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serendipitymemes2021-12-03 07:37 pm
serendipitymod) wrote in serendipitymemes2021-12-03 07:37 pm
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test drive meme #1
TEST DRIVE MEME #1
Welcome to Serendipity's first test drive meme!
☆ TDM threads can be considered game canon if everyone agrees to it.
☆ Any questions about the TDM can be asked in the mod questions thread.
☆ Questions about the general game mechanics, setting or locations, or magic can be asked on their respective pages.
It was a beautiful dream, complete with a sobering and tantalizing choice.
The awakening is just as beautiful, and you wake slowly, comfortably and completely on your own time, eyes blinking open to take in the surroundings. You are floating in the center of a pool of pink-tinted liquid, just a little thicker than water, just thick enough that the floating takes no effort. Dressed in a soft white cotton robe, you find yourself staring at the high domed ceiling of a round room lined with huge windows that let in the afternoon sunlight, a little pale and washed out with the cool midwinter temperature and the reflection of light snowfall outside.
Inside, it is warm, the liquid you float in close enough to your body temperature that you can barely feel it as it moves over your skin. Thick vines climb the walls, weaving in and out between the windows and occasionally over them, throwing thick organically-shaped stripes here and there across the room. Once you fully awaken and stand up and exit the water, you will find towels to dry yourself beside a neatly stacked bundle of your clothing (all very precisely mended) and any other items you might have had on your person when you made the decision to stay. You are left alone, given time to sort yourself out and get changed, and it is only when you decide to leave the antechamber with the pool through a single open arch and make your way into the courtyard of the castle that you will be approached.
The people who greet you are warm and welcoming, wearing robes of different colors depending on the House they're affiliated with - green for Life, blue for River, brown for Stone, and yellow for Sun. These representatives explain to you where you are and what you've agreed to and answer any questions you might have. After this conversation, you are given your tablet and walked through how to use it, then taken on a tour through the various House accommodations so you can choose which suits you best, and offered to be taken to the stables should you have a mount, large pet, or vehicle that's come through with you.
In honor of the first new arrivals to this empty little valley, the heads of the Houses have decided to set up a little party in the largest ballroom in the Castle. It's a simple gathering, primarily a feast with live music, dancing, and games. The ballroom is lit up with candles and strings of magical fairy lights, there is a large table lined with chairs and loaded with simple farm-to-table type foods - roast chicken and beef, baked and mashed potatoes, buttered and roasted vegetables, bread rolls and loaves of bread intricately braided into various shapes, several types of stews and curries made with goat, mutton, beef, and chicken served with flat fried breads, and an assortment of pastries, tarts, and cakes. To drink, there will be mulled wine and mead, beer and a few spirits, and a wide variety of juices and other non-alcoholic beverages. The crowning achievement is a small ice cream bar with various flavors of ice cream and chocolate and caramel sauces.
☆ a. CELEBRATIONS The rest of the room has been mostly cleared aside from some couches and armchairs set up around the edges of the room for people to rest in. Throughout the evening, several small bands play a variety of music meant for dancing and an entire large section of the room is dedicated to games - darts, tabletop sports games, cards, chess, and a game something like Pictionary or charades. Characters are welcome to mingle, dance, and play games with each other and with NPCs that will be more than willing to ask characters to dance or join them in a game.
☆ b. HOUSE PRESENTATIONS In a smaller room adjoining the ballroom, each of the Houses has set up a booth of sorts, meant to describe the interests and focus of each House as well as to demonstrate the types of magic that each house specializes in. Here, characters can observe mages from each House performing complicated spells or brewing potions and offering samples.
The spells performed will generally be complex, high-level spells intended to be impressive displays of what each House's magic can do. Characters can be temporarily changed into animals, have their worries erased for a few hours, become intangible, or be allowed to breathe underwater for a time, among many other types of fantastical spells. The samples of potions are good for an hour or so of effect and can cover a wide range of effects - intoxication and euphoria, enhanced luck, temporary infatuation, forced truth, the ability to speak to animals, and a host of other magical effects.
House booths are not recruiting, characters are not asked to join any of the Houses or ally with them, but they are showing off to try to tempt characters to sign up with their House to learn magic.
☆ c. SHARING IS CARING In another smaller room adjoining the ballroom, characters are invited to talk about their homes, show off their own abilities, or share something cultural from their own worlds. There will be a near-constant stream of interested NPCs as well as other characters who may watch or listen. Tell a folklore story from your country, perform a folk song, show off your superhuman abilities, or share anything else that reminds you of home in an enthusiastic sharing of culture.
