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seasonsgreetings2023-12-15 12:08 am
seasonsmods) wrote in seasonsgreetings2023-12-15 12:08 am
Entry tags:
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.
no subject
There is a rough indication of what kind of food is held within a given vending machine - main dishes, side dishes, vegetarian options, desserts, and so on. The food is kept hot respectively cold and regularly swapped out on the hidden backside facing the kitchen. Frieda excitedly goes for a main dish first of all!]
Jade, look! It's a five-star meal!
[It's nothing awful, but also nothing special: Meat wish mashed potatoes, carrots and peas, in a ready-to-eat format. Despite Frieda's joy at the surprise factor, she has to concede:]
This is something I often eat at home, actually.
[Maybe Jade's surprise will make up for the all-too-familiar dish... but honestly, perhaps a somewhat nostalgic meal isn't even the worst thing to have, given what Frieda has learned about her future back home.]
no subject
He’d locked out with some Takoyaki, decent quality sushi, and a shrimp scampi, but, while technically not a bad dish, condillo de congrio.
Eel soup.
This is the perfect opportunity to pass that one off.]
You welcome help yourself to my dishes if you like. In fact, if you’re interested, you can have my soup- I’m not terribly fond of eel.
no subject
[She actually has to try a spoonful to flash back to a relevant memory (this doesn't always happen, but sometimes it does!). Her family - no, her ancestor's family - is seated around a table that's neither lavish nor sparse, with enough food for everyone yet no pompous overabundance. The people are chatting, but the mood is subdued. The war isn't progressing well. There's more resistance than expected in the east. Her mood turns gloomy as the context sinks in, but the eel soup tastes good.
The flashback lasts only for a few seconds, and Frieda manages to mask the brief pause as concentration on savouring the flavour. He smile returns, sincere as always.]
I like it! I'll eat all of it if you really don't want it.
[She curiously eyes his other meal items, too... Jade may just have to end up sharing everything with her! While she remembers a variety of seafood dishes - even some eastern-style ones, given the Eldian Empire's close relationship with its ally Hizuru before its fall - there are many she's never eaten in her own lifetime.]
no subject
[And he offers a shrimp from his scampi, since she might as well try it all. At least before he makes it vanish in the blink of an eye. That workout on the rink sure did bring out his appetite.]
And this is a shrimp scampi, it's a simple dish to make and still has quite the abundance of flavor. Try some.
no subject
You know, compared to your assortment I have a real land-dweller meal!
[She laughs at her own joke before offering him a sample of her food, too. But as they eat, she remembers... wasn't there something he wanted to share with her?]
When we walked here, didn't you say you had something you wanted to show me?
no subject
I'll admit your dish was just as foreign to me a few years ago. Rocky coastlines and sandy beaches don't support crops or farm stock very well, [Neither does the bottom of the sea.] so it was harder to come by. All food is a delicacy somewhere.
[But ah yes! He reaches into his pocket for his phone from home at her reminder, and brings up a picture of a statue before handing it to her- well bringing up the picture AFTER more discretely hiding the folder of blackmail pictures. Can't have her stumbling on that.]
You mentioned wanting to see what the sea witch looked like, I happened to find my phone after the fireworks yesterday, and realized I had taken a good picture of her statue at my school.
no subject
[The contrast between life inland and by the sea truly is a stark one! The statue photo, though, captures her full attention as soon as Jade gives her the phone, and she studies it for several moments.]
She really has tentacles, like an octopus... amazing.
[The big woman, even as a mere stone likeness, radiates confidence, from her bold hairstyle over her posture to her expression. Frieda can't think of anyone she knows who gives her a similar feeling - no one in her own personal memories, in any case, and she doesn't want to try and summon up any ancestral ones. It's largely out of her control what comes to the surface, and she doesn't want to risk diving too deep into the past when she's with Jade.]
She must be deeply venerated if even the landpeople built her a statue!
no subject
[And that was the unfiltered truth from him, and the reason he so adamantly took her under his wing. They were the same, but on different sides of the fence. He was enjoying sharing the new experiences with her, though her subtle quiet mood swings piqued his curiosity as well.]
She's considered to be one of the seven most powerful mages in history, my school pays homage to them, hence the statue. It's partially why my brother and I applied there, we hold her in great respect.
[There's a thoughtful pause if revealing Azul would make it too obvious as to what he is. Hmm, actually no, it could work as a perfect cover for his knowledge of merfolk.]
I have a friend that's a merman- an octopus like her, he's in the same dorm as my brother and I. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of him in his merform, he's rather shy about it.
no subject
At his mention of his octopus friend, she makes a sound of surprise.]
He's shy? How come, when he has such a famous historical figure among his people?
[It has to be the opposite of being an Eldian in the world outside the walls! Surely, octopus people in particular are treated with respect by other races?]
no subject
Well, Octopi by nature are shy and wary, they’re also relatively rare and tend to stick together. When Azul went to school, he didn’t have the best time of it. Lacking a tail fin means he’s quite slow, and I’m sure you can imagine how other children took to that.
[And more for his favorite part- actually, Azul made him sign an NDA about this didn’t he? Oh well, he’s miraculously forgotten on account that the paperwork didn’t exist here. Azul can prove nothing.]
He was also quite round. He had me handle some pictures from when he was young. He was honestly rather adorable.
