akudamods: (noh more)
Akudamax Mods ([personal profile] akudamods) wrote2021-07-19 06:57 pm

TDM


AKUDAMA test DRIVE


Welcome to the test drive for [community profile] akudamax! Events and locations used in this test drive meme are unique to the meme.
They represent the game in spirit but are not considered game canon. Please enjoy!


ARRIVE
In the blink of an eye, you are somewhere you weren't supposed to be - unless by sheer coincidence you happened to be wandering the streets of Dotonbori. Regardless, you're in cyberpunk land now, and your crimes are beamed all over the city to warn its citizens of your presence. They call you by a strange title. You are avoided. Fortunately, a lot of the places here are self-automated, so you shouldn't have too much trouble gathering information from robots - as long as those robots aren't police robots. You'll have a little time to bump into others in the same situation first, but eventually they'll try to round you up.... best to decide if you're going to hide, run or fight.

THRIVE
Somehow, you've managed to avoid capture long enough to slip out of the laser eyes of the law - and you've wound up in another part of the city with fewer warnings of your presence. This is Shinsaibashi, an enormous shopping district. The vast array of establishments provide a good opportunity for procuring a disguise, or other useful goods. If nothing else, it's a little bit of peace to regroup.... or to rob some rich people before they find you again. Very few people carry cash, so you might wind up 'borrowing' a seal if you go that route. But I mean, they're calling you a criminal anyway, right? What's a few more crimes?

CONNIVE
While living large in Shinsaibashi and trying to figure out what's going on, you've wound up with a group of your fellow Akudama inside of the underground shopping mall, Crysta Nagahori, which seemingly lined the sides of a subway... but currently it is dark and abandoned. A bit spooky, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. Suddenly, though, decrepit hologram projectors flicker to life, showing strange cartoon stick puppets of a pink bunny and a blue shark just bouncing about. The image occasionally glitches because of the faulty technology, making them look even creepier. And worse, they begin to talk - and being children's cartoon characters this sounds exactly as patronizing as you'd imagine.

"Hey Sharkie!"
"Yeah, Bunny?"
"These new X-Class Akudama are making way too much of a fuss, aren't they!"
"You said it, buddy! Just look at all these teeeeeeerrible things they did in the past week or so!"


A photo slides up from the bottom, with a funny sound effect, as it floats behind the little puppets who flip around to make horrified expressions. Several others follow from different sides, as if stacking up. The photos are of all of the X-Classes doing crimes in Kansai. Some of them, you might remember, if you actually did some crimes. Others not so much. The photos also make a point of showing off the flashy abilities they may have.

"I've seen a lot of things, Bunny, but organized Akudama? I didn't even think they were smart enough for that!"
"Well, you're not too bright yourself, Sharkie... ANYWAY, it's a big problem, so it needs big guns! We're still rebuilding after the Executioners turned out to be such bad ol' meanies, after all. Here's what the cops have to say!"
"Oh, I know! They said... ANY Akudama who kills one of these X-Classes will immediately get a full pardon for being on the side of justice now!"
"Of course, that includes the X-Classes themselves. It's possible that SOME of them are just here by mistake, even if they're mostly part of a big conspiracy! This is their chance to prove that to everyone! Yaaay!"
"But... don't they get some other kind of prize for doing that too?"
"You're right! They'll also get a whole basket of fruit!"
"WHOA! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH THAT WOULD COST!? NOW THAT'S LUXURY!!"
"Anyway, this offer only lasts a week, before we really get serious."


Bunny's voice deepens as it comes menacingly closer to the screen with its face in a dark shadow at that last part. Then it immediately bounces back and holds hands with Shark. Together, they bow.

"That's it for now! We're looking forward to the redemption arcs! Buh bye!"

Well... this is an awkward time to be in a place with a bunch of other X-Classes, isn't it?? What will you make of these freaks?

SURVIVE
a) It's been a while since the announcement, and whether you left the mall or not... now, you feel like you're being watched. Suddenly, you catch a glimpse of a laser. The person hunting you is the Super S-Class Akudama 'Sniper' - but if he has his way, he won't be called that for long. You'd better take cover and figure out where he is, FAST. Just getting away from him probably won't be enough.

b) Maybe killing isn't a big deal to you. Maybe you're hungry and that fruit looked really good. Maybe you just want to get the target off your own back. But for whatever reason... you've decided to go for the pardon. This too, you decide, is a form of survival. Now, how will you try to get another X-Class alone to go for the kill?

