TDM #4

[polymods]

✖ TEST DRIVE MEME

Ⅰ. ARRIVAL
You can read all about your character's arrival in the game lore.
The island is a Winter Wonderland. Your boat docks alongside a wharf that leads you to a glimmering, snow covered land - good thing there’s a little wooden building right at the end of the wharf where you can grab some boots and a warm coat!

Beyond the icy beach among the snowy hills is nestled a little village that makes every postcard you’ve ever seen look like garbage. It’s so quaint! Strings of twinkling lights are strung up between scalloped roofs and fresh evergreen boughs and wreaths hang from doors and old fashioned lamposts.

There is a little outdoor market selling food and drinks - you can get some hot cocoa, or mulled wine. If you’re cold, you can stay in one of two cozy inns free of charge. How delightful!

Notes:
1. Please remember to mark threads appropriately with Content Warnings when necessary.

2. These prompts are a jumping off point - how they affect your character and their development is up to you.

3. Any food is safe to eat, and is consumable by non-human entities.

4. These residents of the village are normal humans. Killing them is possible and will affect the colour grading of your Scrywatch depending on the situation.

5. Have fun!

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Ⅱ. TOY STORY
The villagers are happy to lend you snowshoes and skis if you grow bored of their little village. They tell you that you can head north or east, but that you shouldn’t go west toward the mountains. That way is too dangerous! (South just takes you back to the ocean.) No matter what direction you choose, it’s best to go with a buddy. You wouldn’t want to get stranded all alone in the snow alone, would you?

If you choose to go to the east you’ll find that you are eventually surrounded by huge chunks of ice that glow a faint pinkish colour. Keep moving into this strange valley and you’ll find yourself surrounded by dozens and dozens of oversized gift boxes.

God, don’t you just love presents?

Whether it’s because you assume they’re all for you or because you’re almost positive you heard something moving inside one of those giant boxes, you untie a bow and take the lid off one of them.

The cheerfully decorated box shivers and shakes, and then out leaps a toy. Not just any toy, either: your toy. Your favourite from when you were a child. It’s almost as big as you are, with a gift tag around its neck that has your name on it and the motto “Introduce me!” Your old favourite toy has also gained the ability to move independently. And move it will, following you around like a shadow. It refuses to leave, actually.

The longer you ignore it the more aggressive it starts to become. Turns out a six foot teddy bear can clock you pretty good, and god forbid you’re being followed by a human sized GI Joe. Leave it long enough and your childhood friend will try to kill you.

Maybe if you explain what the hell this toy is to your companion it’ll leave you alone?

Notes:
1. The toy will stop following or trying to fight your character once they explain to someone why it was important to them.

2. The ‘toy’ can be anything - if all your character ever had to play with was a block of wood, they will be tailed by a block of wood.

3. If your character was never a child, you can instead choose some sort of frivolous object they loved at any age. The idea is to share a moment of imagination or play from their past.

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Ⅲ. LIGHTS IN THE SKY
Head north with your skis or snowshoes and you’ll find yourself moving easily over sparkling snow past towering evergreen trees. The air is redolent with their smell and the crisp, clear air. Birds sing and there is a general air of deep peacefulness.


The trees open up and you find yourself in an open area empty save for a cute little shack. Inside there’s a woodpile, matches, and a wood stove. Best to use the first two inside the latter, no? Unless arson is your jam. There are also some surprisingly comfortable wooden rockers. The perfect place to sit a while as the sun fades from the sky; night comes early here this time of year.

Stay even longer and you’ll see something even more beautiful: shifting waves of light dancing across the sky.

Aurora borealis. At this time of year at this time of day in this part of the country localized entirely within this part of the island?

Yes.

As you watch the northern lights, you will start to see figures up there, sketched in light. With a start you’ll also come to recognise at least one of them: it’s you. There’s no way your companion hasn’t also noticed the resemblance. This glowing facsimile of you is acting something out, and you’ll come to realise that it’s reenacting a time you took a lie way, WAY too far.

If you explain what the hell happened aloud, it will fade from the sky. Don’t? Well. It will just keep on repeating its little pantomime until dawn.

Notes:
1. The lie can be as serious or as stupid as you like.

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Ⅳ. ABOMINMAL
CW: monsters, possible violence.
You never were the type to follow the rules, or maybe your sense of direction is just terrible; you go west. The terrain grows rougher, and soon enough there are huge snow covered stones jutting from the ground. There are boulders, too, which have apparently rolled down from the mountain you are now at the base of. Some of these have landed so that they are tumbled together, creating pockets almost like caves in between and beneath them.

You continue up the mountain a bit, and you become aware of the fact that you cannot hear or see any animals. No birds sing or flit by low over the ground, no curious squirrels or foxes poke their noses out to see what you’re doing.

Everything is still.

