polymeme | Spring 2021 TDM (May)

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! test drive meme

Spring 2021 TDM (May)

✖ Test Drive Meme

Ⅰ. ARRIVAL
You can read all about your character's arrival in the game lore.
The island you find yourself on is nearly deserted; besides the Temple, you will find only a small village of wooden houses and barns. Goats and sheep can be seen roaming some of the fields, and if you venture by some of the houses you will notice chicken coops as well. The villagers themselves are not friendly, although they won't turn you away outright - passive aggressiveness seems to be more their style.

As charmingly rustic as this is, what really draws your eye is the castle rising past the treeline. Set against a massive cliff drop, it seems to cast a shadow over the entire island.

One of the villagers is happy to give you a ride up to it in his coach, provided that it's still daylight. If it's past sundown, well, looks like you're sleeping in the Temple or with some farmer's goats.

Ⅱ. HAUNTED WHEN THE MINUTES DRAG
The inside of the castle has high, vaulted ceilings and stone tiled floors periodically covered with ornate rugs. Medieval looking tapestries depicting strange and fantastic creatures adorn the walls. Heavy curtains obscure most of the windows, meaning that the entire castle is lit mostly by hundreds and hundreds of candles. Many of these are set in tall candelabras, but there are plenty in smaller holders that you can pick up and take with you, if you so desire.

Wander the castle long enough and you'll find yourself in a large room where the tapestries are too faded to truly tell what they depict. There are only a few candles here, burning low. Maybe you knew well enough not to venture into strange castle rooms alone, or maybe you simply ran into a another Traveler, but as soon as the two of you are inside the room the heavy door behind you swings silently shut. No amount of force will open it.

Before you can get too angry about it, you will hear a soft sigh. The candles flicker as if blown by a wind, but you and your companion feel none.

In the shadows at the far end of the room you're quite sure you see something. A pale shape that shivers into existence and gradually solidifies enough to be recognizable.

It's someone that you know. They may be dead, they may still be alive, but here they are: a ghost from your past. They speak and act out the same thing over and over, and whatever it is is something that you really, really wish they wouldn't.

You can try to open the door, of course, but it's not budging unless you banish that ghost. How could you possibly do that? In the movies it always seems that ghosts have unfinished business. Maybe they need an apology, or maybe this is a chance for you to confront them. Something was left undone between you, and now you have to handle it.

Of course, if that's too much to do in front of someone, maybe the two of you can get out through a window. Just mind the drop - the castle is right at the edge of a cliff, after all.

Ⅲ. LIBRARY OF BABEL
In your wanderings, it's possible to find yourself in a warm, welcoming room that is lined wall-to-wall with books. Books, books, so many books! There's even a ladder to help you reach the top shelves. The soft scent of leather and old paper permeates the room, complemented by the scent of burning logs in the huge fireplace at one end of the room. Large wingback chairs and a soft couch sit in front of the fireplace, the perfect sort of place to curl up and read.

But what to read?

Choose any random book off of the shelves and you'll find that it's a story you know well, because it's one of yours. It's a happy story, at least - some fond memory that you may be moved to share with others. If you choose to do so, you'll be rewarded with a feeling of calmness and joy.

Maybe you don't appreciate a trip down memory lane. That's fine. Off to one side is a heavy wooden desk, and on top of it rests an absolutely huge book with a deep red leather cover. The cover reads 'BEASTIARY' in ornate script.

Inside are drawings and descriptions of all sorts of fantastic beasts: unicorns, gryphons, manticores... plus all sorts of creatures from whatever your homeworld might be! The mighty esquilax is even listed.

If you read the description of any of these beasts aloud, you'll find a wondrous thing: it will appear before you, real as can be. Gosh, really hope you didn't choose to read the entry on dragons or bicorns...

Ⅳ. SEX CAULDRON? I THOUGHT THEY CLOSED THAT PLACE DOWN! (18+ ONLY)
CW: sexual themes, alcohol consumption.
Every good castle has a dungeon. You just weren't expecting it to be so goddamn kinky.

That's right, where you were expecting iron maidens and heretic's chairs, instead you'll find plush velvet sofas and chaise lounges. There's still plenty of St. Andrew's crosses, however, a couple of stocks, and loads of soft padded sawhorses. One wall has all sorts of whips and paddles and canes hanging on it.

There's people here, too, every last one of them looking like they just came from the set of a Marie Antoinette biopic: powdered wigs, stockings, all the lace you could possibly imagine. Those of them that are dressed, anyway.

