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seasonsgreetings2023-08-18 12:00 am
seasonsmods) wrote in seasonsgreetings2023-08-18 12:00 am
Entry tags:
Test Drive Meme #4
Test Drive Meme #4
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 Message [ Click to Expand ]
Hello, my name is Olwen. I'm one of the leaders of Ellipsa as it currently is. I'm also one of the four who summoned you here.
Our world is in trouble and we need your help. I apologize for tearing you away from your world and forcing you to come here but I hope you understand. The magic we used doesn't let us ask in advance, nor does it let us choose who we bring here.
This world is composed of four Seasonal Segments. All of them represent one of the seasons. They were the places we used to get our resources from, but now they're dangerous places no one should go into unless they have the power to fight back. All of them have their own sets of powerful monsters and natural catastrophes.
We used to have plenty of people here who could control the powers of the four Seasons. We called them Seasonal Power Holders. Unfortunately, due to a tragedy you can read about later, we lost almost all of them. Now only four of us remain and the world is in chaos. We have done our best to protect the world, but we need more power holders to do that.
That's where you come in.
All of you have been assigned to one of the seasons. Whatever space you were in just now is what season you represent. You will learn different skills based on the season and those skills are going to help you save this world.
These powers don't interfere with your own natural powers. They use a new energy that has formed inside of you. It's harmless to your health, but it's vital to your seasonal powers. Your own powers should still work, even if the dark energy outside the city might interfere with them.
Unfortunately bringing you here wasn't as simple as it sounds. We couldn't do anything about how to keep you anchored to this world other than making a simple spell that helps with it. That is, you need to touch someone else who is not from this world ideally at least once a day. It will help you stay in control of your powers and boost your magical energy. If you don't, the consequences aren't very good. But as long as you hold someone's hand or give someone a handshake, you should be fine.
That's all I have to say about the situation. The staff of the Research Center will give you more information about housing and other necessary things. I will, however, promise that you will be sent home once the situation becomes better. That's the least we can do.
The hologram can be viewed in private in a separate room later, should someone wish to look at it again. For now, the staff of the Research Center hands everyone their new smartphones with their small flower lucky charms (the flower is anything the player decides). They're also told that the building next door is where everyone can find a room assigned to them with some of their belongings there and possibly even any animal companions. Those concerned about their mount-sizes companions are welcomed to the stables downstairs to see if their friends are there. The mounts are allowed to stay there until you find a place more suitable for them.
In the Arrival's hall there are also several stands with information pamphlets.
First type of stand is for the local Guilds and about the benefits or joining one.
Second type of stands is for the Welcoming Committee 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 the stands is for The In Touch Support Group that is led by the Otherwordly Ambassador, Kamisato Ayato. The pamphlets have contact information for businesses looking to help Otherworlders. They also focus more on the lore of the World and what they have discovered so far, as well as a guide on what to think about when preparing to venture out to the Segments.
Once you get your smartphone and necessary information, you're urged to go out and find your apartment. After that whatever you want to do is up to you.
Part 3
The building next door is where everyone can find their new apartments. As you enter, you're told by a friendly native that for the first two months you can live anywhere rent-free and five meals a day are paid for you. After that they get a monthly payment that helps with some of their living expenses, but otherwise they have to have a job to support themselves.
All of the apartments are comfortable, two bedroom apartments with all necessary utilities. They are also completely soundproof. Sometimes the magic system, however, does glitch and you might find yourself rooming with a stranger. This is not the intention and the staff will immediately prepare you your own room if you ask them. But maybe having a roommate isn't all that bad?
In the Arrival's hall there are also several stands with information pamphlets.
First type of stand is for the local Guilds and about the benefits or joining one.
Second type of stands is for the Welcoming Committee 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 the stands is for The In Touch Support Group that is led by the Otherwordly Ambassador, Kamisato Ayato. The pamphlets have contact information for businesses looking to help Otherworlders. They also focus more on the lore of the World and what they have discovered so far, as well as a guide on what to think about when preparing to venture out to the Segments.
