TDM: Mega Throwback Edition!

[polymods]

✖ 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

Comments

greg hirsch aka cousin greg | succession

[greggs]

arrival: doom & pining / action

[ it's been a couple of hours of greg pacing around the shore like a gigantic lost puppy. he's running out of ideas. refusing to disembark? staying glued to his seat in hopes that the inhuman seeming ferry guy might row him straight back home to NYC if he just stayed put and looked as unassuming as possible?

did not work. failed quite spectacularly, and in fact, that was his one and only idea. exploring the jungle? not an option he's willing to accept just yet. there are real dinosaurs in there.

he's gonna die here. he is. god, this is it, isn't it? greg is aching to catch sight of a familiar face somewhere in the crowd of arrivals, but with his search turning up no results, despair begins to override fear. he settles for perching at the edge of the water to stare out at the vast ocean surrounding them.

fiddling with the strap of a pack he hasn't bothered to open, furrowing his brow, waiting. just... waiting. for the boat to come back and drop off more people, or for another chance to bargain his way home. either or. ]

Come on, come on...

[ he'd offer his soul to the ferryman if he hadn't already promised it to someone else. fuck, this isn't fair. ]

scrywatch: i would like to register a complaint. / text

Anyone else a FT executive whose absence will have serious ramifications on the state of ur company?
I would add that its status as a corporation somewhat perhaps some would argue overly bloated, or teeming with worldwide power and influence, has been in question for some time. Maybe or maybe not. I'm not really sure. That's classified information and I'm not privy to all the details. However, even the smallest chance of presiding over any such major changes makes the consequences of my particular situation all the more dire.
I don't know how else to stress that this is very uncool and seriously disruptive? I don't want to complain but u (the ancient) kind of did this at the worst possible time?

[ thought you should know!! sincerely, gregory hirsch. a high powered businessman writing an email to the powers that be on the network. ]

arrival

[detectivemiracle]

It won't come back. Not for a while, at least.

[ Chloe says this - not loudly, but somewhat carefully. She can sort of guess at what he's thinking. ]

We're likely to be here for a couple of weeks to a couple of months.

[greggs]

[ a couple of months, at the very least. greg turns his head to acknowledge chloe and her diplomatic approach, but he can't help looking even more crushed to hear the truth. damn. shit sucks.

but someone needed to remind him of it. ]

Oh, yeah? Guess I should've figured that out. Or guessed as much. Um... you know your way around, huh?

[detectivemiracle]

A bit. I've been shuttled around to a few different places now.

[ She knows how much it sucks when you first show up here, though. She offers a hand to shake. ]

I'm Chloe. Chloe Decker.

[greggs]

[ after one final, longing look out at the water, he turns away and faces chloe directly. greg has to be grateful to anyone with experience on these... rotating islands? for taking the time to talk to him. he regards her politely.

and though he's a whole foot taller, he's carrying some obvious nervous energy that appears to be difficult to put away. ]

H-hey Chloe. Gregory Hirsch.

[ he takes her hand and shakes. the grip is light, kinda flighty. ]

Just Greg is fine. Um, wow. That's- is it just me, or is this whole thing kinda, like, very unspecific? Does it become more obvious what we have to do? Exactly?

[detectivemiracle]

Pretty unspecific, yeah. "Self-improvement" can mean a lot of things. It might be unspecific for a reason.

[ Chloe doesn't particularly like it, either, but she's been here long enough that she can't be upset or angry about it anymore. It just is. It's a problem her mind worries at, for sure, like wiggling a loose tooth with your tongue, but she can treat it with a certain equanimity at this point.

She holds up her ScryWatch - the weird band on her wrist, which is also on Greg's. Hers glows green. ]

I think we're expected to get this to change colors. Some people's are yellow, or orange. I'm not entirely sure how, or what the colors mean, exactly.

[greggs]

[ unspecific for a reason. he worries at his chin with fingers, eyes focusing in a deliberate effort to concentrate before flitting to her wrist band.

okay... so they're supposed to work on "self-improvement", whatever the hell that means (greg can't help hearing his grandpa's voice in his head all of a sudden), and their progress is being measured all the while. fantastic. ]

Oh, man... I guess, I dunno, green's probably good? Has yours been the same color this whole time?

[ greg's eyes then dart from chloe's band to his own - yellow. very yellow. suddenly self-conscious, he clears his throat and rubs at the back of his neck in a delayed attempt to conceal it from her view. not exactly sly or subtle. ]

[detectivemiracle]

Mine's been the same since I arrived, yeah.

