seasonshelpers (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
seasonshelpers) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
seasonsgreetings2025-04-18 03:32 pm
seasonshelpers) wrote in seasonsgreetings2025-04-18 03:32 pm
Entry tags:
Test Drive Meme #14
Test Drive Meme #14
LOGS | NETWORK | OOC | MEMES | NAVIGATION
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.
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. The staff nearby tells them that the message has finally been properly updated from the original one that can still be found from the records.
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. We wouldn't have resorted to it if we weren't desperate. Our world has lost the majority of power holders who kept the balance in our world and dealt with the dangers of the Segments. Just having one power holder for each Season isn't enough. That's why we have summoned you to become the new Seasonal Power Holders.
This world is composed of four Seasonal Segments. All of them represent one of the seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn. 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 have recently managed to regain some footing in the segments and made them safer, but there is still a lot of work to be done. The Darkness still plagues our world, but we are constantly finding ways to fight back.
Otherworlders like you have already made great differences to the world. They have managed to find and free the dragons who in turn helped us expand the area we live in. They also managed to find the Fairy Queen and even the Mermaids and Sirens of the Great Ocean Lake are at peace due to the efforts of a few otherworlders. All of these things we couldn't have accomplished with just four power holders.
My sincere wish is that you would join us in working towards saving this world. We promise to send you home afterwards, or enable a way to travel to your world and back, as a compensation for your efforts here. You're even free to stay here, if that suits you better. This world can also be yours.
I know we're asking you a lot and that it might be hard to trust someone who just talks as a hologram, but you are always free to approach us at our guilds to talk in person.
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-sized 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 of joining one.
Second type of stand 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.
Third type of a stand has various pamphlets about businesses opened by otherworlders.
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.
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 a room of your own. But maybe having a roommate isn't all that bad?
Part 3
The locals have taken upon themselves to advertise the Welcome Center that is run mostly by otherworlders. Newcomers are encouraged to visit it, but sometimes the people might think someone who has been a while is new.
Inside one finds a modern Japanese style lobby with plenty of sofas, soft seats and cushions to sit on. Anyone is welcome to just sit around and eat some home-made snacks. There are also computers for searching information and practicing technology skills. There's usually someone behind the front desk, but if no one seems to be there they might be in the kitchen behind the front desk area.
Upstairs there are many rooms that can be into familiar places for characters (not exactly the same, but similar) with futuristic technology. It's set up to help fight any homesickness and provide a quiet place to relax.
One bonus the Welcome Center provides is a gift basket with some treats, basic ingredients for making meals and some gift cards for the Underground Mall, to possibly shop for new clothes or other necessary items. All of these have been donated by volunteers to help newcomers settle in.
Of course the people working here are always looking for new volunteers to help around! There are plenty of things to do, all in the name of making otherworlders' arrival to a new world more comfortable.
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 of joining one.
Second type of stand 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.
Third type of a stand has various pamphlets about businesses opened by otherworlders.
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.
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 a room of your own. But maybe having a roommate isn't all that bad?
The locals have taken upon themselves to advertise the Welcome Center that is run mostly by otherworlders. Newcomers are encouraged to visit it, but sometimes the people might think someone who has been a while is new.
Inside one finds a modern Japanese style lobby with plenty of sofas, soft seats and cushions to sit on. Anyone is welcome to just sit around and eat some home-made snacks. There are also computers for searching information and practicing technology skills. There's usually someone behind the front desk, but if no one seems to be there they might be in the kitchen behind the front desk area.
Upstairs there are many rooms that can be into familiar places for characters (not exactly the same, but similar) with futuristic technology. It's set up to help fight any homesickness and provide a quiet place to relax.
One bonus the Welcome Center provides is a gift basket with some treats, basic ingredients for making meals and some gift cards for the Underground Mall, to possibly shop for new clothes or other necessary items. All of these have been donated by volunteers to help newcomers settle in.
