crystalclods | Test Drive Meme | December-February 2016/17


TEST DRIVE MEME
Welcome to the Cosmographia Test Drive Meme! This is a place for you to test out any characters you've been considering for the game or just to splash around in the waters and see what's right for you. Give our infopages a glance over and use the prompts below as a jumping off point! Threads from prompt A and B can be made canon for the game so long as both parties agree to it! Prompts C and D, unfortunately, cannot, as they take their cues from events and Excursions already run in Cosmographia. In short - pick a character, write up a starter and have a blast!
PROMPT A - ARRIVAL
You don't remember getting in this hole but you definitely remember falling out of it. You go tumbling out into the heart of a cavernous temple. Sparkling Gems suspended in bubbles float lazily about the ceiling, just a little out of reach. There's a greenish glow cast over the room by the huge crystal looming before you in the center. It's... curiously heart shaped, now you think to take a closer look at it. If you're curious enough to touch it, you'll get some basic answers about your situation... but then again, there's no guarantee you're just going to walk up to a giant weird thing in the middle of a giant weird room and touch it, right? Why not take a look around and see for yourself what kind of place this is? Perhaps you'll run into someone in the same predicament as you, or perhaps you'll run into someone who can help explain why there's a weird rock now affixed to your body?
PROMPT B - THE FARMER'S MARKET
It's Thursday in Waverly Bay, and that can mean only one thing: the weekly Farmer's Market is here again! The town plaza is all abuzz with activity today. Stalls not only from farmers on the outskirts of town but from crafty residents with interesting homemade items to sell, and businesses looking to attract the Market's crowd are all here! The weather's a little chilly but it's still an excellent place to spend the day, so long as you've got some money to spend. Are you shopping for a good deal on vegetables for dinner? Or perhaps you're getting a feel for the residents, having recently arrived? Or, perhaps, are you an industrious gem who's looking to set up shop? Either way, you're bound to run into somebody in this bustling, busy place.
PROMPT C - INVESTIGATION
Now that you're starting to get a hold of your powers, you've been sent through the warp pads on some kind of mission to Bricktown, the nearby city. As it turns out, the town is suffering from an infestation of small, bird-like creatures that have taken to nesting around town and letting out the most awful of rackets. Poofing these creatures will net you a small Gem shard. Poof as many as you can and bubble all those shards! You won't be able to do it alone, though. Maybe one of these birbs is just a bit out of reach or maybe you've not gotten a hang of your powers yet. Either way, working with your fellow Gems is the best way for you to get to the bottom of this and find where these birds are coming from!
PROMPT D - COMBAT
Uh-oh! Looks like you've run into a monster! These critters can pop up anywhere around Waverly Bay so it doesn't really matter where you were before or what you were up to. All you know now is that you need to buckle down and beat this thing! *Giant Mothwing* - With broad wings that shed scales on the wind, this corrupted Gem bears a striking resemblance to a large moth or butterfly. The body between its wings is no beauty, though - it usually stays rolled into a wheel-like spiral to protect its flat, pinkish gem, but when it uncurls to attack it looks more like a worm with teeth. Yikes! Loud noises make it lash out in agitation. Even when it's not attacking, it flies around restlessly, shedding sharp, glasslike scales that can leave nasty cuts as they whiz past. It'll be hard to get close to it unless it's lured down out of the sky. *Chameleoid* - The shape of this monster's body is more like a tardigrade than a lizard, but its camouflage ability and long, sticky tongue are worth commemorating. The Chameleoid can flatten and expand its body, and change the color and texture of its outer hide to blend in seamlessly with its surroundings, and it uses this ability to duck in and out of battle. Keep an eye out for suspicious movement when it vanishes from view. The Chameleoid shoots out its 20-foot-long tongue to disarm, trip up, and gross out Gems, but it's not averse to eating any small objects it might grab. The inside of its mouth looks softer than the rest of it, so maybe you can turn that to your advantage...? *Hippocampus* - A serpentine monster from the sea that sports a pair of razor-sharp forelimbs, two tusks, two horns, and a wicked set of jaws. Where's the protection for the rest of her body? She has a soft belly and a slightly more armored back. Luckily - for her, not you - she can breathe fire to respond to attacks on her tail. Why does an aquatic monster breathe fire?? Sometimes the world just doesn't have to make sense. She's about three three elephants long and faster on sand than she looks, preferring in battle to slither around swiftly and spit fire, but if caught, she'll turn her horns on you! *Wildcard Option* - Make your own! You know by now that you've got some special powers just from being a Gem. Apparently, from what little you've heard, you can shapeshift into things and pull a weapon from your gem, and you have some sort of unique special power. But maybe you don't know what it is yet, or you're still not used to using it? Guess you're going to have to learn on the job. Don't leave your fellow gems hanging if you see them fighting one of these little guys either! You're going to need each other to take 'em down!
PROMPT E - WILDCARD
Not into any of these prompts? Thought of something more fun? Go for it!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[As a matter of fact, Yang has never seen a duck argue with a shopkeeper. A duck Faunus, maybe, but not a duck and it's been...fascinating to say the least.

