TEST DRIVE MEME: SECOND STAGE

[interdimanagers]

☆WELCOME TO INTERSTELLAR

And welcome to our second TDM! We've got two types of prompts to use this time around: the first takes place while your character is in the process of being captured, and the second is during their first brainwashed rockstar networking gig. The former is designed to be considered 100% game canon if you make it in officially, while the later is more speculative and will only work if you get lucky during label and band selection.

☆THE TALENT SEARCH

These prompts are design to be kept as game canon after acceptance, and can be used as the official story of how your character was captured. Importantly, the kidnappers entering your timeline causes massive time distortions, which means that the outcome of this scenario will stagger and replay itself multiple times before settling on an outcome. This means that after the fact, you character may remember being captured multiple ways, or going in more than one direction, before the timeline settled on a final path. Or at least, they'll remember this until their memories are wiped shortly afterwards, but that's okay! That's what memory regains are for. Read this page for more specifics on this situation. Any powers the characters have will be weakened and prone to malfunction to the point of uselessness.



►A1) THE SEARCH: It always starts out this way, doesn't it? At some point in your life, you were just doing your thing, wherever you call home. Then, all at once, it's like you've been torn from your dimension by the roots. Time and space displace, and it's like you've been shifted one layer of reality to the left - like some kind of subspace where you can see your reality through it, like a rainbow surrealist image of your home. Even if you can see this ghost image of where you were, you can't interact with it meaningfully. Any friends or family are somewhere else. As you begin to wander, without any other options, you'll find that the scenery gradually shifts to ghost images of other places, other worlds. If you wander long enough, you'll even find other people, lost just like you are. But you probably won't have much time - you've been brought here for a reason, after all.

►A2) THE HUNT: It could happen almost immediately, or it could happen hours later - but, at some point, your dimensional kidnappers start to do their sweep. Space Men in black body suits and gas masks pursue you on foot and in small spaceships, trying to sweep you and the other displaced up like fish in a net. Their guns contain a weird pink gas that will knock out most with only a single breath - and for those more enduring, they have the heavy artillery, like electrical nets and guns. The fallen will be sealed up into stasis pods for transport and loaded onto the ships, which seem like the only way to get out of this place by choice. This is where it ends, but are you going to put up a fight?

NOTE: Characters already in game can't really tag into these sections, so try to tag around to other first time character tests if you can!

☆WELCOME HOME

By default, these prompts aren't considered canon, but if after you are accepted and sorted they can be tweaked into working for you, it'll be totally okay to keep them as a part of your rockstar's personal history. This occurrence is something that will be happening around November 15th game time, but of course, what remains canon and what doesn't will be subject to who is accepted and where they are placed. This takes place after being kidnapped and brainwashed, as your character is first joining their new label. As usual, this is celebrated with a party.



►B1) PLAY IT STRAIGHT: It just another large scale soiree, something typical to the high music society of Vista City - but maybe it's not yet typical to you. For a number of the freshly signed on newbies, this is their first real taste of what their new label has to offer - either Virgo or Pride - and the sheer glamour of it may be intoxicating. Industry big wigs scatter the floor, as do performers of all the tops labels and bands. Maybe you feel intimidated. Maybe you want to make your mark. Or maybe you're not quite as new as some, and are just trying to get through the evening. Either way, they is plenty of booze available if you need some liquid courage. And is that a hookah pipe corner over there? Probably.

►B2) TOTALLY NORMAL: The signs of it are small, at first. Glasses you set down seeming out of place, stuff that almost looks like words written in the condensation on your glass. These little hauntings only get more and more persistent as the night continues, almost like some otherworldly presence is following you. You can feel them lurking nearby at times, like an unusual spot of cold or warmth in the air. None of the higher ups seem to notice but...to some of your new peers, this feels like old news. Eventually the signs become bolder, and at some point in the evening you'll hear it whispered in your ear or written on the bathroom mirror: "Remember."

►B3) REMEMBER: And you do. It strikes you suddenly, a feeling like a foreign presence straying through your mind. You remember something of your past, pertaining to the emotional affinity Love, Duty, Passion, or Hope - whichever feeling describes the person you used to be best. Except you know nothing of that life now, nothing except this single, strange thought in a room full strangers.

NOTE: Current characters definitely go to this party on November 15th, but it isn't required play. Besides the haunting and meeting new characters, it is considered business as usual.

☆HELPFUL INFO

► Follow the mod plurk for updates: interstellar5555
► Check out the game NAVIGATION
► Reserves open on November 6th at 12:01AM EDT
► Applications open on November 11th at 12:01AM EDT

Comments

[incensus]

[The face-touching is really unexpected. He almost stops running entirely, but only falters in momentum a little before picking up speed again. He also briefly gives her a confused look of his own, before casting his gaze forward again. There's Yuuri's voice in the back of his head, "humans and Mazoku aren't that different."]