There's liquor circulating, carried on trays by bewigged dandies with uncannily bright blue eyes. Maybe you can handle this whole scene a little better with some booze in you.

If you're not the voyeuristic or exhibitionist type, you can hide in one of the couches furthest away from the de Sade daydream going on. Maybe hunker down with someone and just talk to drown out the giggling and slapping. Or maybe you're just so mature that you'll steal some of the equipment and use it to bug the hell out of people. It's a party!

Greetings, prospective Travelers! Welcome to the Spring 2021 POLYMYTHOS test drive meme and thank you for your interest in our game. Our next application round will run from June 25 - July 2. For the months of April, May, and June, we invite you to use this TDM to explore but one of many, many islands within the Endless Isles; use it as an opportunity to introduce and familiarize yourself with the game, form connections with other characters, and just have some fun. (Perhaps while also getting some solid samples together for your application!)

Use the prompts provided below as-is or feel free to write your own set within the environment detailed in each. You're even welcome to access the network via your character's ScryWatch. While there will be some inevitable changes, TDMs may count as game canon and some islands may be revisited in the future. Be mindful of your surroundings -- you never know how you and your fellow Travelers might affect this place in the long run.

Seek inspiration and enlightenment from the official game playlist -- 3 out of 3 mods agree!

Network · Logs · OOC · Memes · Plurk

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Post them here!

arrival: [ Once he's left to his own devices (somewhat) on this island, he makes quick work of finding one of the locals willing to escort him to the castle. He's certainly not dressed like they might expect, but he keeps his mixed feelings on this entire endeavor to himself and utilizes every bit of service skill he's ever had to apply in a job to getting a carriage up (perhaps even with someone else if they might need it?) to the castle itself well before nightfall. The shadow it casts is ominous enough, but at least he's reasonably certain it's not about to split in half and reveal a smaller, more golden castle so... a win for him? A win for him. ]
h a u n t e d: [ Kiryu does not like this place. Oh, it all looks expensive and old, but his shoulders itch and he feels hesitant to touch just about anything for fear of breaking it.

Until they lock him in. Then he's yanking on the doors until he hears the voice. A voice he hasn't heard in ages, Kansai dialect still as thick as ever, massive and golden-haired and smug enough to make his heart ache a little. He'll look to his companion in the room, to see if they see it too, before he tries to address the spectre. ]
library of babel: [ The book that had told him about the day they thought Taichi might have a medical condition that would keep him from his dream had been heartwarming. Weird, somewhat invasive, but heartwarming; a nice reminder of what he'd left behind, a boy he loved dearly and hoped for the best for.

The werewolf that'd literally materialized from the other book, however? That he could have done without. ]

Get away. I'll hold it off.

[ And without a pause, he's settling into a fighting stance, meeting the creature's eyes without fear. ]
sex cauldron: [ This. is.

Not his scene. Not even remotely his scene, not even a little. bit his scene. Kiryu's eyes keep going wide and he keeps shifting to try and avoid, er, bits of people from gyrating against him or rubbing or... anything else. He's having uncomfortable flashbacks to the basement of the 'new and improved' Stardust club and none of that is helping him feel like he ought to be here.

Perhaps he meets your eyes, you similarly uncomfortable person?

Or maybe you see the tall, handsome older man in the corner and the fact that he looks like has no idea what he's doing here turns you on?

Either way, Kiryu will probably feel better talking to someone. Anyone. Please.]

Haunted

Gabby isn't, for the most part, particularly bothered by all the weirdness going on. She's an X-Man. A clone of Wolverine's daughter who is also Wolverine. Someone who's own brain is definitely weirder and grosser than anything this place can come up with. It helps her stay cheerful even in the face of horror. Whether wandering alone or teamed up with someone she comes across, she's in fairly high spirits.

At least, until the door shuts behind her.

There isn't just one figure in front of her, but nine. Six women, all of whom look a whole lot like her, though their scars and hair colors and fashions are different.

The one in the front has white hair and is so pale that her facial scars stand out stark and clear on her cheeks.

Gabby goes still, eyes widening at those familiar faces. "Bell?" She cranes, looking around her. "Zelda? Parry? Everyone?" She takes a step forward. "Are you--?"

"Gone," the figure in white says, cutting her off. "We're all gone except you and her. How long until you join us?"

Gabby stares, then turns around. "Nope, this is not real." She goes and yanks on the door. Which won't open. "Ugh. Seriously?"

