TEST DRIVE #2

[collectedmods]

TEST DRIVE #2

Hi shoppers! Welcome to the second Test Drive Meme for COLLECTED. A few things before we get started:

» This TDM is open to any players who are interested in applying. Collected is an invite-only game, meaning that invites come from being on the mod plurklists, but for this round, our TDM is open to anyone who has an interest. If you are interested in applying but do not have an invite, please PM our mod account (collectedmods) with a link to your toplevel on this TDM and we will extend an invitation to you! Please note that you can only reserve and apply if you have an invite.

» As was the case in the first TDM, TDM threads are not canon. Because of this, feel free to assume CR for the ease of threads.

» While we’ve listed out some prompts here, feel free to make up your own prompts using the setting, or use any of the prompts from our last TDM as well!

» If you have any questions about what you can and can’t do (or about anything else) reply to the QUESTIONS comment below, and we’ll get back to you soon.

Most importantly, have fun! And thank you so much for your interest in Collected! 🧡

PROMPTS

Have you ever been to a parking lot circus? Well, they exist, and you’re in luck - the circus has come to town! Or rather, it’s come to the mall. For a limited time, a big top has appeared in the dusty, desolate parking lot of the mall. You’ll find a big tunnel vacuum sealed to the front doors of the mall that allows access to and from the tent, so how much could it hurt to go inside?

The tunnel and tent seem to have been crafted with the same skill as the mall was - it somehow keeps the toxic air from outside out. The only difference between the mall and the tent is that the big top doesn’t do as good of a job of keeping the blistering heat out - it’ll protect you from burns, but it’s going to be pretty hot in there underneath the summer sun! Be sure to bring a cold drink on your way in.

Inside the tent, you won’t find any staff or performers, unfortunately. Everything inside the tent seems to be in mint condition, though, strangely enough, as though restored to its former glory - not unlike how some of the stores in the abandoned mall revert back to their pristine states sometimes. While there’s no performance to catch, there is plenty to look at and experience:

I.

Right after coming in through the fun tunnel, the first thing to your right is a collection of popcorn machines, the same kind you’d see at an amusement park where kernels must be poured in. You’ll find several unmarked bags of popcorn right near the machines, and they look decidedly not rotten, unlike most of the food in the mall.

Things are never that easy and simple here, though! Pop a bag of these bad boys and consume some of it and you’ll find yourself with one of the following afflictions:

A. Caramel corn flavor: Loss of sight. Hopefully you trust your companion enough not to attack or steal from you, because you’ll need to navigate to somewhere safe until this one wears off!
B. Extra butter flavor: Loss of hearing. No matter how hard you try, it seems you can’t hear anything around you anymore! Learn to communicate non-verbally with your companion, and quick!
C. Cheddar flavor: Literally just food poisoning. You won’t be feeling so hot!

The only saving grace of these cursed popcorn bags is that there’s an antidote to be found if you have a careful eye: an inscription on the popcorn machines appears once they’ve been warmed from use, and it says, in the case of illness, have a taste of each flavor to get back to square one! You’ll have to suffer a bit more to get back to normal quickly, but.. it’s better than waiting out the effects, right?

II.

While there are no performers to be seen, their costumes can be found in the wardrobes in the back of the circus. They are typical of what you’d expect of a circus: colorful, frilly, and easy to put on, given their stretch. There are even props and accessories lying around like clown noses, jewelry, hula hoops, juggling balls, the whole nine yards. Given the horrible state of all the clothes and other fun items inside the mall, it might be tempting to take some of these outfits and items to repurpose them for your own wardrobe and use.

But be careful: donning these clothes or taking these items will give you the abilities of that circus performer. Wear or pick up anything belonging to a:

A. Clown, and you’ll feel like you need to make your companion laugh. Whether that’s through corny jokes, physical comedy, or other means, you won’t be able to resist.
B. Trapeze artist, and you’ll be blessed with great flexibility, and feel utterly fearless. Maybe that translates into being unafraid to speak your mind, or maybe you’re feeling brave enough to walk the tightrope - either way, nothing’s scaring you anymore.
C. Animal tamer, and you’ll want to train your companion to do tricks and follow your will (and not in the fun way, unless you’re into that).

