TEST DRIVE MEME #1

[inthenightmods]

TEST DRIVE MEME #1

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

While you're here...

• Take a look at our rules and faq pages to familiarize yourself with the game.
  
• Note that we have a reserve/application cap of 20 apps per month (this has been waived for the first month!).
  
• 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.
  
• Though threads can become canon, they cannot count toward 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

YOU'RE DEAD, JIM

You haven't been in Beacon long when you find yourself in Bonfire Square, staring into the flames and thinking about how you ended up here. Maybe it was an accident, a sudden freak thing that you never saw coming until you woke up on the ferry, or maybe it's a miracle you made it as long as you did. Maybe death was a relief. Maybe it was just your time. Whatever the case, you can't help but reflect on your final moments as you linger in the firelight.

But however you died, it's behind you now, and you're here, stuck in this little town with just a few buildings and a smattering of other people. You're going to be here a while, so you may as well get to know your neighbors, but... Would it be cathartic to commiserate about your deaths? Or is your time better spent stocking up at the general store? Then again, you've got plenty of time, so why not catch a drink or two (or three) at the Invincible? Pretend you're unaffected by your death, and, well. Fake it 'til you make it, perhaps.

Point is, you have options. You're dead, you died, and this is your "life" now. Better get used to it.

AND THEY WERE ROOMMATES

Currently, there's only one place to live (technically speaking) in Beacon: the Invincible, a tavern and inn located in Bonfire Square. Luckily, the place has working amenities (minus light), and the forest spirits don't charge anything for your stay. Unfortunately, it seems there may not be enough rooms for everyone. Guess you'll have to get cozy!

Maybe you'll try to pick a roommate from around town or in the bar downstairs, or maybe you'll just walk into the first room you see and choose that way. Want a room all to yourself? Get ready to fend off any potential intruders. And the fun doesn't end there.

The Invincible's rooms aren't all created equal. Some may have had their furniture stolen or become a dumping ground for unwanted pieces, resulting in a single bed, five dressers, and other equally distressing situations. Will someone sleep on the floor? Will you nail two beds together to form bunk beds? Maybe you just want to make this room into something more like home— potentially to your roommate's chagrin. Whatever you decide, this is where you're staying for now, so you might as well get comfortable.

network prompts

HACKER VOICE: I'M IN

In order to use the network, you have to register a username. Er, at least, that's how it's supposed to work. For some reason, new users have recently been able to bypass that requirement, allowing them to post anonymously. Time to troll strangers on the magical internet!

Eventually though, you'll need a username in order to use the tablet's other functions, like the direct messaging system. So hey, why not take advantage of the ability to source opinions, and workshop your potential usernames on the network? Share ideas, get feedback, steal ideas, critique others, and figure out what you want everyone to call you.

TURN ON YOUR LOCATION

When you wake up, you're in the woods. An iron shackle complete with a chain leashes you to a tree, and the only light you have is your lantern. You've never seen this area of the woods before. You certainly didn't go to sleep here.

Hm.

But, all is not lost. You find your phone in your pocket, as well as a scrap of paper covered back to front in cryptic scribbles. Are these clues to your location? They must be. You also spot a key dangling from a branch, though it's hanging from a tree you'll never be able to reach from here. Perhaps someone on the network will be able to lend you a hand...

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Comments

Cao Pi | @kingofwei | Warriors Orochi

[pure_havoc]

log - bonfire square

Reflecting on his final moments is exactly what Cao Pi is doing at the edge of the fire, ice blue eyes fixed on the flames. He really should not be surprised to have been killed by the eight-headed serpent beast that plunged through Hulao Pass, but he is, a bit. He's survived so much, that's what finally did it? But if that's true, this sure as hell isn't the afterlife promised by the Taoists.

He almost invites interruption, standing there in gold-trimmed armor, his clothing shades of indigo and purple (slightly charred in places), a pair of swords sheathed at his hip. Compared to the, ah, locals, he looks completely out of place, straight out of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. But stewing in his private thoughts is too much, too weighty, too painful, so after a while he'll turn to whoever is nearby and murmur, "Is this your first time being dead, too?"

There's a touch of sarcasm to it. Maybe he doesn't believe the story after all.

log - room...mates?

Cao Zihuan, King of Wei, Heir of the Hero of Chaos, is used to having his way, or at the very least, his own private quarters. He's already staked out a room with just one bed and is patiently lounging on it, inspecting the tablet, when strangers barge into his room. Anyone who comes in with the expectation - nay, the knowledge - that they'll have to share will be met with an arched eyebrow and a cool, slightly nasty, "Can I help you?"

He doesn't yet realize that he's going to be stuck with someone, please disabuse him of the notion that his status owes him anything, least of all privacy.

wildcard

[idk the tavern, the general store, random/failed text, come at me. I can match format it doesn't matter everything is cool cool cool.]

