Test Drive Meme - Autumn 2018

[thelostmods]

TEST DRIVE MEME

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I. Dragon Catch

You step out of your house, letter in hand to find what Zephyr laid out neatly in written word for you. Dragons, saddles and a brief explanation Zephyr was interested in a cool new book about people befriending dragons! The little godling had set up a corral, some stables and encouraged everyone to try befriending a dragon to ride. Snippets of the book are included for aid. All in all it seems like a lot of fun!

Well, until you look over the Meadous village proper.

Dragons of varying shapes, colors and sizes are meandering about the meadous, clearly having escaped the corral they had been kept in. One dragon has perched itself atop your neighbor’s home taking a nice nap in the sunshine. A gaggle of cat sized dragons have taken up digging up another neighbors garden. A few dragons hang from the beer tree, more than a bit… blasted.

One or two people you recognize are attempting to catch up to the dragons with mixed results. One person is at least hanging off of a saddle looking rather perturbed.

Do you help or merely let the dragon based chaos ensue by going back inside where you’re less likely to get involved?

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II. Be Careful What You Wish For

Well, that... that wasn't quite to plan. You stare down at the crayon drawing from Zephyr showing you exactly what you wished for. Except you hadn't meant it literally. Or you hadn't meant it quite like that, even if your wording had been vague. Now you're stuck with something you didn't want. Or perhaps you made a big mistake and now you're a different species. Or have extra appendages you can't get rid of. Not without making the walk of shame back to the Wishing Pond to wish away the changes. Why this? Why? If only you had been more clear or if only Zephyr understood subtly a bit more clearly.

Hopefully, no one will catch you as you steal forth to undo your mistake. Now that would be quite embarrassing if they saw you like this!

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III. Pumpkin Maze Frights

Fall has settled over the landscape nicely, with that comes a rather customary pumpkin patch maze. A tradition long standing that comes as the seasons shift with the Meadous.

Even long time residents seem surprised at the new heights the maze has taken on, not to mention a new sign warning its extra scary this year! The sign also advises there will be a cool prize to anyone brave enough to venture forth!

A few residents are gathered at the opening, talking amongst themselves over the newly scary-ified pumpkin maze. The maze walls are composed of pumpkins of varying shapes, sizes, colors and carvings. One or two snatch a pumpkin to turn into a pie.

Everything is fairly whimsical all in all until one steps into the maze itself to follow the dirt pathway within.

The dirt path under foot is easy to follow, but offers some minor startles at the occasional loose leaf crunching underfoot.The mixed in carved pumpkins that make up the maze walls provide some shallow lighting along with floating string lights in a light bulb shape hang over head. It is oddly darker in the maze than it ever has been before. It’s almost a little scary. The unnatural quiet of the maze doesn’t help matters any. Walking deeper into the maze only leads to less lights here and there.

Zephyr has maybe gone a bit over zealous with this scary thing.

A wind whips up, making the candle light within the pumpkins flicker and lanterns bobble overhead. A few candles flicker out completely for a long moment before sputtering back to life.

Is that a shadow on a maze wall ahead of you? Will you call out or duck behind a TDM convenient hay bale stacks?

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IV. Bulletin Board

Each month, Zephyr clears away most of the notes from their Bulletin Board and adjusts the decorations, leaving it fresh and open for anyone who might wish to post something new. The Meadous is a fairly rural place with minimal technology. Those used to a network may find the Bulletin Board is the closest they can come to something like that again. Who wants to actually talk to the neighbors when you can post a passive aggressive note about someone making a racket at 2 AM, instead? There's also some measure of anonymity afforded. Just be sure to only post up your notes when no one else is around and can catch you at it.

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V. Choose Your Own Adventure

Whether it's just waking up in the Meadous or exploring some other part of the Setting, you're striking out with your own prompts to get some action started.

Comments

[aigue]

Renart follows, half-wondering if the ease of finding the entrance-or-exit was in part due to Zephyr. Maybe, who knows. Either way she'll have to come back later to try for that whole grand prize thing again.

"Not candy apples, but there's a tree made out of chocolate that way," she gestures in one direction. "And my home has chocolate croissants and a shrub that grows macarons."

