TDM II

[thetonmods]

The Ton Test Drive Meme II

Welcome to the The Ton's second Test Drive Meme!

Applications will OPEN on the 1st of June. Players with characters already in game are also welcome to top-level with them. However, we ask that all TDM-related prompts stay on the TDM post itself.

If you do write a top-level, please make sure to include your character's name and canon in the subject field - regardless of whether your character is already in game or not.

Please note that the Test Drive Meme does not require an invite in order to participate - submitting an application does.

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NAVIGATION.

🌿 Arrival • Welcome Drinks • The Greenhouse Effect • Skinny Dipping • Give You Butterflies [NSFW] • That Belongs in A Museum • Jump to Comments 🌿

🌱 Applications • FAQ • Rules • Full Navigation 🌱

Arrival

I. WELCOME

You don't remember when or where you fell asleep exactly...

Perhaps it's the tickling sensation of a low hanging tree branch brushing against your nose or the feel of the slightly damp grass underneath you that causes you to awaken but when you do you'll find yourself lying amongst a glade of wisteria trees. You're not alone - nymphs of the trees laugh and dance about you, clearly amused at the new arrival. Along with them, your new loyal servant is here on Pheme's bidding. How this servant looks is different to each arrival. Some are saddled with short, stout butlers, others are welcomed by towering, busty maids. Regardless of their appearance, they introduce themselves with a kindness and warmth that is simultaneously reassuring and strangely impossible to resist when they beckon you to follow them from the grove and out into the city of Andovale.

The closest structure within sight is the Palace and its grounds. It is here that the Lady Pheme resides and from here that she rules over the city, your servant explains to you. You have been selected and brought here personally by her. It is she who assigned the servant to guide you through the regency-inspired city that is your new home.

Eventually, they will bring you to your new residence within the outskirts of somewhere called the "Trade Quarter". You are now the resident of a room within one of the many imposing town houses which make up the Grand Crescent. Throughout your stay here the servant will be your own personal butler or maid. This is where all new arrivals will be living for the time being you are told. Your servant will also give you a crash course on life here and the concept of Thumos - the energy or life force that keeps Andovale and all life within it going - including you now that you are here. It's generated through acts of intimacy, whether that be physical or emotional.

Once you have been shown to your room, you are given two things: a network communication device and a letter. The letter reads as follows:

My dearest reader,

Welcome to Andovale.

The delights of our fair city are yours to explore.

I do hope that you make your stay here a most interesting one. I shall be frightfully disappointed if you do not - and we do not want that, do we?

You will hear from me again very soon.

Yours Truly,

Lady Pheme

You are free to wander about and explore the house and its surroundings as you please. It's certainly spacious enough. As well as your own quarters, each of the townhouses of the Grand Crescent have large communal areas, which includes the kitchens (although why you'd like to go there when your servant can fetch any delicacies you'd like for you!), a dining room, a parlour with its own small library, two drawing rooms (somewhere you can go to chill out basically - harp music anyone?) and a generously sized garden.

Strangely, unlike most accurate regency townhouses, there do not appear to be any servant's quarters - perhaps these servants don't need to rest? Or they go somewhere else entirely for that?

Why not introduce yourself to your new housemates? Or enjoy some tea and cakes that have been prepared for you personally by your retainer, which they seem to keep insisting on bringing to you?

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II. AN INVITATION

Whether you're brand new to Andovale or a an established if a little unwilling resident by now, your assigned maid or butler will track you down. They are not empty-handed and they carry a silver tray, upon which is an envelope with a wax seal bearing the letter "P". Inside the envelope is an invitation. An invitation from your benevolent ruler, Lady Pheme herself.

Each character will receive an invitation identical in wording to the one below:

EVENT AT THE PLEASURE GARDENS

YOUR CHARACTER'S NAME HERE

Is requested to attend an exclusive event at the PLEASURE GARDENS, on 27th of May current.

Admission to the attraction begins at 6 o'clock p. m.

Wear something green for this special occasion.


