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polymods ([personal profile] polymods) wrote in [community profile] polymeme2022-01-15 10:12 am
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TDM: Mega Throwback Edition!

POLYMYTHOS: TEST DRIVE MEME

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 a tropical paradise. The hair is heavy and humid, and a thick flowering jungle encroaches on the white sandy beach. As far as mysterious islands go, it could be a lot worse! Maybe there’s a bar with some Mai Tais set up here somewhere…

As you walk towards the jungle you become aware that something is moving in the bushes. Some sort of animal, probably - maybe your mind goes to jaguars, or monkeys. What comes running out onto the beach, though, is not remotely mammalian: it’s a dinosaur.

Just a little one - it’s about the size of a small dog, running along on its hind legs. Aww, he’s kinda cute if you ignore the sharp teeth and claws! Lucky for you it’s busy chasing something else and soon darts back into the bush unless you do something to grab its attention.

Listen closely and you’ll find that sometimes you can hear sounds that are distinctly mechanical. Whatever this place is, it at least sounds like it’s inhabited by something possessing intelligence. You could definitely go and find out. Just be careful!

Or maybe you think, hey, I’ve seen this movie, I’m staying on the beach! You could, but unless you’re good at diving for fish you might have a hard time finding food.

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. The people on the island are normal humans unless otherwise indicated. The dinosaurs are animals and can be killed. I mean, good luck with that, but.

4. Have fun!



Ⅱ. CRETACEOUS PARK
CW: Dinosaurs! Violence, possibly against dinosaurs!
The jungle is thick and it takes a lot of effort to move through it. You’ll have to crawl under vines, climb over felled trees, and just generally pay a lot of attention to your surroundings. This is the sort of situation where having someone with you certainly makes things easier. Occasionally you will hear animals calling, and you’re bound to see some of them eventually. Maybe you’ll luck out and spot a herbivore like one of the armoured dinosaurs, just chewing on plants and not likely to attack you unless you piss it off. Maybe you spot something about your size with a decidedly less vegetarian diet and you have to decide between hiding or trying to scare it off.

Eventually in your wanderings you come across an unusual sight: a dirt road. It cuts its way through the trees and ferns, and to the south you can hear what is probably a familiar sound: engines. And shouting.

It’s getting closer.

Suddenly there are cars and motorcycles rushing down the road toward you - try not to get hit! One of the cars slows and a guy with a ragged blonde beard hangs out and tells you to get in the back. At close to the same time a truck slows and another guy tells you to climb aboard and grab a gun.

Why would you need a gun? The answer presents itself almost immediately: big daddy T-Rex is stomping its way down the road towards you.

You can escape with the first car, or pitch in and try to shoot the dinosaur with the second. Or you could try and prevent them from hurting the animal entirely, or just run off into the jungle by yourself. Better decide quickly, though. That T-Rex looks hungry.

Notes:
1. You determine your level of dino encounter! And what kind - nobody is going to get on your ass if you pick one from the Jurassic period instead of the Cretaceous. It’s a magic island for crying out loud.



Ⅲ. SETTLEMENT
CW: Kidnapping.
Whether you throw in with the humans or maybe stumble upon it by accident, you wind up at their encampment . It’s definitely the safest place to be - there are high walls around a series of small buildings mostly cobbled together from wood and tin. But there’s cots, and food. Outside the perimeter wall are tripwires and very basic motion sensors that will alert the settlement if any sizable animals are prowling around.

You’re informed that mostly the dinosaurs leave the camp alone - too much effort for not enough food.

While you’ll be welcomed the first night, as soon as morning rolls around it will be made abundantly clear that you’re going to be expected to pull your weight. Pitch in with the cooking or cleaning, or if you have some mechanical skill you can help fix up some of the rattling vehicles parked around.

From what you can gather, this is just one of a few different settlements on the island. Some of the others have small farms, and if you can drive you will be asked if you’d mind running over a delivery to one of these.