Costumes of all kinds are here, though, so feel free to find anything that might belong to a circus performer and have the costumes possess you!

III.

All good things must come to an end, sadly. Whatever material the tent and tunnel is made of is not completely as sturdy as what the mall is built of - and after a fun day of activities, the tent and tunnel will begin to deteriorate and be destroyed.

Due to the radioactive sun outside, the top of the tent and tunnel will start to burn and get holes in it eventually, which will let in toxic air and harmful rays - not only that, but fires will start catching inside the tent as well. You’ll need to high tail it out of the circus and head back to the safety of the mall unless you want to fry in the horrible conditions outside. Exposure to the sunlight from outside will give you painful burns and welts, and it’s near impossible to inhale the thick, poisonous air from outside without keeling over.

While you’ll be able to survive limited exposure, it’s not wise to get stuck out here. Besides, you’ll find that upon returning to the mall, your wounds will mysteriously begin to heal, slowly and painfully. So, run quickly, and make sure not to leave anyone behind!

NAVIGATION

Comments

Sabriel | Old Kingdom Chronicles

[bindsthedead]

Arrival

Sabriel drifts through the halls, intact but wary. The black water that had greeted her upon her arrival was uncomfortably familiar, but Death didn't smell so foul- and it was far colder than this. And even if she can't sense the immediate presence of any Dead... there doesn't seem to be much alive in here, and even less outside, save for a few recent signs of human habitation.

But Sabriel has her sword and bells, and she arrived in her armor, which is some comfort- she isn't defenseless, so her next concern is finding food, and drinkable water-

Sabriel's train of thought is cut off by the sound of opposing footsteps, and she whirls around- one hand drawing her sword from her hip, the other tracing a glowing mark in the air.

Circus; popcorn

It looks in better shape than much of the food she's seen so far- and to Sabriel, popcorn brings back memories of her time in Ancelstierre- back when she was a student, instead of Abhorsen. There's just one question.

"How does it work?"

Misc: Magic

After some time exploring the building as much as she can, and growing frustrated with all that she can't find, Sabriel retreats to an out of the way corner with a scavenged bowl.

Sitting in front of it, Sabriel reaches into the Charter- and for all that it's draining, there's some relief in focusing on nothing but the flow and the symbols she needs as she traces them out in the air- and watching as water condenses around them and drops into the bowl before she does it again, generating around a cup of water with each casting.

arrival

[damnpire]

If D is worried about the defense, or the mark, he doesn't show it. He does, however, stop completely. Like an act of good faith. The look of him is intimidating, but that has always been the point. Tall, ghastly pale and almost grey, with dark clothes to make him seem broader, and a hat to conceal most of his face. A sword, too, yet it remains on his back, and he doesn't reach to remove it.

The thing about D is, he isn't completely like the dead, but he is something not entirely alive, beating heart and warm skin aside.

"I don't intend to harm you," he says in a polite voice.

[bindsthedead]

His stillness gives Sabriel pause- he's not attacking, or preparing to attack. So she lets the spell slip away, the marks fading back into the Charter, and she changes her grip, shifting her sword to a guard position- and revealing the inscription on it.

I was made for Abhorsen, to slay those already Dead

"Then what do you intend- and what are you? You feel neither alive nor Dead?" It's a puzzle- and a potentially dangerous one. Dead creatures are dangerous driven by their hunger for Life. But the man in front of her isn't hostile, and might be able to tell her where she is- and perhaps even how to get back.

[damnpire]

Hm.

D does not look away from Sabriel, though he is not rude in the way he stares. There's really nothing in the look beneath the hat except a soft sort of clinical interest.

"I am exploring," he offers. "I do not come from this place." He does not answer the second question for a long moment, or so. He doesn't seem to be afraid, but simply reserved. "I am both," he finally says. "Do you know what a vampire is?"

