APRIL 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... There's no use in dwelling on it. You're a magi now, and that means adjusting to a whole new lifestyle. Get ready to hit the ground running. 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. Practice makes Perfect: This magi stuff sure looked easier on TV. You don't understand your power and it's frustrating trying to use it in combat when you don't get it. Maybe it's time to just take some time to figure this out. Good thing none of the citizens can see you when you transform! Test out those new skills, cause a little mischief, or be the helping hand someone might need! Fighting Evil by Moonlight: Things aren't as easy as they looked on TV. Nightmares are tough and there's real danger in there. There are victories... but, some are not as clear cut as others. Is today a successful attempt, or are you on your last legs standing up against an enemy far stronger than yourself? Do you forge on ahead, or do you retreat? 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 Dreadful Nightmare: You're wearing yourself down with all this fighting. Your mind is rife with insecurity and fear. 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 hurt someone. Birth of a Witch: You've just learned the terrible truth behind Witches, and it's staring you in the face - someone very close to you has succumbed to despair. In a burst of flame, their corrupted soul gem rearranges itself into a grief seed, completing their transformation. Can you continue to fight on, knowing that this is the ultimate fate of all magi? Moreover, can you bring yourself to raise your weapon against a dear comrade whom you have been fighting alongside for so long? Unending Night: Carrying out a magi's duties has never been easy. Although up until now you've successfully navigated your way through countless nightmarescapes and defeated countless foes, this time you might finally be outmatched. Foe after foe stands before you. There's no end in sight. And with each attack you throw their way, your soul gem seems to grow ever dimmer... A Cruel Choice: The Witch has fallen, and you've been awarded a grief seed for your valiant efforts. Just in time, too! Your soul gem is in desperate need of cleansing. But as you look around you, you realize that you're not the only one whose soul gem is in bad shape. There's absolutely no way you can take care of more than one soul gem with just one grief seed. What will you do? In Fugue: Someone very dear to you has been acting off lately. They spend just a little too much time with the natives of Nyoi-cho, and they seem to resemble themselves less with each passing day. They even seem to be forgetting bits and pieces of their own past, and simple questions on your part lead to them spitting out the same eerie pre-programmed responses that you've grown so accustomed to hearing from the locals. It's clear that they're being assimilated into the town. You wonder how long it'll be before they cease to recognize you completely and the person you once knew them as simply no longer exists. Isn't there a way to slow down or reverse the process at all? Wildcard: Feel free to use any information from the FAQ or the World Info page to make your own prompt!

Comments

[ententanz]

[meanwhile, Ahiru is all smiles now that she's found out her friend is in this world. when she last saw Rue, they had parted on good terms, so she doesn't think anything is amiss]

Um... I guess because I made a deal with a cat! [she laughs. it sounds so absurd, but that is what really happened] He said he'd grant my wish if I helped him!

[fouettes]

[Oh dear.

Unfortunately, they're going to learn about time shenanigans the hard way, as Rue's final memories before coming here are of Mytho as a horrible crow monster.]

Go home! You shouldn't be here! [Ahiru can't go home, no more than Rue can. She knows that. But that fact doesn't stop her from demanding it happen.]

[ententanz]

[huh? Ahiru's smile fades at the tone of Rue's voice. She sounds... really upset. Why?]

Well, I'd rather be in Gold Crown Town, of course. But I don't think it's possible to get back there right now...

[fouettes]

[Very upset. And only getting more so. Rue did hope for at least a clean slate eventually, but it looks like her mistakes are doomed to haunt her.

Unfortunately for Ahiru, this means Rue's distress is going to be taken out on her.]

I don't care where you go. But go somewhere else! [Can everyone hear her increasing hysteria over the mirror? Probably. Does Rue care right now? Probably not.]

Please, all of you just... just leave me be. [Ahiru is the only one here as far as she knows, but what if everyone comes to follow her now? Fakir? Mytho?

She couldn't handle it, not as she was. She couldn't bear to let anyone else see her in such a state.]

[ententanz]

[okay, now Ahiru is concerned. it shows in her eyes. she grips her own mirror tightly, leaning in.

