TEST DRIVE MEME (JAN 23')

[myddvaimods]

TEST DRIVE MEME
Full Navigation | Reserves | Taken | Apply


Arc Introduction, Month 0


The Pull

Falling asleep, closing one's eyes to die, or simply walking through a doorway... it only takes the slightest lapse of consciousness for the magic to take hold. That sudden feeling of falling within a dream overtakes the senses, lasting far longer than it should. If lucky or nimble, feet will hit the floor rather than spine or face.

Characters find themselves pulled into a new world without warning, and they are now in the spotlight. Literally. From their new vantage point from center stage in a cabaret, they can just barely make out the strange, sprawling figures that form their audience. Hulking animal shapes sit at tables and lean against walls, defining the edges of the dark space. The floorboards glow with untold power, etched with countless runes and scripts, radiating power and… a strangely pleasant smell of vanilla and cinnamon fills the air.

"Charming," says a seemingly disembodied voice, tone bored despite the compliment, "Let this one stay, I'm intrigued by them."

"Suboptimal," responds another voice, this time clearly to the right and behind. Looking over a shoulder, the two speaking stand on opposite sides from one another.


The last to speak, a seven-foot tall goat man, is holding a broken shepherd's staff. The whole of the item is glowing with power and strands of magic wind outward like thread or like marionette strings, as they trail to the new arrivals body at all their joints. The goat man sighs and lowers the staff, dispelling the magic and the strands like extinguishing a flame. Colorful sparks and embers erupt and rise all around the stage, before cooling and disappearing into thin air.

"Welcome, you're one of the Pulled. Now, get off the stage," says that first voice again, from the other figure. They are a slim person of ambiguous gender and seemingly timeless age. They crack a smirk, "we have more of your kind to summon, the good Secretary Theodore will explain further,"

With that, it's time to explore what this strange place and experience holds, because there's seemingly no going back now.



Theodore is not his name...

Whether going willingly or getting kicked off, the most recent Pulled is moved into the off-stage area. A man waits, looking uneasy and stressed but doing his best to project some air of competency. He'll shake hands with anybody who'd like to but doesn't seem surprised or offended if they don't take his hand.

"Good to meet you. I'm Ted, Ydris' secretary," he has an overall exhausted air to him, as he pushes up his glasses.

Every Pulled gets the same, rehearsed explanation of what's going on.

First, a welcome to Myddvai, the name of the world they now find themselves pulled into. Myddvai is the vast World Tree, floating pleasantly through space. It is a highly magical place and thus not always the easiest to explain. He heeds that Pulled might want to curve any... expectations of perfect consistency. This world is highly unpredictable.

In the most basic terms, Myddvai is controlled by forces of Chaos and Order. All magic falls between these two extremes and is, curiously, denoted by flavor. The curious scent of cinnamon and vanilla is caused by the magic at work, summoning in the various Pulled. Ted introduces the two on the stage as Ydris and Ives, who are currently the two most powerful beings active on Myddvai. He urges that getting on either of their bad sides would be unwise.

The two on stage have devised this ritual summoning because the whole of Myddvai is in trouble. Ydris is one of five Dragon Deities, the living gods that oversee the natural order and chaotic forces throughout Myddvai.

Due to "a mishap," the other four Dragons are all unconscious. Many groups are scrambling to find their own solutions or, more concerningly, using this opportunity to seize various forms of control.

Ydris is aligned to Order and cannot allow such grabs at power on their, suddenly very solo, watch. Ives, who is a being with wisdom more ancient than even the gods of this world, has enlisted himself to help with this. The two agree they need outsiders with no biases on the politics of this world, and no motivation outside of what Ydris and Ives can offer them all. The prize for cooperation is a simple choice:

"Pulled are welcome to remain in the world and live out their mortal lives in luxury, heroes that will be favored by all the gods... or, be returned to your homes with new life and power. Even if you aren't interested in going home, there are others who are." Ted glances away for a moment, before his gaze returns to the Pulled, "The choice will be each of yours to make... provided you cooperate. If you're not interested in helping, you can be a normal citizen of the world. That's always an option."

Beyond that overwhelming lore dump, Ted can only answer so many further questions, but feel free to inquire with Ted. He's mostly around to field each Pulled as they're directed off stage to meet him. Other Pulled who have already heard the script can hang around in his space longer, but they'll probably get tired of the same speech over and over. Ted looks like he would love to stop...

Join the Audience

"You can join the rest of the audience. Mingle as much as you'd like," Ted urges to those done with their orientation.