You’re just starting to think maybe you ought to turn back when something roars. The sound is a deep, resonating bass sound full of fury and you feel the snow beneath your feet shiver with it.

A huge, hulking shape is rushing down the mountain toward you. Vaguely simian and covered in white fur, it has fangs and claws and seems all too eager to use both of them on you.

Looks like you only have a few seconds to decide on a course of action.

Notes:
1. The Yeti is very fast, but if your character is on skis they may be able to get ahead of it. Oh, they took the snowshoes? Uh oh...

2. The Yeti is a flesh and blood creature. It is superhumanly strong, but it can be fought and killed.

3. Hopefully there’s just one. And hopefully all that noise doesn’t cause an avalanche…

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Greetings, prospective Travelers! Welcome to the POLYMYTHOS test drive meme and thank you for your interest in our game! Our next application round will run from October 22 - October 29, 2021. 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.

Network · Logs · OOC · Memes · Plurk

Comments

[taintedpeony]

"I highly doubt it." Inviting him over was definitely a mistake. He glared at him underneath the fur hood. His hands shook at the memory. He wasn't going to hurt him, he just wanted to escape.

He regretted that action. Poor Jin Ling. He must have hurt him deeply after all. It wasn't his plan, he wanted to set him free outside the temple. He wanted to give him a few more years to enjoy his childhood.

"Who is to say if it is him or someone else? There are others of course. You certainly let a lot of pieces fall, didn't you? Were their lives incidental? Didn't you use my nephew as a pawn in your game yourself? He almost died more times in your hands than actually being in any danger in mine. And Jiang Wanyin was your closest friend from your teens. How would you have faced him if he died? Killing his only family in the name of revenge? Killing all of mine.

Were their lives worth less than Nie Mingjue's? Was it justice?

Pretend to be better than me all you want Nie Huai-."

He was shaking with emotion and anger and he forced himself to take some deep steadying breaths.

"Okay.

You know what?

Fuck this. Aren't you tired? I am fucking tired. I have been tired for decades and I don't have the energy to continue this.

We can rip each other apart until the end of eternity, we know each other too well. Is there a use in doing this? I don't know where I am and you are the first familiar face I have seen. Apparently, I can't even talk about what you did to me to anyone, or something bad will happen.

We can keep arguing like this, or we can find something to eat and try and warm up. Unless you want to trek back to town in the dark."

[illicitly]

The more Jin Guangyao talks, the more tired Nie Huaisang feels. He endures the ongoing tirade of accusations, letting them roll off his shoulders. Some were fair and warranted but most of them were the other man deflecting blame onto others and leeching sympathy wherever he could again. If the weather had been nicer, Huaisang might have taken his chances and headed back toward down regardless of the dark. However, it's cold and this is the only shelter he's seen outside the village and the wharf. For better or worse, he's better off staying here until sunrise.

"Fine, whatever. Let's go inside. Did you say something about a stove? There seems to be plenty of firewood to last until morning."

He gets up off the rocker and heads toward the door of the shack.

"The village isn't far. Neither of us will starve if we have to wait to eat tomorrow. The innkeeper seems generous."

[taintedpeony]

He shivered. It was somehow colder now that it was dark. There was no point now he had already said his piece. A bubbling up of emotion that had burst out with the memory. It had made him feel all the more exhausted upon its release.

"Probably not, But it would help stave off the cold at least." his cheeks were pink and his hands freezing. He followed him inside and there was a large stove in there, the fire had dwindled down a bit but there was a large pile of logs inside. He shut the door behind them and set his satchel down on the floor, before feeding the fire until it was burning high.

"I haven't been inside the inn as of yet. But they had so many stalls with samples. And we have some supplies at least. It really is cold in here. It should warm up soon." his hands were over the fire as he tried to rub the color back into them.

[illicitly]

There was nothing more to be said about their matter back home. A betrayal for a betrayal and a life for a life, the conflict was as resolved as it could be so long as they both still drew breath. Or perhaps the peace of this snowy landscape, echoing the wish Nie Huaisang had harbored in his heart for so long beneath the grief and rage that had consumed him for so long, is soothing his nerves.

Regardless, there'll be plenty of time to ponder what was said later. He doubts this journey will be any shorter or easier than the last one had been.

Huaisang takes a seat near the stove, not so close he'll catch fire but close enough to bask in its warmth. He rubs his hands and lower extremities as he speaks softly over the crackling flames.

"The inn is rather nice. The owner is allowing us to stay free of charge. I overheard that another inn in the village is offering shelter as well. I don't know how long it will last. I doubt it will be forever but it's a place to start."

He hesitates.

"It seems as if we've been given enough supplies to last a month. Perhaps even longer so long as it is carefully rationed."

Another pause. Everything the past two days has passed in a blur.

"I wonder if the villagers could be persuaded to part with some extra supplies..."

