August-September Testo Doraivu!

[indigo_league]

TEST DRIVE MEME

➞ Post with a character you wish to test drive in this game's setting.
➞ Tag other people's starters and thread out shenanigans!
➞ Invite your friends! Try out new characters! Come play with us!
➞ Have fun!


NOT SURE WHERE TO BEGIN YOUR TEST-DRIVE JOURNEY?
CHECK OUT ALL THE LOCATIONS WE HAVE AVAILABLE IN:

JOHTO | and | KANTO

ALSO, AS PROMPTS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: Last month's mini-events!

Effect: Friday, July 8: Flower Gift - All day, despite the season, flowers drift down from the sky. They’re harmless, beautiful, and smell lovely, but if trainers aren’t careful, they might end up trudging through rosedrifts up to their knees before long.
Swarm: Tuesday, July 12: Spinda
Effect: Friday, July 15 to Sunday, July 17: Worry Seed - Affected characters won’t be able to get any sleep. Does that make your character cranky? Does it damage their brain-to-mouth filter? The effects can last as little or as long as you’d like over this weekend.
Effect/Swarm Double Duty: Friday, July 22: Surf - Large waves appear in all bodies of water, including things like bathtubs and your Sawsbucks drinks (it’s just bean water, you know). Be careful on the ocean, but also, hang ten, dudes! The waves won’t destroy anything, but trainers are going to get wet on this ride. Also, oh god, small jellyfish Pokemon (Tentacool, Frillish, Inkay) happen to be swarming randomly in these bodies of water. GANBATTE, VICTORY ROAD.
Effect: Friday, July 29: Haze - The forecast is misty inside and out on this oddly cool July day. Affected trainers will find it difficult to remember things, whether those happened long ago or just five minutes past. The memories aren’t gone, of course, it’s just…foggy.
Swarm: Sunday, July 31: Illumise and Volbeat


✭ ✭ ✭


OTHER USEFUL LINKS:
NAVIGATION | RESERVES | APPLICATIONS

Comments

Angel The Siren | Borderlands

[brokencode]

[Video]

[The Pokegear screen crackles to life, displaying, somewhat surprisingly to the girl on the screen, not as a blue-tinted projection, but a standard video. For a few moments, she is silent, blinking and gazing at her own reflection in mild surprise, as if surprised by her own appearance. She lifts a hesitant hand, grazing the right side of her head. She pulls her hand away from the closely shaven patch, gazing at her own fingers for a moment. After a few moments, she turns her attention back to the screen, looking somewhat sheepish.]

S-sorry. This is... entirely new to me, I'm afraid.

[Lowering her hand, the girl offers a small smile]

I am currently broadcasting from a place I believe is called New Bark Town? According to many of the locals, this is in the region of...

[Her brows furrow together, her expression resembling that of someone who has consumed sour food]

Jow-tao?

[A laugh]

This device, this place...

[She glances to the side, toward a rather bulbous tuft of fur that she can't quite seem to get off screen.]
The creatures. [Laughter] Like I said. It is... new.

[Now her smile fades in the slightest, and her gaze seems to waver.]

I am broadcasting in the hopes that someone out there, perhaps someone I know, or perhaps someone new, is listening. I want someone to know that I am alive. I want them to know that I am free.

[Action]

[A gentle breeze ruffled the grass, kicking up bits of detritus and sending them off into the sky. Away from the town, Angel stood, legs submerged up to her ankles in the cold water of the channel leading away from the town. She gazed down at her feet, small and attached to rail thin legs (the left curiously marked by a series of tattoos, much in the way the rest of that side of her body was). Gone was the purple tinge she had grown so used to seeing on her skin, chased away by whatever entity had also purged the persistent weakness from her body]

Gone, gone, gone.

[She smiled for a moment, as if pleased to hear the sound of her own voice. It took but a moment for the smile to wobble, however. She pulled her arms tightly to her, hugging herself as tightly as she could. Her heart raced beneath her skin, her only evidence that somehow, for some inexplicable reason, she was alive.]

[Taking a deep, quivering breath, Angel found that she could no longer control herself. She bent over, still clinging to herself, as a handful of sobs wracked her body. Her reflection observed it all quietly, with furrowed brows and, by some miracle, the ghost of a smile.

[For the first time in ages, she was free. Despite the fear coursing through her veins, despite the unfamiliarity of it all, she finally felt like she had a chance.]

Video (omg I am so sorry this is her first response....)