There is only a curtain blocking the backstage from the seating area. Joining the audience reveals that the figures watching this ritual are animal, insect, and arachnid people. Dog, rat, bat, snake... all manner of heads sit expressively upon more human bodies, all dressed in sharp suits, gowns, or mixtures thereof. This appears to be quite the fancy affair!

These are Springtide Vampires, the aristocratic leaders of this particular culture. They eagerly invite Pulled in pairs to sit and socialize with them.

While a few lick their chops at the new arrivals, they insist they are not out for off-world blood. No, what they want is connections to the Pulled. Springtide Families are all headed by a Vampire, and those who grant resources to this endeavor are being promised great favors or riches by Ydris. So, they are hungry for clout more than anything. A few Vampires are interested in making conversation about themselves, but most prefer to simply eavesdrop on any Pulled sitting at their tables and speaking with one another.

Pulled who are especially interesting or social will be slipped a calling card with a family crest: Rat, Dog, Raven, Moth, Cat, or Spider. The Vampire granting the card will instruct Pulled that this will be valuable soon. So, hold onto it for later and guard it against thieves. Pulled can only acquire one of these cards each, so choose carefully. If Pulled decide to trade among themselves, that may come with future consequences.

((Note: Vampires will be NPCs available for interaction below, but players are free to handwave basic interactions, as described above. Receiving one of the calling cards can also be done at player discretion.))

The bar is open to a new you


At the far end of the cabaret is a long bar leading to a kitchen. Mysteriously, the cabaret has no discernable exit. There is a row of seats facing the bartenders and another facing the stage. Both rows are exclusive for Pulled, set aside from the Vampires. Everybody who was pulled in arrived wearing whatever they last had on. If an outfit was too revealing, damaged, or just not comfortable, then Pulled are offered a silken robe and slippers to wear instead.

Whether a waitress or bartender addresses a Pulled, they refer to them as their Myddvai Breed. "What would you like to drink, Elf?" "You look like a hungry Rahuth! How about something from the kitchen?" and so on. All Pulled take on recognizable characteristics native to Myddvai, features determined by the Pull of the universe. Any who ask are told that features are likely to continue to manifest the longer they're on Myddvai. Some Pulled might also experience their form shifting wildly between different breeds and are assured that will settle down eventually. This kind of transformation isn't painful, only strange to experience. Pulled can get told all the basic information available on Myddvai breeds at this time.

Pulled have plenty of time to chat just among themselves at the bar. If endless, freely provided alcohol isn't enough to loosen the tongue, then perhaps sharing a meal will? Pulled are required to order food as pairs or parties, individual requests won't be served. The menu is distinctly lacking in grains, dairy, and red meat, exclusively having vegetable dishes and various seafood on offer. It's all very flavorful and filling, seasoned well, and delivered warm.

If you're facing the stage, there's plenty more being pulled in... and come to find out, not everybody is allowed to stay.

The Ice Storm

Watch and it becomes clear that the ritual doesn't always result in worthwhile Pulled.

The room swells as the pair of powerful beings do each half of the summons. Ives steadies his staff and draws in the smoke generated by Ydris, who looks entirely different. Their human illusion is dropped during a summoning, showing their true form as a fantastical, wax-bodied being of fire and metal. Flames all swirl intensely, creating a smoke that is wound into concentrated magical strings of energy. These lines are what pull people out from their worlds, causing a void in reality from which they arrive through. The tear is quickly stitched back together by those same thread, weaving the space back together again behind the new arrival.

If a Pulled is deemed unworthy, Ives points the staff at them. A flash of light overtakes the entire room. The Vampires appear to all know just the time to duck or hide their eyes when this happens. Except a certain Sir Goodpoint the flash is his favorite part.

After this light dissipates, the person is gone. Seemingly returned home. One would... hope. The next ritual begins again, people stay or go. There seems to be a completely unknown ranking system at play. The Vampires casually mention how many Stars someone is worth in passing. Not everybody chosen has a high rank by this measure, so that doesn't seem to be the deciding factor.

A semi-regular occurrence is the Ice Storm. This is when an unwanted character is Pulled multiple times and everybody in attendance has gotten just so fed up with seeing them. One of the front-row Vampires seems to have started a trend, that of plucking an ice cube from their drink and throwing it at the offending Pulled. Basically, everybody in the audience takes this as a great opportunity to pelt the unwanted Pulled until Ives makes them go away, jeering and booing are optional.