Of course the people working here are always looking for new volunteers to help around! There are plenty of things to do, all in the name of making otherworlders' arrival to a new world more comfortable.
The months of April and May are the time for a strange weather effect that affects all of the districts, except the one in the middle and Frostreign. It's not weird that it rains, but it's what the rain does that has earned it the title of the Rain of Affection. It's raining very often until the end of May at different times in the affected districts.
Anyone who stands in the rain will feel the need to get close to someone. It starts with a need to gently touch someone, but can escalate into needing a hug. The ultimate craving is kissing in the rain, but that's the most it can make happen. It's a very Safe For Work Rain Effect.
After a successful kiss in the rain, the cravings slowly become less urgent, but the effect can start all over again at any given time. Once someone is completely dry, they will be safe from effects restarting again.
Of course, there are individuals who don't get too affected by the rain (at all or not as badly) and it only works if it directly hits someone. So staying in a shelter or being in the unaffected districts is definitely a way to avoid this whole phenomenon. Even purchasing and using an umbrella helps. The shops around every district are very aware of the need for umbrellas, so there's definitely a variety of them being sold. Some of the umbrellas have a variety of harmless magical effects, like changing the color depending on the users' mood.
Traditionally, the Frostreign district has been too cold for rain, and so serves as a refuge from the Rain of Affection. For the beginnings of this year's rainy season, this rings true, but a few days in, TV and network broadcasts are hijacked with static leading into a video feed of a dimly lit storage room packed with boxes and random garbage. Three shadowed figures stand in front of a yellow banner with a teacup painted on it in cheap acrylic.
The Broadcast [ Click to Expand ]
"Attention, citizens!" One of the figures, the one in the centre, speaks up. "This is a message from the famous Cups Gang!"
The one on the left raises their hand. "Uh, are we really famous? Ain't no one heard of us, 'cept that time we tried scammin' people by openin' a zoo and painted a dog up as a Chimera Bear."
The one on the right pipes up. "And the time we stole city hall! ...Well, we stuck our name on it, that's kinda like stealing it."
"Hey," the first one snaps. "Are you givin' the speech or am I? I say we're famous, we become famous. It's one'a them manifesting things."
"If you say so." The one on the left shifts.
"Anyway." Centre speaks again. "Youse guys in the city think you're so great, hidin' in the snow so you don't gotta get all smoochy-faced in public, eh? Well, you didn't count on us!"
"Yeah!" The gangster on the right pumps their fist. "You're gonna get soaked too! And no one's ever gonna laugh at us again!"
Centre points at the screen. "You got that? Anyone hidin' out in Frostreign, from today on, you're gonna remember the Cups!"
The video cuts off.
True to form, people outside will start spotting hot-air balloons flying from Coldreach and Stormreach into Frostreign with rain barrels, dumping buckets of rainwater onto unsuspecting pedestrians.
What the Cups Gang didn't seem to take into account is that... water freezes. Most of the time, the falling bucketfuls of rainwater will start freezing over, so the unlucky souls underneath will be soaked in Slush of Affection -- just as cuddly as if they'd been rained on in the other districts, but also cold. The slush also quickly freezes with the weather outside, suspending the effect, but if characters go inside or use seasonal powers to warm up, the affection effect reactivates with the melting slush until they either freeze again or dry off.
It's not constantly raining, though, and whenever there's a break in the Rain of Affection, rainbows appear. The citizens claim that the rainbows left by the Rain of Affection can grant wishes; those who have been in Ellipsa long enough may remember the year that the rainbows gave them anything from good luck to a gift card to a free regain from home. What could the rainbows have in store this year?
Anyone who holds hands looking at a rainbow will find that their truest, deepest wish is now clear in their mind. Even if they were in denial over it, worried as to what it would mean, or couldn't name what they wanted most before. Maybe the rainbows wanted to help people make their own dreams come true this year.
