TEST DRIVE MEME (May '23)

[myddvaimods]

TEST DRIVE MEME
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Light Dragon Arc Finale, Chapter Four

Interested in joining Myddvai's First Season? To have context on our various choices of transformations, head over to our new Design Workshop!

When characters are pulled into Myddvai, they immediately take on all the required traits of their particular breed. New players are welcome to test out various options as they please. These can be game canon, regardless of final choice. The in-universe justification for this is that Pulled are "unstable" in form and can pop in and out of existence or shift wildly between breeds. This can last until a character joins the game, when a single breed needs to be decided on.

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, but lasting far longer than it should.

Characters find themselves pulled into a new world without warning; from hereon they will be referred to as a member of the Pulled. The locals are aware of this as a natural phenomenon on Myddvai. This round, Pulled awaken cozily bundled up inside an... ethereal egg?



Grateful to be the first dragon reawakened, the Light Dragon Arthur has taken it upon himself to summon in new Pulled to aid the realm. When asked where they are, he delightedly hands over a wicker picnic basket to any who inquire. Gesturing to an expansive garden, complete with well manicured hedge maze and a variety of animal shaped bushes, he instructs that new Pulled are waiting within. They just need to be collected!

Newcomers have arrived into this world, comfy and cozy, nestled within pastel eggs of light. Shrunken down small to fit within ostrich sized eggs, Pulled can awaken on their own and punch their own way out from the shells. That, or they can be discovered by others and cracked open. Hopefully, fellow Pulled will be delicate in helping free their new brethren. Within a few minutes of being hatched free of the egg, new Pulled will slowly grow to the natural size of whatever new breed they arrived as.

While new arriving Pulled do have on any clothing they arrived in, any additional equipment seems to have also come through in their own eggs. The search may need to continue for those looking to find items that they once held in their hands or was inside their pockets! The hedge maze is rather complex, so it might be smarter to simply climb or fly over it for a better vantage, if such abilities are available. The maze is also cut through with many fountains and water features, so be sure to check for hidden mermaids beneath the bathing song birds.

Once free of the arrival egg and garden maze, Pulled will find their way to a very tired and flustered looking human man. This is Ted, he's giving a further explanation of what is going on. This can fill new Pulled in on the basics of this world and what is expected of them. Please don’t punch him! He’s already been through enough…

The Two Kingdoms

The Everwinter Mountains and the Everburning Desert Kingdoms have welcomed Pulled, new and old, to their royal castles. Both are bustling with revelry at their deity’s return to the sky as the world's sun, awaiting his morning flight as they celebrate through this remaining night. Luxurious accommodations are prepared as festivities kicks off in both kingdoms, set to last to the end of the current spring season, ending in a few weeks time. These are a single party despite the locations being thousands of miles apart on a map.

Each of these royal castles has a connecting Fae Gate built within their expansive foyers. These marble frames are open and humming with magical energy. These gates connect the two extravagant buildings, the snowy castle of Everwinter and the desert palace of Everburning, into what is practically a single location.

Pulled are given free rein and treated as affluent guests. Hopefully, Pulled can enjoy a vegetarian diet, as the meals prepared for elves are lacking in any kind of meat. Instead, there is a plentiful variety of dairy products, baked goods, candies, and strong alcohol.

Everwinter sports a beautiful outdoor bathing area of natural hot springs. Attendants are available to offer hot cocoa or tea drinks to those soaking in the steaming waters. Everburning has a cliffside pool that is crisply cold, for those who prefer to cool off rather than warm up. Ice cold mixed drinks are being served up with fresh, frozen fruit slices. Both locations have privacy spaces for stripping down into provided small clothes, though many locals are forgoing them. What is provided is made of clinging cotton, not at all like modern bathing suits.

Both locations overlook the same sunrise. Toasts are raised and Pulled are encouraged to make a wish when Arthur eventually crests over the world’s distant edge, bringing daylight back to Myddvai.