Agree, and you’ll be handed the keys to what sure looks like a 1970s era Cadillac. The mulleted gentleman who has asked this favour of you hands you a piece of paper upon which a small map is drawn, along with written directions. A note at the bottom reads, “don’t look in the tunk.” You think he means ‘trunk.’

“Package is in the trunk,” this gentleman confirms. “Don’t open it, sunlight’ll mess it all up.”

With that he sends you on your merry way. Best to take along a buddy for safety!

Partway through your journey you will come to realise that whatever is in the trunk is making a banging noise. You can ignore it and keep driving, passing the keys off to the people at the farming settlement, or you can pull over and investigate.

If you choose the second option, you’ll find that your ‘package’ is a person. Not a human one - this person has scales and huge, bulging eyes above small nostrils. They’re bound hand and foot and gagged, staring up at you with terror.

Well, jeez. Now what?

Notes:
1. If you open the trunk and discover the Crazy Frog-esque figure within you can continue on to the settlement and deliver him as promised. If you choose the former, the people at both settlements will be angry and turn on you unless you can spin a very convincing lie about your prisoner escaping.

2. If you choose to free your froggy friend, they will indicate that you should follow them through the jungle to their home.

3. If you skip the delivery mission, you can still stay at the camp. It’s very bare bones, but there’s food and cots and bathrooms at least.



Ⅳ. REPTILIANS
Whether it’s because you’re led there, or because you find it by accident, you find yourself in a village - the houses are smooth stone, curving elegantly under sprawling vines and beautiful blooming flowers.

Upon your arrival several humanoid lizard people emerge from their homes and watch you, silent. One of them, stooped and wizened with age, moves to stand directly in front of you. When they speak, you realise that you can’t hear them with your ears; they communicate through telepathy.

You are welcome to stay in our village if you pass our Test of Bravery.

You’re half expecting that they’ll make you fight a velociraptor or something, but no - this village elder leads you and your companion both to the center of the village where there are several large flat stones ringed around one much larger stone. You’re both instructed to sit. More of the reptilian people approach, watching you.

Tell us a story of your bravery, the elder tells you.

You’ll have to dig into your memories to find a moment where you think you acted bravely, and then you’ll have to tell everyone assembled about it. You might be tempted to embellish a little bit, or to outright lie.

But if you do…

The moment you start fudging the truth, a different memory will play out just above the large center stone like a hologram. This memory paints you much more poorly: it's one of your most cowardly moments. Definitely not what you wanted to share with a village full of people.

When either your story or your memory is finished, the village elder will look at you with their strange eyes and pronounce whether or not you’re allowed to stay.

Notes:
1. Whether or not you are allowed to stay is not based entirely on how brave you were - how you react to having to share (willingly or not) these stories also plays a part. For example, if you ran away from a fight but in the present you don’t try to justify it with bullshit reasons, you will still be invited to stay.

2. The Reptilian village is a blend of nature and advanced technology. Frankly, it’s a nicer place to stay than the human settlements. They have a lot more creature comforts, like nice deep baths and soft beds.



Greetings, prospective Travelers! Welcome to the POLYMYTHOS test drive meme and thank you for your interest in our game! 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! Apps are always open!)

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

dothelokimotion: (I like my coffee)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2022-01-18 07:16 am (UTC)(link)
Self-improvement is always vague.

[ if there were clear, easy guidelines then well . . . issues wouldn't exist. ]

That is where you have to seek initiative, is it not? Besides each island offers its own . . . situational problems to tackle.
threeterparker: (059)

[personal profile] threeterparker 2022-01-18 07:58 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Peter looks down to his own bracelet, also green, and rubs his thumb over the face of it idly as he listens to what Chloe has to say. ]

Do you have any idea why us? Like, out of everyone in every possible universe, why are we the ones who need to reform?
threeterparker: (230)

[personal profile] threeterparker 2022-01-18 08:01 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He's got a point. Peter rubs at his wrist where his new bracelet sits, nodding idly as his mind works through the words he's hearing. ]

Situational problems. That's... Okay, that's not impossible to deal with, right? We just take each new thing as it comes.