Of course, holding hands for longer will increase the magic, and characters might feel compelled to say what they want the most. For some, the sudden emotional honesty might be exactly what they need. For others, being honest, or honest with the specific person they're with at the time, might cause a problem. Might want to be careful out there... but then, do you really know what the people around you want the most?
A new portal has opened up near the Pokémon Vending Machine in the Underground Mall - and it's going to be hard to miss. Right outside of it, there's an archway that's made to look like a very recognizable mascot Pokémon. Early exploration of the new dimension has led them to realize that this place houses a massive array of Pokémon, and as expansive as it is - it’s going to need a lot of people willing to explore it to get the full scope of landmarks and Pokémon that can be found throughout it.
There’s a sign outside of the portal with a list of a few of the things that they’re interested in having information on:
There’s a lot left to be explored, and though there’s no big announcement about the portal, word travels back and everyone is bound to hear about the portal in a short time!
Stepping into the domain is like stepping into another world. Right inside of it, there’s an array of things for getting started on exploration.
There’s a vending machine with simple food and drink items that are going to be easy to store and travel with when venturing further into the domain. There’s also a small machine with camping items - just in case anyone forgot to grab their own before setting out into the domain. Any items bought are yours to keep - and it seems these vending machines were set up just after the domain was opened up.
Nearby, there’s a vending machine featuring things that are needed for any Pokémon Trainer - Poké Balls! All Poké Balls (except Master) are able to be obtained in this vending machine. And, if someone gets lucky it will drop a shiny charm or other useful items in your adventure (think things like Potions, Repels, Lures).
Throughout the domain, there’s several different biomes - mountains, fields, forests, water, ice, caves, etc. They are typically found in biomes appropriate to them (Zubats in Caves, Rattatas in tall grass, Magikarp in bodies of water - for example). Most Pokémon can be found if you search the right spots. There are no Legendary or Mythical Pokémon, and the Pseudo-Legendary are extremely rare.
Other locations that can be found throughout domain are:
They can’t wait to hear what you find on your travels! Stay safe, catch Pokémon, and be sure to share your findings!
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!
• Welcome Center welcomes newcomers and those who have been here for a while alike
Blame It On the Weatherman
• Rain of Affection, a yearly weather pattern that makes people want to kiss, is happening throughout the city except the Nightwake and Frostreign districts
• Umbrellas are for sale that may have harmless magical effects
• The Cups, a very stupid gang, hijack the airwaves to announce their plan and start dumping Rain of Affection on people who went to Frostreign to escape the rain effect
• During a break in the rain, holding hands looking at a rainbow will make characters realize what they want most, and may make them say it out loud
2.B.A. Master
• A new dimension has opened up near the Pokemon Vending Machine in the Underground Mall.
• Everyone is invited to explore, catch Pokemon, and check out the new landscapes.
• There are a variety of biomes and the full array of Pokemon. Pokemon are found in biomes appropriate to them - except Legendary or Mythical Pokemon, and the Pseudo-Legendary are extremely rare.
• There's several landmarks to visit throughout the Domain.
• There's bicycle and scooter stations to make travel easier.
• Unmanned Pokemon centers and Pokemon Staffed Pokemon centers are scatters.
• Vending Machines with necessary items, Observation Towers, and Campgrounds.
- Ask your questions related to the TDM here.
- List of Pokémon can be found from here or here. Remember to check that a Pokémon that catches your eyes is not legendary or a mythical Pokémon.
- Pokémon guidelines for the game can be found 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.
no subject
....listen, he has an echo of an AI fragment in his head named Ai-chan.
He may not have named them, but still.
Not to mention all the dumb naming conventions he's been a part of. Teamnesias have so many nicknames.
"Oh? Water type or ice type?" He asked. He really has no leg to stand on about naming conventions.
no subject
"Water-type," he says proudly. Then he points a thumb at himself: Like me. They're a matched set.
