myddvai | TEST DRIVE MEME (JAN 23')

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TEST DRIVE MEME (JAN 23')

TEST DRIVE MEME
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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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Audience
[Well, whichever Vampire that had nabbed her to talk to was suffering. Because Mikasa was the type to silently look around. Narrowed eyes scanning everything, she wasn't here for gossip.

Sorry other person who got dragged to this table. Because she's not being helpful at all. Mikasa was busy processing all this, the animal people, the person who kept turning into a candle, the opulance. She's just sat here in her ankle-length skirt and a pink cardigan.]

Bar
[She wasn't much of a drinker, nor did she have much money. But she was hungry, the odd name got a frown. Followed by her arms itching as her head stood on end and the description that came after, changes? She'd turn into an animal person too?

Oh and she can't order some bread. For a second she just stood there. Then she turned looking around the room, her gaze settling on another loner. Then she walked over, briefly, her hand reached out like she was going to grab, then she thought better of it.]

They only serve tables of two.

[This wasn't the barracks. She couldn't just grab someone and ragdoll them around like she did her friends.]

Ice
[Like when they'd visited Marley, there was a lot of little things that were fascinating. In this case, just being handed ice. It'd been a rare commodity back home in the northern parts of Pardis. She was preoccupied with looking her perfectly shaped cubes.

... Maybe she tries to eat one as well. Wincing as her cheeks puffed up. She wouldn't spit it out, but ice cream was 100% the better frozen item.

Then the jeering and throwing starts. Mikasa gritted her teeth, fist clenching around the glass as she started to rise...It wasn't the unwanted Pulled's fault. This was wrong.]

Wildcard/Plotting?
[I'm open to doing other things, just let me know. Undecided between a deer/sheep Giant or a wolf Rahuth. So I'll be vague or just mix it up depending on the thread. Also kinda voicetesting, because not played this character in nearly two years.]

[ it is a little offputting, isn't it? it's not as if people are hurling rocks, but they may as well be equivalent at some point, and he feels dread at the idea of the situation worsening. as they tended to do, so he's witnessed, much less without encouragement. ]

[ pittman looks sideways at her, pointedly, his brows furrowed. his feathered wings, that of an empyrean, remain unfurled at his back. ]

We can't just let this happen.

[ well, he's already made a decision to intervene. but mikasa looked uncertain enough - angry, even - that it seems that he hopes that she would join him in likewise taking a figurative stand. ]

[She'd gotten to her feet, even if she'd not made her way over yet. Mikasa was glancing at the surrounding vampires. As confident as she was in her fighting ability, she wasn't sure it'd be enough here.]

We can't.

[Then she decided, the worst they could do was kill her. But they might just send throw ice and send her back, which would be fine, actually. So she was briskly walking, weaving her way through the tables. Her sleeves moving just enough to show the grey fuzz growing on her arms.]

[ good. even if pittman has always been willing to go at these things solo, it's good to have another willing to do the same. following along, he has to be mindful of the ice scattering the floor, but his steps are determined enough that most are crushed beneath his heel. ]

[ once they've alighted the stage, he throws out an arm to the side; thankfully, he's a broad enough guy that he makes for decent cover for whatever reject pulled happens to be currently deemed a target. ]

Enough!! These people have done nothing to warrant this!

[ well. that does get the crowd to pause in their ice pelting... just for now. the jeers grow louder. ]

[Mikasa ignored the ice. Her boots were good enough that she didn't need to worry about slipping, they were built for dealing with forest walks and wet mud.

Pittman was...unlucky. Because he was a much bigger target. Mikasa might be muscular, but it was compact. The long skirt and pink cardigan almost made her look dainty with how much fabric there was. But still, she stood there, frowning out at the aggressive crowd.]

It's not their fault that they were pulled by mistake.

[It wasn't loud. But it was stern. Though it seemed to fall on deaf ears.]

[speaking of animal people, this loner was already showing several traits of one. Glancing up when she approaches, Azhar gives an affirmative tilt of his head.]

Are you hungry? I still don't recognise most of the food, but it seems to be good.

[It's an implied offer, whether she wants to move or sit here to get her order. He's not been eating much, though the feeling of hunger is starting to prove more annoying than normal.]

[Mikasa had been lucky in a way. Some of the people she'd seen had been changing as they were Pulled. Her's were more steady, she'd gotten the explanation. She was just impatient and hated the waiting, not knowing what she'd be by the end of it.

Giant... That term had a very different meaning back home. Titans didn't have fur, or small antlers like she was starting to grow. The white nubs just starting to peek out of her hair. ]

I don't know what most of it is... They don't have bread.

[She'd asked that much. But she sat.] Better to eat what we can now, while we don't have to pay.

[Yes, she means yes.]

Mm. Or meat from grazing creatures.

[He confirms this without hesitation, unaware of Mikasa's inner turmoil. The idea of changing like this is surreal to him, but as a person he's kind of... well, always rolled with what happens.]

Most of it seems pleasant. I've tried a few now. Order whatever you want. [a beat.] I don't know how we would pay, there doesn't seem to be anyone to trade with later.

[tell someone you've never lived in a town without telling someone you've never lived in a town.]

Is that strange? [The lack of beef hadn't been odd to her at all. But she was used to cattle being a rarity. She shrugged.]

No one's mentioned money, do you think that's because they want us to help with these dragons?

[She didn't even know what a dragon was. Eh.. Mikasa was just going to browse the menu again, squinting at it.]

I don't know. Eilspar are common on the plains and in our tribe, though.

[which implies that they're grazing animals, at least. The next question is even more confusing for him.]

Money...? What do you mean?

Mikasa Ackerman | Attack on Titan | OTA - possible spoilers

ice

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Now I've checked she can read the menu lol

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Audience

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wildcard (at the bar)!

AOT SPOILERS ALL THE SPOILERS - also slight body horror

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