TDM I: The Silent Towns

[ourspace]

OPEN SPACE: TEST DRIVE MEME #1 welcome. This is the first test drive meme for openspace! We hope to be a plot-driven, space-fantasy, pan-fandom game, with a day-to-day focus on player-run plots and a metaplot about the nature of creative energy. arrival. You appear in a city square. The buildings around you are retro-futuristic, all chrome and curves. The dust beneath your feet is red, the sky is pink and dotted with pastel clouds, the sun is slightly smaller than normal, and two misshapen moons hang low in the sky. The air is breathable, the weather temperate. A moment later, there’s a strange sensation, like a pair of warm, slender arms settling over your shoulders in a draping hug. If you try to turn and look for the source of those arms, however, you'll find that you're momentarily unable to move. "I have five stories for you to tell. Finish them all, and I’ll grant you a wish." It sounds like a voice whispering in your ear, but it's still impossible to turn and look. A beat after that, you know what your five tasks are, even though some of them may sound preposterous. The warm arms on your shoulder vanish, and you can move again. And you’ll notice, for the first time, that there are other people in the square with you: other new arrivals. So, will you do as you’re told, or find your own way? tasks. Choose five tasks from this list for your character. (Or RNG, if you prefer.) These are the tasks your character was assigned by the unseen voice. Characters know which tasks they have, but no one has the complete list of tasks, and no one will know what tasks anyone else has unless a character chooses to share. It’s up to your character whether they complete their tasks by charm, bribery, trickery, force, wit, or a mix of all of these. Or whether they ignore them entirely. The overall goal of the tasks is just to prompt both cooperative and hostile interaction, like icebreaker bingo meets capture the flag meets Lord of the Flies. There will be no IC reward for completing any of the tasks-- though characters are free to assume that there is (the aforementioned "wish"). However there is an OOC a reward for participation. More on that below. The tasks are as follows: 1. Save the princess 2. Restore the rightful heir to the throne 3. Make a person with brown eyes ruler of the city 4. Make a person with green eyes ruler of the city 5. Make yourself ruler of the city 6. Become the first person to drink from the Holy Grail 7. Cast the Holy Grail into the fires of volcano before anyone can drink from it 8. Destroy the Dark Lord 9. Destroy the superweapon 10. Make peace between unlike peoples 11. Make a sacrifice and commit a betrayal 12. Protect books 13. Solve the mystery of the empty city 14. Shake hands with everyone born in February 15. Kiss two people with black hair 16. Prevent public displays of affection 17. Become the world’s greatest idol 18. Throw the Holy Grail through a basketball hoop 19. Throw the rightful heir to the throne through a basketball hoop 20. Throw a basketball into the volcano setting. As your character tries to fulfill tasks or thwart others (or do nothing...) they may end up exploring. Here’s what they’ll find. The City, Generally Most of the city resembles an idyllic 1960s urban center, though all done in curving chrome and brilliant bubbling glass. Oh, and it’s abandoned. There aren’t even any animals. The streets are deserted, and every interior surface is covered in a thick veil of red dust. There’s no evidence of a disaster, or a hurried evacuation, or even an instant disappearance. Clothes are hung, beds are made, dishes are stacked away. Really, it looks as though everyone tidied up, went on vacation en masse, and never came back. The city is bisected east to west by a large, placid canal spanned by several elegantly arching bridges. The city is densely built, but the local parks have started to overgrow their bounds, so the city is dotted with masses of red-tinged, unkempt vegetation. It must be summer or fall here, because the bushes and trees are heavy with edible fruits. The Palace At the north of the city is a palace, a graceful, shining cluster of four minarets. The palace had a low wall, once, but the wall has been swallowed up by an enormous bramble, with thorns as long as an arm and roses the same rusty color as the sky. The palace grounds are overgrown, but thankfully less thorny. The minarets are filled with the usual palace things: kitchens and ballrooms, stables and treasure rooms, bedrooms and war rooms. The library is filled with books in a language that no one will be able to read; the armories are stocked with everything from swords to crossbows to revolvers to rayguns, though, mysteriously, nothing more technologically advanced than modern-day technology is functioning, and none of the futuristic technology can be rehabilitated. The largest room, located in the northernmost minaret, is the throne room, a great arching room that draws the eye to the red-gold throne. The throne is empty, of course. The Temple To the very south of the city is the temple, a red-stone pyramid whose rustic materials and sharp lines stand in sharp contrast to the chrome-and-curves of the rest of the city. The temple, too, is filled with everything you’d expect from a temple: work spaces, spaces for worship, spaces for rest, even a weapons cache almost as well-stocked and diverse as the palace’s – although again, anything more futuristic than modern-day technology is dead and cannot be repaired. Parts of the temple are opulently decorated with gold and jewels, others are spartan. In a humble room at the very top of the pyramid is a single wooden altar, upon which rests a simple wooden chalice. Outside the City Walls Several miles east of the city lies a smoking volcano, belching a slender but constant ribbon of soot into the pink sky. The land to the north, east, and south of the city is reddish-brown. Most of it looks like it was farmland once; there are picket fences and empty farmhouses and barns, mostly clustered around the banks of the canal. But the fields and orchards are overgrown now, and the dirt roads are being overtaken by restless vegetation. It will go on forever like this, no matter how far you walk or run or fly. To the west, the canal flows into a salty indigo sea that stretches as far as you can see (or swim, or sail, if you manage to build a boat. It’s big). power nerfing. The arrival power nerfing is in place for all characters: all magical abilities are nerfed; any being larger than 20 meters is scaled down to 20 meters; the magical component of any magical weaponry is nerfed; any technology more advanced than 2015/2016 technology is nerfed. (Powers can be regained and weapons repowered in game! But for now, nerfed.) have fun! Reserves open on December 18 and applications open December 23rd (for reserved characters) and December 24th (for unreserved characters). We hope you'll come back to apply! Additionally, because of the game’s meta-premise, your characters will not remember this TDM when they arrive in the game. They may remember it several months into the game as part of a planned event, if you choose. However, you can convert activity in the TDM into "solar quartz," which allows characters to gain or regain abilities in-game. For every 500 words written by you or 15 comments posted by you, your character will receive one piece of quartz upon arrival in the game. (Maximum trade-in, three pieces per character.)

