cityofcoba | TESTDRIVE #1

TESTDRIVE #1

There's a number of ways it could happen, but regardless you find yourself standing on the outskirts of a city. A beautiful city, as familiar to you as any from your world, with all manner of buildings within sight. A sign on the side of the road greets you, saying WELCOME TO COBA You're already part of the family! It's practically inviting you to step into the city limits. Why don't you?

As soon as you do, you'll find a pamphlet in your hand, almost eager to tell you all about what this mysterious Coba has to offer. And eager seems to be the impression you get about almost everything - the sun seems to brighten, the flowers seem to perk up - it's almost as if everything about Coba is welcoming you as an honored guest.

And you are. Though hopefully, only temporarily. Coba would love nothing more for you to become an honored member of her precious community.

Welcome to Coba, visitor, and we hope you enjoy your stay!

PREMISE | RULES | FAQ & QUESTIONS | RESERVES | APPLICATIONS
Please read the FAQ before commenting! ♥

Welcome to the City of Coba Testdrive! Your character has found themselves in Coba, and are welcome to do any of the following:

● As you enter the city, you hear some bustle about a homecoming party! Following the signs will find yourself at a plaza with food, drink and live music, of all sorts and types. Why don't you stay awhile and indulge?

● Or, if you're not the party type, maybe you'd like to check out the city's cultural center! There's art, books, and other things to keep your mind occupied. And, maybe you'll meet other like-minded people there.

● Not in the mood for any of the above? There's always the beach! It's a lovely day, the waves are beautiful and the stores along the boardwalk all have signs up that read "TAKE WHAT YOU NEED". Maybe you need a surf board.

● Or maybe you have something else you want to do? Go for it! You're more than welcome to come up with your own prompts.

In addition to the above, we would love to encourage anyone taking part in the testdrive to world build with us! Whether it be a street name or an entire neighborhood, whatever you come up with will become part of the game's canon. All we ask is that you pop over here to link us so we can see what you've done!

Finally, ENJOY YOURSELVES. Seriously, this is meant to be a laid back, enjoyable game. We welcome any questions, critiques, and ideas, so always feel welcome to approach us about any and everything.

We hope you decide to stay here in Coba!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I've gotta give them points for effort. [That voice certainly sounds familiar. Stefan can't help a laugh as he approaches Damon, staring down at the warm glass of earl grey the hosts had brewed for him. It doesn't smell like vervain, and it doesn't taste like vervain, so he thinks he's in the clear.

Still, he has to be absolutely, positively sure, because his memories have (and probably will) keep lying to him - and his voice might be a little quiet as he asks:] Damon? ["Is that really you?"]

You can give them the points, I'll take away the points. [that sounds fair to him, anyway. But that's certainly Stefan's voice, and that's welcome - he'd already ran into an Elena who had no idea who he was, and that was more than enough for him. He didn't want to go through it again with his own brother.

Of course, that didn't mean he wasn't going to mess around a little anyway. Sorry, Stefan]

Damon? I don't know any Damons.

You don't? [He furrows his brow, staring down at his mug and then back at his brother.

Okay, so Coba doesn't sound like it's on Earth. He would've remembered a place this crazy (Salvatore would've, at least) - and this guy acts too much like the memories of his older brother to be anyone else. While it's entirely possible Damon's Numbered, and thus doesn't remember his past life, Stefan's gonna rule that out.

Mostly because if his memory's right, this could be a (poorly conceived) joke.] You're kidding, right? I think I'd know my own brother anywhere.

I would hope you'd know your brother anywhere. Geez, what kind of question is that anyway, Stefan?

[he is SO. OFFENDED. Stefan! But not really, not that he'll let that on. Worried, more like, because why is he the only one who ended up here the way he was? Why'd everyone else change? So on and so forth, he had so many questions that he was seriously considering a trip to the wherever the people in charge lived to demand questions.