[taintedpeony]

Jin Guangyao settles down next to him when the fire was roaring high enough. He wondered if there will ever be a day when he didn't feel so exhausted and fractured as he did. At least he was no longer smiling. That facade was a hard one to keep a hold of and Nie Huaisang knew who he was already. What would be the point?

As the room began to warm up he shifted out of the overcoat, only wearing the simple robes he had been given underneath. The coat was puffy enough it would make a suitable bed to sleep on if he curled in his legs. He was glad for the thick socks they had given him. The fox motif on them was rather cute.

"It is good for now. A place to plan for what to do here at least. I noticed that as well. I think there may be some metal cups and a pot in there as well. Perhaps we can take melt some of the snow outside and use the dried vegetables and meat to make a soup in a bit. We can probably hunt for some things if we can get some supplies. the waters probably have fish as well...

I'm certain we can. But we might need to trade for them. Labor is probably the easiest thing to trade since we do not really have much else." This type of living was not something he has ever forgotten how to do, even after 15 years in Lanling.

"We'll survive at least."

[illicitly]

Following Jin Guangyao's lead on practical matters, despite the bloody conflict between them, still comes naturally. The other man had been the nominal leader of his society once. In the past, Nie Huaisang would've cried, protested, or otherwise feigned confusion until Jin Guangyao or someone else gave in and took the task off his hands. Instead, he listens with a thoughtful expression as he takes off his snowshoes, setting them aside for now. After a moment, his coat follows.

The gray-green robe of his robe is near identical to the robes of the office he wears back home, simply devoid of all embellishments. It's a far simpler look people are used to seeing from Huaisang, considering his well-known love for high fashion and accessories. However, it's not that far off from the plain garments he wears when disguising himself on the road.

After a while, he speaks with a great deal more competence and certainty than he typically displays in Jin Guangyao's presence. At this stage, what would be the point of hiding any longer when he's begun revealing himself to everyone else?

"Survival is enough for now. The locals may have tasks that need doing. If they do, we may be exchange labor for hunting and fishing equipment. Perhaps survival lessons as well. I don't know much about how to get by in this sort of terrain... Do you?"

[taintedpeony]

His brows scrunched in thought. It was easier for him to focus on future practical survival than to allow him to be further unmoored by the past.

"A few times I've night hunt near Gusu in the winters, but both Er-ge and I had more than enough supplies. However, anything can be learned. We can watch how the locals do it and perhaps barter for knowledge as well. Sadly I'm more accustomed to warmer climates. Hejian was the coldest place I've lived and it was still too cold for me.

But between us, I think we will manage.

Are you hungry or thirsty? I would rather bring in some snow and put together our soup and drinking water now before I take things off and settle down for the night." his hands had warmed up quite a bit and the cabin was on its way to becoming warm.

He shifted on his coat once again, pulling the buttons on tight, and went to the satchel to bring out a pot.

"I'm going to fill this one up with snow, Er-ge once told me I mustn't boil it all at once or it will destroy the pot. Can you find yours? We can actually cook in that and add a bit at a time. We can use the second one to make drinking water." he straightened out his clothing, re-adjusting his soft woolen knit hat over his ears.

[illicitly]

His pot? Huaisang looks a little quizzical a moment before he remembers. He'd left his satchel by the rocker outside in his preoccupation with Jin Guangyao outside.

"I forgot it outside. My satchel should still be sitting beside my seat," he confesses, slightly embarrassed. "If you bring it in, I'll see what I have. I've been conserving my supplies."

It'd seemed the wisest cource of action wth so much uncertainty on the horizon. Now he simply needs to remember to keep track of things. Not that he'd expected to run into his dead nemesis here much less plot to make dnner with him in a shack in the middle of nowhere.

"I can start preparing the ingredients when you get back."

Soup is one of the few dishes a gentry man like him can make.

[taintedpeony]

"I can get it before I head out.

I have been conserving as well, it is best to when we do not really know where our next meal is coming from. Perhaps we would be wise to do an inventory of what we have as well while our food is cooking." this really was the type of odd circumstance one would find in a story, but what did he know? Perhaps this was a test on his journey towards betterment after all. Nie Huaisang was intrinsically tied to his own life and fate in a way not many were.

Jin Guangyao pulled the hood up over his head and stepped out the door. He found the satchel easily enough and peeked back in to drop it next to his own before he headed out.

He didn't have to do too far to find a large pile of pristine virginal snow. He got on his knees and began to scoop it into his pot, using his fingers to pack in as much as he was able to. They were cold again. He was going to have to invest in some nice gloves at some point.

Pot now filled with snow in his hands he headed back inside, setting it down on the floor to brush off the excess snow from his knees and his boots. "You had spent time in Gusu, was the threat of handstands and rule copying enough to keep the youngsters from tracking in the snow on a regular basis?"