CAN CRY: TEST DRIVE 3

[cancrymods]

CAN CRY: THIRD TDM

Welcome back to Can Cry's third TDM! If you're unfamiliar with the game, then you can check out the interest check, FAQ, world & setting info page and the powers and abilities page to get up to speed! Due to the slightly wonky timeline, threads on the Can Cry TDM are overall not considered canon, but players may consider individual threads to be canon for their CR. Characters on the TDM will have access to all of their starter powers as outlined on the powers page as well as two unique abilities to play around with as you please. Some prompts and location details have been provided below for you to play around with but please feel free to go hog wild and have fun!

INVIDIA

The Envy layer of Purgatory, Invidia, is a bustling high-tech city that never sleeps. Constructed out of shining white metal and glass, the city practically gleams in light, made all the brighter by the ever-active screens and lights constantly blaring and flashing no matter the time. The city is split across multiple levels, with a frenzy of vehicles zooming back and forth, presumably carrying Spectres to and fro. Floating platforms, glass elevators, stairs and the like also provide methods of egress, if you can stand the crowds of Spectres also constantly running around and getting things done. Despite the bustle of the city, don't be fooled into thinking it's particularly functional. Like Limbo, Invidia is mostly artificial, a place created in the image of a bustling, futuristic city but not quite living up to the ideal. If you just observe the city for long enough, it becomes clear that the apparent hustle and bustle is happening on a consistent and unchanging loop, creating the illusion of life and energy where there is none. Invidia is simply a stage and the occupants are acting out a fantasy. Particularly of note in Invidia are the giant screens that are plastered across almost all of the buildings – no matter where you look, you'll have at least one or two of them taking up a whole bunch of visual real estate. They're all broadcasting a massive variety of shows, with no more than one or two screens typically displaying the same thing at once, though almost every single show broadcast on the screens star the same girl... All of these shows seem to be advertisements for all kinds of fancy products that can't actually be found anywhere in the city, or following this strange girl around, vlog style, as she lives out her enviably effortless and intensely glamorous life. While there's no real night and day distinction in Purgatory, Invidia is unusually distinctive in that its sky alternates regularly between light and dark, creating a semi-reliable pattern of "days" and "nights", each lasting between eight to twelve hours each. Because of this, Invidia operates on a more typical day/night cycle than other layers. While under a dark or mid "morning" sky, the white surfaces of the city fade to black and the buildings become drenched in psychedelic lights in all manner of patterns of colours. Similarly, during "nighttime", the images and shows being projected on all the screens around the city become brighter and more energetic as if to make up for a lack of skylight. Invidia is populated with its own number of Spectres, most of whom seem to happily buy into the fantasy of living out busy lives in this city and who will be constantly running to and fro, getting things done. While Spectres of Invidia are friendly enough, they are also knee-deep in the sin of Envy. They are desperately envious of anything that anyone else has that they don't also possess – including the Executors. Be prepared to be subjected to a lot of passive-aggressive sighing about how they just wiiiiiish they had ITEM X like you guys do! But aside from that, they're mostly harmless. Because of the possessive nature of Invidia's Spectres, a barter system is alive and well here. Sometimes you might be able to simply take things without paying, as is the case in Limbo, but for the most part, characters will be expected to provide something in return for any goods and services they acquire in Invidia. This doesn't always have to be an actual physical object but either way – best be prepared to pay up. Invidia is a big-ass location, so to get the full lowdown on all the deets, check out the location page!

QUESTS

Since it's up to Executors to maintain order in Purgatory, this also means they need to resolve any issues that crop up for the Spectres occupying it. You can come up with any sort of quest you like, but here are some ideas to get you started: ⚝ A tearful Specter stops you in your tracks and asks you for help in promoting his failing business. He has to stay at the store in case any customers come by, but he's got flyers, sandwich boards and signs galore for you to do with as you will. Help a guy out! Just... be aware that maybe there's a reason his business is failing. What the hell kind of place is "BBQ and Foot Massage-While-U-Wait"?! ⚝ Two Spectres are causing a ruckus in town with a screaming-in-each-other's-face tier argument. Calming them both down is going to be a task all on its own, but if you manage to, it turns out the first Spectre is missing a precious object and has accused the other of stealing it. The second Spectre insists the precious object never existed in the first place. Uh... good luck with this. ⚝ You hear rumors that an old building in the housing district is haunted by a... g-g-ghost! Putting aside how ridiculous this claim is, the rumors are persistent enough that obviously something really is hanging out there, but what? A Revenant, maybe? You'd better check it for yourself and see! ⚝ While you're out and about in town, a Spectre stops you in the middle of the street with an impromptu interview about yourself. Whatever your answer, the interview sees enough airtime on the screens of Invidia to make you a minor celebrity. You're being mobbed by fans wherever you go! Feel free to NPC Spectres as you need for this TDM!

