TEST DRIVE MEME

[theflaws]

TEST DRIVE MEME

PREMISE PLOT ARRIVAL SETTING NAVIGATION

01. ARRIVING IN PELEA
A cold wind singing down from the white-capped mountains which hang blue-black in the distance stirs your cheek, the tall grass all around you. A bough creaks as the wind makes it tremble, and the dappled shadows drift over you, leaves rustling. As you blink awake, you hear the quiet hiss of water over stones. You are not where you once were!

You and a large group of strangers are blinking awake, pulling yourselves up off the dirt, grass, and rubble near a small wooded stream. There is no evidence of civilization in sight, and as you exchange stories you realize that you must decide what to do.

Will you head past the trees and towards the mountains? Deeper into the forest? Stay put and wait for help to arrive? You might even try to meet everyone else, and either convince them to band together... or head their separate ways.

02. CITY SLICKER
There are many cities throughout the world of Pelea, and in most player characters, the Flaws, are welcomed as curiosities. From the pastoral villages or bustling, grand cities of Shousal to the massive, sprawling bureaucratic centers of the Empire, your characters will find a wide variety of cultures and races to interact with and investigate. They could be seeking empoyment, answers to the mystery of their arrival, or a quiet place to drink away their worries.

03. WILDCARD!

Comments

[lefthandfree]

Now came the time when he needed to decide how much to keep and how much to give away, if he should admit that here he had yet very few secrets to keep. It was always dangerous to give such information away to anyone, even to friends. Weakening one’s position knowingly was a foolish thing. Though being a stubborn smart-ass came with being Bucky too, despite all the emptiness that had been forced into his head over the years.

Of course, blatantly lying wasn’t such a good thing either. The book was only about an eighth filled. That it was new and he had only recently begun recording was something that any keen eye would pick up, especially given the fresh state of the reed and mostly filled bottle of ink. With that given, the circumstances called for some misdirection.

“I’ve filled dozens of books already, but they were taken from me not long ago. The people who took ’em didn't even need ’em, but they weren’t in the habit of returning things to begin with.” That was the government for you. “But I’ll be damned if that stops me from writing.”

As if to prove his point, he picked up the reed, dipped it smoothly, and began writing again, not to dismiss the man in front of him but to show him how quickly the words flowed onto the page. The guy seemed clever enough, so it likely should have been clear how much Bucky was capable of writing, even in the span of minutes. There was no way he could have lied about filling books, even if they weren’t physically there as evidence.

“Thankfully,” he started again, still scrawling quickly and easily onto the page. “...I don’t need books to remember.” Because even though he had only started writing to make sense of his past, the fact that he had written it down solidified that knowledge for him, regardless of how little those details mattered now.

[parkourprince]

Those who took them were here or elsewhere? Legolas wondered, but the question stayed where it belonged, in his thoughts alone. It could have been a dangerous thing to go missing here, even when written in code.

"Determination is always a commendable trait," until it bordered on stubbornness, though it wasn't like Legolas could begrudge any other that, either, himself apparently as stubborn as even a dwarf, "And the passion for writing, even when the need is minimal. I am like you, in that I remember it all," very nearly from the day of his birth, over a thousand years ago, to the right here and right now. The memories were ever within easy reach, and the happy ones brought him much needed peace. "Yet I do not think I could do as you do, sit with patience and record it all, when— there is still so much to see all around us!"

Elves, ever renown for their patience, yet Legolas never thought of himself as such, not very much. He often lived in the moment, and oft a very, very intense moment.

Then, smiling, he dipped his head in a polite nod as he introduced himself, "I am Legolas, son of Thranduil."

[lefthandfree]

He wanted to laugh at the supposition that he could remember all of it naturally. He wanted to tell the man—Legolas—how frail his memory had been only a few years before, that it was only afterward that remembering had become a skill so that the guy could appreciate the irony of it with him now. But the information was too close, and this wasn’t the place.

At the introduction, a casual smile slid onto his face, a pretense more than anything genuine as they were both still strangers.

“Bucky.” The word, now his own, felt so satisfying to say. He offered his own nod of greeting before continuing, “And it’s not that I ain’t dyin’ to see what all is out there either, but there’s no sense rushing in blind.”

This held especially true when everything was new. Though his book still had a way to go before filling up, the information that was there was more than just facts; it had all his plans encoded with it, a double cipher that most would miss even if the rest had been decoded.

[parkourprince]

"Well met, Bucky," a strange name, it felt even stranger to speak it out loud.

