seasonsgreetings | Test Drive Meme #15

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Test Drive Meme #15

Test Drive Meme #15
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. 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 otherwolders' arrival to a new world more comfortable.

Fix-It Crew

Part 1

The City of Nightwake has seen better days. Windows and fixtures are broken, plants are damaged, roads are charred, rubble and garbage litter the streets with some bloodstains in the alleys and sometimes even in the open. Anyone asked will explain that in late May, a number of crises all happened at once, and while things are calm again, parts of the city are still rebuilding.

Magical and mundane repair help of all kinds is requested by various civilian homes and businesses. Anyone who answers the calls for help can be put to work repairing and restoring any items and buildings, replacing windows, repairing doors, building things, and/or cleaning up messes. Any help is appreciated... especially since people are reporting random garbage falling on them from nowhere, thanks to an ongoing quest!

Anyone who volunteers will also be able to learn a new spell that allows them to repair their clothing or armour on the go. Handy when you're out in the Segments and can't just go to the blacksmith!

Part 2
City council has coordinated the cleanup effort, and snack stations have cropped up near big repair sites so volunteers can get water and food. The snacks vary from place to place, but are always something popular in the district they're in; for example, a stand in Sunwaning might provide curry pan or taiyaki, Dayrise might have fried fish or cream-filled buns, or Coldreach might let you come in for chips or deep-fried pickles.

June and July is also the time of the Solstice, a traditional Ellipsan holiday, and just because everything is in shambles doesn't mean people aren't celebrating. While volunteers take breaks at the snack stations, they're encouraged to weave flower crowns with provided cut flowers that are already enchanted to last longer. Plenty of civilians are already out on the street wearing theirs!

While it's common to make your own flower crown, people are also encouraged to exchange flower crowns with others. Some natives might urge anyone who tries to pay attention to flower language when doing so. After all, while not everyone knows flower language, a crown that says "nice to meet you, can we be friends" is very different from one that says "I hope you lose your fortune" or, for that matter, "elope with me"!

OBLIGATORY BEACH EPISODE

Part 1

With summer just around the corner, word gets around that there's going to be a giant beach party in Solarpeak. The natives see this as another way to thank the otherworlders for their continual efforts to help across Ellipsa. So, just a couple days before it starts, everyone will receive a message inviting them to come to Solarpeak and join in on the festivities and enjoy the decor and events that they'll be hosting.

Upon entering Solarpeak, visitors will see everything looks ike it's part of the party. There's stalls with a variety of savory foods, drinks, desserts, and frozen treats. Otherworlders can totally find their favorite summer treats in the assortment - the natives did their research!

There's also several events scattered in the sandy landscape and in the pool itself. In the pool - there's floaties, pool noodles, and a variety of fun pool games. On land there's an inflated obstacle course, slip-n-slides, a water gun fight arena, and beach volleyball set up. Party goers are also encouraged to start up their own activities Don't worry - there's plenty of shady spots to relax, too!

Oh - and don't miss the giant bonfire everyday at dark! The bonfire will also include sparklers and smores.

Part 2
As part of the summer event, Sage Blaze is hosting a cooking competition. Sage is the most recent winner of one of Ellipsa's televised cooking competition shows – Culinary Quest. This competition isn't just about being the best chef, either, it's about learning how to cook with love. Sage will be showing anyone who wants to participate how to make sure that the chefs are cooking with feeling – literally!

People who are tasting the food of the participants will be able to taste the feelings of that participants in the food. That means a dish made with love have a boost in flavor, and if the same dish is made with hate it'll be noticeably less tasty.

While there's no real winner in the competition, participants will walk away with a handy new trick. Sage may also call out when they feel a dish is especially tasty or creative – as long as they can taste the love!

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!
• Welcome Center welcomes newcomers and those who have been here for a while alike

Fix-It Crew
• The city is recovering from a disaster, so buildings and fixtures all over need repairs and cleanup
• Garbage and debris may randomly fall on characters due to someone else using a defective magic item for cleanup
• Characters who take part in repair efforts are taught a spell to repair clothing and armour
• Snack stands offer food and a place to rest to volunteers
• During rest breaks, they can also make enchanted flower crowns for the Solstice holiday

OBLIGATORY BEACH EPISODE
• Solarpeak is hosting a beach/pool party!
• Stalls with food, drink, desserts, and frozen treats.
• There's several pool games, floaties, etc.
• Options to play beach volleyball, water gun fight, slip-n-slide, etc.
• When it gets dark, there's a big bonfire with smores and sparklers.
• Cooking competition where participants learn to "cook with love".

- 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 toplevel 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 is open.

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

- You can find monsters to encounter in the Bestiary.

- The 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

[A - clean up]

[Look, okay. Look. Chipp may have been part of the problem, back during the darkness and rioting, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want to help fix everything back up, too.
He kinda owes it to the Ellipsans, what with them taking care of the Otherworlders and all. And because of the murders of several criminals.