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 your own room if you ask them. But maybe having a roommate isn't all that bad?
Over the course of one night, fairies have decorated various trees all over the districts with special fairy lights. It's the 200th birth anniversary of the Fairy Queen coming up, so the lights are up for the duration of the celebration. The queen herself may be currently missing, but the fairies have not lost hope in finding her one day, hiding from the Darkness somewhere.
The lights are beautiful and in various different colors. Some even change colors occasionally. They seem very harmless, but some of the lights have been altered with mischievous fairy magic. Touching a tree affected by the magic will make characters act like a dere.
Just a light touch is all it takes. Even a falling leaf from the tree can trigger its effect. Suddenly you're acting just like a (player chosen) dere. Some trees also have an additional effect on making the character like the person who touched the tree at the same time, either in a temporary romantic way or a completely platonic manner, making the 'dere-effect' manifest in its full glory.
The effect usually lasts for an hour or two, but in rare cases the effect has been known to last for the rest of the day. No one really knows why that happens, it just does.
All of the districts now have an aesthetically appropriate party going on, with food and drink for anyone to try. As long as it's normal-sized, it's safe to eat. All of the districts also have small hanging platforms that look like stages or treehouses for the fairies to hang out and dance in. They're mostly visible for the duration of the celebration.
Those who want to help the fairies celebrate are asked to make miniature furniture for the hanging party spots. This also includes making cups and plates from leaves. Those that help the fairies with this will have the chance to receive genuine fairy wings on their back for the rest of the week (or for the rest of the month, if you ask nicely). These wings enable them to be able fly short distances (across a normal sized street, for example).
However those who are mean to fairies in any way will instead get a pig tail and ears, with a possible pig snout for the same amount of time. The effect can be reversed by apologizing to the fairies in earnest.
There are several ways to party and some fairies are more mischievous than others. They have taken upon themselves to do fairy pranks. They're all very harmless and silly and they don't want to actually hurt anyone. Just have a little fun.
Some examples include: hair braided into small braids, a glitter bomb exploding on characters, items teleporting from one person to another and people being tricked into eating fairy food (makes random, small fairy wings appear on random parts of their body that fades in a few hours).
During the dark of the night another magical thing has happened. The fairies claim that it has nothing to do with their magic if asked, but they're sure it's a miracle produced by the celebrations itself.
A large variety of mushrooms and forest berries have grown all over the districts, no matter what climate they have. Scientists (and fairy helpers) have determined that all of them are safe to eat and have decided to challenge anyone to gather these nutritious and tasty treats the earth has offered them.
Most of the mushrooms are quite normal, in both taste and how they look. There's one particular glowing mushroom that causes hallucinations, but no poisonous ones have been detected. Among the berries there are some interesting ones that have magical effects; wild strawberries make people burst into song, wild blueberries make people poetic and lingonberries appear to cause an increase in philosophical thoughts.
Upon later investigation, it seems the berries were, in fact, a fairy prank. But the mushrooms they haven't touched.
During the evening of the third day the mushrooms appeared, some chosen people get a message straight into their minds. Its telling them repeatedly to go to the Mushroom Sanctuary, slowly trying to gain control over the characters' bodies and mind. It seems some of the mushrooms were actually fae mushrooms, a dangerous mind controlling mushroom that is near impossible to detect before it's too late.
Should characters fall victims to the fae mushroom they will start making their way to the Mushroom Sanctuary in the Autumn Segment. They will do whatever it takes to continue making their way there, including fighting anyone who tries to stop them or even hitching someone's vehicle of choice to get there faster. All they have to say is "I need to go. I'm needed."
The only way to stop the mushroom's effect is to find translucent cordyceps, native to Autumn Segment, and make them eat them somehow.
Click on the image or here to make the map bigger.
