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Test Drive Meme #6

Test Drive Meme #6
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 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 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 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 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?
The whole city of Nightwake has completely gotten into holiday season. Christmas exists in Ellipsa, but it's just a celebration of winter spirits and a chance to exchange presents with your loved ones. Things like Santa Claus do exist, but they're not as important in Ellipsa traditions. The most important thing about Christmas, for Ellipsa natives, is being together with someone you truly care about and watching the Christmas lights.
Due to the holiday spirit, some of the cleaning related machines have started cleaning on their own, especially in the Starter Apartment Building. It's not weird to see a roomba entering an apartment through someone's dog door or a vacuum cleaner to knock on the door to enter. Natives will tell anyone wondering what's going on that this is perfectly normal and they should just let them do their job.
Some machines are, however, a little too eager and will try to clean even people, unless they've been to the shower that day.
Any items lost during the cleaning frenzy can be found from the Lost and Found of the Research Center - or they're potentially returned to the wrong apartment completely.
Along with holiday decorations different sized and shaped mistletoes have appeared all around the city. A good part of them are actually just normal mistletoes that you can just ignore and continue, but some of them are magical plants.
Mistletoes will use various methods to trap someone under them. Some grow vines to grab the person (magically infused, very difficult to break), some form a barrier around them that allows another to walk in but no one to walk out. There are even methods still unknown (make your own)! So it's definitely recommended that people use caution when passing a mistletoe.
The regular way of getting out of a mistletoe's hold is to kiss someone. Even platonic kisses count, so there's no need to force oneself to do mouth to mouth action. Another less known method - that the natives will tell people about - is to dance a little dance for the mistletoe; there's usually enough room inside a barrier, or the vines are loose enough, to let someone dance!
Another type of mistletoe is a roaming mistletoe that stubbornly follows someone who very much wants to kiss someone, but for some reason won't. The mistletoe will be waiting for them when they walk outside or appear out of nowhere when the person is talking to someone. It can only be chased away by actually kissing the person they want to, so even kissing a random person doesn't help this one.
CW/TW: Hanahaki Disease
Some of the mistletoes have a less pleasant effect (they're extremely rare). Those caught under one of them and who have something they need to confess to someone (may it be romantic or platonic) will be inflicted with the Hanahaki disease. They will be coughing up flowers that have started to grow inside them due to the secrets they're hiding. It's a painfully slow process.
Best way to cure the disease is to confess whatever it is they have on their heart. After that the flowers will start to disappear and everything can return to normal.
Other methods are getting a spring power holder to lift the disease off them, make a potion out of the hanahaki flowers and flaming ginger roots (found from the Summer Segment, near the Temple of Life) or surgically removing the source. All of these methods, however, will make the person lose all of their emotions for the next 24 hours.
During the winter holidays there's plenty to do in the city. Various workshops have been set up in every district. The goal of these workshops is to make all districts look as close to Christmas as possible, even the ones that are in the middle of summer. They're looking for creative ways to celebrate the festival and are always looking for help to make their wishes come true.
All the districts also have an ice rink built to them. They're magical, so even the heat of Solarpeak won't melt them. Skating in one of these ice rinks will make different colors appear around the skater. All the colors are somehow related to the skater and make beautiful art in the air (e.g. rainbows, whirlpools, flowers, animals). These colors don't have any other magical properties and will fade away after a while.
Those who skate together will find their colors mixing together. The more balanced the color mix is, the better relationship they have. This works even if there are more than two skaters having fun together. Those who are in love with each other will find their colors intertwining together into different kind of lines and ribbons.
It's a common rumor that if the colors turn into gold, silver or platinum instead of just mixing together, the couple skating is destined to be together.
If a relationship is rocky or either one of them has doubts about the other, the colors may completely disappear when they're close together in the rink. The colors will return again once some distance has been taken.
Christmas is largely a holiday for families and couples. That's why all the natives are excited to hear that there will be a Wedding for two otherworlders soon. That's why a lot of shops are doing promotions for any couples that enter them (even sometimes mistaken two friends as a couple). They're also excitedly making different wedding themed charms that will make the person dream about their dream wedding when it's put under a pillow (or if they don't have a dream wedding, they will dream otherwise pleasant dreams).
It's a great tradition to kiss under a Christmas tree. Those who do this will find a present appearing next to them. This present will have a pair of lockets that have pictures of each other in them. The locket will vibrate and the pictures will change its expression any time the person has an emotional crisis.