[ She's not nosy, and unlikely to judge. ]

I try not to make any assumptions about it. I mean, theoretically, we're all here because we're supposed to improve. So even if green is good, clearly it's not good enough for someone.

Maybe it's not good enough for me, and that's why I'm here. Maybe we're all here because we subconsciously brought ourselves? Anything is possible.

[greggs]

Oh. Yeah. Yeah, good point.

[ nod, nod! she's making sense here. but uh, trying to process that last part is something that can be read on his face. downloading information... ]

Huh. That's pretty deep. I think I like that more, 'cause it gives us more control over the, ah, the placement. Of ourselves. I wonder if, what if, like, we tried to reverse psychology it? Radical self-acceptance as a tactic, perhaps? What if our colors are meant to be static and we can go home after the self-judgment stops?

[ oh the humanity. greg just wants an easy option that will require zero work to slide into view. ]

[detectivemiracle]

I think, whether we brought ourselves here or not, we probably have to actually face whatever it is that we're here for.

[ Chloe shrugs. She's not one to hide in easy fantasies. She's a practical, down-to-earth kind of person. Even if her boyfriend is the Devil. ]

The different places we get dropped off at... they often have things that seem designed to force us to face them. Face ourselves. Like, psychologically.

arrival

[crownless]

[travis may not be a nature expert-- some nerd like him? not by any means-- but he has spent a hell of a lot of time camping over the last few years. (also, he's watched the discovery channel. thank fuck he didn't get dropped here buck ass naked.) the concepts are all the same, even if a tropical jungle isn't quite the backwoods of texas: find firewood, find a safe spot to crash, figure out how to keep whatever or whoever is out there from killing you in the dead of night.

he's halfway through step one, lugging a bundle of driftwood in his arms, when he notices the man on the shore. the man... who is still on the shore. he's been ducking in and out of the jungle for the last hour, at least-- why the hell is this guy still out here?

he sidles past him to grab a nice, dry-looking hunk of wood off the sand. without looking up, he calls:]

Hey, man-- you know nobody's coming back for us, right?

[sure, it's not his job to make sure this guy doesn't get eaten... but he does feel a little bad. it'll be such a waste if he doesn't even try to make it out here.]

gives me a chance to change this subject title to DILF ALERT

[greggs]

[ who does this hunk of a wood-carrying chill as fuck dude think he is to remind greg that standing around in a stupor isn't a feasible option?

he's right, is what he is. it's been a long enough time spent doing nothing for those words to reach him, so he swallows hard at hearing them and turns his head after a beat. before he can stammer out a reply, greg makes a few quick observations here: capable of lugging driftwood around on the beach. muscles. maybe a bit older than him? smart enough to make camp before nightfall. calm enough to accomplish his tasks.

the most important observation, though? this guy noticed greg. noticed him standing around like an idiot maybe but hey, that's something. sure, he's not looking at him yet, but his words imply as much. so he turns all the way towards travis with that defeated, sad posture on blast.

everything about him is now giving off the vibe of pleading for help without saying it. ]

Yeah. Yeah. I just... [ sigh. he fidgets with his hands. ] There are fuck, fucking dinosaurs behind us, dude. Who knows what else is in there? I'm like, having trouble processing?

LMFALDJ

[crownless]

[the expression that crosses travis' face, on the other hand, says a little something like "great, now i gotta be responsible for this water bottle white collar criminal". he straightens up, skepticism etched deep into the furrow of his brow-- which is when he finally realizes that this poor fucker is also crazy tall? even with the sad slouch? who let this enormous wuss in? jesus.]

Well, you know. [seriously, is he 7 feet tall?!] Shit happens. Just gotta roll with it, right?

[it isn't that he doesn't feel any sympathy for the guy: everything about him screams civilian. this guy shouldn't be here, flat out; no normal person should ever have to put up with this jurassic park ripoff. but he's so focused on staying alive-- always has been-- that the idea of cowering is so foreign and far-flung. he's honestly forgotten what this feels like.

travis frowns... then hands the piece of wood he's just picked up to greg.]