Uninterrupted, those affected by the fae mushrooms, native or otherworldly, will make their way into their destination. The Mushroom Sanctuary is home to many peculiar mushrooms, big and small. It's light up by the glowing ones, making it look quite beautiful during the night. But no one is here to do sightseeing.
Instead, inside two of the biggest mushrooms, there are two stairways into the underground. After leaving all of their items, except their clothing, inside a third giant mushroom, the affected walk down these stairs and end up in an underground area. Once they get inside, the fae mushroom effect fades into a faint voice at the back of their mind, letting the people take in where they are.
They are surrounded by native mushroom people, who are now identified as Mushroom Fae (mushroom at max height of 1 meter/3'3 feet that have arms, legs and faces, as well as now revealed fairy wings). Everyone here has been brought here to work for the fae in order to build their Underground Kingdom. Food and other necessities like sleeping area have been provided, as well as a bathing area since they know how some humans are particular about their hygiene. Work includes digging tunnels, carrying away dirt, carrying the building material down, putting up support pillars and even building stone walls.
Animosity towards the Mushroom Fae and any attempts to attack them will trigger the Fae Mushroom control again, making the person essentially an obedient doll again. But the Mushroom Fae promise that after a few days (or a week, depending on how fast they work) they'll be released again. They just need a little bit of raw power to help with their project and this was the best way they could come up with.
Rescuing the workers is always an option, but those controlled by the Fae Mushroom will attack people who try to rescue them unless the spell is undo for them.
After the people have been rescued from the Mushroom Sanctuary, the fairies living inside the city will make an announcement that they have nothing to do with the Mushroom Fae. In fact, they had no idea they had survived the Darkness and transformed into regular looking sentient mushrooms.
As an apology for not realizing this sooner they will offer free delivery services for the rest of the year, meaning anyone can call upon a fairy to teleport an item (a non-sentient one) from place A to place B at anytime. The fairies may be invisible but usually always hear a plea even if further away.
- Lore Related: In Ellipsa fairy and fae, while similar creatures, are different species; fairy are generally nice and fun-loving creatures who do harmless pranks while fae are usually very suspicious and may even cause harm to achieve their goals.
- Map Related: The flowers and trees are all fae made things that give light to the underground space. They're otherwise not harmful. There are plenty of places to sit down and tables to eat at (food will be basic vegetable or meat stew with mushrooms, depending on if characters eat meat or not). The bathing area has water orbs that acts as shower heads, but also big public baths that are mixed gender.
- Ask your questions related to the TDM here.
- The TDM is available only to friends of the mods and their friends. If you want to play in the TDM, please leave a note here to inform us who invited you over. We will get to you as soon as possible.
- Test Drive is open for current characters to make a top level as well. New characters can add TDM on their subject line to indicate they're new!
- Current characters cannot access the starting area again to meet new arrivals. They can, however, be at the Research Center when the newbies are teleported in.
- The TDM is game canon so anything in the TDM can happen for your character(s) in the game as well.
- Smut is not allowed on the TDM. You can play situations leading to it, but if the thread is turning into smut, please move it to a private space such a post in your character's journal, or a locked post in the game's log community if you decide to app!
- Check Locations: City to find more areas to explore inside the city. Every place in the districts are open.
- Similarly, Locations: Segments is useful for outdoors adventures.
- You can find monsters to encounter on Beastiary.
- FAQ has information on characters' smartphones as well as general things about the world that might be handy.
no subject
I suppose someone being as flexible as he would make them good company...
[If they sound like they've never heard of best friends before, that would be because they haven't. The concept doesn't exist to them.
They didn't even have any normal friends until they, y'know, died. Right now, they still refer to everyone in Everhood as acquaintances or colleagues...]
... It makes me glad to hear you have someone you cherish so, however. As embarrassing as it feels to admit, that is something I have yet to experience.