Those who are loners, or just don't have anyone to call their own, will be able to enjoy the holidays in their own special cabins filled with familiar scents and colors, located on any districts. They are, of course, welcome to invite friends over to enjoy it as well - and if one thing leads to another, that's a very good bonus.
Another important day to celebrate is the start of the New year. These celebrations, as well as the winter holiday ones, tend to continue far into January, as the natives find the atmosphere soothing and a great way to start an entirely new year.
Most important new year tradition is the Fireworks show. Booths have been set up for people to create their own fireworks. These fireworks will explode in the skies with the chosen colors and shapes (a picture, some text, anything really). All the person has to do is create the design they want and choose their colors. These fireworks will be sent to the skies on midnight when the year changes.
Those who create fireworks will receive a blessing for the new year that will let them regain one item from home/a previous world (works like a normal, non-magical regain would). Those who don't know what they want will be able to receive a random item that has been in their possession at any point. This item will appear near wherever they happen to be when the fireworks are set off, so after midnight in the new year.
Of course, there's plenty of food and drinks to go around everywhere, and most of them are even free. Some may even find their favorite dish among the various dishes available.
- Mistletoes (at least a good chunk of them) and all the Ice Rinks will be available until the end of January. Mistletoes are hard to control so not all of them can be taken down easily - and the ice rinks are just fun to have around. Some other traditions can also be still done during January, even if they might not be as powerful after New Year.
- Sawyer, the Autumn Guild Leader, is still missing, so the atmosphere around the Autumn Guild is a less cheerful one, unfortunately.
- 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.
Mithra Xelesti | Original Character | Winter
[ Once Mithra's gotten somewhat settled and he's retrieved his belongings the young half dragon mage will wander through the streets of Nightwake with a wide eyed look and childish wonderment in his features. He's always accompanied by his book which floats and flutters around him in much the same way that a pet bird would. ] This place is really something, isn't it, Lebo?
[ The book lets out a soft chirp noise before he spirals upward with a flourish, making Mithra laugh. ] I bet the library here is amazing. We have to find it. I-I can barely contain my excitement!! I wonder if anyone else got pulled here with us? [ The book lets out a soft whine before Mithra sighs. ]
Well, at any rate, I should find some paper and pens to document everything! Let's find a shop first and then ask around! [ Is what he says before rounding a corner of a rather busy street and running into you. ]
I-I'm so sorry! Are you okay?! [ Nevermind that what he's wearing looks straight out of a fantasy novel or anything. The witch's hat he's wearing will slide a little off his head as he grips it with a sigh and in his other hand is his staff. The book will let out a concerned noise as Mithra frowns. ]
This place is so busy.
Arrival - Roomate addition
[ So you might have a wizard opening the door to the apartment you've been assigned to. His blue floppy hat and robes are rather indicative of this. For Mithra this isn't an issue considering he's one of 5 siblings and has always shared his space. Of course, his space now is mostly just littered with books, tea, random herbs he's found out in the segments, and shiny rocks. Listen he's part dragon he likes shiny rocks and books and all sorts of other things!! But they're also useful for spells and the like. So when he opens the door it's with a smile and the room behind him is something to behold. Considering there's like a shit ton of books everywhere already one has to wonder how he got so many?? Do not question it!! ] Oh! Are you the new roommate?! That's really great! I'm sorry about the-the mess! I can clean it up right away!
[ So many books...books for days. ]
We Wish You a Merry Kissmas - Part 1
[ Perhaps you are walking along the streets enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of Christmas when a yelp can be heard nearby. And in an instant, a bird made of paper will be darting towards you before landing on your shoulder and then eagerly grabbing the cuff of your shirt or even hair. Please help its master?! Should you opt to follow you may find one scared half-dragon trapped in a mistletoe prison. The suddenness of it even made Mithra's horns and tail pop out?! He's really embarrassed as his fluffy tail curls around his torso and he looks up at the mistletoe with confusion. It's only once his savior is brought to him that those teary eyes look hopeful. ]
P-Please. Help? [ Wah he doesn't know what to do!!! He's unconsciously scooped up a good portion of his tail into his arms to cuddle as he still looks so confused. ] Did I do something wrong?!
[ He is just a poor little dragon, please halp. ]
Wildcard;
Library
[ If you're ever in the library there will always be one small black-haired dragon roaming about its aisles. The book that's always seemingly following him floats around him idly swaying back and forth in tandem with Mithra's tail which is now out because he can't contain his excitement! He's just so happy because there are so many new and unread books?! He could spend ages in this place!!! ]
Do you have any...recommendations? I-I've never heard of most of these books and it's a bit overwhelming! I want to try to read all of them though. Please give me your favorites to start off!!
