November / December Test Drive

[soulmods]

Test Drive Meme

Prompts Arrival: So you've just arrived in Nyoi-Cho. Congratulations! You must be so excited about having your wish granted. Or maybe you're upset that the result wasn't quite what you expected? If that's the case, then that's too bad! There are no take backs and no redoes, so you're stuck with what you have! Maybe you should have been more careful about how you worded that wish... Oh well. There's no use in dwelling on it. You're a magi now, and that means adjusting to a whole new lifestyle! Maybe one of the townspeople can help you out. Only... they're acting a bit strangely, aren't they? They're all too happy to show you around, but there's something unsettling about the way they're behaving. Almost cheerfully dissonant. Any questions about the history of the town are met with blank stares and brief silence, before they plaster a smile onto their faces and change the subject. Any attempts to tell them about your duties as a magi or anything else that relates to the magical will get similar reactions. Isn't there anyone normal here that you can talk to at all? Home Improvement: The houses that the magi are given access to really are something, aren't they? There's almost no limit to what they can do! Why don't you create the house of your dreams, or maybe recreate and relive your favorite childhood scenes? Invite some spectators over to marvel! A Corrupted Soul Gem: You neglected to take care of your soul gem, and now you don't feel quite yourself anymore. You feel like you're losing your sense of self - all you seem to be able to focus on is your old regrets and past failures. What's happening to you? A Day in the Life: Everyday hero by day, magician by night! You've got a busy day ahead of you and no time to waste! Maybe it's school, or maybe it's work, maybe it's both! Being magical doesn't make you exempt from paying those shopping bills! May Day: Uh-oh. This magical girl stuff looked easier on TV. You're in some serious trouble! Or maybe you see someone else who is! It's time to pull up your socks and show them what you have. Be the hero you've always wanted to be, or give in and be that damsel in distress. There's no shame in needing a little help now and then. A Successful Mission: Congratulations! You met up with your first Nightmare, and you fought valiantly. You even mastered that tricky power of yours! As if in response to your masterful victory, you feel as though you've unlocked a new power. What sort of power did you get? Is it a useful one, or is it not so useful? Maybe you've mastered it beautifully, and now you're showing off to all of your friends. Maybe you're having a hard time keeping it under wraps, and now you're wreaking havoc across the town without meaning to! A Dreadful Nightmare: You had an absolutely horrid day. As you drift off to sleep, your mind dwells on all the injustices you've had to endure. In response, your bed swallows you up, and your room shifts into a horrific Nightmarescape. What sort of Nightmare are you? What kind of Nightmarescape do you create? Hopefully your fellow magi can stop you before you cause too much damage! Wildcard: Feel free to use any information from the FAQ or the World Info page to make your own prompt!

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Osomatsu Matsuno | Osomatsu-san

[relieable]

I Arrival

[only a few short minutes ago, Osomatsu was lying across the floor in the living room and sulking. now he's in a completely different world. what's the first thing he does when he gets to Nyoi-Cho?

he looks for a bar.

if everything that just happened was true, and not some fantastical dream, he needs alcohol. he wears his usual grin while he looks around, greeting the townsfolk as he passes them. they're all smiles, so why shouldn't he be? one kind man points him in the direction of a pub, and soon, Osomatsu is sitting at the bar and drinking. he doesn't have any sort of currency for this new world, but he'll worry about that later.

when he's about halfway through his first mug, he turns to the nearest person to chat] So did that weird cat thing talk to you, too? Or am I dreaming?

II Home Improvement

[Osomatsu has finally found the place he's staying! on the outside, it's cute, a little red two-story thing. as he walks inside, his gem starts to react. the plain decor shifts and changes, the colors become vibrant, and the furniture transforms. soon, the main room looks exactly like the Matsuno residence, with only small differences. yes, this is perfect. Osomatsu's tucks his hands into the pocket of his hoodie as he explores the rest of the house. every room looks exactly the same, and it's what he wants.

what else can the soul gem do for him?

he ventures outside to look for his neighbors, and he'll call out to someone walking by] Oooooi! This thing is great! [he holds up his red gem] It totally changed my house!

