried at the thought of them. But as he tried to ignore these messages, another message pops out, saying that he's ready to face the truth and come to the apple orchards tonight.

He really wants to report this to the police, yet these clues began to haunt him little by little. In the end, he tries to approach one of the students or teachers after school. Besides, the app did say never to go there alone.]

I-I'm sorry. But, can I ask you a favor? I need someone to accompany me somewhere tonight...

II. (Awakening)

[At one point, he is panicking, trying to run away from those monsters as fast as he can. Yet, on the other hand, he didn't want to abandon his companion. He had to do something because if they don't escape together, they will die. He really wants to help them, but he is completely surrounded. He doesn't want to die. No, he doesn't want them to die. He needs to help them, even if he has to risk his life for it!

Suddenly, he felt not only his heart beating fast but a rush of pain in his head as he starts to sweat profusely. And as he gasps for air, a voice rings into his head as if it answers his wishes to save them. He doesn't know why this is happening, yet he wants to rescue them, no matter what.

That's it. He can't take it anymore with the pain all around him. He needs to act now.]

I am thou, thou art I...

Remember who you really are and release your rage to protect your allies!

[With one swift pull from his chest, he screams in pain as his heart is somehow now in his hand, now beating for a few seconds until it seemingly stops as he hears a flatline in his mind.

But in a shocking surprise, once his heart beats once more, a purple and red humanoid dragon appeared behind him as his clothes were transformed into a white long coat, blue dress shirt, black pants, and black loafers while a sabre materialized in his hand. And once he opens his now yellow eyes, he points at the shadow monsters with a cold tone in his voice.]

Bune, Agi.

[With that command, the dragon roars as a fireballs struck on one of the Shadows. And as it did, you can see him not only glaring at the creatures in anger, he is smiling in a sinister manner for some reason.]

III.

[He doesn't know what to do now. He now knows that not only his life in here was a lie, but he now remembers his real memories as a Pokemon Professor and his life in the Kalos region. Yet now, he feels very lonely and worried at the fact that his Garchomp, Sophia, Cosette, Mairin, and Alain are missing. Not to mention Ash and his friends are also missing as well.

Right now, he is sitting in a cafe, now wondering what he will do now that the people and Pokemon he knew are nowhere in the city as well the strange power he obtained.

Maybe you should jump in and have a chat with him to cheer him up.]

II- Pre-Awakening

[myownpearl]

[June Smith pulled her headphones off. She didn't normally hang around the teacher's lounge much -- she preferred the privacy of her office off the dance studio. However, that didn't mean she wasn't aware of her surroundings.]

Hmm? What is it? Don't you think it's a bit dangerous to go out. You've been reading the reports, right?

[megabond]

Yes, I'm aware of them. But I'm just going at the apple orchard tonight. I can't say why, but I have a strange feeling that I have to go there with a companion.

[Though to be honest, he only wants to go there because that strange app told him to.]

[myownpearl]

[June glances back at her phone, brows furrowing.]

You...received that message as well? How strange.

[megabond]

I'm afraid so. To be honest, I wanted to ignore it, thinking that it's just a spam mail, but with these strange messages I've been receiving, I decided to follow the message for now until I get some answers.

[myownpearl]

[She had been ignoring it as best she could -- but it was becoming increasingly difficult to do.]

It does seem to be...building up to something.

I suppose as faculty we should check it out -- just to make sure none of the students are getting themselves involved in all of this, right?

[She doesn't sound very confident. But she's at least motivated to keep her pupils safe and she knows she's overheard it mentioned when students thought she wasn't listening.]

[megabond]

Right.

[He is thinking the same thing when he sees this message in his app as he is worried that the students might also download this mysterious app as well.]

The message said that we should go to the apple orchards tonight. I don't know what will we encounter there, but we should be cautious and keep our guard up.

I

[kokuyoyo]

I think everyone got this app recently.
I've tried looking it up online, but I can't find anything.
Everyone in this chat keeps saying they just got it too.

Re: I

[megabond]

So it's a new app, then...

That explains the wrong name that the chatroom just gave me.

[kokuyoyo]

At least you got a name.

[All he's been getting is '49'- a number.]

It might be infected with malware. It won't let me get rid of it.

[megabond]

That means changing my name in the chatroom isn't an option then.