Towards the middle of the evening, a 'game' is announced - the Secret Signs. A magic spell will be cast on the room at large, and characters will find a glowing inscription above their heads that reveals a minor but relatable secret of theirs, or functions as a sort of 'shaming sign' betraying a minor relatable misbehavior that the character indulges in. These inscriptions will remain for a few hours, and characters are encouraged to mingle, observe other people's inscriptions, and try to find common ground in these inconsequential secrets or guilty pleasures.
However, the spell isn't perfect, so some characters may have no inscriptions, or false accusations or untrue secrets displayed and have to deal with the fallout of that. Alternately, if players wish it, deeper secrets or wrongdoings may be exposed completely by accident.
On the day after the party, a call goes out on the tablets for the assistance of anyone who's able - the Greenhouses, which provide most of the food for the current population, are being invaded by pests! These pests are rodents about the size of very large rats that like to eat the ripened fruit and vegetables that have taken months of careful cultivation to grow. They are exceptionally good at climbing and the females of the species are capable of short flights using little 'wings' similar to those of a flying squirrel. When they're cornered, they have a nasty bite that can cause people trying to catch them to experience extremely strange surreal hallucinations.
It's very important that these pests be cleared out of the Greenhouses, because they are the source of most of the foods that characters will be eating, especially considering it's mid to late winter and growing things outdoors won't be happening for a while. It's your first opportunity to really contribute to your new community!
Each character's tablet will light up at some point during the first few days and open a new entry with a blinking prompt: Tell everyone something about yourself. Where are you from? How old are you? What was your family like? What is your favorite food or color?
Or characters are welcome to post up their own network-based prompts.
NAVIGATION
☆ TDM threads can be considered game canon if everyone agrees to it.
☆ Any questions about the TDM can be asked in the mod questions thread.
☆ Questions about the general game mechanics, setting or locations, or magic can be asked on their respective pages.
i. ARRIVAL
It was a beautiful dream, complete with a sobering and tantalizing choice.
The awakening is just as beautiful, and you wake slowly, comfortably and completely on your own time, eyes blinking open to take in the surroundings. You are floating in the center of a pool of pink-tinted liquid, just a little thicker than water, just thick enough that the floating takes no effort. Dressed in a soft white cotton robe, you find yourself staring at the high domed ceiling of a round room lined with huge windows that let in the afternoon sunlight, a little pale and washed out with the cool midwinter temperature and the reflection of light snowfall outside.
Inside, it is warm, the liquid you float in close enough to your body temperature that you can barely feel it as it moves over your skin. Thick vines climb the walls, weaving in and out between the windows and occasionally over them, throwing thick organically-shaped stripes here and there across the room. Once you fully awaken and stand up and exit the water, you will find towels to dry yourself beside a neatly stacked bundle of your clothing (all very precisely mended) and any other items you might have had on your person when you made the decision to stay. You are left alone, given time to sort yourself out and get changed, and it is only when you decide to leave the antechamber with the pool through a single open arch and make your way into the courtyard of the castle that you will be approached.
The people who greet you are warm and welcoming, wearing robes of different colors depending on the House they're affiliated with - green for Life, blue for River, brown for Stone, and yellow for Sun. These representatives explain to you where you are and what you've agreed to and answer any questions you might have. After this conversation, you are given your tablet and walked through how to use it, then taken on a tour through the various House accommodations so you can choose which suits you best, and offered to be taken to the stables should you have a mount, large pet, or vehicle that's come through with you.
ii. WELCOME HOME
In honor of the first new arrivals to this empty little valley, the heads of the Houses have decided to set up a little party in the largest ballroom in the Castle. It's a simple gathering, primarily a feast with live music, dancing, and games. The ballroom is lit up with candles and strings of magical fairy lights, there is a large table lined with chairs and loaded with simple farm-to-table type foods - roast chicken and beef, baked and mashed potatoes, buttered and roasted vegetables, bread rolls and loaves of bread intricately braided into various shapes, several types of stews and curries made with goat, mutton, beef, and chicken served with flat fried breads, and an assortment of pastries, tarts, and cakes. To drink, there will be mulled wine and mead, beer and a few spirits, and a wide variety of juices and other non-alcoholic beverages. The crowning achievement is a small ice cream bar with various flavors of ice cream and chocolate and caramel sauces.
☆ a. CELEBRATIONS The rest of the room has been mostly cleared aside from some couches and armchairs set up around the edges of the room for people to rest in. Throughout the evening, several small bands play a variety of music meant for dancing and an entire large section of the room is dedicated to games - darts, tabletop sports games, cards, chess, and a game something like Pictionary or charades. Characters are welcome to mingle, dance, and play games with each other and with NPCs that will be more than willing to ask characters to dance or join them in a game.