She's been watching from another stall a few feet down and across from that extremely unfortunate apple merchant, and she casually waits until the duck comes skipping past where she's standing before she speaks up.]

Never seen anybody argue that hard over a piece of fruit.

[For whatever it's worth, she does sound mildly impressed under all that sarcasm.]

[He stops when addressed and looked up at her, smirking and brandishing the apple.]

Aye, but it was worth it! There's nothin' wrong with looking for a deal, no matter what it is.

I think we have different definitions of "looking".

[That was more like..."pursuing".

Her tone is entirely amused and friendly though, particularly as she extends a hand.]

Welcome to Waverly Bay.

[Because the newbies continue to stick out like sore thumbs around here.]

[He chuckled, firmly taking her hand and shaking it, pocketing the apple so he can add a cordial tip of his hat to it.]

Thank ye, lass. Scrooge McDuck, at your service.

Yang Xiao Long.

[She'll settle her hands at her hips once the greetings are out of the way.]

You're taking the whole, "pulled to another world thing" pretty well.

[Haggling with the locals is a new one.]

[A Chinese name ~~or something of that approximation anyway~~. Luckily he speaks Chinese from a few trips through the country in his past.]

Ah, "Little Sun Dragon" or somethin' to that effect, right? I can see where the "Sun" might come from at least.

[Wonder if he would be able to see that hair from a few miles away. It was certainly gold enough to catch his eye, and he always did have a thing for blondes.

WAIT NO that's not what it sounded like-]

It's not my first time bein' pulled to another world, honestly. I've seen quite a lot in my years, including a parallel universe or two.

[Yang raises an eyebrow at that, but then seems to shrug it off with a lop-sided grin.]

I like to think I've got a vibrant personality too.

[And hopefully this duck guy won't have to witness where the "little dragon" part comes from first-hand.

Also that's interesting. Another multi-world traveler.]

That makes sense. So were you always a duck or did one of the worlds you visited do that?

[Omigawd, Yang, you can't just ask someone why they're a duck.]

[He laughed some at that question.]

Noo, no I've always been a duck, from day one right up until now, and darn proud o' it too!

[Another snort and he gave her a grin, one hand resting on his cane with a little lean forward.]

So, I've learned a little from that- interesting -room with all the gemstones, but you seem to know your way around. What can you tell me about where we find ourselves?

[She laughs as well. Well, that's talking ponies, talking dogs, talking bears, and now talking ducks. If she ever gets the chance to world travel, she'd like to visit whatever world keeps spitting out talking animals. It's sure to be a hoot.]

You mean, Waverly Bay? I dunno, it's pretty average. Beside all the gem stuff anyway.

[Helpful.]

What would you like to know?

Just how much o' this world runs on magic, mostly.

[His tone... it isn't disapproving, exactly. But there's definitely a coolness to it, just around the edges.]

In my experience, anything magic is hardly worth takin' with.

Mmm, not much? The gem stuff is kinda magic but it's also kinda like their tech or something?

[Kinda reminds her of Dust. Sort of. ...Vaguely.]

Waverly Bay and Bricktown don't run on it though, they've got their own stuff.

[He listened intently, rubbing the underside of his beak with one hand in thought.]

I see. I was under the impression that there was more magic around than that, though I s'pose comin' out of the place I did on arrival might skew the bias a bit more that way.

Yeah, that might do it.

[She says that affably. Honestly, this place doesn't make a whole lot of sense when you get right down to it.]

And the Heart Gem's not really good at explaining things.

[He snorted slightly, his voice and expression wry.]

No, not quite. Still, I've never shied away from learnin' from experience, this would be no different.

[She nods in understanding.]

You get better answers just asking around anyway.

[And that doesn't apply to just here.

She then blinks, remembering something.]

Oh, since you're new, don't forget to grab a voucher from our Temple Fund.

[That gets his attention, his head raising up a bit more.]

A fund voucher?

Yeah! $30 good at the general grocery store in town.

[Her smile shifts somewhat into a slight smirk.]

So you don't have to haggle over lumpy apples?

[His hand strayed toward the lump that made the apple in his coat pocket, then snickered.]

I'd do that regardless, lassie. I didn't get rich by throwin' money away, and even a few cents can add up better than you know.

You're rich?

[Yang.]

[A warm laugh and a nod.]

Aye! That I am. Richest duck in the world, back in my own universe. And I may be bereft of most o' me fortune here, but that's hardly a deterrent.

Test Drive Meme | December-February 2016/17

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