cosmoooc | TEST DRIVE

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!test drive

TEST DRIVE - Part 3

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

It's... not part of any of the fairytale narratives. In fact, Waverly Bay is not within Father Time's jurisdiction. We've been brought to another world again, but by the Heart Gem here.

[He'd been hoping this was just another part of Father Time's world. He'd hoped he could just use his influence or something to get them back and put this place behind them, but somehow they'd been yanked to another place entirely.

With a sigh, after a full minute, his shoulders went slack. He suddenly looked so tired, something he seldomly allowed to be seen.]

Damn it... and all that other stuff carried over, too. I still feel that weird, pissed-off ball in my gut from that faerie.

[Which meant that, unless the faerie was here, he may never be cured of his curse, even if the Heart Gem sent him home. How was he going to explain to his mom that he kind of turns into a weird monster sometimes?]

Not to mention this freakin' thing!

[He reached for his shirt collar and tugged it down. Embedded beneath was an odd stone, reminiscent of the moon, blending silver and darkest violet in its spots and flecks.]

You're not alone in that. I still feel my magic...

[And just the general... different from a normal human. She had a Persona before, but this wasn't because of them.]

[Stepping closer when he revealed his gem, Naoto looked up at him still.]

It's your gem. Apparently, everyone the Heart Gem summons here is bestowed one. [And to show him, she raised her hand, showing him more clearly the gem embedded on the back, its stone appearing as though a small forest was trapped inside fog.]

[So it was true. Something the big crystal planted in his head said the gem was them, too. That the gem must never be damaged, but they can heal if something happens.

But right now, he drew closer and wanted a better look at the gem on her hand.]

Whoa, that's a real gem just sittin' in your hand. It's-

[He stood taller and made a face at his chest, where the jasper was brightening. He gave it a firm pat with a hand, as if he were stifling a hiccup. Slowly, it died down. Was that good, or was that bad? How the hell should he know?]

Uh... guess we figure all this shit out now, too.

[Naoto held, letting him observe the precious stone now on her hand. She would have to take care of it.]

[Once he had his look, she lowered her hand, and watched as he pat himself. Odd, it caused the gem to dim... and the fangs were gone.]

That's right. The Heart Gem tells us the basics, but there's plenty to learn from the others here.

[It was a weird sensation, feeling that poking in your mouth. Some days when he riles up, he almost bites his tongue. But he'd grown used to feeling them recede, and when the gem quieted, so too did the... anger? Yeah, the anger. But there was a building calming feeling deep inside somehow, one that settled as the light died down.

Kanji needed to think about that, too.]

Well, I'm ready to get outta here first before any'a that can get figured out.

[His eyes searched the cavern.]

As pretty as it is, a guy starts feelin' a little claustrophobic.

Alright. Follow me; the Temple should have a room ready for you. It... prepares itself like that.

[Like the other world previously prepared for their arrival. It was still strange to think about.]

[She walked over to the door she had entered from, but waited for him to follow before stepping through.]

...'Course it does.

[He moved to follow, arms folded. May as well follow the one that knows a world more than he did, even if he got the info dump planted in his head. Some brains just need time to work out what the hell just got put in there, y'know?

...

With a small, choked sound, he lowered his head and wanted to know where that other thought came from. He guessed he could call it the elephant in the room, but now really wasn't the time to talk about it.]

I hope the story's okay without us.

[She understood. Even when she first arrived, she needed to process information, but at the same time... she had been concerned about him.]

... We're still together. I think the story will be fine.

[His heart skipped around in his chest, knocking his mouth dry. He swallowed and shrugged, opting for aloofness.]

Y-yeah, I s'pose. Gotta admit- I got a little worried about where the original characters went... I mean, I grew up with a shit ton of those stories!

Yes... I mean, I didn't grow up with them like you do, but I know they're fairly popular.

[Especially due to certain companies, but seriously.]

Though, from what I understand, our tale is different from the popularized version. Perhaps it's because the originals are being forgotten that the characters have disappeared.

[Hey, if it weren't for that company, a lot of kids wouldn't know about a ton of these stories, even if they were sugar-coated! Besides...]

Yeah, that's what I thought, too. I remember overhearin' some kids growin' up talkin' about how much they hated reading. I always just got a little mad at 'em when I heard that, 'cause there's so many really good stories if they just gave enough of a shit to look into 'em.

A bad trend like that's bound to spread. But to make characters disappear...

[He set his jaw, looked away.]

Maybe this place has got a library. I just wanna check, y'know...? Maybe the story's still there, or... or somethin'.

With the prevalence of technology, there's more pulling people's attention away from traditional stories...

[That's... kind of where she falls, but there was a personal disinterest in fairytales too.]

I'm sure they do. Though, I doubt it will house all the tales like your library did.

[He hummed, frowning.] Maybe you're right.

I guess the fact that we ain't dropped dead yet says somethin', right?

[And that is when he noticed cells in the walls, like the cavern made itself into some kind of strange hotel.]