☆ b. HOUSE PRESENTATIONS In a smaller room adjoining the ballroom, each of the Houses has set up a booth of sorts, meant to describe the interests and focus of each House as well as to demonstrate the types of magic that each house specializes in. Here, characters can observe mages from each House performing complicated spells or brewing potions and offering samples.
The spells performed will generally be complex, high-level spells intended to be impressive displays of what each House's magic can do. Characters can be temporarily changed into animals, have their worries erased for a few hours, become intangible, or be allowed to breathe underwater for a time, among many other types of fantastical spells. The samples of potions are good for an hour or so of effect and can cover a wide range of effects - intoxication and euphoria, enhanced luck, temporary infatuation, forced truth, the ability to speak to animals, and a host of other magical effects.
House booths are not recruiting, characters are not asked to join any of the Houses or ally with them, but they are showing off to try to tempt characters to sign up with their House to learn magic.
☆ c. SHARING IS CARING In another smaller room adjoining the ballroom, characters are invited to talk about their homes, show off their own abilities, or share something cultural from their own worlds. There will be a near-constant stream of interested NPCs as well as other characters who may watch or listen. Tell a folklore story from your country, perform a folk song, show off your superhuman abilities, or share anything else that reminds you of home in an enthusiastic sharing of culture.
iii. SECRET SIGNS
Towards the middle of the evening, a 'game' is announced - the Secret Signs. A magic spell will be cast on the room at large, and characters will find a glowing inscription above their heads that reveals a minor but relatable secret of theirs, or functions as a sort of 'shaming sign' betraying a minor relatable misbehavior that the character indulges in. These inscriptions will remain for a few hours, and characters are encouraged to mingle, observe other people's inscriptions, and try to find common ground in these inconsequential secrets or guilty pleasures.
However, the spell isn't perfect, so some characters may have no inscriptions, or false accusations or untrue secrets displayed and have to deal with the fallout of that. Alternately, if players wish it, deeper secrets or wrongdoings may be exposed completely by accident.
iv. GREENHOUSE INVASION
On the day after the party, a call goes out on the tablets for the assistance of anyone who's able - the Greenhouses, which provide most of the food for the current population, are being invaded by pests! These pests are rodents about the size of very large rats that like to eat the ripened fruit and vegetables that have taken months of careful cultivation to grow. They are exceptionally good at climbing and the females of the species are capable of short flights using little 'wings' similar to those of a flying squirrel. When they're cornered, they have a nasty bite that can cause people trying to catch them to experience extremely strange surreal hallucinations.
It's very important that these pests be cleared out of the Greenhouses, because they are the source of most of the foods that characters will be eating, especially considering it's mid to late winter and growing things outdoors won't be happening for a while. It's your first opportunity to really contribute to your new community!
v. NETWORK
Each character's tablet will light up at some point during the first few days and open a new entry with a blinking prompt: Tell everyone something about yourself. Where are you from? How old are you? What was your family like? What is your favorite food or color?
Or characters are welcome to post up their own network-based prompts.
Greenhouse Invasion
His expression is deadpan and he lets out a little sigh.]
You might want to look where you're throwing things!
I did not expect to find a castmate here and I am screaming
Oh. You're here.
[He's glad to see Onni, honestly. But his gratitude consists of kicking a rodent away and then stepping over to stand near his cousin. Existing in close proximity is his way of saying "even if it's only been like a day since I last saw you, I missed you."]
...hi.
I was deeply torn between tagging you with Emil or Onni, I might end up doing both.
Then again, this place is much safer than where Lalli had been before he got here, so maybe, just maybe, he's a little pleased.]
Mhm. And so are you.
[Thankfully, Onni understands Lalli's "I missed you" and raises it with his own expression of deep affection - he puts a hand on Lalli's shoulder for a moment, squeezes lightly, and then drops his hand. If anyone knows how little Lalli likes to be touched, it's Onni.]
Hi.
[A pause.]
It looks like you're doing a good job of this anyway.
Both are very good choices yes
[Anyone that he knows, at least. There's plenty of strange men with strange names all acting in ways that are just unfamiliar enough to make Lalli feel out of sorts. Having the familiarity of Onni around is enough to calm his nerves and make things slightly better. But only slightly, because this is Lalli after all.
At the greeting, Lalli reaches up and rubs at his shoulder. Onni isn't one to give senseless praise, so Lalli trusts that Onni means what he says.]
