Test Drive Meme #15

[seasonshelpers]

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

Comments

[wherethereislight]

... [Was he expecting Shadow to immediately gain a burst of speed from his airshoes, attempt to grab "Sonic" by the chest without warning and slam him onto the ground? No? Hope he likes the ground then cause he's going to pin him down should he succeed.

What was he looking at? Is it really Sonic, or this place trying to imitate that blue hedgehog? Of all people.]

[sonic_wachowski]

[If it had been Boomdow, Sonic would have dodged. He knows to expect it from Boomdow.]

[Keandow and Primedow both are actually more on the protective side of him so he honestly does not expect it from out of nowhere with them. Usually it would be like a spar or training exercise.]

[Shadow is too fast for him to BOTH realize he was coming for him AND get out of the way.]

[So he's yelping as he's grabbed and slammed down, quills flaring up defensively, hands grabbing his wrist.]

[There was a grimace, but he seems to have weathered the hit as well as to be expected.]

Hey, what gives?! Are you confusing me with your Sonic, what's with all the aggro?!

[Did Primedow get amnesia'd? He does always sound real frustrated with his Sonic.]

[wherethereislight]

[...They're soft. He could feel a heartbeat, rapidly beating beneath their fur. The light show is new. Words are coming out of them that sound like nonsense. "Your Sonic"? Tch. They don't make any sense.

He lifts the hedgehog and proceeds to kick them without missing a beat. He gives chase, following them outside, ignoring the crowd he knocks over along the way. His intent is to get them outside, where there's more space to actually see what this strange blue hedgehog is capable of. He's not going even give the hedgehog a moment to rest, there's a fist with his name on it coming right at him once he catches up with them.]

[sonic_wachowski]

Shadow- [He's yanked up and there's a kick and ugh, OKAY, SOMETHING is going on-]

[He rolls as he hits the ground again, and he isn't going to do half speed, not with WHATEVER the fuck is going on with Shadow, quills lighting up with blue light, a crackle of energy and]

[Shadow might be able to sense it. Chaos energy. Quite a lot of it.]

[Shadow is going all aggro and there are too many people here and a very confined space, so when his feet are under him, he's dashing out of the Welcome Center. He'd rather not have people get in the way, or wreck stuff.]

[There's a fist, but he's paying attention now, ducking under it in a slide, blue eyes glaring up at him.]

We have GOT to talk about your anger issues!

[Feet under him, change direction.] Come on, chase the rabbit! [Electricity sparks under him as he sprints, intent on leading Shadow towards the edge of the city. If its going to be a fight, its going to be AWAY from people.]

[wherethereislight]

[His kick landed on a body that doesn't give off any obvious indication of a machine. Quills bristle, feeling the flow of chaos energy in the air as the other hedgehog takes off. What is this thing?

Tch. It certainly speaks like him, but not quite. A yellow blur trail is left behind as he gives chase. At first anyway. If Sonic is paying attention, he'll noticed the golden trail turning in another direction. He picked up what they were trying to do and he's not interested in letting them dictate his path. He's gotten the blue hedgehog's attention already and anticipates he won't just leave him be. They will follow wherever he decides to take them, through the city for now.]

[sonic_wachowski]

[Sonic is good at tracking people who chase him. It's all about that environmental awareness. He sees the sparks are turning away and he groans.]

Why do they ALWAYS want to go into a population zone? [It's the most irksome thing.]

[Fine, he won't chase? Herding it is.]

[Sonic changes direction, but not a straight shot for....amnesia???Shadow. No, he knows these streets well enough.]

[Push the sprint and instead of chasing, he's circling.]

[And leaving mist in his wake. Lowering visibility more and more so the only obvious markers are]

[Well, them. Between his sparking and the energy of the airshoes.]

[wherethereislight]

[At least ask him out for dinner before you start circling him.