The hell? How many people wound up here like us...?

Well, we're filling in for the characters. We're still separate entities to them...

[Though, that does have her wonder what would happen if they were forgotten.]

I'm not sure. I've only been here for a while... I'm glad to see you're in good health still. [He doesn't understand how worried she's been.]

Right. We're still us.

[Some days it got hard to believe. After the faerie controlled his body and the anger made his body change, he could admit to being a little scared of the idea of not being Kanji anymore. In that he was jealous- she could make plants grow and do really cool things. He was just... well-

He stopped his thoughts there, and nodded.]

...Yeah. You too, Naoto.

[So maybe they could just dress and act like themselves again. He had a feeling somehow that they could, if they wanted to. Yet he wondered if, maybe- ...nah, forget it.]

[She continued walking after he said that, but soon slowed, and eventually stopped. She was fine? She wasn't the one who was cursed to die were Beauty remained away too long.]

... Do you have any objection to us remaining together? I don't know if we're still cast as Beauty and Beast, but... if we still are...

[... he understood, right?]

[He hadn't realized his heart was almost beating out of his chest until it felt like it'd stopped. Their roles were unusual ones, and they were tasked with completing the story. They weren't idiots, and knew how the story ended. So they'd... well... focused on learning more about these odd powers, the lay of the land and the nature of curses.

He stood straighter than he ever had, stomach in an uncomfortable knot. He couldn't tell her. Not right now, and not like this. God, he was a coward.]

I... I-I know. But I ain't runnin' away from this.

[He checked for others in the chamber, then walked over to catch up. If he had to talk to the back of her head, that's fine. H-he was pretty sure it was better that way, instead of the intimidating eyes.]

And it ain't just about me. What about you, Naoto? I-I turned into some- some freaky fuckin' thing the other day, and I couldn't control it! I grow longer teeth when I get worked up! Claws! The servants practically shit their pants!

[His hands hung at his sides.]

But you- you remained cool as a damn cucumber, y'know? It's like there ain't shit I can do that can ever really scare or intimidate ya. I-I mean, it ain't like- like I do it on purpose or nothin'! I don't do it for kicks!

[Shit, he was getting off-topic. Ruffling his hair, he sighed, and quieted his voice.]

I just- I don't want either of us doin' shit just 'cause of the story or Father Time's crap. Hell- didn't we fight for a damn year for the right to call our own shots in the first place, no matter what the hell people think about what guys should do, or... or what girls should do?

[Well, that confused her. Then again, Kanji was always a confusing individual to her, and she wasn't going to understand anytime soon why he behaved as he did often around her.]

Why would I be scared? When you transformed, that was still you.

[And that line of conversation really wasn't answering her question.]

We did, but now we've been put into these storybook roles and have part of our lives tied to them whether we like it or not. I can get used to it. What I wouldn't be able to live with is causing your death.

[It was enough to silence those old, angry voices. But with those silenced, only the confusion remained. Shit, what were they talking about again? He had a feeling they were talking about two different things again... and right on cue, he was unable to correct it.]

Yeah, well- screw the damn roles! We ain't- we ain't there anymore, even if I'm still cursed and you're still Beauty! So maybe we won't even have to do any'a the story stuff. Maybe it doesn't even apply anymore!

[He hesitated.]

That weird crystal told me that the gems are us now. If they get damaged somehow, they heal on their own. Gems're sturdy, so long as the actual stone stays safe! So... I'm gonna follow suit, and toughen up.

I wanna try it. Y'know, that thing we've been avoiding this whole time!

[It's true. Maybe it didn't apply anymore; maybe he wouldn't die of heartbreak if she disappeared from the vicinity without him for too long. Still, that wasn't something she would like to test.]

... Try it?

[Kanji, you may have lost her. Though, she'll venture a guess.]

Try living in our own rooms then?

[He nodded.]

Right, but bigger than that, Naoto- that part of the story always bugged me, so I got to thinkin', right?

Beauty was gone for two months, as the two of 'em promised. But it was when her dad n' brothers begged her to put off goin' back and she had that weird nightmare or... psychic blast or somethin'... she went back and found the Beast in a bad way.

What if that's literal? I mean, two months is a long time. We don't really needta be attached at the hip or have ya stay within earshot or somethin'. I think it was about promises and keepin' 'em.

So don't... don't feel chained by me or nothin', got it?

... That's right. It's two months...

[Two months apart, they wouldn't be that far if they stayed in the Temple. As long as they were within close proximity, he would be fine.]

I understand. Very well, but if you begin feeling unwell, tell me.

Y'know it. [No more 'it's okay I'm fine I swear fuck everyone' Kanji.]

But... y-y'know, if y'wanna hang out or whatever anyway while we figure this place out, I'm down!

Hell, that crystal mentioned monsters. That means we can do it like old times after school, kickin' the shit outta bad guys!

Hm... Sure, we can do that.

The monsters... yes. Once we defeat them, we're to bring their gems here.

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