Test Drive Meme #1 (cw vehicular crash, moderate injury)

[spoofer]

Test Drive Meme #1

Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world.

You don't need an invite to test
but please remember we're currently invite-only

CRASH LANDING

Exit one dimension, enter the next. It was chaos: pressure against your ears, light bending in an impossible, unimaginable way. The very molecules of your body vibrating against one another. If you have windows, the view outside makes no sense. Even if not, your hands, your face, your feet seem like an uncertain thing. It's the feel of reality itself tearing apart, reshaping, reconnecting, thread by thread.

And suddenly, there's a beach— or ocean, whichever you land in. Smoke. Fire. Salt water churning up, fizzing around.

Maybe you crash, in a ship wrecking into sand. Maybe you merely stumble out of a portal, a ragged wormhole in space. Or maybe you fall off the back of an incredible steed, some creature that carried you into this place. Either way, there's pandemonium around you. Incredibly, severe injuries are far and few between— nobody's screaming about the dead. But you might have to help pull someone free of wreckage, or move quickly to salvage burning belongings from the landing craft. Maybe it's the crafts themselves, that you're trying to salvage.

Likely, you don't know them, these other strangers who arrived here^[1]. Maybe you don't trust them— you just came out of a dying world, after all. But you all have one thing in common: you're here now.

When you get a second to breathe, maybe you'll see it. The brilliant green forest across the sand. Beyond that, the glint of a faraway city.

INTO THE WOODS

Your first night at Xistentia does not feature five-star accommodations, but as the sun begins to set, the forest offers everything you need to survive. By now, you may even have met your daemon, who'll help guide you through this. There is fallen wood to make fires for warmth and cooking, any number of rabbits, deer, and fish if that's what you're into eating. Those very same animals also provide guidance as to what vegetation is edible, including a variety of vine mushrooms, fruits, and flowers. If you're the kind of creature that mostly eats other sentient creatures, well. Technically, there are a lot of those hanging out too^[2]! Now and then, you'll see tiny, winged humanoid creatures the height of a finger dart in and out of view.

A resourceful group, the multiversal refugees have determined ways to create shelters, using wreckage, supplies, and basic survival knowhow. There aren't enough blankets to go around, but the weather is mild and the fires seem to keep out any aggressive creatures.


Things get quiet. This could be a good time to meet the others under less fraught circumstances. Maybe you'll see some familiar faces and reunite with others who fled from your dying world; maybe you'll meet someone new.

Try not to seek out and fight any Rock Trolls. It's still early.

ENTER THE CITY

The city is beautiful, even with the vines covering everything, the streams running down half the streets, the massive white deer leaping off under the highway overpasses. The architecture of the skyscrapers is incredible to look at, modern and sweeping. It's clear that terraced gardens were part of the building design, and some of the greenery that lines the street had been part of the original city plan. This is a city of great potential.

And it knows you're here. As you walk by, beacons like streetlamps begin to emit a gentle glow, registering your presence. No doors are locked, though you might find yourself chasing out nests of silver-winged birds and bug-eyed rabbits.

Here, you can claim empty shops or the clothing and other sales items inside of them. Apartment complexes aren't difficult to find in a range of sizes; nor are standalone homes, brownstones, loft studios. Penthouses may not feel like penthouses when there's a thin layer of dust growing on everything and a flower growing out of the sink, but you know what? Maybe that little bud is gonna be your first roommate.

It's the strangest thing. After a few days, the lights begin to work and the water begins to run, fully operational within the unseen sewer system. At some point, the keys to your house or residence are going to turn up. Your daemon will help you find what you need. F.A.TE.S. welcomes you.

NETWORK

By now you've settled in. You have some time to explore the city, the woods, and your new kit.

