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

[dreamsofwings]

"I mean what I said," Eren answers, deadpan. "A friend died here. He came back, but we had no way of knowing that would happen. It still sucked for him but if it happens again…"

He doesn't need to finish that threat. He punched Jean for dying once, he'll punch harder if it happens again.

"It's not a risk I'm willing to let anyone take," he says, as if he can do anything about it. He has no delusions here that he can control what other people do. He doesn't want to, never has. The very idea of forcing other people to do or not do something makes him sick. There are a million other terrible things he would do without question, but people should be free to make their own decisions.

Manipulating people, on the other hand…that's different, obviously.

"I do want to save it," he answers, eyebrows drawing together. His motives are just not about the world itself. He does not and cannot give a shit about the world. He will always place his people above everything else, even if it puts those same people in danger. This is a lesson he refuses to learn.

"I'm not ignoring anything," he says. "I've never hurt anyone here on accident."

It's arguable whether he hurt anyone at home on accident, either, but still.

[lyingheart]

She still gives him a look, wondering who it was... wondering how well Eren tells people they're friends or not these days. She doesn't know, and doesn't expect to find out.

"Hah. So you get to make those decisions for other people? That's bullshit, and you know it." Annie also knows it works. She's seen the consequences, and if anything has her hackles up right now, it's knowing how effective he is almost in spite of himself. There's many things to be said about the triad that'd been Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, but not one of them could be called charmless.

Not even Mikasa, though when they were younger, it was a little, just a little, enjoyable to tease her over the overprotective and undereffective streak she had toward this man in particular. Annie holds herself still, not trusting Eren to recognise himself in these ways anymore than he ever had. Mincing words by saying he'd hurt no one here had a certain air of yet lingering about it.

"So you're keeping your titan out of all public areas, keeping your actions as one concise and direct, and not rushing in before pausing to think? You sure you've changed that much out here?"

[dreamsofwings]

"Do I get to decide if someone else dies? If I can, yeah," Eren says, his tone unchanged. It's simple, isn't it? Just don't fucking die.

Of course he knows better. He can't control other people that way. He doesn't actually want to control people's choices. He just doesn't want to see any of them die, not here and not anywhere else. Impermanent death still seems traumatic and upsetting. Anyway, what if that stops happening one day? How many times would it be too many? He doesn't know.

He considers her other remarks. Of course he can be reckless. He also just side-steps around emotional damage. He's caused plenty of that.

"I've never transformed in any of the populated areas, like the city centers. I can't tell you I've never done it around other people. Of course I have. Monsters showing up and attacking aren't gonna wait for me to gingerly remove everyone."

His eyes drift back to the horizon.

"I haven't changed. I'm the same person I've been since I was born," he says. He's said this kind of thing to people over and over. He mostly believes it himself. He's always been a monster, willing to do the unthinkable in order to reach his goals of freedom.

"But I promised the captain I would try to be better. So I do."

He takes this promise seriously, as much as he can. Eren's promises aren't all that good. He'll break a promise if he thinks he has to, but he has stuck to this one as much as he knows how. The problem is that he's not all that interested in being a better person. He's just not interested in ending the world, either.

[lyingheart]

That he hasn't transformed in the populated areas here is progress. Part of why she knows what he says about being the same person is bullshit: he knew the difference between what he did in Stohess and what he did in Liberio. Annie never had all the details for the latter, but a deliberate retaliation and declaration of war versus unthought retaliation in unfocused rage are very different things.

He is, however, just as brick-like as he's always been when it comes to not hearing what he prefers to believe. There are advantages to that, just as there are pitfalls big enough to swallow whatever tripped into them, Titan-sized or not.

"Convenient to tell yourself that, Eren. You were never going to be the same person now as you were back then, let alone when you were born, idiot."

A tired sounding idiot. Eren is, by nature of being someone so different these days, by merit of being someone she heard declare war on the world and then participated in slowing him down, who just died less than two days ago for her, exhausting.

"Everyone's changed. If that's becoming better than we were, or becoming worse, it's all decisions we made along the way. It's bullshit to tell ourselves otherwise."

As she had, at some point. When her life held no value to herself: where being alive was no different than for the moment not yet having been crushed by the world like an insect under her shoe. Then that changed.

Four kids set down on an island. Three make it to a wall. Every step brings them and the kids on the other side closer to the day the world rests on a knife's edge, deciding if now is the time its lifeline is cut, or if it'll come sometime later. Even when they pull the knife away, it's never truly gone.

"Don't try. Do. For your sake, and for the sake of every idiot here that loves you."

Debatable that she includes herself, but she at least knows that everyone from the Scouts, that Reiner, clearly do. It's not like Eren is going to give a shit if she does or doesn't.

Annie shakes her head, turning on her heel and walking away from him, back toward her shoes. Dismissing him as a threat, considering she's showing him her back. She's just so tired of fighting, and she can't stop yet, can she?

Not even in a whole fucking different world.