I'm Travis. You can process the dinosaurs later, so long as you don't get eaten by 'em. Let's at least make a fire before it gets dark, yeah?

this is so tragic he'll never score

[greggs]

[ greg's familiar with that look. he's incapable of taking it personally. only one thing matters, and that's convincing this stoic badass type to let him tag along so that he doesn't die on his first night.

think about it this way, travis... you'll have the height advantage in any situation that requires it. and that's. well. um that's about it.

so even though he can't conceive of it, even though every fiber of his being is screaming against the notion that you just roll with it like being sent to a hellish portal of judgmental rotating islands is on the same level as, like, the bakery being out of your favorite kind of pastry, he nods at the advice. he breaks eye contact by nodding in a frantic downward motion on auto-pilot.

it does still seem like he's about to begin hyperventilating despite the nonverbal agreement. and then an object peeks into his view-- it's the driftwood, which greg takes hold of without thinking as soon as it's handed to him. blinking big, sad eyes, he focuses them back on travis. he shuffles the wood into his oversized arms like he's holding precious groceries or something. something he shouldn't drop, something that means--

let's. yes, oh yes, a camping buddy! the right kind of camping buddy like hello. he visibly brightens. ]

Gregory Hirsch. Thank you, sir. Absolutely, putting a pin in the processing, although it may weigh on the mind, I'm sure, as live dinosaurs are wont to do, I can-- [ slow dooown. don't be such a freak and a geek around this Cool Guy Named Travis. he's serving crazy cool vibes. did we just call him sir? ] I can control that. I can do that. We will need fire, and you know, perhaps they fear fire?

rip greg he never scored

[crownless]

[gregory. sir. the guy takes the driftwood from him, but he still looks like he's about to start crying-- holy shit. they printed this man out at the office max for 85 cents a foot.]

Uh, ssssure. Greg.

[he's not just a civilian: this gregory dude is some kind of... desk jockey? it's odd, feeling his own first impression taking shape, shifting slightly to the left. as much as he pities greg, travis'll always be some degree of brokeass, dumbass punk. he doesn't feel self-conscious-- fuck that shit, fuck rich people feelings-- but it's as if they're from different planets. how do you talk to a guy like this, like. normally?]

Honestly? I dunno if they can smell it, or see it, or whatever: I've never met a dinosaur, man, and it's been a long-ass time since I saw Jurassic Park. I just don't wanna freeze to death tonight.

[whatever. maybe travis should listen to his own advice: roll with it. and so he does, continuing to walk, in the hopes his new buddy will be right at his heels.]

You ever do any Boy Scout stuff? That'd be hella handy right about now.

CATCH ME DISTRACTED BY TRAVIS' SHIRT IN THAT ICON gnkfdjnhelp

[greggs]

[ mentally knocking himself for how travis responds at first. you weirded him out, you babbling scarecrow. of course you did? greg waits until he turns around to mouth something silent and indecipherable, directed entirely towards himself, and shake his head.

however, true to that assumption, nothing stops him from shadowing travis like his life depends on it. it very well might. so yes this giant office worker is trailing after him and still taking note of his devil may care attitude. hm... ]

Oh, yeah, yeah! Me too, Jurassic Park-- you know, it's a classic and everything, but my desire to live or experience it, that's something that I could accurately describe as nonexistent?

[ it's as if he hasn't already made that crystal clear. can we please just like. speak normally. travis is obviously not the type to get easily offended or anything. time to loosen up!! except it seems greg is on a losing streak: ]

Lookin' forward to that warmth. Yes, indeed. Boy Scout, ah, hm, I never really, um. No. Not my forte. Unfortunately. Sorry.

[ look, after school activities or clubs or anything... when there's a 50/50 chance your mom might be passed out by 3pm, they aren't the best things to commit to. ]

I wonder if rubbing sticks together actually, like, works? I dunno...

travis 'fuck racism' touchdown

[crownless]

[as they leave the beach, stepping through the threshold into lush curtains of greenery, travis muses aloud--] Dude, imagine how cool it'd be to fight a dinosaur though. Provided you lived to tell the tale.

[greg. gregory. mr. hirsch. your babbling is contagious. travis screws his face up into an expression of distaste-- he's gotten more than his fill of talking like a visual novel character for the last, like, ever, so now that he's caught himself, he's cutting himself off before he starts monologuing stupidly about how long the age of dinosaurs is compared to humans or something.

ANYWAY. he casts a glance over his shoulder at greg, just to make sure he hasn't tripped and eaten shit on a vine yet.]