“Private” sleeping quarters are set aside for pairs or even larger groups of Pulled, so getting to know a weeks long roommate or three is a must. One large bed occupies each chamber, regardless of how many are expected in each room. The local elves seem to think cuddle piles are quite normal, even with practical strangers. More established Pulled are subjected to this as well, as both Caravans they’re used to rooming in are temporarily inaccessible. Ydris is working on recalibrating them for new Pulled and their next transport.

Bunny Dream Home Playset™
For those looking for entertainment, there is more to do than just bathing, eating, and sleeping. Everwinter has a peculiar room called the Play Borough. It is a massive, ballroom like space with several feasting table long pedestals throughout. All of these are covered in beautifully crafted and extravagantly detailed miniature town playsets! More interesting than that, the whole play minature world is populated by real people.

Shrunken elves and other breeds are walking the streets and touring the models for themselves up close. Many are playing house and interacting with the tiny prop replicas of everyday things.

Joining in on the fun is easy and sometimes not even asked for. The elven King of Everwinter is quite proud of his tiny theme park and will shrink down any who enter the space, placing them randomly within a play scene and telling them to have fun. For those who really hate this idea, there's word that hidden in chests are potion bottles. Finding the right bottle will counteract the shrinking magic, growing unwilling participants back to their usual size. In truth, this is just a wild goose chase to keep unhappy guests occupied and not spoiling everybody else's fun.

The playset has several areas to explore, each themed after something either quaint or extravagent, no in-between. There is a mainstreet with a carousel being moved by hand by a still large elf attendant, a frontier area with rolling hills of yarn grass, a ranch with bearded dragons wearing saddles which can be taken out for a ride, a lake with working paddle boats, and a cartoonishly fantastical palace. The fairy tale castle is cracked open on a set a hinges like a dollhouse, making the insides all visible, if slightly dangerous to traverse. That's a part of the fun, though!

Shrunken effects will wear off within a couple hours time or so, those who begin growing will be swiftly plucked free by an elven attendant and set aside before they can crush the whole place.


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.

Please check out our new INVITES page, where we welcome any/all interested players to request an invitation! All current and mod-invited players are permitted to extend unlimited invites for review by moderation, as well.

As a reminder, TDM participation is not a required part of our application. We are accepting samples from anywhere within DWrp.

Applications will remain open throughout May or until we hit our cap!

code bases by tricklet

Comments

QUESTIONS

[myddvaimods]

For questions specifically relating to the topic of this TDM event and setting. Anything more broad or relevant to the entire game should be asked on our FAQ!

Questions related to individual characters or Myddvai breeds should be asked on our design workshop!

This section will be open the full duration of May!

Maurice Hutch | OC

[toothaches]

Kinder Surprise

The last thing Maurice remembered was dozing off in his truck. He'd parked in an out-of-the-way alley and so far hadn't gotten any tickets for it. He shifted into his dog shape and curled up in the floor boards. It was tight and cozy and it only smelled a little.

Maurice awoke to...something. Some sensation he couldn't put his finger on. It hadn't been a noise or a change in the Texas heat. It was a pressure. He stirred a little and found that he couldn't stretch his legs. He was bundled up tightly inside something and that instantly inspired panic.

He started to thrash with all his might but found his vampire's strength to be missing. The blue egg that held him wobbled wildly in its resting place. Suddenly a blond paw burst through the shell of light and wiggled its toes in the open air. Maurice wanted to cry for help, but he didn't want to alert the citizens of Dogtrot to his hideout. Instead he squirmed inside his prison and squinted at the light pouring in from the hole his leg had made. If he didn't know better, he'd say the jagged edge looked like an egg shell.

Maurice had never thought himself claustrophobic, but he was beginning to consider it the longer he remained trapped. He tried to wedge the toes of his other paw into the gap his leg made to break the shell apart. Cracks shot all through the egg's surface and suddenly the shell collapsed from Maurice's struggling.

