Test Drive Meme: the First

[basythiamods]

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You awaken to darkness.

It's strange, isn't it. You know you died-- perhaps even remember your last moments-- so how is it that you're here breathing again? The air around you is cold and a humid, the stone you lay upon or sit propped up against hard and a little damp where you lay against... moss? Or something like it. Perhaps a bit too slimy to be so. It soon become quickly apparent that no matter your beliefs before your death--

This is no afterlife.



Slowly, you realize you can see... sort of. It's too dark to identify much in the way of colors, but you can identify some faint luminescence from the slime or moss or whatever-it-is growing up from the cracks in the cobbles. You're in a park, or something that used to be one. It's circular, mostly, with a central fountain-- empty and dirty-- that has a serpent wrapped around a large orb as its centerpiece. There are others here, moving slowly and getting up as well, only visible as vague shapes as your eyes adjust.

You become aware of a pain on the back of your hand, a symbol seemingly carved directly into your flesh but strangely not bleeding. You notice others looking at theirs as well, some matching yours. And with those matching, you feel something... stranger. You can sense them, the whole of their body, their presence. Their confused and alarmed emotions, the uniqueness of themselves-- their "scent." Those without matching symbols you cannot feel at all, as stranger to you as any random person you might meet on the street.

✧

It may take some time before the awareness expands enough to notice the strange creature standing near one of the exits of the park, something like a horse or deer, covered all over in sticky black ooze. Its head is low, body emaciated, and its breaths come in slow, labored snorts. A wickedly sharp horn, stained and dirty, erupts from its forehead.

It does not walk forward, or react to touch, but after a time a soft voice will echo through the minds of those within the park:

... Find your congregation. Pray to your gods. Keep us alive, that we may protect you.

Stay together. Find your aedis.

And just like that, the beast collapses inwards into a pile of black sludge, filtering down through the cobbles and leaving the newly revived to their devices.

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OOC

Welcome to the first TDM! This will also act as the "first" post/intro of the game so folks may carry over their threads if they wish.

You may sort your characters under whatever god you may want to play with for the TDM. If you have any questions, please submit them to the FAQ in the game navigation or the questions toplevel below.

Feel free to join the DISCORD if you wanna chitchat there as well!

✧ NAVIGATION ✧

Comments

OOC QUESTIONS/ETC

[basythiamods]

[mamamias]

overthinking but misc appearance questions

1) do they arrive in clothing matching that of their god's preferences or nah?

2) if they wear gloves do you see the symbol like. on the glove/glowing through?

....ok that's it just things i'm gonna get stuck thinking about otherwise lol

Re: OOC QUESTIONS/ETC

[bad_crowmance]

Quick question, so if their clothes were bloody when they died, would they be in the same state or would they be cleaned up?

Giovanni | PokeSpe (HGSS) | The Nine Faces

[of_the_land]

[The man knew he deserved to die. An absolute shame that it happened when it did as he scanned the premise, luckily his eyes adapted fast. He did have a fondness for caves, after all.]

[The gaps in his memory were more disturbing to him than the fact he was quite aware he was dead. He did not know what to expect from an afterlife, be it a heaven, hell or the abyss of nothing, but this wasn't anything like he would have thought of. The burning sensation on his hand stung, but he had more important things to think about right now instead of some mild discomfort (at least mild to the pains he would have before).]

[Such as what was an 'Aedis'? He approached someone, knowing he should at least school his expressions like he would whenever he was appearing in public instead as the Leader of --- A blank.]

I assume you have no idea what is going on either, do you?

[He tried to keep his tone somewhat light, if you approach something heavy-handed from the start, you shouldn't be surprised if it doesn't launch well.]

(the Loyal Guardian)

[mamamias]

[ Oh, good, someone to talk to. Maybe this will make him feel less off-kilter. He misses -- someone. -- Goombella? This is a lot like the city underneath Rogueport, he guesses. Yeah, he misses Goombella, he decides.

That's not quite right. Well, anyway, it's just him. So he'll have to do the talking. ]

Mm-nn, nope. My head feels a'so fuzzy...