But it sounds as though you two make quite a pair.
no subject
It's nothing to be embarrassed about. It's been very nice having a best friend but I hadn't experienced it either until I met Frank. And I was a full-grown monster by then!
[Now how to describe what's "best" about a best friend. Hmmm...]
I think a best friend is someone who understand you really well. You spend time together, you joke with each other and they support you when you're having problems. ... Though I guess that's what goes with being a friend too.
[She scratches at the side of her head a moment.]
Maybe it's like ... a best friend is someone who accepts all of you. You know, your good traits and bad ones, all of them.
no subject
This may be something that does not happen for me, then. After all, there are many of my own traits that even I cannot accept.
Would it not, then, be selfish to expect that of someone else? When not even I cannot accept them?
[The questions sound rhetorical and resigned, as if they've already accepted their fate. Their "best friends"-less fate.
This is the gigantic goofball Julie's currently stuck befriending. Too serious and literal even when they try to make it out like they aren't.
And oh, boy, it gets worse!]
I have been taught about many similar concepts, since arriving in Ellipsa. Someone you would like to keep with you forever, for example - a "husband", as they were referred to.
I fear I may be too socially inept for much of this... I cannot picture a way for this to happen for me beyond the use of force, and I am trying to put actions of that nature behind me.
no subject
Now don't talk like that! You don't have to accept your own traits for a best friend to accept them! Heck, Frank calls me a sore loser all of the time but I definitely don't accept that!
[Now she straightens up, hands on her hips and shoulders squared.]
A best friend sees the best in you when you can't even see it yourself! And if you want to get married I don't see why you can't!
[She waggles a finger.]
Social ineptness isn't an excuse either. If you want something you have to try for it, right? You don't just give up before you even give it a shot!
no subject
But they do lean back when there's a finger waggled in their direction, glowing white eyes wide and confused.
There is a LOT to take in from all of that, and rest assured they're absorbing it like a sponge, but there's one thing that's really caught them out of Julie's pep talk;]
... I do not know what it means to "get married".
[They learned the word "husband" completely separate of everything else. Haven't even heard the word "wife" yet.
And honestly, godspeed to Julie being the one who has to explain anything.]
no subject
... So you know what a husband is but not what being married is?
[That's a little backwards, ain't it? Mmm, well, no matter! Julie Joyful isn't one to shrink away from giving explanations, even if her explanations are often rambling and connected by a line so thin it might as well be made of gossamer.]
That's how you get a husband. Or a wife. Or a spouse. You have a ceremony and all of your friends and family come. Then the bride and groom ... or groom and groom ... or bride and bride? Or --
[She flaps her hands then.]
Details! You and your husband-to-be get all dressed up and you recite some vows and you're married! And then you have a party!
[She throws her hands in the air on the word 'party'.]
no subject
Or, if we did, it was a very long time ago. My memory does not span far enough into the past to recall.
However, all I was told was that a husband is someone you wish to be with forever. No matter how long "forever" is for you.
But it sounds as though... there is quite a lot more to it?
[Maybe they oughtta take notes, send them to the one who taught them about husbands in the first place.]
no subject
Well they weren't wrong about that. You have to want to be with someone a whole lot to marry them, I think. The way Frank explained it to me was when you want to marry someone you love them in a different way than you love your friends or family. I guess that would make you want to be with them forever because I know I want to be with my friends forever so a spouse would have to be really special!
[That said she giggles a little.]
Well maybe there's just a lot to the wedding. I would say the marriage itself isn't very complicated.
no subject
[They were under the impression it was for someone you just really, really admired. Not necessarily love - for them, it's more like they've currently got someone in their mind that they've placed on a pedestal.
But love puts a whole new spin on things. And maybe throws a wrench in some other things.
And confuses a lot of other stuff while it's at it.]
All of this is far beyond me. I had not even experienced friendship before Ellipsa, and struggle with that enough as is...
Anything beyond that is simply a mystery to me.
no subject
It's okay for it to be a mystery. You don't have to know everything after all. Learning as you go can be a lot of fun!