[thedifferencebetween]

[Jack can only stare at the video feed for a few moments. This place...it's tricked him before. Whenever it decides to screw with him, it goes for a very particular and raw wound. In the past month alone he'd been robbed of the memories of what happened to her, and followed by a haunting specter of his daughter as a small child.]

[His paranoia and suspicion are high.]

[But on the other hand...he knows what the powers of this planet can do. Whoever's really in charge around here has it figured out. And he's hoped and hoped, as more and more bandits and friggin Vault Hunters pop up, that one of these days he'll scroll through the mindless idiot chatter on the Network and see one of those two faces he's been missing. It's not fair, really, that all these murderers and barbarians get a reprieve, but what about his god damned family?]

[And it's only been a handful of months. He's not mad at her - she was confused, she'd been tricked and lied to by those miserable assholes! She didn't know what she was doing, that was all. Jack sees what Jack wants to see, and reconstructs events to make sense within his own self-centric world view. His joy - undeserved, born of simply having his most important and favorite possession returned to him, no real happiness for Angel the human being - overrides his suspicion that this is just some other sick joke on him.]

[He flips his own video on with a shaky hand.]

...it's okay, princess.

I'm here.

video [[I'm crying how could you do this, Jack]]

[brokencode]

[All of Angel's joy — the smiles, the elation, the sheer relief of simply being alive — rushes from her body, leaving her feeling cold. For a handful of seconds, breathing becomes an impossible challenge. Her spare fist clenches, gripping her dress as tight as she can. It's the only thing keeping her nails from digging into the vulnerable flesh of her hand.]

You...

[Her throat tightens up, the rest of her words trapped behind the wall. She lets her mouth close, the fight to speak being futile. It didn't take long for the fear to sweep the words from her head as it was, leaving her dumbfounded and simply blinking at the video feed.

All at once, however, the icy feeling beneath her skin turns to fire. This was meant to be her new start, her chance at freedom. Once again, Jack, the man who pretended to be what a father should have been, had cut her happiness short.]

It's not okay.

[thedifferencebetween]

[It's easy enough for him to chalk her reaction up to the shock of being here. Hell, he'd been angry and confused himself. And he's used to all kinds of weird stuff! She hasn't left the same room in...well, a long time. Suddenly she's alone in a whole big new world? She's gotta be terrified.]

Hey, I know it's scary, but I promise. It's all okay. You're...okay, baby.

I forgive you. I'm not upset, Angel. You're not in any trouble.

[It wasn't that long ago that he'd been drunk and angry over the inescapable thought that he'd never see her again. He's watched her murder over and over again in his sleep - because in his eyes, that's what it was.]

[But it doesn't matter, because she's here. He'd been right, when he first got here. He has a chance to do it again. He can start over. Whole new planet, whole new ancient goodies to plunder. And now he's got her back.]

[Everything's coming up Handsome.]

Just stay right where you are. I'll come get you.

[brokencode]

Stay away from me.

[Her words come quick, barely registering in her conscious mind before they flow through her lips. In her anger, she very nearly drops the pokegear, but just as it begins to slip, her grip tightens. She knows that he needs to see this, the anger, the fear — everything that he had spent the better part of two decades making her feel.]

[It won't make a difference, deep down she knows that. But in this place, with all this apparent magic, was it so hard to believe that it could have fixed what was broken inside of him? Perhaps if he could see just how much she had been hurt — by him, no less — it would all get better.]

[Of course it was. Even as he spoke, she knew deep down that he hadn't changed. That he thought she was the one apologizing was evidence enough of that.]

[Revulsion followed after her thoughts. She had believed herself to be so strong. She had told the Vault Hunters that she knew just how manipulative Jack could be. What should have been her last words reaffirmed that. But the only reason Angel had lashed out before was because she, and the rest of the planet, for that matter, had reached its breaking point. Now? Not so much.]

[Angel clenched her jaw, forcing herself to remember every single pain that Jack had put her through. She had to remember his monstrosity. She had to remember that the man she once thought of as a father was no more, and had been gone for a long time.]

Don't come anywhere near me, Jack.

video!!

[divinedescendant]

You've nothing to apologize for at all.

[Emmeryn's still catching up on this whole modern technology thing, so her image is crooked on the other side of the broadcast, but she's smiling, soft and warm with light shining in her eyes because even if she doesn't fully understand why this matters as much as it does—well, it matters; just looking at the girl, there's no doubt about that at all. Stranger though she may be, Emmeryn is so genuinely, sincerely happy for her.]