III May Day

[his first battle is proving to be... difficult. Osomatsu thought that fighting monsters would be easy with his new powers. but now, here he is, running with a Nightmare on his tail. he's yelling obscenities, pleading with the beast to leave him alone. yes, that sure is a man in his twenties dressed up in an over-the-top magical girl costume. is that really what his soul gem gave him?]

Get lost, you bastard! Bother someone else! I'm tired! [he whines as he huffs and puffs. right, he's also tremendously out of shape]

IV Wildcard

[want to do a different scene? feel free to poke me at lovebakery to plot or ask questions!]

I

[noplan]

[ Speaking of people who absolutely have no reason to be here and have no currency at all to pay for the drinks that he's buying, Karamatsu has been sitting at the bar for a while. He hasn't lifted his face up until now, as if he's been deep in thought. Once he's addressed, without even really noticing who he's speaking to, he lifts his head up and gazes up at nothing.

He heard the keyword in there. ]

Heh. This place is already like a dream, isn't it?

[ That. That doesn't answer anything. ]

[relieable]

[ah. that voice! Osomatsu's head snaps in the direction it came from. and there is his brother. well, it appeared that his wish was granted after all...]

Karamatsu! [he's so glad to see him, even if it is Karamatsu]

[noplan]

[ Oh.

Huh! Karamatsu turns his head-- maybe it's someone else that knew his name. The people of this town could be so cruel, not knowing who he is... his wish hadn't come true just yet.

With another chuckle and a gaze over, he grins. ]

So you've arrived as well, Brother. Our reunion has made me feel that much more complete. This must be our destiny.

[relieable]

[what nonsense is Karamatsu spouting off now? destiny? Osomatsu doesn't know about that. he's about to get up to approach his brother, but then hesitates. the last time he saw Karamatsu was when he left the house. Osomatsu hadn't even said goodbye...

but this Karamatsu seems pretty cheerful. Osomatsu wonders how the wish worked, if it took any of Karamatsu's memories, or if...

ugh! thinking about it too hard makes his head hurt! the hesitation lasts for all of two seconds and then he's getting up to sit by him] Sure, sure, whatever you say! So you ran into that weird animal too, huh?

[noplan]

Ah-- yes. I did.

[ The circumstances were odd, but he wasn't going to think about it too hard himself. The last Karamatsu saw of Osomatsu-- well, actually, they were all dead. Turns out ~the Invitational~ was a lot more difficult than he thought.

...Maybe he should've wished to win the Invitational so he could start his Worldwide Karamatsu Of Love Tour. Maybe next time. ]

I wanted to meet with him personally... unfortunately, he isn't to be found. My quest to find him led me here. Surely, he'll show up soon.

[ Until then, he'll just have more to drink. ]

Speaking of-- are you the only other one here? If it had us two make a wish... [ Can't do it to two without going for the complete set. Right? ]

[relieable]

[of course not... Osomatsu makes a thoughtful sound, going for his beer again]

I'm sure we're all here. [that was his wish, right? that all of them could stay together] Maybe we all wound up in different places. We just gotta find 'em!

[noplan]

We'll have to check the usual places. The offices, the alleyways, the fields, the cafes...

...Heh. If they're here, they'll be there when we look for them. For now, we should toast to our new powers. [ As he raises his glass. ] To becoming new glimmering sources of hope.

[relieable]

[ah... new powers. Right. Osomatsu almost forgot about that. He lifts his mug to toast, comforted by the flowery speech]

Glimmering sources of hope? [he chokes back a laugh] You're gonna break my ribs!

[noplan]

[ UH OH. He's going to hurt him already?! ]

Ah, of course. If I could have, I should have wished for my brothers to be unable to feel pain again. Heh, how devilish of me to use my wish so carelessly.

[ He doesn't sound too torn up about it. ]

By the way, Osomatsu. Have you had a chance to test out your abilities?

[relieable]

[yeah, now that Osomatsu thinks about it, if he knew the wishes were really going to be granted, he would have wished for something else... like all the winning lottery numbers. or maybe a lifetime pachinko membership card. or for Totoko to love him. or for all the money and alcohol in the world. yeah.

he finishes off his beer and gives Karamatsu a curious look]

My... abilities? You mean the super powers we were supposed to get?

