doingtheuglycry | CAN CRY: FIRST TEST DRIVE

CAN CRY: FIRST TEST DRIVE

CAN CRY: INITIAL TDM
Welcome one and all to the very first test drive meme for Can Cry! 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! Since the game is still very much under construction, this is just an initial test drive for people to dip their toes into the water and see which characters they'd like to consider for the game. In order to not spoil the opening of the game for players, the TDM is not canon to Can Cry and will take place in a slightly wonky little AU just over to the left. Characters have awoken in Purgatory after their deaths and been conscripted as Executors by Rei, the sole other Executor in Purgatory. The population of dangerous spirits has gotten out of control and she needs some allies to help her keep things under control. Characters on the TDM will have access to all of their starter powers as outlined on the powers page as well as two unique abiliites 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!
LIMBO
Limbo is the Executor's main base of operations as it is the top level of Purgatory and the one most populated by non-violent spirits. Distorted by the cognition of all the human souls here, Limbo has taken on the form of a hazy, dream-like recollection of a town. It's full of winding paths that go up, down and all around and the geometries of the town and its surroundings don't always make much sense. Stairs might lead loop back around on themselves or a door to the outside might end up leading right back indoors. It's a bit of a headache, so it's usually best not to think about it too hard. The town is mostly functional, mostly thanks to all the human souls here. Players are free to invent any additions to the town that they would like for their threads, but here are some to get you started: ⚝ Conbini: A seemingly normal Japanese convenience store, full of the sort of fare you'd expect from a cheap 24-7 convenience store. There's only four aisles and everything's a bit clustered together, but it's not overly claustrophobic. Things start getting a bit weird when you try and go to the back of the store, though – no matter how long you look, there is always just one more aisle for you to browse and the further back you go, the stranger and more abstract the items on the shelf will look. If you walk too far or turn around you will suddenly find yourself back at the first aisle in the blink of an eye as if you were rubberbanded back there. ⚝ Hotel: A so-called luxury hotel that towers over the rest of the buildings in the area. Even if you don't have a reservation, all you have to do is approach the desk and the Spectre there will apparently recognize you and hand over a key to one of the rooms. Except... you can't quite read the number? It seems to fluctuate whenever you try. Not that it matters, because the key will open any of the hundreds of doors in the building, though no one door will ever open onto the same room twice. The layout of each room is subtly off in a number of ways, with the dimensions of the room not seeming quite right no matter how you try to work it out. The decor is luxurious through and the extravagant room service is free, so it's a nice place to relax. Be warned, though – if you misplace your key, you'll find yourself lost in the mazelike halls until you eventually stumble out into the reception with no way of knowing how you got there. ⚝ Bathhouse: An enormous Grecio-Roman styled bathhouse for you to relax in after a hard day's work of dealing with Revenants. There don't seem to be any workers here that you can see, so feel free to let yourself in and make yourself at home. Interestingly, even without anyone around, you'll find the water is always adjusted to a temperature and a fragrance that's most appealing to you and drinks, towels and anything else you need will appear within reach by the side of the baths whenever it occurs to you that you might need it. When in doubt: Just get weird with it!
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 lost child will request your help in reuniting with their mother. It's a bit of a struggle for them to communicate with you as they are a freshly-awakened Spectre and it's also not entirely clear if their mother is, in fact, in Purgatory with them. Eventually, careful questioning of the child Spectre and some of the other Spectres around Limbo will lead you to a bookshop where mother and child will be reunited. Happy end! ⚝ 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. ⚝ A uncommunicative and kind of creepy Spectre is accused by others in the town of being a Revenant in disguise after some of their neighbors disappear in the night. Investigate and uncover the truth! Feel free to NPC Spectres as you need for this TDM!
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! 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! Because Revenants will function in a unique way in-game, players are encouraged to invent their own Revenants to fight for this TDM. 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.

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i. conbini

[Well. This is a nuisance. He'd walked in here looking for some kind of ingredient for a dish he wanted to make, but now he's deep in some kind of mysterious goo section and there appears to be no end in sight, while turning around takes him back to the first aisle. Which way is even the exit anymore? It is a mystery. Eventually, Shinjiro gives up and just sits right down in the middle of an aisle, obstructing foot traffic because what the fuck ever.]

Tch, this place is stupid.

ii. hotel

[So here's a scene that's played out multiple times by now: Shinjiro, having been handed a strange mysterious key and tried to give it back, has simply been given the same chirpy thank you for your patronage! spiel, and chucked it out in the nearest trash bin in frustration. Cue: suddenly winding back up at the desk with a new key in his hand.]

Look, lady, I'm tellin' you, this key ain't mine! Take it back already!

[This is the worst time loop ever??? Especially since he doesn't seem to be aware it's happening. Maybe stop him from throwing it away this time?]

iii. lost child

[You know that Mulaney bit that's like "Whoa, that tall child looks terrible! Get some rest, tall child!"? That's a rough summary of the scene that unfolds before you as you happen to walk down the streets of Limbo--a small child, crying, distraught, holding the hand of a much taller, more tired looking child in a coat and a beanie who definitely can't keep burning the candle at both ends. His other hand is shoved in a pocket. He looks very uncomfortable about this current state of affairs, but he notably has not released Small Child's hand despite this.]

