seasonsgreetings | Test Drive Meme #11

Entry tags:

Test Drive Meme #11

Test Drive Meme #11
LOGS | NETWORK | OOC | MEMES | NAVIGATION

Arrival

Part 1

You arrive in an unknown space, dressed in white clothes (player choice what kind of clothes, as long as they cover everything). Whatever was happening to you before no longer happens. It's like everything was put on a pause and you were transferred away from the situation without you realizing it happened.

The space that you find yourself in is one of these four options:

An empty landscape filled with snow and ice, almost like a blank canvas.
A field with cherry blossom trees and spring flowers.
A sunny beach near an ocean that seems never ending.
A quiet forest with falling autumn leaves.

All of the spaces seem to continue endlessly. No matter where or how far you walk it almost seems like you're not moving at all. There are no animals here - just those who happened to wake up there at the same time, in the same place. Everyone is wearing the same kind of plain, white clothes.

Despite the possible rollercoaster of emotions you might be feeling, the place somehow feels familiar. Like somehow you belong there.

And it looks like you're not alone.

Part 2

After half an hour has passed the surroundings change as everyone is teleported into a room with all the other new arrivals, no matter what space they woke up in. It's a large place with plenty of seats to sit in and beverages to enjoy. Medical attention is offered to those who need it and the doctors here are very prepared for any challenging situations.

Here, in this room, everyone gets an answer to where they are and why. A hologram of a man appears at the center of the room, waiting to be heard. He brings a message on behalf of the leaders of Ellipsa (someone near the hologram mumbles that Olwen still hadn't sent them a new message, even if he talked about updating it).

The Message [ Click to Expand ]

Hello, my name is Olwen. I'm one of the leaders of Ellipsa as it currently is. I'm also one of the four who summoned you here.

Our world is in trouble and we need your help. I apologize for tearing you away from your world and forcing you to come here but I hope you understand. The magic we used doesn't let us ask in advance, nor does it let us choose who we bring here.

This world is composed of four Seasonal Segments. All of them represent one of the seasons. They were the places we used to get our resources from, but now they're dangerous places no one should go into unless they have the power to fight back. All of them have their own sets of powerful monsters and natural catastrophes.

We used to have plenty of people here who could control the powers of the four Seasons. We called them Seasonal Power Holders. Unfortunately, due to a tragedy you can read about later, we lost almost all of them. Now only four of us remain and the world is in chaos. We have done our best to protect the world, but we need more power holders to do that.

That's where you come in.

All of you have been assigned to one of the seasons. Whatever space you were in just now is what season you represent. You will learn different skills based on the season and those skills are going to help you save this world.

These powers don't interfere with your own natural powers. They use a new energy that has formed inside of you. It's harmless to your health, but it's vital to your seasonal powers. Your own powers should still work, even if the dark energy outside the city might interfere with them.

Unfortunately bringing you here wasn't as simple as it sounds. We couldn't do anything about how to keep you anchored to this world other than making a simple spell that helps with it. That is, you need to touch someone else who is not from this world ideally at least once a day. It will help you stay in control of your powers and boost your magical energy. If you don't, the consequences aren't very good. But as long as you hold someone's hand or give someone a handshake, you should be fine.

That's all I have to say about the situation. The staff of the Research Center will give you more information about housing and other necessary things. I will, however, promise that you will be sent home once the situation becomes better. That's the least we can do.

The hologram can be viewed in private in a separate room later, should someone wish to look at it again. For now, the staff of the Research Center hands everyone their new smartphones with their small flower lucky charms (the flower is anything the player decides). They're also told that the building next door is where everyone can find a room assigned to them with some of their belongings there and possibly even any animal companions. Those concerned about their mount-sizes companions are welcomed to the stables downstairs to see if their friends are there. The mounts are allowed to stay there until you find a place more suitable for them.

In the Arrival's hall there are also several stands with information pamphlets.

First type of stand is for the local Guilds and about the benefits or joining one.

Second type of stands is for the Welcome Center that aim to show otherworlders what the world is like and help guide people in the beginning of the journey and helps in getting settled into the new world. They even have people to help if you're unfamiliar with the new phones.

Once you get your smartphone and necessary information, you're urged to go out and find your apartment. After that whatever you want to do is up to you.

Part 3

The building next door is where everyone can find their new apartments. As you enter, you're told by a friendly native that for the first two months you can live anywhere rent-free and five meals a day are paid for you. After that they get a monthly payment that helps with some of their living expenses, but otherwise they have to have a job to support themselves.