[ He meant to say something more useful, but it's all he can focus on. ]

(the bleeding heart)

[chonomai]

( a young woman no older than 18 is beside him, actually- and with the military-like uniform she's in, one might be able to gather why she's looking around so on edge.

and then he addresses her and she slips into a smile so easily. )

I'm afraid not!

shinobu kocho 🦋 demon slayer 🦋 the bleeding heart (infinity castle spoilers!)

[chonomai]

( ▒▇█▍▎ ▁▕ ▊▎ ▂▇▎ should not be alive. this is a simple fact. she had been in battle, consumed- and now she is here. the only comfort is her haori is in tact once again... though her vision is blurred with tears for a moment, that's all she allows herself: a moment. and then she is calm, smiling pleasantly and warmly as she takes it all in.

it wouldn't do to worry strangers or those unwanted connections, after all.

the beast gives out a simple mission statement, and that's all she has to work with right now. )

Well, this isn't what I expected of the afterlife at all... I suppose one's work is never finished.

( from there, you can find her exploring- it's a large city, after all, and the state of it is... concerning. there's what looks to be black slime mold everywhere, a that- something she covers her face with her sleeve with around. but even the puddles catch her attention; the scent is familiar, after all. )

This is... salt water?

( otherwise, she's looking for other bleeding hearts! don't mind this small young woman just appearing, like the flutter of a butterfly's wing. she smiles, reassuring and warm and brilliant as moonlight. )

There you are. We're marked the same.

(the Scaled Mirror)

[unihilism]

[ The man who approaches is thick like a tree, basically as tall. He's scowling. Or maybe his eyebrows are just shaped that way. His eyes are fixed on the place the deer-like beast just exploded into goo. He doesn't like the shape of this world at all. ]

Tell me about it. Just when you think it's finally over... there's more shit to do. It's almost funny.

[ He doesn't sound like he's laughing. He sounds pissed off. This makes not the first, not the second, but the THIRD time he's died and it didn't even have the decency to stick. He's getting sick of it. ]

wei wuxian | grandmaster of demonic cultivation | loyal guardian

[dieva]

[Even if there's something carved on his skin, he'll pay attention to that later-- he's used to brands and scars, and freely ignores them for remarking that he has a body to mark in the first place. He was sure that the reason he died was because there was no more body for him! How odd! Disturbing! A cursory check even shows that it's his own, which should be an impossibility.

Another impossibility: he can't tell what revived him. In this odd space that he doesn't recognize, there are no arrays or diagrams, not even another person standing over him to tell him anything. He certainly doesn't know what kind of moss that is, glowing in the dark like that. He also doesn't know any place that has a serpent fountain, surely those things are odd enough that someone would have remarked something in his ear. Snakes don't usually feature in fountains, do they?

Even more odd and disturbing is that thing which looks like a qilin but somehow not-- corrupted perhaps?-- asking him to look for his congregation. His god. Oh, does that make him sigh!]

Aiya, I'm not even that religious, except when it comes to the ancestors. [Sometimes he still feels like he should slap his mouth when he talks about them, even if they're not really his own.] What even is an aedis?

[He doesn't even manage to pronounce it correctly. He waves an arm at the nearest person, who surely, surely saw the same thing he did, and hear the same thing he heard, his voluminous sleeve flapping as he moves.]

You heard what it said, right? Did you understand what it meant?

(The Nine Faces)

[of_the_land]

[The man shook his head as he looked over at the other.]

I am not really religious at all, and that is a very good question.

[The member of the Nine Faces didn't seem too bothered about any of this, despite the fact he was, in fact, very crossed. But if you start these things off throwing a fit, you're going to get nowhere very fast. He put his own gloved hands into his pockets and shrugged.]

Would be helpful if it gave us a little more information, right? It isn't allowed to get mad if we mess up.

[He cocked his head to the side as he pondered for a moment.]

Guess it wants us to join a cult.

[A laugh from him, even though he didn't feel like laughing at all. No need to start pouncing onto heavier subjects now, it is obvious the younger man was just as confused as he was.]

(Loyal Guardian!!)

[mamamias]

[ Oh, that person! They have the same mark! And he can... he can feel them? A comfortable little knot in his head, an awareness, like nothing he's ever felt before. He's running up to them and waving his arm for attention - this short little man in bright red, who seems mostly comfortable with all these happenings. Confused, yes, but not alarmed.

