crystalclods | TEST DRIVE MEME

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test drive

TEST DRIVE MEME

Hello and welcome to the COSMOGRAPHIA TEST DRIVE MEME! This is a place where you can get a feel for your character(s) in the game's setting! A couple quick points before we get down to business:

☆ Please take a look at our Premise, World Information, and our FAQ to get a feel for the rules and setting. This is great if you want to see what the game is about before jumping in!

☆ Test Drive threads are certainly allowed to be used for samples for your application, should you choose to submit one!

SAMPLE SCENARIOS:

A: By whatever means, you've tumbled through a hole into a cavernous temple. Gems suspended in bubbles float about the ceiling, and a large Heartlike gem looms before you. Touching it, whether out of curiosity or frustration, will give you some basic information, 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?

B: It's Thursday in Waverly Bay, and that can mean only one thing: the weekly Farmer's Market is here again! 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! 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.

C: Uh-oh! Looks like you've run into a monster! 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 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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Is that a question you even have to ask yourself? You could have any power! Just think of the possibilities, Brother!

[He's just going to cross the gap separating them both before putting his hands on Ichimatsu's shoulders, as if the gesture will get his point (and excitement) across.]

[Gah. He almost shrugs out of that grip, but decides he can't be bothered to expend the effort.]

Ah, but it mentioned certain ones...

[Ones that didn't sound interesting to Ichimatsu at all. But... but those words. Any power? Before he knows it, the gears are turning, and suddenly it doesn't even matter that it's Karamatsu being Karamatsu at him right now.]

Wait, you mean like-!

[The power to befriend cats no matter what?? To understand them, maybe, like he wanted to before? Or... or even greater, to make people understand, maybe even like him?? Was that possible? Were friends finally within his grasp?? MAYBE EVEN... A GIRL...

Because yeah, he pretty much doesn't believe for a minute it would take anything less than magical superpowers.]

Anything your heart desires, that's right!

[Could Kara sense what Ichi was thinking? Or is he just filling in what is most fitting for the situation? The world may never know.

He puts his sunglasses back on before crossing his hand over his chest again, his fingertips lightly brushing the gem on his chest through the fabric of his tanktop. You better believe he's going to be getting a closer look as soon as possible.]

Do not let your dreams be dreams, Ichimatsu!

[He's starting to sweat now, mind racing. A distant part of him is still wincing at his brother's dramatic words, but it's certainly not where his focus is.

Cats! A girl! Maybe even... a catgirl??? Does he dare think that positively? If this is really another dimension, could such a person actually exist!? A real one, not like Choromatsu's idol! A beautiful woman, with... cute little... cat paws...

Welp, there goes his face, heating up to a distinct redness. A few stray words from his thoughts stumble out his mouth without him noticing.

Yes, someone just like that! W-would she like him? Compliment him on his tastes?? And of course she'd have claws, and he can imagine them digging into his skin when...

...you guys are gonna need a towel or two for all that sweat. Possibly a pillow before Ichimatsu passes out from the intensity of his own fantasies. As it stands, he's already wobbling a little. Oops, nope, there he goes - better catch him, Kara!]

EHHHH!?!

[Karamatsu exclaims as Ichimatsu suddenly just faints dead away so suddenly that he can't help but catch him as he falls forward limply against his chest, leaving him more than a little bewildered by this sudden turn of events.]

I-ichimatsu! You-?!

[HE DREAMED TOO HARD. DID HE KILL HIM.

...OH GOD HE MIGHT HAVE KILLED HIM

But even as he's trying to bring Ichimatsu back to Earth, he doesn't quite notice the way his gem is glowing a deep, vibrant blue beneath his tanktop in response to the closeness in proximity that Ichimatsu's own gem is all of a sudden.]

[Fortunately it's only a momentary blackout, and Ichimatsu's eyes are fluttering open again a few moments after he's slumped into Karamatsu's arms. It's made his mind hazy, and for a moment, the only thought he has is oh, his brother caught him, of course he did.

Karamatsu, who'll still drag him home when he's too drunk to walk, no matter what words or roughness were exchanged earlier. Ichimatsu wonders if Kara's the only one who still tries to be as close as they all often were as kids, these days.

There's a part of him that thinks that might be nice, or at least nicer than the useless garbage he's become. He's already trying to stuff that feeling away again the moment he identifies it, under frustration and jealousy like usual, but... yeah, their gems are a bit too close, and something's already reacting.

Where's all that light coming from? Instinctively, he glances down, and really only has time for a reactionary burst of internal panic as he realizes it's their gems before the glow swallows them entirely.]