THE UNDERSIDE OF LIMBO

While the Underside of Invidia has yet to open itself to the Executors, you are still free to travel upwards and try out your powers in the Underside of Limbo. Though it's the most peaceful level of Purgatory, Limbo is not without its dangers. Directly below Limbo is what's known as the Underside, a darkness cast by the city above where Revenants and malicious spirits linger. It appears as a dark, mirror-reversed version of Limbo, though the geography is much more twisted and confusing. If left unchecked, Revenents from the Underside would attack the town and consume any number of Spectres. It's up to the Executors to head down there and see to them! While Limbo itself is mostly functional if a bit odd, the Underside is... a lot. The geography of the place is twisted and doubles back on itself in places and seems to warp in your vision as you observe it. From your bird's eye view as you descend the stairs, you can see that the general shape of the place mirrors that of the town above, with many of the same general landmarks. For example; The movie theater is offering a "late night fright fest" on all of its screens. If you're dumb brave enough to go and watch such a thing, you'll find that the description is accurate at least – all of the screens just show the attending Executors subjected to situations that play into their worst fears and anxieties. The coffee bar serves the same drink, no matter your order – a pitch black sludge that makes you feel violently ill when consumed. The pastries are fine, though. The hotel is even more maze-like than it was previously. Your hotel key won't work here. The windows won't break. The doors won't open. Wasn't the exit around this corner? What about the next? How many floors have you climbed again? How long have you been in here, anyway? The conbini is now a perfectly normal and functional convenience store. Somehow this is even more upsetting than having it become more weird. This is a general prompt for combat-oriented testing, to allow characters to experiment with their new powers as Executors! Because of that, and because combat will function slightly differently in-game, this section is pretty loosey goosey. Like previous posts, you are free to invent locations and NPC Revenants to make things more fun and exciting! If you would like some ideas for what sort of Revenants to battle, you can check out this video to see what sort of enemies exist in the original game, but beware that it does contain spoilers for Crystar.

Comments

Faith Fallon | OC

[moonlightglory]

Invidia

[Fury isn't having the best day. Being dead starts it off, followed by the total amnesia, and apparently she lost a leg at some point? Bullshit. If anything else horrible is about to happen, it can fuck right off until tomorrow. At least walking with the prosthetic comes easily - must've lost that leg a while ago.

Trying to get a better handle on her situation has proven frustrating, though. Whenever she tries to talk to the Spectres, they just go off about their stupid idol instead of saying anything useful. So, an increasingly exasperated Fury finds herself scanning the crowds for anyone who looks remotely out of place.]

Hey! Are you a real person? Please tell me you're a real goddamn person. Oh my god.


Limbo Underside

[This place sucks! But it sucks in a way that's easier to deal with. You can't beat up existential anxiety.

Your exploring of the dungeon takes you across the conbini. You heard this place is a safe spot, which probably doesn't prepare you for the magical girl brandishing an oversized battleaxe at you when you step through the door.

She doesn't swing it, though. Once she realizes that's a people and not a monster, she lowers it again.]

Sorry about that. No monsters in here, but I wouldn't take your chances on the food.

1

[faceturnrevolution]

[The Alien certainly doesn’t LOOK like any of the spectres, though he seems a little dazed.

That might be because a human is grabbing him by the shoulders.]

I think I’m a real goddamn person?

[moonlightglory]

[EXHALE. Someone said a sentence that wasn't preaching the Gospel of Esme.]

Awesome. I'm going through a lot of shit right now. Is everyone here dead, or is it just me?

Iroh | ATLA

[grandlotus]

i. bbq and business advice

[Of course, when approached by the desperate business-owner, Uncle was more than happy to help. Naturally, he doesn't really remember it, but he thinks he understands generally how to operate a business. Perhaps he was an entrepreneur, in his past life? It's an interesting thing to think about!

If nothing else, though, it does not take all that much expertise to figure out what the problem here is.

So forget the sandwich boards, right now! Instead, he's outside the man's business, where he has coaxed the fellow into offering something new - some BBQ samples!]

Now, now. I'm sure you are very good at massages, but you should focus on what you do best. Even the best cook in the world cannot tend every pot - ah! [Hey, another Executor! Perfect!] Hello! Would you like to try some free barbeque? It's the best in town!

ii. celebrity!