"Demand", anyway]

[Stefan rolls his eyes, even though he can't quite hide the smile tugging on his face.

It's just - there was an worldwide alien invasion, okay? It was chaos, between people dying and the fighting off Death Vader-type creatures and - Damon's here, acting as if the world hadn't just been devastated by creatures from another galaxy. This whole city is, really. Stefan's so, so tempted to reach for a hug, but he can't - mostly because he knows that expression. No way is Stefan going to be labeled crazy. Nuh-uh.]

The kind you ask when your memories are--no, were all jumbled. Sorry, I just - I had to make sure.

[Damon takes a sip of his drink - bourbon, which shouldn't be a surprise - though he pauses and gives Stefan a long, almost concerned look. But it's then and gone and he's finishing off the glass in one go. He has a feeling this conversation is going to be need multiple glasses of bourbon]

Are or were? And is this leftover from what I'm thinking or something else entirely?

Were. [He takes a sip of his tea, mostly to hide his trembling hands.] It shouldn't be leftover from that.

My surprise summer underwater sucked, yeah, but not that much. [He's still wondering where you were for that, big bro - how did he spend three months inside a safe with no one the wiser ~~besides TVD logic~~?]

[TVD logic and unfortunate everything is how. But let's not talk about that]

Were? Then—did you get your memories messed with again? [it isn't accusatory, at least, more honest surprise than anything. Unless he was forgetting something, he was 100% sure Stefan's memories were intact the last time they spoke]

I wouldn't say messed with. [Worse than that, really - reincarnation is kind of a jerk.] Whatever they [the freaking PLANET] did, it was worse than that.

Remember when I'd go off and pretend to be human? It was like that, but with actual memories of growing up as that guy. I remember little things - like shit, the guy's fifth birthday, his high-school prom? I've got those memories wrapped up in my brain along with all of my... [He falters, because he's still not fully convinced he's Stefan Salvatore. Just a reincarnation who shares his soul.] My normal ones.

Uh, I'd say that qualifies as messed with, Stefan.

[he almost, almost just wants to turn tail and leave the city, go back to what's normal for him and pretend that this isn't happening, but he can't. And he won't, because he's a dick, but he's not that big of a dick. Sometimes. He brings his free hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose]

Okay, so you have memories of some guy's life - that's a little weird. Do they feel like yours?

[He takes another sip of his earl grey. Of course they feel like his. He remembers so much more of that life, from the way his parents would joke with him over Skype to the crazy college roommates and even the siblings who were too physically affectionate for their own good.

But he doesn't have the heart to say that to Damon's face, because Damon was - is - his brother too. They're family, and as his sister's favorite movie said, you never left family behind.]

Sometimes. [He shrugs, staring down into his mug.] I haven't been able to shake off his tea addiction. But otherwise, I feel like me. Not this... this Alesci guy.

Tea addiction.

[he says it like he doesn't believe it, but the evidence is right there in Stefan's hand. So being the caring older brother he is, he's going to fix that. By stealing the tea and replacing it with the bourbon he'd been nursing, and putting the tea somewhere that his brother couldn't touch again.

And while he had Thoughts on his brother having these strange, not-his memories . . . if he thought about it too seriously, he'd start feeling things and he wasn't in the mood for that]

Well, take it from me, but you still have the broody eyebrows of one Stefan Salvatore, so I can guarantee you're him and not - Alesci? The hell kind of name is that?

[Hey! He liked that mug! Except, as Stefan realizes what Damon's been drinking, he inwardly recoils. That's alcohol. He doesn't drink alcohol.

Well, Alesci doesn't. Stefan Salvatore, on the other hand, isn't bound by those same religious restrictions, and yet... He stares down glumly at the bourbon.]

Stefan Yunas Alesci. That was his name. [He shrugs, swirling the bourbon around a little.] Makes the memories easier to digest, in a way.

