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

eeeeee

[forsteri]

It is you, [he says, half to himself. He sounds satisfied. Sakuma finally lets himself sit, putting Genda on his good side and staring out over the soccer field. He doesn't look at him right away -- in fact, he doesn't even say anything right away. He just sits there quietly watching the game. Finally he tilts his head in Genda's direction.]

What's your name?

[This is an odd question out of context, since he just referred to him by name. But he knows Genda will know what he means.]

[beastfang]

[There's an amused smile at the question, because it's such an odd one to ask even though he does know why it was asked.]

Christopher Noro.

[He knows he's going to get some look or comment on it, but he's just grateful his parents in this city hadn't tried to give him an actual Japanese name when they hardly knew more then a handful of words themselves.]

You've likely seen me in passing in the library now and again.

[Because now that he knows and actively thinks on it he can recall a few instances of seeing Sakuma a few times. How had he never until now realized such though?]

[forsteri]

[Sakuma nods, looking away from him to return his focus to the field. It seems to be a practice game -- there's no crowd like might be drawn to a real one.]

Yoshio Koutarou.

[He volunteers it without being asked, then considers this statement. Had he seen him? Now that he thinks about it, he thinks he did. He at least remembers the librarian referring to someone named 'Christopher'. And he might have seen Christopher himself a few times. Genda, like himself, was fairly physically distinctive, after all.]

I think so, [he says finally. He lets this hang in the air -- Sakuma feels like he owes him an apology, but that's not quite right, is it? So instead he finds himself falling silent again, not really sure where to take things from there.]

[beastfang]

Should we treat this as a new meeting or a meeting again?

[That trailing silence isn't one he feels should be there. Even as Christopher he never saw reason to feel overlooked. It was just how he was. Instead he'd give Sakuma an out if he wanted. All the while just calmly smiling over at him. One of the habits from Christopher that seemed dead set on remaining even when he was trying to be Genda.]


...have you seen anyone else here?

[forsteri]

I'm thinking of it as meeting again.

[That's for certain. Yoshio doesn't know Christopher, but Sakuma knows Genda, and that's really all he cares about right now. For all the awkwardness from a moment ago, that smile picks him back up -- it's a little different than the one he's seen Genda wear while goalkeeping, but it's familiar enough that he can't help smiling back. Thinking about it... this is what a teammate should feel like, shouldn't it? Someone he could feel had his back at all times. The swim team were fairly close -- they were friends, but they didn't work together like the soccer team did.]

Yeah.

[His smile sobers a little -- becomes a little uncertain.]

I met Kidou.

[beastfang]

[The relief over that statement is wiped away quickly over how odd of a tone used with that sentence. Sakuma meeting Kidou should have been a happy moment. Even if something had gone awry it has always been Sakuma and Kidou in Genda's memories. For Sakuma to seem anything but happy about such meant something was fundamentally not right.]


Does he remember?

[It's the first conclusion he can come to for this oddness.]

[forsteri]

Yes, [he says, almost too fast. He has to stop and backtrack to explain.]

Only -- he doesn't wear any goggles.

[It feels oddly wrong to see him like that. He likes the look of Kidou's eyes -- but it feels like he's intruding on something. It makes sense that Michi Yamashita doesn't wear goggles -- why would he? But on Kidou Yuuto's face, they're basically a requirement.]

[beastfang]

[That's the first thing anyone who has ever met Kidou would notice though. It's such an integral part of what makes Kidou, Kidou that Genda has a hard time trying to picture him without anything covering his eyes.]

That sounds like a horrible distraction.

[It's the first thing that comes to mind, and he's still reeling a bit at the thought of Kidou without goggles to realize he said that out loud.]

[forsteri]

[A "horrible distraction", huh? Understatement. Sakuma has to fight the urge to laugh.]

It's very weird, [he allows, grinning sheepishly.] I think I made him uncomfortable at first. I know he knew I was startled. But I just tried not to make a big deal out of it after that.

[beastfang]

[Sorry Sakuma, Genda is still a bit too oblivious regarding just what he did with such a statement or he'd have picked a different phrase.]

Considering I have no memory at all regarding such. I can understand why you would have reacted that way.

[He would have stared too, especially as his brain tried to reboot after it crashed in some weird logic loop over such without any warning.]

Though if I run across him, I'll try not to be too surprised by such.

[forsteri]

[Honestly, had anyone on their team ever seen him without them? Sakuma's not sure. He knows Kidou got them very early on, but whether he'd been to school at Teikoku for any length of time before having them, he's not sure. Sakuma nods, and his smile turns a little more content.]

Please do. I'm sure he would have appreciated if I'd been able to keep that in, but you should probably have an easier time than me, since you know what you're getting into.