doingtheuglycry | CAN CRY: TEST DRIVE... 2!

CAN CRY: TEST DRIVE... 2!

CAN CRY: SECOND TDM
Welcome back to Can Cry's second TDM! This is a quick refresher of the game's first test drive meme, in anticipation of the new opening date announcement. 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! 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 is a Spectre manning the counter and you can try and pay for anything you buy... but you'll quickly realize it's a little pointless, because they'll accept anything you try to pay with and even then, if you try and leave the store without paying, no one will stop you. As for the store itself, there are 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. ⚝ Coffee Bar: It's... a regular old coffee shop. There's nothing particularly weird about it, which might be the actually weird part here. It's also perfectly generic and there doesn't seem to be any kind of concrete branding. It's more like a number of people put their heads together and tried to imagine the platonic ideal of a coffee shop. Which, considering that this is Purgatory, is probably more-or-less what happened. Like the conbini, you don't really need to pay here, though Spectres will accept any old junk in exchange if you do try and pay with it. You can order up anything you'd like here and get it pretty intact, though on occasion, depending on who's serving, you may get an extremely odd drink – a black coffee that literally tastes like the colour black or a hot chocolate that's just molten liquid chocolate dumped into your cup. Sip with caution. ⚝ Movie Theater: Your standard-issue movie theater. The screenings right now appear to be, uh... anything and everything. Thanks to the nature of Purgatory, you can watch pretty much anything you'd like here and the theater itself will claim to be showing movies in line with your character's preferences when they pop into the building to see what's showing. Unlike many other places in Purgatory, the movie theater is not staffed. This is both a blessing and a curse because it means you can eat and drink as much as you want from the concession stands but you also have to work out how to operate them yourselves. The movie theater functions normally most of the time but on occasion, if you're watching a movie, you may find that the screen glitches itself our and you will see flashes of dreams and memories of other Specters in Limbo – perhaps even your fellow Executors or even yourself. These flashes are generally too quick and vague to really give any information though and a moment later, the screen will fix itself. ⚝ 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. ⚝ Library: Ew, books. What are you, some kinda nerd?! ... Anyway, it's a pretty normal library. The same spacial distortions that exist in the conbini also happen here. While the library is a pretty decent size at first glance, it's entirely possible for you to end up wandering for hours among endless shelves of books. Thankfully, though, once you've made up your mind to go, the next turn of a corner will deliver you back to the front desk. Scattered everywhere are comfy chairs, beanbags and all sorts of nice, quiet nooks and crannies for you to curl up with a good book. As with the movie theater, Executors will be able to find any kinds of books they like here with no issue and they'll be able to freely borrow as many as they'd like for as long as they please. There's no late fees, but if you lose or destroy any of your books, then the Spectre at the front desk will be quietly disappointed at you with ENORMOUS force. It's honestly kind of devastating. ⚝ Wishing Fountain: An old, slightly worn fountain in the center of town that acts as a useful landmark if you ever find yourself getting turned around in the twisty turning streets of Limbo. While the fountain is always full of water somehow, it appears the mechanism inside is broken or rusted away due to lack of care and the fountain itself isn't functioning. Still, it's said that if you toss something in here and make a wish, it'll be granted. It doesn't work, but it's fun to try, anyway. There's a plaque on the front at has some kind of engraving, but it's so old that most of the writing has worn away and it's pretty hard to read. ⚝ Train Station: A lonely-seeming train station with just a single platform. Old-timey steam trains pass through here frequently and Executors are free to board them. They'll find, however, that regardless of the destination the train claims to travel to (which is random gibberish every time), the train will simply loop the town once and then return to the station. 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! ⚝ While you're out and about in town, a Spectre suddenly rushes past you, nearly knocking you aside in the process. When you look up, they're already speeding away. It's only then that you notice... aren't your pockets a little lighter? Hey! Thief! You've just been pickpocketed! Go after them and get your stuff back! ⚝ A handful of "younger" Specters (probably teenagers in life) have managed to sneak down onto the Underside and are in danger of being hurt or worse by the Revenants. Protect them and get them back to safety! 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! You can also check out the Mid-Tier Combat Prompts below to test out how Combat will work in Can Cry before the game opens. Or, if you prefer to thread out your own fights, 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. movie theater
[The movie theater is one of the most-frequented amenities of Limbo. After all, books are for nerds, and where else is a Specter—or Executor—supposed to get high-quality trashy entertainment?