[The few questions he'd answered on the street a day or two ago had seemed so simple. Certainly, Uncle never expected much of anything to come of it.

Now, surrounded by an adoring crowd on the street - for some reason? - he may be having a few regrets.]

Yes, yes, thank you. It's very nice to meet you as well! You are very kind.

[He's being very nice, and also visibly working his way sideways out of the crowd and towards the nearest side street he could possibly escape down. Help, please.]

iii. the underside

[Fighting is not, he thinks, something to seek out. It's a necessity here - things must be kept in balance - but he's not one to run down Revenants just for the sake of destroying them. So he's probably here seeing about a known threat, or else patrolling the edges of Limbo. Just because everyone's moved on doesn't mean they should leave this place to get overrun.

When he sees one of the staff-wielding Revenants, he takes a moment to watch it and size it up, fire starting to lick harmlessly around his hands - harmlessly to him, at least. Unlike most other Executors, he doesn't seem to have a weapon, really. But just this, the fire, seems to work for him just fine.]

iii

[discutio]

[As it happened, he wasn't the only one to use fire. A distance away a man in black with a mirrored visor twirled a long and thin sword in his hand, and as he did the blade sparked and caught flame itself. He stood off to the side, clearly listening to both Revenant and Executor's every small movement rather than attacking first.]

[grandlotus]

[Of course, he takes notice; you have to keep your eyes open in a fight, even though the young man is obviously not another enemy. Ah, that's a good trick! Uncle wonders for a moment if he could do that himself - but, ultimately, he doesn't feel like he particularly needs a sword.]

Hello, there!

[He calls with a smile, and then a moment after catches the staff that the Revenant swings at him with one hand. He's quick to disarm it, yanking the weapon away and striking back.]

i

[emberserker]

[Wolfsbane looks suspiciously at it.]

I suppose. [never mind that they've all just been poisoned in-game proper.] I didn't know they had more people working around here.

[grandlotus]

This nice young man has only just opened his shop. Isn't that enterprising?

[He takes a moment to smile encouragingly at the Specter, who seems to be anxiously watching this entire exchange. Look, okay, maybe he's not great at designing a business, but someone needs to buck him up!]

I am just giving him a hand for the day.

Dave Strider | Homestuck

[callbacks]

a. When the Pimp's Self-Aware, Ma, Drop It Like It's Hot (Limbo)

[He was doing okay, guys. His afterlife was going great. Spectrehood is a perfectly respectable (respectre-able) posthumous occupation and god damn all this self-realization riding in on its kite-high horse, trying to imply he ought to be doing something or going somewhere besides no-the-hell-where in Limbo.

For a while, now, he's been able to dodge roll noticing that something's up. The niggling sense he's forgotten something, oddities at the corner of his eye--it's been easy to just push up his shades and unfocus. He loses himself in routine. Conbini, movie theater, coffee, rinse and repeat. Nothing happens, nothing changes, as long as he doesn't notice. Or as long as he can at least forget. It's fucking incredible.

He's minding his own bullshit as usual at the coffee shop, brainlessly rifling through rhymes, when he overhears something that gets stuck in his head, just slaps down some Krazy Glue on his cerebellum and pops a squat. Can't even say what the thing is. Just, five vague seconds later, he finds himself thinking:

well fuck, yeah, it IS weird here, isn't it? this coffee doesn't taste like coffee, it tastes like color. even shitty coffee was coffee-flavored when i was ali--

The lanky teenage Spectre jerks suddenly, cracks his knee so hard against the underside of the table his ancestors probably hear it, and half-tumbles, half-scrambles out of his seat.]

Shhhhit, uh. Sorry. Bye.

[tIME TO GO PRETEND HE CAN'T HEAR HIS OWN THOUGHTS, LA LA LALALALA!]

b. Not Your Eidolon (Invidia)

[The stage whisper comes from around the corner you're about to pass.]

You. Hey, can do you do me a humongous favor.

[Looking pretty discomfited behind his sunglasses, a young man peers out from an alley between the bright, obnoxious buildings. A blinking beat, and he realizes what this looks like.]

Okay, shit, wait. I know what you're thinking, and let me assure you with my whole rancid, hopefully thoroughly-decomposed ex-heart I'd be offering you the choicest buffet of drugs if I had any. But actually this is a federal emergency and I really fucking need you to say yes for, like, free.

[He glances around. Further down the street, a screen switches to what appears to be an interview--an interview with this very guy, same clothes and sunglasses and everything, up there for everyone in Envy-soaked Invidia to see.]