Very much not=roommates

[hellspawnrevenant]

To say that Hanzo Hasashi is displeased is an understatement. He has a scowl that can send just about anyone running, and it's as deep as his brow can possibly furrow right now. The lantern is tied to his belt opposite his katanas, casting a faint light around the area, but almost none on his face.

With one hand on his katana he'd kicked open the door, clearly expecting a fight or an enemy inside. What he gets is just someone lounging on the bed, playing with the same sort of tablet that Hanzo had tossed aside and abandoned upon discovering it.

"I highly doubt you could." His voice drips with disdain, more for the situation than the man he's speaking to, but his abrasive demeanor makes it hard to tell.

HA best reaction

[pure_havoc]

Brusque demeanors is how they roll in Wei, but the sheer audacity of the interruption keeps Cao Pi from being even slightly nostalgic for Xiahou Dun's presence. Nope, instead, his frown deepens. "Of course not," he retorts, "that would require stooping to a lower level of intelligence."

He sets the tablet aside next to the lantern on the table. "Let me be more plain, then. What do you want?"

BFFs in no time

[hellspawnrevenant]

He ignores the insult with the confidence of someone who doesn't care what anyone else thinks nor their opinions. The lantern catches his attention though. Everyone has a lantern, everyone has a tablet. Curious.

"I don't need to explain myself to you." Though even he has to admit he did just barge into someone else's room with the intention of cutting anyone in there to pieces. So maybe he can unbend a tiny bit.

"I was looking for a room, an unoccupied one."

Hanzo Hasashi doesn't know the concept of knocking politely.

[pure_havoc]

"I rather think you do," Cao Pi notes, sliding off the bed and standing up at his full height. Oh, but his Pure Havoc blades are over on the other side, damn. He does his best to downplay it. "Slamming your way in here like that. Clearly the room is not unoccupied, so if you would like it to be, well. We're going to have a problem."

He does his best not to telegraph a glance over to where his swords are, and how quickly he can get to them if attacked.

[hellspawnrevenant]

His eyes flick over Cao Pi, noting that he seems to be unarmed. But looks can be deceiving and Hanzo isn't going to assume anything.

"Precautionary measure." As if he breaks down doors all the time in case of enemy attack. By his way of thinking whoever this is should be glad it's not on fire as well. At this point he should leave, what he wanted to accomplish is obviously not in this room, and he's not much for conversation. But something about the attitude of the other man rankles, and so he remains, on the edge of drawing his sword.

"I am not here to fight you. Unless that's what you wish."

[pure_havoc]

Zihuan's lips twist briefly. "Well. Something we have in common, at last."

Strangely, the armor puts him sort of at ease, or at least in mind of familiar things, making it easy to resort to snark and not be too confused. Yet, now that they're standing there and mutually agreeing to stand down, something does make him wonder. "...are there even any unoccupied rooms left in this place?"

[hellspawnrevenant]

"I have only checked a few." Meaning he has definitely been kicking down doors all over this place only to find people in there who were less than pleased to see him. "But there are not many rooms, not enough for the amount of people I saw at the bonfire."

He drops his hand from where it's been hovering by his katana, deciding against starting a fight right now, "I am Grandmaster Hasashi."

[pure_havoc]

Well that doesn't bode well. Marshalling his features into something more serene and less snide, Zihuan lifts his head importantly. "Cao Pi, Lord of Wei. Grandmaster...not a title I'm familiar with but it implies. Skill." A shame this isn't a time to get into fights, he'd be interested to see the level of swordsmanship a grandmaster can claim. "You're welcome to continue beating down doors in search of the perfect quarters, but I'm not sure you wouldn't be attacked in the process."

bonfire

[callada]

Now, that is some fancy armor. Elaborate. The sort of thing royalty might wear, or their close guards, but in a style so unfamiliar that he simply can't place what country the man might have come from. Then again, the world is vast, and islands are numerous - and if they're all dead, maybe this guy somehow came from some other civilization he's never heard of. Is that possible? Or maybe he's not even real because none of this feels real at all yet. It's too bizarre.

The guy seems to catch him looking, but Rosinante isn't at his most subtle right now. He shrugs off the question and stuffs his hands in his pockets, feeling just as bitter as the other might, given that sarcasm. "Yeah. It's a hard thing to practice without just going for it."

War, he figures, looking at the armored man. He probably was fighting in some sort of war, given the armor. Is it tacky to just ask? Like prisoners, wondering what the other guy is in for? Shit, what else is he going to do?

"Mind if I ask what happened?"

[pure_havoc]

It's very hard not to look at someone towering over him by that amount - the guy is even bigger than Lu Bu! - but Cao Pi at least keeps it subtle, studying without staring. The quip instantly puts him something at ease, as much as anyone can be at ease speaking so handily of death. He lets the question linger between them for a long moment before taking a breath and deciding to answer.

"It's rather difficult to defend a gate when the attacker happens to be an eight-headed serpent," he says dryly. "I half expect to see it still towering over the trees here, every time I glance over my shoulder."

[callada]

The eight-headed serpent comment sounds less sarcastic, and he raises an eyebrow as he regards his companion again. "What, like a sea king?"