Your message is heard, I promise. You've my deepest congratulations. [Lightly, she brings her hand to her heart.] My name is Emmeryn. Welcome to Johto.

Re: video!!

[brokencode]

[There's something about the crooked video that makes Angel's heart lift. It doesn't help that the woman on the other end of the video has a contagious sort of smile. Angel's own pleased smile widens considerably as she raises her hand in a small wave.]

[How long had it been since she had felt like this? Smiled without forcing it? The memories were so blurred by the agony that she had suffered that she simply couldn't say.]

[Angel shook her head ever so slightly, chasing the memories away.

It's a pleasure to meet you, Emmeryn. I am very excited to be here.

[divinedescendant]

[She lifts her hand to wave back—it's a slow and practiced sort of movement from someone who's made more than enough public appearances to have it down to a science, but the sincerity in her face doesn't fade at all.]

There is much to be excited about. This region is beautiful, and there is so much to see and do. A city called Violet is not far from where you are now, and there are stunning aerial shows held there if you care for birds at all... And more wondrous creatures besides. [The video frame shifts slightly to the side and for a moment Emmeryn looks confused—she moved her device trying to get a better view of the fur tuft at the edge of Angel's feed, bless her heart for trying with these communicators.........] Have you met your new companion yet?

[brokencode]

Birds?

[The smile on Angel's lips widens. Birds had always been a point of interest for her, but even if they weren't... Anything that Angel could witness in person would be a treat.]

[Curious, and after a little fiddling, Angel flips away from the video for a moment, pulling up a map of the area. She places a finger on the town she's in — New Bark, as she learned —and then one over Violet. The Mareep beside her, having grown bored of slightly obstructing her view, now shifts, giving Angel a curious glance.

It's certainly not far at all. [She speaks not just to Emmeryn, but to the pokemon beside her. Curious enough, considering the folllow-up question Emmeryn issues. With a small laugh, Angel twists the camera to face the Mareep.

I have. She doesn't yet have a name, but we are well acquainted already.

[action] (YAAAAS also hope it's cool to just Assume Things here)

[kissmyaspis]

[Not too far away, Athena watches. She'd come back to New Bark town after she first spoke to Angel, and not just because she knew it would piss Jack off. There was... something going on here, and while she hasn't asked Angel about it yet, she has her suspicions just by looking at the poor girl. But for now, she's just going to watch her.

... Which was a bit hard, because watching her enjoy this new planet with such wonder makes something in one of those long-buried and guarded parts inside of her twist. It only gets worse when Angel begins to sob, and Athena lets out a huff between clenched teeth - not angry, just... forceful enough to push back this feeling - before taking a few steps closer.]

Freedom from everything you've ever known can be an overwhelming thing to deal with. Whatever you're feeling... just let it out. It's better that way.

[action] [[It's all good!!]]

[brokencode]

[Angel whirls around, the voice startling her from her outburst. Her hand lifts up, frantically wiping at the tears in her eyes. New start or no, the idea of showing any amount of emotion, given both her upbringing and the planet she had observed for the better part of her adult life, leaves her uneasy.]

[She breathes a sigh of relief, however, when she recognizes the woman who had spoken. Even if they hadn't spoken recently, she remembered the face from her father's escapades on Elpis. Removed as she had been from the scenario, she had sifted through her father's old files enough to recognize the woman as Athena. ]

You would know, wouldn't you?

[Despite her efforts to sound strong, her voice wavers. After meeting the gladiator's eyes few seconds, her gaze drops, and her head turns away.]

[action]

[kissmyaspis]

[With anyone else, Athena might have bristled at that. Unless she told them about it first, she didn't particularly like it when people talked about her past... but then she remembered how Jack had made them collect those files he'd had on them. How each echo had him talking to "Angel"... how she'd been the one to do the actual work. And knowing Jack, knowing this was a real girl and not some AI, then Athena can only assume he'd forced her to do what he wanted her to do. So the anger simmers away pretty quickly.]

I do. And I'm still figuring things out.

[She's done well for herself so far, in her opinion, but nearly destroying her relationship with Janey proved that she still has a long way to go.]

... You are free. Just keep telling yourself that. Jack may still be alive in this land, but he can't even get here without traveling a long way.

Re: [action]

[brokencode]

He's still here...

[Angel shudders, feeling every pain that Jack had subjected her to just beneath her skin. Death was meant to be her escape. Winding up here, in a place where her father also roamed, felt more like punishment than anything else.]

He's smart. Resourceful... It is only a matter of time before he finds his way here.