[ He shakes his head. It's beginning to seem like he's stuck here for a while yet, and won't be going back to his universe until he can 'reform' himself, to whatever arbitrary standards are set for him. Sighing, he at least offers a hand to the guy to introduce himself. ]

I'm Peter, by the way.
detectivemiracle: (031)

[personal profile] detectivemiracle 2022-01-18 08:28 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Chloe shakes her head sympathetically. ]

Who knows? Maybe we’re at the whim of some all-powerful being? Maybe we all brought ourselves here, somehow. Maybe it’s some combination.
puntificates: (herbskillz-tlou-ellie-43)

[personal profile] puntificates 2022-01-18 11:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Ellie is SO unprepared for Peter being anything but a lanky nerd, so. like, no offense or anything, but she'll totally make sure his last will is respected if he has one if this is a dino ninja assassin.

...

which, apparently... it isn't. Ellie doesn't catch what it is for a sec, busy as she is watching Peter's back from a somewhat safe distance, but as soon as she sees the look on her face, she has to investigate firsthand. ]


Dude.

[ ...what. is that? if being on Dino Island wasn't weird and trippy enough to swallow, this really drives the whole experience into the 'surreal' zone. ]

Are we... frognappers? Is that a thing?
foxtrots: (pic#12435780)

I

[personal profile] foxtrots 2022-01-18 11:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[minsu is also full of questions for the ferryman...how many of them were actually relevant to the situation at hand will just have to remain a mystery, in part because he's suddenly more curious about peter.

and also because they're being left behind.]


That was rude, right? He was rude to ignore you. I could never do that to someone.
threeterparker: (220)

[personal profile] threeterparker 2022-01-19 12:13 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, thanks. [ Peter paces a bit on the beach. ] That was rude. I mean, who just steals people from their universes and plops them down on a beach after nothing but a spooky speech about reforming themselves?! Who does that?

[ But, there's no point in getting down on himself for something he has no control over. He sighs, shaking his head and rubbing a hand over his face. ]

Whatever. Guess we're on our own now.
threeterparker: (250)

[personal profile] threeterparker 2022-01-19 12:16 am (UTC)(link)
[ There are so many questions and so few answers. Peter really doesn't like operating on this little information, but... He has no choice, does he? ]

So, what do you think we do now? Now that we've passed the test of bravery and all.

[ He glances up at the lizard man who seems to be in charge. ] We did pass, right?
threeterparker: (143)

[personal profile] threeterparker 2022-01-19 12:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ It takes Peter a second to get over the initial shock of seeing someone bound and gagged in the trunk of the car he was told to drive, but his mind quickly moves onto the next steps. ]

I think that's a thing. I mean, those guys back at camp had to know this was shady. Otherwise, why would they tell us not to look in the trunk?

[ He scrubs a hand over his eyes, then starts to approach the poor frog captive slowly, with his hands held up to show he's unarmed. Even without a weapon, he's pretty sure he can beat this guy in a fight, if need be. ]

Look, we don't want to hurt you. I'm just going to remove the gag from your mouth, okay? [ He glances at the girl— still don't know her name, this is great— and reaches in to untie the gag. ]
puntificates: (pw8vBbW)

[personal profile] puntificates 2022-01-19 12:46 am (UTC)(link)
[ oh geez. a frog hostage -- this is a first, and Ellie is taking in the Frog Guy's vehement gesturing, waggling his webbed... hands? sure. ]

Uh, he keeps pointing that way? Maybe?

[ she gestures with a thumb generally southwest. ]

You think we can trust him? If he thinks we're with the assholes that tied him up like this, it could be a trap.

[ she looks a little wary, but... damn, okay, his eyes are bugged out and weird but they're also kinda cute? if you squint?? ...he does look real earnest. ]
puntificates: (fEYMvTt)

[personal profile] puntificates 2022-01-19 01:10 am (UTC)(link)
Dicks...