Chances are pretty good that your daemon is not a phone or a computer or a wax-sealed piece of parchment or a Howler, nothing with a convenient camera or a keyboard; it probably isn't even a pocket sized. Likelier, it stares at you with eyes that contain the lenses-- or powers-- of a camera, and some part of its body projects a holographic keyboard into the air. For those of us who are not accustomed to manipulating intangible light prisms, it's about as intuitive to type on as shaping a cloud with your fingers.

But here's your network access. Accessible to all your fellow travelers in XISTENTIA.

Misfires, typos, and blurry video footage are likely. Time to feel like a Luddite!

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

hells yeah

Footnotes

1. Some of these can be nameless, plot-device NPCs to facilitate interactions! But even in this case, please avoid gore in describing their current state of being. Anyone dead or catastrophically injured will have disappeared by the time your characters make it to Xistentia. There are no corpses or dying here.
   
   
2. But like OOCly ask permission ofc.

Comments

ii. apollo meets the giant butterfly

[lacquers]

[ Magnus is going to run into Rose in the least predictable of ways. That is, not at all. Not really.

Okay, back up. Let's say he's exploring a little. And letting his new friend, Anned the bird-sized monarch butterfly, do some advance scouting. And Anned (say that fast five times) the giant monarch butterfly might be just the thing to catch Apollo's eye. She's brightly-colored and fluttering around like some of the fairies... makes sense, right?

Either way, Rose will no doubt see Anned before she sees Magnus.

Or hear her first, as the case may be: ] I'm not a dog toy! [ says a high-pitched and vaguely feminine voice. If an insect could talk and it weren't in a Disney movie, that's what Anned sounds like. As soon as she announces this, there's some shuffling of branches off to the side and, very shortly, Magnus will appear.

Looking immaculate as ever, of course. How does he do that? ]

[hasitsthorns]

[ Apollo - or Apollod, in this case, but she's not calling him that - is definitely distracted by the colorful, flitting insect. He dashes off because Rose can see what's gotten his attention this time. She actually hears it before anything, brows furrowing at the tiny shout. The blond breaks through the underbrush herself to see the scene unfolding. Apollod looks as apologetic as a dog can before panting out an, ]

Apologies. I could not help myself. [ He's a lot more eloquent than she'd ever actually pictured Apollo, honestly, but she's getting used to it. Speaking of eloquent, her eyes cast up now at the person coming into view and- ]

Magnus? [ she asks, despite herself. Is this her Magnus? After the Caleb that was not her Caleb, she's definitely wary of multiversal imposters. ]

[lacquers]

[ There's the tiniest, teeniest little huff at Apollo's apology - sorry, buddy, Anned is a little... particular. ] As long as it doesn't happen again. [ Excuse her while she finds a branch upon which to perch.

And look vaguely superior. If a butterfly can do that, Anned can.

But never mind that for a moment! Magnus has appeared by now and as soon as he catches sight of Rose, his eyes light up. Literally. ] Rose! [ He very quickly makes his way over to her, somehow avoiding all the leaf litter and whatnot in the way, talking as he walks. ] Well, this is certainly a pleasant surprise.

[ He assumes a lack of multiversal shenanigans since she did refer to him by name. It would be very ironic indeed if two pairs of Rose and Magnus had met each other in two different multi-universe collisions, after all. ]

[hasitsthorns]

[ He doesn't seem to mind much, honestly. If only because approximately 2.49975935 seconds later there's something else that catches his eye and he's off to chase that. Still the same goofy dog even if he's apparently a supercomputer now. This might make things difficult down the road, but for now... She's actually glad to have her canine companion's personality unchanged. ]

Oh my gosh, dude, [ she lets out in a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. Thankfully, this is the Magnus she knows and the Magnus that knows her. Hopefully no other parallel multiverse shenanigans are at play here. Because if so it would this hug she's initiating super awkward, probably. ]

I'm so glad you're here! [ said as she pulls back to look up at him. ] I was worried that maybe your world- [ 'was gone.' ] I'unno.

It's just. Good to see you again. Weird circumstances aside.