Any chance you know this kid? He ain't much for talkin', but I think he's lookin' for his mom.

[It feels extremely, earthshatteringly important that he find her for him, but he can't quite place why.]

Edited 2020-02-20 11:50 (UTC)

[ Ruh Roh. Rei doesn't say anything right away, but her brow creases and she averts her gaze in a way that pretty transparently conveys that there's something on her mind she isn't sure she wants to say. ]

Oh, um... we haven't met before, but I can help you out.

[ She gives the lost child her best try at a smile, but the strain is obvious. ]

We'll do our best, okay? You don't have to cry anymore.

[The kid sniffles, rubbing their face with their free hand, and looks at her with big watery eyes.]

You can help me find Mommy?

[Shinjiro, meanwhile, actually notes the uncomfortable look on her face, and raises an eyebrow ... but also he's really desperate to find this kid's mom and escape so. It can wait.]

'Preciate it, thanks. Where should we start?

Edited 2020-02-21 02:05 (UTC)

Yeah. We'll do what we can. We're here to help, after all.

[ "We'll do what we can" is... unusually unenthused coming from Rei. She's a quiet girl, but she doesn't mince her words so this is oddly mealy-mouthed of her. ]

Well, first... whereabouts have you looked already? Limbo's only so big, after all.

Ummmmm....

--Coffee shop and library. Other than that, we've asked around, mostly.

[This poor baby Spectre is clearly not lucid enough to have a great sense of location, unfortunately. He's just following Shinjiro around like a duckling, which feels really uncomfortable for reasons he can't place and that's sUPER frustrating?? But alas. Also, there's definitely something weird going on with this girl ... he debates whether or not to pursue it, and whether that'll delay getting this kid back to his mom and easing this awful weight off his (fake?) lungs, and finally sighs, settling a simple--]

You good?

[#youtried #butyousucked #f]

It's...

[ She visibly nibbles at the inside of her lip and averts her gaze again. It's clear she has something to say, but whether or not she's actually going to come out and say it is less so. After all, she's not sure exactly how much this Spectre can understand and until she does, she supposes it's best to not drop the possibility that this child's mother (whoever she is) might not be here at all. At least not too loud, anyway. ]

Um, this is embarrassing, but can I whisper it?

[Well, that at least confirms the weird vibes. He rolls a shoulder in a shrug.]

Sure, why not.

[ With their height different being what it is (Rei's not minuscule but she's still kinda small), when she goes to his side, Rei has to lift herself up a bit on her toes to be able to whisper, as she'd said – and when she does, it becomes a little clearer why this isn't something she'd want the Spectre to overhear her saying. ]

We don't have any way of knowing if their mother is here too.

I'll say. If every business is like this, no wonder no one wants to stay here forever.

Maybe whoever made this place is lonely.

[It's a joke, but dry enough that it might be mistaken for sincerity -- if not for the eyroll that follows.]

If they were lonely, they should have made the place welcoming, not so frustrating that you want to just blow it up.

...Eh. Too much work.

[He'd rather just sit here and contemplate the void,,,]

Oh, it's not like you're doing it, so what's the problem?

Don't remember saying shit about anyone else doin' it.

[haha, remember. ha. ha.]

Knock yourself out, if that's what you want.

I don't control this place! If it did, it would be much nicer. Of course, with the issue Rei keeps mentioning, it's not like whoever is in charge could be called competent.

We ain't supposed to be stickin' around, right? Makes sense that somethin' that's only here 'cause shit got messed up wouldn't exactly be made well.

Who would even buy these things at a convenience store?

[She takes a handful of fake flowers in disgust.]

At least get real ones. At an actual florist.

[hahahaha holy shit it keeps happening. it's officially wrapped around to being funny again, but maybe he should stop him at this point.

maybe.

maybe he'll give him a hint.]

Have you actually noticed the pattern yet?

[Tragically, he seems to have no recollection of any of these shenanigans. When he's spoken to, he looks genuinely confused.]

Huh? I just got here.

[. . .]

...Didn't I?

[Well now he's getting a weird sense of deja vu. Like it's a bad thing if that happens. Huh.]

...

I've seen you do this at least five times. Are you really telling me you don't remember any of it?

[At some point during the last few time loops, an old man appeared! He came to get his own key, but sort of just ended up leaning against the counter, watching this whole thing take place. At first, it was kinda funny! Now, it's getting dull.

He waves to get the kid's attention.]

Hey. Somethin' about this seem a little weird to you?

[Boredom has its uses! Huzzah.

Shinjiro blinks at the waving old man, then shrugs.]

Pretty weird, yeah. Still don't know how I got here. [He waves the key in the air a bit and shrugs.]

She says this is mine, but I ain't paid for shit. You get one too?

[ Help? Help? Nah. At least not for the first three or four goes, until the entertainment value wears off. Skyler watches from a distance, one part thoroughly amused, one part trying to make sure that this doesn't end up happening to him.

Eventually, he does get a bit curious about how far this goes, though. So he's just gonna yank a leaf off a nearby hotel plant, wad it up as best as he can, and flick it at the guy. Hopefully his aim's not bad. ]

Fifth verse, same as the first.

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CAN CRY: FIRST TEST DRIVE

Shinjiro Aragaki | Persona 3 | Sloth, Pride

lost child

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conbini

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ii

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ii (lust or gluttony probz)