Test Drive Meme | August-September 2016

[wearethecrystalmods]

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 the Gem Observatory. From the sounds of things, there's an ancient relic here somewhere that could serve useful for the Gems in the Temple and someone has to go out and find it. ... the only problem is that you're not exactly sure where you should start looking in this place. And on top of that, it's a complete mess. Junk and debris and books and papers everywhere with no clue where this relic could be. You're going to have to do some serious digging to find this thing. And on top of that, you might find that when you try to go back the warp pad you took here has managed to stop working in between your arrival and now. Maybe something went wrong back in the control room? Or the pad itself needs fixing? You'll have to poke around in the guts of the machine to try and figure this one out.

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...? Strawberry Spider - Though its long, spindly legs holding it off the ground make it look like a spider, this monster is actually mostly made up of plant material. Trees and strawberry plants are rooted in the corrupted Gem's featureless, geometric body, forming woody legs and blanketing the monster in foliage and strawberries. Its aroma may be sweet, but the Strawberry Spider is ruthless and very, very perturbed. It stands 15 feet tall and 25 feet wide, and its skittering feet move fast to stomp on attacking Gems. Thinking of cutting off a leg? Try it, and hundreds of strawberry runners will immediately sprout from the stump to ensnare you. The strawberries are hungry, and they've got a "taste for blood"... Damaging the plants living on it won't actually hurt the corrupted Gem, and they grow back fast. This will be a tough monster to defeat. 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!

Comments

Souji Seta | Persona 4 Golden | NG+ AU

[timeloopingfool]

A]

"...Am I dreaming again?"

Souji was prone to odd dreams, he knew. This time around he could vaguely recall the fog filled, soundless world with someone telling him the truth was shrouded, and that odd ache inside him could barely be brought to be more than a spark before it faded along with the dream.

And other times he dreamed about being his friend's parents, or fighting the Fox in a Luchador mask. He was never sure what he was going to get, but this time, falling out of a hole and landing hard on his backside (Familiar, again, he was getting kind of sick of this-- this was 3 days running already) and being in an odd stone temple...

Filled with gemstones. Beautiful, gorgeous gems of every shape, cut and colour, floating in bubbles way above his heads. And a large, heart shaped gem in the middle.

Okay. He knew how this stuff flew-- if he touched it, something would happen, right? It happened already like, 4, 5 times already if he counted the previous time loop. The question is, did he want to know?

"...Only one way to find out."

He must have been a cat in a past life, as he reached out to press his hand against the large crystal heart--

B]

Well, he needed a job to keep himself busy, even if his Qualities were already well built up. You could find him wandering around the stalls and stores, looking for job openings, as well as bargains and good quality ingredients. He wanted to do something for his friends, after all...

B

[topgun_textiles]

The stores were super busy! It was just one of those days, and Kanji was used to it.

The town seemed used to it, too, and knew to part immediately seeing the stocky teen make tracks down the sidewalks. With two rolls of cloth under an arm, he was a man on a mission, charging around this corner and that corner-

WHUMP- apparently charging into the other teen, to boot.

Somethings never change

[timeloopingfool]

"G-ghk!"

Annnd down he goes, wind knocked out of him as he took the larger roll right to the stomach.

Oof, that hurt, more than he wanted to admit-- he really needed to build up his muscles again, he was--

"Sorry, wasn't... looking where I was going..."

[topgun_textiles]

"Oh, shit-" He sprung back a step and two facts clashed at once: He'd knocked someone in the gut with the cloth roll, and he'd knocked Senpai in the gut with the cloth roll.

O-okay, so the guy won't threaten to sue, but as he set the roll down somewhere safe where it wouldn't get dusty his eyes were on his friend.

"The hell're you apologizin' for!? I clobbered ya with the freakin' cloth! You okay?!"

[timeloopingfool]

Wait, he knew that voice--

"A-ah, Kanj-- Tatsumi-kun?"

He could never forget one of his best friends and team mates, after all-- but he'd no idea Kanji was here, and... well, did this Kanji know him?

Well then again, his reaction to him may be sign enough. Though, those clothes...?