Lady Pheme

Your servant can help you find something appropriate to wear - or not appropriate, the choice is entirely yours, after all. If you decide to go with their guidance, it is notable that they seem a little less decisive in the sort of outfit you should be wearing for this event - only, as Pheme said, that it should be something green. An evening gathering surely must require formal wear though and they will eventually press upon you the importance of wearing Regency Full Dress for the night ahead.

You may come to regret this.

Note: Even though it's a little different from the norm, this event will still count as a ball and all attendees will get 10 Reputation Points✨, just for showing up and looking respectable. Indulging with the theme and wearing an acceptable green outfit will also gain attendees a further 5 Points✨.

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WELCOME DRINKS

CW: alcohol

So, you've received an exclusive invitation to the Pleasure Gardens' latest pop-up attraction from Lady Pheme herself? How exciting! Ordinarily, the Gardens are open to anyone willing to pay the small amount of Thumos required to enter, but tonight it seems that only those brought in from other worlds are permitted access. You're getting an exclusive preview of the attraction, one of the guards at the gates tells you.

One of their colleagues will escort you down the torch flame lit pathways, through the gardens to the centre - the open space where all events like this take place.

Tonight, that open space is not so open. Besides the vast outdoor ballroom floor, in front of you is a giant glass house - basically, a large fancy green house between you and I. These are often found at grand country houses to show off and cultivate exotic, never before seen plants from far off lands. You've been brought here for the unveiling of this attraction. How such a thing could possibly be temporary seems highly improbable, but that's Pheme for you.

Feel free to begin the evening with mingling and dancing as befitting of any ball, but before the night is over you will feel yourself propelled forward to join the queue to get into the "Palm House," almost as if an invisible hand is shoving you forwards. You're even handed an extremely green and theme appropriate alcoholic beverage to consume in the queue while you wait. It's all very civilised.

Oddly, this drink won't get you drunk in the usual way, despite the alcohol content. Instead you will find yourself imbued with a hefty sense of glee and eagerness for adventure. It's all to help ease you into this experience, after all.

You're admitted to the Palm House one at a time - it's fine, you'll see your friends inside! Just as you set foot through the doors, your head is filled with the sound of a woman's voice, soft and beguiling:

"Dearest gentle member of the ton - what happens in the Palm House, stays in the Palm House. You are free tonight."

Note: For those that don't drink, there's also an alcohol free version. It looks completely identical to the boozy version.

Whether that drink has got you in the spirit or not, entering the Palm House is worth your while. All of those who enter will instantly receive 20 Reputation Points✨. And in case it wasn't already obvious, on this very special of occasions and the debut of her attraction, Pheme is turning a blind eye to what happens to you all in there. These things need a whole lot of Thumos to run properly and some of you will be doing her a huge favour... you just don't know it yet.

There will be no NPCs present in the Palm House, only your characters. Tonight is an exclusive preview for Pheme's Chosen, after all.

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THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

Entering the Palm House is a rather surreal experience to say the least. Sure, it looked pretty grand from the outside, but that's nothing compared to what greets you inside...

You might have been expecting a typical large tropical greenhouse as per any botanical garden visit, if such things exist to you back home. However, this particular green house appears to contain nothing less than a few dozen acres of rain forest. If the word "Tardis" resided in the vocabulary of the Ton's residents then it would surely be applied here. Pheme's out to show off again.

The moment you take a step or two through that door you feel strangely disoriented. Take a few steps more - perhaps you change your mind and decide to head back to the door you just came through. Only when you do, you'll find that the door is no longer there.

There is another door out of here but that involves crossing the length of the exhibit - and as you can now see quite clearly, that is not going to be such an easy task. There are paths to take and to (hopefully) stick to, but they seem to crisscross at every turn you take and go in all different directions. Thick rainforest surrounds you on all sides, its dense foliage extending towards what you can see of the glass ceiling and the night sky beyond that.

Pheme hasn't been quite cruel enough to leave you wandering through the rainforest by moonlight alone. Many of the plants here glow with an unnaturally bright bioluminescence - and there is more. Every now and again during your travels you will see the light of a of lantern darting amongst the trees, accompanied by alluring and lilting female voices, often laughing with delight. They might seem a little familiar to you.