Comments

Kingdom of Prussia (Hetalia)

[unadorned]

[The less than friendly noises echoing along the halls of the palace continue with an obnoxious persistance, a swooping whistle through the air punctuated with a loud clang, and then nothing--until the next whistle comes along. There is a very physical evidence of every sound, a pockmarked wall where bolts decorate the space above in an erratic pattern.

Another bolt pierces the air and embeds itself noisily into the wall courtesy of the crossbow hefted by an absent looking, if meticulous, white haired women. From the number of the bolts, it seems she's been at the task of "decorating" the throne room for the past hour.]

[canonballs]

[ An oversized black cube tumbles into the room, skidding to a halt with a screech that... tears a furrow in the floor. ]

Oi! What do you think you're doing, wrecking my palace?

[ It's supposed to sound grandiose, but comes out slightly shrill and panicky -- not to mention completely unaware that he just put a big groove in the palace floor himself. ]

[unadorned]

Testing my weapon. What does it look like?

[To make a point, she fires the last bolt, before hoisting the crossbow over one shoulder dismissively; a gesture that would have been more impressive with her usual strength (which seems to be missing for some reason).]

Are you sure sure this is actually your palace? You're not babysitting it for anyone else or anything?

[burninout]

[It was getting increasingly hard not to be nervous around this place with all that mysterious clanging going on.

Gohan feels like he's getting closer, however, and now he's hearing "whoosh" before each jarring clatter. Another corner, and oh-thank-the-skies-it's-a-person. With a crossbow, sure, but like he's ever been cautious around one of those things. He saddles the dozen heavy books in his arms a bit higher on his chest and steps forward, clearing his throat loudly in a hope to draw her attention.]

[unadorned]

[Her arms were getting uncharacteristically tired by that point--but her hearing, and not in such an empty place that even a tiptoe would sound off the walls and echo down the hallways. The urge to use the stack of books as target practice was tempting, but even a superficial brute like herself would bulk at damaging a book.

She really did fancy those.]