[Karamatsu doesn't even have that much time to react. All he sees is Ichimatsu waking up and looking down before the light blinds him, his mind, body...everything suddenly feeling like it's rocketing into overdrive and being wrested out of his control all at once. He feels Ichimatsu's weight in his arms disappear as the light increases in intensity, and it isn't until the light starts to fade that he realizes that he's fallen down to the Temple floor.

Did...he black out? Could it be possible that Ichimatsu's sudden burst of passion caused him to lose his composure as well?

He groans, his eyes closed tight as he waits for the room to stop spinning. Blinking open his eyes is a challenge too, what with everything so blurry and bright. It's so hard to adjust, like he's looking out through eyes that aren't entirely his own. It's not a pleasant feeling.]

B-brother...what-

[But he stops dead before he can finish. Because now that his eyes are open, he can see in front of him...

...sweatpants?]

[Whatever the HELL that was, it felt like being put through the reality blender during one of Jyushimatsu's... episodes. He's absolutely reeling, and... sweatpants? Why would it be odd for him to wear sweatpants? He always wears... no, no, there's something wrong about this. It's not right, but it is??

He's dizzy still, he's gonna fall, he reaches out to brace himself against the floor with his right arm.

One too many right hands hit the floor, the sleeves around them fading seamlessly from purple to blue.

What. The other two arms go instantly to his head in alarm, burying too many fingers in hair that's less "I can't be assed to pick up a comb" messy and more "deliberately styled" messy. What!?]

[Ichimatsu's confusion is Karamatsu's confusion, though it has yet to register as such. He doesn't realize until a split second too late that when his eyes darted over to look at his arm- arms- he hadn't...done that. It was like something else made his eyes move. Something else made his arms move, but at the same time it still felt like his own doing the movement.

He wanted to investigate the sudden wardrobe change a bit more, but it was like his mind had other priorities, and that surge of panic that crashed over him is almost overwhelming. His chest tightens right where the gem is, and...

The feelings he suddenly gets hit him like a brick. No...thoughts. Both? Seclusion. Self-hatred. Despondency. Panic, fear, hatred, panic, PANIC PANIC-

A raw, guttural scream rips out of a mouth that Karamatsu can't honestly claim as his own anymore as his other two arms hit the floor, but instead of keeping his body upright his elbows end up striking the stone, sending him falling halfway down while he tries to scramble backwards, as if he could run away from himself. So much desperation and jealousy and why does he feel this way-]

[...but at the same time he knows exactly why he feels this way, isn't he used to it, why does it hurt so much now?? There shouldn't be anything TO hurt, or to lose, but no, no there's a sense of pride and confidence that's both familiar and utterly alien in the background that's screaming at him in heartbreak...

A raking sob wrenches itself out if Ichimatsu's chest. Ichimats...? That's wrong, that's right, that's wrong, what happened!? Is it even himself moving right now?

He scrabbles at his chest, feeling the hard stone set there.

It's bigger now. No, no, no, no, no, he wants to rip himself in two! Does he?? They're eachother now!? Is that what happened!? What kind of cruel joke is this! No, should he blame himself, for thinking things like "it might be nice to be closer" earlier?? The confused panic is at least starting to clear with that realization, but their emotional state certainly isn't lessening any. How can he kind of like this but feel like his stomach is twisted into disgusting knots at the same time!?

Well, the gem is starting to glow a little again, so unless they completely settle down very quickly, the fusion may not hold for long.]

[...this is funny, right? Weird things, often explainable ones, happen to them constantly. They never really question it (Choromatsu is usually the one who does, if ever), and it's just accepted as part of their lives as sextuplets that things will never make any sense. Shouldn't they be laughing right now?

His...their chest burns as a hand grips desperately at the stone still there, a permanent reminder of something new and alien that's taken over their lives. The mind and body are both at war, and Karamatsu knows he has to do something before this despair consumes him.]

I- Brother-

[He manages, his eyes darting for the first time under his control while his arms and legs are relinquished to Ichimatsu as he focuses on the mind, trying to calm down, trying to latch onto that confidence. That familiar sense of pride, of sureness of self.

But it isn't working. The panic is still there on both their ends and it's too great even for Karamatsu, and as his hands continue to move without him telling them to, he shakes h...their head and tosses it back with a vice grip on that gem that's glowing white hot beneath their hands.]

ICHIMATSU, PLEASE!-

[He had more to say, but in that instant, Karamatsu loses himself as those emotions take over once again, Ichimatsu's intensity overwhelming them both until there's nothing more for him to do other than try and escape from it.]