Library

Gabby actually knows exactly what she's doing when she reads aloud from the book. Her cute new jackalope friend is currently sniffing its way down one of the further aisles. For her next trick, she's going bigger.

"Contrary to some depictions in pop culture, the tyrannosaurus rex did had feathers," she finishes, and bounces in place as the air in front of her shimmers. "I'm gonna punch a dino."

She's living the dream. Someone should maybe be concerned.

HAUNTED WHEN THE MINUTES DRAG

[ he's given thought to the afterlife but refuses to think further, he has a destiny and it is entwined tightly with another's, if death came for him he would simply refuse. rip to your grandma but he's different.

that doesn't mean he doesn't feel some very real spine-chilling sensations when the door closes. this isn't a victorian seance, some charlatan isn't kicking the table to pretend to be the spirit of the late prince albert.

and then she appears, ghostly pale, water puddling at her feet as it drips off her dark hair and sodden dress. she tries to speak but water gurgles out of her mouth instead, spilling the scent of death and brine on the stone floor. ]

Quỳnh.

LIBRARY OF BABEL

[ yusuf al-kaysani is a terrible creature when it comes to books. he loves them, to be sure, enamoured by possibly the only thing that will outlive him when he has seen entire empires and kingdoms rise and fall in his lifetime. stories are so utterly and gloriously human, whether it be oral tradition or the written word or stories turned to art, joe loves them all.

joe also plucks a book off the shelf and flips to the end because he is that sort of monster.

this book, however, is written a story he already knows the ending to and while some part of his mind considers that invasion of privacy in having his exploits written down, copley's wall of news clippings was more than enough, he's mostly caught up in flipping back to the beginning to read all about zanzibar. besides, this is a library. he will borrow his own book.

nose buried in the book, he nearly barrels into someone in his attempt to find a chair. for the best, really, he was heading toward the fireplace. he murmurs something that translates to: ]

Pardon, I was distracted by the face of god.

[ the book is illustrated. it's a picture of nicky. ]

WILDCARD

( go where your heart takes you, i'm game for it, or catch me on plurk @ baleinette if you want to hash something out )

Whoa — whoa! Careful.

[ Nate's been here once — just briefly — but he likes it because he, too, is something of a nerd when it comes to books. They were always filled with stories, real and made-up, and each book contained a world of its own, easy enough to escape to — and easy enough to emerge back out of at one's convenience. Even as a child at St. Francis' Boy's Home, Nate was hard-pressed to be found without a book in hand. (Hell, he'd gotten involved in some pretty serious fights over his possession of books over the years.)

If Joe hadn't bumped into him, there's a fair chance Nate would — although this time around, he hasn't picked anything up just yet. He's just ... here for the atmosphere.

(And maybe to check out that gryphon again.) ]

Uh. Hey, don't worry about it. [ And then, noting Joe's place in said book (which, honestly, looks to be a pretty long one), he adds conversationally: ] Usually most people are a little more careful about their spoilers.

Edited 2021-05-15 08:16 (UTC)

[ don't judge him for reading the end of the book, okay, he likes to see how they get to that point. it's about appreciating the story ]

It isn't really a spoiler, we have a very long story, and this is only one book in what looks like a series of volumes.

[ he flips a couple pages and turns the book as if reading to a class of kindergarteners. on the page is an illustration of two men punching a nazi. actually they both have swords drawn because yusuf al-kaysani will bring a sword to a gunfight, but punching nazis really has that... punch. ]

My husband.

Impressive.

[ Nate means it too.

He peers down at the illustration of two men, one of whom clearly looks like the guy in front of him — and yeah. That's definitely a soldier in uniform, swastika symbol emblazoned on his arm in a very bold black like an ugly brand. ]

You two really — did that?

[ ooc: canon point is king of scars ]

i. arrival

[ General Nazyalensky has ended up in stranger places, sure. Although there's certainly far more company this time around. Fewer immortal saints that she's heard of, but part of her still feels like she is stuck between one reality and the next. Talk of journeys and travels seem trite now, she almost expects Juris to walk out from behind one of the village buildings and give her some lecture on a path of redemption.

How should she reasonably be expected to forgive herself for her list of crimes when Ravka likely grows only more desperate in her absence?

Zoya, about as unfriendly as the locals, has apparently met her match in them. She can almost appreciate the efficient way she is able to secure a ride to the castle, even if others would consider it rude. It is tempting to want to look out only for herself when so few had in her life. This is not Ravka; these are not her Grisha. She owes them no loyalty or compassion when they're in the same sort of unlucky circumstances Zoya will just grit her teeth and claw her way out of.