If you're selling something then I'm not interested. You've got the wrong palace,

Leopard (Sora wo Kakeru Shoujo): 1, 5, 13, 14, 17

[canonballs]

A. Make those intentions clear (just after arrival)

[ A rumbling laughter fills the square, beginning low and sinister and ending up... boomingly loud but not quiiiite low-pitched enough to be convincingly menacing.

The large black cube in the middle of the square seems to think it should be menacing, though. He rocks energetically on one tip, his single red eye wide and glinting in the rusty light. ]

That's right! The one who will rule this city is... me, Leopard!

[ The tips of his casing waggle energetically, and he spins in place as if making a grand gesture of taking in his city. ]

It's only natural, after all. I'm the most qualified, the smartest, the most handsome, the most impressive! It's obvious that everyone would want me in charge. Any second now, people are sure to burst into a spontaneous parade celebrating my arrival. And there's bound to be heartfelt letters, too. Let's see, they could be Dear Leopard -- no, that's too casual for the ruler of a city like this. More like... Dear Spectacular Leopard! I like the sound of that! [ Oh god the tips of his casing are waggling with even more self-important adulation now. ] Empty city, my ass! Once everyone finds out that I'm here, they're sure to come back -- running back!

Hey! You! Don't you have some monument to my perfection to start working on?

B. And some people lack the attention span (or humility?) for assigned tasks (a while after arrival)

[ In a corner of the palace, the spectacular Leopard is scooping a bag of red dust into a small cloth sachet, then dunking the bag into a dingy, chipped teacup full of broken water. Where did he acquire the tea cup? Ah, he just has a knack for acquiring junk… ]

Ah, the fragrant rooibos, not a truly refined or classical blend, but in the depths of this internetless hell a world-class tea meister must seek out the best that he can. Yes, yes, I can smell the earthy, woody taste of the bush from some place no one cares about, freshly plucked and then left here to stagnate – clearly, no one here had a palette as refined as mine. I have taken up a great and burdensome task of my own design, but one more important than anything given by invisible voices! Yes! I, Leopard, shall teach this city how to appreciate tea! Bow before me, not only as the greatest being in this city, but as its greatest tea connoisseur!

[ The pile of red dirt continues to steep ineffectually. ]

Maya Toomi | Fafner: Exodus (post episode-22) | 10 and 15 at least

[actionshot]

1. Arrival

[ She struggles hard against the invisible grip holding her in place, even as she listens to the words. She has plenty of wishes, of course, but not wishes that she trusts an unseen speaker to grant for her. It reminds her too much of are you there? ringing in her mind.

So she's on edge when the voice finally lets go of her, taking a sharp breath and spinning around to take in as much as she can as quickly as she can. She reaches for the pistol her sister gave her, but it's long gone. Disregarding the other people in the square for a quick moment, she scans the scene for any evidence of the quiet speaker. ]

Where are you?


B. Supplies

[ She climbs the stairs to the roof of a nearby building to get a sense for the lay of the land. The glass and metal reminds her more of Darwin than Tatsumiya or even Srinegar; it puts her even more on edge. Taking in the hedge of thorns around the minarets, she decides to scavenge around the imposing Temple instead.

That's how she winds up in the weapons cache of the Temple, inspecting guns and ammunition and quietly thankful for every minute of training she put in with Mizuguchi's team. She slips a pistol into the waistband of her khaki prisoner's jumpsuit and ammunition into its many pockets, then begins inspecting the harder stuff. Some of it looks more like a miniaturized version of a Fafner's weapon; when she can't get it to start, she ignores it and moves to the older mechanical items. She finds the pieces to assemble a semi-familiar sniper rifle model and begins checking the scope.

She would never have reached for a weapon this quickly before she left Tatsumiya. But after the long journey from Srinegar --

Her fingers tighten on the cool metal. Something in her has changed for the worse, unquestionably. But the outside world has made it clear that the change is here to stay, at least until she can make it home. ]


C. Night

[ As the distant sun falls, she holes herself up toward the top of one of the many abandoned buildings, a place with solid walls but enough windows for good shots. She makes a dent in her pilfered provisions, wraps herself tight in a dusty blanket, and wonders if she'll ever be able to get to sleep in a situation as strange as this. ]

ahsoka tano | star wars | OTA

[resnipstance]

1. at the temple
[Ahsoka makes her way to the Temple first. That's the most obvious place to find a Holy Grail, right? She makes short work of the pyramid and goes straight for the wooden chalice. Picking it up, she hefts it from hand to hand, thinking.]