"I'll be fine, don't worry..."

To prove his point, he started to pull himself up, though resting his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

"Sorry, you doing some... costume work...?"

Why else would he be wearing something so elegant, after all?

[topgun_textiles]

That immediately increased the worry over his face. "...Did I really hit ya so hard y'forgot my name or somethin'...?"

But he was fine. Hopefully. Kanji still appeared a bit skeptical as Souji got up and hunkered down. He did take a blow to the stomach, after all, that's gotta be wind knocked out of him. Whoops.

"Costume...? Oh." He looked to the cloth. Blushed. That's what he meant, right?

"Nah, I'm runnin' a delivery. Little old lady can't walk much, so... y'know... I offered to run the stuff over to her when it was ready."

[timeloopingfool]

"No, trust me, you're not someone I could ever forget, Kanji. It's just..."

A very, very long story.

So... if that's the case, where ever they were, Kanji was far enough along on the timeline that they were friends. That made a tenseness in Souji's shoulder's relax, and a small smile returned to his face as he pulled himself up.

"It's nothing." But, Kanji seemed to have missed his question.

"No, uh... that's not quite what I meant." He gestured to the outfit Kanji was currently wearing, "Usually you'd only wear something like that if I asked you while we were... you know, 'exploring'."

Hey, sometimes exploring the TV world wearing ridiculous outfits was fun, alright?

A

[psywaves]

[Deal with it when it happens, Mewtwo had told itself when it wondered what it would do when someone else came into the room.

And someone had, and Mewtwo had come up completely blank for something to do, so it slid down to the other side of the Heart and crouched there, hiding and trying to assess the intruder by sound alone. Even that part of its abilities had been removed somehow - Mewtwo couldn't sense anything about this human, not whether they were malicious or innocent, not whether they had Pokemon on them or even had any capacity for Pokemon training, just the sound of their footsteps and their breathing. Barely the latter. Mewtwo's natural senses had always been fairly poor.

Only one way to find out," they said, and...reached out to touch the Heart. That made sense. So they'd come here the same way Mewtwo had, and were now a Gem too. Then they, too, probably had lost whatever bearings they had. They could be an ally, if they had the right temperament.

....

Only one way to find out.

Souji gets a nice few seconds to process all the new information he's been handed before there's the noise of something kicking off from the other side of the Heart, and "something" looms over the top, bracing itself on its hands and crouching close to the giant crystal. Cautious. Severe. Unnatural-looking.

(Kind of fuzzy.)]

[timeloopingfool]

A Gem.

He was... a gem? Souji's free hand moved, touching around his body to--

There-- just over where his collar bone should be was a smooth feeling stone. Touching it felt strange, like when he was mentally centering on the core of himself--

But those thoughts only stayed so long when he heard something-- jump? What?

Looking around and pulling his hand back away from the crystal; left, right, nothing, but above--

"Uh..." Wow, that was... was it another gem, or some other creature? It definitely didn't look like a shadow, or any animal he knew of--

"Hey there." He lifted his hands, trying to show he didn't have anything on him or mean any harm to whatever it was.

..Well actually, it kind of looked like a cat...

...actually there's no reason to smalltext if there isn't going to be any dialogue, huh

[psywaves]

Well, that answered two questions. One, that the human wasn't going to be an immediate threat. Two...that they didn't have a trainer's instincts. Which could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending.

Mewtwo's tail swishes. If there was ever a time to communicate with a stranger - but then its eyes widen a little, and it glances aside, looking irritated. No telepathy. That makes sense.

So, instead, it pulls itself up more securely onto the top of the Heart and sits up straight. There's a gem in the center of its stomach, a lavender-pinkish kunzite. Mewtwo looks Souji straight in the eye, then tilts its head slightly and points to the human's gem.

...It hopes the human not being a trainer won't get too much in the way of them understanding.]

[timeloopingfool]

Look, kitty, Souji just got here and has barely awakened to his powers in his own world, let alone---W-waverly Bay, right? He's barely a threat to anyone.