But Saints, some of these travelers just look like they are in desperate need of help... ]

Come. [ She gestures for them to follow her up onto the back of the coach, her tone more of a stern command than a request to be refused. It'll be a bumpy ride, but better than walking. ] Unless you want to spend your night in a barn and pick hay out of your clothes for days.

[ Or don't. She's not your mom. ]

ii. library

[ Zoya enjoyed relaxing with a novel when she could afford the time, which was... never. But there is little else urgently occupying her mind for the moment. She pulls one of the shelf, leather bound and well-loved. Standing at the shelf, she flips to the first few pages. It begins the story of a girl and her aunt journeying together, full of hope and love as bright as two shining stars in the night sky.

She slaps the book closed, her eyes raised to the ceiling. What sort of cruel joke was this? She clutches the book close to her chest, setting it down only when she walks over to the red bestiary.

Should anyone try to grab her leather-bound book, she is quick to slap their hand away, her voice as sharp as a crack of thunder. ]

Don't touch that.

(closed prompt to kirigan)

[ Zoya has stopped on a rather predictable page in the book of beasts. Her fingers trace over the words and the ferocious illustrations of dragons, rulers of the sky, seas, and fire. Ruthless with an impenetrable armor. Capable of protection but also great destruction.

She is not so enraptured by the book that she does not notice the familiar stalking of the man she had once devoted herself to, the man who had taken her loneliness and rejection and shaped her into a warrior, who had convinced her that she would help him change the world.

And then she was tossed away, useful only as a tool until something shiny and more brilliant came along. Her jealousy was an ugly thing spun from rejection and forged in the fire of her fury. She grits her teeth, nostrils flaring. She turns her head sharply to the side as her tight jaw works, swallowing something down. She is angry with herself, a fool played so easily. ]

I am not sure what surprises me more. [ Her voice is thick with an icy venom. ] That you've been offered a shot at redemption or that you deigned yourself to take it.

iii. sex dungeon

[ Honestly... this is not quite what she had expected when venturing into the dungeons, but Zoya has never been one to say no to a glass of wine. Or a thrilling tumble if the right opportunity presented itself. She helps herself to a deep red from a passing tray, taking in the sights as if she is selecting another bottled vintage from the assortment available. ]

I would have thought they'd be stuck-up prudes based on their attitudes in the village.

wildcard

[ throw a different start at me or hit me up on plurk hellbender to hash something different out! ]

[ Naturally, the Darkling had been drawn to the library. The library and war room back at the Little Palace had been his refuges, sprawling with books and paperwork and maps; slightly dark and claustrophobic rooms, certainly, but cozy in their own way. A haven away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the palace. And so he comes here in this castle, too— only to encounter a walking, talking remnant from his past.

At her bitten-off words, he shrugs a careless shoulder. ]

I didn't have much of a choice.

[ The last thing he remembers: someone, something? swooping in and scooping up those scattered shreds of his spirit — the Fold — he thought he'd heard the droning of bees — a long expanse of featureless grey sand, only for that sand to resolve into grey fog instead, and the water, and the Ferryman. Aleksander remembering the last words on his bloodied lips: Don't let me be alone.

And now he isn't, apparently.

He'd lingered in the doorway of the library, a shoulder tipped against the doorjamb, watching her even before she turned around to glower at him.

The first thought that struck him is how different Zoya looks without her bullet-proof kefta, as does he. The Darkling is clad in simple robes for once, the sleeves pulled down to hide the band at his wrist (a livid orange, with the occasional flicker of red). When his gaze slides down the line of her own arm, an eyebrow tilts slightly; he can see a faint glimpse of the ScryWatch, but not the tiger teeth which typically sink into her wrist. They had been a familiar and ever-present sight ever since she was thirteen. She looks oddly naked without it. ]

Of all the grim foreboding castles in all the world. Does this mean you're dead as well?

[ A flippant wave of his hand, indicating their surroundings, the island. ]

[ The corners of her lips pull down. She cannot say the thought hadn't occurred to her since her arrival, having difficulty to piece together her moments before arrival other than pooling golden liquid trapping her, encased and held like a fossil in amber, one last pathetic gasping breath before she's robbed of it, but no Squaller stole her breath.

Elizaveta would not have— Nikolai would have been able to— Juris would stop— Ah. Well she always knew it was foolish to rely on others. ]

Are you part of my penance? Or maybe we are meant to torture each other.