He sat up and blinked in the sunlight, disoriented and winded. His heart raced and he put a paw to his chest to calm himself down. Then it occurred to him that he had a pulse. A pulse! Maurice balked and found himself drawing in panting breaths. Air! He was alive again! Some how! Was this a dream? He looked to his hands to see if he was still gross and pale but found a pair of furry arms and paws. It was as though he'd started shifting out of his dog shape and stopped halfway. Thankfully, he had his clothes on. His shoes were gone and furry paws were in their place. He could feel his tail wagging against the grass beneath him. Okay! Okay, this was weird. This was...a lot. It was probably a dream. there was no reason to get excited.

Maurice looked around and shielded his eyes with a paw. Okay, this had to be a dream. All the foliage around him was huge. Maybe he'd watched Alice in Wonderland earlier that week and forgotten about it. Or maybe this was the result eating an entire bag of expired easter jelly beans by himself. Whatever the reason, Maurice closed his eyes and tried to enjoy the feeling of the sun on his face. Even if it wasn't real, it was nice to remember...


Everwinter Castle

So he was an Elf. Okay. When Maurice thought of elves, he thought of funny little men in green that made shoes, cookies, or toys. Not...animal people. He found it impossible not to stare at all the Breeds bustling about in the castle. Even though he'd chosen to stay (because who would choose to be a loser vampire with a murder pinned on his back?) he was home sick. And a little embarrassed. After finally finding himself a mirror, he was reunited with his reflection--only it was wildly different from what he remembered. He was some kind of weird man dog covered in fur. Only his face had stayed the same. Even though he didn't stick out that much, Maurice couldn't help but feel eyes on him.

This was why he situated himself near a mirror with a tankard of strong alcohol. He figured the more he drank the less he would care. His tail curled under slightly as Maurice tried to disappear into his drink.


Tiny Town Tour

After drinking for a few hours, Maurice's curiosity outweighed his misery. He slowly started exploring the grounds and this is what brought him to the miniature attraction in the Play Borough. His floppy ears lifted in excitement.

"Oh, wow!" Maurice stumbled up to one of the pedestals and peered down at the town. It was so detailed. He'd always liked those mini model trucks with the working doors. He'd never thought further than that though. His sister never had a dollhouse for him to stare longingly at. This was pretty much his first exposure to the world of miniatures.

He didn't even notice the King behind him who was preparing to shrink him down so he could join the masses exploring the miniature grounds. Maurice reached down into one of the play sets to investigate a little dutch door when he found himself pinched by the scruff and lifted.

"Huh-hey!" Maurice squirmed but was too drunk to really fight back. Everything happened so quickly. One moment he was admiring a bakery and the next, he was standing right in front of it. Maurice threw out a paw to steady himself against the wall. He shook his head and looked up and up and up at the towering King who was beaming down at him.

"I was just lookin!" Maurice insisted.

Kinder Egg!

[saltsplash]

The first to approach the freshly hatched Maurice was a truly massive black dog, particularly because it hadn't been shrunken down even remotely. The creature snuffled at the newcomer, quiet and curious and at least not growling!

[toothaches]

Maurice didn't notice the dog's approach. He was too busy focused on having all his vital functions restored. However, when the snuffling started, the newly made Elf opened his eyes and beheld the biggest dog in the entire world.

"Wuah! Woah! Oh, crap!" He stumbled to his feet and backed away. It was just a dream, it was just a dream. It would be fine! Maurice liked dogs. At least dogs that didn't try to eat him--which this one hadn't tried yet. "Good boy..."

[saltsplash]

The dog lifted her head and looked away from Maurice, over to her right, staring for a moment. And after a long moment, her maw opened and instead of a bark, she said a single thing: "Reigen!"

The resulting gawking sound of surprise came from just around the corner, and the man came scrambling towards them both. "Chise?? Was that you?? Oh! You found one of them!"

[toothaches]

Maurice lifted a brow. A giant talking dog. Okay. Well he couldn't be too weirded out. He was a talking dog sometimes. He was most of a dog right now! He didn't know dreams could be itchy but he scratched his right arm anyway.