It seems that the tree nymphs (or dryads) from the wisteria grove have sisters and they're making themselves quite at home in the Palm House. If you happen to catch a decent view of one of them, you'll find yourself face to face with quite possibly one of the most beautiful - not to mention scantily clad - women you have ever laid eyes on. They won't stick around long though. Make the mistake of trying to follow one of them and you'll find yourselves off the path and even more lost and disoriented than you were before.

You might be really regretting your choice of dress right about now - even if you are camouflaged with all of the greenery.

Note: If your character does not manage to find the exit (or one of the magic wreaths mentioned below) then they will only remain trapped in the Palm House until dawn. After that time period they will themselves slipping into a deep slumber, only to awaken right back in their cosy bed within the Grand Crescent (or wherever they've now made their home) a few hours later. You can thank your servant for that.

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SKINNY DIPPING

CW: large bodies of water, possible nudity

Unsurprisingly, it's hot in the forest, and the chances are that you didn't exactly come in here dressed for this.

While the dryads have made themselves at home on the land inside the Palm House, their naiad cousins (or water nymphs) have made themselves comfortable within the many rainforest pools. You can hear their delighted giggling as you traverse the forest and they will even call out to you in alluring tones, somehow knowing your name. It's impossible to resist following the sound and when you do you'll find yourself in front of one of the many pools that can be found within the Palm House.

Oddly, there is no sign of the naiads now that you're here. The water is beautifully crystal clear and dappled with the snatches of moonlight managing to shine through the forest canopy. That water is calling out to you, to drink and to bathe - you will feel an overwhelming compulsion to start removing your stuffy clothing, dive right in and cool down.

It's fine, after all, there's no one else around. Yet.

Just be care those pesky water nymphs don't hide your clothes.

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GIVES YOU BUTTERFLIES... (NSFW)

CW: sex, aphrodisiac, sex pollen, insects

It's not just nymphs and you lot making yourselves at home in the Palm House.

Often mistaken for moths, there's one species group of nocturnal butterflies, but their wings are dull, plain, and uninteresting. Clearly not a good fit for a glorious Palm House, designed by Pheme herself. That is precisely why Pheme has created her own, never before seen species of night butterfly, especially for this occasion.

Their wings are like gossamer, beautifully transparent like a ordinary glasswing butterfly but these ones glow in the dark. You probably encounter one or two as you make your way through the rainforest, but the longer you spend in here, the more the butterflies begin to swarm. Looking up and you'll see a "kaleidoscope" high above your heads, hundreds of them flocking together in a brightly glowing mass above the treeline. The display is only brief, but it leaves you with a strange yet probably not unfamiliar feeling.

You see, these butterflies have been carrying pollen on their bodies and legs, as butterflies often do, helping to spread the stuff. It seems whatever plant they have recently been feeding from has some very curious properties... and you can probably guess where this is going.

You feel hot - even more than you already did being stuck in a tropical forest. Not only that, you feel the strongest desire for physical intimacy. Effects vary depending on how much pollen you've been doused with, but you still have a deep, desperate need to do something about it. For those most strongly affected and desiring the ultimate, touching yourself may bring some relief. That may very well be your first thought to try, but some is the operative word here.

That person you've always had a flirtation with? Now is the time. You have to have them. You have to have each other. Or maybe you've just met this person, here, in the rainforest today? Maybe you're two people who ordinarily don't even like each other? Perhaps there's more than two of you?

It doesn't matter. You won't rest until you've gotten that release.

Note: The butterflies swarm covers a wide enough area that you can be anywhere within the Palm House when their pollen hits. While this is obviously a sex pollen prompt, players can choose how strongly their characters have been affected. It may be that they only got the lightest dousing of pollen and kissing is enough to satisfy them. On the other hand, maybe they got so covered in the stuff that only doing the deed will do. The choice is yours.

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THAT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM

CW: chance for NSFW

So, you're not having much luck navigating your way out of this foliage filled nightmare? There is another way out. At some point on your travels, one of the naiads will take pity on you and try to help you out: "Find one of the wreaths!"

