myddvai | 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

...

[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.]

[ 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.

... 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.

[ oh. hm. this may be more of a deeper issue than pittman originally thought. ]

Nor have I, but...

[ he takes a moment, and although his fellow pulled has indicated he's not particularly interested in eating right now, he pulls out a chair for him, just in case; taking his own seat, he gestures to the empty spot. ]

Allow me to rephrase. If there is anything you're confused about, I can try to assist, if needed. Though, from what you said, it mostly just seems a little [..] overwhelming, at the moment.

I see.

[overwhelming is a good term for it. Azhar doesn't really know so, but he can kind of follow more than before. Certainly he's not so blind as to misunderstand as he's offered a seat, rubbing the back of his head as he takes it.]

I'm trying to burn it into my bones, [wait what] but I don't think I can do that like this.

[There's just too little information, especially presented in written format, thanks.]

[ pittman takes one of the cloth napkins and neatly drapes it over his lap. he does give another brief look over the menu again, unnecessarily, considering he's already come to a decision. he looks up as azhar continues. ]

"Burn it into your bones"?

[ his eyebrows lift. ]

Is that a figure of speech, or?

[... oh. Azhar blinks up at Pittman at first, before it dawns on him. Right. He can't just assume people know about his tribe, can he?]

Mm... yes, I think that's right. [common language is hard.] We Vikute believe that carrying memory in our bones makes it stronger. It's our sturdiest part.

[never mind that he's clearly something else now, and his body definitely feels more fragile than it used to.]

[ pittman nods. needless to say, vikute wouldn't be anything or anyone he's heard of, but he's curious nonetheless. he's trying to temper that into something more acceptably conversational, and in the meanwhile he puts an order in for some mushroom stew. ]

You've experienced quite a bit of change coming here, then? [ mm... his mouth quirks. ] Bear ears aside.

Yes. We're a plains tribe; I've never been in a place like this.

[He glances about the cabaret; it's pretty clear he's not just talking about the world. The other's curiosity, on the other hand, is a little more familiar to him - only a little, but still.]

Bear... ears... [...] is that what kind of creature this is?

[It seems they both still have plenty of questions to answer, as Azhar reaches up a hand to touch the twitchy little things.]

[ phew. no wonder this place is so shocking. ]

Yes. A bear. [..] I think. [ because he can't actually be a hundred percent sure on that; maybe he could also be a mink, or something. ] They're mammalian, omnivorous animals that can grow fairly large in size.

[while Azhar doesn't really know what a "mammalian" is, he does know enough about livestock and wild animals to understand a little of what Pittman means.]

We don't have anything like that, I think. Not with ears like this.

[That's just a blank statement really, the understanding that he's got almost no... well, understanding. He does have to ask - ensuring that yes, Azhar does happen to be a curious person, he's just an idiot who doesn't understand the reasons for it -]

Is it normal for people to have such features where you came from? You didn't seem at all surprised.

[he's absolutely short enough to not spot the judge's ears, and not paying any attention to the rest of his body to spot the tail. Also, Azhar, you also didn't act at all surprised at your own new features............]

[ pittman's eyebrows lower. not to worry, he'd like to keep his own tail hidden for now, anyway. but how to approach this... ]

You won't find people with demi-human blood in Lumopolis — my home — no. In other parts of the continent, they are slightly more common. Their numbers are still few, however.

[demi-human... hm. He has no idea what that really means, but it's fine.]

I see. [for a moment, his eyes turn to the place as a whole, alight with so many humanoid creatures...] I've never seen something like this, even with the strangest travelers on the plains.

[obviously.]

Well...

[ he reflects on that. ]

Even if I may be more accustomed to seeing these sorts of beings, appearance-wise, I hope that it's of some console that all of us "Pulled" are new here. I'm preparing to encounter just as many novel things here.

Mm? It makes sense that we're all new, isn't it? [and thereby, the question—] novel things?

[He just might have missed something in that conversation. A little bit.]

[ pittman nods. ]

Yes. This is just the beginning, isn't it? Frankly, I'm almost excited to see what else might be in store for us when it comes to this world.

It seems so. [Azhar's consideration does lead him to a... slightly strange feeling (it's anticipation, Azhar), and his tail shifts faintly behind him in turn.] It will be worth seeing, I think.

TEST DRIVE MEME (JAN 23')

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