If you swipe to the next picture, it should be the three of us together in front of the statue. Tragically, he’s no longer quite so round.
no subject
It's incredible; he really turned into a human like you! And you and your brother truly look alike! I need to take a photo of Historia... but she's easy to tell apart from me. She has blonde hair.
[And she's 26cm/10'' shorter than Frieda, so there really is no mistaking them.]
It's nice that you two befriended Azul when he didn't have many friend among the merpeople.
no subject
[And now onto their mutual emergency food supply- uh… friend. Their mutual friend.]
Azul is far more popular now- honestly you’d never realize that he was once such a shy little introvert. That said, if you see him here don’t make any agreements with him without me present. He’s incredibly clever, and the shock of suddenly being in a place like this may bring out the worst in him.
[Out more like, he’ll see a tie to Jade and make some underhanded bargain to try and keep him behaving- and behaving is no fun at all. She’s his friend, and Azul can keep his contacts to himself.
Though he will gain ten years of life if she gets the opportunity to remark on how cute and round he used to be.
Though on the subject of small and adorable-]
I met your sister yesterday when I brought over the food. She answered the door and mentioned you were resting. She was quite sweet. If only Floyd was half as well mannered as her.
1/2
She had so many questions for her sister... Historia got increasingly uneasy, but Frieda pressed on, pushing her to give her the full context of what led to her being able to remember her - something that shouldn't have been possible, not if Historia had been able to lead a normal life.
So all of us are going to die. So violently, too. Poor father, having to survive alone...
And poor Historia, for having to tell Frieda about it against her will. She'd been so unhappy and distressed, yet Frieda had asked for some time for herself rather than comforting her sister. She vaguely remembers Historia telling her that Jade brought food a couple of hours later, but she barely registered it at the time.
This morning, she ate some of it - after apologising to Historia, causing her to tear up again -, but it was hard to stay in the moment and fully appreciate the flavour and Jade's care in making it. Luckily, King Karl's blessing, her inherited ability to put the greater good above all else, helped her put everything in perspective. It has to be this way. Why should we be the last to die?]
2/2
I'm sorry, Jade. I'm worried about Historia. She has some friends here with her, she said, but she's been living alone this entire time. She's been here for well over half a year..!
[Historia is 5 years older than Frieda remembers her, and it was a relief to hear that she made friends in that interim, but given what a lonely childhood she had, Frieda can't help but still feel worried - and guilty, now, given that she caused her pain right after arriving, much as she knows that Historia doesn't hold it against her.]
I should pick something nice up for her before we head home.
no subject
Still, it'll be its own fun little mystery to solve.]
Goodness, that is some time. I won't pry but it did seem as though a lot had happened last night for you to need rest so abruptly. Is there anything I can do to help?
no subject
It's kind of you to offer that, but it'll be fine.
[We Eldians will finally atone what what we've done to the rest of the world. How could she possibly drag him into the dreary and mired matters of her world, of her people? It's not like he could undo 2000 years of cruel oppression.
Still, she owes him a little more than this, doesn't she? He's been nothing but gallant, kind and thoughtful to her.]
...
I'm not entirely in good health. You must have noticed by now. Sometimes, my head gives me trouble. But, as with your ailment, it's nothing serious or potentially fatal - just something I need to be mindful of.
no subject
Well, if there's anything I can do, please tell me.
[He had his doubts he would be of any help, but he supposed acting as a distraction from whatever was going on could be considered helping in its own way.]
Hmm, though for your sister... if she has been here for such a length of time then I doubt any of the food here would be much of a surprise.
[He pauses to think, they were still rather new and he didn't have his usual number of contacts and favors to pull on here. It would have to be something on the more humble side, but could he dressed up to look like more... oh!]
I know- if you are feeling up for it perhaps we can cook something up together. I've got quite a number of recipes committed to memory thanks to my work at Azul's lounge, and if she winds up enjoying it, you'll be able to make it yourself after.
no subject
I'd like that! We still have a good amount of what you made yesterday left over, but Historia put it in the cold box.
[The fridge.]
You and Azul go to school together, and you also work at his lounge? Does it open in the evenings?
[Even so, these boys seem to have a lot on their plate!]
no subject
Well, it’s a little more nuanced than that. Azul is the housewarden of our dorm, he’s basically the one in charge of the direction it goes in, and has a measure of authority. In the spirit of the Sea Witch, he thought it would be conductive for the members of the dorm to play a part in an actual business- to learn the value of a fair [ “fair” ] trade, and hard work.
So he opened part of our dorm to the school as a small restaurant- his family runs a restaurant you see, so he’s got a measure of experience and insight. I’m his vice housewarden, so I oversee much of it as well, and one of my duties involves helping come up with new ideas for the menu.
Suffice it to say, I have learned my way around the kitchen thanks to the experience.
[So much on their plate and he hasn’t even mentioned the baby mobster thing they got going on.]
We could try something sweet? If you have leftovers for meals, then perhaps some dessert as a small treat?
no subject
You're the vice housewarden? My, my!
[She gets up from the table to lead the way to the recycling station for their meal containers.]
Making something sweet for Historia is such a nice idea! Let's do that.
[As they leave the gacha restaurant, she naturally takes his arm again. At this rate no one in Nightwake City may ever see them walk around detached from each other!]