[ it's mumbled under her breath -- she means the guys at camp, of course, present company is excluded. and sympathy is beginning to overtake wariness as Ellie works at loosening the ropes tying the poor guy's feet together like he's a pig to roast.

and the Frog Guy immediately starts gesturing and pointing its webbed appendages (hands??) once ungagged and untied, trying to communicate what looks like gratitude as well as some attempt to impart an emphatic message... one that sadly goes over Ellie's head. it doesn't seem to be speaking, though; maybe it can't? ]


Oh, man... he doesn't look hurt, does he? I don't see any blood, but maybe they roughed him up, I don't know how... frog people... are supposed to look.

[ but Frog Guy with his almost comically oversized eyes can only blink at them in response to their concern before gesturing again. (maybe a perceptive soul would notice it seems to be favoring one direction in all that gesticulating?) ]
helpdesk_hero: David Alleyne  / Prodigy - From Young Avengers (Default)

I

[personal profile] helpdesk_hero 2022-01-19 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, you get used to the ominous statements. Sometimes.

[What? David really thought you did get used to it. He was used to it. Right? Maybe? He had sat next to Peter on the inbound, and now he was just stretching, not bothering to pay attention to the retreating ferry.]

Don't expect answers. We haven't had any for a while.
dothelokimotion: (Regret nothing until it's too late)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2022-01-19 02:02 am (UTC)(link)
[ rather quick with the "we" there. it's been months and loki still isn't integrated with life and the people here. an old grief still keeps him apart. still, he shakes the hand, albeit somewhat reluctantly. ]

Loki of Asgard.
giantanimal: (da fuck)

Prince Damianos | Captive Prince

[personal profile] giantanimal 2022-01-19 02:04 am (UTC)(link)
I. Arrival

This is, unfortunately, not the first time Damen has found himself somewhere strange with no memory of how he got there. At least he's not chained up this time. At all, which is its own sort of strange. He touches his wrist where he's used to feeling a heavy gold cuff. Best not to dwell for now.

The strange... lizard?? bird?? running across the beach gives him pause, but the rumbling noises are more concerning, and he doesn't have his sword. He instead picks up a heavy stick and starts stalking towards the sounds. He'd rather it not be something he has to fight, but he's ready if it is.

II. Cretaceous Park

The road is a welcome relief after the difficult time Damen's had navigating the jungle. But then there is the strange rumbling and metal... beasts? Vehicles? Some sort of combination? are charging towards Damen far faster than anything he's ever seen before. He barely manages to get out of the way. Then two of the vehicles--it turns out that's what they are--pull up and one wants him to get inside it which seems horrible and the other wants to give him something called a "guhn."

"What's a guhn?" Damen asks blankly.

Before the guy can explain, a creature Damen can only call a dragon appears. It's charging towards them, and Damen squares himself, ready to fight it. With just his body. This can't possibly go wrong.

III. Settlement

Damen can't drive, but he's good security, especially now that he's found a knife. He's still uncomfortable around cars, but he doesn't let it show as he rides along, watching the countryside fly past at dizzying speed (probably 30 miles per hour if that).

When noises start coming from the trunk he freezes and turns to the driver. "Pull over. Now."

He walks around back and opens up the trunk and what he sees makes his blood run cold. This... creature. It doesn't look human, but the way its restrained is far too familiar. This isn't how you restrain an animal. It's how you restrain a prisoner or a slave.

Damen takes his knife out now. The creature's eyes widen more, but Damen carefully cuts the bonds. He's freeing the creature. This is not up for debate.

[IV Wildcard]

[Do what you want or hmu on plurk at [plurk.com profile] antivillain for custom starters!!]
threeterparker: (215 🕸️)

ii.

[personal profile] threeterparker 2022-01-19 02:44 am (UTC)(link)
Peter doesn't have his suit. He doesn't have his web shooters. Perhaps most importantly, he doesn't have any idea how he's going to fight the oncoming T-Rex. But is he going to do it anyway? You bet.

At least he's not squaring up to do it alone. He casts a nervous glance at the guy next to him.

