TEST DRIVE - Part 3

[stigematize]

Maybe you've been here for a while, or maybe you just got here. Either way, you're all in the same situation - you've been turned into a magical gemstone and stranded in a foreign world! And all you've been left with is the clothes on your back, stripped of all powers except one.

Clearly, you’ll just have to make the best of it.

How this works:

☆ This is a test drive for cosmographia, which means you should get a little familiar with the setting and premise.

☆ Otherwise, this is just meant to help you feel out how you may play and serves mainly as a chill interest gathering and get together kind of post! No app necessary, and you don't need to play in this post to apply - or vice versa.

☆ Everybody is welcome! There are no character limitations; pg au oc canon pigeon whatever. Just toss up a topcomment and/or jump any threads that pique your interest.

☆ This post will remain open until it begins to approach 5000 comments! Then a new test-drive post will be made.

☆ Rules-wise: Be cool to yourself and others, and keep in mind the other game rules too.

☆ If you do apply to the game and are accepted, and you want to keep the CR, you may so long as what you did isn't setting breaking and everyone involved agrees.


YOUR OPTIONS:

☆ You find yourself in the Heart of a ruined temple. There is a large glowing gem that thrums with some kind of rhythm, and jewels scattered all over the room, kept in strange bubbles. At the very least, touching the large gem will give you a standard info-dump, but some of you might be a little cautious about touching weird luminescent gems. Good thing that there are other people there too!

☆ Or perhaps you already know everything there is to know, and are there in the Heart of the Ruined Temple to greet new arrivals. Or perhaps you simply had business there already, like storing away a corrupted gem from a monster, when someone new seemingly dropped in from no where.

☆ It's Farmer's Market day in the plaza of Waverly Bay! Perhaps you're there perusing the goods and strike up conversation, or accidentally bump into someone and get to know them that way. It's a fairly standard day.

☆ There's an event! You don't really know what else to call them - missions, perhaps? But something in the temple was triggered, and the glowy Heart gem has something new to "tell" you: If you want a new power, you should try telling other people two truths and a lie. Those who you interact with must try and divine the lie from your statements.

You have no idea how something this simple will get you a power, but hey.

Comments

[therealrisette]

[She's kind of disappointed to hear Yukari say she doesn't know any of the people Rise knew from Equestria. But when it came to her friends from home...]

Yeah, that's them! We all lived together in Equestria too! Me and Teddie and Yukiko-senpai and Yu-senpai, I mean. Kanji and Naoto-kun lived in the Commune, and Chie-senpai moved around a bit.

[As she's talking, she realizes Yukari never said anything about them being here.]

So... you'd know if any of them were here, right? Besides Yu-senpai and Labrys...?

[ofwindandarrows]

Well... Labrys did say something about Satonaka-san, but I don't think she's here anymore. So the only people I know of that are here from our world... it's you and me, Narukami-kun, Minato-kun, and Labrys.

[Oh... she kind of sees where the sad tone comes from out of Rise at least. Having so many of her friends around and then coming in to a new place without them... Actually, Yukari can kind of sympathize, considering how many others from her team were in Koriko before. Now she's with some of her more... 'new' friends and the one guy she didn't really want to be stuck with. Ugh. Oh well.]

I haven't heard of anyone else here. Sorry...

[therealrisette]

Oh... it's okay. At least it's not just me...

[Which is something she's been through before. Being the only one from her own world in an even worse place than this was not fun.]

[ofwindandarrows]

I guess it could be worse. Ya could be stuck with just one person from your world you don't even really like, right? [She laughs, but it's got that bitter twinge of truth in the background of it. Good lord how terrible would it have been to just end up with Ryoji.

... Oh wait.]

But Narukami-kun's definitely here, and Labrys is here, and who knows, maybe other people'll show up. [But she kind of hopes not.]

[therealrisette]

[Oh, you mean like that time she was in a magic castle with only Tohru Adachi from her own world? ... Wait, that was a different Rise I played before this one, never mind.]

Yeah, I guess.

[She doesn't catch the truth to it... or if she does, she doesn't let on. She'd rather just be relieved that there are people here she knows and wants to be around.]

Maybe... it was just Yu-Senpai, Yukiko-senpai and Teddie last time, but almost everyone showed up! Even if it was just for a little while...

[ofwindandarrows]

That sounds like Koriko - um, where I just was before here. Mitsuru-senpai, Shinjiro-senpai, M-Ryoji-kun, and Aigis showed up, and that was after we already had Minato-kun and I guess his sister or... alternate universe self or... something. [She still doesn't understand the whole situation, but if Ryoji and Shinji showed up, then...

Also don't mind the way she seems to slow down as she says everyone's names, almost like she's reminding herself what those names are. Quirk of the last world.

