Test Drive Meme #1

[fernwehmods]

Welcome to Fernweh's Test Drive Meme! Do you have an interest in joining the game? Need to make sure the setting works for you and your character first? Or have you made the decision to join the game and need fresh samples for your application? Whatever the reason, feel free to use the scenarios however you wish.

You know what to do! If you don’t, just follow the instructions.

How To Play:

→ Comment with the character you would like to test drive (duplicates are allowed)
→ Choose a scenario or start your own
→ Tag around
→ Have fun!

SCENARIOS

01. Arrival

You have been sitting and staring at the sign above you for some time now, lost in a blur of swirling questions that seems to start with how you ended up there; in a place (and time, maybe) that you know you weren't an hour earlier. Or maybe you're an old hand at this by now and you've figured out that this is simply another stop that the multiverse bus has made. So why not get off and look around a little?

At any rate, the sign points you towards the direction of a place called "Gazin", which looks like a decent-sized town from where you stand. There has to be someone who can explain.

02. Around Town

So, you've settled in. Well, mostly. At least you know where things are without taking too many wrong turns and ending up in the less desirable areas of town. But now you can go about your day. Visit the market, check out the local shops or have a drink with a new friend at one of several inns.

03. Exploring

You've heard people talk about some pretty interesting places and now you're itching to get out and find them. Be careful though, there are creatures and monsters out there that will be pretty interested in meeting you and may wish to have you for its next meal. Better take someone along. And maybe some weapons, too. Make sure one is made of silver.

04. Monsters

So, you managed to find that location you were looking for. Good for you! Only.. it seems you've also found one of the native creatures to the area and you now face to face with it. Um. Good luck! We'll see you when you get back!

Hopefully.

05. Celebration

It won't take long for you to figure out that people of Gazin are, all in all, pretty happy people. It shows, too, when a seemingly quiet evening suddenly bursts into a random, impromptu party to celebrate whatever good fortune has touched a person. Name Days, good harvests, betrothals, weddings, or just life in general.

Sing, dance, drink and be happy, too!

06. Wild Card!

Want something else? Feel free to choose your own adventure or mix and match to create something completely different!

NAVIGATION

Comments

[radishlobbyist]

Wen Qing came across him right where the path through the woods led into the town proper, while she was on her way out of town to practice with her new weapon.

She looked an unassuming sight, a young woman with unadorned dark hair in a peasant maid's red dress, carrying a small basket just in case she came across any medicinal herbs on her way.

She halted in her steps when she caught sight of Duo, whose dress didn't match anything she had seen in Gazin before.

"Excuse me, but you aren't from around here, are you?" Well, bluntness worked best sometimes.

[death_scythe]

Any other time, he would have noticed the sounds of footsteps nearby. He would have been able to determine quick-like if the person was friend or foe, and made his move from there. To go on the offensive or defensive. However, being thrown into a place different from where he fell asleep, and grown some in the process had Duo's thoughts and focus occupied.

The woman's voice nearby had actually managed to startle him. He jumped slightly and whipped around, his braid winding around him briefly before falling back into place. His hands immediately went up as though ready to block a punch. Near-violet eyes were wide as he took in the slender woman in clothing that looked NOTHING like what he was use to seeing. Blinking, he lowered his hands slightly.

"Woah, way to sneak up on me. It usually takes more than that to spook me," he said with a small smirk. Under his breath, he mumbled, "The guys would have a good laugh over that one." Duo shook his head and lowered his hands to his hips as he looked out towards the town. "I guess it's pretty obvious, huh. Do I just give off the tourist vibe or something?"

[radishlobbyist]

Her naturally large eyes widened even more as the young man responded so very startled that she felt downright guilty for having given him such a scare. That hadn't been her intention at all, she had run into strangers before in the woods but none had ever been so skittish.

He had a different manner of speech to go with his different clothes. Definitely not a local from Gazin or one of the nearby towns then, and she felt a glimmer of hope at that. Every new displaced person meant another chance to learn more about what had brought them here - and how they could get back.

"I'm sorry," she said sincerely, "I didn't mean to frighten you." She let her eyes roam over him pointedly. "And yes, it is obvious. Nobody dresses in Gazin like you do." Except for a few of those who had only just arrived, like Caitlin. "Did you happen to be in another place and suddenly you stood in this forest?"

[death_scythe]

Duo offered a soft chuckle in response as he brought up a hand to rub the back of his neck under his braid. He really shouldn't be quite as jumpy as he was. The wars were over. Peace was in place between the Colonies and Earth. He had a stable job and everything.

Old habits die hard, he thought.

"Ah, don't apologize. Just not use to people getting the jump on me." He offered the woman a bright, but embarrassed smile as he dropped his hand to his side, the other still propped on his hip. "I wouldn't know what Gazin folks dress like. Where are we? Europe? It's definitely not the Middle East. Maybe somewhere in southern Asia?"

He would have kept rambling, but the last question caught him off guard. Duo sucked in a quick breath before releasing it in a sigh. Wait, so he wasn't the only one? There were others? Maybe this girl...He crossed his arms over his chest and studied the girl with a more serious expression.

"I guess so, yeah. I laid down to take a nap after a hard morning at work, and I woke up...umm--" Duo looked up the road and motions back the way he came. "--Over there. Somewhere. Definitely not on the colony anymore..."

[radishlobbyist]

"No, I don't think you are in your colony anymore, wherever that may be," she said grimly. "And I'm actually not sure where we are. I have taken a look at all the maps I could get my hands on and have spent the last two months speaking to as many people as I could but nobody has been able to explain where Gazin is located in any way which lets me place it."

