TEST DRIVE MEME #2

[inthenightmods]

TEST DRIVE MEME #2

Hello and welcome to the In the Night test drive meme for July! Thanks for your interest in our game! Reserves open on July 20, and applications open on July 22.

While you're here...

• Take a look at our rules and faq pages to familiarize yourself with the game.
  
• Note that, for this month, we have an application cap of 9 apps for new players, as we are raising the game cap to 60.
  
• Current players may app a second character this round if they wish, which will not count against the app cap of 9.
  
• TDM threads can become game canon if both players wish. If the situation isn't something that could happen in-game, you're free to chalk it up to some strange hallucination, a shared dream, or other mysterious circumstance.
  
• Note that this is not limited to new characters threading with characters already in-game. If current players wish to thread out the TDM prompts as canon events, they are welcome to do so. They are welcome to make posts in the main comms for TDM events as well. Please note, however, that actual plot clues or happenings will not occur in TDM prompts.
  
• TDM threads can count as network threads for AC.
  
• If you plan to apply, please keep in mind that we do require at least one sample thread on the application to be from our TDM (though it doesn't need to be the current TDM).
  
• You're welcome to use the provided prompts or come up with something on your own, but we do ask that all threads take place in our game's setting.

Thank you again, and we hope you'll choose to join us!

log prompts

HERE LIES PEPERONY AND CHEASE

It happens when no one is looking, when most of the town is asleep and the rest are inside. Dozens of shrines, altars, and other memorials appear seemingly out of nowhere, lined up in rows like a haphazard cemetery. Each one is covered in candles, and each bears an image or a name (or in some cases, both,) of a current resident of the town. The air around these monuments is solemn and reverent, and it instills in visitors an urge to pay respects.

Doing so, however, may have surprising results; it causes one to experience the death of the person whose grave they've honored.

Whether you resist the compulsion or give in willingly (or something in between), you'll also have to wrestle with the fact that a grave exists for you. Will you let your death be known, or try your best to keep it secret? Destroying it sure won't work, as it will return (along with a duplicate somewhere else in town). However you choose to deal with this, one thing is hard to ignore—this a tangible reminder of your death, and the fact that it's probably permanent.

This is a mini version of our July event, Graves.

WHAT'S WITH THIS SASSY... LOST CHILD?

There's something in the woods. You can hear it, faintly: the sounds of a living creature. What manner of creature, of course, is unclear. It may be safest not to venture out alone. Whether or not you travel forth with your companion willingly or not, as you tiptoe through the foliage, the sound grows louder. It becomes clear that something...something is crying. Get close enough, and the sobbing softens to fearful whimpering. But what is it that you've found?

The spirit would be easy to overlook of they weren't shivering in their hiding place where they cling to a tree. They're small, with the vague humanoid figure of a child, though their arms and legs taper into tangled roots. The hair on their head is nothing but leaves and moss, and the tears that stick to their cheeks shimmer like sap.

Get too close, and it cries out in fear, causing your head to spin in vertigo. It's clear that it'll be best to err on the side of caution, but decide to leave it to its own devices and you'll find yourself with a weeping tag-along. It looks like one way or another, you're going to have to deal with this.

network prompts

HEY, I JUST MET YOU

It happens when you're sleeping, or trying your best to relax, or simply staring off into space. Your tablet flickers to life of its own accord and begins to display some rather odd messages. They might be in the form of text, though the meaning is a bit muddled, to say the least, seeing as how they're nothing but strings of numbers. Or maybe you're especially unlucky and get the audio version, crackling out of your tablet's speakers.

Where are these messages coming from? Who's sending them, and how? And most importantly: why? Maybe it's a good idea to hop on the network and see if anyone else has any insight.

KHAJIIT HAS WARES IF YOU HAVE COIN

The general store is exactly what it sounds like: A general store. Its products are basic, standard, boring staples. Its stock works well enough for getting by on the day to day, but anything really worth having needs to be ordered from Rastus, and then you're stuck waiting until the next ferry shows up.

Or so you thought.

You're digging through the shelves one day when you find... it. Maybe it's the last bag of coffee beans. Maybe it's a multitool. Maybe it's a particular size of pants you know someone was looking for. Either way, it's useful, it's a great find, but not for you. These pants won't fit you, you've already got a multitool, and you quit the bean juice years ago.