"Are we doing this? I guess we're doing this. Hey, where'd you get that big stick? Maybe— should I have a big stick too?"

He's rambling, but mostly because he's nervous. No time for that though, because the T-Rex is get closer, and closer...!
giantanimal: (ohhh shiiii)

[personal profile] giantanimal 2022-01-19 03:04 am (UTC)(link)
Damen is tall and broad shouldered and looks exactly as strong as he is. He's never fought something this big, but he's fought a lot of other people and things. The man next to him is wiry and small. Damen frowns and offers him the stick. It doesn't seem fair to let the weaker man go unarmed. Damen will be fine. Probably.
detectivemiracle: (175)

[personal profile] detectivemiracle 2022-01-19 04:36 am (UTC)(link)
[ It seems they did, indeed, pass the test. And now? They... apparently have the run of the small settlement. Chloe shoves her hands in her jacket pockets with a sigh. ]

Hang out, I suppose. Wait until we get transported to the next world - hopefully there won't be any man-eating animals on the next one. Go back to the Temple, if you're worried about safety. I might do that. I don't really like the idea of being eaten.
detectivemiracle: (001)

[personal profile] detectivemiracle 2022-01-19 04:38 am (UTC)(link)
[ Chloe is trying her best to communicate with the frog creature, using hand gestures. ]

You're free - I'm sorry this happened to you, are you injured? ...Do - do you want us to come with you?

[ The little creature does, indeed, seem to want them to follow. Seems eager, even. ]

It might be a trap, but also, if we show up at the other settlement, I don't know what the humans will do to us after freeing their...captive.
antifungi: (NGvlXft)

[personal profile] antifungi 2022-01-19 06:32 am (UTC)(link)
[ He can't pretend not to be a little relieved when she doesn't jump to interrogate him, though there's ample opportunity in his vague explanation. He'll tell her all about it, if she asks, but he can't make it make sense. Especially not now, when Ellie seems to have no knowledge of him disappearing at all. (Though that he can't decide whether to be grateful for or not, as much as it skews his sense of everything else. Not that it matters much, in the end. She's safe; that's what's important.)

In that regard, he does appreciate her flippant response. Even if he shows it with a sigh and a shake of his head, as he turns back to the road (frown decidedly lessened). ]


Uh-huh. That's definitely it.

[ Although he's not been entirely without uninvited cheer foisted upon him, this whole time, either. But he'll let her think she's saving him from the endless mundanity of magic-island hopping singlehandedly.

There's a break in the thick wall of jungle up ahead, after a fair bit of walking, and when he reaches it first, Joel comes up to a short stop again. That tension is short-lived, this time, though, and he motions for Ellie to join him. ]


Hey. Come and get a look at this.

[ Where the trees thin out around a wider spot in the road, a handful of dinosaurs appear to be grazing as they pass through. Not the type liable to try and eat them, either, from the looks of it. ]
threeterparker: (175)

[personal profile] threeterparker 2022-01-19 10:24 am (UTC)(link)
[ Peter reaches in to help the captive climb out of the trunk, then looks off in the direction he's gesturing. It's not back the way they came, towards the camp. So it must be... ]

I think he's trying to get us to go that way.

[ Off into the jungle again, away from the road. Which means they would have to abandon the car. Peter looks back to the frog man, pointing off in the direction he indicated. ]

Is that right? You want to go over there?

[ He's met with emphatic nods. ]
foxtrots: (pic#13264612)

[personal profile] foxtrots 2022-01-19 02:47 pm (UTC)(link)
[minsu crouches down, tracking him with his eyes and nodding in agreement more than once. it's never happened to him before either! it's the part about "reforming" that makes his shoulders go a little bit stiff.]

It's okay! It'll be okay! [he pops back up again, ever the optimist.] There's gotta be fish in the sea! I've never fished before but I've always wanted to try. And there-

[he half-turns to point in the direction of the jungle.]

I bet there's lots of things to hunt in there. We won't go hungry!