Which may make it something of a problem that the currently airing movie, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, has one very, very loud heckler in the back, throwing popcorn at the screen, and generally being a massive nuisance.

The hulking armored knight, lounging in their seat, cackles uproariously as the Frenchman insults King Arthur.]

AHAHAHAHAHA! You tell the idiot!

[Maybe... somebody should stop this Executor before everybody else gets fed up and leaves.]

ii. wishing fountain
[It happens quickly. One moment, Kingslayer is staring solemnly into the wishing fountain, twirling a coin between their gauntleted fingers. The next moment, a young Specter collides with Kingslayer fullspeed, and-

The knight's helmet goes flying off.

Revealing nothing beneath.

The kid doesn't seem to be perturbed, though. Quite the opposite; giggling, he picks up the stunned Kingslayer's helmet and runs off to his friends, where they proceed to play hacky-sack with it. Kingslayer runs after them, flailing after their helmet as they toss it back and forth.]

You little brats! I NEED THAT!

[Help a fellow Executor out, perhaps? If you aren't too busy screaming your head off at the lack of theirs.]

iii. underside quest
[The mission is, hypothetically, simple. Kill the Revenants, get the kids, get back to topside.

What isn't so simple is the massive Eudemus currently terrorizing the cowering teenagers. Or the fact that Kingslayer is charging full-tilt at the Revenant, yelling,] HEY, YOU BASTARD! I'M YOUR OPPONENT, NOT THEM!

[Red lightning gathers around Kingslayer in a storm as they leap forward like they're propelled by some demonic engine, moving faster than should be possible as they slash wildly at the Eudemus, cutting and cleaving and carving through the air with near-feral abandon. Their blade strokes aren't the absence of technique, but rather the lack of need of it, speed and strength far surpassing skill in this instance.

Kingslayer's foot lashes out, snapping through Eudemus's horns, and they dive down, raking their titanic blade through its body to slow their descent before zipping back, forth, and forward, flicking their sword free of glitter and...

The Revenant collapses.

And so does Kingslayer, directly into the nearest Executor's arms, panting as lightning continues to course through their armor and into their invisible body.]

...shit. Get the kids. I'll be fine.

[Kingslayer is very clearly not fine.]

Edited 2020-07-16 21:59 (UTC)

Oh, shut up!

[The girl a few rows in front turns and glares at the walking suit of armour.]

I know this is ridiculous, but you aren't making it any more entertaining. It's called cinema etiquette!

[Kingslayer cocks their head to the side, genuinely confused.]

We're in a movie theater, dumbass. What's a cinema?

They're the same thing, you pea-counter. Is that helmet of yours hollow?

Huh. Learn something new every day, I guess.

And nah.

[Kingslayer takes off their helmet.

There's nothing underneath.]

[She jolts back, falls out of her seat, and goes tumbling over the back of the next row, landing in a bruised heap. Dragging herself up to her feet, she scowls and lobs a handful of purgatory-brand chocolate raisins in Kingslayer's general direction.]

What is wrong with you?

[Kingslayer uses their helmet like a bucket, deftly catching each and every raisin inside it before flipping it around, putting it back on, and making a swallowing sound? Is that how she eats?]

I could ask the same thing about you, you know. What kind of idiot just throws food at people willy-nilly like that?

Oh, like you didn't start it, you -- you insufferable showoff!

Oi oi oi, I'm not the one picking a fight here!

[Despite being incapable of smiling, she gets the distinct impression that Kingslayer is smiling dangerously.]

...but I'd be willing to oblige.

You're impossible.

[Wolfsbane clambers up the rows of theatre chairs to look Kingslayer in the... helmet.]