[As much as she wants to tell herself that she's only being pessimistic, she knows deep down that it's only realistic. The second Jack knew she was alive, and she had no doubts that he knew that now, he would come for her. His narcissism would lead him to believe that she needed him, while his megalomania would undoubtedly tell him that he needed her power.]

[Another, more violent shudder wracks her small frame.]

I haven't been alive for more than a few days, Athena. I cannot go back to him. I don't want to lose this.

[action] [[sup nerd]]

[sialia_sialis]

[After the... summarily disturbing ordeal with a woman who is most certainly not one of his many "mothers," Murphy is left to wander the outside world. It's a shocking change from his previous surroundings, one that's difficult to acclimate to, but even in spite of his unrest, the gears in his mind still whir and tick. His only immediate thought is ditch the obnoxious prison jumpsuit.

The new clothes from -- his? bag hardly received a glance over before he pulled them on; anything is better than numbers printed across his back, but the problem still remains that the clothing is in his possession.

It seems his best option is a nearby sound, perhaps in which he can sink the jumpsuit and forget about it. His plan is delayed, however, by someone already in the water.

He hesitates at first to approach her, a voice in the back of his mind screaming that even apparent young girls could be a threat, but... when she holds herself and starts to cry, he assumes the worst for her sake and his instinct for self-preservation wears down. Carefully, he wades into the water just conspicuously enough to make some noise and announce his presence as he comes up behind her.]

Hey, uh... What's wrong? Are you hurt?

Re: [action] [[rude nerd.]]

[brokencode]

[Angel straightened up, her small smile contorting into an expression of terror. She turned, taking a hesitant step back before stilling in the slightest. Whoever this was, and she certainly didn't recognize him, he didn't seem to pose a threat. He spoke softly, and there was nothing in his posture to indicate that he was willing to cause a problem]

[Still, she wasn't exactly subtle about her 'nature.' Her tattoos seemed to burn hot against her skin, despite the fact that they had remained curiously dormant since she had arrived. Different as this world seemed to be, who was to say it didn't have its own lore about sirens]

[And she'd had enough of power mad megalomaniacs trying to take advantage of her abilities for one lifetime.

I'm not... I'm not hurt... [Like that, she adds mentally, though her mouth remains shut.]

It's... It's okay, you do not have to worry. I'm sorry to have troubled you.

[sialia_sialis]

[The fear she presents immediately in spite of the care he's taken to appear nonthreatening makes him feel rather guilty for approaching her at all, but the damage is done, so to speak, and he lifts his hands slightly in a vulnerable gesture.]

Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you.

[He keeps his distance although he doesn't quite believe her. She certainly doesn't seem okay, but maybe it isn't his business to butt into, regardless of intentions.]

's no trouble. Sorry for scaring you. Just... wanted to see if I could help. I'll leave you alone.

[Action!]

[ownd]

[As the gentle breeze ruffled the grass, so did a pair of soft footsteps. His ekans following closely behind, Zer0 approaches the familiar figure. He may not have any weapons, but if he doesn't keep up on his stalking skills, they may fade, and who better to practice on than a siren?

Especially this one. He's still not sure what to think about the dead coming back to life here; it certainly puts a damper on assassination. He's seeking a new goal, and perhaps the pokeballs in a mesh bag dangling at his hip indicate that he's found a potential target.

Regardless of all that, he moves silently save for the faint clink of his pokeballs, his pokemon beside him. Creepy, maybe, but not malicious. More curious than anything. When he's relatively close to Angel, close enough to see her reflection distorted by the river (and thus close enough that he can be seen reflected in it), he waves. His gloves are torn, the sides cut open to accommodate widened hands with four fingers. The visible pinky has an olive skin tone.]

Hello.

Re: [Action!]

[brokencode]

[To say that the strange ninja had surprised her would be a massive understatement. It wasn't odd that she had been startled — she had been so concerned with her own emotions that she made for an easy target. Rather, given just how foreign this land seemed to be, she certainly didn't expect to see a familiar... 'face']

Zer0! [The siren can barely withhold her excitement. She takes a step toward him, reaching out to make contact (for the first time, bewildering as that thought was), before hesitating. She glances over him, her mouth working itself into a thin line as she takes in the minute differences between the assassin she had known previously.

You... have fingers. [Her cheeks flush pink the second she speaks, all too aware of how ridiculous she sounds. It certainly beat any other conversation starters that might have come up, however. Especially the ones that might have related to her own death.

[ownd]

[He nods, holding out his hand and giving it a glance. God that's weird. He can only assume that other changes have occurred elsewhere, but he's not eager to find out.]

