TEST DRIVE MEME FEB 2012

[soul_mods]

Test Drive Meme

For the reserves period between December 16, 2011 to February 15, 2012.
[App Form] [Reserves Page]

This meme is here to let prospective characters mingle ICly with the characters already in the game and each other. It helps us introduce various scenarios that you're likely to encounter in Soul Campaign and the different places used in the game. Hopefully, this helps you figure out if the game is really suited to your needs or not -- otherwise, just have fun!

The scenarios for this cycle are:
1. Shibusen has run out of free residential units! You are now stuck in one of their dorms with three other people. There's no privacy at all!
2. You find yourself trapped in the Holocaust mall during a blizzard. It's not as nice as you might think when there's a kishin egg or two prowling about.
3. There's a disease spreading that gives any meister or weapon who doesn't have a partner boils on their faces. You have exactly three hours before it reaches you -- time to make use of partner activities to get one. Please indicate if you're a meister or a weapon on your subject header.
4. It's mission time! You're suddenly thrown into a mission with a stranger (or several strangers). Do you flee or fight? (Current mission board is here.)
5. Your character was brought into Shibusen with a big problem. It seems that the BREW thought it would be funny if guys were girls and girls were guys. You have to race up the Shibusen steps to get the antidote, but you have to drink it with one or more people. Apparently, BREW likes company?

Just choose any one randomly, or make up your own, we don't mind! To make things simpler, please follow this subject line:

[CHARACTER NAME | CANON or FANDOM CHARACTER IS FROM | MEISTER OR WEAPON | SCENARIO# (or indicate if it's a new scenario)]

For example: [SPIRIT ALBARN | SOUL EATER | WEAPON | #1]

For OOC discussions and generally just chatting around, please head over here (for DW) and here (for LJ). For the LJ mirror of this post, please see over here.

Here's the Soul Campaign Navigation Page for all the other information you need.

As an extra note, you may add your TD threads to your application although it is not a requirement to do so and will not count towards activity checks. Please place it under the Notes section if you do.

Comments

[i_am_legend]

It seemed that the boy was still good a listening to direct orders, but he supposed that he had been a bit harsh. He just... didn't want to see such sour expressions on the boy's face, not if this turned into a second chance with his son. "You have quite a bit on your plate. A busy schedule keeps a mind sharp and out of trouble."

Fine by himself? He opened his mouth to reply and then reconsidered and simply nodded his head in acceptance. He was in no position to judge, and he supposed that it was good as it would mean his son was at less risk. "Good, as long as you're safe."

[hand_of_judgement]

That was the way that he preferred it. Being busy meant that his mind remained occupied, and the busier he was, the less time he spent at home with his mother. His presence often resulted in her becoming emotionally unstable - a state he preferred for her not to be in, even if he disliked her living within that illusionary world.

"My safety is of no concern," Yuri murmured honestly. Trying to dismiss the weight of his words, the judge stood up and took his father's tea from the tray. Bringing it over for the man, he knew that he'd have to help him drink.

The insinuation that he would want to keep safe irked him more than he thought it would, but he didn't allow the emotion to show any more than the briefest narrowing of his eyes before he muttered, "I work towards putting away dangerous criminals. While I may not be in the firing line, I pride myself on my ability to gather information in order to track those criminals down."

[i_am_legend]

"Your safety is my concern," he clarified strongly. Of course, there was almost nothing that he could do about it as he was, but he could voice his concerns regardless. His Yuri had changed, and he knew that just by looking at the boy. There was a part of him that knew he owed his son more than he could give no matter how long he had in this 'world'.

His olive coloured eyes flicked to the mug that Yuri was carrying towards him, which caused him to miss the narrowed eyes in his direction. He didn't want Yuri on the front line, but it wasn't his place to dictate what his son could and could not do anymore. His time of council was over.

"I was under the impression that investigative work was for the police, and the heroes were for catching them," he murmured softly. Had the world changed that much?

[hand_of_judgement]

The words caught him by surprise, and his eyes widened in return. He hadn't been the concern of anyone for almost two decades, and was taken aback by the sudden strong clarification. To say that Yuri was momentarily speechless was an understatement, but he quickly moved to push that aside so he could compose himself again.

He held himself back from parroting his father's words, but the question was there regardless before he shoved it back into neutrality. The judge opted for not saying anything instead, and focused on steadying the cup so then his father could drink.