All of the apartments are comfortable, two bedroom apartments with all necessary utilities. They are also completely soundproof. Sometimes the magic system, however, does glitch and you might find yourself rooming with a stranger. This is not the intention and the staff will immediately prepare you your own room if you ask them. But maybe having a roommate isn't all that bad?

Hymn for the Missing

Part 1

October is once again the start of the nameless festival of honoring the dead, where regular people can join in helping ghosts pass into afterlife. This ritual can only be done at this time of the year, as the air is filled with a mysterious essence that helps with passing on. The scientists have yet to properly determine what the essence truly is, but it seems to concentrate on the park and at least it's not dangerous for the living.

Much like last year, the key is to partner up with someone and hold up a special wreath made of flowers. Once the wreath starts glowing they must release it and let it float upward. During the ascent, the ghost will be visible to everyone, even if just for a moment, before vanishing with the wreath, leaving behind glowing, floating lights in the air.

Another part of the festivities is sending off floating lanterns. These lanterns can be used to pour all thoughts and feelings of someone the person misses and send it to the skies. Legend says that it will eventually reach the person they thought of, alive or dead, eventually on its journey. It's also viewed as a way of lessening one's emotional weight.

Ortherworlders are also encouraged to light special candles. Doing so will grant them a protective spell that will be with them until its spent. All damage they receive will be halved for three hits. This spell can't be stacked, but it can always be redone during the course of the festivities (until late November).

Part 2

The restaurants in Blossomcrown are also participating in the festivities. They are offering the ghosts a chance to enjoy one final meal before leaving the world. This is only made possible by volunteers.

The food will be provided by the chefs: All the volunteers need to do is let ghosts possess them. They'll be given a magical brooch to hold that will make this happen. Once the ghost has taken over someone's body, they will tell what their favorite food is. It could be just a strawberry cake or something more exotic like haggis.

After they've enjoyed the meal the ghosts usually leave the brooch and the stop possessing the person. However some of them are greedy and will run from the restaurant. It's likely they want to fill their heart's final desire, whatever it may be. It could be singing on a rooftop or even running naked through the marketplace.

During the two months the festivities are happening, the natives will be much more understanding of any weird stunts and crimes the otherworlders do, assuming they're possessed by a peculiar ghost. Unless they see that someone doesn't have a brooch, of course.

Those caught doing dangerous and/or malicious things without being possessed will be put into a pillory for the afternoon, so natives can toss tomatoes at them.

Pumpkins Scream in the Dead of Nightwake

Part 1

Nightwake has adopted Halloween as an official holiday. The city has been decorated with various spooky things and people dress up in different themed outfits. Even the cat-sized dragons residing in the city have cute accessories like witch hats or devil horns.

The natives are especially proud of the haunted houses they've set up on every district. They fit the theme of the place they're in and some of them even have actual ghosts to set up the mood. Nothing actually dangerous happens in the houses, just some good-willed spooky fun and perfectly cut screams.

Stores are also doing a promotion for boo baskets! Anyone who gathers a basket full of halloween and autumn filled things (clothes, food, decorations, chocolate etc) will get 50% off for their total purchase! The boo baskets themselves are designed as various things, such as pumpkins, bats and different monsters from all around Ellipsa. Anyone is also welcome to design their own basket.

Speaking of baskets, during the festivities everyone will receive a harvest basket on their doorstep. There are those filled with vegetables, some filled with fruit and berries and then a mix of both. Usually all baskets have at least apples, corn, potatoes, pumpkins and squash. The card in the basket says "Please enjoy these, but don't leave them sit in the basket for too long!"

Part 2

A few days after everyone has received their harvest baskets, something strange starts happening. Vegetables that haven't been eaten or prepared for later somehow start growing at rapid speeds. Most vegetables just grow into the size of middle sized dogs and stop there. Locals suggest carving the pumpkins especially into small houses for Harvest Fairies... or just for decorations. Some pets really, really love pumpkin and might enjoy a small house built for them.

Corn is the worst one to leave in the basket as those grow a full corn maze all around the district they end up growing in (including in the house it started in). It's entirely possible to encounter a corn maze even in the middle of Frostreign. Magical corn doesn't care about the soil it grows in.

It doesn't take long for corn maze turf wars to start happening. Mysterious moving jack o'lantern (creatures with pumpkins as heads on different bodies - including void cats pretending to be jack o'lantern) and very regular seeming scarecrows start fighting over their territory.

The locals try enlisting anyone to stop the fight because jack o'lanterns carry lanterns and try to set the scarecrows on fire - and no one wants the corn maze to go up in flames when some of them connect indoors. The scarecrows in turn use any weapons they might get their hands on - including people and animals.