1/2

[noplan]

[ There was so much to wish for, so little time. A show at the Budokan. A show in Hollywood. Being able to work in London, or France, or Italia. He could be a household name at this point!

With another sip no seriously it's alcoholic for real, he snaps his fingers. ]

You have to look deep inside of yourself, Brother. You have to let it come from deep within you, release that explosion building, needing to come out!

Julius Visconti | God Eater 2 Rage Burst

[tousei]

arrival;

[ It feels rather strange to walk on actual level ground after so many months. A good thing then that his reflexes haven't deteriorated to the point of making him stumble; it would be rather unseemly and put a wrench into the many things that he must do, which includes checking himself for any remaining mutations. His contract entailed quite a heavy use of his Singularity power and that could have unintended effects.

Failing to find a sufficiently reflective glass panel or a pool of still water, he resorts to asking people. ]

Excuse me. Do you have a mirror?

in battle;

[ A Nightmarescape has sprung up, which is quite a common occurrence for the magi in Nyoi-cho. Quite a few of them have ventured in to combat the monster, Julius amongs them. Fighting larger monsters is almost habitual for him... but not with this kind of weapon. His current sword can't shift into gun form anymore, which his contract has decided to remedy by giving him six extra summonable swords to telepathically throw at familiars.

One of them probably just went whizzing above your head by a hair's breadth. At least it manages to impale the target he was aiming for. ]

My apologies. Are you well?

corruption;

[ For the most part, Julius has kept to himself. He shows up assisting in Nightmarescapes and when important gatherings happen, but largely he either stays in his own house or the library to read. However, it's not that easy now that his gem has fallen below one-quarter purity. When he's shut himself at home, dark smoke has begun venting out of the floor to pile up and eventually floating under the door onto the street. But that's alright. If he could tank so many months of being trapped in the Spiral Tree, this should be fine. He just needs to gather up the surprisingly solid substance and dispose of it somehow.

It's nighttime and there certainly is one blond man opening the door, broom in hand. If the surprisingly solid black smoke isn't enough to attract attention, there is now someone trying to sweep the surprisingly solid smoke back into the house it was coming from. ]

here i come... in battle

[relieable]

[this is Osomatsu's first time fighting a monster. he's not exactly sure what to do, even though he's tried talking to his brother about it several times. Karamatsu is useless. now, they're in battle, and Osomatsu is a little lost. he's got his outfit, he's got his staff, but what he doesn't get is what to do first.

and that monster looks pretty scary. maybe he should hide, or, better yet, leave the nightmare altogether and go drinking. yeah, that sounds like a good idea...

except for when he turns around to leave, his nose is almost skewered by a sword as it goes sailing past his face. shit!

he stands completely still for a moment, arms at his side, until Julius apologizes. then Osomatsu whirls around on him]

What the hell, man?! You almost stabbed me!

[that sure is a cute magical girl costume, right? but the person's voice isn't cute at all. they actually sound like a man. a man wearing a magical girl's costume. okay]

SO BEAUTIFUL!!

[tousei]

[ At least that sword hit the familiar aiming for Osomatsu. That counts, right? ]

I am sorry. I misjudged how fast you would move.

[ Julius means it. His reaction to Osomatsu's costume is remarkably placid - well, he's not going to comment on other people's fashion choices. What matters more is their competency. In a clear contrast to the other man, his own magi costume appears to be identical to his civilian clothes. ]

Shall we, then?

[ He motions to the depths of the Nightmarescape. The familiar having dissolved into globs of dust, he wills his projectile sword to fly back to his side (giving Osomatsu's head a wide berth). ]

[relieable]

[you have the opportunity to have any kind of costume you want, so why would you choose one that looks like your civvies? (like Osomatsu should talk) he turns his head just in time to see the familiar disappear and then feels bad about yelling at this other guy. Julius' aim was pretty good.

the NEET stands still for a moment, staring at the depths of the Nightmarescape. ah, it looks pretty creepy in there. he gulps, visibly nervous]

Uh. After you. [he clutches his staff close to his body, still debating on whether he wants to go in, or not]

[tousei]

[ Because he's a soldier, that's what. Efficiency matters, fashion does not. (His mother picked his civilian clothes, if that's relevant.)

