TEST DRIVE

[starhuemod]

TEST DRIVE;
premise | rules | taken | pick-up

Pick-ups are now open! You're free to take a character on that page. The musebox will start proper in one week!

Welcome to Starhue Valley!

Just as easily as you blinked out of reality to your last getaway from home, or your little jaunt at community of silly memes, you're on a bus that accommodates all shapes and sizes. A little letter has been placed on your lap, with your name on it. Carefully unfolding, you read the following message.

• Howdy!
You might notice you're not from these parts! That's because you've either been kidnapped across the multiverse before, have had strange encounters across the multiverse, or have a secret destiny hidden within you to find out what life is like in Starhue Valley!

Well, the secret destiny part might be an exaggeration, but you were picked up by my call for some reason or another... that means you must have a call inside you to reach out across time and space and meet and change the lives of other people.

I look forward to explaining everything!
- Marjorie

__________________________________________

Across the street from the bus stop, a celebration seems to be going on, for your arrival. Once you get the low-down from Margie herself, you have a plethora of things to do.

What do you go for?

A. Farm? What farm?

[ A map has been thrust onto your person as soon as you arrived, with a pathway clearly marked to a place in the forest where you have been told a farm has been cleared out for you or you and a significant other, a band of friends, your mortal enemy, whoever you have the fortune of joining. The pathways tonight are lit with tiny glass baubles filled with glowing stars. These paths lead throughout the woodsy side of town all over.

Your farm is a little decrepit, but apparently, all the tools are in that chest over there to make it perfect. The mayor left a letter for you detailing the whole thing-- the buses back home don't run until the end of Summer, so you'll have to make do with what you have. You don't HAVE to farm... but it'd be a nice way to make a few pieces of gold! You know, to live. Unless you just pull turnips out of the ground and eat them, weirdo.

Some seeds and so on are available to you-- even some things from home to make the job easier. What do you do? ]

B. Screw the farm, let's check out the celebration!

Ahh, careful! I ordered some of those pies from Baker Square but they came right from bakerstreet! I can't tell which is which, so just... be careful!

[ Naturally, you have no idea what Marjorie is talking about regarding Baker Street, unless she's making a very obscure Sherlock Holmes joke.

However, the bountiful plates of pies do look attractive... you're pretty sure no one would poison you right off the bat, right? But the flavors do have interesting effects.

• Lemon Meringue makes you want to play 'guess who!' with someone.
• Rhubarb has you looking at people while consciously thinking 'hot or not'. And if you're attracted to that type of person, maybe you'll make some moves...
• Chocolate Mousse has you yearning for some old friends, and if you happen to meet them or make some new ones, drape all over them. Schmooze. Show them some pictures on your jPad of your cute little sibling.
• Apple has you ambitious-- start rallying the people! Is it unfair you were brought here? Is Jojamart clearly a corporate scam? Do you have immediate plans to take over? You can't hold it in!
• Key lime has you sprouting a monster part! This is painless, and it can last for anywhere from a day to a month. Take care! ]

C. Family photos... or videos.

[ A projector is set up nearby, on a white screen on the barn. There's only one thing though... these videos seem familiar. Eventually, one of you might pop up! This could be a memory, a tacky AMV to Every Time We Touch, or darkly, a bit of your future yet to come that might encourage you to stay. Marjorie says it's set up to 'get everyone to know each other a little'.

Secrets don't make a community! ]

D. The Sun Goes Down, The Stars Come Out... and fall.

[ What is with this rocking meteor shower? Stars streak across the sky in a glitter of white and gold, unlike anything you've ever seen. Someone, one of the locals, hushes to the person next to them to make a wish. Suddenly, that urge starts to overcome you. Whether subconsciously or not, you mutter a wish to yourself-- and be careful what you wish for, because if it's something that can help you with your journey... it might end up right in your lap! A bunch of tokens from home or your previous game, all wishing you well on your new farming life.

This is starting to feel nostalgic.

Happy.

Simple. ]

D. WILDCARD

[ Do whatever you like! Explore the town, see new people, harass the NPCs! Magically transform your farm into a mansion! I don't know your powers, man, but use them to the best of your ability! Most of all, have fun!
code bases by tricklet

Comments

[aloofally]

Well, whatever it is, this is only a temporary break, you know. You'll still have to face it sooner or later. ...Unless you're dead, I suppose.

[Honestly, he sounds way too casual about the whole idea.]

[fashionbullet]

A temporary break is all I need. I'll face shit when I have to, but right now I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, all right? [She eyes him.] And what about you? You were way too calm when suggesting that last thing.

[You don't get to act like she's weird for being happy for this and then be all casual about that! That's not how it works! ...or maybe she's just being a over-defensive child about it. Who knows.]

...I'm not dead back home, for the record.

[aloofally]

...Ah. Um... [Recalibrating as he tries to remember where 'normal' is.] That might not be true for everyone you meet here. I've spent a few years in places like this, and one of the things you sort of get used to is making friends with people who don't want to go home to death. [He shrugs.] I guess I forgot that not everyone's used to it. You must be new to the dimensional nexus phenomenon.

[fashionbullet]

Completely new to it, yeah. [She puts her arms behind her watching him close.] But not new to weird as hell things in general. Since you've apparently spent years in places like this one, I guess that makes you some kind of veteran to this nexus thing, eh?

[Looks like the 'kidnapped across the multiverse before' part of Marjorie's letter is for real. That much doesn't sour her thought on being brought here -- it's pretty interesting, and she's hoping she can learn more. However, there is something this guy's said that does worry her.]

So people can really be brought to these sort of places even if they're dead back home... [Please, please don't let him show up... ugh, she doesn't want to think about that possibility for longer than she has to.]

[aloofally]

I've been through a few, yes.

[He misinterprets her concern:] It's not that bad - most of them look at being revived as kind of a second chance.

[fashionbullet]

So you're a super veteran, then! [She laughs.] If I wanted to know more about how all of this works, would I be able to come to you?

[She tenses a little as he misinterprets her worry, and any cheer she had managed before is wiped away immediately:] ...hopefully this place doesn't give the wrong person a second chance. [The moment she says it, she feels like she's made a mistake, shown too much, but she doesn't try to backtrack. That would just make it worse.]