[Plopping her hands on her knees she's once more on her chair.]
You've learned about friendship and made friends here since you arrived, right?
no subject
(This whole world's made them feel like a giant. Not many people are as tall as they are...)]
I have been... attempting to learn more about it, yes. I find that it is mostly confusing with a lot of arbitrary rules that did not exist in the realm I hail from.
But I do have at least one person I would feel safe calling a friend. Perhaps two, but that would require admitting that Green Mage has won me over with their antics.
[And Green Mage is not allowed to win anything. Them's the rules.]
no subject
Good! Well then now you can have three! ... Or two? Definitely one more anyhow.
no subject
[For a second, Purple doesn't seem to really get what she means - but the moment it clicks is obvious on their face.]
Is it that simple? Truly?
We have only just met... is that enough? To consider us friends?
no subject
I think different people make friends in different ways. Maybe some people have to know someone for a while before they can really call themselves friends. Me? You could say I never meet a stranger!
no subject
Hmm. I see...
I may be someone of the former variety. It took a few million years before I could call anyone in the realm I come from a "friend".
[And even then, with how kind people in Ellipsa have been to them, they're thinking of yanking that title back from a few back in Everhood.]
However, if that is my rubric for friendship... I ought to change it. I have been told humans only live to be eighty.
But, regardless -
I would be very happy to be your friend, Julie.
no subject
No, back to the topic on hand!]
Good! So that's one more friend for you and my first friend here for me!
[She claps her hands together more than a few times.]
no subject
Perhaps it is fated?
[Saying that, Purple's eyes seem to glow a little bit brighter. Fate's something that's on their mind often, after all.
The idea that this friendship is meant to be... that's something they can get behind, for sure.
And now that fate and time and whatever's controlling both is on their mind... they seem to think of something important.]
Now that I think about it... there may be a bit of magic I can show you after all.
It isn't quite so interesting as the rest of my repertoire, but something tells me you will find it rather keen regardless.
no subject
She tilts her head a little.]
Oh? I'd love to see it!
[Because yes, magic!]
no subject
So that's an option open to her, now!
But at any rate -]
Wonderful. To start with...
[Their magic scoops up that little fairy chair they'd just finished painting, and delicately places it square in front of Julie on the table.]
Ruin that for me, please.
no subject
Looking back to Purple she pouts just a little.]
Awww, but it's so cute.
no subject
Thank you. But even cute things must meet an end at some point.
Think of it this way: you may choose to ruin it however you wish. Whatever your heart desires, do it.
There are no limits.
no subject
She chews on her lower lip a moment as she looks back to the little chair. Carefully she picks it up and even as small as she is the chair still manages to look teeny in her hand.
Picking it up carefully seems like a waste though when the next thing she does is outright crush it in her fist. Or at least break it in a few places. She's surprisingly strong it seems!
Excuse her somewhat sad look when she lays it back down. But even cute things must meet an end at some point. Goodness but does that sound ominous somehow.]
1/2;
[Somehow they didn't expect Julie to be sort of upset at having to do this; in their mind it's just a little wooden chair...
But, well. Sadness or not, none of it really matters anyway.]
Feel no sorrow for it, Julie. I would not ask you to do something like this if it were permanent.
[There are no magic words, no waving of their hands or anything that they need to pull to make this work.
No, all they really do is shut their eyes for a moment -]
2/2;
Instantly. As if Julie blinked. Suddenly... it's back together again, as if it had never been crushed at all.
Rather than saying anything, Purple just opens their eyes again to look at the chair... before bringing that look back up to Julie, just to wait for her reaction.]
no subject
Oh! OH!
[This time she isn't quite so careful when she picks the chair up but at least she doesn't smoosh the poor thing again. Instead she sits it back down before she claps her hands excitedly. The look she turns Purple's way is one of big glittering eyes and flushed cheeks.]
You fixed it!
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