[It's something about hearing and feeling their voice - it sounds like both of them and neither of them - and Karamatsu's plea that finalizes the desire to pull away in Ichimatsu's half of their mind. He lurches out, somehow, and there's another blinding flash as they separate.

Ichimatsu - just himself, once more - skids across the floor a short ways from the force of the divide, and just. Lies there. Face flat against the stone.

Nope. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. Never moving again. He's good, thanks. (He's not good, at all, and never will be again. And god, there's already an ache in his heart where Karamatsu's confidence was.)]

[He falls back onto the Temple floor for what feels like the third time today, only this time he doesn't register it as much. He just falls backward where he ends up landing, on his back as opposed to Ichi on his front, and...just stares up at the ceiling, his chest heaving.

For him, it's not an ache, but instead a lingering sense of something terrible. That all-consuming nothingness, as if the entire self had just accepted the fact that they were worthless. Nothing. Not worth wasting breath on, much less time or attention. It's up there with the worst feelings Karamatsu has ever experienced.

Like his brothers abandoning him, never coming for him when Chibita kidnapped him, not caring just forgetting about their own...brother...

He closes his eyes tightly and lifts an arm to cover them for a moment, just so he can take the time to breathe. He's completely himself again, but his usual confidence has been shaken. It's harder to find in the wake of whatever the hell just happened, but it isn't himself that he's even concerned about right now. He knows he'll survive. He always does. It's one of the things he's better at than any of his brothers.

After a long pause, Karamatsu stiffly sits up, lifting a hand to rest lightly on his chest before his hand fists the shirt above it.]

Ichimatsu.

Mmmmmngh.

[He does grunt a response, even if he doesn't move beyond that. Of course Karamatsu was going to want to talk about that... whatever that was. Of course he wasn't going to let them agree to pretend it never happened. Of course.

Maybe if he's lucky he'll shrivel up and die right now. Really, his only consolation is that at least Karamatsu got enough of a taste of that worthlessness to suffer with him. THAT he likes the idea of.]

[Karamatsu might be Karamatsu, but he isn't stupid. Not completely, anyway, and certainly not when his brothers are involved. He knows Ichimatsu won't talk to him about this, and he doesn't actually plan on making him right now. He's not sure he can, even though he knows he wants to. Needs to.

Stiffly, he wills himself to stand. He half expects to suddenly lose control of his legs, but it never comes. Arms, legs, everything is still his and as it should be. Once there, he slowly makes his way over to Ichimatsu, kneeling next to him before putting a hand on his shoulder.

It's not a gentle grip, not exactly. It's urgent the way Karamatsu's fingers dig into his brother's hoodie, as if that will make him peel himself off the floor.]

We should leave.

[That's... dammit Karamatsu. Him and his fucking kindness.

Ichimatsu does move, stiffly and jerkily, but only to shift to his side and pull his knees to his chest, facing away from his brother. He's not... honestly sure how to respond to that. Part of him wants to just lie here for ~~hours~~ ~~days~~ ~~years~~ ~~forever~~ a while until he can pull himself somewhat back together, but part of him definitely wants to get the hell out of this damn room too. Even if there are no familiar corners here for him to hide in.]

...Karamatsu-niisan.

[Mumbled, quiet enough to be barely audible, but... it's not often Ichimatsu actually calls his brother that.]

Where....

[Where the hell can they even go, you idiot?? They don't even have their parents' house to return to now!!]

[He never lets go of Ichimatsu's shoulder, simply waiting for him to sit up. The problem here was that Karamatsu hadn't been here much longer than Ichimatsu. He'd explored a very small part of the Temple. He knew there were rooms, but there were hundreds of them, none of which he knew anything about. He didn't think they could afford to wander cluelessly until they found someplace that they might be bothered anyway.

But this was still a building. All buildings had exits. And when Karamatsu was feeling lost, there was only one place he went.]

Outside. Come on.

...Ah.

[He does sit up, slowly, as if he's making absolutely sure that his body is working properly. His eyes meet Karamatsu's once as he turns around and immediately flinch away, dropping to the ground.

He won't reciprocate the touch - in fact, he leans away from it, not sure he wants to get too close again after all that - but he will stand, shoving his hands into his hoodie's pockets and following his brother with his head lowered and his shoulders hunched.]

[In spite of everything that just happened, Karamatsu doesn't feel that same need to stay separate from his brother. Perhaps it's in knowing that if he hadn't urged him to stand, Ichimatsu would have just stayed on the floor for who knows how long. Still, he's careful not to get much closer than he is already.