Rue wants her to go away, to leave her alone. why? what happened?]

Rue-chan... Is everything okay? Is Mytho all right?

[fouettes]

[Ahiru doesn't know. Maybe that's for the best. Rue certainly doesn't want to tell her if she doesn't have to.

Still, some words fall from her lips regardless.]

My prince is... [The sound of Rue beginning to weep is unmistakable. She doesn't bother to try to turn the mirror off.]

[ententanz]

[and now she's crying! Ahiru's eyes widen, and she wishes she could be at Rue's side to comfort her]

Rue-chan? What's wrong with Mytho?

[fouettes]

[Somehow, she manages to pull herself together long enough to answer. Her crying fit seems to have left her raw and vulnerable, more honest and less likely to lash out.

She never really hated Ahiru, after all.]

The Prince is... not himself. [Discussing his actual state of being was too much for her right now.]

And I am here to help him. [And maybe it wasn't so bad, having Ahiru here. If she's here, then that means Mytho will be safe forever, right? No heart, no Raven. Perhaps that's all she can ask for.

Unless...]

What... sort of wish brought you here?

[ententanz]

[the Prince is not himself, Rue said. she was here to help him. that... that doesn't sound good at all! now Ahiru is worried. was Princess Tutu needed again? was Drosselmeyer back?

she has so many questions, but Rue has asked her first, so Ahiru will answer, but the concern on her face is still there]

I... It was a silly wish, actually... I only said it because I didn't think Kyuubey would be able to grant it! [she flaps one hand back and forth animatedly, trying to get herself to calm down. breathe, Ahiru]

[fouettes]

[A silly wish, huh.

Well, Rue doesn't care about the specifics. It's likely not about Mytho if Ahiru called it silly.]

That's fine, then. Do what you want here.

[And the wall is back up, even though she still sounds on the verge of despair.]

[ententanz]

[it was a silly wish! compared to other wishes. Ahiru actually had everything she wanted... at least, she thought she did. now that Rue has sort of confirmed that something bad has happened to Mytho, she is thinking that maybe her wish wasn't entirely silly at all. maybe... maybe she was supposed to be here.

she finally stops moving, clenching her fist and taking a deep breath. then she asks] Is Mytho here?

[fouettes]

No.

[This is an outright hostile response. Rue may be coming to terms with the fact that she is no longer obligated to hate what may be her only friend, but the thought of Mytho brought up a whole host of complicated feelings. About him, about herself, about Ahiru.]

[ententanz]

[the tone of Rue's voice actually causes Ahiru to lean back, away from the mirror. she definitely understands that the response was hostile.

so, Mytho needs help, but he is not in this world, and then Rue came to this world to help him. that must have been why she made the contract with Kyuubei. it makes sense now. after a moment, Ahiru nods to herself, steeling her expression]

Well, if you ever need help, I'm here, Rue-chan! I want to help Mytho too, if I can.

[fouettes]

[It doesn't feel good, Ahiru recoiling like that. Why can't she ever stop hurting people she cares about?

There's a part that wants to apologize, try to be kinder, but. Well. Old habits die hard. Especially when there's an insidious voice in your head hissing that Ahiru would think it was Rue's just desserts if she knew the full scale of what happened.]

He's safe now. Just leave him alone.

[ententanz]

But... [Ahiru cants her head a little, now she's confused] You said he wasn't himself...

[fouettes]

[Rue shouldn't get defensive. Mytho isn't even here, there's no reason get mad.

But she does anyway.]

That's why I'm here. So just keep those heart shards away from him!

[Oops. Maybe said too much there.]

[ententanz]

[ah? heart shards? but...

but she was done with that.

Ahiru stares at Rue for several seconds, the wheels in her brain turning]

Rue-chan... [she finally speaks, her voice softer] Did... was the Prince's heart shattered again? Did the Raven come back?

[fouettes]

[(and boom goes the dynamite)]

"Again"? What are you talking about, there is no "again".

[Unfortunately Rue just thinks Ahiru is being obtuse.]

[ententanz]

But... I already... Mytho-sama's heart... It was restored!

[she's so confused!]