tdm 007

[ateratmods]

Test Drive 007

WELCOME TO ATERAT

Here is our Seventh Test Drive Meme! There are a lot of areas of the city to explore, so please have a look around! In case you need a little help getting started, I've included a few prompts below, or feel free to start your own! Exploration and player initiative are the names of the game here!

Helpful Links to Get Started

Arrival & General Information | Setting & Bestiary | Locales & Businesses | Residences & Housing Info | Rules & FAQ (ask questions here!)

I. Crash Into Me

Not exactly, but close enough. You have just arrived and received a strange satchel from a tiny, strange little man and are left more or less to your own devices (more information on what to expect upon arrival can be found here)! Follow directions to the north and check out the housing, or maybe have a look around the Historium and try to get some information from that giant glowing ball, see what you can waste your meager starter coin on in the Market District, or maybe just meet the neighbors.

II. What Goes Bump in the Night

It looks like Aterat proper has a spirit problem. Maybe you're seeing specters, hearing disembodied voices, your windows rattle when there's no breeze outside. Maybe there are cold spots in your place of business (or your apartment, which is so much worse). Either way, you're 100% convinced you're haunted. Hopefully, someone else believes you, or maybe you're used to feeling crazy.

III. Into the MirrorVerse?

Through the looking glass in every apartment or other residence lies the MirrorVerse, a place of emotion. More information on this mysterious place can be found here.

IV. Try the Network

The Tell-Phone allows for text, video, and audio transmissions to everyone else who has one. Give it a whirl!

V. Wildcard

The above prompts are all options, and there's much more to the setting than what they provide. Do your best (or your worst)!

Navigation

Comments

Yin / Kirsi | Darker than Black | OTA

[moonlitrequiem]

I Arrival
What had Yin been doing? She had been waiting for Hei. And when it feels like tiny pieces of her being come back together as one, creating a Yin in a totally different place, she goes back to doing that very same thing. She waits for Hei.

She stands in the place she arrived, listens, though with the way she seems to blankly stare, it could be debated if she hears anything that's said by Halcyn. Yin only needs to be? If there is anything she's good at doing it's just being. She is led, given a satchel, and she only looks through the satchel because she was instructed to do.

Yin has plenty of more questions, but she doesn't ask them. No one has told her to. She doesn't move, either. Hours later, she can be found in the exact same spot, waiting for further instructions.

She does eventually look at the Tell-Phone she was given and mutters, "Hei," softly into it.

There is, sadly, no one named that there.


II What Goes Bump
Yin isn't used to random noises trange voices calling to her (though she is used to seeing spirit like things). She feels vaguely haunted, but she handles this much as she handles everything else - stare blankly and stoically. She is most definitely not sleeping much, though.

However, if it gets to be enough, she might randomly ask someone, "Is it normal to hear voices here?" Either way, she knows it's not her.


III New Friend?
In the middle of a field, there is a slip of a young woman standing, barefoot, in a puddle. She wasn't sure where else to get water, so for now she has abandoned her socks and shoes.

She stands in front of what others might know as a chocobo. She's still trying to figure out what it is. It is a large yellow bird, Yin thinks to herself as her specter watches from a puddle not far from her to inform her of what is happening. She feels a soft head nudge against her and she looks in the general direction of the large bird.

This happens at least a couple more times before she asks, "Why?"

Confused as she is, this oddly reminds her of Mao. Sure, Mao would say he isn't actually a cat, but that urge to pet rises. She isn't supposed to want to, though, right.

Her hand reaches out, even as she turns to anyone who might be in the area to ask again, "Why does it do this?"


IV Spy
[ CW: Yin's power is a specter/spirit she can send to any water within .5 meter, to watch others from a distance. This won't work if you don't want it to, and if you would rather her not spy on your character you can say so here. Flipside? If you want her to see something your character doesn't want others to know? We can arrange that, too. ]
Yin bought one thing with her bronze coins - a glass of water. She sits outside, one finger in the glass, eyes not looking at anything in front of her.