Yes. I have four now.

[Yeah, it's a lot to take in. He's still his slender self otherwise, though. Or at least it looks like it from the outside. His headpiece flashes to a smiley face. It's good to see you too, Angel. Especially after that... last encounter.]

Action!

[fuelthefire]

[Krieg spends a lot of time rambling outdoors and not doing a whole heck of a lot, trailed by an endlessly energetic baby chicken.

Torchic. It's called a Torchic.

He likes the little bird. It makes good company, and it spits embers. Anything that can start a fire with zero provocation and even less fuel is a good thing in Krieg's book.

When he hears the sound of sobbing, he stops in his track and tilts his head, listening.

Someone's hurt. Someone's lost. Someone needs help.

He doesn't need the prompting to turn toward the direction of the crying, but it's helpful nonetheless; a confirmation of what he already suspected.

There's a girl, crouched with her feet submerged in the cold water of the channel, skinny and noisy, all arms and legs and...tattoos? He cocks his head and approaches closer, footsteps heavy, though otherwise quiet for the time being.

Patches of her long hair have been shaved off close to her scalp, and those tattoos...

Siren.

Angel.

He stops a few paces away and crouches, then sits, an attempt at shrinking himself to a less threatening height, crossing his legs lotus-style, and waits quietly. He wants to help, but doesn't know how. For once his insensitive tongue has nothing to blurt out, no rantings about meat and fluids, no shouts for adrenaline and violence.

Murder Chicken the Torchic is far less polite, and waddles up to the edge of the channel before stopping in distaste at the sight of so much water. Unlike Krieg, its seems to know what to say to a crying girl, although it speaks in its own private language. The encouragement and warmth in it's quiet little whistles and peeps are apparent, though.]

Action

[brokencode]

[Caught up as she is in her emotions, Angel doesn't notice the sounds behind her for a few moments. Gradually though, the soothing chatter of the Pokemon draws her from her thoughts, and she turns to look at whatever creature is making the noise. As it is, she isn't the only one drawn in by the cadence of coos — the small sheep she had woken up with, a Mareep, as she learned, had also been alerted to the sound. Waddling over, she gives the bird a sniff, before directing her gaze in another direction. After giving a small, high-pitched 'baa!," she glances back at Angel, clearly concerned.]

[It takes Angel only a moment to follow her gaze, mildly surprised that she had missed Mareep's target in the first place. Wiping at her eyes, she squints, unsure if her eyes are playing tricks on her or not.]

Krieg?

[Of all the vault hunters, she was the least familiar with and most ambivalent toward the hulking psycho. Her observations of Pandora had revealed the haunted, monstrous nature of his brethren, and while Krieg seemed to behave himself most of the time, she always found herself wondering how far his control went.]

[Now, however, all of her doubts and concerns were, quite literally, a world away. Krieg was a familiar face in a world she was unsure of. Giving her eyes one last wipe, she approaches, slow and steady.]

You're here too?

Action

[fuelthefire]

[He nods his head, once, a sharp upward jerk of his chin. An affirmation of both her questions. Then he tilts his head to one side, his gaze steady and curious, as he tries his damndest to force his mouth to say something that isn't completely inappropriate.]

You died.

[Good job, asshole.]

Did it hurt?

[EVEN BETTER, wow.

Meanwhile, Murder Chicken, pleased with the success of its encouraging peeping (she's not crying anymore, see?), enthusiastically makes the acquaintance of the nearby Mareep, hopping energetically on its tiny chicken legs. Krieg's gaze flickers briefly to the small bird, before returning to Angel.]

[video]

[atlashugged]

[HI HOPE YOU DON'T MIND A NICE SHOT FULL OF NEWLY-HUMAN FACE, ANGEL.]

Ooh, I am listening, congratulations on being free! If you want someone new, I just became a person today! How ya doin'?

[video]

[brokencode]

[Surprised as Angel appears, there's a twinkle of amusement in Angel's eyes. She offers the newcomer a pleasant smile in response, before giving a nod.]

I would like that a lot. My name is Angel, what's yours?

[atlashugged]

I am Gortys! I guess that's just my name now, and not my designation. I know people think they're the same thing, but they're really not, even when you're one of a kind!

[She snaps back to a smile.]

It's very nice to meet you, Angel. And can I just say, you look fantastic today.

[... congrats, Angel, you're the first person who's gotten her to act flirty. There's clearly zero ill intent behind her tone, obviously, just. Y'know. Gortys.]