[bindsthedead]

"No, I don't." Reflexively, Sabriel reaches for the second largest of the bells strapped to her chest, before she realizes what she's doing and forces her hand away. She doesn't feel the sense of hunger she often feels from the Dead- and he's not attacking her. She relaxes slightly- just not enough to sheath her sword.

"Have you met anyone that is from this place? Or know where 'here' is?"

[damnpire]

The movement doesn't startle D. He actually still does not retaliate, whether to shift his footing, or reach for his sword. He is either extremely confident in his abilities, or he is extremely stupid.

"They are powerful creatures who rest during the day, and hunt the blood of humans at night." On the Frontier, everyone knew what a vampire was, and everyone knew what he was, too, once they had a good look at him. He never had to explain, and so he never did. But this isn't the Frontier, he doesn't think. Not at all. "I am a dhampir. Half human, and half vampire."

He isn't positive if this will reassure any worries.

"I haven't," he adds, to answer her other question. "It is a mall. A large infrastructure which houses a collection of shops. Likely, it was built by humans. It appears to be abandoned, except for the rest of us."

[bindsthedead]

"I see." That doesn't sound too different from any other Dead creature- all but the most powerful fear the sun, and even those able to survive it try to avoid its light.

Sabriel has more questions, but the man in front of her is not truly Dead, and that eases most of her concerns- but the information he offers gives her pause.

"It appears to be... but if people are being brought here, someone- or something- must be bringing people here." And appearances were often deceiving, when it came to the supernatural.

[damnpire]

"That would be reasonable to believe," he says, and he doesn't sound condescending. Sabriel's thinking isn't much different than what he has been thinking, too.

"Are you a Hunter?"

He doesn't think she is a hunter in the same sense he is a hunter, but it's the closest thing he knows to call it that'd let her understand what he means.

[bindsthedead]

"If you mean 'Am I trained to deal with supernatural and Dead entities', the answer is yes." Sabriel is a trained mage, swordswoman, and necromancer- all important for her to do her work as Abhorsen.

"Why do you ask?" He doesn't seem to see her as a threat, and she hasn't shown any interest in attacking him... Perhaps he's seen some further signs of Dead activity.

[damnpire]

"You have a sword," is all he gives for reasoning. There are other things about Sabriel which let him make an educated guess, but the sword is perhaps one of the defining attributes of someone who is prepared to fight, he thinks.

"I hunt vampires," he adds, almost like an afterthought.

Which is kind of hilarious to think about considering what he just said about being half of one.

[bindsthedead]

Sabriel is a necromancer (technically) whose duties involve hunting down other necromancers. The idea of fighting fire with fire doesn't strike her as particularly strange.

"Have you seen any around here?" She hasn't sensed any Dead creatures nearby- aside from the man in front of her, who doesn't count. But if there are... best to be prepared.

[damnpire]

If there is any way at all to sound reassuring in his usual flat tone of voice, D says, "Not yet." But it feels reassuring, if anything.

Her question begs him to ask one of his own, though: "Have you seen any Dead?"

[bindsthedead]

"So far, I haven't sensed anything." But Sabriel can't believe this place is entirely mundane- not with the unnaturally quick, painful healing, or people mysteriously appearing despite there being no sign of... anything outside the building except for the circus.

"But something about the whole thing seems... unnatural."

[damnpire]

For a long moment, D just continues to stare at Sabriel from under the hat without answering. And then he agrees with, "Yes." If this bothers him at all, he doesn't show it.

But he's very use to illusions, and dimensions, and powerful vampiric abilities.

"Do your dead react to music?"

[bindsthedead]

"Necromancy is inherently musical, yes." Even without the bells, a limited amount of control over the Dead was possible- whistling, singing, and rhythmic clapping were all tools of last resort.

"It's also not the only sort of magic I have experience with." And for most things, Charter magic was far more useful, with less chance of disastrous consequences.