Ha. Got you.

... At least, I think, anyway. [She squints at the chalice and brings it up to eye level.] You're significantly "Holy Grail"-ish, right?

Well, guess there's only one way to find out. [She shrugs. Better get out of here before someone else comes and tries to steal her prize.]

2. the city square
[Well, this is creepy. An entire city with no inhabitants and no signs of disaster or decay? Ahsoka shudders. It feels wrong. By that logic, she guesses, the only way to complete a mission involving other people is to stay in the city square, where others like her seem to be arriving.

She leans on a wall with her arms crossed, scrutinizing every person who arrives closely, looking for... what? Something, that's for sure. She's totally lost in concentration, eyes roaming over every individual she can see. It would be easy to take her by surprise.

Alternatively, maybe you're someone she walks up to and approaches. If you are, you might find Ahsoka suddenly walking up to you, saying:] Excuse me.

3. the palace
[Solve the mystery of the empty city... huh? This one, she would want to know the answer to even if it hadn't been assigned to her. Her search takes her through the streets, through civilian homes, but so far she's found nothing. Eventually, she winds up at the palace. She looks up at the looming structure and shrugs. She's tried everywhere else. Why not here?

Easier said than done, however. She doesn't count on just how thick the brambles are. She gets out her lightsabers to cut through them, but for some reason they won't turn on. Visceral swearing in several languages can then be heard throughout the outer rim of the palace as Ahsoka makes her way through, shoving brambles this way and that.

Eventually, though, she makes her way through-- not that she has it much easier there, either. First she pilfers a sword from the treasury and hangs it on her waist. But then, making her way through the upper levels, she accidentally steps on a rotten floorboard and CRACK, the whole thing gives way beneath her.

Ahsoka's yell of surprise can be heard echoing throughout the palace many rooms away, then a THUD as she lands on the floor of the room beneath. To add insult to injury, another load of debris falls and lands on top of her.

Oh god. Her everything hurts. More swearing ensues.]

2.

[bokator]

Save the princess? You're fucking kidding me.

​[ Rose has a memo note with her, because why the hell not. This bullshit unseen voice with its list of damn stupid things — but there's something at the end of it, there's always a dumb prize at the end. She stalks through the square, radiating don't screw with me. Ahsoka is somehow either resistant or unconcerned. ]

Yeah, what do you want?

[resnipstance]

[Both? Ahsoka is probably both. She's seen scarier.]

You're stuck in the same boat as me, right? You got some weird... mission-type-thing?

1.

[falsesmile]

[ Vestara might not be able to touch the Force on this world, but she's still a Sith of the Lost Tribe. She thinks rationally and with utter self-interest. First, finding a way off this rock -- the silly tasks are secondary, really -- means figuring out why she's here. Answers like that are found in places of power, which means the palace to the north or the temple to the south. She opts for the temple over the palace, because in her experience mystic power usually ends up trumping, if not dominating, political power.

She wends her way through the temple, accumulating a few small blades to compliment the parang at her belt, until she makes it to the very top of the structure --

And someone is already there. Vestara doesn't recognize the species, but she'd bet that this is a girl a few years younger than herself... and holding a cup. A grail. A grail at the highest point of this city's highest point. Vestara hadn't planned on completing any tasks, but since throw the Grail into the volcano fell into her lap like this... ]

Going somewhere with that? [ she asks smoothly. ]

[resnipstance]

[A CHALLENGER APPEARS. Surely, surely this means she's on the right track.

Ahsoka grins.]

Yeah, as a matter of fact I am. You got a problem with that?

[sandhate]

[ As one of the most Force sensitive people back home, not having it, not feeling it is really irritating. Like reaching with limbs that aren't there. He could have caught her, he could have caught the debris that comes following her down, but his outstretched hand summons no magic and his long legs doesn't get there in time either.

All he can do is dig through the pile and fish her out.

Surprise, it's the one person that would understand how this feels. ] Ahsoka? [ Anakin blinks back his surprise and gives her a hand to pull on. ] What are y- How did you? Never mind. Are you okay?