STRIVE
The week is almost over, but you've finally found what you need to move forward.

a) You have been approached by a talking cat, who upon further assessment is a hologram. The cat says he snuck in to advise you, since the plan went wrong. It turns out there really was a conspiracy - the mysterious person operating this cat offered a huge reward, enough that you agreed to come to this world and help him overthrow the government. It was memory loss the whole time... Now it's time to reach out to your apparent co-conspirators and figure out how you feel about being in yet another recycled Kodaka plot device.

b) Way to go, you managed to off someone, and now you've been invited to a special chamber to receive your fruit basket - and probably more importantly, your pardon. Others who did the same thing are with you. 3 Holographic Noh masks surround your lot, floating in golden rays and looking very grandiose. They are pleased with your work. So pleased, in fact, they've decided to hire you to do this sort of thing full time. Work for them, and with your abilities you could even be treated like superheroes.... As they drone on, you begin to feel strange, unnatural bliss, and see strange colors and lights. They must not trust you that much, if they're trying to brainwash you. It's not easy to resist, though. You'll have to work together to fight off the effects.

CONTRIVE
The wild card epilogue option! This test story is all fake anyway. Why don't you decide how it ends?

[personal profile] dicecontrol 2021-07-31 10:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Quite vague. You could even argue that it might be a little trap of their own. But given that I am the 'Trapmaster', as you say... that's something that someone like me can easily see right through. They are my specialty after all. Even if their idea of one isn't exactly the brightest.

Although if someone does take the bait, we'll soon find out the meaning behind their 'pardon'. At the very least, I'm quite certain that it'd make for some useful information about those behind the curtain.
hatesdeerstalkers: (hmhm!)

[personal profile] hatesdeerstalkers 2021-07-31 10:48 pm (UTC)(link)
I also have knowledge in traps, but then again - what man my age wouldn't?

[He nods along with her reasoning, though he does lift a finger.]

That is assuming they make whatever happens public. If one who takes the deal simply vanishes from view, then we can only assume. However, if they come back as if nothing is wrong, then other potential issues come to light. I assume you understand what I'm driving at, hm?
dicecontrol: (pic#14767441)

[personal profile] dicecontrol 2021-07-31 11:06 pm (UTC)(link)
[ To be honest, she doesn't know about "other men his age" very well, but that's mostly because there weren't a lot of men in her life. And the ones that did exist... let's just say she certainly does not think that he would even have the barest hints of any knowledge about traps.

But that's besides the point. ]


If the person disappears and nothing is heard from them, it is because they wish to hide the truth from view. [ She states it plainly. ] It does not necessarily mean that whoever took it is necessarily, dead, but... the likelihood of it being the case is much more probable.

In the second case, if they do come back--it is either because, for whatever inane reason, they truly were telling the truth or that something had occurred between the - Akudama, was it? - and the police. As someone can certainly easily act as if nothing was wrong. After all, if the one who was pardoned can be used as solid proof that their offer was genuine, it can easily encourage more people who had their doubts to take action; it will essentially become a battle royale, so to speak. Of course, I'm not quite sure if that was specifically what you had in mind with those implications--these are just what I had thought of myself.
hatesdeerstalkers: (Oh well.)

[personal profile] hatesdeerstalkers 2021-08-01 12:55 am (UTC)(link)
[He nods, looking almost like...a teacher listening to an explanation from his students.

Once she's finished, he gives a light chuckle.]


Yes, that is a fair assumption, and excellent logic. However, the prospect I was thinking of was the capacity of that person having switched over to the Police's side.

A battle royale is one thing. However, when running this sort of thing, one must consider the number of loose ends you would have on hand. Even if everyone killed to their heart's content, there would always be one or two left over. The question then becomes 'what to do with them?'

Frankly speaking, it's quite messy when you have multiple people left over - especially if they are inclined to seek revenge. Of course, you could merely do away with them, but that runs the risk of greater cost and destruction.

However, if you convince them to work for you - through either dangling a bigger carrot o'er their faces, or compelling them to work for you either through brain washing, hypnosis, or torture - then it is much, much less messy, and you may use that one person to take out many others, and dispose of them once they've finished.

Or, keep them as a 'loyal' member of your organization if they are much too talented to discard out of hand.

[He's so casual when speaking about this - one can almost see the gleaming strands of a web with him at the center, as he so easily walks her through his darker forms of logic.]

[personal profile] dicecontrol 2021-08-01 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
[ Satoko listens carefully and quietly, taking it all in. Any ideas are things that she can use for later. ]

... Ah, that is true.

[ She says it matter-of-factly, like she hadn't thought of that, if only because why would anyone trust the police? As for whether it's messy or not, she certainly isn't the type of person to actually care much on that front.

But someone much smarter than her would know this sort of thing, wouldn't they? ]


I never thought about the whole... 'cost efficient' thing.

[ She's too young to know much about how much money that well--the police would use, and things like that. She may be a villain now, certainly, but that sort of thing is beyond her. ]

But brainwashing and hypnosis...? Those things are possible?

[ Her voice is less disbelieving and more curious. ]