Library
Recommendations? [She tenses. As a child, this kind of information would be used to mock or tease her. She's learned to guard her interest in poetry like she's guarding her own heart.
So her eyes narrow with forced suspicion.] Why ask me? For all you know, I'm into some genre that you absolutely loathe.
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[ That tail of his is wagging again as he smiles. ] So please tell me your favorite authors, books, and whatever else!
kissmas
It's a plant that traps you until someone kisses you. Do you mind if I step in?
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[ He bows his head a little in apology. ]
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[Evangeline doesn't give him any time to react to that before she's turning his head back up and leaning in to kiss him firmly on the lips. Mwa.]
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Th-thank you!!! [ The kiss wasn't bad either he's just no good with these sorts of things! ] Um! Um my name is M-Mithra Xelesti. Th-thank you for your help, again.
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[She remembers Nonhuman Cuties when she sees them.]
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Y-Yes! I just arrived here a few days ago. This place's magic is...really something. Does this kind of stuff happen often? [ His tail wags a little as he asks that. He is really both intrigued and fascinated with what he's experienced thus far. ]
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Arrival
Yeah, don't worry, this master is fine.
[Don't mind him, just his pride a little bruised, but that's nothing new. He looked up, staring at the... floating book. Huh. Pulling his eyes from it, he reached a hand up.]
Mind helping me up?
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You sure you're okay? I-I'm a bit clumsy at times, so I apologize! Um! My name is Mithra. What's yours?
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Don't worry, I've had plenty worse. A little tumble is nothing.
[Back on his feet, Shang Qinghua straightened his robes, making sure everything was laying correctly and his sword hadn't fallen from his belt. (It could happen with his luck!) All put together again, he gave the young man a smile and a shallow bow.]
Shang Qinghua. It's nice to meet you, quite abruptly!
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Your name is-is very pretty. I-I don't think I've ever heard that kind of name before back home.
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Ah, thank you? It’s a generational name. All my martial siblings have names starting with Qing.
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Kissmas
...Oh. Hello.
[ This has just made their whole week. This brings back so many Shigeru-themed fond memories that they can't help but look at poor Mithra with rosy nostalgia. ]
Are you having fun?
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[ Unless there is someone depraved enough to consider it that way?! Mithra looks back at Nen with a pleading look. ] Do you know how to h-help me? Or-Or anyone that does?
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I think it is very fun. [ HOWEVER-- ] If you want to go down, you just need to kiss someone. Do you want me to kiss you? It is okay if you do not. I am happy to watch.
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[ He has too many things to do, so many books to read!! ]
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them slide into his clothesthem tangle Mithra all up. ]Alright. Please hold still and I will free you.
[ Like a fairytale princess in the books Yuuto lent them! Nen navigates the mistletoe with zero danger sense and winds up with a few around their own legs, but it's fine; once they're within range of Mithra it's easy to reach up and cup his cheeks. They draw him close and lean in, pressing their lips to his in a nice lil smooch c: ]
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Arrival
[Aimee extends her arms out, trying to catch the young mage. She steadies herself and him like someone who is used to these situations, a lot. Her hands float nervously inches from his arms and her eyes widen with a terrible realization.
He's cute.
He's really cute!!! And dresses nice. And he's magical?
Oh no.]
N-n-no! I'm terribly sorry, I wasn't paying attention! [She hasn't processed his apology, fretting with concern.] Are you okay?
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I-I've seen those things before... [ He points to what is a car. ] And these buildings are so-so big. Bigger than even the castles back home!
[ Skyscrapers are not a thing in his world either!! ] I got distracted by all of it.
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You have castles.
[Aimee says it more to herself, monotone. He must be used to so many amazing things…! And she ran into him because she got distracted.
So embarrassing.]
P-please, I ran into you! And it’s true, they’re so tall. I’ve been meaning to look in them and see if there’s anything interesting…you have automobiles in your world as well?
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[ He collects and likes books a lot if that wasn't obvious!! ] Automobiles...yes! Um, but, they're very primitive and not as fancy as these. Reamingcairn is one city that-that uses a lot of technology...it's very interesting, but most of it is run via magic or-or steam power.
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[Sweating. But he seems nice?
Oh no.]
Oh no! Do you go into abandoned places often? Do you know how to fight?
[He’s so cute and fancy she has her doubts…]
Owning a bookstore sounds like a dream. My world uses steam for some things too! Some of the technology is incredible.
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