Yeah! The stick thing kinda works, but you gotta get kindling and stuff first. I did a lot of outdoorsy shit a couple years back, 'cause I was traveling... lotta campfires. [HE'S BULLSHITTING. HE HAD LIGHTER FLUID ON HIM ALMOST ALL THOSE TIMES. THIS MAN IS A CITY SLICKER!!!] We'll figure it out.

[watch them descend into smacking rocks together like cavemen.]

scrywatch ya im hitting you twice

[metafictions]

I'm not sure your priorities are in order. We have essentially been kidnapped by the people in power here, after all. You should be more worried about getting home safely.

my joy is immeasurable <333

[greggs]

I am worried about that!
I'm worried about a lot of things, okay?

[ omg greg why r u yelling in text. this is so unlike him! he feels bad/concerned like one second after that send. ]

Sorry if that tone sounded aggressive I'm pretty stressed about this whole thing? Like you're right and this sucks? There's kind of a lot at stake with my future if I can't get home soon and I don't really know how to stop thinking about that.

[metafictions]

[....why....is he apologizing.... that wasn't even that dramatic of a reaction....]

I don't blame you for being stressed out. This entire situation is pretty alarming. But it's important to keep a level head, or you won't have a future left to worry about at all.

[he's curious, though:] Is there no one who could step in for you while you're gone?

[greggs]

[ everyone here is just like... so calm. how. how do they manage it??? ]

Thanks. No, I mean, you're right. Of course you're right. About both the level head and the priorities both are important.
Um... so I think it might be bad if someone did. Step in for me, that is. I'd be concerned that they might become my replacement especially if I'm gone for a long time. You know?

[ tom if you're out there if you can hear me pls don't forget about dear old sporus ]

I think my boss is gonna be mad at me too. That's always not great. Well not always not great or like. Sometimes it's fine. Do u know if there's any way to get in touch with people from where we came from?

[ yeah, it's a long shot...still gotta ask. ]

[metafictions]

[kamui very slowly reads over... ALL OF THIS... and can't help but come to the conclusion that-- wow.

this guy is a mess!]

If there were, don't you think we'd have used it to ask for help instead?

Please, I know you're [DISTRESSED? A NERVOUS WRECK???] concerned about your job, but you'll just have to put it out of your mind for a little while. Have you found the campsite yet? Maybe you should eat something, and relax somewhere safe for a bit...

[greggs]

[ kamui is honestly so kind to avoid directly pointing it out. he's a saint. his patience...will be tested. ]

Uh yeah probably. But if an entity or something did this can't it just decide to keep some people out and some people in no matter what? And maybe if it feels somewhat benevolent one day, create a nice little line of communication between both places to keep our original lives from getting messed up? (suggestion) I don't know how any of this works but I don't think it's an unreasonable request?

[ ARE YOU LISTENING ENTITY are you hearing this feedback. bold for emphasis. see, kamui is not only perfectly reasonable, again there's the impression settling in that he's another person better suited for the environment. unforch this just leads greg down an alternate obsessive path. ]

Yeah... eating helped a little.
I don't know. I don't know, man. I just don't know why I'm here. It sort of feels like everyone I talk to is built for this too like it seems to be the case that you guys have a bunch of advantages? That aren't immediately available to me? That's been weighin on the old noggin too.

[metafictions]

[oh, greg. he can't decide if you're a very wishful thinker or deluded.]

If they're reading, I'm sure they'll take it into account.

[or, you know. ignore it. in his experience, all-powerful entities are not typically known for being considerate.]

In what way? I assume we're all here for the same, um, quest for redemption? Or do you just mean adjusting to the setting in general? [if that sounds somewhat technical, that's because it is. please don't let him get apped here, oh mysterious player, he needs a cityboy game for city boys like him.] I'm pretty sure I've never met dinosaurs before either.

[mostly. some of those timeloops got kinda fuzzy, who knows.]

[greggs]

[ maybe a bit of both. maybe hoping that if he's persistent enough, SOMEONE with power will listen or respond just to get him to stfu. thank you, kamui, for humoring him. ]

It's the adjusting part, yeah. I know it's freaky for everyone but it's like, an issue of... I'm not sure how to put it...

[ what's the politest way to say some of you people and your background stories are jUST AS FUCKED as this place? he doesn't know yet if that's the case for kamui, but what he's heard so far is starting to make him wonder if that's the norm. ]

Mental...strength? Strength of the mind? The mind's ability to cope?

[ does that sound very pathetic? yes. does it feel true? also yes. ]