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.

---

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?

---

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✨.

JUMP TO TOP • JUMP TO COMMENTS

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.

JUMP TO TOP • JUMP TO COMMENTS

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.

JUMP TO TOP • JUMP TO COMMENTS

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.

JUMP TO TOP • JUMP TO COMMENTS

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.

JUMP TO TOP • JUMP TO COMMENTS

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.

JUMP TO TOP • JUMP TO COMMENTS

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!

JUMP TO TOP • JUMP TO COMMENTS

Comments

[noughtmancer]

[ Quentin looked monumentally lost here, thankfully though his Valet had combed his hair out of any lingering bits of Wisteria as it clung here and there, and as of yet did not wear anything that looked like the standard attire of Andovale. A black t-shirt, plaid overshirt thrown up and unbuttoned as it hung down, and then skinny jeans. ]

No, it isn't-- I feel like I stepped foot in a movie but I don't have a script.

[ Sort of like the Real World, for Pheme-- a bunch of strangers trapped in a world and with only a set of rules and a million cameras watching, all of which probably was somewhere that Pheme could view them ]

You seem tired of all this?

[wildgeranium]

A little bit. [He smiles. Lady Pheme does make him feel tired. But a lot of things do. The dreamscapes had stripped some of his facade away and left him trying to adjust.

He is still determined to face his twin in the future. But his path forward has altered. He can save him if he just finds the right words. He leans forward in the chair and gestures to the world around them.] It does feel like an old story book. But she really does behave like a poker player. We all have cards and we’re expected to form the best hands we can.

The difference is, we’re not told the rules. We have to figure them out. Are you familiar with the regency period of human history?

[noughtmancer]

[ Oh poor baby Quentin did not even know what fresh hell this place would cook up for him, the possibilities were endless and infinite. The tiredness was noted around those eyes, a level of exhaustion that was soul deep.

That made Quentin want to ask more questions than was entirely adviseable. ] I am actually, I've seen some movies back in my own world; things like Pride and Prejudice and Emma, a few other here or there. I know the waistcoats, balls and the waltzes within those balls.

[ He goes to pour himself some tea and wishes it was something a bit stronger ] So you mentioned visiting someone here? Do you not live in the Crescents?

[wildgeranium]

I don’t. I live in the trade quarter with friends. I like being by the sea. It’s peaceful. [He can call the Nein that. Rather, he lets himself call them his friends. They are a safe place he can return to. His smile warms a bit.

It’s been a long time since he returned to the same place day after day. Vash leans back in his chair and rubs where the metal connects to his arm. That is a part of him that isn’t happy with rain.] I’ve never heard of those movies but, I imagine they’ll help. And those of us not from here are pretty helpful if someone needs help.

…if you know anything about Greek gods that should help too. At least in knowing how they expect you to act around them.

[noughtmancer]

Yeah, I know about the greek gods; there is a lot of them-- three brothers, one who ruled the sky, one who ruled the ocean and the last one who ruled the underworld.

[ A story of gods as high as Mt Olympus, of their rather sordid affairs and hubris. ] And all of their spouses and children, there are many stories about them and some of them confusing; lots of scandals and lots of incest.

[ He remembered the incest because in the pantheon there were brothers and sisters who theoretically screwed, which was all a matter of the divinity being unconcerned with genetics. ] So you are saying that they rule this place?

[wildgeranium]

One of them does. [He pours himself some tea and wraps his hands around the cup.] We saw the sea god when I got here. He was upset his wife was leaving him.

With how many he messed around with. He should feel lucky she didn’t wound him first.

[He takes a sip of tea and makes a face. What came next…] In his anger he was flooding the place. Lady Pheme got really upset with us because we all tried to talk the god down.

[noughtmancer]

Why..

[ He was adding way too much sugar to this cup-- in fact, it was perhaps fifty percent sugar by this point; he was also thinking that perhaps he was going to miss his reeses pieces and cool ranch doritos; if this was regency-land.. it stood to reason those things did not exist. ]

Why would she get mad because you tried to talk reason into a god who was flooding the place?

[ unless it was a matter of control, in which he'd seen Martin Chatwin try to reason with the land of Fillory itself, and that had been rather a lesson in futility as well as unlocked a shit ton of regrettable consequences like a domino effect ]

[wildgeranium]

We didn’t do it the proper way. And he was upset because his wife found out he was fooling around. [Vash makes a face and sips his tea. Sugar is rare in no man’s land. So is tea.]

I didn’t get it either. Their world view makes no sense to me. I think everything in this world, even the people other than us are created and maintained by Lady Pheme. But. Still.

Wouldn’t…someone else causing problems be a problem?

