Test Drive Meme | April 2014

[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 turtle shell!
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. Darker Days
   Malicant's flexing his chaos muscle and causing havoc on the shell! You could run into some evil cultists in a dark alley, try to infiltrate the possessed palace, or work on hacking the console function back from the technopathic baddie.
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

[perfectcomeback]

[Kevin looks her over. No, she was always smart -- he could try a crafty lie, but Gwen might see right through it. She probably would. He could tell her the truth.

...the truth that this ten year old girl is, technically, his girlfriend. No, no, that wouldn't fly, that sounded creepy and awkward just thinking about it. He looked her over up and down, brows knotting in worry as he tried to figure out just what he could say.]

Thaaat depends. Do you recognize me?

[The lock around his neck might be a clue. It even has 11 on it.]

[anodites]

[Oh she does not like that answer. She stares him down, trying to find a clue. When her sight zeros in on that locket, her expression goes from surprise to distrust. But why did he save her?]

There's no way. How did you get out and-- why are you older?

If you think you're going to start trouble on my watch, you'd better think again.

[Ugh now she sounds like Ben.]

[perfectcomeback]

[Hoo boy. Okay. This was about what he expected. He holds up his hands defensively, taking a step back to give her space.]

Okay, first off, I'm a good guy in the future. I mean, your future. My right now.

Just... puttin' that out there.

[He straightens up then, offering a weak smile.]

And I did just save you, so... bygones?

[anodites]

[That doesn't seem to fly with Gwen. At all. Never mind that she has experience with time travel and people being way different in the future. Nope. This is Kevin.]

That's it? "I'm a good guy, trust me. I didn't mean to almost trap you in the Null Void or almost wipe out your cousin or ally with Vilgax." Yeah, you're gonna have to do better than that.

And for the record? I had it covered.

[perfectcomeback]

Truthfully, I totally did mean to do that. I mean, back then. When I was eleven. And, you know, a complete psycho -- I wouldn't do that now.

[Wow, this... sounds incredibly lame. He regrets even opening his mouth at all. Kevin reaches into his pocket and pulls out his wallet.]

Look, we -- we hang out together all the time. You and me and Ben. I have pictures!

[anodites]

Oh, I'm sorry. Regretting it later totally makes up for doing it in the first place.

Look, I don't know why you're trying to be all nice to me but if you expect me to trust you, you're still crazy.

[She walks right on past him, shoving him out of the way if she has to.]

[perfectcomeback]

[He fully expected this reaction. After all, this was a young Gwen, who had absolutely no reason to trust him and every reason not to.

What he didn't expect was how much it hurt.

Gwen had always been the one to support him in times of trouble, even in those moments when she really shoudn't have. She helped him get back on his feet and keep him on track so he could finally pull his life together. Even six years younger than he's used to, seeing her look at him like a criminal made him feel like someone just ripped a hole in him.

When she shoves him aside, he lets her, even side-stepping in that direction just to appease her. He whirls, watching her go for a moment before moving to step into her path.]

Okay, no, look, I get it. You don't got a reason to trust me. You don't know me yet -- me right now, anyway.

But right now we're both stuck in this city, right? And so far you and I are the only people we know. Couldn't hurt to just stick together for a bit, right? You get into trouble again, I can punch it away.

[anodites]

[She stops, crosses her arms, and glares at him as if saying 'just give me a reason to hit you with a spell.'

But she has to admit, none of this is lining up properly. The Kevin she knew could be manipulative, sure, but never this intricate. His ability to manipulate someone is clumsy at best and usually short-lived. If he wanted something, he would've tried to get it out of her by now. All signs point to sincerity, not that she fully accepts it.]

I told you, I had it under control. [Even if she didn't.]

Look, the knight-in-shining-armor thing is weirding me out. Why do you want to stick together so much?

[Her question doesn't sound entirely hostile-- there's genuine confusion buried under all of that hostility.]

[perfectcomeback]

[Kevin rolls his eyes.]

Oh, yeah. You looked like you really had a handle on those guys before I showed up. Look...

[His voice softens on that last word, and he kneels down to be a little closer to eye-level with Gwen.]

I wasn't kidding when I said I was a good guy in my time, all right? Not just 'stopped doing bad stuff', either. Straight-up fighting evil alongside you and Ben.

[As he speaks, he pulls a picture out of his wallet. It's a candid shot from a roll he, Gwen and Ben did at a photo booth, one of those in-between shots where they hadn't quite finished posing before the shutter went off. all three are laughing and smiling and look just a little goofy.]

I wanna stick together because right now, you're not as strong as you're gonna be. If those creeps are gonna keep coming after you, then I want to make sure you're safe, because you're my --

[He starts to say the next word, but no sound comes out as he considers what he's saying. "My girlfriend", he wants to say, but he's not sure he wants to drop that bomb on her just yet. More importantly, he's seventeen, and she's ten, and that was so wrong no matter how he looked at it. He pushed the girlfriend thought from his mind before he could fully explore the implications.]

-- my friend.

And you can imagine I don't have a lot of those.

[He holds up the picture for her to see.]

[anodites]

[She examines the picture carefully and her arms slowly uncross as she takes it in. That's definitely them. And... people can change, for better or worse. Maybe that little timeout in the Null Void got Kevin's head on straight. Her hostility officially quelled (though that little jab at her abilities wounded her pride, thanks), she relents.]

Alright, fine, you can hang around. [She says this like she's being generous. Being in Gwen's presence is an honor, thank you very much.]

But I get to ask questions, alright?

[perfectcomeback]

[Kevin lets a warm smile tug at the edge of his face as he puts the picture back in his wallet. Yup, that is definitely Gwen. So far, so good.]

Fair enough.

[He straightens up and looks down at her. He towered over her on a normal day -- with her at age ten, they both had to stretch their necks to get some eye contact.]

What do you wanna know?

[anodites]

[There are questions she probably should ask: why did you turn over a new leaf, how did you get back to normal, is Vilgax running free again. But there's one that she absolutely has to ask.]

Do I ever figure out my powers? I must have, right? You said I was stronger.

[perfectcomeback]

[Kevin's grin spreads wider at the question. Yes, Gwen, open the floodgates and let him gush about how amazing you are.]

You sure do! You could probably kick me n' Ben to the curb at the same time if you wanted. And that was before you got that charm of telekinesis.

[He looks down at her proudly, eyes lighting up as talks about her.]

You're doing this whole superhero thing at school, too: Lucky Girl. You're like the talk of the entire campus.

[anodites]

[Okay, she's not entirely sure what to do about Kevin's enthusiasm. It sounds like genuine affection and pride. It feels... weird. But she'll have to get used to it for now, she supposes.

Now she's bubbling over with questions.]

Telekinesis? Seriously? That's so cool.

[And because she's Gwen:]

Which school? [Ivy League or bust.]

In canon, it's Ivy League and a total brain farm. c:

[perfectcomeback]

[Deal with it, Gwen, because if there's anything Kevin loves more than you... and his car, it's gushing about you.]

Friedken University.

And the best part? You're only sixteen.

As if she'd settle for anything less

[pragmatists]

[Excitedly:] Friedken? Wow, that's--

[She straightens and reigns herself in. Nope, not gonna give Kevin the satisfaction of seeing her be a... total nerd.]

-- totally expected.