Other people might notice a translucent, light blue form with something akin to a face on it, popping out of anything with water, puddles, glasses, bowls, wherever water is. The spectral blob will seem to peer at people, it's three black dots very much like a mouth and eyes, stare right at them.

Maybe people see it watching them, or just want to know why a young woman has her finger in a glass of water.


V Network; video; un:yin
[This, for her, especially, is unprecedented, but she's never just ended up somewhere without Hei before. This whole situation is unusual and there are no protocols in place for it, despite the careful protocols already in place. That is the only reason Yin turns on the video of her Tell-Phone.]

[She stares straight ahead, eyes not necessarily meeting the Tell-Phone directly on. Her voice is even and flat, much like her face is expressionless.]

I am Yin. If a man named Li Shengshun appears, please let him know I am here.

[Hei might actually hate she did this, but she doesn't care. This situation is too abnormal. That's also all she gives. The video feed ends.]


Wildcard: Anything else? A request? She isn't the easiest to interact with, but I'm fairly open and the Mirrorverse stuff looks fun, but I would want to plot first.


[OOC: Will do [, (, past, present, prose, whichever is most comfortable - I will follow. Feel free to contact me on plurk metaljean, on this journal, or discord #midknightcat8900 for ideas or plotting.]

Video;

[monochromatically]

[ Mono doesn’t use the Tell-Phone much… It doesn’t react well to his abilities. So the feed has a heavy layer of static over it as he peers into the camera function at the decidedly new person. He hadn’t seen her before, and the boy had a habit of following new people around until he got a better idea of what they were like. The picture wavers slightly and there’s a pop of static again as he speaks up. ]

Hi, I’m Mono. I dunno if I ever saw someone with that name around, but if I do, I will?

[moonlitrequiem]

[ Yin tilts her head at the static on the feed. It had been fine earlier. But it isn't her place to question why it's acting up now, is it? She shouldn't want to. The message from Mono makes it through to be heard, and that's the part that matters. ]

[ In that same monotone voice of hers, she replies. ]

Hello, Mono. Thank you.

[monochromatically]

[ The boy is actually somewhat pleased she didn’t ask. Explaining his… thing… to people tends to get varied reactions in his experience. At least she doesn’t seem to mind the static, so that’s a win. ]

You’re welcome. [ An awkward pause, staring for a moment as he thought about the monotone voice. ] It’s kinda random when people get here, so they might appear too if they’re not already.

[moonlitrequiem]

[ Yin is, mostly, incapable of minding much, so if that plays out in Mono's favor at the moment, then it is good. ]

[ She gives a nod to show she has taken in the information and understands. But now she has a question. ]

How long have you been here? [ It's not like her to ask, to even wonder, but Yin actually feels a speck of curiosity building at all of the new input. ]

[monochromatically]

[ Mono thinks it’s probably good to be curious, at least when you just get here. It’s such a confusing place, depending on what you’re used to. Though her question gets another stare, drawn out longer and accompanied by that odd static fizzling in and out. His ability to track time isn’t the greatest. He never had to before being here. ]

There’s been two winters since I got here… So I guess it’s kinda been a while.

[moonlitrequiem]

[ Patiently, Yin stares right back. She doesn't push, doesn't press, doesn't even twitch or blink, even when the static interrupts them for a brief moment. ]

[ Two winters still implies somewhere between a year and two, so a decent amount of time. Mono probably knows what he is talking about. She might find that comforting, if she could find comfort in things. ]

Do people only come, or do they also leave?

[monochromatically]

[ The boy didn’t need too long to answer at least, the bonus of being here as long as he had… He could at least answer questions like this. ]

People do leave sometimes. I guess the world sends them home? It’s kinda just as random as people arriving. Also, sometimes people go home for only a week, but it’s longer for them, then they come back…?