You can't tell what someone's intentions are just by how they look. [His tone has softened somewhat, though he's still concentrated on escape, on protecting both her and himself.] Their actions are what make them friends or enemies.

[lowres]

I do not understand. I have met many humans, and we are all on the same side. [She really doesn't get it.] Many of them have saved me, or assisted my friends. Why would humans be attacking us if we are all trying to live peacefully?

[incensus]

Can we save this discussion for later?! [This isn't exactly the best time for philosophical discussion, it's difficult to concentrate on thinking about these things while running. But then he also knows that she's... Not really asking to be philosophical, but just to try and understand. He gives a quiet sigh before answering.]

Not all humans care about living peacefully. I don't know what these men want, but if they're hurting innocent people to get it... [And yep that's still Yuuri's voice in the back of his head. At this point he's getting more used to how much his fiance's ideals have become his own.] ...They're not good people.

[lowres]

I apologize. You have been carrying me all this time... are you all right? [She's been carried before and no one seemed to struggle with her. To be fair she is very light.]

[incensus]

[It's not her being heavy that's the problem, it's the fact he's trying to concentrate on not being caught by their pursuers, while also being made to think deep thoughts, while also having to carry her and keep his speed up.]

I'm fine! Just trying not to get either of us captured... [It would help if there was some sort of cover, yet nothing around them seemed to be solid.]

...What is this place? Is this the sort of place you're used to? [Or was it as new and unusual to her as it was to him?]

[lowres]

[She shakes her head.]

I have never been in a place like this before. But I have not been to many places. I only recently came to know the outside world. Has anyone tried to ask why there are people coming after us?

[incensus]

[Innocent, just a child. It grates even more on his nerves that she must have been taken from her home just as he was. She seemingly hasn't experienced the cruelty that existed in people yet... And though it might make her wiser, he wouldn't wish it on her, either.]

Who would we ask? Them? If I stop at all, they'll take both of us! They're coming at us with weapons, with some sort of chemical... They're not treating us like people!

[lowres]

[If only. Her own father tossed her out like trash to die, abandoned her because she asked why she was alive. And she knows it.

She frowns, then, looking determined.]

Then you should let me down. I am not afraid of them, and I will try to talk to them. If that should not work, if they are distracted by me, they cannot catch you.

Even if they were to hurt me... Simon will come for me.

[incensus]

[This gets an even more startled look. What is with this girl though, seriously? And her "Simon will come for me" is painful, because he has the suspicion that none of them will get to see their loved ones for a while. And all he wants is Greta and Yuuri back, to see them both safe.

And this girl is saying she'd sacrifice herself. For someone she just met. Because of course she would. It was an idiotic thing to do, as far as Wolfram is concerned, because if they'd wanted to talk he's pretty sure they would have done so by now. Wolfram himself had spent plenty of time yelling at them.]

No! They don't want to talk to you, and I'm not letting you put yourself in danger for such a useless endeavor! [At least when Julia had sacrificed herself, she'd done it to heal a lot of people. But this? This was just ridiculous, in Wolfram's book.]

[lowres]

[She really doesn't think there's danger. There's no giant robots involved and really what can they do to them? If they wanted to hurt them, running or not, they would've been hurt. She's seen missiles target people running before. Hell, she's been targeted by a missile while running before.]

You cannot keep carrying me forever. You are putting yourself in danger by assisting me. I should try to help you, as well.

I am not frightened.

[incensus]

[At this point, Wolfram takes a second to glance behind them. He'd seen the Space Men use their nets, their guns, and their gas, yet for some reason right now they're just... chasing him, not using these items that are at their disposal. Why?

As if on cue, he feels the electric heat of the blast from one of their guns swipe by his cheek, and his eyes widen again as he looks at Nia in his arms.]

Obviously I'm in danger whether I'm carrying you or not! At least this way I can prevent you from doing something stupid and reckless. You're not frightened, fine, but there are undoubtedly people that care about you and it's heartless not to think of how they'd feel if you were gone! [...says the guy who recently tried to sacrifice himself without telling any of his loved ones his plan. Wolfram's totally not a hypocrite at all.]

[lowres]

I do not plan on leaving them behind. I would not want to leave Simon, again. But I do not think you will be able to continue outrunning them forever, and it is best to try to find a peaceful resolution if at all possible.

I do not want you to get hurt, either, sir. But I care very much about staying alive.

[And she does. But she's also naive and a little reckless and spent most of the last few days nearly dying tbch.]