A man suddenly careening towards them grabbed Maurice's attention and he actually turned tail to dash back toward the bushes just in case the giant didn't stop in time. Yikes!

everwinter castle

[twofacedlight]

In Maurice's defense, there are at least one pair of eyes, covered in a blindfold, on him. But it's hard not to notice the amount he's drinking. And has he even moved from that corner at all in the past hour?!

Looking appropriately concerned (and there is some actual concern there, believe it or not), Jyoti approaches. "Hey." She rests a hand on his shoulder. "I'd ask if you're okay, but you're clearly not."

[toothaches]

Maurice let out a single short, high little scream before clapping a paw over his mouth and turning to see who had touched him.

"I'm fine--" he said too quickly. Maurice stared at the blindfold. And then the rest of her. It was hard not to. Everyone here looked so weird. "I'm...fine." He says more slowly and hopefully more convincingly. The tankard creaked in his grip. His fingers were shorter than he was used to so he held on tight to compensate.

[twofacedlight]

Even with the blindfold, Maurice can probably sense how deadpan her expression is right now.

"Sure you are." She's entirely unconvinced. Even if he hadn't screamed, convincing her that this is his normal state would be difficult, to say the least. And if for some reason he was that much of an alcoholic, then man... what a sorry state he's still in. "How many tankards are you at? Four?"

[toothaches]

Maurice's ears folded back. "I'm not botherin' nobody, just...just leave me alone."

He turned a cold shoulder to her so she couldn't see the redness that settled over his cheeks. How could she even see with that blindfold on. Maybe she could read minds! Maybe she was reading his mind right now! Butts! Think about butts! Maybe then she'd leave.

Zelgadis Greywords | Slayers

[gathersnomoss]

The Pull
Zelgadis doesn’t fear water, but has a healthy respect for it. He can use magic to travel underwater, but his swimming isn’t strong enough to make up for a body that has been (now had been) partially stone. His first reaction to waking up somewhere strange, enclosed and underwater (after breaking out into open water) is to flail, both trying to orient himself and reaching for magical power that suddenly isn’t there.

Which is probably why he missed that he started small and is quickly growing to a more human-typical height. And that he wasn’t actually drowning. And that while his skin is still blue, it feels a lot more like skin.

It isn’t until he manages to stand up in what is actually a waist-deep water feature (and the splashing has probably made it very obvious that someone is here to nearby people) that he realizes his hair is covering his eyes. Because it is actual hair, which tends to soak up water and get out of place when one is submerged. He reaches up to clear his vision and then it hits him that his skin feels... well, a hell of a lot more like human skin than it normally does.

(He isn’t sure if he remembers how this is different from human skin, beyond the obvious color, but Zelgadis is going to deal with that existential crisis after he deals with the current one.)

“What. The. Hell.”

Bunny Dream Home Playset

You know what? Being shrunk down to doll sized because some weird king really wanted to show off his giant miniature dioramas is within the bounds of ‘normal’ for Zelgadis. Sure, this particular experience is new, but it is something Zelgadis would believe might actually happen to him back home that would resolve mostly harmlessly. And it is actually a pretty impressive setup, and he needs some time to process the massive load of shit that was dumped on his shoulders.

So, cue staring over a tiny bridge, trying not to look outside the confines of the diorama to avoid that bit of disorientation, and watching the paddle-boats in the nearby lake. “Normally people don’t ask me to save the world,” he says, to no one in particular. Mostly himself.

Rooming
I’m sorry, your new roommate is asleep, sprawled on the bed, still mostly in his daytime clothing. As such, it seems a good bet that he wasn’t intending on shifting legs back into a tail when he was relaxing before falling asleep, but that does seem to be what actually happened, so ‘completely tangled up in the bedding and probably needing to repair a few clothing seems (or make different wardrobe choices)’ is now a problem for Zelgadis when he wakes up.