[moonlitrequiem]

[ Sounds like the place lives by its own set of whims, but Yin doesn't think too deeply or much about the response. There's a level of gratitude, though it feels subdued, and she fails to verbalize it. ]

[ Yin does pause for a moment, lips slightly parted, as though she wants to ask another question, but it doesn't seem to form, for a while. When she manages the words, they maintain an even, steady pace. ]

What do you do here?

II What Goes Bump

[ask_whydunit]

Waver is a bit of a night owl, and it’s not strange for him to be making the trek to his place a little later in the evenings if he got lost in something he was doing at the academy. It’s… not always the safest place, this world, but he’s been here long enough that he knows what’s what. Voices beckoning someone in the evenings isn’t strange, but it’s not a good thing.

The smell of smoke and flowers wafts through the air as he hears the voice of a young woman clearly not as aware of the things that dwell in this world as he is. “It is in the evenings in certain places, but you’re better to not follow them. They’re generally bad news.” He offered, brow raising as he took in the sight of the young woman.

[moonlitrequiem]

She should probably sleep, but Yin's never done much of that, why start now? She can't properly enjoy the smell of blooming flowers; however, she does notice it, the sweet scents mingling.

Yin turns in the direction of Waver's voice.

"They have not done anything, yet." But she takes that advice to heart - better not to follow them. It's close enough to a direct instruction.

[ask_whydunit]

Lowering his cigar slightly, he glanced down an alleyway thoughtfully at her response. “Not yet, no. But you’ll be lucky if it stays that way if they happen to get you alone.” He commented with a deepening of the frown on his face. Admittedly, the man has had a bit of a bad time with being caught alone by some of the other nocturnal ‘residents’ of Aterat… So maybe the professor is a little paranoid. “It’s not strange for spirits to get a bit restless here, and then there’s the Sha.” Those he hasn’t run into yet, and he’d rather keep it that way.

“I take it you haven’t been here long.” He stated more than asked, while he wasn’t the most social creature… He had met most of the other abductees of this place.

[moonlitrequiem]

"What are the Sha?" Asking questions, how unlike her, but they have such an official sounding name. She might as well be armed with knowledge.

Yin, also, is not a social creature, getting caught alone was a possibility, but she seems to have no high concern for that either, just a mild curiosity, one she isn't supposed to have.

"No. I arrived earlier today."

[ask_whydunit]

Waver would say it’s better to ask than to not… And he’s not unused to answering questions, really. Came from being a teacher, and with having an apprentice who wasn’t actually a mage and knew little of things outside her village. So questions are good, mostly… The bad ones would get assorted reactions that would indicate that they were. “The Sha are parasitic spirits, a little more of a nuisance than your average restless spirit. Once they possess their chosen victim, they’ll amplify one’s more negative emotions as they feed. If it isn’t removed, it’ll eventually kill the victim.” He should probably sugar coat this a little for the newcomer, but he has a certain… Bluntness at times.

It just made sense to make her aware of the dangers and what to expect from this weird place.

“Then my advice as someone who’s been here for a while, don’t go wandering alone at night unless you’re particularly well equipped to deal with some of the things that roam the streets.” Yeah, and the mage is so well equipped to deal with these things himself. Oh, well… Do as he says and not as he does, or something to that effect.

[moonlitrequiem]

Questions are a sign of curiosity, a sign she is defective. Yin might need time to adjust to the fact she's free of the Agency, here. Not just a Doll to the current people she meets.

Luckily for them both, Yin is accustomed to blunt facts, and sugarcoating is unnecessary. While she understands the Sha clearly pose a danger with this information, she doesn't seem bothered or scared, her expression does not give in any direction but remains the same neutral it has been since their conversation began.

"I will find someone who has been here longer," Yin nods her head to let him know she has taken the instruction in seriousness. Either way, she's not equipped to deal with most things. She's not a fighter, not even close.