Deeper into the greenhouse, or this pseudo rainforest as it basically is, you'll find ancient Greek laurel wreaths made of pure gold. They might be just lying on the ground, or up a tree, or under the water in one of the forest pools... The choice is yours as to where you find it, We'll leave that entirely to your discretion.

It will take quite some doing given how far into the jungle these treasures are, but should you manage to find one, upon contact, it will teleport you, and whoever you might be holding onto, out of the greenhouse and right back to the entrance to the Pleasure Gardens again.

The wreaths won't be easy to find, and you'll face many obstacles along the way. Some set to distract you entirely from your goal, which is get the hell out of here. Unless you actually like it in here? You do you, boo. We're not judging.

The teleportation abilities of the wreaths themselves can only be activated by generating a small amount of Thumos between yourself and another first, another naiad will explain. That means no grabbing one for yourself and hightailing it out of here! Oh no, no, no. What about your chums? It would not be seemly to leave them in the lurch, after all.

Note: Obviously more than one character can use one of these wreaths to teleport out of the Palm House, as long as each of you has a hand on the item and you have generated Thumos between all of you then it will work.

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Wildcard

To assist you with inspiration our full list of Andovale's locations can be found here.

Want to play something that isn't listed here? Go ahead!

Please note that TDMs are considered game canon.

As stated above, both prospective and current characters who are already in game are permitted to top-level on TDMs. However, we do ask that current players be mindful and welcoming to prospective new players and that they do try and make the effort to tag out beyond their current in-game CR.

For newbies: As your first port of call, we would recommend having a read of the premise page, as well as our rules and FAQ.

For any general game questions you may have which are not answered by the FAQ then please leave a comment on the FAQ page - for any questions specific to this TDM then please respond to the questions comment below.

Most importantly - have fun!

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Comments

Shall we Dance?

[noughtmancer]

Quentin was used to thinking that he was way out of someone's league. Likewise he was used to being approached instead of the other way around however there was something in that drink, something potent and strong that shed all of his inhibitions to the wind; so when he caught sight of the Dalish elf from across the foliage-- he decided to just take the plunge. Why the hell not? There were two sides to Quentin, the awkward mess of a disaster. And then there was Quentin on alcohol, who was arguably still a disaster but less mindful of it.

"Hey... it's fine, I'm not too clear on the steps either, but I figure we can ah, cheat off the other people's dance moves? See how they are doing it and mimic it, yeah?"

Did they say those sorts of things in regency-land? Well, Quentin supposed they did now and thus that was how he ended up with Finel's hand in his own and recognized that they had both settled into this strange new world and likely they both did not know much of anything.

And if Finel was down for a dance? Well he was too.

If Finel changed his mind after that admittance? Well that would not be anything too world-shattering.

[malavhenan]

The admittance brought a warmer smile to his face. When was the last time he'd felt this at ease? He'd become quite adept at pretending in the last several years, especially during formal events. Perhaps Finel should have felt some amount of anxious anticipation, but he couldn't seem to be bothered with it just now. Especially with a handsome stranger at hand.

"I think between the two of us we'll be able to figure it out to pass well enough, at least."

Finel took his hand, fingers long and elegant. The Anchor on his palm tingles as it usually does, but thankfully is painless for the moment.

"Would you like to lead, or shall I?"

[noughtmancer]

It definitely seemed as if the drinks served their intended purpose ultimately; establishing a warm intrepid glow that passed right through him. And the tingle against Finel's hand felt as an outward extension against his own warmth that suffused. He grinned in response, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly as he actual felt happy.

He was not questioning this turn of events at all.

"It looks like it's a 3/4 time, and I've seen enough in movies that I'll probably be okay with leading, though if I muddle it up, then you can drag the lead back and I won't complain." And then a very quick, "Ah.. okay-- yeah, I'm gonna place my hand on your waist now, so no surprise right?" and then another flash of a grin.

Total respect here.