His 'scent' in the bond will be like woodsmoke, the feeling of fire; a flame controlled, not getting out of hand. ]

I don't know what any of that means!! But I know - look, look! [ He fumbles his glove off of his hand. They have the same mark. ] I'm-a like you!

Malos | Xenoblade Chronicles 2 | The Scaled Mirror

[unihilism]

[ He lies there with his eyes closed. Hm. Yep. 2 for 2 on times he's literally disintegrated and then still been alive later. Damn. Damn! He wanted to see Jin again - hah. As if there was even an afterlife.

It's the pain in his hand that makes him jolt awake. What... the hell? Oh, that sucks to watch, but he can't pull his eyes away, morbidly fascinated as the symbol etches itself into him. The way his awareness expands is like resonance, which makes something slimy shift in his head -- ]

Wait a fucking minute.

[ He squints at his bare arm. Where are his ether lines? What's with this skin? Where is his armor!?

Great. He woke up in some unfamiliar afterlife in his underthings! At least he's still got a shirt, so he doesn't have to walk around with his core showing if he... Now come on!

His hand flies up to his collarbone, fingers searching, and not finding. Where's his core crystal!? He even sticks his fingers down the neck of his shirt to be sure. Nothing but smooth skin. His stomach sinks, literally. The weird feeling about this body suddenly makes perfect, horrible sense to him. ]

Am I made of fucking flesh!? Why am I flesh!!??!

[ He's furious. He's indignant. He's standing here and yelling about being made of flesh to the sky. And, boy, does his voice carry! You can probably hear him from 50 feet away. ]

-

[ Even if you don't find him in the middle of his meltdown, you'll find him later, still grumbling about flesh and how it's completely beneath him to care about something as disgustingly human as gods. He can't seem to stop fidgeting with the mark of The Scaled Mirror on his hand, either. It bothers him.

If you're another Scaled Mirror, your bond will be flooded with his fury, drowning out anything else from anyone else. Confusion? Alarm? No. Just his indignation about being flesh. And if you go to find the source of this fury, his attention will snap towards you the moment you approach. No sneaking up on him, not with that bond connecting you. ]

Blade | Honkai: Star Rail | The Scaled Mirror

[resmelted]

[Limbs heavy, bitterness on his tongue... He must have died. A day ending in Y for him, but what was unusual was awakening in a place he'd never seen before.

He lays there for a moment feeling bereft before he pushing himself up into a sitting position, glancing around with a sigh.]

...Hm.

[He doesn't even seem to notice the mark on the back on his hand, but others of the scaled mirror will unfortunately have to deal with intensely exhausted disappointment through the bond, along with some understandable confusion about what the fuck is going on. This is even more weird in his head than the usual for once.

He eyes the fountain with a frown.] ...This was not in the script.

Fellow Scaled Mirror!!!! omg hiiii~

[unihilism]

[ Between the exhaustion from this guy and the indignation from himself, it's no fun being a Scaled Mirror, that’s for sure. At least the indignation evens out to something frustrated, fond - ]

Ugh, don't talk about scripts! I thought I was finally free of that kind of crap, since Akhos isn't here.

(The Nine Faces)

[of_the_land]

I personally imagined more fire. For Hell being exothermic and all.

[The dark haired man said to the man who seemed to be talking more to himself than anything else.]

Need a hand up?

[He offered out a gloved hand, so far everyone he has encountered is dead. Perhaps this was purgatory, but also that would mean he wasn't evil. But he knew what he was. But the others didn't seem as much, the girl with the eyes of an adult, the short man with a mustache. The member of The Nine Faces knew that he had to be amiable at the very least right now, so he could figure out and make alliances.]

(loyal guardian)

[dieva]

Script, hm? [One can't really ignore that interesting statement-- it's so unusual, after all.

He tucks his hands behind his back, like a curious student or scholar.]

You're an actor, gege? Part of the opera? Traveling performer? [He's dressed a little too darkly for one though, the traveling actors he's seen in the past are always in bright, eye-catching fabrics as to gain attention quite quickly.

Unless they're off-duty.]

(bleeding heart!)

[chonomai]

( hello! were you looking for a meddlesome butterfly? no? too bad, because she is here, silent as a fluttering wing. )

Do you need a hand?