[ask_whydunit]

The professor was glad to see that she seemed to take his suggestion seriously. That meant she was sensible, at least somewhat. “Good. People around here are pretty quick to help, anyway.” Lots of ‘hero’ types, at least.

He was about to carry on his way, because his job here was done… But there was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind about the voices and the fact that she was knew… So she didn’t have anyone here to help yet, probably. What kind of person would he be to just leave her to her own devices when there was clearly something amiss in the area?

Sighing internally at the voice that sounded all too familiar in his head, he looked back to Yin. “Have you seen the coloured buildings yet?” He finally asked, figuring maybe it would be best to see her to the residences they’d all been assigned.

[moonlitrequiem]

Yin should probably think something, even it's good people around there want to help, but she feels, says and thinks nothing in response to that. Waver, in fact, as far as she was concerned, did more than his fair share.

And she didn't mind being on her own. Still, when he asks her about the colored buildings instead of leaving, she feels a spark of something, though she can't place it.

"Yes," she answers the question easily enough. She had seen them, but she wasn't spending a lot of time there.

I

[kree_soldieress]

Today was a good day to do shopping for more supplies for her kitchen, which explained why Lauri-Ell was moving through the markets. Of course she had not been expecting to walk by one area with empty bags at one point and then walking back by there with half an hour later with full bags... Well, that was not normal. The young woman had not bothered to move. Almost at all.

Concerned the Kree woman moves toward the stranger.

"Are you alright?"

[moonlitrequiem]

Yin turns her head in the direction of Lauri-Ell's voice, so at least she did that instead of continue to stare straight ahead.

She gives a soft, emotionless but short answer of, "Yes."Typically, someone might ask something in return, or at least explain, but Yin just looks back to her original focus, waiting once more.

[kree_soldieress]

Okay, so the girl is alive. That's good news. Though Lauri-Ell still looks quite concerned.

"Are you certain? You seem... I do not know what the normal word for it is. But you look like a soldier on their first shore leave."

[moonlitrequiem]

She is alive, though Yin barely exists. She certainly wouldn't want anyone concerned for her, she's fine. Just lost.

"I am certain." This time she doesn't turn, just keeps staring, but the next part of what Lauri-Ell gets a blink.

"What would a soldier do on leave?" Because she knows what soldiers do, but not on leave. Yin is just a bundle of confusion, now.

[kree_soldieress]

Ah, but Lauri-Ell is very prone to being concerned about others. It is a good thing to be, if you care about justice and being more like other people. Still, she understands that question.

"The first time I had it I was confused too," she admits thoughtfully. "The other soldiers knew what to do. It took me time to figure it out. If I remember correctly I went to find really good food to eat. Then I went to look at flowers, and then I read a book."

[moonlitrequiem]

Yin has been cared for by others, but it's in subtle gestures and masked by a need to pretend that isn't possible, for either party. This is very different, it's pure and obvious.

"I do not read," Yin says plainly. She can, technically, read for necessity, but this as a hobby does not appeal. She has, technically, looked at flowers, but and while she could describe them, she is confused as to the point of that.

"Why would you look at flowers?"

She does eat, but not for pleasure. Just enough to survive so she doesn't cause anyone else issues.

[kree_soldieress]

"Ah, that is fair. Not everyone enjoys reading."

Why? She smiles and just looks at the young woman. Surely the answer is obvious.

"They are beautiful. And not even because they want to be. They are beautiful for a purpose. But a purpose they came to over their own choices, their own evolution. They didn't need to be made that way. And that's wonderful."

[moonlitrequiem]

Sadly, the answer isn't obvious to Yin, but she listens intently. Her lashes lift, only a fraction, and Yin slowly turns back to Lauri-Ell.

"Their own choices." She couldn't explain what, or how, but that phrase does spark a bright warmth in her mind before it sputters out.

She will definitely look at flowers differently next time she sees them, even if she only watches and doesn't ask much or think about much as she does.