TEST DRIVE

[ironwood]

TEST DRIVE MEME - TU SHANSHU EDITION!

Itching to try out writing a character? Then rev up your engines, grab your accounts, and slam your way into this meme! Here is a venue for you to try out whatever character there might be tickling your fancy, from fandom to OC, for as few as one and as many as MANY. Seriously, there's no limit.

How do you partake in this fantastic congregation of character testing? Why, by following these simple steps:

1. Comment with the journal of a character you want to test; put their name and canon in the subject line for added sparkles.
2. Tag around with everyone!
3. Profit like you live on a the back of a turtle!
4. Maybe even reserve so you CAN live on the back of a turtle!

But wait, there's more! For the low, low price of $9,999.99, you can even use one of our handy prompts when you tag someone. You could even pick one with a Random Number Generator to help decide which prompt to go with!

1. A Chance Meeting at the Turtle's Head.
   Remember, being here causes a great sense of-- well, shall we say inner peace.
2. Haggling Over Something in the Marketplace!
   Maybe someone else saw the exact same shiny thing you did at the exact same moment! However shall this be resolved? Remember: blood is extremely hard to scrub off of turtleshell!
3. Have Met Before? Because I Could've Sworn I've Seen You In My Dreams.
   Have you wandered into the realm of Dreaming via an archway in Keeliai? Here, everything is shaped to your character's individual mind. Dreams can be shared between characters and will result in a meshing of minds. These dreams can be positive or negative, depending on your character.
4. Dramatic Chase Sequence!
   You're running away from something! It could be anything, from a rampaging kirin to a gaggle of overly enthusiastic children, or even one of the newest editions to Keeliai's menagerie, an incredibly affectionate turtle the size of a minivan! One way or another, you can't stop, and much like a katamari ball, you feel obligated to grab everyone in your path along the way to keep them out of danger! Or perhaps you're more the sort to try and knock them into it as a distraction...?
5. Walking in a Winter Wonderland
   Tu Vishan's entered colder waters and snow now abounds all over the turtle. Are you out enjoying the cold? Maybe trying on some extra warm layers of clothing? Building a snow turtle for the kids to play with? Then this option's for you!
6. WILDCARD!
   Go nuts. Suddenly your character is fighting dragons! Good God, they've found the Millennium Falcon drifting in the ocean! Do you really feel the need to polish every paving stone in the Earth Sector? Please note, Wildcard options are also what you can choose to do if you aren't yet comfortable in the Tu Shanshu setting and would prefer a more 'dear-mun' esque experience. Please specify in your post!

Comments

[isnotokay]

[ Annie turns as she hears that familiar voice speaking her name, her movements oddly loose-limbed and eyes are very wide. In a dream, what was Armin doing there with that look on his face? If the world could be devoid of anything and anyone else that knew her, why would it have to be him?

It shouldn't be.

Her gaze turns heavy-lidded once more as she regards him, and her tone of voice is certainly flatter than it has any right to be. There's something unsteady there, broken, but that was hardly news. ]

Armin... you don't belong in this dream.

[strategisch]

[Armin studies her in the way that he does with everyone-- without realizing it. She looks exhausted. Annie had a way of being perpetually nonplussed, from what he remembers of her, but... what did that mean anymore? Was any of that who she really was, or just a show? A way to stay detached?]

[However, he can see in her posture the weariness of the honestly bone-tired, and he wonders what Annie is standing before him. From her words, he'd have to guess that she's aware of, well, his awareness of her situation. He takes a slightly tighter grip on his Kirin's bridle and brushes off his hood.]

I can't say any of us belong here. And yet here I am.

[isnotokay]

You are here. [ Annie crosses her arms over her chest, fingers tightening in the fabric of her jacket. She had fought for as long and hard as she could, but everyone has their limits. His assessment of her current physical state, if nothing else, is accurate.

Annie isn't even sure why she's talking to him, especially since she hasn't yet come to accept that this is their current reality. ]

'Any of us?' [ There's a flicker of something odd in her expression, but it's quickly gone and could have just as easily been a shiver from the cold. Did Armin have back-up then? His friends and allies? ] Who else?

[strategisch]

I'm not sure I should tell you. [While she did not attack the walls or the people as directly as the Colossal and Armored Titans did, Annie was still to him very clearly an enemy of humanity. She sided with Reiner and Bertholt. She killed countless soldiers. She nearly kidnapped Eren. Even though her plans failed, Armin holds no sympathy for her. It goes without saying that he does not trust her either.]

...I will say I'm not alone. I wouldn't try anything hasty; retaliation will come down faster than you'd think. I don't see how it would benefit you either.

[isnotokay]

Hey, Armin...? [ There really is no way to verify what he says one way or the other. She doesn't know if she could tell if he's lying, not when it's so obvious there's so much more to him than anyone could have thought before.