But that means Chipp can be found all over during the repair efforts. He might be found using his magic from home to fix up largescale metal frames for buildings and vehicles, he might be found practicing his Winter shadow control to lay down bricks and planks, but more likely...

He's carrying some sort of huge, metal container on his shoulders, one hand gripping it while the other's free, stopping any Otherworlder he spots with a wave.]

Hey, g'mornin'! You busy?
I'm tryin' to gather up scrap metal 'round the place, help get it all outta the way... wanna follow me 'round for a bit, toss some up in my thing, here?

[Make no mistake, he could easily do exactly this with his magic... or, hell, even just with his raw strength. Despite how big it is, it's clear that metal container he's got is light to him.

But some conversations he's had lately made him realize, he uh.
He really needs to get out more. Meet people. So.

Here he is, meeting you!!

And also stealing scrap for his own purposes. But mostly the first thing!]

[B - flower crown]

[This isn't... something Chipp is good at. Like, at all.
He has never made a flower crown before showing up here in Ellipsa. Not only that, his hands are huge - tiny delicate work just isn't something he's ever had a handle on.
As evidenced by the smooshed up attempts (and failures) to make a flower crown sitting beside him on the grass. Just a mess of daisies and ferns and forget-me-nots, all in little messed up piles...

He's trying again, of course. Sitting cross-legged, hunched over a pair of flowers that he's trying his best to knot together...
Only for one of them to split completely, getting him to let out a cry in rage and absolutely YEET those flowers as far and as hard as he can.

... He's not paying any attention to where he threw those flowers, though. It's definitely possible they hit someone just trying to make their own flower crowns in peace... whoops?]

[C - cooking]

[Sadly, the competition itself doesn't interest Chipp in the least. Not at all. Despite being a competitive person and someone who enjoys cooking, the idea of pitting food against food just isn't appealing to him.
What IS appealing to him, however, is the idea of cooking with love. He's always done that - how do you not cook with love when you love cooking? - but never quite so...
Literally?
Which is to say, he definitely went in, learned everything he could on how to do it, maybe tried a couple dishes, and left.

Instead, Chipp's going to be doing something else with this knowledge.

Outside of the competition, he can be found setting up a little picnic area in the closest patch of grass by the beach... though he's using his own cloak as the blanket, flipped with its inner lining pointed up so it's nothing but a big square of purple satin.
On it? Plates and plates of finger foods. Beignets and little sandwiches seem to dominate the offerings, but he's probably got a plate of crab cakes or hush puppies in there as well.

And, as always... once another Otherworlder starts walking by, Chipp's quick to lift his arm in a huge wave to get their attention, beckoning for them to come over.]

Yo, gar ici, I need ya to come taste test somethin' for me! ... Unless you got allergies; you good with seafood? Nuts?

[Understandably, the food he's made is as loaded with love as he could possibly make it... though there will be one or two that's not quite as good, just thanks to how hard he'd fussed over them while making them -
Chipp may not look like it at all, but he's got an anxious streak when it comes to doing things right for people he cares about, after all.]

[Rinku blinks, plucks a pulverized daisy out of her hair, and looks up at Chipp with a smile.]

It's hard, huh? My first Solstice, I wrecked so many flowers. Jean-san had to teach me how to do this right.

[Even if she's... still better built for it than Chipp.]

[At least he's got the sense to look apologetic when he realizes it's Rinku he's pelted with smashed daisies...]

The flowers, they just too fuckin' small - how'm I supposed to make shit outta somethin' so small??
'S easy when it's metal, my magic can handle that, but flowers... they too small, too soft.

Hmm... Maybe if you keep squishing them, you can try doing it another way? Like magic!

[She lets go of her flower crown and lifts it up with telekinesis, trying to carefully weave another flower into it.]

Sometimes concentrating enough is hard, though.

Well... I ain't a Summer like you are, 'n my own magic, the Violet kind -
Y'know, it ain't telekinesis or nothin'. 'S magnet magic. I can lift stuff 'n throw it around, but delicate stuff just ain't in my wheelhouse.

[Though, thinking about that... he does pause for a moment. He knows he'd never be able to use his Winter water magic for this, even if he could control plants that way -
But maybe with shadow magic... hmmm.]

...

You think you can come stand behind me, block out some o' the sun? I wanna try somethin'.

Eh? Okay!

[Rinku puts her flower crown down and goes to stand behind Chipp. ...She's. Not very big. And she's still a constant glowstick?]

Hm... Should I get bigger for this? I dunno if it'll block out anything otherwise.

[And to demonstrate, she shifts fully into an actual giraffe and awkwardly crouches to try and block out some light...]

Chipp | original | winter (current)

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a...

oh these two are gonna be BEST friends :) :) :)

absolute besties, now make his weird inventions for him chipp-

... i mean he actually might if they're funny enough

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