[noughtmancer]

If I was a god and another god stepped in, I think I would be angry. Also, the greek gods are a bit ah, well from my understanding-- they are all fairly dramatic and no sense can truly be made of anything that they do.

[ He knew that the gods existed, he just also knew that they were fickle and they didn't think mortals worthy of their time and attention. ]

What was the last thing you remember before you got here?

[wildgeranium]

[What Quentin has said matches up with his experience of Pheme and Poseidon. He files the information away and almost misses the question. The dreamscape hadn't needed to throw what happened into focus. His dreams have repeated those last moments at home every night since he arrived.

'Listen to me, Vash! This is war! Let's gather our allies and break free from humans, and create a paradise for independents!'

He holds his cup in both hands and stares into it momentarily. He looks up, and though his tone doesn't change to someone aware of deep depression they might see whatever happened, it struck, and it struck deep.]

A point of no return. We stepped over that line and then next I woke up here among the trees. I don't know if we're taken from moments like that. I haven't asked.

[noughtmancer]

A point of no return? [ How Vash phrased it, poised it like a coin twirling around and around, it felt like something from which life would never be the same again; something that could not be come back from. He could relate; he'd been there at many points since coming to Brakebills.

He came from a point himself, he did not know how he could return to Brakebills knowing what he knew now, and how it affected him ] So you have not had our conclusion to that point of no return?

Is there anyone else here, from your world, with you?

[ If there was hope in Quentin's voice, it was masked with a certain somberness. ]

[wildgeranium]

There is. He lives here in the Cresent. You might run into sometime. Don’t let him being a bit rough edged get to you.

That’s just how Wolfwood is. [Wolfwood is a lot like the desert itself. Vicious when roused by a storm but a giver if you knew how to approach him. And if he doesn’t think of the carriage ride. He won’t remember how comfortable it felt for both of them to just. Be.

He drinks his tea to banish the thoughts.] We’re from the same point in time. But not everyone who comes from the same place seems to end up that way. Maybe we’re lucky. Maybe we can’t go back to the way things were. I don’t know.

[noughtmancer]

[ Quentin immediately thought of Penny and Kady, the very definition of rough edges; he then nodded surreptitiously and with a knowing smile. ] I know a lot of people with rough edges back in my world-- that usually means that underneath it all they've had to endure some things that made them shell up their softness.

[ He was a maze of riddled softness and he had no idea usually how to hide it-- generally the off-putting awkwardness did it for most people. ] Do you not live here in the Crescents?

[ He had not been made aware of the different housing arrangements, yet-- but then it'd only been 4 hours? ] Also that is lucky, it helps to have people here who got your back, I'm kinda envious in a way.

[wildgeranium]

[Shell up their softness isn’t that far off the mark for Wolfwood. Again, he remembers that carriage ride. He drains more of the tea.

Nope. Not going to examine that. He taps a foot against the floor then remembers to hold his feet still.] You met me. I’ll have your back. You seem like a curious, good person.

And no, I don’t. I live in the trade quarter. I’ve never seen the sea and there’s something peaceful about seeing it. That much water was a thing of books and stories.

[noughtmancer]

[ that was actually very comforting and made him feel very nice, and also included-- he was such a slut for a feeling like that. So much that a flush fills his cheek ]

I appreciate that, especially since I know no one here-- though I wouldn't say I am 'good'..

[ except he totally was, as pure a bean as Vash was ]

The sea is pretty, isn't it? I have been to the beach a few times, got terrible sunburns? We have some deserts in the world where I live though further west...

[wildgeranium]

It’s endless desert at home. I’ve never seen a natural forest at any other biome outside of files or books. [This is a brand new world. He still feels strange about it.]

…It’s incredible to think ‘Earth’ has rain and all kinds of biomes.

[noughtmancer]

So do things feel colder to you because you have been used to living in a dry-type environs?

[ The nerd in him readily asked these things; he knew that there had been times when he'd visited hotter climates and his own body had a hard time adapting to it. ]

[wildgeranium]

It did. It still does. But people like me adapt. [Vash says as he pours himself more tea.]

The ground doesn’t shift. It’s odd to not worry about sandstorms or worms. Or any of the other concerns.

[noughtmancer]

I guess I'm sorta adaptable too, the place where I am from-- the land is alive and likes to fuck with us.

[ Yeah, Fillory was shady as hell, but he still loved it and would do anything for it-- including all of the required quests that it demanded; he'd probably even throw himself into a volcano if Fillory demanded, he'd just have to convince the other Rulers that it was a good idea. ]

Sorta like this place?

[ From what Vash was telling him, yeah this place definitely was a 'fuck with' epicenter ]