[ Eternity with him. Had she not wished for that when she was young and charmed by him? When she was so devout and blinded by her faith and loyalty? Even now, it's not as if she didn't understand his goal. She shared it then. She shares it still now even if his approach was vile. She dreams that Grisha could be safe and protected from a life of suffering. That Ravka could be their home. That walls and thorns would never be needed. That she would have to mourn no more.

Did he even know why she abandoned his forces? Novokribirsk was the target, her loyalty was just collateral damage. She had been so loyal, so blind to what was plainly in front of her. Would one move played differently on his chessboard have cemented her loyalty as a pawn. She was played so easily.

Her knuckles are white as they clutch the leather worn book. ]

I think I'd know how I'd like to start. I've been studying in your absence and come to appreciate the dragon. [ How convenient that she is on that page, the description continuing: ] Masters of wind, fire, and water. Ruthless and unyielding. It is quite a feat to slay a dragon, and many fools perish when their pride doesn't allow them to think they can be bested by a beast.

[ She swears she can feel the feverish anticipation of electricity arcing across her skin, the thunderous beat of wings across the skies. A roar— wait, no, that is not an imaginary roar. ]

[ Aleksander comes closer at a saunter, taking up station by Zoya's shoulder so he can peer over it at the book (close, too close into her personal space, standing arrogantly close to a woman who now hates him so much). ]

Enlighten me. Am I the dragon in this metaphor and you the plucky dragonslayer, or are you the dragon and I the fool?

[ —Or maybe neither of them are right and it's a literal dragon. The more she focuses on the page, suddenly he can hear that distant roar too: the page rippling at the edges, and what seems to be a giant ethereal shadow clawing its way off the page and slowly firming into shape before them. And then, at a blink, it's corporeal and looming above them: all gleaming scales and hot huffing breath, hungry slitted yellow eyes, leathery wings.

Which is right when Zoya is treated to the sight of the Darkling startled, surprised, caught entirely off-guard— the man stumbles backward, backpedalling away from the sudden threat. His shoulderblades collide with a shelf of books behind him, and a couple waver and tumble off onto the floor. He has seen so, so many fantastical things over the course of his long life, but this is brand-new. ]

What?

| arrival |

[The last thing Thor could remember was going through the Devil's Anus.

The Grandmaster's orgy ship had rattled, threatening to break and/or explode at any moment. Valkyrie (so cool) tried her best to dodge the endless garbage that flew through the Anus, but it was an impossible task. He'd felt the weight of their increasing speed, the throbbing sensation in his temples.

And then, there was darkness. Weightlessness. Nothing.

When consciousness returned to him, he felt the gentle swaying of a boat, heard the creaking steps of someone nearby. It jolted him awake, and he quickly scurried to his feet, shaking his head to try and gather his bearings. Where in Odin's beard was he?

The island to which he was brought was a strange one, but considering he'd been held prisoner for death matches and had just come through——oh, what had Banner called it? Something star something something bridge?——whatever it was (the Devil's Anus), a mostly deserted island seem the least of Thor's worries. He was, however, delighted to see the goats and sheep, and he may or may not have hopped a fence to feed some of them dandelions. He'd even named them after his friends.

Content to stay for a little while longer amongst his newfound companions, he decided to wander the island, poking around for snakes and, in the back of his mind, searching for a way back to his Asgard.]

| library |

[The first thing Thor did was look at the Bestiary book, of course. He'd encountered many supposedly mythical creatures in his 1,500 years, and he wanted to know if any of them existed on the island. He muttered the first one that caught his eye: Pegasus. He'd wanted to join the Valkyrie as a young boy before he'd realized they were only women (for which he was glad! As he'd told her, it was about time!), and a big part of it had been the desire to ride a Pegasus.

So when it showed up beside him, he let out a high-pitched squeal of delight.

To the nearest person, he pointed at his new animal companion, beaming from ear to ear.]

What a wondrous place this is! Do you want a ride?

| wildcard |

[Pick a starter, any starter! Or PM me to chat it out beforehand, whichever works!]

Edited 2021-05-17 18:17 (UTC)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Spring 2021 TDM (May)

Questions, comments, concerns?

Kiryu Kazuma | Ryu Ga Gotoku/Yakuza

Gabby Kinney/Honeybadger | Marvel 616

joe | the old guard

library.

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zoya nazyalensky | grishaverse

📚

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