"Squirtle. Good fighter. Gonna get big and strong."
He's so proud of his little Pokémon already.
no subject
"Oh, nice. You might be able to do some pretty cool team attacks when you get the hang of stuff," he said. Combo attacks is part of magic, surely it could work with other water types.
"Squirtle...that's the turtle, right?" He's been looking at the Pokemon. Trying to get familiar with them, especially after Choco brought hers home.
But Wash does have a bit of tension in his frame. He's been trying to acclimate to Pokemon. He's getting there.
But its hard to divorce the association with Sparrow and the stories she told of her Pokemon.
no subject
His guess is that Wash might be … afraid of Pokémon? Afraid of Squirtle, specifically? It seems like a weird fear to Maine, but who knows? Maybe Wash had a bad experience with one. Or maybe they seem too much like Donnie for Wash to feel comfortable.
"Little guy," he assures, leaning to the side to show how very low to the ground the Squirtle stands. "Very cute."
Nothing for Wash to be afraid of!
He tries a different tactic. "Carolina got Charmander. Named Creamsicle."
Then he tips his head in question, almost expectantly: Do you have one?
no subject
"They are generally cute. Or weird. Some get weird, at least on the database pictures," he said. "And charmander...the dino one. Creamsicle is getting a little ironic for a fire type," he said.
He hesitates and shakes his head. "No, I don't have one. Choco has a few."
He taps the table a few moments. "I knew someone from the world. Where Pokemon are from. Sweet kid. Girl knew how to make people's faces light up. Pokemon make me think of her," he said.
And the time he was mind controlled into killing her slowly.
"We had a pretty terrible time together due to circumstances out of our control, so Pokemon make me think of her, and one of those things I never really processed. I keep thinking I should get one. Maybe it would help. Make it easier whenever I do talk to her again," he said, frowning at the bar.
Because Sparrow had understood. Even if it didn't help the fear. She had understood they had both been hurt by it. It was just also something they needed time to process before ever talking about again, but then he keeps getting kidnapped!
God, this isn't a conversation he wants to be having with Maine of all people.
He slaps a hand on the bar. "I'm going to do it. I'm going to get one by next week."
no subject
But to Maine, it sounds like memories of the girl herself are mostly good ones. A sweet kid who could make people's faces light up. Maybe if…
Wash smacks his hand on the bar and makes his declaration before Maine's thoughts can finalize. But he finds that they're in perfect alignment.
"She'd like it," he says, nodding. "Raise something she loves."
He can only assume the girl loved Pokémon and spoke of them frequently. Why else would there be such a strong association between the two?
no subject
At least that was true. She even said it to his face. She knew he was someone who cared a lot from before The Incident. That it helped her accept the truth of the matter.
If he asked her, she'd almost definitely tell him to get a Pokemon partner.
"I'll see if I can get one before the dinner, depends how quick I can get that together," he said. A lot of teenagers, a lot of schedules between them. "Get Creamsicle and Blue-chan a friend and training buddy."
Yes. Make a plan. Definitely a better way to focus his energy.
no subject
Like Wash, Maine appreciates having a plan. Right now, his plan consists entirely of training—and part of that training is for Blue-chan. So he nods when Wash mentions Blue-chan gaining another training buddy, more than pleased with the idea.
Speaking of that dinner, though… Maine proceeds to eat what remains of the dish Wash gave him, turning his focus just to that for a little while. Once done, he rises with the plate so he can wash it off and set it to dry.
no subject
"I'll get you a slice of the shortcake. If you want to spend the night, I can get you a bed, or I can teleport you back to the starting apartments," he offered, getting up to head to the fridge.
Getting Maine a slice and himself one. He HAD been looking forward to it, after all.
no subject
But maybe exhaustion has taken its toll, or maybe listening to Wash reveal so much has loosened something in Maine's tongue. Whatever the case, he finds himself wanting to explain.
So he does, succinctly.
"Small area to patrol."