It's not difficult. I didn't even have to use magic.
[Though there's now a bunch of rodents running around outside the greenhouse, and as soon as Lalli realizes that their bites have hallucinatory effects things will get Interesting. But Lalli would prefer Onni didn't get bitten for other reasons entirely.]
...probably no risk of illness here. It seems like a safe area.
[He's putting that out there both for Onni's sake, and as a way of indirectly expressing his primary concern, now that he knows Onni is here. No getting the Rash allowed.]
then maybe I will try both
[Having Lalli here, within his sight and visibly safe, makes Onni feel just a little more at ease as well. At least as much as Onni Hotakainen is ever really at ease. (It isn't much.)
He notes the rub at Lalli's shoulder and sighs a little, though it's not a displeased sigh, and he looks at the rodents running around inside the greenhouse, considering how best to deal with them.]
Have you tried doing magic here yet?
[It's curious, because Onni hasn't had a chance to do anything yet, and he's not sure if they'll be able to, separated so far from their gods.]
Mhm, I thought there might not be a risk of it. I haven't seen any sign of the Rash yet, and I don't think we could have brought it here.
[After all, Onni isn't infected and Lalli is immune.]
Still, it's good to be careful.
no subject
[Lalli is still a scout at heart, so he definitely checked out as much of the surroundings as he could. Even if their residence for now is just "a castle + surrounding areas", he knows several ways in and out of each section.]
It's a very large building with lots of different rooms. No signs of rot or death, and the only danger is the creatures in the greenhouse. There isn't much need for climbing, the stairs are well-maintained. I haven't made it to the mountains yet, but there are no border checkpoints stopping me from going there.
[He doesn't have a map to draw on, but he's still got it in his mind.
Lalli also nods in understanding. Even if this place seems safe, it's impossible to forget the lifelong lessons of safety and being aware of one's surroundings.]
...there's mages here. One came into my dream.
[This is said with the same level of annoyance that he talks with whenever Reynir invades his dreams.]
no subject
That checks out with what I've observed too. I've seen parts of the castle, the greenhouses and all that, but I haven't seen all of it or gone into the forest. You really didn't see any sign of Beasts or Trolls?
[It's a little hard to believe, as pessimistic as Onni tends to be. A forest untainted by the Rash seems almost like an impossible dream, for someone who belongs to the forest and yet has a healthy fear of it. It might almost be worth considering staying, if he wasn't so constantly aware of how far away his gods are.]
Mhm. The one offering a wish in exchange for coming here? She came into mine as well. She was a bit less annoying than Reynir, but I couldn't banish her the way I can with him.
[A pause.]
Speaking of him, do you know if any of the others are here? That Norwegian or the Dane or your friend?
no subject
Nothing. There's strange monsters, but they don't look infected. Probably just animals.
[Lalli knows he hasn't seen every animal in the world. He'd never seen a horse before meeting one in Mora. So with no sign of infection, aggression, or 'insides on the outside,' Lalli is going to assume there's no Rash here.
He understands why Onni is cautious, though. Onni is the one who isn't immune. He wouldn't have lived this long if he weren't careful.]
I haven't seen any of them. Only you.
[There is a moment of something at 'friend' though. Lalli had been trying not to think it, but it really is weird to not have Emil nearby. They've been stuck to each other for nearly a year now, it's going to be different without him around.
Not sad, just different. Lalli refuses to admit any kind of 'sadness' or 'missing Emil'. Because he's not that attached to him, nope.]
no subject
[Onni has at least studied more than Lalli has, so he might have an idea if Lalli describes them to him.
The idea of a world without the Rash has Onni reeling a little. Looking around, his eyes scan the forest edges that he can see beyond the clear walls of the greenhouse, and he's imagining going into them without fear of anything worse than a bear or an angry elk. It's a strange, hopeful sort of feeling, one he's not used to experiencing.]
Hn. Too bad, I guess.
[Onni is observant enough to notice that Lalli seems to be missing his friend, but he's not about to mention it.]
Did you have any sort of plan about getting rid of these rat things?
no subject
[The rats are totally monsters, just look at those extra bits!]
I can keep throwing them out. They can go somewhere else, or get eaten by birds.
no subject
[Well, Lalli has a point there. And his plan seems sound enough, so Onni just gets himself moving and pulls his spear out, eyes scanning around to catch sight of another of the little creatures.
Spotting one, he thwaps his spear down on it, stunning it, and picks it up by the scruff of the neck, tossing it over his shoulder and out of the door.]
How long have you been here?