[resnipstance]

[As she moves the debris off and dusts herself down, Ahsoka grumbles some choice words in Huttese that she can only have learned from Anakin himself. Then and only then does she take his hand and let him pull her up. She tries not to wince.]

I'm fine. I'm going to be feeling that one for a while, though. This place is driving me nuts.

Vestara Khai | Star Wars: Legends

[falsesmile]

1. Arrival

[ Vestara had wanted to visit new planets, but she wanted to have some say in the matter, not be dragged from place to place by Jedi, ancient Force-entities, and disappearing voices. Her lips thin in a tight frown as she glances around the city square, taking in the... what, are they fellow kidnappees? Are they working with the speaker? Contrary to her usual modus operandi, the most useful thing to do here is probably to be perfectly upfront. ]

Did everyone else hear that? [ she calls. She places her hands on her hips as though frustrated, but the gesture is consciously designed to bring her hands closer to the parang hanging at her hip. She feels defenseless without a lightsaber, but she can't waste time being mad at Marvid and Savara Two now. Her priorities are to stay safe and get home.

And maybe put her parang in the heart of whoever brought her here. ]

2. Palace Library

[ Protect books is about as stupid a task as Vestara has ever heard, but she's interested in books for another reason: to investigate this world and whoever might have dragged everyone here. She hacks her way through the palace bramble with her parang and, badly tousled, makes her way through the bowels of the palace. Before long, she winds up in the library, feeling exhausted but also slightly pleased with herself.

The pleasure only lasts long enough to open the first book, which is written in a language she's never seen before. And the next one. And the next one...

She moves quickly through the library, pulling book after book and tossing each one on the floor when she realizes that it's all in the same nonsense language. A few dozen books in, her frustration boils to the top. She slams her foot on the ground, setting up a cloud of red dust. ]

There's nothing!

2

[violinsnbobbles]

[By the time the red smoke clears from Vestara's angry, loud kick over the ground, a bare-legged human girl is revealed to be in one of the hallways from the cloud of dust.

Books spread with their strange languages all in front of her, covered with a pastel uniform, and long purple hair with pigtails that might not be a common hair color for humans at all.

Interrupted from her attempted studies as dust hit her eyes, she asks the first logical question as she cowers with two clutched fists over he chest.]

Are you a bully?

[falsesmile]

"A bully"? [ she repeats, a hint of genuine surprise in her voice along with incredulity. Vestara Khai is definitely a bully, but she hasn't done anything particularly bully-like in the last few minutes, so what brought this on? She rests a hand on her hip with easy confidence and looks the girl over, taking in everything form her posture to that dust. ] Why?

Palace Library

[raindownthesky]

[She isn't much of a reader herself, though she can understand the appreciation. Her people had their recorders and historians and scribes, after all.
And while she isn't much of a reader, she can understand from the point of view of walking through such a large place, that this is definitely not a library where you want to abuse said literature.

She keeps herself calm, though, and crosses her arms as she leans against one of the shelves with a trained brow raising slowly.]

I highly doubt those blocks of paper and leather did much to you to deserve that.

[falsesmile]

[ Vestara rolls her eyes, letting her frustration with her situation bubble to the surface. She can control her emotions and her expressions when she feels threatened, but she doesn't feel threatened by the newcomer. ]

It's not what they did, [ she says irritably. She picks a book off the shelf, thumbs through it carelessly, and then turns the book around so the newcomer can look at the nonsense text. ] It's what they didn't do. Namely, that they're not written in any language I've ever seen.

Oerba Yun Fang||Final Fantasy XIII Trilogy

[raindownthesky]

[19 and The Palace. Good god. Sorry your highness.]

The feeling had been so comfortable to her. It was almost like when Vanille would lean in to give her a hug, and once it was gone she turned, reaching out and hoping to catch onto whoever it was.
She had secretly hoped it was who she wanted it to be.

No one. Not a single trace of anyone ever having been there, and it sent a chill up her spine before she did a complete circle to try and see if she could track where they went. She knew that she had a task, and it was a ridiculous one, but she knew that regardless of her wants and her needs she had to carry it out, and so without any further hesitation she began to make her way through the palace in hopes of finding who she needed.