Look, it’s his first day as an aquatic creature, it didn’t occur to him that he can sleep in water, but someone might want to wake him up and redirect him. Or at least shove him over, because it clearly didn't occur to him that he was sharing a room. (Or he's just a jerk. You be the judge.)

playset

[twofacedlight]

Zelgadis may have been talking to himself, but there's someone who overheard. Namely this blonde mermaid who looks up at him from her spot in the water (right at him, despite her blindfold), hair and jellyfish lower half billowing out just beneath the surface.

"Don't think you're alone in that." Jyoti casually chimes. Whether she's saying that in solidarity or as a reflection of the Pulled as a whole is unclear. (It's a bit of both, honestly.) "I'm guessing you're new here?"

Re: playset

[gathersnomoss]

"What gave it away?" Besides bemoaning his fate, and the fact that while this guy has some visible fins around his ears and scales and bony protrusions on his face, he's in no way dressed for now being a shapeshifter.

At least he doesn't seem bothered by the fact that some who can't see is looking at him. (Being raised by a man who was blind from birth meant that Zelgadis just generally assumed that people could adapt to a lack of vision, and he had gotten the warning; he didn't have the confidence to do more than have his hair and an improvised bandana over one of his eyes.)

[twofacedlight]

“The fact I didn’t recognize you.” And, yes, the bemoaning and the lack of proper attire. “We’re a pretty small group, so a new face stands out.”

But! She offers him a friendly smile. “I’m Jyoti Victoria Melanthios. Nice to meet you.”

Ippo Makunouchi | Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting!

[windgod]

The Pull
For a person that had been beaten to a point as close to unconsciousness as the human body could be, Ippo found himself sleeping rather soundly.

There were some moments of vertigo as his mind swirled with thoughts of his victory over Sendo and the new title he'd won, but considering how hard he'd been hit in the head over the course of that match, it wasn't concerning enough to wake him.

What was concerning enough, however, was the sudden feeling of being submerged in water.

His vision was incredibly blurry, half by sleep and half due to the water surrounding him, but he was quick to pick up that not only was he trapped...somewhere wet, that somewhere was rapidly shrinking.

Whether the reaction was prompted out of fear or just the training that the coach had drilled into him, Ippo's body kicked into action and his right arm lashed out in a blind straight in front of him, striking something firm but delicate with all the force his heavy hands provided.

With a rush, his body flew forward and he was dumped unceremoniously onto the grass, landing hard on his hands and knees as he coughed, hacking up water that had managed to find its way down his throat.

All he could tell at the moment was that his whole body was sore and as his vision started to return in earnest, that everything seemed way smaller than what a person would find normal. All that, and that his forearms had become very... hairy.

Everwinter Castle
It had taken some time for Ippo to really grasp his situation, but as he came to a stop in front of a table filled with delicious looking food, at least he felt like he was making some progress.

Once he'd come to the realization that this wasn't a concussion fueled fever dream, the second biggest hurdle he'd had to overcome was dealing with all the new features that came with being a Giant.

His head felt much heavier with the addition of the long, sharp pair of bull horns jutting out from his forehead and the floppy pair of cow ears that replaced his own had taken a stint to get used to as well. The most difficult though was adjusting to his new feet, which were cloven hooves.

To say he'd fallen over a lot on his way here would be an understatement, but he felt like he was slowly getting the hang of it. Not enough to try any quick movements of course, but at least he felt like he could stand here and eat some chilled fruit without losing his balance.

Bunny Dream Home Playset
If it were any other day and any other time, the prospect of being shrunken down in order to explore a tiny town model would have sounded scary at best and insane at worst. However, today had been strange enough and honestly, compared to waking up in a new world as a whole new species, it sounded kind of fun.

The process of shrinking had felt a little weird, but now that he was here, Ippo found himself fairly content to simply walk the miniature streets and appreciate the craftsmanship that had gone into it all.

To be fair he was still wobbling a bit as he walked, but he figured that was going to be a whole process before he was properly used to his new situation. With that in mind, he kept his gait slow and allowed himself to just relax for the first time since arriving.