All Pulled in the audience are given cups of ice, wordlessly encouraged to participate. Nobody subjected to the Ice Storm is allowed to remain. Any who stand to object to this will get the Ice Storm directed at themselves, instead. It won't get a Pulled who was already chosen sent back home, but they will get a good pelting for their trouble.

It also makes for a progressively funnier show as new Pulled appear and slip on the remains of the previous Ice Storm. Glad that wasn't you, right? Or maybe it was and now you understand why...


OOC Notes

Welcome to the Test Drive Meme for Myddvai's First Season!

This post is Open To All for play, both those with and without invites to our game are welcome to play in this space.

Players are allowed to play around with their character as any of the available breeds while on the TDM. TDM breed choice does not need to match an application. All threads from the TDM can remain canon even if breed is changed later when applying to game. The lore reason for this would be instability of a character's form when first pulled in. Breed choice cannot currently be changed once within the game, so choose wisely when applying!

As a reminder, TDM participation is a required part of our Application to join. Both top leveling your characters and tagging around is encouraged!

For those without Invites who are interested in applying, feel free to join our discord and inquire about potentially receiving an invite.

All Mod Invited Players are allowed to extend unlimited invites to those they wish.

For those with invitations, Reservations are open along with this TDM! Please put in a Reservation if you are intending to join the game.

Applications open on the 1st of February and priority will be given to Reserved players. The first round of acceptances to the game will go out Feb. 4th along with an IC Introduction Event.

Not sure what Breed you want to pick for your character? Head over to our Design Workshop! Moderation and other potential players would be happy to help brainstorm.

code bases by tricklet

Comments

Azhar | Original | Rahuth

[kabedont]

1. An Unlikely Arrival

[Really, he's taken the news about his circumstance in stride. Extremely well, even. To the point that the man leaves the stage without a word of complaint.

But then, he dismissed the thought of explanation immediately when someone else mentioned another someone who would explain. As soon as that was established, what was the point in demanding answers now? He may as well ask a hunter the answer to a question about growing crops. And so, perhaps to the disappointment of the audience as a whole, the man takes himself right off the stage.

There, he pauses to orient himself, gaze turning over the Pulled milling about much like himself. He's not tall, maybe 5'4, but he seems to have the everpresent aura of something like... a wall...? Maybe it's the stoicism or the calm nature. Either way, he doesn't seem unapproachable - just a little strange.]

2. An Audience of Some

[As a man who had little interest in small talk, Azhar seems to be an immediate disappointment for the vampires. He doesn't seem bothered by this fact though; the bear man simply sits sentinel, eyes alert and arms over his chest, while whoever he was dragged into this with fields most of the attention from them.

If they seem to be getting too... insistent, then he'll raise a hand in a halting motion, gaze suddenly less absent and more protective. If there's no need, he just sits quietly until he's addressed.]

3. An Absence of Sustenance

[As soon as it's revealed that they're to be served in pairs, the black-haired man turns his attention to the crowd. He's not that hungry, in truth, but the intent is obvious.

After all, he can still remember the teachings - one well never find one's purpose if one never converses. The circumstances are different, but he can reason that the intent is the same. So, anyone who seems to be having trouble getting an order alone may be approached by this little Rahuth, his expression unreadable.]

... This should suffice, yes? I am not hungry, so do what you like.

[His voice is... monotonous. Strangely, it doesn't seem like he's bored - he's alert and aware, and compact as he is there's no sense of hesitation even when others are much bigger. It's more like someone never taught him what emotion was, or at least he lesson never stuck. A little weird, but harmless. Probably.]

3

[reirintogo]

[Reirin smiles gratefully at him from her barstool; under normal circumstances she'd simply approach other people herself, but 'normal circumstances' and 'legs replaced by a mermaid tail, in another world' are simply two circles that do not overlap into a Venn diagram.]

Well -- I am hungry, but it simply won't do to order something you dislike, even if you only wish to eat a little, yes? Is there any food you might have a preference for?

[part of her hopes he says potatoes! another part of her hopes he says something totally unfamiliar. her sense of adventure is smoldering, and that very much extends to trying new cuisine!]

[kabedont]

[regarding her for a moment, then the available items in turn, Azhar can only shake his head. Alas, though he has no intention of disappointing, the man is woefully ill-experienced beyond his home plains.]

I do not. This... thing makes no mention of the plains' livestock, so there is no eilspar meat. Anything should be fine.