Switch clothes with me. I'm too young to double-bite it on cause of massive unearned celebrity. Obviously I deserve it, but damn.

c. WILDCARD

[SOCK IT TO ME]

[semiautomagical]

[He doesn't summon his weapon, though it's a near thing. But when the kid--and he's gotta be a kid, right?--furtively gets his attention and insists it's an emergency, Harry has to at least hear him out.

His eyebrows reach stratospheric heights when the ask for clothes comes in. He looks down at his 6'9 self, then back at Sunglasses.]

Yeah, I don't think that's gonna work out as well for either of us as you think it will. What, you don't like a little attention from adoring fans?

[callbacks]

...Okay, to be fair, you looked slightly less ridiculously hulking before I bothered using my eyeballs, which happened a right now number of seconds ago.

[Thought it was a trick of the highly reflective light going on around here.]

You can't lend me a jacket or something? They're on me like flies on a dead skunk, bro. I can't even walk for tripping over genuflection and devotional candles.

b

[menarefrom]

[Spike looks somewhat out of it when Dave gets his attention, but even if he's been spending his purgatory in a dream, it's not hard to comprehend Dave's predicament.

Spike grimaces a little, a sheepish grin, as he looks at that screen, and then back at Dave.]

Well, we are of pretty similar stature...

[Tall and narrow is the name of the game here.]

Am I ever getting them back?

[callbacks]

The hell, dude. We're ships passing in the night. ...Unless that's not the answer that gets me your clothes, in which case, yeah, totally for shizzle, how could you ever doubt me, is this not the most genuine mug you've ever met.

[Dave's expression does not change a bit from one answer to the other.]

Sir Vaska Lorre | OC

[toccatangel]

»Invidia«
[The massive screens are definitely an object of interest, both as a novelty and the sheer hypnotic distraction of the flashing advertisements and entertainment programming.]

[The attentions of the local Spectres is- actually not entirely unwelcome. If anything, it's a bit grating by sheer volume, but Angel is dealing with it in her own way, it seems. Maybe more than she necessarily has to, especially since she has yet to drop out of the brassy-gold armor of her Executor form for even a second.]

You're absolutely correct, it IS a lovely sword and I am quite lucky to have it.

[It's not quite a dead-eye she's giving the Spectre in question, but it's close. One hand rests on the hilt of a sheathed scimitar at her side.]

It's a weapon that takes a great deal of skill to wield properly.

»Shilling Meat and Massage«
[There is almost certainly no saving a business venture this ill-advised. But gods help her, she agreed to it because the Spectre was just too pathetic, and no one is going to say she backed down from a challenge once accepted. Even one that's a monumental exercise in stupidity and cross-contamination.]

[So here she is passing out flyers.]

Foot Massage and Barbecue
The best you'll find in town
Meat and sauce and dry rubs
This meal takes the crown

Foot Massage and Barbecue
The best you'll ever eat

One of a kind, here's our review
Come on down for a meal that can't be beat

[And if you catch her afterwards, once the flyers are gone and her impromptu jingles are finished-]

I feel unclean. I can never eat meat again.

»Underside«
[Angel's scimitar flashes in a whirlwind as she dances around the Revenant, closing in and disengaging in a rapid series of flourishes. As her blade bites into the draconic body, the Revenant rears back with a screech, flapping and taking to the air to get some distance.]

You can't escape my blade that easily, carrion!

[Her eyes flash, and a pair of spectral wings burst from the back of her armor as she shoots upward, after the Revenant.]

»Wildcard«
[Come at me, bros.]

meat

[emberserker]

That. Is the most ridiculous business idea I have ever seen. Why would anybody come up with that?

[toccatangel]

A sad, desperate attempt at being unique, if I'm any judge.

[Honestly she's not sure if this attempt at advertising is actually crueler than just letting the place fail and die with whatever iota of dignity it might have left.]

Or perhaps our dear restauranteur vastly prefers dry rub seasoning and thought to expand based on word association.

invidia

[crypddyd]

It IS a very impressive sword.

[She might be forgiven for thinking Lion is another Specter for how awed he is by her weapon. But he makes no attempt to touch or barter for it- and he too is armed with a bone-like lance, so he clearly doesn't need MORE weapons.]

[toccatangel]

Hm, one might say the same of yours.

[Which is not QUITE the same as saying it herself, if Lion can catch it.]

Perhaps a bit inelegant, but potentially effective if you know how to use it.

Felix Hugo Fraldarius | FE:3H

[swordofajerk]

Invidia

[Sword is.

Well.