Because obviously a French foxlady is going to have magical plants growing French confectioneries.

they're both good robos brent

[obeir]

Thank you for the vote of confidence. I'm taking it a day at a time, and some are better than others.

That's all right, it's unnecessary to apologise. It sounds like you're still processing everything, and I'm likewise willing to help you however I can. And you'll have all the time you need to get used to your new circumstances. [ Or at least K hopes so. That appears to be the way things work in the Meadous — they're free to choose how they spend their time. The last part of Connor's note has him smiling again, and he has the strange urge to actually take the note to keep it, just to be able to re-read it again later. Maybe he will before the bulletin board's cleared at the end of the month. ]

I missed you, too. There's a lot to see here, a lot more than just the unusual trees. I'd like to explore it with you. We never did get to take that trip together, but maybe here we can.

[obeir]

His name is Connor.

[ Why are humans like this. ]

[clowngirl]

And who are you supposed to be?

[clowngirl]

"Chocolate tree...?" Harley looks on the verge of ugly-happy-crying, all big eyes and lip wobbles. Norfinbury didn't even have trees, let alone ones that magically grew chocolate. She remembers all too well choking down old protein bars from abandoned convenience stores in order to get her fix.

"That's so much better."

She quickens her pace in the direction Renart pointed out. She'd check out the fancy French treats after, right now she has to see this.

[aigue]

Well, it's good to see she has similar tastes when it comes to chocolate. Renart raises her eyebrows, but grins and nods. "Alright, it's this way."

It's only a short walk to the chocolate tree, and it truly is a chocolate tree. The bark, the leaves, all of it is made out of different varieties of chocolate. Renart gets up on her toes to snap off a leaf and start nibbling.

"The sap is chocolate liquer, too," she says helpfully.

[obeir]

I'm his friend. Who are you?

[clowngirl]

I'm a Libra who likes long walks through amusements parks, flowers that squirt water at you, and chocolate trees.

What kind of friend doesn't invite his buddy to parties?

[obeir]

Had Connor been present in the Meadous when Zephyr's birthday party occurred, you can rest assured I'd have invited him to attend with me. [ Aw, and it would've been fun... maybe next time. Needless to say, that had actually been the first party K's ever attended, too. ]

As confusing as the trees are, I have to admit the chocolate tree's a good one.

[clowngirl]

Definitely invite him next time then! Sounds like the boy could use it.

And glad you got some taste! ;)

yeah bront

[exigere]

If there's anything I can do that may help you adjust in this difficult time, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll do whatever I can. [ because he wants to, not because he's programmed to. maybe it'll get easier the more often he tells himself that. ]

The fact that this new living situation appears to be permanent is something I find rather concerning. Everything is strange and unfamiliar, and I've no record or database of anything here to refer to. I imagine I will be processing for quite some time. But I will do my best to understand everything as quickly as I possibly can, so as not to drag anyone behind. [ uhhh optimism um uhh ] After all, if we have all the time in the world here now, it should be better spent on more pleasant activities than dwelling on what cannot be changed. Right?

Exploring this place with you sounds like it'd be exciting. We should prepare accordingly, in case we encounter any dangers. But I think I'd like to try it.

[exigere]

People can walk through walls in your world as well? Is there any limit to what the humans there are capable of? [ pls forgive curious robo who can't process all this floating humans who walk through solid objects and tell the future shit ]

If you insist. I will still try my best to not overwhelm you with my curiosity.

[termineur]

Well, most people only have one special ability. But so far I haven't seen a limit to the variety. And a few people do have access to multiple abilities. Ones I've seen so far include flying, rapid cellular regeneration, the ability to create radiation, high speed, time manipulation- all sorts of things are possible.

And I do insist. As Zephyr once told me, curiosity is important. Especially when you've just been plunked down into a completely new universe.

[exigere]

This all sounds very strange, and fascinating at the same time. I may end up having more questions about your world than this one. I already have so many.