I'm okay with my first name since it's somehow the same as my real one, but why is my last name named after a tree?

[kokuyoyo]

Random? A joke?

There's no telling. Unless you happen to know anything about trees.

I do, but I'm not 100% sure I know you, so my guesses wouldn't be as good.

[megabond]

[Well, a sycamore tree is the only type of tree he knew due to reading a book about them back then.]

I don't know. But to be honest, that name sounds very familiar to me.

Then again, maybe it's my headache that might made a mistake when I typed in...

[kokuyoyo]

You got a headache too? What about sweating and hard breathing?

[megabond]

Now that I think about it, yes.

Why do you ask?

[This makes him a little worried once he remembered this. Why in a world did he suddenly acted up like that without a warning?]

[kokuyoyo]

Because the same thing happened to me.

[He'd been willing to accept it was just a 'him' thing... After all, he takes medication, knows he has mental problems. But for someone else to have the same symptoms, at the same kind of thing...]

III

[lovelledup]

[Gladion--or "Asher" as the professor would know him--finds his way to the same cafe by chance, and hadn't planned to stay, just to grab a drink and go. He pauses when he spots one of his teachers sitting at a nearby table, but only briefly. He wouldn't be sure what to think about greeting his teacher in a place like this normally, even if it's a teacher he likes and he hasn't been doing badly in the class. But now? There's really no point, because everything about his normal life here is a lie, and he's pretty sure the teachers are the same way. So he just turns to continue making his way toward the door.

Say something?]

Re: III

[megabond]

[Just as he feels very lost at his next goal, he sees Asher coming in and out just to buy a drink. Yet, for some reason, he didn't greet him as usual. That doesn't like him to just ignore his favorite student. Sure, his life here was fake, but he's not the type just to abandon anyone even if his friendships and relationships are fake.

Worried, he approaches the young man before he leaves the cafe.]

Asher?

[lovelledup]

[He wasn't too concerned about the teacher not greeting him. He'd seemed lost in thought and probably didn't even see Gladion there, and that suited him just fine. But then he hears that name that's almost unfamiliar now, even though up until a couple days ago, he'd been sure it was his. Seems he'd been spotted, after all. He turns around to look at his teacher, barely hiding frustration. Leaving would have been easier.]

Yeah?

[megabond]

I haven't seen you since a few days ago outside of my classes. Is something wrong?

[He felt very weird just to worry someone he barely knew back home, not to mention that now pretending to a fake role he previously lived before what happened a couple of days ago made him felt more worried about just lying to everyone.

Still, fake or real, he still needs to see if Asher is okay as he tries to show no signs of conflicts between his fake and real life.]

[lovelledup]

I've just been busy.

[It's a poor excuse, but he doesn't have any idea how to begin giving a real answer, even if he wanted to. He remembers now just how hesitant he was to trust anyone in the life he'd had before. Even aside from that, how would he even start explaining any of that without sounding crazy? As it stands, he has no proof that his teacher would understand any of it, so all he can do is pretend to be fine.]

[megabond]

I see.

[He wants to know why he wasn't he didn't see him for a while, but he doesn't want to press him out of his privacy.]

Still, it doesn't hurt for to you to say hi every once in a while.

[lovelledup]

Yeah...

[He glances away, seeming a bit closed off. Why is this so awkward? This is a teacher he got along with, but it's hard to keep that up now. He doesn't know what's real and it's like he has to start all over again figuring out what relationships he has to anyone mean anything.]

[megabond]

[Despite the smile he showed to Asher, Sycamore is still conflicted at what's real or what's fake.]

You know, if you like, I could tutor you on your upcoming test. Something about Pokemon, correct?

[Yikes! Why did he say that?! He quickly covers his mouth, realizing that he's trying to remember what he lost, that he accidentally blurted that word out.]

I mean animals! Sorry.

[lovelledup]

[To anyone else, that slip would just be confusing. To Gladion...

His eyes go wide and he stares at his teacher, blinking a couple times and trying to figure out whether he can trust his ears.]

You... how do you...

[He shakes his head, clearing his thoughts. If he just said that, then that means he remembers things from somewhere with Pokemon, too, doesn't it? In that case... He pulls out his phone, and brings the mysterious app up on his screen, holding it so his teacher can see it.]

...Does this look familiar?