It was a quick drag and a pull out underneath the festooned dance floor although for a brief moment his eyes did stray, but not to other people on the dance floor but rather to their feet so that he could make sure that he was doing it right. "Are you from Fillory? You are a being of magic, right?" referring of course to the delicate ears that graced Finel.

[malavhenan]

"Please do."

The words are out of his mouth before he quite realizes, but Finel continues smiling as though it was intentional. It hasn't been a terribly long time since he's danced with anyone, let alone a handsome young man, but whatever thrill he might have felt at those previous encounters had always been tampered by his awareness of his position. It was a little giddying to realize that in whatever space this strange place occupied, that didn't matter to anyone.

For all that neither of them knew the exact steps, they both seemed experienced enough in the general act of dancing that they made it work. Finel easily follows the lead, light and graceful on his feet.

There is a slight inward jolt as he's already clocked as a mage. It's a reaction imbedded by instinct, even after becoming recognizable just by the mark on his hand. Still, his smile becomes just a little more guarded as he shakes his head.

"I'm not familiar with that place, I'm afraid...but yes, I am a mage."

[noughtmancer]

Quentin could almost forget the dream and/or life that he had woken up from especially when he was holding the waist of a very beautiful man that made every single synapsis fire in such a pleasant way, from the serene expression which countered his own turbulent thoughts and for the moment quieted them.

"I am Quentin by the way-- and I'm a magician however I don't know how comparable it is to being a mage." he only knew the core rules as what came off D&D or Harry Potter. Attending Brakebills certainly had been intensely complicated, learning magic even moreso. "I probably shouldn't assume that just because you have elf ears means that you know magic, that was probably incredibly rude."

Quentin did not want to commit a social faux pas and as he glanced quickly around at the thronging crowd on the floor, he had a deep unsettled feeling that this place relied on a hella lot of rules. "So my apologies."

[malavhenan]

"Oh-," Finel ducked his head a moment, shrugging away the last tendril of ingrained caution. It felt as though nothing could dim the pleasantness of the evening. Something terrible could come crashing through the ceiling and he felt like he'd just be laughing while slinging spells at it.

Still, he almost laughed at the thought, if only for the irony of Dalish history. But tonight, he didn't care, and didn't felt like divulging his people's alleged history to a stranger who also didn't care.

"It's all right. I'm Finel. And yes, I am an elf, but where I come from only certain people are born with the ability to do magic, mostly regardless of their heritage."

Finel pressed his fingertips just slightly against the back of Quentin's palm holding his. "Tell me about your magic - what kinds of things can you do?"

[noughtmancer]

It felt rather unsettling no to be on a quest, unless he was and he did not know-- conversely; neither Eliot, Julia, Alice or Margo was here which led him to believe that for the time being? He was on his own, and tonight with the stars laughing and dancing with his mood-- he could not really bring himself to care.

His hand was warmly clasped in Finel's and his hand was where it should properly be as he waltzed them around the dance floor. He was not perfect whatsoever and there were a few times where he may have mis-stepped, but he was doing alright.

"Magic comes in all form and Disciplines. There is Illusion, Psychic, Healing, Natural Magic.. the magic that I possess is Physical however, I can reality to my will; cause objects to react, such as spontaneously combust or fly through the air." he chuckles a bit. "I only recently discovered my powers though it is said that they were dormant?" looking to Finel.

"Tell me about your magic? Is it as complex as ours or less so?"

[malavhenan]

They've not managed to collide with anyone, or step on each other's feet too often, so far.

"So you are limited by the type of magic you can wield?" An interesting limitation, if true.

"It's hard to say - the complexities are perhaps different. There are many types of magic in Thedas, but any mage could learn just about any spell, with the right instruction. Magic comes from the Fade, a plane parallel to our own that is the domain of spirits and demons. It is separated by the Veil. Simplistically, a mage is able to pull elements of the Fade through the Veil in the form of a spell."

His hand tenses slightly as the Anchor sends a lance of pain through his wrist, but it is the only outward sign Finel gives that he's felt anything.