Valencia | OC (star rail au) | river/guardian/wings

[vitainmorte]

[ She awakes with a start, sucking in a harsh, panicked breath. She's not supposed to be alive. It's vile, it's unnatural-- it goes against her being, what she was taught to accept. Her ending should have been an ending.

She rolls over onto her stomach and slowly pushes herself up onto her knees, reaching for her weapons, anything-- no, nothing, there's nothing there-- before staring down at the mark carved into her skin. She stares at it for a long moment, blank-eyed, though those across her bond can feel... anxiety, a tight fear. A deep disgust, centralized all upon her own self, as her fingers dig into her flesh.

For those looking plainly though: she's humanoid, certainly, but not only human, judging by the little wings that fold out from behind her ear and the (perhaps more strange) bronze-ish halo floating behind her head, entirely lacking in luster even without the darkness surrounding them. ]

guardian (or wings!)

[mamamias]

[ Someone's hurting, so he goes to help. He kneels down next to her, reaching out a hand - marked the same hers is. He doesn't know why he can tell what she's feeling, but... ]

Hey, hey, it's alright. Things are'a scarey right now, but... I'm'a sure everything's gonna... be okay!

[ Warmth, kindness, flickering fire. He's clearly shaken - but helping her helps him keep calm. ]

(The Nine Faces)

[of_the_land]

[Headwings? Interesting. Was this human actually a Pokémon transforming (dragonair? Then what was the halo for?) and not being able to master it all the way through. You could never know! Pokémon were mysterious creatures, after all.]

[But if he didn't recognize himself (he still needs to think of a name for himself, but that can be a problem for future him) and no one else seemed to, he knew this was a fresh start to make fresh connections and alliances. Which meant-]

Hey, let's get you off the ground.

[Voice soft, hand offered-]

It has to be cold down there.

bleeding heart

[chonomai]

( hm. this isn't anything ▒▇█▍▎ ▁ has encountered before. a part of her wonders if the other woman is a demon, but that doesn't sound or feel right at all. regardless, just as much as she is a slayer, she is a doctor and caretaker. ▒▇█▍▎ ▁ crouches beside her, gentle as can be. she doesn't touch just yet- she still seems lucid, even if a bit self destructive given the circumstances.

she can't quite blame her. )

Hello there~. ... I suppose you're just as unhappy about this as I am? It won't do to take it out on yourself, you know.

Mario | Mario | The Loyal Guardian

[mamamias]

[ Where is he? There's something... wrong, in his head. Something missing. Like his memory is swiss cheese. He remembers - dying. But he doesn't remember... He doesn't remember...

Oh, stars. What's his name!?

He runs up to the nearest person, grabbing them with urgency and shaking. ]

Hey, you! You! Do you remember your name?!

(bleeding heart)

[chonomai]

( ▒▇█▍▎ ▁ hadn't been expecting that question when the man runs over, but the moment he does ask it hits her like a brick- )

... No... no I don't. This is...

Isabella Trent | Memoirs of Lady Trent | Golden Wings

[deranged_practicality]

[The air is cold, but not as cold as the Mrtyahaiman mountains, which were too cold to be damp. She gets to her feet gingerly, because she felt one of her legs snap in the avalanche. But it does hold her weight]

[Picture a woman in her 40s, dressed as a mountain climber from the 19th century, looking around.]

[She is trying to recall what she had been doing... they'd been climbing and had found something... something important. A storm was approaching and they were trying to get back to their base camp. She was with... who was she with? Her research partner, her husband, their guide, and a military escort. ]

[That lead to a sudden urge to approach the various people she spotted, to confirm if she recognized any of them. She isn't going to think about the fact that she is dead, and if they are here, they also died; she'll worry about the implications once she has the evidence.]

Excuse me. I mistook you for someone else.

[Eventually she'll deal with the weirdness and the environment. For now, she wants a tentative hypothesis about her loved ones.]

(The Nine Faces)

[of_the_land]

[The man shook his head, unoffended.]

I have some pretty generic features.

[Which worked in his favor when you want to do a crime or two against Pokemon.]

[But now that he is a little settle, he decides to tell her what he knows.]

I guess you just woke up, Miss?

[She did look older than he was, and knew that Ma'am would be more polite, but he also knew with women better to skew to the younger side of things.]

If so, I can answer some basic questions for you.