And... true enough, that, though Legolas himself had found it required far more preparation to come into cities and among the peoples of Pelea. The nature out there, the beasts and trees and plains, these he had found recently far less dangerous, no matter their size and nature, than all the folk. He had not known of bloodcats or basilisks before running into them, but he had come out unscathed, meeting the people, on the other hand, time and again turned out poorly for the flaws.

Yet none of these thoughts were appropriate for this time and place, so he just smiled, chuckling and feigning sheepish naivety and he shrugged, though his gaze remained fixed on Bucky and sharp, "Wisely said! I have ran into many a beast already that could easily spell doom to those coming unprepared." Another sip of his wine, and Legolas sighed— it was the best the tavern had, but it still left much to be desired. "Though I cannot boast that I was prepared at the time, myself."

It was not in his nature, nearly none of it that he was forced to do here, but it was either the pretence, the theft, the killing, or it was to be slain.

[lefthandfree]

He couldn’t help but feel a bit patronized at the praise since he was sure Legolas already knew of the advantage of being prepared—only a certain kind of person was capable of seeing ahead enough to disguise their true words to begin with. It didn’t help that Legolas’ attention was very clearly several paces ahead of the things that came out of his mouth either. Still, Bucky had been through enough to know that playing the fool was necessary at times. Whether it was him or Legolas, it didn’t really matter which as long as Bucky ended up getting what he needed out of it.

Pretending to be flattered, he gave a shy smile and a dismissive shrug. He wasn’t lauded often enough anyway, so he may as well ham it up enough to try and convince himself he was worth someone’s praise. Not that it ever really convinced him, but that came with knowing who and what he was, even when Steve refused to see it.

“What’s life without a little excitement though?” As if he hadn’t had enough for several lifetimes. “It’d be boring as hell if everything was already laid out in front of you.” Even his plans never stretched that far into the immediate future. Preparation only went so far, even in the best of circumstances.

[parkourprince]

A dance of words and hidden meanings, pretence that seemed all too natural for all that watched. While Legolas could feel they had the attention on them from some other patrons, the more attentive kind, knights or similar, it waned now into disinterest when the conversation seemed inane at best. The longer they kept this up, the more they would be of interest, though it would hardly give them the space to discuss the truth of their acts.

Legolas hummed his agreement, took a sip of wine to wet his lips and throat, before speaking up. "For the elves, boredom is as much a threat and danger as a great, powerful beast," he offered as some form of explanation, "And yet we do not like to take risks too great either. It is... a fine line to thread."

[lefthandfree]

“Hm.” Bucky took a moment to scribble something else on the page real quick before dropping the reed again.

“Well, the risky life isn’t for everyone. I can get behind the idea of safety being more important.” Not that he would practice it himself willingly. He thrived on surviving, and if that was taken from him, then his use may as well have worn out entirely. It was what he was built for, and escaping it, even if only to try and find happiness for himself, seemed so utterly treacherous without paying for his sins. Keeping the status quo when you were new to an area was the easiest way to get by though.

“Just making do isn’t too bad anyway. Rather be safe than sorry, especially when strange things are happening.”

With that, he flipped his book shut and reached over to recap the ink bottle. If they were going to keep talking, it was probably better to move somewhere else. Bucky didn’t like prying eyes even on the best of days, and at this point, the two of them may as well talk circles for hours without getting anywhere.

[parkourprince]

The hint was clear enough, and though Bucky said nothing of it, Legolas would. His wine was very nearly done anyway, and though he likely could easily get another one for free without raising suspicion, it was best to... indeed, be safe rather than sorry. There was no point in pushing his luck, which had not been the greatest here anyway, and besides that, to speak more freely it would have been best to leave.

"And strange things are happening, indeed, I have heard rumours, such that give all a cause for concern," the act was wearing him down, yet Legolas kept it up, poured emotions into his words that he felt about other things entirely: wariness and near fear, worry and discomfort. A cheerful yet spooked noble, with some sense to him and currently finding himself in a pickle. "Rumours of strangers wandering these lands, dangerous beyond belief too for they killed Shousal's King's Champion."

It was, by now, a common knowledge that spread among folk in Shousal and outside of it. Legolas had no fear or qualms to use the rumour to his own advantage, as a cover—

"So I linger here, heeding my father's wisdom and seeking some travelling companions before I set out farther in the search of excitement, so it does not come with a risk too great." Taking the last sip, he put the cup down, "Would you accompany me? It seems to me I could do no better."