"The police do have their own investigation force, but I aid them in my free time," Yuri simply stated.

[i_am_legend]

It wasn't difficult to see that his son was surprised by the words that he had spoken, and there was a moment of pleasure knowing that he could still attempt caring. How long had it been for Yuri? He supposed that his son had been forced to become a man quickly after he had passed away. That must have been a difficult situation.

"Yuri, if you have something to say, you had best say it," he murmured, ignoring the tea at his chapped lips. Instead, his eyes were focused on the young man in front of him.

"So what you're saying is that you have your hand in everything to do with catching and trying criminals?" That was a lot for any one man to have as duties, but Yuri had always been bright. He felt an odd pride rise in his breast knowing his boy had done so well, no help from him.

[hand_of_judgement]

Yuri paused in his attempt to get his father to drink when those words were spoken. He had been an adult ever since that day, thrown into a situation that had been well beyond his control that he had desperately grasped at whatever he could in order to regain that feeling. Yet all of that was shattered by the appearance of this man in Death City.

"I don't, Papa," he softly murmured instead of speaking his mind. Yuri couldn't even remember the last time that he had spoken his thoughts to someone else, and he wondered if it was when he had been a boy looking up and idolizing the man his father had once been.

Pulling the cup back towards him, Yuri nodded his head in reply. "One has to do what they can in order to seek justice," Yuri stated.

[i_am_legend]

He waited patiently to see if he would receive an honest answer, but it appeared that one was not coming. He hadn't earned that right, not with how little they had spoken and seen each other. He wondered if Yuri came only because he had asked the boy to. Perhaps he would leave off the request to do to free up his son to do other things.

"And you seem to have dedicated your life to seeking justice for those who have committed wrongs to innocent people," he murmured softly. That was something he was proud of, something he had wanted for his son. "You're a good boy, Yuri. Very good."

[hand_of_judgement]

He did what he could to make certain that sinners paid for their crimes. Those he couldn't judge over in court found atonement within the flames of his NEXT power. His job was never done, and that was the way that he preferred it. He couldn't ever turn a blind eye to evil, after all. That was the last promise that he had made his father.

"I will never turn a blind eye to evil," Yuri said in reply. His answer had been purposefully chosen, even if the judge wasn't quite certain why he had said it in the first place. Good was something that he had never thought of when it came to him, and it felt mostly misplaced even if he believed in his cause.

[i_am_legend]

Legend found his chin nodding slightly in response to Yuri's reply, and he remembered those words well. He had been a better man back then, and he even considered himself a caring father. He had been a good father before his slow decline, and he regretted his selfishness and how much he had deprived his son of.

"You never became a hero," he said slowly, tasting each word before he turned his face away to stare out the window again. He had never expected Yuri to, and when the boy had awakened as a NEXT, there hadn't been time to consider it. "Are you... ashamed of your power, Yuri?"

[hand_of_judgement]

When it became obvious that his father didn't want his tea, Yuri placed it back on the tray before neatly sitting back in his chair. Reaching for his own cup, the judge found it a good distraction from the line of questioning he knew would follow. No one knew that he was a NEXT outside of his mother. The only other person who did was charred and in the bed in front of him.

He didn't say anything for a long while, but allowed his mind to momentarily wander. Heroes held nothing but a false sense of justice, a hollow version, and add to the fact that they parade themselves for Heroes TV left such a position less than desirable for him.

Taking a sip of tea so he'd then have time to collect his thoughts, the judge eventually answered, "Mother is the only one remaining who is aware that I'm a NEXT." It wasn't exactly an answer, but he didn't think that he'd ever tell his father of what he truly did as Lunatic. Instead he peered back over at the man as he murmured, "I do not need my power to seek justice for the city."

[i_am_legend]

It was an interesting way that Yuri answered him, and he found his gaze taking in the scenery outside his window a little too keenly. He knew that he had refused to drink the tea for the time being, but his mind was occupied with so many thoughts. He wasn't certain what to make of his son hiding that NEXT power, but then again, it would be suspicious if he had burnt alive and his son was a fire-wielding NEXT.

No, it was best that Yuri keep that secret, and he had no say in his son's activities with it either. "How is your mother doing," he asked slowly, deep regret and emotion seeping into his voice. He didn't want to know, but he felt it was his responsibility to know. Perhaps she had found someone better than him.

"So you've spent your life hiding what you are from the public and the world," he murmured softly, more to himself than his son.