But, hey, there's a good chance someone else in town does have something you could use. Whether you know someone's been asking around for what you've found or you just want to toss up an ad to the whole town, your best bet is taking to the network. Maybe someone's up for tradesies.

QUICKNAV
comms	|	network • logs • memes • ooc
pages	|	rules • faq • taken • mod contact • player contact • calendar • setting • exploration • item requests • full nav

Comments

[burstmodes]

[ he's been on the giving end of leaving messages as read, so he doesn't think anything of it. after all, it's a pretty intense feeling to wake up here and not have a clue as to what's going on. ]

nah it's pretty much just that

hang on lemme send you this stuff
it just shows up on the tablet ummm
looks to be about every week or so

[ and he forwards the first week and the second without much thought. ]

[mind_blown]

so
weekly taunting msgs?
thats interesting

[burstmodes]

yeah idk
your guess is as good as mine

me and my buddies are planning to head up in the direction of the lighthouse at some point
you've heard about it right?

[mind_blown]

the flashing thing
that stands out bc lights darkness etc
i mean it's a stretch buuuut
yeah mightve

[burstmodes]

well there's supposedly this lady up there who sort of watches over the town
or is in charge i guess
and she's also in charge of this reset thing too
don't know a whole lot about that tho

BUT we figure if we can get there we might be able to ask her ourselves

[mind_blown]

[ he pauses. does he want to try and wing this on his own, or does he want to tag along. admittedly, it's gotten a little nice to have his own crew and well.

going it alone is how he ended up in this place... somehow. ]

mind if i tag along
?

[burstmodes]

i don't see why not
guess it's probably safer in numbers anyway

[ he thinks it over before amending that previous text: ]

if you wanna check out the rendezvous point i can head there with you
won't need much except your lantern

[mind_blown]

not a bad idea
wanna wrap up this trip b4 it goes on 2 long
got stuff 2 take care of back home

[burstmodes]

lol dude
pretty sure this isn't some detour but hey
we need more enthusiasm around here
everyone's kinda uh you know stone cold

meet you at the bonfire 👍

[mind_blown]

details
k un gives it away, bt i'll b wearing a red hood

[ he's already ditched the formal wear he came in on.. there's no need for Jason Todd, Bruce Wayne's ward here.

when Prompto arrives, he's staring at the fire, hood over his head, hiding his face. ]

[burstmodes]

[ well, he isn't going to judge people for what they do or wear, but at least he's easy to pick out around the fire when he shows up. prompto does try to look somewhat presentable and not like he's been living in a rundown apartment for the past couple of weeks; his hair, however, is pretty floppy though. he blows it out of his face as he steps up, brandishing his lantern. ]

So, I didn't catch your name, but I'm Prompto. [ he gives him a smile. ] We'll have to walk for a while. Hope that's cool.

[mind_blown]

[ his lantern is resting next to him on the ground, with a red bat symbol emblazoned onto it, similar to the one on his shirt. But when Prompto finally gets there, there's definitely some slight bruising on his face, evidence of a recent fight. and finally, a crowbar hooked into his jacket.

but at least his face is visible, even if the hood blocks some of the light. ]

Jason. And it's cool, this wouldn't be the first time for me.

[ it's pretty obvious... he's built like a brawler. ]

[burstmodes]

[ one day, meeting strangers is going to get him into real trouble, but with noct here, at least he can call on his weapons if he needs them. just no flashy lighting like there usually is. prompto gives him a nod mixed with a shrug, still smiling as he gestures in a sort of northern direction. ]

I think it's about an hour or so there, then back. How much of the town have you gotten to see so far?

[ because he's about to get a mini tour on their walk to the fence. ]

[mind_blown]

I'm fresh meat.

[ the only thing he really knows is "I'm not dead." And he's refusing to buy that line. He wants to see more, he wants to solve the mystery and go home. he's so close, and who knows how things were gonna shake out if he wasn't there to manage them. ]

I took a walk around earlier, but I want clues and a way out, which means I need to drop the lone wolf act for a bit.