She takes a step forward. Just a single uneven step towards her once-comrade. Was Eren here in this unreal place? It didn't matter here, but the thought crossed her mind regardless. ]

Telling me something like that... Are you afraid?

[strategisch]

[He does not step back or try to get away. For a moment his heart feels pity, like one would feel pity for a wolf caught in a trap; a creature that had gotten what it deserved, but who's situation was no less unfortunate.]

[It was hard for him to swallow. He was the first one to suspect her, after seeing her with Marco's gear. He gave her the benefit of the doubt as long as he could. Eren offered her salvation, and she turned her cheek. Did he owe her anything more?]

...Isn't it normal, to be afraid of monsters?

[isnotokay]

Ah, I think so. Monsters are truly terrifying.

[ She casts her gaze around before she comes to a conclusion, walking forward to approach him as she speaks. There's nothing aggressive about her body language, still holding her arms close to her chest. ]

So pointlessly cruel, not recognizing how much blood they have on their hands. They scare me, too.

[strategisch]

[The Kirin worries and stamps in the snow as she gets closer.]

You were one of us. We gave you a chance. You could have taken it, it was in your grasp...

[He realizes something, and casts his eyes down, shaking his head sadly.]

You lifted my hood so carefully...

[isnotokay]

[ She hadn't wanted to hurt him.

He'd had a soft expression for her in the past, kind words. She'd never given him any reason. Had it been only sentiment that led to sparing him? She just couldn't bring herself to it. Even now, she doesn't want to hurt him. ]

You could have never considered me to be 'human' like you.

[strategisch]

Then what do you consider yourself?

[Maybe people wouldn't. But maybe Armin wasn't a normal case either. He never feared Eren, even when he was a Titan. Was there something wrong with him too?]

It's not who you are that makes you a monster. It's what you have done. There are far worse monsters in humankind than there is in you.

btw there's a reiner on page 2

[isnotokay]

I don't know anymore.

[ Even exhausted, Annie could kill him here without that much effort. It would be a solution, maybe, to the problem his presence presents. She drops her arms to her sides, her shoulders slumping in something that looks very much like defeat as she looks away.

It's only a fleeting thought. She really can't do it even now, failing once again. ]

It's too late. This... it's just a dream, or maybe I died. But, even then, it's always been too late.

ooo yes

[strategisch]

...There was a time when it wasn't. But you've always been so insistent on digging your own grave, I doubt that there's anything that I could have done to change your mind.

I don't intend to stay in this place any longer than I have to. I have a home to return to, that needs still needs saving. But this could be your second chance.

[He tugs on his Kirin's bridle, and it takes a step forward.]

The people here have no reason to hate you. Don't give them one.

[isnotokay]

[ Annie doesn't even recognize how she flinches from him when he speaks of having a home to return to. Maybe she didn't have one anymore. In every way that mattered, she had truly failed.

In the end, she wouldn't ever see her father again, would she? ]

But if I let you go, you'll give them one, won't you? I don't stand a chance if I let you live.

[ She almost sounds fond, and starts to walk away before looking back at him. It's only for a moment, and then she shakes her head. ]

I don't have anything left to wager.

[strategisch]

[Armin sees her reaction, but doesn't make the connection. Annie never spoke of her home to him-- he doubts she spoke of it to anyone. Where-ever they came from... he hasn't the slightest idea of what that might be.]

You're right. You're dangerous, and I should warn everyone here of that... But against my better judgement, I don't see the point in making a villain out of someone as utterly defeated as you are.

[He takes a deep breath. He could be making a terrible mistake, but...]

You let me live. I'll keep my mouth shut about your transgressions. I think that makes us even.

Just know that if you do make a wrong move, you won't get away with it.

[isnotokay]

[ Her hands clench into fists at her sides, a sudden display of the emotions she usually kept tucked beneath the flat way she tries so hard to present to the world. Short nails biting into the palms of her hands, she's almost trembling. ]

So I guess that means you're a good person, doesn't it?

[ She takes a steadying breath. ]

Or maybe... you're more cruel than I realized.

[ She doesn't say anything else and simply walks away. She can't do anymore, not when she feels as completely defeated as he accurately assessed. For now, it was the time to leave before he could turn her around any worse than she was right then. ]

[strategisch]

ooc: [I hope you get accepted today!!! *-*]

[isnotokay]

[ ooc: according to timestamps, I did literally ten minutes after you said that. you totally summoned my acceptance notice.

do you think we can assume this interaction happened in game? because it was so good, and it'd leave them on a decent footing. ]

[strategisch]

ooc: [Oh man, I didn't know I had such power... Must not abuse...

I agree, this is too good to let waste. I'm good with handwaving it as canon too.]