[hand_of_judgement]

It didn't bother him that his father's gaze was directed out the window, as he continued to calmly sip at his tea while waiting for the other man to respond. The fact that he had a NEXT ability was something that he obsessively kept to himself, but that didn't mean that others didn't know of them either, just that they didn't know the identity of who created such flames.

He was pulled from his thoughts as that question was finally asked. Regarding his father for a short while, the judge considered his answer before he murmured, "She still finds difficultly in accepting your death." Yuri found that he couldn't say anything more about that given that he was the cause of his mother's condition.

"I am not ashamed of my NEXT ability," Yuri clarified before taking a sip of his tea. He didn't elaborate any further though, and simply sipped his tea in silence.

[i_am_legend]

It was odd to think that someone had such a gift and yet hid it from the world. He supposed that he could understand in a way, given the circumstances of Yuri's awakening as a NEXT. That was most likely a traumatic experience, one that was best not to be discussed while his son was the only one with the ability to get up and walk away. Still, children had trouble keeping newly awakened powers under control, and he wondered at the hardship that Yuri had faced with that... without guidance.

He felt a wave of guilt and shame wash through him at the thought that Origa had trouble with his passing. It seemed to couple with the soreness all over his body, and he couldn't help the tears that formed and slid down his cheeks. He couldn't even raise his hands to brush them away, and he felt like such a weak sorry excuse for a husband and father.

He had treated them both so unfairly, and this harsh emotion was one of the reasons he had spent most of his time drinking. He didn't want to feel this failure again. What sort of grown man was he to cry like a child? Worse, what kind of man was he to hit his wife and force his son to put an end to his evil actions? He had no right to wallow in sorrow when he had created so much strife in his home. Now he was too weak to even be able to lift his arms.

Finally, he managed to get a hold of his emotions, unable to speak on the subject of his wife any longer. It was too painful for him. "Nor should you be," he murmured softly, trying to hide the heaviness of his voice. "It's probably very powerful and useful to whatever you put it towards. However, I'm sorry I was never there to help you control it or explore it."

[hand_of_judgement]

If there was one thing about Yuri, it was that he was tenacious about everything. Every detail in his work and his investigations needed to be perfect. That was partly what made him so good at what he did. He couldn't allow even a shred of doubt to remain when he took to hunting down the criminals in Sternbild, and that was a trait of his that he had applied to his NEXT ability as well.

He had even pushed his NEXT abilities to levels he never thought possible once he'd gained control of his flames. It had far surpassed everything that he could ever dream of, and put Fire Emblems flames to shame. Not only could he use it to bring atonement to sinners, but he had learnt to utilize his ability to allow him to do so much more.

"You've no need to apologise," Yuri quietly muttered in return. The sweet flavour of the tea was a good distraction from what had happened in the past. His father had already atoned for his sins, and Yuri saw no reason to dwell on that. At least not now, even as he heard his father's voice in his head asking if him if he'd done the right thing.

The thought had him clenching the handle of his teacup, but he pushed it away as he murmured instead, "It took some time, but I managed to gain control over it."

[i_am_legend]

He would have hoped that Yuri would just accept his apology, but the other was an independent man now. All those years being the man of the house probably built a lot of responsibility in Yuri, and his son seemed to want to take on the world. Perhaps he had done something right in leaving as he had.

Drawing his gaze back from the window, he glanced at the young man sitting there drinking tea. He wished that he could be proud that his efforts had produced Yuri in such a way, but he knew that it wasn't true. He had influenced the boy's path, but his son had done so much alone. He had failed.

"That's good," he murmured softly, flicking his gaze up to stare at the ceiling. "One must always look responsibility in the face, never push it to others, especially those of us gifted with NEXT abilities."

[hand_of_judgement]

The gaze he felt did nothing to perturb him in the slightest, and if it did Yuri wasn't going to show it. He had lived well over fifteen years without his father and knowing that it had been his actions that had brought about the man's destruction. It wasn't an easy concept to bring himself to accept, and yet this world had forced his hand with it.

"You've nothing to fear, Papa. I have never shied away from my responsibilities, at least not until I was pulled here," Yuri murmured between sips. He hadn't willingly looked the other way as his impromptu arrival here had taken him away from his word.

"What have the doctors said about your recovery?"