[in truth, he doesn't recognise much of anything in the menu, and what he does has always been served alongside something that isn't here.]

[reirintogo]

[oh, my! this is a pickle indeed. still, never let it be said Reirin doesn't rise to the occasion.]

Meat, is it? I see, the variety here doesn't seem to include it. However, we shouldn't let that stop us! Let us see -- not everything here is familiar to me either, but those mushrooms over there look rather like shiitakes, which are rather meaty...and I believe certain red-fleshed fish are robust enough to compare to meat, so we can ask the staff for their recommendations thusly, and try our luck! Perhaps we shall discover something new we both enjoy, that way.

[the waitstaff are looking in their direction, now that they're seated together and chatting.]

[kabedont]

[She's most assuredly doing some heavy lifting, given the very... blank look she receives in turn. To his credit, he does listen dutifully! He just happens to be very, very out of his league.]

No meat from grazing animals, yes. That all sounds acceptable. [He looks a little unsure of what he's doing, but by god is he trying.] ... I do not know much about these sorts of... gatherings. We did not have them in my tribe.

[Now that he's in conversation, it does feel a little awkward. One hand rises to rub the back of his head, blue-grey gaze wandering now between the staff, the menu, and Reirin. It absolutely does not occur to him to introduce himself, largely because he's never really been around people he doesn't know.]

[reirintogo]

[laughs, waving to beckon one of the servers over with easy confidence. she genuinely likes meeting new people, especially when she's in a body that's overflowing with energy for socializing. to her, this doesn't feel like a lift at all -- just a opportunity to make a new friend.]

This is a far cry from a gathering in the courts as well, yes! It's so interesting, but it's also rather overwhelming. Let us fortify ourselves at least a little: a bright smile, clean hands and calmed stomachs will see us through.

Why don't you tell me a little more of your tribe, while we wait for our meal? I've had very little opportunity to travel before this, so I confess I'm bursting with curiosity!

[kabedont]

Courts...

[Still more unfamiliar words. Azhar thinks he's heard the term once or twice, probably from the traveling traders. He doesn't get too distracted by the thought though, summarily dismissing the unfamiliar terms for their implications in the rest of her speech.]

I... am unsure what to say. I am of the Vikute. We travel the Selteor Plains. We hunt and gather, and offer protection to other tribes and travelers.

[Is that it? He seems to be unable to think of anything that would be anecdotally interesting, at least.]

three

[sceptred]

[ pittman's likewise found himself to be a rahuth - of the raccoon variety - but considering he's tucked his tail out of sight and has parted his hair in a way to partially conceal the ears, that might be a touch difficult to tell. ]

[ he'd been waiting for an extended period of time to be served (after asking, and then only thinking it polite to remind the servers once more of his existence), before opting to people-watch his fellow pulled. when another addresses him, he blinks. ]

You aren't? Are you sure?

[kabedont]

Mm.

[Giving less than a proper nod and more a tilt of the head, Azhar finally takes a moment to actually look at who he's sat near.]

... and I do not recognise most of this food. It should be fine.

[Which really may be the actual issue, alongside being fairly telling about the shorter man. Upon inspection, in fact, he seems a little out of his element here, sort of watching others to get an idea of, well. What one does in an establishment.]

[sceptred]

[ that... actually does not sound super fine. pittman frowns, peeking back at the menu and it's somewhat disappointing selection. he can at least recognize some of the dishes, if not at least the ingredients that make them up.

so, glancing back to azhar, ]

Which don't you recognize, that you might be curious about? I can try to explain.

[kabedont]

...

[Azhar is quiet for a moment, looking over the menu. What doesn't he recognise? That's easy enough. But...]

Should I be curious about them?

[... there's a bigger issue here. Curiosity is not a completely natural reaction to him, evidently. There again, he doesn't seem to misunderstand what it is, only how it relates to him; his tone holds no more inflection than it ever did, there's no prideful tension to his shoulders. Just the mild furrowing of his brow shows that he is, indeed, thinking pretty seriously about this... not so major question.]

... I recognise these.

[That's the easier answer, anyway, given before he actually receives an answer to the question (was it rhetorical? who knows). He points to just a few ingredients - all, notably, sourced from gathering. Specifically, it's mostly mushrooms, seeds, nuts, and a handful of easily grown vegetables.]

[sceptred]

[ ah... pittman has to give it to him, even if his (perhaps rhetorical) question leaves him a little adrift, that he does seem to take answering profoundly seriously. he takes note of what's pointed out. the menu seemed sparse enough in terms of ingredients as is to him, so that does leave a few big players out. ]

Are you not at all? Curious, that is.