[the thought of going hungry is minsu's biggest concern right now. and always.]

I'm Minsu.
puntificates: (herbskillz-tlou-ellie-05)

[personal profile] puntificates 2022-01-19 05:19 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Chloe's one of the Good Guys, isn't she? Good Gals? yeah. she's got a sincerity in her concern for Frog Guy despite how genuinely weird this whole thing is that doesn't seem faked, goes a long way to making Ellie feel comfortable around her. ]

Yeah, good point... I don't think people who can even spell 'trunk' right are firing on all pistons, if you know what I mean.

[ dumb and potentially dangerous, what a great combo! but... Ellie's awkwardly offering Frog Guy a hand to help him-- it??-- hop out and down to its feet where it shakes itself out after its captivity. ]

We doing this? 'Cause I'm down.

[ this is like.... the coolest day of her life, honestly. dinosaurs?? rescuing frog-hostages?? an adventure into the unknown depths of the jungle???? she's SO game. ]
puntificates: (s6Zd01P)

[personal profile] puntificates 2022-01-19 05:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[ enjoy the reprieve from an impromptu game of 20 questions; it isn't going to last very long -- but Ellie has a good lot to chew on for now, and it can wait until they're not in the middle of the dinosaur-infested jungles. probably. suppose it depends on how impatient she gets and how long it takes to get to safety, honestly. a girl gets bored, alright?

Ellie keeps absentmindedly fidgeting with the scrywatch at her wrist (it's disconcerting and weird) as they walk, but their surroundings are a pretty amazing distraction from everything considering; she trusts Joel to be keeping his wits about him because... well, he's Joel. it leaves her some freedom to admire her surreal, completely out-of-this-world (literally?) circumstances and give it the attention it deserves. how often does one get to take a genuine step back in time, to walk among the dinosaurs? from the occasional rustling in the brush revealing small creatures she can't even identify to the sounds all around them -- it's all... incredible.

the only thing cooler than this would be a trip to space.

and speaking of, she's spaced out quite a bit considering she almost walks right into Joel's back when he comes to a halt, stopping herself just short of colliding into him. but Ellie's eagerly coming around to his side where he's directed, and her eyes go wide -- face lighting up with awe. ]


Holy shit.

[ holy SHIT, Joel! ]

Are you seeing this right now?! This is... this is crazy, look how big those suckers are!

[ sure, she's seen recreations in textbooks and in the occasional comic book or movie, but this? this is up close and personal. with dinosaurs.

this is so fucking cool and she might never stop smiling. ]
puntificates: (K2L9vWC)

[personal profile] puntificates 2022-01-19 05:42 pm (UTC)(link)
[ this is so weird. and so cool. this feels like she's been dropped into some crazy movie and honestly, that's awesome.

Ellie's looking between Frog Guy who is continuing to flail his hand-things in the direction Peter demonstrated before it? he? looks at them expectantly. it seems Peter's definitely got the right idea. ]


Sooo... on one hand, this could be a sly way of getting us to walk ourselves to our dooms. On the other hand, maybe he owes us some kind of life debt for freeing him and he's about to teach us to ride dinosaurs or something. Honestly, I'm good with risking it because I really want to ride a dino, I don't know about you.
detectivemiracle: (113)

[personal profile] detectivemiracle 2022-01-19 06:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Chloe is in a bit of a conundrum. She’s responsible for Ellie’s safety, as long as it’s just the two of them out here. They have only a couple of options at this point: let the frog person go, get back in the borrowed car and head back to one of the human settlements, where they may very well be in danger from whomever engineered this kidnapping. Or, they can follow the frog person into the jungle and hope the frog people aren’t hostile.

There’s no guarantee either way, and when there’s no guarantee, Chloe has learned to go with her gut. Her gut says the humans are sus, and the frog person seems innocent.

She hopes her gut is right. ]


Lead the way.

[ She waves the frog person forward, and it seems excited to lead them on. She looks at Ellie. ]

Are you all right? I know this is all a bit… much.

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