He came back around for him, as expected. He isn't impressed by the whirling dust cloud they seem to be forming around him. Is that suppose to make him stop? He continues on, eyes following the blue spark in the mist. As he reaches the edge of the swirling mist wall, he changes trajectory at the last moment. Making a sharp turn to follow the ring, but skating in the opposite direction, aiming to collide with the blue hedgehog with his fist.]

[sonic_wachowski]

[Hey, you're the one who pinned him down first.]

[Welcome to the chilly air, which is probably the weird part of this "dust cloud."]

[Sonic is on high awareness. He knows when it comes to Shadow, he cannot be lax. Pay attention, watch for the light, displacement of air or the pop of chaos control.]

[This one isn't popping though-]

[Did he not have the chaos emerald?]

[Light of the air shoes ahead.]

[The first connects-]

[Right into a bracer made of hardened ice, to let Sonic more easily tank the hit and a hand launches out to grab his arm.]

We need more space to play, Grumphog!

[And he spins on his feet fast to try and launch Shadow away from the center of the city, ready to pursue.]

[wherethereislight]

[The cold never bothered him anyway. But that is different. He still presses on, his fist colliding not a soft body, something hard instead. Ice. Annoying. Think these new toys can stop him? His arm is grabbed next and he feels the familiar spinning momentum being started by the other.

The throw almost works, if Shadow hadn't grabbed onto Sonic. Be it his arm, leg, or one of his head quills. He then continues the spinning momentum, blue turning to yellow as he throws the force back onto the blue hedgehog and attempts to throw them instead.]

[sonic_wachowski]

[Careful of the quills, those ARE still pointy and it does get a yelp from Sonic to have them grabbed.]

[And he really doesn't have a good angle to force his footing again, so away he goes.]

[Though if Shadow ends up with a quill from that...well, that chaos energy does NOT lessen with distance. Those quills are just as much generators as anything else of Sonic until he severs the connection by force.]

[Sonic grunts as he hits the ground, but he pulls his body in close to roll, and starts the spindash. Time to see how much follow up this Shadow wants to use.]

[wherethereislight]

. . . [Gold sparks dance with the blue ones coming off of the quill he stripped from the blue hedgehog. Brimming with familiar energy. Familiar, and yet something about it's energy wave is different. It did not feel like the fake chaos emeralds though. No, this was...He squeezes the quill in his hand. He'll use it as his own.

As the mist and dust settles, he sees the glowing blue ball that can be none other than the sparky blue hedgehog. Energy surges from the quill, crackling up along his arm.

In the next moment, a wave of chaos spears forms around him. Target, the faker. They start firing in the hedgehog's direction, but they're nothing more than distractions. He descends onto the streets, hand crackling with energy as a much larger chaos spear appears in his hand, forming around the quill as energy sparks green and blue. In the blue hedgehog's moment of distraction to avoid the smaller spears, he intends to ambush and swing into them with his own.]

[sonic_wachowski]

[There's the singing in the air.]

[Fuck, he lost a quill.]

[Sonic has to uncurl for more mobility, relying on his senses, and the usual and the one he's been practicing, tugging on the strings of energy between him and quills, grimacing as he sees the spears hit the road. This got a lot more dangerous. He needs people to evacuate.]

[BIGGER CONCENTRATION OF ENERGY.]

[Ice forms up over his back to lessen the spear's impact. The ice cracking, he can feel the slice into his side, but he needs people gone-]

[He looks back, eye an electric blue and mad and he grabs the spear, yanking both physically and metaphysically. He can't drain the quill, its too slow and he needs a stronger emotional reaction, but he can feel his energy manifested and he can pull at that, he can make Shadow work to keep it obedient.]

[At the same time, Sonic is yanking the spear and hand holding it away from Shadow as his legs kick up to hit him in the chest, not with enough force to send him flying, instead an attempt to keep Shadow still as he over extends his arm by keeping his legs braced against him, arms pulling up the spear up along his body almost like pulling a bow.]

[He takes a deep breath.]

DARKNESS MONSTER! EVACUATE THE AREA!

[He needs people to LEAVE and Darkness is the quickest way to get rid of anyone who can't fight.]