Also, her smile turns kind.] It was good to see them again. Lets you know they're okay, huh?

[therealrisette]

Alternate self...?

[She repeats those words, curiously. She wonders what a sister / alternate self of Minato would be like. Someone just like him, but a girl? That's a weird thought...

Yukari's reassurances distract her though, as does that smile. It's such a simple thing, but so comforting. She can't explain why, but she feels some kind of connection with Yukari. Like she knows beyond any doubt that she's someone she can trust and rely on. Maybe it's because they're supposed to meet back home, even though Rise's from before that happened...

Whatever it is, she's glad they met here.]

Yeah. It'd be really hard, living in places like this without ever seeing anyone.

[A brief pause and then...]

... I wish I could remember you too. You seem really amazing, Yukari-san.

[She hasn't been given a lot to go on, but she does have neat person-sensing powers that might be contributing to this train of thought. Besides Yukari reminding her of all the positive traits that attracted her to a certain other fashionable young model in the first place.]

[ofwindandarrows]

[She's about to go into Aki... Minako-chan and the difference between her and Minato - how Minako's so much more energetic, more passionate and vibrant, but at the same time, no less prone to bouts of avoiding her own emotions and putting the needs of others far before herself, when Rise says something odd.

No, not odd; Yukari supposes it's fairly normal, but she's still not expecting it, and it takes her by surprise. An embarrassed sort of surprised. Yukari doesn't really get 'sheepish'; she just gets a little more quiet.] ... I wouldn't say that. [And possibly a little self-deprecating...] Um... but it's okay, either way! If this is like any other place anyone I've talked to has been, we'll have time to get to be friends, right?

[She feels like this is where this is going. Rise's very easy to get along with, she finds; and very easy to talk to casually, now that she's beyond choking on her nerves from being starstruck.]

[therealrisette]

[That is exactly where it's going, and Rise looks as pleased as she possibly can at this answer.]

Right! I hope so...

[Bet Yukari never expected to be on the receiving end of the admiration when meeting Risette. It's only a first meeting on Rise's side, but still.]

[ofwindandarrows]

[Nope... not really. Why would someone like her be watching a kid's show? Besides, Yukari's not a big star. Rise's... uh. Well she technically still is, and is looking to at least maybe stay that way when she really gets back into things?

At least, that's what it seems like to Yukari, though she doesn't keep a super tight watch on the idol industry as much as her own industries.]

I think we'll be alright.

So! Um... you been around the place much yet? [And she's already in a better mood. She hasn't been hit on, and she... is mostly over the weirdness of everything.]

[therealrisette]

[Meanwhile from Rise's perspective, she's been out of showbiz for two years. Not that she didn't try to keep it up in her previous two worlds, she still did some performances on occasion. But she couldn't really make a career out of it, even if she hadn't felt on some level like maybe she wasn't cut out for it anymore.

Why she remembered Yukari is anyone's guess. Maybe she just thought she was really pretty and talented, and the impression stuck. Either way, she's happy to have a chance to get to know her now. Especially knowing they're supposed to meet in their own world, anyway.]

Not much yet! I was just looking around now.

[ofwindandarrows]

[Alright, so no questioning that. All good.]

Oh, okay. I've been here for a little bit, you want me to come with you for a while?

[therealrisette]

Sure! That'd be great!

[Yep, that sure is all that energy and enthusiasm she had as an idol cranking up to max. How could anyone resist her?

Surprisingly, it dials back down quickly, and she looks a little embarrassed.]

It'd probably be easier not to get lost...

[Because yeah. She's tiny. She may not need an adult, but one is certainly nice to have.]

[ofwindandarrows]

[She's... so enthusiastic. Yukari gives a little laugh. Well, maybe she can't blame her. Besides, it's nice to see a familiar... ish... face from home, either way. Especially since she just left so many people from home at the last place she was at...]

... Yeah, probably. Well, that, and I've started to figure out some really nice places to shop if... you have any money. Or when, maybe.

[therealrisette]

Oh, I have a little!

[She's not just here in the marketplace to window shop. Though that's part of the reason too.]

I still need some new clothes and stuff, but after that...

... I dunno what to do yet. Do you work anywhere here?

[Rise didn't in Equestria, most of the time. Not many ponies wanted to hire a young school-age filly for much more than little errands and stuff here and there.]

[ofwindandarrows]

Alright, that's cool. Have you talked to Akoya-san yet? He tends to give stipends to the new people here to help start 'em out. [She nods, and motions back toward the rest of the marketplace.] As for me... yeah. I picked up a part-time job at a little boutique near here. Since housing's free here, even working part-time gives you a surprising amount of extra money.

[Well, a lot of people might still not want to hire her, but she might be able to make an argument about being older than she looks.]