She hesitated a little longer, well aware that the next part would be sounding like she had lost her mind. "There are many people here who were taken from their homes," she began cautiously, "but not all of them describe their homes as a place which is familiar. They come from parts of the world I have never heard of, or which shouldn't be able to exist." Another moment of hesitation. "And I know for a fact that people have been taken from different points in time."

[death_scythe]

At first, Duo simply took in the information given to him. This woman didn't know where she was either. Maybe she simply didn't travel as much as he had? That would explain some, but then, why wouldn't anyone else know where this place was? Surely someone could at least say what continent they were on! It didn't take a genius to know that much!

He started to call her crazy. He even had opened his mouth to say as much. But didn't he just suddenly wake up in a pile of grass after falling asleep in his own bed? Didn't he wake up with new scars and callouses and feeling just slightly different overall? And the way she spoke...

"So it happened to you." A logical jump. Duo just sighed and moved to settle down on a patch of grass near the road. He leaned back on his hands, his head tilted back so he stared up at the sky. "Pulled from different places and times. Where did you come from?" He cut a glance to the woman, offering a small grin in hopes of reassuring her that he didn't think her crazy.

Well, too crazy, in any case.

[radishlobbyist]

She nodded grimly, simply glad that he hadn't laughed in her face and told her that she had lost her mind. She couldn't have blamed him for it, though maybe being magically whisked away into another world made you more willing to believe in the unbelievable in general.

"Yes, it happened to me," she confirmed. She did appreciate the smile, even if she didn't quite smile back but her body language relaxed at his open acceptance. "I come from the city of Nevernight in Qishan, though I was in Yiling when I was taken. This town you're in is called Gazin, by the way, in the province of Farsennia. It is bordered by the countries of Suthlan and Verimas... none of these are familiar to me, but maybe this information is more use to you than me."

Which isn't the most unsettling part, though, Farsennia could simply be some faraway part of the world that hasn't been explored yet. It's only her well-practiced self-control that keeps her from pacing as she gets to the part that makes returning home seem so terribly out of reach. "There are several people from home here, but we were all taken at different points in time. The others are years ahead of me... decades, even, in some cases."

[death_scythe]

Going with the motions. That was one of the things Duo did best. Just going with the flow and taking it a step at a time. It was probably the one that that kept him from losing his mind after many years of doing what he did. The wars, growing up on the streets. One thing at a time.

The one thing he was focused on, right now, was making sure he at least understood what this woman was saying. The names Qishan and Yiling...they weren't familiar to him. They weren't really places he knew, but they had a similar ring to places and names he had heard before. Sitting up straighter, Duo moved his hands to his lap, a finger now tapping on his knee. He could ask her more about those places, see if she was from the L5 cluster, but given her state of dress, he doubted she was.

Next point in order. The time.

"You have people here you know, but they're much older than you remember. I'm going to assume that it's backwards for them. That you are younger than they remember. Is that right?"

It sounded convoluted as hell. One thing at a time.

[radishlobbyist]

She would indeed not have known of a colony L5 but being questioned further about the time issue had her quite pleased, as it had been a grave concern for her ever since the deeper meaning of these discrepancies first sank in.

It felt good to be talking about it, as she usually tried to cling to hope.

"Yes, that is right." She did start walking a little then, back into town since she figured that was where he was headed anyway. And it would be easier to get a better understanding of Gazin when you saw it for yourself. "They are older than I remember them, I am younger than they remember. They speak of events which have not yet happened." She frowned. "It is the most worrisome part. If it were not for that, I would have thought to simply take a ship and travel as far as I can, until I come across someplace familiar. But even the people from home are from different years. That's not to speak of people who told me they believe they are from my world, but the faraway future. Hundreds of years in the future. So even if we can get to the place that is home... it is very unlikely we would be in the time that is home."

[death_scythe]

The woman started moving, and Duo immediately sprung to his feet. Catching up, he matched her stride, his hands raised and clasped behind his head as they walked. He watched her out of the corner of his eyes, a small frown tugging on his lips.

He could see how much it bothered her. Being pulled from home, and living a different time than the people here she actually knew. If it had been him in her situation, he would probably feel isolated, especially if anyone he knew came from a time after him. And then to be the one to come from the time after, not knowing what should and shouldn't be said would just be one hell of a headache he didn't need.

"I can't say I understand what you're dealing with, but I can sympathize. I feel like I may have lost time between when I went to sleep and when I woke up here." He held his hands out in front of him, to show the small scars on his hands. "I didn't have some of these when I laid down for my nap. My hair's a bit longer too. It was at my thighs but now it's touching the back of my knee." With a sigh, he just shoved his hands into his pockets.

"How long have you been holding that in?" he asked, his head tilting up to look at the sky.

[radishlobbyist]

It's an uncommonly kind and understanding response for having been the subject of her rant and when he finally comes to that question at the end, Wen Qing can't help giving a startled little laugh.

"A long time, I'm afraid," she admits, not quite smiling but close enough, with wry, self-deprecating amusement lacing her voice. "I have been here for two months by now." She exhales noisily. "Two months of running around in circles without visible progress."

Sure, she has made unexpected friends and learned new skills here but none of this is equal to finding a way back to the time and place she belongs.

"I'm a physician, and my field includes treating magical maladies. Could I inspect your hand at some point? You're the first person I have talked to who lost time during the transit. That is very worrisome."