It'd be a favour to the rest of us to teach you a lesson, anyway.

I'll take that as a challenge, then!

[And without further ado, Kingslayer grabs Wolfsbane by the lapels and aims a headbutt at her full force.]

[She tries to grab Kingslayer's arm and try to pull back, but gets hit regardless, stunned and groaning. Even so, she pulls to use the momentum and fling the both of them back over the seats.]

[Kingslayer lets Anna flip them, rolling with the momentum until-]

Gotcha!

[Oh dear. Anna, how does it feel to have hundreds of pounds of steel armor (with, curiously enough, what feels like a body still inside) pinning you down?

Kingslayer cocks their head to the side after a moment, bothered.]

...you know, my Sin is Lust, so I figure I should be making some lewd comment right now... but that just feels like it's in bad taste.

Ugh!

[Anna writhes under the armour, head pounding. The area's starting to heat up, even if she hasn't transformed yet.]

Don't make a fool of me...!

You seem to be doing a damn fine job of that your- [Kingslayer picks up Anna, spins, and tosses her towards the wall,] self!

[Kingslayer, no.]

[She flips in the air, landing three-point and skidding back, and gets up only to grab a stray popcorn bucket and fling it at Kingslayer. While they deal with that, she runs down the side steps to grab the nearest thing, the usher's broom. At least they aren't transformed yet?]

[Lion had been Kingslayer's intended partner for this mission, but the other Executor was much faster than him once they got going, so by the time he reached the battle it was over.

Which put him in just the right position to catch his falling partner with a grunt.]

Absolutely not. Tell me, do you have enough strength to hold on?

[He's totally just gonna pick them up, regardless of them being clad in full heavy armor]

I told you, I'll be fine, [Kingslayer whines as Lion tosses them over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Unfortunately, there's not enough strength in their limbs left to struggle, so Kingslayer resorts to being a pain in the ass verbally instead.]

Shouldn't you be more concerned about those idiot kids? We came down here to save their bacon, after all. [Despite their imposing regalia, Kingslayer does, in fact, sound like an "idiot kid," voice and all.]

I can manage both.

[Kingslayer might be fast and powerful, but Lion is just stupidly strong- and once they are secure over his shoulder he ... walks over to the scared kids, patting one on the head and talking softly before just.... picking them up too. One teenager under each arm like gangly footballs.]

There. We should go before more show up.

What are you gonna do when we get attacked my another Revenant, huh? Flail at them with your legs then get knocked flat on your ass under the weight? You can't fight like this! I can't fight like this! So put! Me! Down! [Kingslayer begins rocking back and forth like a petulant child, with so little force that ti's unlikely Dimitri notices.]

[He just grunts at their wiggling]

And leaving you behind would be the better option? I'll take my chances.

[ Magnum Opus had been passing through when the commotion happens — the crash of armour and then a shout that she vaguely recognises as a fellow Executor — and she immediately starts towards it in concern to see—

well. if Kingslayer's headless body surprises her, she certainly doesn't show it on her face. she blinks, once, and then simply walks over to the children, where she crouches down at their height. ]

Excuse me... [ her voice is soft and calm. ] You shouldn't take what belongs to someone else. Could you please give that back?

[ in the face of Opus' unwavering, blank stare, the kids seem to falter. after a moment, they realise she isn't going to move or even react, and they back down instead, muttering about how these people are no fun.

they shove the helmet at her before they run off, and Opus stands up with it in her hands. ]

Um. [ she looks at Kingslayer, then at the helmet. ] Can you... see?

I can see fine. [If Kingslayer had eyes right now, they'd be rolling out of their skull. But as it stands, they just snatch their helmet from Magnum Opus and affix it to the rest of their armor with a satisfying snap.]

Could've gotten that myself, you know, [they grumble, before muttering,] but thanks.

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CAN CRY: TEST DRIVE... 2!

Mordred / "Kingslayer" | Fate/Apocrypha

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fun fact servant general knowledge of present is tied to their servant powers

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