[i_am_legend]

While it hadn't been a long time since he had heard Yuri call him by that name, he wasn't certain that he deserved it. He didn't even remember large days of his life for the last while, so how could he be called that now? At least Yuri had somehow managed to grow up strong and unyielding when it came to taking responsibility.

"I'm sure you make do with what you have here," he murmured softly. If the boy was responsible in Sternbild, he would be responsible in this new world.

"I'll heal," was all he said. They weren't on the best speaking terms due to his continual refusal for pain medication. His agony was nothing compared to what he caused his family when he was at the bottom of his despair. "A week in this place, and they will consider releasing me."

[hand_of_judgement]

He did what he could with what he had. It felt more like a token gesture given the fact that he didn't have use of his NEXT ability here. Yuri worked with what he had, and had adapted his techniques to continue dealing justice to the sinners of the city.

Nodding at the mention of the length of time, the judge quietly sipped his tea. He knew what he needed to do, and while he preferred his personal space, Yuri found that he didn't want this any other way.

"When they release you, I have a spare room in my apartment," Yuri smoothly said. His father would still need care, depending on how well the doctors healed him, and the judge wouldn't allow anyone else to do that duty.

[i_am_legend]

He wasn't certain that he wanted to be released after only a week. For far, this had been the longest time that he had been sober, and he wasn't certain how he would react when not debilitated with his injuries. In some ways, they were a blessing because he couldn't physically do anything about the cravings. He was helpless and suffered each and every one of them.

His fingers twitched at Yuri's offer, and he turned his head to stare out the window again. He wanted to accept, really wanted it, but hadn't he done enough damage to his son? Yet, this could be a second chance to make a few of his wrongs a right again. He would need care, but he didn't want Yuri to give up anything just to deal with his sorry state.

"Your offer is very kind, but I won't take you away from the life that you've built here," he murmured softly. God, he wanted to accept it so badly, the one good and familiar thing in his life offering just like that. "You're a busy man, and I will only deprive you time in pursuing your goals. I won't do that to you." He had deprived Yuri of enough.

[hand_of_judgement]

The offer he gave was one that he wouldn't allow his father to refuse. When the attempt was made, Yuri's eyes narrowed subtly. He never liked to be challenged with his suggestions, but reminding himself that it was his father, the judge pushed that dislike furthest from his mind.

"Perhaps you misunderstood me, Papa," Yuri smoothly said while ignoring all that his father said about him being busy. While he may have been busy, he would never be too busy to see to his father's needs. "There is no option in this offer."

[i_am_legend]

At Yuri's correction, he turned his head back to stare at the young man in front of him. He had never had his son tell him what to do before, never been told that 'this' was going to happen, and he was to accept it. It was the strangest situation to be in.

And then he felt the rise of pride in the realization that his only child had grown into a man. "Yuri," he murmured softly. "Are you certain? I would be invading the life that you have built yourself."

[hand_of_judgement]

"You doubt my capability with time management?" Yuri asked in return. He felt his father's gaze on him, but his remained just as steadily on the recovering man.

There was no way for him to see the pride his father felt, but that didn't mean that the judge didn't see the odd glint in the man's eyes. "If you truly do not wish to stay with me, then I will have to up with other arrangements."

[i_am_legend]

"No, I don't doubt you at all," he replied slowly, watching the other man's reaction. Yuri had learned to hide emotions so well, and he was beginning to find that he had to watch closely to search for reactions.

"It has nothing to do with wants; I'm putting those aside because they are selfish." He sighed softly, searching Yuri's face. "I will stay with you if it's truly what you want."

[hand_of_judgement]

He listened quietly to the words spoken. While there had been moments where his father had been selfish, this was something that Yuri felt that he wanted to be selfish over more. That was a trait he hadn't known existed within him until now, and as his father searched his face and gave his answer, Yuri nodded in return.

"Then everything is settled," Yuri murmured. Knowing that the man would be properly taken care of was an odd weight taken off of his shoulders. The judge would do everything in his power to make certain his father returned back to full health, even despite everything else he already had on his plate.

[i_am_legend]

Slowly, he nodded his head as much as he was able when it seemed that his living arrangements beyond the hospital were taken care of. He was actually not certain how living with his now adult son would work out, but he was also silently pleased with the results. He would have a second chance.

"You will have to speak with the doctors on when they plan on releasing me," he murmured, working his jaw. "While they estimate a week, they pester me like I don't know what's best for me. They can give you a better timeline," he remarked stiffly.