[kabedont]

... I do not know. It is all new, so I do not know where to start.

[Which isn't exactly an answer, but he's at least aware enough to know that asking the same question repeatedly in answer to another question is annoying.]

I think I am more confused. I have never been in a place like this.

3.

[brokenroots]

[Ives has a similar demeanor, so like recognizes like, when Azhar speaks up. Ives towers over him, but he can lower the barstool down so he's not looming in an absurd fashion.]

You should have something to drink, instead. Consuming the magic of this world will help you acclimate to it.

[kabedont]

[consuming the... magic? Azhar looks (very) briefly perplexed by this concept. He's not bothered by Ives looming, nor lowering to loom... well, less.]

... I see. [...........] is there a good choice to start? I don't recognise any of these.

[brokenroots]

Something that would match your own flavor would be best. [Ives ducks down to look at his eyes. Eye color can often indicate what someone might be like...]

Silver blue... a drink that is salty and bitter might be too bracing to start off on. [shoving a brine based martini at him probably isn't good optics...]

Separately, instead. [He taps a finger a couple times and a bartender shuffles over. Ives places an order.] A couple cups of tea, both with a salted lemon on the side.

[kabedont]

[His own flavor... Azhar chooses not to ask the obvious question, gaze shifting faintly in the attempt to work it out himself.]

Salty and bitter... people combine the two?

[It's almost rhetorical, because now he's trying to reconcile a drink that uses some kind of pickling liquid and also something bitter. Insert math lady meme here, honestly.

As Ives makes the order in turn, the rahuth's attention turns back to the order. Also to the unfamiliar food name, which he files away to hopefully remember later.]

Is this a common way to drink tea?

[again, there's no judgment to it. Azhar's questions tend to be as earnest as he is honest.]

[brokenroots]

More often in food than in drink, I would say.

[The bartender is back quickly with a piping hot kettle and two glass mugs with strainers in them. He pours each their cup, cuts a lemon, salts it, and times out the time to steep the leaves. They only get handed their drinks when the perfect couple of minutes have passed and the strainers can be removed. Ives grumbles a bit at the theatrics, but the Springtide care so much about tea being right.]

And yes, common enough. The lemon is usually squeezes or let sit in the water. I would simply eat it as is, with the salt. [that will wake someone right up, especially chased with the caffeine content of the black tea, the local equivalent of a harsh Earl Grey.]

[kabedont]

[It's a first of theatrics for Azhar, one step leading into the next such that even he can follow it. The novelty may wear off later, but for now, at least he can learn something.]

Mm. I can understand it in food. [Bitter and salty meld together on the tongue with other sensations, after all. Their resources may be largely different from these, but those flavours make sense enough.] I see. It's a fruit of some kind, right, this... lemon?

[It looks different from any of the ones they have back home, but the insides are similar to some. His curiosity does, similarly, have him just watching Ives for a moment - both to get an understanding of how the other man does things and what to expect.

This will not help him at all when he bites into the lemon for the first time, but that'll likely be a comedic moment anyway.]

1!

[saltsplash]

[Reigen has been mingling a bit, particularly because he was keeping an eye out to understand what sort of people he was going to be working with on this particular "quest". Azhar is no exception, eventually getting sized up by Reigen with a thoughtful hum.]

You're taking things in stride.

[kabedont]

Am I? It seems inefficient to worry too much.

[Azhar's head tilts, his attention turning fully to Reigen.]

It's no different than assessing a new potential threat; easier to react when you're observing. If they were intending to leave us in the dark, they wouldn't have offered another task to learn more, I think.

[saltsplash]

Still a lot to be said for having composure in the face of such an alien experience.

[Reigen nods, as if sagely.]

How are you faring?

[kabedont]

If you say so. Most Vikute would react this way, I think.

[The question earns a look of confusion. Is... is he supposed to be struggling here?]

What do you mean? I am fine.

[saltsplash]

Good! I'm checking on everyone - not everyone is handling things well, and some people are more quiet about being upset or unsettled than others.

I'm Reigen Arataka, by the way.

[kabedont]

Upset or unsettled... I see. That is good, then.

[He sort of knows about these things, distantly. For all his lack of emotional attachment yet, he's talked to a few people. There's a pause before he realises that, as usual, he's not once thought of introductions.]

Ah. Azhar Vann.

[That's a satisfactory introduction, right?]