[burstmodes]

[ hmm. prompto tilts his head a little in thought. well, that makes a lot of sense. ]

Hate to break it to you, dude, but you might be here a while if that's what you're looking for. There's a buncha people already on that, and we haven't found much yet. [ which isn't said in a negative tone; those are, simply, the facts. he starts to walk, hoping jason would follow without any verbal prompting. ] But I get it. Must have been pretty weird hearing the whole 'you're dead now' speech, huh?

[mind_blown]

I told you, I don't believe it for a second. I remember dying, sure.

But the how doesn't make sense to me.

[ he offers a small shrug at that, but his tone is frank as well. and there's nothing about his first death, he has no desire or need to recount that one. ]

Besides, even if it takes awhile, I'm still going to do it. Being trapped here doesn't mean the stuff I need to do back home stops existing. It's just added motivation, and maybe even a little less stress.

[burstmodes]

Nothing about being here makes a lot of sense.

[ but it's not like he expects much to come of this, at least for a while. he's got things to do back home too, sure. everyone here probably does, but getting back there... it would take more than a miracle to resurrect this many people, and they didn't even have a single phoenix down to help. or that kind of magic, though he wasn't sure that would do anything even if they tried. ]

I'm not gonna stop you from doing whatever you wanna do, but you can die here too. Not that I've seen it personally. It was on those bulletins I sent you. [ he doesn't know the details yet. ] And just between us, just because we haven't run into anything creepy yet doesn't mean it's not out there. [ he pauses, pointing out a building that rises up in the dark ahead. ] That's the church. Gotta head past that for a while

[mind_blown]

[ that was oddly nice.

jason knew better than to expect he deserved anything nice. this was going to end badly. ]

You can die anywhere. But if anything, kind of lends credence to the idea "we're all not really dead."

... Anyway, thanks for the warning.

[burstmodes]

[ too bad he just happened to start talking to the number one guy on how to be nice to others and yourself while also being a hypocrite. everything will be #fine. ]

No worries, man. The way I figure it... we should at least try to look out for each other, you know? It's not like being here is gonna do any of us any favors. [ especially after the whole grave thing. prompto sighs, holding out his lantern as they walk. the silence sort of fills up the space between them before he can't help asking, ] Soooo, uh. Is red your favorite color?

[mind_blown]

[ smalltalk, thank god. no need to address that other part about looking out for each other. no need to acknowledge being "team-y". ]

It's... kind of a thing. It's part of my theme, kind of like my "brand."

[ he read a book on marketing once, and he runs a shady casino, and he's only 19. he knows how important it is to own your brand. ]

[burstmodes]

Okay, but it's not a color you like? Or it is, and it's also your thing too? [ he's good at distractions, and right now, walking in the silent forest with nothing but their voices and their footsteps for company is still creepy. ] What d'you need a theme for?

[ one day, his curiosity might get him killed. ]

[mind_blown]

Stole it from someone I hate.

[ the graves gave him an unfortunate reminder of that, even if he didn't have trouble moving on. ]

You ever hear of Batman?

[burstmodes]

[ prompto opens his mouth to say something like "sounds like an intense backstory", but he doesn't actually want to sound rude. so, instead, he clears his throat a little. ]

Uh, sort of? I mean, I'm pretty sure there was a comic or two floating around about that when I was a kid... [ but for all he knows, the character in them could have been something else. superheroes weren't really his thing. ]

[mind_blown]

[ that gets a strange look from him. batman is a lot of things to him, but... a comic? And just a comic?

He's aware of people writing fanciful stories... (Which, if only they knew the real deal, but people gotta cope somehow). But usually batman looms larger than life.

But he decides he doesn't want to comment on it. It's not the type of thing he really wants to waste time puzzling over, though, maybe it'll be important later. who knows. ]

Well. It's sort of like that, the concept of "Batman." Except I'm usually known as the "Red Hood."

[burstmodes]

[ maybe if batman had been a popular a video game then he might have had more to say on the subject. as it is, prompto squints out at the dark and pauses in his step, trying to suss it out. ]

Okay, so... I don't really remember a whole lot about Batman, but that means you, uh, fight stuff? Crime? Or was it aliens? [ he laughs. ] That probably sounds weird, sorry. At least the Red Hood thing makes sense.