Of course getting rid of the mazes is also a priority. Fire is a no go, but the farmers are willing to lend their scythes for the occasion.

Part 3

During October 21st, Nightwake natives are engaging in a weird new tradition. Apparently, while looking at modern holidays, they found a something called a National Throw a Short Person - day. So it's entirely possible to see short people being thrown into different soft mattresses and other surfaces lined up for the occasion.

They're even encouraging people to participate, saying that it seemed like such an important holiday to honor. How they came to that conclusion isn't very clear.

OOC TIPS

Summary of the prompts [ Click to Expand ]

Arrival
• Characters appear in one of the four seasonal spaces, depending on what season they are
• After half an hour they are teleported to the Research Center lobby and given information
• Hologram of Olwen (Winter Guild Leader) plays, explaining the situation
• They're given their smartphone-like device and told about the Starter Apartments next door
• Possibility of finding a roommate!

Hymn for the Missing
Part 1
• Nameless festival of honoring the dead starts and continues until late November
• Flower wreaths are used to help ghosts pass onto afterlife
• Floating lanterns are send to skies with thoughts and emotions of someone missing attached
• Lightning candles will give people a protective spell

Part 2
• Volunteers are asked to let ghosts possess them so they can enjoy one last meal
• This is possible by a magical brooch
• Some ghosts will want to do other things as well and run away
• Those caught doing dangerous and/or malicious things will be caught in the pillory

Pumpkins Scream in the Dead of Nightwake
Part 1
• Halloween is now an official holiday
• Decorations and costumes pop up everywhere
• Every district has a themed haunted house
• People are encouraged to make boo baskets
• Everyone will also receive a harvest basket with an ominous message

Part 2
• Few days after the harvest baskets are received, magic happens
• Vegetables start growing into the sizes of middle sized dogs
• Corn will make full corn mazes everywhere
• Turf Wars start in the corn maze between jack o'lanterns and scarecrows

Part 3
• October 21st is the National Throw a Short Person day

- Ask your questions related to the TDM here.

- The TDM is available only to friends of the mods and their friends. If you want to play in the TDM, please leave a note here to inform us who invited you over. We will get to you as soon as possible.

- Test Drive is open for current characters to make a top level as well. New characters can add TDM on their subject line to indicate they're new!

- Current characters cannot access the starting area again to meet new arrivals. They can, however, be at the Research Center when the newbies are teleported in.

- The TDM is game canon so anything in the TDM can happen for your character(s) in the game as well.

- Smut is not allowed on the TDM. You can play situations leading to it, but if the thread is turning into smut, please move it to a private space such a post in your character's journal, or a locked post in the game's log community if you decide to app!

- Check Locations: City to find more areas to explore inside the city. Every place in the districts are open.

- Similarly, Locations: Segments is useful for outdoors adventures.

- You can find monsters to encounter on Beastiary.

- FAQ has information on characters' smartphones as well as general things about the world that might be handy.

code bases by tricklet

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Macaque smiles in spite of the occasion. Esme is like a salve to the spirit, like someone else he knows.

"I'm doing my best. What about you?"

"I'm well. This world is very different than anywhere else I've been. But the people have been nice, and I have people from home."

Esme feels safe around Macaque, and his presence is comfortable. "And I'm glad to see you."

Whatever remaining hesitance or irritation Macaque had about this event just melts. "I'm glad to see you, too."

"What's so different about it? Maybe I can help you feel more at home."

Sensing it brightens Esme's mood in turn, as does having Macaque being glad to see him.

"It's hard to explain, going from a time in the past, to one so different it's like a new world...and then to a new world that's like many all together."

Seeing Esme's face light up is like seeing the sun peeking through cloud cover.

"I had a bit of the same experience when I died and was brought back centuries later. It took a bit to get all the new technology straight." And used to all the Wukong endorsements in the city.

"You died?" Esme's face drops instantly as those words hit home. He fidgets a little, concern and empathy plain on his face. "And you were gone centuries too...I'm sorry, Macaque."

"Have I not mentioned that before?" He guesses he hasn't. "It came to mind, I suppose, given the point of all these rituals. Last year everyone who died was glowing, it gave me away. Don't worry about me, I found my way back." Via a psychopath who kept him on a leash, but it's all good now.

He takes a step closer to Esme since he looks more distressed than Macaque expected. "You all right?"

"I'm fine. Just...that's very sad. Losing your life and everything familiar." Really he wants to hug Macaque, but he's not sure yet if the monkey is the affectionate type...or if it would feel comforting. So he doesn't try.