Sword is a jerk. He doesn't give a fuck about any of this, he doesn't understand why the hell he's still here if he's fucking dead, and he certainly doesn't care about this passive aggressive little shit of a Spectre who keeps making eyes at his sword. He eventually just glares at the Spectre, gesturing with the sword.]

If you want it so badly, then come try and take it from me.

[The Spectre leaves. Thought as much.]

Quests -- Two Arguing Spectres

[How did Sword end up here again? Oh, right, the yelling was giving him a headache and he wanted to know what was going on. He eventually shoves his way in between the two, shoving them apart and keeping them apart by...using the sword.

He has the damn thing, so he might as well use it.]

Whatever you lost obviously wasn't valuable enough to keep it somewhere safe. Go home. Both of you.

[T-10 until the yelling starts anew...]

Underside

[Otherwise....yeah, Sword knows one thing and that thing is Fighting. He'll be easy to track down as he cuts his way through Revenants in the Underside.]

Invidia

[princess_knight]

[As the Spectre slinks away, Sword might feel someone watching him. If he looks up he may see a... person? A creature? A something standing atop a street light, chuckling at the scene with a distinctly feminine voice.]

[swordofajerk]

[He notices, but he also doesn't care too much except to give the...whatever that is a Look.]

Can I help you?

quest

[alcahest]

[ being one of the Executors who has been here since they all started out together, Mona feels some responsibility for those who have awakened more recently. she sticks around Invidia and keeps an eye out for any new Executors who might be in need of an assist —

or who Spectres might need assistance with, apparently. she can already picture the turn this situation is going to take, and her heels clicking on the pavement herald her arrival as she hurries over. ]

Oh, w-wait...! [ she takes hold of Sword's arm; gently, without jostling him, because she doesn't want anyone to get stabbed. ] Um! We'll look for it! So, if you can tell us more about what you lost...

[ SORRY SWORD YOU'RE BEING CONSCRIPTED ]

[swordofajerk]

[Unfortunately for poor Mona, Sword does not like being touched so he just pulls away and gives her a Look that clearly says he thinks she's stupid.]

You can look for it. It's not my problem.

Isabella "Izzy" d'Oro | OC

[dralchemist]

[Invidia A: there's no way this place has a good food inspection score]

[BBQ And Foot Massage... While-U-Wait^TM. The most terrifying combination of words that could grace an eating establishment. And by association, the sandwich board advertising said restaurant.

This is why Basilisk looks fucking miserable, having to stand in a busy Invidian thoroughfare, wearing this humiliating, visually loud piece of painted plastic. BBQ And Foot Massage While-U-Wait^TM on both sides of her. She's not making any... overt attempts to actually gain the attention of other Spectres, but any Eidolons or fellow Executors, she'll try to at least give some explanation for her actions.]

Look. The owner had me try some. The BBQ was actually... [Looking away. This is painful to actually admit.] ... really tasty. Like, way more than you'd expect from a place with this kind of. Aesthetic.


[Invidia B: 15 minutes of infinite fame]

No autographs. No autographs, no autographs, no-- no, I will not sign your shirt. What? What would that even-- augh, no, stop pushing! I'm not going to-- I'm going this way, you assholes, stop blocking me!

[Off in an intersection, Basilisk is busy getting mobbed by Spectres, who are all apparently in rapt adoration of the dragon. What's her crime, her claim to fame, and the reason she looks like she's drowning in hazy shades?

Answering a flippant survey question about a cosmetics shop. That she thought was just a ploy to get her into the shop, even though she's obviously not interested in makeup. But now, for this fleeting moment, Basilisk is the talk of Invidia, the talk of dragon-core beauty tips and asymmetrical fashion swirling involuntarily around her.

Please help, she looks like she's going to drown.]


[oqɯı⅂: where the hell is waze when you need it]

[Being an Executor means that you have to keep your skills sharp and your knife sharper. Limbo's Underside should have been a good practice arena. But the streets and architecture haven't lined up in a cohesive way, and after having delved too deeply, Basilisk is starting to flag. It's not like she's being swarmed by Revenants, but every one she comes across while wandering around is just another hit to her already low energy reserves.

She would like to leave. This is not a place she wants to linger. But it's looking like her attempts to go it alone are coming back to bite her in the tail.]


[WILDCARD]

((Got a better idea? Go ahead, I'm open to anything! I'm available for plotting at kaosblaze or Izzy#6915 on Discord. More information on Izzy can be found here (impressions) and here (permissions).))

a

[emberserker]

This place again? You'd think they'd have given up by now.

[Wolfsbane rolls her eyes at the poor living advertisement.]

Good or not, it's ridiculous is what it is.