[burninout]

Hey! Hey, miss!

[It comes from a distance, at first, but soon the young man would come into sight. His hair is full of reddish leaves and his gi is dusted with pink dirt, and he comes to a halt nearby her looking about as crazy as he can possibly look.]

Hi, yes, are you--are you a local?

Son Gohan ★ Dragonball Z ★ Post Buu, Pre BoG

[burninout]

★ I, Well you're not on Earth at all is the first thing, kid.
[He can't help but be short of breath.

His dark eyes scrape back and forth that 90-some degrees that had only recently been out of his periphery, looking again and again for the owner of those warm arms. Something was... Unsettling. Not necessarily scary, but worrisome. An alien world, a mysterious voice, no ki to be felt...

He straightens up and looks around, squinting instead at the roseate sky. Gohan's heart rate slows once more, bit by bit, and he heaves a deep sigh. If he had to be honest, strange voices in his head and phantom hands weren't really all that abnormal, anymore. Nor were skies that weren't the color he was firmly well-adjusted to.]

Where on Earth have you landed yourself, Gohan?

[Slips through his lips softly, as his mind wanders, finally to the duties the voice had left him with. Those all sounded interesting-fantastic, yes, but on some level logical. Well, except for that basketball one...]

★ II, MYSTERIES, YOU SAY?
[He takes broad steps through the wide, empty courtyard of the palace. Come to think of it, this whole situation is a little less upsetting than he had thought it would be. Sure, there was a lot to-do about throwing things into volcanoes, apparently, but who was he to argue? Better than feeding women to dinosaurs, right?

And, besides. Solve a mystery and protect some books? Like he could have it any better! Especially because, hopefully, the two would be connected. Gohan rounds the corner inside, and into a room that-oh, goodness, finally seems awash in books. He sprints forward, greedily pulling a tome out and opening it, eyes skidding over...

What was this gibberish? Man, maybe he really did need that eye exam that Hercule had been badgering him over.]

★ III, Come on and Slam, and welcome to the...
[The thing about big abandoned cities was how hard it was to come by otherwise normal sundries. Trustworthy food, (he'd had enough of eating strange fruits off strange plants, thank you. Not a mistake he would ever make again!) friendly people with directions, and especially basketballs. All his wandering had, finally, led him to what looked like an overgrown park. Maybe there was a play area, and maybe that play area would have-

Movement catches his eye-which is thankful, because with his senses blocked, he probably would have never caught onto someone else anywhere nearby him.]

Hello! Excuse me!

[He extends an arm up and waves it around, trying to draw attention towards him.]

3.

[resnipstance]

[It's a good thing Gohan is used to weird-looking alien people, because he seems to have caught the attention of one definitely weird-looking alien girl. Judging by human standards at least, she seems like she might be somewhere in her mid-to-late teens? Once she realises Gohan is trying to get her attention, she picks up her pace and trots over to him.]

... Hello. Yes? Is there something I can help you with?

Meijin Kawaguchi III / Tatsuya Yuuki | Gundam Build Fighters | OTA

[absolutelyameijin]

1. He's the King of Gunpla, and the King of the World

[ All things considered, Tatsuya has adapted to waking up in a strange place with no memory of how he got there pretty well. He's not exactly used to waking up in dumpsters, but the Meijin is nothing if not adaptable. Keeping his cool in all situations is simply part of the job description. ]

Rule the city, huh?

[ Green eyed Tatsuya has no Gunpla to work with, and no idea how the politics of a land with no people works, but if there's a way to get to the ruling class, it's sitting his butt on the throne.

Which is what he's doing.

It doesn't feel especially impressive. ]

2. What superweapon?

[ Rifling through the armoury of the palace hasn't gotten him anywhere. He's grabbed himself a sword and shield just in case, but not much else.

In the first place, how is he supposed to know which one's a superweapon if none of them work? What does a superweapon look like? ]

Hey, you. Do you know which one of these is a superweapon?

[ It can't hurt to ask. ]

1.

[canonballs]

[ A large black machine catapults out of nowhere, landing in front of Tatsuya and sending up a massive cloud of red dust. His shell waggles with frenzied agitation, and his big red eye stares unblinkingly. ]

Like hell! This city is already under my enlightened dominion...!