Something that sticks out is that...big, shiny stone in the middle of the creatures stomach. And then the pointing, at his...?

Souji's eyes trail back to his own stone-- some sort of opal is his best guess, white with flecks of every possible colour, before looking back up at the creature.

"You're a Gem too, huh?" But, this thing was clearly not human, the way it's tail and body was structured, "...Were you human before?"

It seemed to understand him... might as well ask. WHo knows, maybe he'd turn into something like this guy himself.

[psywaves]

...What?

Mewtwo wrinkles its nose in bewilderment and blinks sharply. No, what? Where the hell did that idea come from? That...is a weird question to ask. It's not sure what to make of that question, or the boy who asked it.

While thinking, it glances up past Souji to the hole he came out of, then down to the Heart, then briefly to the exit. Its tail lashes. Then it - deliberately, this time, with a quick look at Souji to make sure he's watching - presses its hands to the Heart, closes its eyes and bows its head.

The Heart rouses strange emotions in Mewtwo. Maybe, if the human feels the same way, they'll better understand each other's immediate intentions. Maybe he'll recognize the trepidation Mewtwo feels at the thought of leaving, and they can find a way out of here together.

May...be.

[timeloopingfool]

Look he doesn't get how Gem's really work yet. How's he supposed to know that HE won't turn into whatever this cat guy was?

"Okay, not a human."

But it seems to understand human speech, at least, Souji lowering his hands as he watched the creature's look.

"Sorry, I just... haven't seen anything quite like you before. And I don't know what other gems look like."

Honestly, the creature sort of reminded him of what something like Teddie combo'd with someone's Persona would look like. Intimidating, but still... cute?

But, the creature seemed to be trying to pass something onto him-- so he copied the creature, pressing both his hands to the heart and closing his eyes.

... Once upon a time, he would have questioned why a place he'd never been to felt like home. His second time in Inaba however, arriving at the Dojima's with an intense sense of Deja vu, told him it was possible. This place felt comfortable, but that positioned with being unfamiliar left him for the time ill at ease.

Pulling his hands away again, he looked up at the creature.

"Well... if we're both new, maybe we should try looking for someone who's not new? Ask them some more questions?"

A

[unluckychaton]

He wouldn't mind an audience, right? Sitting there silently, watching with his cat green eyes and tail flicking. Chat arrived during Souji's stumbling around, his silent feline qualities letting him slip in without a sound. Usually, he would speak up, but he was getting the idea and moving to touch the Heart.

So, Chat Noir made himself comfortable on the ground, sitting with his legs crossed, and a new lime green bubble in his lap holding the corrupted gem he recently defeated.

[timeloopingfool]

The Heart told him a cliff notes version, he wagered. Just enough to get his barrings and realise... well, he wasn't human anymore, and right now he'd need to help the people of this place.

(But he needed to go back home; everyone-- well, Yosuke was waiting for him, and Yukiko was going to be--)

Taking a step back, Souji let out a sigh, shaking his head. Panicking wouldn't solve anything. Glancing up to look for the hole he fell out of, and then around at the corridors--

"--Gah!"

Geez, when did that guy get there?! And wearing...

...W-what was he wearing?

"Uh... hello?"

[unluckychaton]

His tail waving back and forth, Chat Noir watched the newbie touch the Heart and have a mental moment. He wasn't going to make watching a thing in the future - in fact, he hadn't meant it this time. Confusion wasn't fun for anyone - but it just happened. Besides, now he's just curious how long it would take for the new gem to notice he was there.

... Too bad he didn't have a watch on him. Ears up, eyes opening wider, he grinned and raised one clawed hand lazily.

"Salut! And welcome to Waverly Bay."

He stood up with a twirl, other hand holding the bubble, and bow with a flourish to Souji. Standing straight again, he tossed the bubble to join the others around the room.

[timeloopingfool]

'Salut'? That was french, wasn't it? Souji had taken it briefly in middle school but not enough to be fluent. His english was much better, honestly.

Cat ears, tail, clawed hands and a bell on his neck, the costumed cat boy was ...something.