[lacquers]

[ You're a good one, Apollo. Anned will watch this with her wide, buggy eyes. Not that this is immediately evident, because she might be larger than average, but she's not that huge.

Magnus chuckles, more from relief than anything else, and wraps his arms around Rose as she comes to hug him. When he draws back, he lays his hands on her arms, as if looking her over to be sure she's all right. ] I am extremely glad to see you. And in one piece! You're not hurt, are you?

[ He's been healing anyone he comes across, so if she needed any help, he's definitely in the groove. So to speak. ]

I'm not sure what to think about our arrival here, but I suppose it would be best to try and attempt patience. [ He smiles wryly as he says this.

Old and wise and all that or not, it's hard to be "patient" right now. ] Alexander isn't far. We're doing a little recon, as it were. Tell me, Rose, where did you arrive from?

[hasitsthorns]

Nope! [ Not yet, at least. ] All in one piece.

[ As he can see. The rest of her dogs start to swarm upon the two now, tails a wagging. They remember this man! He is a good one. Rose had been very sad when his scent had left their home before this. But now he's back! Hooray! ]

What is this 'patience' you speak of? [ Magnus, of all people, knows that patience is not one of Rose's strong suits. ]

I came from Eudio. I was supposed to be going to Tamriel with Vanyel, but... ended up here instead.

[ And he didn't. ]

[lacquers]

[ That answer has him breathing a sigh of relief and nodding slowly, as if digesting the information. Seeing her maybe was not enough, but hearing the words from her mouth helps.

This whole situation is quite a lot to be dealing with all at once.

It's not exactly how he would have chosen to be reunited with his friends from Eudio, but what's important is that they're here and they're unhurt. They can move on from there as they go. Speaking of, Magnus chuckles softly at both the sudden swarming of canines (he gives each and every one some pats on the head and scratches their ears and greets them all, of course) and at Rose's comment about patience.

Well. ] Attempt would be the operative word then, I suppose, [ he says, correcting himself with no small measure of affection in his voice. ]

I see. [ Slight furrow in his brow. ] I think it would be good if we could all hear one another's stories, just to get all the information we can. It can't hurt.

[hasitsthorns]

[ This isn't entirely the reunion she had planned either. Though she's happy to have a reunion rather than none at all, she can't deny she would have preferred it to be under better circumstances. ]

No, I'm... sure it can't. It'll be interesting to hear all that happened to everyone, actually.

[ Considering her own experience seemed pretty unorthodox. ]

What about you, dude? I thought you were supposed to be living it up back home.

[lacquers]

[ Magnus considers that for a moment, then purses his lips. He does not look any less good-natured for it, which we'll just have to chalk up to the magic of Magnus. ]

Well, 'living it up' might be a stretch. We returned to the beginnings of a war, an attempted genocide, and then, as if that weren't enough, the actual apocalypse.

Unfortunately, there hasn't been much in the way of downtime. [ He smiles wryly. ]

[hasitsthorns]

[ Rose is pretty sure Magnus could be bleeding out and still make it look good. For some reason, she envisions the blood to be glitter-laden to boot. Not that she hopes to actually find out if that's actually true or not anytime soon, of course. ]

Ah, right. You did mention the war in Eudio, I remember... [ Still. That other stuff sounds pretty intense, too. ] Jeez. The apocalypse, huh?

Well. I'd say you could take a break here, but that doesn't seem to the case either.

[lacquers]

[ The world may never know. It's possible even Alec hasn't seen Magnus bleed. So, for now, it's a very distinct possibility.