Castle

[freearcadia]

"Least I don't have to deal with that kind of change," Someone commented conversationally - belonging to a wiry-built man with a large scar on his face, with what look like... fins on his forearms and hips.

He moves, grabbing an apple to bite into. "Probably have a ton of questions too,"

[windgod]

Suppressing a yelp and somehow managing not to fall over, Ippo turned to see the person who'd spoken and sheepishly smiled once he realized he'd been so far in his own head, he'd just not noticed anyone else around him.

"You're not wrong." he said bashfully, seeming not to notice the comment about his changes, "This has all been...very strange and more than a lot to take in all at once."

[freearcadia]

"Lot better than having furry vampires chucking ice at you and sizing you up as potential catspaws," the glances to him, giving a study of the man with a curious eye.

He bites down on the apple, swallowing before he continues. "Take your time, I and lot of other people here will try to answer your questions,"

[windgod]

"That does sound like it wasn't very pleasant." Ippo said, not exactly knowing how to properly respond to a statement like that.

"Thank you though, I have a feeling I'm going to need a lot of..." and it was then that the full weight of what this man had just said fell on him. He understood all of those words individually, but no matter how hard he tried to put them together, his brain fell short every time. As a result, he simply stared for a few seconds like a deer in headlights before...

"E-excuse me?"

the pull

[twofacedlight]

Another thing Ippo should notice as his vision focuses is that he managed to land right next to a foot. As if he needed someone literally standing next to him to get a sense of how small he's become.

Jyoti squats down next to him, closer to his level but still towering over him a bit. Sorry (not sorry). "Hey." Not... exactly the warmest greeting, but in her defense, she has no way of knowing if he's about to have some dramatic meltdown or not. She'll put on the kind act once she sees how he reacts.

Re: the pull

[windgod]

Ippo coughed a few more times, trying his best to force what water was left in his lungs out, but taking the time and effort to turn his head enough that he wasn't hacking anything up on this individuals shoes now that he noticed them.

"Ugh...h-hello? W-what happened...do you know where I am?" he asked groggily while shaking his head and immediately regretting it.

[twofacedlight]

Yes, please don’t cough all over her shoes. That’d be disgusting.

“You’re in Myddvai.” She offers a sympathetic smile. “As for what happened, that-” She gestures to the egg he emerged from. “would be Arthur’s doing. Long story short, we’re all here to wake up some dragons and save this world.”

While she’s sure that’s more than enough to process as is, she continues. “Do you feel any different?”

Bunny Dream Home

[needsteaplz]

After seeing many elves shrink down and grow several times since she arrived in Myddvai, Saori can't help but be curious about what it'd be like to shrink to this size. This tiny town model seemed to be the perfect excuse to give it a try. Plus, it would be a nice breather from the ordeal the Pulled went through to awaken Arthur. Saori happened to be looking at some hats displayed in a large store window when she heard hooves coming her way.

"Oh? You're doing alright there?" A woman with red hair, black bear ears and legs from the knees down, called out to Ippo. Yep, that's a fresh of the the proverbial boat Pulled if she ever saw one.

[windgod]

Ippo had come to a stop just a moment before and was in the process of inspecting a rather intricately made vendor stall when he heard someone call out. He wasn't sure if they were talking to him specifically, but he stood up straight and turned around to investigate nonetheless.

"O-oh, me?" he asked as he saw the woman staring at him and immediately felt self conscious under her gaze, "I'm...doing alright? I think?" The question got his brain going and all of a sudden, he was starting to think that maybe allowing himself to be shrunk down like this hadn't been the best idea.

[needsteaplz]

"Oh no, I didn't mean it like you were doing anything wrong at all," Saori reassured him with a smile as she made her way over to him.

"I couldn't help but notice you're still adjusting to your new legs. I just thought I should check on a fellow Pulled, you know?" She can't help it when her maternal side kicks in like this.

"I'm Saori, by the way. What's your name?"