He was oddly reminded of Teddie's human form with the exaggerations.

"Thanks for the welcome." He thinks? "...What are you doing?"

That was another gem, wasn't it? With a bubble around it too...

[unluckychaton]

"Lucky, right? Then again, looks like you could use a su-purr-hero."

Seriously, all his watching and the other kid looked troubled. Not going to stop Chat from having some fun though.

"I'm bringing another corrupted individual in, Officer."

[timeloopingfool]

"Ooh... that explains the costume" Though he paused, glancing up at the gem, "Though someone could make the mistake that you're a cat burglar too, huh?"

Seriously, showing up and throwing up gems in bubbles in the temple, his secret lair wearing a costume like that... it could totally be spun that way, huh? But all the same, Souji relaxed some at the comment.

"Officer? Nah, that's my uncle. He's the detective."

An uncle that wouldn't be sleeping well for the next year or so...

b

[torya]

[ Sonico doesn't strictly speaking need to feed the herd of cats she can summon with her Gem but they're kitties and Sonico is going to spoil them as appropriate. She's on her way out of the grocery store with a bag hanging off her arm and glances up from inspecting her purchase just in time to see a familiar face passing her by.

Without thinking, she stammers out - ]

Ah- N--Narukami-san?

[ She'll be an unfamiliar face when he turns to see her but the pink hair and the morganite set into her chest just under her collarbone should clue him in that she's a fellow Gem. ]

[timeloopingfool]

[At first that name didn't register when it was called-- why would it? It wasn't his name. But still, the voice was close enough that he looked around, trying to figure out who was calling for who--

And his eyes fell on...

Wow.

That hair was pink.

And Yosuke would be totally into those headphones, he'd bet--]

Ah...

[Ooh, she thought he was that other guy, Yu, huh? He was going to need to get used to this...]

Sorry, right guy, wrong name.

[Still, he offered her a smile, bowing slightly]

I'm Souji Seta... I arrived just a few days ago. It's nice to meet you.

[torya]

[ Despite that, her eyes still brighten with recognition at the name "Souji" -- that was the name she'd known back home, she was sure of it. And he looks and sounds just the same... but he doesn't recognize her, he clearly isn't either of the ones she knows. All this multiverse stuff seriously is confusing.

But she hastily bows in return, looking a bit embarrassed. ]

Ah, I see, um-- I'm sorry about that...! It wasn't that long ago that he left, s--so I thought... w--well, never mind.

I'm Sonico Yamamoto. It's nice to meet you, Seta-san.

[ nice to meet you again, she finds herself thinking. ]

[timeloopingfool]

"It's alright, even my friends made that mistake too, no need to apologize."

They must really be identical, huh?...

"I'm still trying to figure out the name difference, myself... But it's nice to meet you too, Yamanoto-san."

Still she didn't seem too out of sorts about his name change, huh? Odd.

"I hope the other me treated you alright." It would suck if his 'other'... alternate? version of himself was an asshole.

[torya]

Oh, he did! He was um... well, we were friends.

[ she says it with an awkward smile. it feels a little presumptuous to be telling him that, like she's trying to force a friendship between the two of them as well. even if he doesn't take it that way, it's how it sounds to her even if she knows it's silly to think it. ]

Oh, um... speaking of friends... you know Tatsumi-san and Shirogane-san and Rise-chan, right?

[timeloopingfool]

Oh! Well, that's good to know. I'll do my best to keep it up in his stead, huh?

[A little strange, but... he already knew how that felt first hand. Yosuke had become pretty attached to him, regardless, but talking to Yukiko that day in the rain after knowing her more... candid side in the past was awkward. Knowing the connection that was there before and then realizing it wasn't, especially after that huge mental shift just when he summoned Izanagi for the first time again.

...Better not to dwell on that. He had time to make it work. He'd do better this time.]

Ah! Kanji, Naoto and Rise-- they're all here?

[Nearly all his Kohai's, minus one Teddie bear. Does he count as a Kohai or a student though...?

All the same, he was half relieved... and half concerned. He hoped they were doing all right...]

How long have they been around...? Do you know?