Dun dun dun. ]

Apocalypse, end of the world, whatever you call it, it's something we have to try and stop. [ He'll think in those terms for now. ]

What's the saying? 'I'll sleep when I'm dead?' [ Haha, immortal humor. He still looks pretty wry, all things considered. Rose is one of those people with whom he still maintains the witty little comments and the dramatic flair, but with whom he's also very honest. There's a chance that could come off a little morbid... ]

[hasitsthorns]

[ It is a mystery. One she hopes to never actually solve, if it can be helped. ]

Yeah. I guess... the same thing happened in Vanyel's world, too. He tried to get his family here but. [ They didn't make it. Which she still has some mixed feelings about, honestly. ]

Seems like the perfect time to me, [ she answers, with a bit of dry laughter. ] There's too much to do here to be sleeping, anyway! It's, [ INHALE ] a whole new world!

[ She figures if anyone can appreciate Disney musical references in a time like this, it'd be Magnus. ]

[lacquers]

[ Admittedly, yes, that's a mystery that is better left unsolved. Or Magnus likely thinks so, because, you know. Bleeding. It's really not fun. And even magic has trouble getting blood out of designer clothes sometimes. ]

Well, [ Magnus says slowly. He doesn't elaborate right away, so the reply seems to kind of be nothing but a filler while he thinks. The rest of Alec's family isn't here either. ] Given how many people I've run into so far, I would say it's not a longshot to assume we'll run into more familiar faces. We seem to have been scattered around quite a lot when we arrived, don't you think?

[ He glances at their surroundings, maybe to emphasize how much space there is. Oh, and please know that he definitely smiled at the appearance of Disney. ] A whole new world indeed. I'm eager to see as much of it as possible, as soon as possible.

[ That's for practical reasons too. The more he explores, the more he can portal around. ]

[hasitsthorns]

Yeah, seems like it. Guess only time will tell.

[ Hm.

The fact that she seems, uh, less than enthused about the prospect of more people from Vanyel's world probably says a lot in and of itself. She doesn't seem unhappy but definitely not as hopeful as one should be that the person they love is reunited with those that they love. It's.

Complicated. ]

You and me both, dude! I'm so jazzed for the possibility to explore again. It's been way too long since I had any adventure in my life.

[lacquers]

[ Magnus nods and points her way at that, as if to say, exactly. For better or worse, as it were? He pays close attention to how Rose reacts and he's probably doing that Magnus thing where he files the info away for a time when it might be more appropriate to talk about it.

Why is it that they always stumble upon important conversation topics when they're already knee deep in important things to talk about?

Rose, we have to start having silly, frivolous conversations, post-haste. ] Oh, you're looking for adventure, are you? [ he asks, eyes alight with amusement. ] I don't suppose you'd be open to having some exploring partners who aren't canine?

[hasitsthorns]

[ It is definitely something they're going to need to talk about. Unfortunately, it may come to a head sooner rather than later considering... living arrangements... but! It'll be fine. Probably. It's a problem for future her to deal with it.

But she'd be all about more silly, frivolous conversations someday.
Definitely. Speaking of silly and fivolous though, the blond gives another inhale and- ]

I want adventure in the great, wide somewhere! I want it more than I can teeeelllll~!

[ This Disney music train don't stop, apparently. ]

Of course! I'd be happy to have some non-canine companionship along on my adventures.

[lacquers]

[ Given the number of problems everyone's juggling, this might be one time when procrastinating on a few that can be put off for later would be wise. Tomorrow will be a good time for dealing with tomorrow's problems.

Today has enough on its plate with the end of the world and all that.

(As if this is no big deal.)

Magnus laughs softly and applauds Rose's rendition of the next song on her Disney playlist. ] Very nice, my dear. Alan Menken would surely approve.

If you think you can stand it, I'd love to explore with you. I don't want to wander too far, but surely it can hurt to poke around a bit, right?

[ Curiosity. Cats.

Etc. ]

[hasitsthorns]

[ This is fair enough. And, hey, the end of the world is apparently something they all have in common now. At least they're able to do something about it here. ]

I certainly hope so! I wonder if copyright applies across the multiverse though, hm.

[ Food for though, if nothing else. ]

Of course, dude! The more the merrier and all that. I'm all for exploration with friends.