"Everything changing so much is hard enough to get used to without the thought of it being because you died."

"It was more annoying than really sad." Macaque was never really sad about it, he skipped sad and went straight to furious, despite that his death was his own fault.

Macaque steps forward and puts his hand on Esme's shoulder and gently squeezes, since he looks so very distressed about it. Just like MK.

"I'm here, I'm fine now. It's nothing to worry over."

"You don't miss home or anyone from there?"

Esme tries to nod, because he does believe Macaque. It's still just a sad thought. "I'm glad you're here, and doing okay now."

"The people I would have missed are here with me, and my adopted children are here. I'm happier here than I was there."

It's not quite that simple of course, but it's honest and he's trying to be reassuring. "I'm glad you're here too." Since their world frankly sucks from everything he's heard.

He does perk up a little at that, reassured that Macaque is at least happy. "I'm glad. The people you care about most being here is good. New and old." He finally smiles and reaches up to squeeze Macaque's hand.

He'd probably be an absolute wreck if he was Macaque. More than he usually is. But Macaque seems so strong and composed.

"And you, too. With Max being here and all." As confusing as Macaque finds Max, he knows that he and Esme are happy together and that counts for a lot.

He squeezes Esme's hand back and then lets his drop back to his side.

"I think I distracted you from your original question. My apologies."

"Max, Eliza, and Mike. I'm lucky to have them." It may be too early to say 'and you' so he takes a different approach. "And I'm making kind friends like you."

Fidgeting a little, he shakes his head. "You don't need to apologize. You offered to help me adjust. That's not a distraction. Though, maybe we should talk about that after a wreath?"

"Ah, right. I think I talked to Mike, briefly, once. I haven't met the girl yet, though." Note to self, arrange that. He wants to know everything about that world he can now that he's committed to hauling himself over there.

"Sure, a walk sounds nice. Let's send that wreath out and then take a stroll and look at the lanterns."

"Mike is nice, he gave me my first clothes, visited me in the hospital, and is always around to help when things...go bad. So is Eliza. She gave me a place to call home with her family. But the one here isn't the one I know, same as Max is different. I think you'd like her though."

Walking over to pick up a wreath, he holds it flat and offers the other end to Macaque.

"A walk sounds nice."

First...clothes. Ah well, Macaque had a first clothes experience too, so he shrugs it off.

He's more focused on why this Eliza and Max are different. Probably the same thing that had Cole lose his memory, whatever captivity situation that is. Or time shenanigans? That also seems fitting. Or maybe both. Because that world is absolutely batshit.

He takes the other end of the wreath. "You'll have to tell me what to do with it. I wasn't paying attention to the explanation."

Both luckily and unfortunately, Esme really doesn't understand the larger picture going on. Just the little immediate details and their effects.

"Oh, it's easy, thankfully. We just hold the wreath up like this-" Esme explains, leading in holding the wreath up in the air. "-then it should glow, so we can let go when it does."

Macaque holds up his end of the wreath and waits for it to start glowing.

"It's a nice little ritual, don't you think?" Sending the dead off to rest. Even if Macaque doesn't believe what they believe here, it's still nice.

"It is. This would be witchcraft in my time...but helping the dead pass on seems like the right thing to do." Besides witchcraft isn't the scariest thing.

It doesn't take long for the wreath to start glowing, and Esme slowly lowers his hands.

"...I hope they led a good life."

Macaque lets go of the wreath when Esme does, and glances at Esme from the corner of his eye.

"You're a wonderful person." Look, it just slips out, like he was talking to MK. In a way, he feels like he is.

"I...I'm really not. I'm a fortunate person who meets a lot of amazing people." His ears are burning though. He glances at Macaque out of the corner of his eye, then back up to watch the wreath. The ghost looks like a little old man. So much older than any person he's seen before.

"And humble to boot." Macaque can't do anything but smile at that reaction, expected though it was.

"Max is very lucky."

"Max would agree with you on that." Esme thinks they're both biased but doesn't have the heart to outright say they're wrong. "I'm lucky to have him though. He puts up with a lot around me."

He's not really exasperated, just embarrassed and grateful.

At least that's one good quality that Max has... although Macaque doesn't even believe his own mental voice when he says that. He likes Max in spite of himself.

"Can I ask you something about Max? It's okay if you don't want me to. But he and I had an encounter that I think hurt his feelings and it surprised me." Or he was pretending that it hurt his feelings, Macaque isn't quite sure.

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths

Re: Hymn for the Missing - Wreaths