So not a war, but a monster. Well, perhaps they have that in common. The last sight of Doflamingo, looming larger than he's ever looked, will probably haunt him forever here. They both stood up to monsters and they both lost.

[pure_havoc]

Unsure what that means, Cao Pi shakes his head once. "Nowhere near the sea. It was Hulao Gate, in the mountains." Ironically, both war and monster, but that may come out eventually. He likewise frowns in question. "You are...more familiar with sea creatures?"

[callada]

"That's the only sort of beast I can think of that might look like that," he says with a nod. "Some of them can come up on land too, I think. I've never heard of one that only lived on land. Dragons are just stories."

Well, probably. The seas are full of their mysteries, and it's naive to think he knows everything that's out there. So maybe there are dragons, or land monsters. In fact, clearly there are somewhere. He shrugs, looking a little apologetic for the assumption. "Guess I was wrong."

[pure_havoc]

While Zihuan doesn't know much about the different worlds, at least he was recently cavorting in a known alternate dimension, so... "Not necessarily. I doubt any incarnation of Orochi would be seen on land or in the sea in the living world."

Which, clearly, only invites more questions than it answers.

"A sailor, then," he guesses for his comrade's sake.

[callada]

If not the living world and if not the world of the dead, where they are now, then where? Definitely going to have to ask about that in a moment. Perhaps this person knows more than he's fully letting on.

"A sailor, yes. I'm sure I've spent more time at sea than on dry land," he admits. Of course, it's easy to do when the world he knows is mostly ocean. So much of what's important happened on land, but in between there is nothing but miles and miles of open water.

"This Orochi, this monster of yours. Where did you encounter it, if not in the living world?"

bonfire square

[completelycrazy]

Yeah, this sure is a strange assortment of people, but... It's a strange situation. And a strange question. Pretty much everything going on right now is strange as hell. Like, Newt's dead, apparently? It seems hard to believe, but, well, here they are.

"Uh, yeah? Isn't that how it works?"

You don't get more than one shot at life, as far as he's aware. Was aware. Ugh.

heyyy newt

[pure_havoc]

"That depends on whether you believe any of the philosophers," Zihuan retorts smoothly, still preferring sarcasm to real emotions right about now. Good coping. "There's a newfangled idea floating around from the Buddhists that we keep being reborn over and over again."

wildcard

[withsadness]

Because the way Cao Zihuan, King of Wei, Heir of the Hero of Chaos, has very much seemed to present himself, we'll assume that Mary finds him seated alone at the tavern, maybe brooding in a forlorn corner. Something super edgy, super dramatic, you know how it goes. The point is, he'll find his thoughts and his solitude broken when suddenly a little girl is standing in front of him, hands hidden behind her back.

But she can hardly contain herself, so she very quickly shows what it is she's hiding, and presents him with a hand-drawn picture! It appears to be a rough approximation of himself as a young child would draw him, prancing with his swords in his hands and surrounded by flowers! He has a big smile on his face.

"You seemed sad, so I drew you a happy picture!"

[pure_havoc]

One of the small comforts: a glass of grape wine. How nice is it to find some here, and be able to relax in a quiet corner with his glass, observing from a distance? It would be a lot nicer if he wasn't interrupted.

Cao Pi arches an eyebrow at the drawing presented to him and for a long moment doesn't move to take it as he processes. "...what?" he finally says flatly. What is this? How dare anyone presume? Also, why is he smiling?

[withsadness]

"See? This is you," Mary puts the drawing on the table in front of him and begins to explain. Clearly, his question was honest in his lack of understanding and had nothing to do with the situation as a whole. "And those are your swords, because, um...I thought you probably have fun playing with them! And so that's why you're happy. And there's flowers, because, I like them!"

You're welcome.

[pure_havoc]

Well, it's not poetry, but...

Sighing softly, Cao Pi decides to indulge for a moment, sitting up and resting an elbow on the table. Uh huh, those sure are his swords. "What kind of flowers?" he wonders, because sometimes colors doesn't tell the whole story.

[withsadness]

"They're roses." She definitely sounds fond as she explains. "Because roses are the most beautiful, and everybody loves them. They smell nice, and they have such soft petals."

[pure_havoc]

Somehow this is actually captivating. Zihuan knows roses...well, one or two varieties. Not his favorite, but he's seen them. He rests his chin on his fist. "So do peonies. Though, I'm not overly fond of peonies. I suppose that makes roses a decent choice." He doesn't smile, but his eyes take on a distinctly sly glint. "Can you draw lotuses?"

[withsadness]

"Ummm..."

Mary has to take a moment to think, but seems to recall an image of a lotus flower in her mind, and from a pocket in her skirt pulls out a new piece of paper and something to draw with. Spreading it on the table, she gives it her best shot. Like the rest of her art, of course, it's a childish attempt...but as she surrounds it with round lily pads and squiggles to represent water, it gives off a decent approximation.

"Like this?"