Because this is going to be one of those nights that Maine wakes frequently, needing to check and secure the perimeter. He can already tell that. And the thought of trying to do that here, in a huge house he doesn't know, full of strangers, is a recipe for disaster.
no subject
The next part gives him pause, but he looks at him with sympathy. "Yeah, that's true," he said. He usually likes a more easy to patrol area to.
Macaque's ears really do spoil them. Cameras can be fooled, but most don't even know about Macaque's hearing.
"If you're not getting enough sleep, you can call me for back up," he offers as he sets down the slates with the slices of cake.
Wash may not actually end up sleeping, but hey, he slept all right last night, he could easily stay up all night.
no subject
Did Wash need to patrol on bad nights back in PFL, too? Is that why they'd occasionally run into each other?
Maine never mentioned it on the Mother of Invention. Said he was restless if anyone asked, though people rarely did. He didn't explain that he needed to check the halls, sweep the corridors, search for anything out of place. Didn't explain why he always had his pistol with him when he did so, either.
He nods at the offer. "Thanks," he says in that low, gravelly voice. Meaning it.
no subject
Skating the halls of the MOI with everyone, but the night crew asleep, everything still and quiet, made it easier to try and fall asleep again. It had been nice to move along with Maine sometimes.
It was easier to pull on the happier parts of him with others, over the parts that were made for fighting and survival.
"Anytime," he said, sitting down for his own cake. "Now try it and let me know what you think," he said, digging into his own dessert. Strawberries finally won out the favorite fruit competition in his mind.
It may or may not have something to do with Choco.
no subject
Sometimes, he feels like his whole being has been forged and reforged, skin and muscle pounded into the shape he needs. Sometimes, he feels more like his armor than a person.
(No small wonder, then, that he doesn't object when treated like a weapon. He's treated himself that way for a long time.)
He digs into the shortcake, making a pleased sound as it hits his tongue. Damn, this is good!
no subject
Its a difficult thing. Wash did spend years never being able to so much as poke at the part of him that loved cats and silly straws and riding down hallways on a skateboard. Survival was everything and it took time to dismantle the walls enough to let that dork of a person shine through again.
"See, now I knew you had taste," Wash said with an amused grin and digs in himself. "Hmm, dunno what they do for the syrup they coat the strawberries in, but its always great."
no subject
"Pure sugar," Maine guesses, happily eating away.
He's had strawberries before, sure. But not strawberry shortcake. The opportunity never came up. Cheesecake was about as fancy as Maine was able to get.
no subject
Or maybe it was marketing.
One could never be sure.
"But it is a lot of sugar." He can't help he's a sugar fiend. Its good stuff! Frankly its a miracle he prefers it in fruit form over just processed stuff.
no subject
The thought of how big the universe—no, multiverse—presses down all at once. He swallows, pressing his lips together as he tries to shake off the feeling.
Of all the things to inspire it, why strawberry shortcake?
"… Nice treat," he says, trying to stay focused in the present. And it is; he normally wouldn't indulge so much.
no subject
Which is a pretty normal experience compared to most things in this whole situation.
no subject
"Chocolate cake on MoI?" he says. "Would be bloodbath."
Who knew what fifty-odd Freelancers and plenty more crew would do for a slice of chocolate cake after so long without?
no subject
no subject
Yes, he's biased; he's never been the biggest fan of South. But more importantly, "She doesn't lose."
Not even in a bloodbath for chocolate cake.
no subject
Honestly, Carolina was a favorite of a lot of people.
no subject
"The best," he corrects, pointing at Wash with his fork.
And no, he doesn't try to correct that accusation of favoritism. He'd take bullets for Carolina without blinking.
no subject
Even if he hopes to head off the harsh reality check of this place because he's aware have very different their playing field is now.
But just in general, Carolina is the best.
He takes another bite. "I'll make you cocoa next time. Choco and I have perfected several recipes."
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)