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

[extinctive]

[ oh, that's a good expression. figaro likes it when someone's impressed with his work, as simple as it is. he offers a shrug and an easy smile. ]

It's not that simple. Making sugar is one of the first things a witch or wizard can learn as a child, but what a wizard can do with magic wholly depends on their magical abilities, as well as their innate strengths and weakness. So in the end, we still have our limitations.

[ he speaks as if he's been asked of this many times, but it's all right. he's a mentor in his own right, so he's used to it. ]

[bindsthedead]

Really? Where I'm from, the first thing mages learn is generally a light spell. Making solid matter from magic... I don't think even the most powerful mages or sorcerers could do such a thing. [Create the semblance of solidity, as in some types of Sendings perhaps, but such a construct would only last until the spell faded- and it certainly wouldn't grant true sustenance. Experimentally, Sabriel puts one of the crystals in her mouth.]

[extinctive]

[ the sugar would taste nice and sweet! and it has a bit of a calming effect on the mind.

but hm, color him intrigued. ]

Interesting. Well, most wizards from my world can make any kind of sugar like that, so it's not too special. I'm just a run-of-the-mill doctor from the South myself, for instance.

Still... Would you mind showing me that light spell?

[bindsthedead]

[If mages could make anything from nothing... Sabriel can't even begin to imagine what such a world might be like.]

Oh, it's- like this.

[It's an easy spell, one Sabriel learned as a child. She casts it with the ease of one long practiced- she draws the mark from the Charter, then traces it in the air between them- and then, with a flourish, directs it to hover around the man- to follow him, until the spell fades in a few hours.]

It's not as impressive as making something from nothing, but it has its uses.

[extinctive]

[ figaro does look very impressed, his curious-looking eyes glimmering in the light as the spell circles around him. ]

No need to sell your abilities short. It's beautiful in its own right. [ and it's interesting to hear what other magician folk from different worlds can do, too. ] In my case, the effectiveness of one's magic is dependent of their hearts and the environment around them. Essentially, a wizard with a sensitive heart wouldn't be able to perform their magic in a place like this.

[ staying in a dilapidated mall and dealing with a dying circus - it'd dampen anyone's spirits, most especially a wizard's. but figaro's different so that's fine ]

[bindsthedead]

You mean the ability to do magic is determined by willpower?

[That's familiar- although for Charter magic there are other factors, like the mage's knowledge and strength of connection to the Charter.]

Or that this kind of environment makes magic harder to use?