"The Fade itself is the complexity. Many people hold different beliefs about it. When someone dreams, they enter the Fade, but only Mages can walk the Fade consciously in their dreams."

[noughtmancer]

"Yeah, we have aptitudes and such, there are certain levels and tiers I suppose but it's very rare to extend beyond what you've expressed an affinity for; but there are rare magics; such as mine." a houseful of people who could bend matter through the various levels of beings from creation to destruction. They'd summoned gods and obliterated bank vaults.

"We have a world that runs concurrent to our own, Fillory which all magic users are tied to. Then there is the temporal world where we wander; so I suppose we have a veil but that is between our world and that." it was nice talking shop but then he decided perhaps he'd try a little flirt. It couldn't hurt right?

"You dance really well, so well that it sorta feels like I'm not dancing with anything at all-- like a cloud or something similar, sorry if that sounded terrible and cliche."

[malavhenan]

"It seems there are some similarities, after all - I find that fascinating, if you don't mind my saying so."

Finel could talk shop about magic forever, especially with someone whose magic could potentially be vastly different from his own. He already has a dozen questions in mind, but is happily derailed for flirting instead.

"I've had plenty of practice pretending I know the steps in front of overly important people, but it helps to have an equally skilled partner." Oh good, at least he hasn't forgotten how to flirt back.

[noughtmancer]

Quentin was going to flirt however it was likely to be completely endearing while also managing to be awkward all in the same tangible breath. However Finel's eyes were kind and toned down the Nothingmancer's own burgeoning anxiety far beyond the edges of where the green drink had managed to push back boundaries of.

"You seem like the type that probably is used to functions like this-- parties in my world are completely different from this." and he thought better of it before he opened his mouth and started going off about movies and how those were where he'd traditionally seen shindigs like these play out. "How are you enjoying all this so far?"

[malavhenan]

Finel hummed, glancing about as they swayed. If he'd been as prone to contemplation as he usually is without the pleasant haze of the drink, he might find the comment a little wounding. The type accustomed to such a setting.

"It's true, I have grown accustomed to these sorts of things in the past few years. But this one is already much more enjoyable than any of those." He wings a particular smile at Quentin.

"What sort of parties do you have in your world?"

[noughtmancer]

Thank goodness for feel good alcohol to offset another disaster on Q's front, else he would have started the tumble-down effect-- however, instead of physical tumbling, it would've been words falling over each other in apologies so profuse-- the unkind effect scattering through the dominos of his mind.

Dancing them just underneath the lighted eaves of the trees brought him joy, it was a strange fluttering. "Well, parties were composed of lots of alcohol, a fair amount of sex in hallways and some drugs to accompany it, really unhinged stuff-- and we had a King and Queen that presided over the festivities. If you know what a bacchnal is, it is sort of like that... if you don't-- in our world there is a god that presides over drunken revelries."

A single beat, "I just told you something pretty inappropriate, didn't I?"

[malavhenan]

That makes him laugh, and he feels light.

"I don't see how. I asked, you answered, unless you are lying - not that I would have any way of knowing. That sort of thing sounds like what some of the more formal occasions I have attended would be if they weren't all so busy making a Game out of society and politics."

A literal game, that could mean success or failure to the point of life and death. Somehow he'd managed to scrape by in Halamshiral more than once.

Finel follows Quentin around another turn, and they're beginning to find their own rhythm and steps together, even if it still doesn't quite match what most others were doing.

"Which do you prefer, then?"

[noughtmancer]

The preference, he did have a preference didn't he. Unfortunately, parties were not his natural modus operandi and most of the ones he attended was because he had been dragged by Julia, Eliot or Bambi. "Actually, if I'm being honest-- and I am. I'd probably just want to be left in a library with a bottle of booze." a social gathering with books, where the only bad decision he could make was magically.. with an arcane tome.

Still not better, but that was how 'choose your own adventures' went.

"Have you ever had anything crazy happen at a party?" crazy party stories was always a good thing, he was not sure if this elf would understand what a flash mob was much less have heard the song 'eye of the tiger', but maybe he could describe strip beer pong with something remotely involving a straight face.