There certainly is visible fear in Osomatsu's eyes - someone who's new to the monster-slaying trade, he assumes. Julius isn't exactly a stranger to training new people, but he's a new magi himself and he isn't exactly sure how much of his old knowledge in combating Aragami would carry over.

Still, it's worth a shot. ]

Very well. Stay on guard.

[ With that, Julius starts heading in. He has one sword in hand and six more copies of said sword floating around him, which might be a bit of overkill. But at least the firepower (steelpower?) could be slightly reassuring. ]

[relieable]

[well, time to face this labyrinth! Osomatsu's teeth chatter as he follows after Julius. he probably should have picked a better magi costume, one that protected his whole body. but he didn't decide on that when he first transformed. he was just thinking of the stuff he's seen on television, and a joke. and this is what he came up with.

but Karamatsu kind of came up with the same thing, so Osomatsu's going to stick with the shtick.

they wander around the Nightmarescape silently for a few minutes, Osomatsu blanching as the scenery shifts and changes, and familiars dance around. it all looks surreal, one big nightmare]

H-How... long have you been fighting these things?

[tousei]

[ Jokes tend to not work on the battlefield. ]

NIghtmares, just once or twice. Though I have years of combat experience before this.

[ That's all he'll divulge for now, though. What happened in his homeworld isn't exactly something he wants to talk about. Aragami ravaging the world, people dying - the apocalypse almost happened twice, and both times he hadn't been able to stop it alone.

Plus, he cut ties with that place after he contracted. It means little now. ]

If we take out the leader, the familiars will dissolve. Try to avoid fighting the small fry as much as you can. [ Simple battlefield tactics. There aren't a lot of familiars around either, which might be a bit strange. ]

[relieable]

[years of combat experience, he says. okay, that's a plus. Osomatsu has. well. none. he fights with his brothers but, even then, he's not very good at it]

Can do! I was avoiding fighting anyway! [he's joking... sort of] How do we find the leader?

[tousei]

[ That gets about two seconds of a longer Look from Julius, but he has better things to do than scolding a stranger. If Osomatsu proved to be too much of a burden, then he'll just have to leave him and go on ahead. ]

It's most likely in the centre of the Nightmarescape. [ Duh.

It seems like they haven't been noticed yet, but he moves to hide behind a piece of jagged distorted furniture (?) just in case. There's a path up ahead leading to what seems to be a large castle-like structure. ]

[relieable]

[Osomatsu ducks behind a slowly turning gear when a flock of familiars flutter by. ah, okay. he sees the castle now. the leader is probably in there]

Center of the Nightmarescape. Got it. [after the familiars pass, he begins heading toward the path, moving slowly so that he doesn't draw attention to himself.

this is... kind of fun? but also creepy]

[tousei]

[ It's definitely creepy. Good thing this is the Nightmarescape of a civilian and not a fellow magi. Julius, being a stoic, seems to have little problem handling the creepiness; but the truth is that grotesque monsters are the norm for him already. Compared to Aragami, this Nightmarescape seems a lot more harmless.

Still, it's unwise to judge a book by its cover. The Nightmarescape's environment resembles cut-outs of paper and other cartoony things, but drawn weirdly in a style that befits its name. ]

Do you have any magic?

[ Magic. What a distasteful word used to describe things that cannot be explained. However, he needs to be professional, so none of that shows. ]

corruption

[scythersergeant]

[A wild Shinoa appears, out hunting Nightmares.

She sees a Nightm-

Oh, that's just smoke out of some guy's house. Wait, is that normal?]

Hey, do you need help over there?

HI STAR

[tousei]

[ Julius probably does, given how the smoke just billows out seemingly endlessly. It's now trying to escape his broom. ]

I am afraid my house seems to be malfunctioning. Do you know how to reset it?

[ He just thinks it's a hologram. ]