[. . . fiiiine. Damon snatches the glass back at the face, but he isn't giving back the tea! And he needs the drink anyway]

That's a mouthful. So, tell me more about this not-Stefan guy.

[He breathes a sigh of relief. Good, he can handle his brother drinking, but him? Totally a different story.]

He was... well, he was a college student at Princeton. Pre-med kid, also dabbled in religion and interfaith-type stuff. Guy even worked at one of those religious groups over the summer. [Stefan smiles fondly at the memories. Alesci could organize a party almost as well as Caroline!] He had an older brother too, and a younger sister who sent them cupcakes all the time.

But mostly, the guy was normal. Smart, sure - he was trying to invent synthetic blood - but normal.

[it probably isn't a surprise, but the one thing he's going to focus on is the most selfish thing, albeit it's more of a joke than anything entirely serious. Coupled with a gasp and a hand flying to his chest in surprise]

So he replaced me? I'm hurt! [no, no he wasn't]

He sure sounds . . . normal, though. [although, the way he says it, "normal" was completely interchangeable with "boring"] Synthetic blood, though? That sounds gross.

[He feels like he should scowl. Salvatore would've scowled, even though he's tempted to laugh, because god. God he missed his big brother.]

You're impossible to replace. Trust me.

Other-Stefan had a pretty great life, until my memories tumbled back in. So now there's two sets of memories in my brain and wallah-- [He groans.] See? I even talk like him sometimes.

I'm one of a kind, I know.

[he can't help but snort, even if he doesn't understand just what he was about to say] Oh no, how dare the real Stefan ruin Other-Stefan's perfect life, how dare you. That happen a lot?

The talking in Arabic thing? Yeah. I've been fluent in it for a while now. [It doesn't bother him much - it feels like his first language. Alesci, after all, had Muslim parents who encouraged Qur'anic recitation and--shit. Shit, he's memorized a whole holy book.

(He's so not mentioning this to Damon.)]

The ruining his life thing, on the other hand... that's been pretty consistent. I might've dropped out of Princeton.

[never mention it to Damon, Stefan will never hear the end of it. Ever. For all eternity]

That's . . . pretty mild. I mean, I'd be a little more worried if you started trying to eat people when you're—

Wait, are you human or vampire? [because that's probably an important thing to find out]

Vampire. Unfortunately. [He almost groans, though he does briefly show off his yellow eyes and fangs to demonstrate that yes, he is no longer the Muslim activist he once thought he was.

Only he would think immortality during an alien invasion was a curse.] What was that about me trying to eat people?

[while that's a plus in Damon's book, he can see why Stefan wouldn't be too happy about it. But then again, they never did see eye to eye on the vampire thing.

Before he answers, he takes a drink - a long one, that nearly finishes off the glass] Vampires drink human blood, except you don't. So I was just asking.

Oh.

[He's relieved to hear this from someone else, even though he'd been planning on buying animal blood from the butcher's. (Thank you, Chinese community, for believing in blood pudding.) Stefan had accidentally almost killed the girl he liked - no sense in repeating a mistake like that.] Makes sense. If I did drink human blood, that'd complicate things more - and make me not-me, right?

Something like that.

[it'd make him an entirely different Stefan, and not one Damon wants to deal with. Or at least, not a ripper who has complicated memories of two lives and that could only further complicate things, for all he knew. That and he knew, knew it wouldn't go well at all. It never did]

[The funny thing about having two sets of memories: having two different - but equally strong - instinctive reactions. Stefan swears, having all of Salvatore's memories would be kind of nice. It would help in determining if he should awkwardly change the subject, or as Alesci would do, rush up and hug his brother, nearby partygoers be damned.

He checks to make sure no one's watching (more for Damon's sake than his own), and to set the bourbon down for a few seconds, before he gives into Alesci's instinct and rushes over for a quick, short hug.]

Yeah, well... I don't think you have to worry about that here.

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that icon omfg

it sums up his life rn :')

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hover for translation

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