Now it's just a matter of finding the exit. The Heart seems to lay in the center of the Temple, so Karamatsu tries to walk straight from where they came in the hopes that they'll come across the way out. Unsurprisingly, he gets turned around a couple times before actually finding the exit that leads straight to the beach. A beach wasn't quite what he was expecting to see, and as such he ends up faltering for just a moment before looking for someplace they can go that they won't be bothered.

Since there's a town off in the distance, Karamatsu heads the opposite way with Ichimatsu in tow, toward the cliff by the Temple with large boulders high enough to block anyone on the other side from view. The rush of the waves is loud out here, and Karamatsu doesn't stop until they're a respectable distance away from the Temple.

He lets Ichimatsu go, his attention on the water to their immediate right. It's peaceful. Something that could serve to help calm both of their nerves, maybe.]

[Ichimatsu is staring at the ground the entire time, following Karamatsu's steps and watching different kinds of stone pass by, until it turns to sand. He can smell the salt and hear the waves, but he doesn't look up until Karamatsu stops, only glancing at his brother to see him staring off across the water. He immediately looks off in the other direction, expression blank.

Ichimatsu sinks down to sit on the sand, again pulling his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms around them as he stares into nothing. It's usually a comforting position for him, but he can feel that stone against his legs now, and there's a short grunt of annoyance and disgust from him.

...It is peaceful though, and his shoulders do slacken the tiniest bit.]

[For a moment, Karamatsu just stands there, watching as the waves slowly lap up onto the shore before pulling back out to see. Normally, this is where he'd have some sort of incredibly cheesy phrase or statement to give, but...there's nothing. Just nothing. For the first time, he can't even think of anything to restore his own confidence to what it once was.

With his body feeling unusually heavy (and empty, now that's weird), Karamatsu moves to sit down next to Ichimatsu in the sand, not bothered by his turning away to look elsewhere. At least he's acting normally, but it's hard to get any lower when you're at your lowest to begin with, isn't it?

A long time passes before he tries saying anything to break the silence that forms between them, one hand rising so his fingers can anxiously pull at his bangs at a spot just covering his forehead, curling them around and around his finger as he tries to think of something to say. Come on, since when has he ever been at a loss for words?]

...that was...

[...]

...different.

[The long silence from Karamatsu of all people is more than noticeable, and Ichimatsu finds himself wondering if he's finally broken. The thought makes his heart leap a bit, but for once, he's not quite sure if it's in joy or... something else. Either way, it doesn't show on his face.

It gets heavier and heavier as the seconds pass, and Ichimatsu is just about to be pushed to the point of yelling at him - yelling what he doesn't know, just anything to make this a little more normal - when Karamatsu does indeed speak up.

..."Different?" Different?? NO SHIT, SHERLOCK. Ichi fixes his brother with a frustrated glare.]

...Yeah.

[He doesn't have to be looking at Ichi to feel that glare, and he very nearly withers beneath it. Why is it so different now? Is it because he knows - quite intimately- exactly what Ichimatsu is thinking right now? What he's feeling? The memory of it is enough to make his stomach turn, and he has to swallow hard before he can continue.]

...I'm sorry. I didn't-

[Know that would happen? Understand just how much pain you were going through on a constant, daily basis?

...maybe he wouldn't say that part. Not right now. Maybe not ever.]

...I don't know what just happened.

Don't.

[Don't waste time being sorry for him. It's not worth it.

What just happened was that they learned a lot more about each other than they ever needed to, and they both know it. Ichimatsu feels like it was a little lopsided, though. What exactly did HE learn?? That Kara's stupid confidence just seems to spring from some eternal damn well inside him?? Seriously, how does he DO that?? Is it really something as stupid as those ~~cool~~ awful outfits?

...But he doesn't remember feeling any less pained or lonely during... that... either.]

Ah... must be a gem thing...

[But then he suddenly tenses, alarmed, as a realization dawns on him. Was that fusion hell something these "gems" just DID!?!? Would they be expected to do that AGAIN??? With... OTHER gems, even???? Nnnnnope nope nope NOPE oh god no please.]

[That certainly was going to be something to think about, wasn't it? They both had a lot to think about now, and it was already making Karamatsu's head spin.]

Mm. That seems likely...it would have been preferable if that Heart warned us, don't you think?

[Why wouldn't it tell them about something that serious and invasive, especially if it could just happen so...easily? It made him want to be wary about how close he got to people anymore.]

TEST DRIVE MEME

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idek what this thread is anymore

AHAHA

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