[therealrisette]

[She could, but she won't. Yet. Aside from people from her own world who already know, she's still not sure about spreading that little fact around. So that free housing thing is going to be pretty helpful in the end.]

Akoya-san... I don't think so?

[She makes a note of the name, though. She might need something like that.]

Ooh, a boutique? I wanna see it sometime!

[Maybe when she has more money, if it's an expensive sort of place...]

[ofwindandarrows]

Oh, it's hard to miss him. He has this long hair, kinda pink-lookin'. [He's sort of a prettyboy, but Yukari's not gonna mention that. Also that sounds like an insult, and she wouldn't mean it that way.]

But yeah, I work at a boutique. They have some really cute stuff there. [Oh boy. There she goes. Off into fashion-land.]

[therealrisette]

Sounds easy to spot! I'll look for him sometime!

[... Probably with Sonico or someone because jeez, walking around this unfamiliar town at her size is a pain. At least when there are crowds. Much easier when there aren't.]

So where are we going first? Can we go there too?

[She really wants to see that boutique now! It's all your fault, Yukari.]

[ofwindandarrows]

Yeah. [He also always seems to be on the lookout for new arrivals, too, so with luck, Rise'll run into him and get herself a little spare spending cash.]

Go to-? Oh! The boutique? Yeah, it's close to there, and it'll get ya out of this crowd, I guess. [Which seems important, because Rise's a bit tiny, and Yukari feels like she needs to stand between Rise and the crowd so the little one doesn't get trampled and...

... It's going to be hard to not treat her like an actual child, isn't it?]

Let's head that way, then. [Might as well...?]

[therealrisette]

[Rise can always get revenge later when Yukari's a dog.

No, but really, she's used to people she knows (or in this case, someone who knows her) kind of treating her more like an actual child now. It might be weird sometimes, but she'd rather be overprotected a little than not protected at all. ... And she can always complain about it if she feels too condescended to.]

Sure! Oh... [And she's probably going to confuse Yukari even more by moving in close and reaching over to take the older girl's hand.] ... There. So we don't get lost...

[She feels like she should have asked first, but it's kind of an embarrassing thing to ask.]

[ofwindandarrows]

[The confirmation makes her nod, and turn until she's getting ready to head off, but she hesitates when her hand is grabbed. It makes sense to hold a kid's hand in public when going around places, especially since, at her height, Rise would be prone to her vantage point making it too hard to keep tabs on Yukari... but it's still a little weird, because... she shouldn't be this young. And while some part of Yukari wonders if it was just all the experiences in other worlds that Rise had which caused her to know things about the future - or like how Yukari had met Minako and learned about an alternate universe that she never got to experience - she gets a strange feeling about the whole thing.

Yukari is still, possibly surprisingly, savvy and observant about these types of things. There's a reason she's a consistent driving force within her group, why she's good at putting herself into an opposing position and forcing change or movement. For good or bad.

But right now, she's not sure how to ask, and especially not in a crowd. So instead, she nods, and whatever weirdly scrutinizing look Yukari may have had toward Rise disappears, and she starts heading toward the boutique, keeping her pace slower to make up for the disparity in their stride length. No one can ever accuse her of not being good with kids, after all. Except the Ultimax announcer, but that was just patently wrong.] Yeah. Oh! We just got in the new season's fashions, so last season's are all on clearance. That should help, too, huh? At least unless you get more money.

[therealrisette]

[Rise just blushes even more under that scrutiny. So it's a relief when that look disappears and she can just focus on following along with Yukari towards the boutique. All things considered, at least this is a relatively normal thing to be doing.]

Really? Is there some cute stuff left?

[She assumes Yukari would know, if she works there!]

[ofwindandarrows]

I think so. I mean, it's a little picked over, so only the outlier sizes are left, but since I assume you'd be wearing the smalls and extra smalls, something would probably fit you! [Her tone's back to chipper, as well, and she sounds like looking right over Rise is all in the past. She'll figure out how to ask what she wants to eventually. It's really not that far of a walk to the boutique, so they make it, and are in out of the crowd in short order. Yukari waves to whoever is manning the store, exchanges a couple words about just being there to look around, she's with someone new, and then they're left to have the store to explore.]

Clearance racks are over in the back. The new stuff's up by the windows... well, I guess that's how it always is in stores like this so.

[therealrisette]

[Smalls and extra smalls... maybe. She's not entirely sure she's not too small even for that. But it's worth looking through and seeing if she can find anything!

But first, she finds herself distracted by the window displays for a moment. Now that they're inside and out of the crowd, she finally lets go of Yukari's hand to explore a bit...]

This is really nice! Do you shop here a lot too?

[She doesn't know what it's like working in a place like this. For all she knows, Yukari might get sick of looking the clothes here. But she'd assume that's not true, from how she was talking about it.]