Lourdes Hidalgo | The Star Shards Chronicles | Mask or Menace

[vacationer]

[Lourdes knew from the start that this was complete bullshit, and this thing that she's standing in front of - this tower made from metal and spikes and human limbs - just proves it. She stares up at it, dead-eyed and emotionless, idly wondering if it often makes people (soft people, naive people, normal people, people who haven't seen the horrors that she has) scream in terror. From the first half of the welcome letter that she'd read before she'd tossed it aside dismissively, she'd gotten the feeling that this is supposed to be a happy, fluffy place, but this? This is proof that that was a lie, just like all happy, fluffy things are. The Meadous, apparently, doesn't even do a halfway good job of hiding it.

She stands there for a while, quietly congratulating herself on getting to the truth of things so quickly. She's sure there are people (soft people, naive people, yadda yadda) who are taken in by the lie at first, and the post-realization crashdown is probably hard on them. She'd feel sorry for them, she thinks, if she were capable of such things anymore. But after some time, she'll move on, wandering like a ghost through town and eventually finding her way into the woods.

She walks and walks, past the point when her legs start to get sore. There's no purpose to it, and she's going in circles half the time; she might not even end up that far away from the village. She's just walking for something to do, really; she's walking because it's better than sitting still. But eventually, she won't be able to walk anymore, and so she'll half-collapse onto a flat rock, folding her legs up under her and staring listlessly out at the trees. When the animals start to come out (they're easier to notice when she's just sitting quietly, instead of tromping through their habitats), she just watches them quietly at first. But then, one by one, she starts to control them: first making two rabbits play leapfrog, then bringing a deer in and having them all run in a tight loop in front of her, and then adding more and more animals as she sees them, until there's a synchronized ballet of woodland creatures running in smooth, concentric circles around her rock.

It takes more concentration than it should - more than it did the last time she tried this back on her Earth. Those two months she'd been on probation without her powers had gotten her out of practice, she realizes bitterly. And that, surely, is something she'll be punished for eventually.]

[OOC: Please note her many content warnings (none of which will be brought up in detail - or at all, in some cases - without prior permission) as well as her crazy powers! If you want your character to be susceptible to her body control, let me know; otherwise I'll default to assuming that they're immune. If you want your character to be susceptible to her magnetism, feel free to just write it into your tags; this is just an effect she has on people rather than something she actively does.]

[bywolves]

[ One of the things she might notice about the woods is the fact that the trees are louder than normal. When the animals in the woods start to perform for her, the trees rustle and shake, despite there being no wind. If she listens closely, it almost sounds like indecipherable whispers.

And as if he was summoned (he kind of was - the trees like to tattle), Royce arrives on the scene. He situates himself on a high branch in a tree not far from her, hood up, most of his face hidden. His stupidly long cloak drapes down off the side of the branch. He watches the animals move for a long moment, and then, in a voice just loud enough for her to hear: ]

You're making the trees nervous. [ It's casual. Conversational. Like people can normally hear what trees are feeling. ]

[vacationer]

[The voice startles her out of her concentration, and the connection drops; the animals, confused and alarmed, scatter. Lourdes looks around until she spots Royce, then leans back on her elbows so she can look up at him better.]

Trees aren't supposed to have feelings.

[bywolves]

And people aren't supposed to be able to form circuses out of wild animals by staring at them. Typically.

[ That's what he assumes is happening, anyway, considering the animals fled when she looked up at him. ]

[vacationer]

[He's not wrong, so she doesn't argue the point.]

It doesn't matter, anyway.

[bywolves]

What doesn't?

[vacationer]

[She lies back on the rock, spreading her arms out.]

Take your pick.

[bywolves]

[ Royce snorts. ]

Where did you come from?

[vacationer]

A place that felt more real than this.

[bywolves]

[ Relatable. ]

It's plenty real. Not that I'll be able to convince you of that. Go through enough illusions and everything starts to feel like a trick.

[vacationer]

I don't see the purpose to this. This play world, that pretends to be happy and fun? There's no point.

[She hadn't really understood the point of being taken to that other Earth either, but at least that was Earth. She could still fulfill her purpose there. But this place? How can she lead humanity to their destiny if she's cordoned off from them? A year or so ago, she would have been relieved to have that burden taken off her shoulders, but now? Now, she just figures it means there's something even more terrible ahead of her.]